Chapter 411
Chapter 411
“I am delighted to share some meaningful news with you all today.”
Lee Se-jin’s hosting of the awards ceremony was flawless. Even those who had nitpicked about his age and lack of experience fell silent once the ceremony began.
To top it off, his own group even managed to snag an award, creating a perfect picture.
“The Performance Award goes to… Zairop!”
-Ohhh lol
-Is Lee Se-jin crazy for walking out from the MC booth like that? He looks so cool. Keep him in that suit forever.
-Lmao, it’s so cute seeing the members join him to say hello.
Lee Se-jin joined his members as they stepped onto the stage, flashing a wide grin.
The ‘hyungs’ hurriedly smiled back the moment their eyes met. It was a diligent reaction, clearly showing how hard they were trying to read his mood.
‘Right, keep it up.’
They had good reason to.
As soon as Lee Se-jin regained his original TeSTAR persona in this reality, he had given his members a true taste of reality.
First, on the day he returned after dyeing his hair.
—Whoa~ What’s up with you?
—Damn, Lee Se-jin is doing whatever the fuck he wants now. Nice~
Toward those who either snickered, thinking he was finally acting out, or those who didn’t even look up from their smartphones, Lee Se-jin spoke with a grin.
—Oh… You’re laughing?
—…?!
—Well, you’re right. Wow, just like you said, hyung-nim, I’m going to do exactly as I please!
He then went straight to the company and informed them of his hair change.
To the company, which was panicking at the sudden situation and oscillating between coddling and punishment, he offered a trade-in.
—Uh-oh? Everyone was acting so comfortably that I thought I could too. I guess I should have reported it first~
The members’ various transgressions.
From multi-dating schemes to private accounts and even lines for club connections.
Everything that the original Lee Se-jin of Zairop had gritted his teeth and tracked to clean up later was instead detonated like a massive bomb.
—Wait…!
—Here, look. You can see the chat logs, right?
No matter how well they were performing, they were in their third year. Naturally, the company freaked out and scrambled to fix things.
Phone inspections, intensified surveillance of every move—the alarm bells rang, and the strict management system from their pre-debut days kicked back in to whip the members into shape!
Naturally, the members were furious with Lee Se-jin.
The unspoken rule in a team was to overlook things and keep them quiet, so acting like this was an unforgivable act of betrayal.
How dare the youngest act out like this in a group setting?
—Are you out of your mind?
—Hey.
But Lee Se-jin didn’t even bat an eye as he smirked.
—Is this a threat? Oh~ I should post on social media that I’m leaving the group because I can’t handle the threats and bullying from my hyungs!
—…?!
And he actually opened his social media account and started typing without hesitation.
He even went into the detail of selecting a moody photo with a quote from a depressing poem like ‘The Lonely Stranger.’
At this point, it was terrifying.
—You, you crazy bastard!
—I don’t know~ I guess I am!
It was even scarier because the guy who used to be the youngest and most sociable had suddenly flipped a switch and become an irrational psycho.
It was the ‘crazy person meta.’
—Wait, wait a second.
—Please… No, hey.
Overwhelmed by the unpredictable situation, it didn’t even take a day for the members to declare their surrender.
—Wow~ A club! Well, dancing in a practice room or a club is basically the same thing, right? I’ll post a proof shot on social media of how hard you’re practicing at the club, hyung!
—O-Okay, I get it. Just wait.
‘Oh.’
Wreaking havoc was the answer. For Lee Se-jin, who had spent his whole life adapting well to society and avoiding conflict as much as possible, this was a low-level catharsis he was experiencing for the first time.
‘This actually works.’
He was briefly tempted by the thrill of acting without regard for the future, but he soon chuckled and shrugged.
‘It’s refreshing, but it’s not really my style.’
So, he wrapped things up using his usual specialty.
Over the next fifteen days, he worked on them whenever he had a moment alone with a member.
—Hyung.
—Uh… I’m just going to the bathroom for a sec.
—Sure, sure. Honestly, hyung, you’re not that weird of a person. I only acted like that because I was so disappointed in the other members.
Then, he would lament using specific examples of transgressions that definitely didn’t apply to that specific member.
—Honestly, multi-dating is… I mean, the blowback would be too huge if you made a mistake. Does that even make sense?
—…Yeah, that guy really crossed the line.
—Right. I don’t want to be disappointed in you, hyung. Let’s do well together. We have to maintain our popularity.
—……Ah, yeah.
It was child’s play to make guys in their early twenties, who hadn’t been trainees for long and had just tasted success, flip their stances.
‘He’s a scary psycho, but he’s actually on good terms with me. I’m his confidant.’
He made everyone fall for that same illusion.
After that, everything was smooth sailing.
The combination of a crazy whip that seemed to strike indiscriminately and a carrot that felt like it was given only to them—wasn’t the result of that combination this very stage?
