Chapter 550
Chapter 550
After I decided to stay in the US.
‘Hmm.’
Having found a job at a shop that barely paid minimum wage, I entered the System once again to search for clues.
Of course, I left Ryu Gun-woo’s body in the small studio apartment I had rented with Ju-dan’s help.
I took a deep breath.
‘It’s alright.’
It was bearable.
Judging by the fact that the pressure felt unpleasant, I hadn't been swallowed by the System yet; I was still safe.
Moreover, the fact that memories of reality from before I was dragged into this damn System kept surfacing was a good sign.
‘…The others should be fine.’
It was a relief that I hadn't dragged anyone else into this mess like last time.
I focused my mind, trying to keep those thoughts tucked away, and continued to dive deeper.
Toward the place where the terminal was located.
*
A short while after TeSTAR had barged into the JSA.
“…….”
“…….”
“No way. But maybe…?”
“Speak Korean, Cha Yu-jin.”
The TeSTAR members, who had just heard the full story of everything that had happened—that they truly had a seventh member who had vanished!—from the collaboration of Keun-dal and Kwon Hee-seung, stood there dazed for a moment.
They themselves had felt something was so suspicious that they had committed the madness of coming to the JSA without hesitation on their day off.
However, they hadn't expected to receive such a blatantly unrealistic answer.
“…So, that seventh member is……”
“He’s lying right there……”
Bae Se-jin turned his head at Keun-dal’s gesture.
On that sofa…
There was nothing.
“…….”
Bae Se-jin felt a cold sweat run down his back.
‘Wait. Don’t tell me these people joined some weird cult as a group…?’
But the combination of VTIC’s Cheong-ryeo, Spacer’s Kwon Hee-seung, and a suddenly handsome 7th-grade civil servant was too bizarre.
No, if it were a cult, wouldn't they have used a more plausible and realistic method?
As if to support that thought, Keun-dal hurriedly spoke up.
“Th-think about it. Se-jin, how do you know who I am?”
“…Excuse me?”
Bae Se-jin froze.
Come to think of it, he knew this person’s identity as if it were ‘obvious’…
“That’s, well… ah, because you said you were my fan,”
“No.”
Keun-dal muttered with a slightly sorrowful face, as if enduring something.
“That was also because of TeSTAR’s Park Moon-dae hyung.”
“…….”
“It’s true that I’m a fan of TeSTAR… but we know each other because of him.”
Bae Se-jin eventually fell silent.
Keun-dal asked desperately.
“Don’t all of you have certain knowledge or memories, but the process of how they were formed feels vague…?”
“…….”
The members of TeSTAR recalled the various sense of incongruity and doubts they each held.
Sometimes it was a hobby, sometimes a skill, sometimes a surreal experience.
Or it was knowledge that only someone who had persistently continued their idol life without succeeding could possess.
A reality that subtly diverged from their current perception.
Everyone realized it.
“…….”
No one denied Keun-dal’s words, and a deep silence fell over the room.
And then.
“Ex-excuse me.”
“Yes?”
Seon A-hyun raised his hand slightly and asked with a pale face.
“You said that person is… on the sofa, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Can I… try going closer for a moment?”
“Of course….”
After receiving Keun-dal’s immediate answer, Seon A-hyun approached the sofa carefully and gently.
“Wait.”
“…?”
Cheong-ryeo moved right next to Park Moon-dae on the sofa and placed his hand near Park Moon-dae’s carotid artery.
Then, he spoke quite softly.
“He’s right here.”
“Ah, thank you….”
Seon A-hyun slowly reached his hand out over the sofa.
Trying not to forget that someone he couldn't perceive was lying there.
Seon A-hyun reached out thoughtfully.
‘I want to know.’
His trembling hand slowly touched the invisible person.
Without even a sensation of touch.
*
Finally, I reached the heart of the System.
Park Moon-dae placed his hand on the terminal.
*
At that moment.
Seon A-hyun felt something like static electricity explode from his fingertips.
All the way to the top of his head.
And it spread to the others as well.
[■■■■■■■■■■]
Flashbacks flickered by.
