People who stick to every move and breath of a celebrity’s private life.
Isn’t that what you’d call the legendary Stalker Line?
Well, I’ve had my family register and residency certificate dug up back when I was in Ajusa, so this isn’t exactly new to me.
It’s fine inside the secure complex where our dorm is, but the moment we step outside, this still happens occasionally.
The problem now is that the one inside the car... isn’t me.
“Perfect timing...”
Damn it.
I stifled a sigh and lifted my head. A group of people had just tumbled out of a taxi and were about to swarm into the convenience store.
I stood in front of the door, my back to it.
“...”
Some of the faces were recognizable, so there was no mistaking me for just another customer.
“Hey?”
“What are you doing? Step aside.”
At first they didn’t seem to realize I was involved, but they quickly caught on.
“Ah, what the hell.”
After that, they stopped speaking to me and started firing questions into the store, smartphones raised.
That’s the type, huh.
“What’re you doing? Why did you come out? Where are you headed? Mundae? Mundae?”
“Kim Rae bin~ Rae bin, what’s up? What’d you buy? Is it for the members? For your girlfriend?”
Oh.
I never expected to see this from a third-person perspective.
No wonder it’d be nerve-wracking the first time you experience it.
I recalled the one-room break-in back in Ajusa and immediately popped up a message for Keundal inside the store.
[Those people outside aren’t regular fans.]
[Just nod and walk by. If you can’t handle it, just pretend you didn’t see them.]
Keundal flinched for a moment, then grabbed the bag with the ice cream at the register and headed for the door. Two others drifted out beside him as if nothing was happening.
I linked arms with the three of them, then spread out to keep them at bay as I steered them toward the car.
“Hey!”
“Why are you so mean, Yujin? We’re calling ‘love you,’ and you’re not even answering!”
Their tone was getting more aggressive by the second.
This could turn ugly if it came to a scuffle.
And if I switched bodies again, Keundal would have to keep handling this. Better end it as fast as possible.
Let’s see...
No one was clinging to the other side of the car.
Since the crowd was small, they all stuck to the member side. No one was strategically waiting by the car.
In that case...
I gauged the distance to the car and whispered to Cha Yoo jin.
“When I give the signal, run and get in the car.”
But—
“To the opposite side.”
“Got it.”
A few seconds later, Cha Yoo jin bolted out and sprinted around the car.
“Oh.”
The moment people reflexively turned toward him,
I opened the rear door on my side and shoved the other two inside.
Click.
Just push and... done.
“Ah!!”
Cha Yoo jin was already in, and the distance was enough.
All the members were safely inside the tinted car. They couldn’t see a thing, no matter what they did or asked.
Situation resolved.
“Ack!”
The disappointed group outside paused, then immediately refocused on the car as their new target.
If they’d channeled that energy into something legal, they might’ve made a name for themselves by now. I don’t know why they waste time on useless, illicit stuff.
“Mundae~ Mundae, what are you doing today?”
Manager on duty.
I gently nudged one of them away from the car and headed to the driver’s seat.
In any case, it was over before things could get worse.
“Hmm.”
Years of experience—first as an observer selling data, then as an idol onstage—won out in the end.
‘Although it was my first time playing manager...’
Thud.
Once I was in the driver’s seat, the door closed.
Inside the well-soundproofed car, it was relatively quiet.
“...”
“We’re moving out.”
I fired up the engine and pulled onto the road.
Only after we re-entered the dorm complex did Keundal finally speak.
“Th-that was terrifying...”
Kim Rae bin immediately ducked his head.
“It doesn’t always happen like this, but sometimes it does. I’m so sorry you had to get caught up in that...”
“Gah, no, it’s fine! I’m the one who’s sorry for coming out to buy ice cream...”
“Umm? I said I’d buy the ice cream! But nobody got hurt, so we’re good. Mission complete!”
Cha Yoo jin chirped as he unwrapped a melon-flavored ice cream. He looked genuinely happy.
True to someone from the paparazzi’s homeland, bold to the last.
Keundal accepted the offered ice cream awkwardly. He swallowed, then asked quietly,
“Uh, um. You don’t mind?”
“Well,”
Cha Yoo jin shrugged.
“Every job has its good parts and its bad parts. I just need to pick a fun job I’m good at!”
“...”
“And I’m someone who can drive this.”
Oh my.
“I agree with that.”
Even ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Kim Rae bin, who had been ducking his head, now nodded gravely.
“Talking with my older sister who recently changed jobs made me realize that every job has its own challenges.”
Keundal nodded slightly.
“So rather than denying the downsides, I want to be grateful for the positives and work on improving!”
“...! Yes!”
The version of Mundae in the car blinked his eyes and nodded.
Tension had melted away.
‘...Not bad.’
I saw both of them finally taking a bite of their ice creams, then tore my gaze away from the rearview mirror.
A little later, as the car arrived in the underground parking garage, Keundal sent a popup.
[Hyung.]
Why.
Since he hadn’t said it aloud, I guessed he wanted to talk seriously and privately.
But...
[TeSTAR... TeSTAR must be insane. I love that we’ll be active for a thousand years. Seriously!]
“...”
...No, I didn’t expect such an overjoyed message.
Since what he’d just gone through, and this was his take?
