From Skid Row to Superstardom: An Idol System Novel-Chapter 346: Vacation (8)

As soon as Ari stepped out, he saw everyone standing there, fully dressed, admiring themselves in the mirror.

Daniel took one look at him, smiled, and immediately began talking nonsense.

"Wow. She’s right! You really look like a mermaid princess- ouch."

Ari immediately pinched Daniel’s cheek as hard as he could, stretching it thoroughly so the other boy wouldn’t say any nonsense.

"And you look like a cheese puff."

"I’m not a cheesepuff, I’m a phoenix."

"Try again, Orange Chicken."

"Phoenix. Muuuhhhh."

"What were you saying, carrot top? I’m a what?" Ari began stretching Daniel’s other cheek.

"I said you look like a handsome sea prince. Very handsome. Very princely."

"Much better." Ari released him before glancing at his other teammates.

William was dressed in a royal blue hanbok with dragons embroidered on the shoulders and cuffs, making his blonde hair stand out and making him look like a prince.

Vishal was dressed in an all-black hanbok with red embroidery, which made his tan skin stand out and give him a regal type vibe.

And Daniel was dressed in an orange and white hanbok with flame-and-feather embroidery.

Although he was trying to claim that he was a phoenix, what Ari really saw was...a fluffy orange chicken. Especially with his fluffy orange hair flying around.

"All of you. Very handsome! Can we please have a picture? I’ll give you a discount~" the store owner, who looked like she was going to ascend into heaven as she stared at them, already had her camera out.

And Ari, hearing the word discount, immediately agreed.

"Sure."

The four of them lined up and got their picture taken, with Ari having to pose repeatedly.

By the time they were released, they went into the palace to take their photo and met the staff member again. Over an hour had passed.

"We’re done! What’s the next hint?"

The staff member quickly handed them the envelope, and they quickly tore it open while Ari read it out loud.

"I run through the middle of Seoul, yet I’m not a building. I am considered long, but in the city, I’m only second best. I run, but have no legs. I have a head but never weep. I have a bed, but I never sleep. I contain a place where I fall but can’t get up. And a place where you can stand in the center, without giving me a touch. What am I? Any guesses?"

Ari glanced around.

William looked confused, Daniel’s face was scrunched up, and Vishal looked like he had some kind of idea.

"Some kind of running water? Could it be the Hangang river right?" Vishal quickly spoke up, but Ari shook his head.

"I think it’s running water, but if it’s second best, it can’t be the river. Maybe a stream? Also, ’falls but can’t get up’ is usually a reference to waterfalls. Any ideas?" Ari turned to Daniel with hopeful eyes.

The Korean boy bit his lips while muttering to himself before perking up.

"Cheonggyecheon stream! And it has a mini waterfall, it’s not as long as the river, and there are rocks in the middle where you can stand! It’s close by too!! I remember seeing it on the map."

"Okay. Then let’s head there. I can record the next part."

Dramatically fanning himself with the seashell-shaped fan, Ari grabbed the camera and pointed it at his face after making sure the recording light was on.

"Salut. C’est Ari. I’m now the cameraman and commentator for the next riddle and will be taking you along as we head to our next destination. Here’s our hint," Ari quickly held up the paper with the riddle, "and here’s our amazing secret weapon to local knowledge, Sir Kim Daniel. Mr. Kim?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Ari pointed the camera toward Daniel, who was saluting while brushing back his bright orange hair.

"Lead us to the place of water that runs with no feet."

"Sir, yes, sir." Giving Ari a mock bow while smiling brightly, Daniel pretended to march out the door like a soldier.

Laughing to himself before quickly schooling his face so he looked like a haughty prince, Ari followed behind him while Vishal and William followed.

As Ari followed along, he pointed the camera at different things while chatting with Daniel and Vishal, while dutifully pretending William didn’t exist.

And online, something was brewing.

********

[Calling fans from the north, the south, the east, and the west. Four Princes of Pop Star Academy Wearing Hanbok]

[Ari’s Angels, Royal Family, Dandelions, and fans of Vishal, please gather around. Today, let’s put aside our differences and come together to celebrate the eye candy the PD just gave us. Our kids are dressed formally in hanbok and are currently roaming the city!]

└ Is this AI? How did you get this picture?

└└ A hanbok rental spot posted a picture of Ari with the mermaid princess tag, and it started blowing up since our kid was so pretty. People remembered him from the plastic surgery allegations.

