Second Try Idol

Choose what? I wasn’t particularly surprised by the bizarre text floating in front of me. This had to be a dream. If not, then I had to be experiencing some utterly unrealistic situation where nothing would shock me.

More than anything, I felt dazed. My head was filled with countless memories, vivid recollections of a childhood I seemed to have lived, unfamiliar dance moves and songs, a dorm, and a manager. Memories that weren’t mine flooded my mind in an instant.

Come to think of it, I had performed a song with lyrics I didn’t know on the event stage when I first came to my senses. If this was not a dream, what could it be? Why was I having this kind of dream now? It wasn’t a particularly pleasant feeling.

I stood there for a long time as I stared at Hyun-Woo when he walked away. ‘Not that I have anything to say to him, but...’

The Hyun-Woo I knew lived a miserable life because of me. But what was this feeling? Had I suddenly started missing him? Was that why I was dreaming this?

So, as soon as I returned to the dorm, I unconsciously looked for Hyun-Woo. It was only when I saw his wary expression that I realized, ‘I don’t really have anything to say.’

I didn’t understand why he looked at me like that. In my memories, Hyun-Woo had never looked at me with such distrustful eyes.

‘He has never looked at me this way before the accident.’

He never smiled again. Not that he had any reason to.

I finally tore my gaze away from where Hyun-Woo had disappeared and took in my surroundings. I checked out the dorm, rummaged through my phone, and watched the members chatting in the living room from a distance.

"Who wants instant ramen? I’m about to cook some."

"I’m not eating. Ramen at this time? Do you want to get scolded again for having a swollen face tomorrow?"

"Oh, come on, hyung. We don’t get scolded anymore. If you eat it with milk, your face won’t swell. Hyun-Woo is definitely not eating. What about Yoon-Chan?"

"Uh, I’m down. Should I ask Jin-Sung?"

"No. Jin-Sung needs to lose weight."

"Oh, come on, hyung. We should at least ask! He will be upset if we don’t."

If Hyun-Woo had been with Elated, would things have been like this? It felt like I was peeking into faded memories of our trainee days. It had been a while since I had seen such a lively scene. After Hyun-Woo left the company, it was hard to see moments like this.

Watching them made me nostalgic but also weighed heavily on my heart. We could have had these moments too.

As I quietly observed them, my eyes met with young Yoo-Joon.

"Lee Jin-Sung, how do you always come out of your room at the mention of ramen? That’s an amazing skill, kid."

"What?"

Before I could say that I wasn’t planning on eating, Yoo-Joon put me in a headlock and shook me. "You’re going to eat, right?"

"No, I don’t have an appetite."

"...What?" He released the headlock instantly and looked at me in disbelief.

Why was he looking at me like that? In the newly acquired memories, I used to have quite the appetite, but come on, I was just a high schooler back then. Even if I was seriously into food at that age, Yoo-Joon’s reaction seemed over the top. It was clear he was trying to tease me.

"Jin-Sung not eating ramen? Really? You’re kidding!"

"Haha…"

It had been a long time since I had seen this kind of situation. No, it had been a long time since I had even joked around with Yoo-Joon or had a conversation with him. After what happened to Hyun-Woo, things had become awkward between me and Yoo-Joon as well.

Based on my memories, I would have gotten angry and fallen for the joke, but now, I didn’t feel like reacting. I just laughed it off.

"What’s going on? You must be really out of it today. Joo-Han, is he sick? He says he doesn’t want ramen," Yoo-Joon asked Joo-Han seriously. Just then, I heard a voice from behind.

"Leave him be. He might not feel like eating today."

It was Hyun-Woo. My heart immediately sank and a surge of emotions hit me. Even hearing his voice made me feel like I was having a breakdown.

Hyun-Woo walked past me without looking at me and went to chat with the members.

"Thanks, hyung." I quietly thanked him and turned to head to my room.

From what I gathered, Chronos seemed far more successful than Elated. While we struggled to make any significant impact with Pick We Up, they had proudly won it and seemed to be constantly making headlines wherever they went. Just looking at the dorm showed the difference in our circumstances.

