I'M A GENIUS IDOL BUT MY PASSIVE IS SUNFISH: Chapter 72

 TL by Miru

I'm a Genius Idol but My Passive is Sunfish: Episode 72

"I can't believe the photo I took became so famous. I feel a little proud, to be honest."
"Where? Let me see too, let me!"

Chung and Yuyeon perked up, intrigued by the mention of an amusing candid photo.

"Delete it. Now, Yulmu."

Baekya, sipping water at the dispenser, didn’t even have the energy to dash over. Instead, he trudged toward the sofa and collapsed onto it.

"Did you see that? The way Baekya just walked—doesn’t it look kind of similar?"
"Exactly like this guy!"

Too exhausted to bother responding, Baekya waved his hand lazily in the air.

"Do whatever you want."

Placing an arm over his forehead, Baekya closed his eyes and quickly drifted off into a light nap. But it didn’t last long. A familiar voice shook him awake, accompanied by a gentle nudge to his shoulder.

"Baekya-ya."

He ignored it at first, hoping it would stop, but the hand nudged him again.

"Han Baekya."
"Mmm…"

Reluctantly, Baekya cracked his eyes open. His vision was still blurry, and his body felt weighed down by an invisible heaviness.

"Come on, snap out of it. We need to get ready."
"…Ready for what?"

Nearby, he caught snippets of Minsung and Namkyung’s conversation.

"Better prepare your speech ahead of time."
"Come on, we might not even win. Feels presumptuous to act like we will."

Groggily turning his head, Baekya noticed the bustling activity of staff members moving about.

‘…A waiting room? I’m pretty sure we were in the practice room earlier.’

Above the closed door, he noticed the JAMA logo next to DASE’s name.

‘When did I come to an award show?’

He didn’t even remember getting on a plane, yet somehow, he’d woken up in Hong Kong. It felt odd, but his scattered thoughts didn’t linger on it for long. While he stood there in a daze, someone spoke from behind him.

"Baekya."

The familiar voice drew his attention, and he turned to see Harang standing there.

‘What’s he doing here?’

Wondering if Harang was there to pick a fight, Baekya decided not to ignore him and replied.

"What brings you here?"
"Shouldn’t I be asking you that?"

‘Wow, his attitude somehow got worse.’

"Ah, okay. Well, I think you’ve come to the wrong waiting room."
"Exactly."

Despite being told he was in the wrong place, Harang stood there with an air of unwarranted confidence. His eyes narrowed as he gestured toward the door.

"What are you doing in someone else’s waiting room?"

"Excuse me? What are you even talking about?"

Scoffing, Baekya glanced toward the door Harang was pointing to.

"This is our waiting room—huh?"

Baekya, who had been frowning moments ago, suddenly stammered with a look of panic.

“W-why is this…?”

The nameplate above the door didn’t read DASE—it said Six AM. To make things worse, the members who had been with him just moments ago were nowhere to be seen.

“Get out.”

At Harang’s cold dismissal, Baekya hurriedly exited the waiting room. Out in the hallway, a chaotic mix of foreign staff and fans flooded the space.

“What… what is this?”

Caught in the disarray, Baekya stumbled backwards, his eyes scanning for his group. Then, out of the crowd, a hand reached out and grabbed him.

“What are you doing here? It’s almost our turn.”

It was Jihan, who had suddenly appeared and was now dragging Baekya along. Together, they weaved through the thick crowd, heading backstage. But out of nowhere, an unfamiliar staff member appeared, separating Jihan and Baekya.

“Who… who are you?”

“This way is faster!” the staff member insisted.

“Wait, no! Jihan! I—”

Baekya turned his head, but Jihan was nowhere to be seen. Unable to resist, Baekya was dragged along, eventually reuniting with his group. He barely had a moment to breathe before being ushered onto the stage.

Under the spotlight, introduced with grandiose phrases like “monster rookies,” the members began their choreography in time with the intro music. But Baekya stood there, completely still.

‘…I can’t remember anything.’

Despite all his practice, his mind had gone blank the moment he stepped onto the stage. Without remembering the choreography, he couldn’t move forward during his part. All he could manage was to mimic the others, one beat too late.

‘I’ve ruined it.’

The realization that he had single-handedly botched the performance consumed him.

In the blink of an eye, the performance was over. The members, now offstage, exchanged words of encouragement, patting each other on the back. But Baekya kept his distance, feeling alienated. Even as the group dispersed, no one came looking for him. They left him behind, completely alone.

‘Is it because I ruined the performance…?’

Suddenly, darkness enveloped him. Alone in a void, Baekya felt an oppressive emptiness. Then, far away, the voice of the host announcing the Best New Artist nominees echoed.

The names of five rookie boy groups that debuted this year—including DASE and Six AM—were called. Baekya’s heart pounded wildly. His stomach churned, and nausea rose, but the feeling of unease wouldn’t leave.

Then, moments later, the host declared the winner.

“Congratulations to… Six AM!”

At that moment, unfamiliar voices began echoing from all directions.

 

- Han Baekya, practice your dance moves.

- If it were me, I'd be so embarrassed.

- He messed up the choreography again.

- How do you still not know the steps?

