Ryu Chungwoo coming out of the lottery during this timing?
In fact, wasn't this like the trait drawing system previously operated by Keundal, willing to spit out what I needed at the time?
'… Now that I think about it, I looked at Lee Sejin, and the real Lee Sejin appeared.'
Of course, although the name was the same, it was a different guy.
I opened my mouth just in case.
'Do you have something to do with this?'
[N-no. I don't think I can do that anymore… Actually, I tried to do it a few times.]
A small, dejected pop-up appeared.
'No, it's fine. It's better to be clean than to mix things up and cause problems.'
[]
Did he understand?
[Ah, yes… !]
Okay.
Anyway, there was only one option I was considering now.
[Companion: Would you like to awaken Ryu Chungwoo?]
-Use Exp 1000
Ryu Chungwoo's awakening.
I raised my head. I could see the person's eyes shining with the immersion and satisfaction he had felt for the first time in a long time.
'Hmm.'
I opened my mouth, looking at Ryu Chungwoo waiting for an answer.
"No, I think it would be a good idea to prepare your speech."
It would be best enjoyed without knowing this, so I'd press the awakening button later.
Since the announcement of the eliminated candidates was going to come soon.
"Speech?"
"Since the moment you joined, the production team would have tried to talk to you no matter what."
A look of embarrassment passed from Ryu Chungwoo's face. It was because I was suggesting that he would win.
"Hmm… Then wouldn't it be okay to just say thank you?"
"Rather than that, it would be better to be honest and show that you were a little more impressed. Dramatically."
"… ?"
Any thoughtful production team would definitely treat this as a major twist.
And after a while…
When all the audience members had left the stage, the eliminated candidates were finally revealed one by one.
"Now, we're revealing it!"
[〈Supplementary Class] Ryu Chungwoo]
[Participant confirmed!]
Ryu Chungwoo truly became the final winner of all these rounds.
He was also the only one left in the supplementary class.
This was the only exception in the production team's calculation that they would film familiar contestants instead of unfamiliar faces even if their skills were similar.
"Thank you, um…"
The guy who was finally able to grab the microphone seemed to be trying to speak as calmly as possible, even in a trembling voice.
It was the first time I had seen him look so shaken up since we passed
"It's been a long time since I did something this passionately… I feel a bit overwhelmed. Thank you for the next opportunity. I won't let you all down and will show you a better side of myself. Thank you!"
It was simple, but there was enough nuance to suggest that he was truly passionate about this. Excellent.
Moreover, anyone who heard misunderstood it as him saying that there was a reason why he quit archery. No, that was what I hoped. It was good to have a narrative.
"This concludes the announcement of the eliminated candidates."
Club Main Vocal disappeared as he was included among the nine eliminated candidates, including two directly selected by the president.
There were 12 people left.
-Do you know how many people were in my original group?
-Nine people.
We were getting closer and closer to that number. It was unclear how many people would be concluded this time.
How many people did Cheongryeo think were appropriate for this short-term project group?
'This… Maybe we should discuss it.'
Well, I'd talk about that later.
Right now, I had other things to do.
"Thank you, hyung."
"You did it on your own, so why are you thanking me?"
As soon as the camera turned off and he came down the stage, Ryu Chungwoo said thank you and then spoke in a more powerful tone.
"I'll have to practice hard. To follow along."
"Hmm."
It seemed like he had already come to a conclusion based on the atmosphere, and it seemed like he would stay in the practice room and practice all night until the next filming.
No matter how much he did it, his stamina would be shattered, so that would be counterproductive.
"When you first said you were going to do it, I should have done it too. It's a bit of a waste."
"Why? Do you feel like you're running out of time?"
"…"
Ryu Chungwoo uncharacteristically nodded his head slightly, perhaps regretting that time was running out to improve his skills.
'He doesn't have to regret it anymore.'
I could give him his practice time back.
"Then, let's do this instead."
"What?"
He could have what he wanted. I pressed Ryu Chungwoo's awakening button.
[Leaping toward urgency…]
And, for the first time, I personally saw the awakening scene of my 'companion'.
Immediately, Ryu Chungwoo stumbled. More than expected.
"What… Ah."
"… !"
This… Was the reaction really this strong?
"Are you okay over there?"
"What's going on?"
Even the staff reacted. However, Ryu Chungwoo leaned against the wall and said nothing.
'Fuck.'
Was this reaction correct?
Just when I was about to take action, either through the status window or by calling 119, fortunately, the guy immediately raised his head.
He had a calm voice.
"… … Oh, um, I'm okay."
He had a gentle expression.
"I'm sorry. I guess it was because I was too relaxed."
"Oh~"
The staff left after seeing Ryu Chungwoo smiling calmly.
And Ryu Chungwoo still hadn't lost his smile even after all the staff members had disappeared.