—The way he suggested ideas during the first team battle, his calm first-place acceptance speech, his bold PPT presentation, the figure of him sobbing at the first concert, his hand stroking a puppy, his clumsy comfort….
And.
—The person right in front of them.
Seon A-hyun’s hand flinched.
From beneath his hand, a silhouette flickered and passed by like a flash…….
Crackle.
[■■■■■■■■■■]
Keun-dal saw Park Moon-dae’s body flickering as if breaking into countless holograms.
Starting from beneath Seon A-hyun’s hand.
“…!!”
Just as he was about to spring up from his seat, someone pushed his chest to stop him.
It was Cheong-ryeo.
Still in contact with Park Moon-dae, he stared at Keun-dal silently.
“…….”
[What is it? Did something happen?]
The phenomenon, which wasn't transmitted through the camera, flashed sharply as if piercing Keun-dal and Cheong-ryeo’s eyes, but it soon subsided.
The piercing pain stopped, and the TeSTAR members stood up, staggering.
“Gasp.”
Only then did the hand blocking Keun-dal disappear.
After glaring at Cheong-ryeo once, he ran forward and asked urgently.
“Are you okay?”
“I-I mean….”
“Oh my fxxking… Look! Look at that!”
Keun-dal hurriedly turned his head. Cha Yu-jin, who had already rushed to the front of the sofa, was freaking out next to Park Moon-dae.
Hope sparkled in Keun-dal’s mind.
“C-can everyone… see him?”
“Of course, YES!! Wake up!”
Cha Yu-jin grabbed Park Moon-dae without warning and started shaking him wildly. People were horrified.
“Watch his head, watch his head!!”
“Oh man, Moon-dae Moon-dae’s neck is gonna snap….”
Lee Se-jin stopped talking.
Compared to the words that had come out so naturally, his face was somewhat stiff.
“You’ve… remembered, haven't you?”
Keun-dal spoke with less confidence than before.
“……Hmm.”
With a slightly awkward movement, Lee Se-jin took Park Moon-dae’s body from Cha Yu-jin and carefully laid him back down on the sofa.
He looked as if he were suppressing his confusion.
Instead, Kim Rae-bin, looking like he didn't know what to do, opened his mouth.
“I remember! However, it feels like I might forget at any moment!”
“……!”
That was it.
Though they couldn't be sure of the mechanism, TeSTAR had somehow perceived Park Moon-dae’s existence.
But it was like a temporary measure.
Just like how Park Moon-dae had flickered like a hologram moments ago.
“…….”
The expressions of those present darkened for various reasons.
It was because TeSTAR had begun to realize that this situation was eerily dangerous, and Keun-dal and Kwon Hee-seung knew that TeSTAR had realized it.
Only one person spoke without a change in expression.
“It worked. I think we just need to try more similar things.”
It was Cheong-ryeo.
Bae Se-jin frowned deeply.
“…Shouldn't an explanation come first? You need to tell us specifically why Park Moon-dae ended up like that so we can come up with ideas too……”
“Do I need to talk about the importance of saving time again?”
“…….”
Just as tension was about to rise.
[W-wait a minute! Hyung-nims, I know you’re feeling uneasy right now, but please don't regret it later thinking, ‘Ah, I shouldn't have argued,’ and let's just do something right now!]
Kwon Hee-seung, who could view the whole scene somewhat objectively since he was participating through the camera, shouted.
“…….”
After confirming all of that, Ryu Cheong-woo slowly spoke with a bitter smile.
“Hee-seung has a point.”
“…!”
“Naturally, we’re going to try something too.”
Keun-dal clenched his fists. Ryu Cheong-woo asked calmly.
“Is there a way to wake Moon-dae up again? Or do we have to start thinking from there?”
“That’s, well……”
We haven't set a specific method from here on!
As Keun-dal was sweating while trying to explain a method, he suddenly realized that Cheong-ryeo was staring at him intently without saying a word.
And come to think of it, the fact that these people were able to enter like this… wasn't it because this guy allowed it!
Cheong-ryeo definitely knew in advance.
“Excuse me.”
Cheong-ryeo only slightly shifted his gaze.
Keun-dal asked, huffing.
