Chapter 230
Chapter 230
There were several reasons why I concluded this situation was... a coma following a car accident.
The first was the extent of my injuries.
‘The shard had pierced at least five centimeters into my chest.’
It was something I had seen with my own eyes just moments before. I replayed the memory several times to ensure there was no exaggeration, and I was certain.
It was undeniably a fatal wound.
From what I remembered... the bleeding was also severe.
It wasn't as if the shard had been pulled out; the fact that it had caused that much bleeding just by being lodged in there meant the prognosis wouldn't be good.
However, it likely wasn't instant death.
‘It didn’t hit my heart directly.’
Even if it was late at night, it was the middle of Seoul. Since Bae Se-jin had reported it, if the police had at least checked the scene, an ambulance would have arrived... which meant I would have at least been in critical condition, hovering between life and death.
‘There’s no way... I died instantly and started over.’
……There was just no way.
The second reason was my face, which I had confirmed in the mirror.
“…I’m not twenty-nine.”
I hadn't realized it immediately because I was flustered by seeing ‘Ryu Gun-woo’s’ face, but looking at it slowly now, I could tell.
I was too young.
‘This is… at least long before I graduated from university.’
Yet, this was the same motel where I had first woken up as ‘Park Moon-dae,’ and the date on the calendar was the same as back then.
[December 202×]
In other words, the timeline didn't match.
Just in case, I checked the wallet on the vanity. It contained ‘Ryu Gun-woo’s’ resident registration number, with only the first digit of the second half changed to a 3.
A chill ran down my spine.
[Ryu Gun-woo 0X1208 - 3XXXXXX]
A twenty-year-old Ryu Gun-woo.
“What on earth is this…?”
However, the poison for suicide and the suicide note were not on the bed.
…It was as if the situation had been lifted from Park Moon-dae and roughly adjusted to fit Ryu Gun-woo.
‘This goes beyond just not making sense….’
Nothing lined up cleanly.
Reaching this point, I had to reconsider the phrase that had appeared on the status window.
[Name: Ryu Gun-woo (Park Moon-dae)]
-Enjoy your daydream : ) -
‘Daydream’ means a literal daydream or a waking dream.
And the fact that it wasn't just ‘Ryu Gun-woo’ but had ‘Park Moon-dae’ written in parentheses... made me consider this possibility.
‘What if it’s because I’m still in Park Moon-dae’s body?’
This led to the suspicion that I was currently in a coma, dreaming an absurd dream.
‘Furthermore, the system intervened here.’
…That coin.
If what I saw in my subconscious was indeed the coin I received for clearing the previous status effect, then this situation was caused by that coin.
Until now, considering the clichés, I had guessed it was something to be used in a shop, but now I had a different theory.
‘…Could it be an extra life, like in an arcade game?’
That... would actually fit a game system. I let out a hollow, meaningless laugh at myself.
“Ha.”
Anyway, so, putting all of this together….
I clenched both my hands.
“…There must be a way to go back.”
If this situation was given as a means to wake up from the coma, then I just had to wake up.
And usually, the best way to wake up from a dream is—
“Should I jump?”
This motel wasn't particularly high up, so I probably wouldn't die if I fell from here. I wasn't sure if that would be enough.
Besides, the real Park Moon-dae’s body might actually die, so I dismissed that for now.
The next option was... to be startled awake, but honestly, I didn't think anything ordinary would give me enough of a shock right now. I had already been through too much.
‘What else is there?’
I tapped my knee with my finger.
There was still the most standard method.
‘…Waiting until the body recovers.’
External recovery.
However, there was no telling how long it would take. I didn't even know if recovery was possible.
“…….”
I combined the given circumstances and prioritized the most moderate approach.
‘First, find a hint.’
If this was the system’s intervention, a hint on how to wake up might appear while I was figuring out this dream.
‘The status window might react, too.’
I stood up unsteadily from the bed. Then, grabbing the wallet, I left the motel room.
For now, let's check what kind of situation ‘Ryu Gun-woo’ was in within this coma.
“…….”
I bit my lip as I walked out with a newly activated phone.
‘It’s the same.’
My financial situation was exactly the same as when I was twenty. The only difference was that, like Park Moon-dae, I hadn't gone to university.
However, I couldn't get in touch with any relatives.
