Chapter 508
Chapter 508
[During 'Preview']
The status window, which had regained its color upon activating 'Preview,' looked strange.
There were no fonts, and the interface was barely implemented.
It looked like a computer operating system running in safe mode, executed only to allow a few specific functions. It was a unique appearance I had never seen before.
However, I didn't have the luxury of focusing on that right now.
"Kim Rae-bin! Are you okay?"
"Ugh..."
This was because Kim Rae-bin was currently staggering, even accidentally slamming the back of his head against the hallway wall.
"Lay him down for now."
I immediately stepped out of the room and supported him. Cha Yu-jin helped without a word, laying him on the floor, while Seon A-hyun ran to grab a pillow.
"Ugh..."
"Is it a headache?"
"Rae-bin, does it hurt?"
"..."
Kim Rae-bin didn't answer. But gradually, his breathing calmed, and he grew quiet as if his consciousness were sinking...
"Gasps!"
"...!"
He bolted upright as if waking from a nightmare.
The moment he opened his eyes wide and spoke:
"Wh-who are you?"
"..."
The words I had already heard before came out.
Fuck...
I pressed my hand against the bridge of my nose. Meanwhile, Kim Rae-bin, still appearing dazed, looked around. He finally seemed to find a familiar face and looked relieved.
"Cha Yu-jin?"
But he was immediately struck with horror again.
"Cha Yu-jin! How did you enlist? Don't tell me you gave up your citizenship and volunteered..."
What on earth was he talking about?
Cha Yu-jin, seemingly thinking the same thing, spoke with a bewildered expression.
"...?? Has Kim Rae-bin lost his mind?!"
"...! Wait, did you come to visit me, and I fell, lost consciousness, and can't remember?"
No.
Beside us, Keun Se-jin spoke up with a skeptical voice.
"Enlist? Don't tell me, Rae-bin, you..."
He voiced the thought everyone had vaguely considered but hadn't dared to say.
"Did you go to the army?"
"...? Yes. I have just completed my time at the training center!"
A deathly silence fell over us.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
...Good god.
Steer's Kim Rae-bin—no, the former Steer's Kim Rae-bin—was in the military.
"Oh, so... you got your draft notice."
"Yes! I have completed all the credits for my bachelor's degree through the Academic Credit Bank System, so my enlistment postponement period has ended."
The Kim Rae-bin who was (presumably) from Steer was... more spirited than expected.
It seemed he had completed a bachelor's degree related to music online, and since the draft notice came immediately after, he enlisted.
...Since Steer disbanded, there would have been no reason to cook up another excuse for postponement.
And it seemed he was doing... better than expected in the military.
Kim Rae-bin summarized his life as a private like this:
"Although there are several points I find incomprehensible, I recall the advice I previously received from my older sister and refrain from asking questions."
Well, that's a relief...
He got lucky.
With his personality, there was bound to be some bastard who would bully him, but it seemed none of his seniors were twisted. In that case, Kim Rae-bin actually had a military-compatible constitution that didn't require 'Correction.'
He's the type who does exactly what his superiors tell him to do, after all.
Still, it felt bitter.
The army at that age.
Of course, if you thought of him as just a college student, 24 was late, but for an idol, it was incredibly early.
The dominant meta for successful idol groups was to hold out as long as possible and not enlist during their twenties.
To put it the other way, it means this guy is no longer part of a 'successful idol group.'
...Steer's Kim Rae-bin, that is.
"So... you are saying that time has turned back once, and the 'me' who has currently debuted in a different group is still active as an idol...?"
"That's right."
"How could..."
Having just heard the explanation of the situation, Steer's Kim Rae-bin was speechless, his head spinning from this supernatural environment.
Then, his vision finally seemed to clear, and he jumped in surprise when he saw the figure standing in the back.
Steer's Ryu Cheong-woo.
"Cheong-woo hyung...?"
"You're here too."
And then Ryu Cheong-woo fell silent. His expression didn't change, but I got the strange feeling that he wasn't in a very good mood.
Why?
Wouldn't he be happy to see someone in a similar situation, someone he had spent years with?
It wasn't like Kim Rae-bin was the type to cause trouble.
"..."
Just as an awkward silence was about to settle.
Sensing the atmosphere, Keun Se-jin consciously continued the explanation in a smooth and cheerful manner.
