Chapter 464
Chapter 464
The fansite master forgot to breathe as she stared at the game screen.
“…….”
The screen still showed the dark, secret facility within the game.
However, there was no one else but the background.
No other characters, no BGM, no sound effects, no filters, and no dice.
The only thing there was a close-up of Seon A-hyun’s smiling face.
Dressed in a navy blue uniform and wearing an officer’s peaked cap, the warden was making eye contact with the person beyond the screen.
As if he were actually looking at her.
“…….”
The fansite master swallowed hard.
The mouth on the screen moved.
At that moment, a choice appeared. But…
▶ [Stay.]
▶ [Stay.]
“…?!”
W-what is this? Why… are they the same?
‘A bug…?’
Like a typical modern person, her hand moved reflexively to restart the game. She went to click the settings icon in the bottom right corner…
The settings button vanished.
“…?!”
Click, click. She clicked the empty background, but there was no response.
“Uh, what?”
The blonde warden was still smiling. The fansite master froze, her hand still on the mouse.
At that moment.
This time, the selection… moved on its own.
▶ [Stay.]
▶ [Stay.]
“…!!”
After a brief effect indicating the choice was confirmed, the game continued as if nothing were wrong.
Seon A-hyun’s smile slowly faded. The fansite master let out a scream.
‘Why is a game character saying he’s inside a game?!’
But the warden didn’t stop talking.
The warden turned his gaze.
The screen panned naturally to show a glass case in the center of the background. It zoomed in on the brilliantly shining green gem inside the case….
The screen flickered and then went blank.
The gem was gone.
“…….”
The fansite master didn't even have the mental capacity to be surprised anymore.
The screen, which had cut out as if edited, returned to a close-up of Seon A-hyun.
The warden spoke.
Then, the dice appeared on the screen, along with the threshold that determined success or failure.
[Threshold: 7]
“U-uhhh….”
The fansite master looked around instinctively before reaching for the mouse.
The moment she habitually clicked the dice:
[5]
A number lower than the threshold of 7 appeared.
If this were the case—
‘I just won—’
It happened then.
Seon A-hyun reached toward the dice on the screen.
“…!?”
Then, he grabbed the die and… changed which face was pointing up!
[8]
The warden smiled.
[FAIL]
A red failure effect pierced the face of the fansite master, who was covering her mouth in shock.
Then, the warden extended the die toward the front of the screen with his gloved hand.
Toward the player.
“…!!”
And so, a mind-bending story began.
The fansite master, who had been struggling to avoid spoilers, hadn't known, but the first witness of Seon A-hyun’s hidden route had actually appeared around the time she was looking for the True Ending walkthrough.
After several attempts by people who were skeptical of its existence, the screaming began to spread.
People who were initially indifferent, thinking others were just screaming because a hidden route existed, started screaming along once they saw the route for themselves.
By the time half a day had passed, everyone had grasped the situation.
Those TeSTAR madmen have done it again!
After countless attempts, the additional conditions were revealed.
In other words, it was only possible for someone who had actually bought and played another version of the game and reached the True Ending.
And then, a chain reaction of everyone who tried it screaming occurred.
For the record, the fansite master, who was one of those people, already had zero life left in her.
Meanwhile, the outcries of those who had accidentally stumbled upon it without being spoiled were already dominating social media through shares.
Shocked reactions were traditionally entertaining, after all.
There was even a streamer among them.
[Ah… this is really well-made. It’s truly fitting for a Ruin Factory—no, a Ruined Industrial Complex. Um, I think the TeSTAR members almost forgot I was an idol halfway through.]
After seeing the True Ending, this person had immediately tried to see it again with a different version, frustrated by the regulation that prevented them from uploading it as a video.
Of course, there was also a slight intention to satisfy the new viewers who had flocked in.
[Let me see the prisoner version once, and I hope you guys buy the warden version and see it for yourselves. No, wait, this isn't a game, it’s an album… right, haha.]
However, while chatting with the viewers and progressing, this person, who didn't know idols very well, made the mistake of confusing the photo card versions.
And then.
[…?!]
The streamer’s expression, looking as if his eyes were about to pop out, and the feast of question marks in the real-time chat were truly a sight to behold.
Incidentally, the fansite master, having heard the news, was also watching the internet broadcast—something she usually never did—with a melancholy expression.
Because Seon A-hyun’s hidden ending scenario… was truly worthy of being called "hidden."
While playing a maddening game of dice with Seon A-hyun, the protagonist, who inevitably loses, is constantly driven into a corner.
And as they are pushed further and further, the location changes as if they are fleeing.
Locations within the facility that appeared in the game: the lab, the monitor room, the hallway, and even the prison.
Each time, the warden would appear in a straitjacket, saying he "wanted to try wearing it at least once," or in a phantom thief outfit, continuing the one-sided dice game with the protagonist.
Then, the player spots an opening.
They induce the warden to grab the dice they haven't rolled yet, letting him manipulate them first….
After taking them back as if they didn't notice, they roll them a beat late.
And so, they finally win.
And at that thrilling moment of escape, the game normalizes!
[Waaaaah, it worked!!]
The restored game proceeds with the True Ending normally… but there is exactly one thing that changes.
It’s the final attic scene.
The player could now speak to Bae Se-jin, who was playing the board game, through a choice!
