Chapter 79: The Appearance of a Traitor

Pantheon, having decided to set out on the preparations for their full-length album, immersed themselves in the process.

The other members were the same.

Since the quality of the songs was so high, the work proceeded smoothly.

Then, one day, about a month before the scheduled comeback date.

“Ah….”

Along with Ji-ho’s lament,

A teaser for ‘that group’—not Pantheon—was uploaded.

[Scene 1]

The video began with the title of the album.

It started by illuminating the inside of a garage with the retro aesthetic of a film movie.

Dawn was just beginning to break.

Sleeping inside the garage was a yellow school bus.

Judging by the English written on the bus, the setting was not Korea, but America.

Suddenly, the headlights of the yellow school bus flickered on as it set out onto the still-dim dawn road.

Though only a few seconds of the teaser had passed, comments from idol fans were already flooding the section.

└ A school bus? A total classic.

└ This is the teaser for the debut group. I guess they’re going to pick up the members one by one now? I’m so excited.

└ Lol, I’ve been waiting for this day. Come on, show us quickly.

The school bus in the video raced toward a school.

└ School uniforms? Since it’s set in the US, is it a private school concept?

└ They’ll start with that and change one by one.

└ Hurry! Give us the uniforms and the casual clothes too!

However, ignoring the hand signals of a traffic officer, the school bus sped right past the front of the school.

└ It’s just going? It’s not a school?

└ They’re subverting expectations as soon as it starts? Is it a high school dropout concept?

└ Above commenter, do you want to be the first person I collect a PDF for this year?

The school bus drove past the school and continued for a long time, showing the sights of the city.

Just as idol fans were starting to grow tired of the extras’ faces.

A scene appeared where street dancers were gathered at a corner of an alley, dancing.

└ Here it comes. They’ll get off here.

└ Definitely. They’re getting off. Time for a dance battle.

The bus passed by that place as well—

└ ?

└ !

└ Hmm?

As it passed by,

A single face was pressed against the bus window, engaging in a staring contest with the street dancers.

└ He’s out!

└ It’s Hee-woo, Lee Hee-woo. He’s a former private trainee!

└ The word ‘private’ is meaningless, isn’t it? Do ISM stans have so much time that they even dig up private trainees?

└ Do you want to be the second person I collect a PDF for this year? Was your bias group kicked out of Izm?

The school bus continued to roam throughout the city after that.

It showed them looking longingly at a street performer’s microphone,

And jumping up and down in the seats while looking at an empty basketball court.

It was a progression where a different face appeared at the window every time they passed a specific location or person.

The combination of retro visual beauty and the expressions of the group members made it quite good. The feeling of wanting to get off the bus and show themselves was well-portrayed.

└ Let the kids off! Just let them off! No, what should I do as a fan? What do I have to do to let the kids off?

└ Ah, I’m getting dizzy. Please release the kids already.

└ I can literally rip that bus door off myself.

Idol fans, especially those of ISM, fell right into the trap the teaser had set.

At the end of the minute-long video, the place where the school bus arrived was a massive stadium in LA—hard to believe for a debut group’s teaser.

Finally, the faces of all six members gathered in one place, looking up at the stadium from inside the bus as if in surprise.

The camera moved inside the bus,

Capturing all of them as they simultaneously turned to look toward the bus exit.

└ Are they finally getting off?

└ Let them off! Just let them off that damn bus!

└ You have to show a full-body shot. Do you know how much money I’ve spent on Izm since Witherky!

However, expectations were subverted once again.

The members rushed to the bus door all at once, only to be blocked by the door that wouldn’t open, and they began pounding on it.

The final scene was one member holding a sketchbook with ‘S.O.S’ written in red crayon.

It was as if they were asking the fans to come and save them quickly.

└ This Noona is coming. This Noona has to go let the EXI babies off.

└ The group name is EXIT with the ‘T’ taken out. They haven’t reached the exit yet.

└ Haa… so the fans have to be there for it to be an exit? ISM… what a scary agency…(Checking bank balance).

In the case of large agencies, junior groups often inherited the fans of senior groups.

There were many fans who liked the agency’s style,

And since they liked the senior group, they naturally became interested.

If a senior group had a hiatus due to military service, fans would often stan the junior group in the meantime.