We never had such a spacious and nice place. Although we gradually upgraded our dorms as we achieved some results after debuting, we were always in an uncertain position.

‘There is such a big difference with and without Hyun-Woo.’

In truth, Elated could never succeed. We lost our motivation and were dragged along, performing and shooting things passively in the crucial early stages of our debut. After some time, Joo-Han’s song made it to the Billboard charts, and we tried to regain some enthusiasm.

But performing as Elated always felt like a sin, so we disbanded as soon as our contract ended. We felt bad for the fans who stayed with us, but we just couldn’t bear it anymore. After seeing the typical end of a small company idol group and each pursuing our own paths while trying to overcome the gloom of a failed career, we learned that Hyun-Woo had died.

I looked at the Pick We Up winner’s trophy, the posters, and framed photos of the members together one by one. These could have been our daily life. This was the future where Hyun-Woo achieved his dream. If only this were all real… If only this had truly been my life…

I sighed deeply and sat on the bed. I needed to stop being so emotional.

Whether this was a vivid dream or reality, there had to be a reason I ended up in this unfamiliar place. What was certain was that this was a completely different world from where I lived, and I had to make some choices here. I didn’t know what I was supposed to choose, but I would figure it out as I go.

***

"Lee Jin-Sung!"

I woke up to the feeling of someone pressing down on my back. Yoo-Joon was grinning as he nudged me with his foot. "Are you seriously not getting up? Have some shame. You’re waking up later than Hyun-Woo."

"Ugh, what time is it?"

"...Right now?" Yoo-Joon hesitated, looking a bit surprised before awkwardly lowering his foot. "It's almost 1 PM. We have to go shoot Chronos Playtime soon."

"Oh, okay. Got it."

My casual response made Yoo-Joon's face twist into a worried expression as he closed the distance between us. He looked at me anxiously.

"Hey, are you sure you’re okay? Is something wrong?"

"What?"

"Usually, you’d jump up and yell, 'Ah! Hyung, your feet stink!' But now..."

"Oh, haha."

I realized my reaction had been unusual. Shaking my head, I got up from bed. Young Yoo-Joon was genuinely concerned as he kept pestering me with questions.

Once again, it was Hyun-Woo who saved me from Yoo-Joon's incessant worries. "Leave him be. He’s going through a phase. It’s the Jin-Wook syndrome."

"What the heck is that?" Yoo-Joon backed off from me and turned to Hyun-Woo.

"He idolizes Kim Jin-Wook, so he’s trying to imitate him. Let it go. It's just a phase."

...Kim Jin-Wook, huh? He must be talking about Chilltwo.

Though I didn’t love the excuse, I couldn't deny that this harmonious atmosphere was nice. No, it was wonderful. Even though it felt like a scene from a long-forgotten past, it made me incredibly happy as if I had traveled back in time.

I knew this was a dream, but I wanted to savor it for as long as possible. Watching Yoo-Joon joke around, Hyun-Woo supervising with a smile, Joo-Han taking a break from work, and Yoon-Chan feeling at ease was just… Perfect.

If only this could be my real life.

[Choose.]

Suddenly, the text window I had seen yesterday popped into my head. Choose.

If choosing meant deciding how my life would go from here, if I had to choose between continuing to live as the seventeen-year-old Chronos’ Lee Jin-Sung or returning to my original self, what would I choose?

The thought of making that choice flashed before me again as the text reappeared.

[Second Condition: Choose]

- You cannot advance until you complete the requirement.

‘What does this even mean? And what is the Second Condition? Does that mean I’ve already fulfilled a First Condition without realizing it?’

The text began to fade slowly before a clear ding sounded. Another message was brought into view.

※ [Notification] Would you like to review the previously deferred choices?

- Caution! Choose within twenty-four hours of viewing! If you have not made your choice by then, everything will be reverted to how it used to be.

- Caution! You are now accessing your lost memories.

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