Chapter 542
Chapter 542
Let’s be honest.
It wasn’t the first time I’d closed my eyes only to wake up in a different body and a different world. It wouldn't even be strange if I were starting to get used to it by now.
‘Is this… the fifth time?’
I’m going to lose my—no, even a situation as ridiculous as this is bound to become familiar if it keeps repeating. Now, a few seconds were enough for me to regain my rational thinking.
So, let’s stay calm and organize what’s happened so far.
—I recovered the system fragment.
I successfully retrieved the fragment that Cheong-ryeo had while he was serving in the military.
Everything had gone according to plan up to that point, but what happened next was the problem.
—My vision suddenly distorted.
Actually, it wasn't just my vision; everything around me suddenly warped and began to swirl like crazy.
It was like a video being fast-forwarded.
And now that it’s finally stopped, what I see before me is…
—VTIC’s Cheong-ryeo standing on a rooftop.
Indeed.
However, this didn't seem to be the same Cheong-ryeo I had just been talking to, the one serving in the JSA.
I stared at the guy in front of me again.
The Cheong-ryeo looking down from the rooftop was wearing a black coat.
His face and hair were well-groomed, and his physique… he looked to be in his early to mid-twenties.
So, at the very least, this was the past.
A winter night before Re-listing! Idol Inc. had even aired.
And… the rooftop of a building on the outskirts of the city, overlooking the Seoul nightscape.
“…….”
This was the location of Cheong-ryeo’s first restart, which I had seen through the system.
‘But there are differences in a few details.’
Combining all of this leads to one fairly convincing hypothesis.
—Cheong-ryeo from the past, in the middle of his repeated ‘restarts.’
In other words, he was a guy who had no connection to me and didn't know who I was.
‘Damn it.’
I felt like downing a bottle of straight soju right now. I let out a sigh.
‘Things are getting complicated.’
If I had to objectively pick a silver lining, it was that this wasn't the absolute worst-case scenario I had anticipated.
It wasn't like the system acting up was anything new. I had naturally considered most of the side effects that could occur when collecting a fragment. Keun-dal had almost started foaming at the mouth when we discussed it.
But meeting the old version of Cheong-ryeo?
This wasn't something to panic over anew. I mean, I’d already met the Steer guys once; what was the big deal?
Let’s decide on a course of action immediately.
If I were to call this guy… Restart Cheong-ryeo.
—Check if communication with this Restart Cheong-ryeo is possible.
First, I needed to assess the situation.
Besides, look at him—he specifically sought out the place where he had his very first ‘restart.’ Seeing him attach meaning to a place like this… doesn't it give you an idea?
This guy probably hasn't restarted that many times yet.
‘I should be able to handle him with words.’
There would be a gap in information compared to the guy who had already done everything there was to do. Wouldn't he be easier to manipulate than the one in the military?
Still, the feeling that I was going through all sorts of crazy shit remained… but well, it should be fine.
I calmly tried to open my mouth.
‘You….’
And then I realized.
I had no voice.
It wasn't some nonsense about being too nervous to speak. My voice itself was literally ‘gone.’
I tried to raise my hand into my field of vision, but nothing appeared.
‘…….’
Come to think of it….
‘He can’t see me either.’
If someone were this close, even someone about to jump off a roof would usually notice them at least once.
But Cheong-ryeo continued to stare down from the rooftop. He didn't notice me at all.
I scanned him, feeling as if I were crossing my arms (even though I didn't have any).
‘Am I just a one-sided observer after all?’
Like the flashbacks I saw every time I cleared a status effect. I wondered if I was accidentally watching this guy’s memories again.
It was at that moment.
“There.”
The upper body in the coat, which had been leaning against the railing, suddenly whipped around.
Toward me.
‘…….’
Can he see me?
But that was it.
The guy scanned the air near me with a sharp gaze, as if he were perceiving an invisible speck of dust, but he didn't seem to find anything.
Then he turned his gaze back down toward the street below.
“…….”
Why the fuck are you acting all intense like you're trying to find someone hiding?
I felt like hitting my non-existent head. I let out a sigh in my discomfort.
As expected, there was no sound.
However, there was a problem.
As if that movement had been a trigger, the crushing pressure shaking my body returned.
—…!
It felt like being sucked into a typhoon again.
At this rate, I was going to be swept away and experience that crazy swirling environment once more.
‘If I’m not careful, I’m fucked.’
Optimistically, it might take me back to where I belonged, but….
‘I just have a bad feeling about this!’
