Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

CONTEXT FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW

GOT DROPPED INTO A GHOST STORY STILL GOTTA WORK-

Daydream:  Outwardly posing as a pharmaceutical company, they regularly send their employees into Ghost Stories to harvest a substance called Dream essence. They refer to Ghost Stories as Darkness and officially classified them into S~F grades based on risks and difficulties. The identification code takes the pattern of Qterw-(grade)-(number).

Supernatural Disaster Management Agency: A secret government agency hidden from normal civilians. They enter Ghost Stories to save trapped civilians and aim to eliminate Ghost Stories if possible. However, secretly own some Ghost Story to 'punish bad people'. They refer to Ghost Stories as Supernatural Phenomena, or Supernatural Disasters for those with casualties, and classify them according to risk. The identification code pattern is XXXXPSYA.(year).(1 syllable)XX

ASSISTANT MANGER KIM HATES IDOLS

Since many people don’t know this novel that much it’s a bit longer

An Office Worker’s Idol Debut Ordeal Kim Iwol, a fifth-year employee at Hanpyeong Industries and a devoted fan of his manager’s daughter’s favorite idol group for just as long, has been “working overtime without pay” on fan activities day after day.

 One night, while grinding through yet another unpaid fan shift, he collapses after hearing the devastating news of the group’s disbandment.

 When he opens his eyes, he’s back to his 20-year-old self, without the dark circles under his eyes. He’s given one condition to undo his sister’s death which is to debut as a member of his cherished idol group SPARK.

 But if he fails? He’ll be forced back into Hanpyeong Industries with no chance of changing jobs, a nightmare clause attached to the deal. Armed with the grit and shameless survival skills he honed through fan work, HR duties, and every odd job under the sun, he vows to just debut, then quit!

[SYSTEM] The reuse of Assistant Manager Kim Iwol’s (hereinafter referred to as subordinate) life has been approved.

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from your ‘superior’ have arrived.

▶ Assistant Manager Kim, you should debut with this new batch of trainees as an idol group. This is truly a great opportunity, you know? There will definitely come a day when you’ll thank me for this. Don’t ever forget that the higher-ups have expectations of you.

[SYSTEM] The KPI ‘Debut as a 6-member Boy Group’ has been assigned to ‘subordinate’.

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from your ‘superior’ have arrived.

▶ I heard young people only work as much as they’re paid these days. But can you really live like that in a company? Still, I’m not too harsh in my evaluations. Let’s make sure our Assistant Manager Kim gets what he deserves for the work he’s done. Sounds fair?

[SYSTEM] ‘Personnel Disadvantage’ has been assigned to ‘subordinate’ due to failure to meet final KPIs.

[SYSTEM] ‘Performance Reward’ has been assigned to ‘Subordinate’ for meeting final KPIs.

From start to finish, it was filled with infuriating phrases.

Do you really think that I’d fall for that?

I wouldn’t deny that my life was so far gone that the system thought it could look down on me.

I accepted all of Manager Nam’s absurd demands, so I was practically digging my own grave.

But even in my dream, I didn’t want to be branded as a complete pushover.

I’d rather poke my own eyes rather than continue watching this crap, but just as I was about to do that, my vision lit up again.

What happened next was truly shocking.

[SYSTEM] ‘Personnel Disadvantage’ will be notified.

▷ Restrictions on job transfer will be imposed upon forced re-employment and resignation of Hanpyeong Industry

▷ Permanently deprived of the opportunity to receive the final performance reward.

It was a notice forcing me to rejoin my old company, which I hadn’t even properly quit.

Re-join that hellhole Hanpyeong Industry?

It forced me against my will to join a company that would tell you to wait for mart discount periods when the toilet paper ran out!

It even stated that if I quit, it would restrict my chance to move to another job.

It seemed dead set on pouring ash all over my career prospects.

I had to work at that damned company until retirement?

No way. My greatest regret in life was submitting my resume to Hanpyeong Industries.

No, screw that. I regretted getting on that job search site on that very day and time.

It took me a while to understand the explanation that followed. My mind wasn’t functioning well because I was so enraged by the thought of rejoining the Hanpyeong Industry.

‘Final performance reward?’

The final reward didn’t matter. I already hated the idea of rejoining so much I could die.

I had no doubt that there couldn’t be a worse situation than this.

That was until I read the next explanation.

[SYSTEM] ‘Final Performance Reward’ will be notified.

▷ Annulment of the death of your sister (biological sibling) and the opportunity to reunite.

The chance to meet my sister, who died two years ago, was being offered under the mere term ‘reward’.

Annul her death?

I felt like I was hit hard by bad luck. Either that, or I was facing backlash for wishing Manager Nam would go to hell every night.

Really, instead of a dream world, I felt like I had fallen into hell.

*Note: KPI: Key Performance Indicator.

This fic is from chapter 146 office revenge
basically, while being an idol Kim Iwol has to interact with a basterd with an inferior complex to him and bullies him and threatens him if he ever seeks help no one would believe a rookie and makes him do his work(PD). he gets physical with Iwol and the members find out and Iwol reports him and he gets shifted away from them which made YSH(pd) mad and in chapter 146.... this happens

Chapter Text

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[chapter 142 start]

[Breaking News] Idol Spark’s Kim Iwol Attacked Near Agency; Hospitalized

UA Entertainment Assault Incident: Perpetrator Revealed as In-House Producer

Live Coverage] Police Lines Surround UA; Tight Police Lines

Producer Attacks Idol With Weapon; Victim Identified as Spark Member Kim Iwol

Perpetrator of Idol Assault Case Complains of Unexplained Headache… Investigation Faces Difficulties

[Exclusive] Perpetrator Producer Arrested at the Scene

Police Investigation Launched… Focus on Whether Arrest Warrant Will Be Issued

Articles poured out from every media outlet. Perhaps due to the unique nature of the incident, news about Kim Iwol started appearing in the general news section.

Stories about Yoo Hansoo, who was immediately taken custody, continued to surface

Everywhere was in an uproar. SNS, fan cafes, even the dorm phone – everything was buzzing.

Whether it was people genuinely worried about Kim Iwol, or those who enjoyed gossip.

Everyone was waiting for a clear explanation. After all, a producer assaulting an idol was an unprecedented event.

 ≫ What the f*ck is going on?

≫ No, Iwol, what happened? He was fine filming just yesterday, why is this happening all of a sudden?

≫ No matter the conflict, this kind of violence is wrong… It would have been nice if they had resolved it through dialogue… I hope the victim is okay.

≫ So is our baby okay or not? F##k I’m so confused right now

 ≫ A company employee hits an idol with a blunt weapon?? Did I understand that correctly???

    └ The world has seriously gone mad…

≫ Isn’t this the kid who had that personality controversy before?

    If you look at this, maybe the insubordination rumors were true after all.

    └ Shut the f*ck up, can’t you read the room?

        └ But I also thought that… There’s no smoke without fire

     └ A person is down after being assaulted and you’re here spouting nonsense? You’ll all get       

 ≫ There’s talk about this being a mutual fight. What’s the truth? I heard the idol overreacted too.

     └ There’s no clear news yet, so stop spreading false information….

          └ I’m not spreading false information; I’m asking a question. Can’t I even ask?

      └ Fans are already anxious about every little thing, so please don’t make things worse. Do you    seriously lack social awareness or what?

          └ ‘Producer Yoo claims that the other party also assaulted him, insisting it was mutual fault’ That’s what the article says, so why are you only treating your oppa as the victim? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

              └ So where exactly is Mr. Yoo hurt?ㅋㅋㅋ The idol has a head injury and is unconscious, but the guy who’s supposedly hurt is screaming in front of cameras for attention?

>>Iwol is the type to grovel before those in power right? if he is it makes sense

 └ no it doesn’t.

 └ People won’t willing get their skull smashed because the other is superior to them.

≫ UA you m*therf*ckers, please say something, I’m going to die from the stress… I’m going crazy

≫ I don’t need anything else, just tell me if Iwol is okay… It’s a head injury, for goodness’ sake. Please….

   └ ㅠㅠ I know you’re worried, but let’s wait a little longer! We’ll get an update soon ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

And then…

≫ @NEW_Re:

Who helped you when you were about to be kicked out of the team for incompetence and almost ruined someone else’s work?

There’s a limit to repaying kindness with animosity

No one covered for you as much as Iwol did

If it weren’t for him, I would have sued you before you caused that accident

I hope I never see you again in this industry

And for those who keep provoking me with comments or DMs,

Don’t say behind my back what you can’t say to my face ^^

Iwol is a hoobae who helped me a lot

And everyone at the company adores him

Think logically,

Is it normal to do such a thing to someone almost twenty years younger than you?

≫ ㄱ. Your Seongchan

[As you can see in the 3rd competition meeting cut broadcast]

[Honestly, Iwol hyung took care of us a lot]

[What’s shown on screen wasn’t even half of itㅠ He’s really genuine, he takes care of people a lot]

[He’s not the kind of person to mistreat anyone]

[You’ll know if you talk to him for just 3 minutes, people are so strange]

[Will I get scolded by the company for saying this, you ask?]

[Don’t worry, our company likes Iwol hyung too]

[But he’s on another level—different from CEO Moon. He has a unique charm.]

[Heerang is also talking about Iwol hyung right now, too?]

[See? I told you, hyung is like a human catnip]

≫ @Pollo_q

The Iwol I know puts his all into even the smallest tasks,

He’s always diligent and takes good care of his members.

But overnight, he’s turned into a troublemaker who clashed with a company employee and caused an accident.

I’ve seen and heard a lot over the years, but this really crosses the line.

The moment unexpected figures pulled the trigger, the fandom, which hadn’t been able to relax for a second, fearing bad news, exploded.

≫ Summary of why Sparklers are furious (warning: long thread)

Iwol is a producing member, but he also does concept + styling + planning. It’s to the point that a fellow member said on their self-produced content that without Iwol, there would be no Spark.

They are a self-producing group, so the members share the roles in making the lyrics, composition, and choreography.

 Members also create the self-produced content (they often film with camcorders + they plan their individual videos and get them approved by Kim Iwol)

 IDC concept and stage design were also done by the members (just look at the meeting scene that was broadcast).

 Meanwhile, Kim Iwol cleaned up the mess YHS made while also doing his main job (NR’s testimony).

 The company, knowing this, neglected him and this happened.

 This is just what’s on the surface, how much worse must it have been behind the scenes?

Even during the personality controversy, Kim Iwol personally clarified things on a broadcast

At that time, we just thought it was neat and great, but now it’s chilling

I wonder how little he must have trusted the company to do that….

≫ The members make their own content, they do their own producing, what does the agency even do? Is it right to leave the aftermath to the artist after bringing in a useless PD? #UAExplain

 ≫ DoesUAneedIwoltomanagetheiremployeesandwriteapologyletters #UAExplainIdon’texpectanythingelsedjustmanageyourartists’mentalhealthproperly #UA_Protect_Your_Artists

Morethansixcharacterswithnospaces

≫ For a fellow labelmate to speak like that, you can imagine just how much Iwol must have been through…

And from the way it sounds, it seems like the perpetrator went around causing a mess while Iwol cleaned it all up

If that’s true, UA’s entire executive team should be bowing their heads in shame.

≫ So to summarize,

A forty-year-old man did a shitty job, got fired, and took it out on a twenty-one-year-old kid.

Does this make sense? Does this sound right to you???

 ≫ We need to look at why Iwol had to shoulder everything in the first place

The company is useless, the PD they hired is incompetent…

This incident shows how structurally flawed UA is as a company

If this is how they operate, then what’s the point of having a company or employees at all?

≫ Please, at least earn your salaries

You guys get paid to work, but my kid hasn’t even been paid yet, why are you treating him like a dog? On top of that, he got his head smashed in the process?

Actually, it’s you UA who should be working themselves to the bone and getting beaten up

Stop staying quiet and do something, damn it

At that point, UA finally realized what they had been neglecting.

Frantically rushing between the police station and the hospital, UA hurriedly drafted and posted an apology statement.

≫ Hello, this is UA Entertainment.

This evening, an incident occurred where one of our artists was injured by a company employee.

Currently, the artist is receiving medical treatment and the employee has been handed over to the investigative authorities.

We ask for your understanding that we couldn’t deliver the news quickly as we prioritized the artist’s safety.

We will take full responsibility and manage our artists properly to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Once again, we apologize for causing distress with this unfortunate incident.

 ≫ Is this seriously what you call an apology? Rewrite it, damn it

≫ What should be in an apology:

Forget everything else, just admit what you did wrong and beg for forgiveness

This isn’t some accident—it’s a buildup of neglect finally exploding. Shouldn’t the apology start with admitting you failed to prevent something that could’ve been avoided???

 ≫ You drove everyone to the edge, then handed us this pitiful excuse for an apology?

When Iwol was dragged into that mess at the IDC show, you didn’t even write an apology—just made him do a live explanation instead. Thanks a lot for that, jerks. No wonder he has to do everything himself

≫ Yeah, okay, just quit the entertainment business altogether

You guys are running things haphazardly like this and still call yourselves an entertainment company

What kind of entertainment company lets their own idol end up with a cracked skull? How badly did you screw up to let things get to this point? Have you all collectively lost your minds?

 Eventually, UA wrote and posted a new apology. This time, they acknowledged the allegations of the idol’s excessive workload, explained the background of how Yoo Hansoo came to work with the artist and the conflicts they had, and made it clear that the artist was the victim. They also included that they would take legal action against any further spread of false rumors about Kim Iwol’s bullying, insubordination, or mutual fault in the incident.

