Chapter 132
Orca’s first fan signing event was held in a quiet atmosphere, reminiscent of a library reading room.
In the midst of it, Geum Gyu-ri, the protagonist of the well-known amusing anecdote among fans, the so-called ‘Mi-fan Tangerine Incident’, was doing her utmost to calm her racing heart before her first fan signing event.
However, every time she glanced up at On Raon, her barely settled heart would start pounding again.
‘No, seriously… how does someone like him even exist?’
Gyu-ri tried to steady her mind.
‘Wow….’
The boy, with his enchanting aura, remained in place, making it impossible not to fall for him.
She soon made a decision.
‘It’s not like avoiding him will calm me down, and it’s a waste not to look at that face as much as I can.’
When would she ever get the chance to come here again?
Realizing that opportunities to see her favorite idol up close were rare, Gyu-ri began to gaze intently at On Raon.
For Gyu-ri, who had never deeply admired an idol before, buying multiple copies of the same album seemed like a complete waste.
In her usual mindset, she would never have committed the extravagance of buying ten copies of the same album.
However, the high-proof love she was experiencing for the first time momentarily muddled and scattered her thoughts.
It wasn’t until she was swiping her card at the music store that she came to her senses, regretting what she thought was wasteful spending, but by then, it was already too late for a refund.
Luckily, she had won the lottery. If she hadn’t, she might have felt less affection for the group.
It turned out that winning with ten albums was an extraordinary stroke of luck.
Searching the internet revealed many people who had bought multiple times more albums and still didn’t win.
For Gyu-ri, who prided herself on her frugality, the amount spent on ten albums was no small matter.
‘I can’t come here twice….’
Calculating the amount spent by those who didn’t win, Gyu-ri thought with a tired expression.
In any case, since she had come here luckily once, she decided to do everything she could, writing a letter for On Raon and hurriedly buying post-it notes on her way here to jot down questions for each member.
The first to greet her was Ban Yo-han, who showed no sign of nervousness and wore a cheerful smile.
“Wow, hello.”
She had been staring at On Raon the whole time and didn’t realize that Ban Yo-han was also a dazzlingly handsome young man she would not have encountered in her daily life.
“Ah, ah, hello.”
Gyu-ri stuttered, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
“What should I write for you?”
After barely managing to say her name, her mind went blank.
She felt an overwhelming sense of failure.
But Ban Yo-han, who quickly finished signing, had no intention of being remembered in a failed fan signing event review.
“Is this your first fan signing event?”
“Yes, yes.”
In such a situation, saying “yes” was one of the easiest things to do, so Gyu-ri nodded eagerly.
Ban Yo-han, who smiled smoothly, said,
“It’s my first time too. You’re the person who dropped the tangerines at the mini fan meeting last time, right?”
“Y-yes… How did you know?!”
Gyu-ri, who had unconsciously confirmed, was startled and her eyes widened in surprise.
“I’m good at remembering faces. Plus, you wore a tangerine-scented perfume, as if you wanted to be recognized.”
“Ah…”
Although that was indeed her intention, being recognized made her feel both happy and embarrassed, and her face turned red again.
“I like fruity and light perfumes. Gyu-ri noona’s scent was refreshing and nice too.”
“You’re the one who’s refreshing…!”
Facing the bright young man who was speaking kindly throughout, Gyu-ri reflexively responded.
It was something she would never have said out loud in her right mind.
After that, they talked about perfumes, and by the time it was her turn to move on, she felt more at ease.
“See you next time.”
“Yes…!”
She didn’t know when he had grabbed her hand, but Ban Yo-han let go of her hand.
Gyu-ri, who was turning the album pages to find the page for Seo Moon-gyeol’s autograph, belatedly checked Ban Yo-han’s post-it response and covered her mouth inwardly.
– Please write down your favorite fruit!
Tangerine^^
‘Wow, what a fox.’
As she chatted with Ban Yo-han, her tension melted away like ice cream on a hot summer day.
Thanks to that, she was able to greet Seo Moon-gyeol, who seemed to have fans spending a long time in front of him, without trembling.
“Hello.”
“Ah, hello.”
‘Oh my god…’
While Seo Moon-gyeol was signing, Gyu-ri barely managed to hold onto her wandering mind.
His sharp and sensitive appearance was well-known among fans, who called him by the nickname ‘Seo-moon-dajeong’ (Gentle Seo-moon), so he didn’t seem particularly intimidating.
‘He’s not scary… Don’t tremble….’
In fact, wasn’t Seo Moon-gyeol the least intimidating and most approachable member of Orca?
And the look in Seo Moon-gyeol’s eyes as he raised his head after signing and responding to the post-it note was not dripping with sweetness, but it was soft enough to make her heart flutter faintly.
