Chapter 298
Chapter 298
Idols are insanely busy around their promotion periods.
When you don't have a name for yourself, you're busy trying to get recognized; once you have one, you're busy cashing in on it.
In that sense, getting a rookie about to debut, a four-year veteran with a hit song, and a ten-year veteran in the middle of a stadium tour together in one place on short notice was a reckless challenge.
[“So that’s why we’re doing a video call? This is crazy.”]
“Yeah.”
I pressed my fingers against the bridge of my nose while looking at the split screen on my laptop.
The left pane was empty. On the right, Gold 2 sat wearing a headset, his face flushed with excitement.
The time was 2 AM.
When I tried to find a time that worked for all three of us, this was the only slot left.
“You’re in a soundproof area, right?”
[“Yes! I’m in the dorm’s dressing room right now, and I even locked the door! Besides, even if I get caught, they’ll probably just think I’m talking about a drama or something, right?”]
“...”
I barely managed a response.
“Still, be careful.”
[“Got it!”]
Perhaps it was because he had returned after only eleven months, or because his stock investments had been a success, but this guy was excessively lighthearted.
He seemed to have a decent head on his shoulders, but his attitude… well, it was his life; he’d figure it out.
[“Our team name finally came out, did you know? It’s Spacer!”]
“Right. Congratulations.”
After some idle chatter, Gold 2—Kwon Hee-seung—took a deep breath and finally brought up the main topic.
[“I’m actually a bit nervous. A meeting of people from the future… This is like something straight out of a Netplus original.”]
Is it?
[“And seriously… wow, I never imagined that senior would be coming, too.”]
Right, there was a bit of explaining to do on that point.
I checked the initials on the friend list on my screen that had just lit up with ‘online.’
—CHR
As anyone could guess, this was Cheong-ryeo.
That’s right. Instead of isolating these bastards and collecting information while keeping them anonymous, I had decided to be open from the start and arranged a three-way meeting.
There was only one reason.
[“Come to think of it, I’ve tried to gather information on what exactly is going on in my own way.”]
Because this bastard, Gold 2… would have been caught within a few months at the latest anyway.
Just look at him.
[“I found these online cafes like ‘People Who Returned from the Future,’ you know? But it turns out they were just roleplaying… some kind of fictional universe. Man, I felt so hollow after finding that out.”]
“...”
‘By the end of the year, Cheong-ryeo would have picked him clean.’
I could guarantee it.
And if Cheong-ryeo found out later that I already knew this guy’s identity and had been using him, would I be able to handle the fallout?
I lost myself in thought for a moment before nodding.
‘I could.’
It wasn't impossible.
However, it was a predictable and tedious future. There was no need to invite it. It was better to let it explode in a setting I could control.
I moved my mouse and added ‘CHR,’ Cheong-ryeo, to the video call.
Soon, his face appeared on the screen with a hotel room as the background.
He said he was in Argentina, so it was daytime there. After checking his own screen, Cheong-ryeo spoke.
[“Hello.”]
[“Gasp! Hello, Senior…! It’s truly an honor to meet you like this!”]
[“Yes. Nice to meet you.”]
With a smiling face, he glanced toward the corner of the screen where Gold 2 would be.
His eyes looked like he was performing an Appraisal.
‘He won’t try anything stupid, will he?’
I recalled the situation when I first gave him the information.
—So… the winner of this season’s Idol Inc. is another person who returned to the past?
He hadn't shown excitement or excessive interest. He had just made a dry, nonsensical comment.
—How interesting. Has it become some kind of tradition since your time, Junior?
—Stop joking.
—And eleven months… well, should I say that’s unfortunate?
—Unfortunate?
—Haha. You need at least a two-year gap to really gain anything from it, don’t you think? Hmm, it’ll be hard for that team to succeed. There probably isn't much information to extract, either… What do you plan to use him for?
His explanation that the guy didn't hold much value as a competitor or a trading partner after weighing him was probably accurate.
Regardless, I had stated my purpose honestly.
—I don’t need information about the future.
—Then?
—I want to form a hypothesis about why we’re doing this.
The man on the other end of the line hadn't responded for a long time before giving a short answer.
—Fine.
And that was how he ended up in this video call.
