Chapter 319
Chapter 319
Just leave "Park Moon-dae" be?
In other words… whether he vanished or not, I should just go back to the point where I won the Daesang and keep living as TeSTAR.
There was no longer any need to talk to Park Moon-dae to figure out how the system worked. He didn't seem to know anything anyway.
I’d done enough. I could just stop caring and fully claim this idol life I’d spent years building.
I won't deny it.
Setting aside how ruthless it was, it sounded plausible. I had come to accept that the life I lived in this body was mine, too.
But…
I took a deep breath and relaxed my clenched fists.
"It’s not like that."
"..."
Cheong-ryeo stopped tapping his finger on the table.
"Of course, what I experienced in Park Moon-dae’s body is my experience. Because I’m the one who did it."
"Right. Then—"
"But the body is a separate matter."
I leaned back.
"Just because I used it for a few years doesn't mean it's unconditionally mine. Park Moon-dae’s background is everything he went through himself."
"..."
"And I happened to get quite a bit of help from that, too."
If "Park Moon-dae" hadn't lived an upright life, it would have been difficult to take first place so dramatically. And even after debuting, I would have been screwed by his past almost immediately.
Cheong-ryeo stared at me.
"Have you never thought that you would have succeeded faster if you’d done it in your original body?"
"I haven't tried, so I can't say for sure. And besides, this is an issue that has nothing to do with achievement in the first place."
I let out a short laugh.
"Park Moon-dae has the right to live in Park Moon-dae’s body. Don't change the subject."
"..."
He continued to stare at me in silence before finally speaking quietly.
"So, if that's what he wants, you're willing to give up your career, Junior?"
"I never said I’d give it up."
"Then?"
I crossed my arms.
"We’ll have to reach an agreement."
Now that his status effect was over, I planned to hear what he wanted and negotiate.
I’m not exactly… bad at that kind of thing.
"I’m just saying I’m not going to play dumb and screw him over."
"I don't understand. There’s no need to go that far for him."
I shrugged.
"Well… I guess I’ve grown fond of him."
After sharing how "Park Moon-dae" had been living for the past few years for several days straight, I’d ended up feeling that way. I am human, after all.
It’s a bit funny that I’m thinking about respecting his wishes instead of how to make this bastard give up.
At that moment, the man sitting across from me expressionlessly withdrew his hand from the table.
"Grown fond of him, you say."
"Yeah."
"I didn't realize that would carry the same weight as your achievements."
I put my glasses back on.
"You keep trying to weigh things as if it’s an 'either-or' situation… but try thinking about it in terms of your dog and your career."
"..."
"Isn't life easier now that you have both, rather than having given one up for your career?"
Right on cue, the dog under the table barked. Cheong-ryeo reflexively lowered his hand.
I saw the dog rub its nose against him.
"I’m saying I’m going to try to handle the situation with the goal of keeping both in a decent state."
"..."
Cheong-ryeo fell silent with an unreadable expression. He seemed to be running calculations or thoughts through his head.
That’s unexpected.
I thought this bastard would try to weed out a competitor by encouraging me, saying I’d made a good decision.
His way of thinking is extreme, but I guess he was giving me honest advice.
In the end, I added a short remark.
"Anyway… thanks for acknowledging that I am TeSTAR’s Park Moon-dae."
"..."
It didn't feel bad that his first assessment after hearing all this nonsense was an acknowledgment.
He hesitated for a moment, then soon gave a bitter smile.
"Sure. Well, if you say so."
No, I take it back. His tone made it sound like he was granting me some grand permission, which was a bit irritating.
Cheong-ryeo took his hand off his dog.
"That’s a shame. I was even willing to help, just in case."
This bastard couldn't possibly mean he was going to help me bury the original Park Moon-dae.
Just how much does he value a top-tier idol career?
I shifted the topic to snap him out of his unnecessary over-immersion.
"Then give me a call tomorrow while I'm in this body."
"Tomorrow?"
"I think I need to check who’s in this body once today is over."
"Hmm."
"And don't try anything stupid."
