Chapter 462
Chapter 462
"Holy crap."
The fansite master held her breath, waiting for the game to finish installing.
Normally, for a modern person, it was practically a law to browse KakaoTalk, social media, or the web while an app installed, but she was in no state of mind for that.
She didn't even have the mental capacity to analyze or wonder, 'How and when did they even make something like this?' Her heart hammered against her ribs with a mix of fluttering excitement, overwhelming awe, and intense anticipation that felt almost like anxiety.
A moment later.
[Installation complete.]
She checked the box without a second's hesitation.
Immediately, the screen turned black, and a logo flashed across it.
[Ruin Factory Area]
Then, TeSTAR’s logo—modified to evoke thoughts of a corporate entity or an industrial disaster—descended from the top, and the title appeared.
[Roll the Dice]
~please enter the code
The main melody of the new title track, remixed into something slightly eerie and modern, flowed smoothly through the speakers.
In the background, images of a dark wooden floor, a board game, and dice were projected.
The quality was flawless.
"Waaaaah!"
They went this far?
The fansite master felt a joy bordering on bewilderment, but at the same time, a faint sense of worry crept in.
'But I don't really know much about games...'
She had expected it to be a simple fan service app at best, but seeing this, she hesitated, wondering if she could actually enjoy it properly.
She didn't know the unwritten rules of gaming, nor was she good at anything requiring mechanical skill. Even Section 127 was a mobile game she’d only played casually.
And since some people just didn't like games, she figured this might be a bit polarizing.
'Hmm.'
Of course, her accumulated expectations won out over everything. There was no time to hesitate!
"Let's go!"
She bravely pressed 'New Game'!
As she did, the letters seemed to be sucked away, and the dice began to roll...
A short loading screen.
And then... the screen brightened.
[2025. 06. 01.]
[PM 07:03]
—Woo-hoo!
A sports car speeding down a road at sunset filled the computer screen.
"...??"
What was this?
Even the people in the sports car were total strangers.
It was a man and a woman wearing sunglasses, and the man definitely didn't look like a member of TeSTAR.
The reason she could be so sure, even though they were game characters, was...
'Wait, is this live-action?'
It wasn't CG graphics!
—♩♪♬♬~ ♪♪♬~
The sports car, racing to the beat of upbeat music, transitioned like a scene from a movie.
For a moment, she might have mistaken it for a defective product sent by mistake, but she already knew better.
'This is... Pose.'
The song playing from the sports car was TeSTAR's previous title track, "Pose." The cheerful dance track, perfect for a drive, played like background music.
'This is definitely the TeSTAR app.'
So, she decided to wait and see.
On the screen, the sports car continued to speed down a mountain road dyed red by the setting sun.
And then, an anomaly appeared.
The road was blocked.
"...?"
A massive barricade with alternating yellow and black stripes and flashing hazard lights sat in the middle of the road.
—What the?
The music faded.
Then, someone walked steadily toward the idling sports car.
It was a tall man.
—One moment, sir.
"Oh my god."
It was Lee Se-jin!
Dressed in a neat police uniform, Lee Se-jin smiled and leaned toward the sports car.
The woman in the driver's seat tilted her head dismissively.
—What's the problem, Officer?
—Ah, the road ahead is currently closed to traffic. I'm sorry, but please turn around and use the main highway.
—Is the highway right there? I’d have to go thirty minutes out of my way. Let me hear your reasoning first.
—I’d like to, but I’m on official duty, so it’s difficult to explain the details. I’m asking for your cooperation.
Lee Se-jin spoke with a genial, kind smile.
'He's so handsome...'
The hairstyle that exposed his forehead suited him incredibly well.
However, the woman in the driver's seat seemed to be the type who was very loyal to her boyfriend, as she didn't seem particularly swayed by Lee Se-jin's looks.
Instead, the camera caught her scanning Lee Se-jin with a strange look in her eyes.
—.......
—Ma'am, could you please turn the car around?
