Extra's Descent

Despite all the jokes about Amelia dumping Brandon, Belle actually never wanted it to happen.

It was a joke!

Truth be told, the two's relationship made her happy. The two people she trusted the most in this world were together, how couldn't she be satisfied?

"Amelia, please, rethink this. Speak to him."

She couldn't understand the sudden decision between the two. Their breakup shortly happened a day after they were all engrossed in research, about two weeks ago.

Belle felt like she didn't want to intrude in their relationship, however, seeing her brother's bitter expression in the training hall earlier, Belle knew she needed to do her part as an older sister.

"No, Belle. It was a mutual agreement. I doubt Brandon wants us to get back together."

Amelia's tone was firm, sparing Belle no glance as the two strode the hallway.

Belle could only sigh in defeat.

"Then…. could you at least tell me the reason why?"

Amelia turned around with a frown on her face, clearly displeased, but as soon as their gazes met, her expressions softened.

"Haaa…. Listen, Belle. It's hard for me too. I don't want to talk about it right now…."

"...."

Belle's eyes widened. It was the first time she had seen the kind–hearted Amelia snapped albeit slightly.

With that, the two walked in silence.

***

Raven's shift was four times a week. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Reinhard, on the other hand, worked alternately to Raven's schedule.

In any case, today was the end of the second semester's first week, Friday.

Raven had to uphold his duty as a bodyguard for 'apsea'. At the moment, the idol group was having a fan signing event.

Fans lined up eagerly to meet their favorite idols.

At the table, the members of 'apsea' — Katarina, Blizzard, Aiselle, and Yizhuo — interacted with fans one by one.

Katarina, ever the professional, greeted a fan with her charming smile.

"Nice to meet you! You got the limited shirt!? That's amazing!"

The fan beamed. The two practically shared the same energy.

"I camped the online store overnight just to get it!"

Beside her, Blizzard, the lead vocalist, was chatting with another fan who brought a custom–made poster with her face on it.

Blizzard couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh wow, did you photoshop my eyes like that?"

The fan nodded proudly.

A few spots down, Aiselle, the main rapper, was busy signing an album for a fan who'd brought her a coffee with her face drawn in latte art.

"Whoa, this is too fancy…."

"Hehe~ I actually work part–time at a coffee shop. Just thought I'd use my talents for Aiselle–nim."

Finally, Yizhuo, the youngest and main vocalist, was being her playful self with a fan who had brought her a stack of her favorite snacks.

"Are these all for me?"

The fan fixed his glasses and nodded his head, offering Yizhuo the snacks, which she took in appreciation.

"Yes! I saved up two months worth of salary just to get these for Yizhuo–nim!"

"Ah, haha~ Thank you."

Yizhuo felt a bit uncomfortable from that statement. None of the fans were sane, and most probably, kept a parasocial relationship with their favorite idols.

But still, it was their job. They had to please their fans.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out as a fan tripped and sent a small tower of gift boxes tumbling across the floor, scattering items everywhere.

The crowd started to press forward and gathered, some fans craning their necks to see what was happening.

Raven and the other guards quickly sprang into action, Raven stepping forward to quickly help the fan up and gather the spilled gifts.

Just as Raven was about to pick up a gift box, his hand lightly met with another hand.

"Ah."

"...."

Lifting his head, his gaze met with two ink–black eyes. His shoulder length black hair was neatly tied to a man–bun.

A familiar face he had never expected to see in a place like this.

Especially in a place like this!

"Brandon?"

Brandon didn't strike him as the type to be enamored in idol culture.

"Ah?"

Brandon tilted his head curiously. Then, as if familiarity washed over him, Brandon straightened his back and fixed his collar.

"Oh, Raven."

"What are you doing here?"

Raven asked.

"That."

Brandon pointed towards the table where the idols were seated. Their eyes fixed on the commotion, however, the moment their attention fixed on Brandon, their expressions broke.

Especially Yizhuo, who practically looked bewildered.

"You're a fan?"

"Yes, apsea, right? So they're the idol group you're bodyguarding, then?"

"Yeah, you here for the fan signing, right?"

"Where does the line start?"

"All the way over there."

Raven pointed. The line was extremely long, causing Brandon's brows to raise.

Shaking his head, Brandon took a step forward, heading towards the line. But just as he moved, a voice called out for him.

"Is that… Brandon Locke?"

Yizhuo's voice rang across the crowd, eyes wide with surprise.

Instantly, the murmurs and chattering of the fans fell silent. Heads turned, recognizing his name.

Brandon paused, turning around slowly.

"You've… heard of me?"

He pointed to himself with raised brows.

"It's an honor."

Then, in a flash, the apsea girls appeared in front of him, almost as if they'd teleported.

Yizhuo's eyes sparkled.

"No, no…. we're honored you're even here!"

"This is insane. I can't believe it!"

Blizzard added, her tone brimming with excitement.

Raven, who had been watching from the sidelines, was caught completely off guard.

He didn't know whether to laugh or question everything. Since when had his friend become an idol among idols?

Realizing the four girls had stepped out of the boundary, fans quickly flooded, but were instantly stopped by security—including Raven, who jumped in to help hold back the crowd.

