Chapter Text
{Set during chapter 367 - Helicopter Departure}
- Chapter 1
[Park Moondae Pov]
The holidays had just begun, and Park Moondae, rather than enjoying a peaceful time alone in the dorm or with one of the other TeSTAR members, found himself in front of a private helicopter waiting to take off.
Probably he should have considered this trip a positive experience; after all, maybe he would finally be able to completely free himself from the system that had been threatening him with death for years now.
Furthermore, whenever he tried to relax during the holidays, trouble seemed to follow him, ranging from a simple fever to a kidnapping.
His thoughts were interrupted by an excited voice next to him.
“Wowww, Sunbaenim, is it okay if I take a picture of this!?”
Kwon Heeseung, gold 2, looked completely enthusiastic about the situation, in stark contrast to Park Moondae's Tibetan fox expression and Cheongryeo' seemingly relaxed face. For someone who was about to put his life on the line to challenge some supernatural being, he seemed remarkably relaxed.
"Only if you're sure you don't let it leak," Moondae replied dryly, watching him put down his phone, took his, and checked his messages one last time. After all, now some of the other members of the group knew the truth, and the rest of them would raise hell if he suddenly disappeared.
With a click, the [TeSTAR] group chat lit up the screen.
[Ryu Chungwoo Hyung: Have a nice trip, everyone]
[Seon Ahyeon: Everyone, please take care of yourselves and if you have any problems, please let me know at any time!]
[Bae Sejin Hyung: Mungae is doing well. (photo)]
[Kim Raebin: I'm so glad the dog is doing well. I'm still on my way back to my hometown. I will contact you guys again when I arrive.]
[Cha Eugene: (waving hand emoticon)]
[Lee Sejin: Yes, everyone, have fun on your vacations ㅋㅋ]
Half of the members thought I went out to play, while the other half thought I still went out to work.
At that moment, the group message room was updated.
[Lee Sejin: But why did Moondaemoondae turn his read-receipts off?? You're not allowed to disappear on us again, you know? (flaming emoticon)]
Moondae laughed and moved his fingers.
[Me: They're on. See you later.]
A few days ago, when he explained this situation to people who knew the full story by saying, 'I'm going to take care of it,' he remembered their reaction.
"We can go together, Moondaemoondae. An extra pair of hands doesn't hurt anyone, right?"
Moondae had anticipated such a response and knew he couldn't accept it, even if he really wanted it.
“That would be difficult,” he finally replied. Then he explained his thought process.
“It's not that I don't want your help, but this experiment needs to be done as far away as possible from people who have never owned a system.”
The hypothesis he had developed seemed quite valid to him, but above all, it was worrying.
‘The system moves to the next host the moment their status abnormality ends. And the next host would probably be a person who the system could get in the quickest and was nearby. But why does the system do that? Isn't it because it can't survive without a host? So what if we could prevent it from meeting its bost for a long time?’
For example... What would happen if Kwon Heeseung cleared the status condition in a place where there was no suitable person within hundreds of kilometers in all directions?
'If the theory is correct, it won't be able to survive and will disappear’
That was Moondae’s aim.
And Cheongryeo, who had already reasoned with Moondae about the movement of the system, let them use his private jet as soon as he heard the explanation of the situation.
Considering how many times he died due to his status abnormality, he wanted to eliminate the system as soon as possible.
(Though Moondae couldn't be completely certain considering how much of a perfectionist the man was and how many times he had apparently regressed simply because events didn't play out according to his idea of perfection.)
After looking around the inside of the private plane, Cheongryeo naturally sat down on the seat....
‘Wait a minute. Why did he-?’
"Why aren't you getting off?"
"Hmm?"
Cheongryeo lowered his head to the side, having the audacity to appear confused by the perfectly legitimate question.
"I don't know why you thought I would get off. isn't this my plane?"
Moondae should have expected this. Of course, he wouldn't let them remove the system without being there. For some reason, he said he wouldn't take the money.
Moondae pressed his eyebrows and muttered.
"This time, let's minimize the variables as much as possible."
"Haha, hoobaenim, then why are you staying as well? Is there any difference between you and me? The situation is the same for both of us. It's strange that I'm the only one who applies it differently."
A quick-witted bastard.
Yes, actually, Moondae had already received a confirmation regarding his case.
Through Keundal, he had discovered that the system would not be able to connect to someone who had already been a host.
“It can't go back to the same person... I don't think it's possible.”
“Why?”
“Because it's just like that.”
It was a bit of an odd choice of words, but it meant that users of the system who previously returned would not be able to re-enter. It was a vague but impossible statement to ignore. Because these words came from a guy who was assimilating with the system.
Therefore... there are exceptions.
He wouldn't tell Cheongryeo about Keundal; he couldn't know how he would react. After all, his reaction to the discovery that Moondae was a regressor like him led him to the logical conclusion of kidnapping him, sequestering him in a basement, and trying to convince him to commit suicide. He wasn't exactly the sanest person around.
Strictly speaking, the system never entered Ryu Gunwoo's body.
'It just took his mind out of it.'
Moondae decided to share his view with Keundal and monitor the situation remotely.
'Some might wonder why Moondae tried to exclude Cheongryeo, who was also an exception like him? Wasn't it obvious? Look at that bastard's personality right now...'
'He's a guy who doesn't know where things will go.'
Moondae was thinking of excluding him so as not to create a variable; the plan was already uncertain enough, and he didn't need someone he didn't completely trust to intervene.
Moondae finally sighed and answered.
"Do whatever you want."
"As expected, hoobaenim. I like that you are logical."
Moondae almost changed his mind after that. This guy was already provoking people today.
He leaned against the backrest roughly and asked.
"Hyung! Where was our destination?"
"The Pacific Ocean."
"Oh my god."
The place for executing the plan was on the deep sea, where no one lived.
This would have reduced the number of individuals the system could try to connect with.
The plane took off, and silence reigned in the cabin. And it wasn't until lunch and afternoon that we arrived at the location.