A strange tension began to build.
The BGM changed.
'W-what is this?'
—You're quite young for a police officer.
—Ah, I was just recently stationed here. Haha.
—Is that so?
—Yes. So, even though it’s inconvenient, I must insist.
Despite the tension, Lee Se-jin kept his smile and gave a slight bow.
But the tense BGM and the strangely loud sound of footsteps didn't stop.
Thump, thump.
"......"
And after Lee Se-jin entered the guard post under the red glow of the sunset...
Vroom.
The sports car turned around and began to leave the area.
'Phew.'
Just as the fansite master let out an involuntary sigh of relief.
The man in the passenger seat, who had been quiet, finally broke the silence.
—Huh? Isn't this the way back to the main road?
'Huh??'
—Oh, if we turn here, it connects right back to that road, honey.
—What?
—We're going down the road that guy blocked.
Excuse me??
As if echoing the fansite master's feelings, the man in the passenger seat looked horrified.
—Why are we going there? Honey, the cop said it's blocked.
—Cop?
The driver snorted.
—Have you ever seen a pig talk that sweet to a speeding sports car?
—What?
—And look at that. That thing blocking the road.
As the man in the passenger seat turned his head, the camera's perspective shifted as well.
The barricade.
It was captured slowly on screen once more, and a flashback of the lower half of Lee Se-jin's smiling face was superimposed over it.
The driver's voice rang out.
—That barricade doesn't belong to the police. It's custom-made.
—...!!
—The way I see it, that bastard isn't a cop.
—Ah...
—Look how young he is. He's probably some WeTuber or BJ playing a prank. Probably has cameras hidden somewhere.
It was at that moment.
The bottom of the sports car's field of vision turned slightly translucent black, and something popped up on the screen.
▶ [That could be true. - Reassurance]
▶ [How can you be so sure? - Caution]
It was a choice!
'Right. It's a game, so there are choices.'
It felt a bit unfamiliar, but she figured she just had to pick the one she felt drawn to.
However...
[00:10:00]
There was a time limit!
'Ten seconds?!'
She panicked but soon followed her gut and chose the bottom option.
—How can you be so sure?
It was a feeling born from movie clichés.
Isn't it common sense that if you insist on going into a blocked area, something bad is bound to happen?
'Se-jin told you not to come!'
Then don't go! Does it even matter if he's a real cop?
'Listen to him, even if he's an idol!'
No, she didn't even know why she was choosing for these people who weren't even TeSTAR members... but under the pressure of the time limit, she scrambled to make a choice.
—Ah, you don't trust me?
The driver was offended!
[The other person is displeased.]
"Aaaagh."
Wait, was the top answer the right one to soothe them?
She fell into confusion, but the game didn't stop.
—I-it's not that...
—Then just watch. I'll get you there so you won't be late for your flight.
The driver said that, then roughly turned the sports car with one hand and began to speed away.
The camera pulled back, showing the sports car forcibly entering the road blocked by the 'No Entry' sign through a side path.
And then, it captured the gloom of the darkening mountains...
"......"
She swallowed hard, watching the scene as if she were watching a thriller movie.
And a moment later.
—That's random.
The sports car, passing through the dark mountain path with its lights on, suddenly came across an old building.
It was a gray building that looked like it had been roughly patched with concrete.
It was large, but there was no sign of human presence.
—A factory? Isn't it?
—Ah, I guess so.
—It's a bit strange for it to be in the mountains.
Then, in slow motion, the camera seemed to scan the exterior of the building through the eyes of the car's occupants...
And caught a single embossed pattern on the perimeter.
[K.I.S]
The fansite master remembered it too.
'I think I saw that in the music video?'
That's right. It was the initials on the floor of that gray hallway.
Could it be that these people were entering that prison as the player's perspective?
'Yeah, the perspective has shifted to first-person for these people, so that could be it.'
She was making her own guesses when...
—Oh, that's...
At that moment.
Crash.
