[Before long, every memory and trace related to this will disappear... This really is the end.]
The system window flickered.
[You’ve worked hard all this time.]
As the fans’ cheers poured down like a wave, the members were overflowing with joy.
[Goodbye.]
With that final message, the system window vanished.
Standing before the microphone decorated with flowers, I blinked slowly.
“......”
My lips barely moved. As my head drooped, my gaze followed and landed on the polished tips of my black shoes.
Only then did a cracked, faltering voice escape.
“All this time...”
And then a hollow laugh followed.
“...Really...”
What am I even doing here right now?
“...Yes!”
At that moment, Kang Ichae naturally put his arm over my shoulder and lifted the mic, finishing the speech in my stead.
“Thank you so, so much, Noeul!”
Then Jang Seongsik, the presenter, approached, pulled me into a tight hug, patted my back, and let me go.
“—That concludes the Korean Music Awards. Everyone, you’ve worked so hard this year! Once again, congratulations to all the winners!”
With the MC’s closing remarks, all the performers came up on stage.
“Thank you! We love you all!!”
While bowing repeatedly to express thanks, the members missed their cue for the start, but still sang with the bouquets in their hands.
【You pull me like gravity
Remember the day we heard the sound of the waves—】
Something tapped my back, and when I turned around, it was Joo Woosung. He seemed to say something, but I couldn’t make out the words.
【Now it’s time to fly
Across the tides of the planets
I’ll take you to the place we long for】
Behind him, a camera was aimed at me, and the glowing fanlights were visible. The eyes of the audience were fixed this way. It was my turn, apparently.
But I just stood there blankly, mic lowered in hand.
【—Even in a universe where stars burn,
You’ll land safely】
Then Kim Sunghyun pulled me into an embrace and sang my part in my place. His hand patting my back was warm, but I couldn’t respond.
After the song ended and we bowed together, they quickly grabbed my arm and led me backstage.
When my vision dimmed completely, Kim Sunghyun, holding both my shoulders, quietly asked,
“Hey, Seo Hoyun. What’s wrong with you?”
Only then did my mind clear slightly.
“You okay?”
“......”
His brow was furrowed as if he couldn’t make sense of my behavior, but there was unmistakable concern in his voice.
“First...”
“Huh?”
“...I’ll go first. Sorry.”
I pulled out my in-ear monitor, handed it to a nearby staff member, shrugged off my jacket, and walked away immediately.
“Hoyun-hyung! Where are you going, hyung!”
I heard the members calling behind me, but—just for a bit. Just for a moment. Muttering that to myself, I walked down the bright, artificially white hallway.
People greeted me as I passed, but I didn’t have the presence of mind to respond. I headed straight for the waiting room and opened the door.
“Wow! The Dawn, congratulations on the Grand Prize!!”
“You’ve all worked so hard!!”
Confetti burst lightly—probably prepared to film our award reaction video. A WH Entertainment staffer holding a camcorder gasped and asked,
“Seo Hoyun, why are you alone?”
Without answering, I strode in and pulled my phone from the bag in the corner of the couch.
“What’s wrong, did something happen?”
As I searched for my car key, my hands shook so badly that I turned the bag upside down, rummaging through everything.
“Mr. Seo Hoyun!”
Their worried voice trembled, but I ignored it, grabbed my car key and wallet, and walked out. Then I went down to the underground parking lot, climbed into the SUV, and breathed roughly.
“Ha... ha.”
Rubbing my face hard with both hands, laughter suddenly escaped in shaky bursts.
“...Hahaha!”
Ah, this is funny.
“...Right, wow, fuck, that scared the shit out of me.”
Lowering my hand from my face, I muttered quietly,
“I won’t even get mad for the prank... just show me the logout screen.”
[Mr. Seo Hoyun, would you like to receive your reward?]
I could feel the smile on my lips stiffen.
“No... Hey, stop talking nonsense, okay? Log me out and tell me where my brother is. What reward—...”
[Mr. Seo Hoyun, would you like to receive your reward?]
“Fuck!!”
The system window kept showing the same message over and over. I slammed my fist against the steering wheel. The horn blared loudly.
“Fuck, you shitty—stop making that noise!!”
After catching my breath for a long while, I steadied myself and started the engine.
“No, it’s fine.”
I shifted gears and murmured as I pressed down on the accelerator.
“...That’s impossible...”
“When you gain something, you have to give something up.”
Suddenly, the words I’d exchanged with Min Jiheon resurfaced unpleasantly, scratching at my head—
‘I did it, Hojin.’
—but I ignored it.
Anyway, it was time to go home.
Biting my lower lip, I put the call on speaker and dialed Seo Hojin. But he didn’t answer. Clicking my tongue at the traffic jam, I called again and again, but all I got was the automated “the person you’re trying to reach is unavailable.”
By the time I reached home without ever connecting, I calmly entered the passcode.
Beep, beep, beep, click—
A faintly unfamiliar voice echoed from inside. The smell of cigarettes hit me.
The veranda window was open, and on the coffee table, the ashtray I used to use was filled with cigarette butts burnt down to the filters. Ash, blown by the winter wind, scattered messily across the table.
Seo Hojin wasn’t there.
Without even taking off my shoes, I ran straight to the veranda and looked down from the apartment. The area under the streetlight was perfectly clean. No trace of anything.
“Fuck,” I cursed, biting my nails, reaching for my phone—then froze.
The family photo in sight—
“...What,”
Seo Hojin wasn’t in it.
