Idol Hides His Military Service

"Have the security company people arrived yet?"

"They just got here and they’re moving over now."

"There’s a huge crowd right now. If an accident happens, it’ll be a disaster, so check the route one more time."

"Yes! I’ll meet the guards right now and go over the route again!"

Raon answered briskly, then watched Yunsik sprint off somewhere while talking on the phone, and checked today’s schedule in her head again.

'First, getting to the plaza—if the crowd surges too much, it’s dangerous, so move as fast as possible while keeping safety in mind. The pop-up signing setup, I checked that earlier...'

A signing event in the middle of Myeongdong Plaza—this was something even Raon had never experienced, and there was no precedent to refer to, so Raon’s head was splitting.

-If we get a grand slam, we’ll cosplay in the middle of Myeongdong and hold a signing event!

A pledge Lee Sion had blurted out without even thinking at the showcase, grabbing the mic.

Of course, after that, Raon gave her a quick lesson that she couldn’t just make pledges however she wanted, but even then, Raon honestly hadn’t expected much.

'First place, maybe. But a grand slam is absolutely not easy...'

A rookie that had just debuted taking first on cable plus all three terrestrial music shows—Raon thought, honestly, the odds were low.

So Lee Sion’s “grand slam pledge” almost passed as a cute little incident.

But—

[Iam achieves a grand slam! Carrying on the survival show buzz]

「In their final week of promotions, week four, Iam achieved first place on Music Count and the three terrestrial broadcasters’ music shows, drawing attention by achieving a grand slam with their debut song.

In the past, there were idols who tried to challenge a grand slam with a debut song, but due to issues between agencies and broadcasters and other factors, no idol had achieved it.

This time, Iam achieved the milestone for the first time...」

↳What? Iam is the first to achieve a grand slam?

↳They’re saying debut-song grand slam is the first.

↳?? Weren’t there a bunch before?

↳There are groups that achieved a grand slam, but with a debut song it’s not easy.

↳Yeah, there are cases where they can’t appear on broadcasts because the agency and station are fighting, and groups that got No. 1 on charts but still couldn’t get No. 1 on music shows because of broadcast points.

↳Even LYNX almost did it if it wasn’t for Iam.

↳Just look at VYNNIA’s numbers—if they debuted even one week earlier, Iam might not have pulled it off.

Iam had achieved the grand slam Raon thought would be impossible.

'We were seriously lucky.'

Raon thought this milestone happened because Iam’s members did well, but also because the sky truly helped.

First, Iam debuted exactly one week later than LYNX, so their peaks missed each other, and Iam stopped LYNX’s grand slam.

-VYNNIA girl group album first-week sales record! 200,000 achieved.

And VYNNIA, who debuted after Iam, put up the insane record of 200,000 first-week sales for a girl group, so if Iam had faced them head-on, Iam could’ve lost first place on album sales alone.

But—

-We won, right?

↳For real lmao, you’re strong, but we won.

↳Damn, KJ is making both TSP and SY eat it.

↳LYNX gets their grand slam blocked, and VYNNIA loses the “first grand slam” record.

↳This is Lee Sion’s Three Kingdoms plan.

↳What’s the Three Kingdoms plan?

↳You’re a Yours, and you seriously haven’t read Romance of the Three Kingdoms?

Without meaning to, Iam slipped right into that gap in the middle, took only the best parts, and got out. Calling their promotions a miracle wouldn’t even be strange.

A debut schedule pushed as early as possible to use Idol Ground 100’s buzz, and broadcast schedules where the company even gave up event bookings just to pull in more fans.

On top of that, the variety show performance and the popularity of their self-content built up since debut—Iam and KJ Entertainment finally achieved the big thing.

Because of that, Iam was now proudly named alongside VYNNIA and LYNX as the three leading girl groups of third gen.

[Girl Group Three Kingdoms begins! Who will be the final winner?]

The press, who loved rivalries more than anyone, wasn’t going to miss a setup like this, and because of an entertainment article title, the three groups were being bundled together as “Girl Group Three Kingdoms.”

'Because of Lee Sion, Three Kingdoms got smeared all over girl groups!'

[I’ll summarize it cleanly: Iam is Shu]

「You can tell at a glance VYNNIA is Wei position, you can’t argue that.

And LYNX, as expected of TSP, secured a solid region in Jiangdong, so they’re Wu position.

Then what’s left?

The only rightful successor of the Han imperial line, who rose from nothing with nothing but the noble intent to bring peace to the world together with her sworn brothers—Liu Bei’s Shu.

