Nam Kang-hyuk spoke.
"I didn't even say anything.
The kids just picked them right up, just like you said, Ian."
"Ah. Did they?"
I scratched the back of my neck, pretending to be clueless.
Nam Kang-hyuk stared right into my eyes.
"How did you know? That they'd like them."
"Well..."
Maybe I didn't need to play along.
'I don't want to seem suspicious.'
It felt awkward.
I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"I didn't think they'd like them... exactly."
"...?"
Nam Kang-hyuk tilted his head.
"I just thought, if the product placement got exposed, maybe a sponsorship would come in...
I picked drinks that matched the members' vibe."
At my answer, he paused for a moment before chuckling.
"Hahaha. Really?"
"Huh?"
"I thought you just got lucky. Turns out you already knew the right answer?"
He quickly pulled the gaze he'd shifted to Tank back to me.
I stood there silently.
"Sometimes there are guys who think the right move is to buy the kids what they like.
"A manager works for the company.
Sure, you work with those kids, but you don't work *for* them alone.
Ultimately, you move to make money for the company. Most of them don't think and just try to please the kids. I was testing you to see if I needed to teach you not to do that.
Looks like you already knew."
Tank and I exchanged a silent look.
Nam Kang-hyuk spoke to Tank.
"Choosing the drinks with the kids' health in mind was a good choice too. So don't feel bad about this."
"...Yes."
Tank bowed his head.
Ouch.
My desperate cover-up had accidentally stated the correct answer.
Nam Kang-hyuk glanced at the Triple Shine members, then spoke to us.
"The department store said they'd provide security, but I don't trust it. The kids aren't famous enough for them to take it seriously yet.
So you two think of yourselves as security today. If you see anything weird, report it to me immediately."
"Weird how...?"
Tank asked.
"There are all kinds of weirdos who come to fan signings, more than you'd think.
I'll stop them if they get close, but it's better to handle things before it gets to that point."
"Yes. Understood."
"All set? Should we head up?"
Instead of answering, the members looked back and forth between the two of us.
Da-hee, Yoo-jung, Ha-ni.
Up close, their overwhelming aura made my heart thump.
Maybe it was the full K-beauty makeup.
I struggled to keep my expression neutral, avoiding looking directly at their faces or bodies.
The leader, Han Da-hee, asked Nam Kang-hyuk.
"Are both of them coming with us?"
"No. I'll have one of them tag along this week."
"Oh? That's too bad. It would be nice to have both of them."
She looked at us with a pitying face. Even knowing it was just formality, it felt comforting.
[Han Da-hee (Virgin)]
[Job: Idol Singer]
A girl with excellent image management skills, the kind who'll earn the modifier 'Celestial Idol'.
Feels like her idol mode is on 24/7.
[Status: Analysis]
[This one looks solid, but this one...
He looks young and his face is a bit... He could get caught up in unnecessary scandals or distract fans when photos are taken.
This one is a no-go.]
Well, that's harsh.
Cold.
"Shall we go?"
Nam Kang-hyuk led the way, followed by the members and stylists.
We hurried after them.
############################
The fan signing started on schedule.
"Hi~"
Han Da-hee greeted a female high school fan sitting across from her.
"Huh? Unnie. I missed you."
"Huh? You were in the audience last time at the music show, right? With the cheering flag."
"Huh? Yes. You remember me?"
"Of course~"
Even though it was their first fan signing, the members conversed skillfully with fans.
The line was longer than expected and kept growing.
As Nam Kang-hyuk predicted, the security from the department store was just positioned around the venue.
They only occasionally helped organize the line.
Even with Nam Kang-hyuk's regression ability pushing Triple Shine up the charts, having reached #1 once, proper security was still hard to come by.
They just weren't at that 'level' yet.
Triple Shine's agency wasn't large either, so there was a limit to their manpower.
Nam Kang-hyuk, me, and Tank each stood beside the three members, ready to stop fans from making unreasonable demands or causing trouble.
I stood behind Kwon Yoo-jung in the middle.
Most of the weird people got filtered out by Han Da-hee's side, so there wasn't much for me to do.
When fans gave gifts or letters, I'd take them and put them in a paper bag next to me. That was about it.
'Who is he? How does he find them?'
In the novel, a mentally unstable male superfan would rant nonsense and brandish a knife during the fan signing.
When they tried to stop him, Tank got stabbed and seriously injured.
