Chapter 415
Chapter 415
Kwon Hee-seung had a truly bone-chilling dream.
It was a bizarre setup where some alien-like entity turned him into a virtual reality avatar and made him work like an AI housekeeper. On top of that, the plot was nonsensical, featuring all sorts of senior idols!
In the end, he woke up screaming as the world collapsed around him in a spectacular fashion.
"Uwaaaagh!!"
He just hadn't realized he would scream quite that loudly.
Kwon Hee-seung opened his eyes, drenched in a cold sweat that soaked the airplane seat.
"Pant, pant..."
"You okay?"
A hand holding an electrolyte drink appeared before his eyes. Without a moment's thought, Kwon Hee-seung grabbed it and pressed it to his lips.
Gulp, gulp.
As the cool, smooth, sweet liquid flowed down his throat, a thrill surged to the very top of his head. It felt as if he were being hydrated for the first time in hundreds of days.
'Wow.'
Only after draining the entire liter of the drink did he shake his head and finally come to his senses.
The person who had handed him the drink was TeSTAR’s Park Moon-dae, who was sitting across from him. Kwon Hee-seung shook his head in disbelief.
"Wow, seriously... Ah, maybe it's because I had such a weird dream, but it feels like I haven't had a drink in forever."
"......Is that so?"
"Yes! I think I had sleep paralysis. Anyway, since we have things to do from now on..."
Wait. Come to think of it, why was he on this plane?
The moment his eyes met the owner of the private jet, the leader of VTIC, he remembered everything that had happened right before he fell asleep, like a flash of his life passing before his eyes.
The Status Window rampage.
Moon-dae hyung coughing up blood.
And...
"......U-Um."
Kwon Hee-seung asked, sweat trickling down his face.
"By any chance... was that not a dream?"
"......"
Rarely for him, Park Moon-dae avoided his gaze with a complicated expression before answering with a blank face.
"It’s probably better if you think of it as a dream."
"That means it was real...!?"
Kwon Hee-seung grabbed his face and wailed, but Park Moon-dae simply remained silent.
It was because he had roughly grasped the situation.
'He chose not to remember the specifics himself.'
He was referring to the choice Keun-dal had given.
—Will you remember what happened here, or would you rather forget it or remember it vaguely like a dream?
Kwon Hee-seung must have chosen to treat it as a dream. Park Moon-dae made this deduction and inwardly frowned.
'...It must have been quite hard on him.'
In that case, compensation was necessary. After all, he was the one who had called Gold 2—that is, Kwon Hee-seung—to the plane.
Just as he was about to speak, Kwon Hee-seung, having finished his thoughts, let out a terrified shout first.
"...! Wait, if that was all real... are we in a situation where Korea just collapsed and we escaped on a plane?!"
"...Nothing like that happened. We're at our destination, LAX."
"Phew."
So it was something like a dream!
Kwon Hee-seung let out a long sigh of relief. Park Moon-dae suppressed a sigh of a different nature and continued.
"Anyway, since you got caught up in this and suffered... take some compensation."
"Huh?"
"...!"
"One wish."
Park Moon-dae continued without wavering.
"I'll grant any request you have, as long as it's within my power. How about it?"
Ooh.
Kwon Hee-seung reflexively replayed Park Moon-dae's track record in his mind.
From the "Chicken Feet Legend" of <Aju-sa> to the secret power that could swallow a company whole, and even being a label maker.
He reached a conclusion.
"I'll put it to good use."
"Sure."
Score.
The words 'Genies give three wishes, so can't you make it three?' rose to his throat, but he held them back. He was a man who knew when to push and when to pull.
Having secured an all-powerful wish, Kwon Hee-seung finally looked outside, confirmed they were at LAX, and completely relaxed.
'Wow.'
The day was clear. The sunset sky was in a foreign land, yet it felt familiar and was beautiful enough to bring tears to his eyes.
"......"
"Good job."
"Oh, come on, it was just a dream."
Park Moon-dae didn't respond, but with a slightly bitter smile, he looked out at the sunset sky just like him.
It was peaceful.
Kwon Hee-seung soaked in the quiet rest before asking absentmindedly.
"Hey, hyungs. Then what about the System...?"
"We got rid of it."
"I see."
Somehow, it felt refreshing. Despite it being a dream, it seemed he had gone through hell.
'Ah, this tastes like heaven.'
He sat back down, popping cheese, salt crackers, and chocolate from the cart into his mouth.
