Chapter 57

If I can't debut, I'll get a disease that will kill me 057

"Stop waiting."

I sighed.

Despite boldly telling Seo Ah-hyun not to leave and to wait, her expression suggested she was about to burst into tears at any moment.

Anyone who saw her would think she was about to leave.

On the contrary, my mind grew colder.

'This is... not something that can be solved by just waiting, as the saying goes.'

If I were already a debut idol, I might have the option to wait and see while laying low.

But for an audition participant with the finals just around the corner, it was an impossible approach.

Persisting when people think you don't deserve to succeed in the audition would only increase their dislike.

And in this cable program, which has a viewership of over 10% and dominates real-time search trends, it would be suicidal.

'If I'm going to fail in the finals anyway, it's better to withdraw quickly and assess the situation.'

I decided to use a vague term like 'health issues' to cover it up.

That would cause the least damage. If Park Moon-dae was really innocent, it would also make it easier to clear his name.

And if I find out this guy really did something wrong... I'll go to him and make him apologize...

Damn, that girl even withdrew from school; I wouldn't just let Park Moon-dae continue his activities.

But there was no other way.

"If there's no proof that it wasn't Park Moon-dae, waiting will only make the situation worse."

"But... but... Sejin did."

"At that time, we found the合成照片 right away. We also had a smartphone."

"..."

There aren't many cases where someone is that lucky.

Seo Ah-hyun bowed her head deeply.

A short silence fell over the dorm again. Then,

"Is anyone there?"

Someone knocked on the dorm door again.

"..."

"Uh."

Sejin's short reply was followed by the door opening. Kim Rae-bin entered, and Cha Yoo-jin followed closely behind.

I don't know why she followed him into someone else's dorm, but if she came on purpose, she was really clueless.

Kim Rae-bin, noticing the terrible atmosphere in the room, started to get a sense of it.

"Personal practice... I just finished..."

"..."

These two must have skipped their voluntary practice.

Though it didn't help much, I was honestly... grateful.

I mustered my last bit of patience.

"Go practice."

"! No, I..."

"Only a few days left; don't regret it."

"What about you?"

I answered calmly.

"I need to consult about leaving the show."

"!!"

"No, no..."

I decided to check public opinion one more time, and if it's going as expected, I'll come up with a good reason to leave.

"What? Hyung, why suddenly..."

Kim Rae-bin was shocked. It seemed this socially awkward guy hadn't heard the rumors yet.

'I'm tired.'

I didn't want to argue anymore. I'd hear about it eventually.

I walked past Kim Rae-bin towards the door, intending to meet the producer right away.

Then, I was grabbed by the shoulders from both sides.

"Come on, Moon-dae. Take a break and think about it."

"Yeah, yeah. Just... take a break. Clear your head."

I was momentarily overpowered in a physical struggle.

Thanks to that, I was dragged back to the bed like a subdued dog. Are these guys crazy?

"Are you crazy?"

"Get a grip. You just found out about the situation less than thirty minutes ago. Are you going to throw away months of hard work in just thirty minutes?"

"But the longer I wait, the worse the situation will get..."

"Even if you leave now, the news will only come out tomorrow morning. It would be the same in the morning."

Sejin and Seo Ah-hyun pushed me back onto the bed.

"You need to make decisions with a clear head to avoid regret! I know you're scared right now."

"What?"

I stopped trying to get up from the bed. This was absurd.

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, no, you're not. You're panicking and scared."

Sejin added quietly.

"...I did that before."

"..."

"Or maybe you knew it before I told you. It doesn't matter whether you leave now or tomorrow morning."

"!"

That...

Damn. He's right. I can't argue with that.

'I'm in a panic.'

I sighed. I should have kept my cool.

I lay down on the bed as they pushed me.

Seo Ah-hyun's sigh of relief was obvious.

"What's going on..."

"Come on, let's go."

Sejin pushed Kim Rae-bin and Cha Yoo-jin out of the room. Seo Ah-hyun followed, swallowing hard, and said to me,

"Take a break."

Creak.

The door closed very carefully.

'...Even if I go out, their beds are here.'

Well, they'll come back awkwardly in a few hours or sleep in the practice room. I don't have the energy to care.

I closed my eyes and crossed my arms.

I tried to look at Park Moon-dae's situation objectively... but it's impossible. I'm facing a social death and a real sudden death.

'Status window.'

The status window, which showed no changes, only had one thing that caught my eye.

[! Abnormal Status: Death if not Debut]

"Why are you doing this to me?"

Why me?

Why Park Moon-dae?

Not knowing my situation and having no way to find out is incredibly frustrating.

Of course, I didn't expect a sudden solution by morning.

There's no way the situation would suddenly improve.

'Wishing for luck is foolish.'

While terrible things can happen unexpectedly in life, the opposite is extremely rare.

Compare the probability of winning the lottery to the probability of getting hit by a car on the street. The latter is overwhelming.

Look at me. A supernatural miracle changed my life, but that life is already ruined.

"..."

Damn. I'm getting more anxious. I just want to withdraw immediately.