Like someone possessed, I went to the drawer, pulled out a photo album, and flipped through it. Page after page, there was no trace of him.
By the time I realized it, all the albums were scattered across the floor. The paper edges sliced my finger, drawing blood. I hurriedly took out the old, uneven family photo that Hojin had taped back together from my wallet.
“......”
Seeing the result, I staggered backward and fell onto the # Nоvеlight # sofa.
The Dawn’s commercial played faintly on the TV. I stared blankly before slowly picking up the remote and turning it off.
Cold wind blew in from the veranda, scattering ashes onto the hem of my pants. I brushed back my hair, staring into empty space.
“...Logout.”
[Mr. Seo Hoyun, would you like to receive your reward?]
“Logout.”
[Mr. Seo Hoyun, would you like to receive your reward?]
“Logout.”
[Mr. Seo Hoyun, would you like to receive your reward?]
I kept repeating the word, but the same line appeared again and again. I rubbed my eyes.
“...Logout...”
Ding!
[Mr. Seo Hoyun, would you like to receive your reward?]
I quietly went over the situation.
The system suddenly talking nonsense, and Seo Hojin... gone.
‘Is this... a dream?’
Or maybe I’d somehow slipped into my unconscious. They say the subconscious reveals one’s fears and emotions.
‘I need to wake up fast. I don’t have time to waste.’
We’d finally won the Grand Prize. I had to make sure Seo Hojin was safe, save him, and come back—to reclaim my new life.
A cough burst out of my throat. I reached out blindly, but there was nothing to grab, and I curled in on myself. My ears felt clogged, like underwater.
—...Ring!
A sound echoed.
———
Beep...—
Beep—
Beep-ring!
Beep-ring!
[System window requests.]
[You may now access all memories of ‘Seo Hojin.’]
Something dark rippled before my eyes.
[Would you like to receive them?]
It was the same phenomenon I’d witnessed during Kang Ichae’s incident.
My lips parted, and the answer slipped out before I could stop it.
“...Receive.”
[Would you like to receive them?]
“Fuck, receive, receive, receive! Receive!!”
[—Receiving memories.]
My eyelids fell shut helplessly. The sensation was familiar—like when I’d taken in the members’ memories.
The sound of waves lapped near my ears, and the salty scent brushed my nose.
Then, when I opened my eyes—
[Accessing all memories of ‘Seo Hojin.’]
I was standing by the sea.
***
Swoooosh—
...So dark.
Seo Hojin pulled his coat tighter and stared at the distant horizon.
Other than the occasional truck passing by, there was no one around in the pitch-black night.
Standing on the large bridge built over the black, rolling waves, Seo Hojin tilted his haggard face slightly.
His phone vibrated continuously in his right hand.
[Kang Ichae: Hey]
[Kang Ichae: Hey, Seo Hojin, where are you]
Still, I’m older by two years, you brat.
Glancing over the messages, Hojin let out a small laugh.
[Kang Ichae: Pick up the phone]
“Such damn casual speech...”
He’d spoiled him too much since they were kids.
Stuffing the phone into his pocket, Seo Hojin took out a crumpled pack of cigarettes.
The thing his brother always smoked whenever things didn’t go his way.
He’d never managed to nag him to quit, though it always bothered him.
Maybe it was the biting wind, maybe the cheap lighter, but the cigarette wouldn’t light. He clicked the wheel several times and drew hard through the filter. The acrid smoke he couldn’t exhale burned down his throat.
‘What did you even like about this bitter stuff?’
Coughing, he threw the unlit cigarette into the sea, then took another and lit it again. After finally steadying his breath, he clicked his tongue and opened a news page on his phone.
[Late PD Seo Hoyun dies; production of “Pick the One” temporarily suspended.]
His brother was dead.
Many people seemed to be mourning. Among them were trainees who’d once appeared on his show.
Kang Ichae had cried a lot, and comforting him had drained Hojin completely.
Seo Hoyun’s death had made big waves—then, just as quickly, faded. The scandal of a supposedly pure idol had taken over the headlines instead.
‘If it was going to end like this, why live so hard?’
All that struggling, only to end up like this.
As his phone kept buzzing with Ichae’s calls, he dropped it to the ground and kicked it. It fell into the sea below, not even making a splash.
Staring down at it, he pulled out another cigarette.
“...Hyung.”
With the cigarette between his lips, Hojin muttered dully,
“It’s so cold here...”
He exhaled a long sigh and pressed the glowing tip against the bridge rail.
“So cold. Really.”
Taking off his coat, he hung it over the railing and tossed the cigarette pack away.
He stared silently at the rough, black waves—so dark they looked like pure darkness itself—
Ding!
From the edge of his vision, a piercing light flashed and enveloped him. Thinking it was a car’s headlights, he squinted and turned his head—
[Infamy Points have accumulated.]
[They conflict with Player ‘Seo Hoyun’s’ virtue points.]
[LOADING]
[LOADING]
[LOADING]
[LOADING]
[LOADING]
[LOADING]
[LOADING]
[LOADING]
Seo Hojin’s heart pounded hard.
[LOADING COMPLETE!]
[You have met the conditions to begin the game.]
His coat hung from the railing, his white sneakers barely touching the edge.
The shadow beneath him stretched longer and darker.
[You can resurrect Player Seo Hoyun.]
In Seo Hojin’s eyes, something faint and white flickered within the darkness.
[Would you like to begin?]
