Bae Sejin hadn’t deliberately kept his role secret from the members.
He just... hadn’t found the right moment.
‘They’re talking about who’s regained memories, how could I suddenly bring up my drama?’
Besides, his filming was already finished without issue. No matter how much he thought about it, it ranked low on the conversation priority list.
So he resolved right then:
‘I’ll tell them before bed tonight.’
But that night...
“Happy birthday, hyung~!”
They threw a surprise birthday party for Ryu Geon woo!
Of course. October 28th happened to be Geon woo’s birthday.
“.......”
How had he not known...
“Aw, you’ve been busy too, hyung.”
This was a secret party planned by the three members born the same year—Testar’s midline, nicknamed the ‘Same-Age Crew.’ They’d endured the memory chaos together and decided to let Geon woo just enjoy himself, so they pooled efforts and smuggled in supplies.
“Just have fun~”
Lee Sejin, now close enough to speak freely, offered. Bae Sejin inwardly wailed.
‘I don’t need this kind of consideration...!’
But he wasn’t socially inept enough to ruin the mood with a pointless outburst.
‘...Still, it’s thoughtful.’
Because the atmosphere was warm and pleasant.
Geon woo looked more than touched—he seemed slightly stunned with joy, his face lighting up for everyone who had prepared it.
Seon Ah hyun blushed as he offered the cake. The giant chocolate cake bore a cheerful message like “Testar’s Eldest Hyung Is Handsome.”
“Just blow out the candles...!”
“...Haha, got it. Shall I make a wish?”
“Oooooh~”
“.......”
Naturally, there was no way to suddenly mention a psychopath role in this mood...
‘I’ve already been through enough emotional turmoil!’
At least let him receive birthday wishes as the protagonist in peace.
So Bae Sejin made an unprecedented social choice: keep his mouth shut and ride the vibe...
The result was that only he suffered from the heart-warming moment.
‘Ugh.’
“What did you wish for, hyung?”
“Hmm... that our team stays healthy and active for a long time.”
“Really, that’s a great wish...!”
“......indeed.”
Bae Sejin chimed in as Park Mundae neatly sliced the cake and handed him a piece.
‘Phew.’
The cake was delicious, at least.
Only after a glass of non-alcoholic champagne did Bae Sejin try again to bring up the drama...
“I didn’t expect a party like this... but I feel what a joyful, harmonious team this is.”
“.......”
“I want to regain my memories quickly so I can contribute even more to this team...”
What a meaningful day that became.
At Steer Kim Rae bin’s cautious remark, Bae Sejin nearly squeezed his eyes shut.
“...Right.”
He gave up.
Bae Sejin decided to wait for the next day.
And the very next day was a new filming day for .
They would announce that round’s winner, film some rest-time content, and adjust the season’s tempo before the mid-season break.
Testar placed second, a solid result.
“Thank you!”
Everyone finished filming in high spirits as predicted.
For reference, Eterre from WonderHall, who debuted this round, placed fifth. Their stage was full of rookie energy and flashy effects. Experts praised its meticulous planning and production, so fifth place felt disappointing.
But Bae Sejin, with years of experience masking his expression, thought to himself nonchalantly,
‘Honestly, I’m not upset.’
He felt a sense of poetic justice. Park Mundae, beside him, was thinking “Better they win first and face backlash than us,” though he kept that to himself.
In any case, Eterre’s innocent, naive attitude left Testar with a peculiar mix of impressions and unease, but the shoot ended smoothly.
“See you in two weeks, seniors!”
“Yes, Testar, have a good journey back!”
After tearful farewells to First Place Malang Dalkom, they entered the waiting room and gathered their things. The mood was relaxed—perfect for a bit of small talk and laughs.
‘Finally... is this the moment?’
“Sejin.”
“Uh, yes?”
But Ryu Geon woo spoke first.
“I’m late saying this, but... thank you. I heard Sejin looked out for me when I lost my mind.”
“......It wasn’t that big a deal.”
“No, it was.”
Geon woo’s eyes were warm.
“You must’ve been shaken by my behavior. It must’ve been even harder to care for me when you were also struggling.”
“.......”
“But you still took care of me.”
Bae Sejin hesitated, then said casually,
“...You’re my friend, of course I would.”
For Bae Sejin, Geon woo was almost his first true peer friend. Receiving such thanks for one-sided help felt embarrassingly sweet.
Geon woo smiled.
“Still, thank you.”
“...Okay.”
Sincere words passed between them, ending on a heartwarming note. A comfortable silence followed.
And Bae Sejin thought,
“.......”
In this mood, how could he suddenly mention a psychopath role...
‘Yeah, right....’
In the end, Bae Sejin, tears welling, relinquished the idea.
...and so broadcast day arrived.
October 31st, Halloween midnight.