The second apology concluded with a statement that they would take legal action and seek compensation from Yoo Hansoo and provide full support for Kim Iwol’s recovery. [chapter 142 end]

>> Why do we as fans have to beg the company to send a proper apology?

    Next do we have to lick your feet to see them again?

>> Ahh, at least show us evidence

     How much did that b***h do to our Iwol?

    └the witness said his head was split open

       └I’m talking about the past, what did that PD do to Iwol

 >> How crazy can a person be to do that to someone else

A day has pass. Iwol has woken up.

3:21 pm

≫ They say there are hundreds of pieces of evidence submitted by victim K alone, making it almost impossible for him to avoid a prison sentence. Did I read that right?

└ If he was cursed that many times, he should have spoken up sooner… poor Iwol…

>> the victim might end up being punished. I’d seen that happen all too often at other Industries.

    └There are many victims who are afraid to speak up…

      └Just imagine if they all spoke up, would the industries be clean?

         └nah they’d get silenced like they never had a voice.

≫ Another YHS exposé (from a junior colleague at the same company, with proof)

This bastard, there’s no end to his deed

    └ What he’s doing is f*cking evil…. If he’s deliberately bullying people, those below him couldn’t have endured mentally

       └ Fr. Stealing achievements and verbal abuse, it’s all gaslighting. I wouldn’t have lasted three months and quit right away

≫ Wow, but it’s also chilling that he was collecting all of this one by one

Did the victims plan to report him all along? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ If my boss was an a**hole, I would have reported him too

└ Is this YHS a psychopath?

6:10

>>This is big

 The anonymous  leaker Roe_D33r has made a video on victim K

└ holy sh*t, Roe_D33r leaked the evidence

>>Who the hell is Roe_D33r?

>>Roe_D33r is an anonymous account which leaks confidential information to the public, they do game leaks, scandals, call out officials, expose people etc.. they are the real deal.

 Roe_D33r uploaded a video on YHS case

└ holy sh*t this isn’t just text leaks, it’s screens + audio

@Roe_D33r

🦌: “I don’t usually speak in first person.

But I need you to understand:

Victim K was never alone.

He kept evidence not because he wanted revenge,

but because it was the only way to survive in a system built to silence him.

I’m not doing this for views, or for your retweets.

I’m doing this because a boy was told ‘no one will believe you,’ and I refused to let that be true.

Believe him.

Protect him.

Hold the ones in power accountable.

And remember: this is only the beginning.This is the evidence that victim K and colleagues submitted but UA didn’t release.

Blurred faces/names for protection.

Decide for yourself if this was ‘mutual fault.’”

≫ f*ck I got chills reading this… it feels so personal now.

≫ “he kept evidence because it was the only way to survive” -I’m crying.

≫ bro this is bigger than fandom drama, this is whistleblowing on a corrupt industry.

≫ “only the beginning” ??? WHAT ELSE ARE THEY HIDING??

0:42 - Messenger Logs

[Screenshot: KakaoTalk-style chat, blurred names + blurred timestamp]

YHS: “You’ll never debut if you keep f*cking up.”

Victim K: “I fixed the mistake, please stop cursing.”

YHS: “Don’t talk back. Without me you’re worthless.”

Caption overlay: [Submitted by Victim K, date blurred]

2:15 - Audio File #1 (Meeting Room)

[Audio waveform w/ subtitles, timestamp blurred]

Sound of papers slamming

YHS: “Why did you cut my part from the demo?”

Unidentified voice: “Hyung, you weren’t there… Iwol finished it for you.”

YHS: “That brat? He should be thanking me for letting him breathe in this industry.”

Background: someone quietly says “hyung, stop…”

4:03 - Photo Evidence

[photo of bruised shoulder, dates censored with black boxes]

Caption overlay: “Shoulder contusion.”

6:40 - Audio File #2 (Emergency exit)

“You’re not afraid of anything, are you? But you know what? Your reputation in the industry is already XX bad. If you get caught in one wrong move, you’ll go straight to hell.”

“I’m sorry, PD-nim.”

Caption overlay: “an employee claims to have seen and heard K crying”

9:27 - Witness Testimony (voice altered)

“He always picked on K. Called him incompetent, screamed at him. When K covered for his mistakes, YHS would still blame him. We all saw it, but no one could speak up…YHS  feels inferior to K”

Caption overlay: [Testimony: Junior Colleague, date blurred]

12:12 - Stolen Work

[Screenshot of project file metadata – created by: KIM Iwol / modified by: Yoo Hansoo (date blurred)]

Caption overlay: “Concept draft for Spark’s stage. Credited to PD YHS in final broadcast.”

15:45 - Final Clip (Day of Assault)

[CCTV screencap blurred except time-stamp (date blurred, only time visible “19:03”)]

YHS visible approaching with object in hand.

No sound, just text overlay: “Frame seconds before the incident. Police have full footage.”

17:00 -Outro

“This is only a fraction of the 200+ files submitted.

Decide if this was negligence, or a system that enabled abuse.”

≫ Even the dates are blurred…Roe_D33r is protecting sources, this is real journalism.

≫ iwol, you’re not alone. I hope you will realize this someday and let people to take care of you.

≫ Bro, the way he says “no one will believe you”… I’m shaking.

≫ This isn’t a scandal anymore, this is a corporate crime.

>>That bitch made our precious Iwol cry.

>> F*cking scumbag.

Fan Café Live Posts

≫ [ENG TRANS] Spark Korean fans compiling Roe_D33r’s video

·       Months of verbal abuse (chat logs)

·       Physical intimidation (meeting room + rooftop)

·       Stolen credits (file metadata, stage design)

·       Final assault caught on CCTV

≫ So it’s not just “conflict” -> it’s abuse, cover-up, and company negligence.

└ UA = complicit.

Back on SNS

≫ “No one will believe you over me” … actually makes me nauseous

≫ And they still let him near the kids after that???

≫ Reminder: Spark are SELF-PRODUCING.

Everything we love about them came from Iwol.

UA just sat back, did nothing, and enabled this monster.

Now, International Fans (Twitter/X) [I gave up with the arrows]

>> ua thought they could gaslight us but Roe_D33r said 🦌✨ not today

>>hello police? yes i’d like to report a whole entertainment company

>> imagine being so incompetent your idol does your job better while being abused

>>spark deserve a new agency IMMEDIATELY

>>who tf IS this deer… hacker? insider? fired staff??

    └ account existed since the 2000s, used to leak game dev stuff. shifted to entertainment and     scandals during the pandemic.

          └ pattern: always receipts, never caught.

>>I swear Roe_D33r is ex-UA staff. no way they have police docs otherwise.

    └ nah bro they sound like a professional whistleblower. “truth bleeds”??? that’s journalism-core.

      └ if they get arrested i’ll riot.

>> imagine YHS watching this acc from his cell rn… deer said 🦌✨ “i fear no lawsuit.”

>>You know what’s scary? Roe_D33r said the leaked video was “only a fraction.”

└ excuse me sir what do you MEAN by “fraction”

  └ scary to even just imagine and was going on behind the scenes

>> UA should triple iwol’s salary for this

>>fr, my baby should get compensated for this.

Chapter Text

Outside the Hospital Room; manager had already gone inside…

The video had ended 20 minutes ago, but no one moved.

The screen had gone black.

Only the sound of the air purifier filled the waiting room.

No one dared close the laptop.

On the dim screen of the laptop-

🦌 “Believe him. Protect him. Hold the ones in power accountable.”

video title: [VICTIM K: THE EVIDENCE THEY TRIED TO HIDE]

Jeho’s jaw was tight. He hadn’t said a word since it started.

Cheonghyeon sniffled quietly beside him, sleeves soaked.

Kiyeon’s leg shook uncontrollably.

Seongbin kept glancing at the hallway, like someone would come take the laptop away.

Joowoo just sat there, head bowed, hands clasped so tightly his knuckles had turned white.

“…It’s him,” Seongbin said first. His voice cracked halfway through.

No one asked who. They all knew.

The background in some of the clips-

White walls, mirrors on the wall, the wooden floor- the place they found out when their hyung got hurt; their practice room..

“I thought… that kind of stuff got deleted,” Kiyeon muttered. His voice trembled, not from anger but disbelief.

“There wasn’t supposed to be anything” Jeho said, low. He rubbed his temple, staring at the screen.

“That video- where the producer…how the hell did they get that?”

“Should we tell him?” Cheonghyeon asked. His eyes were red, voice small.

“He doesn’t even know it’s out there.”

“No,” Joowoo said quickly, shaking his head. “Not yet.”

“Why not? Everyone’s talking about it already-”

“Because he’s still healing,” The words came out too sharp, but Jeho didn’t take them back.

“He doesn’t need to know that his face is in a ten-million-view expose.”

Cheonghyeon looked down. His throat bobbed as he whispered, “He deserves to know, though…”

“Yeah..” Jeho muttered “But not like this.”

A silence fell again.

On screen, news outlets, videos, SNS, kakotalk, their fan café- the same video, the same clips “Leaked video from anonymous whistleblower shocks the entertainment world.”

The anchor’s mouth moved soundlessly.

Kiyeon couldn’t stop staring.

“…He’s gonna find out sooner or later,” he said. “Might as well come from us.”

Jeho exhaled, long and shaky.

“I know.”

He rubbed his palms together, like trying to scrub away guilt that wouldn’t come off.

“I just… I wish someone had protected him like that before.”

Seongbin  whispered, “You think Roe_D33r… did it for him?”

“No idea,” Jeho said. “But whoever they are…they’re the only one who did something right.”

The door opened a crack. The manager peeked out, “You can go in now. He’s awake.”

Five pairs of eyes lifted at once.

Nobody moved.

“You guys coming?” the manager asked again.

“…Yeah,” Seongbin  said softly, closing the laptop.

He hesitated, then covered the screen with a towel and kept it inside his bag, as if hiding something sacred.

He whispered, almost to himself, “He shouldn’t have to see it.”

Inside the room

“Hyung!” Cheonghyeon’s voice was way too loud for a hospital.

“Hyung, are you okay?” Lee Cheonghyeon was bawling; he couldn’t just pretend that he hadn’t seen that video

Iwol blinked, looking up at them from the bed. “The surgery went well, why are you crying? I’m fine.”

“Do you think surgery fixes everything…?” his voice trembled.

Jeho crossed his arms, glaring like he was holding back words.

Iwol raised an eyebrow. “You okay there?”

“Fine,” Jeho muttered. His voice was tight, but his eyes-…his eyes were raw.

“Why do you all look like that?” Iwol frowned.

“Do you even have to ask?”

“Enough, hyung.”

Choi Jeho frowned. Kang Kiyeon tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Do you even know how you ended up here? Your head cracked open, and you’re acting all nonchalant?”

“How was I supposed to know this would happen?”

“You almost died, and that’s all you have to say?”

“But I didn’t die, so it’s fine.”

The silence that followed was almost painful.

They all saw the video-… The way Iwol’s voice had trembled because of that basterd..

Iwol stared at them, confused.

🦌 “He was told no one would believe him. I’m here to make sure they do.”

Chapter Text

‘why are they acting like this?’

Choi Jeho’s too quiet…

Kang Kiyeon looks restless..

Lee Cheonghyeon’s already crying so much, how many times do I have to remind him that he needs to take care of his face.

‘sigh’

“…Did something happen?” I asked finally.

Jeho flinched, The other members exchanged glances.

Iwol raised his eyebrow and said in a sharp tone- or atleast he tried to

“what happened when I was here? Did Choi Jeho say something?”

Jeho swallowed hard,  He looked like he wanted to run, or vanish, or both.

“We… we found something online,” Kiyeon spoke up , voice low, hesitant.

‘online?’

I mean its normal for news headlines to show up when something major happens  

“What did you see?...” I kept my voice calm and steady; they probably got shocked by PD Yoo attacking me.

Cheonghyeon hiccupped. He was holding a tissue to his face, eyes red, sniffling. Joowoo fidgeted beside him, looking anywhere but at me.

Kiyeon’s fingers twisted together like he was trying to squeeze some courage out of himself. “It’s… a video. Someone posted a video. About… you.”

‘huh…a video? Was there a camera recording the fight?’

I racked my brain trying to figure out if there was a CCTV which could have capture the fight

‘PD wouldn’t be that stupid...right?’

“What was the video about?”

+

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.

▶ Assistant Kim, You seem to have a habit of attracting attention. Even while hospitalized, you manage to make headlines. Impressive. But this wasn’t part of your KPI, was it?
Let’s call this an “unexpected PR event.” Handle it accordingly. Remember—damage control is still part of your duties.
Failure to maintain internal stability among your group will be recorded as a performance issue.

+

“the video….Someone posted… everything. The… the files, the logs, camera footage… Yoo Hansoo. What he did.”

‘huh?’

What do you mean?

“what….he did?....logs?”

Did… did someone else have my evidence?

“What… are you talking about?” I asked, but my voice came out thin, shaky. “What logs?”

No one answered immediately. Jeho’s gaze dropped to the floor. Kiyeon’s lips pressed tight, his throat bobbed like he was forcing himself not to choke.

And my mind- my mind was already sprinting ahead.

‘I hadn’t given anything yet’

How would someone have evidence? My files had a secure password only I know, my phone… was it my phone? No, my phone only has the chat and audio recordings. How would camera recordings be there?

