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Chapter 353

"Go ahead."

"....."

Park MoonDae, who was wearing a black hoodie, staggered slightly towards the front door. Kongie whined and fluttered around him.

Only the dog's whine echoed in the spacious, quiet apartment.

"Kongie, pick up your paw."

CheongRyu was already trying to lift his dog, who was getting ready to 'finish the walk...'

'Hum.'

He deliberately asked his companion.

"Can you help me?"

"....."

Park MoonDae silently cleaned Kong's four paws, packed his food and finally accepted the dog by putting his head on his legs.

'He can't come back to his senses.'

When he thought he had crossed the line, he didn't get the reaction he was used to seeing.

CheongRyu put a hot drink on the opposite side and spoke casually.

"Did you fail?"

"....."

The hooded head looked up.

No particular reaction.

'It seems so.'

It would depend on what kind of failure it was, but it wouldn't be labor.

'If it was labor, there's no way he wouldn't know about it.'

He didn't miss any of his competitor's moves.

He didn't know that he would get information faster from Park MoonDae compared to his poor company realizing that he had a problem...

CheongRyu looked at the competitor who was still wearing a mask and then continued.

"You said you had something to say. Do so. I'll listen to you."

"....."

Park MoonDae looked at the dog and spoke quietly without any difficulty.

"You said you explained the situation to someone else."

"That's right."

Oh, did he fail to do that?

Park MoonDae seems to have told someone about his situation again.

Park MoonDae had initially told someone who was apparently the same age, so it is very likely that the other person was also the same age. Relationship pressure usually works that way.

He could have told him "I told you I didn't recommend it," but he refrained from doing so.

He didn't have to, but he seemed to know better.

"Excuse...I heard you had an excuse to use."

"Yes."

He looked at him wondering if he was just asking for information, not a deal or a threat, but his hoobae didn't seem to be in a position to make such calculations at the moment.

Something that is really unusual.

CheongRyu confirmed that the reason Park MoonDae did not hold the teacup in front of him was because his hands were shaking.

The fabric on the sleeves of his sweatshirt was billowing up and down.

"....."

He was in a state of crisis where only a surface remained that could barely withstand the heavy impact of his broken interior.

CheongRyu found traces of his former 'self' in that unfamiliar appearance.

Just as it happened several times in the past with Park MoonDae.

So he opened his mouth silently.

"First, I created a story similar to mine. I found references in best-selling novels or movies with a decent reputation."

CheongRyu found and organized appropriate examples by year.

I was not to tell in advance what would be released in the future, even by mistake.

"I said that first in an interview. Focusing on the keywords."

"....."

"I said I was attracted to the concept. As a double clue."

Then, the member who heard his secret just took it as a joke or excessive dipping after talking about it.

TL/N: '복선' is 'double clue 'or 'double plot.' When CheongRyu told MoonDae the made-up story of the ghost of an idol in the entertainment program they appeared in together, it was a story that mixed fiction with his real story, thus giving clues that MoonDae did understand and suspected that he was also a regressor. Unfortunately, that didn't work with the person he wished he understood in one of his past lives.

It is similar to getting drunk and ending a relationship in public.

"It's a way to neutralize the other person's words. It's effective. Should I say it's like getting a shot?"

However, no words came out of the mouth of the young man who was covering it with a mask.

CheongRyu more or less guessed.

'He doesn't like it.'

Park MoonDae was sometimes very weak emotionally. Well, that's normal, after all he's only been back in time once.

CheongRyu offered another alternative even though he personally didn't like it.

"You don't like it? Then just tell the other person directly that you made a mistake because the current activities you have are difficult for you."

"...!"

"'It was a fantasy I made up as a joke at first, but I think I really came to believe it myself...' How about saying that?"

Park MoonDae raised his head.

That method focuses entirely on making the opponent feel confident, so in fact, CheongRyu himself has rarely used it except for the first few times.

'The problem is in efficiency and variables.'

Although it was a disingenuous method, what bothered him the most was that it was a sudden action.

However, it seemed to sound like an appropriate way for Park MoonDae.

Well, if he cared so much, then he would have never thought that he would have to say something insincere.

CheongRyu kindly added an explanation.