There’s a reason Sion kept yelling Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei.」

↳My chest feels huge. Those kids who used to climb the training camp wall are now one of the top three girl groups.

↳And it’s not like they’re being shoved in there—they’re real rivals, that’s what’s crazy.

↳Until Iam got No. 1 on terrestrial, LYNX stans were scary so I’d keep my head down and avoid them, but these days I square my shoulders and every time I see them on the street I shoulder-check them.

↳Damn, this is why Yours get called thugs.

↳Wasn’t our nickname ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) grasshoppers?

↳No, these days people call you thugs because you go around raising hell.

↳Grasshoppers to thugs—moving up in life. Cheers.

SY and TSP probably didn’t find this rivalry setup pleasant, but from KJ and Yours’ side, it was basically a certification that Iam had entered the trending girl group tier, so there was nothing to lose.

"Iam members have arrived!"

"The content team is already filming everything, right? For this event, we have to upload everything on YouTube—not just the prep, but even the move to the site—so don’t miss anything!"

"Yes!"

Raon had been briefly recalling how today’s signing event came to exist, but when she heard the Iam members had finally arrived at the site, she snapped back and focused again.

'Safety comes first.'

A surprise street signing event that could only happen because CEO Sanghyeok had filed the Myeongdong Plaza usage request in advance, even before the grand slam was confirmed.

-It’s right to apply in advance. If we try to get permission late, it’ll take time and the meaning will fade. If we don’t succeed, we can replace it with a small event.

Back then, Raon worried they’d just get laughed at, but Sanghyeok said that once they made that pledge, there would be people who laughed if it didn’t go well anyway.

So it was better to prepare for the case where it went well, and he pushed it through—making this street signing possible at the perfect time.

"All right, let’s move to the site first and get set up."

CEO Sanghyeok had prepared well so they could carry Iam’s miracle forward. From here on out, Raon had to take that baton and make sure it ended safely.

So, as the overall director, Raon started by checking routes in advance, and the moment the signing schedule went up on Instagram the day before, she came out at dawn and numbered the fans who were already waiting, cutting it off at exactly 300 people.

And to prevent any possible accident, she even hired a security company.

Even after all that, Raon still felt anxious and checked everything again and again.

Now all Raon could do was pray that the event would end safely.

***

"Captain, do I really have to wear this beard?"

"That’s the key point. What are you dissatisfied with?"

"Shinyu’s beard still looks stylish, but mine is totally a bandit beard!"

"That’s what Zhang Fei is supposed to be."

Honestly, Zhang Fei cosplay was hard for Yunkyung to pull off.

That wild, bushy, bandit-like beard that could be called Zhang Fei’s trademark wasn’t easy.

'They even got a serpent spear!'

But I was extremely satisfied.

"If you like it, Sion, I’m fine."

"See? Assigning Guan Yu to our Shinyu was the correct answer."

"Was it?"

Maybe she could tell how satisfied I was, because Shinyu, standing next to me with a long beard like a red jujube fruit and holding a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, answered that she was fine.

But—

"Shinyu! From now on, you’re banned from entering Lee Sion’s room! You only take Lee Sion’s side more and more!"

"Do you even know who we’re like this because of?!"

"Yeah! Shinyu keeps taking Sion’s side, so Sion keeps turning into a tyrant!"

It seemed like Shinyu was the only one who was fine, because the members started getting out of the van one by one and scolding Shinyu for backing me.

"Right. Who told you to be bad at making chocolate?"

Protecting a loyal vassal was the virtue of a ruler, so I shielded Shinyu behind me and fired back at the members.

The members couldn’t say anything and just pounded their chests like it was unfair.

'Glorious.'

As I took in the members’ appearances—cosplays just as flashy as Zhang Fei Im Yunkyung and Guan Yu Geum Shinyu—I felt even more satisfied.

First, Seo Ryujin in a Real Madrid uniform, the symbol of Ronaldo, and next to her, Lee Gahyeon in a Barca uniform.

Of course, that alone felt a little weak, so we stuck each club’s emblem on their faces like stickers, and it actually suited them pretty well.

"Hoow? Or is it Siu?"

"Siu is the accurate pronunciation, but Hoow has more bite, so you can just say Hoow."

"Hoow... got it."

"For me, I just raise both index fingers, right?"

"Yes, that’s Messi’s signature pose."

"Ronaldo’s is flashy, but Messi’s is really plain."

"That’s why Ronaldo is the GOAT, Gahyeon."

"Yeah, I see."

