Chapter 75

The soft sensation didn’t last long.

As the warmth gradually pulled away, I blinked dumbly, still in a daze.

"...I just thought I’d regret it if I didn’t," Choi Ye-Seo mumbled, her face flushed red as she looked up at me.

Her words rendered me speechless.

Eventually, she spoke again, her voice trembling with nervousness.

"There’s not much time… but could you at least tell me how it felt?"

Her quivering voice jolted me back to reality, but even then, I couldn’t find the words to respond.

I simply opened and closed my mouth like a fish.

The suddenness of the situation left my brain completely fried.

But we couldn’t waste time standing there. Smiling, I placed a hand on her head.

"Huh? Uh…?"

Her startled expression made me chuckle as I finally replied, "Tasted like lemon. Do your best at the performance—I’ll be watching."

Her face lit up, and she held up two fingers in a "V" gesture.

"Of course! But after the performance, you have to come back here, okay?"

"Alright. I’ll come back, so hurry up. You’re going to be late at this rate."

She glanced at the clock, her expression shifting into panic.

"Ahhh! My makeup artist is going to kill me!"

As she turned to rush out, I grabbed her shoulder.

"Ah—Ha-Eun, I really need to—mmph!"

Once again, our lips met.

It felt similar to before, but this time I was more composed.

‘Good thing I brushed my teeth earlier.’

Despite the silence that fell over the room, the sound of our breathing filled the space.

Her wide, lemon-drop-like eyes trembled fiercely.

Finally, I broke away with a sigh.

"Go enjoy yourself," I said, leaving her behind as I walked out.

***

This wasn’t my first time attending a concert, but for some reason, this one felt different.

The scale of it was massive.

The venue was packed on all sides, with fans who had traveled from overseas just to attend.

‘This is the result of just a few years of effort.’

There are many talented people out there, but reaching the pinnacle of any field is no small feat.

Choi Ye-Seo’s talent went beyond that.

She had the ability to captivate people effortlessly.

It was nothing short of remarkable.

"Ha-Eun, where were you?"

I slowly made my way to my seat between Ha Soo-Yul and Hong Ye-Hwa.

I brushed off Ha Soo-Yul’s question casually.

"Bathroom. I felt like I had to go but didn’t, so it took a while."

That wasn’t entirely a lie—I had stopped by the bathroom after meeting Ye-Seo.

"I was about to go look for you since they said it’s starting soon, but you made it just in time."

"He’s always on time," Hong Ye-Hwa added with a sly smile.

"Aside from that, he’s practically a corpse."

"Not quite a corpse yet, more like a half-dead zombie."

Hey now. I’ve got more going for me than just punctuality—like my looks and money, for instance.

As the three of us bantered, the lights dimmed, and the crowd’s murmurs quieted.

"It’s starting," Ha Soo-Yul whispered, and I nodded.

In the darkness, the colorful glow sticks lit up, casting a vibrant glow. A single spotlight illuminated the stage.

Before long, five women rose up from the center of the stage.

‘Every time I see this, it’s fascinating. It’s like the stage itself is an elevator.’

"There’s Ye-Seo!" Ha Soo-Yul exclaimed, her excitement drawing a chuckle from Hong Ye-Hwa.

Fortunately, her voice was drowned out by the deafening cheers of the crowd.

"Wait, wasn’t Ye-Seo originally not the center?"

"They switched her to center about two months ago. She moved up from sub-vocal."

"I heard about that too," I added.

Hong Ye-Hwa looked slightly miffed, muttering, "She never told me about that..."

"You weren’t with us then—you were following Mr. Hong Jin-Hoo somewhere. We meant to tell you later but forgot. Sorry about that."

"It’s fine. If that’s the case, it can’t be helped," she said, her expression softening.

The concert kicked off with their debut song.

‘Still, how did they come up with the name Lemon River?’

No matter how many times I heard it, the name always struck me as being centered around Choi Ye-Seo.

‘That training with Seiren must’ve really paid off.’

Her voice was fresh and tangy, like a lemon, yet electrifying.

‘Come to think of it, her actions remind me of a retriever. Lemon River might actually be a perfect name.’

A mix of boundless energy and serene depth—she truly embodied the group’s identity.

My gaze was fixed on the stage, particularly on Choi Ye-Seo.

Her dance lines were flawless, her vocals stood out even more than the main vocalist’s, and her presence was magnetic.

At this point, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her an all-rounder.

‘And she’s beautiful too.’

That’s not to say the other members weren’t talented—it’s just that Ye-Seo stood out in every way.

"Hello, everyone!"

After the first song ended, Lemon River greeted the crowd enthusiastically.