"How does it feel to be floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?"
"I've already experienced it more than once."
"Haha."
I saw this every time I went to the US for work, so how could i be inspired by something like this?
I quickly did the calculations,
'If we miss this timing, we'll get too close to the American continent.
It was appropriate to perform the plan within 30 minutes.
And then I looked at the cockpit. It was the location of the captain and co-pilot who firmly believed that the LA Airport was our destination.
And I recalled the Q&A I had with the person who hired the pilot About the possibility of the system getting to them.
-What are the chances that these people will be suitable?
-It's a gamble. Considering the tendency, the probability is extremely low.
Cheongryeo suggested with a smile.
-Alternatively, we can use a helicopter and place it on an uninhabited island or desert. Well, it might be a hit difficult for the person involved. Wouldin't it be better to do that though?
-This conversation is over.
There was a reason why uninhabited islands were uninhabited. It wasn't because they didn't have enough money to live there.
But wasn't it possible to ask Kwon Heeseung to risk his life in order to not give the system the slightest possibility?
Let's restrain ourselves."
I decided to make the best move that was realistically possible, and this was the result.
Kwon Heeseung also seemed to sense the atmosphere and looked a littie nervous.
"Then, shall we click now?"
"Okay, Wait."
I called my status window. A pop-up appeared as if it were natural.
[Hyung, no way...?]
Yes, it was ready.
Please re-open the status clear window for Kwon Heeseung."
The popup didn't respond. It was only slightly shaken. Still, a hologram appeared in front of Kwon Heeseung.
"H heok, hyu! I'm surprised every time!"
That kid used strange exclamations.
Cheongryeo muttered with slightly less interest in his eyes..
"There's nothing special about it."
"Because it's only visible to the person concerned."
"Hmm.
Cheongryeo crossed his arms and tilted his head.
"Then, like this?"
"Yes"
I closed my mouth and adjusted my posture as well. It was then.
[Hyung.]
Keundal's pop-up appeared again.
'If there are no senous problems, leave it as is. If you're going to say it now...
[No, that's not it!]
It wasn't?
The pop-up shrank in size as if it were embarrassed.
[Actually... I feel a little bit of hope.]
Okay, I guess this guy actually wanted to continue living as a human.
I knew that he just pretended that he had no regrets because he couldn't help it and didn't want to be a burden.
The pop-up trembled again and carefully spat out one letter at a time.
[Hyung, thank you so much... For doing this for me.]
'It's done.
Actually, it wasn't just for this guy. In the first place, I felt uncomfortable leaving this time bomb alone, so I tried to destroy it whenever I had the chance.
On the contrary, this guy actually helped me.
'Proceed.
[... Yes!]
"Then.... I'll press it!"
Kwon Heeseung stretched out his hand with a nervous expression. And pressed the button.
[!Status abnormality: "Make It Work' removed!]
[*@5#& Check ???? Click!]
Click
And the status window... disappeared. Without a trace, as if it never happened.
There was a quiet silence on the plane, Nothing happened.
Amazingly.
"Is this... the end?"
What came to mind reflexively in response to Kwon Heesoung question was my own case.
“A congratulatory window popped up."
But since it was Keundal, it has nothing to do with the system....
"Uh, uh, huh?"
A hologram appeared again in front of Kwon Heeseung.
However, the appearance was different from before. It wasn’t a congratulatory window…
[???????!HKUKU:TjcszdError]
[YoU/HUMANS]
[%&£??]
[MY EXISTENCE IS INEVITABLE]
[PARK MOO%DA?!|rYu g& %$/&/8 Was this your plan? After all I've done for you?%&%/&5]
Park Moondae briefly panicked at the sight of his birth name.
'Is it possible that instead of eliminating the system, we simply made it angry? And what did that bastard mean anyway? Made for him? Were the constant death threats supposed to be some kind of gift to this system??'
[You don't understand, do you?]
[Then I'll take it all back&%&%%& Do you think your friends will still love you when they know the truth??? Do you think you could have ever been someone WITHOUT ME??]
[Mistake]
[reboot sequence initialized—sending characters in &%%/$$$%]
[1%&()//&/&]
"Sunbaenim, what is happening??? What is the system talking about??”
Park Moondae didn't answer, though; in fact, he didn't even look at Kwon Heeseung.
'What is going on? Does the system want to involve other TeSTAR members in this too?'
Cheongryeo, who couldn't see the hologram but only their fearful faces, leaned forward. He looked more curious than worried.
“So we failed?”
However, his question was not answered, as when the loading bar reached 100%, a light enveloped the passenger cabin of the plane, momentarily blinding all occupants.
Moondae felt his consciousness fading, but just before he blacked out, he was fairly certain he saw a small status window appear right in front of him; however, due to the light, he couldn't read its contents.
[Hyung, don't worry; I don't know what's happening, but I'll stop the system! Hold on!]
.
..
…
[%&&&%5 room initialized – Side quest begins – truth revealed/Debut or Die loaded to 100%]
…
..
.
Park Moondae slowly regained consciousness. He could hear worried voices above him and a gentle touch of a hand on his forehead. He knew those voices-
'They shouldn't be here'
To make sure he wasn't hallucinating the voices of the TeSTAR members following a concussion, he made an extra effort and opened his eyes.
Seon Ahyeon's worried face inches from him wasn't a hallucination.
'Wha-'
"Moondae-e, are you okay?”
“MoondaeMoondae, are you awake!? We were all so worried, you know? You were the only one who didn't wake up."
Lee Sejin's head was turned towards him, peering over Ahyeon's shoulder and showing a level of concern and stress that was unusual for him.
'I half expected him to call me Sleeping Beauty, but he doesn't seem to be in the mood for a joke. What happened after I passed out??'
Suddenly, the failed attempt to purge the system came back to his mind, and he sat up abruptly.
“Moonda-”
“Moondae-hyung-”
“You shouldn't move so fast-”
'All TeSTAR members are here then. But where exactly is here??'