In the middle of all the excitement, the idols subtly guided Brandon to the front of the signing table, completely bypassing the line.

Brandon shrugged modestly, taken aback by the entire ordeal as he blinked his eyes.

The fans in line exchanged looks of shock and envy.

A few of them even looked like they wanted to protest, but no one dared.

This was Brandon Locke, after all—the man who'd stood trial in front of the entire world.

The fan signing event resumed then.

However, the four members of apsea had all gathered around Brandon, momentarily neglecting the other booths.

Katarina, Blizzard, Aiselle, and Yizhuo crowded around him, eyes sparkling as if they had completely forgotten they were the idols.

"Who's your favorite member?"

Brandon felt all four of them staring expectantly.

He quickly scrambled his thoughts to remember their names.

He had barely figured out who was who, let alone managed to differentiate their faces in his mind.

"Uh…."

He hesitated, and glanced around. There were tarpaulins and posters with the idol's faces and names imprinted on them.

He mouthed the first name he read.

"Yizhuo?"

Giggles and reactions followed, with Yizhuo covering her mouth, her cheeks flushing slightly as the others glanced between them.

"Oh, he chose you!"

Blizzard laughed, giving Yizhuo a playful nudge.

"Really?"

Yizhuo beamed, trying to keep her composure but visibly flattered, evident by the reddening in her cheeks.

"Oh, my god! Really, really~?"

Brandon nodded, trying to keep up.

"Uh, yeah. Absolutely."

Aiselle leaned in with a teasing grin.

"Well, now we know who gets first dibs on taking a selfie with him!"

Yizhuo waved her hands frantically, trying to keep her cool.

"N-no! I don't want to hog him! We can all take turns."

Blizzard smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, since he's already chosen you as his favorite, I'd say you're allowed to hog him a little."

Brandon shifted, slightly overwhelmed by the attention.

"Uh, I mean, I didn't realize I was going to be the one signing autographs today."

He was truly taken aback. Glancing around, the person he was looking for was nowhere to be seen.

The girls burst into laughter, and Katarina handed him a pen.

"In that case, go ahead and sign, Mr. Locke! Right here on this poster."

Before he knew it, the girls had organized a makeshift photo session, with each member taking turns for their "official Brandon fan photo."

Click– Click– Click– Click–

***

"Thank you so much for coming!"

The girls huddled up together, seeing Brandon off.

As soon as he was out of sight, they leaned in, eyes fixed on Yizhuo's phone.

"Is that… really his number?"

Aiselle asked, staring expectantly at the contact.

Yizhuo nodded, cheeks still pink.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"It is! He just… handed it over like it was nothing."

Katarina gave her a playful nudge.

"You're going to text him first, right?"

Yizhuo bit her lip, looking down at her phone.

"Maybe…. I'll wait until later."

Excitement boiled within her, and her heart was practically fluttering. However, seeing all the fans who were still at the line, Yizhuo tucked her phone back in her pocket and nodded her head.

Right, she was still at work.

She had to maintain the little amount of professionalism she had left.

***

Brandon strolled through the building, hands tucked in his pockets.

Things hadn't gone exactly as planned. Out of all of Lianna's ventures, he'd expected her to be at the fan-signing event.

Yet, she hadn't shown up.

Just as he was about to head out, she appeared at the entrance, stepping into the building.

Her presence was almost otherworldly. Even the idols seemed to pale next to her elegance, though, in his mind, there was only one person who could truly rival her beauty.

No competition, though—Amelia was in a league of her own.

Lianna's eyes widened as they locked onto his, surprise flickering across her face.

"Oh, Brandon?"

"Miss Lianna…."

There was a pause, and then a slight smile played at the corner of her lips.

"What are you doing here?"

"This."

Brandon showed her the 'apsea' album he had just gotten signed.

Lianna's eyebrow lifted in faint amusement.

"You're a fan?"

"Yeah, their music is really good. But what about you, Miss Lianna? What are you doing here?"

Lianna gave him an amused look, crossing her arms casually, her bosoms lightly resting on her arms.

"Oh, I handle a few things here and there for the entertainment industry."

Brandon raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise.

"Really? Didn't think you were the type."

Lianna's smile remained coy.

"Well, I don't advertise it. But yes, I'm somewhat involved in VN Entertainment. It's…. a small side venture."

Brandon nodded, trying to keep his reaction in check. He already knew she was the owner, but her casual response made it all the more intriguing.

A brief silence settled around him as a few fans began to filter out of the building. Brandon felt curious glances his direction, but paid no heed to it.

The atmosphere lingered awkwardly, but Brandon didn't feel ready to walk away just yet.

Lianna finally broke the silence.

"Well, you got your album signed, but…. would you be interested in meeting them outside of a fan event?"

Brandon raised an eyebrow.

"Meet them? Like, without the fanfare?"

"Yes."

There it was.

An opportunity.

"Is it alright?"

"It's fine. Anything for Evelyn's student."

Brandon froze momentarily, taken aback at the mention of Evelyn's name. He quickly composed himself, masking his surprise, and gave a slight nod.