Chapter 196
"But why aren't you wearing it?"
"Yes...?"
The moment the female fan suddenly changed and spoke in an eerie tone, I witnessed Song Hyung-bin momentarily become speechless.
We were also walking towards the car, and there were a lot of Seleves around us moving along with us, so there was a lot of noise going on.
For just this fleeting moment, it seemed like I and Song Hyung-bin couldn't hear anything around us.
'... What exactly did you just say?'
I instinctively sensed a cold feeling.
Something doesn't feel right.
If Song Hyung-bin can't say anything like this, I can't even imagine what will happen.
If I, who was not asked the question here, were to answer on behalf of the person concerned, the picture would be strange in its own way, but the crisis must still be averted.
But before my mouth could move, Song Hyung-bin quickly recovered at an invisible speed and smiled brightly.
"I'm sorry! I was so happy when I received the gift that I thought I should wear it carefully, so I haven't worn it yet. I'll definitely wear it next time!"
Honestly, I was very surprised.
If I were in Song Hyung-bin's situation, I might not have been able to speak with such a bright face.
Especially, it would be even harder to keep a smiling face when asked such creepy questions.
Nevertheless, Song Hyung-bin responded with a good expression to match the fans' mood.
Seriously, those are incredible reflexes.
"Oh, was that it?"
I was worried that doubts might arise here, but fortunately, the female fan took Song Hyung-bin's words at face value.
"Be sure to wear it next time on your way to work! I'll definitely come see you!"
"Yes, thank you!"
The breathtaking conversation came to an end.
Song Hyung-bin turned his head slightly towards me and whispered so quietly that only I could hear.
"Karis, let's go quickly."
"I was thinking of doing that anyway."
I wish I could have greeted fans a little more slowly and for a longer time, but I didn't have the mental space to do that right now.
Song Hyung-bin and I increased our speed and quickly entered the entrance of the building with the underground parking lot.
We could only comment on what had just happened after we were all inside the car.
It would be a shame if we were talking outside the car and someone heard about it.
"Wow! Isn't this exactly like when I was at the airport? It's my first time being crowded like this on my way home from work, so I can't get used to it."
Yoo Minha took off his black mask and immediately fanned his face.
Even Yoo Min-ha, who has the most optimistic personality among us, seems to be very flustered in this situation.
"Yeah, like Min-ha said, I was a little taken aback because it was my first time seeing so many people when going home from work. Of course, it's not like we go to and from work that often―"
"But like Eun-gyu hyung said, isn't it strange that we, a group that doesn't even go out that much, experienced such a large crowd?"
Kang Si-yoon said something strange while listening to Chae Eun-gyu.
After hearing his words, Chae Eun-gyu furrowed his eyebrows for a moment as he put on his belt and thought about something.
"That... is true. It's a bit strange that so many people are flocking here when there aren't that many years of experience."
"But now that I think about it, I don't think it has much to do with years of experience."
Kang Si-yoon refuted his own words.
"That's true. Regardless of the number of years of experience, if you're simply popular, people will flock to you."
"I, I was so scared!"
Following Chae Eun-gyu's worried tone, Heo Yu-bin stomped his feet in the backseat.
"I could hear the sound of camera shutters here and there, and fans were talking about something... I wanted to respond, but I couldn't hear a thing, so I just smiled and went."
"Well done, Yubin."
"I tried my best to smile, but... I was scared because they came at me so suddenly. I was afraid that I might make a mistake at such a close distance...."
But it is a relief that Heo Yu-bin didn't hear the fans' questions.
'It might have been fortunate if we hadn't even heard the question.'
I turned my gaze towards Song Hyung-bin, who was sitting next to me.
Seleste's leader closed his eyes slightly and appeared to be gathering his thoughts.
"There was no physical contact, right? If I had known this would happen, I would have waited in advance on the guards' way home from work. I didn't know it would get to this level."
Manager Hyung swept his bangs back and sighed deeply.
When we told him that there had been no unpleasant physical contact, he seemed to have let down his guard, but then he turned around and asked in a low voice.
"Thank goodness there was no contact. But I'm asking again just in case. Did you notice anything strange? I've been a little worried since your first daily fan manager activity the day before yesterday, so I'm asking. Even if it's something trivial, please tell me now. This is directly related to your safety."
"...."
"...Hoo."
Manager Hyung sighed slightly and then spoke to us again.
"Of course, fans are precious. It's true that they are the ones who give you the opportunity to stand on stage, and it's true that they allow you to continue your activities. However, there is a certain limit. Those who go beyond that limit cannot be called fans."
This is probably a fact that everyone is aware of.
However, as idols, and as rookies at that, it is not something we can speak about directly.
I wonder if Manager Hyung knows that too, so he is taking this opportunity to mention it clearly.
"Anyone who crosses the line is just a sasaeng."
"... I have heard questions like that."
Song Hyung-bin, who had been silent, raised his hand.
Everyone's eyes in the car were focused on him.
"Hyungbin hyung? Really?"
"Hyungbin, are you okay? You didn't hear anything strange, did you?"
"Oh, yes. It wasn't something really weird or unpleasant...."
