Chapter 61: G-Red and a Spicy Mini Concert

A male idol as a guest at a male idol’s solo concert.

This unusual combination surprisingly worked well together.

How much could they enjoy the chemistry with another idol member?

At least this time, it was a success.

Articles about the concert were based on press releases distributed by Ultranova, so they naturally focused on Novior, but—

– Meanwhile, the group Pantheon, who made a surprise appearance as a secret guest, instantly elevated the atmosphere. Just before their exit, they elicited shouts of ‘We worship Novior’ from the fans…(summary)

Even in the few lines added by a reporter who was present, a positive view of Pantheon could be seen.

Novior’s fandom also had an overall favorable atmosphere.

– Genuinely surprised to see a male idol appear

└ First time I’ve seen something like this in N years of fangirling

└ Me too, lol. But since it’s Pantheon, I understand

└ Right. Since it’s Pantheon, I understand

└ He saved them when they were exhausted and sleeping on the road. Our Zion is an idol who repays favors

└ Anyway, they’re juniors and their concepts don’t overlap, so it’s fine. Feel free to get close without worry

If it had been another group, reactions might have been divided, but Pantheon received a free pass.

Fans who knew about the connection between Zion and Sun-woo actually welcomed the expansion of their camaraderie through this opportunity.

Meanwhile, Pantheon’s fans, learning the news belatedly, were surprised and began posting on social media.

As Pantheon was a secret guest, they had kept it thoroughly secret, not telling anyone until the very end.

– Really? Seriously? Our kids appeared at Novior’s solo concert?

└ Zion’s after-service is insane… He doesn’t usually invite male idols as guests

└ My friend is a Novior fan, and they said Pantheon’s stage really suited the concert well

└ OMG, that’s a relief ㅠ I was worried our kids might not have done well as guests because their color is so strong. Can I be relieved now?

└ Yeah. Sun-woo asked if they worshipped again, but this time he twisted the line to ‘Do you worship Novior?’ lol. So funny ㅋㅋ

My bias, but also a bias I worry about putting out there.

But they apparently did well. Fans doted on Pantheon as if seeing their child return from their first errand.

– Oh my, Sun-woo. To think you could even say lines like that ㅋㅋ

└ When Sun-woo first asked if they worshipped, the other members must have been terrified ㅋㅋ

└ Our Demon God again? I can clearly picture Tae-young’s expression

└ A stiff smile on his lips, vacant eyes, and probably working his transcendental translator hard in his head ㅋㅋ

And.

Pantheon’s dorm.

The Demon God was reading these fan reactions with a pleased expression.

“As expected, this body is truly magnificent. I have succeeded in delighting the fans.”

Tae-young leaned over and pointed at the Demon God’s phone with his finger.

“See this post here, about my expression when you spoke, Sun-woo?”

“I do not see it.”

The Demon God activated [Temporary Vision Impairment]. In other words, he only saw what he wanted to see.

“There are quite a few fans posting on social media. How large is our fandom, I wonder?”

To the Demon God, Pantheon seemed to have quite a lot of fans.

He had heard that when a fandom reached a certain size, they would recruit for a fan club.

“Is it still insufficient? Illegitimate resident.”

The Demon God turned his head and asked.

There was the CEO, still living in the dorm because he hadn’t found a new house.

“Hm?”

The CEO was mumbling, eating the late-night snack Yoon-seo had made, appearing to be living better than when he lived in his own house.

“Illegitimate resident, you say? Did I not grant permission?”

“Permission, you say? It was merely a benevolent measure, akin to not casting out a beggar.”

Cough, the CEO, who had suddenly taken on the dual role of CEO and beggar, let out a choked cough.

“I-is that so.”

“That is so. I shall accept your gratitude later, but answer first. Is the fandom still insufficient to create a fan club?”

To the Demon God, a fan club was essentially a cult.

The image of those gathered together, spending their days in worship and crying out to the Demon God, was vivid in his mind.

It was lamentable to hear that it was still insufficient, despite such active social media reactions.

“No, it’s not insufficient.”

“What?”

The CEO, pushing away his late-night snack bowl, spoke.

“I think the time has come.”

“Ohh?”

It wasn’t just the Demon God who was impressed.

Yoon-seo quickly placed a second bowl on the table, and Tae-young, Ha-gyeom, and Ji-ho also gathered closer.

“CEO, then we finally get to…?”

The CEO solemnly declared.

“Yes. Let’s recruit for an official fan club.”

***

The establishment of an official fan club was imminent.

The Demon God had appeared on the last day of August last year.

Half a year had passed since then, and it was now February.

It was a short period, if one considered it so, but during that time, Pantheon had definitely formed a solid core fandom.

Unofficial and voluntary fan communities were already active.

Amidst this, an announcement appeared on Pantheon’s official account.