"Uh? When did you eat these?"
"While you were sleeping."
"Wow, these are expensive, right?"
"I wouldn't know."
Kwon Hee-seung enjoyed the leisure, even popping open a new bottle of champagne.
The owner of the private jet, who was reading a book, didn't bother to comment or even look at him.
'Then I guess it's okay to eat.'
Just as he was having that optimistic thought, sound began to return to the private jet.
The sound of doors opening and people moving.
"Preparations are finished."
Cheong-ryeo spoke for the first time. When Kwon Hee-seung turned his head, he saw the staff members indeed returning to their positions.
'Huh?'
Kwon Hee-seung spoke up cautiously.
"Hyungs, should we get off now?"
"No."
"...?"
"We've finished refueling at the airport."
Park Moon-dae smiled.
"Now, we have to go back."
"...!!"
No, they came all the way to LA just to go right back? They could have hung out for a bit before returning!
For a moment, ten thousand arguments flashed through Kwon Hee-seung's mind, but he found himself closing his mouth.
Because he realized that... for some reason, he also desperately wanted to go back.
To his daily life, to his home.
"We're taking off."
The three idols fastened their seatbelts. The plane began its return flight toward its starting point.
It was already dawn when they arrived at Incheon International Airport.
It took quite a while to get back to Seoul, but I wasn't particularly anxious. My smartphone had been buzzing incessantly since before then.
It seemed all sorts of episodes were occurring as the guys, who had scattered for their vacation, turned around halfway through.
'At this rate, it would have been fine if they stayed home for a few nights.'
Actually, I did bring that up once, but...
An immediate response came back at a terrifying speed.
And after a brief silence in the group chat.
His messages are as long as ever.
Anyway, news of the members arriving at the dorm one by one kept coming through KakaoTalk.
And finally, as if everyone had arrived, this message came a moment ago.
I went all the way to LA over the Pacific and back, but these guys really show no mercy.
I got into a taxi and checked the time. Thirty minutes left.
Swiping the smartphone screen, I saw a regular chat, not the group message room.
It was the message history I had checked immediately while Gold 2 was sleeping.
Keun-dal said he had safely regained consciousness in Ryu Gun-woo's body.
He wasn't hurting anywhere; he was healthy and had no discomfort.
'Is it a success?'
However, one peculiar thing remained.
[Hyung, I can still send messages through the Status Window...? What?!]
It didn't feel like he was being swallowed by the System, but this additional function seemed to still be working. The Status Window was still visible to me as well.
'Is it because of the Permanent Status Window reward?'
I speculated that it might be because of the reward I received after clearing the Status Effect. That System thing seemed strangely bound by contracts and promises.
'I guess will is also a form of mental energy.'
Anyway, since the entity itself is gone, it doesn't matter.
I put down my smartphone with a light heart.
And a short while later.
"We've... arrived! The main gate of the apartment!"
"Thank you."
I quickly paid the taxi fare and got out.
Passing the flowerbeds that had almost become unfamiliar, passing the playground, passing the first-floor entrance, passing the elevator.
I saw the familiar front door.
Beep, beep-beep-beep, click.
I pressed the buttons and opened the door.
Click.
"Whoa!"
"Wow, Park Moon-dae just got here!"
"There aren't any chicken places open at 4 AM, right?"
The cool air from the air conditioner hit me.
Beyond the familiar design of the entryway, I heard the voices of familiar people and the sound of running footsteps.
'What are they all doing, not sleeping?'
I smiled and stepped inside. Conscious of the early hour, hushed praise and hands poured over me.
The members hadn't changed, and the dorm hadn't changed.
However, surprisingly, it wasn't just people in the dorm.
"Moon-dae, look at this!"
"Woof!"
A white ball of fur was in the dorm. It was a familiar ball of fur.
Bae Se-jin hadn't returned to the dorm alone.
"I brought Mung-ge too. Ahem, I thought it would be nice if he came with us when we go on our trip. It's been a while... I was glad to see him too."
"......"
Beyond Cha Yu-jin, who was stubbornly searching for a 24-hour chicken place to order from, Bae Se-jin held out the small dog in his hands toward me.
I took the wagging creature into my arms.
He was soft and warm.
"Then let's get some good sleep... and as soon as we wake up tomorrow, let's get ready and go play."
"Totally agree."
"Let's eat chicken first."
"I'm seriously curious how our Yu-jin doesn't gain weight."
While petting the dog, I spoke up quietly.
"There's something I want to do before that."
