Chapter 503
Chapter 503
System auto re-update?
The moment I saw that insane pop-up, my mind began racing at full speed.
Considering the incidents that occurred during the last update, the first priority right now was…
‘Stop!’
[Forcing a stop during an auto-update may cause errors.]
You son of a bitch.
Since I had no idea what kind of mess that would trigger, I couldn't just stop it recklessly. I had to assess the situation before moving.
‘And… during the last update, Steer Cha Yu-jin woke up.’
If that was the case…
I immediately bolted from my seat and began checking every room.
“M-Moon-dae?”
“Moon-dae, Moon-dae, why are you running around like—huh?”
“Hyung, are you exercising?”
And then I found them.
One guy had collapsed face-down while working on his laptop.
One guy had lost consciousness while reading an e-book in bed.
And… one guy was leaning against a bookshelf with his eyes closed while looking at a program proposal at his desk.
“…….”
Kim Rae-bin, Bae Se-jin, Ryu Cheong-woo.
Three of them.
I almost bit my tongue. Let’s think rationally.
‘Can three people suddenly fall asleep at the same time?’
And only the ones who had testified to feeling ‘briefly dizzy’ during the last system update?
I wasn't the only one thinking along those lines. As soon as I briefed the others who were still awake, their faces paled.
“Wait, don’t tell me this is….”
“Seriously? Again?”
Leaving the others to start a frantic discussion about whether we should head to the emergency room, I racked my brain again.
What was the cause of this mess?
I replayed the contents of the pop-up from earlier.
‘Detecting owner dissatisfaction… re-updating?’
At that moment, a thought struck me.
No way.
…Are you telling me it did this because I haven't touched the system and kept ignoring those damn surveys, so it judged me to be in a ‘state of dissatisfaction’?
‘God dammit.’
In short, it sounded like it was going to keep adjusting the system until I actually used it.
‘What is this, some kind of customer satisfaction service?’
It was borderline creepy.
I was only keeping this ‘company system’ alive because of the life of that VTIC leader, who would face a mission failure without his status window, but there were far too many variables.
‘…It’s as if it has a will of its own.’
The human form of the system I’d spoken to before I smashed it came to mind. A chill ran down my spine.
However, it wasn't as if I was unprepared for this situation.
‘Of course, I’ve considered the possibility of another update happening.’
And I’d discussed it with someone who had already gone through it.
“…….”
I locked eyes with Cha Yu-jin. He gave a slight nod.
‘We already have someone who has memories of the Steer days.’
Even if those three were rolled back to that time all at once… damn it, as long as we scrapped that one public broadcast survival program, we could hold out more stably than before.
‘No, actually, this might be better for them than being alone.’
If this symptom occurred in several people at once, it would prevent one specific problem.
Isolation.
The situation where you’re suddenly thrown into an unfamiliar environment and start doubting your own sanity.
It was the same for Cha Yu-jin; that was what really wore a person down.
‘But the side effect is….’
“…If this is happening, does it mean almost half of our members might forget what they were doing?”
“…….”
I gritted my teeth and then let go.
We wouldn't even be able to dream of group activities until they were restored.
“I’m sorry.”
“…!”
Keun Se-jin’s expression shifted instantly, and he gave me a faint smile as he patted my shoulder.
“Moon-dae, why are you taking on responsibility that isn't yours again? We’re just sorting out the situation~”
No, it actually was my responsibility.
But telling someone who was trying to lighten the mood that it was my fault would only kill the atmosphere, so I decided not to do that just to make myself feel better.
Instead, we came up with a plan.
“I’m against the hospital. [Waking up in a hospital bed with memory loss? That’s too cliché. They’ll think we’re pulling a prank.]”
“Still… just in case, I think, we need to, contact them.”
“Right. Oh, and the top priority is being ready to explain everything well when the members wake up. Right?”
This was the conclusion.
First, wait at the dorm.
However, to ensure a quick explanation, we would organize the story while gathering evidence—photos, data, WeTube, and portal sites—at the dorm.
“I’ve contacted the managers… so we can go to the emergency room immediately if there’s a problem!”
“Okay.”
Finally, a dramatic agreement was reached: if they didn't wake up within 30 minutes, we would try to wake them, and if they still didn't get up, we’d head to the hospital.
Then, we each took up a post to monitor a room.
