Glitter and confetti were still falling from the pop-up in front of me.
But no matter how surreal the scene was, the content inside the pop-up was the problem. Was this the end?
'What's this?'
It felt like I got hit in the back of the head.
Of course, I wanted to stop doing crazy things and being threatened with sudden death if I had failed to become an idol after a year.
But this way, this timing… Are you kidding me right now?
"What the fuck is this?"
It showed me my friendship with 'Park Moondae', which I had never even remembered, my life after falling out of public notice, which I had never even remembered, and even committing crazy things at the end.
It was ending without any explanation or process, as if it were breaking down something.
"Then, why did it show me?"
If it wasn't for that fucking 'truth-checking', wouldn't I have somehow accepted my success and continued living?
Well, 'Ryu Gunwoo' had already given up on life once, so it didn't want me to worry about that life?
Did it just want me to live well as Park Moondae?
"Then where did the original guy go?"
Originally, where did Park Moondae go? And where is the 'Ryu Gunwoo' in Ryu Chungwoo's video that I checked?
Nothing had became clear whether it was 'checking the truth' or not. I didn't understand anything.
However, there was no change in the pop-up.
"… … Hoo."
Okay.
I shouldn't stupidly scream at the hologram. I should start by figuring out the situation
I took a deep breath and took a closer look at the contents of the pop-up.
First of all, from the title that first popped up.
[Title: Successful (Idol)]
- You have succeeded.
: Permanent removal of abnormal status
It meant that I wouldn't make people go crazy with another 'status abnormality' suddenly.
However, even the one who guaranteed this couldn't be trusted very much, because it was a system that created the 'status abnormality' in the first place. Pass.
And… there was one other thing other than the title in the Rewards tab.
[Permanent status window]
In the future, it meant that I could check my own status and the others' by stating it.
"… … Hmm."
I crossed my arms.
After looking at it this far, my head went cold again.
Because it was weird.
'Isn't it too advantageous?'
There was nothing bad about it. It was a useful ability in the industry. It was a skill that wouldn't fail even if I set up an agency.
This… It left me a supernatural reward and ended it there.
Without any prior notice?
I was so mad that I had lost my hand or something, but this… It seemed to be closer to a service termination than a loss.
This system was just offloaded because I finished all the status abnormalities I was assigned.
It had no reason to explain the things I was curious about or the cause of this situation.
"… Damn it."
I didn't know.
I looked at the pop-up despondently, then just laid down.
That's right, fuck, anyway, the status abnormalities were gone. Even if I lived freely, there was no need to die suddenly, so wasn't that good?
No matter how much I tried to think of it, the bitter aftertaste wouldn't go away.
I was able to fall asleep after quite some time.
The damn celebration pop-up stayed up until morning.
• * *
Since my head was a mess, it was better to use my hands to forget about it.
"It's okay!"
'I'm fine too."
I fried seafood and green onion pancakes. And I even did seasoned ribs that I hadn't planned. Among the meat I bought, there were raw ribs.
The owner of the apartment was restless, but after the tasting, the momentum subsided.
"Does it taste good?"
"… … Yes."
"It's so delicious, but still, a customer…"
I was a guest.
Come to think of it, unlike Bae Sejin, I had not yet purchased real estate other than an accommodation.
The other members originally had a house, so they wouldn't have to buy one, but now I… Maybe I should take a look at some houses. Because I had to live with this body.
However, even though I judged it to be a reasonable plan, I was not very inclined.
'This is driving me crazy.'
It was even more amazing knowing that I had a full stomach.
"Thank you, I ate well."
"Don't think about washing the dishes, hurry up and watch TV~"
The meal was fine though. It was also suitable for a holiday meal.
And around the time I was blankly watching TV, my smartphone rang.
[Ryu Chungwoo hyung]
"… !"
He said that he would find out about 'Ryu Gunwoo' in his family.
'He's fast.'
I got a call right away
"Hyung."
