GIJS

Chapter 91 I can't resist a royal command.

Manager Lee Yong-joong gulped involuntarily at Gunja's request for an axe.

As the manager in charge of 7IN, Lee Yong-jung had watched every broadcast of the Idol Training Simulation, including the unaired footage.

At the beginning of the Idol Training Simulation, Gunja was a bundle of unpredictability. He had brought a horse to the audition and even engaged in a rap battle at Jeju Land.

"Is it impossible to get an axe?"

"No, it's not that..."

As Lee Yong-jung looked into Gunja's bright, eager eyes, he suddenly recalled Gunja from the early days of the Idol Training Simulation.

Though Gunja now appeared fairly normal, Lee Yong-jung couldn't let his guard down. Who knew what kind of surprises this peculiar guy might bring next?

Things had gone smoothly so far, but who's to say he wouldn't eventually cause trouble for the team?

"An axe, sure, I can get one."

"Oh, that's a relief."

"But I need to know why. You do understand that an axe is a weapon, right?"

"Of course. Executioners use large axes to chop off heads, don't they?"

"It's... unsettling how casually you say such terrifying things."

"Haha, don't worry. I have no intention of chopping off anyone's head."

"Then why do you need it? Planning to perform some kind of axe dance?"

But Gunja shook his head.

"No, I'll be cutting something else instead of a head."

* * *

The day of 7IN's first fan signing event.

Hyorim, a fan of 7IN and Gunja, had a busy day from the start.

The cutoff to get into the fan signing event was ridiculously high, but somehow, luck was on Hyorim's side, and she was selected. The day she received the news, she was so excited she could hardly breathe.

But being selected brought new problems.

It was thrilling enough just to see them perform on stage from a distance, but now she'd be able to see the members up close. She could even have a private conversation with them.

What should she wear? How should she style her hair? What kind of fashion does Gunja like?

Just thinking about it gave Hyorim a headache. The first thing she did was take a day off work so she could start figuring it out.

"Hmmm..."

She rummaged through her wardrobe and picked out a few candidates, but none of them seemed right. And buying new clothes was out of the question—her bank account was nearly empty from all the money she'd spent on 7IN merchandise.

She gathered the last of her funds, just enough to buy one outfit. She'd also need to go to the hair salon on the day of the signing, so she had to save as much money as possible.

Clothes that Gunja might like... Something that Gunja would...

Chiffon blouses, dresses, cropped jackets...

As Hyorim typed various search terms and agonized over her choices, a sudden idea flashed through her mind.

"...Is this it?"

[King Costume] [Dragon Robe]

After much deliberation, Hyorim decided to take a risk.

"Could this be the answer?"

It was a crazy idea. If she told anyone, they'd probably freak out and try to stop her. She could already imagine the back of her head appearing in the fan sites' camera shots.

But maybe it was because it was so early in the morning that this insane idea started to seem plausible.

Gunja is a scholar, after all. And what do scholars love more than the king?

Before she realized it, Hyorim's finger was already hovering over the purchase button. There was no more hesitation. Fueled by her late-night boldness, Hyorim went ahead and bought the king's costume set.

A black dragon robe, jade belt, winged cap, and black shoes—all included.

When the costume set arrived, she put it on and stood in front of the mirror, feeling a sudden wave of reality hit her. But there was no turning back now.

"Ahem, come here, Gunja. Come here and play with me... Ahem, ahem."

Having come this far, she decided to go all-in on the crazy idea.

On the day of the fan signing, Hyorim, dressed in her dragon robe, called a taxi to her house. As much as she'd committed to this outlandish plan, taking the subway in this outfit was just too much.

"...Take me to Bundang Cotex, please..."

"Wow, looks like the king has arrived!"

"..."

"Heh heh, I'll get you there safely, Your Majesty~"

With gritted teeth, Hyorim suppressed her shame and made her way to the fan signing event. During the waiting period, she had to stand with her face covered by a hand fan.

However, the dragon robe's effect was undeniable.

Finally, when the waiting time was over, and the fan signing event winners entered the venue, Hyorim, dressed in the emperor's robe, naturally drew everyone's attention.

"Wow, amazing."

"What an attention seeker."

"Isn't she just an attention seeker?"

Gunja was no exception to this reaction.

For the past few months, Gunja had been steeped in modern culture, practically becoming a part of Generation MZ.

He had even recently installed a Chinese character game app on his iPhone and sometimes went to bed 30 minutes late because he was watching YouTube, despite intending to sleep by 10 PM.

However, as a scholar, he couldn't abandon his roots.

Upon seeing the emperor's robe, Gunja instinctively felt a twitch in his seat.

Why would His Majesty be here?

Since people were calling her an "attention seeker," it was clear that she was the emperor. Her youthful appearance suggested she might be a recent ruler. It was an honor that the emperor would attend their fan signing event.

Gunja wanted to run up to the emperor and bow deeply immediately, but his duty as an idol held him back. It wasn't the time to greet the emperor; it was time to meet with the fans.

Regaining his composure, Gunja finally began meeting the fans one by one.

What should he say? How should he lead the conversation? Though slightly worried, once the conversation started, all his concerns vanished.

It felt as though the fans knew everything about Gunja. It was almost eerie how well-informed they were.

The two-minute conversation time flew by just by sincerely answering the fans' questions. Gunja, too, actively engaged in asking questions.

