Returning to the waiting room, Cheon Se-rim's complexion was far from good.
Sitting among the teammates—who had each learned what was going on through their own searches—Cheon Se-rim was deathly pale, unable to easily say even a single word. It was a sight completely unlike him.
'Was that call from his agency?'
It was just this dawn that, after an idol's brief mention, the so-called "runaway" became singled out and the community erupted into flames. Cheon Se-rim's agency must have learned of the situation through a flood of phone calls from fans.
And with his schedule already set, Cheon Se-rim had arrived at the A-Net broadcasting station. After completing all his stages, if he were now to skip the mini fan meeting, it would be nothing short of confirming that he was conscious of the controversy.
"We'll be moving now for the mini fan meeting!"
"Yes!"
"…Okay!"
So even though his face made it clear how flustered he was, Cheon Se-rim stubbornly tried to hold his ground. But even so, he couldn't hide the heavy mood weighing him down.
While we walked to the lobby with our eyes on the back of his head, I thought about the name that had appeared on the community boards.
'Was it Snatch's Kim Min-ho?'
It had been written only as initial consonants, but after a single additional search, I immediately learned which idol had indirectly referenced Cheon Se-rim and sparked the controversy.
Snatch, a second-year idol group under Eight Entertainment. Among them, their leader Kim Min-ho was the very starting point of this mess—and I already knew what kind of bastard he was.
— Ugh, we're supposed to share a waiting room with some nobodies I've never even heard of… Seriously, this is f**ing ridiculous. Can't they match our level even a little?*
— When you see a senior, at least bow your damn head first. Why's he standing there spacing out… makes me want to punch him.
— Where in this cramped waiting room are we supposed to fit those guys? Can't we just send them out? The hallway's wide and nice—why don't they get ready out there?
Before my regression, back when we had just started promoting as rookie idols, we had once crossed paths with those bastards at a provincial event.
'Power-ranking nonsense is common in the entertainment world, but those guys were easily the most obsessive.'
The treatment of unpopular idols is never good. That went for the public, staff, and even fellow celebrities.
Everyone was ultimately aiming for public attention, and since that recognition determined everything, those in the same field were inevitably sensitive about popularity.
So even idols of the same age, same debut year, behaved differently depending on popularity. And among them, we—low in seniority and with a weak agency—were in the perfect position to be looked down on without hesitation.
But their power-ranking bullying was especially persistent and mean-spirited.
They kept verbally insulting us, then even threw us out of the waiting room. And because they forced their own stage—originally scheduled later—to be pushed earlier, by the time it was our turn, Snatch's fans had already pulled out completely.
There was a reason event organizers placed the more well-known groups towards the end. Thanks to Snatch completely ignoring basic industry etiquette, Lightning had to finish our performance on a stage where about two-thirds of the audience had disappeared.
— F**, you got popular by milking pity votes and now you're acting all high and mighty… You sacrificed one guy as an offering to gain popularity and now you're pretending you reached the top with talent.*
Suddenly remembering what Kwon Hyuk-gyu—one of Lightning's old members—had once muttered, I realized something.
'So… this is where it started?'
Back then, Snatch was a second-tier idol group that marketed passion, effort, and humble gratitude toward their fans as their selling points. They often shared "heartbreaking little stories" that won fans over.
And it seemed the very start of that "pitiful underdog" image… was Cheon Se-rim.
'By mentioning Cheon Se-rim, they must have begun cultivating a victim narrative. And from there, they built themselves into a "triumphant, overcoming" group.'
They must have realized that pity and victim-cosplay sells.
Even judging from the current buzz alone, the answer was obvious. Snatch would continue bringing up Cheon Se-rim in the future, and eventually, unable to endure it, Cheon Se-rim would end up withdrawing from
And the cracks in his mental state became painfully clear starting from the mini fan meeting.
"Hello, Idol Makers! We're
"Wooooo!"
After arriving at the A-Net lobby, we took our place among the many
With flashes bursting from every direction and loud cheers filling the air, we greeted the fans and answered a few questions from the MC.
"…Then this time, a question for trainee Cheon Se-rim, who showed overwhelming presence as the center of 'YourHeartKey.' As the center, was there something you absolutely wanted to emphasize?"
"Ah, I… um…"
Just as Cheon Se-rim took the mic and was about to answer—
"Try not to run away this time?"
"You crazy b***h!"
Among the many voices echoing around us, someone said it as if joking.
It must have come from a fan relatively close by, because even within the screams, the words pierced our ears with shocking clarity.
My face hardened—and so did the faces of the other members. But for Cheon Se-rim, it was worse.
"...."
The guy who was usually so good with words froze completely, unable to respond.
A strange silence briefly hung in the air. The fans sensed something was wrong, and a murmur began spreading through the lobby. Feeling that shift instantly, the MC rushed to smooth things over.
