Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 347

I feel a sense of pressure every time I experience the passage of time. It’s something you never feel when you live life habitually.

‘Ki Jisaeng.’

[Please do your best to prepare for the awards ceremony. The amount of practice is quite brutal.]

‘At the very least, I need a plan to not forget you.’

[You didn’t learn your lessons properly.]

Is this pressure because I’m worried about whether I can finish my work before my time runs out? Surprisingly, it feels like being alive. Yeah, it’s meaningless, really.

“Then, shall we begin?”

Ki Jisaeng stood up. Then, the fox quickly climbed onto his shoulder. His usual lazy gait was nowhere to be seen.

“Where do we start?”

“From the end room.”

“I never liked that old geezer anyway.”

“Shall we go?”

A puppy bravely took the lead, and a cat blocked the way. But it didn’t seem like it intended to block the path for long.

“…Be careful.”

He approached the rabbit and dinosaur, who had fallen asleep after leaving a short word.

“Guard the house well.”

“That’s your role, you damn dog.”

Even so, he naturally sat in Ki Jisaeng’s seat.

“…Cheeky, again.”

“Shut up, the teacher told me to.”

“When we get back, you sit there, Hyun.”

He naturally mediated the fight and took a step. As if used to it, the fox adjusted its posture so as not to fall.

I need to publicly announce that I’m holding everyone’s leash, not only myself but also the children I created. *I need to make sure they understand the boundaries.*

“That senior might not like it, is that okay?”

The puppy’s polite question.

“I have to hope they understand. If not… it can’t be helped.”

Ki Jisaeng was indifferent. *After all,* they were the ones whose heads he had blown up once to help Ji Donghwa. He’s used to it, very.

“I get a little scared every time you do that, Teacher.”

“You know I’d never do that to you guys, right?”

I have no intention of doing things like fear politics, which are fading from my memory. I just need to make it clear that I *could* kill them at any time.

As long as they don’t provoke me, they can just live as they always have. Otherwise, I’ll just keep decomposing and regenerating and then decomposing again.

“…Would Donghwa want that? Like a poisonous plant?”

“No. That’s why you have to keep the secret well.”

And he’s using metaphorical expressions differently from the original. There’s a new flavor; this is good in its own way.

“Won’t that human figure it out on their own?”

“That’s just something that can’t be helped.”

Because the result won’t change.

Ki Jisaeng, who had arrived at the door while having a friendly chat, knocked and entered without permission.

“Hello.”

The puppy naturally blocked the door, and the fox gracefully stepped down to the floor.

“I’ve come to deliver a message.”

“…What.”

“I heard a rumor that you’re counting down the days until I disappear.”

Silence descended. Knowing that things wouldn’t go well when Ki Jisaeng came to the office, it kept its mouth shut.

“First of all, here’s the first thing I have to say.”

The fox had already climbed onto the workbench and accessed the system.

“…Wait a minute.”

But there was no time to stop it. The fox came back to Ki Jisaeng’s side in that short amount of time.

“It’s over.”

As if responding to the eyes that wanted praise, his hand moved on its own. Pat, pat, the touch was much more affectionate than before.

“What should I do? I was only going to reset it, but I might have touched something else. Can you understand because I’m a child? I’m not as fast as I am.”

He realized that he had come with the intention of messing with him.

“…You crazy.”

He closes his eyes slowly. As if reading something.

“Oh my, what should I do.”

Then he hardened his expression. As if he had read an unpleasant sentence.

“Disrespectful things shouldn’t even be kept in your heart.”

This is a place where everything remains as information. A place where you can know everything if you can access it.

“…The rules.”

“That’s right! I broke them.”

To read all the thoughts of another being, what a great crime! How scary it must be for those who don’t even have the ability! But.

“So, what are you going to do about it.”

* * *

The cat lay leisurely in Ki Jisaeng’s seat. A sound rang out, alerting him to a system error. Hmm, an error caused by something missing.

It was annoying, so I removed it from the screen.

“…Just practice all day.”

What’s so great about the awards ceremony that they’re making such a fuss? It’s just temporary glory anyway.

“They said affection remains, Hwa.”

“Shut up, you rabbit bastard. Don’t cling to me so disgustingly.”

It’s peaceful and warm here, always. As if only he can’t adapt, so naturally.

“You’ve adapted.”

“Don’t read my mind.”

“You can stop me if you don’t like it…”

“You look a little better in your original form.”

“I like your side better!”

“Ha.”

You disgusting guy. I don’t have many friends, but why are they all crazy?

‘Donghwa, come here!’

‘…Why.’

‘Let’s watch the fairy grandma fan art together!’

‘……Hamin.’

That’s probably why he’s like this because his original form is like that. Damn Ki Jisaeng, if you’re going to make me friends, make them decent…

“Another lie.”

The cat slammed the rabbit bastard hard. But he sat next to him happily, as if it didn’t hurt.

“Anyway, affection remains in the process of practicing like that.”

“…I think I know.”

“You’ve become much milder thanks to us; that’s how it is.”

“What about the other kids?”

“Going to do things you shouldn’t see.”

“Ah… who upset the teacher again.”

Looking closely at all the records, the cat rested his head on the rabbit’s tail.

There are so many awards ceremonies, and the award categories are so strange. It’s as if they’re going to give awards to everyone who participated. I wonder what the point is.

“Sometimes I’m bored because there’s nothing else to see.”

“…It might be a good thing that you only see this.”

“Are Hyun and Ryu okay?”

“Maybe they won’t show it to the fox bastard.”