'...But maybe I'll wait until tonight.'

I had no expectations.

Just out of respect for their efforts, I sighed and uncrossed my arms.

My thoughts were chaotic. The more I tried to calculate what would be rational, the more confused I became.

'There's no answer no matter where I go...'

I must have dozed off.

* * *

Bang!

I woke up to some noise.

'...The sound of wood breaking?'

I opened my eyes slightly and saw Seo Ah-hyun burst into the room.

"Moon-dae."

Seo Ah-hyun's face was bright red.

'What happened now?'

If someone else caused a stir, I'd be grateful for the distraction.

Seo Ah-hyun thrust something in front of my nose.

A smartphone with the screen on.

"Look at this...!"

The screen light hurt my eyes. I frowned and took the smartphone.

'Where did he get it?'

I read the screen with a frown, holding a prohibited item from the filming site.

"!"

A miracle had happened.

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

[(2nd Place!) I am Park Moon-dae, a participant in Idol Stock Company, and the recent controversy's subject. (632)]

: Writing this publicly is still very scary for me. However, I don't want to see innocent people suffer anymore, so I am writing this.

I did withdraw from school after the tampon theft incident.

However, the thief was not Park Moon-dae.

...

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

The post began to describe the situation in detail.

The writer explained that they had been subjected to continuous bullying by a few nasty classmates since the beginning of the semester, starting with gossip and escalating to unbearable levels. Due to family circumstances, they couldn't take action and had to endure it.

Then the tampon theft incident happened.

It seems the bullies, seeing that Park Moon-dae had no close friends and was always alone, decided to frame him for the theft to double their fun.

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

[I didn't want to live.]

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

Though not explicitly mentioned, it seems the bullying was on the level of sexual harassment. The writer, under extreme stress, completely broke down and was absent from school for ten days.

During this period, Park Moon-dae withdrew from school.

Afterward, the writer, feeling guilty about Park Moon-dae being framed, tried to contact him.

However, Park Moon-dae's response to the apology and inquiry was:

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

['You didn't do anything wrong, so there's no need to apologize. I was planning to withdraw anyway, so it's fine. But if you're suffering and want to report the bullies, I'll help you.']

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

The writer was taking antidepressants at the time and would hyperventilate just by going near the school, so they couldn't proceed with the report.

They tried to contact Park Moon-dae again after some time, but the number was disconnected.

'...Park Moon-dae must have canceled his phone.'

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

[When I saw Moon-dae on the audition show, I didn't recognize him because his style and appearance had changed so much. I only realized it was Park Moon-dae after the controversy.

He was quiet in school, but he never caused trouble or was a bad friend. After he withdrew, I realized he was a considerate and kind friend.

I hope Moon-dae doesn't get hurt by this incident.]

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

The post ended with a satisfying statement that the writer would file a complaint against the bullies based on recorded evidence. Several verification photos were attached.

In the latest comments, people who denied the reality were being criticized, and their comments were being deleted or they were running away.

Opinions that had shifted were dominating the best comments.

- I always thought something was off. Moon-dae seemed so calm; he couldn't have done something so despicable. :(

- People who spread rumors about Park Moon-dae and the writer, prepare for compensation. :D

- Oh... Thank you, writer... Really, thank you... Moon-dae, you've really suffered. :(

"..."

My stomach churned.

'It wasn't Park Moon-dae.'

And the person involved even appeared to verify and prove it.

And it happened just a day after the incident.

"..."

"Alright, alright!"

Seo Ah-hyun started talking, but I couldn't really hear him.

My head was spinning.

'Is this... possible?'

I didn't do anything, and the situation suddenly improved?

Can it just be resolved like this?

I felt strange, more than relieved or happy.

It was unfamiliar to think that such things could happen in life.

I thought that if my life changed without me doing anything, it would usually be for the worse.

...But here I am, experiencing the opposite in someone else's body.

"Hey!!"

The door burst open, and people rushed in. Sejin and the other team members' faces were visible.

'Come to think of it... I was the leader.'

We weren't that close, but it was strange. As the leader, I was in a Schrödinger's resignation state, making it awkward to change practice routines.

They must have thought a lot last night.

"Hey! Didn't I tell you to wait? I told you to wait!"

Sejin, seeing the situation, yelled at Seo Ah-hyun. He already knew what happened.

"...Yeah."

I agreed readily.

"Thanks."

"!"

If it weren't for these guys, I would have quit last night and regretted it in the morning.

"Thanks to you, we can continue the show."

I smiled.

Seo Ah-hyun repeated, "No, no, it's good," and was happy. Sejin smiled.

"If you're grateful, buy me a cow."

"Let's just forget it."

"Hey!"

I don't have money.

I listened to the grumbling Sejin and the congratulating team members, finally feeling relieved.

'Now I can practice quietly until the finals.'

"Thanks for bringing this. How did you get it?"

"I, I asked for it!"

Seo Ah-hyun smiled brightly and took the phone. I hoped nothing else would happen until the finals.

But while I was looking at the phone, the situation started to get even stranger.

The first post was by Gold 1.