TL by Miru
I'm a Genius Idol but My Passive is Sunfish: Episode 50
"Why did Baekya write a strength then erase and rewrite it?"
"...I did?"
Baekya looked puzzled as if hearing about it for the first time. Hodin, showing him the application form turned upside down, revealed where someone had crossed out Baekya's written strength and rewritten something else.
"Let's read both."
[The first strength Baekya wrote was singing]
[Baekya is DASE's main vocalist]
"I don't know who the culprit is, but they erased it and rewrote 'heart machine.'"
Baekya's eyes immediately darted towards the right end, suspecting Yulmu, who vigorously waved his hands in denial, pleading innocence.
"No! It really wasn't me. Han Baekya, don't you trust me?"
"I don't."
"Oh..."
Yulmu's face was filled with sorrow. Youngsam teased about how much Yulmu must tease Baekya for such a response to come immediately.
"Don't worry, Sparrow. Why don't you join my group? I'll treat you well."
The flirting came incessantly. Baekya, not good at refusing, just smiled awkwardly.
"Then who wrote 'heart machine'?"
While Hodin tried to identify the culprit on behalf of Baekya, suspicion fell on Yulmu until the true perpetrator revealed themselves from the opposite side.
"Me! I wrote it!"
Chung cheerfully confessed. Baekya turned with a shocked expression.
"What exactly does 'heart machine' mean as a strength?"
To Daeyoon's question, Chung explained that Baekya was really good at making hearts. Sujae suggested they try the 'biting hearts' trend that fans love, with Minsung joining in proudly.
"He's the one who invented it."
"What?"
"Biting hearts."
Just when it seemed to have been forgotten...
Minsung's remark triggered a huge reaction. The impact of the Biting Hearts was still significant.
"He's the one who created that?!"
The panelists seemed genuinely surprised.
[The Biting Hearts, popular among idols]
[The culprit behind the trouble for many guests at Jetty School revealed!]
"We used to make guests do that all the time. So, we get to see the original heart here today?"
"Yeah. I'll show you!"
As Hodin made a fuss, Chung affirmed, taking it upon himself to respond.
"Why are you answering that?"
"Because I want to!"
No one could stop Chung's stubbornness.
"Ready! One, two, three!"
At Sujae's count, Baekya bit into the heart he had formed.
[Ang♡]
"Waaah! So cute~"
The members and panelists reacted exaggeratedly, causing Baekya to collapse onto the podium. Having not performed the heart gesture for so long, the heart machine struggled to show his face.
"Our kid is a bit shy."
Minsung spoke on behalf of Baekya and gently patted his hunched back.
"But if you're a heart machine, shouldn't you show us other hearts as well?"
Not satisfied with just one, Youngsam initiated the request for more, with Sujae and Daeyoon quickly supporting the notion.
"Show us another one, Baekya~"
Baekya, barely recovered, looked at the MCs with a bewildered face.
"...Another one?"
His slightly pursed lips and drooping eyebrows made a face that begged to be teased.
"A simple heart is fine."
There was a determined effort to extract more aegyo from him. Baekya then asked which camera he should look at.
"He's an idol indeed. Always looking for the camera first."
Daeyoon laughed, finding it adorable.
Baekya found the camera. A staff member in a blue hoodie smiled kindly, focusing on Baekya's face.
"I'll- I'll do it."
Baekya took a small breath, squinted his eyes, and formed a heart with his fingers. The heart rose above his plump cheeks.
"Aack, so cute! Too cute!"
Youngsam shook Daeyoon's shoulder wildly, exclaiming how adorable it was. Baekya, his face flushed as if it would burst, hid below the podium.
"How about it, our heart! Totally awesome, right?"
Chung held his chin high, boasting with an overly proud expression.
"The original is truly different~"
Hodin acknowledged the heart machine, suggesting that they should also listen to Baekya sing since they had seen the heart.
"Event though I already did the heart...?"
Baekya, peering over the podium, looked at Hodin with a pale face.
"We haven't verified the strength you wrote yourself yet~"
Baekya fanned himself as if feeling hot, and the microphone Minsung used at the opening was passed to him.
"Just one short and impactful piece!"
Hodin proposed a deal.
'Short and impactful....'
Baekya realized this might be the chance to succeed in the <Celebrity's Celebrity> quest and quickly agreed to perform.
"Then... There's a part in our latest comeback song. I'll sing that."
The members, realizing what Baekya was about to sing, smiled meaningfully, as if certain this was going to work well. Meanwhile, Baekya put down the microphone he was holding.
"Huh? You're not using the mic?"
"No, I think I can do without it."
Baekya nodded with a clear face.
"I'll start."
Leaving the puzzled panelists behind, he took a deep breath and launched into the climax of WANT ME, the four-octave high part, without any warm-up.
- I wa-a-a-ant
With each rising note, his index finger ascended. The studio resonated with his powerful voice, surprising not just the panelists but also the filming crew. Simultaneously, a status window appeared before Baekya, not just one but several.
[<Celebrity's Celebrity(1)> completed!]