"Then, he will believe you even if he sees a small gap. It's not so different from the expected answer you thought, but it's positive."

TL/N: 'Seeing a small gap' means 'seeing something that is not perfect,' i.e. an argument that has some error or feels strange. CheongRyu clarifies that in the end he will believe the excuse that it was all fake, he won't believe that his initial confession was real, but at least they will get back to having a good relationship again, just like before his confession.

CheongRyu finished speaking slowly, watching Kong approach Park MoonDae and give him the paw, although he didn't call him.

"Those kinds of people don't change their mind if they have already come to a conclusion."

And he laughed.

"You don't like to be the person who is wrong, do you?"

"....."

"Give him the answer he wants to hear. Then it will work out."

In front of CheongRyu, the drink that Park MoonDae hadn't touched yet was steaming.

And Park MoonDae, who finally looked him in the eyes...

He was sure.

"No."

Of that.

* * *

My head feels like mud.

Thanks to this, at dawn, I sat in someone else's apartment, which had the same structure as TeSTAR's apartment. I know it's not even funny.

I don't know what to do, but even though it's complicated and my head feels like a worm hole, there is something that does work.

Denial.

"No."

CheongRyu, sitting across from me, tilted his head to the side.

I came back to my senses as if cold water had been poured into the mud on my head.

"Hmm?"

"He...is not that kind of person."

That could definitely be refuted.

'Seon AhHyun is a person who admits that he is wrong.'

To the point of judging himself harshly.

He has lived like this all this time. He is still aware of his traumas and flaws.

[Status abnormality: Lack of self-esteem]

By having that status anomaly, he continues to find and admit faults and points to correct in itself.

Excessively.

And he tries to overcome them.

[Attribute: Tenacity]

His characteristics seemed to reflect that.

A determination to overcome and try to come out on top with all his might...To make a good judgment.

'He's not the kind of person who can be easily convinced when I tell him what he wants to hear.'

On the contrary, because of that the problem arose.

What Seon AhHyun exclaimed...I remember it well.

"I-I'm sorry...I-I don't believe you...I-I can't help you..."

"He wanted to believe it."

"I guess he did."

"But he thought it was right not to believe it."

"....."

"He didn't come to a conclusion he was comfortable with, he felt uncomfortable as he tried to find an answer and this happened."

As...he couldn't explain it correctly, he mistook mental illness as the answer.

'...In fact, my record was splendid.'

I smiled bitterly as I remembered everything I did in the past, from having seizures to falling into alcoholism.

...I don't know why I thought Seon AhHyun would believe me.

"Then...I don't intend to use that method. It won't work. It will be the opposite."

Seon AhHyun may reflect back on the words I say to him and realize that it was an adequate excuse.

If that were to happen, there would really be no turning back now.

"Really? Okay."

CheongRyu nods as if he hadn't expected anything.

"But...Didn't you think it was a very presumptuous judgment?"

What?

"I...?"

"No, not of hoobae-nim...but of that person."

"...!"

"Hoobae-nim, don't you think you're in trouble because he was sure that the wrong answer was the right answer? I don't know why you want to be so considerate?"

"....."

"Don't you feel it's unfair?"

I clenched my fist.

But I soon sighed and relaxed.

"I'm the one who said it, and in the end, I'm the one who has to accept the reaction."

The words came out calmer than expected.

"It's not like I was torturing myself, but since it was ruined, then I should deal with it."

"Hmm."

The guy on the other side didn't seem to agree much, but he didn't refute this time either.

"Yeah, cheer up. If you don't like it, you can give up at any time."

"....."

"Even if you give up TeSTAR, your life won't end, right, hoobae-nim?"

This bastard seems to have a saner idea than before, but...

'Why does it sound so humiliating?'

It's quite annoying.

Besides, this isn't the time to think about my situation.

'It's time to turn someone else's status window back to normal, not mine, bastard.'

I gritted my teeth.

But even if I explain, he'll probably say something like 'Anyway, hoobae-nim won't die...Hmm, yeah. Okay,' so I shut my mouth.

And I looked at him again.

'Even if this guy has little empathy, he's a good counselor.'

