Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Stage
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[Name: Chae Seol-ah (Age 21)]
Affinity 67+5
Trust 70+3
[Seol-ah's affinity for you has surpassed 70. A friendlier approach is now possible.]
[Name: Oh Ro-si (Age 19)]
Affinity 72+3
Trust 74+4
[Name: Lee Seul-bi (Age 20)]
Affinity 71+3
Trust 78+1
[Name: Shin Yi-na (Age 17)]
Affinity 80+3
Trust 88+1
The members, practically glowing with the light of success, began the choreography for their new song.
Filled with determination, they performed their parts as if on a real live stage, even without microphones. There wasn’t a trace of hesitation anywhere. It was the first time they had performed it together, yet it was perfect, without a single awkward or clashing movement.
By the time the choreography ended, a large crowd had gathered around them.
I raised my camera and stepped back behind the audience, capturing their backs and the members on stage in a single frame.
As the members struck their final pose, their eyes showed a dawning awareness of the situation, as if waking from a trance.
“Woooah!”
Cheers and applause erupted from the crowd.
[The people around you have been moved by your and the members' fighting spirit.]
[The image of you and the members has been deeply imprinted in people's minds.]
“I remember now! The Consolation Train concert!”
“Huh?”
It seemed a few people had seen that video.
I signaled to the members, who were bewildered by the crowd's response, to give their closing remarks. Seol-ah nodded, gathering the dazed members to prepare their greeting.
“Two, three! Ask us questions! We are Answer, here to answer you!”
I had been briefly worried that Ro-si wouldn't be able to do the greeting, but thankfully, she pulled it off smoothly.
It looked like she had been practicing on her own.
“We have a performance at the Yuseong Hot Springs District event today. Please come see us, and we’ll continue to work hard as Answer!”
[Hidden Achievement Unlocked: ‘The Complete Answer’]
Your passion has awakened all the members.
Reward: Each member will awaken an unseen trait.
A trait? Like Seul-bi’s ‘Glutton’ trait?
A roulette wheel began to spin.
‘Rise Up (C)’
‘Limit Break (A)’
‘Instant Application (B)’
⁝
The roulette stopped, and a bright light flashed.
Reward: ‘Limit Break (A)’ x1.
The designated target will gain potential that exceeds their limits. The new limit is determined by the degree of quest completion, up to a maximum of 10% of their original potential.
***
With time to spare, the members walked through the park.
Even Ro-si, who had been hunched over due to her exposed shoulders, now looked confident. With the four of them walking together, looking every bit like a girl group, no one dared to approach them too closely.
Spotting a foot bath experience area, Seul-bi dashed over.
“Ooh! Is this hot spring water?”
The place was crowded, but only a few elderly people had their feet dipped in the stream-like foot bath.
“I’m doing it!”
“Lee Seul-bi!”
“What?”
“You have to wash your feet before you go in.”
At Seol-ah's words, Seul-bi looked down at her stocking-clad legs.
No matter how eccentric Seul-bi was, she wouldn't go through the trouble of taking off her stockings here, in front of so many people.
“…Fine, I’ll wash them.”
What?
Before anyone could stop her, Seul-bi was already soaking her feet in the running water.
“You’re crazy!”
Seol-ah smacked Seul-bi on the back.
“Ouch!”
Startled, Seul-bi straightened up for a moment but then nonchalantly went back to washing her legs. A look of pure anticipation was on her face as she washed her legs and stockings together with soap.
Was this the effect of the group trait they had acquired, ‘Unyielding Mindset (B)’? Despite the onlookers, Seul-bi confidently washed her legs and entered the foot bath.
“Ahhhh, this feels amazing! It’s crazy warm! I feel like a king!”
The middle-aged women sitting next to her watched Seul-bi with amusement.
“Unni, you should come in too! When else are you gonna get to do an outdoor hot spring foot bath on a chilly day like this? If not today, you might never get the chance in your whole life!”
“……”
“Come on… Haven’t you heard that hot springs are good for your skin?”
As if persuaded by Seul-bi’s words, Yi-na glanced at me for approval.
I considered whether this situation could be a negative for our members.
Probably not. It should be fine.
“We still have plenty of time, so go ahead.”
“Yay!”
Yi-na ran off to wash her feet first, while Ro-si stood next to Seol-ah, looking on with envy.