I gritted my teeth and tried to grab onto something nearby. An outdoor AC unit, a wire, a wall, the railing….
‘It’s not working.’
Everything failed. Just as I felt the intuition that I was about to be violently sucked away somewhere.
I tried to grab the end of the railing and brushed against Restart Cheong-ryeo’s clothes.
[----------]
Then, suddenly, force began to act in two directions.
‘Wait.’
One was still pulling outward.
The other… was toward Cheong-ryeo.
‘…….’
I didn't know what the hell was going on, but….
‘A choice has appeared!’
And usually, the new choice is the better one.
Cursing internally under the pressure, I began to struggle to latch onto the force coming from Cheong-ryeo.
And when the situation settled.
‘Phew.’
I realized I was looking down from the rooftop.
And this wasn't my field of vision.
…It was the spot where Restart Cheong-ryeo had been standing.
“…….”
It sounded absolutely insane, but it seemed I had attached myself to this Cheong-ryeo guy’s mind… or his vision.
There was only one possible reason.
I realized it just now, in this state….
‘He has the system.’
This bastard has the system right now.
Because I came into contact with it, my mind was able to stick to it like a magnet.
‘What is this?’
Why did I stick to the system?
However, pondering the cause was a secondary priority. What I needed right now was….
‘To assess the situation again.’
I needed to find out why I had been dropped into this specific situation.
Talk to him, dig for information.
The problem was that to dig for anything, I first had to be able to express myself….
‘…….’
It occurred to me.
A way to communicate without a body.
Do you remember how I found Steer Lee Se-jin A inside the system and made a chat window appear for him?
‘…Right.’
I had accessed the system directly.
Very directly and forcefully.
‘And I can try that now, too.’
After taking a short breath.
I dove into Cheong-ryeo’s system.
The cool night air moved across the rooftop.
For a moment, Cheong-ryeo felt a sharp pain accompanied by dizziness in his head.
‘Hmm.’
However, there was no trembling in the hand gripping the railing. His eyes remained calm.
Migraines were an occasional issue.
Physical pain should rightfully disappear upon restarting, but that wasn't always the case. Chronic pain attributed to the vague cause of ‘mental fatigue’ appeared sometimes, acting as a nagging penalty.
Of course, as he got used to it, he began to treat it more as a condition than a penalty.
Besides, this headache was fleeting.
He didn't even need to put a hand to his forehead. He dismissed the symptom without much thought.
He was going to restart anyway.
‘I’ll have to check again with the new body.’
To see if the symptoms remained.
He shifted his gaze back to the road below the building he had been staring at.
A quiet back alley, free of crowds or noise.
It was a suitable height for his head to be crushed.
He had tried a few other locations, but there was no restart spot as clean as this one.
‘To think the first attempt was the most appropriate.’
It was a stroke of good luck, if one could call it that.
And originally, he had intended to put that ‘appropriate method’ into action right now… but he twisted his hand on the railing.
“…….”
For some reason, he didn't feel like it.
It was a rare occurrence, the first in a very long time.
‘Is it because of the headache?’
Actually, the cause didn't really matter.
There was no problem with staying for a few more hours without restarting to continue checking his new plan.
Just as one could practice and mess up as much as they wanted before a real match, whether it was cooking or sports.
This was time he was going to throw away anyway.
‘It would be efficient if I used it well.’
He felt a faint interest in this idea. It was a thin, crude feeling that could hardly be called pleasure.
Even this was a thought he was already tiredly familiar with.
It was just one of the many ways he tried to squeeze out efficiency.
“…….”
Cheong-ryeo let go of the railing, turned around nonchalantly, and walked down the building.
He didn't have a cigarette, but a white puff of breath remained.
The dorm wasn't far.
“Hyung, are you okay?”
“Of course.”
He replied casually to the member who asked with worried eyes before returning to his room.
Of course, if you were to ask if that member usually worried about Cheong-ryeo’s late returns, the answer was no.
That attitude was due to an incident that had occurred within the group just four days ago.
[“Billboard Boy Idol’s Pink Hideout in Seocho-dong” Sightings Cause a Stir]
[VTIC Hee-woon Releases Apology... “Sorry for causing concern to fans”]
A dating scandal.
The loud romance of one VTIC member had been discovered, flooding the internet.
Since the dorm was strictly managed, he had rented a separate space as if setting up a home, and a sasaeng had exposed it.
And it happened during the first week of their comeback.
-Crazy bastard, he actually set up a house lol
-Leave the group
-Thinking about him grinning after winning the Daesang makes me want to kill him lol
Thanks to this, VTIC had to quietly suspend the promotions they had ambitiously started with an awards ceremony after only three days.
