Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack.

Episode 39: I Can’t Stand It Anymore.

Sitting next to my sister, who was drinking a can of beer while wearing a moisturizing mask, I watched the news with her.

The news reported on the activities of a notorious random killer that was causing a stir at this time.

My sister clicked her tongue at the news and said,

“This is so scary. How can anyone go out alone?”

The anchor encouraged viewers to actively report any suspicious individuals to the police before moving on to the next news. The next story was about a sasaeng fan, 1 who carried out an acid attack on an idol they were obsessed with.

The sasaeng fan, who had been obsessed with the idol, started deluding themselves into thinking they were dating the idol.

However, the idol only saw the fan as one of many, which angered the fan, leading them to continue their delusions and carry out an acid attack.

In the process, the manager threw themselves in the way to block the attack, leaving the idol unharmed, but the manager was taken to the hospital.

My sister took a sip of her beer and casually asked me as if she wasn’t really interested.

“You don’t have to deal with things like that, do you?”

“….”

When I remained silent, my sister looked away from the television and raised her voice slightly as she spoke.

“You got the team leader title, right? Then you just have to boss people around from the office, don’t you?”

“Even if I get more money with the team leader title, I still have to be in the field. We’re short on people right now…”

Even in the previous timeline, I still worked in the field despite having a higher position.

“No way. Are you saying you’re going to do such dangerous work?”

I was startled, and I quickly tried to calm her down.

“No, I was just saying that I won’t actually go through anything that dangerous!”

My sister only calmed down after I promised to avoid fieldwork as much as possible and declared that I would selfishly prioritize my own safety.

But once my sister was calm, I started feeling anxious.

Imagining various scenarios to explain myself made countless potential disasters come to mind.

I started thinking about future incidents and accidents that might happen.

The entertainment industry was often called a vortex of desire, full of psychos.

People like the acid attacker just don’t always make the news, but they pop up occasionally.

Acid attacks were rare, but running into someone with a box cutter was more common.

Many people want to leave their mark on a star, even if it’s in a negative way.

When we go on overseas schedules, we get to experience firsthand how excellent domestic security is.

In the previous timeline, I had an experience where my forehead was split open while trying to stop a sudden fan attack.

That’s right. In the entertainment industry, mishaps could happen at any time.

In such situations, how reassuring would it be to have the ‘Sword Saint’s Sense’?

I pressed the reward in the quest window and checked the information on ‘Sword Saint’s Sense’ again.

[You will temporarily borrow the senses of the Sword Saint, the greatest swordsman in human history.]

The name of this so-called Sword Saint wasn’t mentioned, but being the greatest in human history was very reassuring.

If I could borrow his senses, I could easily take down two or three acid attackers.

Having this kind of insurance in the unpredictable entertainment industry sounded more and more appealing the more I thought about it.

“I’ll give you money for the trouble, so how about you go beat him up? Maybe he’ll learn his lesson if he’s hit.”

Cheon Aram’s words suddenly came to mind.

For some reason, her words seemed quite plausible.

Ah… I did have the money I got from Gyeoul’s grandfather, so I could pay for the damages.

But what if they don’t settle? I’d end up in jail.

And it would definitely ruin my relationship with Gaeul.

I rolled around on the sofa, deep in thought.

Then, I noticed a toy hammer wedged between the shelf and the wall.

I looked at the toy hammer and thought. Then I checked the quest details and was convinced.

All I had to do was hit him with something.

The next day, I stood in front of Gaeul’s house after finishing my schedule.

This was the plan.

I would propose a bet to Gaeul’s father.

If he wins at rock-paper-scissors, I’d pay him three million won immediately. If he loses, he gets hit with the toy hammer.

Gaeul’s father, who seemed very interested in gambling, would likely accept this proposal.

Why would he refuse? He just has to risk getting hit with a toy hammer for a chance at three million won.

But there was a catch to this proposal.

I would use the ‘Memory of Possibilities’ reward I received last time to know in advance what Gaeul’s father would choose and whether he would sue.

How could someone beat a person who knows the future? Of course, Gaeul’s father would get continuously hit. The quest would be completed once I had sufficiently beaten him.

Unable to watch their father being hit with the toy hammer, Gaeul and Gahyeon would intervene.

Just like how the tension over the contract seemed like a dream, Gaeul’s family would unite against an external threat.

At that moment, I would reveal that I wielded the hammer out of love for the sake of family peace.

Everyone, moved by the twist, would give a standing ovation.

A hopeful song would play in the background as we hold hands and run to the gambling treatment center.

…Right. It was actually just nonsense.

But with the reward money, it might show some intention of opposing gambling.

Even if I still looked like a crazy person… or maybe I couldn’t avoid criminal charges.

You can’t gain something without losing something. I steeled my resolve.

What decision did I make before returning?

Didn’t I decide to follow whatever the quest demanded, whether it told me to bark like a dog or bite?

It was time to recall my original intention.

No matter if I looked like a psycho, a selfish bastard, or risked getting sued, I had to attempt any quest I could.

That was the path to success.

Denying faith in the system would undermine its foundation.

In the previous timeline, I ignored quests and got hit from behind, so this time, I had to believe.

But I did have insurance.

I opened the reward window and checked. The ‘Memory of Possibilities’ I got from recruiting Gaeul was there.

If I used this, I could see the most likely future and know what would happen after I beat Gaeul’s father.

If that future showed I would actually get sued, or worse, I could just pretend it never happened and go home. The risk would disappear.

Knowing what Gaeul’s father would choose in rock-paper-scissors was just a bonus.

[Do you want to use ‘Memory of Possibilities’?]

“Yes, let’s use it now. Use!”

Nothing happened.

“…?”

