Chapter 56: The Overzealous Senior

“Sun-woo, you got a personal message?”

Ha-gyeom poked his head over, asking.

He had overheard the Demon God muttering to himself after seeing the message.

“Is it phishing?”

Ha-gyeom checked the phone with suspicious eyes.

To contact Sun-woo, who hadn’t yet created personal social media accounts, they had to send him a text message.

But since the only people who would text him were the members, any other contact had to be viewed with suspicion first.

If Sun-woo were to be fooled by mistake, there was no telling what harm would befall the sender.

Given Sun-woo’s personality, he would absolutely not let it slide.

The other members largely shared Ha-gyeom’s sentiment.

“Sun-woo, if there’s anything you don’t know, ask me.”

“Sun-woo hyung got a personal message? But it couldn’t be from a friend, right?”

At Tae-young and Yoon-seo’s remarks, the Demon God asked.

“Yoon-seo, why do you believe it cannot be from a friend?”

“Hyung, do you have any friends?!”

“Hmph. You know a little about me, then. I do not.”

“As expected.”

Yoon-seo nodded vigorously.

“Sun-woo won’t fall for friend-impersonation phishing. Because he doesn’t have any friends.”

Ji-ho also looked relieved at that peculiar point.

However, Ha-gyeom, having checked the name of the sender, said with a surprised face.

“…Zion?”

At Ha-gyeom’s words, the members repeated the name.

““Zion?””

The members had heard about what happened the night before MAMA. They knew Sun-woo had saved Novior’s Zion that day.

“What’s it about?”

Tae-young calmly asked Ha-gyeom.

“He’s asking if Pantheon can be a guest at Novior’s solo concert?”

“What?”

Everyone was surprised.

It was surprising enough that the Demon God was still in contact with Zion, but it was quite unexpected for a male idol group like Novior to invite another male idol group like Pantheon as guests.

“Is being a guest at a solo concert a good thing?”

“Of course, it’s a good thing!”

At the Demon God’s question, Ha-gyeom excitedly explained.

“It’s definitely a good thing. Novior is a top-tier group, so they have tons of fans. This concert will probably be held in a dome, too. And if a male idol group performs as a guest at a Novior concert, it’ll definitely create a buzz.”

At Ji-ho’s briefing, the Demon God tilted his head.

“A male idol as a guest is a buzz, you say?”

The Demon God tilted his head.

“Yeah. Normally, male idol groups rarely invite other male idol groups as guests to their concerts. Unless they’re very close or from the same survival show, something like that?”

Neither the Demon God nor Zion were from a survival show.

So, this had to be thanks to the rescue at MAMA and their subsequent connection.

“Were you constantly in touch with Zion sunbae? How did you get so close so quickly?”

However, the Demon God shook his head.

“Friendship, you say?”

“Now that I recall, I did receive a few messages since then, but.”

“But?”

“I ignored them.”

“Ugh.”

Tae-young, who had been listening to the conversation, took the phone and checked the chat room.

“Let’s see….”

Tae-young read from the top, in order.

[Sun-woo, thank you so much for yesterday!!!!]

[Congratulations on winning the Rookie of the Year Award!!!!]

[Sun-woo, did you return home safely? When can we have a meal sometime?]

[Sun-woo, you don’t read your messages well—]

It was true.

The Demon God had not replied.

It was truly a one-sided connection….

“Sun-woo.”

“Hm?”

“Don’t you think it’s worth replying at least once? Aside from Novior being a top-tier group, the guy is trying to talk to you like this.”

However, the Demon God was firm.

“It felt rather clingy, you see.”

Tae-young looked down at the phone again and nodded after a moment.

It was a bit like that, he had to admit.

“So, each time a message came, I recalled who it was and then forgot again. Even now, I only recalled it after hearing you all speak.”

The Demon God forgot what he had decided to forget.

Yoon-seo, who usually remembered even small details for a long time, gaped in shock.

“Wow…, that’s quite a convenient memory. To be able to forget anything.”

“Must I bother remembering someone as insignificant as Zion? You all are not like that, are you?”

