Chapter 14

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 14

Chapter Title: Seolgi

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"Hm. Hm. Family? I don't really care either way. But I wonder if it even means much. Even if they meet me, the main personality won't remember it. And for me, it's all just memories anyway. I don't really have any feelings as family. In a way, you could say the main personality is the creator who made me."

The monk's personality, who had just devoured the two donuts and strawberry smoothie that Chief Kim had bought from the first-floor cafe, spoke as if it was no big deal.

"I see..."

"Wouldn't it just cause more confusion from the start? A voice like this coming from this body. It might actually be better if they don't see me."

"That's a fair point."

Professor Lee nodded readily. It made sense. The family would only end up more confused. Even from a slight distance, it was a bizarre situation—what kind of reaction would they have up close?

"Hm... But still. I'd kind of like to meet the main personality's mother. There's something I want to say to her."

"Ah, got it. Chief Kim, could you bring the mother in?"

"Sure. What about the other two?"

"Those two... they're fine for now. They're tough people anyway. Aren't they watching everything through CCTV somewhere? I can't see it, but there has to be one around."

"..."

This damn monk—his perceptiveness was annoyingly sharp, no matter how you sliced it. Professor Lee glanced at the door with his eyes, while Chief Kim stood there blankly until he finally caught on and stepped out to fetch the patient's mother. Chief Kim really had zero awareness.

"A-yeon-ah..."

The monk's personality glanced over Mother's face and met her gaze. It was the same sharp look he'd used to size up the director just moments ago.

"...Don't look at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me with such longing. You'll wear my face out. For starters, I'm not even your child. I'm just a lingering remnant borrowing this body for a bit."

"Yes... I heard you had something to say to me."

"Well, it's nothing grand. I just wanted to tell you not to blame yourself too much."

"...Pardon?"

"You were in a tough spot yourself, and from that look on your face, it seems like you're carrying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠some unnecessary guilt."

"Unnecessary...? I... I..."

Mother stared down at her trembling hands, tears welling up, but the monk cut in firmly the moment he saw it.

"Beating yourself up like that changes absolutely nothing! You need to think about the future, don't you? Get a grip!"

"Ah..."

"You're not going to avoid seeing each other forever. How long do you plan to stay chained to the past?"

"Yes... Yes..."

"Don't just let it go in one ear and out the other—think about what's ahead. For now, it might be best to avoid face-to-face until the main personality recovers. From what I remember, he liked baseball and games. Maybe show him some baseball? He hated mobile games and only played PC ones, so gaming might be tricky. But how's that Whales team doing? They were supposedly unbeatable in the spring."

"Well... Ha-jin—no, A-yeon really loved it enough to go to games in person... I don't know much about it myself. But yeah, she was full of energy in the spring. Her face would cloud over through the summer, turn to gloom in the fall, and by winter she'd be grumbling about when baseball season starts again..."

Mother started recalling memories at the monk's words. Their cheer-up team really did lift her spirits when they were winning. You could tell the game results just from her expression.

"...The Whales are in last place right now."

"What."

"It's spring, though?"

Professor Lee sighed as the two looked shocked.

"I was from Busan up until high school myself..."

"Ah."

...It was spring.

"What a mess. Should I just show highlights from their wins?"

"That could work."

"Or we could find another way. Lying isn't ideal, right? Hm. Or maybe play the songs the main personality liked?"

"Come to think of it, the director mentioned filming a special promo video. Maybe we could invite her favorite singer then? A hospital like ours can cover the appearance fee."

"Oh? That's a great idea! So-yun wants to be a singer too, so we could have them meet!"

"But Monk, why are you suddenly so excited?"

Professor Lee asked, making a mental guess at the monk's sudden energy. The monk shamelessly donned a mask of innocence and replied smoothly.

"Suddenly excited? Must be a misunderstanding. Oh, right—the main personality's favorite domestic singer was this group called Freya. He liked Seolgi from them the most. The rest were mostly foreign artists."

