Chapter 318
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 318
There is an age-old rumor that floats around the broadcasting industry: if you see a ghost while preparing for a comeback, that album is guaranteed to be a massive hit.
A lingering gaze felt from the corner of an empty practice room, an object vanishing into thin air inside a dorm, a specter appearing in the recording studio...
These stories have been used as tropes in the media so many times that, by now, nobody really buys into them anymore.
Jeong Seon-ui used to snort whenever he heard such superstitions. To him, they were nothing more than a gimmick to drum up public interest.
Today, however, the atmosphere at WH Entertainment was so unsettling that it wouldn't have been surprising if something actually appeared. Through the windows, polished so clean not a speck of dust remained, a sky heavy with overcast clouds was visible. A strangely chilling and gloomy vibe permeated the entire building.
Feeling a sense of foreboding, Lee Ji-hyeon tilted her head.
“Team Leader, why is it so cold in here?”
“I know, right… Is the air conditioning up too high?”
Jeong Seon-ui absentmindedly rubbed his arms with his palms as he headed toward the meeting room with Lee Ji-hyeon.
“Still, I’m glad we can start recording right away without any issues. Thanks to that, the next album should be released on schedule.”
“I agree…”
“There’s really no other group like our The Dawn!”
Despite being frequently ordered around by Seo Ho-yun, Lee Ji-hyeon took meticulous care of the group.
Jeong Seon-ui shook his head and kept walking.
“Anyway, let’s work hard today as well—”
The moment they reached the meeting room and opened the door—
Whoosh.
A frigid draft brushed against their cheeks.
“Is it just me, or is it colder in here than it is outside…?”
Lee Ji-hyeon, who had been shivering and muttering, suddenly cut herself off.
The members of The Dawn were already seated in the meeting room.
As usual, Seo Ho-yun was leafing through a thick stack of documents, and Kang Yi-chae was rolling a pen with a beaming smile on his face. The other members looked composed. However, the source of the freezing air was clearly emanating from the center of the group.
“Ah, should I turn off the air conditioner if it’s too cold?”
Before Lee Ji-hyeon could stop him, Kim Seong-hyeon stood up and grabbed the remote. Jeong Da-jun, sitting next to him, mumbled under his breath.
“It’s still cold even with the AC off…”
Jeong Seon-ui and Lee Ji-hyeon cautiously stepped inside, glancing at the members before letting out small sighs.
“…Well, shall we, uh, start by talking about the teaser?”
After a brief silence, Lee Ji-hyeon was the first to speak.
Despite the lingering chill, the meeting itself proceeded smoothly. Jeong Seon-ui simply rubbed his arms again, guessing the truth.
Something definitely happened, he thought.
*
I’m screwed.
The silhouette reflected in the dim light was coldly etched into my vision. I forced my feet, which wanted to bolt toward the emergency exit, to stay planted on the ground.
“Have you been well?”
Kang Yi-chae remembers me.
Even Ju Woo-seong and Min Ji-heon didn't know.
How on earth…?
A barrage of hypotheses pierced my mind like a meteor shower, tangling into a mess of warnings.
“You seemed to be having fun.”
If I showed any sign of panic right now, there would be no fixing this. I had to stay calm.
Feeling my heart thumping violently against my ribs, I looked at Kang Yi-chae with a level gaze. Standing at a crooked angle with his arms crossed, he was waiting for my answer.
This is insane.
His gaze, filled with absolute certainty, stabbed into me.
Given that he mentioned Kim Woo-ho, it seemed he had also existed in Unknown Actor Tycoon…
Could I make an excuse? He clearly came here to confirm his suspicions; he wasn't going to be easily fooled.
Should I just come clean and tell him everything?
“Kang Yi-chae…”
In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of words surfaced and vanished.
Because of the situation, a flicker of hope rose in my chest that he might actually believe my story—
He might even help me until the very end.
Until I go back.
Damn it.
The moment the thought of eventually having to return crossed my mind, I snapped back to my senses as if doused in cold water.
“…What do you mean, have I been well?”
“……”
“Did you not see me? I seriously thought I was going to die right then and there.”
As expected, it was better to just play dumb.
Even if he knew my circumstances, it wouldn't do him any good. The same went for me.
I didn't particularly need his help, either. It was enough for him to continue fulfilling his role as a member of The Dawn, just as he had been doing.
He’s a good rapper, a good composer, and he listens well enough in his own way…
“Are you okay?”
I took a step forward to change the atmosphere and spoke.
“How are you feeling? I heard you were quite ill too.”
Kang Yi-chae didn't respond; he only continued to glare at me with a frigid expression.
A sigh escaped me involuntarily. Rather than continuing a conversation in this gloomy, suffocating space, it seemed better to go outside and get some of that humid, muggy summer air.
From what I’d learned of Kang Yi-chae over the past two years, this guy was not someone who should be left in a dark, cramped place.
“Let’s head out for now. The others will be wait—”
The moment I turned around, walked toward the emergency exit, and grabbed the knob to open it—
Thud.
A slightly larger shadow blocked my view, and a hand reaching from behind me gently pressed the door shut.
Then, he slightly turned his head and looked down at me with lowered eyes.
“……I knew you’d do this.”
A heavily cracked voice reached my ears.
“I knew you’d try to run away, Hyung.”
You look like you’re trying to stab me to death with your eyes right now.
