Don't Tell Anyone...
Week one.
Nature's performances looked surprisingly solid.
There was a touch of awkwardness, a hint of strain, but everyone seemed genuinely happy—joyful, even—at finally getting to do something that felt like real idol work.
"Today's stage was incredible too…"
On the ride back home, Harin murmured the words while sprawled across the car seat.
The other two quietly nodded their agreement.
Of course they did.
This was everything they had been preparing for. Every ounce of effort had been poured into this single moment. Someone's schemes had forced it all underground for a while, but now they could finally show the world what they had built. The sense of accomplishment was absolute.
By the time they reached the dorm, all three had already collapsed into exhausted sleep. One thing, though, was unmistakable: smiles lingered on their faces.
Week two.
Monday. The start went smoothly.
Tuesday. The girls began to lose steam.
And then came the long-awaited Wednesday.
"…………"
They started losing their words.
There was satisfaction in the work. But satisfaction only lasts so long when the same grind repeats every single day. Of course, dancing under the roar of the fans was something these natural attention-seekers would never turn down—but the problem was that they were doing it without a single real break.
Extremely short rest periods. Even those had to be spent inside the car.
The one silver lining was that Hyewon had put real effort into making that cramped space work.
"Eight o'clock."
[Beep.]
"Behind. Sniper."
[Beeeep. Beep.]
Sujin had installed a full computer setup right inside the vehicle. At first she kept quitting mid-match because of motion sickness, but now that gaming was her only escape from reality, she conquered car sickness through sheer stubbornness.
"So damn good."
[Shhhk, fwump!]
Yeonhwa had stocked snacks and light meals—she'd even bolted in a mini-fridge. You might worry an idol would pack on the weight eating like that, but an Awakener's calorie burn easily covered the intake. If anything, not eating that much would have left them physically drained. As dungeon veterans, their mental and physical management in this area was clearly solid.
And then…
"Hooooh…"
[Nyarrrm…]
Harin had set up a plush mattress and a sleep mask. The most orthodox arrangement, in a way. Still, there was something worrying about it.
I heard she hasn't been sleeping well at night lately…
It looked a little precarious. But she was an Awakener—she wouldn't collapse that easily.
"Lord, please heal these people."
On top of that, Ayoung kept casting heals on them. Thanks to her, the physical side still looked manageable.
"Hnnngh…"
Overall, nothing had gone critically wrong yet. But the quiet dread that something could snap at any moment kept growing.
Week three.
"…………"
Everyone had completely crashed.
Harin had been sleeping in the car from the start, so it was harder to notice, but the dark circles under her eyes from insomnia were deepening. Sujin no longer even touched the games she used to love so much. She just lay beside Harin and tried to sleep. Yeonhwa was the only one who still looked somewhat stable.
"Sss… haaaa…"
Meditation. Sometimes more effective than simple sleep—especially for mental upkeep.
But a stage was something you built together.
If this keeps up…
They would fall. At least Harin and Sujin would, without question. Ayoung kept pouring heals into them, but you can't heal a mind that's been ground into dust.
And that meant the "worst-case scenario" I had predicted was about to become reality.
"So let's take a break."
"…What?"
I cut straight to it. I wasn't asking for days off. I wasn't suggesting some fancy getaway.
"Just one day."
One day was enough. Let them sleep properly for a single day—not in the Nature dorms, but at their own homes, comfortably, deeply. Just one full day of rest and they could hold on.
"If we keep going like this, the girls are all going to collapse."
"…They're still fine."
"They're not fine, so we're resting tomorrow. That's the right call right now."
"I'm constantly monitoring their condition. And the dorms are set up so the Nature members can rest as much as possible."
"So what, are they video-game characters? Swap the bed and their rest efficiency goes up so they recover ten more HP?"
I'd said it before: for a Spirit Contractor, mental state is everything. Mental first, physical second. Without enough mental strength to commune with their spirits, the bond between contractor and spirit frays.
"Physically they might look okay. But that's only 'physical.' It's not 'mental.'"
What these girls needed wasn't a premium steak. It was a simple home-cooked meal. Not some luxurious cream stew—just kimchi jjigae with a can of tuna dumped in.
"People aren't machines. You know that better than anyone. Did you already forget what happened at the Academy?"
"That—! …That…"
She lowered her head. There had to be something that hit home. If there wasn't, she wouldn't be human.
"There are things you can't measure with numbers or stats. Someone who's failed over and over because of exactly that should understand…"
"…But."
Hyewon lifted her head and pleaded.
"At this point, I can't stop."
"…………"
I stayed silent.
"If we halt here, we end up with nothing. So right now is the time to push through."
"You think the girls feel the same way?"
"At the very least, after everything I've done for them so far, I believe they'll follow along with a little extra strain."
"I don't know about that."
"……"
Her eyes asked if I was mocking her. I wasn't. I just needed to drive one point home.
"If the girls collapse, that's when I quit as producer."
"…I know."
Her clenched fists trembled. Her eyes held the look of someone who had already steeled herself. That was why I had no choice but to say it.
"Do whatever you want."
"…………"
A flicker of unease crossed her face for just a moment. That was the absolute best I could offer as their "producer."
The start of week four.
Exactly when Monday began.
"Uu… aauuugh…!"
"Sujin?"
Sujin collapsed.
They had left the dorm and arrived at the venue. Still half-asleep, she thrashed on the car sofa, unable to fully wake. It looked bad. Ayoung immediately rushed over and cast heal after heal, but there was no sign of improvement.
"This… she wasn't like this just this morning…!"
