Chapter 95

95

The system window seemed to reveal its confusion as if it were a being with emotions. The window crackled as if it were filled with noise.

The more I felt this wasn't just a simple system but 'something,' the stronger my conviction grew.

"……."

I deliberately endured the silence, and eventually, the system window gave up first. A new window appeared, and text was visible.

[What did you hear from Min Jihun?]

I thought it would slip away again, but it didn't. Surprisingly, the system window brought up a new window.

I raised an eyebrow at it.

"Why? Did something bother you?"

[If not, why would I torment such a cute system window? >_<]

I habitually searched my pocket and pulled out a candy.

"Didn't you hear that earlier? Min Jihun said he would shut you down completely?"

As I said this, I peeled off the wrapper and chewed the candy, and the system window crackled, unable to respond. It seemed genuinely flustered, so I touched the corners of my mouth and smiled.

"Haha…."

Of course, Min Jihun's threat to shut it down was a lie.

If Min Jihun always caused the system to shut down and prevented me from hearing anything, he would have found a way to deal with it.

But seeing that it couldn't answer immediately, it seemed like he was just hanging around.

However, I had never heard such a thing from anyone around me, and I hesitated to say it, fearing I might notice something.

It seemed unable to figure out how to respond.

'Provable.'

"Why are you so stupid… huh?"

That day, something definitely happened because of Min Jihun. Since then, whenever I met Min Jihun, the system window remained silent.

So, I had two hypotheses.

Either the system was cut off by some strange ability whenever I met Min Jihun, or the system was avoiding and hiding from Min Jihun.

However, if the former were true, I would have felt the same pain today as I did that day. But now, I was sitting here, having a staring contest with the system window… so that wasn't the case.

Therefore, there was only one conclusion.

The system window was very uncomfortable with Min Jihun and blocked itself when he was around.

"What's bothering you so much? I'm getting curious now."

[…….]

Now that I had proven my hypothesis, it was time to set a trap. I peeled another candy and put it in my mouth.

"You stick to me. That much is undoubtedly true. …But how? For what?"

However, the blue window only wavered, offering no response. I decided to ask the question more precisely.

"Why am I here in this world?"

It was a question I hadn't asked until now, preoccupied with breaking through the situation. Whether it was the main scenario or anything else, I had been completing quests as they came, but I didn't know why I was here. I was moving forward with the hope of returning to my original world, but…

I had never asked why I was here in the first place.

'Too focused on moving forward, I missed the essence.'

The system window flickered as if it were pondering. I didn't expect it to answer honestly, so I ran my hand through my hair. Suddenly, a message appeared.

[Too much.]

"……."

Ha…

[I work my bones for Seo Hoyun… but you always pick on me… Do you trust Min Jihun more than the system window you've known from the beginning??]

"Just disappear."

It was putting on a show of being all good and kind.

The text on the blue window didn't fully reveal the system window's intentions. I clicked my tongue and closed the window. At that moment, an urgent notification appeared.

Ding!

[Choice

- Manager hyung, let's go to the acting studio #.

-Wooh, Hoyun, you're so strong. Let's do it.

-Look at me. I'm so beautiful & hot. Young and rich.]

"……."

This was definitely revenge.

***

Drama filming was drama filming, and album preparation was album preparation.

To make a comeback in October, I had to do recording, practice, filming, and photo shoots. I had to deal with Min Jihun, keep an eye on the system window, and act.

I was utterly exhausted and habitually entered the practice room.

"Ah."

…There was Joo Sung's handsome face.

Why are you here alone in the Daepa studio?

Or, why did the front desk let you in again?

'…Well.'

It was obvious. Just seeing his back, I could tell it was Joo Sung. He was rumored to be close to me, and the front desk probably let him through, mesmerized by his charming smile.

I casually dropped my sports bag in the practice room and asked.

"When did you transfer to Daepa?"

"Are you crazy? Why would I transfer to a place like this?"

"Then why are you here so often…."

Joo Sung, who was already used to the capital's entertainment industry, always complained about how bad Daepa was. So why was he standing awkwardly in this dark and gloomy practice room?

Joo Sung scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

"I have no activities… no friends… no girlfriend…."

"Just say you're bored because you have no end goal?"

"…That too. I've never had one, so I'm really bored lately."

Joo Sung… looking at how he's been acting lately.

I had a god-like intuition that he wasn't avoiding relationships out of fear of my threats but because he had dated everyone in the entertainment industry and no one was left.

