in-woo stared at the floating blue screen, his eyes narrowing. 100 Karmic Points (KP). It was the first "salary" he'd earned in this new life, and it felt heavier than the millions he'd once made from solo tours.
[Karmic Store - Starter Recommendations:]
1. Permanent Lung Expansion (Rank F): Increases base Lung Capacity by +5%. (Cost: 100 KP)
2. Instant Fever Reducer (Single Use): Immediately halts "Health Regression" symptoms for 1 hour. (Cost: 20 KP)
3. Skill-Linked Healing (Passive): Every 1,000 "Likes" or "Positive Mentions" heals 0.1% Stamina. (Cost: 80 KP)
Jin-woo didn't hesitate. He knew the idol industry. Reputation was everything, but a broken instrument couldn't play a masterpiece.
'System, buy the Skill-Linked Healing and one Fever Reducer.'
[Purchase Complete.]
[Remaining KP: 0]
[Note: Your recovery is now tied to public perception. Be loved, or stay sick.]
"Jin-woo? Are you even listening?" Min-ho asked, leaning over the hospital bed.
Jin-woo blinked, coming back to reality. "Sorry, hyung. Just... dizzy."
"I bet," Min-ho sighed, handing him a small plastic cup of lukewarm hospital porridge. "The CEO wants you back in the dorms tomorrow. We have to film the 'Debut Teasers' in three days. Can you handle it? If not, I'll fight him to push it back."
Jin-woo looked at the porridge—bland, gray, and unappealing. In his past life, he would have thrown it at the wall. But now, he saw a small notification above the bowl.
[Item: Nutritious Porridge. Effect: +0.5 Stamina. Warning: Rejecting kindness from a 'Bonded Teammate' will trigger a 'Stomach Cramp' penalty.]
Jin-woo forced himself to take a spoonful. "I'll be there. I'm not letting anyone else take the center spot in those teasers."
Three days later, the LUSTER members stood in a cold, abandoned warehouse that had been converted into a set. Smoke machines pumped out thick haze, and industrial fans blew cold air to give them that "edgy" look.
For a normal person, it was chilly. For Jin-woo, whose Immune System was at a pathetic 2/100, it felt like being submerged in an ice bath.
"Okay, everyone in positions!" the director shouted. "This is the 'Power Walk' shot. Jin-woo, you're the focus. Look charismatic, look hungry!"
Jin-woo stepped under the lights. He was wearing a thin silk shirt and leather pants. Within seconds, his body began to react to the cold.
[Warning: Hypothermia Risk.]
[Penalty Triggered: 'Violent Coughing Fit.']
'Not now!' Jin-woo gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the tickle in his throat.
"Action!"
Jin-woo began to walk. Every step was perfection—the way his hips moved, the sharp gaze of his eyes, the slight, arrogant tilt of his chin. He looked like a king returning to his throne.
But internally, his lungs were screaming. Cough. Cough.
He swallowed the urge, his face turning a marble-like white. The contrast between his fierce, intense eyes and his dangerously pale skin was striking.
"Cut! That was... haunting," the director whispered, staring at the monitor. "Jin-woo, that 'struggling-to-breathe-but-still-dominant' vibe is incredible. It's so... raw."
[System Notification:]
[Staff members are impressed by your 'Professionalism under Suffering.']
[Public Perception +5. Skill-Linked Healing activated: +0.5% Stamina.]
Jin-woo slumped as soon as the cameras stopped. He didn't even have the strength to walk to the heater. He just leaned against a rusty pillar, his breath coming in white puffs.
Suddenly, a heavy padded coat was thrown over his shoulders. Then another. And another.
He looked up. All four members of LUSTER were standing there, shivering in their own stage outfits, having given him their coats.
"You're going to break if we don't wrap you up," Jun said, looking away awkwardly. "Don't get cocky. We just don't want to redo the shoot if you faint."
"Hyung, your hands are like ice!" Se-hwa cried, grabbing Jin-woo's hand and rubbing it between his own.
[Detected: 'Group Synergy' rising.]
[Karmic Weight reduced by 10 points.]
[Current Stamina: 12/100 (Stable).]
Jin-woo looked at the group of boys. In his first life, he had viewed them as stepping stones. He had treated their kindness as weakness. Now, their "weakness" was the only thing keeping his heart beating.
"Thanks," Jin-woo muttered, pulling the coats tighter. "But you guys look like idiots standing there shivering. Get under the coat too."
He opened the oversized padded jacket. The members looked at each other, then huddled in together, five young men huddled in a circle in a freezing warehouse, laughing quietly.
Just then, a staff member ran over with a phone. "The teaser photos just dropped on the official Twitter! The response is... it's blowing up!"
Jin-woo looked at the screen.
The top comment, with 5,000 likes:
> "Who is the center with the pale skin? He looks like he's about to break, but his eyes... he looks like he'd kill for the crown. I'm stanning LUSTER."
[Skill-Linked Healing Triggered!]
[10,000 Likes reached. Reward: +1% Stamina, +1% Immune System.]
Jin-woo felt a sudden surge of genuine warmth—not from the coats, but from the system. He looked at the "Likes" counting up. For the first time, he wasn't chasing fame for the money.
He was chasing it to stay alive.
"Wait," Dong-wook said, scrolling down. "Why are people calling us 'The Sickly Prince and his Knights'?"
Jin-woo smirked. 'Whatever works.'
"Hey, Min-ho hyung," Jin-woo said, his voice regaining a bit of its old edge. "When we debut... let's make sure no one else can even stand on the same stage as us."
[New Mission: The Debut Showcase.]
[Objective: Trend #1 on Social Media.]
[Penalty for Failure: 'Vocal Cord Paralysis' for 1 week.]
Jin-woo's smile twitched. 'Vocal cord paralysis? You really are a piece of work, System.'