"...!"
"What is it?"
"It won't take long. I'll go while you guys are sleeping."
I called a place that would be opening from this hour.
"Moon-dae-ssi, what's the emergency? Good to see you!"
"You too. I'm counting on you."
I sat in the chair. The hair designer smiled and took hold of my hair.
That's right.
I came to the shop for the very first appointment at dawn.
"The other members aren't doing it?"
"Yes."
And I wasn't the only one who came.
While I was getting my hair done, these guys insisted on following me and were sitting in the waiting area, noisily picking a travel destination.
"Here! Let's go here!"
"Don't decide hastily just by looking at the staged photos, Cha Yu-jin!"
'I told you to sleep.'
They really don't listen.
Since it was a pet-friendly shop, they had dragged everyone out, leaving no one to guard the dorm.
"TeSTAR always gets along so well~ Are you guys filming a self-cam or something?"
"It's nothing like that."
I replied to the director's comment and looked into the mirror.
In the reflection, I saw Keun Se-jin gently grabbing Mung-ge's front paws and shaking them.
'Good grief.'
"Then we'll go with this color~?"
"Yes."
My hair was covered in chemicals.
And a few hours later.
"It looks exactly like the photo from before, right? It turned out well."
"Yes. Thank you."
Sitting in the salon chair, I took a photo myself, feeling a bit awkward.
Having gained a few years of experience, it wasn't that I couldn't take a selfie, but it had been a while since I'd taken a photo with this face, so it took a few trials and errors.
"......"
And for the first time in a very long while, I logged into TeSTAR's official SNS... and pressed the upload button.
*
[Hello, Loviewers.
This is Moon-dae (Puppy emoticon).
I've reclaimed my hair color. I actually missed it a bit.
(Photo)]
*
In the attached photo, I have golden-brown hair.
Just like the first time I dyed it during Aju-sa.
And as if they had been waiting, notifications began to chime.
Familiar reactions and profile pictures filled the screen. Even the usual harsh comments like 'It's not the same vibe as back then' or 'What are you up to?' were there.
It was TeSTAR's Park Moon-dae.
"........"
"Oh? Moon-dae-Moon-dae posted? Sob, oh my god, leaving our members abandoned in the waiting area and only himself..."
"Get your faces in here."
"Oh?"
I took a group shot of the guys who were sitting in the salon waiting room, fiercely tapping away at laptops and smartphones.
*
[Came to see the Golden Moon-dae (Eyes rolling emoticon)]
*
From that morning on, fans received notifications from TeSTAR's official SNS account several times.
And a few hours earlier, at dawn.
In an apartment in Seoul, silence flowed through the large, clean home.
In front of the large entryway, a big dog lying on a soft beige blanket was half-asleep.
It was because he had been waiting for a long time.
But he hadn't forgotten the happy sound.
Beep!
The sound of the door opening.
Footsteps.
The signal that he was seeing his beloved family.
"...!"
The dog, who raised his head in an instant, wagged his tail and stared at the giant gray door.
Soon the door opened... and as always, his tall family member strode in on two legs.
"Kong-i."
"Woof-woof!"
The dog jumped up and greeted his family member intensely.
He had learned to wait maturely whenever his family member was away for a few days, but he still couldn't contain himself the moment the waiting ended.
Kong-i stomped his back paws and pushed his front paws and snout forward, welcoming his family warmly and fervently.
"Ah..."
So Kong-i's family, Shin Jae-hyun, hugged and lifted the yellow dog that was clinging to him.
And without moving, he quietly listened to the unfamiliar resonance.
Something that had always been discarded and cut off at every moment he moved on to the next beginning, until it had vanished before he knew it.
Affection for what remained.
"Kong-i, I'm home."
It was the first time he had spoken the words of return since becoming Cheong-ryeo.
He stood in the entryway, holding the dog, and quietly enjoyed that unfamiliar lingering feeling.
For a moment—no, for quite a long time.
And a little while later.
"Whine."
"Just one."
In the back pocket of Cheong-ryeo, who had given his dog a pre-workout dawn snack he had never given before, his smartphone rang.
'Hm?'
Unless they were out of their minds, no associate would contact him at this hour for a non-emergency purpose.
So he checked his smartphone immediately...
And saw something unexpected.
What he had sent without a word was a photo of a white dog. As if he were imitating someone.
"Haha!"
Cheong-ryeo allowed the dog to climb onto his lap and laughed for quite a while.
Savoring his first return.