Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 28

28.

With Ji Donghwa poised to use his last question, five minutes from what he thought was the end, ‘Kijisaeng’ sat in his rocking chair, debating whether to unleash a string of curses. He ultimately decided against it.

Why? Because that idiot was about to carelessly throw away the opportunity Kijisaeng had painstakingly created for him.

He didn’t mind being called that strange name ‘Ji Donghwa’ had given him, but this was going too far.

“…That guy is definitely not playing with a full deck either.”

He knew his brother had some mental quirks, but he hadn’t expected them to be this extreme.

‘I feel like I’ve accounted for almost every possibility… Why isn’t he reacting according to my predictions…?’

Before Kijisaeng’s eyes, thirty monitors floated in the air, each displaying ‘Ji Donghwa’ in real-time.

The original prediction had been as follows:

First, PD [Production Director] Jung Kyungwoo would get greedy and pull a stupid stunt.

Second, that stupid stunt would spark controversy, fueled by the misplaced anger of the eliminated contestants’ fans.

Third, ‘Ji Donghwa’ would be mentally shaken but would only worry about Chae Hamin and the others due to his affection for them, and time would simply pass.

He hadn’t realized that ‘Ji Donghwa’s’ guilt was too overwhelming to be overcome, even by newfound affection.

‘…Well, I’ve never been in that position myself.’

Just as Kijisaeng was watching ‘Ji Donghwa’ decide to give up on the survival show and sighing in resignation, he heard:

[Kijisaeng, can you use the one-time question ticket you received during the Ryu Iden emergency quest… now?]

He spoke to him. …Yeah, now that it’s all over, what does it matter what the order of space-time is? Ask anything; I’ll teach you the principles of space-time travel one by one.

“It is possible.”

[What is the most desirable choice I can make in this situation?]

…Hmm, it seems he’s not entirely without regrets.

However, the question is ambiguous. If it were the usual ‘Ji Donghwa,’ he would have realized it before speaking, but is his mental state too fractured now?

“Please specify whether you want what is ultimately right or what is right in light of your morals before asking.”

[…Result.]

…It seems he has profound regrets.

Okay, this is your last chance, you stubborn fool.

Sending direct instructions on how to act would strain the communication, so I’ll have to use a little trick.

“You have used the ‘One-Time Question Ticket’! Answer: W8”

Don’t do anything and ‘Wait,’ you dense human.

* * *

‘W8…’

I unconsciously grabbed a piece of paper and began brainstorming all the possibilities that W8 could represent.

As I scribbled down words containing W, I paused.

WWWW

MMMM

‘Oh, is it teeth?’

I stared blankly at the four W’s and the four M’s upside down, lost in thought.

‘If it’s a shape of a mouth, it signifies an action performed with the mouth.’

The first actions that come to mind involving the mouth are singing, eating, and talking.

I don’t know… wait. Talking?

“So, you’re telling me to quit…”

That was the moment. Notification windows began flooding in like a deluge.

[Siegfried appears in the Nibelungenlied [a German epic poem].]

[He is a great character regardless of East or West.]

[Chemistry and physics are interpretations of the fundamental structure of the Earth.]

[You are missing it right now.]

[Like rye growing in a barley field [out of place].]

After reading this far, I stared blankly, the previous sadness completely gone, and one more notification arrived.

[Nya [onomatopoeia for a cat’s meow].]

…Kijisaeng, you son of a bitch. This outdated acrostic joke.

Okay, I understand the message not to quit. First… am I just supposed to wait?

[You have figured out the answer with amazing composure!

Reward: None.]

Ah, sadness aside, I’m just annoyed. If the intention was to calm me down like this, it worked. Fortunately, I seem to have regained my reason.

Kijisaeng has never lied to me, so, for now, should I trust him?

I slowly take a deep breath and steady my breathing.

