"Is there a problem here?" Joon Sung-kyuk spoke curtly, his eyes narrowing at the doorman.
Dolores froze where she stood the moment she heard the familiar voice. Slowly, almost mechanically, she lifted her head and stared at them with teary eyes, relief flickering within them.
"M-Mister Joon Sung-kyuk… you've arrived. I'm sorry for what you've seen."
The man stiffened. Recognition struck instantly, draining the color from his face.
Before him stood the only person who held VVIP status in Caelestis. Joon Sung-kyuk, known as the right-hand man of Jeana Kim, one of the richest people in the world and hailed as the pride of South Korea's business world, was always seen accompanying her whenever she had meetings here. The VVIP privilege granted to him existed for one reason only, to maintain favor with Jeana Kim.
Cold sweat gathered at the man's temple.
He bowed quickly, forcing composure into his voice. "This is what happened… This girl—"
"Miss Casamayor, are you alright?"
Joon Sung-kyuk cut him off without hesitation. His attention had already shifted, leaving the man's explanation unfinished and irrelevant. His gaze settled completely on Dolores, who looked relieved and on the verge of tears.
"Uncle Joon…" Dolores sniffed, her voice cracking. The moment she saw Llana behind him, she ran forward and threw herself into her arms, bursting into tears. "Llana! Uwaah! I've been calling all of you, but no one answered."
Llana was pushed two small steps back by the sudden impact. She was wearing heels, so she lost her balance slightly and couldn't support both their weight. Fortunately, Sebastian was right behind her and quickly placed a steady hand on her back to support her. Llana let out a small sigh of relief. It was fortunate her older brother was attentive, otherwise they would have had a nasty fall.
She then gently wrapped one arm around Dolores' back, firm yet careful, while the other lifted to cradle the back of her head. "It's okay. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I left my phone at home, that's why I couldn't answer."
"I-is she… you know her?" the man stuttered, staring at them in disbelief as sweat began to pour down his face.
"Miss Casamayor is my miss' friend," Joon Sung-kyuk said, finally glancing at him. His tone was calm.
"How could an esteemed Caelestis belittle and make a pure and innocent girl cry?" Adrian clicked his tongue, his tone light but edged with mockery. His eyes gleamed with amusement as he watched the man's composure fall apart. "Never thought the highly regarded Caelestis would stoop this low."
"Oh my, oh my… I wonder what will become of you."
The man in the suit felt cold sweat trail down his back. The weight of the situation pressed heavily on his chest, making it hard to breathe. He knew, without a doubt, that he was dead.
"Yes, you are~" Adrian grinned widely, leaning forward slightly as he spoke in a sing-song tone.
The man's throat went dry. He swallowed hard as his thoughts spiraled. Did he just read his mind?
"Yes, I did. I'm quite well known for my predictions. Want me to tell you what will happen to you next?" Adrian's eyes narrowed as if in deep thought, his index and middle fingers pressing lightly against his temple. "…Hmm, I see, I see…"
His expression slowly twisted into a devilish grin.
"You'll be fired within ten minutes."
"Llana, it's all this guy's fault," Dolores suddenly snapped, her voice shaking with lingering tears as she pointed at Adrian.
Adrian froze, visibly stunned. He pointed to himself in disbelief.
"Me?"
"Yes!" Dolores raised her voice, frustration breaking through her tears. "Llana, he said I could wear something nice. He didn't say I had to wear something formal. This restaurant requires a reservation, and he didn't even tell me beforehand. He's making things hard for me!"
Adrian frowned sharply. "Hey, little girl—"
"I'm not a little girl!" Dolores cut him off immediately, glaring through teary eyes.
"Yes, you are, child. And as I was saying, it's not my fault you misunderstood. I said wear something nice, which means something formal. And as for the reservation, that's not on me either. I didn't even know we needed one. I've dined here before and never had to reserve."
"I apologize, Miss Casamayor," Joon Sung-kyuk interjected smoothly, lowering his head in respect.
He then turned to Llana. "It's my fault, miss. I forgot that a reservation is required. I've gotten used to not needing one, so I failed to inform Miss Casamayor."
Llana let out a soft sigh," It's fine, Uncle. There's no need to complicate things further."
"Let's just find another place to dine." Sebastian spoke up lightly.
Llana looked down at Dolores, her tone softening. "Is that okay with you, or do you still want to eat here? It's your choice."
Everyone turned to Dolores, waiting for her answer. Even the doorman silently prayed.
"…Let's just eat here. I don't want to waste your time. I know you're all busy, unlike me."
Dolores wiped her tears and nose with the handkerchief Llana had given her earlier.
"You're sure?" Llana asked softly.
Dolores nodded.
Llana shifted her gaze to Joon Sung-kyuk and gave a subtle signal.
Joon Sung-Kyuk nodded and turned towards the doorman "Please lead the way,"
"Y-yes… Thank you!" the doorman replied quickly, bowing deeply. Relief washed over his expression as he immediately stepped aside to guide them in, clearly grateful the situation hadn't escalated further.
_____
"Llana, have you seen what people are saying about you? They're too much," Dolores said, her voice laced with frustration on Llana's behalf.
They were already seated in a private room, waiting for their food.
Jude stepped in just then, glancing between them. "What's going on? Is there a problem, Llana?"
"The fact that you don't even know just shows how little you care," Sebastian said coldly to his younger brother.
"Truth," Adrian added lazily, leaning forward as he took a sip of his orange juice.
I'm sorry. I've been so busy lately that I haven't even checked on you," Jude said. He ignored his older brothers, already used to their remarks, and looked at Llana with concern.
"It's nothing, brother. Don't worry about it," Llana replied with a faint, reassuring smile. "Dolores is talking about the song I just performed. You know, 'Your Idol.'"
"Oh, that." Jude nodded. He had been the one to warn Llana that the song was too risky to perform, especially if people found out that she had written it herself because of its lyrics.
The lyrics alone were enough to spark controversy. The first time he caught her recording it and realized she was the one behind it, he had genuinely been alarmed. For a moment, he even thought she had sold her soul. He pressed her for answers, but when he saw the innocence in her eyes, he was eventually convinced that she had no hidden intentions in creating the song.
He was also the one who suggested releasing it as if it had been written by someone else. The song was performed by him and his two brothers, along with two members of BTS, V and Jin, who had coincidentally been with Adrian at the time.
Their older brothers also helped edit and upload it to ViewTube, leaving the rest to their men.
Even so, a wave of negative feedback was still directed at his sister.
"What are they saying?" Jude frowned slightly as he asked Dolores.
"These are some of the comments," she replied.
"Llana is definitely a devil's advocate. Open your eyes while there's still time."
"What they created reflects who they really are."
"The song was more unsettling than enjoyable. I don't understand the hype."
"When she sang 'I'll be your idol' in the intro, it gave me chills."
"What if that song is real? This is really scary. They shouldn't let her debut."
"We are doomed if it's real."
"Don't worry, it's not as serious as it looks, brother," Llana said, trying to reassure him.
She was telling the truth. The hate and criticism was not that serious.