Chapter 59

"Rock, Paper, Scissors!" became a legend.

The eyes of all the members were fixed on our two hands. I chose scissors, and Oran chose paper. It was my victory.

I wonder why I was so nervous, but it was really thrilling until the result came out.

"Of course, I knew Oran would lose. We should play a few more rounds to be sure, right?"

"Oran might just be bad at rock, paper, scissors."

It could be due to lack of skill rather than bad luck. If you keep throwing the same hand or show your move too quickly, the probability of losing increases exponentially.

"Lee Won, you'll know if you play a few more rounds."

The results of the rock, paper, scissors were ordinary for me, but shocking for Oran and the other members.

Win, Lose, Draw, Lose, Win, Draw, Win, Lose.

Including the first round, out of 10 rounds, I won 4 times, lost 4 times, and drew 2 times. Oran and I had exactly the same win rate.

"Unbelievable! Oran, you won 4 times?! Ji-on, pinch me! Ouch! Who would pinch so hard! You're biased!"

Unable to believe the result, Baekha made a fuss, got her cheek pinched, and lunged at Ji-on.

"I can't believe it either…"

"Why? Why are you like this, Oran? Am I the only one?"

"At first, I didn't believe it either. The icon of bad luck? It's ridiculous. But what can you do? When bad luck becomes your life, you have to believe it."

A life governed by Murphy's Law. A continuous string of bad luck in every moment that requires luck. In such a life, you can't even hope for a stroke of luck.

Is this why Oran became a hard worker? Because effort never betrays you?

"I still can't believe it. I won 4 times? I have normal luck now? What did you do, Ham I-won?"

"…Nothing?"

Despite the worst performance on stage due to the sudden snowstorm, the members' focus was on the strange phenomenon caused by Oran and me.

It's fortunate that I can forget my disappointment this way, even if it's a bit odd.

"Then let's play a game of ladder. We can't stay here forever, so let's go to the car."

The members quickly gathered their belongings and put them in their bags, showing their eagerness to see the results.

Even the calm and mature Chorok and the composed and gentle Seohun?

Caught up in the moment, I got into the car and couldn't help but laugh at the piece of paper that suddenly appeared before my eyes.

We just got into the car, and when did they have time to draw it…? Today, I learned for the first time that curiosity can give such superhuman strength.

One of the six ladders was chosen, and the paper was passed to Ji-on. Once all the members had chosen their ladders, it was time to reveal the results.

We focused solely on the piece of paper, regardless of whether the car was moving or not.

"I'll go first, quickly."

Starting with Chorok, followed by Ji-on and Baekha, the remaining numbers were 2, 4, and 6.

With me, Chorok, and Oran left, the members firmly believed that Oran would end up with the last place, number 6.

"I-won, let's go to Seohun next."

I followed the pen held by Chorok with my eyes, starting from where my name was written. When I finally reached the end, the number was 4.

"…Just a coincidence earlier?"

Ji-on tilted his head. Still, we decided to see the final result and started the ladder game with Seohun.

Holding our breath, we followed the brick-like lines with our eyes until we reached the final number….

"What's going on! Seohun got 6? Then Oran got 2? He won second place?"

"…Did we miss a ladder?"

Seohun eventually claimed that there must be an error in the ladder game. We checked again, but the results remained the same.

"How should we interpret this situation?"

"Maybe we can interpret it as Oran becoming normal?"

At my answer, five heads turned sharply. As if they had heard something absurd.

"That statement is like denying my entire life."

"…Is it really that hard to accept?"

Seeing Oran distrust the current situation, it seems he has experienced bad luck for a long time. Have I shattered all the facts proven by his experience?

"Let's check again. This time without I-won."

Thus, the five members, excluding me, started the ladder game again. The conclusion of the three ladder games was surprising.

Oran ended up in last place every time.

"Still the same…?"

"A reassuring feeling. Oran is indeed Mr. Bad Luck."

The members evaluated the situation more calmly than before. I was the only one still surprised.

"Now I understand. I-won neutralizes Oran's bad luck. It's like a correction effect, right?"

Chorok provided an interpretation of the current situation. Everyone agreed, as Chorok always analyzes things logically.

"So, can I have normal luck like everyone else if I'm with Oran?"

"It's just a guess, but it seems plausible, doesn't it?"

Comparing the results when I'm with Oran and when I'm not, there is a clear difference. The variable that created this difference is me.

"Chorok, then, was the stage earlier… also corrected by luck?"

"Hmm…"

If Chorok's analysis is correct, since I participated in the stage earlier, shouldn't the bad luck have been corrected, and the snowstorm calmed down?

If Oran's bad luck affected the weather, my presence should have nullified that effect.