By using his regression ability to push Triple Shine up the charts, Nam Kang-hyuk was now living a life different from before his regression.
So he had no idea this kind of incident was coming. Not in his wildest dreams.
As the person in charge, he would face reprimands from the company over this incident, and then receive a scouting offer from another company.
A fateful offer to become the manager of a popular actor he had managed in his past life too.
On top of that, he'd face near-sabotage attacks from people within the company trying to undermine him.
Even in this situation, the original story had Nam Kang-hyuk decide to continue as Triple Shine's manager, bonding more deeply with the members.
What if I stopped the incident?
I could build trust with Nam Kang-hyuk and the members. My chances of becoming a manager would skyrocket.
'Who could it be?'
Even with my good memory, I can't recall the description of some extra waving a knife around.
No.
I doubt there was even such a description in the novel.
'I don't think there was.'
Then.
How do I find him among all these people?
I looked around.
No one looked particularly suspicious.
Maybe the crazy bastard isn't showing up because fate changed?
That could be, but I need to be prepared.
If I'm wrong, the members could get hurt.
Even if that's not it, stopping this rampage could be a big opportunity.
'No choice.'
It's a bit tiring, but I decided to check everyone's status window in line.
Checking status windows saps more energy than you'd think.
'That's why I tried to avoid it.'
Nothing in this world is free.
I checked each person's status window.
Just in case, I checked the women too.
Around the time the fan signing event was ending.
I got chills seeing a man's status window.
[Kim Oo]
[Job: Unemployed]
[Status: Anger Anxiety Mental Illness]
[Da Hee, just wait a little. I'll save you from those monsters.
Damn. I have to use a sword before even learning swordsmanship properly.
Can't be helped.]
What surprised me was how ordinary this man looked.
No, not just ordinary—he looked so clean-cut it was impossible to suspect him.
He was even wearing a suit, like an office worker who just stopped by.
Soon, the next man started fiddling with his leather briefcase.
'Shit.'
Should I subdue him if he comes over and pulls a knife?
With so many eyes watching, it could go viral and make a strong impression on Nam Kang Hyeok and the members.
But.
I felt uneasy.
This big bastard doesn't seem like a good guy, but I didn't want to see blood spilled right in front of me. Above all, it felt like I was doing a planned show(?) in front of the members, and it seemed like it would backfire.
While I hesitated, the department store's security guard sent the man over.
The man approached with a friendly smile, as if about to pull out a gift, reaching into his briefcase.
'Let's handle this as quietly as possible.'
I walked toward him.
When I left my post, the members and Nam Kang Hyeok looked at me curiously.
As I approached, he immediately looked flustered.
When he hastily tried to pull out the knife, I lunged and grabbed his wrist.
"What the hell are you doing, bastard."
Even if I know the original story and have the situation figured out with the status window.
As a human, I can't fully trust the status window until I confirm it in person.
Once the anxiety that it might not be true faded, I finally used my strength properly.
"Gyaaah!"
The guy who looked fine suddenly thrashed and screamed.
But as a regular person, he couldn't withstand my full strength.
Thud-
When I tripped him, he fell to the ground.
Pulling his wrist revealed the sharp kitchen knife in his briefcase.
Murmurs rose around us, but I had no time to care.
"Drop the knife. Not dropping it?"
I tightened my grip on his wrist.
Grrr
"Gyaaah!"
The kitchen knife clattered to the ground.
'What a noisy bastard.'
All eyes in the venue were on us.
I heard phones snapping pictures and videos.
I quickly grabbed the knife and dragged him to a corner.
The event paused briefly.
Nam Kang Hyeok and the security guard followed me.
############################
-Triple Shine is just charting in reverse or sucking honey, I don't get why they'd rig it so obviouslyㅇㅇ
Isn't the reverse charting also rigged?
└They say it wasn't rigged? It was on public news. Said he was mentally ill.
└Isn't this bastard an employee from another agency?
└ㄹㅇ the forced hate is so damn obvious
-The manager was damn cool. Noticing before he pulled the knife and blocking him.
└Heard he's from special forces.
└ㄴㄴ He's a 20-year-old rookie. They say he saw the guy muttering to himself, thought it was weird, and kept watching.
└That's awesomeㄷㄷ
Click.
The office door opened.
I pocketed my phone and pushed off the hallway wall where I was leaning.
Nam Kang Hyeok smiled and said to me.
"You're here? Come in.
The CEO wants to see you."