I felt the IV line pull against my wrist as my hand twitched.“Who…” I started, the words grinding through my teeth.

Who the hell posted it

“Who the posted it?”

Joowoo murmured, barely audible. “Roe_Deer.”

Roe what?

Who the hell-?

And then the words start tumbling over themselves. Evidence. Screenshots. Audio files. CCTV.

No.

No…. it was suppose to be my revenge…The methods of collecting evidence of workplace harassment that I had looked up to report Manager Nam… someone already did that…

Should I be grateful?  Should I be mad?

“….i see…” does that mean I don’t have to give my own evidence?

“show me the video”

I needed to know if it’s the same or not

Jeho’s hand froze mid-tap. His eyes darted to the floor. “…I don’t think you should watch it”

“What?” I frowned. “Why not?”

Cheonghyeon sniffled again, voice cracking. “It’s… it’s too much. Seeing it- it’s not… you’re still recovering. It could make things worse.”

Joowoo nodded, fidgeting. “Yeah… hyung, please. Just… don’t-”

Kiyeon’s hands twisted together, tighter than ever. “we don’t want you to relive it. You’ve been through enough…”

‘Of course they don’t want me to see it. Nobody wants the truth to hurt the one they care about,’

 I thought, but the thought of leaving it unseen made my chest tighten. No. That’s not how this works.

“Stop,” I said, softer than I intended, and yet firm. “I need to see it.”

All five of them looked up, stunned. Seongbin’s eyebrows frowned. “Hyung…”

“I’m sure” I said, fixing my gaze on them, letting the words settle. “I can handle it. I need to. And if I don’t, then every step from here- every choice I make- will be blind.”

A long silence followed. Even the heart monitor seemed quieter, as if it didn’t want to interrupt.

Cheonghyeon wiped his eyes with his sleeve, still trembling. “…Promise you won’t get mad,” he whispered.

‘Promise I won’t get mad? That’s like asking fire not to burn.’

“I’ll try,” I said instead.

Seongbin opened the shared lap top, His index hovered over the touchpad  for a few seconds before he finally pressed play.

“Fine” he muttered, voice breaking slightly. “But don’t say we didn’t warn you.”

He turned the screen toward me.

The hospital lights reflected faintly on the phone’s glass; for a second, all I saw was my reflection-tired, pale, I looked like I was still working at Hanpyeong Industries.

I felt a chill down my spine.

Chapter Text

The video started playing, the younger members left the room to give some space so it was just me and Choi Jeho in the room.

@Roe_D33r

🦌: “I don’t usually speak in first person.

But I need you to understand:

Victim K was never alone.

He kept evidence not because he wanted revenge,

but because it was the only way to survive in a system built to silence him.

I’m not doing this for views, or for your retweets.

I’m doing this because a boy was told ‘no one will believe you,’ and I refused to let that be true.

Believe him.

Protect him.

Hold the ones in power accountable.

And remember: this is only the beginning.This is the evidence that victim K and colleagues submitted but UA didn’t release.

Blurred faces/names for protection.

Decide for yourself if this was ‘mutual fault.’”

‘how does he know that…?’

As the video I got more and more confused on how he would’ve gotten so much footage.

‘I didn’t have a voice recorder so that’s new..’

Hey… how the hell did he get a photo of my shoulder?

‘is it edited? I never took a photo, and it definitely didn’t look that bad’

Honestly this is all so different from what I have.

I would’ve never posted this even if I could.

I swallowed, my throat had been so dry I didn’t notice before.
‘I don’t remember that camera being on… where the hell was it placed?’

Jeho stayed quiet beside me, shoulders tense, staring straight ahead like he didn’t dare look at me.

The voiceover- Roe_Deer again- continued. Calm. Cold. Too sure of itself.
Like it knew what it was doing.

🦌: “These are fragments of the truth. What you see here is not fabrication—it’s documentation. If you are angry, good. You should be.”

The comments were a blur.
Thousands.
Tens of thousands.

‘This can’t be real’ I thought ‘This is too… neat.’

Every cut, every transition- timed perfectly to pull emotion.
No stutter, no raw edges like the actual evidence I had.
This wasn’t some leak. It was a production.

I clenched my jaw.
‘Who the hell are you, Roe_Deer?’

A faint ringing filled my head-

the kind that comes before a migraine, or maybe before something worse.

+

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.

▶ Assistant Kim, you should be grateful for the publicity, bad publicity is still publicity.

Consider this free marketing exposure. Crisis breeds attention; attention breeds profit.

+

‘hey, what the hell is this? Did you do this?’

My eyebrows furrowed at the damned system.

“Hyung?” Jeho’s voice cracked softly. “Should I… turn it off?”

I shook my head, even though my hands felt cold. “No. Keep it on.”

I needed to see it.
Every second of it.
Even if it wasn’t mine.

Because something was wrong.
Someone else was telling my story.
And somehow- they had all the pieces I never gave.

+

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.
▶ Assistant Kim, you should refrain from engaging with counterfeit sources

This display is inefficient, unapproved, and- frankly, unprofessional. You are an employee, not a protagonist.
 Maintain your assigned role, Do not indulge external delusions of heroism.

+

My vision flickered, the air heavy with the kind of silence that made even Jeho’s breath sound too loud.

‘Counterfeit sources?’
My mind tripped over the phrase, looping on itself.

‘Wait…does that mean… it knows Roe_Deer?’

+

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.                                                                               

 ▶ Assistant Kim, this is not your concern. You should stay in your own department,

remember deviation from protocol invites termination of contract.
Clarification: The unauthorized content currently circulating utilizes restricted data formats and classified imagery.
Source origin- unverified. Possibility of external System contamination: 72.4%.

+

‘contamination? What??’                                                                                                                                                                    

A faint whine built in my ears, like static crawling behind my skull.
The words external system burned bright for a moment before dissolving, but I caught it—just barely.

“unauthorized…?” I whispered.

The screen in front of me flickered again, the video pausing mid-frame on an image of my own reflection. My mouth half open, my eyes unfocused.
Like I was being observed from somewhere else entirely.

Jeho’s voice trembled beside me.
“you don’t look so good.”

I blinked. My head hurt- too much light, too much noise-  but I couldn’t look away.

Because for a second…just one second- I thought I saw something moving behind the video’s static.
A shape, pale and almost human, staring back.

+

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.
▶ Assistant Kim, avert your gaze. The more you observe, the more it observes you. This warning is not for interpretation- it is for compliance.
Remember: documentation integrity must be preserved.
+

The ringing grew louder, deepening into a pulse that synced with my heartbeat.
I pressed my hand to my temple, swallowing down the nausea curling up my throat.

Jeho reached for the remote. “I’m turning it off.”

“No,” I croaked.
He froze.

Because right then, the screen glitched again- and for an instant, the logo in the corner changed.
No longer @Roe_D33r.
Just one phrase in small, distorted text:

[UNAUTHORIZED SYSTEM DETECTED]

And beneath it- barely visible-
a single blinking line:

[Hello, Assistant Kim.]

Chapter Text

It all happened so fast

He was just watching the video when he suddenly breathing too fast, his jaw tight- then it stopped.

“Iwol?...hyung?”
No answer.

His shoulders twitched once, twice-
then he slumped forward, the IV line tugging at his wrist.

“Hyung!”
I lunged before he could fall off the bed, catching him by the shoulders.
He was cold. Not the kind of cold from air-conditioning. dead cold.

“Someone get the nurse!” I shouted. My voice cracked halfway through.

The members came in

“w-what happened?”

Kiyeon and Seongbin helped him get propped up on the bed again and took away the laptop from the bed.

Joowoo fumbled with the call button, hands shaking so bad he hit the remote three times before it beeped.
Cheonghyeon just stood there, eyes wide and glassy, his tissue dropping to the floor.

The monitor beeped in steady rhythm, but it sounded wrong.
Too slow. Too faint.

I saw screen behind us had flickered, the video feed cutting to static for half a second.
I swore I saw something flash across it- some text, faint white on black-
but then the door slammed open.

“Step aside!” the nurse ordered, already pushing a tray toward the bed.
Her shoes squeaked on the tile. The smell of antiseptic flooded the room.

We stumbled back huddled near the corner. Kiyeon was breathing too fast, muttering under his breath “This isn’t normal, this isn’t normal-”
Joowoo’s hands were pressed together like he was praying.

Seongbin took both of them out of the room, Cheonghyeon was already out.

Our manger came, “w-what happened?”

“…” No one answered.

“Blood pressure’s low,” the nurse said. “Pulse erratic”

Then the nurse’s flashlight clicked, shining into Iwol’s eyes.
He twitched. His fingers curled weakly against the blanket.

“Kim Iwol? Can you hear me? That’s it, breathe slowly. You fainted.”

Relief hit like a wave, sharp and dizzying.

I stayed still.
Because when I looked at the heart monitor again-
I could’ve sworn there was something standing behind the nurse.

A shape that didn’t belong.
Watching us.

Chapter Text

Everything ached.
Not sharp pain, but the kind that feels too quiet.

Like the air itself was pressing down on me.

There were sounds that were faint and muffled.
“…Iwol? Can you hear me?”
That voice again.

Where…

My eyelids felt like they were stitched shut. When I finally forced them open, the light stabbed through my eyelids; white, sterile, A ceiling… A hospital. The smell of antiseptic hit hard, grounding me and making me want to choke.

Someone moved near me in scrubs with a clipboard, the nurse’s voice turning to someone outside.
“…stabilizing now. Pulse normalizing.”

The words drifted like fog.
My throat felt dry when I spoke “Wh…at happened?”

The nurse looked down, relief flickering. “You fainted, Mr. Kim. You’ve been out for about ten minutes. You’re lucky your members reacted fast.”

Her tone was steady, but her hands weren’t. They shook when she adjusted the IV line.

Fainted. Right.
Except… it didn’t feel like fainting.
It felt like falling through something.

No sound, no air, no light, just… a drop.

I blinked hard. My chest still felt too heavy, like something invisible had been sitting on it.

“Water,” I croaked, and Jeho was already at my side, fumbling with a cup. “You scared the hell out of us” he muttered.

‘…’

“sorry, I’ll try not to worry you next time.”

I couldn’t read what his expression was so I assume he was upset. They all were.

They got upset whether I spoke up or stayed quiet. I could feel my head start to ache.

What I really wanted was for them to move on, clear their minds, and get back to practice. But if I said that, some of them would glare at me and nag me again.

“Okay. Everyone worked hard today, and I’m fine so go back and get some rest. Seongbin, get in touch tomorrow when you’re free. Let’s discuss how we’ll handle the final competition.”

“The final competition?”

Kang Kiyeon asked back.

Their expressions were weird, I told them before that they’ll get wrinkles early!

“Are you seriously planning to have a meeting tomorrow?”

“Should we not? Are we not going to participate?”

“Hyung, the final competition has been postponed for two weeks.”

The postponement of the final competition was unexpected. The finals were crucial in survival programs, especially those broadcast live events.

There was a mountain of work to do, from venue rentals and audience recruitment to expanding the voting system. A two-week delay would mean the production crew would have to redo almost everything from scratch.

“Why?”

“One of the contestants got into an accident- how could they just go ahead with the show? Especially since it wasn’t just any accident, but something that happened during preparations for the IDC performance and caused a big commotion.”

“One of the contestants got into an accident—how could they just go ahead with the show? Especially since it wasn’t just any accident, but something that happened during preparations for the IDC performance and caused a big commotion.”

Choi Jeho clicked his tongue.

Jeong Seongbin pulled out a wet wipe and began gently cleaning my hair.

“A lot of articles came out, and it became a big issue… The situation got a bit out of hand.”

The wet wipe came away sticky with black, congealed blood.

“So for now, don’t think about anything else and get some rest.”

Park Joowoo and the maknaes left the room.

Jeong Seongbin smiled awkwardly, as if trying to hide his anxiety.

This made it seem like…

‘I’m the one making them worry more.’

But what could I do? I couldn’t take back the words I’d already said and the system was already acting weird.

I nodded and told them I understood, then nudged them to head home and rest, saying I wanted to sleep too.

It wasn’t until I watched the guys leave the hospital room with the manager that I finally felt the tension ease a bit.

Still, wasn’t it illegal for five people to gang up on a patient like that? I felt so wronged, I almost cried.

But there was no time for tears. I needed a plan for the final competition.

Originally, there were about three weeks left until the final competition.

Now it had been extended by two weeks.

It was rare for a whole group to drop out of a program because one member got injured. Usually, they just excluded the injured member.

However, this time, the situation was different. Not only was the injury sustained during preparations for the show, but there were internal issues at the agency involved as well.

In this case, UA could pull all of Spark from the program to protect the artists and manage the incident.

Withdrawing right before the finals wouldn’t be an easy decision, but UA was the kind of company that would do it. They always emphasized their artists’ well-being.

The conclusion was clear.

I absolutely had to recover and declare with a nonchalant face, ‘I’m perfectly okay! Let’s charge toward the last IDC performance!’.

Judging by the faces of the Spark members earlier, unless I made a full recovery, they wouldn’t just keep me off the stage- they wouldn’t even let me join the discussions.

But who am I?

I was someone who had never caught so much as the flu and powered through everything with a healthy body.

Besides, I had my trusty workplace support system to rely on.

With that, I should be able to make a quick recovery and return in great shape.

+

Total Fatigue: 65% (Work Support Service applied)

+

…Or maybe not.

