Chapter 95
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 95
As if it were a being capable of actual emotion, the system window displayed visible flusteredness. It flickered with static, as if plagued by interference.
The more time passed, the stronger my conviction grew that this wasn't just a simple system, but "something" else entirely.
“…….”
When I deliberately endured the silence and waited, the system window finally gave in first. A new window popped up, and text began to form.
[What did you hear from Min Ji-heon back then?]
I thought it would try to slip away again, but I was wrong. Surprisingly, the system window came out swinging.
I looked at it and quirked an eyebrow.
“Why? Does your conscience prick you?”
[I would never bully such a cute system window unless there was a reason! >_<]
Habitually, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a candy.
“Didn't you hear earlier? Min Ji-heon said he was going to shut you down completely.”
As I spoke, I peeled the wrapper and crunched down on the candy. The system window flickered, unable to respond. It really did seem a bit panicked, so I let a smirk play on my lips.
“Haha….”
Of course, Min Ji-heon saying he’d shut it down was a lie.
If the system were to shut down every time Min Ji-heon showed up, preventing me from hearing anything, he would have definitely found a way to exploit that.
But seeing as it couldn't answer immediately, it seemed the system had been hovering nearby.
It was just that it hadn't heard such a thing while lurking, yet it hesitated to say so, fearing I might catch onto something if it spoke up.
It seemed it simply didn't know how to respond.
‘Hypothesis confirmed.’
“Why are you being so stupid… Hmm?”
That day, there was definitely some kind of reaction triggered by Min Ji-heon. Even after that, the system window remained quiet whenever I met him.
So, I had two hypotheses.
Either the system was being cut off by some strange ability of Min Ji-heon’s every time we met, or the system was hiding because it was wary of him.
However, if the former were true, I should have felt that same pain again today. But now? I was sitting here perfectly fine, having a power struggle with the system window… so that wasn't it.
That left only one conclusion.
The system window found Min Ji-heon extremely uncomfortable and was blocking itself whenever he was around.
“What are you so guilty about? I’m starting to get really curious.”
[…….]
Now that I’d proven the hypothesis, it was time to throw out the bait. I unwrapped another candy, popped it into my mouth, and spoke.
“You’re attached to me. That much is undeniably true. …But how? And for what purpose?”
However, the blue window only wavered; it didn't answer. I decided to ask the question more precisely.
“Why did I come to this world?”
It was a question I hadn't been able to ask until now, as I’d been too busy trying to survive the situation. Whether it was the main scenario or whatever else, I’d been clearing quests as they came, but I still didn't know why I was actually here. I was moving forward on the hope that I could return to my original world, but….
I had never asked "why" I was here in the first place.
‘I was so focused on running forward that I missed the essence of it.’
The system window shimmered as if it were contemplating. I didn't expect it to answer easily anyway, so I was brushing my hair back when a message suddenly appeared.
[That’s so mean~]
“…….”
Sigh….
[I’m working my fingers to the bone for Mr. Seo Ho-yun… but you’re always picking on me… Do you really trust Mr. Min Ji-heon more than the system window that’s been with you from the start??]
“Just get lost.”
It was acting like it was made of pure goodwill.
The text on the blue window wasn't enough to fully read the system's intentions. I clicked my tongue and closed the window. At that moment, another notification popped up urgently.
Ding!
[Min Ji-heon
Occupation: Actor
Nicknames: Cult Leader, Unreliable Scammer, Shaman, Pig
Characteristics: A cult leader who deceives people just to take their money.
Do not be misled by what he shows you!! Warning!!]
“I already know Min Ji-heon is a cult leader. Anything else?”
[…Nothing.]
“If you have nothing else to say, go surf the web or something.”
And then, I very politely gave it the middle finger. In my eyes, the system window and Min Ji-heon were two peas in a pod.
Just then, the manager arrived and opened the driver's side door.
“Ugh, it’s still sweltering. Ho-yun, are you feeling okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine. Let’s head to the dorm.”
“Alright, the best driver is heading out~.”
Exhausted, I leaned my back into the seat. Usually, the system window would pop back up annoyingly if I closed it at will, but it was quiet now. I thought it had finally given up for once, but then an ominous notification sound rang out.
Ding!
[Choices:
- Manager-hyung, let’s #GoGetThat Acting Award!
- UwU, acting was so ha-wd for Pwince Ho-yunie.
