KEG 59

***

The area in front of the Jamsil Olympic Stadium, where the concert was to be held, was orderly. People seemed accustomed to the situation and followed the crowd control measures well; they exchanged items and greeting one another, bound by some unspoken code of conduct.

“There are more adults here than I expected.”

That was my first impression.

It was hard to tell the ages of 2D characters. So, I was not really sure what age group their fans fell into either.

“Ah, please, just don’t let the stream lag.”

“Is that so-and-so? Whoa~, that’s huge! Let’s snap a quick photo!”

“I heard it’s full-dome XR mode today. Won’t the tracking jump around while it’s rendering? Like this.”

I had no idea what they were talking about. It was a feast of alien language.

Lee Jigu got even more excited by the noise and started waving the light stick and plush toy he’d brought with him.

“So cute~! Excuse me, can I take a picture?”

“Whoa, then I’ll take one too…!”

The rabbit mascot unexpectedly attracted a lot of attention. People must have thought he was event staff, because they quickly created a makeshift photo zone around him. A real staff member in a yellow vest came over to stop them.

“Hello. I’m Hunter Baek Yejun, here as a civilian volunteer. Where should I go?”

Baek Yejun stepped in to block the staff member at just the right moment. The staff member looked flustered upon seeing the face of the guy who had pushed down his horn-rimmed glasses, then briefly relayed the situation over his talkie-walkie.

A moment later, he motioned for Baek Yejun to follow him.

“You come with me.”

“Who’s going to look after Lee Jigu?”

“Exactly. If you want to get inside, you have to come with me.”

That made sense. I approached Lee Jigu, who was standing in line to receive what they called sharing goods, and spoke to him.

“Let’s meet inside. If you start feeling sick, call me right away.”

“I’m in Section 1, Grape. You know that, right?”

“Grape” referred to the VIP seats right in front of the stage. When I nodded, Lee Jigu pointed somewhere with his finger.

“By the way, isn’t that guy in the rabbit costume coming inside?”

At the tip of Lee Jigu’s finger was someone too busy having his picture taken to notice anything else.

His posture was awkward. He either gave a thumbs up or raised a clenched fist.

It looked so much like a politician’s campaign pose during election season that I wondered if he was even trying to hide his identity.

“That guy didn’t get a ticket. He’s just here to listen from outside.”

“Wow, he prepared so hard, it’s a shame… Though, if he came in looking like that, he’d block the view.”

I adjusted Lee Jigu’s mask, which was slipping down. Then I emphasized once more.

“If something happens to you, it’ll cause trouble for a lot of people.”

“I get it. Just get inside already. I’ve been to plenty of concerts.”

With that, I entered with Baek Yejun through the door reserved for the staff at [visit our site]the back of the venue. I changed into the uniform I’d been given and put on my talkie-walkie.

My role today is Hunter’s assistant.

There was no set uniform, so I wore a suit like a bodyguard, along with a black tactical vest that said “GUARD.”

“You look like someone who does dangerous work in a suit, Hyung.”

“Shut your mouth.”

If I’d unbuttoned it all the way down to my chest, I’d have looked exactly like I did right before enlisting.

Trying to shake off those memories, I buttoned it all the way up, tied my tie, and put on the vest. It was tight around my neck, and the vest was a pain in the ass.

As I slipped my fingers into the collar of my shirt to pull it, Baek Yejun appeared after changing. He looked like a peacock at a film festival awards ceremony, the kind of outfit he usually wore when entering a gate.

“Aren’t you going to take off those rabbit ears?”

“It’s a condition of my contract to wear these on my head. Don’t they suit me?”

The problem is that they don’t look out of place.

His hair was already so white that the rabbit ears looked like they were actually his own. Judging by the fact that he’d been wearing them since before visit our site we left, he seemed to be aware of it too.

“Aren’t they cute?”

“What did you put on your face?”

“I went to the salon this morning. Pretty, right?”

Anyone watching would think he came here to sing.

Then again, he did say he was filming a special congratulatory video, so I guess he was going on stage. I looked down at his hands and saw he was even holding cue cards.

He was seriously committed.

“The stuff on my lips right now is supposed to be the color of a rabbit’s tongue.”

He kept leaning his face in, so I blocked him with one hand. After hearing him speak, his lips did seem a bit different than usual. I ran my thumb over them and something came off.

“It tastes like strawberries. It’s delicious.”

Some of the stuff women put on their lips actually does taste good. I like sweet things.

I brought my thumb to my lips and licked it.

“It doesn’t taste like anything.”

“That’s because you only had a little.”

