Chapter 316
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 316
I hurriedly bought a hat at the Express Bus Terminal Station underground shopping mall, pulled it down low, and walked toward the spot where the advertisement had been.
Ding!
[Why are you here?]
“I was curious.”
I wanted to know who this bastard was that claimed I owed them money.
At first, when I saw the message telling me to pay back the money I borrowed, I dismissed it as a playful prank from a fan—a nuance intended to get me to contact them.
But as time passed, the phrase ‘Ho-yun, pay me back. And contact me’ kept rustling in the back of my mind.
The tone felt strangely familiar.
Then, suddenly, I remembered a phone call from my manager during the filming of Dead after Hope, mentioning that someone had come looking for me.
At the time, so many people were trying to get in touch with me that it was likely nothing important, but I decided I needed to be sure. I had casually asked the manager about it.
“Manager, did anyone come to see me by any chance?”
“Who? The CEO?”
But he seemed to know nothing.
I had come here myself hoping to find even a late clue, but...
“……Sigh.”
The ad placement period must have ended; everything had been taken down.
Nothing was coming easily.
I turned away with a sigh.
After walking just a few steps, a familiar place appeared.
About two years and a few months ago—back when we were filming Season 1 of Shining Star—I heard that fans had put up a digital billboard for us. I had practically hijacked the van from the manager to come here to the Express Bus Terminal Station.
Kim Seong-hyeon, who had been suffering deeply due to the school violence controversy at the time, burst into tears the moment he saw it.
I, too, still remembered every single word written on every single post-it note.
Letters from fans are always precious, but the post-its I saw then left a particularly strong impression on my heart.
Later, when I went out to eat with the members and the manager, I had chuckled at Kim Seong-hyeon, who was still dripping tears, telling him to stop crying because he’d be receiving much more of this in the future….
“It’s empty.”
Naturally, there was nothing here now.
I sat on a nearby bench and took in the surroundings, now filled with other advertisements.
Ding!
[What are you thinking about?]
I looked up and stared at the system window for a moment.
“…What’s your angle?”
I felt it was time to ask. After being dropped into Unknown Actor Tycoon and filming the drama Shining Star, I had realized something.
“Did you gather The Dawn members on purpose?”
Writer Lee had said it.
A combination that could never fail.
Yes, it was true.
The members' stats were evenly distributed, and looking back now, they were even excessively high.
This realization became even clearer as the filming for Shining Star progressed.
And I thought:
Perhaps the members were gathered for my sake.
A world that was too easy.
It wasn’t that there were no hardships, but the situations, the members, and even the people around me felt as if they had been placed in the perfect spots just for me.
For something that had shoved me into Unknown Idol Tycoon, the days were so good I could almost mistake them for peaceful.
And that was the problem.
Because life can’t only consist of good things.
[……What do you mean by that?]
The system window only flickered with a steady blue light.
“If you don’t want to answer, fine.”
I couldn’t know the exact reason I was sent here, but seeing how the errors were fixed, it meant the system window had already achieved what it wanted. I didn’t expect to get information easily in this situation.
And if it got frustrating enough, I could just dig it up myself like I always had.
Tsk. I clicked my tongue and was about to head back when the alarm rang again.
Ding!
[The only answer I can give you is this.]
[I only wish for Seo Ho-yun to be loved by many people.]
“Bullshit….”
I waved my arm as if telling it to cut the crap and snapped my fingers.
Simultaneously, the rectangular frame scattered like smoke, and a new window appeared.
Would you like to return to Idol Tycoon?
Yes / No
I nodded.
Soon, my vision distorted and began to spin.
There were many irritating moments, but in the end, I had accumulated a lot of points and even managed to relieve some stress and refresh my mood.
With the points I’d gathered, I’d be able to recover Seo Ho-jin’s memories soon, too.
[Returning to Idol Tycoon.]
It wasn’t a bad ending.
However…….
[Preparing synchronization…….]
Min Ji-heon’s words continued to cling to me.
[Synchronizing points…….]
To force yourself into someone else's clothes, there must be a sense of plausibility. If you received something important, a corresponding price will surely follow….
[Synchronizing awareness…….]
In other words, for the sake of my life, someone had to sacrifice something.
[Synchronizing stats…….]
The thoughts that branched out one after another finally dragged out a person I had been ignoring until now.
A premonition so ominous it made my stomach churn.
[Synchronizing ■■■…….]
That stupid bastard who sacrificed something….
[All synchronization complete.]
Might be my brother…….
[Returning to Idol Tycoon.]
‘Ha….’
As I was enveloped in white light, I squeezed my eyes shut.
‘Damn it.’
…I just made a really, truly shitty assumption.
.
.
.
Blink,
…Blink.
“……!”
As I floated through a hazy consciousness, I slowly blinked my eyelids, and suddenly, my senses came rushing back.
I regained my focus, sat up, and looked around. The sight was familiar enough after seeing it a few times—it was a hospital room.
