CHAPTER 221: FAN SHOWCASE (2)

"I’m going to pass out."

"Don’t pass out."

"I feel faint. My vision is blurry."

"I’m begging you to please not pass out."

"But look at him. Look."

Almost in unison, the three girls squatting by the wall turned to observe the faux mini cafe set up inside the building.

Sitting at small round tables, groups of girls chatted with each other while eating their meal boxes as several handsome boys, acting as waiters, took their simple orders, cleaned the seating, delivered the ordered items, or signed the offered goods.

At one table, a loud boy with a British accent was making people laugh.

On another table, a tall boy with slicked-back blonde hair and a posh vibe was speaking to a table with a regal smile.

And as they watched, an exceptionally handsome, slender young man with curly back hair pinned away from his face with golden X hair clips was walking through the aisle between small round tables holding a tray piled high with colorful food boxes with one hand.

He was dressed in the same outfit as the other boys surrounding him: a simple white button-up shirt and black bow tie, slim-fit black slacks, and a black waist apron tied into a neat bow, with the only difference being the nude colored compression wrist brace he wore on his free arm.

Even though he was dressed similarly to other people, for some reason, on his body, the clothing appeared as if it had been ripped off a model on a high-fashion runway.

"Bonjour mesdames. I’m Ariel, your waiter. I have your orders. Please forgive me if I say your names wrong. I mean no offense. And let me know if anything’s missing."

Speaking with a slight French accent and letting out a gentle smile, both the girls at the table, as well as Justine and Rachel squatting in the hallway, couldn’t help but squeal in excitement.

After all, not only were they seeing that ridiculously good-looking face with their own eyes, hearing his voice with their own ears, but it was also the first time in history that they were seeing Ariel’s bare skin!

Yes, bare skin that wasn’t his face, neck, or hands!

The sleeves of the shirt were carefully rolled and cuffed at his elbow, exposing the pale, lean arms that were surprisingly corded with muscle that contracted and flexed as he removed the items from the tray, gently placing them on the tables.

Rachel and Justine couldn’t look away from the rare sighting of bare skin and had dragged the unwilling Grace to squat off the side and stare.

"I thought he was just a twink, but he’s actually fit? Is this what they call a sleeper build?"

"I’m sad that his hair is not red, but I am looking respectfully at those arms. I feel like a Victorian man seeing an ankle for the first time. This is not okay! I take back what I said about wanting to see some skin! He needs to cover up! No, he needs to take more off! No! Take your shirt off. Who said that!"

"Guys? He dances for at least 6-8 hours a day. Why wouldn’t he be fit and have some muscle?"

"Now is not the time for your realistic takes, Grace! You don’t get it! Idols fall into four body types. We have the twinks, the tall boys, the short boys, and finally the beasts. Ari was firmly in the twink category! You could call him the captain of the twinks on the show. If he were bread, he’d be a baguette. If he were candy, he’d be a Twizzler. His height-to-slimness ratio is second to none, and it’s very apparent when he’s standing next to beasts like Benjamin and Jamie. His being secretly muscular underneath his clothes is mind-blowing news, okay? I don’t know how to handle this!" Rachel was seconds away from messing up her hair before realizing that she would soon have to see Ari and look her best.

"Rachel, focus on the bigger issue! His hand is still bandaged. What kind of brutal handshake did William give him?"

"Shhhh, don’t say it too loudly. You know how the prince’s fans are, and we’re currently at war with them over Ari’s comment. They like to say we Angels are toxic, but the Royal Family is so much worse!"

"Uhhhh, I know, I know. I’ll be quiet and just enjoy the view. Thank you, god, for making Ari’s parents meet and have him." Justine sighed happily as she focused her eyes on Ari, who was now leaning against a table with his arms crossed while chatting with Benjamin, who must have said something funny because he doubled over and began laughing so hard he had to wipe his eyes.

After staring at her two new friends, sighing as they fawned over her coworker for several minutes, Grace finally spoke up.

"So...why are we squatting instead of sitting on perfectly good seats and eating food that we paid for and talking to the person we came to see?"

"I’m preparing my heart."

"I’m preparing my soul."

"Please prepare it by standing up. We’re wasting time. We only have 25 minutes remaining before we need to go fight for a good spot to view the stage. Otherwise, we’ll have to stand in the back during the performance."

"Oh, right!"

As if she suddenly remembered, Rachel hopped to her feet, brushing off imaginary dust and smoothing down her hair.

"Let’s go let’s go let’s go."

