I'M A GENIUS IDOL BUT MY PASSIVE IS SUNFISH: Chapter 71

 TL by Miru

I'm a Genius Idol but My Passive is Sunfish: Episode 71

With Baekya’s four-step high note still making waves, DASE had naturally assumed the high-note part would go to their member, especially to add more buzz to the stage. It was a little disappointing, but Baekya delivered his part with his usual charm.

Then, the much-anticipated high-note section arrived. As Baekya moved to the side, another familiar face stepped up.

 

- We’ll become one

Ooh ah

 

In the centre, belting out the high notes with veins popping in his neck, was Harang. His high range had a different kind of appeal compared to Baekya’s. As expected for a special stage, white confetti began falling from the ceiling like snow at the climax.

The other members, except for Harang, linked arms and spun in circles.

 

- Falling for you

I’m piling up in your heart

 

As the song was about to end, the chorus repeated one last time. Baekya was up again. Usually, the melody would have flowed the same after the high note, but...

 

- I won’t be able to move

 

Baekya hit the last note and dragged it out, the spotlight swinging back to him. The high-note battle between the main vocalists lit up the audience, and the crowd’s reactions went wild.

 

- I’m coming to you

I’ll give you this winter

 

With that final line, the members gathered at the centre, smiling and waving as the camera zoomed out. The performance ended more beautifully than anyone had expected.

 

* * *

 

[<The Celebrity's Celebrity (4)> Completed!]

 

As soon as the performance ended, a status window popped up in front of Baekya. He was startled by the unexpected result.

At almost the same moment, a piece of confetti fell onto his nose. On the TV screen, it looked as if he had been surprised by the falling confetti.

 

- Did the confetti scare him? ㅋㅋㅋ

- A hamster startled by confetti? ㅠㅠㅠ My baby is too cute! ㅠㅠ

 

His “Cuteness” stat went up by 3 points.

Pretending to brush off the confetti, Baekya quickly closed the status window. He was both bewildered and pleased by the unexpected reward.

“Hurry and come down.”

Once the cameras were off, a staff member below the stage called for them to head down. There was no time for celebratory hugs or emotional exchanges.

‘Honestly, that’s probably for the best.’

Baekya gave Geumil a light pat on the back and started heading down the stairs first. He briefly made eye contact with Harang, but they both ignored each other, pretending not to notice.

‘Well, at least the stage is finally over.’

Baekya couldn’t quite put his finger on why things had gotten so tense between them, but Harang seemed to get more irritating every time they crossed paths. Baekya was grateful his group hadn’t ended up debuting with him.

‘Even debuting as a “flop idol” would’ve been better.’

The Winter Song team made their way backstage. Now that their joint performance was done, the atmosphere lightened up, returning to how it was when they first met.

Though they hadn’t practised together much, Baekya felt it was only right to say a few words, so he broke the silence first.

“Hey, everyone. You all did great.”

“Hyung, are we not going to see each other anymore? I suddenly feel really sad. I had such a great time performing with you….”

Who knew when they had gotten so emotional, but there were actual tears in the eyes of the blonde members. Baekya did his best to look touched.

“Y-Yeah, I had a great time too.”

Harang shot Baekya a glance before whipping his head around, while Geumil smiled, arms crossed.

“We’ll be seeing each other a lot during promotions, so it’s not like this is the end.”

Geumil met Baekya’s eyes and pointed at Harang with a nod as if to say, ‘Dealing with him must have been rough.’

“Baekya, I think we need to get going soon if you want to get ready for your next stage….”

Deokjin, who had been waiting for the right moment, finally stepped in, reminding them that time was running out. Baekya was the only one who hadn’t done his main stage performance yet. He remembered Namkyung’s reminder to come straight back after the stage.

“Oh, right! I have to go. I’ll text you guys later!”

With that, Baekya quickly said his goodbyes and took off down the hall with Deokjin.

Meanwhile, in the waiting room, DASE was eagerly waiting for Baekya’s return.

“The zombie’s here! Get him!”

As soon as the door opened, Chung threw his arms in the air and lunged at Baekya. But Baekya ducked easily, avoiding him with the smoothness of someone who had done it countless times.

He then walked straight over to the General Manager, looking downcast.

“Um… I’m really sorry, sir, but I lost one of the earrings….”

“Did you take it off on purpose?”

“What? No way! I’d never do that! It was an accident—I bumped into someone….”

Anyone could see from his face that he was genuinely upset. The General Manager had planned on teasing him a bit but seeing Baekya so sincere made it impossible.

The general manager gave a light laugh and patted Baekya’s back.

“Relax, I’m just messing with you. Honestly, it looked super unique, and I loved it! I checked the reactions for a second, and people are going wild. They all think I planned it! Haha.”

With a mischievous grin, the general manager waved their phone in the air.

“So stop worrying and go get changed already.”

