(Mulkiber, please, shut that mouth of yours…….)
No matter how cute his appearance remained, the Spirit King had a certain dignity to uphold.
In Aqua’s gaze, Ber’s behavior had become more childlike since coming to this other world.
Originally, he was the most hot-tempered among the Spirit Kings.
Moreover, it wasn’t like he was the type to think before speaking, even as a mere formality, but now it was even worse.
“Pii?” (What’s up, Aqua? You’re jealous of me too, huh?)
A vein popped out on Aqua’s delicate forehead.
Just as Roy, who had been lost in emotion, sensed the tense atmosphere brewing between the two spirits, he quickly intervened.
“Both of you, stop it. If you fight, I’ll kick you out of the room.”
Although they had spent a night in separate rooms on the night Roy got heavily drunk, the spirits basically liked Roy.
From a spirit’s perspective, Roy’s soul was a rare and pure gem, the first they had ever seen since their creation.
Just by looking at him, the spirits’ minds and bodies calmed.
They unconsciously tried to stay as close to Roy as possible, even keeping an eye on each other.
But now, Roy was threatening to kick them out.
“Pii….” (Contractor, you’re too cruel…….)
Ber was the first to touch his tail. His emotions flared up quickly but cooled down just as easily, like a candle that would blow out with one breath.
“Roy hyung, it’s better not to tell the other members just yet, right?”
With Ber and Aqua settling down, Kim Chan voiced what had been bothering him.
“Yeah. They seem like they’d believe me, but just in case. I’m satisfied that you two trust what I say.”
Roy knew he had to tell them someday.
Perhaps some other members had already noticed something was off, just like Kim Chan and Lee Doha had come to him suspiciously.
But for Roy to approach them first and say, “I’m from another world, and I’m here to invade Earth,” was impossible.
Roy considered it a miracle that Kim Chan and Lee Doha had even listened to him.
“Got it. Then rest now, hyung. I’ve taken up enough of your time.”
“You guys go get some rest too. Lee Doha, you sleep so much already.”
“…….”
Once the important talk was over, Lee Doha’s eyes grew heavy and glassy.
It was a mystery why someone with such good stamina needed so much sleep.
Thud.
***
After the two left, Roy trudged over to his bed and threw himself down.
The soft bedding embraced him warmly.
{You have a good eye for people, Hero. Everyone here is a good person.}
Right.
If only considering Kairus, Roy’s judgment could be said to be severely lacking, but everyone else trusted and followed him.
According to what Joel Ritas had told him, many who swore never to betray Roy lost their lives or became half-paralyzed.
Roy’s grip crushed the bedsheet in his hand.
‘I wish that bastard Kairus would come here first.’
He intended to crush everything Kairus had.
The fact that Kairus was the last royal of the Lumen Empire was irrelevant.
No kingdom lasts forever.
Bloodlines eventually die out and the empire falls.
Roy was only accelerating that inevitable downfall by a little.
{Oh, don’t say that. There’s a saying here that words become seeds.}
Earth waved off the comment.
To Earth, Kairus was a boss-level threat, and having that boss arrive early only made things more difficult.
‘Right. I’ll be careful what I say.’
Roy was well aware that his current strength didn’t surpass Kairus or his power base.
To win the war against him, Roy’s comrades had to come here first, not Kairus himself.
‘…I miss them.’
His comrades, including his sister who lived at the same dorm, all had distinct personalities.
Whenever they gathered, the whole area became noisy and chaotic.
Roy longed endlessly for those carefree times, laughing with his comrades, unaware that tragedy was fast approaching.
***
“Starting today, we have Manager Hwang Guman working as the sub-manager. As you all know, he’s the CEO of Bada Entertainment.”
“Wow. I’ve heard so much about you from the hyungs. Please take good care of us!”
At Gong Taecheon’s introduction, Hwang Guman bowed slightly.
Lee Hajun jumped up from his seat, clapping thunderously.
“Hahaha, thanks for the warm welcome.”
“Please, speak casually. You’re way older than me.”
“Shall we?”
With Lee Hajun leading, the other members nodded, and Hwang Guman laughed heartily.
He’d worried the members might dislike his arrival as a sub-manager, but that wasn’t the case at all.
“What’s the first schedule for today?”
Song Doyoon, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, raised his right hand.
Everyone except the youngest, Lee Hajun, was still exhausted.
“Pii….” (Contractor, what’s going on…? It’s not even dawn yet….)
As Roy started his day, the spirits also rose from the bed.
Spirits don’t need to sleep every day like humans.
But since being summoned by Roy, the Spirit Kings adjusted their cycles to his.
