The first ones to become my obvious targets were, of course, the members of The Dawn. Since the quest came from the system window, I figured it must be tied to the main storyline or our path to becoming a top-tier idol group. Naturally, that meant people close to the center of it all. So I started by casually tossing some light affection their way—something like “Our sweet XX~” just to test the waters. “Why, why, WHY are you , seriously?!” “Yes, this is Hoyun hyung’s Ichae~.” And with that, The Dawn route was dead. It seemed the “designated” close individual wasn’t a group member, so I moved on to try my luck with the one most likely to grab her neck and grumble thanks to me: Lim Hyunsu. [Me: Do you know how much I care about you?] She clearly read it right away, but her reply didn’t come until hours later. [Lim Hyunsu: fuck, do you need a new song or what?] [This person is not the player’s designated “close individual.”] I ignored her message and moved on to search for a new target. Next was Pushover No. 2: Joo Woosung. In the meantime, I even messaged Min Jiheon—who I wasn’t particularly close with—asking what he was up to. In return, I got a thirst trap message that read, “Uuuㅠㅠ I miss you too~” or some equally cursed bait. [Little Brother: Yup?] I messaged my damn brother, too. [This person is not the player’s designated “close individual.”] [Little Brother: Here we go again.] Even I had limits. Just the thought of showing affection to a blood relative gave me full-body goosebumps. I mean, I’d do it if I had to, but still. So then... who the hell was it? As I kept spiraling, the worst possible scenario came to mind. It couldn’t be Kim Heeyoung, right? I really didn’t want to get tangled up with her again. No matter what, there had to be some moral boundaries to this system, right? “...Fuck, what if it really is her?” I was pacing back and forth with my phone in hand, running through all the possibilities, when it vibrated. [Joo Woosung: ;;; what the fuck is this] [Joo Woosung: you’re seriously creeping me out] [You’ve contacted the player’s designated “close individual.”] ‘If it’s Woosung, I can finish this quest in five seconds flat.’ I’d assumed the system was trying to screw me over with this ridiculous quest—but if the target was Woosung, it might actually be a joke. I called him, and the line picked up almost immediately. [...What do you want?] He sounded suspicious and guarded. “My most respected sunbae-nim.” I was about to bluff some flowery praise—but the truth was, I had no idea what Woosung had been up to lately. I’d never paid attention in the first place. “...So, uh, what’ve you been doing lately?” [...Are you filming something?] [Then why the hell are you calling me? You need something?] “What? Are we not close enough for that?” That should’ve been enough setup, right? Honestly, I just wanted to get this over with quickly. The whole thing was already a pain in the ass. I tried to start out normally, but the word “care” wouldn’t come out of my mouth. I mean, he acts like a kid, sure—but objectively, he’s better at managing his own shit than I am. I didn’t have a reason, or a right, to say I cared about him. I could’ve said it as a throwaway line, but something about it just stuck in my throat. “I... seriously, I care about you.” I ended up stammering, of all things. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ NovᴇlFirᴇ(.)nᴇt The silence that followed was so long, I even checked the screen to see if the call had dropped. But the timer was still ticking. Just as I was about to ask if he was still there, he replied in a gentle voice. [...Did you lose a bet?] [The other person does not acknowledge the statement.] [Not counted as an affection expression.] [Affection Points: 0/5] I stared at the system window in disbelief. This was the same guy who puffed up and strutted around if you even slightly complimented him—so what the hell?! [Jesus, Seo Hoyun, you never change.] [I’m busy. I’m hanging up.] I stood there with my phone in hand, pacing around the empty dorm for a while. Everyone else was at the practice studio, and I’d told them I’d come later. For now, I was alone. The others I’d poked were blowing up my phone with replies and missed calls—except for Joo Woosung. Radio silence. Suppressing the urge to punch a wall, I got dressed, pulled on a cap, and muttered under my breath. “Fine. So that’s how it is.” There was no way Woosung was actually busy. Black Call had been on break, aside from a few members doing individual gigs. It was basically downtime. Just to confirm, I looked up Woosung’s schedule and casually asked Kim Sunghyun, his self-proclaimed superfan, for details—then I