Chapter 25: The Demon God Greets

The core of comeback activities was, naturally, appearing on music shows.

While veteran groups might skip this part, for a rookie group like Pantheon, it was an absolutely essential schedule.

“U-Uwa… MusicNet, finally.”

Yoon-seo spoke in a trembling voice.

The van they had rented for the day was entering the MusicNet broadcasting station.

“Last time, we couldn’t even set foot in here.”

Tae-young spoke while looking outside, clearly moved by the moment.

During their last promotions, they only managed to visit a single cable channel due to Izm’s interference.

They especially hadn’t been able to appear on MusicNet.

Among cable music shows, it was the most influential, and its global recognition was higher than that of terrestrial channels; they had desperately wanted to appear, but ultimately failed to break through.

But now.

“We are today’s performers. Pantheon.”

A simple identity verification process at the main gate.

There, they proudly declared themselves as ‘today’s performers,’ and the van entered.

“Ugh, Sun-woo. Thank you. This is all thanks to you.”

“Do not forget that feeling.”

The Demon God nodded in response to Ha-gyeom’s emotional gratitude.

On the other hand, Ji-ho, while happy, cautiously raised a question.

“Is it really okay? Even if she’s the main writer, wouldn’t she have to follow orders from above?”

As he spoke, he glanced toward the front.

The CEO and the Team Leader had personally come along for this historic MusicNet appearance.

the site manager and the stylist team were following in another vehicle. It was unheard of for this many staff members to accompany Pantheon, except for their very early days.

Noticing Ji-ho’s gaze, the CEO wore a triumphant smile.

“I already finished a call with the Director before we arrived. The writer and the director are close here, so there’s no need to worry.”

There was no risk of things going wrong for no reason.

At the CEO’s affirmation, even the lingering anxiety vanished.

“So you guys just focus on the stage. The CEO and the Team Leader will handle the rest. Right, Team Leader Oh?”

“That’s correct. Though, we have to worry about ‘that’ first.”

The Team Leader raised a finger and pointed far ahead.

“The music show commute.”

The commute was the true beginning.

Originally, it was a unique idol culture that started with fans waiting to cheer for idols as they got out of their vans.

Now, it had established itself as a full course where they have a photo time at a designated spot, greet fans, and move along a set path.

Broadcasting station staff were even personally handling the guidance and maintaining order.

Now, not only fans but also reporters were waiting, so photos taken at this time often led to articles with headlines about visuals or fashion.

[Pantheon’s Sun-woo, Dangerous Beauty Even on the Way to Work]

Or,

[Is the Stylist an Anti? This Isn’t It for a Day Like Today]

Articles like those.

Fortunately, they had put a lot of effort into today’s visuals and styling. Confidence was overflowing.

“Look, Sun-woo.”

Ha-gyeom pointed ahead.

A certain idol team was starting their arrival walk.

As they moved after the photo time, fans shouted cheering chants.

“Oh.”

Looking at the fans who seemed orderly yet happy, the Demon God spoke in an excited voice.

“Will we receive such treatment when we descend?”

However, Ha-gyeom, who had told him to look, shifted his gaze away, and Ji-ho shook his head coldly from the side.

“Give up on those hollow expectations.”

“What? Why?”

“Because we have no fans.”

“Hmm?”

The commute walk could be quite ruthless; for unpopular idols, it was a time to see the scale of their own fandom with their own eyes.

Pantheon, well, they had almost no fans.

“Even the few fans we had are in a state of dissolution because our activities were sparse. It won’t be the way you want it, Sun-woo.”

At Ji-ho’s objective analysis, Ha-gyeom cut in again.

“Let’s make a lot of fans from now on and even form a fan club. The future is what’s important.”

It was a characteristically optimistic outlook from Ha-gyeom.

“Hmm.”

However, having heard both the objective and optimistic views, the Demon God narrowed his eyes and watched the outside for a moment.

“No.”

“Eh?”

“It starts now.”

“?”

While everyone wondered what the Demon God was talking about.

“How about we simply steal those fans over there first?”

Everyone in the car spoke in unison.

““No, that’s not it.””

***

Whirrrr—

The van door opened.

Finally, Pantheon’s turn had come.

The Demon God stepped out of the van and took his first step onto the holy ground of idols.

With an ominous aura.

And with his four members.

– Which team is that?

The idol fans who were guarding their spots to cheer for their favorite groups.

The reporters who were simply doing their jobs.

At first, they looked at Pantheon without much interest, mechanically fiddling with their cameras.

– Uh? Uhhh?

– Wow…….

– What is this? Who is that?

Short exclamations, rather than long words, broke out from everywhere.

– Especially the center. He’s absolutely insane?

Once they looked, they couldn’t turn their heads away.

First, it was the visuals.

Hair as dark as the deep night shimmered,

And his cold face was as white as a snow-capped mountain rising through that night.

A gaze that looked down arrogantly upon everyone pierced through the fans.

– Who is he? Was there a visual member like that?

– You know. The Agola and recording studio videos.

– Sun-woo of Pantheon? That’s Sun-woo?

