“.......”
Silence filled the room where Park Mundae and Kim Rae bin sat.
Through Ryu Geon woo’s voice, the former member of Steer spoke:
-I won the case.
So Steer was not a drug group.
“.......”
A wordless shock resonated through the air.
Steer’s Ryu Geon woo muttered as if to himself:
“I won.”
“Right.”
Beyond Ryu Geon woo’s reply, it felt as though the image of the departed member flickered into view—actor I Sejin A.
Ryu Geon woo spoke without thinking:
“How?”
He already knew how that trial had unfolded. He had checked and remembered Steer Bae Sejin’s reaction when he was arrested on drug distribution charges.
The words spoken with a face ashen with rage, injustice, and fear:
-No!
He believed those words were true. That sharpness had not come from embarrassment at being exposed, but from indignation.
‘It was a misunderstanding or a false accusation.’
So he had spent countless dawns wondering how the group could survive until the charges were cleared. Looking back now, those days almost seemed preferable—because contrary to his hopes, I Sejin A’s charges had never been dropped.
Fueled by a public outcry, the verdict came frighteningly fast. And then:
[ debut group Steer’s I Sejin receives prison sentence in first trial... “Serious crime”]
He was sentenced to prison. But I Sejin A did not give up.
And the more he appealed, the worse public opinion became—astonishingly, there was still further decline.
-You druggie, enough already
-Those who sell drugs must’ve sold their brains and conscience too
-Looks like panderers couldn’t let go of that easy cash, kek
-Wow, didn’t expect someone to shamelessly keep profiting off the family business; need to question his close associates;
Days like that piled up. Whenever an article dropped, people flocked then ebbed away like a tide.
Much later, when the second trial also handed down a prison term, the controversy had long since cooled—so cold it wasn’t even a hot topic anymore.
-kek pathetic
“.......”
And in the final third trial at the Supreme Court, Ryu Geon woo knew there was almost no chance of a sudden acquittal. After all, the articles said so.
Even without considering procedural complexities like law and fact reviews, it was common sense explained by a single comment:
-The evidence was all there, so why would that happen?
The bank transfers, the testimony, the accomplices.
“.......”
Only then did Ryu Geon woo give up looking up the trial results. He was already exhausted.
‘I can’t do this.’
Amid harassing and coaxing the collapsing group to keep it afloat, he had no energy for such cruel hope. He decided to be realistic.
But here, as if everything were a lie, the truth had been turned upside down... and in the very end, he’d been fully acquitted. And now the person himself, wherever he is, was speaking through someone else’s mouth.
‘Steer’s I Sejin A did not distribute drugs.’
The weight of that single sentence was overwhelming.
“.......”
Ryu Geon woo spoke again. I Sejin A’s words emerged.
“I understand if you can’t believe it.”
Acquittals at only the third trial are almost unheard of.
-I Sejin A: But if you can find a valid ground for appeal, it’s not impossible.
-I Sejin A: In my case, it was a witness’s false testimony.
I Sejin A had discovered inconsistencies in his biological father’s testimony—the very man who sought a harsher sentence—overturning the verdict. A result born of persistence, refusal to give up, meticulousness, and a bit of bad luck.
“It took a long time, but eventually they remanded and quashed the original sentence so I could be retried.”
Ryu Geon woo read the message calmly—years of anguish, trial after trial, and its conclusion.
“I won.”
“.......”
Not guilty.
“I’m not lying about this. No need to.”
Ryu Geon woo remained composed—and that composure seemed to guarantee that I Sejin A spoke truth without hesitation. Everyone present felt it.
“.......”
Then, breaking the silence, someone burst out:
“You fXXking did it!”
Cha Yoo jin.
Suddenly the room was alive with noise and heat. He roughly hugged Ryu Geon woo, reacting like a coach rushing onto the ring to embrace a victorious boxer.
Of course, Ryu Geon woo pulled away.
“I’m not him.”
“I know. Just pass it on!”
Cha Yoo jin’s voice trembled with excitement.
[I’m sorry I didn’t search until the end.]
“.......”
Ryu Geon woo gave a faint smile and nodded.
“Thanks, they appreciate it.”
“Oh...”
The tense atmosphere melted in an instant.
But the other two remained rooted to their seats, stunned. The difference in shock was stark. Unlike Cha Yoo jin—who had already resolved his inner conflict from the Steer days—for them, all ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) of this was still unfolding.
‘I see.’
So Ryu Geon woo gently freed Cha Yoo jin from his embrace and spoke again to relay the next lines.
-I Sejin A: But I know—
-I Sejin A: My victory only means so much to me.
“For you, hearing this now won’t change what you went through.”
Steer had suffered its biggest blow when an original member faced drug charges, then collapsed and disbanded from there. An unchanging fact. Even if proven untrue now, the public wouldn’t care. Tragically so.
“...And I don’t deny that the injustice I endured caused you great harm as well.”
But:
-I Sejin A: However, when you recall those memories, you can choose how you feel.
Steer didn’t deserve its fate. You can find reasons to refute it yourself.
“...That’s why I wanted to let you know I legally proved it and was acknowledged.”
-I Sejin A: That’s all.
“.......”
With those words, Ryu Geon woo fell silent. No more pop-ups appeared—he’d said everything he’d wanted and felt no lingering attachments.
Then:
“Um.”
A hand rose from one of the beds. Kim Rae bin, eyes slightly reddened.
“I... I know you must have suffered, and I’m sorry I couldn’t help more. May I say that?”
