Chapter 509
Chapter 509
‘Swap bodies with Keun-dal again?’
From the building collapse to the body swap.
A function that replicates the circumstances of the previous ‘Mission Failure.’
I stared at the option the status window provided as a ‘re-update,’ my mouth clamped shut.
It was utterly absurd.
‘Who in their right mind would welcome a feature like this?’
I had gone through hell back then; there was no way I’d want to experience that again voluntarily. Who would want to feel the "thrill" of being trapped in a collapsing building or ruining their schedule?
Was it because I’d been thinking about absorbing the ‘Fragments of ■■■’ lately? Since I’d obtained a fragment every time I resolved a ‘Mission Failure’ so far, did the system find a connection there?
‘Even a mom-and-pop shop would fire someone for forecasting demand like this, you bastard.’
Furthermore, if the system was applied to the company, why give me a sub-function that had absolutely nothing to do with the company?
It wasn't like some famous webtoon borrowing an IP just to churn out a contextless mobile gacha game.
As if in response, a pop-up flickered into view.
[Mission Failure: Restoration]
Maximum Viewing Time: 48 hours
- Would you like to view?
This thing really had no tact.
‘Get lost.’
I dismissed the pop-up and closed my eyes. My temples throbbed.
…First, let’s organize the situation.
‘The members who have lost their memories are Ryu Cheong-woo and Kim Rae-bin.’
Looking only at the phenomena, both were cooperative with the group and hadn't acted out.
However, Ryu Cheong-woo was reluctant to regain his memories, and Kim Rae-bin was reluctant to stand on stage.
And that wasn't all. I recalled Kim Rae-bin’s expression from moments ago.
—B-but…
‘Earlier, Steer’s Kim Rae-bin was walking on eggshells around Ryu Cheong-woo.’
And he looked slightly frightened, too.
It was a sight rarely seen while living as TeSTAR, yet he did it almost out of habit.
“…….”
I fell into thought, recalling the strange sense of dissonance I’d felt from Steer’s Ryu Cheong-woo over the past few days.
Then, I reached a conclusion.
‘I have no choice now.’
I had held back until now, fearing I’d only make matters worse, but continuing like this would be a foolish act of escapism.
If the gentle approach didn't work, then it was time for a direct one.
‘I’ll interrogate them.’
And I knew exactly who the most appropriate target was.
The complete package who possessed memories of both sides.
“Tell me everything you remember.”
I called Cha Yu-jin—the one involved in the previous incident who had successfully regained his memories—into the kitchen and opened the conversation.
“What?”
“The internal conflicts during Steer.”
Cha Yu-jin looked at me with a reluctant face.
“Hyung, you said you’d cook something delicious for me! You tricked me!”
Right. To make this happen, I’d even recruited Lee Se-jin and Seon A-hyun to scatter the two Steer members to the choreography room and the studio.
But it wasn't a scam.
“I’m going to do that too.”
“Oh.”
“What do you want to eat?”
“Kimchi fried rice, please.”
Order received.
I opened the refrigerator and took out the ingredients.
“Put cheese in it!”
Sure thing.
Standing the now-docile guy next to me, I asked as I chopped the kimchi.
“The reason I’m asking is that, given the situation, I feel like I need to gather information to deal with this.”
“…….”
“It means I can’t keep going while being kept in the dark.”
Silence. An implicit agreement, then.
I brought up the part that bothered me the most first.
“First of all, Rae-bin seems to be walking on eggshells around Cheong-woo hyung.”
“Umm… Yep.”
Affirmative.
“What’s the reason?”
Cha Yu-jin looked gloomy for a moment, but he soon calmed down.
“Hyung, do you really want to hear it?”
“Yeah.”
“OK.”
Cha Yu-jin was silent for a moment. I didn't rush him and quietly continued preparing the ingredients.
Soon, a flat voice echoed against the sink.
“In the past, Steer’s Cheong-woo hyung was someone who used fear.”
“…!”
It was an unusual choice of words.
Used fear?
“What was he like, specifically?”
[You know, half of the initial members of the K-pop group Steer were a mess. So, he led the team like a high-ranking alpha. Like a very rough American football captain.]
Cha Yu-jin shrugged slightly.
[So what I’m saying is, he didn't treat the team members with the tolerant, gentle image he has now.]
“…For example?”
He frowned as if recalling a faint memory.
[He once made a member who skipped choreography practice stay up all night in the practice room, not letting them back into the dorm.]
What?
I momentarily gripped the handle of the frying pan. Cha Yu-jin continued with a hint of a scoff.
[That stupid guy had to learn the choreography all night long, almost on the verge of tears.]
“…….”
[And those kinds of punishments continued for a few years.]
‘That’s hard to believe.’
