"CEO."
At my call, the CEO smiled at me with a weary expression.
I'd just heard that he'd summoned the Heavenly Demon, so it was hard to look at him comfortably.
I glanced toward where the Heavenly Demon had been, but he was gone—slipped away who knows when.
"CEO…."
Jongnam, who'd been quiet until now, growled low.
"You've got some nerve showing up in front of us?"
"Wouldn't you three be the illegal trespassers?"
The CEO covered his mouth and chuckled briefly, as if Jongnam's words were amusing.
"And what's there to be scared of?"
He lowered his hand and muttered in a chilling voice.
"I've got no regrets left in life, even if I die now…."
"You—!"
"Enough."
Shin Tae-eul stepped in front of Jongnam as he moved forward.
"Not now."
"But…."
"We're not alone here."
At Shin Tae-eul's words, Jongnam hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and stepping back.
The CEO turned back to Shin Tae-eul with a smiling face and greeted him amiably.
"Long time no see, Tae-eul?"
"…Long time no see, CEO."
"Tae-eul, you're not the type to be dumb at all… so why do you keep messing with my people?"
"...."
"If you want to kill me, go ahead and do it now."
…What did I just hear?
Silence fell over the rooftop.
It was a weird analogy, but it felt like whoever moved first would get sliced.
Then the CEO smirked and stepped aside a couple paces from the rooftop entrance.
"Just kidding. Go on."
"...."
The three glanced at each other's faces before slowly heading toward the door the CEO had cleared.
Watching them go toward the rooftop exit, the CEO said in a gentle tone.
"This time, I'll let you off out of respect for So. Next time, come straight to me."
Shin Tae-eul, who'd been walking last, stopped in place.
He turned around slowly.
Then he lightly bowed his head in my direction.
"So hyung, see you next time."
"...."
"Later."
The CEO gave Shin Tae-eul a cold glance before turning back to me.
Whether Shin Tae-eul closed it or the wind did, the rooftop door slammed shut with a bang.
"Sorry about that, So."
The sudden apology left me speechless for a moment.
Looking apologetic, the CEO continued.
"With what happened last time, I shouldn't have let you run into them. I'll tell the managers to be more careful."
"Ah, no. It's fine."
Even after what just went down, saying it was fine was reflexive—the fate of a pitiful wage slave.
"But how did you know to come up?"
"During the live stream, Heavenly Demon suddenly bolted."
It actually made it to broadcast…!
Unlike me, whose mind went blank trying to figure out damage control, the CEO seemed relaxed.
"Heavenly Demon's escape… will air in episode 2."
"You're airing that??"
"Yes. So no need to worry too much."
What the hell is he thinking.
I rushed down from the rooftop to check what happened.
The CEO came down with me, and absurdly, he punched in the code for the place next door and opened the door.
"CEO, did you buy the place next door?"
"I forgot to mention it."
With that casual goodnight, he went inside like it was no big deal.
Unbelievable.
But right now, where the CEO lived wasn't the issue.
The kids must've realized by now that Heavenly Demon wasn't normal.
He flew off into the sky—even the densest person would sense something off.
Feeling at a loss for how to smooth this over, I opened the dorm door and went in.
* * *
"Hyung, what the hell!"
As soon as I opened the dorm door, Jaha came running out.
Heavenly Demon must've returned right away—he stood calmly among the kids with a composed face.
I was picking my words to explain when something unexpected came out of Jaha's mouth.
"A hidden camera!! I nearly passed out, seriously! You know I hate that stuff!!"
Looks like Alliance Leader said it was a hidden camera prank.
Heavenly Demon, who'd come back first, must've played along.
I could see Alliance Leader smirking faintly over Jaha's shoulder.
Alliance Leader… you really are the epitome of chivalry and murim decorum.
As Jaha fumed beside him, Taeguk teased.
"Jaha was screaming we should report it, total meltdown. Then Hwajin hyung came back in through the balcony—man, Jaha's face right then. If this airs, it'll be epic. Gotta tell the beggars to watch episode 2."
"Ah, seriously!! You made a fool of me! I'm smashing all the cameras!!"
Jaha vented his rage and slammed his room door shut behind him.
Taeguk said he'd calm him down and followed.
Namgung Jun, who'd usually be in his room by now, lingered awkwardly before speaking up hesitantly.
"Um… content's great and all, but maybe avoid stuff that's too dangerous."
"You were worried? Thanks."
"Ah, no…."
Namgung Jun flushed bright red and scurried back to his room.
How the hell does a guy like Jun even do idol stuff.
Nahan stared silently at me and Heavenly Demon, then clasped his hands in prayer when our eyes met and followed Jun in.
Confirming Alliance Leader was the only one left, I let out a relieved breath.
"Thanks for covering, Ilgeom."
"No problem. So what happened?"
"Well…."
I debated whether to tell him about the rooftop.
