X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the ServerPantheon finished their stage and returned to the waiting room.
“It was good, right?”
“It felt good.”
With their first public broadcast appearance and Kang-yul’s sudden visit, there were many reasons to be nervous.
However, Pantheon overcame all those reasons and finished the stage.
“…….”
It was quiet with the aftermath of the strong-strong-strong-strong song and the lingering emotion of finishing the stage.
Now they just rest for a while, go up to the stage with the other idols when the 1st place is announced, and it’s over.
“It’s good.”
The single phrase Yoon-seo brought up had no explanation, but everyone understood and laughed.
“Good, right?”
“I like it too.”
“It’s good.”
“Be grateful.”
Something strange was mixed in….
However, that strange thing, Demon God Sun-woo, was the driving force that brought Pantheon this far.
“Do not have slack thoughts. Have we not only pierced through one public broadcast yet? There is still a long way to go.”
The driving force did not drop.
The Demon God was still urging growth.
“That’s like Sun-woo.”
“Hyung is right. We shouldn’t be satisfied.”
“Indeed.”
The Demon God glanced behind his back.
Chains were still hanging heavily.
To break all the chains, they must become top idols.
Pantheon and himself must still climb higher.
– It is the 1st place announcement. Performers, please standby below the stage.
For example, taking 1st place on SBC at the end of the promotion period with one week left.
The Demon God headed to the stage confidently.
***
“Wor…. ship….”
“Zion. S-Stop it. Someone might hear.”
“So what? It’s not ‘I love you’.”
“No…. I just dislike it somehow. Receive your 1st place award quickly and get lost.”
This week’s 1st place nominee, Novior.
Encountering him below the stage, Zion came straight toward him and whispered worship.
The Demon God felt burdened….
‘There should be a proper distance from believers.’
Especially with Zion.
There should be an even more proper distance.
However, Zion possessed a technique to close that distance.
“Did you hear?”
“Hm?”
He keeps throwing interesting stories.
“Should I tell you?”
“Tell me.”
And the Demon God kept getting curious.
He always brings stories that suit his taste, so what is he supposed to do.
It seems it will be the same this time.
“PhaseUp, who was nominated for 1st place with us, got injured.”
“Hmm, is it the ghost story you mentioned, Zion?”
“Right. But this time the extent of the injury was bigger.”
“What did you say?”
Zion explained the extent of PhaseUp’s injury.
Unlike before, it wasn’t a light cut but a quite deep cut, and he said it wasn’t just one person injured either.
“Of course, it’s at a level that heals with treatment, but the timing is the problem.”
“I see. If that happens during the promotion period, it must be difficult.”
“Right. PhaseUp members and fans were all upset.”
For an idol, managing one’s body can also be considered work.
Since the promotion period isn’t long either, if they get hurt or sick then, fans can’t see the members’ active appearance for another long while.
‘Strange. When I first heard the ghost story from Zion, it wasn’t at this level.’
It was at a level where they could just wrap bandages around the wound and promote.
If he thought it was dangerous, the Demon God would have found it somehow.
“Sun-woo. I’m not just saying this story for nothing, but it seems Pantheon will be a 1st place nominee next week.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, our Novior is out too…, the overall atmosphere is like that.”
“Hmm. Understood. I will be careful. But it cannot dare to harm me.”
“Probably, right?”
Zion’s face also became relieved.
– Performers, please come up to the stage.
Just then, an announcement came through the in-ear.
They lined up and headed to the stage.
“By the way, Zion. Besides us, who is the other 1st place nominee candidate?”
“Huh? Probably EXI this time?”
The large agency Izm was pushing them with all their might, and the response was quite good too.
The timing was also good, showing a tremendous momentum where a debut group was even becoming a public broadcast 1st place nominee.
“I see.”
Like that, he separated from Zion and went up to the stage.
– Star Gayo! This week’s 1st place iiis! Novior!
The rookie actor acting as MC called Novior with a cheerful voice.