Why is it still at 65%?

Does that mean it’s 85% without the service? So, I’m still in danger?

It didn’t feel real.

Just then, someone entered the room. It was a nurse.

“How’s your pain level?”

“It’s fine. Is my injury very serious?”

“No, the surgery went well!”

Then why is my fatigue at 65%?

I’m not even having nosebleeds now. Is this a system error?

“When will I be able to be discharged? I don’t feel any pain, so I’d like to be discharged as soon as the wound heals.”

“Discharged? Oh dear, I guess your guardian hasn’t explained it to you yet. The doctor said you’ll need to stay hospitalized for about eight weeks to monitor your progress. Do you have something urgent coming up?”

Huh?

Hospitalized… for how many weeks?

But… I have a stage to perform on…?

Suddenly, the system’s messages, which had been bothering me recently, came to mind.

+

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.

▶ Assistant Manager Kim, why are you doing things I didn’t tell you to do? Are you so eager to get fired?

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.

▶ Assistant Manager Kim, you’re making things unnecessarily difficult. Why do you keep doing things I told you not to?

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.

▶ Assistant Manager Kim, standing out isn’t always a good thing in society.

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.

▶ Assistant Manager Kim, who will do your work if you die now? Intruders are already trying to get your job, now do you want to die?

+

I stared at that line until it blurred.
“…Die?” I muttered. “What does that even-”

The words caught in my throat.
Because I remembered the drop.
That silent, endless fall from earlier.
The way my body had gone cold before I even hit the floor.

It hadn’t felt like fainting.
It had felt like… crossing over.

A chill crawled down my spine.
“System,” I said quietly, “what are you hiding?”

Nothing. No chime, no prompt. Just the faint beep of the heart monitor.

I leaned back against the pillow. My hands were trembling a little. I tried to pass it off as exhaustion, but the air around me felt wrong like the walls were listening.

If the ‘Superior’ didn’t want me to perform… there had to be a reason.
But since when did the system care about my safety?
It had pushed me through hell before—no rest, no breaks, no complaints.

So why now?

Maybe it wasn’t about me.
Maybe something was waiting for me there, on that stage.

+

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.
▶ Assistant Manager Kim, you are advised to refrain from further participation. The environment has become unstable.
+

I blinked at the screen, a hollow laugh escaping.
“Do not enter the site,” I repeated. “You mean the broadcast hall?”

“how am I suppose get number one if I’m stuck here?”

I didn’t even know how many KPIs I had left to meet, so I couldn’t afford to hesitate.

Only one thing was certain: Ignoring the system’s warnings wouldn’t end well for me. Finding the loopholes.

Why did it have to go this far just to turn me into an idol?

My head was spinning. My thoughts were so tangled they felt like they were about to explode.

‘Damn it.’

Thinking about unsolvable problems drove me crazy. I shut my eyes.

Chapter Text

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Hello, This is Alien_Spark

This is an important announcement,

This series will have around 29 chapter per part so its 58 in total.

This series will be updating daily until November 11.

If a chapter hasn't been released then it will be releasing the next day.

Honestly writing is pretty fun but i wasn't expecting myself to flesh out the story so much!

i really hope everyone reading is enjoying the fic so far, my English is improving so much because of this fic too!! 

I'm really happy how its been turning out and its really fun reading your comments!!

I hope that this fic will be up to your expectations and it doesn't disappoint anyone and also other characters from GSGW will be in the fic too!
If anyone wants a specific character to appear then i'll be more then happy to write them in.

Thats all,

THANK YOU 

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ִ ࣪⚝₊ ⊹˚༄˖°.🪐.ೃ࿔*:･.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ᯓ★.𖥔 ݁ ˖🛸── .✦☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★🛸˙ ✩°˖👽 ⋆｡˚꩜

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Chapter Text

I’m screwed.

I was the one who pushed for us to enter IDC, and now, because of me, we might not even make it to the announcement stage. I have no idea what went through my head.

‘An eight-week recovery period, with total fatigue reaching 95%… Does that mean I almost died?’

Whatever. For now, I should just be grateful that I wasn’t dead.

There would be plenty of time to think later, but the IDC’s finals were just around the corner.  This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and yet the system suddenly wants me to stop.

‘Wasn’t there something else below the industrial accident insurance explanation?’

When the industrial accident insurance explanation first appeared, I was too panicked to read beyond the most obvious words. But thinking back, it felt like there had been more written at the bottom.

I opened the industrial accident insurance explanation again.

+

[SYSTEM] ‘Subordinate’ is notified of ‘Four Major Insurances – Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance.’

▷ During the ‘Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance’ period, ‘Subordinate’ can choose one of the following:

• Pain relief from work-related injury,
• Rapid recovery from work-related injury (varies depending on the severity of the injury).

▷ Insurance benefits are limited to one-time use.

+

The system had said it would take two weeks to recover from the injuries I sustained at the time.

If two weeks was all it took for a head injury, now that I’d had surgery, I should be able to heal in even less time.

‘Since the finals are postponed anyway, I can just say I made a miraculous recovery and go up on stage.’

As I stared at the part about being able to change benefits, a new message appeared.

+

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.

▶ Assistant Kim, you are to cease all physical activity until full compliance with recovery protocol is verified.

▶ Unauthorized exertion will be deemed a violation of contract terms.

+

Iwol frowned at the words on the screen.

“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The screen flickered once, as if insulted.

+

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.

▶ Assistant Kim, are you under the impression this project depends on your convenience?

You were granted compensation, medical intervention, and an opportunity to retain status and yet you insist on defiance.

▶ Gratitude is a professional virtue. Try demonstrating some.

+

Iwol exhaled, glaring at the text in front of him “Gratitude doesn’t win competitions.”

The response came instantly.

 words sharp enough to feel personal.

+

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.

▶ Assistant Kim, You’re going against the rules. I have no choice but to suspend you.

• Subordinate displays resistance to authority.
• Emotional volatility exceeds 63%.

+

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived

▶ Assistant Kim, You misunderstand your position.

Assistant Kim, You are replaceable.

+

Then came another sound.

a faint static, like a sigh caught in the machine.

+

[SYSTEM] Penalty in effect.

▶ Stamina Reduction - 45%.

▶ Recovery delay increased by 72 hours.

▶Restricted access to- Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance.

+

“What—?!”

His breath caught. His pulse felt heavier, like someone had tied invisible weights to his ribs.

Then, 3 seconds later.

The same headache I had experienced hours ago returned with a vengeance.

‘F*ck, with my body this XX up, no wonder those guys worry, XX, XX, XX…’

My head was filled with nothing but curse words. This was the first time I had experienced this since chemical warfare training.

Chapter Text

Even now, almost three days into my hospitalization, I still wasn’t feeling myself.

My head throbbed with unbearable pain, dizziness persisted, and I had to put on a brave face for the occasional visitors, pretending I wasn’t in pain.

This whole charade was driving me insane. Looking back, using pain relief to stop Yoo Hansoo was definitely the right call. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to subdue him, let alone move; I would have been crumpled on the floor.

As I pondered things like, ‘How do people in movies fight so well after getting hit with metal pipes?’ the manager walked into my hospital room.

“How are you feeling?”

“Much better than before”

After the system got mad at me it finally clamed down a few hours ago, my recovery speed was also restored but I still couldn’t access the four major insurance and my KPI task was also divided for some reason.

“I heard you asked the members to bring your laptop?”

With that, the manager handed me a phone, which looked ridiculously small compared to a laptop.

“But they said not to give you a laptop. They said you’d just work if I give it to you.”

“Huh?”

“I figured you would, so I didn’t bring it. But you need a way to contact us if anything happens, so keep this phone.”

I just stared at the phone in my hand, feeling like a raccoon that had just rinsed its cotton candy.

We then discussed who would be responsible for settling the surgery and hospital bills. Apparently, UA had already covered all the hospital expenses. I was also informed that even if I reached a settlement with Yoo Hansoo, I wouldn’t have to give the money to the company.

“The company knew there were issues between you and Producer Yoo, so we’re taking responsibility. We’ll cover all the medical costs, so don’t worry about it. Okay?”

The manager also suggested that I should consider counseling and promised to bring me a list of therapists later.

“And Iwol, I have something to ask. Are you feeling up to talking right now?”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

He pulled a chair over from the cabinet and sat down.

“This might be a sensitive topic. Is that okay?”

“Of course. Please feel free to speak your mind.”

“Um…”

I wondered what could make him hesitate so much, but then an unexpected question came out of his mouth.

“Can I ask how bad things are between you and your parents?”

The fact that he was bringing up my family at this point…

“Is this about the guardian’s consent?”

“Huh?”

It must have been because they tried to contact my guardian during surgery.

Sure enough, the manager avoided my gaze.

I couldn’t contact them directly. The system had placed restrictions on that.

But what if I could communicate through a third party?

“If you managed to contact my parents…”

If there were someone who could access their contact information and reach out on my behalf, I could ask about my sister.

At the very least, I wanted to know where she lived or what she was doing.

“Well, the thing is…”

My manager fell silent.

Not long ago, there was a controversy about my character. Now that my personal information had been leaked, there was no guarantee that word about me hadn’t reached them.

My heart sank. It felt like someone had doused me with ice water.

“They don’t want anything to do with me, do they?”

Guardian signature or whatever else—it didn’t matter. They could refuse to sign; it didn’t matter whether I received surgery or not. Even if they had told the hospital not to bother contacting them despite being listed as my family in the records, I wouldn’t have cared.

But couldn’t they at least give me a chance to talk to them?

My resentment towards the system dissipated. Even without the system, they would have acted the same way.

“Iwol.”

The manager called my name and patted my shoulder.

“In the future… if something comes up involving your family, how would you like the company to handle it?”

It was a kind gesture.

Honestly, I wanted to say I didn’t care. I wanted to tell him to cut ties with them completely and not even bother looking.

‘What’s the point of meeting halfway? Why bother coming near my house?’

‘You said you worked late last night too. Have some decency and buy your noona dinner.’

“It’s okay.”

I suppressed all my emotions and decided to endure.

“If they ever get in touch, please let me know. There’s something I want to say to them.”

For my sister’s sake.

After the manager left, I checked my messages that had piled up,

Countless people had sent me messages asking how I was doing.

I expected it from the Berion members, but even Mr. Polo and Mr. Yur had sent texts expressing their concern and wishing me a speedy recovery.

Wondering why everyone was making such a fuss, I searched for news articles and found the headlines to be quite dramatic. If you just read the articles, you’d think I was at death’s door.

‘With such sensational reporting, of course everyone’s freaking out .’

Following the manager’s approval, I posted a brief update on the group’s official account, letting everyone know I was resting well. Then, I started replying to all the messages I had missed, expressing my gratitude.

Finally, I logged into BubblePop, which I hadn’t been able to access properly for several days.

My inbox was overflowing with messages.

≫ Iwol, are you okay? Don’t push yourself, get plenty of rest ㅠㅠ

≫ Iwol, don’t get sick

≫ I miss you! Rest up, recover quickly, and come back soon!!

≫ Iwol, if anyone bothers you, just wave carrots in both hands and shout my name. This noona will take care of everything

I slowly typed a short message.

Iwol

[You’ve been waiting a long time, haven’t you? I’m sorry for the late reply.]

My rule of sending at least 10 messages a day had been completely broken. Guilt washed over me.

Chapter Text

Despite that, the fans welcomed me warmly.

≫ Kim Iwol, no apologies allowed

≫ What are you sorry for?ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Are you okay?

≫ NO APOLOGIES ALLOWED. REST. EAT. HYUNG. ㅠㅠㅠ

≫ Iwol, noona is on her way to set UA on fire

≫ Yeah, baby, you shouldn’t apologize for things like this

Some frequently used words still left me flustered… but their sincerity mattered more than anything else, so I accepted their kindness gratefully.

‘Assistant Manager Kim, how are you that tall yet always carrying headache meds?’

‘You got heatstroke because there wasn’t any food? Are you doing this on purpose because I turned off the fan on your side, Assistant Manager Kim?’

‘Assistant Manager Kim, I’m losing it because of the staff. Everything’s the flu this and flu that. If everyone’s sick, who’s supposed to work?’

My mind kept overlapping Manager Nam’s face over everything, as if to prevent me from feeling apathetic towards the fans

I was already deeply grateful, so I wished these random thoughts would leave me alone.

 ≫Iwol I’m going to go to that devil’s jail and beat him up<3

Iwol

[was it scary? I promise not to make you scared again]

≫Iwol don’t say that, it must have been terrifying for you

≫DON’T PROMISE THAT?? HOW WOULD YOU EVEN- STAY HOME YOU MENACE.

≫ I saw the news… please don’t text back if you need to sleep. We’ll be here when you wake.

≫I’m driving to UA right now. Don’t fight me, just rest. I’ll exorcise the building

≫You’re typing too fast for someone who “needs rest.” Get off the phone.

≫ Please drink warm water and take cheongsimhwan if you feel dizzy!

≫ We’ll bring you jjajang noodles and a thermos. Tell us your fav dipping sauce.

≫ You’re not alone, okay? Everyone’s waiting for your next smile, not an apology.

Iwol
[You guys are too much ㅋㅋㅋ Please don’t fight my company.]
[And I’m okay. I just… scared you, huh]

≫ “I’m okay” HE SAYS FROM THE HOSPITAL BED (╥‸╥)

≫The way you’re apologizing makes me want to shake you gently by the shoulders

≫You blink twice in that video and I knew you weren’t fine. My instincts never fail.

