Chapter 414
Chapter 414
Keun-dal, swallowed by the System, had instead suppressed the System’s ego and seized control.
[Whoa!]
I wiped the cold sweat from my chin and smirked.
“Good job.”
[Yes! It actually worked!?]
‘I thought we’d be lucky if we just paralyzed the System with an error.’
In truth, it was a gamble; if it failed, it was all over. But he was the one who had suggested it himself.
—“Hyung, about... Plan B.”
—“If the time comes when we have to use it... what if I try moving the error myself?”
And I had conceded to some extent.
If that guy returned to reality while the System still existed, his only fate was the "Absorption Ending."
‘He said he’d just become a status window.’
The reason I had the crazy idea of blowing up the System on the plane in the first place was partly due to the prediction that he would lose his body and become a status window. I wouldn't deny that.
For him to live as Ryu Gun-woo after returning to reality, something else was needed.
For instance, being completely severed from the System.
‘Or else.’
—Making the System self-destruct.
This time, I was going to get rid of it for good.
I swallowed hard and asked quietly, “How is it?”
[Uh...]
He looked at his own body in a daze. The background behind him began to writhe and distort as if he were testing his influence. Then, he lifted his head, his holographic eyes suddenly glowing with a dark light.
[I feel like I can do anything.]
“...!”
His body grew more distinct, and the once-vague world began to sharpen into clarity.
[Inside here... there’s nothing I don’t know, nothing that’s impossible. As long as I can structure it properly, every wish will naturally flow...]
He muttered to himself. The background swirled toward him as if being sucked in.
Stars began to rise.
[...Hyung, hey, I can make it so you can do whatever you want, too. I—]
This wasn't good.
“You realize if we stay here, TeSTAR disbands, right? Even if we redo everything from ‘Magical Boy’ to ‘Savior’ exactly as it was, the impact won't be the same as the first time.”
[...! Of course I know that! No, what was I just...]
Sparks flew from the hologram, and expression returned to Keun-dal’s face.
‘I can’t believe I’m the one saying things like "the impact of the first time."’
It was a bit funny that I had to use that to snap him out of it, but it worked, so that was enough.
After all, during his days as a civil service exam student living under a "Death if Not Passing" status effect, watching TeSTAR’s comebacks seemed to be his only joy.
‘...I just remembered that I did something similar.’
I almost slipped back into memories of my office worker days watching Steer, but the situation was too urgent for nostalgia.
[Ugh, this is weird! It feels like I can’t control myself. Wow, this power is...]
In any case, he might get tainted by it, so we had to finish this quickly. The System might recover from the error and try to claw its way back up.
“Yeah, let’s hurry. You remember what I told you?”
[Yes!]
The final plan was simple.
‘Self-destruct sequence.’
Blow up the System just like this.
Of course, doing it in that state might affect Keun-dal, so we would put a few procedures in between.
[I sent it, Hyung!]
Ding.
A status window appeared before me.
[Player: Park Moon-dae (Ryu Gun-woo)]
[Would you like to delete the game?]
[Confirm]
There were no other options. It was a self-destruct launch button that only required a press of "Confirm."
‘Whew.’
To be honest, it felt refreshing.
At the same time, another status window appeared. I shifted my gaze to the one floating in front of someone else.
[GM: Shin Jae-hyun]
[Would you like to disconnect from the Server?]
[Confirm]
“You first.”
“Hmm.”
Cheong-ryeo glanced at the holographic Keun-dal and spoke.
“Do you need time to prepare yourself mentally?”
“No.”
I’d done enough of that already. Just press it.
As soon as he heard my answer, he reached out and pressed the confirm button without hesitation.
Click.
Immediately, the world flickered and began to crack.
Rattle.
‘It feels like it’s going to collapse.’
Zzzzt. Silent fissures spread across the background. The vision shook precariously as if it would crumble at any moment. Just as the collapse seemed imminent—
[Would you like to designate a new Server?]
“Don’t you dare touch that.”
“You’re far too suspicious.”
Regardless, he kept his hands down obediently.
‘Now, all that’s left is...’
