“How do I do that?”
“Just do it?”
I tried hard to get useful feedback, but Joo Woosung… Being a talented jerk made it difficult.
Nothing was more frustrating than a talented jerk’s advice to a culprit, like “Just do it, why can’t you?”
“Why isn’t it working? ‘Oh, Pick a Card’ – just do it like that.”
“Wow, amazing.”
As Joo Woosung sang, the members clapped enthusiastically.
What talent does Joo Woosung have…?
If I had that talent, everything would have been easy… I would have been dating, too, or something like that…
It was very different for me. The gap was too wide to follow blindly.
Emotion, what was that? How do you do it?
“Hmmm….”
Joo Woosung rubbed his chin and gestured to the manager. It was a sign to turn off the camera for a moment.
As the manager hesitated and turned off the camera, Joo Woosung whispered quietly.
“Seo Hoyun. You’re good at acting, right? You acted like we were close in front of sasaeng the other day… Oh, right.”
“What is it?”
“Try doing it like when you threatened me.”
A very specific instruction.
“You were so sinister back then. It felt like I had been caught by at least five tigers.”
“… You hold grudges, don’t you.”
“Woosung doesn’t have that kind of thing.”
Could this guy also have to choose conversation options randomly?
I tried to recall how I had handled it back then. I was confident with Lim Hyeonsu and sure that Joo Woosung would fall into my trap.
Look, right now, he’s generously donating his talent to me for free.
“Try it, hurry.”
“Yes.”
I opened my mouth, remembering the feeling of “that time,” and obediently sang the song.
“Oh, pick a card, the future becomes clearer,
Don’t worry about the low chances, there’s no need,
It’s okay, I’ll lead you.”
“Oh, that’s it!”
“What? How did that robot suddenly develop emotions?”
“You did it, Hoyun! It’s like a completely inscrutable psychopath, I love it!”
“You look like you’d be really good at scamming people!”
Everyone clapped their hands beside me. They probably didn’t know what Joo Woosung said to me and couldn’t grasp the situation, but those compliments were directed at my actions.
I glared at them. Joo Woosung nodded proudly.
“Hey, the planning team really knows you well. They gave you the perfect position as a creepy guy.”
“Why are you making a big deal?”
“…”
I whispered quietly so that only Joo Woosung could hear. He closed his mouth and quickly changed the subject.
“Shall we try it again?”
“Yes, understood!”
Everyone enthusiastically began practicing. It was only because the kids didn’t have a proper trainer that they absorbed Joo Woosung’s tips like a sponge and quickly made them their own.
“Stretch your arm out there!”
“Belt it out more! Lift the final note cleanly!”
In particular, Seong Jiwon’s learning speed was incredible.
All the members followed Joo Woosung’s instructions and finished the song as one body.
Well done, you little brat…
While I was evaluating Joo Woosung, he was also evaluating The Dawn.
“This team is pretty good, huh? Why didn’t you do well on your debut?”
“Thank you!”
At that moment…
Ding!
[The condition has worsened!]
“…”
I clenched my teeth for a moment. My face turned pale. Joo Woosung was about to make us practice more, but he glanced at me and furrowed his brow.
“… I think a few more tries will do, but let’s take a break for now.”
“Yes, thank you!”
That was a relief.
The members bowed to Joo Woosung and collapsed to the floor one by one while I sluggishly got up and headed to the bathroom.
My head throbbed with each movement; my vision turned yellowish. I hastened to open the bathroom door, grabbed the toilet, and vomited everything I had eaten.
“Ugh…”
Ding!
[You are under a status abnormality.
Would you like to open the quest window?]
“Stop bothering me. It’s not attractive.”
I mumbled and stuck my finger down my throat. After vomiting everything, I left the bathroom and turned on the faucet.
As the water poured, I rinsed my mouth and looked up to see someone with a scowl in the mirror.
“…”
It was Joo Woosung.
“Holding up better than I thought, huh?”
Joo Woosung sneered with his arms crossed. I ignored him and pulled out a paper towel to dry my hands.
“But continuing while you’re in pain, it’s not resilience. It’s just foolishness.”
“Is that a tip?”
“Yeah, sure. Let’s call it a tip.”
Joo Woosung shrugged his shoulders.
“Where does it hurt?”
“It’s gastritis, along with a cold and aching body.”
“You’ve got it bad. Have you been to the hospital?”
“Going to the hospital won’t make it better.”
“Are you… afraid of hospitals? At your age?”
I couldn’t believe the nonsense he was saying.
I already tried to take medicine, but it seemed like it didn’t work because of the system window. Going to the hospital wouldn’t help.
“So what are you going to do?”
“Now you’re using banmal (informal language) too?”
Joo Woosung let out a sarcastic laugh as I answered him half-heartedly.
“Let’s go back. We have to practice.”
“Why are you working so hard?”
“What?”
“I thought you’d be pretty lax today, but that wasn’t the case.”
