Chapter 179

Chapter 179

I had a ton of things I wanted to say to this bastard, but I knew I had to start with this.

“Let me ask you this first. How in the world were you so certain that something as absurd as a kidnapping would go undetected? Everyone would have started searching for me as soon as my vacation was over.”

Cheongryeo looked at me with dark eyes, then said in a monotone, “I planned on having this all wrapped up within ten days.”

He must have checked the duration of my vacation on my phone.

“So you were going to kill me if I wasn’t willing to kill myself in ten days. I understand now.” I adjusted my position in the chair slightly and went to my next question. “Now, I can tell that you’re convinced you’ll get to start over if I die, but what gives you the confidence that you’ll go back with me?”

This was a question I couldn’t help but ask.

“Haven’t you considered that nothing will happen after you kill me and that you’d be arrested for murder?”

He said nothing.

“Cheongryeo?”

He leaned back in his chair, no expression on his face.

“I don’t know about that… I doubt I’d have been caught. I would have had your phone… and if the proper actions were taken, a group like TeSTAR, which has been so fraught with incidents, wouldn’t turn to the police for help when a member disappears. The agency would cover it all up.”

He smiled faintly. “They’ll just assume you gave up from the stress, or simply took your money and ran. They’ll conduct a search of their own… then give up in the end when the expense gets too out of hand. The rest of the group will continue making plenty of money without you, and they’ll focus on that instead. And Park Moondae will simply vanish, for health issues or whatnot. In two or three years, perhaps, I suppose some people might still remember you fondly.”

This was jumping to a lot of shaky conclusions. The agency, an affiliate of T1, wouldn’t give up on Park Moondae so easily when the contract was far from over. I was probably one of the top ten most talked about idols at the moment. If I suddenly disappeared, the repercussions of that wouldn’t be so simple.

The structure of his argument, though… There was something about it that gave me the chills.

F*ck. So I really nearly died. Though I worried my lip, I was happy with the conversation.

“I see. Thank you for your testimony.” I pulled something from my pocket. It was my phone, which had recorded the entire conversation. “You hid it somewhere rather obvious, so I had no trouble finding it.”

The bastard had apparently been concerned the phone could be tracked—he’d turned it off and used a VPN to access my messaging app on a laptop. I’d found the phone in the dishwasher, and thankfully, it worked just fine.

I stopped the recording app.

“Even if I report you, they’ll think there was assault on both sides. If the press hears of this, we’ll have a controversy on our hands. I would fail my final mission if that were to happen. That’s what you were after, right?”

I tapped my phone. “The recording and all the photo evidence have been uploaded automatically to my cloud. You know what that means? The moment I leave and report you, it’s all over for you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. So try cooperating for a change, you son of a b*tch.” I sat on the armrest of his chair and punched him, hard, in the face. The dull thud was satisfying.

Cheongryeo felt the inside of his mouth for blood with his tongue, but didn’t seem too shaken.

“There will be no taking part in this next comeback for me now, I suppose. Hmm. That hurt. I thought you said you were sick?”

“You’re still talking back after a sick person knocked you out?”

“Haha! Hmm. But I doubt you’ll actually report me.” Cheongryeo locked eyes with me. “Even if you have the evidence, I doubt you’ll let something like this get in the way of your mission.”

“That’s right,” I said, nodding. “But if you piss me off… Who knows? Maybe I’ll release the files as soon as my final mission is over. There will be some noise, but no one in my group will oppose the decision. I’ll have no trouble going to the authorities. What do you think of that?”

They would simply be shocked that I hadn’t done it already. I could already picture their reactions. His reaction, however, shocked me.

“What? Hahaha!” he said, laughing out loud. “And here I was, thinking you were smart. You like your current group? Of course, you do. At least for now. You’re performing well, and you have many outside enemies, forcing you to work together. How lovely for you?”

Cheongryeo lowered his head. “But how long do you think that will last? Don’t think of it in terms of years, even. Just give it a year or two, and there’s bound to be some idiot who starts talking sh*t.” He stared into space, his eyes bored as though he were recalling a predictable past. “They might say something stupid like they want to seek out their true self, or they might start going to nightclubs and using the group to impress people. It doesn’t matter what kind of people you put into the group. There comes a point when the passion and diligence simply run dry.”

He was silent for a moment before he continued, “You might not agree now, but think closely. Have you noticed any small flaws that bother you? Those things will come back later and bite you in the ass.”

He finished in the same low, calm tone, “Who knows? After your tour ends, and you get paid, someone in your group might ask that you just turn a blind eye to whatever they’re up to.”

I didn’t trust people much myself, but his words came from repeated experience. Their impact on me was greater than I’d expected. I stared at him in shock, unsure of what to say, but then shrugged.

So what? You want me to avoid getting attached, and start over more efficiently? Bullsh*t.

