PBMFF 10

Chapter 10

The Favorite’s Favorite: I’m Possessed as My Bias’s Bias

“Pardon?”

As Ji-hyun turned around to leave, she heard a voice that sounded like someone gathering up courage.

“If it’s possible… could you give me just one autograph…? Would that be okay?”

“Ah… I’m really sorry. I came here without even knowing myself…”

I’m sorry. Actually, I wasn’t even part of the group I was promoting, so Ji-hyun didn’t know how to sign.

Ji-hyun repeatedly bowed her head to show her apology before entering the fan signing venue.

Ugh, I’m nervous.

After checking her outfit one last time, Ji-hyun pulled her hat down low, put on her sunglasses, and looked around for her seat.

Number 17.

The moment Ji-hyun found her seat and sat down, Mate members began appearing one by one from behind the stage.

The leader, Hye-yeon, grabbed the microphone first and skillfully started hosting.

“Hello! …Why is everyone’s response so quiet today?”

She jokes around a lot and has plenty of charm. Even after seeing her again after a long time, Ji-hyun once again realized that Hye-yeon was truly born to be a leader.

However, Ji-hyun’s eyes were completely focused on Ah-young, who followed behind her.

‘She’s gotten a little… thinner.’

Like most idols, Ah-young had always been slim, but Ji-hyun could notice even the smallest changes in her.

Her expression, which had always been bright, now seemed to carry an unknown sadness. Also, her cheeks, which used to be soft and plump like rice cakes, looked slightly thinner.

More than anything, the way she kept looking around made Ji-hyun feel like she was searching for someone.

Could she possibly be looking for me?

If the person sitting here wasn’t Ahn Ji-hyun, but Jang Se-hee…

Then I would have called your name loudly like all the other fans.

Ah-young.

So many emotions crossed her mind.

It was heartbreaking to see someone searching for her so desperately, but at the same time, she felt happy.

It was frustrating that she couldn’t tell her, I’m Jang Se-hee, the person you’re looking for.

But being able to see her like this alone made her heart race with excitement and happiness.

So, to summarize…

That was probably how she felt.

Really, truly…

Ji-hyun looked at Ah-young, who was forcing herself to smile, and whispered softly.

“I missed you so much.”

The fan signing event was over.

“Phew…”

She had said everything she wanted to say.

She had even expressed that she wanted Ah-young to participate, and she didn’t forget to hand over a letter with her phone number written on it so Ah-young could contact her later for a detailed explanation.

The only thing she regretted was that she couldn’t take a picture.

She had left immediately after their conversation ended to prevent a situation where she might get discovered and cause trouble.

Anyway, she had done everything she could.

Now all she had to do was wait for Ah-young to contact her.

‘Is there anything I can do while waiting?’

After returning home, Ji-hyun fiddled with the signed album and photo card she had received today before heading back down to the practice room.

Since she had decided to become a judge and help Ah-young through that opportunity, she thought that even though she had background knowledge, it would be better to watch audition programs again.

However, at that moment, a quest window appeared before Ji-hyun’s eyes on the stairs leading down to the basement.

Become an Idol. (100%)

You have completed the second quest.

You can now use the ‘Affinity’ function. Please proceed with the next quest.

‘Oh, it’s completed.’

‘If you say “Affinity,” you can use the auxiliary function to check affinity levels.’

Third Quest

Your adorable favorite has approached you!

Increase your affinity with ‘Ah-young.’ (80%)

“It appears immediately after completion.”

Affinity, huh?

But my affinity with Ah-young is already at 80%.

‘Well, when I think about it, that makes sense.’

For Ji-hyun, the fact that Ah-young was her favorite went without saying.

And Ah-young had said that she admired Ji-hyun and had grown her dream of becoming an idol because of her.

They were each other’s favorites.

In this situation, it wouldn’t even be strange if their affinity exceeded 100 and broke through the bar completely.

Brrring—

‘Ah, that startled me.’

They say if you mention a tiger, it appears.

At that exact moment, Ji-hyun received a call from an unknown number.