A balanced situation where everyone monitored each other while trying to win Lee Se-jin’s favor.
“Thank you. We will continue to work hard!”
In the end, they managed to move satisfactorily enough to avoid a mass exodus of fans this year and even took home an award.
‘Ah~ That was a proper promotion.’
Lee Se-jin felt inwardly refreshed as he looked back on their recent activities. Then, he checked the members’ faces.
‘Seriously… where did guys like this even debut from?’
There was a time when he thought he hadn’t debuted because he lacked the positioning or charm of an idol compared to these guys.
Looking back now, he wondered if he had just been too young and mistaken…
‘If you debuted over me, at least do a proper job.’
He hoped they would continue to strive, thinking of this award as more than they deserved.
‘I’m going back anyway!’
He concluded lightheartedly. Though, on the way there… he hadn’t expected to have to back this up.
‘Ha.’
Keun Se-jin felt a bit dizzy thinking about what was about to happen, but he kept a beaming smile on his face as he finished his speech and returned to the MC booth.
“Thank you!”
“Congratulations, Se-jin-ssi~”
The other two hosts applauded. Lee Se-jin bowed genially, showing his joy.
“Come to think of it, the next presenter is someone you know very well, Se-jin-ssi.”
“Ah.”
Here it comes.
Keun Se-jin smiled with feigned curiosity.
“Wow, who could it be? Can we meet them now?”
“Of course.”
“This award is for the Rookie of the Year.”
The screen behind them opened, and a familiar face walked out.
“The actor from <Seahorse> and <Dialing>, Lee Se-jin-ssi.”
It was Bae Se-jin, presenting solo.
Dressed to the nines, the member looked like an actor to anyone’s eyes.
But Keun Se-jin knew that if that man were styled as an idol, he would look like an idol again.
“Hello. As a listener who usually enjoys K-POP, I am very thrilled and honored to stand here today.”
The typical awards ceremony script followed. However, his vocalization was good, and it sounded natural due to his profession.
“At some point, K-POP started to feel like a very close hobby and a part of my daily life.”
He even glanced toward the MC booth and threw in this line:
“Perhaps it’s because there’s an idol who shares the same name as me.”
Keun Se-jin chuckled and nodded his head. Laughter and applause erupted from the audience.
He really was good at scripted acting. Even if he wasn’t… he was a hardworking person.
‘Hmm.’
Keun Se-jin acknowledged it. Bae Se-jin wasn’t someone who lacked passion or was insincere about his work.
The problem was just that they didn’t get along.
‘Well… that might get better over time.’
Rarely, Keun Se-jin gave a generous evaluation to a relationship he had already messed up once.
One couldn’t say the Zairop effect played no part in it.
“I will announce the winner.”
And the Rookie of the Year winner called out by Bae Se-jin with a faint smile was Wishes.
-Escaping the ‘fans never meet their idols’ curse!
-Congratulations, Lee Se-jin-nim lol
And although nothing showed through his acting, this side also knew how things would unfold.
‘…….’
Bae Se-jin watched Wishes give their acceptance speech with a strange feeling.
And Keun Se-jin guessed what his namesake was thinking. Because he felt the same way.
‘…It brings back memories.’
Of course, he wasn’t talking about when Zairop won, but when TeSTAR won.
He turned his gaze away and smiled.
‘I want to go back soon.’
Since that group only had verified people, their stages were quite good.
He didn’t want to feel like his place was becoming uncertain ever again.
[Shall we turn back the timer and visit the past?]
Watching Wishes’ performance that followed the Rookie of the Year award, he suppressed a strange sensation that he couldn’t tell was anticipation or anxiety.
And after quite some time had passed.
Only after several commercials and performances did the announcer standing next to him read the long-awaited cue card.
[The next award is for the Song of the Year.]
“Whew.”
It was near the very end of Part 2. I sat in the artist section and checked my surroundings.
From TeSTAR to the VTIC bastards.
Fortunately, none of them were showing it on their faces.
[Hyung, I’m so nervous.]
You… well, your face isn’t visible anyway, so it’s fine to be as nervous as you want.
In any case, the Grand Prize was finally being called.
Perhaps because they wanted to start with the singer with the lowest name value, the Song of the Year was called first.
‘It’s obvious.’
It was Wishes.
[The person who will help with the presentation is….]
And as the presenter opened the door and entered…
Isn’t that Seon A-hyun?
[Director Kim Nan-ju of the KIS Foundation, and ballerino Seon A-hyun-ssi.]
What?
I watched the guy in the suit walk in and suddenly realized I had heard something about this from him in passing.
—I, I heard I got a request to present at an awards ceremony… I might, be able to see you…!
No, I thought it would be ToneA. Usually, the T1 bastards are the ones who recruit big names from other art fields to boost the prestige of their awards ceremony.
So I had naturally brushed it off, saying, ‘Let’s see each other if we run into each other then.’
