Chapter 197
While Manager Hyung checked something, we went up to the lobby and took a short break.
"I'm glad we only got one hoodie. If we had gotten two or three, I would have had a bit of a headache."
"Siyoon hyung, you're amazing for finding that right away!"
"Yes, this is the power of this body. Don't ignore it from now on."
"Wow, it's not scary or intimidating at all!"
"Oh my!"
Kang Si-yoon and Heo Yu-bin seemed to be trying to liven up the atmosphere in their own ways.
However, Song Hyung-bin's expression continued to remain dark.
"... What is Changmin hyung checking?"
Even as he rests, his mind seems to be filled with thoughts about the black hoodie and the truth behind it.
To help even a little, I recalled the story I had overheard earlier as I was leaving the logistics storage room.
"It seemed like he was asking other staff for a list."
"List?"
"Yes."
When they heard the story about the list, the members looked slightly bewildered.
Kang Si-yoon, who had been tilting his head, started to throw out things that came to mind.
"Why do we suddenly need a list here? Hmm, I don't even know what kind of list it is. Isn't a list usually used to check the attendance of those attending our public broadcast?"
"Uh, yeah. The list was used for the daily fan sale."
"But is there a need to come and see it now?"
"...Maybe they need a name."
Ji Yoon-chul, who had just finished drinking water from the water purifier, quietly spoke up.
He sat down next to me and nodded.
"As I was going through the boxes, I saw one thing in common."
"Something in common?"
Ji Yoon-chul nodded slightly at Heo Yu-bin's words.
"... There was a small sticker with the name on one side of the packaging."
"There were stickers?"
"Why didn't I see it?"
"It's so small that you might not have seen it."
Everyone was surprised by Ji Yoon-chul's words.
I didn't even know there was a sticker on the packaging.
'Everyone was so focused on opening the box that we wanted to find the hoodie as quickly as possible.'
I figured that since we kept opening the box without paying any attention to the packaging, we probably didn't see the sticker with the name on it.
The chances of finding it, other than accidentally seeing it while opening the packaging like Ji Yoon-chul, would have been slim.
"But why does Changmin hyung check the name on the list?"
"Oh, no way."
A possibility occurred to me.
A small name sticker attached to gifts sent in bulk.
Manager Hyung said he would check the name on the list.
If we think about these two actions together....
"Oh, there you are."
That was when.
One of the staff members who was helping the manager sort the gifts noticed us and quickly walked over to us.
"The manager told everyone to come down again."
"Oh, yes!"
"Let's go quickly. I'm really curious as to why he is doing this."
"This is a very serious situation, so you shouldn't go out there so excited, hyung!"
"I wasn't that excited."
With Heo Yu-bin's words scolding Kang Si-yoon, we went back down to the basement.
As I entered the logistics storage room, a different scene from before unfolded before my eyes.
The boxes that had been scattered around in a mess were now neatly organized.
The opened items were stacked neatly on one side.
However, several items and boxes were lined up towards the table where the manager was standing.
"We're here."
"Oh, okay. Did you drink some water and rest?"
As we nodded, Manager Hyung put his hands on his waist and sighed.
"Okay, I'm done sorting the items now."
"Hey, hyung."
"Hmm?"
"Before Karis left the storage room earlier, he said he heard that hyung was looking for the list―"
"Haha, you've already heard this."
Manager Hyung raised both hands and laughed.
Then he showed us the packaging that was lying next to the black hoodie.
"Do you see the sticker stuck on this corner?"
When I looked closely at the wrapping paper, the sticker attached to the purpose of writing down the name said "Kim Hee-soo."
"The name is written."
"Yeah, that's right. Then here. Want to see some other packaging?"
We also observed other packaging materials pointed out by Manager Hyung.
Here too, a sticker with the words 'Kim Hee-soo' written on it was attached to the upper left corner.
"So the person who sent me the hoodie also sent me other gifts? "
Song Hyung-bin raised his head and said,.
