Idols before and after their active period were very busy.
When there was no name value, they were busy publicizing themselves, and when they had a name value, they were busy making a profit.
In that sense, it was quite a reckless challenge to hastily gather in one place a rookie right before debut, an idol in their 4th year with hit songs, and an idol in their 10th year who was on a stadium tour.
[That's why we're doing a video call? Amazing.]
"Yes."
I pressed my forehead while watching the split screen floating on my laptop.
The left column was empty. And on the right, Gold 2 sat with a headset on, looking agitated.
It was 2:00 AM now.
I chose a time when all three of us were available, and only this time slot was left.
"It would be right to be in a soundproof place."
[Yes. I'm in the dorm's dressing room right now, and the door is locked! But even if I get caught, wouldn't everyone think we were talking about a drama?]
I barely answered.
"Be careful though."
[Yes!]
This guy was too light, perhaps thanks to his success in stocks after only returning for 11 months.
He seemed to know how to use his brain, but his attitude… Well, it was his life, so he'd take care of it.
[The name of our group came out, do you know what it is? Spacer!]
"Yes, congratulations."
Gold 2, Kwon Heeseung took a deep breath and started talking about the main topic only after talking about his personal affairs.
[I'm a little nervous. The Future People's meeting… it's going to come out on Netplus.]
I see.
[And really… Wow, I didn't expect that sunbaenim to come too.]
That was right, I guess I could explain a little bit about this point as well.
I checked the initials lit up for 'online' in the friends window on the screen.
-CHR
Anyone could see it, but this guy was Cheongryeo.
Yes. Instead of isolating these bastards separately and collecting information while remaining anonymous, I opened up from the beginning and prepared for a three-way meeting.
There was only one reason.
[Come to think of it, I've been collecting information about this situation in my own way.]
Gold 2, this bastard… Because he would have been discovered within a few months at the latest.
Look at this bullshit.
[l heard there were cafes like People who came back from the future on the Internet? But it turned out that they were just pretending… What concept do they have? Wow, I was really disappointed.]
'He would've been robbed by Cheongryeo by the end of the year.'
I could guarantee it.
And when Cheongryeo belatedly realized that I already knew this guy's identity and used him, would I have the confidence to take care of it?
I thought for a moment, then nodded.
'Okay.'
There was nothing I couldn't do.
However, the future was so obvious and troublesome. I didn't have to pretend. It was better to explode on a board that I could control.
I moved the mouse to join the video call with 'CHR', Cheongryeo.
Soon, his face appeared on the screen in the background of the hotel room.
He said he was in 'Argentina' and it was daytime. As soon as he checked the screen, Cheongryeo opened his mouth.
[Hello.]
[Heok, hello, sunbaenim… ! It's really nice to meet you like this!]
[Yes. It's nice to meet you.]
With a smile on his face, he glanced at the corner of the screen where Gold 2 was.
It looked like he was planning something.
'I'm sure he wouldn't think so.'
I recalled the situation when I gave the information to him.
-Therefore… This
He didn't get excited or show undue interest. He was just babbling nonsense.
-It's fun. It looks like there's been a tradition since hoobaenim?
-Stop joking.
-And 11 months… Well, I'm sorry to hear that.
-You're sorry?
-Haha. Wouldn't you benefit from a difference of at least two years? Well, it's going to be difficult for that group to do well. There doesn't seem to be any information to choose from… What are you going to use it for?
After weighing it, it would be perfect to explain that it wasn't worth it even as a competitor or trade partner.
Anyway, I honestly stated my purpose.
-I don't need future information.
-Then?
-I'm trying to hypothesize why we're doing this.
The guy on the other side of the receiver did not answer for quite some time, and then only answered briefly.
-Is that so?
And now he was participating in this video call.
"Since everyone has said hello, let's start the conversation."
[Yes, yes!]
[Haha, speak comfortably.]
Already tired, I opened my mouth, trying my best not to lose my composure.
"First… I want to organize it from the time period."
[..? Time period?]
[Oh, the order.]
Cheongryeo put his hand on his chin and muttered.
[So time won't be twisted. Let's see… First of all, hoobaenim said he started four years ago in December.]
Right. The day I woke up with Park Moondae's wallet in that old motel.
I nodded.
[And you?]
[Yes, when I woke up, it was the end of October last year!]
The pattern was strange.
Based on memory, my future knowledge was until July last summer.
'The day I fell asleep after confirming that I was eliminated from the public examination and drinking alcohol.'
However, it was in October last winter when Gold 2 came back from the future and woke up.
July and October.
'It's been 3 months.'
There was a difference between the time of Cheongryeo and Park Moondae, which was almost immediately connected.
But that strange memory I saw in the last 'Truth Verification'… If it was true, the period overlapped.
It was a memory for at least a year or more that I quit my civil service job and got a job at a company.
'Then, Gold 2 shouldn't have appeared with knowledge of the future already.'
Both didn't fit perfectly.
If so, in order for this to mesh neatly…
"… !"
Wait, I had to change it completely.
Okay. Unless 'the future point I knew' was not the criterion for this strange baton touch…
Wasn't there another plausible criterion next?
"….. Sunbaenim."
[Yes?]
I asked quietly.
"…. When did you realize you had cleared the last mission?"
[…]
The status abnormality clearing date.
[Mission? What mission do we have?]
Ignoring Gold 2's remarks as if nothing had happened, Cheongryeo answered briefly.
[November 30.]
Right.
And for me…
It was the Chuseok holiday last year. It was October. I still remember. The hologram that popped out with confetti.
[Great success!]
User: Park Moondae (Ryu Gunwoo) succeeded in removing all status abnormalities!
I chuckled. Now I got it.
"Was this it?"