I recalled how, when I'd hidden the Shin Tae-eul thing before, Alliance Leader had looked at me with uncomprehending eyes.
I should at least give him the gist.
But we were in the living room with cameras, so I phrased it indirectly.
"That guy. Came sniffing around again."
Alliance Leader immediately knew who I meant and widened his doe-like eyes.
"Again? You okay?"
"CEO showed up, gave a warning, and promised to be more vigilant. Don't worry."
"…Okay. Still, be careful."
"I will."
Alliance Leader nodded and turned to head to his room.
I was exhausted from all the weird crap piling up.
As I headed to bed, Heavenly Demon naturally trailed behind me.
"Heavenly Demon."
Alliance Leader called him in a stern voice.
Heavenly Demon clicked his tongue and went back to his own room.
That spoiled Heavenly Demon.
Now with him gone, I could finally sleep easy.
* * *
Third-year Beggar Clan Disciple Wi Taeksi, WeTakxi nickname "What Shaman," was a fan who mainly stanned Taeguk and Jaha, aka "DoGaz."
DoGaz came from their Taoist sect roots, and back when Shin Tae-eul was around, it included Jongnam Sect fans too.
Strictly speaking, Taeguk was her top bias, Jaha her second.
But she loved their brother moments so much there wasn't much difference in affection.
What Shaman pulled up the DoGaz selfie on the official WeTakxi again.
It was posted after the group live ended abruptly with Heavenly Demon jumping off the balcony.
Beggar Clan Disciples had freaked out wondering what happened.
But soon after, a sulky selfie of Jaha and Taeguk went up, captioned "Beggars, watch episode 2! (Taegukki emoji)."
Speculation ran wild that Heavenly Demon's escape was broadcast content.
And now, episode 2 of Orthodox-Demonic Joint Camp Great Commotion—the truth of that day—was starting.
The opening was identical to episode 1.
What Shaman skipped to the DoGaz parts and opened TLRT.
[Jeongma Alley's famous for food, but it's Michelin-level]
[Even Anippsa endorses the chest cuisine]
[Wait, I meant faces…]
[What even was that live stream situation lololol]
Word-of-mouth from the cringey variety show had drawn even non-idol fans, pushing realtime trends like Gupailbang variety, Orthodox-Demonic Joint Camp, Heavenly Demon chest.
'All this Heavenly Demon talk is annoying….'
Non-Beggar Clan fans mentioning him was fine.
But fellow Beggar Clan DoGaz stans alt-posting about Heavenly Demon's chest? Not cool.
'No way they're stanning a Demonic Cult concept guy whose debut stage was all he's done, no parts even. Alliance Leader's hotter, Jaha sings better, body… Taeguk's got a great one too. They ignored Namgung Jun who joined first, so why only Heavenly Demon?'
What Shaman usually ignored Namgung Jun too, but compared to latecomer Heavenly Demon stealing all attention, she sided with him.
Right then, Namgung Jun was onscreen doing jump rope as his "clan secret training."
'…Namgung Jun's kinda boring.'
He sucked at it too.
Better to watch Nahan meditating nearby.
[Nahan's just meditating again today?]
[Top bias's silent training vow on year 6]
[Guys… Jun's jumping rope, why's everyone only talking Nahan ㅠㅠ]
[Namgung Jun is just pitiful at this point]
After Namgung Jun's training ended, the scene cut to Alliance Leader coming out to the living room with Heavenly Demon and the head manager from a room.
'That guy's still working? Thought he quit since he hasn't been on schedules lately.'
Sure enough, TLRT was buzzing about the manager.
[Latecomer here, who's that with them? New member?]
[nah manager, been with them forever]
[Didn't manager quit?]
[thought so but lately he's tailing heavenly demon schedules]
[No way Gupailbang head manager's playing assistant to a newbie?]
[Friend works at Kichi, says Heavenly Demon's CEO's son]
[Now it's down to CEO's kid?]
[Kichi CEO's single?? lololol]
[Oh? Prepping live stream, he's coming out]
What Shaman closed TLRT and focused on the screen.
Familiar setup: three sitting, three standing.
Scene of manager setting up the camera.
Then the part What Shaman knew: which member went to China, where certain shots were filmed.
Casual talk flowed, leading to the problematic scene.
-Ju Jaha: Argh!! What the— beep— hell!!
The balcony door flew open on its own, capturing Jaha's panicked freakout.
'If you're censoring curses, do it right. Jaha's gonna get thug rumors again.'
As she watched, Heavenly Demon grabbed the manager.
'Oh? Manager got dragged along too?'
Clutching the manager under his arm, Heavenly Demon kicked off and leaped beyond the balcony, shown from multiple angles.
Members' reactions caught one by one.
Jaha in full shock.
Taeguk mildly flustered.
Namgung Jun startled.
But the subtitle under Alliance Leader's next face:
-Calm.