And Cheong-ryeo thought.
It would have been easier to handle if it had been a crime.
‘If it were a crime, I could erase him from the group.’
Meaning, he could be kicked out.
But a dating scandal was ambiguous.
The blow was more immense than any other incident, but it was morally difficult to kick him out. It was just dating, after all.
And at this point in their career, a dating scandal involving setting up a home was a death sentence for the idol and a fatal wound for the group.
It was nothing less than a signal for their downfall.
‘Even if we bounce back… there will be no activities or fame for at least several months.’
Right now, all of VTIC’s buzz was being sucked into that member’s dating scandal.
And today was December 27th.
What this implied was clear.
Even if VTIC were to receive the Grand Prize at the upcoming awards ceremonies, they wouldn't be recognized by the public as ‘successful idols’ to that extent.
With a very high probability.
‘So….’
This year’s Grand Prize was a bust.
—Failure.
It was time for a clean restart.
And this time, a new opportunity would be given again.
Perhaps forever.
“…….”
Cheong-ryeo felt his mind becoming cold and clear.
The reluctance he had felt on the rooftop earlier had vanished without a trace.
‘Then, let’s make it 5 AM tomorrow.’
He formulated his plan apathetically.
He had nothing to lose.
At one point, he had done somewhat destructive things to relieve stress, but he didn't even need that anymore.
He was relaxed and calm.
Everything becomes increasingly numbing as attempts pile up.
Even if it meant repeating endless challenges without any hints or help.
One stops expecting new variables, unexpected help, or unforeseen miracles.
Everything becomes standardized, leveled, and bland, turning into nothing more than a pattern.
He just sat quietly in his seat, reviewing his plan for the new VTIC member lineup once more.
It was such a peaceful moment.
[Can you see this?]
“…….”
Cheong-ryeo’s eyes stopped moving.
And as if he were actually seeing it, the translucent text in front of him updated.
[Wait a second.]
The color stabilized. It became increasingly clear.
The text in the air spoke.
[Don’t restart.]
Cheong-ryeo held his breath.
Once upon a time, he too had tried to deduce things like a human.
What kind of situation he was in.
Aliens, spiritual experiences, or even a kind of computer simulation. There were many hypotheses.
But none had ever been proven. No matter what he tried, no response ever came back.
But now.
[There’s still time left.]
[The period! I’m saying there’s time left.]
A popup appeared before his eyes.
[‘Death if Not Grand Prize’]
: If you do not receive a Grand Prize at the most prestigious domestic awards ceremony within the set period, you will die.
Remaining Period: D-359
“…….”
A goal clearly stated in sentences and dates.
And….
[The dates overlapped. Since it’s December 28th now… you have time until December 28th next year. Then I think we can aim for a few things starting from ToneA.]
Someone’s advice.
Cheong-ryeo blinked.
And breathing slowly, he turned his head.
Another window was popping up beside it.
[!An unauthorized error has occurred]
Do you wish to remove the Status Window (■■■)?
And there was only one choice.
[Yes]
After a moment of dizzying silence.
Cheong-ryeo looked away from the window.
He did not delete the error.
‘Whew.’
Park Moon-dae, who had been rummaging through and accessing the system, couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
To anyone’s eyes, that was a choice to eliminate him.
And wouldn't it be plausible for a guy like him to delete it immediately just because it was getting on his nerves?
‘Of course, it’s also easy to induce him not to.’
What the Cheong-ryeo of this period cared about was too obvious.
Only efficiency!
Park Moon-dae’s deduction was that he would unconditionally keep any element that helped him reach his goal.
‘Proving my value, huh.’
And that was his specialty.
[I’ll take questions for now.]
Park Moon-dae grinned as he floated a popup in front of Cheong-ryeo’s eyes, one he had made by haphazardly creating and forcibly stitching terminals together.
However, a moment later, he would find himself swearing.
Because he realized what kind of person this ‘Restart Cheong-ryeo’ was.
[!Status Effect: Correction]
: Let’s try again
—Upon failure, return to the beginning.
This was the familiar description of Cheong-ryeo’s status effect.
Except there was no ‘deactivated’ mark.
‘It means it’s in an active state.’
And as if to support that, another line of explanation was attached.
[Number of Returns: 100]
‘…….’
It wasn't 10, 11, or 20 times.
It was the 101st turn.
‘Fuck!’
Park Moon-dae had become the status window for a Cheong-ryeo who had restarted 100 times.