Cha Eugene.
A center with 'Characteristic: Black Hole (S)'.
With a crazy combination of conditions optimized for idols, from skills to mentality, he had Triple A stats at a young age. He wouldn't even go to the military.
(TN: Since Cha Eugene is an American citizen, he doesn't have to serve in the military.)
No wonder the system gave this guy 5 stars.
But… Other conditions.
[Cha Eugene, he doesn't know anything, right?]
"Yeah, he doesn't know."
This guy… My body changed, I returned to the past, a status window popped up, and he didn't know anything about my condition.
And that was why he was the most difficult type of person to explain properly.
-OK. So, you used to know me, but you went back in time and became a different person?
-Should I call 911?
'I'm doomed.'
I sighed and rubbed my face.
However, the status window flashed very excitedly.
[Do you want to meet your companion?]
"… Yes."
Fuck, yes. I couldn't do anything else.
[Recruiting first companion]
: 〈Companion Awakening〉 has been unlocked!
Move
Another new tab was opened.
I immediately opened the pop-up. This time, instead of a banner, something like a list of game friends appeared…
[Awakened companions]
Shin Jaehyun: Today's workout (*^^*)
Cha Eugene: Sleeping soundly (―p―)zZ
"…"
I could see dot images of each guy that looked like emoticons. This too… It seemed like the system implemented a degraded version of 〈Section 127〉.
It may be a bit absurd, but it might not be a bad idea for information-seeking purposes. Although it was shabby.
… It was nice to see Cha Eugene's name for the first time in a while. Anyway, it seemed like everyone else was here too.
"Hoo."
I sighed and checked my remaining Exp. 2000.
'I'm sure failure won't appear even when leveling up.'
Wasn't that crossing a line that wasn't even seen in the 'Section 127' game? Of course, it was a mistake when systems like star ratings were introduced.
'If I think of it as a reinforcement concept, there is a possibility of failure.'
And if it fails, the points will just evaporate.
"Is there something like a probability table here?"
So I could see the chances of getting a failure, the chances of getting a 5 star, and other possibilities.
Shouldn't I at least know the expected value and calculate it?
[Wait a minute!]
Keundal's pop-up, which disappeared in a hurry, slowly reappeared as if creeping in a moment later.
[That kind of thing… There isn't anything like that.]
"…"
My minimum expectations… they were smashed.
Well, in the first place, there was something missing from the companion recruitment banner earlier.
I wasn't even angry anymore. I would be a God if I expected morality from this crazy system. I looked at the ceiling of the room and held back a sigh.
Then I realized that there was a postal sign in the top corner of the status window.
'Wait.'
What did it mean by that?
Click.
[Failure consolation money has arrived…]
+10G
+10G
"…"
There was no gold tab in this status window.
In other words, it was a false product. It must have been created during the process of overwriting the existing Section 127 codes.
'You damn bastard…'
I looked away because I felt like my blood vessels would burst if I continued. And then I returned to the main topic.
Awakening companions!
[Companion: Would you like to awaken Cha Eugene?]
-Use Exp 1000
Oh?
I pressed OK.
Then, an unusual light appeared in Cha Eugene's dot image.
[Leaping toward urgency…]
And a few seconds later…
Fanfare erupted from Cha Eugene's profile.
[First awakening successful!]
It was done.
I clenched my fists. However, it was not because of the thrill of success.
'So what happens now?'
I needed to check how valid the explanation was. There were no realistic comments other than the emoticons after I awakened my companions.
'What do the companions do?'
It was then.
Another pop-up quietly appeared.
[
"… !"
It was impossible to talk to companions through the status window like Keundal…
[Contact information…]
Cha Eugene: 858-XXX-XXXX
"…"
I was given a real number without any hesitation.
No, if I looked closely… This even had an area code in the United States.
San Diego, California, USA.
'Damn it.'
I pounded the bed with my fist.
Was Cha Eugene in the US?
That was why he was sleeping!
• * *
Cha Eugene had a dream.
