Chapter 83: The Best Defense is a Head-on Attack

“Just as a reference, I shall state this. I have never let an attack slide.”

The Demon God declared.

The Representative, the Team Leader, and the members, who were discussing the comeback at the dorm, all stared at him.

“Um…, so were the results good?”

Yoon-seo asked innocently.

“…….”

By retaliating for every attack, he had ended up being sentenced to this current punishment.

If he had known how to endure, he wouldn’t have come this far.

“They were… very good…….”

“For you, Hyung, you’re trailing off at the end?”

“Yoon-seo, you know too much about me.”

“Ugh, am I going to be eliminated?”

“No. I commend you.”

“Hehe.”

Still, excluding the final battle, it had been a series of victories.

He could say it was relatively good.

Above all, just because he was captured in the final battle didn’t mean the Demon God’s personality had been cured.

“At any rate, it is an absolute attack!”

He shouted vigorously.

“Hmm? Why are you covering your ears, Representative?”

“I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you.”

“What?”

“I can’t hear nonsense.”

“How can you know it is nonsense if you did not hear it?”

“Ugh.”

The Demon God was logical only at times like these.

The Representative had no choice but to remove his hands from his ears.

“Sun-woo, listen well.”

Avoid strong competitors.

This was one of the laws of idol comebacks.

First, it was difficult to monopolize public interest.

“Even setting the fandom aside, the attention from the media and communities will be split. Right now, we need to receive the spotlight, but if we overlap with EXI, we’ll have to share every article and video.”

The competition for platform exposure also increases in difficulty.

“Music shows, music platforms, variety show bookings—everything will overlap. Even if they are rookies, the moment Izm starts pushing them, our opportunities will shrink.”

From this perspective, Izm’s idols had long been something other idols avoided.

“Don’t you agree?”

The Representative looked at the members as if hoping for support.

In truth, since there was no lie in his words, the members also nodded.

“The Representative’s words are correct. However, an attack must be carried out.”

The Demon God was unshakeable.

“My words are correct? Then why carry out an attack?”

At that, the Demon God explained the strategic layout from the perspective of a Grand Commander.

“Representative. Do even you not find it strange that Izm continues to provoke Origin?”

“I do.”

“Then, if we avoid them, do you think the opponent’s attacks will stop?”

The Representative was left speechless.

For some reason, it didn’t seem likely. If that were the case, this recent incident wouldn’t have happened.

“There is nothing more foolish than giving the initiative of attack to the opponent. Furthermore, if they continue to engage in media play like this, the fans will have to step forward again.”

The Demon God raised his fist.

“They dare? The worshipers of Pantheon? They should be busy enough just worshipping!”

He didn’t like the fact that the fans had been caught up in such media play in the first place.

They were not the old subordinates who had gathered for war.

They were idol fans.

Worship! Worship! They should spend their days in worship.

“W-well, that’s true, but…”

As his thoughts turned to the fans, the Representative’s heart wavered slightly.

“Sun-woo has a point.”

“Oh! Tae-young.”

“Tae-young?”

Tae-young elaborated on his thoughts.

“This interview has felt strange the whole time. They didn’t even mention that he came from Origin; they could have just said they simply rediscovered his talent. Don’t you think so, Representative?”

Then there would be nothing specifically linking them to Origin. Everything would have passed over quietly.

“That’s true. I didn’t think of that.”

“I did, though.”

Ha-gyeom and Ji-ho agreed in their own ways.

“Representative…. It seems this is a time when we cannot back down.”

Even Yoon-seo said this.

Would the malice felt in the interview disappear so easily?

And if malice were to strike again—

“It is rare for malice to dissolve and disappear on its own.”

To make it so requires immense patience and mercy.

It was a far cry from the Demon God’s way.

The Demon God brought his lips close to the Representative’s ear.

“Instead, there is a very easy and fast path.”

It was literally the whisper of a Demon God.

“By clearly showing who is superior.”

He didn’t know if the results would be good.

“Will you not try it?”

“K-khack—!”

The Representative ended up falling for the whisper.

