Chapter 13
It was a pain that felt like my head was going to burst.
It was the moment when I tried to touch my temples to relieve the dizzying headache.
'My body... isn't moving.'
My damn body didn't move as if it was out of my control.
That wasn't the only strange thing.
'I was definitely in the park.'
I was now in the company parking lot.
The surrounding scenery had completely changed after I suddenly lost consciousness.
'What the hell happened.'
I was momentarily flustered because I couldn't move a finger no matter how hard I tried.
Suddenly, my arm shot up against my will and waved its hand toward someone.
"See you later!"
An unfamiliar voice flowed from my throat. To be exact, it was a cheerful and bright voice that was 'somehow familiar, but not mine.'
Then my body moved again on its own.
While I was walking so helplessly, I was finally able to see myself.
To be exact, Kim Eden reflected in the glass window.
'That means....'
Was it the system?
I was speechless at the strange experience.
I checked the figures in my sight, no, in Kim Eden's eyes. The members getting into the pitch-black van.
Shin Yeon-woo, Kang Se-hyun, and... Yoon Jun-woo?
'Why is Yoon Jun-woo there?'
I heard that Yoon Jun-woo, who was in Group C, transferred to another agency after being eliminated from the debut group.
So is it a memory from before I joined the debut group?
However, trainees were not provided with vehicles before joining the debut group.
Kim Eden was humming a tune as he walked diligently.
It was a familiar route, the way to the dorms.
I felt quite pleasant as I took a deep breath of the cool night air.
'...Refreshing?'
Is it possible to feel the emotions that Kim Eden feels? It felt awkward because it didn't feel like mine.
'Is this the special reward that the system bastard was talking about?'
It shows memories from Kim Eden's perspective. The only question is that the person next to Shin Yeon-woo and Kang Se-hyun was Yoon Jun-woo.
If it was really Kim Eden's memory, Choi Sungjun and I should be there.
'Hold on.'
What if Choi Sungjun hadn't joined the debut group?
'Like before I regressed.'
At this time, the original me was going to school. I still don't know why Choi Sungjun went back to UJ, but if we assume he did, it makes sense to have Yoon Junwoo join Team A, which only had three members.
'Even if that's true, why do you insist on showing me memories before regressing?'
Whether I was lost in thought or not, Kim Eden walked diligently.
Before I knew it, the dorms were starting to come into view in the distance.
"Excuse me..."
While waiting for the signal for the last crosswalk leading to the dorms, I felt a hand tapping my shoulder from behind. When I looked back, a student in a school uniform was standing there.
'Was it this day?'
A woman wearing a familiar hat pulled down low. Kim Eden's high eye level made it impossible to see the face under the brim.
"My phone battery is dead, is there a subway station nearby?"
Unlike before, it was a voice that was made up innocently. I swallowed my curses.
My stomach was boiling as I watched her cleverly exploiting Kim Eden's personality.
"Um, I just moved here. Just a moment."
Kim Eden rubbed the back of his neck and opened his smartphone. A large widget floating on the background caught the eye.
[Teaser Release D-7]
Kim Eden skillfully fiddled his smartphone to guide the woman.
"If you go three blocks in that direction, there's a convenience store. If you turn left, you'll be there in no time."
The woman bowed her waist in confusion.
"Ah! Yes, thank you."
You're just playing around.
To Kim Eden, she just looked like a student in need of help, but to me, who knew the woman's true identity, she just looked disgusting.
"Hey, no~ But the last train has already left. Where are you going?"
"Ah, aha..."
The woman sighed, the corners of her lips twitching strangely.
After a while, Kim Eden, who had finally found the late-night bus route, bowed politely.
"It's late, so be careful."
"Thank you so much, I was so lost...! Please take this!"
The woman took something out of her bag. It was a cookie in a transparent wrapper.
'F*ck, this is it.'
"You don't have to give me this!"
"I'm just really grateful. Please take it!"
Kim Eden waved his hand to refuse, but the woman was stubborn.
In the end, the woman who put the cookies in Kim Eden's hand added brightly.
"I bought them at a famous bakery cafe nearby, and they're supposed to be delicious if you eat them today. But it's already night… If you don't eat it quickly, it might not taste good…..."
Even though I knew that it was already a thing of the past, my teeth ground together as she played an innocent child. In the end, Kim Eden let out a faint sigh and took a bite of the cookie.
'How much sleeping pills did she put in for the cookie to taste like this?'
The cookie, which was supposed to be sweet, had a bitter aftertaste. Kim Eden also frowned momentarily because the taste was strange.
"…It's delicious."
"Right?"
A delighted smile appeared on the woman's face.
"I'll be going now. Then, be careful on the way back."
Kim Eden greeted her with an awkward smile. The crosswalk signal changed just then. Kim Eden hurriedly crossed the street.
'She's chasing after me.'
The sound of footsteps following behind him, as if he had no intention of hiding it, was clear.
Kim Eden's heart pounded hard and his steps gradually became faster.
However, he had barely walked fifty meters when his head began to feel heavy.
His busy feet felt as if they had been weighed down, and his focus gradually blurred.
Kim Eden bit his lips and stopped abruptly.
Kim Eden closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning around.
"The bus stop is on the other side."
When he opened his eyes, his vision was already so blurry that he couldn't discern the woman's expression.
"Yes, I know."
The woman continued with a smile in her voice.
"I'm afraid you'll get hurt."
"...Yes?"
Kim Eden's face hardened at the woman's words. And as she had been waiting, his eyes sank.
Kim Eden didn't even realize that he had collapsed, and he lost consciousness again at the sight of the woman slowly approaching him.