Finally, everyone had escaped from this notorious troublemaker.

"I know what you're thinking, kid…."

"Ah, you do? Impressive."

Joo Sung glanced at me smugly and tapped his phone. I saw [Wow, really a great junior] saved on it.

"I don't remember texting you."

"Where did you throw your conscience? It's Seonghyun."

Joo Sung grumbled and finally revealed his reason for coming.

"You're preparing for the album, and Seonghyun and Dajun are going on a variety show. They said they were worried, so I came to check it out. I've already talked to Seonghyun."

"……."

"…Wait. Thinking about it, I'm a great senior, aren't I?"

Ignoring Joo Sung's nonsense, I plopped down on the floor.

'When did you start caring about juniors?'

According to rumors, Joo Sung's direct junior in Black Call, High Five, was doing very well. While the other Black Call members took care of their juniors to some extent, Joo Sung never did.

But why was he so attentive to Daeun? I wondered if this was… an impossible thought, but…

a check on him….

'No… that's a bit overboard.'

Daeun wasn't ready for that yet.

But I couldn't think of any other reason, so I asked.

"Are you going on that variety show too, Joo Sung?"

"No, I'm not."

"…Then why are you here?"

Why are you here at all?

As I delved deeper into the mystery, Joo Sung awkwardly avoided my gaze and groaned.

"…Just…."

"What?"

"Recently, I've changed my mind… there's something I want to confirm…."

Just as he was about to answer, the members burst in.

"Cute rapper is here~ Oh!! Senior!"

"Even cuter sub-dancer is here~ Ah, Joo Sung senior, hello!"

"You're already here?!!"

"…Oh~."

The members greeted Joo Sung naturally, no longer surprised to see him. Joo Sung nodded in response.

Kim Seonghyun didn't even try to hide his [completely stunned] expression.

"Hey, get up. Show me the dance."

Joo Sung kicked me with his foot. As I got up and practiced to the beat, I found it hard to keep up, probably because the members had been practicing like crazy while I was filming the drama.

Joo Sung sat on the sofa in the corner of the practice room, crossing his arms and scrutinizing the members with sharp eyes. After a while, he reluctantly praised them.

"…Not bad."

After watching the entire performance, Joo Sung stood up and corrected the members' dance moves. Even with just a few words, the members eagerly accepted his advice.

'But… what about me?'

I had been neglecting dance practice due to acting. After correcting the other members, Joo Sung turned to me.

And as expected, he relentlessly pushed me.

"What have you been doing all this time? Just acting?"

"Please, stop! Just a bit!"

"Hey, give up, give up. Just quit."

I glared at him, trying to catch my breath.

"You just came to torment me, didn't you?"

"Ah, caught me."

"……."

I gritted my teeth and cursed at Joo Sung while reluctantly following him.

I will definitely become more popular than Joo Sung and mock him. I'll make him taste what he did to me when I was a PD.

But for now, Joo Sung just mocked me.

"What are you looking at?"

"……."

"Try again, kid."

"……Yes."

"…What's up today?"

"Wow, really intense…."

Moreover, Joo Sung was in a particularly bad mood today, making the members visibly nervous.

My suspicion that he came here out of boredom grew into a certainty.

After a few more rounds of dancing, Joo Sung reluctantly said, "Eh, that's enough," and walked away. As I stumbled to the corner and collapsed, Joo Sung, who seemed to genuinely care about his juniors, even gave advice on the variety show dance to Jeong Dajun and Kim Seonghyun.

'…But what was that guy just now?'

I barely moistened my parched mouth with water as Kim Seonghyun and Jeong Dajun started dancing in pairs for the variety show.

[?♪?♪]

It was a powerful hip-hop dance.

They had clearly put a lot of effort into the choreography, which was both flashy and perfectly in sync with the beat. Lying down, I watched their performance, and Seung Won sat next to me.

"They're really good, aren't they?"

"Yeah…."

"Joo Sung senior's advice will make it even better."

Maybe…

Joo Sung, despite his tough exterior, had very high standards. He would say, "You worked hard, but I didn't hear or see anything," no matter how hard we prepared. So, I braced myself for disappointment and turned to Joo Sung.

"……."

Joo Sung's expression was strange.

'…What?'

"Up to here!!"

"Ah, how was it, senior?"

The breathless dance line members asked excitedly. Joo Sung finally snapped out of it and rubbed the back of his neck.

"…Ah. Not bad, um…."

