Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Otherworld Cheat Harem.

Episode 64: Trauma (4)

It was worth it.

“Kyaaa!”

“I love you!”

“Damn it!!! Take my money!!!!”

Early morning. The area in front of the concert hall was filled with people.

A restaurant owner.

A blacksmith running a forge.

Even a mage researching magic at the Magic Tower and a rare high-level adventurer.

Her song spread throughout the city, meaning everyone in the city heard her voice.

And her song contained spiritual power. A cheat ability that healed and enchanted those who listened.

‘I feel so ecstatic…!’

Gahee trembled with excitement as she prepared for the performance in the backstage dressing room, hearing the cheers from outside.

It wasn’t tension or fear. It was joy. Her body trembled with delight from the tips of her toes to the top of her head… Is this what an orgasm feels like?

Ecstasy enveloped her whole body, and she focused on feeling that pleasure while sweating.

Dahee, who came in to inform her of the performance time, was startled to see her sweating profusely.

“Gahee! Are you okay?!”

“…I’m okay.”

“You’re sweating so much…”

“How much time is left?”

“Uh, about 30 minutes…”

“I need to go to the bathroom for a bit.”

Gahee passed by Dahee and headed to the bathroom. She closed the lid of the toilet, teeming with purification slimes, and sat on it, slowly lowering her panties.

A long thread was trailing. It was wet even though she hadn’t touched it. Tsk. She clicked her tongue and wiped her vulva with the silk next to her.

After tossing the silk in the trash, she went to the sink to wash her hands. The water spirit’s flowing water was cleaner and cooler than chlorinated tap water.

‘I can do this.’

Her breasts were not just tingling but actually prickling. The tips at the end stood up, brushing against her clothes, and with every movement, a current ran down her waist.

When she headed back to the waiting room, Dahee and Aram were there waiting for her.

“…What’s wrong?”

“Dahee said you weren’t feeling well… Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Still, just in case, should we get you checked?”

“I said I’m fine.”

Treat this feeling? That would be harder than a gambling addict quitting gambling. Already addicted to the attention, she vowed never to forget this feeling.

“It’s about time, right?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Hooh… Let’s go.”

Gahee slowly moved her feet toward the stage. On stage, the accompanists hired by Dojin and Deokgu were waiting for her.

The moment she stepped on stage, hundreds, thousands of spectators who had been waiting just for her let out a cheer simultaneously.

Rumble. The sound alone began to make the venue tremble. Gahee felt pleasure from her trembling body and slowly picked up the microphone.

[Hello! Everyone!]

For a moment, silence flowed inside the venue. She disliked this silence. It felt like returning to those days when she wasn’t popular.

[Then, let’s start with the first song! I’ll sing! Save me!]

Thump thump. The accompanists’ instruments began to sound all at once. In this world without electric guitars or drums, they had barely found traditional instruments that made similar sounds to accompany the song she knew well.

She simply added the lyrics to it.

As the lyrics flowed out, people who didn’t even understand their meaning began to hum along.

Dojin watched from backstage, appreciating the song.

Then he recalled the image of Gahee, who visited late at night.

─I have no qualifications.

With a slightly flushed face, she spoke about her trauma.

It was a long, long story.

She had no talent, and her pride was too high to even debut.

Her decision to become an idol in this other world wasn’t because it was her dream.

It was the reality she chose, confident she could showcase her superior skills here.

─I’m not a beautifully shining star, but a mirror reflecting the ugly reality. I am…

After hearing all of her story, Dojin gently embraced her.

He then asked if it was because of reality that she had dreamed of becoming an idol.

Watching her shake her head tearfully, Dojin whispered that it was enough. He comforted her to cheer her up, sent her back to her room, and worked hard to help her achieve her dream.

‘She sings well enough.’

She claimed she couldn’t become an idol due to a lack of talent, yet her singing was nothing short of heavenly harmony.

In Dojin’s view, her failure to debut was not due to a lack of talent but a confidence issue.

Whenever people heard her singing, they would clutch their foreheads and collapse one by one, or even faint outright.

For the people of this other world, who were used to slow hymns or heroic tales, it was a shocking cultural shock enough to make them faint.

It was an idol song of the 21st century, said to be so refined that there was no room for further development.

And then.

The final accompaniment ended.

As people realized the song had ended, a 0.5-second silence flowed, and the applause amplified by the silent moment filled the concert hall.

Dojin realized that her bright expression meant she had completely overcome the trauma of not being able to debut.

She felt the same way. What couldn’t she do if she put her mind to it?

At that moment, Gahee, who had been secretly watching Dojin from behind the stage, slowly opened her mouth.

[Wo ai ni.]

“…?”

The performance ended. While Dojin, who didn’t understand her message, tilted his head in confusion, Gahee, having finished the performance, came backstage and asked him.

