The Maknae Has to Be an Idol

Based on the reaction of the pop-up zones, it seemed evident that we would dominate the music charts and shows. There were probably not many other teams that created such a buzz with just their marketing alone this year, and with the pop-up, we secured one of the most important conditions for the Triple Crown All-Kill: public interest.

We were able to raise our public awareness to the public by a significant amount with the pop-up zones. Furthermore, since the quality of the pop-up zones was high, much of the public also sought the experience as a healing or dating spot. It appeared that the troublesome Triple All-Kill mission was just within my reach now. Yet, that wasn’t the only thing I looked forward to.

‘Seems like entering Billboard Hot 100 would be possible too.’ I thought we would enter the Billboard Hot 100 with the ‘Blue Ocean’ song we were preparing for this term. I couldn’t say I was certain of it but there was a good chance.

‘Out short-form videos are gaining a lot of transaction…’ Short-form videos had been established as a new marketing ploy for idols for some time now, and ‘Blue Ocean’ was often used in TikTakTok, which held the greatest portion of users in short-form video platforms. There were many cases where songs spread through TikTakTok and became trending a bit later in America.

Of course, there was no guarantee that ‘Blue Ocean’ would become the center of such a success story. But if this was the kind of attention we were drawing without other forms of proper marketing…

‘There could really be a possibility with more marketing.’ Perhaps, I could manifest my desires into reality, and there was a solid possibility of that happening.

‘I will be able to achieve Triple Crown All-Kill and enter Billboard Hot 100.’ But would I just let it be as those two missions combined into one? Certainly not. Considering how high the difficulty of the missions I got this time was, there were things I needed to earn too.

‘I need to also bring Dong-Jun’s regressor memories.’ I planned to meet another regressor as a reward. With my rough estimate, I supposed that Do-Seung was the first to the fifteenth regressor while Woon was the sixteenth to thirty-second regressor. Thus, I thought if I called for a regressor after the thirty-third one, I would have a higher chance of meeting Dong-Jun’s regressor. Of course, that could not be the case.

But the only other option was Yeon-Hoon and it didn’t change much even if Yeon-Hoon came out instead of Dong-Jun. My goal was to gather all my members’ memories into this world anyway. Thus, it didn’t matter whose worldline I attached to this world first. Just the order would be different but the result was the same. And the reason why I wanted to combine all my members’ worlds was simple.

‘I need to end this system once and for all.’ Do-Seung and Woon had been stuck inside a constant loop, regressing and completing missions, but I had no intention of going through the same thing. Using whatever means possible, I planned to put an end to the system. Whether it was by mutual agreement or by force, I planned to free myself from this infinite loop.

Since I didn’t know everything about the system, I couldn’t be sure of it; but I thought hard about why the system gave me these unbelievable missions or kept pushing me into a corner as if it wanted me to die. And this was the conclusion I reached:

‘It’s because I’m disposable.’

From the system’s perspective, each of our worlds wasn’t really important. If a result that it didn’t like came up, it could just throw in an unbelievable mission to push a regressor to failure and lead them to another regression. Thus, if I wanted to make a deal with the system as equals, I needed to change the point that this was a universe it could just use and trash.

This was the reason I needed to gather all the worldlines here. I needed to make this world not one that it could throw away but the sole and only universe where all universes were gathered. I would think about what would happen afterward. Anyway, my current aim was to meet another regressor by accomplishing the Triple Crown All-Kill and Billboard mission. I inhaled deeply and sat down.

It was currently 1 am. My members were fast asleep and after organizing my thoughts with my eyes closed, I opened them again.

Zing—! Then I activated my Insight. The air in the living room simultaneously stopped moving and even the smallest dust in space froze in its space. The world only moved around me and the system. And like I did before, I began to engrave the mission’s content in the space in front of me. Perhaps, it was because it was my second time doing this, but I was able to do this task much more easily than before.

The more I used this ability called Insight, the more I became impressed by it. I didn’t expect to improve in a supernatural ability like this one, but it was in my favor that I became better at using it the more times I used it. I finished writing the missions in space. Usually, the system would have released my Insight saying that I wasn’t authorized to approach closer but for some reason, it was quiet today.

The next process was to combine the two missions. I joined the two missions accordingly and made it to one.

[Achieve Triple Crown All-Kill and Music Charts number one in the nation and enter Billboard HOT 100 within three months.]

[Upon success, meet the 40th regressor.]

[Upon failure, the deaths and separation of Do-Seung, Woon, and Dong-Jun’s worldlines.]