“Now that everyone’s introduced themselves, let’s start the conversation.”
[“Yes, yes!”]
[“Haha, feel free to speak comfortably.”]
I was already tired. I spoke while trying my best to maintain my composure.
“First… I’d like to organize the timeline.”
[“…? The timeline?”]
[“Ah, the sequence.”]
Cheong-ryeo muttered, resting his chin on his hand.
[“The time shouldn't be tangled. Let’s see… First, Junior, you said you started in December four years ago.”]
That was correct. The day I woke up in that old motel with Park Moon-dae’s wallet.
I nodded.
[“And you?”]
[“Yes, sir! When I opened my eyes, it was late October of last year!”]
The pattern was strange.
Based on my memories, my future knowledge went up to July of last year.
‘The day I fell asleep after drinking myself into a stupor upon confirming I failed the civil service exam.’
But the time Gold 2 woke up after returning from the future was October of last year.
July and October.
‘There’s a three-month gap.’
It was different from the gap between Cheong-ryeo and Park Moon-dae, which was almost instantaneous.
However, if that strange memory I saw in the final ‘Truth Verification’… was indeed the truth, then the periods actually overlapped.
Because my memory of quitting the exam prep and getting a job at a company spanned at least a year.
‘Then Gold 2 shouldn't have appeared yet claiming to know the future.’
Neither scenario fit perfectly.
In that case, for this to click into place cleanly…
“…!”
Wait, let’s change the assumption itself.
Right. What if the ‘point in the future I know’ isn't the standard for this strange baton pass?
Isn't there another, more plausible standard?
“…Senior.”
[“Yes?”]
I asked quietly.
“…When did you realize you had cleared your final mission?”
[“...”]
The date the Status Effect was cleared.
[“Mission? Do we have missions?”]
Ignoring Gold 2’s comment as if it never happened, Cheong-ryeo answered briefly.
[“November 30th.”]
I see.
And I…
It was during the Chuseok holiday last year. October. I still remembered it. The hologram that popped up with exploding confetti.
[Great Success!]
User: Park Moon-dae (Ryu Gun-woo) has successfully removed all Status Effects!
I let out a short laugh. Now I understood.
“So that was it.”
[“Did you think of something new?”]
“It seems like when the existing person clears all their missions, a new person appears.”
I erased the lines and drew them again, sharing them on the call screen.
[4 Years Ago /
Cheong-ryeo: Late November (Mission Cleared) — Park Moon-dae: Mid-December (Start)]
[1 Year Ago /
Park Moon-dae: Mid-October (Mission Cleared) — Kwon Hee-seung: Late October (Start)]
It fit perfectly.
[“...”]
Cheong-ryeo’s expression went blank as he looked up, as if weighing the information.
Then he soon nodded.
[“I suppose we could look at it that way. But, why does that bother you?”]
“Let’s assume… there’s something here.”
Among us, I was the only one who had intuitively realized the circumstances.
Because through the Status Window, I had seen with my own eyes the occurrence and disappearance of these ‘Status Effects’ he called missions, as well as various special abilities.
“Something that wakes a person up in the past according to their desires and even creates customized missions for them.”
That operating system that disappeared, leaving only the Status Window behind for me.
The ‘System.’
“If we assume there’s only one of those, and it jumps to another person the moment a mission is completed, the story makes sense.”
[“Hmm.”]
So perhaps, the standard for this chain of past regressions is the ‘presence or absence of the System.’
What if the System, which left me after I finished all the Status Effects during the Chuseok holiday last October, entered the body of that Gold 2?
And now it was granting the wish of that new body and giving him ‘Status Effects.’
[“Um… I’m sorry, but could you please tell me what these missions are…? I’m getting a little scared!”]
I was talking about that guy over there, who was currently whining.
“It’s like something you have to do in exchange for coming back to the past.”
[“What?!”]
Cheong-ryeo spoke with a look as if he were reading some trivial flyer.
[“Let’s think about what you feel like you need to do right now.”]
[“Uh, um… Debuting safely?”]
[“Not your plans, in the sense of a vision.”]
[“Vi-vision? Uh… all our members working hard together and lasting a long time!”]