[Any new ideas?]
"It seems like a new person appears when the existing person clears all the missions."
I erased the line and drew it again and put it on the call screen.
[4 years ago /
Cheongryeo, end of November (mission cleared) – Park Moondae, mid-December (beginning)]
[1 year ago /
Park Moondae, mid-October (mission cleared) – Kwon Heeseung, late October (beginning)]
It fitted neatly.
[…]
Cheongryeo erased his expression and raised his gaze. As one might guess.
And soon he nodded.
[You can think of it like this. But, why does it bother you?]
"Let's suppose… there's something here."
Among these, there was a situation that only I intuitively realized.
This was because I saw with my own eyes the occurrence and disappearance of status abnormalities', which this guy called 'missions', and various special abilities through the status window.
"It is something that allows people to wake up from the past according to their wishes, and then customizes the mission."
The operating system that disappeared leaving me with only a status window.
'The system.'
"There is only one of them, and the circumstances seem to be right if we say that it changes to someone else the moment the mission is completed."
[Hmm.]
So, perhaps, this chain of returning to the past was based on 'the presence or absence of the system'.
What if the system that left me after I finished all the status abnormalities during the holiday last year in October entered the body of Gold 2?
And now, it granted the new body's wish and gave it a 'status abnormality.'
[Excuse me… Excuse me, can you tell me what the mission is… … I'm a bit scared!]
To that guy who was crying right now.
"It's like something you have to do in exchange for coming to the past."
[What??]
Cheongryeo opened his mouth with his eyes looking at some kind of flyer.
[Let's think of something we need to do right now.]
[Uh, um… Making a debut without any problems?]
[Not a plan, but in the sense of a vision.]
[Vi-vision? Uh… All of our members work hard together, so we'll last for a long time!]
[Hmm, really? I think it's better as Rank 1 in this situation. Cheer up.]
[What?]
[Hmm? Isn't this a piece of advice?]
This crazy guy.
I gave an appropriate explanation to Gold 2, who was frightened, and returned the conversation.
Fortunately, he quickly understood whether the head of Gold 2 was worth using.
[Uh uh, then… I don't know what it is, but something that sends people to the past is going back and forth to us?]
"Yes."
If I had to name it… It felt like a form of catching a host.
This psychic parasite, which I called 'the system,' switched bodies while granting wishes.
But I still didn't know how it transferred to others.
"There must be a reason why it chose these people."
Gold 2 had a slightly expectant look on his face.
[Ah, in case you saved someone and almost lost your life with honor… Could it be like that? Do you need qualifications?]
Cheongryeo smiled brightly.
[That's a different idea.]
Absolutely not.
In my opinion… It seemed like they had to have a willingness to die voluntarily and a wish to go back to the past and make it come true.
'I'm sure there isn't just one or two of them.'
Frankly, if it put its mind to it, it could find hundreds or thousands of people a day to switch to faster. It was overflowing.
Occupation or age… There was also a biased side, but it was ambiguous to separate.
Was that enough?
After a few meaningless suggestions and considerations went through my head…
Cheongryeo opened his mouth again.
[Let's see… Because we've taken the time into account. Why don't we reverse the idea this time?]
"Reverse it?"
[The area we were in when it happened.]
"…!"
[Looks like you understand.]
In this supernatural phenomenon… It wasn't an idea that would come easily, but it was definitely a useful idea if it was processed a little more.
If we added the notion that the system was able to 'move'…
"Then, let's consider the area."
I spoke quietly.
The focus was on the date the system went over.
"On the 11th, where was sunbaenim when you realized that the mission had been cleared?"
[In the car. Maybe… a western highway.]
I immediately opened the Maps app.
"… !"
[Where did hoobaenim wake up with knowledge of the future?]
"… Gurodong."
In the map app, I could see the Seobu Expressway passing right next to Gurodong.
"It's nearby."
The ecstasy was short-lived.
A laugh was heard from across the screen.
[Ah, this is interesting. Where did you wake up with future knowledge?]
[Oh, that Hangang Park! Gwangnaru!]
The place where Gold 2 obtained the system was Gwangnaru Hangang Park.
And the place where I officially cleared the status abnormality and the system disappeared was at Bae Sejin's house.
"…. Cheonhodong, nearby."
[No way!!]
Bae Sejin's house was in Cheonhodong.
A view of the Han River.
'Fuck.'
It fitted perfectly.
'Time and distance.'
In the end, the system chose the ones who it could enter the fastest among the candidates.
A voice mixed with laughter asked.
[How is it? Is it a useful inference?]
I calmly declared.
"Yes."
• * *
Thus, the three-way face-to-face ended with the expected results.
'Now that I've figured out how the system selects candidates, I can see a rough outline.'
A bit more information would make it clearer, but honestly, it was more than I expected.
[lt's already time! Sorry!]
And Gold 2, who was immersed in the middle of it, checked the time and ended the call first, frightened by the early morning schedule.
I was about to end the call to sleep for a few hours.
"That's enough."
However, instead of preparing to turn off the screen, Cheongryeo tapped the screen and opened his mouth again. It was daytime, so he was still energetic.
[l don't understand.]
"What."
He spoke monotonously and knocked on the desk.
Tuk-tuk.
[I don't know why we're in such a hurry. Isn't this something that can be used by guessing and establishing theories?]
[Hoobaenim would have known, of course. Analyzing this pattern doesn't mean you can figure out who's next. It is not possible to know where that person will die in the future.]
Cheongryeo smiled.
[Or… Is there a way to try it?]
Damn.
I held my breath and opened my mouth.
"Therefore…"
Then, a knock was heard outside the door.
-Knock knock.
"… !"
"Moondae?"
It was the voice of my roommate.