EPISODE 32

"…Why is Manager-nim here?"

"I've been here since earlier. Since Sticker Baekya."

It had been a while since he was there. The members seemed to be aware of it.

'Is this why they excluded me?'

Baekya swallowed a sigh.

Thus, the winner of the first round of the finals was:

"Fur Hat Baekya!"

"Whaa~!"

Jihan, Minsung, Chung, and Dongman hugged each other and circled around the practice room. The atmosphere was almost festive.

On the other hand, the defeated Blanket supporters couldn't hide their disappointment.

"Let's proceed to the next one quickly."

With an expression that looked like they were sick to their stomachs, the second round of finals began.

VS

"Wow… This one's really tough."

Dongman rubbed his chin and muttered in a low voice.

"Definitely Sticker Baekya! Is there anyone in ID who doesn't know this pretty face after dying his hair?"

Sticker Baekya's staunch supporter, Yulmu, declared firmly.

"I agree. Personally, I think Baekya should preserve the pink hair."

Yuyeon interjected.

"He's not being called a human peach for nothing."

Minsung also cast his vote for Sticker Baekya. With consecutive support, the momentum shifted in favor of the Sticker faction. However, the Glasses faction wasn't just going to stand there.

"A prettier picture of him wearing the same clothes will be included in the album anyway, so what's the point?"

Jihan argued and seized control of the discussion, saying that fans would prefer to see him in plain clothes.

"Fans haven't had a chance to see Baekya-gun in glasses... So, I think it's okay to show a more natural look this time."

Dongman firmly pushed his point. But while they were getting complacent, Yuyeon launched an attack.

"He was wearing glasses in his graduation photo, wasn't he?"

In an instant, the atmosphere turned tense, and Jihan and Dongman widened their eyes.

"That's a forbidden topic! No mentioning graduation photos!"

Namkyung shouted.

Baekya himself didn't think anything of it, but as it had sparked plastic surgery controversies, the third party had no choice but to be careful.

"Alright, alright. Quiet down. Please remain calm."

Baekya tapped the floor to calm them down.

"Both sides had enough chances to speak, and now we will proceed with the vote. 'Sticker Baek Ya should come out as the photocard.' Please raise your hands."

Yulmu, Yuyeon, and Minsung raised their hands. When asked if there were any more, the mixed emotions of joy and sorrow of those who raised their hands and those who did not, crossed.

"It's over. Thank you for your hard work, Manager Dong."

"Aigoo, no problem at all."

The strong Glasses faction members Namkyung and Dongman shook hands in victory. However, Chung had been unusually quiet since earlier. It wasn't like him to be so silent.

"I'm not in the glasses team though?"

To everyone's surprise, a variable emerged. The glasses team, who had been confident of their victory, received an unexpected blow. On the other hand, the sticker team saw a glimmer of hope.

"Right? It's the stickers, right?!"

"No. Chung Chung, think it through."

Yulmu and Jihan each held one of Chung's hands.

"Hmm…"

Chung, looking back and forth between the representatives of the sticker faction and the glasses faction, finally spoke up.

* * *

[Sparrow-nim followed you]

In this era of overflowing teasers, where people chewed, savoured, and enjoyed social media updates, Boksoong decided to check the new account following her. Underneath the cute sparrow icon, the introduction text was rather intriguing.

[Love missed in its opportune moment is a tragedy... ☆ I love Baekya]

Another follower after a short period of getting into the fandom. The new follower was Assistant Manager Na's social media account.

While various image interpretations of Baekya like peach, hamster, and squirrel were seen so far, a sparrow was something entirely new. Its white, round body with three dots underneath somehow resembled her favourite idol.

'It's a fresh interpretation, isn't it?'

Giving an acceptance necklace to Sparrow, Boksoong befriended with Sparrow.

Returning to her own feed, Boksoong decided to start her tasks. There was quite a backlog of posts she hadn't seen due to having to live her life for a while.

Most of the posts were about DASE's reality show. She clicked the retweet button and empathized along with the crowd as she scrolled through them.

===========================

To. Manager ○○○

Thanks to you I was able to debut. Thank you. Please stay healthy!

The kids' autographs are up! They're so cute ㅜㅜ #DASE

(Autographed CD with post-it note.jpg)

===========================

Then she stumbled upon a post that made her envious.

- Hey, what's this? Where did it come from?

└ It looks like a not-for-sale item from ID... I want one too...

- I'm so jealous. ㅜㅜ That person must be an ID employee, right?

- Thanks to this person Baekya got to debut? Isn't that the casting manager who tried to catch him while he was eating Pi**chu?

└ He deserved it, haha. That person deserves recognition.

- What's the source of this?

└ I got it from Inheart.

A signed CD of DASE that Dongman couldn't wait to show off had somehow spread to this point.

"I want one too!"

Boksoong exclaimed as she zoomed in on Baekya's autograph. How is it that our Baekya not only writes well but also speaks so beautifully? Could there be another perfect being like this in the world? Her heart swelled with excitement.

