I Became An Idol To Pay Off My Debt

I walked through the broadcasting station, lost in various thoughts.

The first thing that crossed my mind was regret.

“Oh, if I had known about the entertainment industry from the start, I wouldn’t have to worry like this.”

If I had been more interested in idols in my past life…

Then I could have protected Rookies without worrying like this.

“Sigh… wouldn’t it be nice to have a skill that lets me see the future?”

In the past, whenever I desperately wanted something, a skill would just pop up automatically.

But this time, with the Sky Demon Martial Arts, it seemed like I couldn’t do anything…

The Status Window was silent.

So, I repeatedly turned my useless Status Window on and off as I moved forward.

And then…

“…Huh.”

I soon realized I had wandered quite far.

Of course, I didn’t not know the way back.

However…

“How is it that there’s not a single person around?”

It was incredible that not a single person was passing through such a wide hallway.

Moreover, there were places like costume rooms and prop rooms, which are hard for regular folks to see.

With no one around, I felt like I was on an adventure as I moved further along.

And soon….

“…Where is this?”

I reached a place that felt quite eerie.

“Let’s go back.”

I turned around without hesitation.

My goal was to clear my mind and have some alone time…, and I had somewhat fulfilled that.

I thought about returning to the waiting room before running into broadcasting station staff unnecessarily.

But then…

[Boiler Room]

I noticed a nameplate on a room labeled “boiler room,” where various pipes were connected along the walls.

Choo-choo!

From inside, I could hear some sort of steam-producing sound that piqued my curiosity.

‘Should I sneak in there?’

Seeing that the door was ajar, I peeked my head inside and looked around.

And then….

“Whoa….”

I couldn’t help but gasp a little.

It was indeed a very eerie place.

Not in a bad way, but it reminded me of a secret base from my childhood.

‘It would be nice if every broadcasting station had a place like this for alone time.’

Since starting dorm life, I hadn’t had a moment to myself at all.

When sleeping, Seo Yoo-jin would hug me tight, and when I woke up, I had to rush into schedules.

Of course, being with the Rookies members was a lot of fun, but everyone needs some alone time.

So, I expected that this would be my secret spot every time I visited the broadcasting station.

“Wow….”

Once inside, the boiler room was surprisingly spacious.

Strange-looking machines lined the place, giving off a strong secret base vibe just as I imagined in my childhood.

And as I took a few steps inside while marveling softly…

Crash!

“……!”

Suddenly, I heard something collapse in the corner of the boiler room.

At that sound, I jolted.

‘Was someone else here…?!’

This boilet room was clearly a place where idols wouldn’t have any reason to visit.

I thought the person who made the noise must be from this place, so I quietly tried to exit again.

But then….

“Ah, no….”

A groan escaped from the corner, sounding like someone had hurt themselves.

Come to think of it, I also heard a heavy thud.

‘Could they be injured?’

Once that unpleasant thought surfaced, I felt I couldn’t irresponsibly leave.

So, I walked a bit closer to where the sound came from.

And then…

“Ugh…”

“……!”

I saw a guy dressed as an idol.

The display stand that should have been in the corner was toppled over, and there were tools like hammers and screwdrivers scattered around.

Seeing his sprained ankle, it seemed that the display stand had fallen on it.

It looked quite painful as he grimaced.

He still hadn’t noticed me.

So, I was about to go straight to help him when…

‘Well, it’s true. But agencies still fear dating rumors for their own idols. Especially for rookies like us, once dating rumors begin, fans tend to bail out.’

Suddenly, Na Han-na’s earlier words came back to me.

Thinking about it, Director Jeong had also said something like this before our Rookies’ activities began.

‘In the future, you will meet numerous idols. And for the sake of your career, try not to have even brief conversations or small touches with male idols.’

Director Jeong must have said such things to prevent any potential dating rumors.

But…

‘There’s no one around, so it should be okay, right?’

This was a secluded boiler room.

There was no one here except for me and that person.

Plus, it weighed on my conscience to leave someone injured behind.

So, after a short moment of hesitation….

“I’ll help you!”

I approached him.

And while he was taken aback by my sudden appearance, I lifted the display stand off his leg, aiding him to move again.

“Ah…”

The guy stared at me blankly for a moment…

Swipe.

And sneakily hid something behind his back.

He seemed eager to hide whatever he was doing from me.

But I had already caught sight of what he was holding.

‘So he was smoking.’

That was definitely a cigarette.

‘The smell is quite odd. It smells a bit like grass… Is this foreign tobacco?’

Whether foreign or domestic, it’d be quite a predicament if an idol was caught smoking.

So I pretended not to see what he hid and turned my head away.

And then looking at his face…

“…Huh.”

I was a bit surprised.

“…Ah.”

He was equally shocked to see my face.

We weren’t close, but we were aware of each other’s existence and had even greeted one another.