‘…Okay, let’s believe and wait. Quitting now would be a terrible disservice to my fellow trainees and fans…’

* * *

In an idol community, a post-apocalyptic atmosphere reigned, as if Ji Donghwa was about to be burned at the stake, or everyone was freely committing murder outside the law.

[Huh? Is it hard to debut?]

(Ji Donghwa smiling짤 [a picture or GIF])

You can sell your family.

Comments

―lololololol

―Aren’t you tired of that crappy frame?

―Yep~ I can do it all day long~~~~~ lol

(Omitted)

Ji Donghwa’s fans didn’t have any ammunition to counterattack, so they were waiting for the agency’s official statement, but there was no news.

Just as Ji Donghwa’s fans were slowly growing weary and starting to lament on their personal SNS [Social Networking Services], a post was quietly uploaded to the community.

[I am Donghwa hyung’s [older brother’s] younger brother.]

Hello, everyone who is a fan of my hyung! I am Ji Donghwa’s younger brother, Ji Mokwha. (I was adopted into another family and am now Lee Mokwha, but I still introduce myself as Ji Mokwha to my acquaintances.)

I was surprised to hear that my hyung is embroiled in controversy because of me, so I am writing this directly. My hyung won’t be able to properly explain the controversy because he’s sorry to me (even though he doesn’t need to), given his personality.

Our parents passed away when my hyung was nine and I was seven. From then on, my hyung, even though he was young, worked tirelessly to take care of me.

I didn’t know it then, but all our parents left us was a house and some property, and there was no proper guardian to take care of us, so Donghwa hyung managed the household himself.

Also, when I said I wanted to become a singer, he even obtained a youth labor permit to earn money for my academy fees.

(I didn’t know it then because I was immature, but my adoptive parents told me.)

Looking back, I was a terrible brother. I didn’t realize that my hyung was concealing our family’s poverty with his small frame, and I mistakenly believed we were well-off, so I demanded a lot.

Then, government subsidies for orphans decreased, and my hyung was fired from his part-time job (I found out about all of this later.)

When he thought he could no longer protect my ‘dream’ alone, my current parents offered to take care of me, and Donghwa hyung told them that.

Hearing that, Donghwa hyung deliberately said harsh things to me and urged me to be adopted.

I think I resented him at the time. I didn’t know why my hyung was suddenly trying to abandon me. I also said I would go to be adopted because I was upset.

However, after the adoption, I slowly grew close to my adoptive parents, and as I talked to them, I learned about why Donghwa hyung sent me to be adopted.

Donghwa hyung thought that it would be better for him to quietly disappear from his brother’s life, rather than his brother growing up in an environment where he couldn’t even dream properly because he was lacking, and he couldn’t take care of him more, so his brother would have to fight against the harsh reality.

(Omitted)

After that, I went to the house where I lived with Donghwa hyung, but Donghwa hyung was gone, the house was empty, and he didn’t answer the phone.

Perhaps, Donghwa hyung was sorry to show himself in front of me because he thought he had abandoned his brother first. Maybe he thought that he might shake me up by appearing to me, who might be doing well.

That’s why Donghwa hyung said on the show that he had no one to contact. Because he was always alone, taking care of me, studying, doing housework, and working part-time.

I think I realized too late the fact that I should have known when I was young.

So please, clear up the misunderstanding about Donghwa hyung. Donghwa hyung can’t be so cold-hearted as to sell his family, and he’s a great hyung who always did his best to protect me.

Ps. Hyung, my number hasn’t changed yet. I’m still using the phone you bought me. I didn’t even know you were an idol trainee, but I’m glad I know now. Please call me just once.

(Family relationship certificate issued when I was in elementary school and not discarded even when I was adopted)

(A photo taken with hyung holding an old feature phone on the day hyung bought me a smartphone for the first time)

(Ji Mokwha’s student ID)

The moment this article was released, those who were seriously hunting Ji Donghwa were taken aback by the sudden appearance of the person himself, and Ji Donghwa’s fans cried while reading the article, cheered, and launched a counterattack.