[OFFICIAL FANCLUB 1st Generation Recruitment Notice]

Fans’ social media ignited.

– Me, me, me, me, me!!!!!!!!!

└ Finally ㅠㅠㅠ Seriously, why is it only opening now ㅠ

└ Can’t miss the 1st gen lol. This means I’m a core fan ㅋㅋ

└ Fan club 1st gen… I’m touched that we’ve come this far…

└ Because it was intense from the start…

As an idol group on the verge of disbandment, the phrase ‘official fan club’ evoked various emotions in the fans.

– So? What’s the official fandom name?

└ Oracle

Oracle referred to the divine oracle itself, and also to the place where oracles were received.

It was chosen by drawing on the aspect of ‘place,’ given that Pantheon signified a Pantheon, a temple of all gods.

The place where messages delivered from the Pantheon arrived.

That was the fans.

– We’re waiting for the oracle, so hurry and descend!!!! (It’s coercion, alright)

└ Oracle ㅠㅠ We are beings who receive the oracle ㅠㅠ I love it so much

└ Ah, but ‘Oracle 1st gen’ already makes my heart pound… I’m 1st gen…

└ If our kids are gods, what are we? Priests? Sages? Anyway, we’ve become holy ㅋㅋ

That night, the CEO opened the subscriber status page and showed it to them.

“Kids, your activities have truly been worthwhile.”

As soon as the fan club 1st generation recruitment began, applications were pouring in.

“Ugh…, how many fans will gather for us?”

To Yoon-seo’s words, half expectation and half worry, Ji-ho replied with data.

“Small and medium-sized agencies usually start with a few thousand. For large agencies or those with public recognition, it exceeds ten thousand.”

But it was a bit insufficient as an answer.

“Then what about us? We’re small-medium, but haven’t we made a name for ourselves?”

Pantheon’s recognition had risen due to various events.

The Demon God’s contribution to that was significant.

“So, it’s impossible to tell.”

Every single fan was precious, but honestly, they wished many fans would gather now that they were recruiting.

The Pantheon members imagined it with blank expressions.

“Then where do they establish their base?”

Suddenly, the Demon God posed this question.

““Base?””

Tae-young, tilting his head, tried to answer based on what came to mind.

“Probably the official fan cafe? Or U-Verse?”

“Fan cafe? They open a cafe?”

Tae-young felt the conversation was getting stranger and stranger.

However, talking with Sun-woo and having the conversation get strange was an everyday occurrence, so he just continued.

“No, I’m talking about an online fan cafe. U-Verse is also online.”

At Tae-young’s explanation, the Demon God became extremely bewildered.

“Wait a moment? Does that mean there is no base? Like a fortress or a temple?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Thud.

An immense shock due to his lack of common sense washed over him.

And the Demon God, as one lacking common sense does, began to blame the world.

“Something is amiss! Are the fan clubs of humans truly so illusory!”

The CEO, who was listening, asked.

“So what do you want to do?”

“I wish to meet the fans who have joined the fan club.”

“To do that?”

“To do what?”

“To ask if they worship?”

“Naturally!”

The CEO closed his mouth.

Just because a fan club was created didn’t mean they would immediately meet the fans.

Even if Sun-woo was disappointed, it couldn’t be helped this time.

“Sun-woo has a point though.”

“Hm? Tae-young?”

Unexpectedly, Tae-young sided with the Demon God.

“We haven’t had many fan-related events so far, have we? How about an event?”

At Tae-young’s words, the members’ faces brightened, and they each offered their opinions.

“How about another fan meeting?”

“Isn’t it not the right time for a fan meeting?”

“Then what?”

The CEO, who had heard this much, also looked intrigued.

After all, original content needed to be continuously produced. If they rested too long, fans would feel disappointed, and if they rested even longer, they would worry or—

Leave the fandom.

To avoid such terrible outcomes, content needed to be supplied appropriately.

“Fan-related event, that’s exactly it—”

The moment the CEO was about to make a positive judgment.

“That is precisely it!”

The Demon God’s voice covered his.

Since the CEO, the team leader, and the members were all in one space, the meeting was very easy.

“CEO, prepare immediately!”

“……”

On the other hand, there was the disadvantage that the Demon God’s commands were unavoidable.

“I need to get out of here quickly….”

Anyway, the direction was set.

The question was what kind of event they would hold.

***

[0831]

Four digits uploaded on the fan club recruitment homepage without any explanation.

Naturally, fans were curious.

– What is this? Did anyone see this?

└ Yeah, yeah. I even called the company. Just in case they uploaded something wrong

└ What did they say?

└ They said it’s correct. But didn’t say anything else

└ Oh? Then that means it’s some kind of hint?

– There’s an ‘apply’ button

└ It asks for the number you received when you applied for the fan club?

└ Are they giving something to those who applied?