Ryu Geon woo nodded willingly.
Steer’s Kim Rae bin seemed confused but gathered himself, choosing each word carefully as he spoke seriously.
“And... belated congratulations. But when you said ‘you can change how you feel when recalling the past,’ what exactly did you mean?”
I Sejin A hesitated, then replied:
-I Sejin A: I think that should come from within. If someone else tells you, it’s their thought, and it becomes an obligation or coercion.
“I see.”
Kim Rae bin fell silent in thought again. Thus, only one Steer member remained—himself included. He knew it too.
Steer’s Ryu Geon woo.
“.......”
He also knew what an appropriate response would be: “You really went through so much,” “I’m glad your innocence was proven,” “I’m sorry I didn’t find out sooner”—but such words wouldn’t come easily.
He felt drained. The original him, who would have spoken those sincerely, felt that part of his mind had been wiped away by shock. Yet he didn’t want to blame I Sejin A now. He simply felt overwhelmed by the truth.
“...I understand.”
That was all he could say. He forced himself to keep his expression from collapsing and lifted his head. Then:
“Ryu Geon woo.”
-I Sejin A: I think you’ll continue with this group.
“.......”
Ryu Geon woo kept his gaze on empty air as he relayed:
“If you want to do well here, I’ll support you. ...Thanks for believing in me, and I’m sorry.”
Even though from Park Mundae’s perspective those words were awkward, he conveyed them without filtering.
“.......”
“...Though it took a long time...”
-I Sejin A: I didn’t compromise and I won.
-I Sejin A: You helped make that possible.
Ryu Geon woo said nothing. He neither denied nor deflected nor offered a loose affirmation. He simply looked up silently, then lowered his head slightly, as if nodding.
-I Sejin A: Thanks for listening.
And so the conversation with I Sejin A ended.
Cha Yoo jin wanted to say more, but Keundal burst in and brought the session to a close.
“Hyung! You’re pushing yourself too hard...!”
“No, I...”
And a brief indirect briefing explained that Ryu Geon woo was overexerting himself, ending the gathering.
Thus the former Steer members drifted away, each lost in different thoughts as they returned to their own beds.
“.......”
In truth, during the Steer days, I Sejin A had been an unspoken taboo in the group—naturally, and without opposition. After all, most members had only known him for about half a year in strictly professional exchanges, and he had been highly defensive and sensitive to peers.
Nevertheless, no one thought what had just happened was meaningless. For example, here’s Kim Rae bin.
“Good night.”
“Yes...”
He lay back obediently as urged but did not fall asleep immediately. As the diligent person formed by his nature and childhood, he continued pondering I Sejin A’s suggestion.
‘When recalling the past, I can hold a different mindset...’
He imagined the facts underlying their Steer activities and altered them, like editing a beat in an arrangement.
-Steer had a member accused of drug distribution.
-Steer’s drug charges were unjust.
It was merely a false accusation.
‘Then... perhaps my shortcomings too...’
Maybe there was some other reason, not talent or effort. Ex–idol Kim Rae bin drifted into thought. But soon sleep overtook him, and consciousness slipped away peacefully.
At the same time.
In his comfortable private room, Bae Sejin drifted into a kind of awakening—though he wasn’t truly awake.
-Hello.
“......?”
Before him stood a calm-looking, black-haired man. A familiar face.
-I came because they said you have time to talk about your current life.
It was Bae Sejin himself. Asleep, he had no idea that I Sejin A, having agreed terms with Ryu Geon woo and returned, had traveled through the system to reach him—hence his bewildered response:
“...??”
What kind of weird dream was this?
-What do you think about your current life?
“What? Who are you?”
-...You seem to live well, but your personality’s the same. So it’s me.
It was a non sequitur. Yet Bae Sejin, frowning, replied with another non sequitur—he wasn’t upset. A lightning realization struck him:
“You—are you my old self? From Steer?”
“......”
Seeing his reaction, Bae Sejin realized he’d guessed correctly.
‘My goodness.’
He swallowed hard in a body that no longer existed. Yet the version of himself before him seemed so solid and mature that it was hard to view him as the source of such trouble for their team.
‘What is this?’
He had an urgent question.
“Am I... going to become you like the others? Lose my memories?”
Fortunately, I Sejin A shook his head.
-That won’t happen. But you can receive these memories.
“...Okay.”
Bae Sejin’s face stiffened briefly, then he nodded once he made up his mind.
“I understand. That’s fine.”
He might even need it. Cha Yoo jin, Ryu Geon woo, and Kim Rae bin—all had found Steer memories and treated him strangely. Bae Sejin clenched his fist and spoke calmly:
“I’m ready to receive the memories.”
I Sejin A immediately refused:
-I won’t.
“...What?”
Bae Sejin was momentarily speechless.
-I’m sorry, but I came only because I wanted to check my own state directly.
I Sejin A was, after all, the sleeping Bae Sejin’s consciousness—with altered memories. Once he’d seen himself objectively, he planned to return the memories without regret.
-You don’t have to remember every past detail. You can grow in other ways too.
Pain isn’t the only thing that makes you grow. And you—TeSTAR’s Bae Sejin—seem to be growing just fine.
I Sejin A nodded in acknowledgment.
But Bae Sejin scowled.
“Why are you deciding that alone?”
-...!
“My condition is something only I know.”
Give me the memories.
...And so the two versions of the same person—awake and asleep—began a fierce internal dialogue in the dead of night.
