Chapter 11: Status Window

A week had already passed since I announced my retirement to everyone.

The entertainment forums were once again burning hot.

[Famous Girl Group Cornelia’s Leader Retires Amidst Controversy…]

[Betraying the Fans? The True Nature of an Idol Group Leader…]

‘Well, it’s not like this place was ever quiet…’

I closed my phone after seeing the articles armed with all sorts of sensationalist words.

Less than a week after I declared my retirement in front of the president, the agency officially announced my departure to the public.

From a third party’s perspective, spreading this news when the new song release date wasn’t far off could hardly be seen as a good choice.

Being one of the company’s initial artists, there was a high chance it could damage the company’s image if handled poorly.

‘Well, they probably think they can manage just fine without me.’

In the original story too, Ren was kicked out when the new song release was imminent.

Even amidst the chaotic situation of the team leader disappearing, Cornelia maintained its legacy thanks to Hikari’s talent.

No, in fact, they succeeded in imprinting the group even onto people uninterested in idols, causing the group’s popularity to skyrocket beyond comparison.

‘Of course, knowing that man’s personality, it seems more likely he just held a grudge and quickly kicked me out…’

It was also possible it was a kind of media play.

If they tarnish my image like this, the public opinion towards the victim, Hikari, will improve accordingly.

If she then takes over my role and performs well in that situation, the effect would be amplified even further.

‘F*cking annoying…’

I don’t care if they scheme amongst themselves like that, but becoming famous this way becomes a headache.

The more people who know me, the harder it will be to show my face outside.

Considering the problem of reporters and paparazzi flocking like starving hyenas, it seemed better to stay cooped up at home for the time being.

I packed a few clothes, a toothbrush, a cellphone, etc., into a suitcase.

Perhaps because I wasn’t someone who usually consumed much, these were genuinely all the things I owned.

After packing everything, I quietly opened the room door.

There’s no need to cause a noisy disturbance.

The lights in the usually bustling living room were off.

Today was the recording schedule for the new song.

Everyone must have gone out for that.

‘…..Well, not that I can go.’

Having withdrawn from the group due to this controversy, I didn’t follow the schedule.

It was something I had braced myself for when I resolved to withdraw, but maybe it’s a bit disappointing not being able to participate in a song I put considerable effort into.

“Ah, Ren!”

“…Sion?”

Just as I was about to leave with my suitcase, Sion, who for some reason had remained at the dorm, stopped me.

Being the producer, I naturally thought he would follow the schedule, so why was he here?

“Hey, didn’t you go with the kids?”

“….There was something more important.”

“Something important?”

The virtues of a standard dating sim protagonist are a saint-like personality and diligence.

Since Sion was ultimately a dating sim protagonist, perhaps due to that characteristic diligence, he rarely took breaks.

He was the type to manage the idols without ever requesting vacation unless something major happened at home.

‘And a guy like that stayed behind instead of going?’

“Here, this.”

As I tilted my head, unsure of what was going on, Sion held out some letter paper from his pocket.

It surely wasn’t a love letter. What is it?

“This is…”

“The other kids wrote it.”

Colorful letter paper came into my hand.

Thinking about how those kids must have written this, a smile escaped me automatically out of endearment.

“So, what are your plans from now on?”

“Well… I don’t know, I plan to just rest for the time being.”

I can’t stay cooped up at home forever.

There’s a limit to how long I can survive on the income earned from idol activities.

But, I still have plenty of time.

I’m 22 years old; while it’s ambiguous to call it young within the idol industry, I’m still in my fresh early twenties.

There was enough time to rest for a while and sort out my feelings.

“I’ll take you, let’s go together.”

Sion naturally extended his hand towards me.

“….Then, I’ll impose on you.”

I took Sion’s outstretched hand.

Normally, we wouldn’t move around alone together because of scandals and whatnot, but reporters might be lying in ambush nearby.

Whatever the case, this is better than going alone.

How many hours did we drive like that? The scenery outside gradually changed as we entered the city center.

“By the way, how long are you planning to live in an apartment?”

“Well… There’s a perfectly fine house, so there’s no reason to move into a mansion, is there?”