The dorm was filled with a tension so thick it felt like cold sweat would start pouring.
After a few minutes…
A signal came.
“…! H-Here…!”
“…!!”
It was Seon A-hyun who shouted.
We immediately ran to where he was standing guard.
The place where Seon A-hyun was…
‘Bae Se-jin.’
It was his private room.
Seon A-hyun, who was already inside standing by the bed, turned his head and shouted.
“I think, he’s waking up…!”
Indeed, Bae Se-jin’s facial muscles were twitching.
‘Phew.’
A tense moment.
“Ugh….”
“…….”
Frowning, Bae Se-jin rubbed his eyes and sat up.
I braced myself even harder.
Steer Bae Se-jin?
That guy was the one who had been framed for drugs early in his debut, kicked out of the group, and likely even went to prison.
‘Idol or not, there’s a high chance he’s completely disgusted with the entertainment industry.’
In the worst-case scenario, he might be extremely distrustful of people.
Setting everything else aside, his uncooperative attitude from Idol Inc. would have likely worsened rather than improved.
So, I was thinking we should approach him cautiously… right up until that moment.
Bae Se-jin opened his mouth blankly.
Wait, …blankly?
“…What are you guys doing?”
“…??”
“…?!”
He was fine.
On the contrary, Bae Se-jin seemed horrified to see a bunch of lanky guys staring down at him while he’d been sleeping in his own room.
“Oh!! Hyung, are you in your right mind?!”
“Of course I am! No, I just dozed off while reading, and now you’re all….”
Then, looking around, he was bewildered by the state of the guys who had brought along everything including photo albums.
“What’s all that for?”
“…Well, you see.”
I got it.
Apparently… it wasn't him.
After a quick summary of the situation.
Bae Se-jin soon joined the flow.
Coming out into the hallway, he looked back and forth between Kim Rae-bin’s room and Ryu Cheong-woo’s room with a troubled expression, muttering to himself.
“……So, you’re saying they might have ended up like Cha Yu-jin did last time?”
“Hyung, that’s harsh.”
“Look who’s talking.”
Bae Se-jin, whose attack power had risen after being asked if he was ‘in his right mind,’ growled at Cha Yu-jin. It was a remarkably peaceful scene considering I’d been expecting the worst.
However, I took this opportunity to remember what I had to do.
I knew the memories of the Steer days hadn't returned to Bae Se-jin, but… I didn't know about the remaining two.
So, I mean.
‘Should I tell him?’
That he had suffered quite a lot in his previous life.
‘Maybe getting hit with the truth early will help him prepare mentally.’
In the end, I called out to Bae Se-jin, who was looking troubled while holding his e-book reader.
“Hyung, for a second….”
“Huh?”
It was then.
“Gasp!”
A sound erupted from the room at the end.
It was Kim Rae-bin’s room.
“Rae-bin!”
Everyone, without exception, dashed down the hallway and burst into the room.
And this time, the situation we faced was….
“It appears to be a side effect of an energy drink! I sampled a new product from Company P that was released this month, and….”
“Wait a minute.”
Hey.
“Rae-bin. How do you feel right now?”
Kim Rae-bin blinked and answered readily.
“…? I feel refreshed thanks to the nap…?”
“…….”
He was perfectly fine.
The members slumped over after two consecutive ‘safes.’
“Phew.”
“Ah, maybe everyone just happened to fall asleep at the same time?”
“…Everyone has been overworking themselves lately.”
“Yeah, w-we were having meetings until late yesterday about the program appearance….”
“I was right about not going to the hospital. I’m so smart.”
Now everyone was starting to wonder if it was just a coincidence.
‘…Is it?’
I asked the bewildered Kim Rae-bin once more.
“Do you have any sudden memories that weren't there before?”
“Nothing in particular… Ah, is there a memory I absolutely must recall?”
“No.”
Actually, this was better.
I gave his head a light pat and left the room. It seemed the other guys were sticking to Kim Rae-bin to explain the situation.
‘Then the only one left is Ryu Cheong-woo.’
He might be fine too, but let’s not let our guard down.
Even if his ego doesn't revert to the Steer days, some other bizarre thing could happen.
“Let’s wait in front of this room now.”
“Mm-hmm.”
And so, all the members ended up waiting in Ryu Cheong-woo’s room.
However….
“…It’s too cramped.”
“…….”
