[PD-nim, how can you even call yourself a human being?]
I looked at the screen with an indifferent expression, watching her scream in rage.
[If you had any conscience at all, there's no way you could have edited it like that!]
Jung Cheongyeon, a trainee who had trained for years but failed to debut as an idol, had placed 4th on a survival program gathering such trainees.
It was what she had wanted and something agreed upon with her agency in advance.
So, the results I edited and presented with care were what she asked for. She had achieved her goal, and if left alone, things would've sorted themselves out eventually. Given time, the issue would have been buried. I couldn't understand why she was whining so much about it.
My brow twitched when I saw the tears fall down her cheeks like rain.
[You placed 4th, didn't you?]
Where had the girl gone who once said she'd do anything just to debut—even sell her soul if she had to?
Instead, I recalled Song Jion, who had been forced to play the villain at his agency's ridiculous request, getting bombarded by verbal arrows and left floundering.
Even though people joked that Jung Cheongyeon must be my niece because of how much screen time she got, she ended up reaping the rewards. Meanwhile, when I tried to help Song Jion by giving him a little more exposure, the backlash only worsened and his ranking dropped.
That was the first time my calculations had ever failed that badly.
[So what if I placed 4th? Everything that mattered is already gone—…]
As Jung Cheongyeon spoke, her figure overlapped with Song Jion's in my mind.
Song Jion had ultimately collapsed and hadn't even been picked to perform on the final stage.
The complaints pouring from Jung Cheongyeon's mouth were things Song Jion would have envied.
[You'll live long, you know. People who get cursed out tend to live long.]
Maybe that's why I spoke so bluntly, without a filter.
I pulled out a cigarette and placed it in my mouth. I flicked the lighter once, twice—then it caught flame.
[—If that's all you had to say, I'm leaving. I'm busy.]
I was pretty on edge at the time too.
As I watched her trembling with clenched teeth and hanging her head, I glanced at my phone and turned around to leave.
That's when I heard a familiar curse, one I'd heard many times before.
[I hope you completely crash and burn, PD-nim. One day, you'll regret this. The roles will reverse, and you'll finally understand how I felt. Even if you get on your knees and cry by then, it'll be too late.]
[Oh dear, how terrifying.]
I laughed.
Leaving her behind, I quickened my steps. I was short on time and had to get back to editing at the production office.
But suddenly, I stopped walking.
Scratching my head and thinking for a moment, I took out my phone again.
[Me: Song Jion-ssi]
[Me: Can we talk later today?]
I didn't believe I could fix everyone's problems.
But I already knew Song Jion's situation, and he still hoped to debut. And I just happened to be a variety PD.
Leaving him like that didn't sit right with me.
After sending the message, I went to the editing room and immersed myself in work, but soon an assistant director came looking for me. The executive producer was urgently calling for me.
I yawned widely as I slowly stepped into the elevator.
When I pressed the top floor button, it was obvious from my face what I was thinking—what are they yelling at me for this time?
[Hey! PD Seo!]
And the moment I opened the door to the executive producer's office on screen, a loud roar exploded.
Of course, it was the exec producer.
[You! Where the hell have you been when things have blown up?]
[…What happened?]
[The message board is in chaos because of one of the trainees from your show!]
My expression gradually darkened.
It was about what I had feared—something related to Song Jion.
[Song Jion's private Stargram account got completely exposed ㄷㄷ]
The electronic board scrolled through all the real-time reactions.
Even I was seeing some of it for the first time.
[Whoaㅜ Almost every post sounds like he wants to die;; Is he okay? He seems depressed]
[Attention seeker x5]
[Isn't that exactly what mentally unwell celebs act like? Super cheerful on camera but deeply depressed off it lol]
[He chose this path, yet he acts like he's struggling twice as much as others. Pathetic;;]
[Fk, he threw the others under the bus and acted all pure alone, then had meltdowns behind the scenes. Stop farming attention.]**
[I feel bad for Song Jion, this is so heartbreaking ㅜㅜ..]
I skipped over the useless, trashy comments and focused only on reading Song Jion's posts.
I swiped the screen hesitantly with my hand.
The agency's pressure and verbal abuse were written vaguely, so it was hard for readers to identify who exactly he was talking about.
But his Stargram posts were much heavier than anything he had ever confided in me.
[Whoa, there's another post;;]
Another post, uploaded just 30 minutes ago, was added below. The caption read: "It's over now."
At that moment, a new post filled the entire screen.
[Isn't that talking about PD Seo?]
Ding!
Then suddenly, a system message popped up over the screen:
[Infamy Points have been added.]
"…Cough."
