Seo Hojin, sensing something was seriously off, looked at me with concern. But I couldn’t bring myself to meet his gaze. I turned my head slightly. The same age, he said. You and I are the same age... That one line was enough of an answer about the ‘Seo Hojin’ sitting in front of me now. His expression, his tone, the flicker in his eyes, the faint trembling of his fingertips—everything confirmed it was the truth. He wasn’t teasing me. He wasn’t lying. No, it wasn’t even possible. Seo Hojin would never take a joke this far with me. “...Hyung, are you okay?” The Seo Hojin in front of me— It meant he had forgotten everything. That I had been a PD. That I had gotten ten years younger. That I was now working as an idol, trying to reclaim my life. I shut my eyes tightly once, then forced a playful smile. “—It’s just, some kid’s younger brother’s been acting up so much lately, I thought I’d ask.” Acting was easy enough. Hojin only stared at me, unable to find words. “You little punk, same age my ass. There’s nearly a year between us. Once a younger brother, always a younger brother.” When I added that I should whip him into shape as an older brother should, Hojin, a beat late, waved his hands and stammered. “O-of course you’re my hyung! That’s not what I meant, it’s just, hyung—” He kept repeating the word “hyung,” but everything he said slipped past my ears. All I wanted was to get out, to clear my head. The phone in my pocket buzzed. “...Ah, must be the manager. I’ll go.” “Yeah, I’ve got a meeting with the planning team for the comeback.” I threw out the first excuse that came to mind and turned to leave, but /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Hojin quickly grabbed my arm. And instinctively, I yanked my arm away. Both of us froze—me in shock at my own reaction, Hojin wide-eyed at my rejection. His hand hung awkwardly in midair, unable to reach me. His eyes were wide open. I tore myself away from his lingering gaze and dragged my heavy feet out the door. It was a pathetic way to handle it, but I couldn’t think of any other way. I didn’t have the composure. The ground under the brim of my cap swayed nauseously. I pressed the cap down tighter and quickened my pace, when whispers and the clicking of a camera came from behind. “Whoa. Isn’t that Seo Hoyun?” “Quick, take a picture.” I ducked my head, swung an arm, and hailed a taxi. “Here? This address?” I gave the address and slumped back against the seat. Hojin’s words echoed in my ears. “We’re the same age.” ‘Why? For what reason...?’ I buried my face in my hands, curling up. Then something tapped my shoulder. “Student, are you okay? Feeling sick? Want to go to a hospital?” I raised my head. The taxi driver was watching me with concern. Only then did I realize I was gasping for breath. Familiar streets passed outside the window. I pulled some bills from my wallet and shoved them forward, then stumbled out of the cab. I didn’t even register the driver shouting for me to take my change. Beep, beep, beep-beep-beep— My fingers slipped again and again on the keypad as I tried to enter the passcode. Too late, I remembered I had a card key. I fumbled in my pocket, found it, and swiped myself inside. “Calm down... calm down...” The dorm was dim, the curtains drawn tight. I clenched my trembling hands. Hojin’s voice echoed everywhere, overlapping like a chorus. ‘Why doesn’t he remember?’ No answer came, no matter how many times I repeated the question. Without realizing it, I was scratching at my ear. The only one in this world who remembered the real me—was Seo Hojin. Because he remembered, I could swear I wasn’t insane. But today, that foundation collapsed. Had I really gone insane? ‘I’m fine. I’m fine.’ Dıscover more novels at 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⚫𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⚫𝕟𝕖𝕥 Blood stained my fingertips as my skin tore. Hojin’s innocent face, asking questions, flashed in my mind. But from the start... ‘Is that really Seo Hojin?’ If he had no memories, was he truly my brother? My scattered thoughts crawled all over me, clinging like poison. Emotions surged to the breaking point when— “Hoyun-hyung, why aren’t you answering your phone—” The door opened. Kang Ichae stepped in. He flinched at my startled look, blinked once, then glanced at my hand and ear before pulling me straight into the room. This was the last thing I wanted any of the members to see. I forced a smile, tried to say something—anything—but no words came. He sat me down on the bed, sighed, then went back out, shutting the door. Thanks to him, I could breathe a little. Soon, the other members’ voices filled the dorm. “Oh? Ichae, you’re cleaning?” “Pretty cleaning fairy, here I come~!” “Wow, the sun must be rising in the west today. Where’s Seo Hoyun?” Silence hung a moment, then Ichae’s lively voice answered. “...Hoyun-hyung’s not feeling well. He’s resting in the room.” “He’s been overdoing it lately.” “Then let’s all clean the living room together!” I knew this was their way of giving me space. I rubbed my forehead for a while, then lay down. “...This is driving me insane.” I didn’t want to think anymore. I just wanted to be alone. Maybe it was better for Hojin this way—believing his brother was just an idol by profession, rather than knowing I was trapped in some game world, forced into idol life to return home. Even if he’d lost his memory, once I cleared all the scenarios and quests, wouldn’t it be fixed? ‘But... what if it isn’t, even after I go back?’ Truthfully, I didn’t even know if I could return. I couldn’t tell anymore what was real, what was just the system. What if this was all just my delusion? What if even the moment of my death had just been a mad dream? What if I wasn’t Seo Hoyun at all? The sound snapped me out of my thoughts. A familiar blue light flickered. [System synchronization complete.] [Compensation granted for instability.] [100,000 points awarded.] Fireworks burst across the system window. [Ah! Sorry! Please don’t be mad. Really sorry. I didn’t set the fireworks, it’s just... the default settings. No, never mind.] As I stared, another window popped up. [Mic test, mic test. Can you see this clearly?] When I didn’t reply, the brightness of the window increased. [It’s been a while. Say something, will you?] The light flickered awkwardly. [You think you’re insane? That’s not like you, Mr. Seo Hoyun. Pull yourself together. You’ve never once been crazy.] I muttered back, half a sigh. [It’s true. Otherwise, how would you still have your PD knowledge?] I must be crazy, I thought. [More than that—your wallet still holds undeniable proof you’re not insane.] My lips twitched faintly. I sat up, grabbed the book at my bedside, and flipped through the pages quickly. Inside were scraps pieced together into a family photo. The photo Seo Hojin had made for me, after my real one vanished when my age was reset. [If you were insane, how could that still exist?] A breath I’d been holding finally escaped. “...You’re right. Maybe I’m not crazy yet.” Still, my mind refused to work, refused to think about any of this. I didn’t want to do anything. As I lay down again, the system bombarded me with new messages. [Why the long face? Because your brother lost his memories?] How did it know that, right after announcing synchronization was complete? The answer was obvious. I let out a bitter laugh. “You enjoyed watching, didn’t you?” [...No. Not really. It’s just... you weren’t acting like yourself. It was worrying.] I wished it would just disappear. Even speaking felt exhausting. But just as I tried to shut my eyes— [There’s one way to restore Seo Hojin’s memories.] [But it’ll take a massive amount of points.] [Even with the instability compensation, it’s not nearly enough!] The words taunted me, as if deliberately. My brain slowly began to churn again. I tried not to show my urgency, but the bastard knew me too well. A chance to start again from the beginning] Beneath the flashing button were small words.