Chapter 7
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 7
“Is this really where Ju Woo-seong lives?”
“Yeah, I saw him going in last time….”
As I sat in the cafe, I could hear whispering from the surrounding tables.
Judging by how they were making a scene while laying out Ju Woo-seong’s photocards, they were likely sasaengs. The way they kept glancing sideways and checking Twitter with anxious expressions only heightened my suspicion.
“But I heard he’s really hard to run into. Ju Woo-seong absolutely loathes this kind of stuff….”
“Still, if we hold out for a week, we might catch at least one glimpse of his face behind a mask.”
They really were sasaengs.
I took a sip of my grapefruit smoothie and lifted my phone once more. A flood of messages had come in.
Not from Im Hyeon-su, not from the manager, and not from Seo Ho-jin.
Just then, the girls glanced over at me.
“Hey, is that guy a celebrity?”
“His face doesn’t look familiar, though….”
“Maybe a trainee?”
“Ah, did he come here to be a back-up dancer or something? You know, bundled in with a singer?”
Actually… I’m not a trainee. I’m more like a half-baked idol. I didn’t make it to the showcase, but I heard I at least recorded the debut song.
Regardless, all that effort I put into clearing quests was paying off. Now that my Charm stat had increased, people were starting to react.
[Character: Seo Ho-yun.
Trait: Excessive Self-Consciousness]
I’m going to kill you.
The system window was picking a fight again.
I can’t help it. Today is an important day.
[Quest Arrived!:
‘The System Window’s Curiosity.’
Why did the conceited Seo Ho-yun suddenly dress up?
Satisfy the system window’s curiosity.
Success Reward: Nothing.
Failure Penalty: The system window will pout.]
“You’re really abusing your power now, aren’t you?”
I ignored it. It would find out the reason soon enough anyway. Perhaps the system window really was pouting, as no further notifications appeared. This bastard made of zeros and ones sure throws a lot of tantrums.
My phone vibrated. I picked it up to see that I’d hooked a big one.
[??: Who are you?]
[??: I asked who you are.]
It’s a bumper crop.
[Me: Haha]
[Me: If you’re curious, come to the cafe.]
I sent the text and checked my other messages.
[Manager: Ho-yun, think about this one more time. I don’t know what you’re thinking right now, but a person shouldn’t put on airs. If you come back now, the members will accept you, so immediately… (omitted)]
I left the manager’s text on read.
Next was Im Hyeon-su.
[Im Hyeon-su: Hey hey hey hey hey]
[Im Hyeon-su: Mr. Seo Ho-yun]
[Im Hyeon-su: Ho-yun-ah ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Im Hyeon-su: This is insane ㅋ The song turned out so damn well]
[Im Hyeon-su: Wait]
[Im Hyeon-su: Ah ㅋㅋㅋ I really must be a genius ㅋ]
[Me: Just send it already.]
[Im Hyeon-su: You’re seriously so annoying]
It was the morning after I’d blackmailed Im Hyeon-su. I ignored her as she bragged about the quality of the output. I’d throw her a compliment sometime in the afternoon.
And finally, back to the sender of the first message.
[??: Wait there.]
Yes, that’s more like it. A satisfied smile spread across my face.
Amidst the chaotic messages, there was only one thing I needed right now. Anyone quick-witted would probably realize who I was texting.
As I was skimming through my messages, the cafe owner suddenly handed me a slice of cake. Confused, I stared at it until she gave me a wide grin.
“This is on the house.”
“Ah, thank you.”
I was about to strike up a conversation, feeling quite pleased, when—BAM!—the cafe door swung open with perfect timing.
It wasn’t just a rattle; it was a BAM. A heavy thud.
He must be in quite a hurry.
“Haa… haa….”
It was a man covered in black from head to toe.
Wearing a hat, a mask, and a tracksuit, the man was panting as if he’d run all the way here. However, everything covering him from head to toe was luxury brand.
He’s here.
Our next mark.
“Huh? That’s….”
“Could it be?”
The sasaengs froze the moment they saw him. Ignoring the startled owner, the man scanned the inside of the shop.