 

Baekya clamped his hands over his ears. Crouching down, he curled into himself, staring only at the floor. Suddenly, a shadow loomed in front of him. Without thinking, he looked up and saw Harang towering over him, holding a trophy.

"Thanks. It’s all thanks to you."

The words were cryptic, but Baekya had a sinking feeling he knew what they meant.

‘It’s because I messed up the choreography that DASE didn’t win the Rookie of the Year award.’

 

[<Genius Idol (1)> FAILED!]

 

Beyond the glaring status window, Baekya saw Yuyeon approaching. Yuyeon, with a blank expression, looked down at him and said coldly, "Get up. You’d better stand up while I’m still asking nicely."

"…?"

Baekya blinked, his eyes fluttering open again. His vision was hazy, his mind still clouded.

"Are you coming to your senses? Tiger-hyung said to stop practising for today and get some rest. You’ll need the energy for tomorrow’s flight."
“…Flight? But we’re already in Hong Kong. And… the award’s been announced. And I… I’m dead.”

Baekya sat dazed, his unfocused gaze drifting toward Yuyeon and Yulmu.

"He’s totally lost it," Yulmu muttered. "What the hell is he talking about?"
"No clue. Should we just carry him?"
"You up for it? You’ve got energy to spare?"
"He’s small anyway."

Yulmu sounded so serious that Yuyeon glanced back and forth between them sceptically.

"Hold on. Hey, Baekdo."
"Ah… I died, and now I’m a sunfish. Is this the ocean?"
"He’s completely out of it. Did someone hit him with a tranquiliser dart?"

Yuyeon grabbed Baekya’s shoulders and tried shaking him, hoping to snap him out of it. But the sunfish, fully submerged in sleep, only babbled nonsense about being underwater but still breathing, or needing to hide in the crowded hallway.

"This isn’t working. Hyung, let’s just carry him."
"Alright, let’s do it."

Yulmu wrapped Baekya snugly in a blanket, almost like packing furniture for a move, and slung him over his shoulder.

"Wow, he’s light."

Yulmu chuckled, recalling how he used to carry half-asleep friends home during their trainee days. He even admitted that once, someone mistook him for a kidnapper and called the police. As he laughed, Yuyeon smacked him hard on the back.

"Hey! Watch where you’re stepping on the stairs. If you drop him and he breaks something, we’re all screwed."

Yuyeon’s tone turned sharp, warning him that unless he wanted to ruin their lineup and adjust a six-member formation to five at the last minute, he’d better save his nostalgic stories for later.

"Wow… that gave me chills."
"Then watch your damn step on the stairs."
"Got it, got it."

 

* * *

 

"…When did I come back to Korea?"

Baekya muttered absentmindedly, sitting up in his bed at the dorm. His head felt strangely heavy, as if blood had rushed to it.

"Sunfish-ssi, I hope you had a nice swim in the ocean?"
"...Huh?"

Baekya’s pupils darted around in confusion.

"Did you secretly take sleeping pills last night or something? You wouldn’t wake up, even when I slapped you. Yulmu hyung had to carry you back princess-style."
"…Don’t make stuff up."
"Well now, could it really be a lie?"

Jihan, who was sitting on the floor locking his suitcase, replied calmly. According to him, if Yulmu hadn’t carried Baekya, how else could he have ended up back in bed? Jihan’s serious expression made Baekya’s face turn pale.

"Good morning~ Who wants bread?"

Just then, Yulmu appeared, opening the door with a loaf of bread in hand and greeting them cheerfully. But the room’s atmosphere was clearly off.

"Hmm?"

Baekya was eyeing him suspiciously, while Yuyeon and Jihan wore subtle smirks. Realizing the situation, Yulmu’s lips stretched into a sly grin.

"Ohhh~"

DASE took their group pastime of teasing Baekya very seriously.

"The hamster princess is awake!"

Mwah! Yulmu puckered his lips dramatically and made a sound that sent chills down everyone’s spines.

"I almost thought I’d have to wake you with a kiss of true love, so I brushed my teeth and everything."

The mayfly struck again, spouting a crude morning joke aimed squarely at the hamster. For context, "mayfly" was a nickname Minsung had given Yulmu, implying that his over-the-top antics often made it seem like he was living as if there were no tomorrow, constantly provoking others.

Annoyed by Yulmu’s early-morning needling, Baekya screamed, hurling a pillow at his face as an extra gift.

"Get lost, you pervert!"

The DASE dormitory, as always, was peaceful chaos.

"You’re dead if I catch you!"

"Wait, wait! I carried you back yesterday, and this is the thanks I get?"

"You should’ve just left me at the practice room!"

Thus began the chase: the enraged sunfish versus the mischievous mayfly. Their morning antics had the dorm in shambles before long, earning them a stern scolding from Minsung.

“For crying out loud. Can you two please get along? That’s my one request. Okay?”

“We get along just fine, don’t we~?”

“I’ll try my best.”

Under the leader’s orders, Yulmu was seated in the front passenger seat while Baekya was banished to the very back of the car, as far apart as possible. That left Baekya’s neighbour to be Deokjin, who glanced at him curiously.

"So…what happened to your lips?"

Deokjin pointed to his own lips as he spoke, looking at Baekya.