[PD-nim, are you even human after that?!] On screen, I looked at her with a disinterested expression as she shouted, practically seething with rage. [If you had even a shred of conscience, there’s no way you could’ve edited me like that!] Jeong Cheongyeon. A trainee who’d ranked 4th in a competition show that gathered failed trainees who’d trained for years but never debuted. It had been her own decision. Her agency had agreed to it in advance. So, I edited her performance with care. She’d achieved her goal, and if left alone, things would’ve naturally settled down in time. I couldn’t understand why she was whining over something that would’ve blown over eventually. Seeing tears streaming down her cheeks like rain, my brow twitched. [You made it to 4th place.] The girl who once said she’d do anything to debut, even sell her soul if needed—where had she gone? Instead, I remembered Song Jion, who was forced to follow her company’s insane demands just to create controversy, only to end up crushed under the barrage of verbal arrows hurled at her. Despite rumors she was my niece because she got so much screen time, Jeong Cheongyeon got her happy ending. But when I tried to help Song Jion with just a little extra screen time, it only intensified the backlash, and her rankings dropped. It was the first time my calculations had been so off. [So what if I placed 4th? Everything important is already gone—...] Jeong Cheongyeon’s image blurred and overlaid with Song Jion’s. Song Jion had crumbled in the end. She hadn’t even made it to the final stage. The things Jeong Cheongyeon was whining about now would’ve sounded enviable to Song Jion. [You’re gonna live a long life, you know. They say the more you get cursed, the longer you live.] Maybe that’s why I’d spoken without any filter, straight-up. I pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Flame sparked with a click. [—If that’s all you had to say, I’ll be going. I’m busy.] I was on edge back then, too. She trembled as she lowered her head, gritting her teeth, while I glanced at my phone and turned to leave. And then came the familiar curse I’d heard more than once. [I hope your whole life crashes and burns. One day, you’ll regret this. One day, the roles will reverse and you’ll finally understand how I feel. Even if you beg and cry then, it’ll be too late.] Leaving her shouting behind me, I sped up. I was in a hurry to get back to editing. But then I stopped in my tracks. After scratching my head for a moment, I pulled out my phone again. [Me: Can we talk later today?] I didn’t believe it was my job to fix everyone’s problems. But I’d learned about Song Jion’s circumstances. She wanted to debut. And I was a variety PD. Leaving her like that just felt wrong. After sending the message, I went to the editing room and got to work, but soon the assistant director came looking for me. Said the director urgently called me in. On screen, I could see myself yawning loudly and stepping into the elevator sluggishly. As I pressed the top-floor button, my face said it all: What bullshit is this time? And the moment I opened the door to the director’s office, he exploded. Of course it was the director. [Where the hell have you been, running around while everything’s blowing up?!] [It’s your program! One of the trainees caused a shitstorm on the forums!] My expression darkened. It was about Song Jion—just as I’d feared. [Song Jion’s entire private Insta just got exposed whoa] The LED screen displayed real-time comments from back then. Even I was seeing some of it for the first time. [Whoaㅠ Almost everything reads like she wants to die;; Is she okay? She looks really depressed.] [Attention seeker attention seeker attention seeker] [Isn’t that exactly what unstable celebs do? Super cheerful on camera, then super depressed off-camera lol] [She chose this life. Acting like she’s suffering more than others is pathetic;;] [Ffs stop dragging other trainees just to act all innocent while stirring shit in the background.] [Song Jion is pitiful and heartbreaking ㅜㅜ..] I skimmed past the trashy comments and focused only on Song Jion’s posts. Swiping slowly across the screen with my hand. Her posts hinted vaguely at pressure and verbal abuse from her agency—vague enough that people couldn’t point fingers. Compared to the little she’d said to me directly, her social media posts were far worse. [Whoa, another one just got posted;;] Just 30 minutes ago, a new message from her had gone up. The words: ‘This is the end.’ And then, a single post filled the entire screen. [Isn’t she talking about PD Seo?] A system window popped up abruptly. [Infamy Points have been accrued.] So this is how Infamy Points piled up? The screen blinked once, then was flooded with comments mocking and tearing me apart. [Of course she got sympathy. Her company crossed Seo-nim and Seo-nim went full psycho lmao] [ㅠㅠ I only feel bad for Song Jion. What even is this.] [I thought PD Seo was at least decent to the cast, but maybe not..??] [Trash who does villain edits is still trash tlqkf. And the dumbass fans defending him are brain-dead.] What incredible timing. It honestly felt like Jeong Cheongyeon’s curse was coming true. At that moment, the LED screen began to vaporize from the top, turning into black smoke, and some of that smoke started to take on human form. It paced anxiously, biting its nails, then pulled out a phone. [Song Jion, please pick up.] ‘Me’ from that moment in time. He walked briskly out of the lobby, still clutching the silent phone. The small boy beside me—Seo Hojin’s form—quietly took my hand and started leading me after him. The leftover black smoke began to coalesce into malicious text messages that chased after us. [brAindEΔd scUΔm makiNg viΔllain eΔditS] “What the hell is this?” “Ignore it. Just follow him.” He glanced back and grimaced at the floating letters in the air. ‘That’ version of me was heading to the parking lot. My car—bought to make traveling easier after landing the PD job—was parked there. [Fuck, please just pick up.] I climbed into the car with a frustrated sigh and slammed the door shut. But the car didn’t move. Instead, the driver’s door swung open—as if beckoning me in. And inside... ‘I’ was no longer there. “...You’ve got to be kidding me.” If I got in, I’d finally face the memory I needed to recover. In the distance, a line of buildings collapsed like dominoes. The impact cracked the floor beneath me. Through the widening gaps, I could see swollen red veins pulsing. It felt like my subconscious was announcing it couldn’t hold on much longer. As the ground crumbled rapidly from the edges inward, I felt a tug on my sleeve and looked down. “Snap out of it! This is your last chance. If you get in that car, you’ll remember everything. It’s the only way out.” He shoved me toward the car and looked up at me. “It’s time to say goodbye.” I knew what would happen if I got in. My fingertips trembled. Those visions I’d seen when Min Jiheon severed me from the system for the first time... What I’d believed for years to be the car accident that killed my parents when I was twenty— His small hand covered mine tightly. “It’s okay, Hyung. It’ll be okay. You’re safe, and I’ll make sure it stays that way!!” When I lifted my eyes, they met his—filled with me. “You’re staying here alone?” “Then come on. Take my hand.” Stupid words, but I had to say them. “Just to somewhere safe, at least.” I knelt to match his eye level. I knew we couldn’t leave together. But I wanted to make sure he’d be safe. No matter what he really was, I couldn’t leave someone in the form of ten-year-old Seo Hojin behind in this collapsing world. “Are you—are you dumb?” No, seriously, what the fuck. There are status windows, stat evaluations, weird items floating around, and I’m the weird one for worrying about this kid? He opened and closed his mouth wordlessly, then tried to speak—but nothing came out. To comfort him, I forced my mouth to move and gave a small, crooked smile. “Hojin-ah, with Hyung—” Just then, my facial muscles tensed— Part of a still-standing building bent in half and came crashing toward us. I reached to pull him close on instinct, but he moved first—arms outstretched. With a hideous grinding noise, the building froze mid-collapse. “We need to go. Now!” He shouted and shoved me with his whole body toward the car. Before I could brace myself, the flying text caught up and pushed me in too. The door slammed shut. He shouted desperately, “—If you really care about your brother, you have to get out of here. The memories that want to cling to you will cause a scene. Don’t look back. No matter what!” I pounded on the window, but it didn’t budge. [Hello, valued customer. Starting navigation now.] “If you endure