episode_0027

A lime lies beneath the shelf.

The cross-section of the fruit sways like an illusion.

That swaying leaves an unpleasant impression on me.

It reminds me of colleagues who met tragic fates in the past.

Soon, the lime is completely obscured by someone.

An idol girl with a blissful expression, eyes half-closed.

She lies on the floor, turns her face towards me, and locks eyes.

Her red, smooth lips tremble.

“Unni.”

“…”

Her peculiar voice makes my heart race in all directions.

I gaze at her, emitting a whimper I’ve never uttered before.

What kind of existence is this child to Anna that she obsesses over?

Encountering that killer would only lead to death, after all.

Death…

Saliva trickles from my mouth.

I want to tell Anna’s story now, but the thick atmosphere stifles any sound.

I broke my pride too late.

The young girl’s intense scent draws closer.

Her fresh face inches from mine, she asks, “Shall I kiss you?”

With a blush on her nose, Jae-hee smiles coyly.

She seems to exude an overwhelming amount of pheromones.

The idol girl vents pent-up desires and frustrations.

Her moist tongue gently licks my neck.

My body tingles at the sensual touch.

“People enjoy being touched, right?”

I must stop this.

She was getting intoxicated by her own abilities, deteriorating.

I focus all my senses on my arms as best as I can.

My trembling hand barely moves.

But that’s all it does.

Jae-hee’s pheromones allow only minimal movement.

The girl smiles like a petulant animal struggling.

“You wanted to touch me like that?”

The idol girl holds the fan’s hand that was about to touch her.

Then, she touches her cheek against mine.

“I won’t tell you, so I’ll at least smell Anna-nim’s scent like this.”

Her nose brushes between my fingers.

For the first time, I am grateful for her obsession.

The physical contact born from obsession with Anna helped me use my abilities.

I close my eyes.

Holding my breath, I concentrate all my focus on my fingertips.

Gradually, a white radiance unfolds in the pink world.

What brought this girl to this state?

I will find out for myself.

“—.”

A bright light hits us almost scorching our foreheads.

Today, during my debut interview, I gulp nervously, staring at the camera.

“At the center of attention, the true super rookie! Joining us with Aimer!”

The male MC with colored lenses introduces us enthusiastically.

His voice, familiar from TV, feels more resonant and new up close.

“First, please introduce yourselves to our M Town viewers one by one.”

Seon-a, the group’s leader and vocalist, confidently steps forward first.

“Hello, I’m Seon-a, in charge of the main vocals-.”

She needed no additional qualifiers.

A prepared idol, pretty, sings well, speaks fluently.

“—.”

“—.”

The other two members each state their roles as sub-vocalist and main dancer.

As my turn approaches, my heart pounds harder.

I fear my usually concealed pheromones might be released to an alarming extent.

The admired MC soon asks me.

Even the distant eyes of the camera draw closer, scrutinizing me intently.

“Hello, I am…”

But me… What role was I supposed to have here?

I can’t seem to recall the scripted lines I had prepared.

Singing? Dancing?

Nothing stands out.

Is it just my face?

While that may be true, the other members are equally talented.

I feel the gazes of my peers.

Pushed by those looks, I manage to recall the rehearsed lines.

“I’m Jae-hee, responsible for ‘vivacity’ in the group-!”

There was a brief pause, but I managed to get through it smoothly.

Even the MC encouraged me with a smile, saying, “You did great.”

“Well then, before we proceed with the questions, may I ask about the meaning of the group’s name, Aimer?”

“Our group Aimer means ‘one who aims’ in English. We are aiming our love towards all of you, so get ready for a direct hit. Please prepare yourselves firmly.”

In response to the MC’s question, Suna mimicked shooting a gun as if she had already prepared.

Following her lead, the other members winked and imitated her actions.

She had never told me about this before…

“I feel nervous as if I’ve already been shot by a gun. Let’s begin right now. Aimer’s focus!”

With a gesture from the MC, stairs leading to the stage unfolded.

Confidently, we ascended the stage along that path.

However, as I climbed onto the stage, my mind was filled with various thoughts.

Why didn’t they tell me about the pre-stage dance…?

“—.”

The music faded away.

A song that lasted over 3 minutes felt abruptly short, ending in just 30 seconds.

Although the cameras turned off, we made an effort to present ourselves as composed as possible.

We descended the stairs upright and only when we reached the entrance to the waiting room could we finally relax our expressions.

There stood men in black suits and the company CEO.

The CEO individually thanked our members for their hard work.

As everyone entered the waiting room, he called only me aside.

“Jaehui, you know, right? We have to go for supplementary training.”

“Yes…”

I was led by the black-clad men to the emergency staircase effortlessly.

The members watched me intently.

Very coldly.

As if they wouldn’t mind at all if another person replaced me instead.

Descending the stairs, a waiting van awaited me.

I comfortably settled into the suspicious black van, seemingly familiar with it.

The CEO, with long hair and sunglasses, sat right next to me.

Taking out his e-cigarette, he casually asked, “You almost forgot your lines during the interview, didn’t you?”

I nodded silently.

He chuckled and reassured me, “It’s okay, you still did well.”

He seemed to be comforting me with a smile.

But instead of feeling encouraged, I became more anxious.

Usually, when the CEO shows such kindness, it’s followed by a demand.

And for that demand to be met, the black van was heading somewhere.

