Chapter 96: CEO on the Scene

A bright smile spread across Kim Chan’s face.

Before he knew it, Lee Doha had quietly slipped up beside him as well.

It seemed he, too, harbored a longing to see Hwang Guman’s face.

Roy, Kim Chan, Song Doyoon, Lee Doha, and Ki Yonghyeon—all five piled into the car driven by Ki Yonghyeon and headed toward the ice cream shop.

“Is the ice cream really that good?”

“I’m telling you, it’s amazing. Once you try it, you’ll keep thinking about it.”

Kim Chan and Song Doyoon, who were the same age, leaned their heads together, starting to debate which flavor to pick from the many options.

{Can I stop by and taste some too…?}

‘Sure.’

Kim Chan boasted so much that even Jigu seemed curious.

Back when Joel’s body was unavailable, Jigu had watched from the sidelines no matter what food Roy ate.

But after borrowing Joel’s body and tasting various dishes, Jigu had begun showing as much interest in gourmet food as Roy himself.

“Oh? We’re here!”

Ki Yonghyeon smoothly turned the wheel and stopped the car in front of the ice cream shop Kim Chan had pointed out.

“We’ll park here and wait for a moment, so hurry and buy it.”

“Got it!”

Answering in a loud voice, Kim Chan was the first to jump out of the car.

Song Doyoon followed closely behind him like a pony with a fire lit under its tail, and then Roy and Lee Doha leisurely got out as well.

…This air, I missed it.

Lee Doha closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

Roy took a cautious step back, his expression somewhat reluctant.

Sometimes Lee Doha said strange things that didn’t match his face.

The air should be about the same everywhere, after all.

Moreover, this was a busy district filled with more exhaust fumes from cars than other places.

Yet Lee Doha inhaled the somewhat polluted air as if it were a breath of fresh air, quickening his pace.

“Hello. Long time no see.”

“Uh, uh…?”

The employee at the ice cream shop froze with wide eyes.

Since Kim Chan and Song Doyoon had entered, she had been blinking rapidly, unsure if she was dreaming or awake.

Then, when her ultimate favorite, Roy, walked inside and greeted her, her face instantly flushed bright red.

“H-How did you come all the way here when you must be busy…”

She was an avid fan who never missed the Hunter Idol Survival Program where Roy had appeared and was an active member of the fan cafe.

She had even watched the live broadcasts where the group’s name and fandom name were decided in real time.

Now, thinking of introducing herself as part of the Comet Squad everywhere, she sighed deeply as she scooped ice cream.

‘What’s with this Comet Squad thing?’

But unexpectedly, Roy had come into the shop.

She had heard he left the company dorm to live with other members in a different dorm.

Because of that, she had even planned to quit working here soon.

But the thought of possibly seeing Roy again made her extend her part-time job longer than originally intended.

‘Amazing. I definitely need to buy a lottery ticket now.’

Reports of fans actually meeting Roy in person were extremely rare, even in the fan cafe.

Roy hardly ever went outside unless it was for official activities.

His growing popularity had also led to tighter security around him.

“Do you have any new recommended flavors today?”

Roy’s eyes sparkled as he noticed a few new flavors that hadn’t been there before.

“Peep!” (Give me that strawberry flavor, Contracted One!)

Just then, Ber, who had been dozing on top of Roy’s head, flapped his short wings and took off.

“Ah, it’s Ber!”

“Piiit!” (That’s right, human. I am that Ber!)

When the employee recognized him, Ber proudly fluttered the feathers on his forehead.

“2.” (So embarrassing, seriously…)

Aqua tightly shut her big eyes as if she couldn’t bear to watch.

“This flavor is the new release this month… customers’ reactions have been really, really good…”

With trembling hands, the employee handed Roy a spoonful of beige ice cream dotted with jelly.

“This is really delicious. I’ll take a whole tub of this.”

Instead of raising his hand to receive the spoon like he had done in the past, Roy simply opened his mouth and took the ice cream directly.

“Whoa… That guy can be flashy too?”

Song Doyoon, watching up close, widened his eyes.

For a moment, he could almost understand the feelings of the employee, whose face had turned as red as if poking her would draw blood.

“Piiik!” (I want that strawberry flavor!)

Ber began poking Roy’s cheek with his tiny beak, fuming that Roy bought the new flavor without ordering the strawberry one he wanted.

“Get the strawberry flavor too. What do you all want to eat?”

Roy responded to Ber’s request and glanced around at the other spirits.

Aqua shook her head in refusal but then flew up from Roy’s shoulder and approached the display case.

“Everyone picked colors that suit themselves. Is that what you like?”

Seeing the spirits nodding enthusiastically, Roy let out a wry laugh.

