16-165

EP.165 Terror, Truth, and Yandere (2) 

I wanted to succeed as an idol. 

I wanted to be the kind of idol who could sway her body on a dazzling stage and heal everyone’s hearts with her singing. 

So I worked hard. 

Even when I had nosebleeds from overexertion, I’d just wipe them away and keep going. 

I practiced choreography so much that I even did it in my dreams. 

Maybe my efforts paid off. 

My popularity kept rising, showing no sign of stopping. 

Just like I had dreamed, I was able to show everything I had in front of tens of thousands of fans. 

Before I knew it, I had become a top-tier idol, and I thought my story would end beautifully. 

...Or so I thought. 

"Senna, I’m looking forward to your next performance." 

"Of course, President." 

Life isn’t a fairy tale. 

Even after achieving your goals, reality keeps pushing you forward. 

What was once a modest dream eventually became a shackle weighing on my shoulders. 

It wasn’t just about me anymore. 

The lives of countless people depended on me. 

If I stopped, I could ruin all those lives. 

It was an endless marathon. 

Even after passing my goal, I didn’t know how to stop running. 

"Ah... another nosebleed..." 

While practicing choreography alone in the studio, a vivid red streak ran across my philtrum. 

How many nosebleeds is that this month? 

I’ve lost count, and even seeing the blood drip on the floor doesn’t faze me anymore. 

"This should be enough, right?" 

I stuffed some tissue up my nose and wiped the blood off the floor. 

I’d had so many nosebleeds that I’d become too good at cleaning up after them. 

That’s not the kind of thing you should get good at. 

'At least I haven’t gotten anemia yet.' 

I’ve lost so much blood, but I’ve never experienced anemia. 

Or maybe I’m so tired I can’t tell the difference. 

"What time is it?" 

Once I get into the studio, I get so absorbed that I often forget to check the time. 

Sometimes, I’d train for three days straight, only drinking water, without realizing how much time had passed. 

Looking back, I wonder if the company staff didn’t care about me or just trusted me. 

"It’s already night." 

There were no windows, so I hadn’t noticed. 

It was already past midnight. 

I’m sure I came in during the morning. Why does time pass so quickly? 

I’m not that hungry, but I should eat something. 

There’s no way any restaurants are open at this hour. 

And I don’t even have the energy to cook. 

"Sigh, I’ll just go to the convenience store." 

An idol at a convenience store. 

If the company president found out, he’d be horrified. 

But if I don’t eat anything and collapse, that would be even worse. 

I pulled my hood up and put on a mask to hide my face, and headed out. 

I turned off the studio lights and slowly made my way to a nearby convenience store. 

It was near a busy area, so even late at night, there were lots of people. 

It was noisy with people’s voices everywhere. 

Senna, I believe in you. 

Succeed again next time. You’re our hope! 

As expected of genius idol Senna. Do well next time, too. 

You’re amazing, unnie. I really respect you. 

'So noisy...' 

But it wasn’t as loud as the hallucinations in my head. 

The more idol Senna grew, the more the human Cheon Yumi seemed to fade away. 

Even my parents now called me Senna. 

[Genius idol Senna! We support your dreams today!] 

'Who are they calling a genius?' 

My face was plastered in huge letters on the electronic billboard. 

It said things like "genius idol" and "the greatest idol ever." 

All those flashy words shone brightly. 

But the person on the billboard wasn’t thinking hopeful thoughts. 

'Ah, I want to die.' 

If I died here, would I be freed from this pain? 

Maybe a sign would fall and crush me beyond recognition. 

Thinking such un-idol-like thoughts, I slipped into a quiet alley to avoid the crowds. 

Senna, you’re a genius. You’ll succeed again! 

Does that kid even know what effort is? 

I tried so hard! I gave up everything! Why! 

Senna, you’re the best idol! 

'So noisy... so noisy!' 

The hallucinations were worse than usual today. 

Maybe my body was reaching its limit. 

Even my vision was blurry, and it was hard to walk. 

"Ugh!" 

