Chapter 207
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 207
“I have a really bad feeling about this.”
I’d woken up early out of habit, made some coffee, and sat down at the dining table, but I couldn't even take a sip. I just sat there, leg shaking uncontrollably. Kang Yi-chae glanced at me and spoke up.
“What are you doing?”
“I’ve got a bad vibe.”
My bad-vibe radar is never wrong.
The moment he heard my answer, Kang Yi-chae looked back and forth between me and the room I shared with Seong Ji-won—where Ji-won was still getting ready.
With intuition like that, shouldn't this guy be setting up a fortune-telling mat in the middle of Gangnam instead of being an idol?
“You only just realized that?”
He shook his head, tossed out that cryptic remark, and brushed past me into his own room.
My leg shook even harder.
Wait, usually, doesn't someone else buy the birthday cake for the person involved?
I wanted to grant almost any request Seong Ji-won had, but this was smelling incredibly fishy.
“Ho-yun, let’s go.”
But in the end, when Seong Ji-won finally emerged, fully prepared, I followed him out without a word.
I thought he might avoid my gaze again, but today he was beaming, striking up conversation with an uncharacteristic warmth.
“I heard the cakes at this hotel are delicious.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, really delicious.”
His cheeks were even a bit flushed, and the way he kept repeating himself made him seem higher-spirited than usual.
Seeing him like that, the petty annoyance I’d felt—wondering if I’d helped him for nothing after what happened yesterday—vanished instantly.
We moved without even a manager in tow, fully armed with hats and masks. Since it was a weekday morning, the hotel was fairly quiet.
“How about this one?”
“Since we’re buying one anyway, get the biggest. Jeong Da-jun is an elephant these days.”
My mouth was on autopilot, but my mind was elsewhere.
This was the hotel Yun Hee-eon used to frequent. I was on high alert, worried that if Seong Ji-won’s lingering rumors got tied to this place, it might give them some unwanted credibility.
Is it better to leave as fast as possible?
Or should we linger in the lobby and try to frame it as a heartwarming sighting of members buying a birthday cake together?
“...Since we’re here, do you want to grab a bite?”
While I was weighing my options, Seong Ji-won suddenly suggested a meal and led me toward the restaurant located in the hotel’s lobby lounge.
Fortunately, there weren't many people here either.
Seeing me naturally take a seat in a secluded corner, having half-given up, Seong Ji-won asked, “Have you been here before?”
“A few times.”
I’d practically lived here.
Not for any good reason, but for an investigative program. A teammate I was working with almost got into deep trouble by offending some high-ranking official during the preliminary research before we even properly started.
I couldn't even count how many nights I’d spent staked out here.
As I leaned my chin on my hand and stared out the window, I heard Seong Ji-won’s slightly trembling voice.
“So you have been here.”
Up close, Seong Ji-won’s expression was calm. I sipped the water the waiter brought, thinking I should at least feed him something good since it was his birthday before rushing back to the dorm, when Ji-won spoke again.
“About Yun Hee-eon...”
“Pffft!”
The water I was swallowing surged back up. I scrambled to cover my mouth, but water still leaked through my fingers.
I knew I had a bad feeling for a reason!
So he came out here just to talk about this.
I pulled out some tissues to wipe myself, trying to gather my swirling, chaotic thoughts.
“Um, we clashed at every turn, so I didn't have any good feelings toward him, but seeing him in the news for something bad doesn't exactly feel great either.”
“Well, he reaped what he sowed.”
Was having a lot of relationships the problem? Look at Ju Woo-seong.
Actually, it was a problem. But his biggest mistake was treating other people like pushovers.
“You saw the texts from before, so you know... Yun Hee-eon contacted me a lot. He said a lot of things to get under my skin.”
“Mm.”
“But I understand why he thought that way. My old agency was really, truly awful.”
I know. Is there anyone who doesn't know D.go is trash?
“I know you looked out for me a lot because of that. Thank you.”
“...”
He didn't seem to have any intention of asking me directly like he did on Christmas. But he clearly wanted to convey his gratitude, so he was delivering the message indirectly.
I just shrugged at his consideration.
“He’s not contacting you anymore, right?”
“Yeah. Not anymore. He seems busy.”
I looked at Seong Ji-won as he let out a faint smile, and I smiled back.
Ah, whatever.
It was worth the effort—the time, physical energy, and mental strain I’d spent dealing with that annoying mess. If someone important to me didn't have to look at that bullshit anymore, wasn't that enough to offset all the trouble?
Was he nervous just to say this?
It was nothing.
We finished our meal in a fairly warm atmosphere and were sipping tea for dessert. I was just thinking we should head back and celebrate his birthday when it happened.
“You said you’d been here before.”
“And?”
“I’ve been here before, too, a long time ago. ...Because of my old agency.”
Hearing that, I pulled my back away from the sofa and downed the rest of my tea in one gulp.
“Shall we head out?”
It seemed better to leave before any unpleasant memories could resurface.
But Seong Ji-won waved his hand.
“No, it’s not that. Um, where should I start explaining?”
His eyes darted around as if organizing his thoughts before he spoke slowly.
“...First of all, nothing happened that you’d need to worry about. I only ever saw this lobby lounge. Someone from the company told me we were going for a profile shoot, but then they just tossed me a card key and dropped me off at this hotel.”
I tried my best not to let any expression show on my face.
“When was that?”
“Three years ago. It was my birthday that day.”
Is this guy... did he bring me here on the same day, to the same place, on purpose?
...Why?
I watched Seong Ji-won, unable to grasp the situation. Strangely, he was as tense as he had been on the day of our first showcase.
