While the first event, archery, was being prepared, Choi Jeho and the maknaes came to the fan seats, each carrying shopping bags in both hands.

“Sparklers! Thanks for coming!”

Lee Cheonghyeon greeted them with a bright smile. It was the kind of smile that relaxed muscles cramped up like a dog on the bus ride over.

Could you really call that a human face? This kind of face... shouldn’t it be placed in an art museum, behind a glass wall? It was a face that could be stolen even with the security system on.

The government should quickly implement a ‘1 Family, 1 Lee Cheonghyeon’ policy. Then the people wouldn’t even need physical therapy anymore.

“Did you eat breakfast? I figured you probably didn’t get a chance with how early check-in was.”

Kang Giyeon said with a worried look. Warmth was embedded in his cool face.

“We didn’t eat!”

“They wouldn’t even let us bring water, so we came with nothing...”

The fans voiced their complaints. They were already angry at the way Idol Annals of the Dynasty production crew banned outside food—even water—for fans who’d been traveling since dawn.

They couldn’t curse in front of the members, but they definitely wanted to convey their murderous intent toward the Idol Annals of the Dynasty production team.

It was Choi Jeho’s shopping bags that soothed the irritated fans. Choi Jeho started taking out two water bottles from the shopping bags and distributing them to the fans.

“Here’s some water. And this is juice...”

“We also brought sandwiches. Just a moment!”

Lee Cheonghyeon also took out sandwich sets from his shopping bag and diligently handed them out. Kang Giyeon had already moved to the other end of the fan section, handing them out.

A neatly packaged sandwich, fruit, wet wipes, and candy for a refreshing aftertaste were delivered to Won Chaehee’s lap as well. The sticker on it read, “Thank you for coming ~ From Spark ~”.

“The sticker is cute, right? Iwol hyung picked it out.”

“Really?!”

Did Kim Iwol seriously sign up for a Naezeland account? Did he get the printing quote from PurplePrinting? Won Chaehee’s heart ached.

“And this! Lay one of these across your lap!”

Lee Cheonghyeon took something else out of another shopping bag. It was a thin, large handkerchief, big enough to cover their laps. The design of blazing flames, something that would likely be sold at a highway rest stop, was impressive.

“Bread crumbs might fall, so cover your laps with the handkerchief first before eating.”

“The aggressive design is because Jeho hyung chose it.”

At Kang Giyeon’s words, some fans bit their lips to stifle their laughter. Anyone who had seen Choi Jeho’s past photos would know that his fashion sense wasn’t particularly good. It was surprising that this had managed to pass Kim Iwol’s inspection.

Spark even distributed bags for trash before returning. They even reminded them not to throw the biodegradable bags away with the plastic.

Won Chaehee took about 100 photos to certify her idols’ detailed and intense fan return gift service.

Then she tried to take a bite of her sandwich but failed. Because Spark, finished with their preparations, appeared on the big screen.

Three cold, handsome men coming out wearing chest guards, specialized gloves, and holding bows...

Won Chaehee finally understood why medieval romance fantasy novels always had royal hunting competitions.

All the arrogant men of the royal family must have been walking around like that during hunting competitions. If she were the emperor, she would have pushed for hunting competitions every quarter.

Spark, who were paired against a senior team, were given time for an interview. Jeong Seongbin, the first runner, received the microphone.

“I heard Spark even went to a training camp for this Idol Annals of the Dynasty?”

Hellas Yur, who came down to the field, asked with a friendly smile.

“Yes, we practiced hard!”

“Out of the three of you, who had the best results?”

“Park Juu was the best shooter. I think it’s because he has good concentration.”

At Jeong Seongbin’s compliment, Park Juu casually ran a hand through his bangs. As soon as he did, Kim Iwol looked at Park Juu and rearranged his bangs with the touch of an expert restoring artifacts. Laughter erupted among some Sparklers who watched this. Our Iwol, always consistent.

“Your opponents are a traditional powerhouse. Do you think you can win?”

This opponent had won gold medals in archery for the past two years. A daunting team to face in the first round.

As a diplomatically tricky question came up, a long arm reached from behind Jeong Seongbin. At the signal of a pat on his shoulder, Jeong Seongbin slightly pushed the microphone to the side. Kim Iwol leaned slightly towards the microphone and said,

“It won’t be easy, but we’ll do our best to show the fans as much of this outfit as we can.”

That’s right! How often do we get to see you shooting arrows!

The Sparklers clapped with satisfied expressions, like spectators who had just seen a great infield play at a baseball game.

Jeong Seongbin’s skills were decent. With visuals that would make him perfect as the fiancé of a noble lady in a historical drama, he shot arrows as if he were stealing the hearts of all the young ladies in the village before dying while saving his fiancée in the climax.

Watching Jeong Seongbin’s face made confirming where the arrow landed a step slower, but even with the delayed cheers of the fans, Jeong Seongbin waved his hand to express his gratitude.

Kim Iwol, who came next, also scored quite well with a stylish posture. It was an excellent result, considering he’d tilted his head a few times with an uncharacteristically blank expression.

