Chapter 200
"Karis~ Hello! I missed you! Where are you going? Convenience store?"
The moment unidentified footsteps approached, I instinctively turned around and almost defended myself.
Because of the habit ingrained in the Crown Prince's body, I was in danger of unconsciously pulling out my hand, but I regained my senses and quickly took a step back.
As I quickly distanced myself, the woman spoke as if she were very puzzled.
"Huh? Karis, what's wrong? I came to see you. Aren't you happy? Why are you avoiding me?"
A tone of voice that seemed genuinely curious about my actions.
It's clear that she doesn't even realize what she's doing.
'This is a really dangerous moment.'
My body, accustomed to living as a crown prince for ten years, was immediately sending orders to eliminate this dangerous element.
But I knew.
Because I don't know what will happen if I touch it here.
Even if I use my hands in self-defense, the other person will obviously claim that I used meaningless violence.
There's nothing I can do.
The only choice I have is... to just ignore it.
Just then the crosswalk turned green.
First, I ran quickly towards the convenience store.
"Huh, huh? Karis! Where are you going! Why aren't you saying anything to me!"
If you were in my shoes, would you have said anything?
Come to think of it, we need to compare what we can compare.
Those sasaengs probably think that idols will unconditionally love them just like them.
So, they will act blindly like this, even to the point of invading privacy.
In this brief moment, I made several decisions.
If in this situation, going straight back to the dorm without stopping by the convenience store, Kang Si-yoon would definitely get suspicious.
He'll ask me why I came back to the dorm, and I'll have to make up a story to fit the situation. Kang Si-yoon, who's quick-witted, will immediately realize that I'm lying.
Therefore, to avoid suspicion, I must first go straight to the convenience store and buy what he said I would buy.
If I were to say outright, 'I met a sasaeng in front of the dorm and ran away right away,' it would have a negative impact on the members who were barely recovering from their fear, especially Song Hyungbin.
And if I go back to the dorm like this, I will end up unintentionally revealing the location of the dorm to the Sasaeng.
Since they've been wandering around this street, it's highly likely that our dorm location has already been discovered. Still, I have to act as safely as possible, so it's better to be careful than lose.
I laughed to myself as I ran towards the convenience store.
'A normal person would be trembling in fear and unable to make sound judgments. Perhaps it's fortunate that I'm the first one in this situation.'
Numerous wars occurred within the
And thanks to the calmness skills I've acquired through the system, I can make the best decisions without panicking in unexpected situations.
But if, instead of me, Yoo Min-ha or Heo Yu-bin were to face this sasaeng one-on-one....
It's just so horrific.
"Welcome~."
I nodded briefly in response to the convenience store worker's greeting.
Thanks to the mask and hat, I don't think anyone can find out who I am.
"Oh-!"
And fortunately, the sasaeng who was chasing me didn't enter the convenience store.
If she comes running after me calling my name, she might get caught by outsiders, including part-time workers and customers.
Did the Sasaeng make a rational judgment in her own way?
I quickly grabbed some popcorn and snacks and paid the bill.
"It's 5,200 won."
"Yes, just a moment."
I took a quick look around the checkout counter.
To celebrate November 11th, huge boxes of candy bars were lined up next to the checkout counter.
Because of the boxes, the checkout counter area is not visible from the outside.
"By any chance, is there a way out through the back other than that door? I suddenly need to go to the bathroom...."
"Oh, if you go back there, there's another door leading into the building. Go out there and turn right, and you'll see the bathroom right away."
"Thank you."
The escape route was successfully secured.
After thanking the part-timer, I moved while deliberately keeping my body pressed against the checkout counter.
I must never let the sasaeng, who was looking inside through the window, catch me.
Having successfully escaped through the back door, I pictured the scenery around the dorm in my head.
I can't go the way I always go. There will definitely be a sasaeng standing at the crossroads leading to that place.
In that case, I have no choice but to take a long detour and get to the back of the dorm.
'Let's move quickly before suspicion arises.'
If it gets any later, I might hear a scolding from Kang Si-yoon, who is strangely quick-witted only at times like this.
I exited behind the convenience store building and took a big detour to the block where the dorm was.
I managed to enter the familiar alley behind the entrance, hiding my body here and there and checking to see if there was anyone suspicious walking around.
At this point, I should have relaxed, but instead of walking straight ahead, I held my breath and hid in the shadows.
And I focused all my attention on my hearing to see if anything was out of the ordinary.
'... It's quiet.'
Even my two eyes, which boast excellent dynamic vision, did not detect any movement.
It seems like the Sasaeng has definitely been shaken off.
The moment I opened the front door and came in out of breath, I ran into Song Hyung-bin.
He raised his eyebrows at me as he shook his wet hair and took a sip of cold water from the refrigerator.
"Karis, did you go out? Oh, you went to the convenience store."
"Yes. I'm a little hungry."
"Did you buy me something to eat?"
"Since you didn't say anything.... Um, would a chocolate bar be okay?"
"Very good!"
I gave Song Hyung-bin a chocolate bar.