“Isn’t that Ju Woo-seong?”
Ju Woo-seong. A member of South Korea’s top idol group, Black Call. A member of a group that achieved success by pouring capital into everything—a major agency, famous overseas composers, and even Californian dancers.
But right now, he’s just my mark.
I slowly raised my hand. Then, with a bright smile, I called out to him.
“Hyung!”
Hey, sucker!
I didn’t really want to call a mere twenty-five-year-old ‘Hyung,’ but what could I do? I’d been rejuvenated by ten years and was currently twenty-three.
[Quest Arrived!:
‘Do It Yourself Now’
Mr. Seo Ho-yun, you seem to be doing just fine even without quests.
Try blackmailing Mr. Ju Woo-seong.
Success Reward: +10 Charm
Failure Penalty: -100 Awareness]
At my call, Ju Woo-seong slowly locked his eyes on me. Then, with a deep scowl, he strode over.
“It’s you, right?”
“Hyung, you’re finally here.”
Ju Woo-seong shouldn’t know who I am right now. But when I acted like I knew him, his face took on an expression that practically screamed, ‘Are you kidding me?’
“What do you think you’re doing? No, who even are you?”
“Ayy, what kind of joke is that?”
“What?”
I approached him closely with a playful smile. Lowering my voice, I spoke to the still-clueless Ju Woo-seong.
“There are sasaengs of yours nearby.”
“…….”
“Play along if you don’t want any strange rumors spreading.”
Having something to hide, Ju Woo-seong shut his mouth. His lips trembled as he forced them into a smile.
“…Can’t you even take a joke, little brother?”
“Ah, Hyung! I’ve been waiting forever.”
“Sorry. Uh… it’s a bit crowded here. Shall we go up?”
“Sure, let’s do that.”
I stood up with a smirk. I gave the cafe owner a light nod.
As I moved to leave with Ju Woo-seong, the sasaengs tried to scramble after us. Ju Woo-seong narrowed his eyes, quickly exited the cafe, and skillfully shook them off before reaching his home.
“Your skills are no joke.”
“…….”
Ju Woo-seong ignored me. I guess he hasn’t been an idol for nothing.
The moment we entered the apartment, the sight of the marble floors made it clear he’d made some serious money.
Once we were alone, Ju Woo-seong immediately put his guard back up.
I trudged over and sat on the sofa. My body might be younger, but the urge to sprawl out the moment I saw a sofa was part of my nature.
“Nice place.”
“Who are you?”
It was the exact same reaction Im Hyeon-su had yesterday.
“Who are you to blackmail me like this? A reporter? Or what, a scammer?”
“Your imagination is… quite lacking.”
At least Im Hyeon-su had a cute side, the way her brain was constantly whirring. When I voiced my honest opinion, Ju Woo-seong grit his teeth.
“If not, then how did you send this!”
Ju Woo-seong huffed as he thrust his phone forward. It was a photo of him intimately hugging another idol. Their faces weren’t clearly visible because they were turned away, but it was obvious the two were very much in love.
Dating.
The ultimate sin for idols. It was categorized on almost the same level as drugs, drunk driving, and violence.
While the perception has improved lately and general fans tend to be supportive, that wasn’t the case for the true core fans.
“It looks as pretty as a scene from a drama.”
It was a pity, but for me, it was just great blackmail material. The photo was quite vivid.
“Are you a paparazzi? I’ve never told anyone else about this….”
“Something like that.”
Back when I was producing investigative programs, I’d planned a special on idol sasaengs. This was a photo someone had slipped me back then; who knew it would be used like this?
“I asked who you are!”
“Whoa, hold on. Let’s calm down for a second.”
“I’m calling the police.”
I called his name calmly. Since he didn’t seem like he was going to settle down, I decided to ‘slightly’ suppress his spirit.
“I don’t think I’m the one who should be worried right now…?”
“…….”
“With one flick of my finger, that email will be sent. The media folks are practically salivating for this.”
What would happen then? I kindly laid out the reality for Ju Woo-seong.