this and make it out safely...” My fists turned red and raw. Our eyes met through the glass. “Then... maybe grab a meal with the other me sometime.” “Hey. Hey! Seo Hojin!!” The seatbelt buckled on its own, and the car started moving even though my foot hadn’t touched the pedal. The interior light blinked on and off as my vision blurred. His figure faded behind me. Swallowed up by the letters chasing us. [drOpΔDEΔd yOuΔpiEce oFΔshIΔT no ONeWAntS yOu] Despite breaking apart and glitching, the letters clawed after me, slipping through the glass and clinging to my body. [BiTcΔ ShΔit FΔckΔYouΔScUm] At the same time, the radio crackled to life with a high-pitched mechanical tone. [Some memories have been unlocked.] As the car entered a tunnel, the world around me lit up in flashing colors. Like a projector beaming memories past my eyes. [Yes, no, I’m going to speak to her directly. I know her agency is toxic. But she’s a person. I have to see for myself if she’s okay.] The me in that memory lowered his phone and furrowed his brow. With that, he hung up and slammed the steering wheel with his fist. [Someone might fucking die, and it’s all broadcasting, agencies, and bullshit politics. They think just saying it makes it true.] He restarted the engine, barely containing the urge to flip everything upside down. His car, parked to the side, pulled out. [Fucking bastards....] As we exited the tunnel, my voice echoed in all directions. The malformed, half-melted words rained down and covered the car. [Isn’t it PD Seo’s fault if you really think about it? Isn’t it PD Seo’s fault? Isn’t it PD Seo’s fault?] [He really caused an actual accident this time, lol. Knew it would happen eventually.] [Die die die die die die die die die] The words had no form anymore, but I could still tell what they meant from the radio alone. The car was heading steadily toward the end. [Infamy Points have been accrued!] [Infamy Points have been accrued!] [Infamy Points have been accrued!] [——PD Seo.... This is Jion. You didn’t pick up, so I’m leaving a message.] [...I’m really sorry. Please don’t mind the rumors going around online. It’s all the agency.] [Just like you advised last time, I’ll leave the agency. I’ll also make a public statement myself to clear up that it wasn’t your fault. ...If it comes to the worst, I’ll try again as an independent trainee—Yes—...] The crackling radio cut off there. For a moment, it was as if all sound in the world had ceased. My head spun from the overwhelming flood of information. I curled on my side, trembling all over. I barely pulled myself together when a familiar voice came from the back seat. It was Kim Sunghyun’s voice. I nearly turned around by reflex. “Where are you going? You look totally pale.” He sounded like he was genuinely worried about me. I scoffed at the cheap trick. Naturally, Kim Sunghyun’s dumpling-like face popped into my head. “Hyung, hyung. Where are we going right now?” Gritting my teeth, I gripped the wheel tightly and kept myself still. Then came Jung Dajun’s voice. “Hyung? What’s wrong?” Kang Ichae, Sung Jiwon... Voices I knew passed through, overlapping and mixing together. That much I could handle. I could ignore it. Or so I thought—until... It was little Seo Hojin’s voice that struck my ears. “Actually... I’m a little scared.” “Can’t we stay here together? Don’t leave me here all alone.” My grip on the steering wheel had gone bone-white from how hard I was holding it. “Hyung, you can’t abandon me, right?” Seo Hojin, the one who’s now twenty-four, grew up into a proper adult who could smack his shitty older brother with a bouquet. I was the one who fed him, clothed him, raised him. Even this tiny subconscious version of Seo Hojin—he was the kind of person who’d comfort his trembling brother before looking after himself. “The memories that want to synchronize with you will cause a scene to keep you here,” he’d said. That was just it—these were nothing but my memories trying to hold me down. Trying to bury me in this collapsing place. My little brother, my little brother is————— I spoke without turning around. I raised my middle finger beside my head and slammed my foot onto the accelerator, which had been moving on its own until now. The car rocketed forward with a roar so loud it shook. The letters surrounding me and coating the windshield smashed against my face and eyes like