The first person I encountered at the dorm was Song Hyung-bin.
I had to control my facial expressions even more.
"Thank you, Karis. I'll buy you something to eat when I go out later."
"Thank you."
"Go to sleep. You must be tired today."
"If I fall asleep right after eating, I will be more likely to get reflux esophagitis."
"Oh, now that you say that, we can't lie down right away."
"You too, hyung, be careful."
I finished my conversation with Song Hyung-bin without any particular crisis.
When I returned to the dorm, my pounding heart felt a little calmer, and the adrenaline flowing through my veins seemed to have subsided.
"Siyoon, here you are."
"Oh, as expected, Karis's performance is certain. You bought it just because it's the flavor I like?"
"It's natural to remember the tastes of those around me."
"Let's eat quickly and go to bed. I want to sleep at least six hours tomorrow."
"If you lie down right after eating, there is a risk of reflux esophagitis...."
I managed to keep it a secret from the members, but that doesn't mean I can keep it to myself.
I bit into a chocolate bar, thinking about applying for an interview with our manager tomorrow.
* * *
Seleste, and within Sigma Entertainment, it wasn't just me and Kang Si-yoon who were quick-witted.
"I feel uneasy for some reason, thinking that Karis wants to talk to me alone like this."
"Haha...."
The manager, who I met at a studio on the fourth floor of Sigma's office building, immediately looked at my face and crossed his arms.
When I awkwardly laughed at his words, Manager Hyung blinked a few times and took a breath.
"Since you're not denying it here, I guess there really was something."
"I haven't told the members anything yet. Actually, yesterday...."
I explained to our manager what happened last night.
The moment he heard that an unidentified sasaeng had jumped out from the street near the dorm, Manager Hyung stood up and slammed both his hands on the table.
"She came all the way to the front of the dorm?"
"Yes. We met at the crosswalk leading to the convenience store in front of the hotel."
"Ha... This situation is a bit more serious than I thought."
Manager Hyung sighed and sat back down.
Then he put on a serious expression and clasped his hands together.
"How did you deal with it?"
"I remembered what you said to ignore it when you encounter someone like that, so I did nothing. I tried to distance myself and avoid them as much as possible."
"There was no physical contact?"
I nodded.
I can't even tell you that I instinctively reached out and almost knocked her over.
"You must have been scared and confused, but you handled it well, Karis. Ha... Why do so many stressful things keep happening to me these days?"
Manager Hyung regained his composure after washing his face dry.
"It's fortunate that you returned to the dorm without being seen by that person. If she had followed you to the dorm, that would have been a big problem."
"But the fact that she already appeared near the dorm―"
"That's right. They could have known the location."
I don't understand at all how they found out where the dorm was.
Even though the scene of going from the dorm to the office building was occasionally filmed during StarUs Live, the agency's policy was to set the camera close to our faces so that the surrounding scenery could not be seen.
We don't know when or where our location information was being shared.
"I expected that posting a notice might be useless, but I didn't expect them to show up so fearlessly. I think we might have to move your dorm altogether."
"We are currently in the middle of an active period. Is it easy to change the dorm?"
"It'll be a hassle. We'll also have to discuss where to find new accommodations. So it probably won't be done right away.... I'll make arrangements."
It hasn't been long since we started using the current dorm.
I don't know much about real estate, but anyone can guess that rent is going to be very expensive.
Are you willing to take action for us even at the cost of such economic loss?
"Until you move to a new dorm, I don't want any sasaengs to come to the other kids. I'm especially worried about Hyungbin, ha...."
"I was worried about that too, so I didn't say anything to the members."
"The people who come to the dorm are the worst."
Manager Hyung clenched his fists, feeling angry.
"If they send gifts or do something weird at offline events, you can fix it on the spot. Everyone who comes to the dorm covers their faces and clothes, so you can't identify them. It's hard to sue them, but the psychological damage to the idol is the biggest problem."
"I don't know if I should say this, since I know you're already putting in enough effort...."
I looked straight at our manager and said.
"Please hold on tight. I beg you."
"Even though Karis doesn't speak so seriously, I'm thinking that I have to catch her this time and give her a proper education."
Manager Hyung answered in a tone devoid of any joking.
I remembered what he had said in the car earlier.
He said that the idol group he was in charge of before he took charge of us suffered a lot of damage due to sasaengs.
Is it because of those memories that he is burning so fiercely now?
"I'll talk to the company about moving to another dorm right now, so Karis, stay with the kids as usual. Okay?"
"Yes."
As I grabbed the doorknob of the studio, our manager burst into a big, inappropriate laugh.
"Still, I somehow feel reassured when you're here. It's been that way since the first time I saw you."
"Haha... I didn't do anything."
"Just by existing, I feel reassured; that's what I'm saying."
I said hello to the manager, opened the door, and came out.
'Will it be better with this first aid measure... '
I wish there was something more I could do here with my own strength.
Even with the power of the system, I still don't have a clue how to get rid of the Sasaengs.
I can only hope that no further variables arise.
"Cough, cough!"
A variable arose from an unexpected place.
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