So this was how those infamy points got accumulated?
The screen flickered once and was immediately flooded with reactions criticizing and mocking me.
[Yup, totally—Song Jion got all the sympathy. His agency pissed off Seo-jiral, and Seo-jiral went full psychoㅋㅋㅋ]
[ㅠㅠ Only Song Jion is pitiful in this. What even is this mess ㅜㅜ]
[I thought PD Seo treated his contestants well, but maybe not..??]
[What kind of scumbag PD does malicious editing like that? And the empty-headed losers defending him are just as bad.]
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
.
.
.
.
Ding!
Ding!
Diiiing!
I thought it was unbelievably perfect timing. As if Jung Cheongyeon's curse had literally materialized.
Just then, the electric billboard slowly began to evaporate from the top down, transforming into a black mass of clouds. Some of it started to take on human form.
It paced anxiously, biting its nails as if extremely nervous. Then it made a call to someone.
[Song Jion, pick up.]
…It was me.
It was "me" from back then.
He—me—walked briskly out of the lobby, still holding the silent phone.
A small figure that looked like a young Seo Hojin silently watching from the side grabbed my hand and began to follow.
The remaining black masses began to take form as hateful text messages and chased after us.
[Mindless○Δidiot○Δmalicious edit brainwashed○Δmass]
"What the hell is that?"
"Ignore it. Just follow that."
The kid glanced back and frowned at the floating text in the air.
The "me" from back then was heading toward the broadcast station parking lot.
There was my beloved car, bought right after landing the job as a PD to make travel easier with Hojin.
[F*ck, please just pick up.]
He—me—got into the car while grumbling, redialing the disconnected call and slamming the door shut.
But the car didn't start.
Clunk.
Instead, the driver's side door swung open, as if calling out to me.
Inside, the version of me that had just gotten in was nowhere to be seen.
"…This is insane."
I had a feeling.
If I got in that car, I would finally face the memory I needed to find.
Ruuuuuumble!
Just then, a distant building collapsed like dominoes falling over.
"Urgh…!"
The ground I stood on began to crack from the impact. Swollen, red veins pulsed through the gaps.
It felt like my subconscious was declaring it couldn't hold on any longer.
Startled by how quickly the edges began to collapse, I looked down at a tug on my sleeve.
"Get a grip! This is the last chance. If you get in that car, you'll learn what happened. It's the only way out of this subconscious."
The kid dragged me toward the car and looked up at me.
"It's time to say goodbye."
I had a strong sense of what might happen if I got in that car. My fingertips began to tremble.
Those scenes I saw when I first got separated from the system due to Min Jiheon's ability…
What I'd mistaken all this time as a car accident that took my parents' lives when I was 20—
"It's okay!"
A small hand covered mine, wrapping around it.
"It's okay, hyung. You'll be fine. I'll make sure of it!!"
When I lifted my gaze from the ground, I met eyes full of me.
"You're staying here alone?"
"…Of course."
"Come here. Take my hand."
It was a foolish thing to say, but I couldn't help it.
The boy flinched.
"W-what?"
"At least to a safe place."
I bent down on one knee to meet his gaze.
I knew we couldn't both leave together.
So at the very least, I wanted to make sure he would be safe.
Whatever he was, I couldn't leave this entity—this 10-year-old version of Seo Hojin—alone in a collapsing world.
"Y-you idiot?"
"Watch your mouth."
I mean, seriously—there's a system window floating in the air, human stats being analyzed, weird items popping up, and I'm the one being weird for worrying about him?
The boy opened and closed his mouth, unable to speak. I forced my lips into a slight smile to reassure him.
"Hojin-ah, with me—"
I felt the muscles in my face go tense.
Screeeeeech!
A still-standing building began to fold in half and fall toward us.
Just as I tried to pull the boy into my arms out of reflex, he reached out with both arms first. The building came to a grinding, grotesque stop with an awful metallic screech.
"You have to go. Now!"
The boy shoved me with his body toward the car. I didn't even have time to brace myself. The words chasing behind us also helped push me forward.
The car door slammed shut, and the boy urgently shouted:
"―Hyung, if you really care about your little brother, remember this: you have to leave. The memories trying to bond with you will do everything to keep you here. Don't look back."
"Seo Hojin! Hey!"
I pounded the window with my fist, but it wouldn't budge.
[Hello, dear customer. Navigation is starting now.]
"If you can endure this and make it out safely…"
My fist turned red and my skin peeled from the force.
Our eyes met through the window.
"Well… then maybe have a meal with the little brother who's out there."
"Hey! Hey, Seo Hojin!!"
The seatbelt fastened itself, and even though I didn't touch the pedal, the car began to move.
