I'M A GENIUS IDOL BUT MY PASSIVE IS SUNFISH: Chapter 78

 TL by Miru

I'm a Genius Idol but My Passive is Sunfish: Episode 78

— A world where love and dreams have ground to a halt
Chilling stares rake across my skin
I sink into unending darkness

 

Yuyeon took the next verse. Encircled by the other members clutching his arms and legs, he seemed trapped in their grasp. Then Baekya, standing on the outskirts, broke from the formation and reached out to pull Yuyeon free, causing the others to collapse away.

 

— You who brought me warmth
The only saviour I have
You are my saviour

 

Baekya’s vocals overlapped with a lush, five-part a cappella from the rest of the group. As the gentle backing track suddenly cut out, the six members’ harmonies alone carried the chorus. It was a bold artistic choice by Daehwan—a fresh twist on the original that left the audience in awe.

 

— Murky air
Can’t see an inch ahead
Can’t move a single step
I’m a cold, lifeless cadaver
Breathe life into me—savior

 

When the chorus ended and the second verse began, Jihan stepped into the center. Heavy eye makeup, a vivid slash across the bridge of his nose, and tousled hair gave him a striking look. While everyone else wore white contacts, one of his eyes shone red—hinting that he wasn’t fully zombified yet, that some fragile strand of humanity still lingered within him, desperately craving salvation. This nuance arose from a special request by Daehwan when he added a new rap segment not found in the original version.

Covering the eye already succumbing to the infection, Jihan staggered toward the edge of the stage.

 

— No one can find me
I’m discarded deep within

 

Jihan’s rap gave way to Chung, who sprang forward from the group. Forming a new formation around him, the members fanned out to either side, moving in a flurry of steps.

 

— You who brought me warmth
The only saviour I have
You are my saviour

 

It was the chorus of the second verse. This time, Minsung took the lead vocal, backed once again by an a cappella harmony. Though the pitch was noticeably high, Minsung handled it with ease. Truth be told, Minsung’s vocals were every bit as impressive; they were simply overshadowed by Baekya’s powerful range.

No sooner had the chorus ended than Yuyeon and Yulmu launched into their parts:

 

— The ca-ca-ca-cave of my heart
I want to break free
— The stifling ca-ca-ca-cage
I want to escape

 

Their hair and costumes now even more disheveled by the strenuous choreography, the two stood back-to-back, continuing the routine. A sudden close-up of their upper bodies sent a massive cheer rippling through the audience.

 

— Ma heart

 

Next came the high-note segment that had practically become Baekya’s signature in DASE’s performances. While the others moved swiftly around him, Baekya stood stock-still, belting out his ad-lib.

The screen caught the way he scrunched up his nose in concentration—just as Daehwan had hoped. Since this was a darker, more intense concept, Daehwan had suggested Baekya at least pretend to struggle with the note, and Baekya was delivering. Even if his face looked pained but not a single vein popped in his neck—well, the note poured out effortlessly, so what could they do?

 

— Raging storms roll across the moors
Beyond them lies Utopia

 

Returning to their original formation, Chung stood center stage once more. As he sang the final line, he bowed his head with a solemn air. The other members closed in around him, forming a circle. Just as the music cut off completely, DASE fell to their knees in exhaustion. The collaborative stage between AIM and DASE was, by all accounts, a resounding success.

 

 

* * *

 

 

‘We did it.’

Baekya, gasping for breath, braced himself against the floor and grimaced. He’d sat down a little too hard at the end, and it felt like his knees might’ve given out. The urge to just collapse right there on the spot was overwhelming.

“Get up. Let’s go.”

Minsung turned his attention to the younger members still sprawled on the ground, helping them to their feet. The hamster, now a bona fide zombie, wobbled upright.

“Ugh… I think I’m gonna die…”
“Yeah, no. You’re not.”

Sometimes, Minsung could be oddly no-nonsense about the strangest things. Right at that moment, a status window appeared in front of Baekya.

 

[<Celebrity of Celebrities(5)> Complete!]

 

He’d been getting these quest notifications fairly often recently, and the Star Points he collected each time were turning out to be quite handy. Their stage was done, and he’d snagged some unexpected points to boot. Pleased with himself, Baekya couldn’t help grinning, which earned him a funny look from Minsung. But then another notification popped up over the one already displayed.

 

[Event: Watch Your Step on the Stairs]

 

“Huh?”

Baekya cocked his head. It was the first time he’d seen a notification of this type.

‘An event? Since when is this thing so considerate?’

It wasn’t so long ago that this system had bestowed on him that “sunfish” nonsense, calling it some sort of “rare” prize, and now it was playing guardian angel. Sure, the stairs leading down from the stage were pretty dark, but he’d used them before; this was nothing new.

‘So what am I supposed to do about it?’

Snorting in dismissal, the sunfish took a step forward as if nothing were wrong—until a swarm of semi-transparent windows suddenly filled his entire field of vision.

 

[Error: Event]

 

In the blink of an eye, Baekya’s view was completely blocked, causing him to misstep and fall hard on his buttocks.

“Ugh!”
“Oh my god! Hamster!”

He’d only had one step left when he tumbled, prompting the others to turn around in alarm.

“I’m— I’m fine. Guess the adrenaline just wore off.”