Jeong Seongbin had the vibe of a scholar-warrior, but for unknown reasons, Kim Iwol gave off more of a stealth-assassin look. But anyway...

Park Juu was the last one out. Let’s see Park Juu’s skills, Spark’s best archer! Won Chaehee leaned forward slightly.

Park Juu drew his bow with an unusual expression. With a thud, the arrow struck the target.

“Huh?”

Won Chaehee doubted her eyes. But the caster’s commentary confirmed that she hadn’t seen wrong.

『Spark’s Juu starts with a 4. Maybe he just needs time to adjust?』

『Maybe. I think if he stays calm and doesn’t get nervous, he can definitely do it!』

Ha Seomyeong’s encouragement followed. Park Juu, still with a subtle expression, raised his bow again.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

Jeong Seongbin, who had gone out as the first runner and earned a decent score, spoke quietly.

“There’s a problem.”

“What problem?”

While pretending to adjust my chest guard, Jeong Seongbin fiddled with the straps and said in a low voice.

“The target is much closer than what we practiced with.”

I quickly raised my head and checked the distance to the target. As «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» Jeong Seongbin said, the distance to the target was much closer than when we trained at the makeshift archery range.

If we could adjust the zero point, it would be fine, but in a time-sensitive entertainment broadcast, especially during a live shoot with an audience, that would be impossible.

“Strange. I clearly remember it not being this close.”

As I struggled to find the cause, something came to mind. The Idol Annals of the Dynasty I last monitored was from a time when the target boards had been moved back a certain distance to adjust the difficulty.

I had practiced with the targets set up 50 meters away, trusting only my memory. However, this Idol Annals of the Dynasty was solely focused on capturing “cool idol moments,” so the target distance was only 20 meters. They clearly wanted to showcase some flashy bullseyes.

Since the distance wasn’t further than what we practiced, Jeong Seongbin and I could manage a decent score. The special training also paid off.

But it was different for Park Juu, our rising star.

He was the kind of guy who removed all the carbonation before drinking soda because he didn’t like the fizzy feeling, and he wore headphones for hours without playing any music because he didn’t like noise.

He was the kind of guy who, when asked if he’d like to try the seasonal strawberry juice, would say, “The strawberries might be sour today. I’ll just stick with yogurt...” How could such a guy quickly adapt to a 30-meter difference?

Sure enough, Park Juu shot an arrow straight into the 4-point zone. It was a score I had never seen him get during practice.

“Juu, just relax!”

“We’ve got plenty of points to spare. No need to stress.”

Jeong Seongbin and I took turns reassuring Park Juu. However, his strange expression didn’t fade.

Park Juu nocked another arrow. His lips pouted as if something was bothering him. Nevertheless, his gaze was fixed on the center.

With an even crisper sound, Park Juu released the string. The arrow cut through the air and then...

Clang!

...It made an ominous sound. The arrow dropped uselessly to the ground, perfectly mirroring my current emotions.

The caster’s voice was heard from afar.

『Wait a minute, did Mr. Juu just break the lens?』

『Ah, they’re checking on the scene!』

After a tense review, it turned out our dear Park Juu had pulled off a perfect center shot with just two arrows, contributed to Spark’s advancement to the tournament, and thoroughly destroyed the camera placed right behind the center of the target.

Park Juu dabbed the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. I handed him a handkerchief and bowed deeply to the staff member, asking if UA had to pay for the damage caused by this incident. Fortunately, UA didn’t have to pay for the camera.

Spark successfully passed the first round of the archery tournament. While Lee Cheonghyeon and Choi Jeho went off to play futsal, we made our way over to the fan section.

About half of the fans had moved to watch futsal, and the other half remained to watch the second round of archery.

“Did you enjoy the snacks? Did they taste alright?”

I asked cautiously. The fans responded with overflowing trash bags.

“Iwol, your makeup looks great today.”

A Sparkler sitting nearby acknowledged my painstakingly applied makeup. The 3,000 pats with the puff had been worth it.

“Really? Then should I ask them to keep this makeup style in the future?”

“Totally. You look so pretty today.”

Overflowing compliments were exchanged. Even though this gym was filled only with people who had come to cheer for their own groups—making it highly unlikely that anyone would suddenly become a fan of me—you never knew where potential customers might be. So, for the first time in a while, I channeled my academic spirit and asked the fans for advice on makeup that would perfectly suit me. A few minutes later, the fans were eagerly recommending lipstick and tint colors.

“Want to try it on the back of your hand? I have cleansing tissues.”

“Can I try it on my finger? I heard it’s more accurate to test it there.”

They say no two pinks under the sky are ever the same. Soon my fingertips and the back of my hand were painted with twenty shades of pink from the Sparklers’ makeup pouches.

“Hyung, what are you doing?”

Kang Giyeon, who had been chatting on the other side, approached. I proudly showed off the back of my hand and boasted.

“Preliminary research for a visual upgrade.”

“....Yes?”

Kang Giyeon made a perplexed expression. He just kept looking back and forth between my hand and my face.