He explained that the Ryu Cheong-woo here was the same Ryu Cheong-woo from the Steer he knew. And that Cha Yu-jin also had his memories.
And finally...
"Mmm, so to keep explaining, we—I mean, TeSTAR, the group Rae-bin is in now—are appearing on a competition program and preparing for a stage~"
"I see..."
"Y-yes, th-this... Rae-bin arranged this too!"
Before anyone could say anything else, Seon A-hyun hurriedly played music on his smartphone.
It was the finished version of the arrangement for Mudie's <You Might Not Know> that Kim Rae-bin had made for the competition a few days ago.
-Umm, umm...
The music flowed slowly along with my humming from the demo recording.
"..."
Steer's Kim Rae-bin listened to the sound coming out of the smartphone, muffled by the low-quality speakers, with a dazed face.
The exquisite, delicate composition and melody.
And Cha Yu-jin, watching the smartphone, seemed uncharacteristically anxious.
It's probably because he knows.
He knows that during their Steer days, Kim Rae-bin wasn't really able to participate in song production.
It was just a guess, but even if he had participated, it certainly wouldn't have been in a way where he had full authority like he does now.
He probably struggled to accommodate the crude directions pushed by the talentless higher-ups at the agency.
Just like the mess that happened during the second team match of <Idol Inc.> when he first arranged 'Burning Like the Sun.'
And... they probably did things like siphoning off royalties by inserting relatives into the credits.
In short, it was nothing short of exploitation.
So, having this version of Kim Rae-bin directly listen to the results of TeSTAR's Kim Rae-bin fully exercising his talent might be a bit bitter for him, even if it was necessary.
Just as it had been for Steer's Cha Yu-jin before...
"This is amazing! Did I really arrange this?"
"...??"
I take back all my deductions.
Kim Rae-bin's eyes were sparkling. Though his expression was somewhat fierce, anyone could see he was excited. He even looked thrilled.
Seon A-hyun's face flushed with excitement as well.
"Y-yes! Do you... like it?"
"Yes. Indeed... Yes."
Kim Rae-bin seemed unable to even do his specialty—'pouring out words in excitement about a field of interest'—because he was so overwhelmed.
He truly seemed to feel joy and deep emotion rather than discomfort in this situation.
Ah.
And I realized the reason why that was possible.
He believes that he debuted again as TeSTAR.
He didn't separate himself from 'TeSTAR's Kim Rae-bin.'
He perceived the current situation as his future self on a continuous timeline.
And the fact that this was possible couldn't be explained simply by Kim Rae-bin being naive.
It's because of our attitude.
It was because we were treating this Kim Rae-bin exactly the same as before. That's why Kim Rae-bin also accepted us as 'acquaintances he couldn't remember' without much difficulty.
Furthermore, there were already two people with memories of Steer, and one of them was a friend he had been with since their trainee days.
His guard was bound to be lowered.
All the conditions were met.
It was a stroke of luck gained because Kim Rae-bin was so similar to his former self, and because everything happened so suddenly that he didn't have time to prepare himself mentally.
Whew.
As I gradually grew calmer, I realized I had been quite tense.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming even warmer and Seon A-hyun, buoyed by the impressed Steer Kim Rae-bin, was about to play another song.
Cha Yu-jin asked casually.
"Then Kim Rae-bin, do you want to arrange the next stage?"
"Me?"
"Oh~ right. If you're interested, just say the word anytime, Rae-bin!"
Kim Rae-bin's eyes widened, but his face soon became quite serious.
"I wonder if it might be an excessively undeserved task, but if I challenge myself and produce a result... could you consider it as a candidate?"
For a moment, relief and joy flashed across the members' faces.
They were clearly thinking something like, Kim Rae-bin is still the same.
"Of course!"
"Thank you!"
While the members were smiling warmly, Keun Se-jin spoke up energetically.
"Then shall we start preparing for our stage?"
"...?"
It was at that moment.
"I... have to perform on stage!"
Kim Rae-bin said those words, but his tone was closer to horror or distress than realization. It was as if he had suddenly been pelted by hail.
In other words, it was negative.
"D-do you not want to?"
"It is not that I do not want to, but rather that I believe it is better if I do not."
"...?"
And Kim Rae-bin answered as if it were nothing.
"I have realized through experience. I am not the type of person suited for broadcasting or stage activities."