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
Seol-ah patted Ro-si on the back with a sigh of resignation and went to wash her feet.
Just in case a clip of them entering with their stockings on went viral and caused problems, I took a picture of them washing their feet thoroughly with soap.
***
“It feels so good. The air is chilly, but my feet are warm.”
Yi-na said with a smile, and everyone else seemed to agree. Min-jun handed a lap blanket to each of the members with exposed shoulders.
“I’m going to go see the event coordinator. Should I get you some coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
“Hot Americano? Iced?”
“Iced for me!”
Seul-bi ordered an iced Americano, while the others asked for hot ones.
Min-jun spoke in a teasing, offhand manner.
“…Yi-na… shouldn’t you drink something other than coffee?”
Yi-na bristled.
“Oppa! I’m not a kid! I drink Bacchus and coffee when I study!”
Seeing Yi-na wanting to be treated like an adult, a fond, brotherly smile spread across Min-jun’s face.
“I’ll be back.”
“…Tch. He always treats me like a kid.”
“Pfft! If you’re not a kid, are you an adult?”
Seul-bi didn't miss the chance to tease Yi-na.
“Seul-bi, you’re doing it again. You’re going to really hurt Yi-na’s feelings.”
“That’s how you grow up.”
Seul-bi chuckled and patted Yi-na’s head. Yi-na pouted and glared back at her.
“You’re only three years older than me.”
“What? I was already using a spoon before you were even born. I’ve eaten, like… what, two thousand more bowls of rice than you? Something like that, anyway!”
“Is it always about food with you? Ugh, you pig.”
When Seul-bi just laughed off the provocation, Yi-na looked rather deflated.
“Unni, you’re drinking an iced Americano when it’s so chilly? Aren’t you cold?”
“Anyone who truly knows coffee knows it has to be an iced Americano, even if you freeze to death. There’s a special aroma that only an iced Americano has.”
“Really?”
A few seconds of silence passed.
“You know… I felt weird earlier.”
“When Oppa yelled?”
“Yeah. Suddenly, I saw stars, and my whole body just buzzed.”
“Whoa! Me too!”
“For real?”
Yi-na was shocked by Seul-bi's words. But they weren't the only two who had felt it.
Ro-si, in particular, who had experienced that flash during the supplementary member auditions, was starting to wonder if Min-jun had some kind of superpower.
“Every time he said something, it was like a flash of light, and by the end, I felt like I could even take on Team Leader Park.”
“No way! That’s exactly how I felt!”
“…You don’t think Min-jun oppa is some kind of hypnotist, do you?”
Yi-na, with a serious expression, seemed to be pondering something before she spoke.
“Then is that why my heart pounds whenever I make eye contact with him?”
At Yi-na’s words, all eyes turned to her.
“Kiddo. You like Min-jun oppa?”
“Huh?”
Yi-na’s eyes widened, and she darted them back and forth.
***
Seeing the members relaxing was healing for me as well. I was a little concerned about Ro-si, who sat awkwardly on the edge, but I knew she would adapt soon enough.
I left the members and started walking.
After gaining the ‘Sixth Sense’ trait, I was able to minimize my movements for every task, avoiding unnecessary mental energy and time. A translucent, HUD-like line guided me to my desired target.
It was the same now. The closer I got to the event coordinator, the bolder the line became.
“…Hello! I don’t care what your excuse is, how can you cancel just a few hours before the show? We barely managed to book a girl group a few days ago…”
The coordinator was raising his voice, clearly angry.
“…That’s your problem. What am I supposed to do? I’m not letting this slide!”
*Ting.*
[Spontaneous Quest Occurred: ‘One-Time Part-Time Job’.]
Help the troubled event planner.
Reward: 1,000,000 Won + α
Will you accept?
[Yes / No]
Based on my experience so far, these kinds of spontaneous quests never asked me to do something beyond my abilities.
Free money? Of course, I’m in.
The event planner, who had just finished his call, huffed and looked up at me.
“I’m the manager for Answer, the group performing today.”
He nodded, as if it were too much trouble to reply, and gestured for me to leave. But when I held my ground, he shot me an annoyed look that said, ‘What? Why aren’t you leaving?’
Give me the job.
The man, who had been looking at me strangely, relaxed his expression and opened his mouth.
