“Fucking hell, this feels bad.” I had woken up early out of habit, brewed coffee, and sat at the table—but hadn’t managed a single sip. My leg just kept bouncing. When Kang Ichae glanced at me, he spoke up. “What are you doing?” My bad-vibe radar never fails. As soon as I said that, Kang Ichae looked toward the room that Sung Jiwon and I shared—Jiwon was still inside—and then back at me. With that level of perception, this bastard shouldn’t be an idol, he should be laying out a fortune-telling mat in the middle of Gangnam. “Only just realizing that now?” He shook his head and muttered something cryptic before brushing past me and disappearing into his room. My leg started bouncing even harder. ‘I mean, isn’t it usually someone else who buys the birthday cake?’ I usually wanted to do what Sung Jiwon asked, but this time it was just way too suspicious. But when Sung Jiwon finally came out all ready, I followed without a word. I thought he might avoid eye contact again, but today he smiled brightly and spoke in a warm voice. “The cakes here at the hotel are supposed to be really good.” His cheeks were even flushed, and he kept repeating the same line—seemed more high-energy than usual. Seeing him like that, honestly... after everything yesterday, the petty annoyance I’d felt for helping him just disappeared. We didn’t even bring our manager. Just put on caps and masks and moved out fully disguised. Maybe because it was a weekday morning, the hotel was fairly quiet. “What do you think of this one?” “If you’re gonna buy it, get the biggest one. Jung Dajun eats like an elephant these days.” I answered with my mouth, but my mind was elsewhere. This was the same hotel Yoon Heeon had been frequenting. If any rumors about Sung Jiwon spread and this location got dragged into them, it could lend them more credibility than they deserved. My nerves were on edge. ‘Should we just leave as fast as possible?’ Or maybe linger in the lobby and spin this as a heartwarming birthday cake trip with a fellow member? “...Wanna grab lunch while we’re here?” As I debated, Sung Jiwon suddenly suggested eating and dragged me into the restaurant in the hotel lobby. Fortunately, it wasn’t crowded either. Half-resigned, I instinctively picked a seat in a far corner. Watching me do so, Sung Jiwon asked: “You’ve been here before?” Way too many, really. Not for good reasons. Just for a documentary project. A teammate I worked with had pissed off a higher-up before we even got started on the project. Nearly got wrecked because of it. I spent nights camped out here, not knowing if the story would survive. As I leaned my chin on my hand and stared out the window, I heard Sung Jiwon’s slightly trembling voice. “So you’ve been here.” He looked calm, but his tone was different. He sipped the water the staff brought and, maybe because it was his birthday, I figured I’d feed him something good and head back early. The water went straight up my nose. I clapped a hand over my mouth, but some leaked through my fingers. ‘So this was what I was worried about!’ This was why he brought me here. I wiped my hand and tried to sort through the whirlwind of thoughts crashing into me. “Mm... We clashed a lot, so I didn’t have great feelings about him. But still, seeing him in the news for shitty reasons doesn’t feel good either.” “Well, he dug his own grave.” I mean, was the problem really how much he dated? Look at Joo Woosung. ...Okay, fine, it is a problem. But the real issue was that asshole treated people like trash. “You saw ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) the text last time, so you know... Yoon Heeon reached out a lot. Said a lot of stuff meant to get under my skin too.” “But I do get where he was coming from. His former company was seriously, seriously terrible.” Who doesn’t know D.go is trash? “I know you were looking out for me. Thanks.” He didn’t seem like he was going to say anything dramatic, like back at Christmas. But he clearly wanted to express his thanks somehow. I just shrugged. Follow current novels on NoveI-Fire.ɴet “He’s not contacting you anymore, right?” “Mmhm. Nothing. Probably busy.” He smiled faintly, and I smiled back. The time, effort, and mental energy I’d wasted doing annoying crap felt worth it now. If someone important to me didn’t have to deal with that bastard’s bullshit anymore, that alone made it all worthwhile. ‘So this is what he was nervous about saying?’ Wasn’t that big of a deal. We finished eating in a nice, calm atmosphere, sipping tea for dessert. I was just about ready to head back and celebrate his birthday properly when— “You said you’ve been here before, right?” “I’ve been here too. A long time ago. ...Because of my old agency.” At those words, I sat up straight and downed the rest of my tea in one gulp. Better not to stay here and stir up any unpleasant memories. But Sung Jiwon waved his hand. “No, it’s not like that. Um, I’m not sure where to begin.” He looked up, like trying to sort things out, then slowly began. “...Anyway, it’s nothing you need to worry about. I only saw the lobby lounge. The company said they were taking me for a profile shoot and just dropped me off here, tossing me a keycard.” I worked hard to show zero