The sports car overturned.
"...?!"
Huh?
And then it exploded.
—BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
The screen spun wildly and rolled across the ground.
'Aaaagh!!'
Holy crap!
The fansite master screamed without realizing it. The camera's view flickered, showing the half-destroyed sports car... and then a hand was seen fumbling on the ground.
And a choice appeared.
▶ [Grab the smartphone.]
▶ [Call the passenger.]
This... this!
'Calling the passenger is useless! It's the smartphone!'
Calling out wouldn't heal an injured person, so she had to do something productive first!
She quickly pressed the top option.
Then, to her delight, the hand fumbling on the ground found the smartphone!
'Yay!'
Just as she was about to cheer for the hand pressing 119, fully immersed in the game.
—Agh!!
It was revealed that the smartphone was broken.
"Ugh."
T-there's no answer for this?
Breaking into a cold sweat and thinking she had made a wrong choice, the fansite master was considering restarting the game when...
She heard a voice.
—Are you okay over there?!
The screen whipped around as if the character had turned their head, and a tall figure in a police uniform was seen rushing toward them.
It was Lee Se-jin running over.
—Hold on!
'Wait, wait? What's happening?'
She was flustered, not knowing what was going on.
Lee Se-jin, who had approached, immediately reached out his hand.
—Give that to me.
He smoothly took the smartphone, which was in the way of him helping, and shrugged.
Then, while making eye contact with the player, he fired a tranquilizer gun.
"...?!"
The field of vision—no, the screen—instantly blurred.
Silence.
—.......
After a short blank space, the screen reappeared from behind Lee Se-jin's shoulder.
It seemed the character was being carried over Lee Se-jin's shoulder.
"...??"
While she still couldn't grasp the situation.
Lee Se-jin's voice was heard.
—Ah~ it works every time, every single time.
Then the screen moved again.
A red frame, a crumpled metal car body, and smoke.
The player... was being pushed back into the half-destroyed sports car!
"Wha-wha-what?!"
—It’s so nice of you to break the rules on your own. I did everything I was supposed to, so I have no guilty conscience.
"...!!"
C-crazy!
And then, Lee Se-jin's clean face, standing outside the sports car, was seen again.
He was holding a notebook.
—Now, this time too...
—'No Entry sign'... check. 'Direct notification'... check. 'Kindness'... check. 'Repeated emphasis'... check.
Like a real police officer, Lee Se-jin adjusted his hat and gave a wink.
—I told you to turn the car around, didn't I?
—Ugh...
—Yes, yes. I knew you wouldn't listen~
Slam.
The sports car door closed.
Then, the half-destroyed red sports car was hitched to a black vehicle and began to be towed away.
Behind it, Lee Se-jin's humming, coming from the black vehicle, echoed like background music.
—Mmm-mmm~
It was a B-side track from TeSTAR's previous album, famous among fans for being a relaxed, easy-listening song.
And over that chilling dissonance, subtitles appeared.
[Prologue End]
The fansite master let out a silent scream.
'What is this!?'
Her mental state shattered, it took the fansite master thirty seconds before she could press the enter button and enter Chapter 1.
She was entirely persuaded by Lee Se-jin's handsomeness.
'Moon-dae is probably going to look incredibly handsome too...'
And although she didn't realize it herself, the fact that the story was shocking and thrilling also played a part.
'Alright!'
The game, which had now entered the main story, proceeded properly from the members' perspectives.
—Would you like a ride?
A rainy autumn day. Bae Se-jin, who had lost his wallet, gets help from Ryu Cheong-woo and hitches a ride in his car to go to work.
And then, he receives a sudden proposal from Ryu Cheong-woo.
—There's something I want to steal.
—...Excuse me?
—I need a hacker.
That's right! Bae Se-jin was a hacker.
But if that was the case...
'...What about Rae-bin?'
He was sitting in the monitor room in the music video?
Even now, seeing him in the back seat of the car wearing glasses and looking at a laptop gave off that exact vibe.
