Since the Heavenly Demon had promised to properly share a room starting tonight, the Alliance Leader felt relieved and went off to prepare the U-Live broadcast.
I was about to check the Heavenly Demon's outfit and send him out as well...
"...You have to go on the broadcast. Why are you taking it off?"
"Because my beggars like it."
"..."
"I can tell from your face. If you're gonna nag, get it over with."
"Didn't I tell you I'm not doing a sexy concept?"
"Because the CEO's a cheapskate."
"Image consumption!!! It's because of image consumption!!!"
I wanted to smack the Heavenly Demon on the back, but I gave up, figuring it wouldn't faze his diamond-hard body.
We finally compromised on him wearing a tight turtleneck that showed off his build.
When I brought the Heavenly Demon out to the living room, Jaha jumped in surprise.
"Whoa, damn... Now I get why our beggars are always talking about your chest, hyung. Maybe I should work out too."
"To become like me?"
"Yeah."
"Forget it. You'd never make it."
"Reeeally..."
While they were fixing the camera, the Heavenly Demon stepped into frame and sat at the end of the sofa.
With his long, glossy hair cascading down and that skin-tight turtleneck hugging his body, he crossed his legs—and the visual impact was explosive.
I could sort of see why fans thanked him for becoming an idol...
"I'll take center."
Jaha quickly claimed the middle of the sofa.
Taeguk sat next to him as if it were natural, filling up the seats, while Namgoong Jun awkwardly stood behind the sofa.
The Alliance Leader smiled at him and took the spot beside.
I came out late and stood next to her, forming a lineup of three sitting members and three standing.
"Okay, we're going live soon, so skip any comments about the ex-members. Got it?"
"Yeah."
"Lord Heavenly Demon, this is your first U-Live, so please try not to say anything off-the-cuff. It's live—if you cause trouble, we can't fix it."
"Why do the broadcast if you don't want me talking?"
"Your visuals alone are more than enough, Lord Heavenly Demon."
"Hmm. Fair point."
The Heavenly Demon nodded agreeably.
It wasn't going to be a long stream anyway, so no big deal.
With that complacent thought, I hit start on the broadcast.
-Holy shit, group U-Live!
-Why's the Alliance Leader standing? ㅠㅠ
-Kids, show some respect to your elders lololol
-Haven't seen all the oppas together in forever
-Did you turn it on to celebrate episode 1?
Viewer numbers shot up fast, and the Alliance Leader kicked things off with the team chant like always.
"Nine Factions Clan."
"Charge!"
The members each cupped their fists and shouted along, but the Heavenly Demon just lazily stared at the camera.
-Does Heavenly Demon not know the chant? lololol
-Hwajin oppa looks great in the turtleneck!!
-Turtleneck is cute~
-Teach Hwajin the chant too~ ㅠㅠ
He had to know it.
But then, he'd hardly be the Heavenly Demon if he did everything he was told.
Having accepted that long ago, I fiddled with the tablet to prop it up so everyone could see the incoming comments.
Unlike me, Jaha seemed to care about the chant and crossed his arms into an X.
"Hang on. Heavenly Demon hyung didn't do the chant! Do it again!"
-Wait, he knew and just didn't? lololol
-plz say Saramat Sharpie
-Jaha's hoodie is cute
-Jaha, I have a test tomorrow ㅠWish me luck ㅠㅠ
-Only Gu-Pai kids do the chant? lololol
-Hwajin, cup your fists too~
The Heavenly Demon glanced at the scrolling comments and declared boldly.
"I won't do it."
-Why not???
-Why not?
-Does Hwajini hate the chant?
-Let's hear why not
"If I shouted 'Charge!' here, the camera would shatter."
Given his track record of smashing up the practice room mirrors, it didn't sound like a joke—but the Beggar Clan fans just took it as concept, flooding the chat with lololol.
-No way lololololol
-Never imagined that reason lololol
-Reminds me of when the kids first debuted lololol
-Hwajin, do whatever you want lololol
-Yeah, can't have the camera break, not when it's been so long since a U-Live
"Right? It's been a while since our U-Live, hasn't it?"