"Really?!"

"Ah, come here. Let's fix this."

Joo Sung walked over and demonstrated, showing why he was so popular.

I watched him, taking another sip of water.

'Strange.'

Recently, Im Hyunsoo and Joo Sung both seemed to lack energy.

As the members bowed to Joo Sung, I felt annoyed. Joo Sung walked over to me, looking displeased.

"Ha… I checked, and it's even more annoying."

"……?"

"Damn, I have to go."

Where to?

But Joo Sung, after messing up his dark brown hair, just pulled out his phone and started searching for something. I saw it was a flight ticket.

"What are you doing?"

"None of your business."

"…Did you get hit by water again today?"

=Very prickly?

"Shit, I really snapped out of it?"

He seemed determined not to speak, so I was about to ignore him, but Joo Sung, realizing his words were harsh, fidgeted with his phone and glanced at me.

I was amazed by his resilience.

Just as I was thinking that both Joo Sung and Im Hyunsoo were the most caring and soft-hearted people in Korea,

"Ah, right."

Im Hyunsoo's words suddenly came to mind.

"Didn't you get a call from composer Im Hyunsoo?"

"…Eh? Cheongbeom?"

After finishing his work, Joo Sung put down his phone and looked up, as if he had been hit by a sudden realization. He tilted his head.

"Ah… maybe?"

"Did he suggest a meeting?"

"Eh, how did you know?"

He took another sip of water and wiped his mouth.

"Don't go."

"……???"

Like Im Hyunsoo, Joo Sung looked at me with a question mark on his face.

"Why? What's there for you?"

"Nothing. I'm just saying it for your sake."

"For my sake? What do you mean…."

He quickly denied it, but Joo Sung muttered,

"Who's in that meeting? Shining Star PD Kim Hee-young, Cheongbeom? If it's a meeting to badmouth me, I don't want to go… Ah."

Joo Sung suddenly seemed to realize something and his face turned angry.

"Hey, you…."

"……."

"Are you saying I can seduce anyone just because I have an X chromosome, you bastard?!"

But as usual, his thoughts went in a completely different direction.

What nonsense is this….

"Cheongbeom and I aren't close. And how many times do I have to say I've made up my mind?"

Not that side?

'Ha, what do I do with this Joo Sung?'

I just didn't want to hear the gossip. I had to keep seeing Joo Sung because I needed him, but if we met in a group, I'd hear a lot of news.

Even if nothing big happened, I'd have to face PD Kim again for Shining Star Season 2, but I hoped to minimize private contact. But today, Joo Sung, who was unusually sensitive, seemed to have misunderstood and was in a terrible mood.

"Are you living in the 21st century? This is the 'seven-year rule' for men and women? Seo Hoyun, you should have been born a scholar in the Joseon era."

"Ah, I didn't mean that."

"What do you mean, it's written all over your face. How could you even think of pairing me with Cheongbeom? You don't…."

"Are you crazy?! No, I'm not! Joo Sung, you're the one being narrow-minded. You're making a big deal out of one comment. I just don't want you to go to a meeting where they'll badmouth me."

"Then I'll definitely go. I'll charm all the sisters in that meeting."

"Hey! Save that for PopPop!"

"Hey? Crazy? Are you talking back to your senior?!"

As I argued with Joo Sung in the corner, the members, who were practicing far away, stopped singing and stared at us.

"…Why is Hoyun like that?"

"Seo Hoyun… is he crazy at his senior?"

"Hyung, are you not feeling well today??"

Yeah, I'm crazy…

Feeling a sudden sense of despair in front of the innocent Jeong Dajun, I apologized to the gossiping members, pressing my temples.

"…Ugh. I know. I didn't do anything wrong, but I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean it that way."

"Even apologizing to a junior and saying thank you?"

Joo Sung, who was trying to change his ways and be a proper idol, seemed to have misunderstood and was mocking me. I almost lost my temper but held it back.

'How do I clear this misunderstanding? Kim Hee-young is my ex-girlfriend?'

Are you crazy? I can't say that.

Watching Joo Sung rant alone, I finally said,

"…After this, why don't you have dinner with the members?"

"Go away."

"Hyung, you like kimchi fried rice."

"Kimchi fried rice, my ass…."

I revealed information from a trivia quiz, but he was already completely annoyed. Sighing as he muttered about definitely going to the meeting, I thought,

Yeah….

Yeah, Joo Sung, I congratulate you on finally living properly….