In the dream, he left his hometown and took a job in a foreign country, the country of origin of his lineage.
-Take your STAR. Hello, we are TeStar!
He was a KPOP idol!
It was a job he never imagined would appear in his life.
From the moment he impulsively accepted the scouting offer that suddenly came in after the semester ended, everything was decided in an instant.
There was one reason.
It was fun!
And after all, he debuted in a good group…
-Eugene is the best at this.
They were good members.
It wasn't always a good thing, but in the end, every moment ended with a good result.
It was thrilling… A more dynamic life!
At that moment, he knew.
'This isn't a dream.'
Cha Eugene opened his eyes.
And at that moment, he realized that he remembered the past, and it wasn't a dream.
"Whoa."
It was 6 am.
He stretched out his arm and silenced the alarm that had not yet gone off.
Then he walked out to the kitchen, drank some water, and reflected on what had happened.
'Ah.'
The hair that wasn't dyed felt somehow awkward. Therefore…
Who was he?
'Cha Eugene, 23, a member of the KPOP group TeStar.'
However, Cha Eugene's body was currently living in a completely different situation. He went to the local high school, where he was on the football team…
He didn't know much about KPOP. Until just yesterday.
'Wait a minute, was that really yesterday?'
He couldn't figure out what was going on. Apparently, he took his vacation after a long time and went to his friend's house to hang out…
Was this actually a dream?
He brought his hand to his face without much hesitation.
Slap.
"Ow."
It hurt so bad.
He criticized his judgment for hitting his face and began to yell at himself.
Because he was going to go on stage and he didn't want his face to be disfigured!
"Hmm."
He put down his glass of water and shrugged.
'I'm an idol.'
It was right to start from there.
All of the knowledge, information, and tips that he remembered were never fake. A sophisticated and realistic experience that a lunatic couldn't invent.
'On the contrary, this life is more suspicious.'
He rubbed his chin. Compared to his actual life, wasn't life at this local high school too dull?
It was no different from middle school.
'Well, anyway.'
First, he sent texts to the numbers of other TeStar members…
'… … I don't know their numbers?'
Well, who in this world memorized other people's numbers these days?
He shrugged his shoulders and tried to think of his next move. But before that, a notification appeared on his smartphone.
Ding dong.
It was a message from the Facelook account.
And it was all in Korean.
-Apple: Hello.
-Apple: I'm Park Moondae. If you remember me, please reply.
The message was typed in a familiar tone.
"Oh my god."
Cha Eugene laughed.
How did he appear at the most perfect time every time?
He tapped the screen with one hand.
-I'm in America lol
-I'm going to Korea tomorrow!
Losing his savings on airfare seemed to be the same thing anyway. Cha Eugene giggled.
• * *
"… So, we are now waiting for a former member to enter the country from the United States?"
"That's right."
I nodded.
I wasn't very happy about him being called a former member, but there was no need to be rude to the guy who followed me to the airport.
"It's an unusual variable that past memories can come back at random times. I wonder if you really need to use it."
Cheongryeo was typing something up on his smartphone with a sad expression on his face.
That bastard seemed to be acting under the complete assumption that this was reality.
'… I understand.'
Because things like this had happened to him more than once or twice.
I'd give this guy a moment… I was thinking of bringing up the story about his dog, but I stopped.
'I have to tell the story only when I see a solution.'
If I tried it now, wouldn't it just make him even more crazy? I held back a sigh and held up a placard.
[Welcome, TeStar's Cha Eugene]
… It was embarrassing, but there was nothing I could do because my face was different from before.
'It was fortunate that I was able to find his Facelook account using the phone number.'
And fortunately, not long after carrying this, one guy passed the gate and ran out excitedly.
A guy wearing a ski jacket-like jumper and swinging a suitcase with one hand.
"Hyung!"
Cha Eugene, who looked like an ordinary person.
I was speechless for a moment, with a strange feeling… Wait, how old was that guy?
The pale young Cha Eugene stopped in the middle and frowned.
"Moondae hyung?"
"Yes. It's me."
I had to come to my senses.
No matter how old this bastard was, I'd first have to explain why my body was different before we could proceed.
But before I could open my mouth, that guy opened it first.
"You look like Moondae hyung, but you're like a different person. Have you ever had plastic surgery?"
"… It's similar."
"Oh…"
"Ahem."
I heard the sound of that bastard Cheongryeo snickering. I pressed my eyebrows and muttered.
"Anyway… I'll at least give you the password to our dorm, so you can believe me."
"There is no need for that. I know it's hyung!"
"… … Really?"
"Yes. [Only among us, Moondae hyung says things like that.]"
Cha Eugene smiled.
"I know. So please explain!"
"… … Okay."
I left the airport with a guy who used a mix of written expressions from Idol Inc just because he was a little younger.
And in a game room in Seoul…
"… That's how it happened."
I somehow managed to finish explaining the nonsense situation in just one hour.
I was breaking into a cold sweat.
'Even as I summarize it, it becomes more and more shameful, to the point where it doesn't make sense…'
I covered my twitching mouth with coffee. I had no idea what Cha Eugene would answer.
But the guy nodded obediently.
[So, this is a kind of parallel dimension, multiverse. Yes?]
"… … ??"
Cha Eugene… Did he understand this?
Also in those terms?
The guy shrugged his shoulders.
[Plus, there are alien mental parasites… Limestone movies like that. I know that much.]
At the same time, I seemed to be wondering why he liked such boring stuff, but I was just thankful that I convinced him. I couldn't believe I owed this much to Limestone.
Of course, it was possible because the evidence was felt now.
Because life had changed.
[Anyway, somehow I didn't feel like this was my reality.]
Cha Eugene, who said, 'I remembered all my memories,' shook his head as he took a shot of hot chocolate.
[I'm so bored. What can I say… It's as if the tape was played repeatedly?]
Really?
[And there's no way I could be a quarterback candidate this easily. It's a world for those 6'3" and above.]
Cha Eugene grumbled, saying that for a 6-foot tall person to succeed, there should have been more adversity and mountains to jump over.
I agreed.
"I feel like I've set the right conditions. Our ages don't match up."
"That's right. That sunbaenim? He's no longer a sunbaenim. He was originally older."
Cha Eugene pointed to Cheongryeo quite politely.
"…"
That guy… He lived much longer than Cha Eugene thought.
Anyway, the designated Cheongryeo was processing something on his smartphone without any disturbance.
"Are you busy right now?"
"We need to adjust our debut schedule little by little."
Adjust the schedule… ?
At that time, Cha Eugene suddenly intervened.
"Debut?"
"It looks like I have to become famous to give the other kids their memories back. I guess it's like game experience."
"Uhm…"
A look of confusion passed over Cha Eugene's face for a moment, but he soon understood.
"OK, I got it."
What.
"I'm debuting too!"
Cha Eugene grinned.
"If I'm there, the group will become famous faster."
"… !"
It was an arrogantly confident statement, but I couldn't refute it.
"And we can get back to being TeStar soon! Everyone, let's find something to do!"
"… What?"
Cha Eugene grinned.
[Anything! We have to find a way back. TeStar!]
This bastard…
It felt like the 17-year-old kid was quite trustworthy.
But it seemed like the other guy didn't feel the same way.
"Hmm."
Cheongryeo looked at Cha Eugene up and down, was silent for a moment as if estimating livestock, and then came to a short conclusion.
"I don't think it will work."
"… !"
However, Cha Eugene had no sense of backing down.
"Everyone has the opportunity to challenge themselves. The group hasn't debuted yet. So it's not yours to decide, sunbaenim."
He was trying to beat the other with facts.
However, Cheongryeo also had no sense of backing down.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding."
Cheongryeo grinned.
"It's not me, but the company that won't accept Eugene."
"… !?"
And it was said like a death sentence.
"Because you don't have a look that LeTi prefers."