Eventually, my legs gave out, and I collapsed on the spot. 

Since I’d come into an alley to avoid people, there was no one around to help me. 

I might just die here, with no one to find me. 

'...Well, maybe that’s not so bad?' 

I wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. 

It was the only way to escape my responsibilities. 

That didn’t sound so bad, I thought, as I quietly closed my eyes. 

"Hey, are you okay?" 

"Mm..." 

A voice called out. 

I struggled to open my heavy eyelids. 

A man in shabby clothes was looking down at me. 

I didn’t expect to see anyone in a place like this. 

He kept talking to me as I lay there, but it was like my mouth was glued shut. 

'Please, just ignore me and walk away. Please...' 

Grrrrr. 

A loud stomach growl broke the silence. 

Suddenly, shame rushed over me, and my face turned red. 

Why now, of all times! 

This is embarrassing, even before being an idol, just as a woman! 

"Pfft! You must be really hungry." 

"..." 

This guy. Is he laughing too much? 

I glared at him, wanting him to leave. 

He barely managed to stop laughing and pulled something out of a bag. 

"Would you like some of this?" 

"..." 

A perfectly fried croquette, steaming and aromatic. 

It smelled so good it made my mouth water. 

It must have been freshly fried, as steam was still rising from it. 

As an idol, this was practically forbidden food. 

"J-just one, please." 

I couldn’t resist the fried food on an empty stomach. 

"Nom! Nom! Mmm..." 

"Haha, you eat well." 

I said I’d only have one, but before I knew it, I’d eaten five by myself. 

Even one was pretty big, but I kept eating without stopping. 

Am I a person or a pig? 

'How am I supposed to look at this guy now?' 

I glared at him, but he kept talking to me with a nonchalant attitude. 

And yet, I’d just eaten five croquettes in front of him because I was hungry. 

They were so delicious that I finished the sixth in no time. 

'How many calories are in one of these?' 

Potatoes soaked in oil, covered in batter must be a ton of calories. 

It’s fine since there’s a gap before my next performance. 

But I can only sigh thinking about the hell to come. 

"Don’t you choke, eating like that?" 

"Ah, thank you." 

I’d eaten almost all the croquettes he bought. 

He worried about me and handed me a drink from the vending machine. 

I drank the tea carefully, trying not to show my face. 

The heavy feeling in my stomach eased right away. 

"Phew, thank you. I haven’t eaten anything all day." 

"Haha, I could tell." 

He said he expected that and took a sip of cola. 

His tone was the kind women usually hate, but I couldn’t complain since he’d helped me. 

'Hmm? Where have I seen this guy before... Ah!' 

As I looked at him more closely, I realized he was a fan of mine. 

He came to my signings and handshake events often enough that I remembered his face. 

He always lined up in my row, so he was definitely my fan. 

"Do you like Senna a lot?" 

"Uh?" 

He was startled by the sudden question. 

He looked at me as if to ask how I knew. 

I quietly pointed to the Senna keychain sticking out of his pocket. 

"Y-yeah, I do." 

Was it because I’d guessed his taste, or because he’d admitted he liked me? 

His face turned bright red, and he scratched his cheek awkwardly. 

And yet, he didn’t recognize the real Senna right in front of him? 

I asked on purpose, just to tease him. 

"What do you like about her? The other members are nice and pretty too." 

I pushed further, asking directly. 

He hesitated, looking up at the sky in thought. 

What answer would he give? 

Would he say it’s because she’s perfect at everything, like a genius idol? 

Or that he just liked her because everyone else did? 

Whatever he said, I’d just laugh. 

"Maybe it’s her hardworking side." 

"...Huh?" 

My mind went blank. 

Her hardworking side? 

Had I ever shown that on TV or anywhere else? 

I always worked hard where no one could see and only showed my perfect self. 

How did he know? 

I was so shocked I couldn’t say anything. 

He started talking quietly, almost mumbling, about what he’d seen. 

"I’ve been watching for a while, and Senna actually makes a lot of little mistakes." 