Moreover, it wasn’t just the visuals.

While staring at the Demon God, it felt as though the space behind him was shimmering—perhaps an optical illusion. An instinctive sense of unease, yet a strange sensation of being sucked in.

It wasn’t an aura the Demon God was manifesting through power, but an aura he naturally possessed.

It was the aura of a demonic charm.

– Hey, look at the members next to him too.

– Were the Pantheon members always that good-looking?

– They were always decent. But today it’s even more extreme?

When the gaze that had lingered on the Demon God could no longer endure and scattered to the left and right, the other members of Pantheon stood there.

Tae-young’s profound gaze felt as though it were offering comfort,

While Yoon-seo’s lively energy was a joy just to look at.

Tension melted away at Ha-gyeom’s loyal comfort,

And Ji-ho’s frail sharpness made one want to protect him.

The Demon God shrouded in a demonic aura,

And the four members who, while being with him, mitigated that demonic nature.

Pantheon had made their entrance.

– Guys, this is….

– Yeah. I think so too.

– Right.

The fans felt it instinctively.

A team that would leave a mark had appeared.

Someone unconsciously pressed the camera shutter.

Click.

That sound signaled the beginning.

Click, click, click, click, click, click—

The sound of capturing Pantheon echoed busily from all directions.

“U-Uh, please move forward now.”

Even the event staff member guided them in a fluster.

“Understood.”

He even failed to notice the Demon God’s informal speech and sent Pantheon forward.

The Demon God, satisfied with the atmosphere surrounding him, marched forward proudly.

It didn’t matter if there were no cheering chants.

Instead, admiration and the sound of shutters were filling the surroundings.

The fans will soon—

Just then.

From somewhere, a shout that shouldn’t exist in this world was heard.

“Demon God-nim!”

No one knows that the Demon God is the Demon God.

Only the gods knew that.

The Demon God flinched and turned his head.

Is it a subordinate of the gods? Are they trying to give me another punishment now?

And there stood a girl who looked like she didn’t know what to do with herself.

“U-Uh, I’m sorry. It’s just that we’re used to calling you Demon God among ourselves—.”

She was holding a slogan that said ‘Pantheon,’ standing with a small group of people.

The Demon God could immediately recognize the girl who called him Demon God.

He moved toward her without hesitation and spoke.

“Are you not my fan? If you call me that, then I suppose I am a Demon God here as well.”

“D-Do you know me?”

“Are you still playing the drums well?”

His Fan No. 1, and the drum genius of Guesan Girls’ Middle School, Lee Yeon-hee, was standing right there.

And because Yeon-hee had been singing Sun-woo’s praises so much, her band club friends had become fans alongside her, as well as a few other fans she met on the internet.

A total of ten people were standing there.

When her favorite idol asked if she was still playing the drums well, Yeon-hee nearly fainted.

“U-Ugh, I’m playing well! I-I’m a fan!”

Starting with those words, the other nine also shouted.

“Us too!”

“Sun-woo oppa, I’m a fan!”

“I like all the Pantheon members!”

Not just interest, but fan love—those confessions erupted.

Even though they hadn’t even shown a stage yet, there were fans who recognized the Demon God and Pantheon and had become devoted.

“Hmm.”

The Demon God closed his eyes.

Creeeeak… crack…

A cracking sound echoed from the chains on his back.

If this sound grew louder, another strand would break.

While Yeon-hee and the fans hovered awkwardly before the Demon God, who had suddenly closed his eyes.

“You all.”

The Demon God opened his eyes.

“You likely do not know what kind of power your existence just gave me.”

“Kyaaaaaa! No, oppa!”

Naturally, they didn’t know, but the ten fans cheered at the words the Demon God offered.

“I am sincere. I shall not forget.”

Giggles and bright laughter flowed from Yeon-hee and her friends.

“Hyung, Sun-woo hyung.”

“?”

Suddenly, Ha-gyeom whispered to the Demon God.

“Sun-woo, in times like this, you don’t just use words!”

“Then what should I do?”

Ha-gyeom demonstrated a certain hand gesture.

It was a hand gesture the Demon God had seen in searches. At the time, he thought it was extremely childish and gave him goosebumps.

Shhh— his hand rose on its own and formed a finger heart.

A demonic aura.

The Demon God’s visuals.

And then, a cute finger heart.

A heart of darkness exploded.

“Kyaaaaa—”

The fans burst into laughter again.

It was the moment when the Demon God, who had felt like a scary and distant being, became closer than ever.

Perhaps it was for moments exactly like this that fans sought out arrivals and fan signings.

“Alright, you have to go now.”

the site staff member announced the time.

Regret remained, but they would see each other again soon.

Turning his body, the Demon God threw out a single question.

“Will you continue to worship me after today?”

Because the fact that the word ‘worship’ suited him so well was so characteristically like their favorite, Demon God Sun-woo, the fans’ answer was already decided.

“Yes!”

The Demon God gave a smirk and left a final word.

“I shall worship you all as well.”

Because that’s what idols are.

Because idols and fans are in a relationship of mutual worship.