However, his face slowly opened up.
"…"
"…"
"… … Moondae?"
"Yes."
And after a short, deep silence.
"Whoa…"
Ryu Chungwoo lowered his head and let out a long groan.
[Oh, that person… …]
Okay.
Before he felt panic, fear, confusion, or relief…
'… Embarrassment came first.'
I quietly pretended not to notice the leader, who recalled all the 21-year-old youthful aspects of himself.
"So… Well, it's kind of an accidental situation."
"Yes."
After some time, I finished a quick briefing on the current situation to Ryu Chungwoo, who came to his senses while packing up his luggage.
If someone else heard it, it was so unrealistic that they would have thought it was about a movie or a game, so there was nothing to worry about.
And as someone who knew that I had changed my body, he was quick to grasp the situation.
"It was a bit strange. Now that I'm seeing you like this, I understand. There were parts that felt confusing in reality."
Instead of talking about a parallel dimension or something, Ryu Chungwoo seemed to clearly interpret this situation as a lucid dream or fantasy.
"I guess I should say I made different choices at points where it seemed unlikely."
It seemed like he thought of a few more examples, not just archery, but Ryu Chungwoo didn't bother to go into detail.
Then, he said this.
"The timing was perfect when I came to my senses."
"Yes."
"So, you deliberately waited until after the elimination list was announced. To make me feel the reward of winning the audience vote on my first stage."
"…"
"Thank you."
"… It's because we're filming, so you don't have to feel grateful."
"Haha!"
Ryu Chungwoo laughed and added.
"Speak comfortably. Hyung, you're actually my hyung too."
"… !"
"For some reason, I felt like I should call you hyung even though we are the same age."
Ryu Chungwoo smiled shyly, saying that this was also a strange part.
"It'll be fine when we go back to reality too. We've known each other for 5 years, so it's time to stop speaking so formally."
"… Or something like that."
Ryu Chungwoo smiled coolly and passed it off.
'I knew he was like this, but…'
It was so embarrassing. I suddenly found myself waiting for the others to arrive.
Fortunately, just as I had hoped, the participants from the honors class who had finished changing clothes in the other waiting room soon ran out to the back of the lobby.
"Moondae hyung! Chungwoo hyung, do you remember now?"
"Eugene."
"Wooow!"
Cha Eugene ran over and gave him a high five.
Even though Kim Raebin was there, that guy called me Park Moondae very comfortably.
However, Kim Raebin didn't react much, perhaps because his brain automatically processed 'Moondae = Gunwoo's nickname'.
He just did his best to say hello.
"Hello hyung! I was really impressed by today's performance."
"Ah, Raebin too…"
"Hmm."
Ryu Chungwoo, who noticed that Kim Raebin had no memory of my reaction, changed his tone.
"Oops, I'm sorry. I said something carelessly, didn't I?"
"What? No! As you are an older person and a fellow participant, you have the right to do so."
Ryu Chungwoo laughed.
"He's the same, he's the same."
"… … ?"
"That's right. Kim Raebin is the same person."
"… ! Could this mean that I have made no progress compared to what was previously seen in the program? …"
"No, you idiot!"
"… ?!"
I left the three guys talking and looked at the guy coming behind them.
The guy was slowly joining in after receiving a farewell greeting from the others.
"Congratulations. Next time, you'll be in the honors class."
Cheongryeo.
"I don't know. The number of people has decreased."
"Hmm? It'll be difficult if you can't come up now. Do you really think that way?"
"…"
"I'm kidding. I believe in you."
I got goosebumps.
"You just beat the main vocalist who had a solid place in the debut group. Of course, you will be in the honors class from the next filming."
"… "
After confirming that the remaining participants had left the lobby and that the other three were engrossed in conversation, I lowered my voice and asked.
"How on earth did that bastard survive for 7 years?"
"Because he's easy to handle."
The guy twisted his lips slightly.
"But people tend to change. His self-consciousness grew, and he sometimes showed different patterns due to unreasonable confidence in himself."
"…"
"Hmm… It was my mistake that it went unnoticed, so I won't make excuses."
I recalled the actions of the former main vocalist of VTIC after being kicked out because of the club controversy.
There was nothing to be found.
It was quiet, with no common social media accounts opened, and no recent articles or eyewitness accounts.
Who else would have done it?
"But those with obvious weaknesses are easy to deal with. Isn't it a pity? This time you were able to handle it without any major variables."
"Then let's have a reprisal match."
"Haha!"
The guy laughed heartily.
"It's okay. I don't regret it."
"…"
I turned my head and before I knew it, the other three people had finished their conversation and turned to look this way.
And Cheongryeo also looked there.
To be exact, Ryu Chungwoo.
"Him too?"