– Congratulations! Please come to the center!
Receiving everyone’s congratulations, Novior went to the center.
As expected, Zion was a fan of the Demon God, while simultaneously a top-tier idol.
Pantheon aims for 1st place in this spot right next week.
‘EXI must be thinking the exact same thing, right?’
They were standing far away from Pantheon. Looking busy talking among themselves rather than congratulating.
The Demon God’s hearing could pick it up even from this distance.
– Ji-chan, why are you so pale?
– Uhm…. It’s nothing…. I don’t know what I did….
A member named Ji-chan was smiling, but that smile was strangely creaking.
– A stage mistake? It’s okay, it’s okay, it didn’t show at all?
Kang-yul patted Ji-chan.
It looked almost normal if one didn’t know well.
Anyway, they are absorbed in their own conversation.
Pantheon had also monitored EXI’s stage.
He didn’t know what mistake was made, but it really didn’t show on the broadcast.
That EXI’s skills were outstanding was something the Demon God also acknowledged.
‘Weeeell, it must be like that to be fun. Is it fun to just mindlessly beat up a weak enemy.’
Thinking about it calmly, that was extremely fun too.
Wasn’t it an action he enjoyed doing.
“Well, it doesn’t matter.”
The Demon God was one to lightly overlook a bit of self-contradiction.
***
“Now, let’s pack our things in the waiting room and return. We have another schedule soon, you know?”
Under Tae-young’s guidance, Pantheon headed to the waiting room.
Naturally passing through the hallway in front of the door—
Shiver, Tae-young shuddered as he passed by.
“It’s April, but they turned the AC on strong?”
Yoon-seo following behind, and Ha-gyeom too, similarly shuddered. Everyone seemed to feel the cold.
However, this phenomenon was not due to the air conditioning.
– They seem cold because of us?
– I feel a little sorry….
– What’re ya sayin’. It’s just for a moment!
It was precisely a paranormal phenomenon.
The three spirits, having finished their free viewing of the broadcasting station, had arrived in front of Pantheon’s waiting room.
“Did you look around well?”
– It was fun! Yo!
– Yes, it was good that we came.
Rock and Indie answered first.
“Ah, it’s cold.”
Ji-ho, trembling, followed the members toward the waiting room—
– Thanks to Demon God-nim, we get to see such sights!
“Thanks to Demon God-nim, we get to see such sights!”
The voices overlapped.
Trot’s voice flowed out from Ji-ho’s body.
Of course, it wasn’t perfectly Trot’s voice, but a voice half-mixed with Ji-ho’s and slightly distorted.
– W-What is this?
– Demon God-nim, what on earth is this?
It was precisely possession.
“Do not panic.”
Because there is a very easy way to undo possession.
Without hesitation, the Demon God raised his hand and struck Ji-ho’s head with the knife-edge of his hand.
– Kuaaak! It hurts!
“Ouch! My head!”
At the Demon God’s strike, Trot bounced out of Ji-ho’s body.
“S-Sun-woo? Why did you hit my head?”
Ji-ho shouted, filled with unfairness.
“Ji-ho, you truly have a constitution that is easily possessed.”
“What? Possession? Paranormal phenomenon? I’ve never experienced such things! I said, why did you hit me?”
The Demon God narrowed his eyes and looked at Ji-ho.
Even at the fake shaman’s house, he was possessed by Shadow, yet he alone doesn’t know.
“Is this also a blessing.”
“?”
“Go into the waiting room. As for your head, there was a bug so I did that.”
“You catch a bug with a knife-hand strike?”
“Because I am fast.”
The Demon God cast a swift knife-hand strike.
“????”
Ji-ho felt something was unfair and strange, but thinking calmly, Sun-woo being strange was a common occurrence….
“Tsk.”
After Ji-ho went in like that.
“Trot, did you dare intend to possess Ji-ho’s body?”
