episode_0228

I was an idol, a dancer, and a singer at the same time.

My job was to please the eyes and ears of my fans with music.

But now.

-Yeah, it won’t be that easy.

It’s not me who sings the song.

Fans’ chant.

I have never experienced a chant like this before….

As everyone’s voice becomes one… .

The fact that it is in the middle of it all….

‘I’m happy… .’

It filled my whole body with pleasure greater than any ecstasy I’ve ever felt.

Like a conductor conducting an orchestra with excitement… .

Like a surfer happily surfing a huge wave.

I swayed my body back and forth without even knowing what kind of dance I was doing.

That was when.

[You have met the conditions!]

‘hmm…?’

A status window appears out of nowhere saying that the conditions have been met.

I’ve seen this before.

‘Sure… it was shown during the showcase… .’

At that time, the status window soon disappeared because some conditions were lacking… .

[Entering ?? state!]

… This time, somehow, it felt different.

Srrrr-.

‘……uh?’

The blue status window gradually becomes dim.

The status window did not turn off naturally when time ran out.

Damn.

“… … !”

The status window splits.

As if… , it would disappear forever.

[Entering ?? state!]

[The status window will completely disappear after 60 seconds!]

“… … Huh?”

…wait for a sec.

What does this mean? Complete annihilation.

“… What, what is this? Cancel, cancel!”

When the status window suddenly disappeared, I forgot I was on stage and kept waving my hands.

“… What’s wrong? Are you sick somewhere… .”

“… Oh, no, sis.”

When I started to show strange phenomena in the middle of the performance, the backup dancer next to me noticed something strange and came to me, but I just tried to cover it up.

‘Hey, let’s finish the stage first… .’

The only fortunate thing was that the stage had already left my hands and was for the audience to enjoy, so I was able to finish it without having to focus too much.

[User refused to clear the status window!]

Fortunately, it seemed like I could prevent the status window from disappearing just by willpower… .

[You have entered the ?? state!]

[Do you want to permanently erase the status window? Y/N]

‘Oh, no. Absolutely not… .’

The status window kept asking me to disappear anxiously.

**

[You have entered the ?? state!]

[Do you want to permanently erase the status window? Y/N]

Even after each member’s individual cover stage was over and there was a brief costume change time, the status window would pop up in front of my eyes and bother me.

‘No.’

Every time, I naturally refused to permanently delete the status window.

It was an obvious choice.

In the first place, the reason I was able to become an idol was all thanks to the status window.

I still remember what my singing and dancing skills were like before I started raising my stats.

If I hadn’t been able to raise my dancing and singing stats in the status window, I wouldn’t have even been able to appear on Naaah.

Thanks to the fraudulent trait called Cheonma (天魔) and the fraudulent skill called Cheonma Shingong (天魔神功), he was able to win in Naaah.

Although I’m trying to avoid using the status window these days… .

It would not be an exaggeration to say that everything I have achieved was through the status window.

There’s no way I could get rid of a status window like that.

“All set!”

“Members, please come up!”

While I was making up my mind like that, it was time to go up on stage again.

As the concert passed its halfway point, I could feel that both the members and the staff were having a hard time… .

“Okay, then let’s finish it well!”

“Fighting-!”

We returned to the stage laughing and cheerfully.

Now that the individual cover stage is over, next up is the second digital single, .

And after finishing the stage, the concert ends after performing several songs from Rookies’ second album and the title song of the second album, .

…end.

… That’s how it ends.

Not only the concert, but everything about Rookies is over.

Thinking about it that way makes me feel uneasy.

I don’t know for sure, but… I think the other members all think the same as me.

Tiring.

[You have entered the ?? state!]

[Do you want to permanently erase the status window? Y/N]

But during this time of confusion, the status window continued to send me notifications.

‘… No.’

Naturally, I chose to decline once again and headed to the stage.

“Waaa-!”

“Rookies-!!”

As if we weren’t tired, people cheered as soon as we came up… .

♪♩♩-!

In response, we immediately started the stage.

-The moment you and I met eyes

-5 seconds of fate when starlight falls

Rookies’ third promotional song and second digital single, “Meteor,” is a song that exquisitely combines lively synthesizers and singing rap.

The dance moves there aren’t that easy either… , it boasted the highest level of difficulty among Rookies’ promotional songs.

-We are a falling star

-And shooting star in your heart

however….

[You have entered the ?? state!]

[Do you want to permanently erase the status window? Y/N]

Even at such an important moment, the status window kept appearing and bothering me.

‘No, No, No…!’

There was another reason why I couldn’t get rid of the status screen, aside from the fact that the status screen was the main thing that made me an idol.

Ssuk-, ssuk.

The dance I’m showing you now.

-Never say it’s over

-Our story begins now

My tone and singing style.

Besides, everything I honed to become an idol… .

That was because I felt like everything would disappear along with the disappearance of the status window.

So… I was scared… .

Maybe because I thought I wouldn’t be able to be an idol anymore with the disappearance of the status window… .

[You have entered the ?? state!]