Moondae gave a reassuring nod to the other members and looked around.
"I am fine. Where are we?"
The room they were in was practically bare, and the absence of doors or windows was particularly evident and worrying. The only furniture present were sofas, chairs, and a huge movie screen.
The latter made him think about what the system had said before it went crazy and updated itself.
[Do you think your friends will still love you when they know the truth???]
[Sending characters in &%%/$$$%]
Could it be that the system wanted to expose him as a time traveler and body swapper??
'No-'
For a moment, fear took over his mind, but what exactly was he afraid of?
'Lee Sejin, Ryu Chungwoo, and Seon Ahyeon already know the truth, and their reactions weren't that bad; only Ahyeon was worried that he might be crazy until he had proof. And now the system was practically giving them to him. Who could call him crazy after being teleported and probably soon hassled by a system with a god complex?
"Moondae-hyung, is everything okay? Does something hurt?” Kim Raebin and Cha Eugenio looked at him worriedly, probably he had distanced himself for too long. Bae Sejin seemed to be too busy planning something under his breath.
“Did we just get kidnapped? Why is it always Moondae who gets kidnapped? I seriously need to learn more about the laws in place, there's no way that security is so easily breached every time-"
It was Ryu Chungwoo who answered him, maintaining a semblance of calm even in such a strange situation.
“Moondae, we honestly don't know where we are; we were all blinded by a white light and woke up here. You were the only one who didn't wake up right away. We checked the entire room, and there are no doors or windows. It's not clear how we got here, do you know anything about it?”
Ryu Chungwoo obviously knew about some of the supernatural things that had happened to him, and this was a discreet way to figure out if their current kidnapping wasn't as normal as it appeared, without accusing him in any way.
Eventually he stood up, and after looking at all the members, he decided to check the situation with the only other person who might have any idea what was happening.
“I think I have an idea of what's going on. Let me check something."
Kim Raebin looked at him with stars in his eyes.
“Moondae-hyung is so reliable even in situations like these!”
"Moondae-hyung, have you ever been kidnapped before?? Wow!” Cha Eugenio was somewhere between worried and excited, perhaps the fact that they were all together had calmed him down.
Moondae looked up at the huge screen.
"Keundal, are you there?”
He ignored the strange looks from those who didn't yet know about his secret and waited anxiously for a response.
[&%%&&Hyung-]
[Hyung, you're fine, right?? I was so worried, I couldn't stop the system at first, but now I think I've completely kicked it out]
"Hyung, are you talking to the screen????” Kim Raebin's eyes had widened, and Bae Sejin looked like he was facing an existential crisis.
“Don't worry, you did a good job. Do you know how to get us out of here?”
[Um, speaking of that, here…] The text window vibrated, managing to sound anxious.
"You can't?"
[The system has set the parameters for this quest, and I can't change them, I'm afraid you will have to complete the mission itself to be able to exit this room.]
“What kind of quest?” Lee Sejin asked unexpectedly, looking extremely unhappy for some reason.
❏QUEST INFO
【SIDE QUEST – revelation of the truth /Debut or Die】
❏GOALS
- DISCOVER PARK MOONDAE' SECRETS
- REACT
⚠ WARNINGS
IF THE GOALS ARE NOT SATISFIED, IT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE TO LEAVE THE REACTION ROOM.
“We won't do it.”
The first to react was Seon Ahyeon, looking angrier than Park Moondae had ever seen him.
“It seems to be the only way out, okay-”
“No, Moondae, this is a complete violation of privacy. You don't always have to sacrifice yourself for us; we will find another way out of here together.”
“Bae Sejin is right; we don't care about finding out your secrets if you don't reveal them to us; we can wait until you are ready to open up to us." Kim Raebin added seriously. Cha Eugene, behind him, nodded fiercely in agreement and seemed to be looking for a way out-
“Raebin is right, hyung; let's blow up a wall and get out of here! I've seen many films where you can build small bombs with artisanal products! Or we can dig a tunnel; it'll be like an epic prison break-"
- or to blow up the whole room…
“sigh”
'It will probably be impossible to leave this room without system authorization. To make a bomb or dig a tunnel, we would need chemical reagents or a shovel, and even if we had them, we couldn't be sure of their effectiveness'
"Kundal, are you still there?”
[Sure Hyung!! I wouldn't leave you here alone. I'm sorry, I can't deactivate the mission, I tried several hundred times, but the system completely excluded me ( ⋟ ﹏ ⋞)]
“So do we have to react to my secrets? Are there no other possibilities?”
"Moondae, we were talking about-”
[Unfortunately yes, but here the system cannot intervene, which means that I can temporarily stop the reaction and give you time to rest]
There was a brief moment of silence after this statement; it was clear that no member of TeSTAR agreed to complete the system quest and that they did not trust the voice coming from the screen.
However, three people, those who knew the truth, exchanged glances at each other. Seon Ahyeon and Lee Sejin still looked completely displeased, while Ryu Chungwoo looked resigned. He knew Park Moondae enough by now to know that he would accept the reaction if it prevented any TeSTAR member from getting hurt.
“Moondae I think I already know what your decision will be, but I would appreciate it if you could think about it for a moment. You don't have to accept because you're worried that something might happen to us; we can think of something together in that case. We will only agree to react if you are convinced that it is okay, not to get out of this room, but for us to know your secret. Now you may want to agree, but this reaction is likely to touch on very sensitive topics, and we all know that you are a private person." Ryu Chungwoo sighed softly to himself. “Just remember that even if you choose not toaccept this, our respect for you will not diminish in the slightest. Don't think about us; make a decision for yourself, and only for you."
With that, he turned towards one of the sofas and began to approach it, gesturing for the other members to follow him.
“Let's give Moondae some time to think about it; after all, this is not our decision.”
The members nodded grimly and, not without several worried glances, moved away from him.
'Chungwoo-hyung is always like this, he asks the strangest questions at times when most people would just grab him by the shoulders and beat him for answers.'
(Or kidnap him like Cheongryeo did.)