“You were already in contact with the TeSTAR members, weren't you?”
“…….”
The person who had not only been in contact but had also used the connections he made while working at the command and control center to push through a visit that was almost at the level of a celebrity privilege controversy did not answer.
“Why didn't you give me a heads-up when you were contacting TeSTAR?”
Because you’d get lazy if you knew there was backup.
Because you’d only produce the best efficiency if you desperately clung to the idea that there was no other way but your own attempt.
Cheong-ryeo, who omitted that explanation without batting an eye, replied simply.
“Because there was no time.”
“…….”
“Surely you’re not saying you need an explanation too. You should know that action comes first.”
“…….”
[Ack! Yes, yes, that’s right! Action first, not explanations! Let’s do something quickly!]
“A-alright, I get it!”
At the urging of Kwon Hee-seung, who sounded as frustrated as if he had eaten ten thousand sweet potatoes, Keun-dal eventually made contact with Cheong-ryeo again.
Meaning, he roughly grabbed his arm.
“And… uh, then,”
“There are people with unique qualities among the TeSTAR hoobaes.”
Cheong-ryeo cut him off sharply and spoke clearly.
“Since you’ve probably used them in the virtual world, I shouldn't have to explain the method. We’ll do it in a similar way this time… Seon A-hyun-ssi.”
“…Yes?”
“Whatever you were thinking when you touched Park Moon-dae earlier.”
He stared at Seon A-hyun.
“Keep doing it.”
“…….”
Seon A-hyun bit his lip and nodded.
‘Say it like a request, please!’
Keun-dal felt like screaming but endured it.
Instead, he also gained a realization.
‘Come to think of it, it’s not just Seon A-hyun.’
He remembered that Lee Se-jin had developed his trait and broken through the potential stats indicated by the System.
Both of them had shown actions that went beyond the System’s indications thanks to their traits.
‘Maybe…….’
At that moment, a spark went off in his head!
—Could it be that this human power called a ‘Trait,’ if it grows large enough, is something even the System cannot grasp?
And coincidentally, most of TeSTAR possessed high-grade traits.
‘This is it!’
Keun-dal spoke up, thinking he had nothing to lose.
If they made direct contact and ‘connected,’ they might be able to use those traits too!
“W-wouldn't it be better if we all put our hands together?”
“God…, this is like total Astrology. Do you guys believe in Voodoo?”
“…….”
Despite saying that, Cha Yu-jin cooperated quickly with surprisingly serious eyes.
He placed his hand firmly on top of Keun-dal’s arm and asked bluntly.
“Is this right?”
“Yes, yes!”
Keun-dal nodded vigorously.
Then he looked at the other members with pleading eyes.
“Hmm.”
Most of the members either shrugged or contacted him as he said with desperate faces.
And finally.
“…….”
With slightly fearful eyes, Keun-dal looked at TeSTAR’s greatest realist.
It was Lee Se-jin, who had been watching this scene with his arms crossed.
Lee Se-jin let out a short laugh when he met Keun-dal’s eyes.
“Ah~ I don't know. Normally, I should be getting angry here. You know that, right?”
First, he wanted to hear a proper explanation of what on earth was going on.
He felt like screaming that every time Park Moon-dae got involved with these people, he got swept up in these ridiculous incidents.
He wanted to demand an explanation and set the plan himself.
But.
‘I’m not the expert.’
“Let’s try this first and then talk.”
He admitted that and reached out his hand.
He could still interrogate them after cooperating.
“Th-thank you!”
After swallowing hard, Keun-dal spoke as powerfully as he could.
“Th-then… here I go.”
He took a deep breath.
—Thump.
Through Cheong-ryeo, he connected to the ‘pathway’ where the System had passed.
*
“…Haa!”
TeSTAR’s Park Moon-dae, in Ryu Gun-woo’s body, let out a long breath inside the old studio apartment.
He had felt a strange sensation from the terminal, and when no other changes occurred, he had waited a moment before immediately exiting the System.
‘What was that?’
Clenching and unclenching his fist, he recalled that tingling, subtle pain.
…For some reason, it felt like his body hurt less.