Manager Hyung continued speaking, tapping the table with his fingers.
"That's right. To send these gifts in bulk, fans usually use a company. Since an individual cannot send this much, they hire a company to collect all the gifts and send them to them. It's convenient. But if you use a company, you won't be able to tell who sent what gift, right?"
"So you put your name on it and mark it as something they sent."
"That's right. Later, when they go to a fan signing event or something, the idol might see their name and think, 'Ah, that's the person who sent me this gift back then.'"
Since idols deal with so many fans, it is very difficult for one's name, one of many fans, to be imprinted on the idol's mind.
It would be easy for an idol group with only a few fans, but the difficulty level increases as the fandom size of the group increases.
So, you name each of these gifts and somehow find an opportunity to do so.
"Anyway, I couldn't be sure that she only sent one, so I checked to see if there were any other gifts with the same name. And I found a few more like this."
I looked over the items on the table.
'There are three more.'
Kang Si-yoon, who had fully grasped the situation, raised his hand.
"But why did you need the list, hyung?"
"First, I checked to see if it was properly registered on the list of support gift senders. It's possible that someone who wasn't on the list sent it secretly. I checked to see if it was sent through the normal method."
"Was it there?"
Manager Hyung nodded.
"And additionally, I looked at the lists used when participating in the field. Then she came to the public broadcast a few times."
"... the kind of person who works hard even at offline events."
"Yeah. If I put it nicely, she's a huge fan. If I put it badly...."
Manager Hyung trailed off, but everyone seemed to already know what was going to happen next.
"... But, we still don't know if this person is a sasaeng. We just looked into it because of what Hyungbin said earlier."
Ji Yoon-chul pointed out the important part in a very calm tone.
Then, as if he had been waiting for those words to come out, the manager immediately continued his explanation.
"That's why I called you after the items were all sorted out. Let's check it out together."
"... If we look at these other gifts, we'll be able to figure something out."
Manager Hyung nodded his head one last time at Song Hyung-bin's soft words.
After fully understanding the situation, I clapped my hands once to bring everyone back to their senses.
"Let's check it out first. We can talk about it when something comes up."
First, let's take a look at the black hoodie, which is the core of this piece.
On the surface there was nothing.
It was just a new hoodie from a popular brand.
"... Will the size fit?"
Song Hyung-bin took off the parka he was wearing and put on the hoodie.
It fits perfectly. There is no room in the shoulders, and the length comes right to his waist.
Kang Si-yoon, who was looking at Song Hyung-bin's entire body, gave a thumbs up.
"Hyung, it suits you well. Since you like hangers, doesn't it go well with anything?"
"Haha...."
Even in this situation, Kang Si-yoon's energy did not easily wane.
Song Hyung-bin looked at him and burst out laughing before naturally putting his hands in his pockets.
Right then.
"Hmm? There's something in here."
"What do you have?"
Song Hyung-bin took something out of his right pocket.
A square post-it note slightly smaller than the palm of his hand.
There was a post-it note in his pocket that was the kind that fans usually use at our fan signing events.
Manager Hyung came straight to Song Hyung-bin's side.
"Is there something written?"
"...Yes."
Song Hyung-bin placed a post-it note on the table for everyone to see.
The Post-it note had a message written in very neat cursive.
Dear Hyungbin!
This is a hoodie that I usually wear ♥♥ It's so cold these days, so I hope you wear it well!! It's super warm because it has a fleece lining inside.
You have to think of me all the time when you wear it, okay?? I'll wear the same thing you wear... hehe This is our first couple item, right?! It's so good!! I'll take a lot of pictures of you wearing this, so look forward to it
"...."
"...."
We read the contents of the post-it notes and then all remained silent.
A fan who gave him the same hoodie as her.
It's about being happy that it became the first couple item.
At first glance, it might seem like she gave him her favorite hoodie to prepare for the cold weather, but....
'Something feels out of place.'