Chae Eun-gyu didn't take his anxious gaze off Song Hyung-bin.
After giving a reassuring smile to his eldest brother, Song Hyung-bin explained what happened earlier to manager hyung.
A fan mentioned the birthday gift she had sent him and asked him why he wasn't wearing it.
It wasn't a sexually harassing remark, nor was it a question that directly inquired into our private lives.
However, Song Hyung-bin explained in detail that the strangely changed tone of voice and the uneasy atmosphere in his heart did not go away.
"Hyungbin, is that what you heard? Clearly?"
"Yes."
"I heard it too."
I also raised my hand and testified that Song Hyung-bin's words were true.
Manager Hyung nodded, blinking his eyes several times.
"Okay. Hyungbin, the gift he was talking about was a black hoodie, right?"
"Yes. I heard it correctly."
"You know the presents you got for your birthday? You said you'd take the small ones and send the rest home, but are they all at home now?"
"Oh, no."
On Song Hyung-bin's birthday, numerous boxes were delivered to the Sigma Entertainment building.
Since we couldn't look at all of these things, we went to the dorm with small boxes that we could carry, message books, letters, and other gifts.
There was talk of sending the rest to Song Hyung-bin's house.
"Because of my busy schedule, I couldn't contact my parents... I think I asked our staff if they could put it in the warehouse for now."
"Then the rest of the gifts are still at the company, right?"
"Yes."
"It actually turned out well."
Manager Hyung exhaled deeply through his nose.
"You never took the black hoodie out of the box?"
"Yes. I just opened handwritten letters and small gifts and left them in my room."
"Thank you. Let's go to the office building quickly for now. It might not be much, but.... Still, given the circumstances and my hunch, there seems to be a lot of things to check."
The air inside the car heading to the Sigma Entertainment building was somehow filled with tension.
Everyone was looking out the window and not saying anything.
'They must have a lot of thoughts.'
Seriously, it might just be nothing special.
However, the cold feeling that had been brewing since before was mixed with Song Hyung-bin's explanation and the manager's words, creating an even heavier atmosphere.
There is a sasaeng who always sticks around like a leech to the profession of idol and celebrity.
Is there really a member who hasn't thought that they too will face this problem someday?
'The timing is just too fast.'
Seleste has just released the second album.
Of course,
No one would have expected that a sasaeng would come this quickly.
Because I was the same way.
No matter how active we are in the entertainment industry and how cool we look on stage, we are still too young.
In particular, Ji Yoon-chul, who is now hanging his head, is only 17 years old.
'Imagine if there were sasaengs who invaded the privacy of these members....'
It's just absolutely horrific.
In a tense atmosphere where electricity seemed to crackle, the van carrying us arrived at the Sigma building.
We boarded the elevator, going straight to the basement, and headed to the warehouse, where various supplies were stored.
"Black hoodie.... Black hoodie...."
Heo Yu-bin muttered to himself as if reciting a spell.
Song Hyung-bin, the person involved, had a somewhat complicated expression on his face.
'I'm sure he would be very upset at the thought that among the people who sent him gifts with warm hearts, there might have been a sasaeng.'
If it were normal, I would have said something to him.
In this situation, even if you say something positive, it won't be conveyed properly.
All we can do is hurry up and find the hoodie in question and find out the truth.
"Just sort the boxes containing clothes over here for now. I'll look at the rest later, so organize them well by size."
Manager Hyung brought in two more staff members and started the task of selecting gifts.
Since we couldn't just sit still, we jumped into the gift boxes ourselves and started exploring.
It wasn't difficult to find boxes large enough to fit the clothes.
Opening the carefully packaged box felt a little odd, but it couldn't be helped.
Not long after, Kang Si-yoon discovered a suspicious piece of clothing.
"Could this be it?"
In his hands he held a black hoodie with a neat design.
"Oh, Siyoon, you did well. Can you give that to me first?"
"Oh, yes."
Manager Hyung received the hoodie and placed it on the table inside the warehouse.
"And can you give me the box this hoodie came in too?"
"Oh, even the box?"
"Yeah."
The box containing the hoodie has also been recovered.
I thought this was the end, but the work continued.
"I think it would be a good idea to look at all the clothes, just in case there are more than one black hoodie."
After hearing Manager Hyung's words, Chae Eun-gyu turned his shoulders around.
"So that basically means we have to open every box in here? I can't tell if there are clothes in them or not just by the size of the boxes."
"It's possible that they intentionally put only one piece of clothing in a large box!"
Eventually, we decided to open all the boxes.
I was worried that a lot of black hoodies might come out, but fortunately, the hoodie that Kang Si-yoon found was the first and last.
"You all worked hard. Should we rest for a while?"
"Yes! Wow, I'm sweating."
"Let's drink some water."
"Changmin hyung, can we go up to the lobby?"
Manager Hyung nodded.
"Everyone, get some rest. I have to check something, so I'll be right back."
"yes~!"
I followed the members back to the elevator.
As I came out of the warehouse, I turned my head slightly towards the manager, and I heard him say something to the staff.
"... Bring me everything on the list."
"Is that all?"
"Yeah. And I think we need to look at all these boxes again."
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