I Became an Artist in a Romantic Comedy

Chapter 75: Choi Yeseo’s Concert (3)

The moment of warmth didn’t last long.

The soft sensation gradually faded as she pulled back. I blinked dumbly, staring at her.

“…I just thought I’d regret it if I didn’t.”

Her flushed face and trembling eyes left me speechless. I couldn’t find the words.

Finally, Yeseo broke the silence.

“I don’t have much time… Can you tell me how it felt?”

Her nervous voice snapped me out of my daze, but even then, I couldn’t speak. My mouth opened and closed like a fish.

My brain was in a fog, paralyzed by the suddenness of it all. But I couldn’t waste any more time.

Smiling, I reached out and patted Yeseo’s head.

“Uh, uh?”

She looked up at me, startled. I responded with a grin.

“Tastes like lemon. Go nail your performance. I’ll be watching.”

Hearing my words, Yeseo broke into a bright smile and flashed a V-sign.

“Of course! But after the concert, you have to come back here, okay?”

“Got it. Now hurry up and get going, or you’ll be late.”

Still grinning, she glanced at the clock and froze.

“Ahhh! The makeup artist is going to kill me!”

She spun around to leave, but I grabbed her shoulder.

“Wha—! Ha-eun, I really have to—mmph!”

Once again, her words were cut off. This time, I was the one who leaned in.

Her surprised gasp sounded like a squeaky brake.

This was different, though. My head was clear, and I could hear the sound of our breathing close by.
Her eyes, wide as lemon drops, quivered nervously.

Eventually—

“Hah…”

“Eep!”

Our lips parted. Yeseo’s face burned as red as a tomato, but I didn’t dwell on it. I couldn’t help but laugh at her expression, a mix of shock and something else undefinable.

“Go have fun out there.”

With that, I stepped out of the room.

It wasn’t my first time attending a concert, but this one felt special.

The sheer scale of it was incredible. The venue was packed on all sides, with fans even traveling from overseas to attend.

‘This is what just a few years of hard work led to.’

Many people have talent, but reaching the top of a field is rare.

Yeseo’s talent went beyond that—she had the kind of charisma that captivated entire crowds.

All I could think was how amazing she was.

“Ha-eun, where’d you go?”

I found my seat between Ha Soyeol and Hong Yehwa. Soyeol’s question made me shrug.

“Bathroom. My stomach was iffy, so I took a while.”

This wasn’t even a lie. After meeting Yeseo, I had actually gone to the bathroom.

“We were about to come look for you since it’s starting soon, but you made it just in time.”

“You’re good at keeping time,” Yehwa said with a small smile.

“Well, that’s all he’s good at,” she teased.

“Half-dead, maybe, but not fully a corpse yet.”

They snickered at their jokes. For the record, I have more than just punctuality. There’s also my looks and financial prospects, thank you very much.

As we bantered, the lights dimmed, silencing the chatter of the crowd.

“Looks like it’s starting,” Soyeol whispered. I nodded.

The venue went dark except for a sea of glowing light sticks, and the stage lights illuminated the center.

Soon, five women rose to the stage, standing tall in the spotlight.

‘It’s always fascinating. The floor works like an elevator.’

“There’s Yeseo!”

Soyeol’s excited reaction made Yehwa stifle a laugh.

The crowd erupted in cheers, drowning out everything else. Only we, sitting nearby, could hear each other.

“Huh? Wasn’t Yeseo originally not the center?”

“She got moved two months ago, from sub-vocalist to center,” I explained.

“Yeah, I heard about that too,” Yehwa said, though she looked a little hurt.

“I don’t think Yeseo told me about that,” she pouted.

“Back then, you were with Mr. Hong Jin-hu, so you weren’t with us. We were going to tell you later, but we all forgot. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. If that’s how it was, no big deal.”

Reassured, Yehwa perked up again.

“This song’s great. Isn’t it their debut track?”

“Yeah, it is.”

The concert opened with the debut song of Yeseo’s group.

‘Still… who came up with the name Lemon River?’

I’d known about it for a while, but I always thought the group’s name felt like it revolved entirely around Yeseo.

‘Her singing has improved a lot. Guess Siren’s training paid off.’

The group’s voices were fresh and zesty, like the tangy sweetness of lemons.

Yeseo’s actions reminded me of a golden retriever—energetic and loyal—yet her voice was clear and electrifying.

She really was the star of the stage, no doubt about it.

As I watched, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her dance moves were sharp, her voice outshone even the main vocal, and her presence commanded attention.

‘She’s stunning.’