Seeing Rachel run off, Grace and Justine exchanged a glance before following after her, and quickly getting in the short line of people waiting to be seated.

It seemed that the contestants were taking turns to care for each visitor. After letting several groups behind them move ahead, Ari and Benjamin finally approached, both of them letting out a small smile when they saw Grace.

"Hullo, ladies. You want me to serve you or Big Man Ari here?" Benjamin asked with his usual smile as he slung his arm over Ari’s shoulder.

"Ariel, please." Rachel squeaked out as she craned her head to look at Benjamin’s face in awe.

She knew that he was one of the tallest contestants, but reading his height on the screen and experiencing it, along with his handsome face in person, were two different things.

His jawline could cut glass, and his broad shoulders and slim waist, visible even through the dress shirt, were intense; he smelled good, and that British accent combined with his deep voice?

She immediately understood why he was one of the contestants most liked by the general population, had all of his photocards sold out at the gift shop, and had the most followers on social media right now.

Perhaps she could spare a single vote for him once Ari rose to the debut ranking.

"I deep it. Enjoy your meal, ladies. It’s all you, Ari." With an easy smile, Benjamin patted Ari’s back before moving aside.

Taking a deep breath, Rachel collected her heart, soul, and mind before turning to face the person she was here to see.

"Bonjour Mesdames. Table for 3, or are you expecting another guest?"

Seeing those green eyes focused solely on her as he smiled, she blurted out the first thing on her mind.

"Hi! I’m Rachel. The camera does you no justice. You’re much more beautiful in real life! Wow!"

Ari seemed to freeze before his eyes curved in amusement.

"Thank you for the compliment, Rachel. You’re far too kind. You’re all very beautiful as well."

"Hkkkk."

"Cough cough-"

"Eww."

As Justine and Rachel began choking with red faces, Grace patted their backs with a resigned sigh before answering Ari’s question.

"Yes, table for 3. No other people are coming with us."

"Understood. Please come this way."

With staggering steps, Justine and Rachel followed Ariel, gasping once more as he pulled out the chairs for them to sit down.

"How are you all doing today?"

"I have voted for you since the very beginning, I bought every photo they have of you at the gift store, I replay your livestream and clips about you all the time, I really, really like you. Uh, no, not like that! I just think you’re talented and inspirational, and I want you to succeed against all odds. Uhm, I’m really looking forward to your performance today!" Rachel blurted out, before her brain processed the question she was just asked, and she whispered, "I’m good, you?"

Seeing how earnest she was, Ari chuckled, "I’m good too. Thank you for asking. I actually remember you from the very first performance. You shouted when I was singing the traffic song, right?"

"No! I can’t believe you remember that! Delete it from your mind!" Rachel immediately wanted to bury her head in some sand and hide, but unfortunately, the best she could do was hide her red face with her hands as Ari continued talking.

"Of course, I remembered. I’ve always wanted to say thank you because it was my first time composing and performing a song to the public. I just assumed that everyone was tolerating my singing, but seeing you sing along passionately like that made me pretty happy, and it became a treasured memory. So thank you again. I think I saw both of you at the culture festival as well? Thank you for always coming out to support me and the other contestants. It means a lot to us."

Justine choked once more, and Rachel immediately covered her face as her voice squeaked out.

"...you’re welcome. Please stop looking at me. I can’t take it."

Although she was happy that Ari remembered her, this wasn’t how she wanted to be remembered at all!

The conflicting feelings of embarrassment and happiness raged through her body, and all she could do was hide her face and hope she wasn’t too red.

"Ah, sorry about that. I’ve been talking a lot, huh. If you pass me your tickets, I’ll grab your meal boxes and your drinks and let you ladies chat."

"Here." Grace slid them over, and Ari took them with a smile.

"Thank you. I’ll be back."

"Was I nonchalant?" Rachel asked as she finally lifted her head once Ari was gone.

"I didn’t do too much, right? Calm, cool, and collected?" Justine added as she turned to watch Ari’s retreat.

"You were both very nonchalant. Very cool, very collected." Grace answered with a laugh.

While she had seen this reaction and even reacted the same way with other idols, it was quite interesting seeing her own friends react this way to someone she knew.

"I don’t understand why you’re so calm."

"I work with him. You get desensitized to it."

"Is your family restaurant hiring?"

"You want to come work like a slave for free food and no pay?"

"I mean....maybe? If I get to see that face every day, that’s payment enough."

Grace considered the pros and cons before nodding.

