Chapter 16

16

"How do I do it?"

"Just do it, you know?"

I tried hard to get some useful feedback, but this guy Joo Seong... it was tough because he’s a natural talent.

There’s no more annoying feedback than a talented person telling the criminal, “Just do it, why can’t you?”

"Why can’t it work? Ooh, Pick a Card, that’s exactly it."

"Wow, amazing."

When Joo Seong called out, the other members clapped wildly.

'What’s Joo Seong’s talent...?'

With that talent, everything must have been easy for him... so he must have been busy with relationships...

He was completely different from me. The gap was so wide that it was hard to follow him easily.

Emotion, what is that? How do you do it?

"Ugh..."

Joo Seong stroked his chin and gestured to the manager. It was a signal to turn off the camera for a moment.

When the manager hesitantly turned off the camera, Joo Seong quietly whispered to me.

"Seo Ho Yun. You’re a good actor. You were so convincing in front of the stalker... Ah! That’s it."

"What do you mean?"

"Try it like when you threatened me."

Such a specific instruction.

"That time, you were really sinister. Like you had eaten five snakes."

"...You have a grudge."

"Joo Seong doesn’t have grudges."

Could it be that this guy also has to randomly choose dialogue options?

I tried to recall what I did back then. When I was with Im Hyun Su, I was confident, and I was sure Joo Seong would naturally fall into my trap.

Look, I’m even giving you my talent for free right now.

"Try it, quickly."

"Yes."

I opened my mouth, recalling the feeling from 'that time,' and sang obediently.

[Ooh, Pick a card, a future that’s more vivid, you’re anxious about low probabilities, but there’s no need, It's okay, I’ll guide you]

"Ah, that’s it!"

"What? How did you suddenly get emotion into that robot?"

"You did it, Ho Yun! You sound like a complete psycho who’s impossible to understand!"

"You’d be great at seducing people and pulling off scams!"

Everyone clapped beside me. They didn’t understand the situation because they didn’t know what Joo Seong had said to me, but all the praise was directed at my actions.

I glared at them. Joo Seong nodded proudly.

"Hey, the planning team really knows you. They even gave you the sinister role. Perfect!"

"Bro, why are you so loud?"

"......"

I whispered quietly so only Joo Seong could hear. Joo Seong closed his mouth and quickly changed the subject.

"Shall we try it one more time?"

"Yes, I understand!"

Everyone was on high alert as they started practicing. The kids, who lacked a proper trainer, absorbed the tips Joo Seong gave them like sponges and quickly made them their own.

"Stretch your hands out there!"

"Shout a bit more! Cleanly raise the last note!"

Especially Sung Ji Wan’s learning speed was incredible.

The members followed Joo Seong’s instructions as one and finished the song.

'He’s good, that guy...'

While I was evaluating Joo Seong, Joo Seong was also evaluating me.

"This team is good. Why weren’t the debut results good?"

"Thank you!"

Then,

Ding!

[Your condition is worsening!]

"......"

I clenched my teeth. My face turned pale. Joo Seong, who was about to make us practice more, frowned when he saw me.

"...I think a few more times will do it, but take a short break first."

"Yes, thank you!"

Good.

The members bowed to Joo Seong and one by one collapsed on the floor, while I slowly got up and headed to the bathroom.

My head throbbed with every movement, and my vision turned yellow. I rushed to the bathroom, grabbed the toilet, and vomited everything I had eaten.

"Ugh..."

Ding!

[Your condition is affected.]

[Would you like to open the quest window?]

"Stop being so dramatic, it’s unattractive."

I muttered and stuck my fingers down my throat. After vomiting everything, I left the bathroom and turned on the faucet.

Rinsing my mouth with the gushing water, I lifted my head and saw someone frowning in the mirror.

"......"

It was Joo Seong.

"You’re holding up better than I thought?"

Joo Seong sneered with his arms crossed. I ignored him and pulled out a paper towel to dry my hands.

"But continuing when you’re in pain isn’t perseverance, it’s just foolishness."

"Is that a tip?"

"Sure, call it a tip."

Joo Seong shrugged.

"Where does it hurt?"

"Stomach inflammation. Cold and body aches."

"It’s pretty bad. Have you been to the hospital?"

"Going to the hospital won’t help."

"What... are you scared of hospitals? At your age?"

Oh, what nonsense.

I had already tried taking medicine, but it didn’t work because of the system window. Going to the hospital wouldn’t help either.

"Then what are you going to do?"

"Are you starting to use informal language now?"

Annoyed, I gave a half-hearted response, and Joo Seong chuckled.

"Let’s go back. We need to practice."

"Why are you so dedicated?"

"Huh?"

"I thought you’d be really casual today. But you weren’t."