I swallowed the sentence that rose to my throat and kept my mouth shut. The glint in his eyes looked extremely dangerous. In times like this, silence was the best policy.
Just then, a phone rang loudly again.
“…Hyung, do you know when I finally opened my eyes?”
Kang Yi-chae hung up without even checking the caller ID and rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke.
“It was when people were buzzing about that pathetic drama you filmed with Min Ji-heon.”
Chills ran down my spine.
At the same time, I remembered the error that had occurred in the system window after Min Ji-heon used his ability.
What if Kang Yi-chae had been swept into this world because of that glitch?
“I won’t bother explaining how confused and clumsy I was after waking up in that house in America I’d neglected for so long… or what kind of miserable days I spent.”
The words poured out of him without hesitation, as if he had practiced them many times.
“In that world… you were an actor, Hyung.”
As he continued, Kang Yi-chae’s brow furrowed slightly.
“I looked everything up. The dramas you were in, entertainment news programs… even tiny articles in newspapers and live videos. When I saw that familiar signature, I was certain. You had been dropped into that place, too. So I tried to meet you, but…”
The person who had come to the WH Entertainment building to see me…
The advertisement that had been put up telling me to pay back my debt…
“But it turns out celebrities are even harder to meet than I thought.”
He let out a hollow laugh.
Just as I was about to part my lips, looking for a moment to interject, Kang Yi-chae’s gaze locked onto mine again.
He was demanding an answer.
“Kang Yi-chae.”
This was the moment to cut him off.
“I really have no idea what you’re talking about. Did you have a dream or something?”
There was a reason why people summoned to hearings consistently insisted they didn't know anything.
There was no proof that the ‘Seo Ho-yun’ in Kang Yi-chae’s story was me. If the person in question denied it, he wouldn't be able to push any further.
I mustn't lose my cool.
The air surrounding us felt taut with tension, like a pulled string.
I knew instinctively.
The moment I showed even the slightest opening to this bastard in front of me, I would be bitten and swallowed whole, bones and all.
“Go wash your face or something—”
“Hyung. Ho-yun Hyung.”
Kang Yi-chae rubbed his brow, looking a bit exhausted.
“It was hard for me. Being left all alone in an unfamiliar place, wondering if I could ever go back, if people would remember me. Wondering if everything I believed to be reality was a dream, or if I had truly gone insane. I was buried in those thoughts. I couldn't even sleep properly for months.”
“……”
“And yet… you’re going to end all of that by calling me a madman who can’t even distinguish between dreams and reality?”
His hand obscured his face, making it hard to see his expression.
“Do you think I’m a joke, Hyung?”
I swear, I never thought of him that way.
It was just that there was nothing I could tell him.
A heavy silence seemed to weigh down on my shoulders.
As I searched for any topic to shift the mood, Kang Yi-chae’s sharp gaze pierced through me.
This guy…
Saying nothing was the right answer.
Kang Yi-chae was observing every detail of my reaction with a quiet intensity.
“Nothing in this world just happens out of nowhere. Coincidences can’t repeat themselves, either. And strange occurrences don't happen back-to-back. Why you collapse all the time even though the hospital says you’re fine. How that drama Shining Star came to be. Whether other dramas are related…”
His deductions were getting closer and closer to the truth.
“…All the bizarre things that have happened so far—it feels like they’d all be explained if someone just admitted it.”
I had to push him away more firmly before a real problem arose.
I brushed back my bangs and replied in a calm tone.
“You must have been really sick.”
The corner of Kang Yi-chae’s mouth twitched.
Just as I was about to leave the area to avoid the guy who looked like he was about to explode, the door swung open.
“Oh!! Here you are!”
The person smiling brightly with beads of sweat on his forehead was Jeong Da-jun.
“Ugh, it’s so dark. What are you guys doing in here?”
The maknae, who hadn't seen Kang Yi-chae’s face yet, babbled as he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand.
“Ah~! Hyungs, why aren't you picking up your phones!! Please pick up quickly, I was worried! Ji-won Hyung, Seong-hyeon Hyung, everyone was scattered like we were playing hide-and-seek, so I was look… ing… for…”
“……”
“……”
“……I’m sorry.”
Jeong Da-jun, finding himself the center of both my and Kang Yi-chae’s attention, looked around tentatively. He gave a quick bow, turned around, and scurried back out the way he came.
At that, Kang Yi-chae grabbed the doorknob and opened it again.
“Gah!”
Startled by the door suddenly swinging open, Jeong Da-jun, who was still outside, jumped in fright. Kang Yi-chae, however, merely wore a faint, nonchalant smile.
“If you don’t want to talk, Hyung, I guess there’s nothing I can do. I’ll just look into things slowly, one by one.”
“……”
“To see if I’m the crazy one, or if you’re just playing dumb.”
Aren't both true?
While I grumbled internally, Kang Yi-chae stepped out into the hallway first and ruffled Jeong Da-jun’s hair.
“Maknae, I missed you like crazy.”
Then, humming a tune, he walked away.
I stared at the back of his head.
This was an incredibly annoying situation.
Of all the people to find out, it had to be this fucking guy…
“…Wh-what’s up with him?”
Jeong Da-jun, who had frozen stiff at Kang Yi-chae’s touch, hurriedly smoothed his hair and clung to my arm, gauging my reaction.
“Ho-yun Hyung, maybe you should just beg Yang A-chae for forgiveness?”
“……”
“……Never mind. I’ll be the one to beg, okay…”