‘…It’s actually better that someone I know is there.’
Since I didn’t know what kind of unexpected situation might occur.
I pulled down Cha Yu-jin, who was about to wave at Seon A-hyun, and focused my gaze on the podium.
[Hello.]
Seon A-hyun, who entered with an elderly lady introduced as a director, listened intently to her words with a smile, and only opened his mouth at the very end.
It seemed he had handed over all the promotional comments and was given the final task.
The announcement of the winner.
[Lemon Music Awards, Song of the Year. The winner is….]
The guy smiled brightly when our eyes met.
[Congratulations. Wishes…!]
Waaaaah!!
Cheers, screams, and congratulations filled the venue.
The members exchanged hugs and pats on the back.
At a glance, it looked like an expression of being moved, but in reality, it was more an expression of resolve.
“Moon-dae hyung, let’s go.”
“Right.”
Cha Yu-jin patted my back. I headed straight for the podium.
‘Can’t be late.’
As we stepped onto the stage, Seon A-hyun handed over the bouquet with a smile.
Taking it, and letting someone else take the trophy, I stood directly in front of the microphone. Then, I looked back at Cheong-ryeo.
“…….”
Immediately after.
He gave a slight nod.
It was the signal.
I immediately spoke quickly into the standing microphone.
“Hello, everyone.”
I could feel the others forming a line right behind my back.
A moment steeped in tension.
“I’ll get straight to the point.”
Without even taking a breath, I spoke as clearly as possible.
“I am retiring.”
“…?!”
“No reversals. Completely.”
I continued.
“I will exclude all activities in the entertainment industry and every possibility of gaining recognition or fame.”
Not a single protest came from behind me.
The tacit consent of everyone.
This was why I had awakened VTIC. If they had become involved without knowing anything, they would have fainted.
Uh? Uhhh?
However, below the stage, chaos and terror erupted.
“This is a retirement declaration.”
The audience seats were filled with screams and confusion. In front of them, the production crew was running around busily or hurriedly signaling the stage and staff.
I looked down at it with an expressionless face.
One person hurriedly knelt and scribbled on a sketchbook or something.
—What is this—
But before that sentence could even be finished.
The audience.
The stage, the podium, the lights, the air, the heat.
Everything stopped.
—…….
And what filled my vision… was a hologram.
The status window.
[Ending]
[New Chapter created]
[Calculating settlement]
[Cancel]
[Ending]
[New Chapter created]
[Calculating settlement]
[Cancel]
…….
The status window went haywire again. Just like on the plane!
‘Yes.’
It worked!
Gritting my teeth, I watched the infinitely regenerating pattern of repetitions.
Recalling when I had planned this.
—If you want to get out quickly, it might be more certain to aim for a different method.
Cheong-ryeo had shown me one of his functions.
—There’s an error reporting function.
And the underlying meaning was…
—It means errors can occur.
They wouldn’t have bothered making a function to report something that didn’t exist.
I built the plan from there.
A plan to create an error so severe that progress would be impossible.
—Do you know exactly when the quest is completed?
—I do.
—Then give me a signal.
At the moment of clearing the game, I would simultaneously remove an essential element for progress.
‘Invalidating activities.’
If done before clearing, it would just be a failure. And if done after clearing, it wouldn’t mean much. Since it was already cleared.
But if done simultaneously…
‘It becomes a contradiction.’
A collision.
—So if an error occurs in the algorithm…
—It’ll crash.
Exactly. An error.
A massive bug occurred.
[Error: Undefined.]
[※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※]
[※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※]
[Time remaining until automatic program shutdown: @#$!.]
I twisted my lips as I watched the characters change on all the holograms.
Automatic shutdown.
‘I’m getting kicked out of the program.’
Even Cheong-ryeo, the GM, had no recovery authority for this kind of situation.
‘In that case, there’s a high probability that the game world will collapse under the overload and I’ll return to reality.’
I was prepared.
And truly, my consciousness began to blur.
As if I were about to wake up, a faint floating sensation seemed to wrap around my brain…
At that moment.
[------.]
Something struck my brain.
Something massive.
Vroooooom—!
“…!!”
I bit my tongue at the impact that felt like agonizing pain. Instead of a floating sensation, a vibration rang out.
The problem was that… it was something meaningful.
A wordless power expressing a will.
The meaning was:
—Was it a mistake?
And immediately after, the stage was erased.
Like graphics, the podium was wiped away, and the stage structures disappeared.
Next were the production crew, the audience, and the seats.
Even the lights of the lightsticks.
Everything vanished, leaving behind a vague, abstract world with only a faint skeletal frame.
And the voice was heard again.
[You use this expression often.]
A voice I felt like I had heard somewhere before.
It expressed its will in a sound that felt like a hum within a dream.
[System.]
[You use that title, don’t you?]
I clenched my fists.
It was the System.