"…"
"…"
Right now, I was thinking of the debut group, Shin-Oh, Ju-Dan, and Cheongryeo. And finally, I thought about my current appearance.
… Didn't it all feel somewhat gloomy and cold?
And finally, I saw 17-year-old Cha Eugene sitting in front.
This guy looked like his eyes were about to explode.
Hmm.
Surely… When this guy came in, it felt a bit out of place.
"But I'll be really good at it. Is that still true?"
"Well. Even if you ask me… I'm not the owner of the company."
Cheongryeo grinned.
"Just like you said."
Ah, this guy was pissed.
To be honest, with Cha Eugene's abilities, even if they don't let him debut right away, if the agency had eyes, they would keep him somehow.
'LeTi would do the same.'
Cha Eugene looked at Cheongryeo clearly, and then nodded without hesitation.
"OK. Then hyung, let's leave. Find a new agency with me!"
"Wait a minute."
It wasn't like the agency released new talent every quarter, and if that continued, there was no telling when we'd be able to debut again.
'This is driving me crazy.'
I pressed my eyebrows. Cheongryeo spoke without erasing his smile.
"That's right."
Cha Eugene looked at Cheongryeo in silence for a moment, then opened his mouth quite seriously.
[I don't know why he's being so hostile, but doesn't he want to go back? His group already exists. Doesn't he miss them?]
"…"
Should one of them have been silenced?
[We can find a way to go back together, so I don't know why he doesn't want to.]
Cheongryeo looked at Cha Eugene without an expression. I was ready to move if the situation arose.
'Now… Isn't it like picking up an unexploded bomb with an iron skewer?'
But after a while. The words that came out of his mouth were refreshing.
"Is that so?"
"… !"
"I see. Thinking about it… I wonder if I was too complacent."
Cheongryeo twisted his mouth.
"It's not like there's a mission, haha!"
Oh, fuck… …
Just as I was about to get up, Cheongryeo stopped laughing.
"So let's go with the logic of survival of the fittest."
What?
Cheongryeo laughed.
"Now that I think about it, this is my first time hearing this… Do you know how many people my group originally had?"
Five people.
But that didn't seem to be what this guy meant.
This guy meant… The first VTIC.
"Nine people."
"… !"
"Quite a lot, right? Haha. The current debut group of seven included two more members… Where do you think those two people suddenly appeared?"
"…"
Why at the last minute… Was there a change in the team?
'If we were to judge by considering the timing.'
I answered reflexively.
"The survival program."
"That's right."
Cheongryeo picked up his smartphone again.
"LeTi partnered with Tnet… The agency originally had an in-house survival program."
Although it was helpful in forming a fandom in the beginning, it lost a lot of momentum during the period when TeStar was active as more stirring idol survival shows were rampant.
But at this point, it was still a trend.
"But people's minds are very difficult to control. Right? The more unspecified the majority becomes, the more variables become visible."
Cheongryeo's eyes narrowed.
"So at some point, I just let it go…"
The guy put down his smartphone and spoke lightly.
"I guess I'll just leave it alone this time."
"… … !"
"Whoever it is, only those who survive will debut."
"Wait."
"It's reasonable, right? It's efficient."
I swallowed. It was over.
-Let the person who wins the in-house survival program debut.
At first glance, Cheongryeo's words sounded like freedom to give up influence over the group. Because he wanted to debut with whoever survived.
But actually, no.
'The influence this guy has on his agency is ridiculous.'
I didn't know if he was finding a weakness, memorizing and using the butterfly effect, or both. Still, it was certain.
But how could this guy just let the survival show run its course?
'That's crazy to begin with.'
I was sure this guy had already seen what would happen if he left that survival show alone.
'There will definitely be a designated appointee.'
And this time, this guy would make up all the nominees. VTIC was chosen by this guy as the best of the best… To the extent of me replacing the main vocalist.
In short… That was just a declaration saying, 'I'll make you fail before debut.'
'Fuck.'
I hastily opened my mouth.