“…”
“You know what’s weird about you? You don’t seem to be passionate about becoming an idol, but you’re incredibly devoted to practicing and promoting your group.”
He’s evaluating me accurately.
Joo Woosung might have been distracted by his romantic life, but he seemed to pick up on my situation as a fellow idol.
“Hey, hey.”
I tried to ignore him and move past, but Joo Woosung blocked the bathroom door and wouldn’t budge. He wouldn’t move until I told him what he wanted to hear.
If I had been feeling better, I would have pushed past him. But right now, I have no strength in my body. I let out a deep sigh.
He’s such a pain…
“I want to debut.”
“Why?”
“I’ve had bad luck. But I’ll still take responsibility.”
My bad luck was due to the system window.
My answer must not have been enough for Joo Woosung. He looked puzzled, but I left him and headed for the practice room. Joo Woosung hurriedly followed me.
“What riddle are you talking about?”
“Quiet down, my head is killing me….”
“You’re so rude….”
Joo Woosung grumbled and opened the practice room door. As soon as it opened, everyone looked at us with a start.
“…”
“What’s up with the atmosphere here?”
As Joo Woosung mumbled, the manager quickly turned off the camera, sensing the mood. It was as if a funeral had just taken place.
I had a bad feeling.
Ding!
[Please check the quest.]
“Ho, Hoyun.”
Seong Jiwon looked at me with a pale face.
“Why?”
“Did, did you see this?”
Seong Jiwon held out his trembling hand with his phone. There was a video with a black screen uploaded on YouTube.
“Second Chance?” The Dawn.
It was only 35 seconds long, but it was clearly our song.
“Our… Our comeback song has been leaked.”
“What?”
Joo Woosung frowned on my behalf. However, I, the actual person involved, remained calm.
No, rather, the moment I had been waiting for finally came.
“Guys, let’s talk to the CEO first. Everything will be fine.”
“Who… Who leaked it?”
“We’ll find that out later. Let’s just stay calm for now.”
I looked at the worried members and manager, and my eyes met Joo Woosung’s. His gaze was fixed on me.
“Why…”
“… ?”
“Why are you smiling?”
When I touched my mouth with my hand, I could clearly feel the corners of my mouth lifted.
Joo Woosung’s eyes wavered. At the same time, a quest failure alert appeared.
Ding!
[Quest failed!
“Prevent your comeback song from being leaked!” Someone is trying to leak your song.
Stop the song from being leaked to reduce the damage.
Success: Dance 10
Failure: Status Effect. As the quest deadline approaches, the status effect becomes worse.]
“Hey, Seo Hoyun!”
Suddenly, my vision wavered, and the quest window shook with my body.
Everyone panicked and rushed towards me.
“Seo Hoyun, snap out of it!”
[You failed the quest.]
My vision flickered. My legs wobbled, and just like an old TV screen turning off, my consciousness snapped.
It was the first quest failure I had ever experienced.
***
When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
Ah, I always wanted to use this phrase.
I held my now somewhat clear head and looked around. The quest window floated next to me, emitting blue light.
[The quest failure penalty time has expired.]
It seemed some time had passed.
As I tried to sit up, I saw an IV connected to my arm. A long scar I hadn’t seen in a while was revealed along with it.
It seemed to be an emergency room. I looked for my phone to check the time and saw Seo Hojin sleeping beneath me.
“Seo Ho…”
I tried to call out, but my voice didn’t come out well.
Ah, how was I supposed to wake him up?
Annoyed, I dropped the phone from the small bedside table next to us onto his body. Startled, Seo Hojin jumped up.
“Hyung.”
“Hey, water….”
“Hyung, you’re awake!”
Seo Hojin rushed towards me with a fuss. I was about to ask for water, but this guy wasn’t in his right mind now.
“I was really worried about you, wondering what would happen….”
Looking closely, his eyes were swollen. Surprised, I asked with my cracked voice.
“Did you cry?”
“No, I didn’t.”
Ah, I think I know what’s going on. Seo Hojin clang to me because I was the only family he had left in his life.
We cut ties with all our trashy relatives long ago, and our parents had already passed away. Who else was left? Just me.
If I die, he would truly be left alone. That fact made me feel sorry and gave me a newfound sense of responsibility.
“Just give me some water.”
Seo Hojin sighed deeply as if his worry had finally subsided. He seemed slightly sulky, but I was too tired to comfort him.
“Ah, shit.”
He muttered a curse while taking out water from the refrigerator, seemingly aware of his fuss. When I checked my phone after taking a sip, I realized I had been unconscious for roughly half a day.
“I’ll call the doctor for you to let them know you’re awake.”
“Alright…”
Seo Hojin hesitated and then left the room.
It was 2 a.m. Well, at least I could make it to the music video shooting on time.
I lay back down and checked the notifications on my phone.
24 missed calls, 278 messages
… What’s going on?
I felt nervous as I checked them.
First, the missed calls. Seo Hojin, Seo Hojin, manager, manager, Lim Hyeonsu, Joo Woosung, Lim Hyeonsu, Lim Hyeonsu, Kim Seonghyeon… and various members had called me.