Next scene.
-First Sword: Didn't expect Jaha to freak out that much.
Alliance Leader did a behind-the-scenes interview with a straight face.
-Q: Planned hidden cam with who?
-First Sword: Hwajin.
Quick cut of Alliance Leader entering a room, staying awhile, then coming out with Heavenly Demon and manager.
-First Sword: Pretend to jump off, wired up to go up then down to scare them. But safety issues, so did it with manager hyung.
[insane lololol hidden cam???]
[Idols from a money-flush agency and this is their hidden cam scale?]
[How not freak when newbie jumps off dorm mid-broadcast hugging manager~! lololol]
[What? Thought Alliance Leader and Heavenly Demon roomed separate, but they plan hidden cams together??]
[Hidden cams involve risking life now?]
[Doing it with manager doesn't make danger vanish kids plz ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
Next interview: Baek Nahan.
Following Alliance Leader, Nahan's face on camera was perfectly serene.
-Q: Didn't seem surprised, did you know it was a prank?
-Baek Nahan: (nods)
'Nahan not talking isn't surprising anymore….'
Screen cut back to the shocked balcony scene. From here was post-live stream, unseen.
Jaha pale as a ghost, yelling.
-Ju Jaha: Aaaah!! They're crazy! 119!! Don't we need 119? Uh, what's 119's number?!
Huge "Panic" subtitle over Jaha's face.
-First Sword: Calm down, Jaha.
-Ju Jaha: Calm?!?! Why are you all so chill?! Someone jumped!!!
-First Sword: Hwajin knows Wall-Walking on Air. He's Heavenly Demon.
-Ju Jaha: What nonsense, you're crazy?? That's all concept!!!!
[balol lololol denying his own 6-year concept lololol]
[This really is Orthodox-Demonic Joint Camp Chaos]
[???: Group living? No problem. Always bunked with seniors at Huashan.]
[Alliance Leader spouting BS with that face hilarious lololol]
-Q: Jun, did you know it was a prank?
-Namgung Jun: Y-yeah… Ilgeom hyung isn't one for nonsense.
-Q: Taeguk, when'd you catch on?
-Yi Taeguk: When Ilgeom hyung mentioned Wall-Walking?
-Yi Taeguk: Jaha seemed really shocked. Normally he'd spot something off right away.
-Q: Then why not tell him it was a prank?
-Yi Taeguk: ? Do I have to?
[Yi Taeguk dead serious about trolling Ju Jaha lololol]
[Our kid's traumatized~~! ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[The jianghu is heartless…]
[Is this really your [Chivalry]?]
[Hyungs bad lololol everyone except Nahan apologize to Jaha lololol]
Onscreen, Jaha was sniffling.
Pacing the balcony wanting to check if they really fell but too scared to peek over the railing, just spinning in place.
-Ju Jaha: You're all too much...! If something happened to Hwajin hyung or So hyung, I'd quit being an idol!!! Ah, why can't I remember 119, damn it...!!
[You've been yelling 119 nonstop tho lololol]
[Jaha… such a warm-hearted guy, even if a bit dim...]
[Jaha blanket-kick incoming lololol]
[Don't make the kid cry, ease up lol;;]
Then a shadow fell over the balcony as Heavenly Demon leaped back in, caught on camera.
Landing lightly, he looked up at Jaha and asked nonchalantly.
-Wi Hwajin: Why are you standing around like that?
"Whoa."
What Shaman let out an involuntary gasp.
The combo of flying hair and necktie visual was no joke.
[I… dig long-haired guys...]
[Was pure variety sec ago, then epic timeless saga flashed by]
[If not hidden cam, GOAT entrance]
[Knowing it's prank makes it cringey lololol]
[But if it were me, prank or not, I'd just say "thank you" there]
[Thank you… thank you...]
Jaha ran to Heavenly Demon in shock.
-Ju Jaha: What hyung! You okay?
-Wi Hwajin: What wouldn't be okay.
-First Sword: Told you he'd be fine, Jaha.
Alliance Leader slung an arm over Heavenly Demon's shoulder with a bright smile.
-First Sword: Because this is a hidden camera.
-Wi Hwajin: …Is that so?
[He planned it too but acts like first hearing lololol]
[Heavenly Demon hilariousㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[So shameless lolololol]
After that, scenes of Jaha raging, relieved, then sulking off to his room.
Episode 2 ended with Jaha's solo interview.
-Ju Jaha: Whew… Won't even call you hyung anymore.
-Ju Jaha: And everyone, I know Wall-Walking on Air too.
-Ju Jaha: Forget the concept talk. We are what?
-Ju Jaha: Gupailbang~!
-Ju Jaha: Thanks for watching this ep too~!
-End.
…So that's how it was.
Curiosity sated and second bias's cuteness appreciated, What Shaman fired up TLRT and alt-posted about Heavenly Demon's chest.
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