Baek Yejun placed both hands on the vanity top where I was leaning against. That was how I ended up trapped between his arms.

Was it just a coincidence, or was this bastard planning this?

“Lick it.”

He closed his eyes and pressed his face close to mine. It was close enough to feel his breath with every word he spoke.

“That sounds like an order.”

“Then please suck it.”

“Get lost. You don’t look appetizing.”

“I taste good.”

As he kept coming closer, I covered his mouth with my hand. Then, Read onhe slowly opened his eyes and looked at me.

His eyes curved into a crescent shape.

Chu.

“Ah, you fucking bastard.”

Chu, chu.

He rubbed his lips against my palm. The sensation made me curse, and my brow furrowed. Goosebumps ran down my spine, so I pushed his face away, and he stepped back without resistance.

“You’re such a piece of shit. ”

When I lifted my palm, the shape of Baek Yejun’s lips was clearly imprinted on it.

The stuff he’d put on his lips had smudged all over his face too, making him look like he’d just had a passionate kiss with someone.

“Hyung, how much for a kiss?”

“I’m not a prostitute.”

I grabbed a tissue from the vanity visit our site and rubbed my palm vigorously. The sticky stuff wouldn’t come off.

The damp, squishy sensation lingered, making me clench my hand tighter.

“So even if you sell everything, you won’t sell your body?”

“Part of my liver, a kidney, and one cornea might be worth selling.”

Baek Yejun chuckled.

“You’re really cheap, Hyung.”

I rubbed my palm against Baek Yejun’s white suit jacket. The fabric felt smooth and soft.

A crimson streak ran across the white suit, following my hand. It was the color of a hunted prey’s entrails, not a rabbit’s tongue.

“Do you think I’m as bad as you, acting like a jerk just because you want to be laid?”

Baek Yejun and I exchanged glances for a moment.

The thought that he held the upper hand even as I stared at him made me feel awful. I felt a sense of crisis, as if what started as a tiny speck could devour the entire edge of my vision in an instant.

“Cut it out.”

I left those words behind and walked out.

Today’s goal was to look after Lee Jigu.

I received money from Moon Nagyeol, and I’ll deliver on what I was paid for.

“Ah! Security! Come this way!”

As I was walking down the hallway, a staff member grabbed me by the arm and dragged me somewhere. I didn’t know where we were going, but I figured it was better than wandering around lost, so I followed.

“Turn on your walkie-talkie. You’ll need to keep the crowd in check over here.”

The staff member led me to a fenced-off standing area near the stage.

I put in my in-ear headphones and turned on the walkie-talkie, but I couldn’t hear a thing.

I couldn’t tell if there was just no sound coming through right now or if the equipment was broken because it was poorly maintained.

“The audience is entering!”

“Don’t push! Please enter in an orderly fashion!”

They had maintained order outside the venue, but once inside, the audience got too excited and the line broke up. Amid that sea of people, I spotted Lee Jigu clutching a thick paper bag to his chest.

Since I was in the front row, I was close to the stage and could see him easily, but it was hard to recognize him. His expression was different from what I’d seen in the hospital ward.

“We’re starting the rehearsal!”

Gorgeous lights shone on the stage, and the sound of music filled the Jamsil Olympic Stadium. I could feel the beat thumping from the soles of my feet.

I could hear voices coming from my in-ear monitors, but the heat of the moment was so intense that the sound was muffled.

All those external stimuli stirred up the unhealed wounds that had been torn open, causing my body to stagger.

“Playing the VCR! The main performance starts right after this, so please make sure to cover it well!”

Congratulatory messages from various celebrities and wishes for an enjoyable show flashed briefly across the LED screen.

Among them was Baek Yejun, his lips already wiped clean as if nothing had happened. He was receiving cheers from everyone on the dazzling giant screen.

As if to emphasize how fundamentally different he was from me, barely holding on beneath the dark stage.

“The opening is about to begin! 3! 2! 1!”

The crowd inside the Jamsil Olympic Stadium went wild. Everyone in the audience exuded rising emotions, unstinting attention, and boundless energy.

Blind adoration and joy, shivers and cheers.

In the very midst of life, where all that is released.

These non-existent, virtual idols were making their presence known to the many gathered here.

Making them vocalize their feelings.

Making them clap.

Making their hearts race.

They made them exist right there.

“I love you all!”

Through faith, these virtual beings became real, sustained by affection.

Something abstract and invisible within. Yet a solid, physical sensation that filled a void.

An imperfection that oscillated between fantasy and reality.

A brief, sweet reprieve granted in the face of life’s pain and ennui.

That was the nature of the love overflowing here.