Although he didn’t have a distinct smile like Ban Yo-han, his slightly curved eyes were enough to make her heart flutter for no reason.
– Do you have any stories with Raon during the Pick Heart shoot? (Anything that wasn’t aired!)
When we first stayed together, I lent him a towel
This time, Gyu-ri checked the post-it note response in time and tilted her head at the seemingly mundane story.
“A towel?”
“When we first stayed together, Raon went to shower but didn’t bring a towel, so I gave him one.”
“Oh… Did you know each other before?”
“No.”
Seo Moon-gyeol, shaking his head, explained the situation in more detail.
Listening to his explanation, Gyu-ri was amazed.
‘Borrowing a towel from someone you just met, definitely an extrovert…’
It was an unimaginable story for her.
### Chapter 131
As the conversation about the post-it notes concluded, there was a risk of the conversation trailing off. However, Seo Moon-gyeol smoothly brought up another topic just in time, allowing Geum Gyu-ri to feel at ease.
‘I thought he was taciturn, but he’s unexpectedly chatty.’
Moreover, when the staff urged them to move on, Seo Moon-gyeol stopped Gyu-ri, who was hastily getting up, and listened to her until the end.
The hand they had been holding was still warm.
‘I almost asked him to marry me….’
“Welcome!”
“Hello.”
When Gyu-ri finally sat in front of him, Kang Ji-woo, who had been anxiously waiting, greeted her warmly.
Unlike Ban Yo-han and Seo Moon-gyeol, who felt like people from different worlds, Kang Ji-woo, wearing a modest flower crown, felt oddly familiar.
After signing, Kang Ji-woo grabbed both of her hands and approached her warmly, as if he had reunited with a friend after ten years of no contact.
The way he kept shaking her hands up and down instantly closed any distance between them.
“Did you eat?”
Talking about meals was usually a filler question, but for some reason, it felt sincere when Kang Ji-woo asked it.
When Gyu-ri revealed that she was the one involved in the tangerine incident, Kang Ji-woo spent a long time explaining all kinds of recipes that could be made with tangerines. When it was time to move on, he regretfully told her to see him again next time.
“Hello.”
Gyun Seong-ha, who seemed colder and more sullen than Seo Moon-gyeol when drinking water alone, smiled as practiced when Gyu-ri sat in front of him.
He seemed slightly nervous as well.
‘Cute… I want to pet him…’
She wondered if she had relaxed too much.
Gyu-ri reminded herself that the only part of the members she could touch was their hands and barely controlled her impure desires.
“Do you want to hold hands?”
“Yes!”
Gyun Seong-ha’s hand was large enough to completely envelop her not-so-small hand.
Even through their clasped hands, she could feel his trembling.
‘He’s really nervous. Should I talk more…?’
Her worries were unnecessary.
“…So, I went hiking over the weekend, and there was so much trash. It was really upsetting. I’ve never littered in my life. I always carry my trash until I find a bin…”
“Really…?”
Despite his nervousness, Gyun Seong-ha talked a lot.
Listening to Gyun Seong-ha’s story that flowed like a rap, the time to move on approached quickly.
‘Finally, Raon…’
Gyu-ri resolved to say everything she had prepared in front of her favorite idol.
“Hello!”
However, seeing On Raon’s face up close, she became overwhelmed and couldn’t speak.
From a distance, he was just breathtaking, but up close, his sparkling eyes captivated her, leaving her speechless.
Her mental state was in turmoil.
The previous fans had similar reactions, so On Raon, who was already accustomed to fans who couldn’t compose themselves, extended his right hand and said, “Do you want to hold hands?”
Afraid he might withdraw his hand if she hesitated, Gyu-ri reflexively grabbed it.
While alone, On Raon had rubbed his hands together to generate heat, but by the end, his hands still felt cool, slightly waking Gyu-ri’s mind.
She felt a slight sense of defeat as she noticed how beautiful On Raon’s interlocked fingers were, just as delicate as hers.
“Wow, are you giving that to me?”
He was referring to the letter she had been holding dear.
“Yes, yes…!”
Flustered, she handed him the slightly crumpled letter with both hands.
“Thank you.”
On Raon, who also accepted the letter with both hands, smiled slightly, promising to read it later.
With that smile, she felt something inside her snap.
Half delirious, Gyu-ri started babbling, determined to say what she had prepared.
Although her words were mostly unintelligible, On Raon listened attentively, his eyes wide.
“I’ve never been interested in idols before… Even when others were into Jupiter, I wasn’t interested. Ah, that’s not it…! I haven’t known you for long, but I really love you, Raon…”
It was at that moment, while nodding his head, that On Raon paused.