There are no definitive clues yet.
But it feels so much the same as the situation before.
This cold feeling freezes in my heart.
The ominous feeling that this might not be your typical fan.
As if to represent the things that instinctively came to my mind, Yoo Min-ha spoke quietly.
"Something.... It's a little bit like that."
"I know."
"Yeah."
Kang Si-yoon and Chae Eun-gyu seemed to have similar thoughts to me.
It certainly feels cheap psychologically, but there is no concrete evidence.
I just feel very uneasy.
Song Hyung-bin took a deep breath and took off his hoodie.
"Let's take a look at some other things first. There might be Post-it notes like the ones on the hoodie."
Next there was a teddy bear.
This doll shows signs of use. There are some areas where the brown fur looks slightly dirty, and the thread on the arm is slightly torn.
Ji Yoon-chul held the teddy bear in his hand.
"... It's definitely not new. It looks like a doll someone has used for a long time."
"It seems like there are times like this...."
"If you're going to give a doll, give a new one. Why are you giving an old one?"
When Kang Si-yoon shook his head with an expression of ignorance, Yoo Min-ha, who was rummaging through the wrapping paper containing the teddy bear, picked up a post-it note.
"There's a Post-it note here too! Luckily it's not torn, but it's a little crumpled."
"Let's see what else is written here."
Yoo Minha spread out the crumpled post-it notes and placed them on the table.
This post-it note also had a similar vibe to the post-it note found inside the hoodie.
Hyungbin, this is my favorite attachment doll since I was little!! I always slept with it in my arms, now I hope Hyungbin uses it well ㅎㅎ
I wish you could sleep with your face pressed against this doll's body just like I did... Then we'd both be sleeping in the same position, holding the same doll, right? Hahaha Just imagining it is so good. I wish I could appear in your dreams♥
At that time, as time went by, doubts grew within me.
We checked out the next gift, a scarf.
"Heeeeek. Isn't this a really expensive brand?"
Heo Yu-bin was terrified when he saw the brand logo written on the scarf box.
That makes sense. It's a scarf from a world-famous luxury brand.
But Song Hyung-bin rummaged through the inside of the gift box as if that wasn't important.
"There's a post-it note here too."
"Wow, she really left everything behind, one by one."
"Okay. Oh, just a minute."
Song Hyung-bin took out a post-it note and a photo from under the scarf.
"There are even pictures here?"
"Hyung, take a look quickly."
The photo was a selfie of a woman.
A photo taken wearing the same scarf as Song Hyung-bin.
"This person, did she want to do everything as a couple item with Hyungbin hyung...?"
While Heo Yu-bin muttered quietly, I quickly read the contents of the post-it note.
Hyungbin!! Come to think of it, the weather is getting colder and you can't have a sore neck! That's why I even bought a scarf, which I wear. Hahaha, good job, right??
I think this would suit you much better than the gray scarf you're wearing now!! Now you're wearing the same one as me ㅎㅎ What do you think? Let's be together forever♥
Also highlighted here.
There are repeated statements about doing the 'same' thing.
This time, she even went a step further and said they would be together for the rest of their lives.
"Wow, the more I look at her, the more amazing she is. She even cares about the scarf. Oh, by the way, has anyone seen Hyungbin Hyung walking around with a scarf?"
In response to Kang Si-yoon's question, we briefly recalled our memories.
But for some reason, it didn't seem like Song Hyung-bin had been wearing a scarf lately.
"I don't know... ?"
"Hyung, when did you wear the scarf? I don't remember."
"Me too."
"...."
We looked at Song Hyung-bin.
His cheeks, which had been flushed until just now, now had a pale look.
Song Hyung-bin said, slowly lifting his face, which had turned as white as a blank sheet of paper.
"... I didn't."
"Yes?"
"I am saying that I didn't wear a scarf when I was hanging out with you guys. On our way to and from music shows, while filming music videos, and even when filming for Jacon."
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