Chapter 413
There was a phenomenon that occurred every time a companion was awakened.
It was pain.
Holding their heads and stumbling, feeling dizzy, and feeling pain in their temples as they regained memories that were pouring inside of their brains.
A similar thing happened to me.
The only problem was that it overlapped more than 20 times.
'Damn it.'
I felt a burning pain in my head as I remembered the last thing I had seen when my reputation points were almost depleted.
When I saw pain even though my body had melted, I thought that this strange world where only the skeleton remained was all a show.
And the memories come all at once, like a dam breaking… It all collapsed out.
-...!
Parents, the accident, fire, higher education, camera, puppy, studio apartment, grades, relatives, field trips, debut, data, workbooks…
The past overlapped layer upon layer, pounding into my head like an echo.
'Fuck.'
I felt sick, like I was going to throw up.
But that didn't mean there was no harvest.
'Ah.'
Hoo.
I smiled bitterly as I checked on my father, who was an office worker, and my mother, who was an academy instructor.
… It was nice because they were so clear.
The next thing that came to my cracking mind was Gold 2.
Kwon Heeseung.
-Ah… Truly my life!
He was a positive guy who lived hard.
Of course, it didn't stop there. The shock of awakening overlapped and overlapped… And it went even further back.
'Oh.'
It felt like my internal organs were being twisted, but my mind was as clear as if I was really awake.
And around the time when Park Moondae was dizzyingly thinking back over and over again to the account of him waking up in an old motel where he collapsed after taking sleeping pills…
Click.
Finally, the overflowing outpour of memories rewound back to before the film stopped.
A life I forgot right before I entered Park Moondae's body.
When I came back from work and met Park Moondae sitting in front of a motel.
-Thank you… hyung.
Still, there wasn't much change there. The scene I saw in the last 'Truth Confirmation' was just a reflection of that memory.
The problem had completely evaporated from me over the years.
It was the period after the civil service examination that was truly the problem.
-It's nice to meet you.
I gave up preparing for the exam and got a job, but ended up working for a decent mid-sized company without much vision.
It felt like I did a good job, but that was it. There was so much to do, and every day I had to deal with inefficient work until night came once again.
A life that did not allow for any solutions, no leisure, or financial stability.
Then, I developed a quick and simple habit to relieve my headaches.
It was a field I knew well because I could watch it from time to time rather quickly, it didn't cost any extra money, and it was deeply related to what I used to do to make money.
'Idols.'
Before going to bed, I just watched whatever I could find on video sites. It was practical because I didn't have to use a single ounce of energy.
I wasn't impressed by the content itself. Since I was no longer selling data, there was no need to analyze it.
It didn't feel bad to do something different from time to time.
Then, I saw a certain group.
STier. Not TeStar.
[STier – 'Launch' Official MV]
Due to the disorganized drug scandal of a member who left, rumors of discord, and split personal fandoms, it was only around the time I got a job that they finally broke the hiatus and made a comeback for the first time in awhile.
Still, there was no twist.
This group had already stopped growing and was stagnant.
[STier's Cha Eugene, Kim Raebin, and Ryu Chungwoo begin unit activities]
In the end, more than half of the members ceased their activities.
So the remaining three were working as a unit, but the atmosphere was not very good. The album sold pretty well and the songs were good, but that was all it ever amounted to.
The never-ending controversies had already damaged their image and undermined their public favorability.
There was no more popularity or growth than that.
It was just a huge cruise ship that was slowly sinking while holding the weight class raised by Idol Inc..
-The song is okay.
-They're still doing well. Fighting.
The response ended with a few moderate comments.
Compared to the time of their debut, the bubble had already burst.
But…
I unconsciously narrowed the wide viewing range that I had been passing through aimlessly to focus on these guys.
Just… a little bit more.
It wasn't that I was interested in each individual or had any special fan feelings. I just casually looked into the group.
Maybe it was because it seemed similar to my situation.
It was a matter of seeing myself when I looked at them.
Now, no matter what we all did, a rebound was impossible. There was no clear answer or solution.
A life that simply existed to maintain the status quo.
'The environment itself is not good.'
Investment had decreased, and the planning skills and care of a hastily created new agency were poor.