One more.
I placed my hand over my status window, which hovered over the mirror-like background that was on the verge of shattering.
That was when it happened.
[Stop.]
“...?”
A pop-up appeared.
‘Keun-dal?’
But he was over there...
[Hyung??]
Ah, I see.
This was the System.
It seemed that when Keun-dal seized control and kicked it out, the positions of the two egos had swapped.
The System’s ego was now parasitizing the status window.
‘Yeah. Goodbye.’
I tried to ignore it and press the button, but it stubbornly kept flashing pop-ups over it.
[The System saved you when you were going to die. You know it. You had already given up on the rest of your life.]
[Everything you have now stems from the opportunity the System gave you. Think of the chances you’ve gained and the achievements you’ve made because you didn't die.]
Look at this bastard.
Faced with the threat of deletion, it was suddenly talking a big game, appealing to my sympathy and spouting all sorts of nonsense.
“Hey.”
I let out a short laugh and spoke.
“The one who gave me a chance was the original Park Moon-dae. You’re just the piece of shit who exploited me.”
The one who had been sweetly sucking up energy for years using a "Death if Not Passing" status effect was now acting like it had been running a charity.
As if it hadn't been ready to kill me the moment I slipped up on a single status effect.
[Hy-Hyung?]
“I wasn't talking to you, so stay still.”
I gave Keun-dal a gesture. The pop-up updated.
[Irrational thinking. Foolish.]
Is it talking about itself?
‘Did this bastard change its strategy?’
I wondered if it was trying to stall for time by making me angry enough to argue back. If that was the case...
I opened my mouth as if to respond to the pop-up.
And then I shouted.
“Keun-dal. Now!”
[Yes!]
At that moment, Keun-dal’s hologram flickered with even more glitches before his form blurred and vanished.
[Whoa!]
He was giving up the control he’d gained through the error and retreating back into my status window.
[What are you do■ ■■?]
In that split second when the System’s ego tried to rush back into the System it had been kicked out of—
“Goodbye.”
I punched right through the pop-up and hit the button.
Thwack!
Game Deleted.
The pop-up trembled violently.
[I will nev■ disappe■■ ■...]
But that was all.
Pop!
The humanoid form of the System, filled with glitches, exploded.
And then, the cracked world exploded along with it.
It was a transcendent sight—tens of thousands of shards shattering and soaring into the void.
Followed a moment later by a massive, sweeping aftershock.
“Haaaaah.”
The System that made up this world was destroyed. A torrent of immense energy overflowed in all directions as if to crush everything.
The shards broke into nothingness. All that remained was the void.
I looked back at Cheong-ryeo. His status window was flickering and sparking.
Mine was the same.
“Success.”
The moment I said that, all my senses vanished.
Whoosh.
Everything went white.
[-------]
Silence.
And then.
“...Moon-dae?”
Slowly and heavily, sound began to return, like hearing coming back after being numbed by a powerful impact.
“Moon-dae!”
“...!”
I opened my eyes.
And the first thing I saw was...
“Moon-dae’s awake!”
“Hyung!”
“You... you really worked hard, Moon-dae...!”
It was the guys surrounding me.
The members, who had been so busy talking about and fleshing out Plan B, were now peering into my face as if I were some kind of spectacle.
Good grief.
“Yeah. I’m awake.”
“Yeah!!”
“Seriously, when the chat window exploded halfway through, I thought something terrible happened!”
“I’m just so glad. Really...”
If I stayed like this, either my ears were going to burst or my shoulders were going to fall off. I gave a small smirk, shook my head, and sat up.
“Thanks for the concern, but...”
If this were reality, it should be the plane. If it were still the System world, it should be the awards ceremony... but it was neither.
“This place is...”
...Ryu Gun-woo’s studio apartment.
To be precise, it was the apartment where Keun-dal, who had won the lottery in Ryu Gun-woo’s body, was staying.
And outside the living room window... was the place where the fantastic sunset from ‘Magical Boy’ was sinking.
It was a place I had visited before.
[It’s a mental image world I created!]