It wasn't a matter of it being impossible given Ryu Cheong-woo’s character.
It was a matter of whether it was realistically possible.
‘This isn't the military.’
Even if he was the eldest, they were all around the same age.
And an individual who was in the same position, a leader in name only, tried to ‘punish’ others like an instructor?
As long as the other members were grown adults, there was a limit to how well that would work.
Besides, hadn't they all just debuted after ranking in a successful survival program? At a time when their egos would be at their peak…
“And that actually worked?”
But Cha Yu-jin answered immediately.
[It worked.]
“…….”
I see.
‘It means Ryu Cheong-woo was unexpectedly skilled at power politics, to the point where common sense didn't apply.’
To suppress a group atmosphere that was a total mess both internally and externally… he ended up using hardline tactics.
I silently flipped the bacon. Then, I started stir-frying the chopped kimchi in the oil as if frying it, and confirmed.
“So he was properly coercive as a leader.”
“Something like that.”
Hearing Cha Yu-jin’s affirmation, I mechanically added the cold rice to the pan and broke it apart until it was fluffy.
Repetitive labor makes it easy to think of other things, and I quickly formulated a counterargument.
“But Rae-bin would have listened even without him doing that.”
“What about me? I listen too!”
“Do you have a conscience?”
“Ugh.”
He made a sulky face as if it were unfair, but he soon gave a proper answer.
“Discrimination causes problems. I think that’s why Cheong-woo hyung treated all the members equally strictly.”
“…….”
He had to establish dominance so they wouldn't utter a peep, so he couldn't afford to take individual circumstances into account.
‘So that’s why even Kim Rae-bin ended up walking on eggshells… I see.’
Come to think of it, Steer’s Cha Yu-jin had been surprisingly obedient to Ryu Cheong-woo in the beginning.
It was an indicator of just how chilling the team atmosphere was when Ryu Cheong-woo, a former national athlete, ‘didn't hold back’ and took control.
‘If the fear-based politics meta was to work long-term, it had to be at that level.’
If he suppressed backlash for years, to the point where half the members chose to leave and run away rather than cause trouble within the group.
He had taken hold of a group the agency had given up on and managed to run it somehow.
However, Cha Yu-jin seemed to regret saying it a little.
[Hyung, as our fan, you have the right to keep your fantasies. That’s why I didn't mention it specifically… but yeah, that’s the truth.]
“…….”
And I knew.
“There’s no reason for you to lie.”
“That’s right. I’m an honest person.”
I finished the kimchi fried rice by adding cheese.
Then, I spoke calmly to Cha Yu-jin, who was blowing away his gloom with his appetite.
“It’s not like any fantasies are particularly shattered or anything.”
“…Hyung, are you being serious?”
“Yeah.”
As a result, within the given environment, Ryu Cheong-woo had made the best choice in his own way.
I couldn't criticize him for it not being the best choice possible.
‘It’s a miracle he did that much with a bunch of kids who wouldn't listen.’
More than that.
“Then the current Steer Ryu Cheong-woo is exerting himself to act gentle on purpose.”
Cha Yu-jin seemed lost in thought for a moment, but eventually nodded.
“I think so too. Because people hate showing their weaknesses. Cheong-woo hyung is no exception.”
In other words, Steer’s Ryu Cheong-woo himself considered his ‘coercive leader’ image a weakness that wouldn't help him settle in here.
‘…In the first place, there’s a high probability he didn't particularly enjoy being that coercive himself.’
I predicted as I cut a knob of butter in half and put it in a new pan to fry eggs.
Then, I asked Cha Yu-jin, who couldn't take his eyes off the kimchi fried rice where the cheese had now completely melted.
“Got it. Then what about Rae-bin?”
“…….”
“Do you know why he doesn't want to stand on stage?”
At that, Cha Yu-jin’s shoulders slumped slightly.
“I don't know either.”
“…??”
[The Steer Kim Rae-bin I remember was… yeah, he was less active than he is now. But he didn't hate the stage.]
“……."
I didn't bother mentioning that even now, he didn't seem to hate the stage, he just didn't recognize himself as a ‘performer.’
Because the result wasn't much different.
‘Anyway, it means this guy doesn't know exactly either.’
If so, it could mean that a decisive incident happened to Steer’s Kim Rae-bin after this guy went to America.
—After the group disbanded. After parting ways with all the members.
I decided to keep this timing in mind.
And.
“Let me ask one last thing.”
“…OK.”
I brought up the question I’d been putting off.
“…What happened to Bae Se-jin hyung?”
Sizzle.
The sound of eggs cooking filled the quiet kitchen.
And then.
[I think we lost touch a few years ago, but I remember him continuing to appeal the trial.]
He appealed?