≫ “Don’t fight my company” bro we already printed the torches

≫Did you eat?? Answer properly this time. Don’t you dare lie.

Iwol

[I ate. It wasn’t jjajang noodles though]

≫WHAT DO YOU MEAN “WASN’T JJAJANG NOODLES” WHAT WAS IT THEN

≫ He’s alive enough to tease us, everyone stand down (for now).

≫ If you ate something cold, I’m filing a complaint with your stomach.

≫ You’re laughing, right? Please tell us you’re laughing.

Iwol
[Maybe a little]

≫ HE SAID MAYBE

≫ Ok everyone, operation “make him laugh more” go go go

≫ That’s IT I’m bringing a clown costume to the fansign next time.

≫why did the ghost go to the party? because he had no body to go with

≫please god no

≫ …unfollowed. reported.

≫ why do cows wear bells? because their horns don’t work

≫ARREST THEM.

Iwol choked out a small laugh before typing

Iwol
[You’re all terrible at this.]

≫TERRIBLE BUT EFFECTIVE

≫we made him laugh, mission accomplished team

≫STOP MAKING HIM LAUGH HE HAS STITCHES

≫laughter is medicine

≫not for head wounds, genius

≫ What if the nurse gets mad?

≫tell her we’re his emotional support fandom

≫ask if she wants to join the fanclub

≫Nurse-nim, we’re trying to heal him with memes please cooperate

≫ someone please photoshop Iwol’s nurse into the group banner

He covered his mouth to stifle another laugh, shoulders shaking slightly.

Iwol
[Okay okay, stop- my face hurts.]
[Thank you, though.]
[For real.]

≫ he’s smiling AND saying thank you someone hold me 

≫ I’m holding u. through the data waves.

≫ we did it everyone. clown team disbanded with honors.

And so, I chatted excitedly with the fans until I fell asleep, completely oblivious to the ‘BubblePop 999+’ trending topic that appeared a few hours later.

Chapter Text

Perhaps due to the media coverage and the videos about it, the situation was quickly resolved.

First, UA swiftly concluded the internal audit that had been dragging on. They also began a large-scale overhaul of internal regulations.

I heard all this news directly from UA employees. I politely declined, but the CEO and a few other employees insisted on visiting me at the hospital and ended up apologizing.

Their humility went beyond mere formality. I could feel their sincerity, and it caught me off guard.

There were many other follow-up measures as well.

From now on, whenever I needed to move for idol-related activities—such as going to the practice room- the manager would always pick me up (as a side note, the manager received a pay cut due to this incident). UA also decided to compensate members with idea fees whenever they contributed to concept planning or other creative work.

Ultimately, their goal was for us to do nothing except participate in planning and composition meetings. I couldn’t help but wonder how nice it would have been if it had been like this from the beginning, but I decided to think positively, believing that a bright future awaited.

Meanwhile, Yoo Hansoo was making headlines almost daily, alternating between the entertainment and society sections of the news.

In entertainment, he was portrayed as a corrupt power figure who habitually abused idols and industry professionals. In society, he was labeled a criminal who assaulted a young idol. The news was constantly ablaze with his scandal.

Occasionally, there were articles about Yoo Hansoo complaining of severe headaches.

At least I had painkillers, the thought that he couldn’t receive any treatment because he had no visible injuries was strangely satisfying.

This wasn’t the only refreshing news.

Inspired by Newri’s exposé and by Roe_D33r’s video, industry professionals began to report Yoo Hansoo’s misdeeds one by one, even coining the term ‘Yoo Hansoo Gate’.

≫ there are hundreds of pieces of evidence submitted by victim K alone, making it almost impossible for him to avoid a prison sentence right?

└ the video by Roe_D33r was the most important piece.

≫ YHS exposés have climbed up again.

 This bastard, there’s no end to his deed.

    └ What he was doing was f*cking evil…. If he’s deliberately bullying people, those below him couldn’t have endured mentally

         └ Fr. Stealing achievements and verbal abuse, it’s all gaslighting. I wouldn’t have lasted three months and quit right away

≫ I can’t believe that the victims had MULTIPLE  evidence…     

  └ If my boss was an a**hole, I would have reported him too

Amidst this storm, I, the initial whistle blower and the biggest victim…

 “You’re saying there were witnesses to the assault?”

“Yes, my group members.”

“The evidence was handed over to an employee but is now lost, so only photos remain?”

“That’s correct but a video online was also posted with extra evidence..”

…I had the luxury of having police officers in my private hospital room, verifying the facts of the damage.

Since the case had grown so large, they asked for permission to visit the hospital for a faster investigation, and I readily agreed, wanting to avoid dragging it out.

“online?, did you provide the evidence to multiple people?”

“no, I kept all the evidence to myself but somehow someone online had the evidence as well”

“…I see, did you watch the video?”

“…..yes…I’m not sure how- but, what was posted was different from what  I had”

“Do you remember the channel’s name?”

“oh…yes, its Roe_D33r.”

The officer who had grey hair looked intrigued for a split second.

“hm, I see…Were these assaults or threats ongoing?”

“Physical contact, such as hitting my shoulder or head, occurred almost every time, and the threatening remarks worsened after the PD moved departments.”

“The abuse was mainly through phone calls or messengers?”

“Yes. Or he often called me to meeting rooms or the rooftop where there were no CCTVs.”

And I could see the officers’ faces darken every time I spoke.

“There are CCTVs in the meeting rooms and on the way to the emergency exit, right? We’ll have to check those.”

“I recorded all the dates and times in my planner. I documented every movement for work purposes…”

“Oh, you did well.”

The typing sound of the officer recording the conversation grew faster and faster.

After wrapping up my testimony on Yoo Hansoo’s misdeeds, an officer asked:

“This is a procedural question, but if the perpetrator’s side requests a settlement, would you consider it?”

If I were in dire need of medical expenses and couldn’t endure a long legal battle, maybe.

But UA was covering everything—there was no way I’d make such a foolish decision.

“I…”

I was about to phrase my thoughts more politely—’I need to see Yoo Hansoo completely blacklisted from the industry!’—when the hospital room door suddenly burst open. Because I was lying down, I couldn’t see who had entered.

 “Are you Mr. Kim Iwol’s guardian?”

The officer asked, looking towards the source of the sound.

‘There’s no way those people would come now, right?’

I wanted to believe that it was my sister but I know that the system won’t be so clumsy.

The officer looked at my face, then towards the door, back and forth.

Then, the unknown visitor spoke.

“I’m Hansoo’s mother.”

“Cough.”

I choked even though I’d only inhaled air. I covered my mouth, trying to suppress my cough.

“Excuse me, you can’t just come in here like this, Ma’am.”

One of the officers got up and disappeared from my view. It seemed he was trying to escort Yoo Hansoo’s mother out.

This was straight out of a drama. If Kang Kiyeon had popped out from under my bed shouting, ‘Surprise! It was all a hidden camera prank!’ I might have believed it.

The visitor was persistent. She didn’t budge despite being told she couldn’t be here.

“You have to follow procedure and talk, you can’t just barge in like this.”

“I came here to sincerely apologize…”

“That’s only possible if the victim consents to it, Ma’am. And this is a hospital. Can’t you see he’s still a patient? Please leave first.”

“Do you think I’d be doing this if I wasn’t desperate? Don’t you have children, officer?”

As my manager, who had stepped out earlier for the investigation, returned, the woman was ushered out of the room by two strong men.

But that didn’t change much. The commotion continued out in the hallway.

“Does this happen often?”

“More than you’d think…”

“That must be tough…”

The remaining officer and I, both visibly drained, waited for the situation to calm down.

But my expectations were in vain, the commotion refused to subside.

The mother kept lamenting about how Yoo Hansoo was a young man with a bright future and the pride of the family, and how a single impulsive mistake shouldn’t ruin his entire life with a prison sentence.

Damn it, Yoo Hansoo was sure lucky. Even after stabbing someone in the back, he still had family defending him.

Meanwhile I didn’t have anyone to sign as my guardian because they didn’t want to be involved, even though I had a head injury.

Just as my anger started to flare up, I heard my manager’s voice.

“Your son hurt someone so badly the child can’t even sit up, and this is how you act? how can you be this selfish?”

The manager was yelling.

Even without seeing him, I could tell- he was really, really angry. I never thought that he could be so angry for me…

‘He was so calm when I first woke up.’

Perhaps even his calm demeanor back then was for my sake. So that I wouldn’t be shocked right after the accident.

“Um, can I confirm that I don’t want to settle and proceed with the case?”

“Are you sure?”

If it were any other time, I might have let her in the room because I didn’t want to cause trouble for other people in the hospital.

I might have considered listening to her since it was Yoo Hansoo who committed the crime, not his mother. Or perhaps I would have considered settling out of pity for an elderly person who came to apologize on behalf of her son.

But I decided not to sympathize with them anymore.

Because I had people who worry for me for days and take my side.

“Yes. I want to proceed without any leniency.”

Let him deal with the consequences of his actions. Just like the day he stole the data in the meeting room.

And so, my long and bitter relationship with Yoo Hansoo came to an end.

“…Do you happen to know who Roe_D33r is?” The officer with grey hair asked

Huh?

“..no, I’ve heard that they’ve been anonymous for years”

“then do you-“

“Jay. Enough, lets go. The patient needs to rest.”

The officers leave with a nod.

Hm…They have the looks to be idols, white hair, red eyes.. maybe albino. Grey hair, amber eyes…

Chapter Text

Entrants: Lee Jaheon (leader of Field Operations Team Group D), J3 (Facility Security Team Leader), Kwak Jegang (team leader of Ltd. Research Team 1)

• LEE JAHEON-

Role Assigned: Senior Police Officer.

Role Acceptance: Approved

Mission Objective:  Accept and Complete a case.

Escape trigger: completion of mission.

• J3-

Role Assigned: Junior Police Officer.

Role Acceptance: Approved

Mission Objective:  Assist and Complete a case.

Escape trigger: completion of mission.

• KWAK JEGANG-

Role Assigned: XXX

Role Acceptance: Approved (Synchronization: low)

Mission Objective:  XXXX

Escape trigger: Result of XXX XXX

“…Do you happen to know who Roe_D33r is?”

J3 asked the patient.

“Huh?”

“...No,” he said slowly. “I’ve heard that they’ve been anonymous for years.”

J3 nodded, jotting something down. His handwriting hastily writing about the anomaly.

“Then do you-”

“Jay. Enough. The patient needs rest.”

Lee Jaheon spoke before he could finish. His tone was calm but carried the kind of weight that made people listen without argument.

The two of them stood up in sync.

Their movements were ordinary, yet not. Like people who had practiced being ordinary for a long time.

J3 frowned at the Chief of Squad D

Chief Lizard adjusted his tie before speaking again, voice low. “We’ll be in touch once the report’s finalized.”

When he smiled, it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“hey, he mentioned Roe deer. Don’t you want to know where he is?”

J3 felt irritated but knows that he shouldn’t act out.

“…He’ll be fine”

Chief Lizard said with indifference.

The elevator doors opened with a tired hiss. The basement lights flickered on after a second’s delay, like they had to think about it first.

Chief Lizard walked ahead of me, coat buttoned, tie perfect. His posture was so straight it made me want to slouch harder just to balance it out.

We didn’t talk until we reached the main office.

“The case we’re on, Kim Iwol an idol who was attacked mentioned a video by someone called Roe_D33r, it might be Kim Soleum”

He didn’t answer. Just typed.

The monitors came alive, rows of grey-blue screens with data flowing like rain.

We started digging.

Because of the victim’s evidence it wasn’t so hard to figure out much and..

There it was.

A channel on the internet name Roe_D33r.

Except. It wasn’t him. It looked like nothing like him.

“…Decide for yourself if this was ‘mutual fault.’”

His voice was assisted by mechanical voice, he sounded human yet so uncanny.

He wore a deer mask…. A monstrous, creepy version then Kim Soleum’s own.

messenger logs first,” he muttered, leaning forward. The messages scrolled across the screen: YHS berating, Victim K trying to respond politely, the dates blurred.

“…he’s relentless,” J3 said quietly. His low voice didn’t rise above a whisper, but the tension in it made Chief glance at him. The kind of tension you get when you’ve seen someone abused in a way you know you couldn’t stop.

Chief Jaheon didn’t flinch. He didn’t even glance up from the second monitor. “It’s typical power abuse,” he said calmly, tapping the desk. “Look at the pattern. He escalates whenever K shows competence. Everything else follows.”

“…And the messages. The cursing… the threats…This is all calculated.”

Chief tilted his head, scanning the audio file from the meeting room. Papers slamming, raised voices, the subtle whimper of a junior staff member. J3 flinched at the sound of it. He hadn’t expected to hear someone crying over a monitor, even though the waveform made it just noise on a screen.

“He always does this when he feels threatened,” Chief continued. “Notice the timing. Right after K completed work properly. Every single incident follows the same sequence: confrontation, humiliation, reassignment of blame.”

J3 tapped his finger on the desk. “And the bruises. Photographs. That’s physical.”

“Confirmed” Chief said. He didn’t sound shocked. He rarely did. “K wasn’t protected. Not by the system, not by HR, not by anyone above him.”

The emergency exit audio played next. J3’s eyes narrowed. “…Listen to the tone. He’s threatening. Subtle, but there. Like a predator teaching fear.”