- Look at me. I am so beautiful & hot. Young & rich.]
“…….”
This was definitely revenge.
* * *
Drama filming is drama filming, and album preparation is album preparation.
To make a comeback in October, we had to record, practice, film, and shoot self-produced content—all of it. I was busy fending off Min Ji-heon, keeping the system window in check, and acting on top of that.
I was utterly exhausted as I habitually entered the practice room….
“Oh.”
…I saw Ju Woo-seong’s blank face.
Why is this guy alone in the Daepasung practice room?
Wait, did the front desk really just let him in?
‘…Well.’
It was obvious. Even from the back of his head, you could tell, "Oh, that’s Ju Woo-seong." Plus, he was publicly known to be close to me, and I could easily picture him flashing that sly, grinning face to charm his way through the entrance.
I dropped my gym bag on the floor and spoke.
“When did you transfer to Daepasung?”
“Do you think I’m crazy enough to transfer to a place like this?”
“Then why do you keep showing up so often….”
Ju Woo-seong, who was already drenched in the capitalistic comforts of Korea’s top entertainment giant, complained about how crappy Daepasung was every time he visited. So why on earth was he standing awkwardly in this dark, gloomy practice room?
Ju Woo-seong scratched his head sheepishly, as if he found his own presence here ridiculous.
“I don’t have any promotions… no friends… no girlfriend….”
“Why don't you just say you're bored because you don't have that last one?”
“…That’s true too. I’ve never not had one, so I’m really bored lately.”
Looking at how Ju Woo-seong had been acting lately….
I had a "reasonable suspicion" that he wasn't staying single because he was scared of my blackmail, but rather because he’d already dated everyone worth dating in the industry and had no one left.
Everyone had finally escaped this legendary "trash car."
“I know exactly what you’re thinking, you brat….”
“Oh, you do? Impressive.”
Ju Woo-seong glared at me sourly before pulling out his phone and tapping away. I caught a glimpse of a contact saved as [Junior with the Best Personality Ever].
“I don’t recall ever texting you, Mr. Ju Woo-seong.”
“Where did you throw away your conscience? It’s Seong-hyeon.”
After grumbling, Ju Woo-seong finally revealed the reason he came.
“You guys are preparing for your album, and I heard Seong-hyeon and Da-jun are going on some variety show. They said they were worried about it, so I came to help them out. I already talked it over with Seong-hyeon.”
“…….”
“…Wait. Now that I think about it, I’m actually a pretty amazing senior, aren't I?”
Leaving Ju Woo-seong to continue his nonsense, I plopped down on the floor.
‘Since when did you ever care about your juniors?’
According to the rumors, High Five, the direct juniors of Ju Woo-seong’s group Black Call, were doing very well. While the other Black Call members supposedly looked after their juniors a bit, Ju Woo-seong definitely did not.
So why was he looking after The Dawn like this? I wondered if this was… as ridiculous as it sounded….
Could it be wariness?
‘No… that’s a bit of a stretch.’
The Dawn was still a long way off from being a threat to him.
But since there was no other explanation, I asked.
“Are you going on that variety show too, Mr. Ju Woo-seong?”
“No. I’m not.”
“…Then why?”
Then why are you even here?
As I asked, feeling even more lost, Ju Woo-seong avoided my gaze awkwardly and let out a groan.
“…It’s just….”
“What.”
“I’ve had a change of heart lately… and there’s something I want to confirm….”
Just as he was about to answer, the members swarmed in.
“The cute rapper is here~ Oh!! Senior!”
“The even cuter sub-dancer is here~ Ah, hello, Ju Woo-seong sunbae-nim!”
“You’re already here?!!”
“…Yeah~.”
The members were no longer flustered by Ju Woo-seong’s presence and greeted him naturally. Ju Woo-seong nodded in acknowledgment.
Kim Seong-hyeon didn't even seem to try to hide the [Pure Joy] written all over his face.
“Hey, get up. Let me see your dancing.”
Ju Woo-seong said, nudging me with his foot. I got up and started practicing to the beat, but perhaps because the members had been practicing like mad while I was filming the drama, I found it a bit hard to keep up.
Ju Woo-seong sat on the sofa in the corner of the practice room, arms crossed, watching the members with sharp eyes. Soon after, he managed to squeeze out a compliment through a face that looked like it was swallowing irritation.
“…Not bad.”