[“Hmm, is that so? I suppose that’s better than ‘1st place’ in this situation. Good luck.”]
[“Pardon?”]
[“Hmm? Isn't that a word of encouragement?”]
This crazy bastard.
After giving a proper explanation to the terrified Gold 2, I steered the conversation back.
Fortunately, Gold 2’s brain was indeed useful, as he understood quickly.
[“Ohhh, so… I don’t know what it is, but that thing that sends people to the past is moving between us?”]
“Exactly.”
If I had to call it something… it felt like it was taking a host.
This mental parasite I called the ‘System’ was jumping from body to body while granting wishes.
However, I still didn't know the method it used to switch.
“There must be a reason it selected these specific people.”
Gold 2 looked up with a slightly hopeful face.
[“Oh, maybe it’s because we almost lost our lives honorably while saving someone? Like, you need a qualification?”]
Cheong-ryeo smiled brightly.
[“That’s a fresh idea.”]
“...”
It’s definitely not that.
In my opinion… it was likely someone who was willing to die voluntarily and had a wish they wanted to achieve by returning to the past.
‘But there must be countless people like that.’
Honestly, if it wanted to, it could find hundreds or thousands of people to jump to every day. There were plenty.
Occupations, age groups… there were some biases, but it was too vague to be a definitive rule.
Was that enough?
“...”
After a few meaningless suggestions and considerations passed through my mind.
Cheong-ryeo spoke again.
[“Let’s see…. Since we’ve considered time so far, why don’t we try the opposite axis this time?”]
“The opposite?”
[“Space.”]
“…!”
[“I see you like that.”]
It wasn't an idea that would easily come to mind regarding this supernatural phenomenon, but with a little more refinement, it was certainly a useful thought.
If we added the concept of the System ‘moving’…
“Let’s go with distance.”
I asked quietly.
The focus was the date the System transferred.
“Senior, what was your location on the 30th when you realized the mission was cleared?”
[“In a car. Probably… the Seobu Arterial Road.”]
I immediately opened a map app.
“…!”
[“And where was the place you woke up with future knowledge, Junior?”]
“…Guro-dong.”
On the map app, I could see the Seobu Arterial Road passing right next to Guro-dong.
“It’s nearby.”
A brief surge of exhilaration passed through me.
I heard a chuckle from across the screen.
[“Ah, this is getting interesting. And where did you wake up with future knowledge?”]
[“Me? The Han River Park! Gwangnaru!”]
The place where Gold 2 acquired the System was Gwangnaru Han River Park.
And the place where I officially cleared the Status Effects and the System disappeared was Bae Se-jin’s house.
“…It’s near Cheonho-dong.”
[“No way!!”]
Bae Se-jin’s house was in Cheonho-dong.
With a view of the Han River.
‘Holy shit.’
It fit perfectly.
‘Time and distance.’
In the end, the System was choosing the person it could enter the fastest among the candidates.
A voice laced with amusement asked.
[“How is it? Is it a useful deduction?”]
I declared calmly.
“Yes.”
The three-way meeting ended with significant results.
‘Now, if I can just figure out how the System selects its candidates, I’ll have the general outline.’
It would become clearer once I organized it further, but honestly, it exceeded my expectations.
[“Oh, already?! I’m so sorry!”]
And Gold 2, who had been deeply immersed, checked the time and panicked at his early morning schedule, ending the call first.
I was also about to hang up to get a few hours of sleep.
“Shall we end it here?”
But instead of preparing to turn it off, Cheong-ryeo on the screen tapped his display and spoke again. I guess he was wide awake since it was daytime for him.
[“I don’t understand.”]
“What.”
He spoke flatly, tapping his desk.
Tap, tap.
[“I don’t see the reason for having this conversation so urgently. Isn't this the kind of thing you can’t really use, even if you form a theory and analyze it?”]
[“You must have known that, Junior. Even if you analyze this pattern, it’s not like you can identify the next person. It’s not like you can know where that person will die in the future.”]
Cheong-ryeo smiled thinly.
[“Or… do you have another method to try?”]
Damn it.
I held back a sigh and opened my mouth.
“That’s because...”
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
—Knock, knock.
“…!”
“Moon-dae?”
It was my roommate’s voice.