-Ah, Moondae. I got it quickly
Behind Ryu Chungwoo's voice, I heard the faint barking of a dog.
Of course, that didn't matter. The important thing was the main point of the phone call.
-The person you saw called 'Ryu Gunwoo'.
"Yes."
-Well, since college, no one has been in contact with him in particular.
"… …"
Oh.
Ryu Chungwoo said he was sorry that he couldn't even give me his contact information, but it was already a big enough clue.
'This means that 'Ryu Gunwoo' went to college at least.'
I crossed my arms.
This… Originally, my actions were correct.
After high school, when I was living with a few relatives, I stopped visiting this place altogether. Even if I contacted them, I only had useless thoughts.
"Okay. Thank you for telling me."
-Isn't it a bit sad?
"No. Still, it's refreshing because he's a real person. Thank you for helping me."
- It's just a phone call.
Ryu Chungwoo added in a slightly joking tone.
- I have to do better to repay you for saving me.
"… …"
Sure. Well… If he felt comfortable thinking like that.
I gave up on correcting myself and just hung up after talking about the holidays.
And the next route was set right away.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to use my laptop."
Now, I'd have to take a different approach.
As soon as I entered this body, I had already tried to look for myself, 'Ryu Gunwoo'.
It meant that I checked the various portal site accounts, phone numbers, and school accounts I used.
So this time, I'd go backwards.
'Are there any signs of a dead account, not an active one?'
It was to find out the accounts and traces that I had already deleted or returned to dormancy.
'I deleted… The data and videos of the direct cam account remained.'
Videos from 'gun1234'.
Things like Youngrin's Legendary fancam on a rainy day.
That was where the idea came from.
I immediately turned on the search engine's advanced search function and adjusted the search date.
To the past.
"… …"
After more than two or three hours of searching and browsing like that…
I came to a conclusion.
'There's something.'
All the accounts and records that 'Ryu Gunwoo' wrote in the past remained.
For example, things like questions I left in photo-related cafes when I was a newbie.
It took me a while to find them because I didn't prefer to leave comments or traces on the internet, but it was obvious when I looked it up knowing it was there.
The only thing missing were my internet accounts, phone number, and traces that were alive in real time.
So, 'Ryu Gunwoo' is… In all places, including the Internet and the real world, he disappeared from the moment I entered the body of 'Park Moondae'.
'I evaporated.'
Yes. It was a supernatural evaporation.
"… Hoo."
I closed my laptop.
And then the story was put together again.
Actually, from the first time I came into this body, I guessed the following.
This was not the world I used to live in, and there was no Ryu Gunwoo.
But no.
'This is the past I used to live in.'
This Ryu Gunwoo, seen in Ryu Chungwoo's video, being found on the Internet meant that I was right.
Therefore… In the process of returning to the past, I became Park Moondae instead of Ryu Gunwoo due to an unknown action, and Ryu Gunwoo disappeared.
'Why did that happen…'
I didn't know. I didn't know the mechanism on why people come back to the past in the first place
Even Cheongryeo, who returned to the past before me, didn't know why.
"… …"
'Isn't there a way?'
Should I just live at home and prepare to settle down without knowing anything properly?
It was when I was staring at my folded notebook with a strange sense of exhaustion…
Ding-
My smartphone rang. Without thinking, I picked it up and checked it.
Dozens of messages floated there.
'I've accumulated quite a lot.'
I hadn't seen it for about three hours. I checked the new messages in the group message room, which became active due to the holiday special.
It was Seon Ahyeon.
[Seon Ahyeon: Moondae, how are you doing? My parents tried to contact you, but they said that you might be burdened, so I contacted you as a representative.]
Seon Ahyeon's long sentence, which started like that, started with his holiday greetings and went round and round to the group's activities
It was just like Seon Ahyeon.
[I think Moondae is a really great person. Even if you do what you usually do, you will definitely make a good album…]
However, this part took some time.
"As I usually do…"
I knew it was just an expression attached to a virtue, but I read it again for no reason.