This crazy bald-ass monk? Freya was an idol group even he'd heard of. For university professors who avoided celebrity gossip unless it involved the hospital, it had to be huge. Seolgi was a new name to him, though.

"...You sure about that?"

"Of course."

"No personal bias at all?"

"Heh heh, come on—what do you take me for?"

A-yeon's mother quietly gauged the mood, unsure what they were on about. Either way, Freya's Seolgi. The director wasn't one to let personal feelings sway him, so he'd likely approve the request.

"Understood. I'll suggest it to the director."

"Do that. I'm getting tired now, so I'll rest. Next time I wake up, it'll probably be the main personality, so keep that in mind."

"...A final farewell?"

"It might be, or it might not. Everything has its causes and effects. Where there's meeting, there's parting. That's why even a single encounter must be cherished. Time gone by doesn't return. Paradoxically, that's what makes life both beautiful and painful."

"Thank you..."

"Don't dwell on it too much yourself—it was just an accident. See yourselves out."

The monk's personality pulled the blanket over himself and turned sideways, signaling no more talk. The two soon slipped out of the room.

Seolgi, a member of the group Freya, caught only the hate comments that got deleted at lightning speed amid the flood of chats rushing in, and bit her lip inwardly.

Freya. Not the absolute top in Korea right now, but a girl group whose name anyone would recognize. It was true she was the least popular among the four members. But no matter how many times she saw chats scraping at her like that, she couldn't get used to it. Even the "Where are the other members?" chats triggered her paranoia. Yeah, she had to do this. The others only streamed on special days, but as the unpopular one, she needed stuff like this.

Instagram Live. Group broadcasts ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were on a different platform exclusive to fan club members, but she stuck to Instagram for her solo ones. Low recognition meant maximum exposure was key. Better than being treated like the "3+1" in fans' eyes, at least in her opinion.

'If only the members were jerks, I could resent them—but they're all too damn nice, so I can't even do that.'

Did the members even know how she felt? Swallowing her unspeakable frustration, Seolgi forced a smile. Viewer count: around 10,000. Low even accounting for weekday daytime. The others hit 30k solo, even 50k easy.

The CEO had picked her for her sense of responsibility, but honestly, she didn't get it. They could've debuted as a trio and done even better.

"No other members today~ Everyone's got personal schedules. I had a shoot that just wrapped, so heading back to the dorm to rest~"

Ignoring the hate slipping through despite her 1-year-follow restriction, Seolgi responded to the visible chats. Pretty? Sure she was... but the other three were prettier. And each had their specialties: vocals, rap, dance, etc.

Compared to them? Vocals? Decent. Rap? Decent. Dance? Decent. But nothing she excelled at. Her position: sub-vocal 1, smallest parts.

'What's the point of all this inferiority complex? Sigh. Just do what I gotta do.'

"Yeah yeah, Mom's boy is playing, so... gotta watch!"

As the chats ripped into her without mercy, her inner Busan demon was about to descend when her manager up front got a call.

-Ring ring ring.

"Ah, sorry. On stream right now? Yeah? What? The CEO? Hold on, stopping the car."

"Okay, unnie."

-What's this manager doing right now?

"Yes, CEO. Taking Seolgi back to the dorm. Hold on, pulling over."

The manager, starting a hands-free call, pulled into the shoulder, hazard lights on, and began talking—just in case.

The CEO at this hour? What was up? Usually, her senior manager Kim handled CEO calls. First direct one in three years of managing.

-Perfect timing. Seolgi's schedule clear today? Bring her to Korea University Hospital now.

"...Pardon? Korea University Hospital!?"

Gasp. Right—in her daze thinking she was muted during the call, the chat exploded. Seolgi panicked, forgetting to mute, and killed the stream.

'Wait—this is bad.'

Her bad premonitions were always spot on. The rumor spread like wildfire, trash reporters latching on. Her low profile meant headlines like this: