Chapter 157: Chapter 144

“Cough, cough! Ugh, ack…”

You should’ve said something about feeling this sick!

[So, now you regret not listening to me when I told you so…]

The system window that appeared before me dissipated like smoke, seeming a bit pitiful and sorry for me.

“Stop popping up in front of me, you’re making me feel like I’m going to vomit…”

[You already vomited though.]

It was thirty minutes before our event was set to start.

I was clutching the toilet, retching repeatedly, but nothing came up.

Except for stomach acid and blood.

“It hurts…”

Staggering to my feet, I turned on the faucet and gripped the sink, attempting to regain my composure.

My face in the mirror, paler than when I had ignored the leaked quest, seemed even worse now.

My brain felt like it was melting, and I had been short of breath for some time.

My legs kept giving out, forcing me to clench my teeth just to stand.

“Ugh…”

[Oh…]

Moreover, blood had been surging up my throat for some time.

I spat out another mouthful of blood into the sink.

“…Did that bastard take the item well?”

[You’re really harsh even in this condition.]

I turned the leaker’s dream into a nightmare.

Literally, not metaphorically.

Whatever dream he had, wherever it was, no matter who appeared in it—

[How on earth do you imagine such things?]

I made sure every creature pointed fingers at him, accusing him of being the leaker.

The criticism from the public continued, and the pressure from his company made his already taut nerves even more fragile and thin.

So that he could crumble at the slightest provocation.

“How about it?”

After going through all this pain to acquire that item, that bastard who made me suffer should experience the agony of shitting blood.

So, when I asked, the system window, though disgusted, finally gave an answer.

[…It worked well. He hasn’t slept for three days, looks almost half-dead, like you right now, Seo Hoyun.]

“That makes me feel a bit better…”

[Oh…]

As I inhaled, blood dripped from my nose.

I hastily covered my nose with my hand, not to stain my clothes, and roughly pulled out a tissue to wipe it.

“Wow, I feel like I’m going to die.”

Holding the wet tissue, I seriously wondered whether I could actually dance and sing in a few minutes.

[Maybe you should give up going on stage? Can’t you see you’re not in your right mind?]

“I know…”

My vision kept swirling.

But I couldn’t stop now having come this far.

The quest would end once I got on this stage.

It seemed more beneficial to think about how to handle vomiting blood while singing.

I threw the blood-stained tissue into the trash can and gently massaged my feverishly hot eyelids.

At that moment…

Ring.

[Bastard]

My phone rang.

In no condition to answer, I hung up, but the call stubbornly came through again.

“Shit…”

Finally, I answered the call while swallowing the taste of blood in my mouth.

– “Hello? Hey, Seo Hoyun! You hung up on purpose, didn’t you?”

“…What is it?”

– “…?”

Struggling to hold onto the last threads of my patience, I asked him.

And as if he suddenly became unnecessarily quick-witted, Joo Woosung paused for a moment before asking cautiously.

– “…Are you sick?”

“I’m not sick.”

– “Really? Your voice doesn’t sound right?”

“I said I’m not. Just get to the point.”

– “Ugh. Touchy as ever.”

Joo Woosung hesitated for a moment before getting to the point.

“Shining Star,” “mentor,” “Cheongbeom-noona,” and so on…

It was certainly good information to keep in mind, but honestly, I couldn’t focus at all.

It felt as if someone was repeatedly slamming my head against a wall.

I gripped my phone tightly, trying to breathe as slowly as I could.

My condition appeared to worsen.

This is really dangerous.

I might actually collapse during the event.

As I reconsidered the situation, pondering if it would be better to just catch the leaker and skip the event, Joo Woosung stopped his story and called out to me.

– “Seo Hoyun, if you’re sick, just go to the hospital. It’s really miserable to be sick away from home.”

“Okay…”

Forget it, just hang up already.

So annoying…

Though I tried to bear with it, Joo Woosung’s words kept coming, and I was starting to get really annoyed.

– “Are you doing a concert? It’s better to let the company know in advance rather than collapsing there.”

“…What?”

His words weren’t wrong, but one word in particular irked me.

Concert?

Even though I had been grinding for a year, I hadn’t even managed to hold a concert in Korea, let alone Japan.

There was no way I could be holding a concert in Japan.

But Joo Woosung, who until a moment ago seemed to have lost all his perception, or perhaps was doing it on purpose, kept babbling on.

– “Where is it? Yokohama?”