To prevent any potential incidents, I planned to leave a note for "Park Moon-dae" to listen carefully to the voice calling this phone, remember it, and avoid him in the future.
Cheong-ryeo shrugged.
"Fine. I’ll contact you through your other body as well, so wait for it."
"That won't be necess—"
Wait.
I remembered a random phone call I’d received from this guy one day in November.
—Um… I was wondering if you had anything to say to me.
And the next words.
—Not yet, I see.
"..."
Recalling the memory and matching the dates, today was the day before that.
I see.
Now I get it. This bastard contacted me back then knowing exactly what was going on.
And yet he didn't mention it once and kept his mouth shut until I won the Daesang.
Whether he’s helpful or not…
He’s an unpredictable bastard, through and through. I clicked my tongue and stood up.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yeah."
We were done talking, and since I hadn't gained any particular leads, I planned to look for more physical traces of Park Moon-dae.
"Well, get home safe. I’ll call you tomorrow."
It was a strange feeling, knowing I had already received that call.
"Yeah."
I ended my conversation with Cheong-ryeo and returned to the studio apartment.
As soon as I arrived, I began my search.
Is there anything?
Not many traces turned up.
Perhaps because he’d been stuck in a boarding academy, the apartment didn't feel very lived-in. Only one bedroom was filled with hobby-related items here and there.
TeSTAR albums and MDs.
They were well-preserved inside various drawers that I’d never had a reason to open while I was busy talking to him.
He even went to the concert?
I even found MD from the world tour we did early this year.
"Looks like he’s been living a full life."
I chuckled and put the items back. It didn't feel bad knowing that they’d served as a way for him to relieve stress during his time as a student.
However, the situation remained the same.
"Park Moon-dae’s" whereabouts were still unknown, and the only thing I could confirm was a notation on his smartphone calendar.
—The day I meet Hyung!
"..."
Other than that, there were no special schedules or logged-in social media accounts. Aside from looking up TeSTAR, it seemed he’d really done nothing but study.
I tried a few times to see if I could view his status window, but nothing appeared. Only my "Receiving reward" message remained.
"Sigh."
Is this as far as I go for now?
Eventually, as midnight approached, I sat on the sofa and began scribbling a note.
—I came by, but you weren't here, so I'm leaving this note. First of all, congratulations on passing. You worked hard.
...
I organized everything again, from the fact that I’d set Cheong-ryeo’s calls to record so he should familiarize himself with the voice and avoid meeting him or leaking info, to how he could contact me in December.
And then… it was midnight.
Ding—.
I was lying on the sofa.
A small bell chimed from the corner.
He changed the clock.
Following the brief thought that that looked like concert MD too, an unconditional sleepiness washed over me once again.
Soon, my senses and thoughts vanished. Just as they had for the past few days.
Ding—.
But the bell was still ringing.
Wait.
And what I was doing was perceiving and thinking.
It’s coming back.
I didn't know what it was, but it felt like I was about to fall completely asleep when I was interrupted…
"Hyung!"
"...!"
I bolted upright.
I was still inside the apartment. But there was one thing that was unfamiliar.
"I’m so glad to see you, Hyung...!"
A boy with a peculiar appearance was sitting on the floor in front of the sofa where I was lying.
He looked strangely like me, but not exactly the same…
"Park Moon-dae."
When his name was called, he gave an awkward smile.
"Yes… though I’m not sure if it’s okay for me to be called by that name."
I could guess why he said that. He looked like a version of Park Moon-dae mixed with a bit of Ryu Gun-woo, frozen in his early twenties.
Did he get that as his new body?
A headache washed over me, perhaps due to the sleep. I pressed my temples and stood up from the sofa.
"Still, that is your name."
"Well… you use that name too, Hyung. And I used your name… Ah, then for now, please call me 'Keun-dal'!"
It sounded like a nickname from a gaming meetup, but whatever. I nodded and got straight to the point.
"What’s going on right now?"
It was an unexpected situation, yet he seemed strangely composed.