'Yet Ryu Chungwoo is right. Does he really want to see his life projected on a giant screen for everyone to see? He certainly had thought about telling the truth at some point, but he didn't expect not to be able to omit anything from his story. Reacting to his own life didn't seem like a great idea to him; he didn't want to relive some events that he had now abandoned in the past. On the other hand, if they had reacted to everything that had happened to him since the beginning of Idol Inc, the other members of the group would certainly believe him, and it was quite certain that they would not hate him in the end.'
Moondae sighed internally.
He had made his decision.
A few minutes later, all the TeSTAR members were sitting on the sofas in the room and looking at each other uncertainly.
"So, how do we do it?” Seon Ahyeon asked, still not appearing entirely convinced about the situation.
"Keundal, we decided to react. Do we have to do something to trigger the reaction?”
[I'm the one who will have to activate the hyung reaction; since you're all ready, I'll start activating the screen. If you feel uncomfortable or anyone else wants to stop watching, you can simply say “pause” and I will stop the reaction!]
"Okay, floating text box! We are ready. Moondae-hyung reaction will also explain how you know this kind of artificial intelligence?? It's like Jarvis in the Iron Man movies-"
“Stop talking nonsense. Eugene, can't you see that Moondae-hyung is already stressed enough?”
“But Raebin-”
“It's okay; Keundal isn't an AI, Eugene, and I'm not stressed,” Moondae interjected.
Lee Sejin seemed about to tell him that him being 'not stressed' was the least believable thing about the whole kidnapping situation, but after a few seconds he seemed to change his mind.
“So shall we begin? I'm sure that reacting to MoondaeMoondae's life will not be a very short mission. If we don't start by the time we get back to the real world, we'll be ninety years old, and I don't think my knees will last until that age."
[The reaction will begin now! Furthermore, in this room, you will not experience several basic human needs, such as hunger, thirst, or tiredness. Consider this room as a kind of video game; your consciences have been uploaded to a server, and as long as you are here, time will flow differently than outside. In the real world, probably not even a second will pass.]
“Wow”
The screen suddenly came to life, lighting up with different colors, which transformed into a title.
DEBUT OR DIE
“It sounds like the intro to a movie!!”
“Shut up Eugene.”
The first thing the camera focused on was a gray ceiling, which was getting lighter by the second, as if whoever was looking at it had just woken up. Suddenly, a familiar voice broke the silence.
“Isn’t it the constitution that it’s a different world when you open your eyes and see an unfamiliar ceiling?”
It was, without a doubt, Park Moondae's voice.
"Hyung, don't you think you've read too many web novels if this is your first thought when you wake up?” Lee Sejin asked jokingly.
“It's not funny, if he doesn't recognize the ceiling, someone might have kidnapped him again,” Bae Sejin retorted.
"What? Again? Hyung, How many times have you been kidnapped?” Kim Raebin asked worriedly.
“I don't get kidnapped often, there's no need to worry,” Moondae added needlessly.
“So you admit to being a fan of reincarnation novels? I see you didn't deny that point, MoondaeMoondae”
"Sejin, shut up. weren't you the one who said that if we stop the reaction, we'll never get out of here?”
Lee Sejin made a pacifying gesture with his hands, and remained silent.
But it wasn’t. I woke up in some moldy motel room.
“Ugh—”
It felt like my head was going to break. I grabbed my forehead and got up. The musty-smelling blanket fell under my feet.
So—let’s see, after confirming that I failed the test again, I think I fell asleep while drinking alone.
Does this mean that I roll in from my studio room to the motel?
“Moondae..”
"Hyung, you are not allowed to drink anymore!”
“But the ban had just been lifted! And then it's not me who drank excessively; it was the me of the past."
“Raebin, make sure there's nothing alcoholic in the fridge when we get back,” Bae Sejin continued as if he hadn't heard a single word.
“Of course, Hyung!”
'sigh'
“I’m going crazy….”
I cursed at myself and went into the bathroom. I thought I should get some water and check out my appearance as well. I’m sure I look like a drunk student studying for the civil service exam, even though I’m not looking at it.
And I fell down when I looked in the mirror.
“Ugh!—Fuck.”
I couldn’t believe the situation and gritted my teeth while reflexively swearing.
I brushed my hair with trembling hands. Then I looked in the mirror again.
The screen now showed a shocked Moondae (as shocked as he can be with that Tibetan fox expression) staring at himself in the mirror. As if he couldn't believe that this was his own reflection.
"Hyung, are you okay?” Kim Raebin asked hesitantly.
“I also see Raebin's face every day, but I'm not that shocked,” Cha Eugene chimed in to lighten the mood a bit.
“MoondaeMoondae looks a little less cute; I knew I was right in the past,” Lee Sejin stated triumphantly.
“Is that really what you choose to focus on?” Moondae asked him dryly.
"Aha, don't be so serious; I was joking. Our dear Moondae has always been the cutest.”
'Maybe this reaction wasn't a good idea. I really have to stay locked in this room to listen to Lee Sejin's comment on every single detail on the screen...'
I could still see an unfamiliar face in the mirror.
“Wha-“
‘Am I really ready for this?’ Moondae avoided the other members' gazes and concentrated on the screen. It would be better to get this over with as soon as possible.
There is a skinny, fine little boy.
…I held my breath to keep myself from panicking. I had already quit, yet I found myself longing for a cigarette.
“…Whoo.”
It was then that I realized that even the voice was unfamiliar.
"Moondae, do you smoke? But your voice is so incredible!” Kim Raebin said it in disbelief.
"Hm, Raebin, isn't it slightly more shocking that he doesn't recognize himself or his own voice?” Bae Sejin asked, looking skeptical.
“Right, sorry, although I think this is when Moondae-hyung started having amnesia, isn't it? That's why he doesn't seem to remember anything."
I feel like biting my tongue.
What the hell’s going on here?
I barely came to my senses and led the unfamiliar body to search the motel room.
