Chapter 400
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 400
Seo Ho-yun, who had been softly chanting English lyrics, let out a small chuckle at the flood of questions popping up on the screen.
"You're asking what this song is?"
After answering that it was a pop song by a foreign artist, he stood up and even fetched a bass guitar from the corner of the studio in response to a request for some bass accompaniment. He plugged it into the amp, sat back down, and began to pluck the strings.
【—If you kiss me, I just melt away
If you smile at me, it feels like a movie】
[He’s singing!]
[Suddenly pulls out a bass lol]
[Holy crap, I love this so much]
[No, but everyone narrating his every move is seriously so funny Hahahaha. Is Ho-yun a pet or something?]
[Welcome to Ho-yun’s Forest... I feel so healed.]
Unlike his flashy, high-energy performances on a brightly lit stage, the sight of Seo Ho-yun humming softly and effortlessly in the dimly lit studio felt like a scene straight out of a movie.
Just as the song was reaching its climax, the door behind him suddenly swung open.
"Hey, Seo Ho-yun, what are you doing for lunch—"
It was Kim Seong-hyeon.
Entering with his usual familiarity, Seong-hyeon froze the moment he saw Ho-yun. He looked like someone who had just witnessed something he shouldn't have—specifically, Ho-yun singing while playing the bass.
"Oh, Seong-hyeon. Hello."
Ho-yun gave the leader of The Dawn a bright, beaming smile.
At that, Seong-hyeon’s eyes narrowed even further as he scanned Ho-yun from head to toe. His gaze first landed on the soft, fluffy white sweatshirt, then moved down to the light-colored jeans and the white sneakers. Seong-hyeon quickly grabbed the doorknob.
"Goodbye."
With a farewell that held not a single shred of lingering attachment, he slammed the door shut and bolted.
[LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[Kim Seong-hyeon, why did you leave immediately? Hahaha]
[That was the look of someone sensing immediate danger lol]
"Good grief."
Ho-yun let out a huff of laughter. He set the bass on the floor, stepped out of the studio, and promptly returned dragging Kim Seong-hyeon back by the scruff of his neck. After forcing him into a seat, Ho-yun picked up the bass again and began a private concert exclusively for Seong-hyeon.
【love is not that far away…】
[Seong-hyeon, you are so bad at hiding your expression Hahahaha]
[└ He looks like he hates this so much and wants to leave by any means necessary lololol. His legs are shaking so hard, he looks incredibly anxious lol]
[He’s totally gonna say something like, "This concert is for you and you alone, Seong-hyeon," in a second.]
[└ Hahahaha]
[└└ LOLOLOL Argh!!! He actually did it! He sang a serenade just for him at the end! F*ck lolololol. Seo Ho-yun, you crazy bastard, you're so funny T_T Hahahaha]
Ten minutes passed, and after three songs had been played, the lead vocal finally ended the live stream, satisfied only after the main dancer’s face had turned pale and hollow.
[Is he crazy? Why is he acting like that out of nowhere? Did Seo Ho-yun hear a rumor that The Dawn is winning a Daesang or something? Why is he like this?]
[I mean, no matter how much Ho-yun acts all innocent in front of Noeul, he’s never been like this;; He looks genuinely happy.]
[You usually walk around with a face that says, "Ah, these sh*theads, what are they so happy about..." whenever Noeul isn't around... ]
[└ LOL f*ck... that’s such an inappropriate expression for an idol, but it’s incredibly accurate. There’s no better description.]
A few hours later, sightings of Seo Ho-yun at a certain department store began popping up one after another on social media.
[Ho-yun, you bought so many gifts for your girlfriend? Were you in a good mood today because it’s an anniversary? Lol #TheDawn #SeoHoYun #LookingForNoEul]
Malicious posts also flooded in, but those who had been part of The Dawn’s fandom for a long time weren't particularly bothered.
[It’s actually fascinating that Seo Ho-yun went to a department store.]
[I know, right? The guy who used to only go to the local convenience store.]
There was already a level of trust built up over the years.
Upon closer inspection, the items Ho-yun had purchased weren't even suitable as gifts for a girlfriend.
[According to other sightings, he was buying pens at the store. Who gives their girlfriend a pen for an anniversary? I mean, you could, but isn't that a bit lame for an anniversary gift???]