I brushed past the panicking Hyewon and laid my hand on Sujin's forehead. Cold. No fever—if anything, the chill leached into my palm. Cold sweat. Weak, pained moans. She was hurting and exhausted. But her body itself wasn't injured. Which meant the source of the pain was obvious.
"Sujin…"
Hyewon slowly reached toward her.
[Hssssssshaaaak!!!]
"Euk—?!"
Before her hand could even touch, Dasu appeared in force and slapped Hyewon's hand away. Baring their teeth, they went on guard. Hostile. Angry. Furious. They turned their fangs on the person who had reduced their friend—the master they had chosen—to this state.
"…Sujin."
Hyewon withdrew the hand she had extended. She pressed her lips tight and took a step back, completely at a loss. I slowly rested my hand on Dasu's heads and stroked them firmly.
"It's okay. I won't. I won't touch her."
[…Beeee.]
"I'm sending her home just like this. So relax."
[…….]
Dasu pressed a damp nose hard against the back of my hand. A wet stamp left behind, as if sealing a promise. When they begged like that, what choice did I have?
"Ayoung. You know the girls' home addresses, right?"
"Yes. I'll send them back."
"Good."
I'll leave Harin and Sujin to you for a bit.
"…What?"
"What do you mean…?"
Harin and Hyewon both looked stunned. But I wasn't taking the words back.
"Go home."
"I'm fine, though?"
"Wipe those dark circles under your eyes before you say that."
"Euk… It's just how it looks. Unnie Ayoung's been taking care of me, so I'm better than you'd think!"
"Stop claiming you're fine."
And what about Nitro? That electric cat of yours?
"It doesn't even listen to you anymore."
"!! …Ah… Nitro?"
"Save the stubbornness for people who can actually afford to be stubborn."
They had already hit their limit back in week three. Somewhere in the middle they should have rested at least once. They didn't. They forced the schedule through, and now their mental state was completely wrecked.
"Y-Yeonhwa unnie! Yeonhwa unnie is still doing fine!"
"You think a B-Class Awakener who goes in and out of dungeons for a living is a joke? B-Class puts you in the top ten out of a hundred—elites. Their stamina and mental fortitude start from a completely different place than you rookies with no foundation!"
"Ugh…!"
No. Go home. There would be no exceptions to this order. In the end the two of them were half-carried away. Left behind were only me, Yeonhwa, and Hyewon.
"So… what now?"
"What do you mean, what now."
We'll just have to make it work somehow between us. I answered Yeonhwa's question while summoning the spirits. I had prepared for the possibility this might happen… no. I had imagined it. That was why I prepared and could respond.
"Hecate. You remember all the stage choreography, right?"
"This form has arrived."
"Seiren. Shinpung. I need a favor."
[It's good pretty girl time!]
[Piyo piyo!]
If two people were missing, we simply filled the two spots. The choreography was known, and Spirit Contractors (plus a spirit that looked human) were right here.
"…What are you doing?"
"What do you think. Love's tea— ughhh. Has my mental state gone too?"
"Ehk."
I checked my body in the mirror. It had been a while since I'd done this, but the result was chillingly precise. Back then they had only been mid-to-low rank; now they were upper spirits looking toward the supreme tier. Of course the transformation had become that much more refined and detailed.
And the voice, too.
Back then I hadn't had Shinpung, so I couldn't manage it. Now I borrowed her power to adjust the vibration of my vocal cords. In an instant my voice flipped into a woman's. From every angle I looked like nothing but a natural-born woman.
"Yeonhwa, just do what you always do. Can you manage?"
"Insane."
"…What."
"Wait. That. Uh. Whoa. Oof. Uwaah?"
She was visibly flustered. Her face flushed. The tips of her ears turned faintly pink.
"You okay? You sick somewhere too?"
"———!!!"
The moment I brought my hand to her forehead, Yeonhwa snapped into a rigid attention stance. She flinched, startled; her lips trembled, and then she collapsed right there on the spot.
"Hic! …Hwaaah??"
"…You're sure you're okay?"
She looked seriously off. If Yeonhwa broke down too, maybe it would be better to just cancel the whole thing. I started to undo the transformation, but Yeonhwa stepped forward, grabbed my shoulder, and stopped me.
"Stay still."
"Hey?"
"I'm fucking fine."
"…O-okay."
She said she was fine. Looking into her eyes, though, she seemed a little unhinged. I synced back up with Yeonhwa and got ready for the stage. Blocking, stage direction—those were all things I had personally handled from the start, so there was no issue. All that remained was to step out onto the stage itself.
"W-wait a second."
"Hm?"
As we prepared to head to the venue, Hyewon turned to me with a question.
"Why… why would you go this far?"
"Go what far."
"This is my mistake. My failure. So why… why would you put yourself through looking like that…"
"Hey."
"! …Yes."
I needed to clear up one misunderstanding.
"I'm not doing this because I like you."
"…What?"
"If the stage falls apart right here, everything Nature's girls worked for turns into pure wasted suffering."
Nature's efforts become wasted suffering. Everything they poured in turns to dust. And what that meant was—
"You know what sunk cost is?"
"Ah…"
Even all my own bullshit would vanish into nothing. I hated it. Part of me wanted to throw the whole thing away. But that still wasn't a reason for the Nature girls to go down with me.
So I said it.
"Besides, I'm not the producer anymore, right?"
I told you, didn't I? If the girls collapse, I quit as producer.
"Then…"
"Just one day."
It wasn't intentional. But I couldn't stand watching a stock that had been rocketing upward suddenly draw a free-fall graph straight into the abyss.
"Today only."
Watch carefully.
And don't tell anyone.
Really.
Please.
I'm begging you…