[Heol! Everyone, could this be….]
So, at the very end.
Right before the escape, the way to deal with the Chief Warden, Seon A-hyun… can be changed!
Instead of Kim Rae-bin subduing him, Bae Se-jin attempts to persuade him.
However, a much harsher threshold than usual is applied.
Only a dice roll of ‘1’ results in success.
A 1/10 chance.
Leaving behind the bickering of Cha Yu-jin and Kim Rae-bin, Bae Se-jin picks up the dice of fate.
And the moment Seon A-hyun, the board game host, hides his dice behind his book.
The image of the Chief Warden Seon A-hyun overlaps on top of him, just like before.
And,
This time, the player can hand over Bae Se-jin’s dice, which they were supposed to roll… to the Chief Warden Seon A-hyun.
So that he can manipulate the dice roll however he wants.
And the result was:
[1]
……A grand success for the player.
After a moment of silence.
The high-teen TeSTAR members playing the game also went wild at the insane result.
In the end, it concludes with the Chief Warden Seon A-hyun escaping the facility together with them.
The board game host’s hand moved.
There was a close-up of the Chief Warden’s card moving outside the stone walls of the prison on the board.
Leaving behind this message:
[Hidden Ending]
~%EA%B5%AC%EC%A1%B0
“Haah….”
It really was… a beautiful ending, no matter how many times she saw it….
Immersed in the lingering emotions as if she had just finished a drama, the fansite master watched the streamer finish the ending for a moment.
[Wow… so everyone gets out. Everyone escapes.]
The streamer was also caught up in the emotions and watched the ending credits until the end.
And he didn't forget to leave his impressions of each member as their cuts appeared in the credits.
[Ah~ I think Moon-dae-ssi’s test subject character came out really cool. Oh, Cheong-woo-ssi’s form was also great when he was fighting~]
‘That’s right.’
The fansite master was nodding inwardly, wanting to hear more comments about Moon-dae.
Then, the attic version of Seon A-hyun passed by in the credits.
The streamer suddenly started saying something out of the blue.
[Ha, but for me… I think this person is a bit suspicious.]
“…??”
[The Game Master hosting the board game in the attic? This person is playing a double role as the Chief Warden.]
Right?
[But he was the only one with a bad expression in this ending. He only has a bad expression in the hidden ending where the Chief Warden escapes?]
Uh, what?
[Yeah, that’s right. Seon A-hyun-ssi. I think… this person might be the real mastermind?]
[Ah, is that too much? Anyway, let me know if a sequel comes out. I’ll play it!]
The streamer burst into a hearty laugh after receiving a donation message saying, ‘Dung-dung-ah, get a grip, this is an album, there is no sequel.’
But the fansite master couldn't laugh.
She had a gut feeling.
‘It’s lore.’
This was… lore for the next album’s worldview!
But if that were the case.
‘In the ending credits, in the scenario part… TeSTAR was listed first.’
The kids planned this…?
Just since when had they been… planning and making all of this?!
“A 60-day forced march… you all worked hard.”
“…….”
“…….”
There was no answer. Everyone seemed like corpses.
No, they were actually in a state no different from corpses.
I lay there, barely blinking at the manager. My body, which was receiving manual therapy, felt like a waterlogged punching bag.
‘I need a Bacchus.’
If I could just draw that trait again, I felt like I could give away 30% of this settlement payment. Seriously.
I rolled my eyes to look around.
Everyone was sprawled out with faces that looked like they were about to faint.
Even Cha Yu-jin, who usually overflowed with energy, didn't look like he wanted to open his mouth right now.
It was understandable.
‘It was insane.’
Instead of having a programmer make the game content, we filmed it ourselves.
‘And we did it while preparing for the stage….’
Ryu Cheong-woo or Keun Se-jin, who filmed a lot of action scenes in particular, wouldn't be out of line if they planned to assassinate me for setting the schedule.
The surprising thing is… even those guys weren't the MVPs of suffering.
That person was over there.
“Just a moment. I’m going to press down now.”
“……Ugh.”
Bae Se-jin.
That guy, who looked like he was about to breathe his last, was ground down because he essentially played the lead role in the album game, from guiding the members to recording the narration.
He was literally ground to dust.
Moreover, he had performed a very crucial role even before being ground down.
I forced my mouth open.
“Hyung.”
“…….”
“Those people, since they had time….”
I couldn't quite bring myself to say ‘it was a relief,’ but Bae Se-jin seemed to understand and spoke.
“……Yeah.”
“…….”
Ah, you’re wondering who ‘those people’ are?
‘The most important personnel for succeeding in this madness within the time limit….’
It was…… the filming crew.
Actually, that was the biggest problem.
Among the fields idols might venture into, like variety shows or dramas, we couldn't use anything that T1’s capital or influence had touched….
‘But there was one field where they were filming experts but would still cooperate with us….’
The movie industry.
Since it was so rare for idols to appear in movies, it was a field where T1 hadn't immediately and overtly blocked us across the entire industry, unlike variety shows or music broadcasts.
‘And Bae Se-jin had filmed a ten-million-viewer movie….’
So, surprisingly, that socially awkward guy had scraped together and brought in connections from the movie industry from his days as a child actor.
People to film the game.
That was where this crazy operation had begun.