hopped into a taxi straight to Woosung’s apartment. I greeted the guard at the gate like I always did, rode up in the elevator, and punched in the door code I’d learned after a few visits. I shouted boldly, stepping onto the marble floor and heading for the living room—where I spotted Woosung lifting his head off the couch, eyes wide with shock. “What d’you mean you’re busy? Watching a movie doesn’t count.” As expected, this bastard had nothing going on. His cat, recognizing me, purred and rubbed against my leg. “Scared the hell outta me! Why are you here?! How’d you even get in?” I flashed him a gentle smile as he looked at me through sleepy eyes. “I just wanted to pay my respects to the sunbae who’s always supported me in every way.” “Wow. You’re not even trying to sound believable.” “Anyway, let’s focus.” Woosung only had good instincts when he didn’t need them. When it mattered? Dumb as bricks. He shuddered at my tone, clearly annoyed. “You’ve been ghosting me lately, so I figured I’d check in.” I’d made up my mind—might as well get this over with as quickly and painlessly as possible. I dropped into a single-seater sofa and sighed. “I’ve just been wondering why it’s suddenly so hard to see you—” “Okay, here we go again.” Care about you had failed. Respect you? What else could I say? I’d never tried saying stuff before. I carefully picked my next line. “So, like, if it weren’t for you—” Woosung immediately grimaced in disgust. “—if it weren’t for you, Woosung, I’d seriously be screwed.” A long, awkward silence hung in the air. Woosung scratched his ear with his pinky and tilted his head. “...You feeling okay?” Then, seeing that my complexion was clear and healthy—definitely not feverish—he swirled a finger by his temple. “Or did your brain just snap? Is this a prank show?” “Are you being sarcastic?” “Yeah, guess your brain really did snap.” “Haah, you know I really respec—” “What are you even saying?” “...You know I really respec—” I tried one last time—but was shot down in flames. “You’re really not gonna let me finish? Am I a joke to you?” “Why are you acting ? Did you eat something weird?” “Ugh, whatever! Can’t you just shut up and let me talk for once?! I just don’t want to end up in a dating scandal with you on New Year’s Day!!” “Jesus Christ, just say you hate me!!” [LOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLL] [LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO] I’d thought I could clear this quest faster than a Tokyo Dome ticket drop for Black Call. The image Woosung had of me was acting like an unbreakable wall. “You really don’t believe me? Why the hell would I go to this much trouble to tell a stupid lie?” “Because you showed up out of nowhere and started spouting nonsense. Put yourself in my shoes, dumbass. If I did this to you, would you believe it?” “Fuck yeah, I would!” Woosung blinked in surprise. Even I wasn’t 100% sure I’d believe him, but... This soft-hearted bastard had helped me out over and over during Shining Star, even looking out for The Dawn now and then. No matter how ridiculous the story, I was willing to believe him—at least once. “Of course I’d believe you! After everything you’ve done for me!” [Affection expression registered.] [Affection Points: 1/5] At the same time, a notification popped up. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The stuff I’d spat out in frustration had actually counted as an affection expression. No time to be shocked. This was my chance. I looked him straight in the eyes. “I respect you, Woosung, and I’m grateful for everything you’ve done.” [The recipient does not believe the player.] [Currently thinking, ‘Yup, same ol’ bullshit.’] [Affection expression failed. Counter reset.] [Affection Points: 0/5] The heat rushed to my head. I yanked my cap off and slammed it to the floor. This felt even more hopeless than the stupid aegyo quest. Joo Woosung looked at me like I’d lost my mind, mumbling to himself. “...This fucker really lost it.” At this rate, I wasn’t even going to make it to two successful affection expressions, let alone finish the quest. I’d been glued to Joo Woosung’s apartment, only leaving for schedules, practice, and sleep. He stepped out of the bathroom holding his cat, Nyangnyang, wrapped in a towel—must’ve just bathed him. “Hoyun-ah, I’m sick of this.” Woosung chuckled, then placed Nyangnyang in the pet drying room. He was adapting way too fast. At first, no matter what I said, he acted like he had indigestion or told me to knock it off. Now? He’d start shouting “Nope,” “Don’t want it,” “Get lost,” before I even opened my mouth, like I was some annoying subway proselytizer. Whatever—he wasn’t my problem. But