But really…

‘The leader of Black Night.’

The guy was none other than the leader of the boy group ‘Black Night,’ who was competing for number one on the music show with us this week.

‘His name was definitely…, ah.’

There were two Si-woos in YW.

Or rather, there were two Si-woos before.

The first was Han Si-woo, who led YW into its golden era, making it one of the top three agencies in Korea…

But now was the producer of our Rookies.

And the one in front of me…

Was Shin Si-woo, who was currently active as YW’s main idol and leading a new golden era…

Known as “Post Han Si-woo.”

‘I never expected to run into someone like him here….’

As I paused for a moment, he bowed his head to me while still on the floor.

“Hello, you must be Ye-rin from Rookies. I’m Shin Si-woo from Black Night.”

Even though it was a somewhat embarrassing situation, he wore a picture-perfect smile on his face.

Feeling professionalism from Shin Si-woo’s demeanor, I responded in kind.

“…Yes, hello. I’m Ha Ye-rin from Rookies.”

“Ah, yes. Miss Ye-rin. Congratulations on getting number one this time. I’m really enjoying [Secret Girl]. …By the way, could you help me get up?”

He said this while pointing at his sprained ankle.

It looked like he had seriously twisted it when he fell, as it was red and swollen.

“Ah. Yes. I’ll help you right away.”

So I quickly moved to support him and helped him stand up.

As I got closer, I caught a whiff of lingering, smoky air that pierced my nose.

He might have realized he couldn’t hide the smell and awkwardly smiled, saying, “Um, actually, I came here to sneak a smoke.”

“Ah….”

“Could you keep it a secret? The fans don’t know I smoke.”

“Of course, I won’t tell a soul.”

We should help each other in the same idol industry.

I nodded eagerly, and he smiled brightly again and started chatting.

“…Haha, it’s a bit embarrassing. I thought I saw someone entering suddenly, so I hurriedly moved and ended up stumbling and falling.”

“Sorry, I felt like I—”

“No, you don’t have to apologize, Miss Ye-rin. But what brings you to such a secluded place?”

Shin Si-woo’s voice was very comforting, and I felt no pressure at all.

Since it was nothing to hide, I spoke to him comfortably about the truth.

“Ah…, lately of my mind has been a bit cluttered, and I wanted some alone time. So I was wandering around the station during this slow period…”

“I see. Well, when you live in a group, you often crave alone time. I felt the same way.”

He nodded and continued.

“In that case, Miss Ye-rin. From now on, you can use this place whenever you like. I’ve been visiting this broadcasting station for a year now, and no one has shown up here.”

“Um, but this is the spot you found first…”

“You helping me today is your payment. From now on, I won’t come back, so feel free to use it.”

Through just a few words exchanged with him, I could understand why he was so popular among fans.

He had a kind, handsome face reminiscent of a church oppa from my imagination.

Moreover, his way of speaking showed he cared about others.

‘He really is known for being nice to fans; he must just have a good personality.’

Also, Black Night was famous for their impressive performances, making them stand out within YW’s star-studded lineup.

That nickname “Post Han Si-woo” wasn’t just for show.

Curiosity about his stats made me open his Status Window.

Boom!

[Name: Shin Si-woo]

[Age: 23]

[Trait: Stalker]

[Artistic Stats]

(Appearance: 94)

(Vocal Ability: 83)

(Acting Skill: 100)

(Dance: 95)

I gazed at the stats and couldn’t help but be amazed.

‘What kind of stats is this…?’

Of course, Yoo Seol had the highest stats I had seen until now.

But Shin Si-woo in front of me had stats nearly rivaling Yoo Seol’s.

Then at that moment…

‘…Huh?’

While admiring the stats of this top idol, I suddenly froze upon seeing his trait.

[Trait: Stalker.]

“…….”

…It can’t be what I think it is.

With a feeling of dread, I pressed on the trait.

[Trait: Stalker – Your love is misguided. What you think is love is pain and violence for the other person. You can do anything for the one you love, even if it crosses legal boundaries.]

[Trait Effect: Black Love – If there is a target of interest, you become incredibly obsessed with them. Once a target is established, you feel both fulfillment like you own the world and a thirst that drives you mad. *The target of obsession has not yet been established!]

…Sure enough, I was right.

The Status Window had never lied until now. Shin Si-woo was unhinged.

Thanks to that, thoughts of Ye-rin Su-ho flooded into my head, making me take a step back.

“Miss Ye-rin, is something wrong?”

Shin Si-woo quickly noticed my reaction, tilting his head at me.

His initially sweet and kind face began to turn sour.

“Ah…, it’s just…”

“You seem a bit off. Should I walk you to the waiting room?”

At that time, I had no idea.

‘Rookies is bound to flop soon anyway.’

The reason the Rookies mentioned by O Ah-ra in my past life fell apart was…

Because of Shin Si-woo standing right in front of me.

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