Chapter 12
"Suddenly a loud noise... What's wrong? What's wrong?"
Shin Yeon-woo tilted his head and came out to the living room.
It told me to rescue the 'member'. Then the member who isn't here is....
'It must be Kim Eden.'
I ran to the front door.
"Hyung!"
"...Hey, Kwon Yoo-hyun! Where are you going at this hour!"
I didn't even have time to wait for the elevator and went straight down the stairs.
[00:14:51 Until the accident]
[00:14:50 Until the accident]]
...Ha. An accident.
Was playing around with people's lives not enough?
'F*ck.'
I clenched my teeth and started running.
***
"Haah...…. Haah...….…Haah."
I ran nonstop from my dorm to the office building, but Kim Eden wasn't there.
It was past midnight. The streets were just quiet.
Tiirriiing- Tiirriiing-
The continuous ringing in the silence was annoying.
I tried calling Kim Eden all the way here, but he didn't connect even once.
"......... Ha. Where the hell did he go."
[00:07:49 until the accident]
The quest clock was still flashing. I took a quick look at the quest window, catching my breath.
[Sudden Quest]: Rescue the member! (Special reward upon completion)
What an ominous 'rescue'.
I just chewed my poor lips.
"Haah."
Let's think about it calmly.
— Yes, there's no one in the practice room?
I tried contacting the company just in case, but it was a waste of time. Then it doesn't mean he went back to the office.
'It's definitely strange.'
Kim Eden is always sharp when it comes to time management.
When walking to work, it usually takes Kim Eden 30 minutes.
It had already been over an hour since Kim Eden left the office building.
'The system has a clue about this quest.'
It must mean that things don't happen in places that my feet can't reach.
'A place that can be reached in about 30 minutes.........'
I took a deep breath and started moving my feet again.
[00:05:06 until the accident]
Ting-
"Excuse me. Did a tall student wearing blue come in a little while ago?"
I spoke as if rapping. The part-timer who had been dozing off jumped up in surprise.
"Yes, yes? Blue?... No, there wasn't a customer like that?"
"Thank you!"
I greeted and flew out of the convenience store.
I ran back towards the accommodation and searched the surrounding area thoroughly, but it was in vain.
Where on earth is it?
The moment I tried to suppress my rising anxiety and speed up again.
[5 minutes left to complete the quest. Would you like to purchase the support item for the sudden quest?]
[Life deducted 24:00:00]
[Yes/No]
"!"
A new window appeared before my eyes.
I quickly stopped my body.
A support item. Right now, even the slightest clue is desperately needed.
If something happened to Kim Eden, my debut will be delayed or even canceled.
[Life remaining 34:02:51]
'....I can somehow endure this much.'
There was no choice.
I pressed the purchase item button.
[Purchased the support item for the sudden quest!]
The blue windows soon dispersed and a long blue line appeared on the ground. It was as if it was guiding the user in the game.
It must be telling me to follow this line.
I ran along the line, guessing my destination.
'It's near the dorm.'
[Life 24:00:00 deducted!]
[Life remaining 10:02:45]
[Life insufficient! Headache penalty applied.]
As soon as my lifespan was depleted, a warning window appeared without delay.
I frowned at the shaking vision and increased my speed.
In an instant, hot breath rose and my body collapsed.
My breath had already reached its limit, but I didn't stop.
[Life remaining 09:59:09]
[Insufficient lifespan! High fever penalty added.]
I barely avoided hitting my head as soon as I touched the ground because I twisted my body.
I couldn't breathe properly, but I somehow gritted my teeth and started running again.
In my dizzying vision, I could see my accommodation far away.
[00:00:20 Until the accident]
The place I finally arrived at was a dark park with only one streetlight blinking.
My vision was blurry due to the sweat running down my forehead.
I wiped the sweat roughly and continued to run.
In the dark park, two figures were vaguely visible.
[00:00:12 until the accident]
The figures gradually became clearer.
The blue line of the system was connected to something sharp in one of the hands.
'That crazy...!'
Kim Eden sitting on the bench with his head down. And the woman standing in front of him.
The moment I wondered how this situation came to be, the woman lifted what she was holding above her head.
I mustered up my last bit of strength and rolled my feet.
[00:00:11 Until the accident]
"Hey, Kim Eden!!!"
