Chapter 8: The Enigma of Fan Activities

#8

PACE-A, having celebrated its sixth anniversary a few months prior, was now embarking on its seventh year. With each passing year, the expiration of their contracts loomed closer.

The members consciously refrained from discussing the upcoming year. Time still remained, and more importantly, each individual’s thoughts held significant weight.

It was impossible for all seven members to share the same sentiment. While the discussion would be simpler if most wished to maintain the group, Jaejeong suspected there were members who definitely wouldn’t want to renew their contracts.

Without even considering others’ opinions, Jaejeong himself wasn’t certain if remaining with the company was the right choice. The unequal distribution of solo activities, concentrated on only a few members, was a prime example.

Previously, he had dismissed it as being for the group’s benefit, but year after year, nothing had changed. Yet, he couldn’t even fathom whether he could stand on his own if he were to leave PACE-A.

Honestly, he lacked the confidence to be loved as Choi Jaejeong outside the protective fence of PACE-A.

‘Could I truly overcome this entire situation with just diligence and perseverance, as Dohoon had suggested?’

‘If so, did that mean the diligence and perseverance I’ve shown until now were woefully insufficient?’

Jaejeong found himself wanting to ask Dohoon, a man he had never even met, directly. He knew it was an impossible, almost absurd thought, yet it persisted.

****

Dohoon’s face darkened as he reviewed the video his manager had sent. It was an interview filmed recently at a magazine photoshoot.

He recalled his own surprise when the editor had mentioned PACE-A’s name. Despite knowing it was an absurd notion, his heart sank at the thought that they might have somehow realized he was a fan of PACE-A.

He couldn’t even recall what he had been thinking when he answered the subsequent questions. After the interview concluded, he felt utterly drained.

Ordinarily, he would listen to PACE-A’s songs for peace of mind, but with staff members around, he couldn’t do so comfortably. Dohoon was still struggling to adapt to the clandestine nature of his fan activities, which felt like a covert operation.

Still, he was relieved that nothing unusual seemed apparent in his on-screen demeanor. His years in acting had not been in vain.

While eagerly awaiting PACE-A’s comeback, Dohoon had also become increasingly busy. After confirming his role in a new drama, he had resumed his workouts.

His intention was to build up his physique to a certain degree before attending action school. In the drama, Dohoon played an unknown stuntman who accidentally found himself in the body of a Joseon king.

The plot promised numerous action scenes as he worked to resolve the central conflict. While stunt doubles would be used for dangerous sequences, Dohoon would perform most of the scenes himself.

Moreover, since his character was a stuntman, a lean and muscular physique was essential. After spending the entire day at the gym, immersed in his workout, Dohoon returned home and logged onto Twitter for the first time in a while.

Lately, his busy schedule left him little time for his fan activities. “What is going on?”

Seeing his timeline in an uproar without him, a sudden wave of anxiety washed over him, making him fear something terrible had happened. As it turned out, PACE-A’s comeback date had been announced.

Dohoon meticulously recorded each member’s teaser release date and the music video’s premiere date in his calendar app. He even set a separate alarm for Jaejeong’s teaser, which was the most important.

It was the first time he had ever devoted such meticulous effort to someone else’s schedule, rather than his own. Though he had never engaged in fan activities before, he found it thoroughly enjoyable, simply following his heart without much worry.

This was a sentiment only possible because he was unaware that delving deeper would bring more stress than joy. Time slipped away unnoticed, and soon, PACE-A’s teasers began to drop one by one.

Starting with a short video teaser for their fourth full album, ‘D-DAY,’ individual member photos were uploaded sequentially to the official account. On the day Jaejeong’s teaser was set to be released, Dohoon returned home earlier than usual after Taeshik’s evening walk.

His entire focus was already on the clock, making the alarm he had set feel superfluous. Perhaps due to his heightened sensitivity, the sudden blare of the alarm only further irritated his nerves.

Dohoon hastily silenced it and checked the official account. “Wow…”

He first scanned the four photos, which highlighted a striking black-and-white contrast, then zoomed in on each one to examine them closely. The profile shot, taken without Jaejeong looking at the camera, was breathtaking.

But when he saw the next photo, where Jaejeong stared directly into the lens, Dohoon felt his breath catch in his throat. “He’s insane.”

The words slipped out of his mouth instantly. In the photo, Jaejeong wore neither excessive makeup nor extravagant clothing, yet he exuded such an intense aura that he would command attention anywhere.

Only then did Dohoon notice that Jaejeong wore nothing beneath his jacket, prompting him to let out an embarrassed cough. While he had grown accustomed to openly praising handsome faces, he had yet to cultivate the shamelessness to admire another person’s body to such an extent, even if that person was Jaejeong.

