I'M A GENIUS IDOL BUT MY PASSIVE IS SUNFISH: Chapter 77

 TL by Miru

I'm a Genius Idol but My Passive is Sunfish: Episode 77

Assistant Manager Na, a hapless office worker with enough money but no time to fly to Hong Kong, had missed the chance to see the awards show in person. Instead, after clocking out for the day, Baepsae popped open a beer and settled in to watch the ceremony’s live broadcast on a cable channel.

//TLN: Baepsae is the fan previously translated as Sparrow but I decided to change it to avoid confusion since Baekya is also known as a sparrow.

“Those can’t all be Hong Kong locals.”

The fan section shown on screen was packed, not a single seat left empty. Judging by the deafening cheers every time AIM, Boy’s Universe, or Rose Day appeared, at least half the crowd had to be Korean.

“So why on earth are they doing this in Hong Kong, anyway?”

Her ultimate bias—who never had a day where he didn’t look fantastic—was somehow even more heartbreakingly beautiful tonight, leaving her with a serious case of FOMO.

“Naing… He called us Naing…”

Baepsae, already a bit tipsy, couldn’t tear her eyes away from Baekya’s face on her phone screen. Apparently so nervous that he called his own fan club “Night” by the wrong name—“Naing”—he didn’t even catch the slip. Meanwhile, his little blunder was all anyone could talk about among the fandom.

 

- Naing? I’m losing my mind, Baekya!
- Is that supposed to be something like the ‘Makdungies’ next door?
- From this day forth, I, Kim Naing, vow never to be swayed by another fan club! (attached pledge meme.jpg)

 

Baepsae’s timeline overflowed with similar memes and vow posts. Quickly jumping on the bandwagon, she found a picture and posted her own:

 

- Na-Naing… For Baekya I live, for Baekya I die. (pledge meme.jpg)

 

It was a grand proclamation that she lived and breathed for Baekya. By then, what felt like an hour-long commercial break was finally over, and the TV cut back to the awards show. Baepsae’s little peach was still seated between Jihan and Yeonha.

“Sigh… That adorable little brat.”

Baepsae wobbled up to the TV, zoomed in on Baekya’s face, and snapped a photo. A weary sigh sounded from the side.

“You’re making a scene.”

“Oh please. Mom, you’re just as bad, what with your obsession over Lim Youngwoon or those trot singers. Don’t think I’ve forgotten how I caught you taking pictures in front of the TV last time.”

Baepsae’s mom was about to launch into her usual speech—something about using this time to go out and find a boyfriend—but when her daughter pointed out she’d learned all these habits from her, she quietly withdrew to her room.

With the living room all to herself, Baepsae sprawled out on the couch and picked up her phone again. According to the cue sheet she’d gotten her hands on, DASE was set to stay in the artist section after their opening performance in Part 1, and then appear again in Part 2, in the second performance slot.

Baepsae was counting the remaining Part 1 performances when the camera panned to the fan section, catching a brief shot of DASE standing up.

“What? Where’s my baby going?”

Baepsae hurried to refresh her social media feed as the group disappeared below the stage.

 

- Looks like they’re getting ready for their stage!”

- Wait, the senior groups are still in the artist seats. People keep saying DASE is being used as a promo tool, ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Why are they getting hate? It’s so freaking unfair

 

Rumours had been flying about a potential collaboration stage between AIM and DASE. At last, it seemed it was about to be revealed to the world.

 

* * *

 

Glassy kicked off Part 2 with a powerful display of girl-crush energy. Even after their performance ended, the show didn’t go straight to the next award. Instead, the lights dimmed further, and a video filled the giant screen.

 

[A.I.M. X DASE]
[Remastering Project]

 

Inside a recording studio stood Chung, wearing a headset. The camera zoomed in on him scribbling with a pencil over lyrics on the music stand. Then, as the shot switched to a front-facing camera, a familiar instrumental track began to play, and Chung launched into a narration:

 

— Ice in my veins
Like walking dead
I am the monster

 

The scene changed, revealing Daehwan. This was the first time fans of AIM had ever seen the inside of Daehwan’s personal studio, and the crowd roared in delight.

“Your breathing’s a bit rushed near the end. Wanna try that part again?”

“Okay.”

 

— Ice in my veins

 

“Let’s do a doubling.”

The same instrumental played once more as Chung repeated the same lines several times, layering the tracks. Another cut—and now Yulmu was in the booth.

 

— No one can meet my eyes
My pupils have lost their light…

 

“That lyric’s wrong.”

Yulmu could be seen conversing with Daehwan off-camera.

“Oh, it is? Sorry about that~”

After several tries, Yulmu finally nailed his part and stepped out of the recording booth.

“Ah—ah—”

In came pink-haired Baekya, warming up his voice. Wearing a headset, he stood quietly, gaze fixed straight ahead, waiting for Daehwan’s cue. As the main vocalist, he had more lines to cover than the other members. When told he could tackle any part he wanted first, Baekya decided to start with the chorus right after the first verse.

“That was good, but the ending felt a little drawn out.”
“Yes. I’ll do it again.”

 

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

 

“Nice. Next part.”
“Yes.”

They moved on to the chorus recording.