The Alliance Leader, who'd been staring at the comments, seized the moment to shift topics.
"How've my beggars been? We turned it on quick to celebrate the premiere of Orthodox-Demonic Joint Training Camp Chaos episode 1. Did you watch?"
-Watched it lololol
-Wasn't what I expected but it was fun lololol
-Congrats on 100M opening views~
-Did you really film in China?
"Oh, did we really go to China? Just me, Jaha, and Taeguk. The other members filmed in Korea."
"I really thought I was gonna die climbing Mount Hua~"
Jaha whined, and comments comforting him poured in, scrolling the screen fast.
-Must've been tough climbing the mountain ㅠㅠ
-Aww, our Jaha had it rough ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Don't work our Jaha too hard!!!!!!
-Jaha, don't push yourself—tell them to CG the volcano, and if they don't, we'll storm the HQ
Jaha read the comments with a satisfied look, then elbowed Taeguk.
"Taeguk hyung, Wudang Mountain was pretty high too, right?"
"Yeah. Getting up was fine, but the facilities were so poorly maintained it was rough."
"You guys know the place Jun-i filmed? It's actually his real family home."
-Real family home?
-The family home was so fancy, so why was the camp spot...
-Namgoong family mansion
-???: The Namgoong family will cover all costs for this camp.
-Now I see the U-Live's at the Namgoong family mansion too lololol
-Did they lock Heavenly Demon in the family warehouse? lololololol
Namgoong Jun scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Heavenly Demon hyung's scenes were filmed elsewhere and edited in. That was the CEO's private residence."
-Why does the CEO even have a warehouse at home????
"Ilgeuk hyung's spot was at the CEO's house too, right?"
"Yeah. A bunch of our MV was shot at the CEO's place too."
-Makes sense—the guy's a wuxia nut who made wuxia idols, so his house is probably wuxia-themed...
-Your CEO is weird af
-CEO's name is kinda weird too
-Your kids' names ain't normal either lololol
-eng plz
-Any plans for next album?
-Recommend some late-night snacks
-Nahani, say something...
"Ah."
Nahani, who'd been dead silent, finally opened his mouth, and I wondered if he was finally gonna say something besides Namu Amida Butsu on stream.
Strangely, both the Heavenly Demon and Nahani looked up at the same time.
'Nahani, what's up?'
I mouthed the question, and he made a subtle face before shaking his head like it was nothing.
But the Heavenly Demon was different.
"It's that guy again."
"Pardon?"
I'd blurted it out loud during the stream without thinking, but there was no time to panic over the slip-up.
The Heavenly Demon stood from the sofa and addressed the camera directly.
"Be right back. For late-night eats, go with mala tang."
Then he strode out of frame and planted himself in front of me.
"You come too."
"Huh? During the broadcast? Where to?"
"Up."
Up?
He snatched the tablet from my hand and handed it to the Alliance Leader.
As the flustered Alliance Leader geared up to end the stream, the Heavenly Demon reached for the balcony door.
Slide.
The door opened on its own from his telekinetic pull, and Jaha screamed.
"Argh!! What the fuck is this now!!"
I screamed too.
"We're still live! No swearing!"
"Is that what matters right now?!"
"Tch. Quit making a fuss. We're going."
"Wait, what are you—?!"
The next instant, my body floated up lightly.
Before I could stop him, the Heavenly Demon leaped out the open balcony door—with me tucked under his arm.
'Fuck my life.'
All I could do now was pray the Alliance Leader ended the U-Live in time.
I'd assumed we'd plummet, but he lightly vaulted the railing and ran straight up the building wall like flat ground, heading for the roof.
"Lord Heavenly Demon, what the hell is this?!"
He set me down gently on the rooftop and clicked his tongue.
"Eat something, you. Even a starved horse weighs more than you."
"No, that's not..."
Suddenly on the rooftop and set down, I clutched my forehead in shock.
"Didn't I say if you cause an incident on live, we can't clean it up?"
"That's why I watched my words. Answered the comments like you wanted too. A perfectly idol-like exit, no?"