I found a note in the bed that looked like a suicide note and an empty medicine box. This guy must have tried to kill himself by taking sleeping pills.
A deafening silence seemed to echo after those words. Everyone could see a younger Park Moondae on screen, looking at his own suicide note as if it were completely foreign to him.
Above all, each of them had heard how Moondae referred to himself (his body?) as 'This guy'.
This could logically have two explanations. The first, and most logical, was that Moondae, not remembering his past, feels alienated by his own actions and decides to refer to his past self as a stranger.
The second possibility, completely absurd and implausible, was that whoever had just woken up in Park Moondae's body was not Park Moondae but a completely different person.
This last possibility should not even have been taken into consideration, but it could not be completely eliminated.
(Bae Sejin couldn't help but think about everything that had happened since they woke up in that room and decided that the second possibility wasn't so unlikely. After all, Lee Sejin hadn't previously teased Moondae by talking about web novels about reincarnation. Didn't he appear too calm, given the unusual situation? Besides Lee Sejin, Ryu Chungwoo and Seon Ahyeon also behaved strangely; didn't they react after seeing Moondae conversing with 'Koundal'? Was he giving too much weight to unsettling details?)
The reaction continued, however, further confusing TeSTAR members.
When I read the contents of the suicide note roughly, the content was that he was an orphan who dropped out of school; he died because he felt depressed and hopeless.
My mouth felt bitter for no reason. Why am I still an orphan while having changed my body?
Ryu Chungwoo gave him a worried look after hearing that thought. Seon Ahyeon shook his hand briefly. As if to reassure him of his presence. Moondae looked at him, nodding in gratitude. Maybe he should have told him that he no longer felt alone anyway. It was very difficult to feel alone while being was surrounded by energetic brats at all hours of the day.
I also found a wallet that was lying on a cheap dressing table. I looked around and found some bills and this body’s ID card.
[Park Moondae 0X1215 – 3XXXXXX]
“The last digit is 3….”
He was young. I looked at the photo on my ID card after I said it. It was better than the appearance I saw in the mirror earlier, but my face was dark.
Still, he looked young with a handsome face, considering he had a dark impression. Is he 23 years old now? I thought he’d be younger.
“….”
“Moondae considers himself handsome, then? I can't blame him anyway."
Lee Sejin seemed to have decided that his new life mission was to point out every embarrassing thing Moondae said.
'It's going to be a long reaction...'
"Hyung, what do you mean, younger? Were you older before?” Cha Eugene asked, not appearing at all put off by what the reaction seemed to imply.
“I…, I was older, yes," and then, almost as an afterthought, he added, “Do you not care that I am not Park Moondae?”
Cha Eugene had a smile on his face when he answered seriously, “Moondae-hyung is still Moondae-hyung.”
“Eugene is right for once; I don't know how ethical or possible this question of body swapping or reincarnation is, but Moondae-hyung, you have always been with us and always helped us, sometimes even neglecting yourself, and if the fact that you became Park Moondae brought us together, I can't be too sorry about that,” Kim Raebin assured him.
Bae Sejin, although he still seemed a little uncertain about the whole situation, immediately agreed.
"Mooondae, you helped me a lot; I'm probably only here because of you. I'm grateful that you trusted us enough to let us know your secret. Nothing will change because, in the end, you are still the same person we met at Idol Inc.”
A cheerful laugh followed Bae Sejin's words.
“You heard, MoondaeMoondae, you had nothing to worry about! I really think you already know that Ryu Chungwoo and I don't care whether you are Park Moondae or not. I'm not sure our dear Seon Ahyeon here doesn't still have the number of a mental hospital huh” he added with a playful nudge to Ahyeon.
Of course, he already knew how the poor Ahyeon would react to such a joke.
“Moondae I-I would never do that!! I was just worried about your mental health at first, but I never intended to take you to any mental hospital! I believe you; you know Moondae-”
“I know; don't worry. I never feared you would call a mental hospital, yours was a perfectly normal reaction to my secret. Unlike someone else...”
“So now you're calling me weird, aha.”
No, this is not the time to think about this.
I tried to think calmly.
Anyway, I calmed down by roughly grasping the situation. I think I should slowly find my original body’s whereabouts and come up with countermeasures. I don’t know if this guy who tried to commit suicide got into my body.
I took my wallet and opened the motel door.
And I hardened.
In front of my eyes, snow was falling from the window.
…It was July before I got drunk.
“Oh my.”
All the TeSTAR members started laughing after seeing Moondae open and close the door so quickly.
Seeing their usually stoic and always prepared for anything companion so agitated was truly a sight.
As soon as they stopped laughing (Lee Sejin continued to sob with laughter for at least 5 minutes, taking a breath only to reiterate how unfair the universe was for not letting him bring his phone to immortalize all of Moondae's 'cute' expressions forever), Bae Sejin asked him a question.
"Moondae, then the original Moondae is in your body? Did you find out in the end?”
“It's a little complicated to explain at first.”
[WARNING: IN ORDER TO NOT MAKE YOUR REACTION BORING OR INVALIDATE, YOU MAY NOT SHARE FUTURE INFORMATION WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOT ALREADY AWARE OF IT.]
[Sorry about this, I was unable to turn off this warning; however, I have eliminated the punishment for breaking the rule. You can talk about the future if you want, but this warning will appear every time. However, if you make your answers very short, I should be able to cut him off almost immediately!]
“Okay, thanks, Keundal.”
“Park Moondae is fine." [WARNING] “we'll see the rest soon enough.” Moondae said quickly interrupting the infringement notice.
Bae Sejin nodded calmly, reassured that nothing had happened to either Moondae, and looked back at the screen.
I swallowed my saliva. Then I rushed back inside the motel room and lifted the calendar on the desk.
[202X December]
—This is a calendar from 3 years ago.
"Hyung, did you even time travel!? Cool! Is that why you always knew what to do during Idol Inc.?" Cha Eugene, contrary to what many journalists or fans might think, was very observant and insightful.