I really didn’t have any more time after today. I was racking my brain for a new approach when he nonchalantly asked, phone in hand: “Hey, psycho. Wanna eat? I’m ordering.” “What are you ordering?” “How’s jjajangmyeon sound?” I answered half-heartedly, then quickly changed gears. “I hate it, but I respect you enough to eat jjajangmyeon just to match with you, sunbae.” “How do you come up with this crap?” [The other person does not acknowledge the statement.] [Not counted as an affection expression.] Tsk. Just as I clicked my tongue, I suddenly remembered Sung Jiwon’s teary-eyed face when he’d bumped his head on the van earlier. “You know, Hoyun, sometimes you’re funnier than a drama.” That’s ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) my life. A spectacle more dramatic than any drama. I flopped onto the couch while Woosung brushed his cat. That’s when a message popped up. [Sung Jiwon: Hoyun-ah, where are you?] [Sung Jiwon: Are you busy?] [Sung Jiwon: Oh, nothing... it’s okay if you are.] Felt like he had something he wanted to say, but the quest came first right now. I set my phone aside just in time to see Nyangnyang scratch Woosung and dart off. Woosung winced, rubbing his now-scratched forearm, and asked: “Is this your house? And how the hell do you know my door code?” “Now you’re curious?” “How did you even get in?” “I saw it once when you were typing it. Looked like a birthday. Who wouldn’t figure that out?” September 21st. It’s public info—you can find it just by searching his name. Hell, I’d memorized his entire profile a long time ago. Why not just hang a sign outside that says “Come on in, stalkers welcome”? [Affection Points: 1/5] I flinched at the pop-up. ‘...Why did that count?’ Woosung looked at me with a strange expression. “What the hell... You knew my birthday?” “...Wouldn’t knowing be basic common sense?” [Affection Points: 2/5] “...Shit, that’s actually kind of touching.” What the hell is wrong with this guy? I’d done full recon on him ages ago—from his debut to stage names, album concepts, song titles, lyrics, everything. It wasn’t about interest—it was just burned into memory from exposure. But Woosung, apparently forgetting every variety show interaction we’d ever had, started muttering emotionally. “Damn... I guess there’s no one like you, sunbae.” When did I ever say that? But hearing him say that clued me in. ‘He’s the “let it happen naturally” type.’ A guy who buys into organic connection. Which meant he didn’t respond to forced flattery, but dropped his guard if things felt genuine. The same guy who’d been rolling his eyes at all the over-the-top praise now scratched his head, stealing glances at me. “I’m probably the only one patient enough to put up with your random visits, huh?” He’s usually pretty strict about boundaries, but with me, he’s oddly lenient. I’m well aware of that. [Affection Points: 3/5] Now that the dam had cracked, even the smallest phrases were triggering points. “No one’s ever treated me the way you have, Woosung.” “Wow. You should go back to acting. You’d kill it as a chaebol heir.” [Affection Points: 4/5] “You’re really slick, you know that? I thought you were already filming another drama. Just like that variety show with Kang Yeonhoo.” “That was a variety show.” “I don’t just go around saying this stuff to people. It’s a pain.” Only reason I’m doing it is because of this damn quest. Woosung, unaware of the truth, covered his mouth with both hands and took a step back in shock. “Holy shit. You... you—!” [Affection Points: 5/5] ‘...This guy’s taste is wild.’ Does he not have enough friends? Not that I do, either. I couldn’t really relate to whatever emotional switches he had, but results were all that mattered. “I mean, I did help raise you, Seo Hoyun.” Acting all proud now, pretending he was secretly rooting for me all along—going on about how mentoring a junior like me made him feel fulfilled. He even ran his hand through his hair, grinning like an idiot. His cat hissed at him. I left him to it and got up. Woosung blinked like an idiot as I put on my shoes and reached for the door. Then, feeling a sudden impulse to mess with him, I gave Nyangnyang a pat and smirked. “You’ve got it tough, huh?” “Hey! Hey! What do you mean, tough?! I feed you, bathe you, take care of you, and now you’re rubbing up on him?!” I ignored Woosung’s outraged wailing and shut the door. Anyway, quest complete. And I got the item I wanted. Is someone’s secret always a curse? Allows you to access one target account. ※ Previously deleted content will be fully restored. ※ Only one account may be accessed. Now it was time to show them what my version of revenge looks like.