“Your answer?”

“…What?”

“What do you mean, what? Ugh, so annoying!”

Shouting like that, she went into the dressing room. He couldn’t understand why she was upset.

That night after the performance, Dojin was awakened by the bright moon that seemed unusually large. Thinking he wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep, he decided to go for a walk.

The walk consisted of wandering around the mansion’s garden. Something he couldn’t even dream of doing when he was on Earth or living in an inn.

The cool early morning air brushed past his lungs. Taking a deep breath of the clean air he couldn’t experience on Earth, he headed to the backyard.

─♬

There was already someone there. Gahee was by the mansion’s pond, singing. Dojin blinked as he watched her sing.

‘…What is that?’

Small spirits were flying around her. It was unbelievable. Even the elf who went in and out of dungeons with Dojin couldn’t handle spirits…

As he slowly approached, startled by the rustling sound, she stopped singing. The spirits disappeared as soon as the song ended, and she was unaware that her song had the power to summon them.

“…Why are you here?”

“You’re not using honorifics anymore?”

“Hmph, that was before I debuted. Now I’m a superstar, you know? The power dynamics have changed.”

“Oh my, should I be using honorifics then?”

“…Do as you please.”

She said that and began twisting her hair. Dojin chuckled at her response and took a seat on the bench next to her.

As soon as he sat down, she lifted her hips slightly to move away.

“So, what is it? What’s going on?”

“I couldn’t sleep. What about you?”

“Well, I couldn’t sleep either.”

She glanced up at the night sky. The moon was so bright it was almost hard to believe it was real, and it caught her eyes.

Just like the unrealistically large moon, what happened today was also hard to believe.

That was why she couldn’t sleep. The afterglow of the performance still lingered.

“How does it feel to achieve your dream?”

She sneaked a side glance at him. A dream, yes. She had become an idol. A superstar with countless fans.

It was something she had longed for and dreamed of every day.

But if asked if it was good…

“…It’s just okay.”

“Just okay?”

“Yeah. It’s kind of like how I felt after taking the college entrance exam.”

“You took the college entrance exam, too?”

“…Wouldn’t I have?”

It meant she felt relieved. Yes, indeed. She had such a trauma about being an idol that she had the cheat ability to sing well.

Rather than being overjoyed as if she could fly, she felt calm now that she could finally be comforted.

It probably didn’t feel real.

“That.”

“Hmm?”

“What you said at the end. What does it mean?”

‘Are you asking that here?’ Gahee felt her heart pounding as she looked at Dojin. Her throat went dry, and her lips parched.

Gulp. She forced herself to swallow. Only then did her voice function properly.

“Well, that is… just as it is.”

“What?”

“Just as it is!”

Because of Gahee shouting, Dojin covered his ears and stepped back. Then he asked again.

“…No, I was asking what that means.”

“…What?”

“Uh… what did you say? What does that mean?”

“Wait a minute. You… you don’t know what that means?”

“No, I don’t.”

Gahee glared at Dojin with a look of disbelief. She thought there was no way he wouldn’t know, with all the TV dramas and song lyrics overflowing with such words.

Unfortunately for her, Dojin didn’t have the leisure to listen to music or watch TV. If he had that time, he would have used it to sleep.

“Haah… A guy like this.”

“A guy like this? Are you talking about me?”

“Never mind, forget it.”

Gahee dusted off her pajamas and stood up. Then she slowly turned her head and pointed a finger at Dojin.

“You, you said to me back then.”

Memories from the past came to mind. The time when he grimly insulted her.

“You said all idols are just prostitutes trying to succeed by selling their bodies.”

“Ah… I did. Sorry about that back then.”

“Hmph, it’s too late to apologize now, isn’t it? Superstars are the opposite. Advertisers want them to accept their ads, even if it means selling their bodies.”

“Really? That’s impressive.”

“I’m a superstar now too! Understand? A superstar!”

“Uh, congratulations?”

Whether he was listening or not, Gahee gazed intently at Dojin. They say hatred is also interest, and interest turns into love.

She couldn’t dislike him even if she tried.

“I won’t forget that. Do you understand? Never!”

“Even if I say I’m sorry?”

“…I’m going to bed.”

She left those words and returned to her room. Dojin quietly watched her walk back before turning his head to look at the pond.

Splash. The fish, responding to their voices, were darting around.

‘She’s grown.’

To Dojin, she seemed to have completely shaken off her trauma. It could be that her trauma wasn’t much to begin with, or perhaps her mental resilience was exceptional.

The important thing was, she did it. She succeeded in shedding her trauma. If she could do it, so could he.

Surely, overcoming a ghost that remains only in memory would be easier than succeeding as an idol in another world.