Then her alarm went off. It was a reality show notification set for 5:59 on Monday. It was time for episode 4 of .

"Oh my. Get yourself together."

In a hurry, Boksoong switched apps. A minute felt like an hour as she waited with her legs shaking.

Finally, it was six o'clock.

Boksoong refreshed the screen. A new video appeared at the top.

"Oh!"

The thumbnail was of DASE members wearing aprons with a coffee machine in the background. When she saw it, she couldn't help but exclaim in excitement. Boksoong played the video.

[EP.4 | Coffee Prince Playground | DASE HAPPY DAYS]

[One day in April, at the ID headquarters' cafe]

Behind the DASE CAFE 'No Games' sign, DASE members, dressed in white shirts and navy-blue aprons, were moving busily.

Jihan and Baekya were busy making espresso shots at the coffee machine. Chung, who was pressing various buttons on the cash register, suddenly got surprised by a receipt that printed out, and Yuyeon was summoned in a hurry. Yulmu was organizing macarons on the showcase shelf, and Minsung was clapping his hands to get their attention.

[Minsung: Everyone, we're opening the cafe now.]

[DASE (One-day Baristas): Yes~]

As soon as Minsung finished speaking, customers entered. They had ID employee badges around their necks. Minsung, who was in charge of the cash register, greeted them with a cheerful smile.

[Yulmu: May I take your order?]

[Customer: Uh, I'll have two iced Americanos, please. (Shy)]

[Yulmu: Of course. Please have a seat, and we'll bring them to you.]

After Minsung finished the transaction, the manufacturing team immediately got to work. Baekya ground the beans and Jihan filled the cup with ice and water. However, something seemed to have been pressed incorrectly as the coffee grounds kept extracting even though the cup was full. Baekya, in a panic, looked for Jihan just as another customer entered.

[Baekya: W-why is this happening?]

[Jihan: Why does it keep coming out?!]

Jihan, deciding that it was whatever, just removed the overflowing shot glass.

He poured the drink into a takeaway cup and looked at Baekya, who asked if it was okay with his eyes wide open.

"Kyaah! He's so cute!"

Boksoong covered her mouth.

In the meantime, a new order came in, and Yuyeon was in the middle of serving the first drink. An untested Americano was placed in front of the customer, accompanied by two small macarons.

[Yuyeon: These are gifts. You've been quite busy because of us lately, haven't you?]

[Eye-stealing dimples]

Even the way they asked for understanding was perfect, saying that it was their first time making coffee, so it might taste strange.

It was a comment they could make because the entire process of the manufacturing team making drinks could be seen in front of the pick-up stand.

At that moment, another member of the serving team, Yulmu, passed by Yuyeon.

[Yulmu: Two Americanos are ready~ But these might be a bit strong. If you can't drink them, please let us know.]

Likewise, the macarons were complimentary service. Approaching, Yuyeon put his arm around Yulmu's shoulder and told the customer to enjoy their drink.

[Yuyeon: Did you see them making those?]

[Yulmu: Yeah. It was a mess.]

The two chuckled and returned to the pickup counter. Before long, Chung and Minsung joined in, and it was no different from a battlefield.

The manufacturing team was overwhelmed with just the most basic Americano, and Minsung had to take special measures just 5 minutes after business began.

['No Games' Café only serves Americanos. Options: (Hot/Iced)]

A magical A4-sized paper was attached in front of the cash register. Yulmu suggested adding iced tea as an option, and the leader immediately asked the manufacturing team for their opinion.

Making iced tea was as easy as dissolving powder in water, so there shouldn't be any issues. Once the 'OK' sign came through, a hurriedly added note followed.

[└ Even iced tea is available!]

The recipe book prepared for DASE was tossed in the corner.

Before they knew it, orders had piled up. Customers were waiting patiently, but the drinks were not coming out.

Yuyeon and Yulmu started handing out macarons first, which were to be served with drinks.

[Yuyeon: You must be bored waiting, so would you like to try these?]

[Yulmu: Aigoo~ This is supposed to go out with the drinks, but it might take a bit longer. Still, please bear with us because we're preparing them with care.]

The two people tried to go in and help but were kicked out by Chung due to the limited space. Just then, a voice called for the serving team.

[Chung: Where did everyone go? Hey, take this! Are you guys goofing around?]

The boss of Café 'No Games' was not happy.

Yuyeon and Yulmu rushed over, but they were nagged by the boss, who said they shouldn't be playing when they were so busy. Their explanation that they had just handed out the service macarons didn't seem to be accepted.

[Chung: Forget it! Serve these.]

The boss here had such a one-sided communication. The serving team pursed their lips.

When it seemed like it was taking a long time, the manufacturing team suddenly brought out a tray filled with drinks all at once.

However, at this moment, the boss began saying something strange.

[Chung: Oh, right! You know~ I made one of them more delicious with a surprise.]

[Yuyeon: No, don't do that.]

[Yulmu: Ooh~ What is it?]

[Chung: I added chocolate!]