“Eugene, didn't you just hear that Moondae-hyung can't answer?” Raebin admonished him.
“It's true, I already knew about Idol Inc.” Moondae replied shortly.
During their conversation, the scene shifted to Moondae, who, after having closed the door, had headed towards the inside of the motel room, appearing to be in pain.
My vision became dizzy.
It didn’t take that long to calm down again. That— because it was more shocking to me to change my body than to come to the past.
I sat on the bed and sighed. I don’t even remember the lottery number. Why.
Then I raised my head at the flash of nonsense.
…In fact, it could be a different world, not the past.
It was a crazy idea, but it seemed convincing because I was overwhelmed by the crazy situation.
This seems to happen very often in the webtoons and web novels I searched for. Was it called hunter…?
“I didn't know Moondae liked web n-novels so much; maybe we could talk about it sometime!” an excited Ahyeon mentioned to him.
“I will certainly join too; I'm really curious to know what our dear Moondae's tastes are. Probably his favorite novel would be Trash Of The Count's Family; the protagonist is as oblivious as he is,” Lee Sejin chimed in.
"Moondae-hyung, have you read Solo Leveling?!??!” Cha Eugene added enthusiastically.
“Moondae-hyung probably prefers to read masterpieces like ORV,” Kim Raebin objected.
“The one you always write fanfictions about-”
Kim Raebin practically threw himself at Cha Eugene and covered his mouth.
“We should keep watching, shouldn't we? We can't be so distracted, especially if a certain someone,” to which Cha Eugene let out a strangled noise, “keeps talking nonsense.” and with one last glare at Eugene he turned to the screen with red cheeks.
Bae Sejin and Ryu Chungwoo exchanged an amused look; probably no one would forget the fanfiction information.
I murmured a little blankly. I’m sure it seemed pretty insufficient.
“Status window…?”
Of course, nothing happened.
Damn it.
“Oh God, you really tried! This is priceless! Look at your disappointed face hahahahahahah”
'Is there a way to kick Lee Sejin out of the reaction room? I don't know how long I'll last with him here.’
I hit the bed with my hand in shame.
There’s no way, you idiot—.
[Name: Park Moondae (Ryu Gunwoo)]
Level : 0
Title: None
Vocal: C
Dance: –
Visual: C
Talent: –
Characteristics: Infinite potential
“So it seems like this,” Ahyeon whispered under his breath in disbelief.
Even though he accepted that Moondae was telling the truth, seeing an actual floating status window still made him upset.
“Your voice is C? How is it possible? Your voice is incredible!” Bae Sejin asked seriously.
“It's probably like in games, the more you train, the more the stats increase,” Kim Raebin replied thoughtfully.
Moondae nodded at that observation without saying anything else. After all, he would be shown shortly after.
Ultimately, it was Eugene who drew attention to what Moondae thought would be the first thing to be questioned.
“So your name is Ryu Gunwoo? Like Ryu Chungwoo-hyung? Are you guys related?” he asked excitedly.
It was Ryu Chungwoo who answered this question by smiling slightly.
“Yes, we are originally related, we found out fairly re-” [NOTICE] “-cently.”
He laughed slightly when the warning interrupted him.
“I guess you'll find out in a bit then,” he said apologetically.
It’s open?
I fell out of bed.
“Ugh!”
“Shut up, Sejin”
“But he hasn't said anything yet, you know,” he replied with a big smile.
“Well, keep going then,” Moondae replied monotonously.
Seon Ahyeon next to him began to look relaxed for the first time since he woke up.
'Now that the atmosphere is better, he shouldn't be so stressed anymore.'
I thought as I groaned in pain in my back.
The content of the status window is— not what I expected?
* * *
“….”
By opening the status window, I could calm myself down as much as I wanted.
It’s definitely a situation that ignores the laws of physics. But I can feel that this is not a joke.
'Now I'm very glad I didn't write it off as a joke or try to bring up the status window. I could have ended up like Cheongryeo, except that unlike him, I would have just died.'
Before anyone could say anything, the scene went blurry, almost like it was about to disappear, and then refocused on a PC room. To be precise, the one where he went to conduct his research.
'It's nice to know they'll at least skip some less important scenes. Otherwise, continuing to react would be impossible. The mental fatigue was real, and the system was probably hoping that they would get tired and overloaded with information, without breaks or moments of rest, to torment them further.’
‘Luckily, Keundal had taken control of the room and would allow them all to rest when needed.'
Now, I’m out of the motel and in a nearby PC room. This is because I need to find out if there are other variables besides the fact that this world was 3 years ago.
For reference, I asked the counter to call my original number, but it said that the number was not available.
I couldn’t log in to the university account, and the SNS account created for the assignment also disappeared.
In other words, there seems to be no ‘me’ in the world.
Well, there’s no such thing as a lingering feeling.
My parents had already died in an accident when I was in middle school, and by the time I entered college, all of my relatives had lost contact with me.
There were no good personal connections, and any human relationships that existed disappeared as the preparation for the civil service exam grew longer.
Moreover, if I think of the time I had wasted as a student preparing for the civil service exam, it means that even if I quit, there’ll be nothing weird with it.
It seemed like no one knew how to react. Moondae could see that some of them wanted to ask him how it was possible that his past self no longer existed, but they hesitated.
"Moondae, now I hope you can say you have a good connection with your relatives and, above all, enough human interaction to last for decades.” Ryu Chungwoo said softly, looking at him with a small smile and tilting his head towards the youngest of the group.
Moondae nodded seriously.
“I couldn't have asked for anything better.”
As if a switch had been flipped, the eyes of many TeSTAR members became wet, and Lee Sejin let out a broken laugh, as if he was holding back another more hysterical cry.
“The ones who couldn't have asked for anything better are obviously us,” he told him after a moment.
All members of the group were quick to agree.
A feeling of warmth enveloped him like a blanket. Maybe this reaction room wasn't such a bad idea.
“The Ham Ramyeon you ordered.”
“Ah, thank you.”