So, the fansite master willingly chose the option to ask that question.
—Isn't he... a hacker too?
—No. He's just strong. Really... he's just strong.
"Pffft."
Kim Rae-bin, who had peeked his head from the back seat, lowered it again.
For the record, Kim Rae-bin truly lived up to his reputation as the strongest attacker even after they infiltrated the facility, much to the fansite master's delight.
Anyway, what Ryu Cheong-woo showed Bae Se-jin was information about a gem called 'tutáculum.'
—Tutáculum?
—It means protection or shelter in Latin. It seems to be the key to accessing the facility where this gem is located.
He explained that he had received it from a colleague before, handed over a 'key-shaped' device, and asked for an analysis.
And this was handled as a flashback, leading directly into a cut of them sneaking into the facility!
—But I didn't know that place would be such a strange protective management and detention facility.
From then on, it was a series of heart-pounding hide-and-seek and choices...
'Aaaagh.'
Having already been burned by Lee Se-jin's spicy side in the prologue, the fansite master didn't want to get caught, no matter how handsome Se-jin was...
So, no matter which character she was controlling, she worked hard to avoid the guards and made her choices carefully.
And from this point on, one more system was added.
A 10-sided die.
Rattle, rattle...
When she made a wrong choice, she could roll the die, and if the number was low, it gave her a chance to make up for it!
The more critical the mistake, the lower the required number was.
'Whew!'
—Oh~ Today's coffee.
She narrowly avoided Lee Se-jin's gaze and barely managed to hold her breath while hiding in a cabinet.
And not long after... she also got to see her favorite's face.
—Ugh.
"Aaaagh!"
Moon-dae was in a lab!
The problem was, he was being given some kind of injection... and he looked incredibly pained, drenched in a cold sweat.
But he himself begged her not to remove the syringe!
—...No, please.
▶ [Break the syringe. - Compassion]
▶ [Leave it. - Immovable Heart]
Aaaaagh!!
The fansite master, who was controlling Kim Rae-bin, was horrified, but eventually, her trembling hand went for the top option.
'I'm sorry, Moon-dae...!'
But if I don't break the syringe here...! In movie clichés, Moon-dae would die!
And sure enough, as soon as the syringe was broken, Moon-dae immediately stabilized.
She looked at the close-up shot of Moon-dae, who had lost consciousness and had a peaceful face, with teary eyes and hit the capture button.
Fortunately, Kim Rae-bin picked Moon-dae up and moved him to a safe place.
'Thank goodness...'
The overly immersed fansite master wiped away her cold sweat.
Anyway, after that, there were scenes of Ryu Cheong-woo getting information through a battle of wits with Cha Yu-jin behind a steel door, and some dizzying chase sequences.
And soon, the phantom thieves concluded that this was a strange place where test subjects were kept, and the information about the 'gem' they had obtained was part of a trap to lure in test subjects.
—We have to escape.
So they changed their route and soon found the official escape route thanks to Cha Yu-jin's aggro...
But there was one final obstacle.
—If we just get around this perimeter...
—Shh.
'Gasp, A-hyun!'
Thump, thump.
A riot baton, gloves, combat boots, chin. Eyes.
The figure walking from across the hallway was directed with movie-like mise-en-scène.
Seon A-hyun appeared with a cold and calm vibe throughout this movie—no, game.
That suited him incredibly well, revealing an unexpected charm.
'It really is all about the face...'
The fansite master groaned.
And anyway, she had a hunch.
'In that music video... there was a hint that the person who suppressed Bae Se-jin when he was escaping was A-hyun!'
This must have been that hint. Her heart pounding, she repeatedly hit 'Hide' in the choices.
—.......
Surprisingly, even though it seemed like the right choice, the die appeared.
[Target Value: 6]
A 60% probability!
The fansite master grit her teeth.
Rattle, rattle...
'Please, please...!'
The die slowly stopped, and the face it showed was...