My voice cracked.
There was no response from Kim Eden.
On the other hand, the woman stopped, turned to me, and suddenly thrust something sharp at Kim Eden's face.
[00:00:10 Until the accident]]
'This damn thing...!'
[00:00:09 Until the accident]
It was already close enough that I could touch it if I stretched out my hand. I kicked the ground with all my might and wrapped my arms around Kim Eden and rolled on the floor.
"Ugh."
Drops of blood scattered on the floor.
I couldn't see exactly what the woman was holding, but my right arm, where I thought I had brushed it slightly, felt hot.
[00:00:07 until the accident]
Even though his body must have been hit quite hard, Kim Eden had his eyes closed as if he had fainted. Even though I found the guy, time continued to run out.
"Wake up! Hey, Kim Eden!"
Clap clap clap —
I became anxious and slapped Kim Eden on the cheek.
"Oh...."
Kim Eden's eyelids began to tremble, but fortunately, he soon opened his eyes.
"...Yoo Hyun-yi hyung?"
[00:00:05 until the accident]
Kim Eden had to come to his senses to completely prevent the accident, and only then did the clock stop.
"Haa......…."
Stagger-
All the strength left my body at once. Just because the clock stopped, it didn't mean the penalty would stop.
I almost fell over my head again, so I put my hands on the floor and caught my breath.
'Don't give me these fucking surprise quests anymore. I think I've lost half my life.'
...… Ah, it actually went down by more than half. F*ck.
"What the heck is this.......... Hyung, are you okay?"
Kim Eden, who came to his senses, raised his upper body and looked into my face.
Who is this kid worried about right now? I swallowed my anger, though it welled up.
'Yeah, what did Kim Eden do wrong?'
That damn system is the problem.
I sat up, pressing my head, which was throbbing from the heat.
"...Kwon Yoo-hyun."
No, wasn't that woman the problem in the first place?
A woman in a school uniform. She was glaring at me with scissors in her hand.
I should sort out the situation first.
We only revealed the teaser, but I had a feeling since she knew my name.
"Do you know her?"
I asked, grabbing Kim Eden with my left hand and lifting him up.
"No...but the voice seems familiar."
Kim Eden, who got up unsteadily, bent down to check the woman's face.
The woman was startled and lowered her head, pulling down her hat even further. She looked more and more suspicious.
"Excuse me, but could you take off your hat just once?"
As I took a step closer, the woman threatened me by thrusting the scissors with both hands.
"Do, don't come!!!"
I raised both my hands and made a surrender sign.
"If you push it like that, it's dangerous."
I could see the woman's teeth gritted under her hat.
"...Unlucky bastard. That's right. You ruined everything!!!"
She was really angry.
The woman swung the scissors threateningly.
My body was heavy, but her movements were like those of an amateur who had never received professional training.
There was no need to listen to her words any longer, so I leaned back slightly and dodged.
However, I couldn't help but feel hot breath leaking out from that simple action.
"Stay still."
"What..."
After lightly hitting the wrist of the one holding the scissors, I grabbed the scissors that the woman had let go with my other hand.
And while the woman was dumbfounded, I flipped up the cap of her hat.
"...Ah!"
Kim Eden sighed at the woman's exposed face. The woman, belatedly realizing the situation, fumbled with her half-hatted head, and she raised her hand in the air to cover the bottom of her nose.
"As expected."
It was a face I'd seen many times. And it was in front of the office building.
It was a fan who persistently offered Kim Eden a gift even though he declined every time.
'I don't think she was a student.'
She seems to have decided to wear a school uniform. Since she always covered her face with a mask, Kim Eden couldn't recognize her with her hat on.
At Kim Eden's words, the woman quickly put her hat on.
"Do you happen to be in front of the office building every day.........."
"Oh, no!!"
They say that a strong negation is an affirmation, and it was definitely a sasaeng.
"Wait a minute."
I stood in front of the woman who was flinching and looking for a gap to escape.
"Fuck, you're being annoying."
I listened to the woman's words and thought for a moment. It wasn't the first time I'd caught a sasaeng, but it was because the organization and reporting system had changed.
'I should contact the company. The manager? Or is there any point in reporting in the first place?'
As if she noticed that I was thinking of something else, the woman suddenly started running to one side.
'Huh? That's not a place to run away to.'