"......"

"You’re a bit strange, you know? You don’t seem passionate about becoming an idol, but you’re incredibly dedicated to practicing and promoting the group."

'Your evaluation is accurate.'

Joo Seong might have been distracted by relationships, but he still had a good sense as an idol.

"Hey, hey."

I tried to ignore him and walk past, but Joo Seong blocked the bathroom door and wouldn’t move. It seemed he wouldn’t budge until I told him.

If I were in better condition, I would have pushed him aside and left, but now I had no strength in my body. I sighed deeply.

'He’s so annoying...'

"I want to debut."

"Why?"

"I’ve had bad luck. But I’ll take responsibility."

The bad luck I had was due to the system window.

Joo Seong didn’t seem satisfied with my answer. He looked even more confused, but I left the bathroom and headed to the practice room, with Joo Seong quickly following.

"What are you being so mysterious about?"

"Be quiet, my head is throbbing..."

"Rude..."

Joo Seong grumbled and opened the practice room door. As soon as it opened, everyone was startled and looked at us.

"......"

"Why is the atmosphere so tense?"

Joo Seong muttered, and the manager, sensing the mood, turned off the camera. It felt like they had just had a funeral.

I had a feeling.

Ding!

[Check your quest.]

"Ho, Ho Yun."

Sung Ji Wan looked at me with a pale face.

"What?"

"Did you see this?"

Sung Ji Wan extended his trembling hand with his phone. On the screen was a video with a black screen on Nertube.

'Second Chance ? The Den.'

It was only 35 seconds long, but it was clearly our song.

"Our... our comeback song has been leaked."

"What?"

Joo Seong frowned on my behalf. But I, the actual person involved, remained calm.

No, rather, the moment I had been waiting for had finally arrived.

"Guys, we should talk to the representative, it’ll be okay."

"Who... who leaked it?"

"Let’s find out later, but stay calm for now."

As I looked at the murmuring members and manager, my eyes met Joo Seong’s. His gaze was fixed on me.

"Why...?"

"......?"

"Why are you smiling?"

I touched my mouth and realized my lips were curved upward.

Joo Seong’s eyes wavered. At the same time, the quest failure alert appeared.

Ding!

[Quest Failed!

'Prevent the leak of the comeback song!' Someone is trying to leak your song.

Prevent the leak to minimize damage.

Success: Dance +10

Failure: Condition worsens as the quest deadline approaches.]

"Hey, Seo Ho Yun!"

I swayed, and my vision blurred. The quest window wobbled, and my body collapsed.

Everyone rushed to me in panic.

"Seo Ho Yun, snap out of it!"

[Quest failed.]

My vision flickered. My legs trembled, and like an old TV screen going black, my consciousness faded.

This was my first quest failure.

***

'When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.'

Ah, I’ve always wanted to write that.

I held my much-improved head and looked around. The quest window floated beside me, emitting a blue light.

[The penalty time for the quest failure has ended.]

It seems some time has passed.

I got up with a groan and saw an IV in my arm. A long scar, which I hadn’t seen in a while, was also visible.

It seemed to be an emergency room. I looked for my phone to check the time and saw Seo Ho Jin sleeping on the floor.

"Seo Ho..."

I tried to call out, but my voice didn’t come out well.

Ah, how do I wake him up?

Annoyed, I dropped the phone on his body from the small drawer on the hospital bed. Seo Ho Jin jumped and woke up, trembling.

"Hey, bro."

"Hey. I... I need water..."

"Bro, you’re awake!"

Seo Ho Jin rushed to me, making a fuss. I was about to ask for water, but this guy was not in his right mind.

"I was so worried about you, bro..."

I noticed his eyes were swollen. Annoyed, I asked with a hoarse voice.

"Did you cry?"

"No, I didn’t."

Ah, I get it. Seo Ho Jin is clinging to me because I’m the only family he has left.

All our relatives are trash, and we’ve long severed ties. Our parents are gone. What’s left? Only me.

If I die, he’ll be truly alone. I felt a mix of pity and a new heaviness on my shoulders.

"Give me some water."

Seo Ho Jin seemed relieved, sighing deeply. He seemed upset, but I was too annoyed to comfort him.

"Ah, damn..."

Embarrassed by his fuss, he muttered a curse and got water from the fridge. I drank and checked my phone. I had been unconscious for about half a day.

"I’ll call the doctor. You’re awake."

"Okay..."

Seo Ho Jin hesitated and left.

2 AM. Ah, I can still make it to the music video shoot.

I lay back down and checked the messages on my phone.

24 missed calls, 278 messages

...What is this?

I felt bewildered as I checked them.

