CHAPTER 89: BEFORE THE FINAL MATCH - [200PS BONUS CHAPTER]

[Joshua, what are you doing? Oh, right, I suddenly remembered—whose jacket are you wearing today? It’s way too big.]

[Joshua, you still haven’t told me how you managed to kick me out of your head.]

[Joshua, why aren’t you replying to my messages? Are you giving me the cold shoulder again?]

[Joshua, where did you go? You said you’d text me when you got home!]

[Joshua!!!!!]

Joshua had just finished showering when he picked up his phone and saw a flood of messages from Nine.

[It’s not like I’m always free, Nine,] he replied.

Then he added another message: [That jacket belongs to Luther. I still have missions to complete. Oh, right—why is the Idol System still inside me even though you’re gone?]

Well, Nine was the one who started the conversation, but somehow Joshua ended up asking questions.

Nine felt something was wrong with this dynamic—he should be in control here! But in the end, he still replied honestly: [That’s because it’s linked to your soul. You can’t just exterminate it. Just focus on completing your missions. As long as you gain enough fame, you’ll be fine.]

[Now answer me! Why did you throw me out like that?!]

Joshua: [Simple. I like my privacy. I don’t want someone inside my head.]

It seemed Nine couldn’t control the Idol System either. Perhaps he was just an attachment that came along with its connection, Joshua thought to himself.

At that moment, someone ruffled his hair. "Joshua, don’t leave your hair wet like that. It’s bad for your health."

Joshua looked up and flipped his phone face down.

Justin casually picked up a towel and gently dabbed the water from Joshua’s hair.

Joshua caught his hand and said softly, "I can do it myself."

Justin glanced at the phone, lying facedown, and said, "By the way, I heard the show had already posted today’s photos on the official site. I’ve been waiting for you so we can look at them together, Joshua."

Luther, who was nearby, immediately pulled out his phone. "Really? Joshua, did your photo turn out well?"

Joshua went to grab the hairdryer and replied quietly, "I told you, Mr William didn’t think too highly of me."

Meanwhile, Henry had been staring at his phone the whole time—the screen displayed a photo of Joshua and Will together.

The photographer clearly knew how to capture the right moment—it was taken just as Will lowered his head to look at Joshua. Unsurprisingly, the comments section below was flooded.

[The previous shots were black and white too, but they just looked funny. Why does this one feel so...]

[They’re definitely mad at each other.]

[Looks like a photo taken before a divorce, hahaha.]

[Say what you will, but those two really match! Last time, Will loved the nail polish Joshua did for him—he even took great care not to ruin it. And Joshua thought Will’s earrings were super cool. I told you they were bound to be friends!]

[Are we shipping again? It’s just a photo, people!]

[I mean, Joshua looks good with literally anyone.]

[He’s a beauty, of course, everyone wants the beauty!]

[Will’s gaze is way too affectionate. V Magazine, are you hearing me? Pick this pair for the next cover!]

Henry exited the app, went into his photo gallery, cropped the picture in half, and saved only Joshua’s part.

Joshua also looked at his own photo. Not bad at all—and as for the fans, they were practically worshipping him at this point.

Reading all those compliments, Joshua couldn’t help blushing a little.

He knew the fans of the others were probably praising their idols in the same way.

He chuckled softly and absently brushed his fingers over the phone screen.

[The Wolf Doesn’t Eat Meat]: Has everyone liked, commented, and shared Joshua’s photo yet? If not, hurry up! linklink!

[I hate Veggies]: Where have you been, Wolf? You went completely silent for days—we thought you’d abandoned Joshua!

[Love is X]: Yeah, exactly!

Nine snorted coldly. If anything, it was Joshua who abandoned him!

He furiously began typing.

[The Wolf Doesn’t Eat Meat]: Just got kicked out by my roommate, but things are fine now...

[Joshua 1st support]: What the heck, did my OTP break up?!

[Love is X]: Finally! The breakup we’ve all been waiting for, hahahaha!

[The Wolf Doesn’t Eat Meat]: We’re not dating!

[The Wolf Doesn’t Eat Meat]: He wanted privacy. But guess what? I’d barely been gone two days before he invited me out to eat—and he even applied medicine to me. When he did, he blew on it so it wouldn’t hurt. Tch, I know he likes me. There’s no way he can stand being away from me!

[Love is X]: Sounds sweet enough, but I don’t really buy it since it’s coming from Wolf.

[Simp Joshua]: +1 not buying it, hahaha. He’s probably just delusional again.

Nine was so angry he could practically see smoke coming out of his head as he scrolled through the comments—but he could do nothing about it. Just wait, one day they’d all see how much Joshua liked him!

The time for the final stage rehearsal had come. At the same time, the list for the September cover of V Magazine was announced. It included nine people: Joshua, Leonard, Luther, and Will.

They spent an entire day shooting for the spread.

"Luther, take a photo for me—I want to post something."

Joshua handed his phone to Luther, then lay down directly on the flower-covered carpet. One arm stretched above his head, the other rested lightly on his stomach; his face tilted slightly to the side, eyes half-closed.

He wore the same outfit from the earlier shoot—a light blue silk shirt with ruffled edges. The satin fabric shimmered faintly with each movement. Small tweedia flowers adorned his cheek and temple, and as he lay there among the blossoms, he looked like a flower himself.

Joshua stayed still for quite a while. Just as he was about to ask if Luther was done, he heard the man’s slightly husky voice say, "It’s done."

Joshua immediately sat up, reached out to take back his phone, and checked the photo. After a glance, he nodded in satisfaction. "It looks great, Luther—and the lighting’s perfect too. How did you manage to find such a good angle?"

Luther rubbed the tip of his nose, looked at Joshua, then back at the photo on the screen, and said quietly, "Maybe even the sunlight’s biased toward you."

Joshua blinked in surprise and looked up at him. Luther froze, as if only realizing what he’d said.

But it was fine, right? Joshua was his close friend—what was wrong with complimenting him?

"Alright, while you didn’t reach my impossibly high standards, you all did a great job. You may leave now!"

At that moment, a bouncing figure suddenly appeared—it was none other than William. He was dressed much the same as usual, except today his bow tie was bright yellow, and his suit was split into two colours: red on one side, pink on the other. Even his shoes matched perfectly, completing his flamboyant look.

He glanced over in their direction. For some reason, it felt like his eyes lingered on Joshua.

Joshua’s gaze shifted slightly before he smiled and nodded in greeting.

Luther’s arms slipped under Joshua’s armpits and lifted him off the ground. Luther said softly, "How long are you planning to sit here? Let’s go."

Once Joshua regained his balance, he suddenly said, "How could you do that? Sit down and let me try it on you."

Luther: "..."

Luther looked at Joshua and thought—if they actually tried that, Joshua would probably end up emotionally scarred.