– Euehh! No. I was just standing, but that person sucked me in as he passed by!
Trot’s words did not seem to be a lie.
Even so, Ji-ho’s possession constitution isn’t at a level where he gets possessed just walking down the street.
‘Ah? Is it because of the commonality of being connected to this Demon God?’
Ji-ho who shares Aura with the Demon God, Trot who is the Demon God’s familiar.
The connecting link was the Demon God.
Realizing that, the Demon God—
“Be careful from now on.”
– Yes, yes.
He lightly passed it by giving Trot a warning.
The familiar should be careful.
Isn’t it absurd for the Demon God to be careful.
– Demon God-nim, but! Yo!
“?”
– We think we saw something strange….
“Strange?”
Rock and Indie spoke, and Trot also nodded.
– No! Because we are spirits! I thought we could enter anywhere!
– That wasn’t the case…. It was amazing that there were places we couldn’t enter because spiritual energy strongly blocked us.
“It is not strange for there to be one or two such places in such a massive space. It is better not to touch such places.”
To the Demon God, it wasn’t amazing at all.
– Ah, but, among those places, there was one that was opened!
“Hm?”
– We took a peek, and the atmosphere was unusual….
– It was quite scary! Yo!
– We thought we should tell Demon God-nim.
The Demon God tilted his head.
It doesn’t seem the three spirits would say just anything. They must have felt something strange.
And right now, a ghost story is swelling its size in the broadcasting station.
“Guide me.”
To not be late for the schedule, he had to move quickly.
After making a judgment, the Demon God moved without hesitation.
– It’s here! Yo!
“I see it.”
One of the several supply rooms in the broadcasting station.
However, there were barely any traces of people coming and going.
It was likely a place ordinary people strangely didn’t set foot in. A place where no one goes even without a reason.
And, right now, a tremendous stench was coming from this supply room.
Not a physical stench, but the spiritual stench of an evil spirit.
He knew why the three spirits said the atmosphere was unusual.
The Demon God also frowned at that stench.
Of course, that didn’t make him stop. He kicked the door open and stepped inside.
Scanning the inside quickly—
[I do this much no matter how hard I try]
[Others achieve it even doing a little. How is this possible]
[Why is there a difference]
[I want to kill them]
[Why am I so pathetic]
[What do I do about this?]
Crookedly.
Filling an entire wall, words resenting others and cursing oneself were written.
‘It is not writing by a human.’
The Demon God was certain.
It is here.
The protagonist of the ghost story was nesting here.
“It has definitely become an evil spirit.”
– Evil spirit?
– Evil spirit!
– You say evil spirit?
He could tell just from the lingering stench.
It has become quite a powerful evil spirit.
‘Be that as it may, didn’t it become an evil spirit in quite a short time? Such a case must be rare. Was there some stimulation?’
“Familiars, thoroughly search this inside.”
Of course, since the three spirits had no ability to move physical objects, the Demon God also rummaged through the supplies.
– Here! We see something! Yo!
– Right! There’s something brown!
– Looks like a book?
The three spirits found something.
They looked in after seeing the lid of a blue plastic bucket slightly open.
When the Demon God opened the lid entirely and took out the item inside.
A brown diary.
Besides that, it was full of notebooks and memos.
The handwritings were all different.
However, if there was a commonality, it was that they were full of resentment and inferiority complex.
Someone had brought a bunch of items that could serve as food to stimulate an evil spirit.
The Demon God muttered quietly.
“They intentionally created an evil spirit?”
Artificially?
And, on the memo the Demon God held last.
Crookedly.
It was written in the same handwriting as the words the evil spirit wrote on the wall.
– Today I received help and was reborn. One week later, I will finally become a 1st place nominee.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Not Me, The Fans is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Not Me, The Fans
If You Notice any translation issues or inconsistency in names, genders, or POV etc? Let us know here in the comments or on our Discord server, and we’ll fix it in current and future chapters. Thanks for helping us to improve! 🙂