‘It’s been constructed thoroughly for convenience….’
So that no contradictions would appear.
Furthermore, I realized a crucial point.
‘I can sing.’
This body possessed the exact stats of the real-world ‘Park Moon-dae.’
It was a fact I realized after going to a karaoke bar and singing a song, just like when I first woke up as ‘Park Moon-dae.’
All the sensations of the stages I had experienced in Park Moon-dae’s body remained in this body.
‘Is it egging me on?’
Telling me to walk the same path ‘Park Moon-dae’ took in reality.
As if to digest all of that as the real ‘Ryu Gun-woo’s’ own….
“…….”
Stop thinking useless thoughts. If that's the case, let's proceed with the dream.
‘The next thing I did was... participating in Idol Inc.’
Hanging out at a nearby karaoke bar to be scouted by Writer Ryu Seo-rin.
‘It’s not a difficult task.’
What I would do if I actually ended up participating was... a headache, but the attempt itself wasn't hard.
‘My original face isn't bad to look at, either.’
Since my singing was S-rank, the chances weren't bad.
Since no other options came to mind, I decided to try this again and immediately headed to the karaoke bar.
But I failed.
“…….”
Whether the dates were off or if it was a discrepancy caused by it being a dream, I didn't know... but Writer Ryu Seo-rin didn't visit the karaoke bar for several days.
‘Damn it.’
And I knew.
‘The auditions are already over.’
That there was no other way.
There was realistically nothing I could do to squeeze myself in.
“……Sigh.”
I was stuck in the same spot again without a hint.
‘What do you want me to do?’
Should I act crazy and go up to a rooftop somewhere?
However, my judgment that it was too great a risk when my body likely wasn't normal anyway remained unchanged.
‘Then, what I can do is….’
A way for me to debut…….
There was one.
“……!”
I knew one surefire way.
However, it was dangerous.
‘…If I mess up, I could die even in here.’
Still, since there was nothing else I could do anyway, there was no harm in trying.
‘I was even considering jumping off a roof out of the blue; this is nothing.’
I pulled out my phone and typed in a contact number I had seen so many times in texts that it was familiar.
There were a couple of digits I was unsure of, but I could just send it to all of them.
[You change the breed of dog you raise every time, but you aren't raising one this time. Is it because you failed last time due to the schizophrenia rumors?]
Because the person who would react to this phrase was set.
The party involved wouldn't be able to just ignore it as spam.
There was no need to talk about the future, the past, or restarts. He wasn't the type to be shaken and get in touch over such cliché talk.
He would only be unsettled by something this specific.
“…….”
After sending the texts, I spent some time waiting for the read receipts to appear.
And a moment later.
Vrrr, vrrr.
-Who are you?
The call came immediately.
To the blunt, toneless words, I answered calmly.
-Someone like you.
That should be enough for him to understand.
And after a short, chilling phone call, I found myself facing him in a meeting room inside the LeTi agency.
“…….”
“You came.”
He must have been on a break, seeing as he managed to find time to meet even though it wasn't late at night or dawn.
Then again, even if it were the first week of promotions, he was the type who would have definitely prioritized identifying me in this situation.
Even now, although I had contacted him to get a lead, it was certain he had assigned someone to do a background check on my number.
I nodded to the man sitting there wearing a cap.
“As I told you... I’m in the middle of a restart.”
“…….”
He stared at me expressionlessly, then tossed out a question.
“Which turn?”
“The third.”
At that, the atmosphere shifted completely.
“You must not have lasted very long.”
Cheong-ryeo replied blandly, then uncrossed his arms and placed them on the table.
‘…He’s finished his calculations.’
The thought that since I was someone who hadn't done this many times, he could exploit me.
And the thought that since this was my third time and he didn't know me, we couldn't have returned to the past together.
‘I’ll let him keep misunderstanding.’
There was no need to say useless things about comas or whatever, and I shouldn't.
Whether this bastard was a reconstruction based on the knowledge in my head or the system had intervened to make him identical to the real thing, at this point in time, he was a crazy bastard with Reset Syndrome.
I spoke up quietly.
“First, I apologize for the rude text. I was told that you wouldn't react to ordinary words, so I should go that far.”
“Ah, did I say something like that to you?”