After watching everything, Ju Woo-seong stood up and corrected the members' dance lines. It was only a few words here and there, but it was amazing how quickly the members absorbed them.
‘But… what about me?’
I’d been neglecting my dance practice lately because of the acting. After finishing with the other members, Ju Woo-seong whipped his head toward me.
And, as expected,
He spent the rest of the time relentlessly persecuting me.
“What have you been doing all this time? Have you done nothing but act?”
“Klutz, please! Just a little!”
“Hey, forget it, forget it. Just give up.”
He threw those words at me.
I glared at him while catching my breath.
“You just came here to bully me, didn't you?”
“Ah, you caught me.”
“…….”
I gritted my teeth and cursed at Ju Woo-seong under my breath, but I managed to barely keep up with him.
I will definitely! Become more popular than Ju Woo-seong and laugh in his face. I’ll give you a taste of my PD days again.
But for now, Ju Woo-seong just mocked me, the nobody.
“What are you staring at?”
“…….”
“Do it again, you brat.”
“……Yes.”
“…I-Is something going on today?”
“Wow, he’s being really brutal….”
Moreover, Ju Woo-seong was being so extra today that even the members were trembling as they watched.
My suspicion that he’d come just to bully me out of boredom was rapidly turning into a conviction.
Only after dancing several more times did Ju Woo-seong move away with a reluctant "Sigh, that’s enough" look on his face. As I staggered to the corner and collapsed, Ju Woo-seong, proving his claim of helping his juniors wasn't just empty talk, even gave advice to Jeong Da-jun and Kim Seong-hyeon on their variety show dance.
‘…But what was that just now?’
I was barely wetting my parched throat with water when Kim Seong-hyeon and Jeong Da-jun began their paired choreography for the variety show.
[♫♪♫♪]
It was a b-boying routine set to a powerful hip-hop base.
The two of them must have really put their hearts into it, as the choreography was flashy and the movements were perfectly synced to the beat. I lay there, eyes fixed on their routine, when Seong Ji-won sat down next to me.
“They’re really good, aren't they?”
“Yeah….”
“I think it’ll get even better if Ju Woo-seong sunbae-nim looks it over.”
I wonder….
Ju Woo-seong, despite how he looked, was a guy with very high standards. No matter how hard we prepared, he was the type to say, "You worked hard for a bunch of nobodies," without batting an eye. So, I turned to look at Ju Woo-seong, prepared to be annoyed in advance….
“…….”
Ju Woo-seong’s expression was strange.
‘…What’s with him?’
“That’s it!!”
“H-How was it, sunbae-nim?”
When the panting dance-line members asked with flushed faces, Ju Woo-seong finally snapped out of it and rubbed the back of his neck.
“…Yeah. It’s well-made, um….”
“Really?!”
“Yeah, come here. Let’s just fix this part.”
Then Ju Woo-seong strode over and even demonstrated the moves himself. He hadn't earned his popularity just with his face; he was truly impressive.
Watching him, I took another sip of water.
‘It’s strange.’
Lately, both Im Hyeon-su and Ju Woo-seong… seemed to lack energy for some reason.
After it was all over, I watched with annoyance as the members gave 90-degree bows to someone like Ju Woo-seong. As the members went back to practicing, Ju Woo-seong walked over to me.
He looked like he was in a foul mood.
“Sigh……. Now that I’ve confirmed it, I’m even more annoyed.”
“……?”
“Damn it, I have to go.”
Where?
But Ju Woo-seong just ruffled his fine, dark brown hair and immediately started searching for something on his phone. Glancing sideways, I saw it was a flight ticket.
“What are you doing?”
“None of your business.”
“…Did you get splashed with a basin of water again today?”
= Why are you being so prickly?
“Fuck, I’ve really cleaned up my act, okay?!”
It seemed like he really didn't want to talk, so I was about to lose interest… but then Ju Woo-seong, perhaps thinking he’d been too harsh, fiddled with his phone while stealing glances at me.
I was purely amazed by how much of a pushover he was.
Just as I was about to think that both Ju Woo-seong and Im Hyeon-su were the softest people in Korea for worrying about the person who blackmailed them,
“Ah, right.”
Im Hyeon-su’s words suddenly flashed through my mind.
“You got a call from composer Im Hyeon-su, didn't you?”
“…Eh? Cheong-beom Noona?”