“We can always take the group apart later if things don’t turn out well. My missions will be over by then. Or I can simply keep going with only the few that seem to be on the same page... If things don’t work out, I can simply quit. No big deal. Oh, right. Come to think of it, here’s something I’ve been wondering about ever since you mentioned this concept of resetting in the first place.”

I folded my arms. “What’s so wrong with VTIC’s popularity taking a bit of a downturn?”

“What?”

“You can’t stay at the top forever in this industry. They call them the glory days because they end.”

No matter how popular an idol group was, given time, military serVTICe, and age, they would slowly descend from the pedestal they’d been placed upon.

“Even without this incident you’re so worried about, VTIC will one day no longer be on top. I don’t understand why you’re willing to start over just so you can delay that a bit.”

He couldn’t be clueless enough to think that VTIC’s reign would remain uncontested for the remainder of his life. All expression vanished from his face for a moment, but he returned to smiling at me before long.

“You might not realize it because you’ve never done it before, but starting over—it’s nothing. If it means extending the lifespan of the group, it’s worth trying.” He bent forward slightly. “And my plan is for the group to have a gentle downward curve in popularity, instead of dropping steeply due to a scandal. That’s what’s going to happen next time, so don’t worry.”

I told him, “No.”

“What?”

“That perfect career you dream of? It’s not happening.”

I tried to cup my chin in my hand, but my wrist ached too much. Sh*t.

“VTIC’s popularity is bound to wane at some point, and nothing will change about that except the when of it. How are you going to know when will be best? Are you going to start over every time your album sales tank?”

I gave him my opinion, whether he wanted it or not.

“At that rate, you’ll just keep restarting forever, telling yourself that things will be better next time.”

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but didn’t seem able to find words. There was no expression on his face.

I think I just poked him where it hurt. I didn’t know if I would like where this was going or end up regretting it, but I needed to push the advantage.

He needs to know that he’s not always right. I couldn’t let him wreak havoc on my affairs any longer. Since we’d come this far, there was no need to hold back. I would end this here. I spoke before he could gather himself.

“Not that you’d get that opportunity, since time won’t reset even if I die.”

Cheongryeo spoke almost out of reflex, “As I said, if you fail your mission—”

“I’ll die. Plain and simple.”

I lowered my arms to my sides and told him the truth.

“I’m not the real Park Moondae. I used to be a college graduate preparing for the civil serVTICe exam, but when I woke up, I was in this body. I didn’t restart, I simply entered someone else’s body.”

Even as I said it, I laughed at how silly it sounded.

“So if I fail my mission and die… I’ll probably return to my body at best, and that will be that. Don’t you agree? Didn’t you think it was strange? You probably didn’t get the vibe that I was in my early twenties. I’m twenty-nine.”

Various emotions flitted across his face for the first time. He didn’t seem to think I was lying.

He muttered vacantly, “That can’t be right.”

“Oh, but it is. I have you tied up. Why would I lie to you?”

I massaged the back of my neck and laughed. I hadn’t been able to say any of this to him before, afraid he might use it against me, but now that I had proof of attempted murder, I could go ahead. It felt so good to say it.

“You don’t get any more restarts.”

That shook him up, for sure. Now, though it didn’t appeal to me, it was time to replace the stick with the carrot to put an end to this nonsense completely.

“So that means you don’t have to give up on your current life, even if it isn’t going perfectly. Your current life is permanent. So just relax and live a little. Go get a dog and do the things you really want to do.”

I was willing to bury this incident if it meant we could part ways forever, though I would be demanding he pay compensation.

Cutting ties is enough for me, given he stays out of my life from now on. I felt my wrists. They felt sore from all the chafing.

Cheongyreo bowed his head. His hands, bound with the cable tie, were shaking almost imperceptibly.

I got a pop-up message.

[“Words of Persuasion (A)” activated!]

I couldn’t be sure what this meant, so I decided to wait.

He only raised his head after quite some time had passed. He looked surprisingly calm. “I don’t know what I should do.”

“That’s up to you to figure out.”

“Is that right?”

Though he was tranquil, I detected an oddly gloomy tone in his voice.

I get it. Given that his life had continued to reset every time he failed to succeed as an idol, he’d likely seen VTIC’s success as the only success he could hope to achieve.

Otherwise, he might have lost his mind. In his brain, the continual resets from failing to clear a mission had probably been pigeonholed into the category of an opportunity to achieve VTIC’s perfect success.

However, I’d just forced him to accept that such a mentality wasn’t taking an opportunity—it was giving up. Though I didn’t know what would happen from now on, one thing was for certain at this moment—he’d lost the desire to fight.

F*cking finally. I’d given him the evidence, told him about my situation, and even attacked his psyche. It ought to keep him peaceful for at least six months.

By that time, all my status abnormalities will have been cleared. This was an excellent outcome. I got up from my chair.