Chief nodded slightly. “He’s testing compliance. Making sure the subordinate internalizes inferiority.”

The photo of the shoulder contusion appeared. “He’s hurting him, and it’s not just small.That’s serious.”

“Take notes,” Chief said. “Every timestamp, every file. They will all matter if this goes to court.”

The witness testimony came next, voice distorted but words clear. J3 leaned back in his chair. “…So everyone saw it, and no one spoke up… this was deliberate. Systematic.”

Chief let out a quiet hum, more like a thought than a sound. “Yes. That’s the pattern of abuse. Look here- stolen work. K’s concept drafts used by YHS, credited to him in final broadcasts. Professional theft on top of harassment. And the CCTV… just before the assault. We have everything we need to show intent.”

J3’s hand slightly tightly on the mouse. “…He approached with an object in his hand. The kid-  I mean, the victim could have died.”

Chief Jaheon’s eyes remained steady on the monitor. “That’s why this case needs methodical handling. Not emotional reaction. We catalog everything. Cross-reference every file, every timestamp, every witness. The evidence is damning if we maintain order.”

J3 let out a breath, “This darkness… its lengthy”

Chief finally looked at him. His expression was unreadable, but his voice carried a faint note of gravity. “Yes. But currently we have to ensure the evidence survives and the truth reaches judgment. Emotion won’t fix this. Process will.”

J3 nodded slowly. The monitor light reflected in his eyes red from hours of staring. “…I just can’t believe someone would—”

Chief waved him to focus. “…Focus on cataloging. That’s what counts. Leave disbelief for later. Right now, K needs justice, not our feelings.”

They went through each piece of evidence in near silence after that. Each clip, each message, each photo: meticulously documented.

Even J3, who normally slouched through reports and just do what was told in manuals, felt the cold weight of the files pressing against him like a physical presence. And Chief… Chief remained steady, unflinching, a calm anchor amidst the horror.

By the time they finished, hours had passed. Their eyes were tired, their shoulders stiff, but the truth was laid bare on the monitors. And somewhere, in the shadows of the evidence, the name Roe_D33r kept flickering a small detail that didn’t fit yet, but would need following up.

J3 leaned back and muttered, “…We’ll find him.”

Chief Jaheon didn’t respond. He didn’t need to. His hands returned to typing notes, eyes scanning every file again. Focused. Precise.

And that was enough.

Chapter Text

While UA and I were putting out fires offline, a lot was happening online.

Seeing ‘Apology_final.jpg’ from UA made me grab the back of my neck in frustration, but at least they uploaded a revised statement. That was a relief.

Spark received praise and went viral for showing a good performance despite experiencing such internal company issues.

≫ It’s amazing the kids still pulled this off when the company is a mess

    └ Teams whose stages were worse than Spark’s should honestly reflect on themselves

       └ But the fact that there weren’t many teams with better stages than Spark’s… (no comment)

≫ Conversely, doesn’t that mean they can do this well even with just the members

Will they start their own company later? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

      └  Day 1 of supporting Spark Entertainment to be founded

Spark is this generation’s miracle from a half-assed company

         └ UA isn’t that badㅋㅋ

             └ From now on, UA joins the ranks of of the half-assed company

          └ Look at how they’re running things. How could anyone not call them half-assed?

≫UA isn’t even half-assed, it’s quarter-assed.

The biggest beneficiary of this was me.

Following the broadcast of the position competition, public sympathy for me grew like never before.

≫ Watching the last episode just confirmed it for me,

Our baby really has low self-esteem.

It broke me when he asked if Br’s MY wished to be teamed up with someone else instead

But, come on, look at how Iwol took on all the difficult parts (not trying to diss MY, will ignore any nonsense). Iwol was a UA trainee for a reason… even if their form is a bit outdated, they’re a ballad powerhouse…

He’s only a bit clumsy at dancing, his singing is at the level of other groups’ main vocals, and it’s only natural that he’s not good at dancing considering his short training period

On top of that, he’s been working, planning, monitoring, and getting chewed out this whole time. That’s just too much…

From today on, if anyone calls Iwol a klutz, I’ll kill them all, for real

└ Spark’s main vocal line might be insane, but Iwol’s vocals are solid too. A lot of times when I thought, ‘Oh, this part’s nice’, it turned out to be him.

   └ If Iwol was debuted in a different group he could’ve been shining

     └ I’m confused if your pitying him or bashing the group

        └ I’m just saying that he’s gold in a bunch of diamonds

     └ He’s perfect shut your mouth

               ….(load more)

≫ Not to be dramatic but Iwol’s voice could heal the ozone layer.

≫ I always knew Iwol was too soft-spoken to survive this industry…
But seeing him still smiling through that whole mess? I’m in tears.
     └ If my baby even breathes wrong, I’m suing UA.
≫ The moment he said, “It’s okay, I’ll try again,” I felt my heart break. Protect him at all costs.
     └ The way he flinched when the producer raised his voice will find that man.

≫When the other kids said Iwol was always in the practice room, I only thought it was admirable, but the fact that it was all because of gaslighting… F*ck… I’m so mad I could cry

≫ All the bastards who trash-talked Kim Pep and called him a klutz, bow your heads

Especially that fandom ^^anti-fans^^^malicious commenters^^^^ who were laughing together back then

Did it feel good to bash my kid to boost your oppas?

Isn’t it amazing that a kid who was living 48 hours a day by dividing 24 hours into pieces did this well?

Now that everything’s exposed, y’all suddenly have nothing to say? Hilarious.^_^

Yeah, just keep your mouths shut. If I see one more person dragging my boy, I swear I’ll really kill you all

└ Kill them 2222222

  └ Kill them 33333333333333

└ Like singer, like fan; Is their social skills completely gone?

      └ This comment above came at the wrong person first and is pretending to have great social skillsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Touch some grass, idiotㅠ

     └ If you have social manners you wouldn’t comment

         └ Hey can you stand a little closer to the window I’m trying to aim

            ….(load more)

≫ I’ve been dying of frustration with all the hate posts, malicious commenters, and trolls

I was about to lose my mind over all the baseless hate and trolls

Y’all don’t know a damn thing. No one saw what he was going through behind the scenes, yet you judged him based on what little you did see

Iwol, from now on, just look at pretty things with those pretty eyes of yours.

     └ Iwol, don’t look at those things, just ignore it

≫ Iwol, if you keep this up, you’re only going to end up as the ultimate idol

People keep babying you, telling you you’re beautiful, and now you probably think the whole world is at your feet

Well, you’re right. Everything you say is correct, and everything is yours

Just keep living exactly how you want, okay? Love you to death

└ Love youuuuu

└ Love you, love you, love you

└ Love you, Iwol!!!!!!!!!!

└ Love Spark ㅜㅠㅜㅠㅜㅠㅜㅜㅠㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅠㅜㅠㅠㅠ

└ Love you♡

└ Spark, walk only on flower paths♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Somehow, I had become the resilient idol who endured gaslighting and harsh criticism while still doing his job diligently.

My fingers almost caught fire from posting on Bubble Pop, ‘Everyone, I’m really okay and I had fun working! Now the company said they’ll help me a lot! Don’t worry! And thank you so much for all the compliments!’

Meanwhile, the witch hunt for Yoo Hansoo began. There were also efforts so completely destroy Yoo Hansoo, who had been on the verge of getting kicked out of the industry.

Someone had dug up every single post from Yoo Hansoo’s social media. Not that it was really ‘digging’—his accounts were all public.

≫ So, what exactly is producing?

To my beloved hubae’s question, I…

After much contemplation, I answered like this:

.

Isn’t it the creation of life?

The creation of life?

.

My hubae doesn’t understand yet

The true meaning of my words

How sublime the value of this profession is

How much effort a producer must make…

To give birth to a single life

.

.

Every day,

I create a world

A world that must be destroyed

for the one being born

Thinking of Demian

≫ Did you see XXX’s SNS post, the pretentious text?

What a pretentious, cringeworthy mess. Seriously, he seems like a total socially inept freak;;;

     └ Oh, look at him trying to be Demian or whatever ㅋㅋ Did he even read it

≫ I’m going to puke at this cringeness

 Even when you’re drunk I don’t think someone could post this abomination

≫ Ugh, everything that surfaces is disgusting

Seriously, there’s no end in sight, it keeps coming out.

≫ Ugh, crazy bastard

Doesn’t even know his place… I guess he did that kind of thing because he didn’t know any better

≫ Embarrassing. Not even a lick of dignity in this man’s mind

≫Fuckk I’m getting goosebumps looking at his photos

Its not even funny, just disgustingly cringe

≫ He posted “creation of life” like he’s Frankenstein with Wi-Fi.

Even journalists got involved:

“The Idol Who Survived His Producer”
Subhead: Inside UA Entertainment’s internal implosion — and the boy who came out shining.

“Sources claim Kim Iwol’s work ethic inspired even senior trainees.
Staff recall him staying behind to help clean practice rooms after everyone left.
‘He never complained,’ one said. ‘Even when his condition looked terrible.’”

It was flattering, but also terrifying. rewriting my story into something unrecognizable.

 People started treating my story like a tragedy grander than it ever was- as if I’d barely crawled out alive

≫ I can’t stop thinking about him staying up late alone in the dark practice room TT
≫ Imagine him crying quietly but still practicing the same verse again and again
└ Stoppp I’m actually sobbing.

Then came the fan edits:

• “10 Hours of Kim Iwol Smiling Through Pain (looped)”
• “How He Still Bowed Even When He Was Breaking Inside”
• “The Idol Who Deserved Better [full version | 1080p]”

All I’d done was show up, work, and try not to collapse.
Now, I was a symbol.

And amid all that chaos — someone posted this:

@sparkfansubs
 “No one sees what he carries alone.”
This line from Iwol’s trainee vlog hits different now…

It got 400K retweets.

As a result, Yoo Hansoo’s melancholic photos and embarrassing self-absorbed writings spread nationwide and my sob story turning into a horror survivor story in a span of hours…

Ultimately, he became someone who couldn’t even lift his head in public. His trial was still ongoing, but prison time seemed inevitable. Once he got out, he’d probably be better off bulk-buying masks for his own safety.

Suddenly, I was the humble idol who endured gaslighting and hardship yet never broke character. People began filling in blanks that weren’t there, turning small wounds into scars deep enough to drown in.

 The story would just get more twisted if I tried to stop anything since it had already reached such a large amount of people it would be impossible to convince them.

‘So now I don’t have a boss… right?’

Yoo Hansoo was out, they said they’d arrange the team separately.

The members only needed to give their opinions when they wanted to, so it was practically the same as not having a boss above me!

Finally, after more than 10 years of office work life.

I had a workplace without a boss.

My heart pounded with excitement. That night, I fell asleep feeling completely at peace.

Chapter Text

After the police investigation, the system lifted the penalty and allowed me to use the watered down version of the insurance policy. my body started to recover at an incredible pace. Getting rid of my pent-up stress definitely played a part.

On the other hand, the pain didn’t decrease as much. Since my body was healing well, my prescribed painkillers were reduced, but the pain remained the same. I had no choice but to bite my lip and endure it. At this point, I wasn’t sure what the right choice was anymore.

Then, two people who looked just as miserable as I felt showed up in my hospital room.

“Are you guys sick too?” I asked them worried

“It’s from working too much…”

Lee Cheonghyeon grumbled as he took out his laptop. Today’s hospital visitors were Jeong Seongbin and Lee Cheonghyeon, and the reason for their visit was an ‘urgent meeting request for the final competition’.

“You said we were going to discuss the final competition, but none of the dance-line guys came?”

“They’re basically zombies right now.”

“They look like walking corpses.”

According to Jeong Seongbin, Choi Jeho and Kang Kiyeon were apparently refining, discarding, and revising their movements and choreography dozens of times a day.

“They even dragged Joowoo hyung into running simulations with them.”

Lee Cheonghyeon chuckled. He looked a little unhinged.

“Anyway, this is choreography plan number 1.”

“Number 1?”

“There are three versions. We weren’t sure what would be comfortable for you, hyung, so we recorded them all.”

Lee Cheonghyeon played the video. At the same time, Jeong Seongbin handed me a piece of paper. It was a blueprint of the IDC live broadcast stage set.

“The areas marked in red in the video are the main stage, and the areas taped in blue are the side stages. Please use it as a reference.”

“Got it, thanks.”

Everyone’s preparedness had improved significantly. Thanks to them, I didn’t have any particular questions while watching the video.

“…So you’re leaving me alone on the side stage?” I asked, watching the markers move across the map.

“You don’t like it? Then take the lift to the main stage.”

I grimaced. I don’t want that either! “I’d rather hide in the smoke machine.”

They didn’t laugh- which was fair. I couldn’t blame them for worrying.

I wouldn’t mind popping in and out quickly, but I don’t want to stand out alone!

Why should I be the one getting a solo shot while leaving you guys in the background?

“Can’t I just dance? I’ll stay as far back as possible so I don’t stand out.”

“Are you serious? How can you dance right now, hyung?”

“I can. I’m recovering really fast.” I can prove it by doing jumping jacks if you don’t believe me!

“How are we supposed to believe that?”

“If you don’t believe me, come by during the doctor’s rounds tomorrow.”

While Lee Cheonghyeon and I were bickering, Jeong Seongbin replayed one of the choreography drafts.