Following Ber, who chose strawberry, Aqua picked a refreshing blue-tinged ice cream.

Solum went for chocolate.

Ris selected a vanilla base with blue syrup in a wind pattern.

“I’ll come again next time. Thank you.”

“Um… can we take a photo?”

Just as the other members finished picking their ice cream and were about to leave, the employee mustered up the courage to ask.

“Would it be okay? Since you’re Roy’s fans.”

Roy glanced back at the members as if to get their permission.

Song Doyoon shrugged casually.

“I’ll just ask the manager once.”

“Okay, okay!”

Still hesitant to act alone, Roy called Gong Taecheon.

After a brief pause, Gong Taecheon gave his approval.

“Thank you! I’ll really work hard for the Comet Squad!”

The employee wiped away tears, bowed deeply, and took pictures with Roy, collecting his autograph as well as those of the other members.

“We’re grateful too.”

Roy and the members bowed in return and left the shop.

“I feel like people are going to gather around…”

They had spent more time inside the shop than expected.

A few people walking by tried to approach the shop.

“Run!”

Song Doyoon grabbed Kim Chan’s arm and dashed toward the van.

“Hey, that’s them! Wait a second!”

Some who had noticed Song Doyoon’s sudden action tried to chase after the members.

But no one could catch up to the members, all level 300 or above.

“We’re heading straight to Bada Entertainment.”

Ki Yonghyeon checked the rearview mirror and, after the members got into the van, immediately started driving.

“The ice cream really is delicious. I get why you praised it so much.”

“Right? No joke.”

“Yeah.”

Song Doyoon nodded, taking a big bite of his mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Kim Chan, happy to have his praise, grinned broadly.

The near chase with fans just moments ago had already vanished from their minds.

“There are a lot of people near the company too. It’s going to be hard to get out safely.”

“When did so many people show up…?”

“It looks like our sightings got posted on SNS.”

The front of Bada Entertainment was crowded with fans holding banners.

Kim Chan opened a popular SNS app on his phone and swallowed hard as he read the live updates.

“This won’t do. It’s better to just have your CEO come to the dorm.”

There were so many fans that it could become dangerous.

“What’s that car?”

Just as Ki Yonghyeon turned the car again to head toward the dorm, a large black SUV was approaching the van carrying the members.

“…That’s our CEO’s car.”

Lee Doha immediately recognized Hwang Guman’s vehicle.

Ki Yonghyeon, who had been preparing to raise his magic in case of a threat from the unknown car, relaxed.

“I just came out from the office as well. Since so many fans are gathering nearby, it seemed hard for the kids to get inside the building.”

Hwang Guman rolled down his window and spoke to Ki Yonghyeon.

Bada Entertainment hadn’t yet moved to a new building.

Though they had debuted, they hadn’t really started full activities yet, and it would take time to generate enough profit to relocate.

“CEO! I’ve really missed you!”

Kim Chan, sitting in the back seat, leaned forward and waved his right hand enthusiastically.

Hwang Guman had worried about how tired the kids might be with their tight schedules but was relieved to see Kim Chan’s bright expression.

“I missed you a lot too, Chan. Roy and Doha, let me see your faces too.”

Hwang Guman peeked forward at Roy and Lee Doha, his gaze gentle yet sharp.

“You all look okay.”

Song Doyoon looked back and forth between Hwang Guman and the members with curious eyes.

To him, the CEO of his agency was always a strict figure to tiptoe around, but their relationship looked so close and comfortable that a stranger might think they were family.

That made him feel a little envious, and he absentmindedly chewed on the spoon in his mouth.

“Shall we come to our dorm then?”

“Yes. I just spoke with Manager Gong.”

Hwang Guman even tried to pitch himself as a sub-manager to Gong Taecheon.

‘Do you happen to need one more manager? Despite how I look, I have quite a bit of experience. You might have heard my name before.’

Since the group was large, having one more manager wouldn’t hurt.

Gong Taecheon sometimes needed to attend to personal matters, and although Ki Yonghyeon was reliable, he was still someone assigned by the association, so trusting him completely was difficult.

Gong Taecheon responded by saying they could discuss it in detail at the dorm.

Hwang Guman’s lips twitched in anticipation.

He could already picture how happy the kids would be if he told them he could follow them around as their manager.

“Then follow me behind my car.”

They were stopped briefly since no cars were passing, but they couldn’t stay like that forever.

Besides, they didn’t know when the fans gathered outside Bada Entertainment might notice them.

Just as the two rolled up their driver’s side windows and prepared to head toward the dorm, “Kyaaahhh!”

“What—what was that?”

Startled by the piercing scream, Song Doyoon dropped the ice cream spoon he was holding in his mouth.

Though the sound wasn’t very close, all of them being hunters could easily pinpoint the direction it came from.