I'M A GENIUS IDOL BUT MY PASSIVE IS SUNFISH: Chapter 73

 TL by Miru

I'm a Genius Idol but My Passive is Sunfish: Episode 73

“Oh, that?”

Yuyeon stifled a laugh as he glanced at Baekya’s split lip.

“He ran into Yulmu-hyung’s back while chasing him and busted it himself.”

Yuyeon handed over a bandage, adding that it was a good thing Yulmu’s body was like iron, or it could’ve been worse. Baekya, annoyed, stared at him and muttered grumpily.

“Is this funny to you?”
“Yeah, totally. It’s like watching a sitcom.”
“You little…”

Snatching the bandage, Baekya checked his reflection in the window.

“…But what if rumours about us feuding start because of this?”

When he stuck the smallest bandage over the corner of his mouth, the small injury seemed even more noticeable.

“Should I just take it off? I’ll be wearing a mask anyway.”
“You’ll have to take it off at security. Just keep it on. Besides, you’ve been licking the ointment nonstop. Is it really that tasty?”

Baekya squinted at Yuyeon again.

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop. No more teasing.”

Seeing Yuyeon back off easily, Baekya sighed and looked at his reflection in the window again. He seemed concerned about the photos that might be taken at the airport. Living in an environment where even the smallest detail could spark wild rumours had made his already cautious nature even more so.

“Don’t worry too much. There are lots of teams departing today, so airport staff will probably keep things under control,” Deokjin reassured him.

But Baekya overlooked the fact that this was Deokjin’s first time working as a manager.

The moment they stepped out of the car, they were surrounded by a barrage of reporters’ cameras. To make matters worse, another boy group, Boy’s Republic, was on a similar flight, resulting in a massive crowd at the airport.

After somehow making it through the sea of people and passing security, they encountered yet another wall of long-lens cameras snapping away. Even fansite photographers from other groups were taking pictures of any idol they spotted, creating a scene akin to a press conference.

’They even photograph this…?’

Even while standing with his arms raised at the security checkpoint, Baekya could hear the relentless sound of shutters clicking. They were even capturing the moment his body was scanned by the metal detector.

Caught in the chaos for the first time, Baekya felt his mind going blank. His ears turned bright red, and no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, the constant sound of camera clicks gnawed at his nerves.

“Manager Deokjin-nim… I think I’m going to throw up.”
“What? You’re feeling sick?”

As Deokjin rummaged through his bag for emergency medicine, Baekya tugged on the hem of his jacket, his face scrunched up in discomfort.

“What’s wrong?” Yuyeon, who had joined them, noticed Baekya’s pale face and asked.

“I feel like I’m going to puke. There are too many cameras.”

Glancing at the sea of lenses concentrated near Baekya, Yuyeon’s expression turned complicated. Folding his arms and leaning slightly, he made a casual joke.

“Are you sure it’s not just because you’re nervous about flying for the first time?”

“…!”

Baekya turned to Yuyeon with wide, startled eyes.

“…How did you know it’s my first time flying? Is it that obvious?”

As if he’d been caught hiding a secret, Baekya’s startled reaction left Yuyeon more confused than anything.

‘Didn’t this fact come out when his birth year got exposed for the passport?’

Yet, from the look on Baekya’s face, he clearly hadn’t figured that out. Yuyeon smirked slightly, quickly hiding his amusement as he calmly pointed at his own forehead.

“It’s written on your forehead. ‘First time on a plane.’”

“What are you even saying?”

Baekya frowned, rubbing his forehead as though he might wipe something off. Even though he knew there couldn’t possibly be anything there, he checked anyway.

“If it’s not true, why are you wiping your forehead?”

“For good luck. What’s it to you?”

“Oh, I see. By the way, you know you have to take your shoes off to get on the plane, right?”

“…Do I look like an idiot? Stop messing with me.”

“It’s true. Look it up on your phone.”

As Yuyeon continued teasing, the last member finally cleared security. The camera-wielding crowd abruptly stopped snapping pictures and suddenly dashed off toward another direction.

“…What’s going on?”

Baekya’s eyes widened in confusion. Was there a fire? Had he missed some emergency announcement? While the shutter clicks were the only sound filling the air moments ago, now dozens of people were rushing down the escalator two or three steps at a time.

“There are more here than I thought,” Namkyung murmured, gazing past the stairwell where the crowd of fansites had disappeared.

“By the way, Baekya said he wasn’t feeling well earlier. Do we need to stop by a hospital?”

“No, it’s fine. I think I was just nervous about getting on the plane.”

“Ah, this is your first flight, huh?”

Namkyung ruffled Baekya’s hair, his lips curling into a playful smile.

“Got any cash on you?”

“Cash? Uh, no.”

Not one to carry his wallet, Baekya instinctively patted his pockets, only to come up empty. Namkyung pulled a ten-thousand-won bill from his wallet and handed it to him.

“Money for food. You should eat lunch.”
“We get meals on the plane, too?”
“Of course. It’s around lunchtime. Just place this on your table or give it to a flight attendant when they serve the meal.”
“Oh… thank you.”

When Yuyeon teased that Baekya could cover the bill for everyone, Baekya nodded and carefully tucked the bill away. Namkyung, keeping a straight face after successfully fooling him, herded the group toward the elevators.