We drove for a good 30 minutes.

Finally, we smoothly parked in some underground parking lot.

I know this place.

It’s the place I hate the most in the world.

Dim signs on a gloomy corridor caught my eye.

Catharsis.

This place, labeled as a simple pub, unfolds into a completely different world once you step inside.

Filled with strong scents of perfume and alcohol, this place truly terrifies me.

But I have no choice but to enter.

The main reason I was scouted by the CEO to join Aimer was because of this place.

With hands clasped together, I pitifully followed him.

Two familiar men greeted us as we entered.

Middle-aged men dressed in gray suits.

They referred to each other as the CEO and the Director, warmly patting each other on the shoulder.

Among them, the one known as the Director locked eyes with me.

I wanted to retreat in fear, but he approached me first.

“It’s not Jaehui! I heard it’s your debut stage today, but the Director couldn’t make it because he was busy.”

“It’s okay…”

“Please take care of us today too. You know the Director is always on Jaehui’s side, right?”

His elephantine eyes twinkled.

Avoiding his gaze, I nodded my head with effort.

After a light handshake, the man headed towards the prepared room.

Eventually, the CEO also followed them gracefully inside.

He glanced back at me before entering.

The gaze reflected through the gap in his sunglasses was eerie.

I silently nodded my head.

I knew well what he wanted from me.

The black door closed.

And only two bodyguards and I remained in the hall of catharsis.

They gestured to me like thugs.

Indicating for me to enter the adjacent room.

I listlessly entered the room as instructed by them.

It was a guest room connected to the room where the boss was present.

I sank wearily onto the long sofa.

Strange sounds came through the sliding door.

The clinking sounds of young women.

The hearty laughter of middle-aged men.

And even the faint, peculiar sounds.

Since my debut as an idol, I had always been drawn to this place.

And I had heard these unpleasant sounds every time.

From the adjacent room.

Soon, a text message arrived on my phone.

It was from the boss.

“Level 3 intensity.”

3…

I repeated the number in my mind.

I gripped the shirt collar that was tightening around my chest.

And lightly shook it.

Then, a sweet fragrance began to emanate slowly from my skin.

I listened closely to the sounds coming from the adjacent room in that state.

The young ladies were gasping as if suffocating.

And the middle-aged men seemed to be boasting about not being old yet, shouting loudly.

It was undoubtedly going to be a filthy and vile scene.

But those sounds began to stimulate my whole body.

It was a tingling and heightened sensitivity.

I wanted to shake off that feeling, but I couldn’t.

There was no other stimulus as potent as extracting pheromones.

I slightly opened the gap in the sliding door.

Through the gap, I could see the naked bodies of the room’s ladies.

Curves extending from the contours of their buttocks to their chests.

I forcibly turned my head away to avoid seeing that.

And I reached out my fingers to start infusing my scent into that room.

Before long, the voices of the distressed ladies changed.

Turning into voices of pleasure.

The men’s voices were even more obscene.

Until a while ago, they seemed somewhat human, but after smelling my scent, they soon began to pant like animals.

I found those sounds unbearable.

I sat on the soft sofa, hugging my knees.

Plugging both ears, I eagerly awaited the end of this farce.

But the screams kept piercing through my fingers.

That strange sound seemed to captivate my entire being.

In an attempt to shake off that feeling, I frantically rubbed my body with my hands.

“—.”

How much time had passed?

The adjacent room fell silent.

The doctor and the boss exhaled deeply, as if releasing tension.

Dr. Elephant took a deep drag on his cigarette and said,

“As expected, smoking in Hee’s scent is paradise.”

“Oh, come on.”

The boss replied nonchalantly.

“It’s truly a remarkable ability. How on earth did someone acquire such a skill?”

“Well, you know. They say he didn’t get much attention from his parents since he was young. Always said his older brother was taken care of first.”

The boss, despite having me right next door, paid no attention.

He was confessing my flaws to the doctor in detail.

“Well, in situations like this monster incident, it’s natural for strong men’s influence to become more pronounced.”

The doctor understood, flicking his cigarette ash.

“When one desperately wants attention from people—voilà. That pheromone ability comes into play. Like a female animal.”

“A truly great ability. Especially today, the smell was more intense. It’s like it gets more intoxicating as the child grows older.”

He muttered in a lustful voice.

“How old is Hee this year?”

“Nineteen.”

“Then can we start bringing him into the room soon?”

I squirmed as if pricked by needles.

His words felt terrifying, as if he was about to slaughter me.

“Oh… Doctor. Hee is our idol. He’s a legitimate product, a product.”

“I see… What a shame. If I could directly inhale that ecstatic scent against my skin… it would be truly… exquisite.”

The representative let out a deep sigh as if resigned.

But he had not given up.

“Well then… Someday, the marketability as an idol will also come to an end.”

Marketability…?

I pondered his incomprehensible words.

“When that time comes, send me off separately. Find me a place in the association without any regrets.”

…”

The representative did not offer any response.

Only a serene silence filled the lounge.

The only sound was the frantic beating of my heart.

Afraid that the sound might escape, I covered my mouth with my hand.

In the process, I ended up biting my palm with my teeth.

It was because the representative had said something completely unexpected.

“I will consider it.”

A crimson line of blood ran down my thigh.

The moment I heard those words, I could no longer think of anything.