[And the other thing he bought besides the pen was men's sneakers lol. He put them in the same shopping bag. Girlfriend, my ass... Just say it's for a better Republic of Korea instead.]
[Wow, is Seo Ho-yun finally becoming a celebrity among celebrities? Even getting bait like this lol]
Realizing it was nothing serious, the Noeuls had fun Retweeting the posts. Eventually, they started using the quote feature to jot down their daily to-do lists instead of using a notepad app, which led to the original posts being deleted.
Meanwhile, it was a secret known to no one that Seo Ho-yun, who had just finished shopping and returned to his own home—not the dorm—burst into laughter while checking the live stream reactions as he stuffed side dishes into the fridge.
* * *
'Ah, this is nice.'
The perfume ad meeting for a luxury brand's beauty line, which had been scheduled for early morning, ended much sooner than expected. This left him with plenty of time to do a live broadcast for the fans and still have a gap before the evening practice session. Thanks to that, he was able to comfortably stop by the department store to prepare a gift for Seo Ho-jin to celebrate his success.
As he placed the perfume he received at the meeting and a diffuser that was said to be unreleased on the living room cabinet, his gaze naturally drifted to the photo of his parents sitting beside them.
I crouched down and tapped the clean frame with my fingertip, smiling.
"What do you think? I raised him well, didn't I?"
Scholarships, graduating at the top of his class, and even passing the law school entrance exam.
I had vowed to raise him without him wanting for anything, and it seemed I hadn't wavered in that resolve. Before I knew it, my younger brother was squirming to break free and become an independent adult.
Feeling delighted all over again, I hummed a tune as I pulled back the curtains and stepped out onto the balcony, opening the window wide. I had already contacted Seo Ho-jin, so I figured he’d be here soon. I intended to organize my thoughts while looking outside.
'I need to check it out first.'
I couldn't just tell the company to investigate my uncle because he seemed suspicious. I needed at least a minimum amount of evidence to have a justification for asking them to handle it.
It wasn't particularly unusual for relatives to cling to a successful celebrity. From what I had heard when I faced the legal team regarding malicious comments a few times before, WH Entertainment was already well-versed in these matters.
Furthermore,
'I also need to confirm how much that son of a bitch knows and how far he’s willing to go.'
If he had stayed out of my sight, that would have been one thing. But now that he had appeared, I had no intention of letting him live in peace.
Feeling a stinging sensation in my palm, I realized I had been clenching my fist and relaxed my grip. I let out a sigh as I looked at the deep nail marks.
Just thinking about the memories from back then was unpleasant and disgusting.
To change my mood, I ran a hand through my hair and looked down. At that moment, an alarm suddenly blared, and system windows began popping up frantically.
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Just like the moment a major problem was about to erupt.
"..."
Shifting my gaze away from the system windows, I scanned the area for the cause. And then, I spotted a man with a familiar profile sitting on a bench near the entrance of the apartment complex.
"...Wow."
His head was turning restlessly, looking around anxiously, and his legs were shaking incessantly.
"Ha, haha, ha..."
Right. I wondered why he hadn't shown up here yet.
An exclamation escaped my lips as a wave of nausea-inducing anger crawled up from my toes through my veins.
"Unbelievable..."
At this point, should I thank him for walking right into my hands?
I saw Seo Ho-jin just entering the complex.
At this rate, the two of them were guaranteed to run into each other.
Without time to weigh the options or calculate, I immediately pulled my phone out of my pocket. My heart pounded wildly even as my fingers habitually dialed the number.
[Hello? Hyung?]
"Hey, stop right there."
Seo Ho-jin’s steps slowed to a halt. He then looked around his surroundings.
[...Why? What is it now? You're scaring me. Hyung, are you home already? Why aren't you say—]
"...Did you buy the cake?"
Since this was a sudden situation and I hadn't prepared a proper excuse, I just blurted out whatever came to mind.
[What?]
"I told you I wanted to eat some."
[...Since when??]
I briefly shifted my gaze toward the bench and then back as I spoke slowly.
"...Buy a pumpkin cake and then come."
I hung up without waiting for an answer.
After staring at his phone for a moment, Seo Ho-jin eventually turned around and left the complex. I couldn't see his face because I was on a high floor, but he undoubtedly looked bewildered.