Nevertheless, the fact that they consistently came out and performed on stage with their teeth clenched was strangely eye-catching.
And suddenly, I felt like it was a waste.
'Me?'
It wasn't the time for me to worry about others given my own situation. Nevertheless, it was the first time I had checked one idol group so intensively for quite a long time.
Of course, it didn't last.
After a while…
[STier's activities ends… "We want to convey our gratitude and love"]
Naturally, STier was disbanded as soon as their five-year contract period ended.
There was no other news from the few people who worked particularly hard, perhaps because they did not see a very good result from the beginning to the end.
That was the conclusion.
There was nothing left.
"…"
After that, my short hobby of watching idols ended.
'There's nothing else to see.'
More than that, seeing other idols didn't give me a similar feeling during those times.
It was funny. Those vague feelings of relief disappeared thanks to the group that I didn't go to film in person and wasn't a fan of.
And that life ended as planned, as I felt suspiciously tired and bothered by everything.
The short reprieve disappeared from my memory just like that.
Because I entered Park Moondae's body in a past state where I was confused about who was debuting.
'But maybe a trace remained.'
I suddenly remembered this.
This was what I thought as soon as I woke up in Park Moondae's body.
-At one point, I even became unnecessarily overly immersed in this field.
'… I guess so.'
Was it a remnant of that time that I inadvertently felt that way even though I had no specific memories of it?
I raised my head.
The reason this memory was not shown in the truth check was probably because the system arbitrarily omitted it.
Maybe there was no actual harmful intent by doing so. It probably thought it had nothing to do with my trauma.
It was cut because it was thought to be 'not necessary for the continued survival of the host.'
Even Keundal probably couldn't have predicted something like this.
'Then…'
It seemed that the system still didn't know that there are memories that affect the human mind even if they are not traumas.
'Those things are usually called memories.'
I burst out laughing at the unfamiliar sentence.
The pain in my head soon subsided. It was proof that the memory had fully settled in.
My head was clear.
Originally, I had hopes that I would be free from the system's grip if I completely eliminated all the crap it had put on my mind, but it wasn't to that extent.
'I didn't come to my senses right away, but I avoided becoming the next server.'
That was enough. Preparations for plan B were complete.
'Keundal.'
I gave a signal.
The chat started immediately as if it had been waiting.
[Apple has been invited to 'Error''s gold chat room.]
[Error: Are you okay, Moondae?]
An error that was not affected by the system, Seon Ahyeon reacted immediately.
I entered the chat.
[Apple: Yes. I'm going to do it now.]
I remembered the meeting we had in that chat room to prepare for any possible leaks.
-Apple: As everyone knows, unnecessary reactions are prohibited.
And this idea started from an opinion expressed by Seon Ahyeon.
-Error: I… Are you saying I've caused an error and it can spread like a virus to anyone who enters this chat room?
-Error: Then wouldn't it be possible to use this to return everyone else to their original state?
-RAB: That's a truly altruistic and wonderful idea, but I'm worried that it might be difficult to contact everyone due to time and space constraints.
-Sejini: First of all, I think it will be difficult since invitations cost gold.
It was a moment when it seemed like Seon Ahyeon's opinion would be nullified.
-Tiger: Can't it be contagious to the whole world, not just one person? Like a virus!
The random expression that came out of this guy hit me like a nail on the head.
'Originally, I was planning on getting out of the system for a while and handing this over to the GM directly to put it into the game.'
I didn't think there was any need to do that now. Wasn't there a thing over there who happened to be the whole world of this place?
The system.
[Character: Ryu Gunwoo (Park Moondae) left!]
Just like Seon Ahyeon in the timeline stopped by the GM, I was able to move my body thanks to the effect of being connected to the chat room.
"…!"
And then I fixed my gaze on the exterior of the two Cheongryeos who were confronting each other.
'Towards the colorless side.'
The last thing…
Invite it to the chat window full of errors.
'Can you do it?'
Soon, Keundal in the chat room crackled and responded.
[Keundal: Yes!]
Good.
Soon, text appeared in the chat window.
[■■■ has been invited to 'Error''s gold chat room.]
'Okay!'