Ignoring the calls for now, I moved on to the messages. It seemed like a group chat was created.
– Kang Ichae: Hyung, are you okay???
– Seong Jiwon: Seems like you overdid it…
– Jeong Dajun: Hoyun-hyung ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ why aren’t you waking up yet ㅜㅜ
– Kim Seonghyeon: We’re going to meet the manager for a while. Call if anything happens
Oh…
I was engulfed in a strange feeling.
… These kind-hearted fools.
It had been a while since someone other than Seo Hojin worried about me like this. As I was about to reply that I was fine, my phone rang.
[Sucker 2]
Why was this guy calling?
I obediently answered the call.
“Yes, this is Seo Hoyun.”
– “… Hey, are you alright?”
An awkward voice from Joo Woosung flowed out. I leaned against the pillow and casually answered.
“I’m alive.”
– “Your personality is really….”
“What’s the matter?”
– “You’re so annoying….”
I ignored him. I was about to tell him to hang up if he had nothing to say, but Joo Woosung hurriedly spoke up.
– “I was just wondering if I pushed you too hard and made you collapse. I’m worried.”
“That’s not the case.”
– “Alright…”
“Is that all? Then I’ll hang up.”
– “Ah, no. That’s not it.”
Why was this guy like this?
– “I called because I wanted to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
– “Did you know about the leak incident?”
Before I collapsed, I remembered Joo Woosung’s gaze fixed on me.
I was silent for a moment before opening my mouth. It didn’t matter if Joo Woosung, who wasn’t a member, held onto my weakness by knowing the truth.
“I knew about it.”
– “Why did you do that? You could have stopped it.”
“Why do you think?”
– “Is that all you’re going to say?”
“I did it to create a buzz.”
I sighed as I spoke.
“When the water is coming in, you row. We received Blue Tiger’s song, and I wanted to use the leak incident for more noise marketing.”
– “…”
“Do you know how they are reacting?”
– “Well, they say the song is good. There are some news articles up as well. Blue Tiger was already well-known. Your fans are gradually increasing too….”
Joo Woosung answered with disappointment.
It was quite appropriate. The situation wasn’t bad, but I didn’t have the energy to check the reactions on my phone. It was a relief that Joo Woosung told me about the reactions objectively.
“It seems fine.”
Most of the conditions were met.
A good song, a decent amount of buzz, and members with solid skills. That’s how star quality was created.
All that was left was the showcase and some content production.
I calculated vigorously in my head.
“Thank you for telling me.”
– “Uh huh. Um, Seo Hoyun.”
“Yes?”
– “I’ve cursed at you a lot in my mind. I’m sorry.”
What was he talking about? Joo Woosung sighed from the other side of the phone.
– “I thought you were a real scammer, without passion or talent, just exploiting people… I went too far. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I saved your number as ‘sucker’ anyway.”
– “Do you really want to die?”
Although there was much to say, I closed my mouth and listened to him as he wanted.
– “Anyway, I was wrong. You were working hard. You were really trying to climb up using any means necessary.”
Joo Woosung had been in the business for 4 or maybe 5 years. It seemed like he became a bit complacent as an idol.
Well, everything would wither away eventually. No matter how popular, the lives of celebrities were empty in the end.
Joo Woosung seemed to be that kind of case.
– “Your members are also working incredibly hard… Seeing them makes me think, ‘What am I doing right now, so pathetic’.”
“Mr. Joo Woosung.”
– “Huh?”
“Is this… a confession booth? Why are you suddenly confessing your sins?”
– “You cheeky brat….”
I said that because I was annoyed, but Joo Woosung couldn’t help but laugh even though he grumbled. It wasn’t meant to be funny.
I glanced ahead and saw Seo Hojin coming back with the doctor. Joo Woosung slowly stopped laughing and spoke to me.
– “Just keep fighting.”
“…”
– “Take care of yourself.”
“… Yes.”
I hung up the phone with a strange feeling. When I was a PD, I sometimes cast Joo Woosung and tortured him for the sake of the program, or maybe he disliked me because, with his outstanding talents and sharp instincts, he sensed something. Surprisingly, we have developed a friendly relationship now.
… Maybe I should change the saved name, at least.
I pressed my phone firmly. Then, as I was about to speak to Seo Hojin, who had returned with the doctor, a ruckus erupted suddenly at the entrance. It was the members.
“Hoyun-hyung!”
Jeong Dajun, with a tear-streaked face, and the members trying to calm him down were approaching us.
“Hey, hey. This is the emergency room. Be quiet.”
“Hyung is alive!”
“Guys, be quiet! Hoyun, I’m sorry!”
Even Seong Jiwon, who was trying to calm them down, was gradually raising his voice. The doctor, who was watching them blankly, asked me a question.
“Friends?”
“No, I don’t know them.”
I covered my face and pretended not to know them… But my excuse wasn’t persuasive.
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