└ He looks like a royal prince. His face! His eyes! Ahhhhhhh!

└ To the fans who voted so he could dye his hair red, to the hairstylist who went to haircare school to learn color theory and apply it perfectly, to Ari’s parents for giving him strong, healthy, thick hair that can survive 3 rounds of bleaching while retaining his luscious curls, to the sun that kissed his skin before I could, thank you!

└└ To the hanbok store owner who heard his name and saw the vision that he is, in fact, a pretty princess and deserves to be dressed in those colors, thank you! #mykid is a princess at heart #arimymermaidprince(ss)

└└ Ahh, Ariel, yesterday you showed me your dark, vampiric, edgy side. Today you’re showing me you’re beautiful, elegant, pretty princess side. Do you want me to die? Is that what you want? For me to die whenever I see your beauty? Because I will!

└ Why is it always about Ari’s looks? Praise the rest of the kids, too. They also look good.

└└ Bc he was the one going viral, and the one people recognized, duh. Praise your kid if you think he looks good.

└ Wow, he might be ugly on the inside, but William really looks good on the outside. That royal blue is so good on him. It really brings out his eyes

└└ no you’re so right. He’s actually super handsome. That cold look in his eyes, that aristocratic face. No matter what he did, I can forgive him!

└└└ In the face of beauty, crimes don’t exist!

└└ Rich, handsome, cool, what can’t our prince do

└└└ Be a nice person

└└└└ *chokes*

└ My kid looks like a ball of sunshine. Kim Daniel! My little Pomeranian, my little dandelion, I love you!

└└ little? Don’t you ever disrespect my secretly buff dancing rapping dandelion king in your life like that again!

└└└ You’re right. My big pomeranian Kim Daniel. Please continue shining like the light you are.

└ Vishal is giving me Aladdin vibes, royal scribe vibes, the cool, attractive secretary of the top CEO vibes. Please, take your glasses off. I want to see something.

└└ If he takes his glasses off, will He be able to see something?

└└└ That’s not my problem; that’s his eye doctor’s problem. #takeitalloff

└ Have Vishal and Ari made up? How did they end up on the same team?

└└Who says they’re on the same team?

└└ Are they fighting?

└└└ Yeah, they’re not close anymore. I heard they had a fist fight, which ended the friendship, and Ari took all their mutual friends

└└└└ Why are you guys always making things up??? Just enjoy the photo!

└ Wait, what are they filming? Did the store owner say there was a film crew?

└└ Looks like self-made content. You can see the handcam that William’s holding, and somebody spotted them at the palace (video attached)

└ Can we get the PD to put all the contestants in hanbok? They look so handsome!

└└ I can’t wait for the Chuseok special for the group. If Ari looks this good now, imagine how much better he’ll look when he’s managed properly and gets a custom hanbok. Please staff! Give him pretty makeup! And make him wear brighter colors! He looks good in them!

└└└ You’re assuming he’s going to make it.

└└└└ I haven’t been using my tuition money to buy votes for him not to make it!

└└└└└ pause! Your education is important

└└└└└└ Not as important as my pick making it. My grades are already shit, so I’m living vicariously through my valedictorian idol

└ Wait, are the other contestants also in hanbok?

└└ Benjamin and Jamie were spotted in mascot costumes at Namsan Tower, and Levi and Rex were spotted in hanbok at another palace in Seoul. Other contestants have been spotted at different tourist places in Seoul. They also have handcams, so it’s definitely self-produced content.

└└└ What the heck is the production team having them do?

The Pop Star Academy Community was on fire once again as the fans tried to discover what was happening and what the contestants were up to.

Some contestants were genuinely having a good time, taking fun pictures and videos, eating tasty snacks, and enjoying solving riddles while dressed in costumes as they went through the city, while other contestants had just given up and were wandering around on the production team’s budget.

And a third segment of contestants had finally broken down.

"So..." Ari looked at William, who was avoiding eye contact, Daniel, who was squatting on the ground with his head buried in his knees, and Vishal, who had a dire expression on his face.

"We’ve run out of money."

"Yes."

"And we need to figure out how to pay for lunch."

"Yes."

"Before we get arrested in a foreign country."

Ari peeked at the cafe owner, who was staring at them suspiciously while speaking to a police officer at the cash register, before looking down at the plate of food he didn’t even want.

How the hell had they ended up here again?