└ Instead of weird stuff, open a fan sign event or something!

Sometimes agencies use this kind of promotion.

It was a method of provoking fans’ curiosity by throwing out fragmented information about idol appearances or news.

– Ahhh… Pantheon is finally doing this kind of thing…

└ Sob sob ㅠㅠ It’s about time they did this…

└ Right, and fan club recruitment is going really well right now, they say

If there were no fans, they couldn’t do this kind of promotion even if they wanted to.

This method could only be attempted if they had a certain level of confidence that there were enough fans who would delve into it.

The fans were overcome with emotion before curiosity—

– Get a grip. So? What are those numbers? It’s too far to be a date. It’s February now

If it was an album, it should have come out earlier.

They wouldn’t plan a concert this far in advance.

– No way, did they recruit eight thousand fan club members?

└ Huh? No way. That would be nice, but that’s too much?

└ I just said it with a small hope

└ Right? I have the same hope

└ Everyone, think. They would have put it there because it’s a number we’d recognize

[0831]

[0831]

[0831]

0831 was uploaded continuously for three days without any change in the numbers.

Then.

– Why do you only think of it as a future date?

Fans who noticed the identity of the numbers appeared.

– If it’s not a future date? What is it, tell me!!!!

└ It’s the past, I tell you

└ Past?

If it was a past date related to Pantheon—

– That day?

└ Seems right. That day.

└ You’re right. There’s no other day. Because it started from that day

That August 31st, known to Pantheon fans, was none other than,

– Guesan The Origin

– The day the Chili Pepper God appeared.

It was the date Demon God Sun-woo appeared at the Guesan Chili Pepper Festival.

From late August to early September, come to Guesan!

– Okay, I get that. But why? Why that date at this point?

Why suddenly upload that date now in February?

To do something then? Announcing it already, preparing in advance?

On the 4th day, still enveloped in such questions, a new number was uploaded.

[0220]

– February 20th?

└ They’re doing something!! It’s certain!!

└ What? What are they doing?

└ The kids aren’t doing live streams these days. I definitely think it’s related to this

It was related.

Pantheon members were preparing by dividing their time carefully.

Furthermore, they were holding back on live streams for the effect of a surprise event.

– Next number!

└ A location will come out. Won’t it be longitude and latitude?

└ Can you identify an event location with longitude and latitude…?

└ You can’t?

└ No, you can’t…

The fans were diligently trying to deduce within their existing knowledge.

And on the 5th day.

– Did a number appear?

└ No. A photo appeared

└ Photo?!

└ Look right now. It’s sexy

└ !!!!

It was well-shot, no matter which studio it was taken in.

Under bright, pouring lights, amidst a white-spreading fog, the members sitting lined up on a long bench were—

– White suits!

└ Kyaaaah!

└ Black suits aren’t the only answer. White suits are delicious too!

└ So delicious!

Pantheon members, wearing white suits, each cast a blank gaze.

In particular, the Demon God’s gaze was directed forward, yet his focus was far off, creating the impression that he was looking beyond the person viewing the photo.

– Where are you looking! Look at me! (Waving hand emoji)

└ Why are you looking elsewhere when I’m here (Jealous emoji)

└ I’m happy just being in the path of his gaze…

However, there was one peculiarity in the Demon God’s photo.

While the other members kept their lips subtle to match their white suits, only the Demon God had his lips painted a very vibrant red. There was even a slight shimmer.

The usual black-and-white contrast, combined with the intensely sparkling pearl red, created an immense visual effect.

– Ah… why…

– Lips…

Fans were reduced to using ellipses even on social media, unable to finish their sentences.

– The color choice is perfect. Sun-woo actually suited pearl red surprisingly well

└ Right. The slight shimmer makes it stand out more

└ He’d probably suit anything, but—

Fans waited for the 6th day.

– Oh? The lighting and outfits are the same, but…

└ Only Sun-woo is zoomed in?

└ But his expression is different

Judging by the lighting and outfits, it was the same as the Day 5 photo.

Only the Demon God’s upper body was zoomed in.

With an expression of intense suffering.

– Uh—, this must be a hint

└ Are they telling us the location?

└ Yeah, I think so

└ Red lips, suffering expression…

└ Oh, I like it

└ Get a grip!

In this process, a sage finally appeared.

– Ho ho ho, all the answers were given from the beginning

└ ?

└ ??

└ ???

The sage fan had reached it.

– Very red lips, and a suffering expression

└ ?

└ ??

└ ???

They had reached the location.

– Doesn’t it look like he’s finding it spicy?

└ !

└ !!

└ !!!

The intensely sparkling red was none other than K-Red.

Gochujang Red.

The English transliteration was Gochujang Red.

In fact, it was G-RED….

Sun-woo, with gochujang on his lips and a suffering expression, was calling his fans to Guesan.

For a mini-concert.