In fact, Witherky, the senior ISM group mentioned in the comments, currently had some members in the military, making full-group activities impossible. It wasn’t strange for EXI to inherit that demand.

So, they didn’t even openly claim to be successors.

However, this was a story for large agencies.

In mid-sized agencies, even if there was a successful group, there was a tendency for it not to be easily passed down to the group below.

To the fans of such groups, it was a bit of an object of jealousy.

And there were also people who just wanted to pick a fight, even if they weren’t fans.

└ Lol, agency power again. Truly disgusting.

└ Isn’t it ridiculous that they even took the ‘T’ out of EXIT? They’re starting with fans already in their pockets, aren’t they? Isn’t this just playing a game after you’ve already reached the exit?

└ No conscience, right? Oh, wait, did they ever have one?

However, since ISM was such a massive agency, the firepower of their fans was no joke.

Furthermore, anyone commenting as soon as the teaser video came out had to be considered a hardcore fan, except for those who came to pick a fight from the start.

└ What do you want us to do about the agency being big? Should it go on a diet?

└ Isn’t the fact that they survived in a big agency until debut proof of their skill? Stop nitpicking and ignoring the kids’ hard work.

└ Lol, if their own biases were told they could debut in ISM, they would have come running like dogs.

Of course, no matter how large the agency, various factors come into play when reaching debut.

The concept, debut timing, and harmony with other members must align; no matter how great the skill, if those parts don’t fit, they are eliminated.

However, before such points could be argued, the critical forces were pushed aside by the firepower of the ISM fans and disappeared.

Only.

└ The one holding the SOS at the end is Kang-yul, right?

└ Yeah, that’s right.

└ He was the center in Pantheon, and he’s the center here too.

└ What about Pantheon? Was it settled?

└ At one point, the rumor that he ran away was the dominant one.

└ Hmm? But he’s the center in ISM? He must have resolved it before coming.

└ Well…

└ It doesn’t make sense for a company the size of ISM to use a re-debut member when debuting a new boy group. But the problem isn’t resolved? Does that make sense?

└ Are there only one or two things that don’t make sense in the idol world—

There was talk about Kang-yul.

If Pantheon had failed and disappeared, such talk wouldn’t even exist.

However, since the Demon God joined, Pantheon had shown continuous growth.

Pantheon’s presence was a hurdle to just letting things slide.

“Hmm.”

The Demon God, having read this far, closed his phone.

He was well aware of the ill-fated connection between Kang-yul and Pantheon.

He had received an explanation from Tae-young in the beginning and had searched for it himself.

Had Ji-ho not lost his mind due to that incident and gone looking for someone like a shaman?

But after the initial period, that problem had been pushed to the back burner.

This was because the members had focused on their activities during the relentless rise after the Demon God joined.

On the other hand, it was also because ISM’s rookie group hadn’t come out, so there was no reason to encounter Kang-yul.

But now, that Kang-yul had appeared.

And he was decorating the ending of a quite clean and interesting teaser.

The Demon God pricked up his ears.

He collected the sounds inside the dorm with his superhuman hearing.

After learning about the existence of the teaser video from Ji-ho’s lament, everyone had scattered silently.

– ♬♩♫♪

He could hear the background music of the teaser.

– Tap, tap, tap.

It was surely the sound of someone tapping a phone screen.

– Haaaa….

To make matters worse.

He even heard someone’s sigh.

‘As expected, they are weak humans, so they find it difficult to endure.’

When the Demon God went outside to find the members.

Yoon-seo in the kitchen, Tae-young in the indoor gym, Ha-gyeom in the practice room, and even Ji-ho, who had gone into his own room—everyone had stopped what they were doing and were staring into their phones.

‘Should we all do some healing yoga together?’

The Demon God was coming up with a terrifying plan behind the members’ backs.

Fortunately, before such a thing could become reality, Tae-young approached the Demon God first.

“Sun-woo.”

“Tae-young, have you regained your senses?”

“No, not yet.”

Tae-young honestly confessed his state.

“Then, do you require my healing? I have mastered various techniques while visiting the healing center with Zion.”

“I’ll pass. I heard about what happened there from Ian Sunbae of Novior. It seems it was quite far from what you’re saying.”

Ian was the leader of Novior.

It seemed the leaders had a certain connection.

Even if they didn’t, Tae-young was good at handling his seniors, so there was no Sunbae who would dislike him.