Since the timing made it obvious that it should be Ah-young, Ji-hyun answered while smiling brightly.

However, the voice that came from the speaker wasn’t Ah-young’s refreshing voice, like a glass of fresh fruit juice.

Instead, it was the voice of a middle-aged man that felt dull and somehow unpleasant.

—Ji-hyun, are you feeling better physically?

“Who…”

She almost said it without thinking.

Who could it be?

Ji-hyun quickly ran through the possibilities.

Someone who would ask whether she was feeling better in this situation…

At that moment, she remembered asking about CEO Seong-han when she went to the agency.

She instinctively knew.

This person was probably the CEO of JW Entertainment.

“Yes. I’m fine.”

It might not be him, so let’s answer vaguely.

Ji-hyun intentionally avoided naming him directly and gave an ambiguous response.

—Our Ji-hyun has become very polite, hasn’t she?

“Yes, well… hahaha.”

—Can I take this as a sign that you’re positively considering the proposal I made back then?

“Ah, that? Um…”

What proposal?

How am I supposed to know?

But instinctively, Ji-hyun knew.

This person wasn’t a good person.

And that proposal was definitely not a good one either.

“I’m still… Could I think about it a little more?”

—……

“Would that be okay?”

—Ah, of course it’s okay. Still, wouldn’t it be better to decide quickly?

After the brief pause, his voice somehow sounded sharper.

—Your body probably isn’t fully recovered yet.

“Ah, yes. Thank you for worrying…”

Click.

‘What was that? Did he just hang up?’

Ji-hyun stared at her phone screen, which had returned to the wallpaper, looking dumbfounded.

There should be a limit to how rude someone could be.

What kind of terrible manners were those?

‘But…’

Hmm.

Ji-hyun narrowed her eyes and looked at the number displayed on her phone.

There were more than one or two things that felt suspicious.

The phrase “our Ji-hyun,” that sweet whispering tone, and that affectionate attitude…

Those were the kinds of things someone showed only to a lover.

‘I don’t even want to imagine it…’

Ji-hyun shuddered as she recalled the image of JW Entertainment’s CEO from her memories.

Of course, someone like Ahn Ji-hyun of MOA would probably be treated warmly and protected even by a CEO.

She must have brought enormous profits to the company and probably created a stepping stone for JW Entertainment to enter the global market.

However, JW Entertainment had many other idols besides MOA and Ji-hyun who were just as popular.

It wasn’t that Ji-hyun wasn’t popular.

But there was no reason for him to treat only Ji-hyun as someone especially precious.

Even if they were close, that would still be strange.

If they were really that close, why wouldn’t he even have her number saved in his phone?

And there was another suspicious point.

His final words.

‘It didn’t just sound like a threat because I’m imagining it.’

He made some kind of proposal.

When she refused, he told her to decide quickly.

Then suddenly he said her body probably wasn’t fully recovered.

As if saying that if she didn’t decide quickly, her already injured body might become even worse.

‘What exactly are you?’

Ji-hyun absentmindedly fiddled with her empty phone while wearing a troubled expression.

There were no KakaoTalk messages.

There wasn’t even a single photo worth looking through in the gallery.

And her relationships with the people around her…

Not a single one seemed normal.

The Ji-hyun appearing brightly and beautifully on the music broadcast screen playing for dance practice was completely different from the reality of Ji-hyun herself.

The original ‘Ahn Ji-hyun’ was somehow twisted.

She needed to learn more about her.

‘If there was something like a diary…’

No.

There probably is!

Ji-hyun suddenly clapped her hands and stood up from her seat.

Come to think of it, she remembered seeing a broadcast where Ji-hyun said that she usually wrote a diary.

She didn’t know how seriously she had written it, but it would definitely help her understand Ji-hyun’s thoughts, even a little.

‘First, should I save the number?’

She didn’t want to, but if she wanted to avoid making another mistake later, she needed to prepare.

However, at that moment, as if telling her not to do that, another call came in.

Again, it was an unknown number.