It was the mindscape I had passed through when I went from Ryu Gun-woo’s body back to Park Moon-dae’s.
Keun-dal appeared, grinning widely, looking exactly as he had then.
Though the way he flickered with glitches was also the same.
‘In that case.’
I must also look like that ambiguous mix of Park Moon-dae and Ryu Gun-woo.
Sure enough, Keun Se-jin started making a fuss as usual.
“Wow, you two look just like brothers, seriously~”
He was likely trying to maintain his composure in this insane situation, but the guy listening to him certainly liked it.
[Hehe, thank you!]
I had no idea why.
Anyway, the guy who had been grinning foolishly soon realized this wasn't the time for that and changed his expression.
[Um, the reason I brought you all here first was to minimize the shock. I think I managed to take some of the System’s power... anyway, it worked!]
“Shock?”
[Yes. Um, you can choose when you leave.]
Keun-dal stepped aside slightly.
The entrance to the apartment came into view.
—See you later!
The nameplate gleamed. It seemed that going out through there would lead back to reality.
[Whether you want to remember what happened here, or just forget it, or have it remain as a faint, dream-like memory.]
“...!”
That was... a great service, but...
‘Is there anyone who would actually choose to forget?’
I thought about it for a moment, but then I realized once again that this was an overwhelmingly bizarre situation—it was only because I’d lived with status effects for years that I found it somewhat normal.
If someone said the wrong thing, they’d be suspected of being on drugs.
‘It might be easier to just forget.’
I’ll correct myself. If it were me, I’d suggest we all just forget together...
“Of course I want to remember.”
“......”
“That is correct. This unique experience within a fantasy will surely serve as new inspiration.”
“I don’t need to watch Limestone movies anymore. I lived it myself.”
Are you all just blurting that out without even thinking?
I was slightly taken aback, but not a single person hesitated.
“...Th-there’s something that happened here that I definitely want to remember!”
“Oh~ how fascinating. Me too.”
Even Seon A-hyun, the last one.
“I feel like I realized many new things and was able to grow... so, I...!”
[Understood! Then, just keep that in mind as you open the door and walk out!]
Cheers erupted.
“Ah, finally!”
“Park Moon-dae, you... as soon as we’re back, turn that plane around and get back to the dorm!”
It’s not my plane, and honestly, I don’t know what the situation is like outside... but fine, I get it.
Ryu Cheong-woo smiled and patted the members on their shoulders.
“Good work, everyone. Our group.”
“Heehee!”
“Moon-dae-Moon-dae, don’t be shy, come here~”
As if we had won a Grand Prize or finished the final stage of a tour, we huddled together for a brief hug.
These guys are suffocating me.
‘We’re not penguins.’
I’m sure we looked ridiculous, but I found myself not caring.
“Alright, let’s go!”
“Yes, sir!”
It felt like all preparations were complete. But then, Kim Rae-bin raised his hand.
“Wait, shouldn't we offer the seniors the chance to go first?”
“Oh.”
They must have almost forgotten; all eyes turned.
‘Come to think of it, where are the VTIC guys?’
It was strange that I hadn't seen them.
When I turned my head to follow the others' gaze, I saw them in a different spot.
The VTIC members... were sitting at the kitchen table with expressions so heartwarming it was almost off-putting, watching us.
‘What the...’
“TeSTAR is always so close-knit, it’s really nice to see, isn't it?”
“Right, right. It’s hard for a large group to be like that.”
The guys, who now had their real-world appearances, seemed to have much stronger real-world egos than when they debuted as Wishes without their memories. Even their way of speaking had changed slightly.
Still, the person I’d seen for a year hadn't completely vanished.
Chae-yul walked out of the kitchen, smiling shyly.
“Um, once we go back, it might be hard to call you Gun-woo Hyung... but would it be okay if I spoke casually? Not as Moon-dae-ssi, but just Moon-dae!”
“Yes.”
“Great! You speak comfortably to me too, Moon-dae. Got it?”
That might be hard given the seniority gap.
Still, he seemed to take my silence as a yes and smiled brightly. After receiving TeSTAR’s farewells, he naturally headed toward the front door.