I calmly evaluated myself and received a tray. And I looked at the search engine while slurping ramyeon in my mouth.
Well, it was 3 years ago that I set up a “full-scale study” for quite some time.
These sites are not very familiar to me because it was the time when I canceled my smartphone and cut off the internet.
But I didn’t feel out of place.
It feels exactly like 3 years ago. Things that were popular at that time stand out. Games, movies, songs—Idol.
Idols.
“Hmm.”
“I think I know what you're thinking now, MoondaeMoondae”
“Hyung, since you're from the future, you already knew us!? Have we debuted?”
Moondae knew the answer would be given soon after, and even though he wanted to avoid answering, he turned to Cha Eugene's inquiring gaze and nodded.
“Yes, you made your debut.”
Everyone has heard the undertone 'you debuted, but other TeSTAR members didn't'.
Evidently, Cha Eugene also noticed right away. His expression turned sad for a moment, before becoming cheerful again.
“Anyway, I'm sure we're much better than them!”
Park Moondae couldn't contradict him on this. The original group, STier, had faced numerous scandals and had to endure all the mismanagement of the company. Even Cha Eugene would feel defeated in that kind of situation.
The contents of the status window were specific to idols no matter how I looked at it.
I don't know why I entered this body, but is it related to the contents of the status window? Did the original owner of this body, "Park Moondae", want to be an "aspiring idol"?
—Or is it because of my college days?
I don't know at all. But I should use what is available.
"Status window."
As I mumbled softly, almost only with the sound of my breathing, another translucent status window came into view.
“It feels amazing every time you do it,” Bae Sejin told him softly.
“Hyung looks like he's the main character in a game!” Cha Eugene added.
“For once, I agree with Eugene; he looks really amazing.” whispered Kim Raebin.
My vocal is a grade C, and my visual is also a grade C. The rest are blank.
Is it because I haven't tried it?
The idea suddenly came to my mind, but I decided to put it off for now. There was no way I wanted to show off my dancing and talent right now in this situation.
“Noooo, Moondae I'm sure everyone in that club would have appreciated your innate talent for dancing, especially if you had opted for MallangDalcom's 〈POP☆CON〉”
'They would never let him forget that moment, would they? He was still aware that this was the best option and at the level of his abilities at the time, but if Lee Sejin continued to bring up that awkward choreography every chance he got, Moondae might start to consider it. 'Cheongryeo's idea to regress just to eliminate that moment.'
'Having to agree with that crazy person must be a sign that my stress levels are too high now.'
Just as he was about to tell Lee Sejin to stop talking nonsense, a cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Moondae-hyung, does this mean I can finally see your audition choreography!? I remember seeing some parts, but not all of the choreography. I've been curious about it since we talked about it at the beginning of Idol Inc., you know?”
Park Moondae didn't really want to know this fact. He hoped that Cha Eugene had completely removed that conversation from his memory of him.
But evidently, luck was never on his side.
So he simply turned his gaze back to the screen and decided to ignore everything else for the continued survival of his sanity.
Then, should I check the status window for other content?
I remembered the karaoke sign I saw while entering the PC room.
* * *
"Oh."
First of all, speaking of the confirmation results, grade C doesn't seem to be a low grade.
I could sing very well. First of all, the tone was good, and the volume of the voice was good. Since the vocalizations were also clear, I would say that it feels like 'the basics are good.' I definitely thought I had talent.
And what's even more surprising is that this window pops up.
[Achievement accomplished!]
Level 0 -〉 1
You have obtained 1 point!
“It's just like a video game then; I guess you can use points to increase your stats then,” Kim Raebin told him with stars in his eyes.
The youngest of the group seemed to get incredibly excited after seeing the system. Park Moondae had an idea of how this first scene would end, and he didn't want to see the excitement fade from their faces.
'I hope that at least at the beginning, the part where I discover my mission is cut. Although the title of the mission might be quite obvious.'
In fact, Moondae was quite certain that Bae Sejin might have already guessed something.
“Achievements?”
I was just asking myself, but another window popped up.
[Achievements in Progress]
10 attempts (0/10)
100 attempts (0/100)
1st experience (0/1)
10 experiences (0/10)
……
The scroll bar continued to endlessly the bottom—it’s hard work. Even the units are becoming more irrationally so. Besides, half of them are blank, so it’s impossible to check.
"Moondae, how did you manage to be so calm?” Ahyeon whispered to him softly.
'Calm? He was probably calmer than most would be in that situation, but he was pretty stressed too, his face just didn't seem to show it.’
“I wasn't as calm as I looked; I think it's just my personality that makes me seem that way,” he replied honestly.
Seon Ahyeon didn't answer him, but before returning his attention to the screen, he gave him a sympathetic look and moved a little closer to him on the sofa.
I got a little idea about it, so I turned off the window. Still, since I earned a point, should I use it like in a game?
I called out the status window.
‘Remaining points: 1’ was newly displayed at the bottom.
“Distribute 1 point to Vocal.”
Then the contents of the status window changed.
[Name: Park Moondae (Ryu Gunwoo)]
Level: 1
Title: None
Vocal: C+
Dance: –
Visual: C
Talent: –
Characteristics: Infinite potential
Vocal becomes a C+ right away.
Is this really reflected?
“Will it work right away? This system just seems too unreal,” Bae Sejin whispered to himself, looking at the screen suspiciously.
I immediately chose the song I sang earlier again. And I sang it the same way.
“…I’m doing good?”
There was definitely a difference. It was easier to hear, and the sounds were more refined. It’s as if my throat has learned how to sing it that way. And “Characteristics” in the status window.
“The infinite potential.”
Ordinary people’s performance depends on their natural talent compared to their efforts. There is also a limit to how many times you can try. The maximum possible growth, the limit of potential. But now, this window shows that it is ridiculously high efficiency for effort and that there is no growth limit.
Besides, I confirmed that my skills were actually improving.
I thought, stroking my chin.
Idols—.
Does it mean I should pursue a new career path with this body?