“Oh? What about us?”

“You must remember.”

An unexpected answer flowed out.

“Sun-woo hyung…?”

Our members are more important than a top-tier idol.

At Sun-woo’s confession, Pantheon’s dorm was suddenly filled with emotion.

‘Of course, he should feel that way, but coming from Sun-woo, it feels unexpectedly touching….’

This was the magic where someone who usually performed poorly seemed to have done exceedingly well when they did something right just once.

‘Right, Sun-woo does look out for his members. He always had love for the members from the start.’

It was true. The Demon God loved his members.

He loved them in his own Demon God way.

‘It is sufficient to remember only my direct subordinates. The rest are bothersome.’

It was fortunate he hadn’t finished his thought.

“Ahem. Sun-woo…, so are you going to decline the concert?”

“Sun-woo! I’m touched! But don’t decline it! Let’s go there! Let’s perform at a dome venue!”

“At MAMA, Novior fans even shielded us from negative comments.”

At the last remark, the Demon God perked up his ears.

“Was that so at the time? I did not seek it out, however.”

What kind of search pattern did Sun-woo usually use? How did he know some things and not others?

Such questions arose among the members, but the topic was still the solo concert.

“That’s right, their fans were friendly to us too. Novior’s solo concert isn’t far off, so we’ll have to decide quickly.”

As soon as he said this, the phone rang.

– Zzzzzing

[I’d appreciate it if you could let me know as soon as possible ㅠㅠ]

[It was difficult to tell my company ㅠㅠ]

Indeed, it was something that needed a quick decision.

– Zzzzzing

The messages didn’t stop.

[Must see you ♡♡♡♡]

“……”

Seeing the message with four hearts, the members finally properly understood what Sun-woo meant by ‘clingy.’

“Uh…, can we even go? Sun-woo won’t be in danger, will he?”

Even Tae-young hesitated slightly.

“Ehh…, he won’t be, right?”

“He won’t.”

“Would Sun-woo ever willingly be in danger?”

Thanks to Ji-ho’s words, everyone felt relieved.

That’s right. Sun-woo would never willingly put himself in danger.

“Anyway, Sun-woo. Your opinion is the most important. He’s proposing this to you because of your connection.”

“Let us go.”

“Really?”

“I already decided when I heard that they helped our fans earlier. If that is the case, then I must grant Zion’s plea.”

The other members all knew.

That Pantheon was the one benefiting.

Still, the conclusion wouldn’t change, so they didn’t bother correcting him.

“Alright! Then I’ll go downstairs and tell Team Leader Oh.”

Ha-gyeom got up and bounded off like a Saint Bernard.

“Why, pray tell, does the team leader reside here?”

The Demon God looked at the stair landing with a displeased expression.

A moment later, Ha-gyeom and the team leader came up.

“Team Leader—, begone to your abode at once… Hm?”

The Demon God doubted his eyes.

Behind the casually dressed team leader, the equally casually dressed CEO was following them up.

The only difference was that the team leader’s tracksuit was gray, and the CEO’s tracksuit had a floral pattern.

“Sun-woo! Did you get a call from Zion?”

The CEO ran over, his face beaming with joy.

“CEO? Why are you here?”

“There’s an empty room, you know.”

“That room would not be the CEO’s, would it?”

The CEO smiled awkwardly.

“I’m homeless.”

“What?”

Now that he thought about it, he did hear that the CEO had put his house on the market to secure Pantheon’s activity funds when they were looking for a dorm.

“My house sold, you see. So, I was wondering, could I stay here just until I find a new place?”

“Did you not receive the chairman’s investment funds?”

“Those funds are extremely strict about how they’re used. I can’t exactly use them to buy my own house, can I?”

Pantheon was speechless.

It was true that just before receiving a large investment, he had disposed of his house for activity funds. Since then, the local real estate seemed to be on the rise, so the one feeling bitter must be the CEO himself.

“What do you want to do?”

Tae-young asked the Demon God.

Since the Demon God was the one who acquired the dorm, his opinion on this matter was respected.