“Dammit! Then it can’t be helped.”

“Representative, pull yourself together!”

Team Leader Oh Dae-ho, who had been watching until now, shouted late.

But unfortunately, the time one thinks is late is indeed the late time.

“No, Team Leader Oh. You saw everything from the side, how those Izm bastards were hounding me to death, didn’t you?”

“W-well, yes.”

“I intended to get revenge someday, and it seems like now is that time. Great songs, capital, public appeal—we have all of this, so we can’t just get beaten while being cautious.”

“Representative!”

The Demon God was satisfied.

“So the Representative also desires revenge. Excellent.”

It was decided.

The Representative, for Origin which had only been pushed around,

The members, for the Pantheon that had been discarded,

And the Demon God, for his lovely fans,

Decided to set out for revenge.

“Make it happen.”

***

Only a few days after EXI’s reality show interview.

“Is Representative Gu insane?”

Managing Director Jang Young-bae checked the comeback schedule released by Origin.

April 15th.

It was the same day as EXI’s debut.

This could be seen as nothing other than a declaration of war.

“Just because we poked them a little, they come out like this?”

At his words, the two EXI team leaders also joined in.

“He must be insane.”

“He’s properly lost it. Otherwise, would he do this?”

“Hmph, right?”

Jang Young-bae had been harshly scolded by the CEO regarding the previous photo incident.

Since then, he had been looking for an opportunity to pay Origin back.

“Actually, this is better. Fine, let’s see how this goes.”

It was utterly laughable.

Last time, things went wrong because some photos popped out, but in the end, the weight class difference between Izm and Origin was massive. It wasn’t a level that could be overcome with momentum.

Could you not tell just by looking at how other debut or comeback idols were avoiding EXI’s arrival?

Jang Young-bae cracked his neck and puffed out his chest.

Those Origin punks, I’m going to crush them.

He was building up his energy.

“…….”

But there was a shred of anxiety.

In his own mind, a very slight concern flickered.

To erase it, Jang Young-bae threw a question at the two team leaders.

“How’s the preparation state? You keep saying it’s going well, is that true?”

The two team leaders quickly caught onto what intention Jang Young-bae had for asking.

“It’s not a lie. It’s going so smoothly it’s almost scary.”

“Is this not the group the CEO personally touched? Any department in the company cooperates immediately if we just say the word.”

“That’s true.”

Jang Young-bae nodded.

This was the first idol debut since the new CEO took over the company.

Even looking at these two team leaders, they were individuals with formidable skills within Izm.

He wondered if it was okay to let his anxiety and concern subside like this—

“How is Kang-yul?”

In the end, the core of the interview incident was Kang-yul.

The new CEO’s number one pick.

Jang Young-bae himself had been scolded by the CEO for appearing in the photo, yet Kang-yul didn’t even receive a warning.

He was at a point where he suspected the boy might be a hidden child.

Apart from that, he was a bizarre fellow.

“I wondered if Kang-yul would be shaken by the media play getting tangled, but he didn’t waver even a little bit.”

“Yes, he’s exactly the same as usual. Rather—”

the team leader chose his words.

“Actually, he was laughing a lot.”

“What?”

“Yes. I saw it too. He was cackling as if it were truly amusing.”

The other team leader added.

The two team leaders spoke among themselves with bright expressions.

“Well, he must have his reasons, right? It’s Kang-yul.”

“Exactly, isn’t it great that he’s staying unshakeable?”

An attitude full of favor toward Kang-yul.

The appropriate distance veteran team leaders usually maintain with artists was nowhere to be seen.

‘Tsk, these guys fell for him too.’

Jang Young-bae clicked his tongue inwardly.

Kang-yul was bizarre.

No one knew except for someone like Jang Young-bae, who had been in contact with him since the beginning.

‘At a glance, they look completely different, but his personality somehow resembles the CEO’s. That’s why the thought of him being his child comes to mind.’

But he didn’t voice these thoughts out loud.

He had to be careful with his words even in front of subordinates.

Cutting off the team leaders who were heatedly praising Kang-yul.