No matter how crazy he is, he wouldn’t show that to a child.

* * *

The fox peeks out at the sound of the door opening.

“I want to see it too.”

“No. Absolutely.”

Ki Jisaeng, smiling as he comes out of the empty office with a puppy, slightly visible through the gap. The vast space was just scattered, as if nothing had been there.

“…Why always.”

“Quiet.”

“I… I want to be helpful.”

“There’s no one more helpful than you.”

“That’s right.”

The puppy nodded as if it were obvious.

“It’s always lacking.”

It was a thirst. He wasn’t looking for someone’s approval; he was looking for self-satisfaction.

He wanted to discover for himself the reason he was created. If there wasn’t one, he wanted to define it himself.

Ki Jisaeng said that his purpose was to make Ji Donghwa adapt properly.

But that doesn’t mean anything.

“…That’s right, it doesn’t mean anything.”

A warm touch is felt on his head.

“It’s up to you to decide. What should we do? It’s okay if you don’t decide.”

A sense of stability surges. The fox spun its circuits as if it were burning and gave an answer to the question.

“I want to remember Teacher.”

He spat out the answer as if vomiting from a bursting body, an answer that some people would never find even if it took them a lifetime.

And at that moment, information poured in. Ki Jisaeng’s mind, which Ki Jisaeng had previously allowed access to.

“…Oh my god.”

He hurriedly picked up the fox and put it in his arms. A limp body, losing consciousness as if swept away by the amount of information that could not be processed.

He reached out his hand. Cooling the body and preventing the circuits from overheating. At the same time, blocking the pouring information and…

“…The plan.”

It’s twisted. From where, how should I fix it…

Ki Jisaeng trembled. Even now, discarding the memory once is the most, the most stable…

“Teacher, I’ll take him.”

“…Ryu.”

“I’ll take him.”

The puppy bit the fox’s neck and ran away quickly.

Even the cat can do this much repair, and the most dangerous thing right now is the teacher. Because even a dog loyal to its owner has no choice but to bite if it tries to harm its family.

* * *

The cat pushed away the rabbit who was making a fuss next to him and jumped down. He bit the fox and immediately put it on the workbench.

“…Hmm.”

He has a serious expression, unlike usual. I’ve never seen him like that except when guarding the house.

“It can be summarized as receiving more information than the teacher’s tolerance.”

“It’s a mess, damn it. What is that bastard doing.”

If he had fixed it himself, the repair would have been finished long ago.

“He was going to discard it. He hesitated, though.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Why would he.”

“I don’t know. I refused to share it.”

“There’s probably a reason.”

“Shut up, whatever the reason, how…”

The front paws moved non-stop. Even the dinosaur, who usually sleeps most of the time to the point where it’s hard to see him awake, woke up and helped the cat.

When the repair was finally finished, the cat sharpened its claws.

“He’s still not coming?”

His nerves were on edge. His pupils became sharp.

They fought so much, but when something like this happens, there’s nothing they can do. I want to go find him right away and ask him. I wouldn’t be able to find him if he was determined to hide.

Everyone just kept silent. No one was going to speak first until either the fox woke up or Ki Jisaeng came back.

And, the first thing that was realized among them was the former.

The fox, who had opened his eyes slightly, frowned when he saw the wires plugged into his body.

“…Where’s Teacher.”

“He’s not coming, that damn bastard.”

“…I’ll let it go just for today.”

It was the cat who was rather embarrassed. Why is he letting this go? Not only the cat but all the other animals were the same. They gathered together and carefully examined the fox to see if there was a bigger problem.

All those gestures were cumbersome, but it seemed more annoying to push them away. Leaving them all as they were, he said dryly.

“I can remember Teacher.”

“…What?”

And suddenly. Ki Jisaeng, who hadn’t even shown his hair until now, jumped in.

He quickly picked up the cat, who was taking out its claws and scratching his face, and stroked it.

“No.”

“…Why?”

“Promise me.”

“I’ll do it.”

“I don’t like it.”

Then he put the cat down and knelt in front of it.

“Promise me.”

Ki Jisaeng’s face, which had not been visible due to the sudden situation, finally came into view. The human being, who had no change in expression other than an awkward smile, had the expression of a person whose everything had collapsed.

“…Please.”

He quietly picked up the fox. He hugged it tightly and stroked its back. He buried his face.

“No one, no one.”

The fox only had half the information, but he could be sure.

Excluding complex information such as how to tear the circuit and where to place it, only one fact remained.

The beings that Ki Jisaeng created himself. Beings that are not absolutely governed by the rules of this place in the first place.

If only one is sacrificed, it will be solved neatly. Just lose consciousness and just act like a storage. It will be reduced to a tin can with no possibility of recovery.

So, it’s too late.

It would have been different when I first advanced, but it was already too late. When I talked to Ji Donghwa, when I talked to the fox or the cat, I knew it, but I pretended not to know.

The best result and the perfect plan, the fact that I couldn’t control the information ‘properly’ today because I was twisted with guilt caught me off guard.

“No, absolutely. Promise me.”

He’s desperate. As if like the fox from a while ago, his only wish right now is just that.

“…I don’t want to.”

“I don’t want to touch your memories, Hyun.”

“We can stop that much now too!”

Ki Jisaeng was silent. The silence contained a lot.

The fox also knew. If he wanted to, if he really wanted to.

“…I don’t understand.”

“This is the most important thing to me.”

“I really, really don’t understand.”

When the fox finally burst into tears, Ki Jisaeng also shed a single tear, very little, but really just a little.