“All sorts of riff-raff are crawling in. However, it is a commander’s duty to secure lodging for his subordinates. But do ensure you are properly clothed. I shall not permit any more exposure than now.”

The Demon God did not wish to defile his eyes with the casual everyday exposure of middle-aged men.

“Lodging for subordinates, you say? Was I also a subordinate?”

The CEO’s question was lightly dismissed.

Because, naturally, he was a subordinate.

“Then it’s decided!”

Yoon-seo said with an excited expression.

He seemed happy about going to a top-tier idol’s concert.

The Demon God patted Yoon-seo’s head and made his final confirmation.

“Let us go. To invade Novior’s concert.”

““No, that’s not it.””

***

Communication between the companies quickly came and went.

They decided to schedule practice first and then visit Ultranova Entertainment, Novior’s agency.

“Oh, the company building is splendid, is it not?”

As the Demon God admired, the Ultranova Entertainment building was a neat, five-story monochrome structure.

“I’m envious.”

The CEO, who came along, unconsciously murmured.

It was an entertainment company that started as Nova Entertainment, then changed its name to Supernova Entertainment and then Ultranova Entertainment as the group Novior became popular.

It was one of the companies the CEO had taken as a model when he founded Origin.

Ultranova Entertainment continued to do well, while Origin faltered from the start.

Sensing his regret, the Demon God spoke firmly.

“Do not be envious, CEO. A future even grander than this awaits you.”

“R-really?”

“Hmph, indeed.”

Once he had taken someone as a subordinate, he would not allow them to live with regret.

The CEO’s own dreams would also begin with Pantheon and ultimately be realized.

For the Demon God was such a being.

“Therefore, do not speak of composer’s block.”

“Ugh.”

The CEO clutched at his chest, as if his stomach was aching sharply.

Once he had taken someone as a subordinate, he would neither give them regret nor allow them to merely idle.

He would extract the CEO’s capabilities to their limits.

For the Demon God was such a being.

Sun-woo, the Demon God of Stress, stepped forward.

“Let us enter.”

***

The CEO headed to Ultranova Entertainment’s CEO office.

The team leader conversed with their team leader and staff.

Pantheon, surprisingly, was greeted by Novior at the practice room door.

“Hello!”

Novior greeted them warmly.

“Hello, we are Pantheon.”

Pantheon, being juniors and younger, still maintained formality and used polite language.

“Where is Zion, having summoned this body? How utterly shameless.”

The Demon God spoke as only a Demon God would.

The four members of Novior, a five-member group like Pantheon, approached the Demon God.

“Oh! Zion was right. He really does speak like he’s in a historical drama!”

“He learned it by watching historical dramas and can’t fix it, he said?”

“Then what country did he originally live in?”

“He’s absolutely unsearchable, isn’t he?”

The Demon God’s way of speaking was quite unusual, often having the strange effect of shortening the distance with people he met for the first time.

“I have risen alone from the darkness of midnight. There is no reason I should be searchable.”

“Ah, really—? It must be hard to maintain that concept.”

‘He’s still a rookie, so he’s faithful to his concept. What kind of hard-to-maintain concept did his company give him? But it’s nice to see him working so hard. We should be kind to them as seniors.’

Novior members were fundamentally kind people….

“We’re all a few years older, so feel free to speak comfortably.”

Ian, the leader, kindly adjusted their titles for a more friendly tone.

While it would take some time for Pantheon to drop formalities, it was true that their hearts felt much more at ease.

“As Sun-woo said, only Zion sunbae is missing? Is he in the practice room?”

Tae-young asked, also curious.

“No, he went to prepare something because Pantheon was coming.”

“Prepare?”

What on earth could he be preparing?

“Just come in for now. You’ll understand quickly when you see it.”

Pantheon stepped into the practice room as Ian suggested.

““Ah?””

On one side of the practice room.

On the wall without a mirror.

Large printed photos of Pantheon were plastered.

And in the very center of the photos, the Demon God was positioned as the center.

“……”

The Demon God, blinking for a moment, asked Novior.

“Why is he like this?”