Right next to the bed was Seo Ho-jin, dozing off while sitting uncomfortably in a chair.
I fumbled for the phone on the nightstand and grabbed it.
Looking at the date, it had been exactly ten days and a bit more.
[Congratulations!
You have successfully returned from Unknown Actor Tycoon.
Your points have been accumulated and can be used in Idol Tycoon.]
[Points: 370,000]
As I recognized the present, the system window sparkled, flaunting its existence.
After checking only the points, I let the strength leave my hand and dropped the phone onto Seo Ho-jin’s lap.
“…Wha—!”
“Hey.”
“……Uh, huh?”
“What are you doing here? Looking all pathetic….”
However, before I could finish my sentence, Seo Ho-jin’s eyes snapped open, and he scrambled to his feet.
“……Gasp!”
“Hey, you should go home and….”
“Hyung?! Hyung, hyung, hyung!?”
“…get some comfortable rest…….”
“Is it really you? You’re awake?!”
Clatter, bang!
Go ahead, break the whole hospital room while you're at it.
Seo Ho-jin panicked, slamming into the table and stumbling over the chair.
“Are—are you okay?! How do you feel? Does it hurt anywhere?”
“I think I’d be very healthy if you’d just shut up.”
“Wha—what?”
“What about school?”
Seo Ho-jin’s fussing stopped instantly.
The rims of his eyes were reddish.
“Schoool? School? You’re saying that to me right now…!”
The brother’s voice, which had risen as if about to explode in anger, died down just as quickly.
“…No. Forget it. Hyung is still sick. Let’s not get angry. Let’s endure, endure….”
This brat.
“Hyung, tell me honestly. Are you suffering from some illness I don’t know about?”
“There’s no such thing.”
“Then why do you keep getting sick like this? Even the doctor says they don’t know the cause.”
“I said there isn’t one. Hey, you, get out of here and….”
I was about to kick him out of the room to restore my peace of mind—telling him to go be the contact person for the members while muttering about whether he should get a checkup abroad—when I noticed something.
“…Are you crying?”
Drops of water began to roll down Seo Ho-jin’s cheeks, one by one.
Despite being built like a mountain, the way he cried was exactly the same as when he was a kid. He’s so soft-hearted; how is he going to survive in society or get married later?
“I thought you were… really, really going to….”
“…….”
“Why do you always…….”
I felt awkwardly self-conscious and stayed still, while Seo Ho-jin bit his lower lip hard.
“Fuck, whatever…….”
“…Look at you.”
“I didn’t curse.”
I didn’t ask if you cursed. I just said ‘look at you.’
Feigning innocence, he raised his arm and rubbed his eyes vigorously.
“Stop being so dramatic and quit crying. People don’t die that easily.”
“…You sure have a way with words.”
Seo Ho-jin grumbled, pouting his lips, before letting out a deep sigh.
“I’ll go get the doctor. And the members. Everyone was so worried.”
Then, as if embarrassed about crying, he walked quickly toward the hospital room door.
For some reason, my chest felt a bit ticklish.
I brushed back my messy bangs and picked up my phone again.
Missed Calls: 57
Messages: 382
Ignoring the missed calls for now, I checked the messages.
Scrolling down the list, I found Ju Woo-seong.
[Ju Woo-seong: Did you collapse again?]
[Ju Woo-seong: You crazy bastard, being born so frail..]
[Ju Woo-seong: Text me when you wake up]
“…Hmm.”
I tapped the phone screen with my finger for a moment before hitting the call button.
The ringing continued for a long time. Just as I was about to hang up, thinking he might be in the middle of a schedule—
[Yes, hello.]
Ju Woo-seong’s voice leaked through the speaker.
“……Uh….”
As I was organizing my thoughts on how to start the conversation, a shout loud enough to make my ears ring suddenly pierced my eardrums.
[Seo Ho-yun?!!]
……He’s certainly energetic.
I pulled the phone away for a second before bringing it back, and a torrent of words poured out.
[What, what?! Are you conscious? You bastard, when did you wake up? You’ve been fine for a while and only just called me now, haven’t you?]
“…….”
[Are you okay? Are you alive? I can’t visit right now because of my schedule… Ah, one moment!]
It sounded like he had stepped away while working; I could hear someone calling him in the background.
[Hey, I’ll stop by later today with Cheong-beom Noona and Hee-yeong PD. You’re still at the hospital, right?]
“…Yeah, the hospital.”
[Got it. Don’t overdo it and go wandering around; just stay put.]
I didn’t answer and just scratched the back of my head.
Then, Ju Woo-seong asked in a slightly cautious tone.
[…Are you in a lot of pain? Why are you so quiet?]
“No.”
[Ugh, damn it. Then why is your voice like that?]
Whether it was Seo Ho-jin or Ju Woo-seong.
Why was everyone making such a fuss?
“Woo-seong.”
[What?]
Even as I thought that, the concern being directed at me no longer felt foreign or uncomfortable.
I could no longer deny it.
“…You’re such a pushover.”
I liked it here.