expression. “Three years ago. It was my birthday.” Wait, did this guy bring me here today—on purpose? On the same day, to the same place? I watched him, confused. He looked just as tense as he did on our very first showcase. “...I was standing in the lobby like an idiot when someone came up and acted like they knew me. Asked for the card key. I swear I’d never seen them before.” His mouth curled a little, like he was remembering it. “So... I don’t know why, but I just gave it to them. Even thinking about it now, it’s absurd.” Then it hit me. What he said at Christmas. “—I’m looking for someone.” “Someone who helped me when I was really struggling.” “Right before I left my last agency.” That... really sounds like me. “I told you before, right? That I was looking for the person who helped me.” “...You sure they helped?” “Haha, actually... maybe not. But I’m sure about one thing.” He let out a bright laugh. “They scared the hell out of me.” I did? Me, scaring Sung Jiwon? “What was it they said... That people like me are the most incomprehensible in the world. That living like a parasite won’t get you anywhere—” “Okay! That’s enough—” “—Can you even walk around with your head held high like that?” I knew the way those words sounded. Even flying past at 100 kilometers per hour, I’d recognize myself in them. I rubbed my face with both hands, praying it wasn’t me. But of course, the system popped up right on cue to betray me. [Partial memory has been restored.] Fuck. This is insane. When I was begging for that scenario quest to appear, it ghosted me. But now, the moment I don’t want it? I recalled a younger Sung Jiwon, sitting dazed in that same lounge earlier today. Back then, I needed the card key he had, because of a mess my colleague had made. I knew what kind of intent was behind giving out that card. I’d been disgusted—at first. But once I realized he’d been tricked by the agency, I’d mostly just felt bad. “Don’t do this kind of thing. You’ll only regret it.” “...So what am I supposed to do now?” That version of Sung Jiwon was very different from the one I knew now. Dry, edgy, defensive. Like someone who didn’t even understand what kindness was. Maybe it was because he had no space left in his life back then. “Don’t worry, I didn’t just say harsh things.” Sung Jiwon tapped his untouched teacup. “Like I said before... they were rough, but a good person to me. I was going through a lot. If not for them, I probably wouldn’t still be doing this.” “And thanks to that... I get to be here with you.” As a peaceful smile bloomed on Sung Jiwon’s face— [You have gained Sung Jiwon’s complete trust.] [Infamy Points have decreased.] [You have heard all of ‘Sung Jiwon’s’ past. Information lock has been lifted.] ‘Wait, it’s progressing just like that?’ This guy—who once said he only wanted to show the good and share pretty words with the people he cared about—what changed that he’s suddenly opening up ? It didn’t feel like he was doing it just because of the Yoon Heeon situation. That might’ve started the conversation, but something else was going on. Something more was coming. My “bad vibe” radar was blaring again. “Well... it’s good that someone like that was around.” I was just trying to wrap up the talk and stand up when— Sung Jiwon’s voice cut through the air like a knife. “I kept waiting. I searched everywhere but couldn’t find him. He was clearly an insider, but no matter which network I checked, which agency I looked into, nothing. The face is unforgettable, so vivid... but it’s like someone erased all the rest.” “But I still remember the way he spoke, the atmosphere he had. That’s all I have of him, so I’ve gone over it in my head again and again.” The more he said, the worse I felt. “And you know what? A week ago... a memory suddenly came back.” At the same time, I remembered the moment the system warned me about instability—and how he’d been sticking close to me since. His eyes trailed slowly up my arm. “...Exactly the same spot, same shape as yours.” Red warning lights went off in my head. I started rapidly sorting through everything I knew about how scenarios got unlocked. Just solving events clearly wasn’t enough. If it were, the Christmas scenario would’ve wrapped everything up. Back then, he didn’t say anything this deep. He didn’t trust me this deeply. So... was the variable the depth of trust? [Sung Jiwon, The Dawn’s Main Vocalist] [Note: Continued trainee life and didn’t give up on his dream after advice from former player ‘Seo Hoyun’. Major influence from ■■ during formative time. Holds deep trust in Seo ■■.] [Main scenario ■■ 57% ■■ completed.] [Proceeding to next main chap——] The ear-splitting alarms that had echoed everywhere cut out abruptly, and the system screen went black. So, does that mean the current Sung Jiwon trusts me more than the past one did? He didn’t differentiate between the past and now. He saw them as the same. The same kind of trust. [Ch■acter ‘S■ng Jiwon’ i—] [Per■n ‘Sung Jiw■n’ is s■spi■ious of the pla■er—] [Chara■ter ‘Sung Jiwon’ i■ ques■ioning the pla■er—] The glitching system window went dark—and then a new window popped up. [Character ‘Sung Jiwon’ is suspicious of the player.] “Hoyun... was it you?” The scenario can proceed.