I clenched my fists. If things continued like this…
'Ah.'
At that moment, the system turned its eyes towards me.
A new post appeared in the chat room.
[■■■: You prepared something like this]
"…!"
Crackling.
There was a crack in the chat room.
The window trembled as if it was withstanding great pressure…
Puck!
It was completely destroyed.
Translucent holographic powder scattered and disappeared with a glitch.
The system's voice rang.
[You used your reputation again for this.]
[Just before becoming a server. Thank you.]
In this situation, that statement… no way.
I opened my mouth trembling.
"Fame experience… Is that the energy you collect?"
The system smiled kindly and nodded.
[That's right.]
[By spending your reputation points, you pay me energy to become stronger in the game.]
The voice of the system grew louder.
[And this world becomes stronger so that attacks from outside do not work.]
The chat room disappeared.
In a world where errors had been resolved, the system smiled and stared at me instead of Cheongryeo.
[You were a character, not a player. There is no autonomy to leave the game.]
"…"
The identity of the player displayed as '■■■' in Cheongryeo's GM status window.
[The player is me.]
[I am the creator and player, and you are the composition of my game.]
[There is no game where a character can directly harm the player.]
The system finished explaining and nodded.
[And now that the system has been proven to be stable, there is no need for auxiliary tools.]
[Let's stick to the plan.]
At that moment, for the first time, a hint of humanity appears in its eyes.
What the system that assimilated with Cheongnyeo and learned its most core desires at the time had…
Obsession with development and completion.
[Now.]
He casually took my status window.
And ripped something off. Even though it was a soft touch, it was so powerful that it looked menacing.
No, not exactly… It was torn off itself.
The entire pop-up from Keundal.
[Wait a minute…]
And swallowed it with his grasp.
"…!"
Keundal's pop-up crumpled and disappeared near the guy's fingers.
[I've recovered it.]
The system laughed softly.
And I…
I laughed along.
"Hey."
I let out the breath I had been holding.
There was a reason why I pushed and stimulated this guy's sense of superiority and brought the situation to this point.
"That guy is also an error."
This was to prevent it from paying close attention.
I didn't let Keundal know that he was infected with the error by accessing the chat window.
Let's think about it.
'This bastard was originally a parasite on one person.'
And Keundal guaranteed that anyone who had already used it once would not be able to use it again.
However, this time, there was no suitable person around to stick around, so there was no choice but to recycle.
So, we captured three people at the same time and turned them into brains in a vat, creating something like a completely new virtual world.
Server, administrator, character.
So it appeared to have been operated stably, but thanks to that, the days when it could solve everything on its own were over.
Because it was structured, it could collapse if a single cornerstone was missing. Like now.
"You have now made yourself an error."
[...!]
The appearance of the system was shaken.
The abnormal phenomenon that started as a small glitch gradually grew in size, engulfing the human form and spreading to the surrounding area.
The world was collapsing from within.
Thud!
"Hmm."
The real Cheongryeo, who was standing still, turned his head and opened up a status window.
"That's interesting."
[Player: Park Moondae (Ryu Gunwoo)]
Meanwhile, the appearance of the system changed.
[… Hyung.]
He seemed to know.
At some point, he was the guy who returned to Park Moondae's body and talked to me in my mind.
Noise popped out of the mysterious hologram of Ryu Gunwoo and Park Moondae.
Chichik.
Keundal in his full form raised both hands and shouted.
[I… I think I can really move this??]
It was done.
Next chapter
—
I've translated a comment I found on kakaopage that briefly explains the whole situation because I know it can be very confusing:
"System = parasite = player. (Think of it like being the owner of an island: you can gift your residents items and receive feedback from them, but it is ultimately your own island in the end. The player shapes the world.)
Plan B involved using Seon Ahyeon, who is an error, to infect the system with the virus and cause more errors.
Plan B failed. However, they're able to succeed by using the corrupted status window (Keundal) to spread the virus to the system.
(If it is difficult, think of the system as clean water, Ahyeon as the dropper, and Keundal as the ink inside the dropper. Due to an error, the ink was added to clean water, so the ink spreads in the water. It's still water, but not clean water, and it has stronger ink properties. This means Keundal has more control.)"