Still half-blinded by all those overlapping pop-ups, Baekya rubbed his eyes. A tear or two clung to his fingertips.

“…Are you crying?”
“I’m not!”

A flustered Minsung’s question made Baekya snap. His tailbone felt like it might split in two, but he was far too embarrassed to let it show—he had no choice but to grit his teeth and bear it.

‘This blasted system!’

Why on earth would it decide to block his vision out of nowhere? Just as stunned as everyone else, Baekya shook with frustrated indignation.

“Get up.”

Yuyeon offered a hand. The moment Baekya’s fingers touched his, the error windows vanished like a mirage. Regaining his sight, Baekya looked around at the members with a sheepish smile.

“Haha… that was close, huh?”
“How can you laugh? Your legs practically gave out. You must’ve been crazy nervous.”

Yuyeon, taking the moment to scold Baekya, offered a hand. Baekya took it with a sulky expression, only to feel a sharp pain as he tried to stand.

“Ah…”

On instinct, Baekya let go and dropped back down onto the floor, prompting the other members’ faces to freeze in alarm.

“…Ehey, no way, right~?”

Trying to brush off the creeping sense of dread, Yulmu forced a smile. Meanwhile, Baekya struggled back to his feet on his own, grimacing as he tentatively rotated his wrist—the source of the pain.

“Ow.”

It wouldn’t move. A bead of cold sweat trickled down his back.

“Why—why does it hurt…?”

A bizarre situation—where the injured person was the one trying to gauge the reactions of the uninjured.

“Hamster! You almost died!” Chung scolded, his expression filled with genuine concern.

“…Died?”

Baekya had been about to snap back, annoyed at Chung’s constant ominous remarks, but then he hesitated.

He’d forgotten all about it until now, but hadn’t he read those strange reviews before? Died in a concert accident. Died in a traffic collision.

‘Wait a second… was this the system’s attempt at an assassination?!’

A belated realization sent chills along his spine. Glancing back, he noted just how steep those steps were. If the error message had blocked his view even one second earlier, he could’ve split his forehead open.

It was starting to feel less like luck and more like beginner’s grace—that he’d somehow only ended up with a sprain. A horrifying thought crept in.

‘But… it said it was an event!’

Wasn’t an “event” supposed to have a positive connotation?
Grumbling at the unwelcome surprise, Baekya’s mood only soured further when a notification about his “reward” popped up:

 

[Event complete!]
[Reward granted: 0 Star Points]

 

‘At least it’s giving some points—huh?’

Zero Star Points? Baekya blinked in disbelief, then squinted at the screen.

 

[0 Star Points]

 

He hadn’t misread it.

‘Is this system trying to kill me and mock me at the same time?!’

Not only had it disguised an assassination attempt as an event, but now it was taunting him with an empty reward?! Thus began the fierce battle between a system out to kill him and a sunfish determined to live.

“Hah! This is ridiculous.”
“Ow.”
“What are you huffing about? Let me see your arm. It’s not broken, is it?”

Minsung approached, flicking Baekya’s forehead lightly. Taking Baekya’s arm, he carefully rotated the injured wrist to check it.

“Does that hurt?”
“It’s fine. As long as it’s not broken, I can deal.”

Relieved that it wasn’t worse, Baekya almost felt the pain receding. Or rather, maybe his anger had flared so high that he barely registered it anymore.

‘Zero points? System, I am so coming for you.’

 

* * *

 

- DASE totally killed it at the year-end show… (Ending shot from the Walking Dead stage.jpg)

- Now that they’ve shed their ‘rookie’ label, I bet they’ll sweep all the grand prizes next year. This year’s grand prize was AIM > next year DASE. Looks like ID’s successfully handing the torch to the next generation, lol.
└ Come on, tiny fandom, don’t get carried away.

- Wait, they’re not gonna do ‘Walking Dead’ promos? And they’re not releasing a digital single? Then why’d they go all out on the performance? Jerks, I feel robbed ㅠㅠㅠ

- This is insane. Are we sure it’s the same person? (Walking Dead Baekya vs. Practice Room Baekya.jpg)
└ Zombie Baekya vs. Baby Peach.

- Walking Dead is #1 on YouTube trending now. They might just become the top 4th-gen boy group.
└ Ever since JAMA, the reaction’s been huge.
└ Their old debut song is zombie-fying and crawling back onto the charts.

- ID, what are you doing? You should strike while the iron’s hot and get them to make a comeback.

- The boys are back in Korea!!!

 

DASE returned home to a frenzy that rivalled the pandemonium they’d caused leaving. Normally, they would have headed straight to the company, but thanks to one member getting into an unfortunate accident, the group was now moving in two separate teams.

“…I’m really sorry.”
“It’s fine. You’re already hurt, so there’s no use fussing over it. Be more careful next time. We got lucky—it could’ve been a lot worse.”

Namkyung’s gaze flicked to Baekya’s fingers, one of them in a cast. Baekya lowered his head, trying not to look too guilty. His good hand fidgeted, but the middle finger of his injured right hand stood locked upright.

“Of all the places you could hurt… Are you sure you didn’t actually get into a fight with Yuyeon?”
“No. And if we’d fought, trust me, Han Yuyeon wouldn’t be walking around unscathed right now.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Baekya quickly hid his hand behind his back, flashing a sheepish grin.