PIB CH 09

Chapter 09 – The Fan Sign Plan

Should I hire people to flood the comments or start a viral campaign?

Ji-hyun sighed and scribbled the word “viral” in big letters on the corner of her notepad.

She wasn’t actually planning to do it, of course. If she suddenly boosted a struggling group like Mate with fake hype, fans would immediately notice — and hate it.

So realistically, there was only one thing she could do as “Ahn Ji-hyun.”

She had to reverse her decision and appear on that upcoming audition program as a mentor and judge — to help A-young directly.

For A-young’s sake.

She’d literally died — or almost — trying to save her before. Compared to that, joining a TV show was nothing.

But still…

“It’s only possible if everything goes right,” Ji-hyun muttered, tapping her pen against the paper.

After thinking it through all night, she’d found problems with her plan.

First, there was no guarantee A-young would even join the survival show.

Sure, there was no rule forbidding active idols from applying, but it would be extremely risky for someone like A-young — a member of an already-debuted but low-profile group — to suddenly reappear as a contestant.

Even if she wasn’t famous, the public could twist it horribly.
They’d accuse her of betraying her group, trying to “re-debut for attention,” or being the reason her team failed.

There was no way her company — or A-young herself — would want that kind of backlash.

But maybe… there’s still a way.

She started sketching out a rough scenario in her head.

If A-young’s personality was the same as she remembered, Ji-hyun was confident she could persuade her somehow.

The problem was how to reach her.

If only I had her phone number.

If she could just contact A-young — or even meet her once — she could explain everything.

But that was impossible in Ji-hyun’s current position. There was no reasonable excuse for a superstar idol to just show up and talk to a small-group member from another company.

And it’s not like she’d have a fan sign event soon, either.

Ji-hyun did some quick mental math. It had been over three months since Mate’s comeback. Most groups held fan signs only during active promotions, not months later.

But then—

Wait… maybe I’m wrong.

Mate was a small five-member group. If even one member was missing — especially if that member had been injured or shaken after the accident — the company might’ve delayed their events.

If A-young was hurt that day, maybe they postponed everything until she recovered.

That meant there could still be a fan sign event coming up.

Her heart pounded as she opened the group’s official fan café and scrolled through the posts.

And then—

“There it is…! A final fan sign event!”

Her jaw dropped.

Unbelievable.
Three months after comeback, and they were still doing a fan meeting — with no notice saying A-young wouldn’t attend.

This was it.

A chance to meet her face-to-face.

But… can I really go?

She hesitated.

It was risky, sure. But she wasn’t going to cause chaos. The staff there had seen celebrities before; they wouldn’t freak out just because “Ahn Ji-hyun” showed up quietly.

Even if someone recognized her, she doubted it would turn into a disaster.

It’ll be fine. Totally worth it.

The event only allowed fifty winners — sixty people tops, including staff and security.
And in most small fan signs, not everyone even showed up.

Even if things got awkward, she could handle it.

She’d just have to be careful not to draw too much attention.

All right, how many albums should I buy…?

This time, entry was automatic — you buy an album, enter your name, and you’re in the lottery.

It wasn’t really about the money; she wanted to support sales, too.

Let’s go with twenty copies.

Even though five or six albums usually guaranteed a win, she decided to go big — twenty albums, just in case.

Her old fangirl friends would probably call her insane, and using Ji-hyun’s money made her feel a little guilty.

But whatever. She couldn’t afford to fail this time.

***

Fan Sign Day

Why am I so nervous?

Ji-hyun stood outside the venue, clutching her bag and fidgeting with her watch.

Now that she looked at it closely, the watch itself was probably worth a fortune. She’d thrown it on at random, thinking she should “look nice,” but it turned out to be the kind of thing that could pay someone’s rent for a year.

Would A-young like something like this if I gave it to her?

She groaned and shook her head.

Focus!

She needed to stop daydreaming.

She’d been to fan signs before — lots of them, as Jang Se-hee. But this was different.

As Ahn Ji-hyun, even walking into one made her heart race.

Back then, A-young and Se-hee had been close enough to joke, to laugh, to share little inside stories.
Now, to A-young, she was just a stranger — maybe even a distant star.

I can’t mess this up.

She inhaled deeply. In and out. Again.

Each fan only got about 90 seconds. If she wasted even a few seconds, she might not get the message across.

And this was her only chance — the last fan sign of the promotion. The survival show would start before the next one.

Two minutes left. Time to go in.

By now, everyone should’ve been seated, and Mate would be preparing to enter.

Ji-hyun went up to the third floor, where the event was being held, and approached the check-in table.

Luckily, there weren’t any other fans loitering nearby — just one tired-looking staff member.

“Can I see your ID, please?”

Ji-hyun nodded silently and placed the card on the table, tugging her cap lower over her face.

And then—

She saw the staffer’s expression change.

The woman’s bored look vanished in an instant. She blinked, swallowed hard, and said nervously,

“Uh… could you take off your hat and sunglasses for a moment? Just for confirmation…”

Oh, great.

Ji-hyun sighed inwardly. But thankfully, there was only one staff member here.

Thank you, tiny-budget company, for only hiring one person.

She turned slightly, just enough to block the half-open door from view, and quickly removed her hat and sunglasses.

The staffer’s eyes widened — first in shock, then in awe.

“Oh my gosh… you’re so pretty.”

“Ah, thank you… haha.”

Ji-hyun scratched her cheek awkwardly and nodded toward her ID.

“So, can I go in now?”

“Oh! Of course! I’m so sorry, I just— wow…”

“Shh! Keep it down, please.”

She pressed a finger to her lips and whispered,

“Could you keep my visit a secret, just between us?”

“Huh? Oh, um, yes! Of course!”

Yeah, right. The look on the woman’s face screamed ‘I’m telling everyone the second you leave!’

But Ji-hyun knew exactly how to handle this kind of person.

She leaned in with a conspiratorial smile.

“Let’s keep this our little secret, okay?”

“Uh… our secret?”

“Who knows — maybe if you keep it well, I’ll ask for your help again sometime.”

It’s a secret between you and a superstar, her tone implied. Can you really resist that?

And just like that, the woman’s expression softened into something loyal and starstruck.

“I swear, even if someone threatens me, I won’t say a word!”

“Good. Thank you.”

“W-wait, one more thing—!”