As someone who rarely met people outside his group members and the Solar System staff, Gunja found it enjoyable to converse with various people during this opportunity.

"I don't want to go home. I want to stay here."

"Haha, what do you plan to do at home, Yoon-hee?"

"I'm studying classical Chinese! I'm currently preparing for the Chinese character certification."

"Oh, do they have such exams even in this era?"

"Yeah! You should take it too, Gunja."

"I certainly will!"

Through conversations with fans, Gunja also learned new things.

"Ugh, I was so mad while working yesterday."

"Mad? Oh, you must work at an obstetrics and gynecology department."

"Huh? OB-GYN? Why?"

"Well, I know a bit of English too. 'King-badda,' to receive the king, meaning you must deliver royal babies, right?"

"Puhaha, what are you talking about! 'King-badda' just means getting mad."

"How could one get mad while receiving the king..."

Gunja learned some new slang that he couldn't quite comprehend.

"Gunja, here, take this."

"Isn't this a premium calligraphy brush!"

"Hehe, it's a gift."

"I don't know if I should accept something like this..."

"Please use it to write often! It would make me so happy."

"Of course! I'll use it often! Every night until the lamp goes out!"

Gunja also received gifts that he genuinely loved.

"Wow, Gunja, I've never seen a signature like this before!"

"Haha, is that so?"

"Why is your handwriting so good? When did you start writing so well?"

"Well, let's see. I think I was first praised for my penmanship when I was six..."

"Wow, a true genius."

"...Isn't 'true' a negative word?"

"Huh? No! Not at all! Here, it's a compliment!"

While signing, Gunja got to indulge in calligraphy after a long time.

"Alright, please move along."

After the brief conversations and signing sessions, the fans left with expressions full of regret. Gunja, too, felt sorry, but there was no other option.

The best he could do was to engage wholeheartedly with each fan during the time given.

Each time a fan left, Gunja took out a wooden carving from the bag he had placed under the table and handed it over. It was a tribute he had meticulously prepared over the past few days.

The day he asked Manager Lee Yong-jung for an axe and was told, "Illegal logging is prohibited," was a day of deep disappointment.

But thankfully, Manager Lee managed to get him some wood. With the good quality wood in hand, all that was left was to carve it beautifully with a chisel.

After several sleepless nights, Gunja made 100 mandarin ducks. It was many times harder than painting flowers and birds, but it was a rewarding task.

"Oh my god, this is so cute! What is it?"

"It's a mandarin duck. A symbol of marital harmony and conjugal love."

"A symbol of marital love? You're giving this to me!?"

"Yes, well, if you don't mind..."

"Of course, I love it! I'm so thrilled!"

Seeing the fans so happy made it all worthwhile.

As Gunja continued meeting each fan, he finally came face to face with Hyorim, who was dressed in the dragon robe.

"I've been waiting, Your Majesty."

As if he had been waiting for this moment, Gunja stood up and performed a deep bow.

"No, no, Gunja! It's okay! You don't have to do that!"

Though trying to stop him, Hyorim couldn't help but smile widely. She never imagined she would receive a deep bow from Gunja in person, something she had only seen in videos. The effect of the dragon robe was undeniable.

"Your Majesty, I hope you've been in good health."

"Wh-What?"

"People seem to be calling you that, so I thought it must be your title."

"Haha..."

It was awkward to deny it. Just coming to this event dressed like this was solid evidence of being an attention seeker.

Moreover, there was no time to argue. Two minutes passed by in a flash.

As Gunja was signing, Hyorim hurriedly untied her jade belt and took off the dragon robe. The sudden undressing startled the security staff, but fortunately, there was regular clothing underneath.

Having only seen Gunja in scholar's robes before, Hyorim wanted to see him in the dragon robe too. This oversized emperor cosplay had a hidden purpose.

"G-Gunja, could you wear this?"

"W-What? The dragon robe?"

"Yeah."

"But how can a subject wear the emperor's clothes..."

"Hey."

"?"

"It's an order."

"!"

Gunja couldn't resist an order.

As a scholar with loyalty in his heart, he could not disobey his lord's command.

"I will obey."

Gunja slowly bowed his head, then donned the dragon robe Hyorim handed to him and fastened the jade belt. The robe that had been oversized on Hyorim fit Gunja perfectly.

"W-Wow..."

As soon as Gunja put on the dragon robe, the cameras of the fan masters clicked away once more. Seeing Gunja slightly shrinking in the emperor's clothes, as if he were concerned about wearing them, only made them want to capture the moment more.

"He's so cute!"

"Take pictures quickly."

Click, click.

Hyorim smiled happily as she watched the scene. Ah, she can't believe this isn't a dream. Gunja is wearing her dragon robe.

"Now, I can die without regret."

"You mustn't say such things! We must meet again."

"Haha, hearing you say that really makes me feel like I could die without regret."

With a happy expression, Hyorim stepped back, and the next fan sat down in front of Gunja.

By now, Gunja seemed to have become a bit more accustomed to the fan signing event. He even found the conversations with fans quite enjoyable.

He was naturally conversing and writing calligraphy on paper when it happened.

"Gunja, do you not use social media?"

"Oh, well, I only use the account shared with my groupmates."

"Hmm, really?"

But the anonymous fan tilted her head and questioned further.

"I think I saw your account on Twitty?"

"...?"