An appeal meant he didn't accept the results of the trial.
And that meant… the charge of drug distribution was recognized, and he was definitely sentenced to either prison or a fine.
‘Shit.’
If it was distribution, there was a higher chance it was prison. I suppressed a sigh.
“The result?”
“I don't have it in my memory. [I think the Steer members intentionally didn't look for the final conclusion.]”
Cha Yu-jin’s voice sounded a bit bitter.
“But I know now. Se-jin hyung is a completely moral person. So… [The current me thinks it was either a misunderstanding or bad timing.]”
“…Right.”
That was all.
‘If so, the Steer guys all know that Bae Se-jin was found guilty in the trial.’
It made Steer’s Ryu Cheong-woo acting quite gentle and kind to Bae Se-jin here even more surprising.
‘Hmm.’
I set up a few hypotheses as I turned down the heat on the induction stove.
Then, I placed two sunny-side-up eggs on top of the kimchi fried rice with the crusty cheese.
“It’s done.”
“Wow!!”
In an instant, all of Cha Yu-jin’s worries vanished. Well, it was good to see.
A short while later, the guys who had gone out to the entrance returned in a swarm.
“Heol, kimchi fried rice without us?”
“Hyung, use delivery!”
“Wow~ Yu-jin, that’s really mean.”
Watching the Steer guys awkwardly mixed in among them, I finalized a certain resolution.
First, the basics.
‘The current situation is too tangled.’
Listening to Cha Yu-jin’s explanation, the causal relationships during Steer were more complexly intertwined than I’d thought.
And yet, I had to guide them to regain their memories satisfactorily without stepping on any landmines?
‘The difficulty is insane.’
And even if all of this miraculously ended well, a problem remained.
‘Whether they regain their memories or not ultimately depends on this system update.’
I couldn't guarantee that.
I didn't clearly know the operating principles of this system.
That was why the reasoning for that part became ambiguous, and no matter how much we talked, we just went in circles.
In the end, I concluded that there was no satisfying answer unless I grasped this fundamental part.
—Why did the memories of Steer return as an "update"?
—When will they regain their original memories?
The principles of the system.
And under the current conditions… a way to find this out occurred to me.
‘Then I have to find out.’
If I hesitated and let things drag on, a bomb might go off after things had already spiraled out of my control.
‘I can’t let that happen again.’
Here, following the direct conversation with the parties involved, came the second stage of the ‘direct approach.’
—Direct system analysis.
And to catch a tiger, you have to enter the tiger’s den.
I decided.
‘I’m taking a gamble.’
And as a rule, if I was going to take a risk, I felt more at ease doing it myself.
So, at dawn that day.
‘Status window.’
For the first time in a very long while, I voluntarily summoned the game system.
And I re-checked the system pop-up, which felt somewhat incomplete since it was in ‘Preview.’
[Mission Failure: Restoration]
Maximum Viewing Time: 48 hours
- Would you like to view?
48 hours was likely the maximum penalty period I’d received last time when Park Moon-dae and Ryu Gun-woo’s bodies were swapped.
‘Seeing as it says "maximum," there’s a high probability I can end it at will.’
Even in the worst-case scenario, a conclusion would be reached within 48 hours.
For the record, tomorrow was the weekend.
I hadn't started preparing for my competition stage yet, and it was Keun-dal’s day off from work.
Didn't the timing just fall perfectly into place?
[Hyung, are you really going to do it?]
Yeah.
[I understand….]
Keun-dal, who had already been persuaded for several hours, readily agreed with my opinion.
And a moment later.
“Whew.”
I opened my eyes on the bed with tired eyes.
The ceiling of Ryu Gun-woo’s bedroom showed its outline through the dim light.
But I didn't have the leisure to check in detail.
‘Access first.’
I immediately accessed the vision of ‘Park Moon-dae,’ whom Keun-dal had entered.
[Viewing Fragment Records]
As if my vision were split in two, an image was projected into my mind.
‘Good.’
I’d done this much last time.
And there was one fact this told me.
‘If our bodies are swapped, I can access Park Moon-dae’s vision as a status window, just like Keun-dal did.’
If so, I might be able to go one step further.
So, I moved on to the next stage.
—It’s, like being sucked into a typhoon or a black hole….
‘It’s difficult.’
Recalling Keun-dal’s vague explanation, I focused as much as possible on the surface of the status window visible in my sight….
And how much time had passed?
‘…!’
My consciousness was truly sucked in, as if being submerged.
Into the status window.
‘It worked!’
Checking and changing the system structure.
Just like Keun-dal had done several times by accessing the system through the status window, from the daydream incident to the building collapse.
[■■■■■■■■■]
‘I’ll just… make you completely irreparable, like you’re in a coma.’
I began the system analysis.