Chapter 56

If I don’t debut, I’ll get a disease that will kill me 056

‘Did Park Munda change his name?’

The back of my neck felt cold, and it didn’t feel good.

Anyway, I couldn’t look awkward. I immediately picked up the microphone and said,

“...I’ve been Park Munda since my birth registration.”

“Haha!”

The MC’s reaction was good.

This was the truth.

‘As soon as I entered this body, I got a copy of the resident registration, a family relationship certificate, and everything.’

It was a natural thing to do, not being a fool.

I had already looked for any elements that could cause problems.

Park Munda had lived with this name all along, and there were no other unusual matters. Apart from the high school dropout he had written himself, everything was clean.

‘The dropout was due to bullying, as seen in the suicide note.’

It meant there was no reason for it to affect his debut.

However, that specific ‘name change check’... It definitely left a nagging feeling.

‘I’ll have to look it up on the internet as soon as this is over.’

“Ah~ Mr. Munda, your name is so unique, that’s why they asked, right!”

The MC, feeling there was nothing more to ask, quickly wrapped up the question.

I confirmed that another participant was being questioned and waited for the filming to end.

* * *

I found a deep SNS post on the internet.

=========================

[I’m curious what Moon Daengi has been doing, but nothing comes up. Could he be an alien who changed his name?]

=========================

‘This was the problem.’

I felt a bit disappointed.

The original account owner was a famous illustrator, so it quickly became a meme, at least within the fan community.

-(There’s a reason…)

-Seeing how serious he is about eating, he must be an alien sent to investigate Earth’s food culture. Anyway, that’s it.

-Moon Daengi’s real body has dog ears, I saw them.

While I didn’t mind people joking and laughing, the situation itself was a bit suspicious.

‘I didn’t expect it to be this clean.’

Park Munda’s name and date of birth were listed in his profile.

Honestly, I thought his high school would be revealed during the broadcast.

I even expected something like, “We went to the same school, and he was a bit strange. He walked alone and dropped out.”

Such comments wouldn’t have been a big deal. Fans would have felt reassured, thinking he was a victim and wouldn’t bully anyone.

‘Maybe it’s because his appearance has changed so much.’

This seemed the most plausible explanation.

When I first entered this body, Park Munda was very thin and had messy hair. Since a different person (me) had entered, his mannerisms, tone, and overall vibe would have changed.

Still, the story would come out eventually, since he didn’t use a pseudonym.

‘It would be better if it came out after the program ends.’

Now, with the live broadcast, it would be hard to check my smartphone.

After the talk show filming ended, I returned to the dorm and, as usual, handed over my smartphone.

‘I’ll just focus on practicing.’

Only a week was left until the final stage. There was no time for other thoughts.

...But even without time, if a problem arises, you can’t help but think about it.

I soon realized this.

* * *

The incident happened two days later in the evening.

While half-asleep, shoving dinner into my mouth, I received an urgent call from the production team.

From past experience, I thought it might be another interview cut. However, the atmosphere in the staff room was serious.

“Mr. Munda.”

The director who cast me at the karaoke bar started speaking in a tone that barely sounded worried.

“There’s... an article on the internet right now.”

“...Yes.”

This feeling was really bad.

The director was even struggling to find the right words to say to me.

I felt a headache coming on and extended my hands.

“Can I just see it myself?”

“Um, sure.”

The director glanced at me up and down and quickly handed over his phone.

I looked at the screen. A familiar interface appeared.

It was the community where the bullying controversy had been posted.

And at the top, a title in large font caught my eye.

=========================

[Park Munda’s Dropout Reason: Caught Stealing Sanitary Pads 😂]

=========================

“...”

What the fuck is this?

The title was so unexpected that I was dazed.

The feeling of my mind being blocked was really rare.

I checked the content, still in shock.

=========================

Park Munda is from Incheon Sejeong High School, which is already known, so I’ll skip the explanation. I went to Sejeong High, and I’m the same age as Park Munda. He was in 3rd grade and was a very creepy and strange kid. I didn’t even know his name until I saw him become famous and realized it was Park Munda.

But don’t relax yet, fans! 😂 ★Park Munda dropped out because he was caught stealing sanitary pads from a girl in his class★

Because of this, the girl who had her pads stolen also got a bad reputation and dropped out soon after.

And quite a few people know about this? There was a lot of fuss about a bullying committee being held. Park Munda dropped out and ran away!

In case you don’t believe me, I’ll show you my yearbook and school uniform. But even without this, people who know will keep coming forward~

[Photo] [Photo] [Photo]

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Below, there were numerous comments from self-proclaimed Sejeong High alumni who claimed to know about the incident, all marked as best comments.

“...”

My spine turned cold.

This... was hopeless.

It would have been better if he had hit someone or stolen money. Stealing sanitary pads because he had nothing else to steal?

Even if I saw this in real life, I would have thought it was a hopeless kid, let alone an idol audition participant.

“Have you finished reading?”

I read it, but I had nothing to say.

Is this kid Park Munda crazy?