Ju Woo-seong, who looked like he’d been hit by a wave of reality after finishing whatever he was doing, suddenly snapped his head up. He tilted his head.
“Uh… ah, yeah, I think so?”
“Did she ask to have a meeting?”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
I took another sip of water, closed the cap, and wiped my mouth.
“Don’t go to that.”
“……???”
Just like Im Hyeon-su had, Ju Woo-seong looked at me with a face full of question marks.
“Why? Do you have something going on there?”
“No. I’m just saying it for your sake, Mr. Ju Woo-seong.”
“For my sake? What does that even….”
I quickly denied it with a hollow excuse, but Ju Woo-seong, who only had good intuition at times like this, muttered to himself.
“Who’s in that group? PD Kim Hee-yeong from Shining Star and Cheong-beom Noona, just those two? You don’t want me to go because it’s a meeting to badmouth you… Ah.”
Ju Woo-seong’s mouth fell open as if he’d suddenly realized something. His face gradually turned into one of pure rage.
“Hey, you….”
“…….”
“Do you think I try to seduce everyone with XX chromosomes, you son of a bitch?!”
But as expected of a klutz, his intuition had veered off in a completely wrong direction.
What kind of nonsense is this now….
“There’s nothing between Cheong-beom Noona and me, okay? And how many times do I have to tell you I’ve made up my mind??”
That’s not what I meant!
‘Sigh, what am I supposed to do with this guy, Ju Woo-seong?’
I just didn't want to hear the stories that would inevitably leak out. I had to use Ju Woo-seong, so I’d inevitably keep running into him… but if the three of them met up all happy-go-lucky, wouldn't I hear way too much news?
Unless something major happened, I’d eventually have to face PD Kim during Shining Star Season 2 anyway, but I was hoping to have as little personal contact as possible. Yet Ju Woo-seong, who was unusually sensitive today, had misunderstood and was throwing a total fit.
“Are you even living in the 21st century? What is this, 'men and women shouldn't sit together after age seven'? You should’ve been born as a scholar in the Joseon Dynasty, Seo Ho-yun.”
“I told you, I wasn't thinking that.”
“Liar, it’s written all over your face. How could you even think of linking me with Cheong-beom Noona? Don’t tell me you….”
“Are you crazy?! I said no! You’re the one being narrow-minded, Mr. Ju Woo-seong. You’re making a huge leap based on one thing I said. I’m not saying you haven't changed your habits; I’m telling you not to go because it’s a meeting to bash me!”
“Then I definitely have to go. Since I’m a guy who loses his mind when he sees a woman, I’ll make sure to have perfect attendance at that meeting and seduce all the noonas.”
“Hey! Are you insane? Save your perfect attendance for Pop-Pop!”
“'Hey'? 'Insane'? Are you really talking to your senior like that?!”
As I, enraged, started shouting and fighting with Ju Woo-seong in the corner, the members who were practicing in the distance stopped their music and stared at us blankly.
“…What’s wrong with Ho-yun?”
“Is Seo Ho-yun… crazy for the sunbae-nim?”
“Hyung, are you not feeling well today??”
Yeah, I’m crazy….
I felt a wave of reality hit me for showing such a side of myself in front of the innocent Jeong Da-jun… so, leaving the whispering members behind, I pressed my temples and apologized first.
“…Ugh. Fine, I get it. I didn't do anything wrong, but I’m sorry for now, okay? I didn't mean it like that.”
“Thanks for going out of your way to apologize to a skirt-chaser, huh?”
Ju Woo-seong, who had been talking about turning over a new leaf and being a proper idol (as if I cared), sneered as if he were deeply offended and misunderstood. I almost flared up again at those words, but I held it in.
‘How am I supposed to clear up the misunderstanding? By saying Kim Hee-yeong is my ex-girlfriend?’
Are you nuts? I could never say that.
I quietly stared at Ju Woo-seong, who was barking away as if his conscience were pricked by his colorful past, and spoke.
“…Why don't you just have dinner with the members after we’re done?”
“Get lost.”
“Hyung, you like kimchi fried rice.”
“Kimchi fried rice, my ass….”
I even used the information I’d learned from the general knowledge quiz, but the guy was already sulking hard. I let out a sigh as I watched Ju Woo-seong mutter about how he was definitely going to that meeting.
Fine….
Fine, Ju Woo-seong, congratulations on finally living a proper life….