a storm. [unSta■ble▽∂psycho■accid■knew i■would] [■▽∂psycho■die■▽∂die■dea■∂] [▽∂■die▽∂die■die▽∂die■▽∂■] Scratches opened and blood beaded, but I didn’t slow down. [Player has successfully exited the tunnel—■out—.......] The black wall of letters finally cleared, revealing a vast, bright blue sky above. [As a reward, memories will be unlocked.] That’s when the sound hit me first. —By the time the truck entered my vision, the impact had already slammed into me, and my head hit the ceiling. Shards of glass cut through my body, and the airbag crushed my chest. The car had already flipped multiple times. My mind spun in a haze. My body was trembling violently, like it had been plunged into ice. Burning liquid poured from every hole. It was probably blood. At last, I faced the truth I’d tried so hard to ignore. This was the accident Min Jiheon had shown me. [Cough, fuck, my luck really...] And I was definitely going to die from it. My voice scraped out like metal dragging on pavement. I could feel my heart, which had been pounding just moments ago, start to slow. The final thread of thought pierced deep into my brain. [‘Seo Hojin is.......’] Fresh chapters posted on noᴠelfire.net [‘What’ll happen to him now—....’] Blood trickled down from my forehead, along my eyes, to my chin, and dripped onto the back of my hand. My eyes lost focus and drifted. My heart stopped beating. [Infamy Points have been accrued.] [You have met the conditions to start the game.] [Player ‘Seo Hoyun’ can now be revived.] [Would you like to start?] My heart started to beat again—faintly, but surely. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. [Do you truly wish to revive the player?] The sound of my heartbeat thundered, bursting through my eardrums. The buildings that had been collapsing so mercilessly now turned to bubbles and flew away. A radiant light enveloped me. That warmth stung as it touched my skin. But the pain slowly faded. At the same time, I realized time was rewinding. To before the crash with the truck. Before I saw the LED screen. Before I met that small boy. The stuffy air, the dusty stench, the fake fragrance of air freshener—cut through by the smell of coffee /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ tickling my nose. [Congratulations, Seo Hoyun-nim!] [You have been selected as the player of ‘Nugu Idol Tycoon’!] I saw myself—face soaked, eyes wide in disbelief. The day I possessed this parallel world body. Seo Hoyun at 23, staring in disbelief at the system window. My drifting consciousness was sucked into the darkness. And once again, the familiar alert popped up. [Seo Hoyun-nim, you have uncovered the hidden truth of the player. In your original world, you died. In this world, you have been given new life.] [If you successfully complete the game, you may log out of ‘Nugu Idol Tycoon’ and start a new life in your original world.] [In the original world, everything except ‘Seo Hoyun’ will remain unchanged.] A new chance at life. [※Warning: Repeated loan defaults or scenario/quest failures will result in fatal physical penalties.] Only I died and fell here. Everything else in the original world remained the same. [To earn your new life, complete the game through idol activities!] —Seo Hojin, my little brother, is still back there. All alone. My lungs, so tightly bound, expanded as fresh air rushed in. I gasped and coughed harshly, and the surrounding noise reached my ears. “Doctor! The patient’s regained consciousness!” “Vitals first! Check vitals!” “Cough, haah, huff...” Through hazy vision, faces flickered in and out. “Can you hear me, sir? You’re at a hospital. Do you recognize where you are?” Behind the voice speaking to me, I heard the sobs of my group members. I forced my eyes open against the pull of unconsciousness and looked up at the ceiling. Floating above was a faint blue system window. [Congra—ulations, Seo Ho—-nim!] [You have succ—fully return— to the real w—-!] The pain in my skull was so intense, I could barely make out the letters. ‘...Fuck, it hurts like hell.’ And then, loud and clear, I heard Jung Dajun’s tear-choked voice. “Hyung, wake up, please, Hyung!” “Guardian, please don’t shout. You need to step outside!” I wanted to say something, anything to him in response—but my eyelids were far too heavy. And just like that, darkness swallowed me again. I fell into complete, utter black.