Nic sat quietly at the edge of the island, staring off while lost in thought.
"Zeta… does that mean I have to leave them all now?"
[ Honestly, it's up to you, Nic. If you still want to stay here, that's fine… but the sooner the better. Do you want their love to stay on hold for too long? ]
Nic let out a sigh and tossed a rock into the sea.
"Alright… before I go, I should at least check my old home first."
---
The next day at UNITY HQ Western.
Leona and Vivi were relaxing in the living room, and they were the only ones there since 5 in the morning.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
"Huh? Why are they ringing the bell? They usually just come in," said Leona.
Vivi walked toward the door.
"Maybe it's someone else."
When she opened it, she was shocked. There were so many people, and they were all girls, already waiting outside.
"Eh…?? What is this??" Vivi said in surprise.
The girl at the front showed a ticket made from a banana leaf.
"Um, it says here that you've been selected as an official Unity member."
Vivi got confused and looked at it, but the writing was starting to fade and she had to squint to read it.
"Uh… where did you even get this?" Vivi asked.
The girl explained that none of them knew either, and it just suddenly appeared beside them.
Vivi started thinking, was this really Nic recruiting again? But she didn't understand why.
The old Unity members arrived and pushed through the crowd.
"EXCUSE ME EXCUSE ME WHAT IS GOING ON HERE WHY IS IT SO CROWDED!?" shouted Lily.
The situation turned chaotic, and the same thing happened in Southern, Eastern, and Northern… suddenly they were all flooded with new members.
Luckily, everything was handled, and they were accepted, because something this crazy could only be Nic's doing.
Unity became even more famous and started getting media attention.
---
Switch to Kiara's new house, Nic's older sister.
She was having breakfast while watching the news.
"Unity… that's something Nic made, right? Seriously, I still don't understand how my little brother got this far… what is he actually trying to do?"
Knock knock knock…
Someone knocked on the door. Kiara thought it was Daniella and told her to just come in.
The door opened, and someone wearing a hoodie covering their face walked in.
Kiara panicked and grabbed an iron rod.
"BACK OFF!!"
But the person immediately took off the hood, revealing Nic.
"Hey sis… your little brother is home~" Nic said with a smile.
Kiara froze, dropped the iron rod, and immediately hugged Nic while hitting him, which did 0% damage to him.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!? YOU LEFT YOUR SISTER ALL ALONE!! After our parents are gone… I was really lonely, you know! Luckily Daniella was there!"
Nic hugged her back and apologized sincerely. He actually felt bad leaving his sister, especially after their parents passed away.
"I'm really sorry, sis… can I tell you something honestly?" said Nic.
Kiara stayed silent and nodded.
"I have a reason for leaving… you might think I'm weird, but I'm doing this for everyone. I'm going to a place where even you… or anyone else… won't be able to find me. But I promise I'll come back," Nic explained.
Kiara looked confused.
"I don't care about what you're saying about leaving, Nic… I don't want to hear it! I'm scared something will happen to you… and ever since that incident, I've been kinda traumatized around people…"
Nic held both of her shoulders.
"You're not alone, sis. You have Daniella… and most importantly, UNITY HQ is yours too. You've met them before, right? They'll welcome you warmly. There are strong girls there."
"I know… it just feels weird being there all the time… they feel pressured because of my possessive aura," Kiara thought.
Nic laughed.
"Haha, how did you become this clingy, sis? Well, people change after a lot of incidents. I did too. And about me leaving… it's really happening. Can you come with me to visit our parents' graves?"
Kiara sighed and nodded, then got ready.
While waiting, Nic went to his old home. He saw an empty piece of land that hadn't been rebuilt. That used to be his house, but it was destroyed in the suicide bombing incident.
Nic closed his eyes, trying to let it go once again, even though deep down he still had regret for not being able to save his parents.
He returned, and Kiara was ready. Right then, Daniella arrived.
"Kiara, where are you going? Eh!?" Daniella was shocked when she saw Nic.
"Oh hey, sis Ella. Long time no see," Nic smiled as usual.
Daniella immediately hugged Nic while crying. Kiara was surprised seeing Daniella react like that.
"Ah… sorry, I got a bit emotional…" Daniella said as she let go and wiped her tears.
Nic didn't say much, just gave a small laugh, knowing Daniella really cared about him and saw him like a younger brother.
"We're going to visit our parents' graves. Do you want to come too?" Kiara asked.
Daniella nodded, and the three of them went together.
After arriving, they prayed, then Nic asked to be alone for a moment.
Nic poured out his feelings like a child, talking about his journey of always getting involved in other people's problems. He laughed and smiled while telling stories to his parents.
Without him realizing it, Daniella and Kiara didn't actually leave. They stayed nearby, behind a tree, listening to everything.
Daniella covered her face silently, while Kiara finally understood that Nic didn't just leave… he was saving many people.
After that, they went home, and Kiara handed Nic his old phone.
"This is your phone. Looks like there are a lot of messages."
"Ah thanks, sis… and about what I said earlier—" Nic was cut off.
"Go… I'll let you go, but promise you'll come back, okay? A lot of people will miss you," Kiara said while raising her pinky finger.
Nic paused, then smiled and hooked his pinky with hers.
"I promise."
"Bye, Nic… take care of yourself," said Daniella.
Nic nodded, and they parted for the last time.
---
In a quiet place, Nic checked his phone. Thousands of unread messages appeared, all from his girlfriends in Western. Every day they sent updates and photos of what they were doing.
In the last message, Nic saw a video and opened it.
"Hi Nic! Monica here! You remember, right? If it wasn't for you, I'd probably still be standing on an empty stage with no audience… but now me, Bella, and the others have successfully become idols and debuted a few days ago! The results are really positive, a lot of people like us. Emily successfully built the Unity agency well, she even recruited new members who are beautiful and talented… here they are… hey come here!"
Monica called the new Unity members who debuted with her.
They introduced themselves:
Wendy: Sub rapper
Isabelle: Sub vocal
Pinky: Visual, sub dancer
Nera: Visual, sub dancer
Monica continued,
"They're pretty, right? Actually, they shouldn't even be subs, but they insisted on it."
In the video, Monica kept talking about idol life, and the others joined in. Then Nic was told that soon they would release a special song and perform on a big stage.
The video ended, and the rest were just regular messages.
Nic smiled softly, feeling touched seeing their growth without him. It meant he succeeded in helping them grow, even if he wasn't physically there.
---
Nic returned to the deserted island and prepared to leave.
[ So, are you ready, Nic? ]
"Fuhh… I'm ready…" Nic said quietly.
But before Zeta opened the portal, Nic got a notification that UNITY was about to perform.
[ … ]
"Wait, Zeta…"
Nic saw they were streaming it too. This was a moment he wouldn't be able to see again if he missed it.
"Just a little longer, Zeta… I want to watch them," Nic said with a wide smile.
[ Alright ]
In Western, a big stage appeared, 13 Unity idols lined up neatly.
Nic looked at all of them and couldn't believe how beautiful their combination was.
He couldn't wait to see them perform as the closing of his story.
To be continued...