‘Did he write in his suicide note that he felt wronged for being bullied after doing such a stupid thing?’

Sure, if he didn’t steal, it would have been understandable. But how can I prove he didn’t steal right now?

“...Yes.”

I barely managed to answer.

The director didn’t even bring up the useless question of whether it was true or not.

“We need to think quickly about what to do now.”

It meant I had to figure out how to handle it or leave the show.

I swallowed and replied,

“...I’ll think about it for a moment and get back to you...”

“Okay. Please do it quickly.”

I couldn’t even speak properly.

I returned to the dorm in a daze. It was still practice time, so the dorm room was empty.

I sat on the bed instead of the table, fearing I might destroy everything on it.

I tried to think as calmly as possible... Fuck, what a joke.

I hit the bed.

The dull thuds echoed, but nothing relieved my anger.

‘Die like this?’

What the hell am I supposed to do?

Putting me in this flawed body and pretending to level up to debut within a year... There was no good intention behind this.

My head hurt. I should have inherited that damn neutral temperament.

‘Now... what should I do?’

After the anger, a deep sense of helplessness washed over me.

There was nothing I could do. Really.

Because I didn’t know anything.

If I had a smartphone, I could at least search... No, that would be crazy.

The situation was this bad because I hadn’t seen the public opinion.

No matter how much I claimed not to care about what others said, I couldn’t guarantee I would be fine seeing so many people hurling vicious insults.

Moreover...

‘...Those people.’

What must the people who supported Park Munda be feeling?

They spent all their money and time, never imagining they would be betrayed like this.

It’s even more absurd because I didn’t do it. I’m about to go insane.

...This feeling of being overwhelmed hasn’t happened since I became an orphan.

“...”

Should I give up?

Just as that thought flashed through my mind, someone opened the dorm door.

“Um, excuse me...”

“...”

I thought I was showing superhuman patience by not telling them to get lost.

I kept my head down and sat on the bed, feeling like my brain was boiling.

“Hey, Park Munda.”

Then, Daesejin burst in.

The rumor must have spread. It wasn’t strange that the quick-witted one figured it out first.

“Is that story true?”

I don’t know.

I thought I didn’t answer, but my mouth seemed to be out of control due to extreme stress. That kid answered.

“Why don’t you know? Did you really drop out because of that?”

“I said I don’t know.”

I don’t understand why he’s being so annoying. If I leave, it would be a win for him since only the final round is left.

“...Do you realize you’re saying something ridiculous?”

I gritted my teeth.

“I don’t remember.”

“What?”

“Fuck. I woke up from a suicide attempt and don’t remember anything. Got it?”

Thud.

The chocolate bar that Seon Ah-hyun, who was standing awkwardly beside me, was holding fell with a loud noise.

I sighed. I had told the truth unnecessarily.

Should I be glad I didn’t blurt out that I had come back from the past in a different body? If I had shown my status screen, I would have been labeled as a liar or a lunatic.

No, what’s the point of that now? If I can’t resolve this, there’s no way I can debut within a year.

“R, really...”

“Yeah, really.”

It’s hard to stay calm, and this pointless conversation is draining my energy.

“Just... leave me alone. I’ll sort it out myself.”

“...How can you sort it out if you don’t remember?”

“Just go.”

“It’s better to consult someone if you don’t know anything. You don’t even have a management company.”

“...”

He had a point.

“Honestly, it’s hard to believe, but I don’t think you’d lie about something like this. The rumor about stealing sanitary pads is even stranger.”

“Y, yeah.”

“A smart guy like you wouldn’t do something that stupid.”

“...!! A, ah... N, no... I, I mean...”

Seon Ah-hyun was broken. Daesejin ignored him.

“Right. If it was posted by the victim or their family, it would be different. But it doesn’t seem to be.”

“...”

My head cleared a bit. I looked up at Daesejin.

Daesejin was calmly sitting on the floor opposite me.

I didn’t expect this from someone who usually doesn’t care.

‘Is he doing this because he helped me?’

Still, it was surprising that he would do this right before the final. I shouldn’t be thinking about this now.

“First... let’s assume you don’t remember this incident. Do you remember anything from high school?”

“I don’t remember anything. When I came to, there was only a suicide note in front of me.”

There was a moment of silence.

“...Was there nothing mentioned in the suicide note?”

“There was no mention of any specific incident. The expression of feeling wronged could be said by anyone at any time.”

“You’re pretty calm for someone who’s the subject of this.”

Daesejin gave a weak, hollow laugh.

I wanted to sneer but didn’t have the mental space.

“Um, excuse me.”

Seon Ah-hyun struggled to interject.

“T, then... i, is it... h, hard to... f, find and... c, confirm with the... p, person involved?”

“...”

He’s talking about the girl who dropped out.

“With filming going on, there’s no time or opportunity to find her... unless I leave the show.”

...The more I talked, the clearer the situation became.

Leaving the show to put out the immediate fire and then figuring out the exact situation seemed to be the best way to survive.

“...D, don’t.”

“What?”

“D, don’t quit... J, just... w, wait a bit.”