This situation is incredibly disorienting.
This situation.
“What were you interested in?”
“.......”
“What activity did you watch?”
“Just... overall.”
Wasn’t the one who skipped out of the dorm Cha Yoo jin? I don’t understand why it feels like I’m being interrogated.
‘He said he didn’t want to talk about Steer.’
After staying up all night and finally finding this guy, getting grilled in a seafood rice joint on Ganghwa Island about my past—yeah, I never saw this coming....
‘But I can’t just refuse to answer.’
Looking over, Kim Rae bin must have smoothed things over, because this guy’s tension seems to have eased a bit—but I can’t mess this up. So I’m answering every question, and they just keep coming.
“Why did you watch us?”
Damn.
‘This question–murderer personality must run in Cha Yoo jin’s side too.’
Well, at least I’m used to it, so I’ll stay calm. Meanwhile, Yoo jin’s questions are getting more specific.
“What I mean is, there must have been a cause or a trigger, right?”
“.......”
Hmm. I looked at him. Steer Cha Yoo jin has dropped every pretense and is being blunt, like he’s removing a layer of hurdles he’d set up over the past few days. So I can’t give some half-assed answer here—this sharp guy will see right through it.
Alright. ‘So that’s it.’ If I tried to wrap this up with fancy wording, it’d backfire. So I just started saying whatever came to mind. It was a story I’d never told before.
“I saw a fancam of your stage, and you were good.”
“.......”
“I think it was at a festival in Pohang.”
I actually remembered the name roughly: the Pohang Sea Festival hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
[2X0712 Pohang Ocean Leisure Festival Steer Full]
It was a coincidence.
“When I was in college, I used to shoot idol event videos to make some spending money. It stuck as a habit, so I was watching idols’ videos and happened to come across yours.”
And the data-selling instincts from back then were still there: a sense of “these guys are worth about this much.” So I casually looked up the rates—and was pretty shocked.
‘They were lower than my estimate.’
And at that point, demand was already dropping. I could see people pulling out. No major catalyst for a rebound—this idol group was destined to fizzle. Yet when I watched Steer’s stage, I didn’t see that lethargy typical of people who know it’s already too late. I wondered if I’d miscalculated the rates.
“.......”
...Maybe that’s why I even thought, “If I upload a fancam I shot, could I hit the jackpot again by luck? Like with the Yeonglin flood fancam.” But I knew it was practically impossible, and I didn’t have the time or money to try.
‘I didn’t even have a reason to.’
So that was it.
“...As I kept watching, YouTube’s algorithm recommended related videos—variety shows and stage clips. That’s all.”
“.......”
That really was all. I shut my mouth, and Cha Yoo jin shut his. ‘He doesn’t seem suspicious...’ That was enough. I let out a quiet sigh. That should explain it.
“...? ...??”
Beside me, Kim Rae bin looked like he was barely following, but I’ll worry about him later. Right now, I’m just trying to keep my own head straight.
‘Frankly, admitting that I only remembered looking up Steer now is embarrassing.’
To be precise, I’d even forgotten that I’d ever looked up Steer until recently. I’d entered Park Mundae’s body with no recollection of that. My memory ended with the vague information that the re-listing season of had gone well in my twenties as ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) a civil service exam student. And it was only very recently, when the system freaked out, that I regained Ryu Geon woo’s memories of leaving the exam and working a job.
‘Because I accidentally broke the system, I found them again.’
So questions like this....
“Then... are you a fan of ours?”
“.......”
Seriously, we don’t need questions like that. “I’ve never been to your offline schedules, so it’s hard to call myself a fan.”
“Really?”
But Cha Yoo jin chuckled. Oh?
[So you’re saying it’s just coincidence that someone who never attended your shows as a fan starred in a survival program and turned a B-level boy band into a full-blown KPOP group?]
“......”
[You had absolutely no desire to change this group’s fate, right?]
Hell. ‘Threatened with death if I didn’t debut, you bastard...!’ Fate my ass. I’ve been barely surviving, fearing I’d die if we didn’t get first place or win the grand prize. I couldn’t say that, so I swallowed my anger.
But a doubt flickered. ‘Was it really a coincidence?’ Could it be that because I was interested in the group Steer debuted in , the system picked up on that and fixed my wish, too?
‘...It’s possible.’
Anyway, I calmly dispelled the misunderstanding. “It’s really a misunderstanding. It’s a kind of butterfly effect.”
“Umm.”