“…Hey, by any chance, do you have anyone in your group who can sing opera or… something like that?”
This must be the million-won job.
Seol-ah had done it for a little while when she was young, but would that be enough? As I pondered this, a thought struck me.
“Would someone from musical theater be okay?”
“What! You have someone?”
The planner’s face lit up.
I had first started to get close to Lee Yoo-ah during a senior colleague’s performance at the agency.
He had been the lead in *Notre-Dame de Paris*. Myself, Lee Yoo-ah, and many other trainees had been brought in for the performance under the pretext of gaining field experience.
After mimicking my senior singing ‘The Age of the Cathedrals’ a few times, I was able to sing it just as well as he could. No, with my superior vocal technique, my version was far better.
“I can do it.”
“…You said you were the manager?”
In front of the bewildered planner, I sang the opening of ‘The Age of the Cathedrals.’ As the song progressed, his scrunched-up face began to bloom with delight.
‘Wait a minute.’
It suddenly occurred to me that Daepyo-nim Gyeon had probably pocketed the pay for me and the other trainees who had participated in that performance.
I was angry, but thanks to that experience, I was now able to land this high-paying part-time gig. I decided not to stress over it.
“I have one request.”
“What is it?”
“I’d like to be paid for the performance in cash, on-site.”
“……”
***
The members were on standby in the waiting area behind the stage.
“I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Where are you going?”
“…I’ll be back before Answer’s turn.”
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should tell them. But I hoped that seeing me sing would have a positive influence on the members, and for that to happen, it would be better for them to find out at the decisive moment.
“…I’ll say it again, singers are actors too. You have to wear clothes that don't fit, even if it means tearing them to make them fit.”
“Huh? Oppa, what are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Unlike the other members, Ro-si’s eyes widened in confusion.
Once I was out of the members’ sight, I changed into a suit I had rented from a dry cleaner. It was an old, crimson velvet suit that looked like it had been made over twenty years ago.
‘Oh my… that one is much too old. Why don’t you try this one instead?’
Even the owner of the shop had tried to dissuade me, but this old suit perfectly matched the concept of the song I was going to sing.
Quasimodo’s isolation and the twisted heart that resulted from it. The lust Frollo felt for the first time upon seeing Esmeralda. The deep anguish and conflict that followed.
This gloomy, worn-out red velvet suit seemed capable of conveying the darkness that would blossom from the song. After putting on the suit, I wet my hair and tousled it to express deep agony and madness.
***
—Our new Daejeon Metropolitan City, beginning with the brilliant Daejeon Expo, as a global city with the Daedeok Research Complex and the Yuseong Hot Springs District…
The event began with a congratulatory speech from the mayor. I approached the members, who were waiting in a tent behind the stage.
“What’s the Daejeon Expo?”
“I think I’ve heard of it…”
As Seul-bi tilted her head at Yi-na’s question, her eyes met mine.
“Ah! You scared me… Min-jun oppa?”
The members’ eyes widened as they scanned me from head to toe.
“Oppa… what is this all of a sudden? And what’s with your clothes and hair?”
“I’m the first performance.”
“Huh? What performance?”
I just smiled slightly at Seul-bi’s question.
—We will now begin the congratulatory performances. The first performance is by local singer… Byeon Jeong-gwan with his song, ‘Clouded…’ Ah? Ah, it seems the song has been changed…
“I’ll go on first.”
Leaving the baffled members behind, I followed a staff member’s directions.
—*Notre-Dame de Paris*? Ah, it’s a song from the musical *The Hunchback of Notre Dame*! Please give him a round of applause!
*Clap, clap, clap.*
It didn’t matter if I was called by someone else’s name.
My only goal was the part-time pay.
The seed money to bring down Gyeon Sang-jin.
[Trait ‘Charisma Lv2’ is activated.]
[Trait ‘Star Maker’ is activated.]
As my determination blazed, my traits activated, and a rainbow-colored light spread across my third eye.
When I appeared on stage looking bizarre, the applauding audience fell silent in an instant.
I looked out at the crowd, my eyes filled with emptiness, confusion, and madness. The people who met my gaze flinched. The members watching me from the side of the stage were no exception.
Soon, the intro music began to play, and I could practically hear the sound of people swallowing nervously.