I wondered if it didn’t register, so I kept talking, but nothing changed.

“What is this? A bug?”

Then, a message appeared in front of me, indicating it wasn’t a bug.

[‘Memory of Possibilities’ has been used on an appropriate target.]

I waved my hand through the message in confusion. Nothing changed.

“…Used on an appropriate target? What’s going on?”

That was my reward. Why was it used on someone else?

Just then, I heard the sound of something breaking and a scream from Gaeul’s house.

Without thinking, I instinctively ran towards Gaeul’s house.

Gaeul finished her grueling training.

The training was harder and more difficult than her part-time jobs, but she didn’t find it painful at all.

Because this was what Gaeul wanted to do.

Her recent life had been a series of sweet events, like a dream.

The current reality, where she could pursue her dreams without giving up on Gahyeon, was something Gaeul hadn’t even dared to imagine.

It was so sweet, but she never thought it would actually happen.

However, Gaeul’s environment changed rapidly.

Like Cinderella under a magic spell, she was able to walk towards the ball.

Gaeul savored that sweet reality on the subway full of office workers heading home. And she thought of the man who created this dream-like situation.

He treated Gaeul like a child.

Like a clueless child who needed to be taken care of every step of the way.

To be honest, Gaeul was happy with that treatment.

It was the first time in her life she had received such unconditional care.

With Taeyang, she felt a sense of security she had never experienced with anyone else.

…But she also felt a bit unsatisfied for some reason.

Gaeul cherished that growing feeling in her heart like a treasure.

She got off the subway and walked home.

Thinking about her father, who had been out and about lately, she greeted Gahyeon.

“Gahyeon, I’m home!”

But what caught Gaeul’s eye was not her younger brother, Yoo Gahyeon, but her father, Yoo Dae-cheol.

Gaeul was slightly surprised but greeted him calmly.

“Father, you’re back.”

But something felt off about the atmosphere.

Her father’s eyes were bloodshot, and his face was flushed red.

He reeked of alcohol.

He seemed to be heavily intoxicated.

“…Ugh.”

As Gaeul examined her father’s complexion, she was startled by a sudden groan and looked towards the kitchen.

There, Gahyeon was lying on the floor, clutching his stomach in pain.

“Gahyeon!”

Gahyeon was panting heavily, struggling to endure the pain, and sweating profusely.

With trembling hands, Gaeul carefully moved Gahyeon’s hand and checked his abdomen.

There was a dark bruise.

The culprit was obvious.

Gaeul glared at her father like a mother bird confronting a snake and said,

“Why did you do this?”

“…I lost some money, and he started talking back. He doesn’t even recognize his own father.”

It seemed that Gaeul’s father had gotten back into gambling.

Gaeul had expected this.

Her father was a severe gambling addict.

She never thought he would quit gambling.

That’s why they had settled on the alternative of allowing him to use only five million won for gambling.

“Losing the money is fine, but let’s take Gahyeon to the hospital first…”

“Losing the money is not fine at all, sis.”

“Gahyeon, let me handle this. Just stay still!”

Gaeul’s father was staring at Gahyeon with bloodshot eyes. It scared Gaeul. She wanted to take Gahyeon to the hospital immediately.

Unaware of Gaeul’s feelings, Gahyeon spoke.

“The contract money you got, Father lost all of it yesterday.”

“…What?”

Gaeul asked, hoping it wasn’t true.

“You mean the five million won, right?”

“No, all the money.”

She felt like she couldn’t breathe.

“I asked for some money to buy groceries for dinner, and he said he didn’t have any.”

“It’s not true, right? Gahyeon must be mistaken, right?”

“…”

Gaeul’s father didn’t answer and took a shot of soju.

His attitude of trying to avoid the problem.

It was a familiar sight from Gaeul’s father.

From his behavior, she knew the answer.

Her father really had lost all the money to gambling.

“…Do you know what that money was for?”

“…”

“That money was for Gahyeon’s art and college education!”

With reddened eyes, Gaeul glared at her father, who spoke irritably.

“…Gaeul, I was just trying to do my best. I’m the one having the hardest time right now. So don’t push me too much.”

At that moment, something inside Gaeul snapped.

“…Don’t push you? You’re having the hardest time?”

Gaeul always hid behind a smile.

She would smile awkwardly, pretending her current suffering was nothing.

“I’m having a harder time!”

But in reality, she was screaming inside.

“I work at least three part-time jobs every day! Then I come home and clean, do laundry, and cook! I always reject my middle school friends when they ask to meet up! And then I accepted that they eventually stopped contacting me! I just enviously watch high school students studying in cafes! I gave up on pretty clothes! I gave up on cute dolls! I gave up on dance club activities! I gave up on karaoke! I’ve given up every single happiness I ever had!”

But I endured it.

If Gaeul didn’t endure, if she didn’t hold on, this fragile family would collapse immediately.

But the pent-up resentment was unleashed with her father’s careless words.

“What did you give up, Father?!”

Gaeul shouted, her voice filled with indignation, as if she were screaming.

Hearing those words, Gaeul’s father spoke with a look of crazed anger.

“…What did I give up? Are you ignoring me like Gahyeon?”

The situation escalated suddenly.

Gaeul’s father, who suddenly stood up, rushed at her and began to choke her.

“Ugh… Dad… Stop…”

“I gave up so much! If it weren’t for you… If it weren’t for you!”

She couldn’t breathe.

Pushed against the narrow room’s wall and being choked, Gaeul’s consciousness began to fade.

Through her fading consciousness, a message appeared in Gaeul’s vision.

[Appropriate target selected. Memory of Possibilities is being used.]

ED/N: An obsessive fan who engages in invasive and inappropriate behavior toward celebrities, particularly K-pop idols. ↩️