Not that the other members weren’t talented, but Yeseo was just… on another level.

“Hi, everyone!”

After the opening song, Lemon River greeted the audience enthusiastically.

“Hi!”

The roar of over ten thousand voices responding as one gave me goosebumps.

‘…Is this what my fan meetings will be like someday?’

Nope. I’d need to keep it way smaller—maybe a thousand max.

“One, two, three!”

“Hello! We’re Lemon River!”

The sound of applause and cheers was deafening. Thousands of fans had come just to see them.

The group began thanking the audience and chatting with them, filling the room with warmth and laughter.

The brief Q&A and final goodbyes from the stage usually lasted 10 to 20 minutes.

By my standards, that was relatively quick. Once those few minutes were up, the next song had to be prepared immediately.

The group’s leader handled most of the answers, but the other members made sure to contribute to their share of the spotlight.

Their gazes alternated between the audience and the cameras—a professional habit.

However, Choi Yeseo’s eyes flickered toward our side after the cameras, as if she knew exactly where we were sitting.

I had no idea how she managed to pinpoint us in the sea of faces.

Even though she couldn’t hear me, I silently mouthed the words, “Well done. That was a fantastic performance.”

Though I spoke without sound, Yeseo’s face lit up with a joyful smile.

I couldn’t help but feel regret for not being able to shout out the words: Enjoy yourself on stage.

“Phew! That’s the end of the final song! It was a short, but sweet time—”

The leader’s speech was followed by short remarks from the other members, saving the youngest, Choi Yeseo, for last.

“Ahaha. Thank you all so much for coming to see Lemon River’s performance today! Please listen to our latest single from this final stage!”

Her confident shout and words of gratitude carried across the venue. Despite what must have been an exhausting performance, her smile never wavered.

Her radiant expression seemed to spread to the audience as well, leaving everyone smiling along with her.

“We’ll keep working hard in the future! Thank you so much!”

With that, the members of Lemon River bowed deeply, showing their thanks, and then disappeared below the stage.

The audience didn’t immediately move, basking in the afterglow of the performance. But their chatter filled the venue with energy.

‘Four hours… wow. I could never do this.’

Idol life is intense. No wonder Yeseo never gains weight.

The contrast between her constant complaints about being hungry and the image she projected on stage left me confused about which was the real her.

“Yaaawn. I’ll head out first. Need to hit the restroom,” I said as I stood up.

“If you’re feeling sick, should we just take you to the hospital?” Soyeol asked, concerned.

I waved off her worries.

“It’s not that bad. Just some discomfort, not enough for a hospital trip. I probably ate something off yesterday.”

I sent Soyeol and Yehwa ahead and made my way to the staff-only room where I’d met Yeseo earlier.

Click!

I turned the handle and stepped into the room.

“Whew… Oh, you’re here?”

Inside, Yeseo was wiping sweat from her face with a towel.

“Uh, shouldn’t you go shower?”

“Eh? Do I smell?!”

“No, not exactly… It’s just, well…”

I averted my gaze, unsure where to look. Her casual demeanor made me question her awareness—or lack thereof.

‘Why is it that neither she nor Soyeol seems to care about stuff like this?’

To keep from staring, I rolled my eyes around the room, effectively erasing her from my line of sight.

“Oh! There’s a bathroom in the staff room, isn’t there? I’ll just—hey, don’t peek, okay?”

“I won’t, you idiot.”

“Hehe. Not that it’d matter if it were you~.”

“Yeseo!”

With a mischievous grin, she grabbed a change of clothes and dashed off toward the bathroom.

I watched her retreating figure for a moment, then sighed.

This is the real Choi Yeseo, I thought. The person she was on stage must have been a façade.

Her playful expression and mischievous energy felt far more authentic.

Yet, I liked that about her.

Always so cheerful, though no one could be like that all the time.

Everyone carries their own burdens, their own stories.

She never talked about the struggles of being an idol, so I didn’t know what they were.

But I assumed that her teasing and playful behavior were ways to vent her stress.

Whether it was clinging to me, goofing around with Soyeol and Yehwa, or pulling pranks, I figured it all helped her cope.

Of course, that was just my interpretation. I could always ask her directly, but…

Some things are better left unknown.

Shhhhhh.

The sound of the shower echoed through the room.

I could also hear her humming a tune.

As the tension I’d pushed down earlier began to creep back up, I felt my heart start to race again.

‘I should’ve brought the others with me.’

At least with them here, I could have ignored the sounds.

It wasn’t as if this was the first time Yeseo or Soyeol had used my bathroom before.

But today, for some reason, my ears were hypersensitive.