The interior lights flickered on and off, and my vision swirled. The boy's face slowly faded into the distance. I heard the cheerful voice of the navigation system.
[Drive safely today as well!]
I quickly looked through the rear window, but I could barely see him anymore. His figure was being obscured by the chasing text.
The car sped up rapidly.
[ReallyΔJe■Seo Yoon reallyΔJe▽■showcase■never even■shouldn't have happened dammit■○ΔbastardΔshowcase■never■shouldn't have happened dammit■○ΔbastardΔshowcase■■]
"…!"
The words, even as they crumbled and cracked apart, clung desperately to me, penetrating the glass and sticking to my body.
[You fuc■king■Δba■Δ■sta■d■freak■bastard■]
At the same time, the radio turned on, and a high-pitched mechanical voice began to play.
[Some memories will now be unlocked.]
Then, as the car entered a tunnel, multicolored lights swirled around it. Images flashed past like projections from a beam projector.
[Yes. No, I'm going to speak with them directly. I know. That agency is horrible. But a person comes first. I need to see with my own eyes if they're really okay.]
From that place, I lowered the phone from my ear and furrowed my brow.
[I'll take care of it.]
With that one sentence, I ended the call and, lowering my head, slammed the steering wheel with my fist.
[Someone could literally die, but all they care about is the broadcast station and the agency. They think just saying words makes them meaningful.]
With a face barely containing the urge to tear it all down, I started the car again.
The car, which had been parked on the side, soon started moving.
[F*cking bastards….]
The moment I exited the tunnel, my voice echoed from all directions.
And now, melted and shapeless text rained down, covering the car.
[If you think about it, isn't it PD Seo's fault? If you think about it, isn't it PD Seo's fault? If you think about it, isn't it PD Seo's fault?]
[From mental issues to causing an actual accident now, lol, knew it was coming.]
[Die die die die die die die die die]
I couldn't see clearly anymore, but the meaning came through the radio.
The car steadily advanced toward the end.
[Infamy Points have been added!]
[Infamy Points have been added!]
[Infamy Points have been added!]
Bzzzzzz—.
[——PD Seo…. This is Jion. I'm leaving a message because you're not picking up.]
—Click.
[…I'm really sorry. Please don't worry about the rumors online. It's the agency's doing.]
[Just like you advised, I'll leave the agency. I'll publicly explain to everyone that it wasn't you, PD-nim. …If worst comes to worst, I'll even try again as an independent trainee—yes—….]
The static-filled radio cut out there.
For a moment, it was as if all sound in the world had stopped.
"...Ugh."
Nausea hit me.
My head was spinning from the whirlwind of information.
I lay down to the side and curled up. My entire body was trembling.
"Seo Hoyun."
Just barely pulling myself together, I heard a familiar voice from the back seat.
It was Kim Seonghyeon's voice.
I almost turned around instinctively.
"Where are you going? Why do you look so pale?"
He sounded deeply concerned for me.
A bitter chuckle slipped out. Seonghyeon's dumpling-like face floated in my mind.
"Hyung, hyung. Where are we going right now?"
I tightly shut my eyes and gripped the steering wheel with both hands, holding on.
Then came Jeong Dajun's voice.
"Hyung? Are you okay?"
"Hoyun?"
Kang Ichae. Song Jiwon...
Voices of everyone I knew passed by, all overlapping and blending together.
This much—I could bear. I could ignore it.
Or so I thought, until—
Beeeep—.
"…Hyung."
A child's voice—Seo Hojin's—pierced through.
"Actually, I'm kind of scared."
"..."
"Can't we stay here together? Don't leave me alone in this place."
My eyes shot open.
My hands on the steering wheel had turned ghostly white from gripping too hard.
"Hyung, you can't abandon me."
But here's the thing.
Seo Hojin—now 24 years old—is someone who grew up into a decent adult who could smack his good-for-nothing older brother with a flower if needed.
I fed him, clothed him, and raised him that way.
Even the tiny unconscious version of Seo Hojin could comfort me first, trembling and all, before thinking of himself.
'Get a grip.'
"The memories that want to bond with you will do anything to keep you here."
Just as he said—those were merely memories trying to hold me back.
Trying to bury me here in this collapsing world.
My brother… my brother—————.
"…Hey."
I said without turning back.
"F*ck off."
I raised one hand and flipped the middle finger beside my head, then slammed my foot down on the accelerator as if to kick it.
Vroooom!
With a roar strong enough to shake the car, we shot forward like a slingshot.
The letters surrounding me and wrapped around the car pierced the windshield, slicing across my cheeks and eyes.