It was a dead end with no way out of the park.
I stared at the direction the woman was heading, wondering, and saw something standing on the bench.
Aha.
I caught up with the woman and stopped her.
"Why, what's over there?"
"Hey, you fucking punk!!!"
The woman's chin shook.
Without taking my eyes off the woman, I tried to take my smartphone out of my pocket.
But something felt rough on my fingertips.
When I glanced down, I saw that it had rolled around a bit and its LCD was broken. It hadn't been long since I bought it.
Just then, the half-shattered smartphone screen flashed and a phone call came in.
—TP Choi Sung-jun
As I turned my gaze back to the woman and was about to answer the phone.
"Hey, Kwon Yu-hyun!"
"Eden!"
A familiar call was heard from afar. It was a voice that shook the quiet park in the middle of the night.
"!"
"It's here!!"
While Kim Eden was shouting, the woman gave up on the items she was trying to collect and ran quickly.
"Can we just leave it like that?"
Kim Eden, who had come closer, muttered worriedly.
"It's okay. I confirmed who it was."
I let out a deep breath and picked up the items on the bench.
"And there's this too."
"That's..."
Tiring-
All of a sudden, a familiar sound was heard from the bushes behind me.
"Did you hear that just now?"
"...Hyung, why are you being so scary?"
Are you even hallucinating now?
Kim Eden's face paled noticeably, so I shook my head roughly.
"No, I must have misheard."
The noisy, familiar noise was getting closer.
"Huh, hey, you idiot! Huh.... Why aren't you answering the phone!!"
That jerk Idol's mouth is......... I stuck out my tongue at Choi Sungjun's rebuke. If there was a system like mine, you wouldn't have lived long.
"Who was that guy just here?! Are you okay?"
Shin Yeon-woo asked, looking back and forth between Kim Eden and me.
"Yes. Except for being a little dazed."
Kim Eden, who was suddenly sleeping on the bench.
I had a rough idea of what the woman had done.
Kim Eden turned his head here and there and muttered while touching his left cheek.
"But why is my cheek so sore...? Did you hit me?"
... The situation was so urgent that I failed to control my strength. I quickly changed the subject.
"How did you get here?"
Kang Se-hyun, who arrived late, gasped and groaned at my words.
"Ugh.........…. No! Huh.... Suddenly like that.........… Ugh. When you went out.........."
He was about to lose his breath. I nodded, saying I understood.
"What's wrong with both of your clothes? Did you fall?"
Shin Yeon-woo, whose eyes were wide open, asked while shaking off Kim Eden's clothes.
"Huh? Really?"
Kim Eden looked down at his clothes and was startled. Kim Eden, who was shaking off his dirt-covered clothes, fixed his gaze on the floor for a moment and his mouth gradually opened.
"...Huh? That.... isn't that a bloodstain?"
"! What's wrong with your arm?"
Kim Eden's eyes widened, and right after, Choi Sungjun grabbed my arm.
Ah, jerk. Hold me gently.
"It just grazed."
"How can it be just a little? There's so much blood...!"
Shin Yeonwoo lifted my sleeve and checked the wound. I brushed the dirt off my clothes and said casually.
"It's really nothing. Just contact the company quickly."
"Ha.......... You guys, really."
Choi Sungjun let out a long sigh and shook his head roughly before starting to make a phone call.
[Sudden Quest Complete!]
: You rescued member 'Kim Eden'! Would you like to receive the special reward?
[Yes]
The completion window finally popped up.
Since it's a special reward, it won't give me the usual lifespan.
I hope it wasn't a useless item like the aegyo I received last time.
'But why is there no 'no' option this time?'
I pressed the small question and took my eyes off the system window.
For now, I'll put it on hold.
I can't just click in the air when all the members are paying attention.
[You've received a special reward.]
"...?"
No, why on earth......... !
The window automatically went to the receiving screen. It was a split second.
The focus disappeared from Kim Eden's eyes, who were fidgeting and sobbing.
Kim Eden's body collapsed to the floor.
"!"
"Uh… Uh…!"
I caught Kim Eden's body without time to think.
"Eden!!"
And at the same time.
'Huh?'
My whole body lost its strength, and my consciousness became hazy. You son of a bitch, System….
"Hyung!!"
"…Hyun-ah!"
My eyes went black.
—