[<Celebrity's Celebrity(2)> completed!]
[<Celebrity's Celebrity(3)> completed!]
[Level Up! Lv.10 → Lv.11]
It was a tremendous achievement. As the quest succeeded, the next phase of the quest was given, and fulfilling the conditions triggered multiple completion notifications. Finally, a level-up notification added to the plethora of status windows in front of Baekya, resembling a scene bogged down by lag.
"Wowww! What is this!"
Hodin exclaimed, astonished by what he had just witnessed. Youngsam and Daeyoon were speechless, and Sujae couldn't close his gaping mouth.
[Next, Baekya's weakness: selfie-challenged]
"Selfie-challenged means bad at taking selfies, right?"
"Yeah. I'm really bad at taking photos."
However, the panelists, already charmed by Baekya's appeal, didn't see this as a weakness.
"It's okay. You're cute."
Thus, Baekya's supposed weakness was quickly glossed over. Next was Yuyeon's turn.
"Yuyeon's strength is DASE."
Responding to Youngsam's question with a sly smile, he said,
"You've seen, so you know."
Yuyeon boasted about how his team had good-looking members, talented singers, and talented dancers. He added that he was very proud of his group and its members.
"I personally want to walk around with 'DASE' written on my forehead."
"Then you should write it."
Sujae brought the pen, playing along. While Yuyeon hesitated, the pen was already passed to Baekya.
"Should I write it?"
"Yes. You rarely see Sparrows who know how to write."
Now they were freely making jokes.
"Puhaha!"
Chung laughed hard, slapping Yuyeon's back as he staggered.
"Alright, then. I'll write it."
Approaching Yuyeon, Baekya was about to uncap the pen when Yuyeon grabbed his wrist to stop him.
"Are you really going to write it?"
"Oho, you think variety shows are a joke?"
Baekya's decisive response was met with cheers from the panelists. Chung held Yuyeon from behind to prevent any escape, and Minsung helped by holding back Yuyeon's hair for Baekya to write more easily.
"I'll write it nicely."
Baekya, holding Yuyeon's chin with one hand, truly began writing on his forehead. Yuyeon was suddenly undergoing his punishment.
[Belongs to DASE]
"Let's see~"
"...That's a washable pen, right?"
"Who knows. Good enough!"
After inspecting Yuyeon's forehead from various angles, Baekya lightly tapped it before returning to his seat.
[Continuing with Yuyeon's Weakness]
"It's blank?"
"Yeah. I didn't know what to write, so I left it empty."
After hearing those words, Sujae teased Yuyeon, asking if he had that many weaknesses.
"It's not that; I just couldn't think of anything on the spot."
Sujae then suggested the members fill in the blank for him, and Chung eagerly raised his hand.
"Me! Me!"
"Hey, Chung Chung. Really?"
Yuyeon looked betrayed by Chung's eagerness.
"When I first came to Korea, this guy scammed me!"
Scammed?
The provocative word piqued the panelists' interest.
"Scam? What kind of scam!"
"He made me speak formally to him, saying it was Korean manners, even though we're the same age!"
Technically, it was polite to use formal speech with someone new, regardless of age. But this was Jetty School. The MCs sided with Chung, saying Yuyeon was in the wrong.
"I was trying to help Chung."
Yuyeon defended himself, saying Chung's first impression was so strong that he had no choice but to give him formal speech training. Chung, having passed the audition, met the CEO on his first day in the practice room and greeted him as follows.
"Heya! Mr. ID~"
[A daring greeting at their first meeting]
[Definitely shocking...]
"So, did the CEO accept that?"
"Yeah! The CEO's a real Nice Guy~"
As Chung gave a thumbs-up to the camera, Yuyeon shook his head with an indulgent expression.
Lastly, it was Chung's turn.
[Chung's strength is English]
"But you're American, right?"
"Right. That's why I'm good at English."
Sujae scratched his head at the slightly off-track conversation.
"I always feel like I'm getting tangled up when I talk with him."
"That's normal."
Minsung commented, adding that Chung's way of engaging was part of his charm.
"Alright then. Since you said you're good at English, how about introducing our program to an international audience in English?"
"Okay."
Chung found the camera and introduced <It's a New Transfer Student!> in fluent English. Finally, he also asked for love for DASE's new song WANT ME, completing a concise promotion. Although the panelists only understood a few basic words, they all pretended to follow along, adopting American gestures for emphasis.
"Uh-huh."
Youngsam approached him for a high-five, praising his good explanation.
"It's definitely a strength!"
Hodin complimented Chung, then moved on to read his weakness.
"His weakness is... Can I really say this?"
Hodin asked with a bewildered face, causing the members to grow increasingly anxious.
"Of carrot!"
//TN: He mispronounced the word in Korean.
"No, wait!"
Chung confidently exclaimed, but Yuyeon quickly covered his mouth. Seizing the moment, Minsung cautiously inquired,
"...What does it say?"
"Baby."
Baby [noun] A young child, infant.
The members looked at Chung with shocked faces.