Thanks to the bold choice of no morning schedule the next day, Testar lounged on the sofa in delight.
“Hyung! Let’s start! Sit down! Hurry!”
“.......”
Bae Sejin flopped onto the sofa and, to hide his nerves, grabbed handfuls of Cha Yoo jin’s popcorn and chewed furiously.
“...?? What the....”
“It’s starting.”
Cha Yoo jin was momentarily surprised, but on hearing Park Mundae’s voice, fixed his gaze on the TV.
“Dream.
This must be a dream.
It had to be.”
The first episode of NetPlus’s newly released series began airing.
felt closer to a modern mystery survival horror. One day, the protagonist wakes to an alarm, only to realize no light enters his window despite it being morning. Approaching the window, he discovers a chilling sight: the outside is packed with damp earth, as if the entire building were buried alive.
“Ah!”
The plot follows the protagonist as he climbs upward through the twisted, darkened corridors to escape, encountering neighbors turned monsters. Not every neighbor has transformed—most residents remain buried with the building. As he ascends, he meets various characters, allies and foes, some joining his journey.
[...Hello.]
“Oh, Sejin hyung!”
Bae Sejin’s character, medical student Jeong Isol, joins in mid-season. A late-20s man with black hair brushed aside and frameless glasses. Intellectual, sharp-witted, skilled in first aid—if this were a game, he’d be top recruit.
[Wait.]
“...!!”
His first appearance—wielding a fire hose to drive off a monster—syncs with engine BGM, delivering catharsis. Even Ryu Geon woo, typically disinterested in surreal visuals, lightly praised it.
“Sejin, that’s really cool.”
“...Uh, thanks.”
This able helper role blocks cliché twists while preserving the group’s morality. Combined with Bae Sejin’s pristine mask and acting, it shone.
[This way.]
[Ah...!]
His quiet demeanor felt charming too. Moreover, this medic invites the group to his hideout and treats the injured. The hideout?
[A convenience store!]
[Shh.]
A store stocked with supplies! Seeing greasy, salty canned ham and hot instant rice, the protagonists eat greedily—PPL or not, it looked irresistible.
“Wow~ even handles PPL, hyung? Truly a vital role in every sense~”
“Super cool. Amazing!”
“......Uh.”
Indeed, a role vital in many senses. Bae Sejin couldn’t stop the members from bingeing through episode 2. The drama, like most adapted from a solid original, paced rapidly, keeping them on the edge of their seats. They even analyzed the protagonists’ strategies, offering commentary.
“Oh, now they’ll use the store as a base.”
“Right.”
“Hmm~ I’d go higher. But when it happens, you can’t think like that.”
Since the 31-story building was inverted, top-floor officetels became the bottom. Around floor 28 was the convenience store catering to residents. Above the officetels lay the commercial floors, which might be safer; opinions among the members diverged. Even Seon Ah hyun asked Park Mundae.
“What do you think, Mundae?”
And Park Mundae answered calmly,
“I dunno... either way, I think something’ll happen at the store.”
“...?”
“It’s an easy target.”
The moment he finished speaking, the screen showed the convenience store again—its lights off, the exterior pitch black.
“......!!”
[...Huh? Uh-huh?]
The protagonist went below to check a rescue signal from middle schoolers trapped in a small officetel room, splitting the group. The uninjured moved on; the wounded stayed at the store. Now the wounded returned—and the LED lights were all out, creating an eerie atmosphere.
“Ooooh,”
“Of course, a store full of food’s an obvious target.”
“Hmm~ better to go to the commercial floors for more cover....”
Even as they spoke, Ryu Geon woo and Lee Sejin couldn’t take their eyes off the screen. Then they realized themselves:
–The convenience store is easy to attack.
So how had the medic used it as a safe haven without being attacked? The question flickered through a few members’ minds when...
[...]
On screen, the protagonist and several companions finally entered the store. In the darkened interior, the protagonist’s flashlight revealed shelves and the counter intact, but no reply came—only suffocating white noise filled the scene.
‘Maybe they evacuated already?’
That hopeful thought passed when the flashlight beam turned toward the stockroom door. And...
[...!!]
Through the gap in the open door appeared feet and shoes—lying horizontally, an unnatural sight.
thud. thud.
Heartbeat-like SFX dominated the screen as the camera slowly panned up to the lone standing figure in the stockroom doorway.
[You came?]
And they all realized: the medic hadn’t escaped the store—he was the attacker. Behind him, casually wiping blood off his hands with a wet wipe, the camera caught glimpses of corpses swaying. Close-ups revealed the piled bodies: the very teammates who’d stayed in the store injured—among them the heroine, the protagonist’s love interest, and the supporting colleague destined to survive. Yet by episode 2... all the starting members lay dead, at the medic’s hand.
“.......”
“.......”
Bae Sejin desperately began avoiding the members’ gazes!