I was sitting on a bench to cool my head, but I didn't expect to arrive at his apartment and have him buy me tea.

'...If I compare...'

I was silent for a moment when I remembered that I had closed the door on CheongRyu earlier when he came to visit to give me the news of his dog's hospitalization.

'No, no matter how good it is, it's different from coming to the front of my house all of a sudden.

Still, I will say what I have to say.

"Anyway...thanks for the advice."

"You're not going to follow it though, are you? Haha."

That's up to me, you bastard.

After saying that, I started worrying again with a clearer mind than the night before.

'First of all, TeSTAR's activities were restricted...'

...But I'll never let this fucker know. He'd be fucking delighted.

"Kong, would you like a snack?"

"Wang!"

I shut my mouth quietly when I saw a man skilled in handling his dog.

In the end, there is only one way to get back to normal.

'I need to reactivate Seon AhHyun's characteristic.'

Tenacity.

The obvious thing to do is to reactivate it and compensate for the state abnormality.

But...I don't think my words will work this time.

'...I'm not sure he wants to talk to me.'

I don't know, I could have counted the recommended hospitals.

'Stop it.'

I cut off my thoughts that were heading for nothing.

They had to go in a productive direction.

'Then someone else should speak, not me.'

Meaning that members should do what I did in <Icorpo> with the help of my feature.

"....."

I should mobilize helpers.

I came up with some ideas and stood up.

No, I was about to get up.

"Kkiiing."

If it wasn't for a dog that had caught me.

CheongRyu narrowed his eyes.

"Koongie is disappointed. It's okay for you to stay here a while longer."

In his apartment?

"What about the other members?"

I heard they were going to release an album before joining the army, but why don't I see even the tip of their noses?

"They have personal schedules. Or they're on vacation."

Is that so?

It looks like it wasn't just the dog that caught a person all of a sudden.

I looked around again.

Well, I don't want to look closely at where others live...But there were a few things that caught my eye.

The picture frames and mementos they received at the beginning of their debut are still in the living room.

"....."

Wait, I think I took one of those photos and...sold it. No way.

I turned my eyes to look at the dog and the guy across the table.

And I impulsively asked.

"Have you thought about telling your members now?"

"Yes."

No sign of concern.

"I wonder why you said that, hoobae-nim. There's no need to tell, is there?"

"....."

That's what I wonder too.

Fuck, I don't know why I said that...

"I don't know. I just...wanted to talk."

"....."

Whether he laughed or not, I responded by half-surrendering.

However, CheongRyu patted the dog on the head and simply replied like this.

"That's possible."

".....!"

"Because it will be frustraing."

Surprisingly, a slight understanding emerged from the tone of his voice.

"You're not frustrated?"

"Not really. Hmm...No, I think I used to be. But people get used to it."

CheongRyu pulls his hand away from the dog and smiles slightly.

"They say we're adaptable animals, right? You'll get better soon too, hoobae-nim."

"....."

My mind thinks that's silly.

Strangely though...it's funny that it's emotionally comforting.

I finally replied with a sigh.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He's holding his dog, so I should take this opportunity to stand up.

I poured the cold tea into my mouth and stood up.

'I didn't even suspect what was in that tea.'

I guess I'm still not sane.

When I got up from the table and shook my head.

Tti-ring.

The doorbell rings.

Without realizing it I looked at the intercom. I was thinking that if I were a member of his agency, I'd have to hide.

But the tall guy, dressed in light clothes and wearing a mask that appeared on the camera...

It's Seon AhHyun.

"...!!"

I reflexively stepped back.

Why...is he here?

'Did he come for me...?'

I don't think so. How does he know I'm here?

And there's no reason for him to come.

'I didn't get any calls from the company or the members.'

I didn't put it on mute, but I haven't even felt a vibration...

"....."

Wait.

I checked my pockets quickly somehow, then lifted my eyes and looked at the intercom screen again.

One of the two phones in Seon AhHyun's hands.

'That apple case.'

It's my phone.

"Ah."

And I realized the situation.

Now I...After I made that mess last night, I ran away at dawn and left without any way to contact me...

"I have visitors since early in the morning."

...It's been about three hours.

This is bullshit.

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