“My memory was a bit tangled.” Then I added some context and emphasized: “All I did was watch your stages and variety shows.”
But it didn’t land.
[You’re talking about a boy band that half its members vanished in scandals, leaving only three?]
“...So before I knew any of that, I saw a fancam first....”
This isn’t working. I’ll keep repeating myself.... ‘Hold it.’ I closed and opened my eyes to steady my breathing. Cha Yoo jin was now leaning on the table, nodding—not with wariness but with ease. Kim Rae bin finally seemed to get it and nodded.
“Ah! So that’s why you recommended Ganghwa Island right away!”
“What?”
Unbelievable.
“It’s true it’s where we, as trainees, came for a trip, but Cha Yoo jin said it was your group’s first variety shoot location. Mundae hyung, you must have known that. Incredible!”
“.......”
That bastard pretended he’d never talk about Steer, then spilled it to Rae bin. Wait, he’s still running his mouth.
“Right. Umm, the second one was on Ganghwa Island, too.”
“Oh, really!”
Huh? I frowned. This is... weird. ‘They did plan a second reality on Ganghwa Island.’ But...
“That one got canceled, didn’t it....”
“Oh.”
“.......”
“.......”
Fuck. I realized immediately. ‘He’s testing me with knowledge of a canceled schedule.’ A debut-early schedule at that. ‘You bastard!’ Cha Yoo jin laughed, readjusting his posture. I pressed my eyebrows—just in case he’d start spouting nonsense about my memory or the timeline. Instead, he’s baiting me with facts.
“It’s a misunderstanding.”
“OK.”
“I said it’s a misunderstanding.” I’ve never bought an album of yours.... ‘This info is just in the timeline notes.’ But Cha Yoo jin ignored me.
[I think everything is clear now.] Cha Yoo jin reached out his hand. Quite politely. “Nice to meet you.”
“.......”
“It’s been a long time since I met a fan.”
Damn. I took his hand and shook it. “...!” He offered first—why am I surprised? And though I can’t really call myself a fan, I did rely on his free content without spending a dime. That’s a debt, I guess.
“Alright, it was good to meet you.”
“.......”
Steer Cha Yoo jin held the handshake for a long time in silence. Then he shrugged his shoulders.
“You’ll miss ‘Mundae hyung.’ I’m more handsome than this Cha Yoo jin.”
That’s debatable.
“You have proof for that?”
“I have a tattoo here!”
He pointed to his forearm while Kim Rae bin looked on in shock. I let them play that out.
Anyway, I think we’re good now. ‘Handled it?’ If I’d said I was a fan earlier—well, I’m not a true fan anyway, so that might’ve just made him more wary. This was best. ‘And it seems to stress him less, too.’ I massaged my throbbing forehead, about to pour some water.
That’s when liquid splattered onto the table. It wasn’t water.
“M-Mundae hyung?”
Damn. A nosebleed.
“Are you okay? Should we go to the ER...?”
“I’m fine.”
I was already pressing an ice pack to my stopped nose and muttering. Having a nosebleed from pulling an all-nighter is a first—even during it never happened. Guess I needed some Bacchus.
‘My brain’s overloaded with too much work.’
Blood must’ve been rushing to my head and bleeding out via my nose to relieve pressure. Anyway, it means my head’s clearer.
“We’re starting to see people again.”
“Yes. We should be careful.”
We were sitting under a makeshift parasol in front of a convenience store. In the distance by the beach were a few people, and we were all with our hoods up and masks on—no one recognized us yet. But we’d better get a taxi soon.
“Hey, here—drink this.” That guy is the problem. ‘I wonder if he’ll go along with it.’
“Thanks.”
I took the electrolyte drink Yoo jin offered and paused. “.......” Isn’t this the drink Steer advertised at debut?
“Wow, you even know that, Mundae hyung?”
“Nothing special.”
I’d read about it on Steer’s wiki ad tab. I kept drinking, then heard a small voice beside me.
“I’m sorry.”
“.......”
“Are you disappointed in me?”
“No.”
I took a sip.
“I should’ve been more considerate. I’m sorry I wasn’t.”
“.......”
I added jokingly: “We went up against T1 and lost.”
“What?”
That’s actually shocking but true.
“So they canceled all our schedules with T1. We paid more attention to reputation because we got nervous.”
“.......”
“Sorry if it felt like we were controlling things. You’re right, we had no right to do that when we first met.”
