I'M A GENIUS IDOL BUT MY PASSIVE IS SUNFISH: Chapter 26

 TL by Miru

I'm a Genius Idol but My Passive is Sunfish: Episode 26

* * *

 

The eyewitness accounts about the members were gradually emerging. The first few times, it was just thought that the kids were allowed to roam around together surprisingly well. But the eyewitness accounts kept coming up too regularly.

Around the time when the question came up, 'Are they preparing for a comeback?' a fan raised suspicions that perhaps DASE was filming a reality show.

It was a very plausible guess when the timeline was aligned. Whether it was Neverland, a camping site, or even Paju, these were not places you could just stop by as if you were visiting a convenience store near your office.

Moreover, there was a word that always came up in the eyewitness accounts, 'camera.'

Fans began to get excited.

 

- Is it really a reality show?

- They said DASE is filming a reality show!

 

The guesses soon turned into certainty, and social media buzzed with excitement. The agency that had been monitoring this also released an article at the right time.

 

[DASE's first standalone reality show, returns as a YouTube original! <DASE HAPPY DAYS> filming completed!]

 

* * *

 

In the underground practice room at the ID headquarters.

Baekya, lying face down on the floor, buried his face between his arms.

 

'Ah… I'm going to die.'

 

His limbs were suffering because the gacha draw had given him everything but a dance skill. Baekya, who turned his body around, looked at his reflection in the ceiling.

He had a face that was already easy on the eyes, but after obtaining a new appearance skill, he was shining even more.

 

"This is why there's a plastic surgery controversy."

 

After the controversy, voluntary statements from his former classmates revealed that Baekya did not have plastic surgery. However, there were still many people who didn't believe it.

 

'One day, while eating Pi**chu, he took off his glasses and became really handsome! …Is what they said.'

 

This was part of a post that Yukyung had shared on social media to clear Baekya's name, but even Baekya himself wouldn't have believed it if he were in their shoes.

Starting with Baekya's graduation photo, the past photos of the other group members were revealed one by one. Of course, their photos boasted exceptional looks from their early days.

 

"If we make a comeback this time, there might be another plastic surgery controversy."

 

The members thought that pink hair really suited him, and they had initially believed that the change was due to dyeing his hair. However, that wasn't the case.

The appearance skill that Baekya was currently equipped with was called <Face Genius (A)>. It could undoubtedly be considered the best acquisition among the ones he had obtained through spinning the draw.

Baekya had visited the salon for a music video shoot a few days ago. His pink rose gold hair, which had faded in places, looked just like ripe peaches.

 

"Baekdo, let's go. Hyung is telling us to come."

 

The door to the practice room opened and Yuyeon appeared. 'Baekdo' was a nickname Yuyeon used nowadays instead of Baekya's name. Perhaps it was because the fans kept calling Baekya 'Peach', and as even the staff was now referring to him as 'Peach', Yuyeon found Baekdo as a nickname more comfortable.

 

"Have you been practicing? You should wear a hat."

"Oh, right."

 

Baekya walked over to pick up the hat he had tossed into the corner of the practice room. Yuyeon also had pink hair like Baekya, but it was hardly visible under the tightly pulled-down cap.

They both paid special attention to maintaining their hair secrecy, a must for idols before a comeback.

DASE, in the midst of wrapping up album production work, had recently completed the music video shoot. They had a leisurely schedule that allowed them to savor the rewards of the rush.

Now, the only thing left was stage rehearsal, so why were only these two people left in the practice room?

 

"I did it ten times, you know?"

"It's not about the number of times, you know?"

 

The two of the same age bickered.

Due to Baekya, whose dance skill was still at C-level, remaining for choreography practice, and due to the producer's request to re-record Yuyeon and Jihan's parts among the B-side tracks, only the three of them were delayed from leaving work. Jihan's condition has not been great lately, so Yuyeon had sent him ahead to go to the car by himself.

 

"Did you record well then?"

 

He might be a step behind when it came to dancing, but vocals were a different story. Among the DASE members, no one could outshine Baekya when it came to vocal performance. He was now often referred to as the 'Idol of the A&R office'.

 

"Ah… So, this is how you've been feeling. I did my best."

 

Yuyeon replied as he turned off the practice room lights. The two people with their heads securely covered made their way to the emergency exit.

It was now past midnight.

As the elevator has been stuck on the 4th floor since a while ago, Yuyeon had to take the stairs all the way down to the practice room to reach Baekya.

 

"…Why are we going this way?"

"The elevator isn't moving from the 4th floor. So, when I came down here, I took the stairs too."

 

Baekya's face stiffened slightly.

 

'I've heard of the ghost stories revolving around ID. Don't tell me…'

 

However, Yuyeon, who wasn't too concerned, casually opened the emergency exit door.

Startled, Baekya grabbed onto Yuyeon's sleeve.

 

"…What?"

"I-it's not because I'm scared or anything!"

 

Yuyeon turned his head the other way. His dimpled cheeks and lips slightly pressed inward seemed to be holding back laughter.

As it turns out, Baekya was a scaredy-cat, recognized even within DASE. This reminded Yuyeon of the haunted house incident in Neverland as he stared at Baekya intently.

 

"As I thought, you should have been on the same team as Chung back then."

 

At Yuyeon's words, the corners of Baekya's eyes perked upward.

 

"No, thanks?!"

 

Shoving Yuyeon aside, Baekya began to stride up the stairs with one tenacious step after another. Yuyeon quickly followed behind the Peach whose footsteps were echoing with emotion.  

 

"Are you sulking? Baekdo, are you sulking?"

