I'M A GENIUS IDOL BUT MY PASSIVE IS SUNFISH: Chapter 69

 TL by Miru

I'm a Genius Idol but My Passive is Sunfish: Episode 69

Jihan was the only one taking productive action. He rummaged through the stylist's pouch, searching for a sharp object. Hoping to find scissors, he ended up with a utility knife. Sliding out the blade, he approached Baekya and the gathered members.

“Chucky, it’s Chucky!”

Chung, all by himself, was acting as if he was watching a horror movie.

“What the… What’s he about to do now?!”

Startled by Jihan's slow approach with the knife, Baekya pushed the members aside and jumped over the sofa.

“Come here, Han Baekya.”

“N-no way! Would you come over if you were me?!”

“Just come here.”

It was like a horror movie scene. Falling out of bed in the morning was already a bad omen, and today was the day of the special stage with that detestable guy, coupled with a potentially deadly main quest. His mind was already in turmoil, and his members, in their many ways, were adding to the chaos.

“D-don’t come closer!”

Baekya, edging towards the waiting room door, kept his eyes on Jihan, who was wielding the knife.

“If you go out that door, things will get worse.”

Jihan told him to come over while he was still talking nicely. Jihan’s deadpan expression while holding a knife, made him seem like a psychopathic villain. Baekya shook his head vehemently as Jihan tried to coax him. As he took another step back, the waiting room door opened, and Deokjin and Namkyung entered, carrying coffee.

“Whoa! I almost spilt it!”

“What now? What’s going on here?”

Namkyung immediately rubbed his neck, sensing the chaos.

“Hyung! Grab him!”

“...Damn it!”

At Yulmu’s shout, Baekya bit his lip and made a break for it, fleeing the waiting room.

“The hamster’s on the run!”

Chung’s shout echoed as Yulmu and Yuyeon dashed past Namkyung.

“What was that?”

“That was Yulmu-nim and Yuyeon-nim.”

“Ugh, this is a mess.”

While Deokjin explained helpfully to the bewildered Namkyung, Minsung quietly distanced himself from the situation. Meanwhile, down the hallway, the hamster and his pursuers were in hot pursuit.

“Stop following me!”

“Baekdo, why are you running?”

“I’ll handle it myself!”

What had been an empty corridor when DASE arrived was now bustling with staff and other performers. Running through the crowd was creating a huge disturbance, and Baekya could almost hear their reputation plummeting. Finally, it was the hamster who stopped first.

“Fine! I’ll come! I’ll come, but I’ll untie it myself.”

Once again, Baekya was in a standoff in the hallway. He stretched out his hand, signalling the others not to come any closer.

“Okay. Let’s… let’s just go,” he said.

"Wow… why are you so fast?" Yuyeon and Yulmu panted, catching their breath with their hands on their knees.

"Huh? Yulmu-ya, Yuyeon-ah." At that moment, an unwelcome voice sounded from behind.

"Harang hyung?"

"...Hyung?"

Ignoring Baekya, Harang walked straight over to the two of them. He hugged Yulmu and Yuyeon like he was genuinely happy to see them, but it was clear to Baekya that it was all an act.

"Oh… I heard you debuted, hyung. Congrats," said Yulmu.

"Thanks. It would have been better if we were together, right?"

Feeling awkward and excluded, Baekya exchanged uncomfortable glances with Harang’s team members.

‘Childish, so childish,’ Baekya thought, pouting in discontent.

"Ugh! Why is this tied so tightly?" Baekya muttered loudly, struggling to loosen the ribbon around his neck. He could feel Yulmu and Yuyeon's eyes on him, but Harang quickly grabbed their attention again.

‘Ha!’ Baekya scoffed internally.

Feeling annoyed and realising that staying there wasn't good for his sanity, Baekya decided to leave. But as he turned to walk away, he ran into another familiar face.

"Where are you going, hoobae-nim?"

It was Daehwan.

"Uh, uhm, I was just…"

Baekya glanced back instinctively, and Daehwan followed his gaze.

"Oh, Yulmu and Yuyeon are here too?" Daehwan said, his face puzzled when he saw the two.

"And what’s that around your neck?"

"It’s just… they were messing around and it got tangled…," the sunfish stammered, feeling small in front of his awkward senior.

“Huh? Isn't this kid from our company?”

“Baekya? Hi, Baekya~”

As AIM's pre-recording session ended, one by one, the members were approaching Daehwan, who was standing nearby. Siyun reached out to pat Baekya on the head but stopped just before touching it upon seeing the perfectly styled hair.

"Whew… that was close," Siyun said, patting Baekya on the shoulder instead, relieved.

"Your positioning is pretty bold for a rookie. Did you tie it tight on purpose so it wouldn't come undone?" Siyun teased.