* * *

‘God, God is not dead!’

Jang Haejin, who had confirmed the evidence that God was alive several times since last winter, cheered, picked up the pad, stood up from his seat, and prayed with a reverent heart.

Then, Kim Daeri, who was also looking at the community, ran in with a happy expression, saw Jang Haejin’s appearance, and stared blankly.

Seeing Jang Haejin raising his head, Kim Daeri asked.

“…What are you doing, Team Leader?”

“Praying.”

“…Yes?”

“Praying.”

“…Ah, more than that!”

“I’ve already seen it. We need to let Ji Donghwa know about this, so call him quickly!”

Kim Daeri nodded roughly and quickly left the office at a rapid pace.

* * *

I was walking in response to Kim Daeri’s call and was worried.

‘…I waited, but did something happen?’

Kijisaeng, you bastard, didn’t you lie?

[You are]

The notification window popped up and stopped. I paused, and then a person’s appearance came to mind, who was speechless because he was so dumbfounded, and I smiled slightly.

He’s… so human too.

As I entered the conference room, Team Leader Jang Haejin greeted me with a bright smile.

…Was waiting really the answer?

“First of all, it’s better to read it than for me to say it.”

I hesitated for a moment and then took the pad and read it.

…The kid, wrote.

* * *

Ji Donghwa slowly read the article and then stared at the last part of the article without saying anything for a while.

And at that moment, a few tears flowed from Ji Donghwa’s eyes.

‘Even if you stab him with a knife, no blood will come out, he looked so cold that even a knife wouldn’t go in properly…’

Then, he quickly wiped it away with the back of his hand as if he was embarrassed, and then pressed his eyes with the palm of his hand as more tears burst out.

As he stopped the tears, a small sob came out of his mouth this time.

Jang Haejin put a tissue next to him, and then put Ji Donghwa’s cell phone next to it, and then said a word and stepped out.

“I’ll just post a short official statement saying it’s true. Call your brother and cheer up and go practice.”

* * *

I ended up crying for over twenty minutes, and now I finally picked up my cell phone with a calmed heart.

I slowly pressed the button to bring up the number of Mokwha, written as, the kid’s, my brother’s number, and carefully pressed the call button.

After a short ringing tone…….

“…….”

―…Hyung’s number is still the same.

“…Mokwha.”

The reverberation of the word that I was saying for the first time in so long was too unfamiliar, and I felt like I would burst into tears again if I said more, so I said briefly.

“…Sorry.”

―Hyung, I missed the house I lived in with hyung so much even after I was adopted.

The brother’s voice slowly mixed with tears.

―One day, I wanted to eat the rice with egg that hyung made so much that I made it myself, but it was so bad that I didn’t like it, and whenever I learned something at the academy, I wanted to be praised by hyung, but I was so sad because hyung wasn’t there.

I silently listened to those words and realized the weight of loneliness that the child had endured.

―Whenever my adoptive parents were nice to me, I felt so sorry when I thought you were alone. And… after I found out that you had suffered so much because of me… I resented you so much… so much for why you took it all on yourself.

…I am reminded once again of the sin I committed in Mokwha’s voice.

“…Sorry.”

―I, I, you know, hyung.

Mokwha slowly started to say each word.

―My dream, whatever, I don’t have to suffer, I just want to be with hyung, as a family.

I remain silent without answering.

―I just, hyung, I want you to be my hyung.

Mokwha, my brother, says pleadingly while crying.

―Can’t you, can’t you be my hyung again?

…If you say that, can I refuse?

“…My brother is still a crybaby.”

Then Mokwha said, laughing as if he was embarrassed for a moment.

―I can hear you crying too.

“…Next Saturday, will you come to see the last survival stage?”

Then Mokwha replied in a voice that had regained its vitality.

―I’m a trainee too, of course I have to go see you debut before me!

…I need to increase my practice.