It was 4:00 in the morning, and I was running down the apartment walkway with a dog next to me.
"Woof woof!"
I didn't know how I ended up jogging with someone else's dog. That is, the dog of the bastard whom I did not welcome at all even though I met him after almost half a year.
I sighed and looked around.
"Kongi is running well. Good boy."
Obviously, the guy who said this was… It was Cheongryeo, who was sticking out of the fog.
'Damn it.'
I recalled how things had come to this.
The one who appeared was walking his dog in light sportswear.
- Every time I went for a walk, I only went to places where there were no people, so I was excited to see another person. I'm sorry if I surprised you.
And he was overly blunt. So I replied.
- I think you knew that it was me.
The answer to this doubt was as follows.
-A pink-haired guy walking nearby at dawn… Doesn't the pool of candidates narrow down considerably?
-… …
-I can see the color even in the fog.
It was an explanation that couldn't be refuted. I groaned at the sight of my hair, wearing only a hat.
Of course, since it was 4 in the morning, I thought no one would be there.
As for why he was taking a walk here out of the blue, his words came out easily.
-I have something to do during the tour break, so… I'm living in the dorm again. And there aren't many people in this neighborhood at dawn.
It was true.
-I think you are here now for the same reason.
-… …
Okay.
To sum it up, it was just a coincidence that came about because we had similar situations because of our job.
'Hoo.'
I was about to admit the situation and leave quickly.
-Okay. Then…
- It looks like we're going the same way anyway, so why don't we walk together a bit? I think Kongi would start barking if you ran away.
-… …
-It'd be a nuisance to hear that at this early hour. Isn't that right?
I noticed the yellow lump watching me while its paws were touching my feet. I reluctantly turned around…
"Woof!"
I… didn't know how this dog managed to be owned by such a bastard.
'There are security cameras installed, so I don't think he'll do anything.'
I held my breath and started running down the trail at the original tempo.
The dog and its owner ran at the same speed next to me. We didn't say much while jogging.
However, the problem began after that.
"Drinks?"
"I already have some."
Near the end of the trail, I drank water from the prepared canteen. Cheongryeo fed his dog a snack.
"You should wear a beanie next time. Because it covers more of the hair color."
I just didn't plan to come back here at this time next time.
"… …"
Instead of answering that, I just nodded. Cheongryeo shrugged his shoulders as he stroked the dog eating snacks.
And what was visible under the hood of the man who lowered his head… It wasn't black hair.
'Wait a moment.'
I inadvertently opened my mouth.
"You dyed your hair?"
"Ah, yes."
Cheongryeo touched his head under the hood with his hand and removed it.
Dark green hair appeared from under the cloth.
No, was it gray? I couldn't see very well because of the fog… Actually, it wasn't the color that mattered.
"You haven't dyed your hair since your debut."
I had never seen VTIC's Cheongryeo dye his hair once when I was a data collector.
I didn't know what it was, but there seemed to be a cataclysm in terms of concept, so I needed to get a hint of what VTIC was going to do in the next repackage comeback.
I looked at the biggest stumbling block of this year's grand prize.
'I have to admit it.'
These guys still had incredible power.
This was because VTIC's comeback career in February was still the same.
'I thought it was time for them to fall.'
In a section where there was no longer an up trend, VTIC managed to extend their prime time even longer.
-VTIC Initial closing rate of 1.92 million~~~~
└ Are they crazy?
└ Fuck, are they going to keep this form up until they have to go to the military? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ They have it so good.
- VTIC's world tour resale tickets are also sold out.
-I wonder if they will be a first-rate group until they retire
Even the form of a group that had undergone renewal was unbelievable.
In this February comeback, it was said that fan satisfaction was very good because it interpreted the feeling of Broadway in the 50s in a very sophisticated and dark way.
I also checked. And I almost wanted to drink alcohol.
'The quality continues to exceed expectations.'
This was unavoidable.
I hoped this year's comeback ended with this, but I didn't have expectations because I thought that they would work extra hard before anyone enlisted.
'He dyed his hair, so it's confirmed.'
They were preparing something. It'd be a dramatic change.
"I wonder if you dyed your hair because you were thinking of showing some unexpected result."
Waiting for his reply, I closed the canteen and crossed my arms.
He… laughed out loud.
"Well, I think it would be less surprising than pink."
Fuck.
"Fans will love it."
"Is that so? Congratulations."
He didn't say a word and slowly changed the topic. I nodded inwardly.
'He's conscious not to speak.'
Likewise, it was to keep TeStar in check.
I sometimes thought of the text messages and contacts from the VTIC guys.
It felt like we were being monitored.
[Everyone, I watched the variety show
Was this the text I received at the end of TeStar's January promotion?
[Isn't it really great to combine two songs together? Raebin-ssi… Are you thinking of making songs for another group?? (Bread bursting emoticon)]
[^^b]
This was a message from the concert.
[The documentary was so touching.]
Well, that… Cha Eugene burst and got mad.
Anyway, it was also the point that the other side was conscious enough to constantly check this year's TeStar content.
They may think it was for cheering us on, but unconsciously, there was a desire to confirm the growth of latecomers and to understand the situation.
'… This year must be really intense.'
I nodded inwardly.
However, the topic that Cheongryeo brought up next was unexpected.
"Yes, I've never dyed my hair before."
The guy tilted his head to the side.
"However… I didn't know that you would know that."
"… …"
"Did you do a lot of research? By any chance, when you were in your original body, you weren't a Fluffy Sweet fan, but were you our fan instead? Ah, there are types of people who like to tie groups together who are under one agency. But, men were… rare, I suppose."
