Chapter 445
Chapter 445
People who stalk every move of a celebrity's private life.
It’s a lineage of stalkers that boasts quite the history and tradition, doesn't it?
Ever since Idol Inc., I’ve had everything from my studio apartment to my certified copies of residency leaked, so this isn't exactly a novelty anymore.
Security is tight within the complex where the dorm is located, so it’s fine there, but once you step outside, this still happens from time to time.
The problem is that the person currently inside Park Moon-dae... isn't me.
‘Talk about impeccable timing...’
Dammit.
I suppressed a sigh and looked up. A group of people had just hopped out of a taxi and were swarming toward the convenience store entrance.
I stood in front of them, my back to the door.
“…….”
I recognized a few of the faces, so there was no way I could mistake them for regular customers even if I wanted to.
“Excuse me?”
“What are you doing? Move out of the way.”
At first, they spoke to me as if they didn't realize I was staff, but they quickly grasped the situation.
“Ugh, what the fuck.”
After that, they didn't even bother talking to me. Instead, they held up their smartphone cameras and started shouting questions toward the inside of the convenience store.
So they’re that type.
“What are you doing? Why did you come out? Where are you going? Moon-dae? Moon-dae-ya!”
“Kim Rae-bin! Rae-bin, what is that? What did you buy? Is it for the members? Or is it for your girlfriend?”
‘Oh.’
I never thought I’d see this again from a third-party perspective.
It hit me once more that a complete novice would be pretty rattled experiencing this for the first time.
Recalling the break-in at my studio apartment during Idol Inc., I immediately sent a pop-up to the guy inside the store.
[The people outside aren't regular fans.]
[Just give a quick nod and pass by. If you can't handle that, it's okay to just ignore them.]
Keun-dal flinched for a moment, but soon walked toward the door, clutching a bag of ice cream from the counter. The other two followed right behind him as if nothing was wrong.
I placed my arms against the three of them and spread them out to secure a perimeter, then immediately guided them toward the car.
“Hey!”
“Why is Yu-jin being so mean? A Loviewer is calling you, and you won't even answer?”
As expected, their attitude grew more aggressive as time passed.
‘It’ll be a problem if this turns into a physical scuffle.’
If we swap back, Keun-dal has to keep using Ryu Gun-woo’s body. I needed to resolve this as quickly as possible.
Let’s see...
‘No one is clinging to the car.’
Perhaps because there weren't many of them, they were all crowded around the members. I didn't see any of the more meticulous types who would wait by the vehicle in advance.
‘In that case.’
I measured the distance to the car and whispered to Cha Yu-jin.
‘When I give the signal, run and get in.’
However.
‘Go to the opposite side.’
‘Got it.’
A few seconds later.
Cha Yu-jin suddenly bolted and began to sprint.
He ran around the car.
“Huh?”
In that moment, when the crowd instinctively hesitated or turned their heads toward Cha Yu-jin.
I quickly opened the back door for the other two.
Click.
I shoved them inside... and done.
“Ah!!”
‘Cha Yu-jin is in, too.’
Because he had bolted first, he had created enough distance to make it easily.
All members were successfully inside the car.
The windows were tinted, so they couldn't see what was happening inside no matter what. Even if they banged on the glass and shouted questions, that was the end of it.
Situation over.
“Ugh!”
The people, suddenly left like dogs chasing a chicken they couldn't catch, seemed pissed off, but they immediately pivoted and began focusing on the car.
If they put that much energy into anything else, they probably would’ve been successful by now. I don't know why they insist on wasting it on illegal acts that don't even pay.
“Moon-dae! Moon-dae, what are you doing today?”
I’m being a manager.
I intentionally nudged aside someone who was trying to hit the car as I made my way to the driver's seat.
Regardless, the situation ended without escalating further.
“Hmm.”
If I had to analyze it, it was a victory born from years of experience accumulated as both an observer and a participant—from being a data seller to an idol.
‘It was my first time acting as a manager, though.’
Thud.
Once I climbed into the driver's seat, the door shut.
The interior of the car, well-insulated against sound, was quite quiet.