I’d felt from the radio days that he wasn’t ordinary. Still...
I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
As long as it didn’t become a bad memory for him, that was fine.
‘Yeah. That’s good.’
[Yes!!]
And really, those two guys are exactly the kind of people who can keep doing this for a long time.
“Cha Yoo jin, wait—save that flavor. It’s Mundae hyung’s favorite!”
“Umm... OK!”
It seems I wasn’t paying attention to the steering wheel in my previous life for nothing.
I parked smoothly.
“Let’s get out.”
“Yep!”
And with ice cream in hand, the three of them safely arrived at the dorm.
Officially, all schedules were complete.
“Good work. That’s it.”
“...”
“Now we just wait to go back inside.”
“...Yes.”
I climbed out, finished my final check, and looked at Keundal, who wore a contemplative expression.
Something came to mind.
“By the way, there’s something I need to tell you after work.”
“...! Yes. What is it?”
I spoke seriously. I could see Keundal swallow.
I’m not sure what he was expecting, but it was important.
It was...
“You know that as a public official, you can’t have a second job.”
“...”
“Don’t declare the manager income.”
If a civil servant accepts pay for a private side gig without permission, it’s grounds for disciplinary action.
‘And you wasted your vacation days for nothing.’
Consider it unpaid volunteer work—you can settle with me later.
“...”
Why isn’t he responding?
At that moment, Cha Yoo jin in the back raised his hand.
[Hyung, up until five minutes ago you were like an action movie hero, but now you’re a supporting character in a sitcom.]
For a real-world office worker, it’s better to be a sitcom supporting actor with good attendance than an action hero who gets disciplined.
I patted Keundal on the back.
“You took the day off today for food poisoning. Got it?”
“Yes......”
Right.
And so the turbulent twenty-four hours of Keundal’s mission-failed day ended without further incident.
...Well, until it really did end.
I opened my eyes.
Pairs of familiar eyes were staring down at me.
And a slightly nervous question.
“Mundae? Mundae?”
I answered.
“Yes.”
“Phew!”
“Oh~~ Welcome home, bro~!”
Everyone around me seemed to relax and make a fuss.
I raised my head and lifted my hand. A familiar pale hand came into view. It was Park Mundae’s hand.
A brief wave of relief.
‘Whew.’
I clenched my fist.
And just beside me, Keundal—back in Ryu Geon woo’s body—let out what sounded like a deep sigh of relief.
But still—
“...”
I kept my expression blank and stared into the air.
“...?”
“Mundae?”
The chatter around me quieted as they noticed my expression.
Seon Ah hyun’s eyes trembled as he asked,
“C-could it be....”
“Hmm.”
I looked up at the status window.
[Sudden Event!]
Status Abnormal Mission Failed: Restore Original State (2)
— Everything returns as if nothing happened
: Until next start D-??
There it was again.
‘No wonder it felt easy. Damn it....’
As if they’d bundled both our failures together, now it even popped up in my status window.
‘Did you think I’d say thanks?’
But this time there was a hint.
Additional text appeared below.
[Target lost: “Park Mundae (1/2)”]
[Releasing in progress]
[Remaining target: Ryu Geon woo (2/2)]
So... our names.
‘Just the two bodies that swapped.’
This is definitely information I can work with. I need to find the hint here. It must relate to Keundal’s mission.
“...”
‘I need to figure out the mission’s nature before I can resolve this.’
So I had to rack my brain hard to form hypotheses and tests. The problem was, I couldn’t devote my entire brain to this right now.
I clenched my brow, stifling a sigh.
‘Two weeks left.’
The comeback was right around the corner. We had to prepare like crazy.
And of course, we had to prevent the catastrophe of swapping bodies onstage during promotions.
But should I drop comeback prep entirely and focus all my mental energy on clearing this failed-mission trap?
‘I won’t tank our promotions.’
No way. If my brain capacity wasn’t enough, I’d have to borrow someone else’s.
The problem was there was only so much borrowed brainpower available.
Everyone else who knew about our situation was also busy prepping for the comeback.
TeSTAR had been briefed and was in emergency meetings—they didn’t have time either.
“Could we... swap bodies again at any time...?”
“You mean it might overlap with activities? Got it. Then we just need a plan. Or we could consider tweaking our comeback schedule...”
“Sejin, hold on. We can talk about that last. First, let’s check Mundae’s status. Mundae, how are you?”
“I’m fine. The problem is bodies swapping during promotions.”
“I’m just glad you’re healthy...”
That was the situation. And Keundal...
[Hyung, me doing the stage is seriously a no-go. Really can’t do it.]
So that was where we stood.
“I know.”
I had no intention of making him perform. Calm down.
I quelled the panic-mode popup and wrapped up the discussion with the group.
‘If push comes to shove, we can say it’s the flu and skip one day of promotions’—a vague stopgap.
‘No other choice.’
We couldn’t exhaust every hypothesis in a cram session.
I then sat alone and began to think absurd thoughts.
‘Who around here isn’t busy with comebacks but might have a unique idea....’
“...”
There is... one.
The next day,
I pondered, then reached out to one person at the right time.
–Hello there.
It was Joo Dan of VTIC,
That strange guy already serving in the military.