Then, he turned the laptop screen back towards me and said,

“The doctor also said it’s okay, and if your recovery speed continues like this, we might be able to change the choreography for the third verse and perform together. What do you think?”

“Honestly, it’d be perfect if you could join from the dance break. Hyung, get better fast.”

“If I could control that, would I be an idol? I’d have opened a natural healing research lab by now.”

The meeting continued for quite some time after that. By the time we finished our discussions, all three of us were completely drained.

“Oh, hyung. Does this TV work?”

Lee Cheonghyeon, sprawled out on the chair, asked, pointing to the large TV Infront of me.

“I don’t know, I’ve never turned it on. Why?”

“If it does, I was going to unplug it before leaving. Otherwise, you’ll stay up watching IDC live, won’t you?”

“You don’t think I’ll just watch it on my phone?”

“I know you’ll watch the broadcast on the TV and follow the real-time chat on your phone.”

This guy knew way too much about me.

“If they postponed the final competition, shouldn’t this week or next week be a rerun episode?”

“They increased the training camp footage. They said they’ll air something like a recap the week before the live broadcast. So I don’t think there will be reruns.”

Jeong Seongbin kindly explained. It seemed everyone but me had been busy.

I was relieved that the broadcast wasn’t canceled, but I felt a little guilty.

“The show airs late at night anyway, so just sleep while you’re hospitalized. Don’t get all excited about having a private room and stay up watching live. We’ll handle the monitoring.”

“Didn’t I ban you guys from monitoring?”

“Ah, then tell Jeho hyung to watch it!”

Lee Cheonghyeon snapped. That guy was… not the type to get mentally affected by monitoring. Fair point.

“Fine, I’ll rest well, so you guys better take care of your skin. If I get discharged and see blemishes on your faces, you won’t be able to leave the dermatologist’s office for four hours that day.”

Cheonghyeon waved a hand. “Empty threat.”

We’d see about that.

For the past few days, Baek Haewon had been in a state of utter distress.

The unprecedented situation had thrown the entire idol fandom into peak chaos.

Naturally, Baek Haewon’s timeline, filled with Spark-related content, was no exception.

≫ A company has a duty to protect its artists.

The Spark fandom demands a responsible explanation and follow-up measures from UA.

#UA_Protect_Your_Artists

#Idols_Have_The_Right_To_Be_Protected

#UA_Get_Your_Act_Together

≫ I saw our baby trending while I was working and it was like a bolt from the blue…

I only want to see good news, why do things like this keep happening?

Thankfully, news quickly spread that Kim Iwol was recovering well. And as if to prove it, he frequently visited the fan café and messaging app- sending over 999 messages in the process.

Baek Haewon, for one, felt like storming into UA and throwing eggs at them.

Yet, aside from his initial reassurance that he was okay, Kim Iwol never once brought up the incident himself.

While the fandom was in an uproar, Baek Haewon and fellow long-time fans realized something.

Ah, he’s doing this to keep us from getting worried…

It was a decision as wise as his good looks. Thanks to that, so many Sparklers also refrained from deliberately bringing up Kim Iwol’s injury.

Iwol

[Are you watching IDC today?]

[I’m going to watch it!]

[Could you keep it a secret from the members? Cheonghyeon threatened to unplug the TV.]

Even today, Kim Iwol was talking about the same old topic of watching the program live.

If Iwol wanted them to watch, then what else they could say? They had to watch it!

Baek Haewon turned on IDC, a show that Sparklers couldn’t help but have a love-hate relationship with.

‘If they do evil editing again this week, I’ll kill them…’

It was an incredibly boring show, but she endured episode 1, only to see them edit her boys like absolute trash and film their performance like a low-quality fan cam thrown in a crowd.

It was maddening for Baek Haewon, who had seen Spark’s performance live in the audience.

She had clearly seen with her own two eyes how awesome Spark was, but the broadcast only showed their lower bodies.

≫ How did this stage win first place on-site?

No matter how I look at it, it’s not that good;;;;

     └ If you watch the full stage version, you can tell they actually killed it. The broadcast just screwed them over.

           └ I just watched it and it’s trueㅋㅋㅋ Is it okay for a live broadcast to be this malicious?

No one would ever know how much blood, sweat, and tears Baek Haewon had poured into sharing links to the full-stage version of the performance.

If only the damn IDC production team had edited it properly from the start, none of this would have been necessary!

It seemed they came to their senses from the second stage, but honestly, she was still anxious.

At least it was comforting that this week’s episode featured a peaceful training camp. After all, fans regained their energy from new content.

Last week, the fandom had exploded over Spark’s incredible performance. The thrill of that moment was still vivid.

On the bus, Iwol mostly stared out the window, but the moment they got off, he was busy doting on the younger members and chatting with contestants from other teams. Iwol, you’re really a social butterfly, huh?

It had been obvious for a while. Despite having the shortest training period in Spark, there were plenty of anecdotes about Kim Iwol and the members.

‘When Cheonghyeon ran away, Iwol hyung went to find him.’

‘Seongbin hyung, isn’t it unfair to bring that up now?’

‘Jeho hyung, you spend the most time with Iwol hyung at the gym. What do you talk about?’

‘Why would we talk while working out?’

‘We don’t really cook much at the dorms, but when we do, Iwol hyung usually takes the lead.’

‘Everyone, Iwol hyung’s pan-fried meatballs are delicious…!’

‘When did he make meat patties again? And why did he only give them to Joowoo hyung?’

‘I recently changed all my bags because of Iwol hyung. Now I only use backpacks.’

‘Why? Did he say your shoulders were getting uneven?’

‘Yeah. I got scolded for 30 minutes because of one bag.’

‘No wonder all of Kang Kiyeon’s bags looked new.’

There were some trap cards in between, but still!

Considering how friendly and caring he was, it made sense that he had so many people around him.

Even her own brother, who wasn’t particularly close to Kim Iwol, had a good impression of him.  The emotional wounds left from Kim Iwol’s characater controversy felt as if they were finally healing.

But just as Baek Haewon’s heart recovered, it was thrown into turmoil again—because Iwol was now part of the grocery shopping team.

[I saw some gochujang in the cupboard earlier. Let’s just buy ssamjang.]

[The lettuce doesn’t look so good. Should we get the ones next to it?]

[Since there are many people, it would be cheaper to buy in bulk. Let’s get the large one.]

Kim Iwol on screen was just… a mom.

Not the warm and nurturing kind who embraced everyone like a mother figure, but the realistic kind who went grocery shopping and came home with nothing but vegetables.

Even after returning, Kim Iwol was busy. Taking out the drum, arranging the charcoal, and lighting the fire.

At least IDC had finally blessed Spark with decent editing. The boys got plenty of screentime, and it was clear the production team was being considerate of the recent uproar in the fandom.

However, with the Parthe members nowhere to be seen, the sight of only the eldest members of the team handling the drum and torch was both heartwarming and saddening.

Baek Haewon’s complicated feelings melted away as she watched Jeong Seongbin diligently delivering meat and lettuce wraps. The way the younger members waited like baby birds for Iwol to sit down and eat was adorable, too.

Yes, as long as you guys are happy, that’s all that matters. Baek Haewon surrendered to the sight of Spark, who looked genuinely harmonious.

Chapter Text

With the system’s restrictions lifted and Yoo Hansoo gone, UA’s support had significantly expanded.

Feeling guilty for not providing proper support before, UA promised to spare no expense for our final stage performance.

Seizing the opportunity, we hired an entire dance team. Spending company money really was the best thing in the world.

Even though the doctor officially declared me fully recovered, I decided to stick to the plan and join in only from the middle of the performance.

Since I was going to join from the dance break, I learned the dance break choreography separately from the dance instructor, and I ended up watching the guys practice from the side during verses 1 and 2…

‘What?’

I could tell with just a glance.

These guys, their spirit was on a completely different level.

The way their weight shifted, the friction of their shoes, the angles of their fingers, the flow of their waves—everything was perfectly synchronized.

They said they had finished preparations perfectly up to the part where I entered, but they were at a level where they could go on stage right away.

As Jeong Seongbin stopped the music, Kang Kiyeon approached me and said,

“You can come in here, hyung.”

“Can I just not step in?”

“Get in position before I pick you up and place you there myself.”

I trudged over to my spot.

“You learned all the choreography, right?”

“Yeah. But I want to try it at a slower speed first.”

“Okay.”

Kang Kiyeon nodded and returned to his position.

Then, Lee Cheonghyeon, who was next to me, exclaimed,

“Ah, finally, we’re six again!”

Looking ahead, I saw Spark and I were reflected in the large mirror opposite us.

Jeong Seongbin, whose eyes met mine in the mirror, smiled faintly.

They looked so damn good as five members, I couldn’t be the one to ruin that.

For the first time in a while, I felt a sense of responsibility. It wasn’t a bad feeling.

The positive effects weren’t just limited to finances

‘The costume order is finished?’

‘Yes. Once we relayed the concept, the planning and production teams moved quickly.’

With Yoo Hansoo and the production team leader completely removed from their duties, the organization finally began to function smoothly.

As someone who knew all too well how painful it was to have a terrible person in the mix, I was deeply moved.

Now that the process was established, I wouldn’t have to struggle from scratch like before. It was such a relief.

Most of the other preliminary work had been completed while I was in the hospital. Naturally, my late-night overwork disappeared.

Thanks to that, I could now go straight to bed after practice. What a luxurious life.

‘At this point… I should probably take a moment to assess the situation.’

I’d been neglecting to grasp the current situation because of the flurry of events and being busy, but I shouldn’t lose sight of my goal.

Lying on my side to avoid pressing my injury against the pillow, I started retracing the series of events.

First, there was hope of contacting my parents.

Before, I thought the system had completely severed the connection between us, but this incident proved otherwise.

Even if they still didn’t want to be involved with me, the situation could always change.

I prepared questions in advance so I wouldn’t be flustered and could ask what I needed when I finally got in touch with them.

Next, I felt the need to clearly understand the scope of my safety.

At least, based on what I’ve grasped so far…

• Any attempt to alter my future outside of idol-related activities resulted in penalties for breaking confidentiality.
• If I pushed forward with actions that the system warned me against, my well-being was at risk.
• Failing to uphold professional ethics led to penalties.

…I think it could be summarized as such.

This time, I survived thanks to the employment insurances, but there was no guarantee it’d be the same next time.

I had to stay alive to save my sister. I’d have to approach this more carefully in the future.

Thirdly, this was more of a question than information.

It was the question of ‘Why is the system doing this to me?’

Ideally, I should have pondered this question earlier, but I wasn’t great at multitasking. It was only now, with some breathing room, that I could reflect on it.

If asked whether the system was 100% negative, I could definitely say no.

I still couldn’t forgive it for wiping out my academic achievements. But if that was the price for the chance to bring my sister back, then so be it.

And although its methods were very unkind, the system had clearly warned me before Yoo Hansoo attacked me. If it weren’t for the system, I might’ve been on the brink of death.

Then first, was the system entirely on my side?

‘I don’t think so.’

Keeping me alive and constantly making me do things—wasn’t it because the system has a purpose? If I could figure that out, I might be able to utilize the system better.

Second, an intruder appeared in the system or something like that, why did that happen? Who is the intruder?...

One day, I’d form a union and get my revenge on this damn system. Just wait till I hit my final KPI—I’d give the Virtual Career Planet a one-star rating.

Fueled by boiling rage, I finally calmed down after 30 minutes. As my thoughts settled, I became aware of a dull headache I had previously ignored.

‘How the hell does it heal my body but not my nerves?’

Moments like these made me realize how unreal the system truly was.

What was the point of recovering in two weeks if the pain lingered for eight?

Though the pain had dulled compared to when the accident first happened, it was still there, so I wrapped my head in the blanket and curled up.

Then, I heard a rustling sound from the side. I also heard the sound of a blanket being lifted and Choi Jeho stepping onto the floor.

I held my breath until he left the room.

I thought he was just going to the bathroom, but his footsteps passed right by it.

Then I heard the refrigerator open. I could hear him rummaging through the freezer diligently, the clattering sounds reaching the room.

‘Is this bastard having a late-night snack?’

Right before the final episode of the program? At a time when he should be burning fat more diligently than anyone else? As the group’s center, no less?

I considered rushing out and catching him red-handed, but decided against it. I should reprimand him, but my head hurt too much.

Besides, Choi Jeho wasn’t the type to gain weight just from one slip-up. He was even learning acrobatics for the final performance, so he must be burning a lot of calories.

There was no high-calorie food in the dorm either, so even if he sneaked a snack, it would be something like a frozen yogurt stick.

‘Do we even have something edible in our dorm’s fridge?’

Now my imagination ran wild, thinking, ‘That bastard Choi Jeho has been hiding something and secretly eating it whenever he gets a chance, without the members knowing.’

Tomorrow, I’d turn the dorm upside down as soon as the sun rose up.

And I’d raid his secret food stash and make an example out of him…

As I clenched my fists and planned the grand cleaning, he calmly returned to the room.

Then, without even closing the door, he approached my bed.

His hand then grabbed my head, which was under the blanket. He grabbed too close to my injury, and I nearly screamed.

“Ouch…!”

“What, why is your head here?”

Choi Jeho’s voice also rose in surprise. I lifted the blanket and raised my head to see Choi Jeho frowning deeply.

“What are you doing?”

“I was trying to grab your shoulder.”

Judging by his words, it seemed he had reached out randomly in the dark.

“Why are you grabbing someone’s shoulder in the middle of the night?”