“Then what is it you wish to say?”

“Take care of Ji-ho for a bit.”

“Hmm?”

The Demon God tilted his head.

He said the impact was large because Ji-ho was the closest to Kang-yul.

“But is Ha-gyeom not the one close to Ji-ho? Why are you asking me?”

“Ha-gyeom needs to pull himself together too. Even if he’s bright, he won’t be able to cover Ji-ho’s mental state in this situation.”

However, the question remained unresolved.

“What about you, Tae-young? You seem quite stable. And does Yoon-seo not have surprisingly good resilience?”

“Yoon-seo has good resilience. But, how should I put it….”

Tae-young looked out the window for a moment.

His deep eyes looked back on the past through the hair that slightly covered his forehead.

“Sun-woo, even though you didn’t experience that incident with us… I feel like you would be the most helpful in recovering from it. I don’t know why I feel this way. Maybe it’s because I’ve talked with you before.”

On the night the failing group began to rise, the Demon God and Tae-young had shared a conversation.

It seemed that experience had been quite impressionable.

“I understand. Actually, I intended to do so from the beginning.”

“What? Why?”

“Why, you ask? Is the status abnormality of a subordinate not the responsibility of the commander?”

“Huh?”

“Now that we are spurring preparations for the new album, I cannot tolerate the loss of combat power.”

Tae-young’s expression wavered slightly.

“What are you planning to do?”

“I told you, I have learned healing techniques.”

“No, wait a second.”

When told to wait a second, he never waits.

The Demon God turned and headed toward Ji-ho’s room.

“This isn’t right?”

Feeling anxious, Tae-young called out to Ji-ho.

“Ji-ho!”

Then, Ji-ho poked his head out of his room.

“Tae-young Hyung? Why?”

“Sun-woo is trying to heal you! Watch out!”

“Heal? Me?”

Ji-ho’s face also stiffened.

“Was ‘healing’ always such an unsettling word?”

Forced healing provided by Sun-woo—that was something he did not want to receive.

However, Sun-woo was already beside him.

“How are you feeling, Ji-ho?”

Shiver.

Sun-woo was being kind.

Ji-ho couldn’t help but tremble all over.

He couldn’t allow it.

He absolutely must not be healed.

His instincts screamed at him.

In that case, since he thought he knew what reason this was about—

“Of course I’m fine. It’s all in the past!”

He said firmly.

It was an expression that he didn’t need healing.

“Hmm? You are fine?”

“Of course.”

Ji-ho gulped.

Cold sweat was flowing.

He could see Tae-young nodding from the other side.

“Hmuuuuuh?”

The Demon God tilted his head with a look full of suspicion.

However, Ji-ho was speaking with empty eyes, looking straight ahead.

“Past. Is. Past. Now. Is. The. Time. To. Move. Toward. The. Future.”

Aside from the lack of electronic sounds, he was a total robot.

“Hmuuuuuuuh.”

Still, the Demon God did not look away—

“Tae-young Hyung, what’s wrong with Ji-ho Hyung? Is his heart really struggling that much…?”

“Should I comfort him…?”

“Yoon-seo, Ha-gyeom, it’s not that. The person making Ji-ho struggle is sitting right next to him.”

During dinner, the atmosphere was also strange.

The Demon God’s surveillance continued throughout.

“Ji-ho, it seems your food intake has decreased? Is it for psychological reasons?”

“Yoon-seo! Can you give me some more rice?”

“Ji-ho, is the reason you are lounging on the sofa without exercising after dinner because your mood has sunk?”

“I was always like th— no, no! Shall I go for a walk!”

Ji-ho, while avoiding the Demon God, was unable to play the teaser video again….

Because he was too concerned about the healing he would be subjected to if he showed a dejected appearance after watching it.

And.

Tae-young, who witnessed all of this, suddenly thought.

‘Is this not also okay…?’

The emotional wounds would not disappear, but if they lived busily like this as time passed, they would probably become dull.

Sun-woo might be the being who momentarily covers the wounds until then.

“Ji-ho, do you want to do yoga?”

“I hate it!”

Though he was covering them in a rather noisy manner.

“Fine, the two of you do yoga.”

In the end, Tae-young quietly approached Ji-ho’s room and closed the open door.

Sometimes, the Demon God’s way might be alright.