"Idols don't telekinetically open doors or jump off balconies! It's all on camera—how do we explain this? If word gets out you're really the Heavenly Demon..."
"No idea what you're on about."
The Heavenly Demon shook his head lazily, brushed back his hair, and said.
"I've never hidden who I am."
"You mean... you never intended to hide it at all?"
"I'm the Heavenly Demon. Why would I cater to insects?"
"..."
But so far, it was just taken as 'concept,' which let him do normal idol stuff.
If fans learned he could pulverize office walls to dust, would the Nine Factions Clan kids even want to keep the group together?
The fans? The public?
Even smartphone-addicted, N-Tube-binging, meme-obsessed normies—they'd still know the Heavenly Demon is the Heavenly Demon.
Was debuting this guy from another world—maybe a mass murderer, identity unknown, dangerous as hell—as an idol really the right call?
...Why did the Heavenly Demon even want to debut as an idol?
He glanced past my shoulder, clearly uninterested in my turmoil.
"And it's irritating as hell, anyway."
"What's irritating?"
"That guy behind you. Brought his two sidekicks again today."
"That's rude to them."
The voice from behind startled me.
I turned to see Sin Tae-eul staring at the Heavenly Demon with a grim expression.
Yuk Jong-nam and Yu A-mi stood at his sides.
I hadn't sensed them at all.
How the hell did they get here?
This is the CEO's building.
No unauthorized entry allowed.
Ex-members getting up to the rooftop? Impossible.
As Sin Tae-eul approached, I saw him flinch at the sight of the Heavenly Demon's chest.
Unlike me, still clueless, the Heavenly Demon calmly questioned him.
"So, what's this about? Here to grill me on your love life from the broadcast?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Then why provoke me?"
"..."
Sin Tae-eul stared at the Heavenly Demon with sunken eyes for a moment.
Then he asked slowly.
"You... you're really the Heavenly Demon, aren't you?"
"Obviously."
Since the Heavenly Demon casually affirmed it, I blanked out for a second, unable to process.
Did he overhear us talking?
...No. Sin Tae-eul must've been convinced long before.
"Tae-eul, why ask if he's the 'real' Heavenly Demon?"
Sure, the Heavenly Demon climbed the wall.
But jumping straight to "real Heavenly Demon?" Felt off no matter how you sliced it.
Even weirder: from the exchange alone, it sounded like Sin Tae-eul had summoned the Heavenly Demon to the roof.
He replied flatly.
"Because I came to confirm if you're the real deal. To see if the CEO really pulled this off."
"Why bring up the CEO here?"
I was lost, but Sin Tae-eul stayed cool.
Jong-nam and A-mi hadn't said a word since arriving.
The Heavenly Demon watched us like it was someone else's drama, eyes gleaming with interest.
"Back then, I said I'd explain everything from the start. I'll do it now."
Sin Tae-eul exhaled once and stated clearly.
"The CEO of Kichi is the one who summoned the Heavenly Demon here to this world."
I doubted my ears for a moment.
"...You're kidding."
"Before I explain how that's possible, I have a question for you, hyung."
I struggled to stay calm amid the info dump.
My confusion wasn't just from him saying 'the CEO summoned the Heavenly Demon.'
Last time we met, Sin Tae-eul had said this:
-Have you heard about the ex-members, hyung?
-You need to know.
-Or you'll die.
This was clearly a continuation.
Which meant, assuming his story was true...
There was some link between the Heavenly Demon and the ex-members.
The Heavenly Demon's sudden appearance.
The ex-members' vanishing acts.
"You'll die if you don't know," from Sin Tae-eul.
Nothing good was coming...
Sin Tae-eul eyed me steadily before asking.
"Do you still trust the CEO?"
"...I..."
"No. First things first."
Cutting me off, he asked.
"How'd you meet the CEO, hyung?"
My mind raced, freezing me in place.
Because we...
We all...
"Dear me."
The low voice jolted me; I whipped toward it.
Sin Tae-eul and the other two flinched back from the source.
Slowly stepping through the open rooftop door...
Was Kichi's CEO.
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