Chapter 56
Chapter 56
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Busan Summer Sea Festival (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I lowered my head to check on Han Tae-hee.
Han Tae-hee was intently reading something on his black e-reader.
"Tae-hee hyung, what are you reading?"
"Oh, a web novel."
Han Tae-hee often read webtoons and web novels on that palm-sized device.
Especially while waiting for online fan meetings, that gadget rarely left his hand.
"Hyung, you’re always on that thing."
"It’s fun. Want to try it, Jae?"
"What’s the title?"
"[I Conquered the Game Instead of the Protagonist]."
A game story. The title alone made me chuckle.
‘My situation’s basically a web novel itself.’
Even if I told Han Tae-hee the truth about my circumstances, he’d probably think it was just some web novel plot.
It was too unbelievable to be real.
Me, ‘possessing’ Ha Jae’s body. The system only I could see. And the quests I had to complete.
‘I’m following the quests as they come, but... am I doing this right?’
Everything was still a mystery.
Why I woke up in Ha Jae’s body. Why the world turned into a game. And what would happen if I cleared the main quest.
‘Not like I have any other choice.’
The answers to all that would only come if I pushed through the main quest without failing and facing ‘complete death.’
‘Well, it’ll work out somehow...’
Pondering it more would just give me a headache.
I let out a deep sigh and searched for the title Han Tae-hee mentioned.
It was a fantasy novel about the ‘protagonist’ solving problems in a game world in place of the actual game protagonist.
After reading the free chapters, drowsiness soon overtook me.
"Tae-hee hyung, I’m heading to bed first. Good night..."
"Yeah, sleep well. Sweet dreams, and let’s nail the show tomorrow."
Using Han Tae-hee’s blessing from his spot on the floor as a lullaby, I quickly drifted into deep sleep.
* * *
In the dead of night, smack in the middle of my sleep, I woke up with a dry throat.
This didn’t happen often, but the sweltering summer must’ve been making me thirsty even in my sleep.
‘I’ll quietly grab some water and come back.’
I slipped out of bed and tiptoed through the open door crack toward the kitchen.
Being extra careful not to wake Han Tae-hee.
The night was silent. Nothing but the hum of the air conditioner.
Reaching the kitchen, I poured myself a cup of water and thought,
‘Feels kinda creepy for some reason.’
I gulped it down and was about to head back when...
A strange noise hit my ears.
It came from the utility room off the living room.
Swish, swish. Like wiping something, or a light breeze.
‘What the hell?’
Could it be... a ghost?
I swallowed hard, recalling some book that said ghosts were especially active in summer.
But curiosity crept in despite the chill. What was it really?
I moved even more cautiously than when I’d left the kitchen.
On tiptoes, careful not to let my soles stick or slap the floor, step by tiny step.
Finally nearing it, I peeked through the open door crack into the utility room.
And I jolted in shock.
"......!"
Because someone in white clothes was standing there stock-still.
Shit, that scared me. I gasped sharply, the sound echoing in the quiet.
Then that ‘someone’ whipped their head around to look at me.
The instant our eyes met, right before I could scream,
"Jae-o hyung?"
"Oh, Jae. It’s you."
I realized it was Lee Jae-ohand instantly calmed down.
Come to think of it, he was way too big to be a ghost.
Must’ve been my half-asleep brain playing tricks.
"Not sleeping?"
"Just came for water. What about you, hyung?"
"......Yeah, just... couldn’t sleep."
Lee Jae-ohscratched his head awkwardly.
That’s when I noticed something.
I walked over plainly and looked at the display cabinet opposite him.
Among the many items inside, what Lee Jae-ohhad been staring at.
"It’s a medal."
"......Yeah."
It was a gold medal.
"Did you win that, hyung?"
"Yeah. From the Junior World Championships."
But calling it just a medal felt off.
Lee Jae-ohseemed to be looking at his past self, before the accident.
‘He’s still hung up on it, huh.’
It made sense, in a way.
He always acted fine around us, like it was no big deal, but how could it not be?
Fencing had been his everything.
Watching him gaze at the cabinet with wistful eyes made my chest tighten.
It felt like looking at my own past.
That’s why I couldn’t say a word.
I knew adding anything wouldn’t really comfort him.
"Jae."