“Alright. It’s good if his mental state is fine. Prepare well from now on.”

““Yes!””

And so it passed.

After sending the two team leaders out,

Jang Young-bae exhaled a long sigh.

Kang-yul was a bizarre fellow, but he was also a born idol.

EXI, with him as the center, was also a magnificent team.

Above all, it was the team he was in charge of.

“And yet you challenge us?”

I will make Pantheon look pathetic and completely tilt Origin’s fortunes.

What remained until then was a mere month.

However, contrary to Managing Director Jang Young-bae’s determination, Pantheon’s comeback schedule proceeded like flowing water.

D-10.

When the first concept photo, the group shot, was released.

└ Is this, is this, is this… an ‘exhausted’ concept?

└ Tired eyes and chapped lips… kids, why have you become like this. But why do I like it?

A desert where an intense sun beat down.

Beneath it, Pantheon, with exhausted expressions, was gazing longingly this way.

└ See the detail of the sand grains on their eyelashes? This is crazy.

└ They’re wearing something like robes from a game, what is it?

└ Aren’t those just actual robes? The background is a desert.

└ Gasp, did the kids go overseas? There was no talk of that.

└ They must have gone in absolute secret!

The filming location was a certain sand dune in Taean….

Regardless, the world-view contained in a single concept photo set the fans’ imaginations ablaze.

└ Where is that. You set out from a cosmic planet, but what happened in between to make you so haggard?

└ Right, you set out to find a star in the universe.

└ Turning into ash.

└ That’s right. Then have you arrived somewhere now? To find the object of your worship?

└ Us?

In an instant, the fans felt a chilling joy.

I am within that world-view.

Pantheon has crossed the universe and arrived at the desert to find me, looking so exhausted like that.

└ I’m coming! I’m coming! Just stay right there!

└ I wonder if that desert is a place where deliveries are possible? Can I send some food first?

└ One box of Malatang meal kits for Demon God Sun-woo.

└ You devil lol. Do you really have to do that to our Sun-woo lol.

└ But really, I’m coming! Where is that!

And D-9.

This time, it was individual member photos.

The desert night, in front of a campfire—photos that drew out the most yearning look from each member.

– Tae-young…, staring at the fire with those deep eyes.

└ You can’t look for too long… your eyesight will get bad… if your eyesight gets bad, you won’t be able to see us.

└ But he’ll be looking forever within the photo… right, as long as he didn’t suffer during the actual filming.

└ But is that a broken chain in the sand? Is that some kind of bait?

– Yoon-seo, our little one, are you crouching there too?

└ It feels like the Little Prince… the red muffler and the outfit are exactly like that.

└ Yeah, is there any idol other than Yoon-seo who can pull off the Little Prince this well?

└ What Yoon-seo is holding, is it a constellation map? Seems like bait, right?

– Ah, I feel like I can hear Ha-gyeom’s ukulele. Playing while sitting in the sand is so romantic.

└ Right? Why can I hear it? Is he playing next to me?

└ The point is that he can actually play it lol.

└ Is that a pattern on the ukulele? It’s so faint I can’t see what it is.

– Ji-ho lol. He’s lost in thought looking at the stars lol. What is that protractor in his hand? Is it not measuring well?

└ It’s not a protractor, it’s a sextant, used for observing celestial bodies.

└ He came from space and he’s using that?

└ But he’s not looking at the stars… if you follow Yoon-seo’s gaze, there are no stars only there… darkness?

And.

– No… Sun-woo… how was this filmed?

└ Did they use CG again?

└ Surprisingly, Sun-woo has never used CG.

└ Then you’re saying that’s a natural phenomenon?

└ It has always been so.

– That’s like…

└ Even if it is Demon God Sun-woo?

└ Shouldn’t you have evacuated if it was like that?

With a raging sandstorm at his back,

The Demon God, with his cloak fluttering, was looking at you sorrowfully.

A massive sandstorm that could never blow in Taean.

In the midst of it, the Demon God had portrayed the ruler of the desert.

Now, it was D-DAY.

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