“Why did they half-dress him?” Dohoon muttered, adding a comment out of embarrassment, before quickly moving to the next photo. Unlike the previous two, this one featured clothing with relatively vibrant colors.

The atmosphere was distinctly different from the intense vibe of the earlier teasers. Dohoon spent over an hour scrutinizing the four photos before finally checking the reactions on Twitter. As expected, fans were in an uproar.

[Choi In-sam @** (Quote)

I love Choi Jaejeong to death!!!!!

━━━━┓

┓┓┓┓┃/ . ` (Shatters)

┓┓┓┓ : .ヽ○ノ

┓┓┓┓┃ /

┓┓┓┓┃`.ノ) . `

┓┓┓┓┃

┓┓┓┓┃

┓┓┓┓┃ ○

┓┓┓┓┃ 人 (Softly)

┓┓┓┓┃ /)

I must live until the comeback..

#PACEA #D_DAY #June2nd #Comeback]

[June2nd PACEA Comeback @** (Quote)

Stylist-nim, work less and earn more]

└[Yulttang: @** No, you shouldn’t work less]

└[June 2nd PACEA Comeback: @** But dressing them in less clothes is good]

[HoldBreathTillPACEAComeback @**

Boss-nim, can I really see this for free?

(Photo/Photo/Photo/Photo)

#PACEA_D_DAY_June2nd_Release]

Dohoon later learned that ‘Boss-nim’ referred to Bae Jong-ryeol, the CEO of Baesung Entertainment, PACE-A’s agency. He also discovered that ‘Boss-nim’ could quickly turn into ‘that jerk Bae’ if things went awry.

Dohoon, who had instinctively turned off his screen after seeing a zoomed-in photo of Jaejeong’s open chest, calmly turned his phone back on. Jaejeong’s firm physique clearly showed the results of diligent exercise.

Feeling too awkward to stare, Dohoon quickly scrolled down.

****

A few days later, the album specifications for ‘D-DAY’ were also released. The new information was certainly welcome, but the uploaded images simply felt like an enigma to Dohoon.

What was a photo book? What was a photo card? And what exactly did ‘random’ even mean, from start to finish? Moreover, all the unreleased photos were blurred, adding to Dohoon’s confusion.

In such moments, the only person Dohoon could turn to for help was Bbaksae. Since Bbaksae was the only one who had ever responded to Dohoon’s messages in the first place, he had no other choice.

[TSdaddy: Hello, Bbaksae-nim! How have you been?]

[PACEAFansignBbaksae: I’ve been well]

[PACEAFansignBbaksae: Have you been well too, TS-nim?]

[PACEAFansignBbaksae: Is it okay if I call you that?]

[TSdaddy: Yes, of course. Please call me whatever you’re comfortable with ^^]

Being suddenly dubbed ‘Taeshik’ bothered him for a moment, but at the same time, he felt a surge of excitement, as if he had grown a little closer to Bbaksae.

[TSdaddy: It’s nothing in particular, but about those album specifications that were released…]

[TSdaddy: No matter how I look at them, I can’t make sense of it]

For an inexperienced Dohoon, idol fan activities proved to be incredibly challenging. Fortunately, Bbaksae kindly explained everything without a hint of annoyance.

[PACEAFansignBbaksae: To explain simply, there are two types of albums this time]

[PACEAFansignBbaksae: And inside each, there’s a photobook, which also differs by version]

[TSdaddy: So I won’t know which photos are inside??]

[PACEAFansignBbaksae: No, you can assume that Album A comes with Photobook A]

[TSdaddy: Ah, that’s a relief]

Dohoon, thinking with relief that he just needed to buy one of each, suddenly wondered what a photo card was.

[TSdaddy: Then what are those photo cards?]

[PACEAFansignBbaksae: They’re album special benefits]

[PACEAFansignBbaksae: And they’re random]

[PACEAFansignBbaksae: To be precise, there are 14 types for each version, making 28 in total]

[PACEAFansignBbaksae: And you get a random one included]

Dohoon reread Bbaksae’s detailed explanation several times before he could finally grasp it.

[TSdaddy: So, those photo cards come randomly, right? And I won’t know which member I’ll get?]

[PACEAFansignBbaksae: Yes]

Even after hearing the full explanation, some points still eluded his understanding.

[TSdaddy: In that case, why can’t they just sell those photo cards for money?]

[TSdaddy: Why do they distribute them randomly? ㅠㅠ]

It was a pure question. Why would they make such things random?