“…….”
“We’re leaving.”
I immediately started the engine and pulled out onto the road.
It was only after we entered the apartment complex for the dorm that Keun-dal finally spoke.
“That... that was terrifying...”
Kim Rae-bin immediately hung his head in apology.
“It is not always like this, but it is something that happens on rare occasions. I am truly sorry for involving you in such an uncomfortable situation...”
“Heh, no! I’m the one who should be sorry for saying I wanted to buy ice cream...”
“Umm? I said I’d buy the ice cream! But no one got hurt, and there’s no problem. Mission complete!”
Cha Yu-jin shouted brightly and tore open an ice cream wrapper. He looked perfectly happy with just his melon-flavored bar.
As expected of a guy from the land of paparazzi; he had guts.
Keun-dal absentmindedly accepted the ice cream Cha Yu-jin handed him. After swallowing hard, he asked in a small voice.
“Uh, um. Don't you hate it?”
“Well,”
Cha Yu-jin shrugged.
“Every job has good things and bad things. I just have to do a fun job where I can drive well!”
“…….”
“And I’m someone who can drive this.”
Look at him.
“I also agree with the former sentiment.”
Even Kim Rae-bin, who had been bowing his head, was now nodding quite seriously.
“I felt it even more while talking to my older sister, who recently changed jobs, but every profession has its own hardships.”
Keun-dal nodded slightly.
“So, rather than denying the downsides, I want to aim to be grateful for the strengths and work toward improvement!”
“……! Yes!”
The guy in Park Moon-dae’s body nodded, his eyes sparkling.
The tension had dissipated before I knew it.
‘...Good.’
I looked away from the rearview mirror after confirming that the other two had finally put the ice cream in their mouths.
And a moment later, when the car arrived in the underground parking lot, Keun-dal sent a pop-up.
[Hyung.]
What.
Since he didn't say it out loud, I expected he wanted to have a serious, private conversation.
However...
[TeSTAR... TeSTAR is seriously amazing. I love it so much because it feels like you guys will promote well for a thousand, ten thousand years. Really!]
“…….”
...No, I wasn't exactly expecting a message so full of deep emotion.
‘That’s your takeaway after going through that?’
I’d felt it since the radio show, but this guy wasn't ordinary either. But...
In the end, I just let out a short chuckle.
As long as it didn't remain a bad memory for him, that was fine.
‘Yeah. That would be nice.’
[Yes!!]
Well, and those two really are the types who could keep this up for a long, long time.
“Cha Yu-jin, wait, that’s the flavor Moon-dae-hyung prefers, so leave it!”
“Umm... OK!”
It’s nothing new, but it seems I didn't keep an eye on Steer in my past life for nothing.
I finished parking smoothly.
“Let’s get out.”
“Yes!”
And so, the ice cream and the three guys arrived safely at the dorm.
Officially, all schedules were over.
“Good work. This is the end of it.”
“…….”
“Now we just have to wait to go back.”
“...Yes.”
I got out of the driver's seat, finished my final check, and looked back at Keun-dal. He had an expression that suggested many thoughts were crossing his mind.
I also happened to remember something.
“Come to think of it, there was something I needed to tell you once the work was done.”
“...! Yes. What is it?”
I spoke seriously. I saw Keun-dal swallow hard.
I don't know what he was expecting, but it was an important point.
It was...
“As you know, civil servants are not allowed to hold concurrent positions under service regulations.”
“…….”
“Don't report the manager's income.”
If a civil servant receives money for a precious "side job" of their own without permission, it’s grounds for disciplinary action.
‘I used my annual leave for this; I can't have it all go to shit.’
Treat it as volunteer work and get the settlement from me separately later.
“…….”
Why isn't he answering?
Just then, Cha Yu-jin raised his hand from the back seat.
[Hyung, until five minutes ago, you were like the protagonist of an action movie, but now you’ve become a supporting character in a sitcom.]
For a real-life worker, a sitcom supporting character who manages their attendance well is better than an action movie protagonist getting disciplined.
I patted Keun-dal on the back.
“You were off today because of food poisoning. Got it?”