Thanks to that, they spent a few hours daily in a semi-sleep state, just like humans sleep.
Risu had retreated completely into his shell, unmoving.
Gong Taecheon answered Song Doyoon’s question, pulling out a tablet to check the schedule.
“We’re heading to the practice room to start rehearsing the debut song immediately. There’s a mid-day review at 1 PM.”
“…1 PM?”
Kkoribyul’s debut song was STAR.
They had practiced it so much that they hummed it even in their sleep-talking.
“Yeah. And recording starts at 6 PM sharp.”
“…Awesome.”
But the choreography they practiced involved dozens moving together.
Few parts had been sung solo.
Now, with the final debut lineup set, they had to rearrange and practice the song and dance for just eight members instead of dozens.
“Dividing the choreography and parts is going to take quite some time.”
Han Jihoo spoke seriously, rubbing his chin.
He had heard that the real schedule started today, but it seemed tougher than expected.
“We’ll debut and start activities with STAR, then immediately begin working on the mini album.”
Lee Doha’s half-closed eyes snapped open.
“There will be six songs total, and four have already been finalized. They’re from the currently most popular composers and lyricists.”
With four out of six songs prepared, two remained.
Lee Doha’s sharp gaze landed on Gong Taecheon’s lips.
As if anticipating what he was about to say next.
“As far as I know, you all have some level of composing and lyric-writing skills. Especially Doha is quite talented.”
The hunter idol world was a system of endless competition.
The process to debut was like a camel passing through the eye of a needle, but the real challenge started after debut.
Therefore, some hunter idol groups wrote, composed, and even produced their own songs.
High Cycle was the most representative group of this.
“I want to try.”
Usually, Lee Doha barely voiced his opinions, but this time he actively showed his will.
“Of course. That’s why I held back two songs on the album for you, Doha. I want all of you to participate a little bit.”
Gong Taecheon glanced around at the members’ faces.
“The trainers will all help, so don’t worry too much.”
Lee Hajun, whose head was swirling with how to compose and write lyrics, nodded enthusiastically.
“Shall we head to the practice room now?”
“Yes!”
***
“Wow… the practice room is really huge.”
Lee Hajun gaped, barely able to close his mouth, repeatedly expressing his amazement.
“This is really expensive stuff.”
Kim Chan’s eyes also widened as he saw the speaker set up in one corner.
It was too high-end to be just any practice room equipment.
“This is your personal practice room?”
“Yeah.”
Roy looked up at Han Jihoo with a newfound appreciation.
Kkoribyul’s practice room was the personal room Han Jihoo used.
Every aspect, from size to facilities, was better than most major agencies’ practice rooms.
Han Jihoo also preferred practicing in a familiar environment.
“No way, there’s even a recliner sofa in a practice room.”
Song Doyoon chuckled dryly.
It felt more like entering a hotel suite than a practice room.
With glass on three sides, one partitioned area had sofas, tables, a fridge, and a coffee machine.
If you got tired during practice, you could lie down and nap anytime.
“I really like you, my friend.”
Kim Jaewoo, who had grown closer to Han Jihoo from sharing the room, lightly patted his shoulder.
If Han Jihoo had been the type to brag or show off, situations like this would have been uncomfortable, but he had a genuinely good personality.
“I’m glad everyone likes it. Otherwise, I was going to remodel the whole place.”
Since it was a personal practice room, the interior matched Han Jihoo’s tastes.
“There’s no way anyone wouldn’t like it. The practice room is amazing.”
Min Junyoung, quietly exploring every corner of the practice room, gave Han Jihoo a thumbs up.
“…Coffee too. All kinds of capsules, and there are five machines.”
Roy stopped by the snack and coffee area.
There were dozens of different coffee capsules with a variety of machines, and Roy’s dark eyes sparkled.
“Oh, I ordered these extra because you and Doha like coffee. I did well, right?”
Han Jihoo approached Roy with a bright smile.
Roy’s usually expressionless face melted when he had coffee or delicious food.
It was a good sight.
One of the machines was a semi-automatic coffee machine, where you could grind beans yourself and pull espresso shots — the kind seen in large cafes.
“I’ll show you how to use it. Capsules taste good, but freshly ground beans bring out a deeper aroma.”
“Thanks.”
Roy’s mouth twitched slightly.
Seeing the coffee machines woke him fully from his drowsiness.
If he tasted all the capsules and beans here, he felt he could practice all night every night.
“Well then, everyone, let’s have a cup of coffee and start practice.”
“Sounds good!”
Han Jihoo rolled up his sleeves, and Kim Chan hurried over.