"Hello!"

The voices of over ten thousand fans echoed back, sending chills down my spine.

‘...Will my fan meetings ever be like this?’

It might be better to keep the numbers smaller—maybe a thousand people max.

"One, two, three!"

"Hello, we’re Lemon River!"

The cheers and applause were deafening.

This massive crowd had gathered just to see them.

The members took turns expressing their gratitude and engaging in light banter.

These segments usually lasted around 10 to 20 minutes.

For me, it felt relatively quick since they’d have to prepare for the next song right after.

While the leader handled most of the talking, the other members made sure to share the spotlight.

Their focus alternated between the audience and the cameras—a habit ingrained in them.

But Choi Ye-Seo’s gaze occasionally shifted toward our section.

I wasn’t sure how she knew where we were, but her eyes met mine for a brief moment.

Though I knew she couldn’t hear me, I mouthed the words slowly and clearly.

You did great. That was an amazing performance.

Even without sound, the sentiment seemed to reach her. A bright, happy expression spread across her face.

I wished I’d been able to tell her onstage, Enjoy yourself while you’re up there.

.

.

.

"Whew! The final song has finally ended! It felt short, but still—."

The leader’s speech marked the end, and the other members began speaking one by one.

The last to speak was the youngest member of the group, Choi Ye-Seo.

“Ah, haha. Thank you so much for coming to see Lemon River’s performance today! Please listen to our new song a lot as well!”

Her bold voice and heartfelt thanks echoed through the venue. Despite how tiring the performance must have been, her smile never faltered on her weary face.

The audience, in turn, responded with laughter and cheers, their joy as visible as hers.

“We’ll continue to work even harder moving forward! Thank you so much!”

The members of Lemon River bowed deeply, expressing their gratitude.

Then, they disappeared from the stage.

The audience lingered, savoring the afterglow of the concert. While their bodies stayed still, their conversations filled the air, lively and animated.

‘Four hours... Wow. I could never do that.’

The life of an idol truly is a tough job. Now it made sense why Choi Ye-Seo never seemed to gain weight.

Always whining about being hungry one moment, then commanding the stage as an idol the next.

It left me wondering which version of her was the real one.

“Yawn... You two go ahead. I need to hit the restroom.”

“If it keeps hurting, maybe you should just go to the hospital?”

Ha Soo-Yul cast a worried glance in my direction, but I waved it off.

“It’s not that bad. Just a little discomfort. Not enough to warrant a hospital visit. Probably something I ate yesterday.”

I sent Soo-Yul and Hong Ye-Hwa ahead and headed back to the staff room where I’d met Choi Ye-Seo earlier.

Click!

I grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. Inside was...

“Whew. Oh, you’re here?”

Choi Ye-Seo was wiping sweat off her face with a towel.

“You should’ve just gone to shower.”

“Eek! Do I stink?”

“Not stink exactly, but... hmm.”

This was awkward. There was nowhere to look. How could someone be so carefree?

Soo-Yul’s the same way... or maybe she just doesn’t care.

I rolled my eyes and deliberately avoided looking at her directly.

“Oh! Now that I think about it, the staff room does have a bathroom. I’ll go wash up—don’t peek, okay?”

“I won’t, you idiot.”

“Hehe, though, I wouldn’t mind if it’s you.”

“Cut it out.”

She grabbed a spare change of clothes and dashed into the bathroom, laughing.

Watching her retreating figure, I let out a long sigh.

Yeah, that’s the real Choi Ye-Seo. The one on stage must be a facade.

Her playful grin, her mischievous expressions—they were all her.

...And I didn’t mind them at all.

A person who always seemed bright and carefree. But who in this world is truly like that?

Everyone has their struggles and their stories.

She never complained about the hardships of being an idol. I didn’t know what challenges that life brought.

But I suspected her little antics—her teasing and jokes—were her way of relieving stress.

Whether it was me, Ha Soo-Yul, or Hong Ye-Hwa, she clung to us, played pranks, laughed.

Maybe that was how she coped.

Of course, this was just my own speculation. I could ask her directly, but...

Some things are better left unknown.

Shhhhhhh.

The sound of the shower filled the room.

Accompanied by her light humming.

The relaxation I’d just felt slowly began to dissipate, replaced by a racing heart.

‘I should’ve just brought the others with me.’

If Soo-Yul or Ye-Hwa had come, I wouldn’t have been left to endure this awkward silence.@@novelbin@@

It’s not like it was my first time dealing with something like this—both Soo-Yul and Ye-Seo had showered at my house before.

But today, every little sound seemed to grate on my nerves.