First, the missed calls. Seo Ho Jin, Seo Ho Jin, manager, manager, Im Hyun Su, Joo Seong, Im Hyun Su, Im Hyun Su, Kim Sung Hyun... and various members.

I ignored them and moved to the messages. It seemed a group chat had been created.

[Kang Eun Chae: Bro, are you okay???]

[Sung Ji Wan: You must have pushed yourself too hard...]

[Jeong Da Jun: Bro, why aren’t you waking up?]

[Kim Sung Hyun: We’re going to the manager for a bit. Call if you need anything]

'Oh...'

I felt a strange sensation.

'...Such caring guys.'

It had been a while since someone other than Seo Ho Jin had worried about me. Just as I was about to reply that I was fine, my phone rang.

[Ho Goo 2]

Why is this guy calling?

I answered the call.

"Yes, this is Seo Ho Yun."

[...Hey, are you okay?]

Joo Seong’s awkward voice came through. I leaned against the pillow and gave a casual response.

"I’m alive."

[Your personality...]

"What do you want?"

[You’re really annoying...]

I ignored him. I was about to tell him to hang up if he had nothing to say, but Joo Seong quickly continued.

[I was wondering if I pushed you too hard and made you collapse. I’m worried.]

"It’s not that."

[...Okay.]

"Is that all? Then hang up."

[No, no, that’s not it.]

Why is this guy acting like this?

[I called because I have a question.]

"What is it?"

[Did you know about the leak?]

I remembered Joo Seong’s gaze fixed on me before I collapsed.

I remained silent for a moment before speaking. Since Joo Seong isn’t a member and I have leverage over him, it’s fine to tell the truth.

"I knew about it."

[Why did you do that? You could have prevented it.]

"Why would I?"

[...You’re being short?]

"To create a buzz."

I sighed.

"To take advantage of the situation. We got the Blue Tiger song, and I wanted to use the leak for noise marketing."

[...]

"Do you know the current reaction?"

[They say the song is good. There are some articles, and since Blue Tiger is well-known, your fan base is growing a bit...]

Joo Seong answered with a sense of resignation.

It was quite appropriate. My current condition wasn’t bad, but I didn’t have the energy to check the reactions on my phone. It was fortunate that Joo Seong gave me an objective update.

"Good."

The conditions are almost in place.

A good song, appropriate buzz, and capable members. This is how you create stardom.

The only things left are the showcase and appropriate content creation.

I calculated in my head.

"Thanks for telling me."

[Yeah. Um, Seo Ho Yun.]

"Yes?"

[You... I’ve cursed you a lot in my head, I’m sorry.]

What is he saying? Joo Seong sighed over the phone.

[I thought you were a fraud, someone without passion or talent, just leeching off others. ...That was harsh, I’m sorry.]

"It’s okay, I saved your number as 'Ho Goo'."

[Do you really want to die?]

There were many things I could have said, but I kept my mouth shut and listened to what Joo Seong wanted to say.

[Anyway, I was wrong. You’re really dedicated. You’re using every means to climb up, no matter what.]

Joo Seong has been in the industry for 4 or 5 years, I think. It seems he was a bit complacent as an idol.

Of course, everything fades over time. No matter how popular you are, an entertainer’s life is ultimately hollow.

Joo Seong seemed to be a case like that.

[Your members are also working really hard... seeing them, I thought, what am I doing, feeling so useless.]

"Mr. Joo Seong."

[What?]

"Is this a church? Why are you suddenly confessing?"

[You rude kid...]

Annoyed, I said that, and Joo Seong, despite grumbling, burst out laughing. I didn’t mean to make him laugh.

I glanced ahead and saw Seo Ho Jin returning with the doctor. Joo Seong’s laughter gradually subsided, and he said to me.

[Just, keep it up.]

"......"

[Take care of yourself.]

"...Okay."

I hung up with a strange feeling. Maybe because I used to cast Joo Seong in programs and tortured him for the show, or because his sharp intuition sensed something, I used to dislike him, but now I unexpectedly formed a friendly relationship.

'...Should I change his name in my phone?'

I pressed my phone. Just as I was about to talk to Seo Ho Jin, who returned with the doctor, a loud noise came from the entrance. It was the members.

"Bro Ho Yun!"

Jeong Da Jun, with tears streaming down his face, and the other members, who were trying to calm him down, approached.

"Hey, hey. This is an emergency room. Be quiet."

"Bro, you’re alive!"

"Be quiet, guys! I’m sorry, Ho Yun!"

Even Sung Ji Wan, who was trying to calm them down, was getting more and more agitated. The doctor, who had been staring at them blankly, asked me.

"Are these your friends?"

"No, they’re strangers."

Embarrassed, I covered my face and pretended not to know them. ...It didn’t work well.