“I’m leaving. I’ll leave the tools next to you, so you can free yourself.”

His movements were limited, and he wouldn’t be able to throw a tool at me even if he tried. I shoved the toolbox toward him with my foot. He stared at it, then said quietly, “If you give me a moment, I can drive you to your dorm.”

“No, thank you. The memory of the way you knocked me out is still kind of fresh.”

Based on what I could see through the window, I was somewhere near Seoul. I would have no trouble getting back by bus in a couple of hours. I was wearing long sleeves, so my wrists weren’t visible, either.

Taking my phone, I headed for the door. I heard him speaking up from behind me, “I’m... sorry.”

His current attitude would have to last at least half a year. Otherwise, I would have him thrown in prison, even if it meant negative consequences for me as well. I opened the door and left. The wind felt cool against my face.

***

I took an intercity bus from a nearby bus stop and headed to the dorm. I had to transfer to another bus somewhere along the line, but that wasn’t an issue. The problem was that the pain was starting to set in.

I’ll have to go to a doctor. I planned to come up with an adequate excuse for my injuries after I got back to the dorm.

Trying to forget the pain, I checked my phone on the bus. Quite a few messages had been traded back and forth in the group chat since the vacation had started. They were mostly about what they were up to and where they were, or small talk, and some of them were asking after me.

It went something like this.

[Big Sejin: Moondae Moondae? Did you throw your phone away?]

[Big Sejin: Looking for Park Moondae… This might be a vacation, but to think he’d cut ties with the world… It shows his Tibetan fox roots, huh? No mercy]

Cheongryeo had responded.

[Me: Cut it out.]

It was shockingly similar to something I’d actually have said.

He did a better job than I expected. I wryly turned to the other personal chats.

[Kim Raebin: Moondae, my grandmother has been asking for a video call with you. I’m sorry to ask this, but would you be all right with just one call? The date and time don’t matter!]

Past that was a garishly colored emoji of the Hallasan with the neon-colored phrase, “Thanking you ♬ always.” This was… exactly what I’d expect from him.

Cheongryeo had replied with a clean refusal.

[Me: Sorry. I’d like to rest. Maybe next time?]

[Kim Raebin: Okay. Sorry to bother you! I’ll see you after the holiday!]

I wasn’t happy about this.

It’s not like a video call is hard to do. Telling myself I’d give him that call after I’d gone to the hospital and recovered a little, I checked the other messages. They were all similar and consisted of mostly requests from the others, all refused on my behalf.

[Bae Sejin: I’ve picked out three apartments. Which size do you think is better? (photos)]

[Bae Sejin: No need to respond if you’re busy]

[Me: I’m not sure. I’m sorry.]

He’d done the same thing with Bae Sejin, as well as Ahyeon.

[Seon Ahyeon: Moondae, I’m on a trip with my family near Seoraksan. The autumn leaves are so pretty. I’m not as good at taking pictures as you, but I took a few anyway. I’ll bring them back to the dorm (photos)]

[Me: Yeah. Thanks.]

The final message from Cheongryeo was in the group chat.

[Me: I’m at a hotel so I can take a real break. See you guys after the vacation.]

[Big Sejin: Wow! A hotel vacay! (Emoji) Moondae, tell me, is it a five-star hotel?]

There was no response from me after that. I felt a little sad, for some reason. It was starting to sink in that much of my vacation had already been lost.

God f*cking damn it. Maybe I’d really go public with everything and give him what he deserved after my status abnormalities were done with.

Thankfully, a quick look at the date told me I still had about half of it left. Trying my best to stay calm, I leaned back against the seat. It was daytime on a weekday, so the bus was nearly empty and no one recognized me since I was wearing my hat and facemask.

I got to the dorm without issue. My body, however, wasn’t doing so well.

Sh*t… The moment I opened the door, I walked inside, sighed with relief, and sank to the floor. I didn’t even feel the marble floor against my cheek because my entire body felt like it was burning up.

God f*cking damn it. This isn’t good. I couldn’t move. It was like my joints had all gone completely stiff, and I couldn’t seem to put any strength into them.

The ambulance. Actually, no. If someone saw the injuries on me now, it’d be obvious that I’d been assaulted. After all the effort I’d gone to avoid trouble, I didn’t want any needless controversies arising before my status abnormality was out of the way.

Maybe I’ll feel better after sleeping. Though I no doubt looked terrible, perhaps lying here in the corridor wasn’t such a bad idea.

My phone. It was buzzing. Someone was calling. I somehow answered without really knowing how I found the correct button. I heard a voice that I hadn’t heard in days.

“Oh, you picked up—”

I cut him off. “I’m… at the dorm… Don’t call… 911… need… doctor.…”

“Wait, what?”

“Don’t… tell… agency… Please…”

“Moondae? Park Moondae!”

I went limp.

It was sad, but it was the first proper sleep I’d had in days.