I Became An Idol To Pay Off My Debt

Friday night at a pub in Seoul.

“Hey, damn~ So I was in the military, right? Uhm…? I had dozens of guys under me, you know?”

“Aren’t you talking about that for the fiftieth time?”

“Oh damn, this guy is so wasted.”

Sergeant Yoo Chang-seon, finally on leave, was drinking with his friends.

It had been months since he last drank, so his tolerance was shockingly low.

As a result, Sergeant Yoo was completely hammered and making a fool of himself in front of his friends.

And finally….

“Uh? In the military, I…”

“I got it, you idiot.”

“In the military…, I…, in the military….”

Thud.

“What? This guy already passed out?”

He couldn’t handle his drunken state and collapsed onto the table, falling asleep.

His friends considered leaving him behind but decided to help him home out of pity for their long-missed soldier friend.

“Ugh, hey, grab his shoulder. We gotta take this idiot home.”

“Alright, I’ll pay the bill first, so send me the money later.”

“Okay, ugh… because of this idiot I can’t even enjoy the night. What time is it?”

“Hmm…, 11:20. The buses and subways are still running, so we don’t need a taxi.”

Just as they were about to take Sergeant Yoo out of the bar…

Whisper.

“…What time did you say?”

“Ah! You scared me! What, you’re awake?”

Sergeant Yoo, who had been slumped over, instantly straightened up at the mention of the time.

And then….

“It’s not about that…, what time did you say?”

“11:20. Why? Is there a problem…?”

“Damn.”

Thud.

As soon as he heard it was exactly 11:20, he looked lost and sank back down in his seat.

Seeing Sergeant Yoo, normally serious, genuinely disappointed and blank, his friends grew concerned.

“…Hey, what’s wrong?”

“……Na Ah Ah.”

“…What?”

“…I didn’t see Na Ah Ah. It’s at 10 o’clock.”

“……You’re talking about that idol audition, right?”

“…Yeah. We must see Ye-rin, we must see Ye-rin…, ugh, what do I do… we can’t see Ye-rin…! Gag!”

Puke.

Then, unable to hold it in, his friends slapped him on the head.

“What do you mean, ‘gag’? I thought it was a big deal!”

“…Ugh.”

“…What? Are you crying?”

His friends, thinking he was joking, were shocked when they saw his tears.

Soon, Sergeant Yoo wiped his manly tears and spoke to his friends in a defeated tone.

“…This is a big deal for me, you guys…. I’m sustaining my military life on the joy of watching Ye-rin.”

“Wow, this crazy guy is really crying.”

“Can’t believe this idiot is my friend—I really wasted my life.”

“Ugh…, Ye-rin….”

As Sergeant Yoo wept and wailed her name, one of his friends sighed and asked.

“Ye-rin… is she the one from Na Ah Ah that you like the most?”

“…Yeah, Ha Ye-rin. The prettiest one.”

Ha Ye-rin.

Even though he wasn’t into idols, he thought he had heard that name once.

He might have brush-past her on social media shorts.

“What’s so special about being pretty? Why make such a fuss? Seriously, I can’t understand how people can be so obsessed with idols.”

“W- wait….”

“What is it?”

“Take that back!!!”

Hearing his friend, Sergeant Yoo’s flushed face and tangled tongue quickly fired back.

“Our Ye-rin’s beauty is out of this world! If you ever saw her properly once, you’d turn out like me…! Gag!”

Puke.

Of course, before he could finish his sentence, he got slapped by his friend again.

“Shut up, you idiot. You’re being a burden to others.”

“No…, there are no customers but us…”

“Just shut up. It’s super embarrassing.”

“Ugh…, you should go to the military too. You’ll see that idols are literally the only joy in life. That’s why.”

“The military turned a stupid kid into a hopeless case, huh?”

Just as Sergeant Yoo and his friend were bickering…

“Hey, aren’t they still showing Na Ah Ah?”

“…What?”

At his friend’s words, Sergeant Yoo turned around with surprising speed.

“…What do you mean?”

“I just searched, and they say they have more screen time today so they added more segments. They said it’s broadcasting until midnight, so they must still be on….”

“Boss! Boss!!!”

As soon as he heard that, Sergeant Yoo spun around and dashed to the  TV.

In front of the TV stood the pub owner, who, despite it being Friday, sighed heavily at the low number of customers while watching a nature documentary.

“Boss! I’ll take one fried chicken to go, so give me the remote right now!”

“Huh? Ah, uh… okay, here.”

Once Sergeant Yoo got ownership of the 16,000-won remote, he immediately switched the channel to Nnet.

And…

[Alright, we will now start the performance by ‘Ha Ye-rin’s team!]

…Miraculously, he arrived just before Ha Ye-rin’s team was about to perform.

“Wow! Damn! What the hell! Such a miracle exists!”

“Seriously, this is crazy.”

“Wow damn, I’m so hyped! What song will Ye-rin sing? Huh? Is it another Tail Rose song?”

Tail Rose’s [Cheer Up My Friends].

It was definitely a cheerleader concept song. Sergeant Yoo immediately imagined Ha Ye-rin dressed as a cheerleader.

…Just the thought made him smile.

But then….

“…Huh?”

When the stage lights came on, what greeted Sergeant Yoo was…

Perk up.

Wave.

Ha Ye-rin dressed as a black cat, with cat ears, cat tail, and cat whiskers, along with black stockings and pants.

“……”

Thump.

The cheerleader concept would have suited Ha Ye-rin perfectly.