And at the very end, he spoke with vigor.
“Everyone, come visit! Our group is small, so it gets lonely sometimes. I don’t think I’ll ever forget our time as Wishes.”
“It feels like we got to experience being in a project group.”
“Whoa, that’s it. Exactly!”
The two of them asked Keun-dal if they just had to go through there, then waved and naturally vanished through the front door one after another.
“......”
Once we returned, we wouldn't be in the same group, so there wouldn't be many natural reasons to see each other... but well, now that I knew they were decent guys, keeping in touch should be fine.
I leaned against the wall, waiting for the rest of VTIC to leave...
“......?”
But why wasn't that guy leaving?
I looked at Ju-dan, who was standing in front of the door.
He turned his head and checked on TeSTAR and Keun-dal, who had run over to stop Cha Yu-jin from trying to open the living room window.
“Yu-jin, let’s ask first...”
“You dummy!”
Since they had already said their goodbyes to VTIC, their attention was completely scattered.
Seeing that, Ju-dan muttered in a serious tone.
“The timing has finally come. I have something to say to you two.”
“Hmm?”
He spoke without expression.
“Both of you have regressed to the past, haven't you? It seems the order was Jae-hyun Hyung first, then you, Junior.”
“...!!”
What is with this guy?
“And what makes you think that?”
Instead, Ju-dan shrugged as if he were the one who found the situation absurd.
“From the chat window to everyday conversation, you both made such blatant remarks. Anyone with the background knowledge could easily guess.”
“......”
“......”
No, you’re the only one who figured it out on your own.
“Seeing Moon-dae-ssi’s reflexive reaction, I’m right. If that’s the case, structurally... hmm, to think you avoided becoming an antagonist-like axis by a hair’s breadth... My god.”
After muttering something to himself, he let out a light sigh and looked like he was about to say more.
“That...”
But he soon met the expressionless gaze of Cheong-ryeo, who was staring at him.
He immediately backed down.
“I’ll shut up and just go enlist.”
“Good.”
“Well then, excuse me.”
Ju-dan hurried through the front door as if he were running away. I crossed my arms and asked Cheong-ryeo, who was watching him while leaning against the wall.
I jerked my chin toward the door.
“Then you... go see your dog.”
“I should.”
He seemed to answer nonchalantly, but then he stroked his chin and added quietly.
“...Has it been ten months?”
A faint smile seemed to brush across his face, and then he walked out the door.
“See you again soon.”
Leaving those words behind.
“......”
“Did everyone leave?”
“Yes.”
When I turned my head, I saw Ryu Cheong-woo and the others, who had apprehended Cha Yu-jin.
Ryu Cheong-woo smiled and stood beside me.
“You said we’d speak casually.”
“Ah.”
Right.
“Yeah.”
I immediately corrected my speech.
A look of brief surprise passed over Ryu Cheong-woo’s face, but he soon gave a wide grin.
“Right, Moon-dae. Now, let’s go too.”
The front door opened again.
“As soon as we’re back, contact each other no matter what the situation is, and don’t forget to return to the dorm!”
“We’ll keep that in mind!”
And then, we stepped forward.
Nothing could be seen outside the door; only light poured in, stinging my eyes.
But no one hesitated as they kicked the door open and walked out.
And a moment later.
Vroooooom—
“...!”
I opened my eyes to the sound of an engine humming in my ears.
Cheong-ryeo’s private jet.
‘Ah.’
I looked around. Leather seats. Ivory walls. Polished kits.
Everything remained exactly as it had been before we left.
And there, sitting in their seats and asleep, were Gold 2 and Kwon Hee-seung.
They were breathing.
I immediately opened my smartphone. And I checked the date.
“......”
[Saturday, July 9th]
It was the same.
Nothing had changed.
“Whew.”
I let out a sigh and leaned back into my seat.
Then, the guy who had already opened his eyes and was sitting in his seat handed me a glass.
Non-alcoholic champagne.
“We’ve arrived safely.”
“...Yeah.”
I snatched the glass Cheong-ryeo was holding out.
Just like that, I had returned to reality.