“...I was just standing in the lobby like an idiot when someone acted like they knew me and asked for the card key. It was definitely someone I’d never seen before.”
Seong Ji-won’s lips curled slightly as if recalling that moment.
“So... I don't know why I did it, but I just handed over the card key in a daze. Even now, I think it’s ridiculous.”
Suddenly, what Seong Ji-won had said on Christmas flashed through my mind.
—“There’s someone I’m looking for.”
—“Because they helped me when I was having a hard time.”
—“Right before I left my old agency.”
This sounds like my story....
“I told you before, didn't I? That I was looking for someone who helped me when I was struggling.”
“...Are you sure they helped you?”
“Ahaha, thinking back, maybe they didn't. But this much is certain.”
A clear laugh escaped Seong Ji-won’s lips.
“They intimidated me.”
Me? Intimidate Seong Ji-won?
“What did they say again? That the people they understand the least in this world are kids like me. What’s the point of living like a parasite like that—?”
“Ah, stop! You can stop there...”
“—'Will you be able to walk around with your head held high?' they asked.”
The familiar tone made it clear it was me even if I’d seen it while passing by at 100 km/h. I wiped my face with both hands, praying it wasn't me.
Ding!
But, as if to betray my hopes, the system window appeared.
[Some memories are being unlocked.]
It is me!
Goddammit, this is driving me crazy. When I was desperately waiting for a scenario quest, it was nowhere to be found, but it shows up at the most impeccable, unwanted timing.
“...How old are you?”
I remembered a younger Seong Ji-won, sitting dazed in the lobby lounge we’d just passed.
At the time, I’d needed the card key Seong Ji-won was holding to clean up a mess a colleague had made. I’d looked at him with pathetic disdain for a moment, knowing the intent behind why that key was given to him, but after realizing he’d been tricked by his agency, I think I felt more pity than anything.
“Don't do things like this. You'll only regret it.”
“...What am I supposed to do now?”
The Seong Ji-won I met then was very different from now. He was gaunt, sensitive, and aggressive. Like someone who had no idea what kindness was. It was probably because he had no room to breathe.
“Don't worry, that wasn't all they said.”
Seong Ji-won tapped his teacup, which he hadn't taken a single sip from.
“As I said before, they were harsh, but they were a good person to me. I was at a point where I was wavering a lot, but thanks to that person, I stayed in this industry.”
“...”
“And thanks to that, I’m with you now.”
As a gentle smile spread across Seong Ji-won’s face, the system alarm rang.
Ding!
[You have gained the 'Absolute Trust' of 'Seong Ji-won'.]
[Notoriety Points decrease.]
[You have heard all of 'Seong Ji-won's' past. 'Private' status is lifted.]
It’s progressing like this all of a sudden?
The guy who said he only wanted to show good things and say pretty words to those he cared about—what kind of change of heart did he have to bring up such a deep story?
It didn't seem like he was doing this just because I helped with the Yun Hee-eon matter. That might have opened the door, but the direction this was taking was strange.
Let’s get out of here.
My bad-vibe radar was screaming that there was something more.
“Right, well. I’m glad there was a person like that.”
The moment I tried to wrap up the conversation and leave,
“I waited.”
Seong Ji-won’s voice pierced my ears vividly.
“I waited all this time. Because no matter how much I searched, I couldn't find them. They were clearly an industry professional, but no matter which broadcasting station I scoured or which agency I looked through, they weren't there. They left such a strong impression, a face I could never forget, yet I couldn't remember a single detail. As if someone had erased it on purpose.”
“...”
“But I remember the tone and the atmosphere clearly. That was all I had of that person, so I replayed it countless times.”
The more Seong Ji-won spoke, the greater my anxiety grew.
“But you know what? A week ago, a certain memory suddenly came back to me.”
At those words, I simultaneously remembered the moment the system told me it was unstable and to watch myself, and the way Seong Ji-won had been lingering around me unusually often.
“There was a scar.”
Seong Ji-won’s gaze slowly traveled up from my hand to my arm.
“...In the exact same spot as yours, in the exact same shape.”
A red emergency light went off in my head. I quickly tried to figure out the criteria for unlocking the scenario that I’d just glossed over.
Solving the incident wasn't everything. If that were the case, Seong Ji-won’s scenario would have ended back on Christmas. Besides, he hadn't opened up his inner thoughts to me like this back then.
Then was it the difference in the depth of trust?
Ding!
[Seong Ji-won, The Dawn Main Vocal]
[Note: He continued his trainee life without giving up on his dreams after receiving advice from the player 'Seo Ho-yun' in the past. Having been given a major turning point in the past by the pl■yer ■■, Seong Ji-won trusts his benefactor Se■ Ho-■un.]
[Main Scenari■ 57% Comp■ete.]
[Proceeding to the next main chapter—.]
Ring!
Ring!
Ring!
Ri...
R...—
* * *
—.......
The alarms that had been blaring in my ears abruptly cut off, and the system window turned black.
So, does the current Seong Ji-won trust me more than the Seong Ji-won of the previous world?
“Is it you?”
No.
[E R R O R]
[E R R O R]
[E R R O R]
[E R ———]
[E ————]
[—————]
He was simply equating the past with the present.
With the same trust.
If that was the case...
[■haracter '■i-won' is—]
[Per■on 'Seong Ji-■' is the pl■■er—]
[Character 'Seong ■-won' is suspec■ing the ■■en■ity—]
The dead system window flickered out, and soon, a new window popped up.
Ding!
[Character 'Seong Ji-won' suspects the player.]
“Ho-yun, was that you?”
Scenarios can be unraveled.