“…”

– “…Oh, not there? Sorry. I’ve only been to Tokyo and Osaka recently, so I’m not too sure.”

My hand trembled.

Not from sickness, but from anger.

My eyes, which had been dull, suddenly filled with rage, and I said in a calm voice,

“Joo Woosung, I’ll ask you just one thing.”

– “…Uh, yeah?”

“How long did it take for Black Call’s Tokyo Dome concert to sell out?”

– “…Huh?? All of a sudden?”

“Just tell me.”

– “Uhm…”

Feeling the tension in my voice, Joo Woosung mumbled that he was freaking scared and hesitated before finally giving an answer.

– “…Oh, five minutes?”

Sigh…

“Hang up, fuck.”

I immediately ended the call and spat blood into the sink again.

“I—shit…”

The man in the mirror, looking like a patient, glared back with fierce eyes.

“I will definitely succeed.”

Thank you, Woosung.

You gave me the resolve to try again.

***

“Wow! A fancam is up??”

After enduring the grueling exam period, keenly aware she might have to retake many subjects, a university student Noeul, who was enjoying a leisurely time, hurriedly clicked on the link upon hearing a fancam of Seo Hoyun had been uploaded.

“Wow, awesome~!”

Videos of activities in Japan tended to be uploaded more frequently than other overseas activities, but fancams were still relatively rare compared to Korea, so the Noeul was thrilled as if she had received an unexpected gift.

She turned on the laptop for a bigger and clearer view of the fancam and as she habitually refreshed her private SNS account on the phone.

[ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ]

[Insane]

“…?”

Everyone’s reactions were odd.

Is it because of a leak?

She felt uneasy, wondering if something else had exploded.

Just then, the MC introducing “Second Chance: could be heard from the video playing on the laptop.

The camera gradually zoomed in on Seo Hoyun, who was waiting offstage.

“…What?”

The Noeul couldn’t close her mouth upon seeing him.

Looking pale and breathing heavily, he was leaning on Seong Jiwon’s shoulder in a spot in the audience area that was hard to see, as if he was in pain.

“Holy, is he sick??”

The Noeul’s expression became increasingly serious, but then The Dawn came onto the stage after the MC’s introduction ended.

Even before the song started, tiny beads of sweat were visible on Seo Hoyun’s forehead.

However, as the formation was set and the intro played,

“…!”

His gaze changed completely.

“Inside my head, this ringing sensation, say it again, I’m back.”

Though it was an intro she had heard thousands of times before, Seo Hoyun was different this day.

With his sweat-dampened bangs slightly covering his forehead, he managed his expression thoroughly and delivered a live performance exuding not just venom but madness.

“What, what?!”

“The future becomes clearer,

Don’t worry about the low chances, there’s no need.”

Having seen countless “Second Chance” fancams of Seo Hoyun before, the Noeul had a gut feeling.

[Crazy, what is this????]

This fancam was going to be one for the history books.

[Hey, what’s this??]

The Noeul couldn’t take her eyes off Seo Hoyun for a moment.

Recently, Seo Hoyun had appeared relaxed on any stage.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t trying hard, but rather that the freshness and desperation of his early days were no longer visible because of experience.

However, in the video, Seo Hoyun’s expression would darken or he would bite his lips whenever he moved toward the edge of the stage or turned his back, but as he moved to the center or it was his part, he would pour emotion into his gaze, sing, and give his all to the dance.

“Insane… Insane!!”

Seeing Seo Hoyun sweep his hair back as he moved to the back after his part, the Noeul’s eyes widened.

[Ah.. hey… I shouldn’t do this to someone who’s sick, ah really sorry]

The university student Noeul and…

[So thrilled]

…the rest were shameless.

Especially Seo Hoyun’s fans.

There was chaos on private accounts.

[Omg feeling like Second Chance’s very beginning Seo Hoyun is back… ackㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠback then he seemed totally crazy and sensitive]

[So many people were thrilled to see him looking purely innocent but filled with venom… I thought he became relaxed and soft these days but ack]

[I feel terribly sorry laughing so hard when he’s sick, but at the same time, my heart’s tearing apart…

└Don’t worry since we’re all doing this

└In winter, trash cans are warmㅇㅇ

└└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅁㅊ][1]

“Seo Hoyun, what the hell is this guy?”

Seeing him perform on stage while sick made her feel sad and worried; she wanted to tear those Daepaseong Entertainment bastards to shreds.

