Chapter 383
Three days with Owen ended with a lot to think about.
I thought that important information related to the Demon King might come out, but I never dreamed that it would be this straight forward.
In the car back to the dorm, Manager Hyung was very happy to see me again.
"Hey, it's only been a few days since I've seen you, but it feels like a year. How's island life going?"
"There was a bit of trial and error at first, but I think I've adapted well."
"Really? I've been worried. Will Karis be able to cook and eat properly? Will he get seasick from the boat ride?"
"Haha......…."
I'm so happy and grateful that there's someone who welcomes me like this.
I felt an enormous sense of gratitude towards Manager Hyung, but my mind was still on the boat because of the conversation I had with Owen just a few hours ago.
Manager Hyung, who was continuing his conversation, glanced at my face through the rearview mirror.
"Did you get some sleep? Your face looks tired."
"Ah......…. I slept well, but not badly."
"It's a healing program, but when the kid got off the boat, his bones looked like they were touching, so I thought he didn't get enough sleep."
"I think it's because we ran hard to catch fish on the last day."
I tried to avoid saying anything because Manager Hyung was so keen.
I always thought I didn't show my emotional changes on my face, but I guess that's not true.
I had promised myself to manage my expressions better when I arrived at the dorm and saw the members.
"Huh!"
"Hey, you're finally back!"
"Long time no see. Bro."
The moment I opened the door and entered the hallway, the members who had been waiting in front of it suddenly threw something into the air to greet me.
I looked bewildered as I brushed off the paper dust that had settled on my hair.
"What is this?"
"Welcome pollen."
".........If you were trying to create a confetti feel, shouldn't the paper be a little bigger? This looks like it's cut too finely."
"Ha, if you're asking that, then there was a long story behind it."
Kang Si-yoon shook his head as if he couldn't help it and patted Yoo Min-ha and Chae Eun-gyu on the shoulder.
"When is it? Yesterday, right, when I, Kang Si-yoon, who is very smart and full of ideas, suggested the idea."
"...Si-yoon hyung."
"Huh? Why, Yoon-chul."
Ji Yoon-chul, who was continuing to dust the remaining pollen on his palm over my head, looked at Kang Si-yoon with a calm look.
"It makes me sicker when you talk like a crime-tracking program MC would."
"I'm glad you felt that way. I copied on purpose."
"...I get that, so what were you going to say?"
"Oh, so what I was talking about!"
Kang Si-yoon winked at me as if he was grateful for letting me know.
The unique atmosphere of our dorm that I'm feeling after three days is really............ amazing.
"Anyway, I said I'd throw you a welcome party when you come back, and Min-ha suggested throwing pollen at the front door, so I said, 'Then prepare it yourself!' That's the pollen that Eun-gyu hyung and he prepared together."
"Particle-sized pollen?"
"T-That wasn't my intention!"
Yoo Minha pouted his lips and expressed his regret.
"At first, I was cutting the shapes on the colored paper, but at some point, the shapes started to get weird."
"Min-ha just cut the squares weirdly."
"No! Hyung cut the paper into slanted triangles first."
"What are you talking about? I said it would be better to shred them all than just scatter them like this because of you."
"Wow, Eun-gyu hyung, look how shameless you've become, hyungs!"
I burst out laughing at Yoo Min-ha and Chae Eun-gyu bickering.
As expected, even after leaving the house and coming back, the members were the same as usual.
Heo Yu-bin, who had been by my side since I came into the dorm, smiled as if relieved when he saw me smiling.
"It's good to see you smiling, hyung-nim. You looked tired when you came in earlier."
"...Did I really look like that?"
"Yes! That's why I thought you had a hard time on the island."
I was speechless for a moment.
Since the manager hyung said my face looked like my bones were touching in the car, I made a firm promise to myself that I would definitely control my expression whenever I saw the members.
Even if I prepared like that, I couldn't fool the members who had been with me for a long time.
Song Hyung Bin smiled and patted my back after hearing Heo Yu Bin's words.
"It was bound to be hard. Since the two of them were responsible for the amount that would normally be done by seven people. You worked hard, Karis."
"Thank you. But since we had a lot of experience, we were able to endure it."
"Really? You didn't just light a fire with a bow drill when you got there, right?"
"Hahaha!"
I burst out laughing.
How could you have thought the same thing as me?
Is this the ability of a leader of the same group?
"No. Luckily, there was gas and a burner. Of course, I was worried at first that I would have to make the fire myself."
"Ha, I got PTSD because of IPS and our Ja-con. I feel like I'll have to go through ups and downs no matter where I go."
Leaving the members' welcome behind, I went to my room and put down my heavy luggage.
After unpacking my bag, I went back down to the living room, where the members had prepared to enjoy the party after a long time, having brought out a lot of snacks and drinks.
"Karis, come quickly and eat."