[Do you want to permanently erase the status window? Y/N]

I couldn’t get rid of the status window.

It was at that time that I was briefly distracted from my worries about the status window.

Slippery.

‘… Huh.’

I lost focus for a moment and ended up losing my balance on the slippery floor, perhaps due to the influence of the previous stages.

‘Fell…’

however….

Paat.

Ssuk-, s …

“Waaa-!”

Before I fell, I unconsciously kicked the ground with one hand and found my balance.

The scene was so urgent that fans mistook it for a performance and cheered.

‘This is….’

I knew this wasn’t just a coincidence.

Part action here now.

Because it was a part that we had practiced hundreds and thousands of times since the showcase.

That feeling remained in my body… and I moved unconsciously before making a mistake.

‘ah….’

Yeah… what was I thinking?

It’s true that I was able to become an idol thanks to the status window.

However, not all the efforts I have made so far were just because of the status window.

The moment I realized that, the status window shook once more.

[You have entered the ?? state!]

[Do you want to permanently erase the status window? Y/N]

Now that I look at it, Yes definitely seems to shine brighter.

As if… , it was forcing me to choose Yes unconditionally.

“… … .”

I thought about it once before.

The status window seems to have a will.

Isn’t that still the case now?

The status window keeps popping up windows for me and asking me to destroy myself.

What on earth is the status window trying to tell me?

you….

‘What the hell are you?’

Paaaa-.

“… … !”

As soon as I spoke to the status window, my vision suddenly became dark.

‘The stage isn’t even finished yet…!’

And before I could even worry, I lost consciousness.

**

Paat.

“… … here.”

When I opened my eyes, all I saw was darkness.

“The concert is…? The stage is…? … No, more importantly, where is this place?”

It seemed like I could move forward, so I took one step at a time into the darkness.

Then… .

‘Director. Why did my mother and father, who gave birth to me, abandon me?’

Memories began to come back to me as if a video was being played.

It wasn’t unfamiliar.

This is… a memory I had from my previous life.

“… … .”

Thud, thud.

‘It’s high and low~ It’s high and low.’

‘Hey, you motherless brat.’

As we move forward, we begin to see some unpleasant sights.

It wasn’t just me from my past life.

‘Yerin, this is table number 5!’

‘Yes~!’

Before I became an idol, I was working so hard that my body was falling apart.

‘Yerin, Dad and Mom asked me for some really important information this time!’

‘…How much do you need this time?’

The sight of my hard-earned money being taken away by my parents.

‘… If it was going to be this hard, I shouldn’t have been born again.’

Even the sight of me struggling with it.

I slowly moved forward, looking at all those memories.

and….

“… … .”

I stopped walking because I knew there was someone in front of me, even though I couldn’t see them.

Even without having to hear it, I could tell who was in front of me.

The guy in front was… the status window.

The child who helped me become an idol… but whose identity is unknown.

“You…, who are you?”

I asked that guy his identity.

I didn’t expect an answer, but surprisingly, he answered me for the first time.

I am your inferiority complex.

“… What?”

Although it wasn’t a voice, the guy’s words were conveyed to me clearly.

And every time he spoke, memories replayed in my head.

‘… I’m jealous. I’m jealous of people who were born ordinary.’

I am your loneliness.

‘Please… someone stay by my side.’

I am your self-loathing.

‘Why on earth was I born like this?’

I am your misery.

‘Why me…, why….’

I am your… , devil.

‘This world… I resent it.’

Paaaa-.

The moment the memory replay ended, my vision began to brighten again.

The last sound from the status window was heard through the bursting light.

I don’t need you anymore.

And when I came to my senses… .

“… … !”

I was able to continue performing on stage in front of my fans without any problems.

Bam.

‘Are you okay, sis?’

Even though I was dancing, Seo Yu-jin, who was walking in a similar direction as me, looked at me with worried eyes, wondering if my condition was strange.

Nod.

‘are you okay.’

I nodded to Seo Yu-jin and turned my gaze towards the status window.

[You have entered the ?? state!]

[Do you want to permanently erase the status window? Y/N]

I’m still not exactly sure what the status window is….

‘I don’t need you anymore.’

At least it didn’t seem like it was meant to harm me.

… If you think about it, it’s obvious.

The status window… is like a benefactor to me, just like the Brothers Planning family, Han Si-woo, the Rookies members, and the NAS Entertainment staff.

That status window is telling itself to disappear.

I somehow felt that removing the status window would actually be a more helpful choice for me.

Then, I unconsciously continued my movements and said goodbye to the status window.

‘Thank you for everything.’

If it weren’t for you, I would still be living an unhappy life.

Inferiority, loneliness, self-loathing, misery, and the devil.

It was all my deep darkness, but thanks to you, I was able to move towards the light.

So I end my thanks to the status window… .

[Do you want to permanently erase the status window? Y/N]

‘Yes…!’

Agreed to permanently remove the status window.

Then… .

Paat-.

“… … !

Immediately, I felt an indescribable change… .

[The exorcism begins.]

Hwaaa-.

Maybe it was because of my mood, but the world began to look brighter.