Like a clue to something…
"… !!"
Okay. I got it.
[Thank you for your consideration. Have a good Chuseok and see you at the dorm.]
After checking the reply, I immediately turned off the smartphone screen.
Then I sat on the bed, looked at the wall, and thought.
- As I usually do.
I threw away all other thoughts.
I had to stay calm. Let's combine only the knowledge I gained from experiencing this damn status window.
The first was the daydream from the coma.
'There's a system and status window, and it didn't work properly.'
-Enjoy your daydream
Only stuff like this popped up, so it was pure shit. Because the achievements were not achieved at all.
'Nevertheless… It was possible for me to draw in the daydream.'
It must have been because it was a pop-up that I obtained in advance and did not delete.
And now, as in that daydream, the system was unresponsive.
The pop-up to draw an attribute that I had been saving up hadn't disappeared yet.
[Legendary Attribute Draw ☜ Click!]
This.
After completing the online donation concert, it was the lottery obtained for completing the performance achievement.
There was only one.
And since I was able to draw in my daydream, I already knew that I'd be able to spin it now.
'The second is…'
This status window, which only appeared to me, was favorable to my success.
Cheongryeo did not have a status window. Perhaps the old man whom Cheongryeo met, who said he came from the future, was the same way.
It seemed that I was the only one with this. I didn't know why.
'And… In particular, this point is revealed through the draw.'
No matter what kind of probability manipulation, it always came up with what I needed.
However, there were cases where it didn't.
'The time of indulgence and Bacchus were chosen differently.'
They were picked after I figured out this 'necessity' mechanism, and with a strong desire in front of the draw.
In other words, if I wished specifically and intensely, there was a chance I'd receive what I wanted.
I took note of this.
Pingururururu-
The illustration of a roulette machine spinning.
I hoped.
'What I want…'
There was one thing.
'A similar effect to compensate for the abnormal statuses!'
Fanfare erupted at the roulette.
It was probably the last roulette effect I could see.
It landed on a compartment shining with rainbow light.
[Attribute: Acquired 'Mission Constitution (S)'!]
[Attribute: Mission Constitution (S)]
-Equivalent exchange for you who wants to take on a challenge
: 'Missions' can be created
It was done.
I banged my head against the wall.
And in front of my eyes, a new pop-up was emerging.
[Mission occurs!]
Mission: Grand prize
Mission deadline: D-___
Reward: _________
Penalty: _________
I looked up and saw a hologram.
Perhaps because it was a 'characteristic', it had a high degree of freedom that was incomparable to a 'status abnormality'.
"Good."
I entered in the deadline. 500 days.
[The penalty is strengthened when exceeding D-365.]
Right now, there were 3 months left in the year, but it was playing around with a grand prize? Next.
'The important thing is the reward.'
It could not include anything that was not specific, such as 'truth' or 'reason'. I was imagining getting hit in the back of the head every time again.
However, I couldn't put anything specific like an 'explanation of why and how I came into this body'. I couldn't write more than one column.
'That's funny.'
I smiled and crossed my arms.
If that were the case, wouldn't there be no choice but to approach it in another direction?
A candidate who could answer questions about all these situations.
A man whose whereabouts were unknown.
'A conversation with… Park Moondae.'
What was it going to do?
[Reward: Conversation with Park Moondae]
It was entered normally.
And the penalty was automatically filled.
[Penalty: Status window will be deleted]
"Oh."
Hang on, the status window?
I deleted the contents of the reward tab for a while and put something like 'dance EX' in it.
The penalty was a decreased for the dance stat.
'As expected, the demands will be on an equivalent level.'
If so, it meant that a 'conversation with Park Moondae' was an intense reward that required 'deleting the status window' if I failed.
"All right."
There was no evidence.
I returned the reward to 'a conversation with Park Moondae'.
When I clicked OK, an unfamiliar pop-up appeared.
[Do you want to accept?]
[Y/N]
"Yes."
Let's do it.