After creating it, I saw how chilling and serious all its content was. This mission held the lives of three people in the line, but I knew I had to take the chance. In the first place, if we didn’t enter Billboard with ‘Blue Ocean’ in three months, it was close to impossible to do so afterward. But to make our debut in America in three months, we would need to amass all the producers and management we could get our hands on; then, we would need to pour an insurmountable amount of money as if we were trying to grow a field on a barren land.

Thus, I planned to put everything on the line with ‘Blue Ocean’. Though it made me slightly afraid after I made it, I calmed my thumping heart and told myself, ‘I can do it.’

It was too early for me to be scared. And it seemed the system thought I made the appropriate conditions and accepted my edited mission.

[You modified the mission.]

‘It really is easier than before.’ I wondered if the first time was supposed to be the hardest and it got easier after that. Or perhaps, the system simply thought my proposed risks and rewards were in fitting balance and accepted my conditions. Whatever the case, I decided not to dwell on it since I accomplished what I wanted. I planned to deactivate my Insight and go to sleep when Yeon-Hoon suddenly popped out in the middle of the living room.

Creak.

‘…What?’

It wasn’t unusual for Yeon-Hoon to come out to the living room, but the situation was unusual since…

‘I’m still using Insight?’ Though I didn’t even end my Insight yet, Yeon-Hoon was walking and moving around. In this space where even the dust in the air was frozen in place, it didn’t make sense that he could move at normal speed here. I arched my head and looked at Yeon-Hoon. Since something like this happened a couple of times before with Yeon-Hoon, I calmed myself and looked back at Yeon-Hoon.

“You aren’t Yeon-Hoon, right?” Though the person in front of me looked like Yeon-Hoon, it wasn’t him.

[You aren’t permitted to approach.]

[You aren’t permitted to approach.]

[You aren’t permitted to approach.]

Though all I did was look at Yeon-Hoon, the system shot out messages that I wasn’t permitted to approach. The Yeon-Hoon I knew wouldn’t cause the system to react like this, and to stop its incessant logs, I turned off my Insight. Until that point, Yeon-Hoon simply smiled at me and didn’t say anything.

This was the person who had always appeared at a suitable time whenever I tried to make a deal with the system or uncover something. Thus, I was naturally curious.

“Who are you…?” I wondered who this person, using Yeon-Hoon as his disguise, was. Yet, the figure simply looked at me and calmly answered.

“I am Woo Yeon-Hoon. Who else?”

“Are you really the Yeon-Hoon I know?” I asked more specifically.

“…No,” he answered more clearly this time. Though he had the appearance of Yeon-Hoon, he declared he wasn’t the Yeon-Hoon I knew.

“…Then, are you a regressor?” This was the only possibility. Yet, this still raised many questions such as why this regressor kept coming in and out of my universe, unlike the other regressors. His answer was even more perplexing.

“I became a bit different through that.”

“You became different through the regressions?”

“Yeah.” Yeon-Hoon smiled softly. His smile looked as if he had transcended everything. But I didn’t know whether a person who transcended was suddenly struck with an illness to only talk in riddles and I asked.

“What happened? What changed?” Why was he talking in circles instead of getting to the point? Yeon-Hoon didn’t fulfill my curiosity and simply stared at me.

“You will be able to know if you come a bit closer.” Then, he said something that aggravated me further. If I approached closer? He sounded as if he knew what sort of path I would take—like he was some kind of transcendental being. That made me think…

“…The system?” I thought the Yeon-Hoon in front of me could be a system. I got up and approached Yeon-Hoon and asked, “…Are you the system?”

I didn’t know what to do if he said yes. It was the system that put me and my members in this damn regressing loop and killed us at its will. I spent many nights dreaming of beating up this system. Yet, the existence that I wanted to beat had the appearance of the person most precious to me. If this was all true…what was I supposed to do?

It was then Yeon-Hoon opened his mouth. I desperately hoped that he would deny me but in contrary to my expectations, he said, “Yes.”

It was then I realized.

Punch—! I wasn’t the type of person to get too hang up on a person’s appearance but their content. The moment I realized that the figure in front of me was the system I loathed so much, I lunged forward with no hesitation and struck the system’s face.

“Are you done?”

I felt a sensation of my fist contacting something, but I failed to make a blow. The moment I thought my fist reached Yeon-Hoon’s face, it passed through it.

“…This is…really shitty…” Even after coming face to face with the existence I detested the most, I couldn’t even land one proper blow on it.

“Since it seems like you are doing well, I will come back later,” Yeon-Hoon said and sat on the sofa. Then, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

‘What?’ I looked blankly at Yeon-Hoon. Yeon-Hoon confessed that he was the system with his own mouth.

‘But is it true?’ I wondered how true his words were, and my suspicions increased.

“Hmmm.” Yeon-Hoon opened his eyes and asked, “What? Why am I here?”

I was stuck in a situation that happened multiple times before.