The boy in front of me looked toward the balcony blinds with a slightly nervous face.
Then he operated the button.
"Ah, first… please look at this."
Whirrr.
The blinds opened, and what I saw was…
"...!"
Outside the window, the sun was setting.
But the colors weren't normal. Golden, purple, and red sunlight clashed chaotically, and there was a feeling as if the sound of a music box could be heard from somewhere.
It was something I knew.
"It’s a scene from the Magical Boy teaser. I guess it left a very deep impression on both of us. It’s been manifested here."
"...Manifested?"
"Yes."
He gave an awkward smile.
"Um… they say this is a mental world."
"..."
"So, it’s not real, it’s just something happening inside our heads, like…"
"I know what it is, so stop."
"Yes, sir."
I could understand it as being in a state similar to the daydream I’d had while in a coma.
And I also realized why he looked the way he did. His self-perception must have gotten mixed up while living as "Ryu Gun-woo."
I’m experiencing all sorts of things.
I suppressed a sigh.
He smiled awkwardly.
"You really know everything, Hyung…"
I felt like I was going crazy because there was so much I didn't know, so I didn't need to hear that.
"Hardly. More importantly, you seem familiar with this situation."
"..."
"Were you… I mean, were you here all day yesterday?"
The original Park Moon-dae, "Keun-dal," carefully sat on the floor. Then he answered seriously.
"Yes."
As I thought.
"And it wasn't just yesterday."
"What?"
"Hyung, as I was resolving the status effects, I’ve been clicking 'Accept Synchronization'."
I remembered. That thing that always said "Accumulation Complete" and left me feeling uneasy.
"It turns out that was synchronizing the time I spent with you."
"With me?"
"Yes."
"I have no memory of that."
"I was in a different form."
Keun-dal rubbed his palms against his thighs with a nervous face. Then he spoke quietly.
He suddenly brought up an unexpected topic.
"Hyung, um, I want to apologize first."
"The reason you had to go through all that trouble… is actually my fault."
"..."
"Um… when you fell into a coma, I had a foolish thought."
He began to slowly explain the situation at the time.
"They said you might never wake up. So I… I was cleaning out your place. And that’s when I found out."
Following his words, the thoughts he’d had at the time began to surface directly in my mind like an echo.
—This is…
The camera I used to use.
And among the data I hadn't bothered to delete were things I’d uploaded to the "gun1234" account.
And it seemed this guy, who was cleaning the house, had recognized it instantly.
That mental blow had been decisive.
—Oh, what do I do…
"At that time… I guess I was too heartbroken. You’ve basically been helping me from then until now, but there was nothing I could do to help you, and it seemed like you were going to pass away soon…"
"..."
"So, after I finished packing and was heading back, I accidentally leaned against the railing of the outer staircase while holding the trash. Without thinking…"
It was such a cheap studio building that I’d often thought the railing looked precarious whenever I went out to smoke.
"But the railing couldn't take the weight and gave way…"
And of all times, it had broken when he was at his most distracted.
—Ping!
At the worst possible timing.
"Actually, until now, I thought I’d just broken a leg or something… I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. But probably… I think I was on the verge of death then."
I almost bit my tongue. But his story wasn't over.
"So I think the system made a mistake."
"A mistake?"
"This system grants a wish based on the thoughts you had right before you died."
Keun-dal swallowed hard.
"But… I wanted you to be okay and live a long, happy life, and since you were also in a coma on the verge of death just like me… an error occurred. It mistook the target."
"...!"
"Instead of me, you went back to the past and ended up living in my body."
—Ugh…
I recalled the scene of me waking up in a dirty motel room.
But the perspective of that scene… was mine.
"I think I was merged into the system during that process… but I guess a bit of my ego remained. Like a behavioral pattern that felt I had to set something right."
And then I realized.
This guy was naturally and continuously using the word "system."
...Exactly the way I had defined the word for myself, without ever explaining it to anyone.
I barely managed to open my mouth.
"...The status window."
He nodded.
"That’s right."
"..."
"So, Hyung… I was your status window."