Unlike the chaotic security area, the elevator hall was relatively calm. Baekya massaged his neck absentmindedly, catching Jihan’s attention.

“Is your neck stiff?”

“Yeah, a bit. Earlier, I felt like throwing up. Maybe I was just too tense.”

“You don’t look like you’re in great shape.”

Hearing this, Yuyeon and Yulmu flinched. It was undoubtedly the aftermath of the night before, when they’d carried Baekya like a sack of potatoes over Yulmu’s shoulder. The two, who had been ready to join in on teasing Baekya, suddenly looked away, pretending they hadn’t heard anything.

“Oh wow, where’d everyone go? Looks like they’ve all boarded their flights.”

“Does that mean we’re running out of time too?”

The exaggerated performance made everyone turn and glare at Yulmu with exasperated expressions—except Baekya, who listened intently, completely oblivious.

“Do we need to run too?”
“No, no. We’ve still got time. No need to rush,” Namkyung reassured him.

Relieved, Baekya stepped onto the elevator. He idly watched the screen display the descending numbers.

Ding.

As the doors opened, a barrage of camera flashes flooded in from the opposite side.

Click-click-click.

From the ceiling to the floor, dozens of camera lenses pointed directly into the elevator.

“Ack!”

Startled, Baekya stumbled backwards, stepping on Jihan’s foot. Jihan quickly reached out and caught his arm.

“Careful.”

“Oh? Oh, sorry.”

Baekya felt his stomach churn again.

After much trouble, DASE finally boarded the plane. Thanks to the company’s generosity, they were able to enjoy their first flight in business class, but Baekya wasn’t able to appreciate it.

 

“You said you weren’t feeling well, right? You’ve been glued to your phone, even on the plane and during the ride to the hotel.”

Minsung quietly asked, noticing Baekya hadn’t let go of his phone for a second.

“Get some rest.”

His voice carried a note of concern.

“You’re addicted to your phone.”

“No, I’m practicing.”

“With your eyes? What’s that—eye practice?”

“What else can I do? I can’t exactly dance here.”

Baekya explained that the vivid dream he had the previous night left him uneasy, and watching the choreography video was the only way to ease his nerves. Even the reason behind his constant grip on the phone tugged at Minsung’s heart.

“Even if you make a mistake, it’s okay. Just get some sleep. You need to manage your condition, you know?”

Unable to watch any longer, Minsung pleaded for Baekya to rest, but Baekya didn’t budge.

 

* * *

 

Mid-Levels Escalators in Hong Kong.

“How long are we going to keep going up…?”
“I don’t know. Just keep going.”

Bundled up in padded jackets and scarves, Siyunbin and Boksoong were making their way up the seemingly endless escalator, almost as if it led straight to heaven. This was their first overseas trip, and they had chosen Hong Kong to embark on this journey together.

“Siyunbin, didn’t those other Koreans step off to the side earlier…?”

“…Really?”

Siyunbin wavered at Boksoong’s observation.

“Looks like there’s a good restaurant down there. Let’s just follow them.”

The only Chinese phrases they knew were “Nihao” and “Xiexie,” but that didn’t stop them from wandering boldly through the streets. Their courage stemmed largely from the familiar sound of the Korean language they heard everywhere. Of course, it helped that they were visiting famous spots, but the unusually high number of Koreans was undoubtedly due to the upcoming awards ceremony set to take place the next day.

“Dinner is on me tonight, Bin-nim.”

With a theatrical gesture, Boksoong pointed forward like the endless escalator was a red carpet. Feeling her ego swell, Siyunbin puffed out her chest confidently.

“Ahem. It wasn’t easy getting those tickets.”

Simo-ssi, a proud Korean who had spent three sleepless days and nights battling translation apps to secure tickets for the awards show in Hong Kong, had finally succeeded. Boksoong, lucky to have such a determined friend, found herself joining Siyunbin on the flight to Hong Kong.

“The boys should be arriving today, right?”

As Boksoong refreshed her social media feed, several preview photos of DASE’s airport departure popped up.

 

- ICN departure preview: Safe travels, #Baekya (Photo of a tense Baekya during passport check.jpg)

- Yulmu’s departure preview. His physique is so divine I’m in tears. (Photo of Yulmu bowing at the metal detector.jpg)

- The maknaez is too cute to handle. T_T Baekya’s first time at the airport and he kept bowing to reporters, so Chung started copying him, too. Sob sob ㅠㅠ

 

“Ack! My head’s going to explode from the cuteness!”

While the story about Baekya’s polite bowing was enough to melt hearts, the highlight was the preview photo of him frozen in nervousness during the passport check. The adorably stiff expression on his face was even cuter than expected, enough to feel like a health hazard to the heart.

Even the photographer who posted it seemed to have been overtaken by the extreme cuteness of their work. Initially sharing only full-body shots, they had progressively zoomed in, from half-body to chest shots, and finally to a tight close-up of Baekya’s delicate features.

“Ugh, it’s just too cute.”
“I mean, I saw him chirp like a sparrow before—he’s got that goofy kind of cuteness. Seems like someone who’d be easy to trick.”

Boksoong’s spirits lifted at her friend’s agreement. Scrolling further through the feed, she stumbled upon an absolutely jaw-dropping post.