 

No response. The once soft peach had turned tough.

 

* * *

 

===========================

[DASE_Official]

A real variety show capturing DASE's happy days! <DASE HAPPY DAYS> will be released every Tuesday at 6 PM starting from July 1st. Please look forward to it~

#PreparedEverythingBecauseWeDidntKnowWhatYoudLike

#YouTubeOriginal #DASEHAPPYDAYS

===========================

 

A post announcing the first broadcast of DASE's reality show was posted on DASE's official social media account.

Fans cheered. Anyone who had dabbled in fandoms could tell that this reality show was a signal for DASE's comeback.

The most recent eyewitness account from the music video shoot was the evidence. And after a long wait, the reality show that had been eagerly anticipated from the beginning was finally unveiled.

 

[DASE HAPPY DAYS EP.1]

[On a cold day in January]

 

The moment their 1st place win was announced on the music show, DASE was seen huddled in the corner, clapping.

 

[Today marks the final broadcast of DASE's debut activity with 'No Games.']

 

Members who had returned to the waiting room were busy preparing to leave. That was when Baekya, along with a VJ, entered the waiting room.

 

[Baekya: Um… Namkyung hyung, by any chance, did we have something else to film?]

[Manager: Uh, huh? (Flustered)]

[VJ: It's just a short video shoot to upload to the company's account, so don't worry about it.]

 

[With VJ's help, the crisis was averted!]

[Innocent DASE did not suspect a thing.]

[Unaware of what was to come…]

 

Baekya was seen running away as Yulmu was chasing behind him and playing pranks. Above the scene that would make one's cheekbones automatically go up, the screen suddenly darkened and soon an eerie background music began to play.

 

[DASE getting into the car]

[The members thought they were going back to the dorm…]

[In the meantime, a secret meeting between the manager and production staff took place]

[A little while later, they arrived at…]

[A haunted house in Yongin]

 

In the distance, the production staff recognized the white Carnival driving in and rushed around busily. Soon, the rear door opened, and Baekya was the first to reveal himself.

However, he didn't get off?

 

[Baekya (Cautious Meerkat): ????]

[Yuyeon (Dimpled Deer): What's the matter?]

 

It was not their dorm, but an empty open area in front of a deserted house.

As the puzzled meerkat and his deer friend harbored their suspicions, the passenger-side door opened, and Minsung got out first. The VJ, who changed the target, rushed toward Minsung.

 

[Minsung (Startled Rabbit): Wh-wh-wha- what's this?!]

[Leader-nim, who was very surprised by the arrival of the production staff]

 

The members were equally startled by Minsung's shout. The unexpected turn of events left DASE frozen.

 

[Members trying to assess the situation]

[Jihan (Quick-Witted Kitty): Is this perhaps... a reality show shoot?]

[( •͈ᴗ-)ᓂ-ෆ Correct Answer]

[Welcome, everyone, to the haunted house!]

 

The members, who had no idea because no one informed them, were met with the sight of the production team hastily arranging microphones on them. It sort of felt like getting handcuffed; An unspoken pressure not to leave until the recording was completed.

The screen changed, and DASE was seated side by side in front of the haunted house. Perhaps due to the season, there was no need for added sound effects as the bleak wind rustled naturally.

 

[DASE's first 'Day' is…]

[A happy day spent with ghosts ♡]

[Yulmu (Insider Puppy): Wow! It's going to be so much fun~]

[Chung (Californian Wolf Cub): I hate ghosts…]

 

Unlike the delighted Yulmu, Chung was tearing up. Baekya, seated beside him, did not have a good complexion either.  Their faces questioned how the words 'ghost' and 'happiness' could coexist.

On the other hand, Yuyeon, Minsung, and Jihan seemed calm.

Before entering the haunted house, the production team explained that they needed to determine teams through a draw.

A small box was placed in front of DASE. It contained pieces of paper folded in half. Since there was no designated MC, Yulmu took on the role of hosting the show.

 

[Yulmu (MC of the Day): Alright! Inside this box, there are a total of three numbers, from 1 to 3. People who draw the same number will be on the same team. Did everyone understand?]

[DASE: Yes~]

[Yulmu: Then, let's draw them. Should we start with the youngest?]

[Chung: No, I want to draw last.]

[Yulmu: Then, let's start with the eldest. As expected, it should be elders first, right?]

 

Yulmu redirected his steps from the youngest member to the leader. Naturally, Minsung, with a smirk, picked one piece of paper.

 

[Yulmu: Please don't unfold it just yet. It'll be more fun if we all open them together. I appreciate your patience~]

 

The production team was satisfied with Yulmu's smooth facilitation. The remaining members also drew pieces of paper, with the last one taken by Chung.

DASE decided to open the paper at the same time on the count of three. Following a count under Yulmu's guidance, the numbers of the six people were revealed.

And the results:

 

[Team 1 (Bouquet): Jihan & Yulmu]

[Team 2 (Peach): Baekya & Minsung]

[Team 3 (Pizza): Chung & Yuyeon]

 

The rules were simple. Each team had to find the object listed in parenthesis and show it to the gatekeeper to escape!

This also meant that if they failed to find the items, they would remain trapped inside the haunted house. Baekya and Chung became increasingly silent.

 

- I think Chung and Baekya fainted with their eyes open? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

- Ah, this is already super fun ㅋㅋㅋ

- A haunted house right from the start ㅠ I am celebrating.

- I've been there and it's really scary. It's like a real haunted hospital.

 

As soon as the show was released, comments were coming in real-time.

 

[Team 1, Same-Aged Duo, Entering]