Having seven adult men crammed into the room was quite awkward.
‘Hmm.’
Is it okay to just stay still like this? Since the first two were fine, maybe it’s time for a slightly bolder attempt.
As a test, I stood up and called out to Ryu Cheong-woo, who was leaning against the bookshelf.
I thought if he really was just asleep, this might wake him up.
“Hyung.”
“…….”
There was no response.
‘I guess not.’
Lowering my expectations further, I changed how I called him.
By addressing him specifically.
“Ryu Cheong-woo.”
At that moment.
“…!”
Ryu Cheong-woo’s eyes snapped open.
“Whoa!”
“Does he usually wake up like that?”
“This feels like a cult movie right now.”
Amidst the members each adding a comment, I inwardly suppressed a sigh of relief.
If he opened his eyes because I called his name, well, it was obvious.
‘Was this guy just asleep too?’
Well, considering he was leaning against the bookshelf rather than having collapsed, it was possible. If I’d known, I wouldn't have waited so cautiously and just woken everyone up earlier.
‘I should explain that we overreacted….’
“…Who are you?”
“…….”
“…….”
Wait.
I checked Ryu Cheong-woo’s face.
Instead of his usual gentleness, his face showed a faint, guarded bewilderment.
And that look intensified the moment he looked behind me.
“Cha Yu-jin? And Kim Rae-bin…….”
“…….”
This guy didn't know Park Moon-dae.
But the fact that he specifically recognized and called those two… I see.
I forced my mouth to open.
“By any chance, is your group’s name Steer?”
“Pardon? Yes, it was. But what exactly is going on right now….”
“…….”
We’re screwed….
Ryu Cheong-woo had returned to his Steer days.
“Thank you.”
I handed him an unopened bottle of water in case he was wary, but he just held it and smiled without drinking.
At least his expression showed some of his usual gentleness.
“But first, I’d like an explanation of the situation.”
“…Yes.”
I suppose he’s wondering what kind of mess this is.
I quickly ran through the conversations I’d had with Cha Yu-jin in my head.
Even though Yu-jin had forgotten many details from his memories of the Steer days, he hadn't forgotten everything.
So, I had heard the impression Yu-jin had of Ryu Cheong-woo back then.
—Cheong-woo hyung was a bit scary back then. We should all be careful.
—In what way?
—[I mean, um… typical burnout, and a particularly twisted kind of strength?]
‘What is he even saying?’
Cha Yu-jin himself hadn't given a very good example.
But I understood well enough that he had to be handled as delicately as a bomb.
‘Maybe even more so than Cha Yu-jin.’
Didn't we have the memory of Steer Cha Yu-jin ruining relationships to the point of running away from home?
Using that as a lesson, we began explaining things to Ryu Cheong-woo with a very serious, almost solemn attitude.
“…So, right now, we’re a group called TeSTAR.”
“I see.”
We provided evidence with visual materials and internet access, and witnesses appeared one after another. I was confident we didn't lack data.
But even after hearing the full explanation, Steer Ryu Cheong-woo remained silent for a while. He just kept checking the provided materials over and over again.
“…….”
‘Is it a failure this time too?’
It would be hard to believe right away.
He wasn't the type to be interested in such unrealistic things anyway….
“I see.”
“…….”
Hmm?
A clean affirmative suddenly came out.
Even Cha Yu-jin was taken aback and asked back.
“Hyung, you believe us?”
“Well… it’s hard to believe, but it’s also hard not to believe. You can’t manipulate a portal site.”
Ryu Cheong-woo touched the back of his head and gave a bitter smile as he looked at the portal site screens on the various smartphones the members had thrust at him.
Then, he turned his gaze to the albums I had held out and looked back at me with an expression that was hard to tell if he was smiling or grimacing.
“You couldn't have faked all of these either.”
“…….”
“So, do we have a schedule right now? It would be best if you shared that with me as soon as possible.”
Huh?
“Pardon?”
At Kim Rae-bin’s question, Ryu Cheong-woo answered casually.
“Well, rather than suddenly taking a break from group activities, I think it’s better if I handle it to some extent.”
“…!”
Ryu Cheong-woo looked around at the unfamiliar members and smiled a bit shyly.
“For starters, I’m fairly confident in my skills and persistence.”
Wait a minute.
‘We’re… not screwed?’
The situation began to enter an unexpected phase.