"Trainee Cheon Se-rim must be nervous! Being the center comes with a lot of pressure, and he performed on stage today in front of all you Idol Makers!"
"…Ah, yes… I'm sorry… Um, I just… thought I should really bring the song to life. My teammates are so amazing… I just wanted to fulfill my role as the center…"
Though he continued speaking with an awkward smile, his voice felt hollow, lacking the liveliness he usually had.
Fortunately, no further snide remarks followed, but throughout the entire mini fan meeting, Cheon Se-rim clearly struggled to hold himself together.
"You okay?"
Unable to hold back his worry any longer, as soon as the mini fan meeting ended and we returned to the waiting room, Yoo Chan-hee asked Cheon Se-rim.
"Uh, well."
Cheon Se-rim stopped halfway through changing clothes and nodded vaguely, but Yoo Chan-hee still looked dissatisfied. His voice may have sounded calm, but anyone could see that Cheon Se-rim's face was far from fine.
"…If you really can't take it, even now you could still—"
"Yoo Chan-hee."
It happened at the moment when Yoo Chan-hee was about to add something to the clearly ceremonial answer he'd received. At the sharp call of his name cut out by Cheon Se-rim, Yoo Chan-hee shut his mouth on reflex—then Se-rim snapped.
"I said I'm fine. Don't make a big deal out of nothing."
The firm line he drew, the way he cut him off—Yoo Chan-hee seemed to bristle for a moment, but given the situation, he ultimately backed down in silence.
No trainee tried to speak to Cheon Se-rim after that reaction. While we rode the bus to the next schedule, only silence drifted among us.
And in that silence, I couldn't help but think about the reward I'd earned from this mission.
Another "unknown" reward the system had granted me.
『Achievement Completed!』
You have taken one step closer to a successful debut by placing 1st overall and 2nd within your team in the 2nd round of
Reward: Stat Selection Increase Ticket (1), White Hacking: Truth Generator (Single-use)
One of these achievement rewards differed from what I earned after the first evaluation. And this new "reward" felt like a sign that something significant would happen again.
'The Bung-Bung Drink I got last time was deeply tied to everything that happened afterward.'
Because of the Bung-Bung Drink I was able to overcome my poor stamina, work my part-time job, and unexpectedly boost my reputation.
And that wasn't all.
'In a way, even my improved relationship with Yoo Chan-hee happened thanks to the Bung-Bung Drink.'
Because of the forced penalty, I was stuck in the practice room every day, which meant I could no longer avoid Yoo Chan-hee. After hearing his real feelings through the Insight Eye I'd gotten from the Lucky Roulette, I was finally able to face him directly.
Looking at the bigger picture, everything had been connected to the system's goal of pushing me toward debut. So this newly obtained "Truth Generator" was also very likely tied to a "fate" the system had set.
Quietly gauging the mood, I opened my status window. Then I tapped the question-mark icon located just below the stat bar.
That was when it happened.
"...!"
The vibration of the bus carrying us came to a stop. Everything that had been moving froze completely.
I urgently looked around. Cheon Se-rim, staring out the window with a dark expression. The teammates quietly gauging the atmosphere. All of them were frozen like statues—unable even to blink.
I had experienced this situation once before.
It was the same as when I first regressed—when Kim Min-gi shoved me, and I used the Fate Fixation Ticket to avoid the "destiny" awaiting me.
'…Which means.'
This Truth Generator must also be an item that can directly alter fate. One possessing a forced, overwhelming power that permitted no interference.
"...."
Before I knew it, a monitor window appeared in front of me. I stared at the system screen.
『White Hacking: Truth Generator (1-time use)』
You may reveal any truth, without limitation, to everyone once.
Condition: The user must clearly know the truth.
'…Reveal the truth to everyone, huh.'
In rumors, truth and lies don't matter. Only being first does. Once a lie spreads, a stained image doesn't disappear even when the truth later comes out.
Often, truth revealed afterward was dismissed as a hasty lie made to escape the situation.
But with the system's power, I wouldn't have to worry about that.
Because the same had been true in my case.
'Kim Min-gi never remembered what really happened.'
The day Kim Min-gi and I swapped positions, and he fell down the stairs instead of me—
When he regained consciousness after briefly passing out, he had no clear memory of how he ended up at the bottom of the staircase.
— I remember talking with Yoo-ha up to a point, and then… ah…
When I later visited the hospital with Chief Kwon to explain the situation, he couldn't clarify what had happened and kept hesitating.
It seemed he remembered only up to the moment he tried to push me. He didn't know how our positions had reversed. He seemed convinced that I somehow dodged, lost my balance, and fell on my own.
Given that, if I used the Truth Generator, things would unfold similarly this time.
'The truth Se-rim is holding will spread, and the perception of him as a "runaway" or "nuisance" will disappear.'
If so, Cheon Se-rim would be able to escape his fate—unlike before.
And that was precisely what the system wanted.
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