If they were serious, she didn’t mind them helping replace her so she could focus on other things.

"I’ll ask my grandmother and see what she says."

"Thank you!"

"For what? I have your food." At the calm voice interrupting their conversation, Rachel and Justine immediately clamped up and just stared at him silently.

With a clearly practiced ease, Ari began calling out the orders as he placed them on the table: "Eastern-style lunch box for Justine, Western-style lunch box for Rachel, and both types for Grace. I brought your water and your juices. Let me know if there’s a problem. Enjoy."

"Thank you."

"Thank you!"

"Thanks."

Grace immediately brought out her digital camera and began taking professional-type shots of the meal boxes, bringing out each component piece by piece.

At the same time, Rachel and Justine checked to see if they had gotten one of the lucky prizes, which was an FAQ card allowing them to ask one question to whatever contestant they wanted.

Unfortunately, none of their food boxes had it, so reluctantly, they began munching on their food.

When Ari circled back to their table, Grace brought out the pack of items she had bought along with a permanent marker.

"Please sign this. No need to add the name."

"All of it? Why?"

"I plan to sell it later. Life is expensive."

"Makes sense. Need a special message on any of them?"

"Actually, I do."

"Bring your stuff out too, let him sign it."

"Oh, then please sign this."

"Sure."

Seeing Ari diligently sign the things without any fuss, Rachel added her stuff to Rachel’s pile while Justine brought out the Lafufu doll that she had hand-painted.

"Uhm...this is for you."

When he noticed the familiar paint style on the doll’s monster face, Ari burst out laughing before complimenting it. "It’s cute. You must have worked really hard on it."

"...I personally made it for you. It took 12 hours to paint. Please have it."

"Ah, we specifically cannot accept any gifts this time around, but if there’s another showcase, and I’m still around, please bring it again and give it to me. I’ll definitely take it."

"I’ll keep you in the show or die trying."

"Please don’t die."

"Then, I’ll secure the votes you need by hook or by crook so that you survive."

At Justine’s drastic words, Ari looked completely appalled.

"Please don’t do that either. Let’s just live a calm, happy, wholesome life."

"Then...if I can’t do that. Can I shake your hand?"

"Sure. But it has to be with the left hand. Is that okay?"

"Yes!"

With trembling hands, Justine clasped Ari’s large yet slender hands with both of hers, marveling at the warmth before quickly releasing them.

When everything was over, she would definitely have to buy the photos taken by the photographers to remember this moment forever.

"Thank you so much. I’ll never wash my hands again."

The moment Justine half-jokingly said those words, the smile on Ari’s face immediately disappeared as he began frowning and lecturing her instead.

"Please wash your hands. With soap. I don’t want you to get sick."

"...I’m joking."

"Are you?"

"...No, not really." She couldn’t help but be honest.

"Wash it."

"...I’ll think about it. If I don’t use the bathroom, then I never need to wash it." Justine mumbled while looking away.

Seeing that she wasn’t taking him seriously, Ari immediately walked away and came back with a bottle of hand sanitizer.

"Hand, please?"

At the command, Justine automatically held hers out like a well-trained dog.

And then a massive amount of hand sanitizer was dumped on her palm while strict green eyes stared at her.

"Rub it in please. Thoroughly."

Swish swish swish.

"It was a joke."

As Justine reluctantly rubbed her hands together while grumbling, Ari turned to Grace. "Make sure she washes her hands later."

"Got you."

"I said it was a joke!"

"Oi Ari! Shift change!"

At Benjamin’s loud voice calling his name, Ari gave them an apologetic smile.

"I have to go. Thank you for coming! I hope you have a good time. And uh, vote for me and my team, if you don’t mind."

"Of course!"

"I bet my life on it!"

"Please don’t bet your life on this. Nothing is that serious."

"Wait, Ari! Can you give me the scoop on what your team’s concept is? Even a hint is fine."

"Hmmm, a hint? Well, X marks the spot?" Ari pointed to the golden X-shaped hair clips on his head before dashing off.

"X marks the spot? Is he supposed to be a pirate?"

"So, he got the summer concept? I guess you were right, Grace."

"Guess so."

Now that their main draw was gone, the three of them quickly ate food before heading to secure a good spot to view the stage.

And within the hour, as the audience area became packed, the MC came out.

"Welcome back, Ladies and gentlemen! Did you enjoy the offerings of our mini fan showcase?"

As the audience engaged with the MC, the contestants were getting ready to perform.