“Yes...”
Exactly.
And so, the eventful 24 hours of Keun-dal’s mission failure ended without a hitch.
...At least, that’s how it was until it ended.
I opened my eyes.
Pairs of eyes were looking down at me from all around. They were familiar shapes.
And then, a slightly nervous question.
“Moon-dae-Moon-dae?”
I opened my mouth.
“Yeah.”
“Phew!”
“Oh~~ Welcome home, bro~!”
Only then did the tension break, and everyone standing around started making a fuss.
I lifted my head and raised my hand. I saw a familiar white hand. It was Park Moon-dae’s hand.
A brief sense of relief washed over me.
‘Whew.’
I clenched my fist.
And beside me, Keun-dal, who had returned to Ryu Gun-woo’s body, also seemed to be letting out a deep sigh of relief... or so it seemed.
However.
“…….”
I didn't let my expression soften; I stared into the air.
“...?”
“Moon-dae-ya?”
Noticing my mood, the surrounding noise died down and grew quiet.
Seon A-hyun asked, his pupils trembling.
“S-Surely...”
“Yeah.”
I looked up at the status window.
[Sudden!]
Status Effect Mission Failure: Restoration (2)
-Everything returns to its original state as if nothing happened.
: D-?? until the next start.
Right. It appeared again.
‘I thought it was going too smoothly. Fuck...’
It’s as if the system bundled us together because our bodies were swapped; now it’s even kindly displaying that guy Keun-dal’s mission failure on my status window.
‘Did you think I’d say thank you?’
However, there was a hint this time.
There was content following at the bottom.
[Target ‘Park Moon-dae (1 / 2)’ lost]
[Release in progress]
[Remaining target: Ryu Gun-woo (2 / 2)]
It was... our names.
‘Exactly the two whose bodies were swapped.’
This... is definitely information that can be squeezed for more. I have to find a hint here. It must be related to Keun-dal’s mission.
“…….”
‘I have to figure out the true nature of the mission first to find a solution.’
So, I had to rack my brain to come up with hypotheses and verify them. But the problem was that I couldn't use my brain solely for this right now.
I suppressed a sigh and pressed my brow.
‘There are only two weeks left.’
The comeback was right around the corner. We had to prepare intensely.
Of course, I had to prevent the hellish catastrophe of our bodies swapping on stage during the promotion period.
But should I scrap the comeback preparations and all-in my brain activity on preparing for and clearing this mission failure?
‘Do I want to ruin the promotion period?’
No way. If my own brain capacity is lacking, I’ll have to use someone else’s.
The problem was that the brains I could pull from were limited.
The other guys who knew the situation were all making their comeback with me, weren't they?
TeSTAR, who had just been briefed and entered an emergency meeting, was in the same boat—they didn't have time to spare for deep thinking, and they were just as rushed as I was.
“C-Could your bodies swap again...?”
“You mean it might overlap with the promotion period? Okay. Then we just need to have a plan in place. Or, we could even consider adjusting our comeback schedule a bit...”
“Se-jin, wait. I think we can talk about that last. First, let’s check Moon-dae’s condition. Moon-dae, how are you?”
“I’m fine. The problem is the bodies swapping during the promotion period.”
“I’m just glad you’re healthy...”
This was the situation. And Keun-dal was...
[Hyung, I really can't perform on stage, I really can't.]
Well, he was in this state.
“I know.”
I have no intention of making you do it. Calm down.
I calmed the pop-ups that looked like they were about to fall into a panic and wrapped up the conversation with the guys gathered around.
It was a vague stopgap measure—‘if worst comes to worst, we can skip a day of promotions citing something like the flu’—but it was all we had.
‘It can't be helped.’
It wasn't a time when we could have a marathon debate and try every possible hypothesis.
And so, sitting alone, I began to ponder as if talking to myself.
‘Is there anyone who isn't making a comeback right now and has unusual ideas...’
“…….”
There... is one.
The next day.
After some thought, I picked an appropriate time and contacted one person.
—Oh, hello there.
It was Ju-dan from VTIC.
To that eccentric guy who was already in the military.