"Mistakes?" 

"She’s perfect now, but when I first saw her, she made a lot of mistakes." 

He said he found it cute. 

"Sometimes she’d forget the choreography and watch the other members, or cover up a wrong note with confidence." 

"......" 

I remembered those times. 

In the beginning, I made a lot of little mistakes. 

That’s why I worked myself to the bone. 

I thought it was okay since no one ever mentioned it. 

I never imagined someone would notice those little mistakes. 

I wanted to die for a different reason now. 

"But as time went on, you stopped making mistakes, and seeing you grow as an idol made me feel like your hard work was paying off." 

"I see..." 

I always thought I had to show my fans a perfect image. 

An idol’s mistakes only ruin the fans’ admiration. 

That’s what the president always said, so I always tried my best and aimed to be the perfect idol. 

But this guy didn’t dislike me for my mistakes. 

Instead, he watched over me and always cheered for me. 

It felt like he was seeing not the idol Senna, but the person Cheon Yumi. 

Before I knew it, I’d finished the tea he gave me. 

As the mood suggested it was time to part ways, he asked, 

"Can we meet again?" 

"Huh?" 

For some reason, I wanted to see him more. 

I wanted to talk with him more. 

Not as an idol, but as a normal person. 

Maybe my wish reached him, because he nodded without hesitation. 

After that day, it was as if we’d made a promise. 

We’d meet in the alley, snack together, and chat. 

I’d talk about what made my day hard, or how I got lucky and found 500 won on the street. 

They were trivial conversations, but that’s the normal life I’d always wanted. 

The more time I spent with him, the more healed I felt, both in body and mind. 

At the same time, my feelings for him grew more and more uncontrollable. 

"I’ll throw away the bottle again today." 

"Sorry for always making you do it." 

"It’s fine. I like doing it." 

'Yes! I got today’s material!' 

I took the empty PET bottle from the man who introduced himself as Kim Jin-woo, feeling a surge of joy inside. 

Lately, I’d gotten into the habit of licking things he’d touched while pleasuring myself. 

It felt like kissing Jin-woo, and it made me so happy. 

I treasured the PET bottle he’d thrown away and was about to talk with him again when  

"Ugh!" 

"Hey! Watch where you’re going!" 

'What’s with that guy?' 

A drunk stumbled into the alley and bumped into Jin-woo. 

Jin-woo fell, but the drunk scolded him instead. 

"Sorry. I’ll be more careful next time." 

"Tsk! Watch where you’re going!" 

But Jin-woo didn’t get angry. 

He bowed and apologized. 

The drunk kept grumbling as he left. 

I hurried to check if Jin-woo was hurt. 

Fortunately, he wasn’t badly injured, just a few scrapes on his hand. 

"Jin-woo, why did you apologize? He was the one at fault." 

"It’s fine. Better I apologize than get you involved." 

'He’s really too kind.' 

He avoided a fight for my sake. 

His kindness made my heart ache with gratitude. 

Late at night. 

I put the cold corpse into a drum and poured cement over it. 

The cement kept pouring until the body was completely covered. 

After it hardened, I rolled the drum toward the sea. 

Splash! 

The drum fell into the waves with a big splash. 

I watched it for a while. 

When the drum didn’t resurface, I smiled brightly. 

"Haha, see? That’s what you get for messing with Jin-woo." 

The idol smile was gone, replaced by a crazed grin on Cheon Yumi’s face. 

She hugged herself, trembling. 

"Ahh♥. I helped Jin-woo♥." 

She didn’t sound like someone who’d just committed murder. 

She sounded proud, as if she’d done a good deed. 

Her crotch was soaked, not because she’d killed someone or gotten away with it, but simply because she’d helped one man. 

Cheon Yumi orgasmed, smiling madly under the moonlight. 

After laughing for a while, her expression suddenly went blank. 

"Ah, I want to see Jin-woo." 

Yumi left the pier without a hint of regret. 

She hadn’t told anyone, but somehow she started walking toward Kim Jin-woo’s house.