“…….”
However, as he got used to his body again after a few days, Park Moon-dae dismissed it as just his imagination.
*
Keun-dal blinked.
Beyond the pathway, it was still too fast. It was so far away it seemed impossible to catch up, and the overwhelming acceleration made him tremble.
Just then.
[‘Trait: Tenacity’ is activating!]
: Mental-type status effects neutralized.
The horribly heavy resistance dropped sharply, lightening his mind.
‘Phew.’
Keun-dal positioned himself more easily near the pathway and confirmed the target beyond it….
[‘Trait: Focus’ is activating!]
: Concentration +120%
As if his vision were clearing and the distance were becoming distinct, the target became clear.
Keun-dal prepared himself on the spot.
[‘Trait: Full Draw’ is activating!]
: Performance Composure +150%
Calmly, from the perfect position.
After taking a deep breath, he confirmed the route.
And casting everything aside.
—Huu.
He set off.
[‘Trait: Be Quiet’ is activating!]
: Momentum +180%
He gained speed.
[‘Trait: Maestro’ is activating!]
: When inspired, creation speed +150%
Faster and faster, larger and larger.
As if engine-like power were being sucked into a single point, it became more solid and powerful.
[‘Trait: Black Hole’ is activating!]
: Stage Immersion +180%
Keun-dal gasped for breath.
The traits bounced around inside Keun-dal, clashing and flashing like a game of ping-pong.
[‘Trait: Focus’ is activating!]
[‘Trait: Full Draw’ is activating!]
[‘Trait: Tenacity’ is activating!]
[‘Trait: Black Hole’ is activating!]
In a trance, Keun-dal connected those points, gradually increasing his power.
Into lines, into shapes, into three dimensions.
Even larger.
[‘Trait: Be Quiet’ is activating!]
[‘Trait: Maestro’ is activating!]
[‘Trait: Full Draw’ is activating!]
Even swifter.
The acceleration surged in an instant.
[‘Trait: Tenacity’ is activating!]
[‘Trait: Be Quiet’ is activating!]
[‘Trait: Focus’ is activating!]
They mixed and became powerful.
[‘Trait’ is activating]
Like that, he headed madly beyond the pathway.
‘Just a little more!’
He ran, and at the end of being shot out, barely, something at his fingertips….
—Tap.
He touched it.
‘Got it…!’
Throwing his entire soul into it, Keun-dal finally hung onto the speeding train.
*
While groaning in Ryu Gun-woo’s body, Park Moon-dae gritted his teeth and spent several weeks without missing a single day of his part-time job.
However, something unexpected also happened.
—Gun-woo-ssi! You’ve been booked for a shoot!
—……Wow.
LeTi had finally brought him his first ‘acting’ job.
‘Now isn't the time to cut ties.’
In the end, he reluctantly accepted the job….
“…Hello.”
“…….”
At the first filming meeting he entered by chance, he met a familiar face.
It was Bae Se-jin, looking haggard.
‘What is this now?’
The job the LeTi agency people had introduced to him was a supporting role in a music video for a solo female singer under one of their sub-labels.
—You don't have to say anything, just walk and smile and do exactly as instructed!
That was easy enough.
He just hadn't expected this guy to be attached to him as a coach.
‘Is he preparing for a comeback?’
Since it was still before Idol Inc., he hadn't known he was undergoing rehabilitation in this way.
Park Moon-dae reached out his hand, making that assumption.
…He was a bit glad to see him, and a bit bitter.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“……Yes.”
He shook hands with the person who would still be using the name ‘Lee Se-jin.’
It was at that moment.
Ryu Gun-woo saw a phrase suddenly float above Bae Se-jin.
<‘Focusing Genius Actor (★★★★☆)’ has entered the channel.>
[Focusing Genius Actor is horrified to see you!]
[He screams, asking what on earth is going on.]
“……??”
What is this?
*
“What is this!!”
“C-calm down! Communicate!”
Bae Se-jin was freaking out while looking at the pop-up that appeared in front of him.
[Park Moon-dae (ㅁ▵ㅁ): Currently doubting his own eyes!]
That was… a Tamagotchi screen!