When he regained consciousness, all he saw was a sharp pair of scissors.
"Huk!"
Kim Eden, who took a deep breath without realizing it, leaned back.
His back touched the back of the bench.
'This is....'
It's the same place.
The place where I had spent my life searching for Kim Eden.
It was close to the accommodation, but it was far from the main road, and the streetlights were broken, so it was a park with few people.
"Are you awake already? I haven't cut it yet."
The woman clicked her tongue in an irritated tone.
'...Crazy.'
What the woman was grabbing. That was definitely.........….
"Yeah, it's yours."
The woman smiled leisurely and put the cut hair in the case.
His breath caught in his throat in fear, and his mouth was dry.
"How much time and money have I spent on you? This much is all I can take."
The woman proudly raised the corners of her mouth.
Just as I was starting to feel sick at the woman's ridiculous justification, the woman's gaze, carefully holding the case containing his hair, turned to Kim Eden.
As soon as their eyes met, Kim Eden's body froze.
— Still, I worked hard to make it... Can't you accept it?
It was a familiar face.
A few days ago, she was the fan who had waited for Eden in front of the company building and tried to hand him a cake, but was rejected.
Kim Eden's eyes trembled.
"... This is a crime."
The woman twisted the corners of her mouth strangely and giggled.
"Eden is debuting. If your debut is ruined by something so trivial, we'll be in trouble too."
"...."
"And even if it's known, do you think the company will care?"
The woman smiled faintly as she looked at Kim Eden, who was speechless.
"If you debut, you'll have a lot of fans, right? Too bad. I wish I was the only one who knew how cute you are."
F*ck. I let out a hollow laugh.
"So, Eden, I found a way to become a special fan for you."
It didn't end here.
'What are you trying to do again?'
Anxiety rose in the woman's unpredictable words.
The woman lifted the scissors again.
"!"
Kim Eden, feeling a sense of crisis, reflexively got up from the bench, but soon his head spun and he collapsed.
The woman laughed, stomping her feet at that sight.
"Why are you scared by something like this? It's really cute."
'Ha, this is even crazier than I thought.'
Kim Eden tried to get up again, but his legs didn't seem to have the strength.
'How long will the medicine last?'
The woman grabbed Kim Eden's shoulder and held it down.
"You're the bad one, Eden."
And she whispered while shoving the scissors in front of Eden's eyes.
"Since you won't accept anything, I should give you this. Unforgettable memories."
Get up, kid. I tried to force myself into his body even though I knew it wasn't mine, but it was no use.
"You'll never forget me again."
"Ha, don't....."
"Watch."
The woman fixed the scissor and swung it in an instant.
Slash-
"Ahh!"
Along with Kim Eden's scream of terror, sticky liquid splashed on his face.
The woman's wrist cut down. Bright red blood flowed down the woman's forearm, which was sticking out in front of him.
That wasn't the end.
"...That, that's enough."
The blood stem stretched one by one, and eventually all arms turned blood-red.
Kim Eden's chin and lips began to tremble in the face of uncontrollable fear.
"Please, don't do that!!!"
The woman burst into laughter despite Kim Eden's scream.
"Ha... haa.........."
Kim Eden's heavy breathing rang in my ears. My throat tightened and I couldn't breathe. My vision became hazy. Kim Eden couldn't tell whether the warm, wet feeling on his face was tears or blood.
Tak tak.
The moment I thought the creepy sound of blood dripping was unrealistically loud, my consciousness quickly faded away again.
***
"Haah!"
I opened my eyes, taking a deep breath.
There was the regular sound of machinery and the smell of disinfectant. My eyes felt wet, then the pure white ceiling looked hazy, and my body felt heavy as if it was being pulled hard from below.
'Is this a hospital?'
"...Hey!"
"Yoo Hyun-ah!"
I pressed my hot eyes with my palms and then released them, and the faces of three people suddenly appeared.
"Are you okay, hyung?"
Kang Se-hyun spoke, his sharp eyes swollen.
"When your fever is like this, you should say something, say something! You foolish punk, really."
Choi Seong-jun sat down on his chair and scolded me.
...No, did I think my lifespan would suddenly be shortened?
[Caution! Headache, high fever penalty applied.]
[Life remaining 08:52:23]
About an hour has passed.
Fortunately, I guess I didn't pass out for too long.
'It's already past midnight, so I just need to get today's daily quest on time.'
I got up to avoid Choi Sung-jun, who was glaring at me with narrowed eyes.
The moment I touched the bed, my right arm felt sore.
I glanced at it and saw a white patch under my sleeve.
"The wound is stitched up, the doctor said not to get it wet for the time being and to be careful when moving."
Shin Yeon-woo said while supporting me. I nodded and opened my mouth.
"Kim Eden?"
"Over there."
My voice cracked. I cleared my throat and looked in the direction Shin Yeon-woo pointed.
Kim Eden was asleep in the bed next to me.
"He woke up for a moment and then fell asleep again."
Shin Yeon-woo calmly conveyed the situation.
"It's okay. There's nothing wrong. He just seemed a little surprised."
The timing of the fainting was a bit awkward, but it wasn't really that strange.
Since he took sleeping pills like that.
I nodded, holding back a sigh.
"I heard what happened to Eden."
"...Is that so."
Kim Eden's intense fear remained unpleasant even after I woke up.
Could it be that Kim Eden had given up on debuting because of that incident?
Could that be one of the reasons why M8 couldn't debut before the regression?
'Thank goodness I stopped it.'
I felt relieved but also bitter, and my brow furrowed involuntarily.
—