"Oh, yes."
I put the corn-flavored snack in my mouth and munched it.
This sweet taste spreading in my mouth..........
"I feel like I've been living for too long without the taste of this world."
After living on fish and sweet potatoes for three days straight, I felt like I was disarmed by even this simple snack.
Watching everyone fill their bellies and rest in a comfortable atmosphere, I finally started to feel like I was back home.
"Oh, right. Siyoon, you should tell Karis about that."
"Ah. Ahh!"
Kang Siyoon happily drank cider, but after hearing Song Hyungbin's words, he tapped the table as if something came to mind.
Then he coughed a few times in vain toward me.
"Ahem, ahem! I have a very important announcement today."
"...Are you insisting on that strange tone of speech again?"
"This is really important. Now, congratulate me!"
Kang Siyoon spread his arms wide as he spoke in a strange tone that was neither the tone of a crime-tracking program nor my princely speech.
"It's the fact that I was chosen as the next MC for Music K Countdown!"
"Wow!"
"Applause, applause, applause!"
It seemed like the members already knew this news.
Yoo Min-ha and Heo Yu-bin applauded and cheered as if they were the ones taking on the role of wind men.
Song Hyung-bin and Chae Eun-gyu looked on as if they found it amusing.
Ji Yoon-chul kept his strict and serious expression in his own style and applauded.
And when I heard the news of Kang Si-yoon's selection as MC..........
I blinked my eyes and reacted in a way that only a close friend could.
".........Why on earth did they choose you? If you were to stay still, you'd cause a lot of trouble on the air-."
"Hey! Do you have to say that in such a joyful place!"
"I just said the objective truth."
"I'm upset, Karis!"
I laughed, watching Kang Si-yoon clench his fists and tremble like a child.
"I'm joking. Si-yoon. Congratulations. Didn't you say you wanted to be an MC for a music show for a long time? I'm glad that your time has finally come."
"I really wanted to do it. Do you know what I personally wanted to do the most?"
"What was it?"
Kang Si-yoon slightly raised the corners of his mouth and rhythmically tapped his fingers on the table.
"To personally announce our comeback stage as a music show MC. I thought it would be a really special feeling. Ever since."
There have always been idols or celebrities from other groups who have worked as music show MCs to introduce our comebacks or conduct interviews.
If Kang Si-yoon takes on that role and announces Seleste's comeback..........
Just imagining it would be a very rewarding experience.
Chae Eun-gyu nodded after hearing Kang Si-yoon's words.
"Siyoon, your dream is coming true soon. Didn't they say we're preparing for a comeback soon?"
"That's right. The world tour is over, and Karis's variety show is over, so I think there'll be some news soon."
"I think so too!"
All the members expected that there would be talk about our comeback schedule soon.
I was the same. All the big events that had been going on since last year have all ended successfully, and it's been over 5 months since our last album,
We've had a lot of active activities like concerts, but isn't the new album what the fans are waiting for the most?
Even though I was enjoying the comfortable atmosphere with the members, complicated thoughts kept coming to my mind.
I can't help but be busy in many ways.
I have to think about Seleste's comeback right now, and at the same time, I have to think about the identity of the Demon King that Owen mentioned.
Judging from yesterday's story, there's a really high chance that it's somewhere near Owen. That is, there is a high probability that it belongs to COC Entertainment.
That means that the people around me don't apply to me, but what if this guess is wrong?
No prediction can be 100% certain. If you only believe in a 99% possibility and get tripped up by that tiny 1%, you'll be in big trouble.
No matter how much Owen's evidence makes sense, it's not something you can trust completely.
'Even if it's true that he's part of COC Entertainment, it's not even certain whether he's a celebrity or someone in the entertainment industry.'
The encirclement has narrowed.
However, I know Demon King Seir better than anyone else.
If he really came to the real world like us, he wouldn't have used such obvious methods that would be easily caught.
He only came with clever and unpredictable schemes. He'll definitely hide his desperate move until the very end.
Time passed, and two weeks had passed since I returned from filming
And the Sigma Entertainment building was filled with the atmosphere of preparing for a new project.
"Hyung, we have a meeting today."
"It looks like the outline has finally been decided."
"Yes."
I felt that it was coming after hearing Ji Yoon-chul's words.
There must have been details about our next comeback schedule.
The moment we entered the conference room of Sigma Entertainment's building with our hearts full of excitement, we met the planning manager, who had a very serious expression on his face, unlike usual.
'What's going on?'
Had a series of incidents occurred during the process of coordinating the schedule?
At that moment when everyone realized that the atmosphere was ominous, the planning manager spoke bluntly.
"Actually, I heard some interesting but also a little worrisome information. It's news that COC Entertainment will be making a comeback with a regular album at the end of May or around June. That's exactly what we had planned... to overlap with the schedule."
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