[2]
"I did it!!"
Seon A-hyun leisurely disappeared down the hallway.
And so, she safely passed that turn.
'Phew.'
—Let's go.
She let out a sigh and watched as Bae Se-jin approached a massive steel door.
It was the scene she had seen in the music video.
He placed the key on the lock pad, and now if he just entered the code...
'Huh?'
Come to think of it...
[______]
What was the code?
"......"
The game's progress stopped.
That is to say, there was no ten-second time limit like before. It meant she could enter it comfortably at any time.
But... what on earth was the code?
At that moment, Bae Se-jin's narration flowed across the screen.
—It's a code I already know.
—I heard it from the phantom thief when I received this key.
And this time, she began to hear Ryu Cheong-woo's voice as he reminisced.
—I'd like you to analyze the key.
There was a close-up of Bae Se-jin's eyes.
—And I did analyze it.
—The information the phantom thief wanted came out. The location of this place, the value of the gem, and so on. But there was also a lot of dummy data that seemed to have been put in on purpose.
—As if to increase the capacity to make it hard to find.
—Among the dummy data I almost overlooked back then, there was also a photo of a man... and on the back of that photo, there was a code.
The narration ended there.
'W-what is it?'
The fansite master was flustered and read the subtitles again.
'A photo of... a man.'
"......"
Could it be?
"Gasp!"
She jumped up and grabbed the album box she had pushed aside after taking out the USB earlier.
And she pulled out the one remaining component inside.
A photo card.
On the back of Kim Rae-bin's photo card, which showed him biting the tip of an awl, a code was written along with the logo.
[Roll the Dice]
~please enter the code
[AW23-5DQ2-B25E]
She entered it with trembling hands.
...The moment she hit enter.
Bae Se-jin on the screen also began to move his hand over the lock pad.
And.
—I... succeeded!
The door opened.
"Yes!"
She reflexively pumped her fists, then soon realized.
'Wow!'
This structure really makes you feel like buying the album was worth it!
Anyway, she reflexively sensed a happy ending and stood up from her seat.
It was the reaction of a non-gamer who had no idea that what she had seen was something like 'Normal Ending - 3.'
Anyway, she finally began to form some evaluations.
'The immersion was seriously insane!'
She didn't know how they filmed this or how much the boys were worked to the bone... but she wanted to do it again right away and pick other choices!
She liked the costumes, which were the most important part, and the acting was good and not cringey, perhaps because it was mostly action.
Honestly, Bae Se-jin's acting was so good that it created a synergy.
But one thing that bothered her was...
'Ah, the phantom thieves did come out looking a bit too much like the protagonists, didn't they?'
There was a bit of an issue with screen time, but it felt like the events were strangely constructed from the phantom thieves' perspective.
'Ah, A-hyun really had quite little screen time.'
And she still had some unresolved questions about what the board game was all about, but...
'Seriously... the quality was unbelievable.'
She didn't know how to describe it. It felt like watching a movie where she got to choose what the characters did!
She thought even fans who didn't like games would like this.
Having experienced the 'interactive movie' genre properly for the first time, she nodded vigorously.
'Thinking about it again, the outfits were so good... ha, seriously, it's the best.'
She waited for the epilogue to load and finally made up her mind to go to the bathroom.
And it was just as she naturally picked up her smartphone.
"...??"
W-what?
"......"
The fansite master was so flustered that she forgot about the bathroom and ran to the delivery box.
And she opened the second box with the USB.
Pushing aside a Cha Yu-jin photo card where he was sticking his tongue out slightly, she hurriedly grabbed the second USB album.
She swallowed hard.
‘S-should I start with this one?’
Moon-dae was the prisoner, so if she wanted to see more of him, was this the version she needed? Just as the fansite master was spiraling into confusion, her smartphone screen lit up again.
“...?!”
Wh-what was that now...?
And so, it began—the descent into the bottomless pit of TeSTAR’s album content.