 

— Ma Heart

 

It was roughly a 3.5-step high note out of the four-tier climax in ‘WANT ME,’ yet Baekya delivered it with a serene expression the moment the backing track played.

“Hoobae-nim.”
“Yes? Oh… should I go again?”
“No, that’s perfect. I think we can use that as is. You’re free to step out.”

Praise can make even a timid sunfish dance. Blushing, Baekya bounced out of the booth. Meanwhile, outside the glass, Yuyeon quietly practiced his lines while scanning the lyric sheet.

“Let’s head in.”
“Yes.”

He set the lyric sheet on the stand, speaking quietly to himself. Though he wore a dimpled smile, there was a hint of unease in his eyes.

“This song is really high…”

Still, as soon as the track started, Yuyeon tackled it surprisingly well. Next up was Minsung.

“Let’s dive right in.”
“Yes.”

Like Baekya, Minsung also had a chorus part, which he finished with ease. The last member to record was Jihan.

 

— Murky air
Can’t see even an inch ahead

 

His precise pronunciation lent weight to his baritone voice. In response to the direction asking him to put a bit more bite into certain lyrics, Jihan repeated the recording several times.

“Good work.”

With DASE’s recording wrapped, Daehwan was left alone in the studio. Thirsty from all the fine-tuning, he grabbed for his water, only to find it empty.

“When did I finish this…”

He picked up his phone and stood to leave. Just then—

Clunk, clunk—

Someone was trying to force the door open from outside. If it weren’t for the digital lock, they might have succeeded. Through the frosted sheet covering the glass, Daehwan could see the vague shapes of five or six figures, moving slowly. A creepy sense of foreboding made him step away from the door.

Ding!

Just then, his phone chimed with an incoming text.

[Run away.]

It was from Minsung.

Thud!

Startled, Daehwan glanced up. A bloody handprint smeared across the glass door.

“What the—?”

He stumbled backward, tripping over a chair.

“Ah!”

Barely managing to steady himself against a piece of equipment, Daehwan’s palm pressed down on a control panel. A faint static crackled through the speakers, and then Viva’s “Walking Dead” began to play in the studio. The video ended.

 

[Festival of the Dead]

 

A festival for the dead. The second performance of Part 2 at the awards ceremony was just beginning.

 

* * *

 

- Huh? This song’s ancient, ㅋㅋㅋ Pretty sure it came out back when I was in elementary school.

- Suddenly… zombies?

- Who made Daehwan start acting, ㅋㅋㅋ? I can already see his hyungs teasing him for this.”

- Oh my god, this track is a total blast from the past…

- I thought it was just a recording behind-the-scenes, but it turns out it was a VCR.

- I’m crying—this is the first time in eight years our boy’s done any acting. ㅠㅠㅠ

- The lyrics are so old-school, oh my gosh.

- Is this a new DASE release?!

 

“Waaaah! Baekya! DASE!”

Without an official light stick on hand, Boksoong waved her slogan banner with all her might. Meanwhile, Siyunbin, hyped by Daehwan’s cameo, was cheering wildly as well—truly a unifying moment for the entire ID fandom. The energy, already sky-high from the VCR, shot up another notch the instant DASE stepped onto the stage.

They wore tattered shirts smeared with fake blood. Their outfits were ripped here and there, barely holding together—but Yulmu and Yuyeon’s looked especially torn to shreds. The realistic zombie-like makeup on their faces, necks, and exposed arms made the performance feel all the more visceral.

“Nooo, they look like they’re really hurt!”

Chung’s face bore a bright red slash from just under his eye to his cheek, as though from a knife. Seeing a disfiguring wound on that sculpted face practically broke Boksoong’s heart.

“This concept is insane.”

Siyunbin, who’d assumed they might perform a simple AIM cover, was blown away by the sheer scale of it all—especially when she spotted Yuyeon’s shirt, shredded so high it was basically a crop top.

“Oh my god, is his stomach really ripped open…?”

The painstakingly crafted fake wounds, courtesy of a makeup artist pouring their soul into the work, were sending countless fans into a state of over-immersion.

 

— Ice in my veins
Like walking dead
I am the monster

 

DASE’s ‘Walking Dead’ opened with Chung standing at center stage, delivering a silky smooth narration. It didn’t align with the current K-pop trend of flashy intros, but Daehwan had insisted on capturing the essence of the original song. Chung’s vocals might not be legendary, but they were more than solid—and with his fluent pronunciation and unique timbre, Daehwan figured they could have stripped the instrumental entirely and still pulled it off. His gamble paid off; nothing about this performance felt old-fashioned.

 

— No one can meet my eyes
My pupils have lost their light
My heart has grown cold

 

As soon as the instrumental kicked in, DASE sprang into full motion. Chung, who had just wrapped up the narration, collapsed backward, only for Yulmu to grab him by the collar and yank him upright for the intro. This remastering project’s choreography had been handled by the famed “Apgujeong Tiger.” Initially, he intended to reuse the original routine, but as the work progressed, he clearly grew more ambitious.

During this move, Yuyeon supported Chung from below, bracing his back. Then, just as Yulmu jerked Chung upward, Yuyeon rose from his crouch, extending his arms. Chung’s chest arched backward as though his heart had been pierced.