We had to stand in front of the fans soon, so Seonaldo and Imessi were getting their motions checked by me one more time.

And besides those two—

"I just come in with a forward roll, right?"

"Yeah."

"But Sion, why am I not a person, and I’m a game character?"

"Because next to Seiker, there has to be Miho."

Ryu Ayeon, fully armed with Seiker’s jersey and glasses, was practicing a forward roll, and Yuri, in a cosplay based on a champion with a nine-tailed fox motif, was also getting her pose checked by me.

Including me, dressed up as Liu Bei, every single one of us in Iam was in cosplay.

'This is what proper cosplay looks like.'

Originally, only me, Seo Ryujin, and Ryu Ayeon were going to cosplay.

-Using my first-place wish voucher, I request cosplay for all members!

But with the wish voucher I got for taking first place in the last chocolate-making match, I requested cosplay for all members, so the other members besides the DubDub had no choice but to join in.

And since I also got the right to choose the outfits, I gave Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to our youngest.

And since next to Ronaldo, you still need Messi, I gave Messi to Lee Gahyeon.

And for Miho, one of Seiker’s signature champs, I assigned Yuri.

At first I worried it might be too much, but somehow, the KJ Entertainment costume team brought cosplay outfits matched to each character for everyone.

"Waaaaah!!!"

"They really did Guan Yu cosplay!"

"So Yunkyung and Shinyu are Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, huh. But what’s with that weapon that’s as big as them?!"

"What’s with the youngest! Even with beards like that, they’re still cute—cheating!"

"Seo Ryujin, Lee Gahyeon!!! Why are soccer uniforms so sexy?!"

"Yuri, Miho cosplay suits you so well!"

When we got off the van fully prepared and moved a little under the guards’ guidance, we were hit by the roar of countless fans waiting for us.

"Yours comes first, my safety comes second!"

"Lee Sion is so cool!"

"If you can pull off makeup like that too, what are we supposed to do?!"

"Look over here too!"

Since I was dressed as Liu Bei, I threw out one of Liu Bei’s famous lines for the fans, and the cheering got even louder.

"Under the peach tree!"

"We swore to become brothers!"

The rest of the members followed along, showing what each of them had prepared for the fans.

Shinyu and Yunkyung clacked the Green Dragon Crescent Blade and the serpent spear together and spoke the lines they’d been taught.

"Hoow!"

"Vamos!"

Ryujin, dressed as Ronaldo, struck Ronaldo’s signature pose, and right next to her, Gahyeon took Messi’s signature pose.

And there was also Ryu Ayeon, who rolled forward down the path the guards cleared out with mats laid down, and Yuri next to her, blowing hand kisses to the crowd.

All of our members were doing their absolute best to respond for the fans who gathered to see us.

'This is what fanservice should be.'

Seeing the crowd having fun and screaming in response to our effort made me feel proud. It felt like it landed.

Standing on stage in front of fans in the audience was great too, but I’d always had a wish to respond, even a little, to all the gratitude we’d received—especially in front of a huge crowd.

And it wasn’t just me. Even the members, who’d said they were going to wrap me in a blanket and roll me up like a mat the moment the event ended, were now excitedly posing for the fans.

"You need to move now!"

"Yes!"

After posing for the fans for a short while, the guards started guiding us, saying we had to move to the signing area.

Just looking at it, they were big people in black suits, so the intimidation was intense.

And like they’d done this more than once, they formed a huge circle inside the crowd, put us in the middle, and guided us to the destination with professional smoothness.

"Excuse us! We have to pass through, so please make a little space."

Considering how other idols’ guards and managers got criticized for rude attitudes, PD Raon had bragged she’d picked the best-reviewed place, and the security really was impressively dignified.

"Hello, we’re Iam!"

"Waaaaah!!!!"

Myeongdong Plaza, the signing location we reached under the guards’ guidance.

There were already so many people gathered here that the crowd looked like tiny dots.

When we gave a light greeting, the roar that came back was so loud it made my ears ring.

In the plaza, there were tables and chairs for the signing event, and even a small stage set up for today. I heard the company paid the Jung-gu Office in Seoul directly for the plaza usage fee to set it up.

And not only that—

-Thankfully, the city said a lot of people would gather, so to prepare for any possible accident, they stationed police officers and EMTs on standby.

Public authority had come out in support because far more people gathered than expected.

"First, we’re going to do one song!"

Once again, I could really feel just how many people had come to see today’s event.

So now it was time for me and the members to put in the effort and pay back that attention.

*