[Mental is■▽∂so bad accident just■knew it■was coming]
[■▽∂so bad■die■▽∂die■cra■zy■∂]
[▽∂■■die▽∂die■■die▽∂■]
Scratches opened and droplets of blood formed, but I didn't slow down.
[Player has exited the tunnel safely———….]
The vision that had been completely blocked by dark letters cleared, and a vivid blue sky stretched above.
[As a reward, a memory will be unlocked.]
Then, the sound hit first—warning of the coming danger.
Screeeeeeeech!
CRAAAASH!
—By the time I saw the truck coming, the impact had already struck my body, and my head hit the roof.
Shattered glass sliced through my skin, and the airbag crushed my chest.
The car rolled over several times.
My consciousness grew hazy.
My body shook violently as if exposed to the cold, and searing-hot fluids spilled from every part of me.
Probably blood.
"Ah, cough, ugh…."
And finally, I faced the truth I had long refused to accept.
This was the accident Min Jiheon had shown me.
[Cough, fck, worst fcking luck ever….]
And clearly—I would die from this accident.
A harsh, metallic voice leaked from my mouth.
I could feel my heart, which had been racing just a moment ago, start to slow.
[A memory is being unlocked.]
A final thought, refusing to let go, dug deep into my mind.
[A memory is being unlocked.]
['Seo Hojin….']
"Cough… gack."
['What's going to happen to him now—….']
My vision blurred.
Drip.
A drop of blood that traced down my forehead, past my eye and chin, landed on the back of my hand. My pupils lost focus and wandered aimlessly.
―....
My heart stopped.
...Beeeep—…!
...Beep—…!
[Infamy Points have been accumulated.]
…Ding!
[Game start conditions have been met.]
Ding!
[Player 'Seo Hoyun' is eligible for resurrection.]
[Would you like to begin?]
Thump.
[Loading…]
His chest rises.
Thump. Thump.
A faint heartbeat starts up again.
[Loading…]
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
[—Loading complete.]
[Are you sure you want to resurrect the player?]
The deafening sound of a heartbeat pierces through his eardrums.
The buildings that had been collapsing relentlessly now turn to bubbles and float away.
Radiant energy washes over him.
[Resurrecting the player.]
When the warmth touches his body, his skin tingles.
And slowly, the pain fades away.
At the same time, he becomes aware that time is rewinding.
To before the truck crash.
To before he saw the billboard.
To before he met the small boy.
Back, further back…
The suffocating air, the musty smell of dust, and the artificial scent of air freshener were pierced by the scent of coffee.
And then—
Ding!
[Congratulations, Seo Hoyun!]
[You've been selected as the player for Nobody Idol Tycoon!]
There he was—his dumb face dripping with water from his jaw.
The day he possessed this parallel world.
The 23-year-old Seo Hoyun stared at the system window in disbelief.
His aimless, drifting consciousness was sucked into darkness.
Then, with the familiar chime, the system window appeared again.
[Seo Hoyun, you've uncovered the hidden truth of the player. You died in your original world and have now been granted new life in this one.]
A new life.
[If you successfully clear the game, you can log out of Nobody Idol Tycoon and begin a new life in your original world.]
[Everything in the original world remains unchanged, except for 'Seo Hoyun'.]
A new chance.
[Warning: Frequent quest/scenario failures and excessive debt may result in fatal physical penalties. Please be cautious.]
A new world.
I was the only one who died and fell into this place—everything else remained as it was.
Which means—…
[To gain a new life, complete the game through idol activities!]
—Seo Hojin, my little brother, must still be there… left all alone.
"Haaah—!"
His lungs, once tightly constricted, expanded, and fresh air flooded in.
Coughing violently, ambient noise began to fill his ears.
"Doctor! The patient's regained consciousness!"
"Check vitals first!"
Cough, gasp, gasp…
Through blurry vision, the faces of people appeared and faded in and out.
"Can you hear me, patient? You're in a hospital—can you recognize where you are?"
Behind the staff continuing to speak, sobbing voices of his group members spilled out.
He forced his heavy eyelids open to look up at the ceiling.
There, a blue system window hovered.
[Congratu—lations, Seo Ho—yun!]
[You've success—fully return—ed to reality!]
The pain in his brain was so sharp, the text couldn't even register properly.
'…Shit, this hurts like hell.'
Then, he clearly heard Jeong Dajun's tear-filled voice.
"Hyung, please wake up, hyung!"
"Sir, you can't yell in here. Please step outside!"
The shouting continued, and he wanted to say something in response—but his eyelids were just too heavy.
And just like that, everything faded to black.
He sank once again into complete darkness.