"Yeah, hyung."
"You still don’t remember anything?"
"......"
I nodded silently at his sudden question.
He continued in a flat tone.
"Can I ask one thing?"
"Sure, anything."
"How’d you decide to rejoin the debut team?"
"......What do you mean,"
"You lost all memories of practicing with us, but you still auditioned to get back in."
If I didn’t become part of EverPlanet, I’d die for real, that’s what it said.
"I was curious. What made you decide so fast to debut with us again?"
"Uh......"
"For me, it took forever to commit to being an idol."
It took time to accept it.
Lee Jae-o’s voice was bitterly wistful.
Several times more than that day we’d gone for ice cream.
After a pause, he sighed and spoke emptily.
"......Forget it. Pretend you didn’t hear. Coming back home just... stirs up thoughts."
"Actually."
As I spoke up after listening quietly, Lee Jae-ohfell silent.
I tried to comfort him as best I could, speaking calmly.
"I didn’t think much about it."
"What?"
"No big thoughts."
"......"
"My dream was to be an idol anyway. Even if I don’t remember, they said I’d made the debut team once. Then they kick me out? That pissed me off enough to audition, and I earned my way back fair and square."
"......"
Lee Jae-o’s face darkened as he listened.
Like he hadn’t heard what he wanted.
I called his name.
"Jae-o hyung."
"......Yeah."
"Do you regret it?"
"......"
"Regret it?"
"......A little."
Honest. That was his truth.
A truth he couldn’t hide, a lingering attachment he couldn’t conceal, and...
"Sometimes I think about it. That day, I knew I wasn’t in top shape. But it was my first international match as a national team member. So I chose to compete anyway, and I paid a brutal price for that choice."
A desperate longing for the dream he couldn’t achieve.
And I knew that feeling better than anyone.
"I know someone like that."
"......"
"A trainee at a huge company. Made the debut lineup too. But got kicked out right before debut."
"Why?"
"......Some circumstances. Anyway, couldn’t join another company after that, so he buckled down, aced his college entrance exams, went to university. Now lives a life he never imagined. Totally unrelated to his dream."
Lee Jae-ohnodded quietly as he listened.
"That must’ve been tough for him."
"Yeah. Probably. But he told me something."
"What?"
"Life goes on, and you get used to it. You carve out a new path to survive, it becomes familiar, you even find small joys in it. You feel a pang for the unfulfilled dream one day, but the next, you push forward with what’s ahead. Before you know it, it’s okay. You accept it. Sort of."
Proof? I majored in Korean education and still love reading.
Still ace grammar and spelling, still effortlessly teach others.
"That’s just how life is, right? Things don’t go as planned. I lost my memories in an accident too......"
"......"
"When it’s tough, sometimes just pushing forward without overthinking is the way. Time handles the rest."
If I’d never had the accident and kept living as ‘Seo Il-hyun,’ I’d probably have become a teacher for life.
And maybe... eventually found joy in that.
Maybe stopped yearning for the lost dream.
Filled that space with a new one, a new path.
"Then maybe your regrets will fade for real someday, hyung."
"......"
"By then, this cabinet might hold something we achieved together."
"......"
"I want to walk that far with you. Keep standing on stage together."
I wanted that for Lee Jae-o.
To live on as EverPlanet with us, painting over his past in new colors.
So he wouldn’t hurt anymore.
I knew how much it hurt.
And all I could do was walk beside him.
Lee Jae-ohlistened quietly, then let out a long sigh.
And smiled.
"Yeah. I hope that day comes."
"Yeah."
"Thanks, Jae."
His face looked a bit more at ease now.
* * *
The next morning dawned as usual.
After breakfast, we headed out with a send-off from Lee Jae-o’s parents.
The manager hyung’s van waited in front of the apartment.
"Sleep well, everyone?"
"Yes. You, hyung?"
"Hyung’s in top form today too. Let’s roll out."
The van sped toward the venue.
The show started at 7 p.m., but we had rehearsal first.
So we headed to the venue bright and early.
We soon arrived.
A staff member hurried over as we got out.
"You’re the performers?"
"Yes, EverPlanet."
"Got it. Follow me, please."
We followed him to a white tent labeled ‘EverPlanet.’
He guided us inside and said,