Survive! Foolish Bottom!

 

Since Gyowon couldn’t see his expression anyway, Haeun didn’t bother hiding his annoyed look as he typed a reply. He threw in a random emoji, barely putting any effort into it.

➥ Who’s this? I never gave you my number;[Kim Gyowon]

That emoji kind of looks like you.

The reply came instantly.

Haeun had expected that, but still—there wasn’t a shred of hesitation or even an attempt to play along. Gyowon didn’t sound embarrassed or like he believed the act for even a second.

➥ Ignoring me, huh? ㅡㅡ;[Kim Gyowon]

Why are you sweating so much? You hot?

Another instant reply.

The problem wasn’t just the speed—it was how effortlessly annoying the message was. Haeun scowled at the screen, unconsciously huffing through his nose in frustration.

Needing a break before he lost his temper, he switched chats.

[Yejun]

When would be convenient for you?

A new message had arrived while he was distracted. It came about a minute after the previous one about making plans.

Wait, he was serious about setting a date?

Haeun had assumed it was just a passing remark, but Yejun really seemed intent on making this meal happen. Not that Haeun had any reason to refuse.

Since arriving in this body, his financial situation had been… less than ideal. On top of that, he had to watch his weight, meaning he hadn’t been able to eat freely.

Top idols must eat well, right?

If Ye-jun was offering, he’d better be prepared to get his wallet emptied.

➥ When are you free, sunbae? Can I order something expensive?

He wanted to add a hungry emoji but couldn’t find a good one, so he settled for a brightly smiling bunny.

Maybe it’s time to invest in some new stickers…

[Seongjae]

Hey, are you ignoring me? Do you really want me to come to your room?

Haeun swiped the notification aside without responding and switched back to Gyowon’s chat.

Despite leaving him on read for a while, Gyowon hadn’t sent another message. The silence in their chat felt strangely composed, almost self-assured.

Compared to Seongjae, who was sending impatient messages by the minute, Gyowon’s approach made him seem much more like an adult.

“…Is this what it means to have presence?”

Haeun unconsciously muttered to himself—then promptly slapped a hand over his mouth.

What’s so great about him that I’m giving him such a generous review?

If Gyowon got to tease him and walk away feeling satisfied, that just made him all the more annoying!

Right on cue, the system popped up with a message, accompanied by a flustered emoji:

『Pro idols don’t smack their own faces so aggressively (´口`;;)』

That was aggressive?

It did sting a little, but still… Haeun glanced around, feeling mildly embarrassed.

‘Anyway, even if he’s not the most mature, Seongjae is way better than some smug guy like Gyowon.’

Blood was thicker than water, after all. Haeun instinctively sided with his clueless member and started typing out his reply to Gyowon.

➥ What’s the reason for your message? You must have a reason, right?

He wanted to send it as-is, without any stickers, but the system would undoubtedly interfere again. Frustratingly, he had no choice but to attach the angry bunny emoji before hitting send.

And as if they had all planned it together, messages from three different people flooded in at once.

[Yejun]

I’ll match my schedule to yours.[Seongjae]

If you don’t answer by the count of ten, I’m storming in.

Seriously, what’s going on? Is Kim Gyo-won treating you well?

Don’t hang around weird people.[Gyowon]

I gathered all my courage to ask for your number, and now you’re saying I can’t even message you without a reason? If you’re this cold, hyung will be hurt.

Haeun stared at his screen, overwhelmed.

“…What the hell is this timing?”

Haeun was completely overwhelmed by the sudden flood of messages. Grinding his teeth, he scrambled to hop between the three active chat windows, firing off replies in quick succession.

(Sparkly-eyed bunny emoji)

➥

Oh really? ㅋㅋ I’m way less busy than you, obviously. Let’s meets up before your show starts then.(Bunny emoji with its back turned)

➥ Ugh, stop spamming me. What am I, a cheating husband?

Stop acting like an overprotective mom cracking down on delinquent teens. ㅡㅡ;(Fist-clenching bunny emoji)

➥ Ah fck, why are you being so weird? Drop the whole concept thing, it’s annoying.

With his messages finally sent, Haeun exhaled, feeling slightly more at ease.

Alright. I should take a breather and check back in a bit.

Adjusting his posture, he shifted to lie down more comfortably and was about to put his phone aside—when yet another notification popped up.

[Seongjae]

What the hell was that?[Seong-jae]

It’s

meet up,

not

meets up,

you idiot.

“…Huh?”

Haeun blinked. Of all things, Seongjae was correcting his grammar?

Haeun stared at the screen in disbelief, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of what was happening. How did Seongjae know about the messages he’d just sent? His heart pounded in his chest, a chill running down his spine as anxiety gripped him.

“…”

With trembling hands, Haeun opened the chat, feeling the rising tension in his body. As he scrolled through the conversation, his face drained of color, and he lifted his gaze slowly, his expression pale and horrified.

Hey guys, this is Flo!

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