I was getting goosebumps.
'Damn it.'
I sighed and put the canteen in my backpack. And I just finished the calculation.
'Good.'
I told him about my situation.
"I wasn't a fan of anyone."
"Then?"
I said it intentionally.
As if I was distracted by the running dog, I relaxed and gave a rough answer…
Like this.
"To be honest, I didn't care much about idols, but I sold idol data to fan sites when I was in college. That's how I came to know about it."
"Ah."
I leaked information about 'Ryu Gunwoo'.
The fact that I was a data collector when I was in college.
It was an action with a clear purpose.
'Track it.'
The information about 'Ryu Gunwoo'.
"That's all."
This guy must have said it with his own mouth.
At the end of last year, I remembered the guy who told me about Youngrin's surprise release plan.
-You didn't know. You have no informant, isn't that right? Hoobaenim, that's… This will be the biggest problem in the future.
This meant that he had enough sources of information.
In fact, to the extent of finding out the news of Youngrin's music source, which only the closest people knew, was no different from proving it himself.
'He certainly wouldn't have limited it to the entertainment industry.'
In order to control all external factors, he needed to know other circumstances related to celebrities in the entertainment industry.
Then, among the cards I could use… It meant that this guy was the best to be able to trace Ryu Guwoo's whereabouts while uselessly saying 'Park Moondae is illegally inspecting civilians'.
'As he said, I don't have an informant, so I'll have to use even him who has one.'
It was confirmed by video at Ryu Chungwoo's house that Ryu Gunwoo was definitely here, so on the contrary, it might be possible to use this guy to confirm whether he was currently alive or not.
'It doesn't matter if he looks for him.'
After all, what this bastard knew was nonsensical bullshit that presupposed that my body has changed.
And realistically, 'Ryu Gunwoo' could not be my weakness.
'You have to have something to have a weakness.'
Around the time I graduated college, all I had was money to last for three years.
But this guy didn't know that.
In order to keep TeStar in check, who was the most difficult enemy, and to control them in case of emergency, he would definitely go after 'Park Moondae's original body'.
It must have been impossible since all he knew was Ryu Gunwoo's name.
'The only clues are name and age group.'
So, let's see… I hoped to get a reaction from him when I added 'Data collector' to 'Ryu Gunwoo'.
'Because it's a feature that allows for multiple inferences.'
As I expected, this guy would do the math too.
I ended my speech casually.
"Still, Fluffy Sweet… I wasn't a fan, so let's leave it at the level of just liking them."
"… …"
I petted the dog and smiled. Cheongryeo, who was holding the leash connected to the dog, looked this way with a mysterious face.
"More than I thought… It was right that you had a professional life in the industry."
He was talking about professionalism to the guy who sold idol data.
"I only made pocket money."
"Haha, judging from what you were doing, it didn't seem like much. Well, I guess this experience helped me realize what it was like. It's interesting."
He muttered to himself and rubbed his free hand on his chin.
It was foggy, so I couldn't see his expression clearly… It seemed like he was thinking about it.
'Okay.'
Take the bait.
Soon, a soft voice was heard.
"Still, if you were a guy in his 20s with a camera… That's pretty unique. Please describe what you looked like at least once. You said you also filmed VTIC, right? Then, I think I will remember."
It was done.
'Inversely, he's trying to dig up information.'
I thought as I touched the back of the dog's ear.
'Here… I should not intentionally give the impression of being possessed by information.'
Because this bastard's personality would ask for a deal or try to hit the back of my head. Or, he would do both.
Answering positively would look suspicious on the contrary, so I shook my head.
"I just went around wearing glasses and a hat. It must be common."
"Hmm."
That was good enough.
However, the actual information was sufficient.
-A man in his early 20s, glasses, a hat, and a camera.
Certainly, if he rotated the video clips of the events stored by the agency according to the year, he would be able to get the faces of the candidates for 'Ryu Gunwoo', albeit in low quality.
Data collectors usually held cameras that stood out from the rest of the audience.
'If you wanted to sell data to the level of making money, of course, the best place to do that was in Seoul.'
Main broadcasting stations and performance facilities were mainly concentrated in Seoul.
'Then, if you search by matching the year, university in Seoul, age group, name, and face…'
"Hmm."
If he was a very skillful guy, he might be able to find the current situation of 'Ryu Gunwoo' in no time.
'Done.'
I shrugged and got up.
There was no need to say things like 'I think I sounded useless' here. That would make it more awkward.
It would be most natural to leave my seat in moderation.
"Woof!"
The dog at my feet made a strange sound of regret and stomped back and forth.
"I'm going in now."
"Well, yes. Goodbye."
Cheongryeo picked up his dog and spoke casually.
"I'm going to be walking around here for another 15 days or so, so if we meet occasionally, I'II say hello with Kongi."
"… … I see."
"Haha..
Holding back my breath, I left him behind and made my way out of the fog on the path.
"… … Hoo."
I thought I handled it well, but somehow, got tired when I met that bastard.
• * *
After a few minutes. I let go of the awkwardness as I entered the building.
'Was it because of the fog?'
Well, I just had to focus on the results.
In order for Cheongryeo to make a deal with me, the moment he found 'Ryu Gunwoo', he would have no choice but to leak information about 'Ryu Gunwoo's current condition' to me at least.
'Good.'
It was neat.
I shrugged and got on the elevator. My head was working again with speed.
'Is it because I went to bed early yesterday?'
I slept a little longer this afternoon because I had an active schedule for the first time in a while.
As for the schedule…
"Now, let's start assigning rooms~"
"Wow!"
Right away, roommate assignment content was back again to fill the ambiguous gap