“You think I wanted to?”

As soon as he finished speaking, I felt something cold pressed on my face. Choi Jeho was holding out an ice pack wrapped in a towel.

“For me?”

“What’s the point of having it if you don’t use it?”

I kneaded the ice pack without replying.

As I placed the pack near my injury, the pain seemed to subside.

“Nice. Feels cool.”

“Don’t put it directly on your head.”

“I know that much. But why did you…”

“Because you keep tossing and turning.”

Choi Jeho lay back down on his bed. Even after such a considerate act, his back turned to me, just like usual.

Staring at the back of his head, I quietly apologized.

“Sorry. I must’ve kept you up.”

“I’m sleeping now.”

After those words, he was silent for a while, then muttered,

“Wake me up if it gets worse.”

How kind. This ahjussi almost teared up.

As the pain subsided, sleepiness crept in. I closed my eyes and replied,

“Yeah, thanks.”

Even long projects eventually came to an end.

The day of IDC’s finale, after much talk and many incidents, had finally dawned.

Perhaps due to all the hardships they’d endured, everyone had sharp jawlines, not a hint of puffiness. With jawlines like that, they should all put on a paper-cutting-using-jawlines show.

One burdensome thing was that too many eyes were on me.

First of all, my appearance was the reason. After my surgery, the doctors had shaved a small area near the wound for the stitching (The doctor had proudly reassured me that they had minimized the shaving out of consideration for my idol status), and I wore a cap to hide it, which ironically made me stand out amongst the glamorous idols.

‘There’s no way they don’t know why I’m wearing a hat.’

Not only had the incident made entertainment news, but it had even been covered in general news segments and went international because of a certain video, so everyone must have been surprised…

“Mr. Iwol, are you performing on stage today?”

…Even MC Yur looked genuinely shocked, which was unexpected given his typically composed expression.

Mr. Yur even made us, who had come to greet him in the waiting room, sit in a row on the sofa and handed us snacks.

“I’m just going to make a brief appearance and then leave!”

“Are you sure that’s okay? I heard you were seriously injured.”

“I have good resilience.”

Yur advised me to take care of my health no matter how important passion was. He added that we should have a meal together after IDC was over.

Additionally, after receiving greetings from Berion—who had apparently been telling everyone how good of a person I was, to the point where I almost teared up—I returned to the waiting room feeling completely drained.

The only idols I properly knew were Spark. When did I suddenly acquire all these glittering celebrity acquaintances?

“It was tough at the time, but now that it’s ending, I feel kind of sentimental.”

Lee Cheonghyeon said, squeezing into the seat next to me.

“We haven’t even performed yet, how can you be sentimental already?”

“I knew you’d say that, hyung.”

Even though he knew, he still said it anyway… This guy’s gotten bolder.

This was the same guy who once ran away because he was too scared to debut with his own song.

“You’ve changed a lot in less than a year, haven’t you?”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t lost my original mindset!”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Lee Cheonghyeon ran to Jeong Seongbin, his face pale.

He then pestered Jeong Seongbin, asking if his eyes had lost their spark. Anyone watching would think I had been relentlessly nagging him.

Chapter Text

『Some stories become history

On divine beings

Everyone focuses their attention』

Park Joowoo’s gestures had a dreamy quality. 

His movements, flowing from his face and neck down his sleeves, were graceful.

Until now, Spark’s choreography had always been dynamic and bold. No matter where they paused, their angles were razor-sharp, and every member’s enthusiasm stood out vividly on stage.

But this time, their control over intensity was more pronounced. The choreography wasn’t overly aggressive, but all five members moved in perfect harmony—like flowing water.

Their hanboks, seemingly made of a silk-like material, flowed with each movement, even the creases at their waists catching the light in a uniform manner. Director Han didn’t miss that detail.

As the members lowered their stances for the next move, Choi Jeho appeared in the center.

『Footprints left in the snow,

Failures from challenges

Remain unforgettable

Every day, in a long story』

Synchronized with Choi Jeho’s solo dance, Spark gathered in the center and then spread out across the stage. This part made Choi Jeho stand out even more.

And as his part was nearing its end, just as Kang Kiyeon approached him—

Choi Jeho encircled Kang Kiyeon in his arms and covered his lips.

Kang Giyeon grasped Choi Jeho’s hand, lowering it with a smile.

His downward gaze met the camera with an enigmatic look, the corners of his lips lifting in a faintly bitter expression.

『Here, we are

How will we be recorded?

Will my name remain,

Or will it fade away?』

The gentle mood of the first verse became a little firmer as it transitioned to the second.

Lee Cheonghyeon took on this role.

Though he was just like any other boy his age during breaks or in the dorm, Lee Cheonghyeon possessed a unique charisma on stage.

Every member of Spark commanded presence on stage, but the gap was particularly striking with Lee Cheonghyeon.

Lee Cheonghyeon, who had rampaged like a mad dog in the previous performance, now exuded an aura as elegant as a Confucian scholar.

He unfolded a fan, seemingly acquired from somewhere unknown, and gracefully waved it as he performed his part.

And as the second verse came to a close, the moment Lee Cheonghyeon folded the fan with a crisp snap…

“Whoa!”

Gasps of genuine surprise erupted from all around Director Han.

Wet hair, dark gray eyes that seemed coordinated with Park Joowoo’s, and skin that stood out even more because of its exceptionally pale tone.

When the lights dimmed for the bridge, I took my cue.

The others had already built the frame — Jeho’s turn, then Kiyeon, then Cheonghyeon’s fan snapping shut.

That sound cut through everything, clear and clean.

It was my sign to enter.

The stage lights hit me a second late. It didn’t matter.

I smiled anyway.

『Let it be known

To me as well

I have words I want to leave behind』

My voice sounded softer than I remembered.

Not the kind of softness that came from tenderness, but the kind that came from being emptied out.

I could feel the cool dampness sliding down my temple — sweat, water, or something else. It didn’t matter. The spotlight washed everything into silver anyway.

The cheers hit a beat later.

It was strange. When people scream your name, it feels like being lifted but tonight, it felt like the air had weight.

Every inhale pressed down on my ribs.

Still, I had to smile. That was the only thing I knew how to do.

I moved to the back of the formation.

Jeho’s hand brushed mine for a second; a tiny, grounding pressure.

He didn’t look at me, but I could feel it: You’re okay. Keep going.

Right. Keep going.

I’d rehearsed this thousands of times.

Even when I couldn’t stand properly, I’d mouthed the counts in bed.

The body remembers what the mind forgets.

Even when you can’t breathe right, your body knows the shape of duty.

The music swelled.

The backup dancers joined in, silk sleeves fluttering like waves, and for a second I thought I might cry - not from pain, but from the beauty of it.

We were six.

Not five pretending to be fine, not trainees pretending to be idols- six.

It felt like we were declaring, ‘It’s not that we couldn’t be flashy! We just haven’t had the chance!’

Among the backup dancers dressed in hanboks with irregular black patterns on a white background, Spark, in their turquoise hanboks, clearly stood out.

‘Like plants blooming on a snowy mountain.’

A thought befitting a director with an eye for visuals.

Fluid movements, like riding waves, followed one after another with subtle shifts in timing.

Walking among them, Jeong Seongbin began to sing again.

『Write our story

Within it

Let us be together

Like this moment right now』

Most of the stages that had been presented in ‘Idol Dynasty Chronicle’ so far contained themes related to struggle, conquest, and the throne.

It was understandable. The title of the program itself was ‘Idol Dynasty Chronicle’.

And yet, Spark had focused on the journey itself, rather than occupying the throne, as their goal.

And now, they were inscribing the sentiments of their journey.

Is the story of those who failed to become kings unimportant?

Are the untold moments lost forever?

Should the stories of the unrecognized simply be buried and forgotten?

For those who had ever pondered such questions, Spark was providing an answer.

They would remember. Because that was the role of the chronicler.

Seeing it this way, Director Han understood why the producer wanted Spark’s final performance.

The theme of ‘Idol Dynasty Chronicle’ was the growth stories of idols striving to become kings.  The program itself was a record of that growth.

And Spark was voluntarily taking on the role of the chronicler. Could there be a stage that better represented the identity of ‘Idol Dynasty Chronicle’?

‘And it’s not just about ‘Idol Dynasty Chronicle’…’

Having observed countless idol performances that carried deeper messages within their lyrics, Director Han realized—

Spark’s song could be interpreted in multiple ways, depending on the angle.

A figure that commands attention wherever they go.

The observers who never stop watching and recording their every move

The desire to remain together, unbroken, within that narrative.

Doesn’t it remind you of something

‘Ultimately, it’s ‘Idol’ Dynasty Chronicle, isn’t it.’

Spark had crafted an unmissable performance while ensuring their own legacy. It was a clever move—strategic, even.

Moreover, weren’t they saying they would make it history? Their ambition was impressive.

The music gradually intensified, reaching its climax.

『It’s okay to stumble

Even if it’s a failure

I want it captured

So we can look back on it』

『Imprint our hearts

So we can unfold it

After the long night ends』

Director Han focused his camera on the main vocals as they delivered the high notes and ad-libs while facing each other.

There was a common saying in the industry. If a team had two or more main vocals with different timbres, that team would succeed.

By that standard, Spark had the strongest vocals of any group in Idol Dynasty Chronicle.

Even while executing intense choreography, their main vocalists didn’t let a single note waver. Every member carried their part flawlessly. What director wouldn’t be impressed?

The music became richer with the subtle blend of traditional Korean instruments. The balance between the instruments was delicately controlled, reaching a certain point.

Timed with a brief pause, Choi Jeho leaped.

If it went according to rehearsal, it was time for ‘that’

Director Han heightened his focus as much as possible. If it happened exactly as in rehearsal, he might miss it again.

Choi Jeho placed both hands on the stage and performed a cartwheel.

And the moment his feet touched the ground, he used the momentum to jump high.

His finely tailored kwaeja billowed, tracing a perfect arc.

‘Is that a flash kick?’

The angle of his kick in mid-air was artistic. The perfectly circular motion, the masterful jump, and the prolonged hang time. There was nothing to criticize.

Idols nowadays mastered not only singing and dancing but also foreign languages, gaming, and even fine arts. Acrobatic skills were becoming increasingly common.

But the reason Choi Jeho was special was…

‘I don’t know.’

It just be like that sometimes. There were people who drew attention just by standing still.

Choi Jeho was also such a person. Every single movement was breathtakingly perfect, creating the illusion that even his clothes and hair were dancing along.

Even if he didn’t gain popularity now, Choi Jeho was the type who would eventually achieve great success. Director Han had seen many such people gain recognition through viral moments.

And given how well he was starting off, there was little doubt—Choi Jeho’s future was secure.

The soaring vocals subsided as Choi Jeho’s solo dance came to an end.

As the backup dancers gathered in the centre of the stage, turning their backs and bowing their heads, the black markings on the backs of their hanboks formed a single shape.

Spark’s five members had also blended into the black letters.

Choi Jeho’s low voice resonated deeply across the stage floor.

『Now I

Will remain as a trace

And become eternal

For a long time』

Choi Jeho, who had been kneeling, slowly raised his head.

And he turned and walked back to his empty spot.

Finally, the character ‘錄’ (rok, meaning ‘to record’) was completed on the white canvas.

It was a perfect ending.

When Jeho took his leap, I tried to focus on the sound — the familiar rush of air when he spun, the faint thump of landing.

He never missed that cue.

I smiled again, even though my chest felt like it was folding inward.

If I kept smiling, no one would worry.

If I just…

+

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.

▶ Assistant Manager Kim, your recovery clause covers physical function, not residual pain.

 +

My knees hit the stage before I realized I’d fallen.

The music was still playing, the lights still warm, and the audience still screaming.

It felt distant, like listening through a wall of water.

Jeho’s voice reached me, and I wondered why he sounded scared.

I wanted to tell him I was fine. That I just needed a second.

But when I opened my mouth, nothing came out.

I smiled again, even though my chest felt like it was folding inward

Someone shouted my name.

Hands caught my shoulders, steady and firm.

I tried to laugh because collapsing during the finale was ridiculous, because I didn’t want to ruin it  but my body wouldn’t cooperate.

The last thing I saw before the stage lights blurred together was the 5 of them as the song ended.

I thought it was beautiful.

If this was how I’d be remembered, then… maybe that was enough

‘PD Yang must be regretting not saving this for the finale.’

Director Han thought to himself as he adjusted the camera angle to follow where the Spark members would be standing even as the stage went dark.

But sentimentality aside, he still had work to do. There were still interviews, two more performances, and the final ranking announcement.

Just as he was hoping for a smooth broadcast, the stage lights came back on.

As he adjusted the camera angle again to capture Spark’s upper bodies as they gathered for the interview, the walkie-talkie became noisy.

Urgent voices and a chaotic atmosphere.

Murmuring from the audience.

Director Han raised his head to check the stage.

The Spark members, who were gathering at the front of the stage, were running towards Kim Iwol, who had collapsed in the corner.

Instructions to change the angle towards Yur and not to show the audience came in through the walkie-talkie in a flurry.

While a staff member carried Kim Iwol offstage, Yur swiftly took charge, guiding the younger members with practiced ease.

Only then did Director Han recall a fact he had briefly overlooked.

Although makeup had concealed his complexion, Kim Iwol’s hair had been damp with cold sweat from the moment he appeared.

And that he was a patient who had recently suffered an injury that had left him with an eight-week prognosis.