"It could be a simple coincidence, or maybe the luck correction hasn't taken effect yet."

"Oran can finally activate his happiness circuit!"

"Well, can't I have a little hope? I want to experience normality for the first time in my life."

Was his cynicism towards the world due to this? For Oran, who experienced bad luck in every small matter, the world must have seemed fundamentally unfair.

"Don't think about running away. Ham I-won. Or, I-won."

"…?!"

I jokingly asked him to call me "hyung," but he remembered it? It feels awkward to be called "hyung" by Oran. And what does he mean by not running away?

What's going to happen to me from now on?

"Oran! If you say it like that, you sound like a stalker! Haha! I get it, though!"

"Stalker… That sounds good."

After some thought, Oran seemed to have reached a terrifying conclusion.

"Run! I-won!"

I wanted to avoid Oran, who had a strange idea. But where could I run in a car driving on a highway?

"Ham I-won. I'll follow you from now on?"

"……"

Even the other members couldn't bring themselves to stop him. Can I avoid him for a while? I seem to have gained a stalker.

* * *

Eo Jae-yeong was a college student aspiring to be a film director. He had a younger brother who was 10 years younger, and every time the holidays came, he was dragged along on family trips due to his young brother.

This winter, the family trip destination was Inje, Gangwon-do. Upon hearing that an ice fishing festival was being held, his younger brother expressed a desire to try ice fishing, and their parents immediately booked a place and planned the trip.

"Mom, please, leave me out this time!"

"You know how much your brother likes you."

For some reason, his younger brother liked him the most in the family. He had to take care of his brother in place of his busy parents, so he spent the most time with him.

He didn't dislike his brother. Who could dislike the pure affection of a child? He loved his brother, but sometimes it was tiring.

Days like today, when he was forced to go on a family trip.

"But it's so cold. Will it be okay? Jae-min might catch a cold."

"We've dressed him warmly, but we'll have to go back to the accommodation if the situation gets worse."

Looking at his father and brother, it seemed like his worries were unfounded. The two were charging towards a snow castle, oblivious to the cold weather.

"Wow! Hyung! Look at this!"

Despite everything, his brother was cute. The fact that others called him a "brother fool" suggested he might be under the spell of love.

With his camera in hand, he ran over to his brother, thinking.

It took a while to escape from the snow castle. Outside, a guest singer was performing, making a lot of noise.

His mother's suggestion to rest on the chairs provided for the audience was welcome. His father was also exhausted from playing with his brother, so a break was necessary.

"An idol?"

After the trot singer left, the MC introduced the next performer as an idol. Theora, an idol he had never heard of.

With so many idols these days, it wasn't strange to come across one he hadn't heard of.

"Hyung! You took a picture of me earlier, right? Take another one!"

His brother, who had been familiar with cameras since he was young, now enjoyed being photographed.

He knew it was a bad habit, but since he could take pictures of his brother anyway, he let it slide. To a film director, his brother was a decent subject.

As he turned on the camera to take a picture of his brother, snowflakes started to fall.

Raising the camera angle to capture the snowfall, he focused the lens on the six boys on stage.

The six idols on the camera screen were a pleasure to film.

As someone who had shot independent films, he knew better than anyone how difficult it was to look good on camera.

He visualized the composition in his mind and wished he could shoot from various angles with multiple cameras.

"Are they idols, then?"

They didn't seem to have much recognition, but as idols, they always had to be in front of the camera. There seemed to be something different about them compared to ordinary people.

He forgot his initial intention to film his brother and focused on this new, fresh subject.

Glancing at his brother, he saw that his brother's eyes were also fixed on the stage. To the point of capturing a child's attention?

Even if your flight is clumsy, I hope our existence brings you joy.

The snowfall gradually intensified, and the wind grew stronger. He thought about taking his brother back to the accommodation, but he couldn't stop filming.

He had a gut feeling that the footage would turn out well. But more than that, he wanted to capture their desperate efforts on stage in the cold weather with thin clothes.

"Ah!"

"Come here quickly…!"

As the light snowstorm turned into a blizzard, screams filled the air. The biting cold wind cut through the exposed skin between layers of clothing.

Amidst the screams and the blizzard, one voice stood out.

Impress you on me, and

Etch a tattoo that will never fade on me.

The pronunciation was so clear that it pierced his eardrums.

"Damn… What are these guys…?"

When he came to his senses after finishing filming, all the tourists who had been watching the stage had evacuated.

His brother seemed to have been taken back to the accommodation by his parents. The unknown idols who had been on stage were also gone.

It was almost as if he had been possessed by a ghost.

"…Could the video I shot become a legend?"

Eo Jae-yeong rubbed his nearly frozen hands and cheeks and headed to the accommodation, holding the camera with the footage tightly in his arms.