But the current version of her was…

“Ugh…, Ye, Ye-rin…, c-cat…, ugh…! Oof…! Oh…! Hah…, Hah…, wawa…, kyah…, ah…! Ugh…!”

“This idiot has completely lost his human language!”

It was way too violent for a soldier in his 1 year and 5 months.

Ultimately assaulted by Cat Ye-rin, Sergeant Yoo clutched his chest as he sank to the ground.

“…This is really madness, utter madness.”

His friend, looking at him in disappointment, then turned his attention to Ha Ye-rin on the TV.

‘…She is definitely pretty.’

…No, to be honest, she was not just pretty.

Ha Ye-rin, dressed as a cat, was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

But….

‘Isn’t it natural for idols to be pretty?’

There’s a secluded world of their own.

His somewhat cynical friend thought the stars  on TV were similar to those in parallel universes.

After all, he could never date someone like that… no? Meet one?

He couldn’t understand Sergeant Yoo’s feelings for those unreachable idols.

And just as his friend viewed Ha Ye-rin negatively, the performance began.

-Every day, same expression

-You seem robotic

-You always say you’re okay,

-But it looks like you’re not okay

‘Ah, this….’

His friend recognized this song too.

It was a massive hit from Tail Rose.

Ha Ye-rin’s team maintained the original bright vibe.

The notable difference was…

Whereas all the members of Tail Rose had been smiling throughout their performance, Ha Ye-rin, the leader of her team, maintained a cold expression throughout.

Not that it didn’t suit her. In fact, with her icy look, she made her feline grace even more captivating.

-What can I do for you?

-Cheer up; here’s a show prepared just for you

Even his friend, who was clueless about this stuff, sensed something different in Ha Ye-rin’s dance.

Something engaging that captured the viewers’ hearts.

Moreover…

Wave, wave.

“C-cute… ugh.”

Every time she danced, her swaying tail tickled his chest.

His friend accidentally praised her cuteness before quickly covering his mouth.

Thus, the performance continued while he clamped his mouth shut.

-Cheer up; we’re here for you

-Even if someone bothers you outside

-Inside, we’re here only for you!

‘Oh… She really sings well… is she the main vocalist or what?’

He admired Seo Yoo-jin’s vocals for a moment.

While Seo Yoo-jin had a contrasting white cat outfit, he could feel his heart race just looking at her.

-We’re always by your side~

Next came Park Yoo-jung’s dance break.

In contrast to cat Ha Ye-rin like Seo Yoo-jin, she was dressed as a golden retriever and showcased a unique charm.

Flap.

With droopy ears instead of perked-up cat ears, Park Yoo-jung performed an energetic dance.

And with all attention focused, the group chorus unfolded.

-Always cheer up

-We’re always by your side~

Participants with diverse charms harmonized, creating a synergy.

But of course, the one who stood out the most was Ha Ye-rin.

‘…Ah.’

In that moment, his friend seemed to grasp why Sergeant Yoo liked Ha Ye-rin so much.

Ha Ye-rin was indeed extraordinary.

What made her different?

It was those perked-up cat ears.

And that cold yet occasionally blooming little smile.

The perfect match of her white, small face with those cat whiskers.

Her cat-like flexibility and alluring dance moves.

And….

Wave, wave.

Touching her even once would fulfill a lifelong wish, that tail…!

…So mesmerising.

So alluring.

…No, calling her alluring felt too vulgar.

‘So much…, so much…, damn…! I can’t express it…!’

While thinking of how ridiculous Sergeant Yoo was, he found himself captivated by the screen.

And by the time he came to his senses….

[Waaaaahhhh-!!!]

[Ha Ye-rin-!!!!]

[Encore!!!!!]

‘…What, what? It ended already?’

The stage had finished, and all the members were striking their ending poses.

Boom.

As the lights dimmed…

‘Ah, no, why did it end so fast… Ah, wait, focus.’

He felt disappointed that the performance ended yet soon regained his composure.

…That was a close call.

He almost lost his reason and…

“Ha…, Ye-rin’s performance was amazing….”

He could have become a ridiculous loser, like Sergeant Yoo, who only loved fantasies about idols.

“Right? Our Ye-rin is insane, right?”

“Well, uhm… I don’t know…”

Just as he mentally praised his own ability to hold firm, suddenly.

Boom.

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, the stage lights came back on….

[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): Ah…, um…]

Ha Ye-rin, who had been returning backstage, was hesitating before stepping back onto the stage.

“Huh? What’s this?”

“……”

Both Sergeant Yoo and his friend instantly focused on the screen as Ha Ye-rin reappeared.

[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): I have something to say…, uh, I can’t do it….]

[Park Yoo-jung (Revy): What do you mean? Just do it! You lost at rock-paper-scissors, so hurry up!]

[Seo Yoo-jin (SAV): I want to see you do it quickly!]

It seemed she had come out for a punishment after losing at rock-paper-scissors…

‘What’s going on?’

Ha Ye-rin blushed, looking like she couldn’t possibly do it, fidgeting before her team members urged her on…

Brush.

She clenched her fists to her face and shouted.

[Ha Ye-rin (Brotherhood Planning): U-please vote for our team a lot…, meow.]

“……”

“……”

In that moment, time stopped.

And… when the frozen time began to flow again….

[Kyahhhhhh-!!!!]

[Woooooowwwwwwwwwww-!!!]

“Wow…, da, damn…, ugh…, ugh…! Waaaah…!”

“Wow…, ahhhh…! Aaaahh…!!”

He and Sergeant Yoo and the audience on the  TV were all screaming.

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