It probably meant that he could tell his memories had returned.
"Yes."
"Hmm."
He briefly glanced at Ryu Chungwoo as if appraising him.
No, not 'as if'.
[Characteristic: Emotion (A)]
Valuable things are scarce and trash is everywhere.
: Human resources judgment +150%
He must be showing off his characteristics.
And then he smiled and held out his hand.
"I'll be in your care."
"Yes. Thank you."
The two shook hands.
First of all, it wasn't as bad as when Cheongryeo met Cha Eugene.
'It's okay as long as they don't fight.'
Since it didn't look like anything was going to explode right away, I decided to take advantage of the moment and check the status window.
This was because the main quest had just been completed.
[Quest: Awakening of companions] -> Completed!
The ones I had awakened so far were Cha Eugene, Bae Sejin, and Ryu Chungwoo.
I guess the condition was to awaken a total of 3 people.
'Then is Cheongryeo an exception?'
Was that guy being treated as a starting companion?
Anyway, since I had succeeded in gathering enough companions, what was the next step?
'Stage progress?'
This was the main content.
[Quest: Companion Awakening Reputation Collection Activity 1/N]
-Let's collect fame.
Cumulative reputation required: 1000000 Exp
The units were crazy, but fame brought fame, so there was no need to make adjustments. I skipped over it.
I brought up the bottom popup. The companion status window.
Companion List
[Shin Jaehyun: Calculating newly added resources (*^-^)]
[Cha Eugene: Recalling happy memories (+ㅅ+~♫)]
[Ryu Chungwoo: Checking his physical condition (•ᴗ•)]
Even the newly added Ryu Chungwoo, everyone was in the same condition as I could see, with no unusual features.
Except for one guy who wasn't there with us.
[Bae Sejin: Waiting for the president to kneel on the ground and get punished (`ㅅ ´=3)]
"…"
What on earth was he doing?
I picked up my smartphone with the intention of contacting him right away.
Then, I saw a notification that appeared at the top.
-Lee Sejin Sunbaenim: Hello, Gunwoo-ssi! I watched episode 5. (Laughing emoticon) I think the stage will be really cool, right??
It was a message that Lee Sejin sent two days ago.
• * *
In GY-ROP's dorm…
Ding.
"Hmm."
Although it had been a long time since he was in bed before midnight, Lee Sejin's habit was going on his smartphone before going to bed.
And then he saw the reply that came late.
-Wise Ryu Gunwoo: I've finally returned home, so I'm late with replying. I'm sorry.
-Wise Ryu Gunwoo: Thank you for the compliment. I really hope the stage comes out well.
"Ah."
He guessed filming was finally over.
Although it was clearly a message that came to mind during his regular network management, Lee Sejin was somehow happy and quickly responded.
-I'm sorry! It's my fault for texting while filming. (Crying emoticon)
-Oh, please speak comfortably! I'm not a great sunbaenim, so I'm embarrassed to hear such respectful treatment from you!
After a while, he read the message and replied.
-Wise Ryu Gunwoo: Thank you.
-Wise Ryu Gunwoo: You can speak comfortably as well.
"Yes~"
As expected, the hurdles were low as he hadn't debuted yet. Lee Sejin responded a little faster this time.
- ㅋㅋ I won't refuse! Thanks, hyung!
-Please change my name to my cool dongsaeng Sejin ㅋㅋ
And he realized it only after he sent it.
'… What's wrong with me?'
It was a sudden move that made anyone think he was a fraud or a person who had no friends and couldn't keep his distance.
'Oh, why am I like this!'
The moment he was about to try to resolve things, a reply came right away.
-Wise Ryu Gunwoo: Okay.
"… ??"
Did it work?
'Is he flattering me because I'm a sunbaenim?'
Even though he made a mistake, it didn't feel strangely bad.
But the reply didn't end there.
-Wise Ryu Gunwoo: This is my first time having a dongsaeng named Sejin. I have a hyung named Sejin.
This was some kind of nonsense again. Was he trying to have small talk?
-Oh, that's right, a lot of people tend to have the same name as me!
Lee Sejin quickly thought of an appropriate answer and sent it. The feeling that he should finish the job properly and go to sleep had disappeared before he knew it.
And the reply that came… It was unexpected.
-Wise Ryu Gunwoo: I think you know this person. He even has the same last name.
"…"
He knew him too?
'Wait a minute.'
A person with the same name that Lee Sejin knew.
There was only one person who came to mind who was older than Ryu Gunwoo and whom he knew well.
And Ryu Gunwoo's reply arrived one after another.
-Wise Ryu Gunwoo: He's an actor, and we decided to meet and hang out in a few days.
-Wise Ryu Gunwoo: I think it would be fun for you to come too, what do you think?
Lee Sejin got up from the bed.