Kim Rae bin had been right. I glanced at him packaging the rest of the ice pack, unaware he’d just accomplished a huge social feat by worrying about my nosebleed.
‘I swear.’
Then: “Hey.” Yoo jin pinched his nose and hunched his shoulders. “I’m not trash.”
What are you talking about?
“I have gratitude toward my fans. I’m thankful that you’re a fan, Mundae hyung.”
“I’ve never bought an album of yours...”
[...Some values aren’t related to money.]
That’s an unexpectedly anti-capitalist line from him. He rested his chin on his hand, leaning his head on his knee.
“Thank you.”
“.......”
I finished the drink.
“Thank you, too.”
We called a call-taxi right there and headed back to the dorm. Cha Yoo jin didn’t argue or run off—he just chatted casually with Kim Rae bin and got in the taxi with us. If only that had solved everything.
“Y-Yoo jin!”
“......Thank goodness.”
Between their relieved chatter, I spotted Ryu Cheong woo looking grim. Damn. I felt foreboding.
“Cheong woo hyung, is something wrong?”
“...Hmm.”
Yes, something was.
“The company called... It’s just their guess, so don’t worry too much, but listen.”
“.......”
“It seems Ether is appearing today as a special guest at an event called Summer Pool.”
What? I realized the implication.
“...That wasn’t on the schedule, was it?”
“Suddenly.”
Right. Ether is set to appear today at a small, unpaid-or-nearly-unpaid event similar to Waterbomb. So why did our company hurriedly hear about it and call us?
“I think someone at the company leaked about Yoo jin skipping out.”
“.......”
Meaning Cha Yoo jin’s runaway got back to that other side through someone at our company....
“If you hadn’t found Yoo jin, there might’ve been news articles tonight.”
Their people expected this Waterbomb event to become negative press for TeSTAR. And to have a comparison, they hastily slotted Ether into a similar but smaller event.
‘Smart assholes.’
This way, even a smaller-scale appearance feeds the narrative of rookie passion and daring. A first-tier idol who grew complacent and ran off, contrasted with a group that canceled Waterbomb—they’re aiming for word-of-mouth. But that relies on Yoo jin going berserk first.
“...Yes. But since Yoo jin returned safely, their intended effect won’t happen.”
“Right. That’s why I told them not to worry. I thought if I didn’t say anything, you’d worry more later.”
“.......”
That was fair. Ryu Cheong woo gave a faint smile.
“Anyway, get some rest. I can handle company calls. You still have... hmm, about four hours before the event. You could sleep.”
“Hmm.”
That won’t work.
“No, we need to rehearse one more time. We have to check the parts. Without our center, we need to focus more.”
They’d written the song presuming Yoo jin’s presence; doing it without him requires precise adjustments. But Ryu Cheong woo shook his head.
“You look terrible. ...Then let’s sleep first. We’ll prep and be ready.”
“Do we have a group schedule tonight?”
“...!”
Close call. Yoo jin suddenly jumped in. ‘What the—.’ He asked “Is there a schedule?” but didn’t seem that curious.
“...Yes. It’s the event.”
“Is it trouble if ‘Cha Yoo jin’ isn’t there?”
“...A little.”
“Umm.”
Steer Cha Yoo jin stared into space, then glanced at Kim Rae bin. Could it be?
[Half of your nosebleed is my fault.] I take responsibility. So....
“...??”
“I have a schedule tonight.”
“...!!”
“R-really?!”
“I’m not lying.”
“Cha Yoo jin!!”
The living room filled with gasps, exclamations, and shock. I nearly dropped my jaw, too. ‘I never imagined this.’ Steer Cha Yoo jin is joining the impromptu schedule—at Waterbomb, no less. But a moment later:
“Mundae Mundae, wait.”
“Yeah?”
Big Sejin carefully called me aside.
“It’s great that Yoo jin is helping, but you know there’s only a few hours until Waterbomb, right?”
“If Yoo jin can’t keep up, it might be better to just skip. They’ve already covered it as a health issue.”
“...What do you think?”
Reasonable concern and cold analysis. Without other information, I would’ve nodded. But....
I sneered.
“I think we’ll be fine.”
“...!”
“Let’s get straight into rehearsal.”
No more words needed. Just once. After that dance run, his worries will vanish. ‘No, actually....’ Unless some other feeling emerges in that moment....
“...Okay.”
And thirty minutes later:
“...!”
I’ll say it came true. Waterbomb was approaching.