"Wh-what?"
The members froze.
And my expression hardened as well.
What does this mean?
Even during Steer, there were no issues with his stage stats.
Internal information.
I looked back at Cha Yu-jin, who would have memories of being in the same group. He had a slightly bitter expression.
"..."
I have a bad feeling about this.
Fortunately, there was someone here who would jump the gun first... No, wait, not this guy.
But Bae Se-jin had already opened his mouth.
"What are you talking about! You're good on stage!"
"Pardon?"
Startled by Bae Se-jin's shout, Kim Rae-bin was taken aback, but his expression became even more confused upon seeing Bae Se-jin's face.
...Did he just notice?
That it was the face of 'Lee Se-jin (A),' who had vanished due to a drug scandal in the early days of Steer.
Sure enough, Kim Rae-bin looked determined and... asked politely.
...?
"I apologize, but may I ask what your name is?"
"Bae... Bae Se-jin."
"...! By any chance, are you acquainted with a person named Lee Se-jin, who was a child actor?"
"..."
It's me. Bewilderment filled Bae Se-jin's face, which looked like it wanted to give that answer.
And he answered exactly as he felt.
"It's me!"
"...?!"
Kim Rae-bin was horrified. I pressed my hand to my forehead.
But at the same time, a thought occurred to me.
Maybe it's better to let it burst in a less serious atmosphere like this.
Whether it's drugs or whatever.
We might be able to firmly establish that it was a misunderstanding, vent some frustration at Bae Se-jin's biological father, and leave it at that.
Given the circumstances, the drug transport issue was definitely because of that bastard.
However, Kim Rae-bin was about to speak but stopped and glanced sideways to check on someone.
...?
Steer's Ryu Cheong-woo.
"B-but."
"Rae-bin. You must be very confused and tired right now, so just rest for a bit."
Ryu Cheong-woo answered immediately.
Then he looked back at us and gave a bitter smile.
"Would that be okay?"
"Ah... O-of course!"
"Kim Rae-bin, your room is here!"
"Th-thank you..."
At Ryu Cheong-woo's reasonable-sounding words, everyone hurriedly supported Kim Rae-bin and led him to the bed. Though he looked bewildered, he couldn't refuse and lay down.
"..."
And I took note of Steer's Ryu Cheong-woo.
The sense of incongruity I felt earlier.
He just stopped Kim Rae-bin from speaking.
I decided to keep that in mind.
Of course, for now, I'd have to dig deeper into Kim Rae-bin's comment about avoiding the stage.
"This is surprising..."
This was Steer Kim Rae-bin's reaction after seeing his own fancam with millions of views and enthusiastic comments from fans.
The members, who had busily searched for and shown him the videos, felt a glimmer of hope.
"See? It's true, right?"
"As expected, it seems impossible for me to stand on stage."
"Uh...?"
"It seems impossible for me to perform a stage of this level."
The members were flustered.
In the midst of that, Seon A-hyun said firmly:
"B-but. When you were in our group... you were really, really good on stage!"
"...? There must have been some sort of catalyst or blood-sweating effort."
Kim Rae-bin replied nonchalantly.
"I apologize, but that is not me."
It was a conclusion so cold it was almost chilling.
And for a moment, everyone in TeSTAR was at a loss for words.
Shit.
I suppressed the urge to squeeze my eyes shut.
Something went wrong for this guy too.
This was definitely... an aversion to idol activities.
It wasn't normal.
But the absurd events of the day didn't end there.
While Kim Rae-bin was watching the stage videos, I happened to turn my head and finally noticed something.
It was the content displayed in the pop-up of the status window where 'Preview' had been executed.
[New Function Preview (extra)]
Fragment Record?
As soon as the word that was practically the cause of this mess appeared, my concentration sharpened instantly.
I reflexively speed-read the next line.
[Help: Through 'Fragment Record Viewing,' you can reenact the mission failure scenarios from when the System owner absorbed the fragments.]
What?
Wait, if it's the mission failure scenarios I've been through...
No way.
I reflexively checked the function.
[Fragment Record Viewing]
The first one was literally the disaster where the building collapsed. Unless my head was split open, there was no way I'd be crazy enough to reenact that.
However.
...The second one.
Returning to Ryu Gun-woo's body.
At this moment, the function to swap bodies with Keun-dal had opened.