Apartments in Japan had the opposite meaning compared to Korea.

In Japan, an apartment meant cheap communal housing, while a mansion actually referred to what Koreans call apartments.

Being someone who needs to save money, there’s no way I could afford something like that.

“And, I have memories here, so I don’t want to move out.”

Well, ultimately, it turned out well.

I don’t have to go through the trouble of finding a house again.

“….Okay, this should be far enough.”

As a somewhat familiar landscape came into view, I stopped Sion.

Going any further than this would be burdensome for me.

Well, I couldn’t tell if they weren’t here because of Sion, or if they were never here in the first place.

“Here, take this.”

“I told you I could do it?”

“…It’s not even heavy.”

Sion got out of the driver’s seat and took the suitcase out of the trunk for me.

The driver had already taken the other members to the recording studio, so I traveled in the car driven by Sion.

“….Sion, please take good care of our kids.”

I reached out and stroked his head.

It was a bit awkward because of the height difference, but unlike the members, I hadn’t said a final goodbye to him.

Doing this much should feel okay.

“….I know, I have to take care of them.”

Sion, who meekly let me stroke his head (?), spoke.

The president was never interested in the well-being of his artists, except for money-related matters.

He was already like that, but with Hikari added, the situation would only worsen if it intensified.

“You should head back too. If you get caught, you’ll get chewed out again.”

“….Right, contact me if anything happens.”

After parting ways with Sion like that, I walked away, pulling my suitcase.

After walking for about 15 minutes, a moderately small-sized apartment came into view.

I slowly climbed the stairs.

“…Coming back like this feels nostalgic.”

At first glance, it might seem too shabby, but this wasn’t just a simple house.

It was the apartment where I, abandoned by my parents in childhood, lived with my grandmother.

It was a place I had kept even after becoming an idol because I wanted to preserve the memories from that time.

-Beep!

I opened the additionally installed door lock and entered the house.

Since I had been managing it until now, the inside was reasonably clean.

“Done…”

I opened the suitcase I brought and organized my belongings.

I visited once a week anyway, and slept over for a day each time.

So, bedding including a mattress was already prepared.

“Feels nice…”

I laid my tired body down on the mattress spread on the floor.

Was it because of the severe mental strain, or because I had worked so much until now? Just lying on the mattress felt like I could fall asleep.

‘….Nothing else to do, let’s just sleep soundly.’

Right, let’s think positively since things turned out this way.

I don’t have a schedule tomorrow anyway, so it should be fine to sleep comfortably.

As my thoughts reached that point, I fell asleep as if bewitched by something.

-Fizzle!

How long had I been asleep? I woke up to some crackling sound.

‘What is it…?’

Is it a precursor to a power outage? Following that, my vision started flipping as if the lights were flickering.

I opened my eyes due to the continuous noise assault.

Contrary to my expectation that the lights would be flickering, the fluorescent lamp attached to the ceiling was shining perfectly fine without flickering even for a moment.

Instead, something blue was flickering before my eyes.

“….F*ck.”

I often spoke Korean when I was alone, but it had been a long time since I cursed out loud like this.

Rightly so, because this situation was impossible not to curse at.

I unconsciously realized the identity of that damn thing floating before my eyes.

The brightly shining blue light and the letters written on it. Even the way it floated alone in the air without any support.

Status window.

The helper that appears frequently enough to be forgettable in transmigration novels, and the biggest culprit that ruined my life.

‘….Why the f*cking bullshit now.’

A hollow laugh escaped at the absurd situation.

Since losing my family, I had never disobeyed what the status window told me to do.

I strived to become famous as it instructed, and eventually succeeded in becoming an idol.

Did it come back to capture me again? Because I left the group on my own? Just to make me face the original ending?

“…Don’t give me that bullshit.”

The consecutive shitty situations drained all my strength to even shout loudly now.

They say even mountains and rivers change in ten years; like that saying, the status window had changed.

In a way that could be seen as even worse.

That damn blue window was flaunting itself, shining brilliantly right before my eyes.

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[QUEST : Become famous!]

[Become a famous celebrity and become famous to others!]

[Success Reward : Survival]

[Failure : Death]

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