<Ju Woo-seong’s Secret Date—His Partner is an Innocent Girl Group Idol?!>
“Then you’ll be dominating the real-time search rankings tomorrow, won’t you?”
And the internet’s reaction would be something like this:
“Well… fine. There are quite a few idols who date publicly these days.”
However.
“But your partners seem to change every three months. Last time it was four months, before that it was two months, and before that, three weeks.”
That’s right.
“It seems you’ve dated almost everyone who appears on music shows?”
Ju Woo-seong was a player.
He wasn’t two-timing, but the speed at which he swapped partners was practically LTE-level. The White Cherry girl group member wasn’t the end of it. The list of idols and actors he’d dated could fill a whole truck.
If that became known, Ju Woo-seong’s clean image would be over. Done. Finished.
“And if Ju Woo-seong’s ex-girlfriend list is leaked onto the internet one, two, three… slowly?”
“…….”
As I calmly stated the facts, Ju Woo-seong’s face turned pale.
Then, it would happen. Soon.
-
One by one, the fansite masters would leave.
The grand finale.
“I’m sure demands for your removal will pop up on some site….”
Ju Woo-seong clutched his head. After despairing for a long while, he barely managed to ask.
“Money? Is it money you want?”
…This is triggering.
I’d always wanted to say that line myself.
As someone who lost all his money upon entering this parallel world, this was seriously making me lose my mind.
“How much do I have to give….”
“…….”
“Never mind.”
The important thing was something else. It was pitiful to see Ju Woo-seong looking like he was about to get on his knees and beg, and it was pitiful for me too.
“Not money, something else. I don’t want to do this either. Honestly, what did the idols who dated you do wrong? They just met the wrong guy….”
“Stop it. Then what? What do I have to give you?”
I let out a hollow laugh. As expected, this guy’s imagination was incredibly poor. At least Im Hyeon-su’s brain worked a bit better.
“Do you even know who I am? You should at least know that first.”
“Do I need to know that?”
Of course you do, you brat.
“I’m Seo Ho-yun. An idol.”
“…….”
“…….”
Silence filled the room. After a long pause, Ju Woo-seong’s parched lips parted.
“Are you… a crazy bastard?”
[Options:
- De-het! (Tilts head and lightly taps head with a fist—underlined for cuteness) I’m not a crazy bastard!
- A bastard crazy for success (Star).
- I’ve tried hitting ‘Mi’ and riding the ‘Wave’.]
I clenched my fists. Time ticked by precariously.
As expected, the words flew out of my mouth of their own accord.
“De-het!”
No, it wasn’t just the words. I tilted my head and tapped it with my fist.
“I’m not a crazy bastar-ding!”
“…….”
F*ck……
“……You really are a crazy bastard….”
Taking it seriously, Ju Woo-seong looked at the ‘crazy bastard’ with pity. I just wanted to bite my tongue and pass out right then and there.
I pressed my hand to my forehead and reflected on what I’d done wrong in my past life. There were too many things, so I couldn’t even pinpoint it.
“Crazy junior, fine, I get it. I clearly see that you’re an idol. I just didn’t remember you because you’re a nobody.”
“That’s fine. I’m sure you won’t be able to forget being blackmailed by a nobody junior now.”
“…….”
Feeling dizzy, Ju Woo-seong pressed his forehead, then gathered his patience and asked again.
“So what do you want? If you’re talking this much with photos in hand, there must be something you want.”
“Of course.”
“What is it, if not money?”
It seemed this guy was incapable of handling any variations from the standard script, unlike Im Hyeon-su.
I sighed and decided to pick up the red pen and write down the answer for him. Ju Woo-seong watched me anxiously.
“What I want right now? It’s very, very easy and simple.”
When I suddenly spoke calmly, Ju Woo-seong rubbed his arms as if he’d gotten goosebumps.
Come to think of it, I feel like Ju Woo-seong used to avoid me even back when I was a PD. Despite us having no real connection.
He said something about a bad vibe, or whatever….
Why did you avoid me?
“Hyung, are you good at acting?”
I’m actually a nice person, you know.