"No, it’s just that it was tied wrong, and now it won’t come off…," Baekya explained, fumbling.

Siyun found the company’s youngest member endearing and laughed. Just then, Harang's team, along with Yulmu and Yuyeon, approached AIM.

"Now Six AM! Hello, we are Six AM!"

When Harang led his team’s cheer, his group members greeted AIM.

"Hello, sunbae-nim."

Harang specifically addressed Siyun as he greeted them again.

"Yes, nice to meet you," Siyun replied with a smile. While he handled it gracefully, the AIM members seemed slightly uncomfortable. Although they had been in the industry for nine years, being treated as such senior figures felt awkward.

Meanwhile, Harang seemed to be anticipating something from the AIM members.

“…Oh?” As if responding to his expectations, Yeonha raised his finger and pointed ahead. Harang’s lips curled into a smirk. However, the words that came out of his mouth were entirely unexpected.

"Why is his tied around the neck while everyone else has theirs on their wrists?" Yeonha asked, pointing to the ribbons tied around Yuyeon and Yulmu's wrists. Harang’s expression momentarily hardened, not expecting this reaction.

"Hey, Baekya, stay still."

"Sunbae-nim, it feels like it's getting tighter…"

"Tch…"

"...Yes."

Baekya, surrendering his neck to Guyang and Daehwan, looked back at them with a hint of embarrassment as they fiddled with the knot.

"It’s because I accidentally tied it too tightly while joking around."

"I was just trying to help."

The two, now looking like they had bullied a weaker member, felt awkward.

At that moment, Baekya’s joyous voice rang out from behind them.

"Wow! Sunbae-nim, you're the best!"

With a triumphant stance, Guyang tossed the blue ribbon into the air, and Baekya clapped enthusiastically.

"Did you see that, Daehwan? I made Baekya happier."

"Yes, sir!"

With the ribbon finally untied, Yulmu's eyes widened in relief and joy.

"Wow~ As expected, sunbae-nim! You're amazing."

Guyang’s shoulders puffed up with pride as Yulmu gave him a double thumbs-up, genuinely impressed.

“I thought your face was going to burst.”

“That’s because you tightened it even more. Damn you, Yuyeon.”

"Oh my, look who’s back to normal now?"

As Yulmu and Yuyeon naturally moved closer to Baekya, Harang’s eyes followed them.

"Your group is called Six AM, right?"

Just then, Siyun’s voice came from beside them. Harang turned his attention to Siyun.

"Yes, that’s right. I've met you a few times at the company."

"Is that so?" Siyun’s response ended there.

"There are so many people here, and the hallway is quite chaotic. Let's talk more next time. It was nice meeting you."

He congratulated them on their debut and left with DASE, saying he would continue to support them. Harang glared at Baekya's back as he walked away, surrounded by AIM members.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Without even realising it, the sunfish had thoroughly riled up Harang. Now, dressed in his outfit for the special stage, Baekya looked like a fluffy creature.

"Is your concept a snowman?" Jihan asked, his mouth twitching as if he was holding back laughter.

"Dun’tchu dare laugh..." Baekya grumbled through gritted teeth, thinking about having to see Harang’s face again soon.

"Whoa~ You look ready to go hunting. Did you bring a shotgun?" Yulmu teased, continuously patting Baekya's fluffy back, enjoying the feel of his white fur hat and coat.

"Or are you the one being hunted?" Yulmu kept jibing, saying Baekya looked like a polar bear.

Haa. With a short sigh, the sunfish turned to look at Yulmu.

"What?"

"What, indeed," Baekya replied shortly, then grabbed Yulmu’s arm and bit it.

"Ouch! It hurts, it hurts!"

"The hamster has turned into a zombie," Chung said from the edge of the sofa, scooting further to the side to keep his distance from Baekya.

"How do you not get tired after causing such a commotion earlier…?"

Namkyung commented while sipping his green tea, saying that just watching them was draining him. He then called for the stylist. “But seriously, don’t you think Baekya’s outfit is a bit too much?”

"Is it…? But it’s cute," she replied, looking conflicted.

The stylist, with a serious look on her face, fell into deep thought. The director, wanting to do both this and that, had actually sought advice.

"Actually, this is already quite toned down," she said.

"...This is toned down?" Namkyung replied in disbelief, wondering how extreme the full outfit would have been.

"Still, shouldn’t either the clothes or the hat be something more normal, or rather, more neat…?" Namkyung suggested, worried that Baekya's face was too hidden.

"And this is just a personal curiosity, but... Of course, I’m sure you handled it well, but did you coordinate with the other groups too?" he asked.

"Of course. The other teams have similar outfits," she assured.

Namkyung was now certain—the concept was undoubtedly a snowman.