The Chain Falls
During the movement of the lines, the chain hanging on Yoon Hyun-min’s costume fell.
And then, as Jeong Hui-min, the member for the next part, came forward, he was on the verge of tripping over the chain that had dropped to the ground.
At that moment, Do Won-woo right beside him quickly kicked the fallen chain with his foot and cleared it away.
Ah, thank goodness…
A wave of relief swept across the audience’s faces as they watched the stage.
It had been on the brink of disaster, but thanks to the swift clearance, it hadn’t escalated into a major accident. That was fortunate.
By the way, his reflexes are incredible.
People saw Do Won-woo and simply thought he had exceptional situational awareness.
In truth, because he had known an accident was coming, his nerves had been on edge the entire performance, which made it possible.
Still, with this, one of the accidents Do Won-woo had to prevent was dealt with.
The audience, unaware of what was to come, simply sent cheers.
***
I’ve blocked one of them.
This was the first time his heart had pounded so hard during a performance.
It should be more tense than when he first stepped onto the stage. Of course. Who knew what would happen next?
Honestly, just keeping up with the singing and choreography was exhausting enough, but now he had to worry about everything else too. It was grueling, yet he had no choice but to push through.
What else is left?
To be honest, it felt like riding a roller coaster without a safety bar.
An unpredictable, imminent situation where anything could happen at any moment. It was like standing on a sandcastle that could collapse at any second.
…Please don’t let it turn into a big accident.
Thinking that, as he moved across the stage, his eyes met Won Ji-an’s.
Won Ji-an also wore a complicated expression, as if he shared the same unease.
You’re probably feeling anxious too.
Looking at it this way, I realized Won Ji-an and I were inevitably similar.
Someone might deny it, but the fact that we were desperately trying to survive in this damned world.
So, somehow…
I made that vow.
No matter what, I would prevent the misfortune that was about to befall us.
***
The second verse part began, and the performance continued steadily afterward.
The audience, who had been tense because of the chain-falling incident, refocused on the stage and cheered.
― I don’t want to be deleted
I don’t want to be erased
Then, in the following bridge part, all the lights went out.
And a single pin light shone on Won Ji-an standing in the center of the stage.
― Save me in your memories
Make me shine on this stage
When Won Ji-an turned to the side, Do Won-woo’s figure behind the large backdrop was revealed.
Soon, Do Won-woo grabbed Won Ji-an’s shoulder and whispered the next line.
― The end is coming
Like a fireworks display
Even if it disappears forever
I’ll leave it as a remnant of forgotten memories
With a sharp snapping sound, a crack appeared on the monitor screen installed on the stage.
It was a stage direction meant to look like a malfunction.
― Happiness is none, none, none
(Even if it’s none)
Don’t give up, up, up
The lights came back on, and the choreography surged rapidly toward the end.
― Love is none, none, none
(Even if it’s none)
Just get up, up, up
By the time the stage was almost over, Do Won-woo’s head was spinning rapidly.
What’s left?
Although he was acting like nothing was wrong on the surface, dozens of simulations of the upcoming accident were racing through Do Won-woo’s mind.
The stage floor looks fine, so it doesn’t seem like that kind of accident like before. The members are doing well too. For some reason, Yoon Hyun-min is also in a calm state.
One more accident remained to be blocked. But by the time the stage was almost ending, nothing had happened. It was driving him insane.
With the outro flowing out, the members arranged the large formation and stood.
So, is an accident happening now?
But the stage was peaceful, and the audience was cheering as usual.
The members, facing the audience, were calmly finishing the ending pose. Among them, only Do Won-woo had a somewhat restless expression.
What’s going on…
At that moment, Do Won-woo’s pupils shook as if he had noticed something.
A mysterious metallic sound from above the head. The audience’s cheers were so loud and everyone was focused on the members, so it was a faint sound that no one heard.
But to Do Won-woo, whose senses were heightened to an abnormal degree because he had been on edge, it was audible.
Ah.
Normally, when hearing a sound from above the head, one would look up to check, but Do Won-woo didn’t.
“Run!”
Knowing an accident was about to happen, the sound from earlier felt like just a prelude to the disaster for Do Won-woo.
Do Won-woo quickly took care of Won Ji-an and the teammates beside him.
Suddenly pulled by an unseen force, the members who had been peacefully in the ending pose were startled and moved to the side.
But there was one who couldn’t be taken care of. It was Yoon Hyun-min.
…Ah.
Yoon Hyun-min standing at the end of the large formation that his arm couldn’t reach couldn’t avoid it.
Soon, the light hanging from the ceiling fell toward Yoon Hyun-min at high speed.