Leaving behind the fans who were on the verge of fainting, the Demon God moved his steps toward the stage.

I shall show you.

The Demon God’s stage.

***

And inside the broadcasting station.

“What? We have to wait somewhere?”

“Of course. Did you think we’d go straight to the stage?”

Tae-young replied with a smile.

The information the Demon God possessed was inevitably inconsistent. Since he knew nothing about the basics, gaps appeared even when they tried to teach him.

“We do rehearsals several times, right? You should consider that we’ll be here almost all day.”

“I see. If so, where do we wait?”

The Team Leader, who was walking in front, answered.

“We’re going over there today.”

Looking at the place, the Demon God tilted his head.

“People are going in and out?”

“Because we’ll be using the collective waiting room.”

“What?”

MusicNet tended not to assign individual waiting rooms.

Veteran or famous teams could use a private waiting room, but rookies or unknown groups used a collective waiting room.

Even then, it was a waiting room in name only; in reality, it was a setup where they were gathered in a large hall with divided sections.

“Even if the writer looks out for us, she can’t just kick out another team and give us a room.”

The Team Leader spoke while also whispering separately.

“You know, right?”

““We know.””

The members answered.

A question mark appeared only above the Demon God’s head.

“Know what?”

“The collective waiting room is a place where psychological warfare and socializing happen.”

With Tae-young’s answer, the double doors of the hall opened.

A vast space, sections marked with tape on the floor, and idols occupying their respective spots within them.

“There are many.”

“Right?”

There were at least four or five members per group, and adding the accompanying staff, the wide hall was filled with the heat of the people.

And most of them turned to look at Pantheon to check out the newly arrived team.

“…….”

From the moment they cast a glance at Pantheon,

Silence began to flow.

They were in a competitive relationship where each had to receive more attention than the opposing teams. Even if they were in a relationship of exchanging help for challenges, that was for later.

The visuals and aura that the idol fans had felt during the commute walk.

Tension hung among the idol teams who felt that exact same thing.

An immense number of gazes poured onto Pantheon.

In the midst of a bombardment of stares that would make an ordinary person shrink back.

“Hmph.”

The Demon God walked forward with a smile.

And the Pantheon members also headed forward proudly today.

While silence still hung heavy, Pantheon continued to move through.

Perhaps because the atmosphere was too overwhelming, someone who couldn’t endure it stepped out in front of Pantheon.

“So you came?”

Tae-young knitted his brows slightly.

“Ki-han?”

It was Ki-han of Ennexion.

The same Ki-han who had picked a fight saying he was dropped from Pantheon’s debut group, but had been completely buried on Agola.

“How did you break through to get here? Weren’t you unable to appear because you made an enemy of Izm?”

He didn’t just come forward. Because he knew Origin’s situation, he seemed certain that Pantheon wouldn’t succeed this time either.

He was saying such things even though the CEO and Team Leader were clearly standing in front of him.

“What? Ki-han, you might feel that way about us, but you should show some respect to the CEO.”

“The one who dropped me? He’s not my CEO anymore.”

Tae-young gave a warning, but Ki-han didn’t listen at all.

In the meantime, the other idol teams were listening to this conversation.

If you cross Izm in the idol world, activities become difficult.

Since they heard Pantheon was in that situation, no matter how good-looking the members were, they weren’t considered competitors.

– Ah, I got scared for nothing.

– It was nothing special, phew.

Sounds like these could be heard from somewhere.

Thus, relief and disregard began to spread among the other idol teams.

– Oh?

Another commotion occurred.

– It’s Director Choi. Writer Song is here with him too?

Song Hwi-na and a man were entering the hall.

The man was likely Choi Ji-seung, the main PD.

It was a situation where it made no sense for the two of them to appear, as they were in the middle of busy preparations for the live broadcast.

The waiting room became chaotic in an instant.

– Guys, line up. Get ready to greet them.

A certain manager quickly lined up his group members.

– Everyone get up. Quickly go in front of them and greet them.

Another manager even took his members directly toward the PD and writer.

The manager who had lined up his group members saw that and, realizing his mistake, began to urge his own members.

– Let’s go, hurry!

Once one team started moving, the other teams couldn’t just stand still.

A mass migration toward the PD and the writer began.

Ki-han also tried to join by looking for his Ennexion members.

In that moment, Writer Song Hwi-na waved her hand toward Ki-han.

Everyone’s gaze followed the direction of her wave.

“Oh?”

Ki-han was startled, but he beamed at the writer who seemed to be welcoming him. He wondered if perhaps his father had pulled some strings with the writer as well.

“This is the team I was telling you about.”

Song Hwi-na turned toward PD Choi Ji-seung.

Ki-han, enjoying the gathering of envious stares, gave a polite 120-degree bow.

“I am Ki-han of Ennexion.”

To that, Writer Song Hwi-na replied energetically.

“Sun-woo! You made it!”

“?!”

Over Ki-han’s 120-degree bent back, the greetings between Song Hwi-na and the Demon God went back and forth like a ping-pong match.

“Writer, have you arrived?”

The greeting that threw the collective waiting room into absolute chaos.