While Baekya had been on stage, the rest of the group had already finished getting ready. Practically pushed into the changing room, Baekya quickly swapped his outfit.

 

- When’s DASE performing?

- Who was the pink-haired guy from ‘Snowflake’ earlier? I was confused when I saw him wearing earrings like a girl group member, but now I can’t stop thinking about how good it looked.

- Whoever gave Baekya those earrings, please reveal yourself so I can bow in gratitude! ㅠㅠ

- Baekya looks amazing in flashy outfits. Props to the stylist for knowing what works!

- Is DASE wearing outfits from the Dressing  Room again? I hope it’s something from my wishlist…

 

As if the universe had heard her prayers, DASE was indeed wearing an outfit from her wishlist. Their outfits were so bold that staff members kept turning their heads to take a second look as the group passed by in the hallway.

“Oho! Keep your head up! Walk confidently, like me!”

“Ow, that hurt!”

Yulmu smacked Baekya on the back with a hearty laugh. His hands were so big that Baekya’s entire back stung, making him squirm uncomfortably. Just then, Baekya locked eyes with a staff member walking from the other direction. She froze, as if she’d seen something she shouldn’t have.

“Oh my god…” The staff member stared at Baekya with her mouth wide open, completely unaware that she’d even cursed.

“Haha…”

Baekya forced a crooked smile, his eyes drifting back to the floor. It seemed like that silly ribbon they tied earlier as a joke was foreshadowing.

The white shirt and pink pants? Fine, he could live with that. But the oversized choker around his neck? That was a problem.

‘Why me…! Why am I the only one stuck with this thing?’

The ribbon Yulmu had tied wrong earlier would have been way better. As Baekya glanced at the other members walking ahead, he noticed their chokers too.

He had let his guard down, thinking the outfits were toned down because it was an awards show. Wrong. He had underestimated the stylist’s boundless creativity.

The second Baekya finished changing, she whipped out a collection of ribbons of all thicknesses.

Yulmu, Jihan, and Minsung had thin ribbons tied around their necks, long enough to hang down to their waists but slim enough to look like strings.

Next were Yuyeon and Chung, who had slightly thicker ribbons, about the width of a finger. But at least theirs were short and didn’t draw too much attention.

‘So why me!’

Baekya’s ribbon was twice the size of theirs—a giant bow.

Thick, long, huge!

In most groups, it was the centre who got the extravagant accessories. Somehow, in this group, all the over-the-top stuff was always thrown on him.

‘Is there some kind of hidden rule in this shitty game that I don’t know about?’

Baekya clenched his jaw and tried to stay calm. As he stood backstage, waiting for his cue, a staff member walked up.

“DASE will go up as soon as the MC finishes their intro.”

Earlier, Harang had put him in a bad mood, and now this giant ribbon was dragging him down even more.

‘Why is life so hard…?’

Nothing ever seemed to go his way.

 

* * *

 

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

[DASE_Official]

Night~ How was today's Gayo Daejejeon? It’s been a while since we wore something from the Dressing Room, and, of course, it didn’t disappoint! Haha.

Apparently, the ribbons weren’t really visible on camera since they were tied in the back, so I took a few pics to share~

And here’s the punishment shot of our rock-paper-scissors loser!

This is Yulmu, DASE’s official homepage master, signing off~

(Group pic with AIM.jpg)

(Group photo showing the ribbon chokers from behind.jpg)

(Group photo with Blue Team ribbons tied around their wrists, hands together in the center.jpg)

(Photo of Baekya with a ton of blue ribbons tied all over his head.jpg)

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

 

- Do you realize you guys are literally rewriting male idol fashion history right now?

 

- Did Baekya get his hair yanked by the other members? ㅋㅋㅋ it looks like they just tied ribbons all over him randomly.

└ Baekdo’s expression is too cute. ㅠㅠ That “I’ve given up” face.

└ His soul has left his body, ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

- It’s so extra, but it suits him perfectly…

- Honestly, Baekya looks better in ribbons than any man I’ve ever seen. Especially that giant bow—ID definitely tried to assassinate us with it!

- The whole universe, DASE, the stylist, and ID are all working together to make Baekya the ultimate peach cutie! ♡

 

During a practice break, Yulmu was lying on the floor, scrolling through comments when he suddenly started laughing out loud.

“You crazy?”

Chung, looking concerned, muttered something about how the zombie virus must’ve spread in the practice room.

Jihan, who was nearby, stopped Yulmu from rolling around with a nudge of his foot.

“What’s so funny? Spill.”

If Jihan hadn’t moved fast enough, Yulmu’s massive frame would’ve bowled him over.

“Take a look at this.”

As Jihan walked over, Yulmu showed him his phone. On the screen was a meme of a businessman who had lost everything and was wandering the streets, with Baekya’s face—ribbons tied all over his head—photoshopped onto the man’s body.

The lifeless, zoned-out look in Baekya’s eyes matched the meme perfectly.