“Aaaah!”
In an instant, the stage became a scene of chaos.
Yoon Hyun-min fell with blood from being hit by the light, the sound of the horrified audience, and the approaching staff.
Won Ji-an just watched the scene with a pale face.
Ding!
Quest Completed
At that moment, the quest window that appeared in his vision briefly froze the scene.
Why?
He hadn’t prevented the accident.
Thanks to his intervention, the other teammates were able to dodge to the side, but unfortunately, Yoon Hyun-min who was right under the light couldn’t dodge.
The scene unfolding before his eyes was exactly that: being injured and taken away.
Quest completed?
The same system window appeared for Won Ji-an right next to him.
Won Ji-an also looked at him with a pale face, as if not understanding.
Does that mean he doesn’t even recognize that Yoon Hyun-min got injured as an accident?
In the system, Yoon Hyun-min was a being who had to be expelled from the debut group, and he was seen as an obstacle that interfered with his future.
So, even though Yoon Hyun-min got injured, it seemed he didn’t consider it a quest failure.
Cruel.
He succeeded in the quest, but it didn’t feel like success.
It just felt like the system was cruel and terrifying. Just a structure designed for him and his future. If recognized as an obstacle, it would ruthlessly push them away.
Is this correct?
At that moment, Won Ji-an’s crying voice came from right next to him.
The other teammates also seemed quite shocked, but despite Won Ji-an crying, they just stood there blankly.
***
Following the staff’s guidance, we descended to below the stage.
As soon as we got off the stage, Won Ji-an staggered as if his legs gave out and grabbed the wall to fall.
“Ji-an-ah, are you okay?”
Startled, Jeong Hui-min tried to help Won Ji-an up by grabbing his arm.
But Won Ji-an’s body didn’t have strength, so he was limp.
“I can’t do it anymore.”
Soon, Won Ji-an buried his face in his knees and started sobbing.
“I don’t want to see anyone else get hurt because of me.”
The trainees were bewildered and just exchanged glances with each other.
“Ji-an-ah, are you okay?”
“What kind of talk is that? Who got hurt because of you.”
I could understand what he was saying because I knew the current situation, but to others, it would sound incomprehensible.
“Just too shocked.”
I told the other teammates not to take it too seriously.
Just creating a mood that Won Ji-an was too shocked and anxious, so he was saying anything.
“Ji-an-ah.”
I sat in front of Won Ji-an who was crouched with his face buried.
“It’s not your fault. So don’t think that way.”
“I don’t want to live like this anymore. I don’t want to live like this, and I don’t want to be happy.”
Hearing Won Ji-an’s voice trembling severely, I realized the situation was more serious than I thought.
Has his mental state broken?
It was plausible.
No matter how much of a villain Yoon Hyun-min was, a person got injured right in front of him.
Honestly, I thought it would be good if he disappeared right in front of me, but I didn’t want him to be hurt this badly.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want him to be sad, but anyway, it was impossible not to feel an odd and uneasy feeling.
“First, can I take you somewhere for a bit? You look too anxious… You don’t seem to be in a state to film again.”
After saying that, I decided to take Won Ji-an and leave the place.
After barely helping Won Ji-an up, I headed to a place without people. It was also to completely block the camera and external gazes.
***
“Watch me.”
I took Won Ji-an to a chair in a corner empty room of the building.
Won Ji-an, who had been wiping his tear-stained eyes with the back of his hand, lifted his head. His eyes were swollen from crying too much.
I understood. He must have been shocked. I was shocked too.
“I might go crazy.”
Won Ji-an muttered.
“This system and the world seem crazy too.”
“I think the same.”
Looking at what was happening now, there wasn’t a single sane thing.
“But I can’t just stop, right?”
It bothered me.
The words he said he wanted to stop.
It could be just words blurted out in anxiety, but on one side of my mind, I was afraid.
What if Won Ji-an really decided to quit everything and leave. Like abandoning everything from his past life.
“Just… I hope you live.”
I, saying that, had also reached a state where I might go crazy.
“Even if you hear me say bad things, be selfish, please live. Don’t ask if I have to live like this, but I want to see you say that you survived like this.”
In my frustration, the words I had always kept inside burst out.
Won Ji-an quietly stared at me. He didn’t cry like before. He just quietly listened to my words.
“Is living like this bad? Tell those people to keep cursing. I’ll tell you it’s okay. Why do you want to die? If there’s even one person who says it’s okay, isn’t that enough?”
Won Ji-an, who had been staring blankly at the floor, slowly opened his mouth.
“…I hate you.”
Soon, Won Ji-an muttered.
“Because of you, I keep wanting to live.”