Shadows of the Spotlight

Chapter 35

I soon realized I'd been completely outmaneuvered. Arc, known as the mastermind of his group, was always one step ahead. Despite being one of the youngest, his hyungs would somehow end up following his lead, whether they realized it or not. I'd seen clips of Galaxy on variety shows where Arc almost always emerged victorious in mind games or strategic challenges. It was his thing—he could coax his group members into playing along, often without them even realizing his intent until it was too late.

I thought I might have been savvy enough to avoid his schemes. But here I was, standing in the middle of a bustling shopping district, loaded down with bags. What I had thought would be a quick errand had somehow transformed into a full-blown shopping spree.

Arc drifted from one store to the next, meticulously picking out clothes. I remembered Ji-hye mentioning how particular Arc was about fashion—I'd seen a glimpse of it when he helped me choose a dress for the fashion show. But this was Arc in his element, standing in front of a mirror, carefully deciding between two beige shirts. When I muttered that they looked the same, he gave me an incredulous look.

"모티프가 다르잖아요! (They have different motifs!)" he replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

This pattern continued across several stores. The bodyguards had their hands full with shopping bags when Arc suddenly stopped, spotting a hair salon. He turned to me with an excited grin. "이게 바로 제가 봐야 했던 볼일이에요, (This is the errand I had to run,)" he said before making a beeline for the salon.

Inside, he explained that he'd recently done a livestream with some friends from the industry in New York. During the stream, they played a few games, and he lost a challenge. His penalty? Change his hair color. With the shift in the concert's performance style, he figured it was the perfect time to embrace the change.

"그럼 지혜한테 부탁하면 되지 않았어요? (Then why didn't you just ask Ji-hye to do it?)" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "갑자기 떠오른 아이디어였고 지혜한테 귀찮게 하고 싶지 않았어요. 그리고... 이렇게 나올 기회잖아요. (It was a sudden idea, and I didn't want to bother Ji-hye. Plus... it was a chance to get out like this.)"

"나가는 건지 쇼핑을 하는 건지? (Get out... or shop?)" I teased, catching his playful smirk.

Arc protested, "에센셜만 샀어요! (I only bought the essentials!)"

I glanced at the bodyguard's hands, weighed down with bags. "저게 에센셜이에요? 저거면 제 옷장이 완성되겠어요. (That's essentials? That's an entire wardrobe for me.)"

Before Arc could explain any further, a stylist approached, and Arc immediately launched into an enthusiastic description of the look he wanted. As he spoke, I found myself struggling to keep up—he was using all sorts of technical terms about styling and color techniques that I had absolutely no clue about. I stumbled through the translation as best as I could, but luckily, a lot of these styling terms turned out to be English words, so the stylist nodded along, picking up the gist.

After listening intently, the stylist finally asked, "그러면 어떤 색상으로 염색하실 건가요? (So, what color are you going for?)"

Arc turned to me, catching me off guard. "어떤 색이 좋을지 추천해 줄래요? (Would you suggest a color for me?)"

I blinked, surprised. "저는 스타일에 대해 전혀 아는 게 없어요. (I have no idea about styles.)" I tried to brush it off, but he insisted.

"그래도 네 의견이 궁금해. (I still want to know what you think.)"

I glanced into his eyes as he awaited my answer. A memory stirred—something Evelyn had told me about him. In the early days of his career, Arc's agency had insisted he wear contact lenses to cover his striking blue eyes, thinking the unusual color would alienate his fans. Blue eyes were rare among Koreans, and the company feared people wouldn't accept him. For years, Arc complied, concealing this unique feature of his with dark-colored lenses.