But regardless, Seo Hoyun on the screen was insanely amazing.

“Come to me, come to me,

Don’t be afraid, come to me.”

It was obvious that the members, who must have known about Seo Hoyun’s condition, were subtly looking out for him, but the person in question didn’t even glance their way once.

Of course, the fansite masters were incredibly good at capturing these moments.

“Say it once more, it’s the beginning for us.”

Then, as Seo Hoyun came to the edge of the stage, he noticed the camera filming him and slightly moved his lips.

“What… what?”

She pressed space hastily and replayed it a few times, and it was clear.

It was a greeting.

“Hello.”

To the fans.

Eyelashes trembling and sweat dripping from the jaw, yet here he was, still taking care of their fans.

The Noeul was even more excited by the greeting that lacked his usual smooth smile and any trace of laughter.

Bang!

Bang Bang Bang!!

“Hey!! You son of a bitch!!”

It was a greeting desperately held together by a thread of sanity, obvious to anyone who saw it.

“Just this once, at least in this life, I must,

I will save you (save you).”

After the song ended and Seo Hoyun slightly staggered, the members quickly gathered around him, greeted the audience, and then went down the stage.

That scene marked the end of the video.

“…Are you crazy??”

The Noeul kept muttering curses while replaying the fancam.

[Wow… He can’t be anything but a popular member….]

[Being sick is one thing, but Seo Hoyun is really tough… Honestly, I’m pretty indifferent when I see clips of him greeting fans, but Hoyun, even when he’s sick, you can really feel him clinging to his sanity]

[The fact that he greeted without a smile is the best, fuck… It really seemed like he barely managed to speak]

Finally calming down a bit, the Noeul logged into her regular account to check the reactions.

[#Protect_Daepaseong_Artist]

[#Cancel_Japan_Event]

As expected, everyone was roasting Daepaseong for making the sick kid perform.

With the leak incident still unresolved, they had their artist performing overseas while sick?

It was a complete mess.

The Noeul, leaning back in her chair, scrolled through the tweets of her followers and refreshed the screen with a long swipe down.

“…I’m sorry, Hoyun.”

Whether it was good or bad, what was wrong was wrong.

But what could she do? It was her taste.

Noeul then posted her own hashtagged tweet before playing the fancam video once more.

[Quest Completed! Finish 10 events in Japan!

Tough as nails…

5,000 points have been awarded.]

[The penalty will end soon. You’ll slowly recover within half a day, so hang in there a bit longer.]

Yeah, thanks a lot.

Yet, it wasn’t exactly the news one would want to hear in the bathroom.

Although the members thought it was just a simple cold and kept nagging me to go to the hospital, I thought it unnecessary since it wasn’t a real illness.

Eventually, even after I returned to the hotel, the constant hovering and talking of the members annoyed me so much that I drove them out.

After watching Kang Ichae leave, I buried myself in bed under the blanket, groaning in pain.

Suddenly, the urge to vomit came, and I rushed back to the bathroom.

“Ugh….”

Even with the bathroom light off and only a dim light seeping through the door gap, the bright red blood was clearly visible to the eye.

[Ugh…]

“Wow, this is really fucked up….”

The taste of metallic blood was still palpable.

My nosebleed was ongoing, along with chills, pain all over as if being punched, and nausea.

The various symptoms displayed in the system window felt all too real.

“Ah, the leaker…. Organizing the planning team….”

[You’re crazy! You’re crazy!]

[Is that what’s important right now?!]

[Let’s do that later! Just rest now!! ㅠㅠ]

Trembling, I leaned on the wall to stand up and turned on the tap to rinse my mouth.

Before the members returned, I thought to clean up and flush away any traces, but then—

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!!

The system window went crazy with warnings.

“…?”

Before I could even read the frenzied messages of the system window, the room brightened.

Suddenly, the bathroom light flickered on.

An ominous feeling crept up, and goosebumps rose on my back.

I squinted my eyes to adjust to the sudden flood of light, but I heard a voice first.

“I came to check on you, thinking you might be feeling sick and throwing up, to maybe pat your back….”

…Fuck.

Slowly raising my head, through the mirror, I saw a face devoid of any smile.

“Look at that.”

It was Kang Ichae.

With his arms crossed and eyelashes lowered, his cold gaze moved to the blood-stained toilet and sink.

“…It’s red?”

[1] Slang for “crazy” (미친).