I closed the window, went back into the living room, grabbed my coat from the sofa, and burst out the front door.
'Two weeks to settle things? My ass.'
Bugs need to be dealt with the moment they're discovered to avoid future trouble.
I repeatedly pressed the elevator button, but it was slow to arrive. Clicking my tongue, I headed for the emergency exit. As I ran down the stairs, my mind raced, plotting how to absolutely destroy that piece of sh*t who wasn't even worth the effort of tearing apart.
Since I didn't have any physical evidence that would hold up legally right now, it was difficult to apply for a temporary restraining order. Moreover, I currently didn't know what kind of things he had done to the Seo Ho-jin of this world, who was the same age as me.
'In the end, it just means I shouldn't fight him fairly.'
As the old saying goes, old habits die hard.
If he hadn't changed much from the 'maternal uncle' I knew, a little digging would surely kick up plenty of dust.
But suddenly, a worst-case scenario took root in a corner of my mind.
'What if he has no flaws? What if he just keeps hovering around us endlessly...?'
Back when I was a PD, I didn't even need to do a background check. Threatening and browbeating them was enough to chase them away.
But now, I couldn't respond in the same way.
The reason was simple. I was a public figure.
'Goddammit, this is seriously sh*tty.'
I’d felt being an idol was inconvenient before, but I’d never been this annoyed by the profession itself.
"Hey. Come out."
I slowed my pace and spoke into the air.
"You've been ringing the alarm, so you must know the situation."
I was talking to the System Window.
"What did you do this time?"
Ding!
[What do you mean, "what did I do"?]
A bright blue light flashed as if it were offended by my accusatory questioning.
"A relative who suddenly appears after no contact all this time... doesn't it feel a bit like déjà vu? It’s very similar to how things look right before a problem explodes..."
Before I could even finish, the System Window displayed new text.
[No, I really didn't do anything this time. I even performed a format, but there's no way a system that has once glitched can operate perfectly. I'm coordinating as much as possible, but even the system can no longer predict what variables might arise.]
I passed the rows of text and headed down to the next floor as I asked.
"Can't you do something about it?"
[If that were possible, I wouldn't have let this situation happen in the first place. ...Never.]
The System Window flickered as if it had more to say, then vanished.
In truth, provoking it was just a way to see if I could find an easy way to resolve this, to confirm it wasn't the System Window's doing, and to see if my hunch was correct.
'It’s strange no matter how I think about it.'
The fact that he appeared now, after three years of living perfectly fine lives separately.
None of my college colleagues, my connections from my PD days, or even other relatives who would have pounced on the insurance money showed any sign of appearing. So why did only the maternal uncle who looked after Seo Ho-jin come here?
This world was one where, almost excessively so, every unpleasant person from my previous life had been excised. The public who poured criticism on me, Jeong Cheong-yeon who spat curses, and the family members who called incessantly.
'As the error occurred, Jeong Cheong-yeon's memories briefly awakened...'
If an error I hadn't grasped yet had occurred there.
The phrase "cannot operate perfectly" and the part about it being "difficult to predict what variables might arise" in the System Window's explanation seemed to support my hypothesis.
If I could just erase the existence of the 'maternal uncle' from my life again, I was willing to pay any price.
In the end, it all came down to memory—
"—Ah."
My thoughts reached a conclusion, and the hand that had been gripping the handle of the emergency door on the first floor lost its strength.
...There was a way.
Because I had reviewed it so many times, a single window naturally came to mind with just a thought.
[RESET]
An opportunity to initialize a specific part.
Required Points: 300,000
A specific part...
[If you use a Partial Reset, you can revert only a designated portion. For example, Seo Ho-jin's memories. However, even for a very small part, the price is high. Because you are restoring something to its complete state, after all!]
...And a designated portion of—.
'—Reset.'
I had only thought of it as a tool to restore Seo Ho-jin's memories, but in reality, this was a 'Reset'—in other words, an 'Erasure.'
Even in the System Window's explanation, Seo Ho-jin was only used as an example; the target wasn't limited.
In other words, if I paid the points, it could revert any designated part.
...For example.
"Wow."
Something like that sh*tty uncle's memories.
"That's right. There was something like that."
The corners of my mouth curled up on their own.
The more I chewed on it, the more it felt like the most realistic and appealing method.