“Absolutely yes!!” cheered Cha Eugene.
"Obviously, MoondaeMoondae is amazing and should definitely participate in Idol Inc and meet people, who I won't name, who are equally amazing.” Lee Sejin teased.
“That Moondae participated was the best part of Idol Inc,” Seon Ahyeon told him sincerely.
He saw Kim Raebin, Bae Sejin, and Ryu Chungwoo nodding and had to stop himself from dying of embarrassment.
'I'm probably blushing, damn'
However, the joyful mood did not last long, as the scene shown on the screen did not paint a positive picture of the situation.
'I should have known this moment would come'
At that moment, a pop-up appeared on the status window.
“…!!”
[Outbreak!]
Status Abnormality: ‘Debut or Die’!
Text lines continued beneath the red text.
[‘Debut or Die’]
If you don’t debut as an idol within the time limit, you will die.
Remaining period: D-365
"What-"
"Hyung, what does that mean???”
“So the title refers to this, huh? Moondae, I'm starting to hate this system."
Kim Raebin, Cha Eugene, and Bae Sejin were understandably shocked by this turn of events.
However, even those who knew in advance did not seem to fare any better.
Seon Ahyeon looked like he was about to cry just thinking about Moondae's death.
Lee Sejin clenched his fists helplessly, appearing completely defeated. This expression seemed particularly miserable when compared to his particularly cheerful demeanor.
Finally, Ryu Chungwoo had lost his calm, big brother demeanor and even seemed to be a little angry.
(Moondae obviously couldn't know that Ryu Chungwoo was angry because Moondae almost died; if another scandal, an accident, or even a bad fall had happened, Moondae wouldn't have been able to debut and would have died. Without anyone knowing why. Maybe even because they had won, he might have died if he hadn't. How could people say Moondae didn't look desperate?)
Moondae wanted to reassure them, but he wouldn't lie anymore.
“The system assigns quests, and the punishment if you fail is death. My mission in this case was to debut, and as you know, I succeeded.”
“This is crazy! Why would this system do that?” Kim Raebin asked him.
“I haven't fully understood it yet, but this reaction could help me understand the situation better by observing it from an external point of view”
He hadn't counted on it much, but he actually might have missed a clue about the system while completing missions.
Is this real?
“Fuck—”
I spit out cursing and covered my forehead. A cold sweat broke out.
I had already confirmed the existence of the status window. So it was impossible to ignore the possibility that even this shitty phrase would come true.
Why the hell did this pop out? Because I think of idols?
I burst out laughing. But at the same time, I also had this thought.
‘…It can’t be. Did I get punished for taking pictures and selling data of idols?’
(Everyone watched the scene angrily on Moondae's behalf. They had never seen their friend lose his temper like that. After all, they had never really seen him, right? While they wanted to debut because it was their 'dream' or for success, Moondae was just trying to survive. Every day, Idol Inc. must have felt like a survival show in the true sense of the word. If he had lost, it would not have been his career that would have ended, but his life.)
No one seemed to be speaking now. Maybe they wanted to finish the reaction sequence and then confront him for answers. Perhaps they expected something different from this reaction.
Yeah, idols.
In fact, it was a familiar field due to personal reasons.
This is because when I was in college, I took pictures of idols on behalf of them and made decent living expenses. In the process—I’ve also had dirty tastes for money.
I’ve seen all sorts of things and heard all sorts of rumors.
Besides, the environment makes people; as I moved around and went to take pictures, I unnecessarily immersed myself in this field.
I was able to study this and that voluntarily at that time, so it is an area where I am well versed.
I wiped the cold sweat away from my face. Then I crossed my arms and looked at the status window.
I don’t know what was what. It was ridiculous, and I’m angry.
“Moondae I'm pretty sure selling idol images and data doesn't make you eligible for eternal damnation. You didn't do anything to deserve such a situation,” Lee Sejin told him seriously.
“I know, don't worry; I was just upset and was looking for a logical explanation for my situation. At that moment, my only connection to the world of idols was my past work.”
Lee Sejin nodded but didn't lose sight of him.
(Moondae obviously hadn't forgotten how Lee Sejin had immediately believed him without accusing him of lying or being crazy. When he wasn't talking nonsense, Lee Sejin was a very good friend.)
But I have no intention of dying.
So let’s stay calm.
“Pfff- that's so like you, Moondae." Ahyeon laughed softly. “I'm really happy you're like that pfff-”
“You're right, our Moondae is just like that,” Ryu Chungwoo replied with a small smile.
"Moondae-hyung, show that system who's boss!” Cha Eugene shouted at the screen.
Moondae wondered if he was a little too invested in this reaction by now to treat it like an action movie.
Yeah, it’s a waste of life anyway, but it would give me a fresh start. And on such favorable terms.
Besides, if I want to track the reason I entered this body, I’ll have to use this unrealistic status window more and check it out.
“Hmm.”
Self-rationalization has been completed. I grinned with a sour smile.
…Around this time, an idol survival program was a huge hit, wasn’t it?
“And our brilliant Moondae strikes again! In about two seconds, he came up with a plan to survive. Moondae, are you sure you are not a member of the NIS?” Lee Sejin asked him jokingly.
Before Moondae could respond, an alert sounded.
[END OF CHAPTER 1 - INTERRUPTION]
[Hyung I will interrupt the reaction momentarily to give you some time to rest. Tell me when you're ready to resume the reaction!]
“Okay, thanks, Keundal.”
“Can-or ask a question?” Ahyeon asked, raising his hand uncertainly.
[Obviously! I will respond to the best of my ability (#^.^#)]
“It seems like the reaction is divided into chapters, like a book. We just finished the first one, but how many chapters are there in total?”
[Eh, aha, there are uhmmm (- ｡-;)] The text window shook slightly [644 chapters …]
Exclamations of disbelief filled the room.
'We'll be here for a while then,' Moondae thought defeatedly.
'Maybe Lee Sejin was right to believe we would walk out of this room as ninety-year-olds with arthritis.'