“Yes. Somehow.”
Of course, that's a lie, you bastard.
“Hmm… I wonder how many years in the future you came from.”
“Three years.”
“Ah, three years…. How am I living?”
“You’re living well. The general public opinion was that VTIC would win the Grand Prize again this year.”
“I see.”
It might not be as long as the periods he had cycled through, but three years was a pretty useful figure. It was enough to catch his interest.
‘…Let’s not mention the solo stuff.’
It wasn't a card this guy would consider right now.
If he started getting suspicious, there would be no end to it.
Cheong-ryeo smiled brightly.
“It seems we got along quite well.”
“Even after you realized that me restarting wouldn't make you go back, we got along well enough.”
“That sounds plausible.”
Cheong-ryeo nodded.
Then, with the same unshakeable smile, he asked.
“So, the reason you contacted me is?”
“I’ve come to make a proposal.”
I spoke as naturally as possible, as if I had already done this once before.
“I want to debut here. As soon as possible.”
“Ah, so that’s the mission.”
“…….”
Cheong-ryeo replied, his expression still smiling.
“And you… should I call you Junior?”
“Yes.”
“Right. Then Junior, you’re saying you’ll provide me with information about the future.”
“That’s right.”
I knew he wouldn't immediately say something like ‘How can I trust you?’
Wasn't it a welcome situation for someone he would want to keep close and monitor to come to him on his own?
However, an affirmation didn't come immediately either.
“But… how are you going to debut?”
“……!”
“LeTi doesn't support solo activities. And the current trainees... none of them are fit to debut.”
“…….”
“Ah, you must already know. Since you said you came back from the future.”
It's because you're blocking solo or rookie debuts.
The former because you're afraid they'll neglect group activities, the latter because you're afraid they'll interfere with group activities.
Instead of saying that, I stated the plan I had thought of.
“…There are members I have in mind. We debuted together last time.”
“Ah. Who?”
“There’s an audition program starting soon, and they are contestants there.”
I briefly thought of the guys who came to mind.
“…During the program, there’s an opportunity to be officially scouted by other agencies…… I want you to bring them here.”
I was talking about Casting Call.
…Even here, no matter how it happened, as long as I debuted with those guys... wouldn't that be enough?
I swallowed hard.
“So that’s why you need my help.”
And since this bastard in front of me would stab me in the back at some point to nip any potential threat in the bud, I should wake up before then if possible.
“…….”
The first thing Ryu Cheong-woo heard was the beeping of a machine.
And when he opened his eyes, what he saw was a hospital ceiling.
“……!”
He tried to sit up immediately.
Then, he felt hands around him, supporting him and trying to make him lie back down.
“…The patient has regained consciousness!”
“You mustn't move. Please lie down.”
Having developed a habit of trusting medical staff through his long years as an athlete, he reflexively relaxed his body.
And while lying down, he checked his condition.
His feet were immobilized. It seemed they weren't cracked or broken.
‘…It’s not my arms, so, thank goodness…….’
No, he no longer needed to worry about his arms as his top priority.
However, he should be grateful that the injuries weren't severe.
“……Whew.”
Ryu Cheong-woo let out a long sigh, trying to keep his head clear.
The surroundings were loud and chaotic. He pieced the situation together.
‘…There was an accident.’
That former manager.
It seemed the passengers had been safely transported to the emergency room for now.
Since they were celebrities, it seemed their privacy was being respected to some extent, but he could still hear sounds.
“…Are you okay…….”
“The guardian is here…….”
Everyone must have been shocked. Still, it was a relief.
‘…Since I was in the very back, everyone else should be better off than me.’
Since he seemed to have regained consciousness even before his parents arrived. Probably everyone….
It was at that moment.
What had happened before he lost consciousness flashed into his vision like a bolt of lightning.
The shoulder that had pushed him, and the massive shard that had pierced into the flesh beneath it….
“…Doctor!”
“Yes?”
“Moon-dae… how is Moon-dae?”
“…….”
“Moon-dae, Park Moon-dae. You know him, right?”
“……I’ll have to check on that part myself. For now, please rest assured and stay still.”
Ryu Cheong-woo knew.
…It was a lie.
Click. The door closed.
In that instant, Ryu Cheong-woo was overwhelmed by an indescribable emotion.