Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 37

37.

# ‘Detection: Who is the Culprit’ Unedited Version

[Phantom of the Opera Theater]

Jane walks onto the silent stage.

[Primo Uomo (Leading Male Actor), in a passionate love affair with the Prima Donna]

‘Oh! My passion-filled theater, the waves of music rising from within me!’

In a suit with exaggerated gestures, an opera song plays in the background.

‘Manager Junseong! Bring me water quickly, I’m thirsty!’

Then Junseong rushes out in a tailcoat.

[Jane’s Manager/Timid]

‘Jane, here’s your water.’

Unlike his usual self, Junseong appears meek as he hands over the water cup.

One by one, the existing Detection members take their places. Gyeonhwon, playing the theater operator, and Seohwi, playing a supporting role, also take their spots. The four standing in the center of the theater exchange very brief situational lines.

‘Manager! A spectator has invaded, why aren’t you dragging them out!’

‘Ah! I, I’m sorry, Jane!’

Then, Jane, seemingly annoyed, suddenly smiles and shouts.

‘By the way, where is my Prima Donna, my muse, Hamin?’

And in that instant, Chae Hamin rushes in, fluttering the hem of her dress.

Accompanied by sparkling music, Chae Hamin spins around with a bright smile.

[Prima Donna (Leading Female Actress)/Idol Set to Debut]

Following behind, Ji Donghwa, wearing a monocle and holding a parasol, walks in quietly. He holds the parasol in his left hand.

[Hamin’s Manager/On Leave from Korea University and Set to Debut in the Same Group as Hamin]

With all the members gathered, the screen transitions to introduce each member.

Jane: Primo Uomo, in a relationship with Prima Donna Hamin

Hamin: Prima Donna, Jane’s lover

Gyeonhwon: Theater Manager, Jane’s close friend

Seohwi: Opera Supporting Actress, Hamin’s rival

Junseong: Jane’s Manager, timid personality

Donghwa: Hamin’s Manager, cold personality

[Who is the Phantom of the Opera among them?]

* * *

“Oh, my Jane! I have come to find you!”

…He’s overly immersed in the role. I thought, folding my parasol.

‘This damn program, do we have to be this into our roles?’

“…Madam, your dress is wrinkled.”

“Manager Donghwa! Quiet! I’m in the middle of a conversation with my Jane.”

…Why are you talking like that, Hamin?

“So, this is the actress Jane brought this time?”

Gyeonhwon said, and Jane nodded.

“Yes, my fiancé, she was a member of an idol group set to debut, but I cast her in the opera.”

“Then the manager next to her too?”

“Of course. He was a member too, but Hamin cast him as her manager.”

…What is this, how are we supposed to get into this concept?

“I heard that he’s from the same company as my manager Junseong. Is that right?”

“Yes, Jane. Th, they’re my ju, juniors!”

…Ah, I’m so glad I didn’t get picked for that role. This character is perfect for me.

I silently touch my monocle with my left hand.

‘Left-handed… I’m glad I can use both hands.’

“Now, will my fiancé Hamin explain the rules of this game?”

“Oh! Thank you, Jane. For giving me this opportunity.”

Chae Hamin bows with an elegant gesture. He must be crazy, really.

Then, Chae Hamin looks up and says with a start.

“The Phantom of the Opera is hiding among us. Oh my, Jane, I’m so scared!”

And after briefly sobbing, Chae Hamin continues.

“That Phantom of the Opera is trying to kill the other five of us for some reason. So, we need to find out who he is and why he’s trying to kill us!”

Then, Chae Hamin turns around and asks me.

“Manager, but there’s something we need to be careful about, right?”

I raise my monocle once with my left hand and nod.

“That’s right. Among these 5 people, there may be someone who harbors resentment towards each other for other reasons.”

Ji Donghwa raises his monocle once again with his left hand.

“So, we must carefully observe each other and determine who had the intention to kill all five of us, Madam.”

Then Junseong suddenly rushes out.

“Wow! Everyone, these guys are my juniors! Did you see how they’re not even nervous on their first broadcast? Donghwa even promised to give me a song!”

…Ha, yeah. I’ll give it, I’ll give it.

“Junseong! Stick to the concept!”

After Jane mediates, the atmosphere settles down…….

“Then, shall we start with the first investigation?”

…During the investigation time, we have to walk around or talk to each other to get clues, and if you’re the culprit, you have to acquire a murder weapon.

Hmm, I need to gather clues quickly.

This theater has 4 floors, and there are puzzles everywhere, so I should start searching from the top.

* * *

# Unedited Version

The Detection members and guests scatter. To find the Phantom of the Opera, they must solve various puzzles and gather clues to identify the culprit.

[Donghwa immediately discovers something]

A box with a strange pattern, locked with a padlock.

[The production team put their heart and soul into creating this puzzle!]

Then the screen briefly switches and starts explaining how to solve the puzzle.

Realizing that the drawn pattern is for a psychological test created by a psychologist, and that you need to press the year the psychological test was created, 1752.

[No one will be able to solve this puzzle.]

A confident caption appears, followed by a scene of Ji Donghwa opening the box without any difficulty.

[……?]

And then Ji Donghwa’s personal interview.

[How did you solve the puzzle back then?]

Then Ji Donghwa ponders and answers.

‘Um, I saw a psychological test picture, so I thought about what four-digit number could come out of it. Then I figured it might be a year, so I tried pressing it.’

[Did you know that you were originally supposed to get a hint from a book that would be discovered later and solve it?]

‘…Um, I think this is when I should apologize.’

Then, he flicks his monocle once with his right hand and bows his head.

Following that, Ji Donghwa opens the box, checks the information, puts it in his chest pocket, and discovers another box.

‘Hmm, a problem of finding a rule in a formula.’

1☆2=5

3☆3=50

2☆5=90

12☆2=313

6☆7=?

So, Ji Donghwa mutters to himself, staring at the numbers.

And from that moment, the count starts with 1 second edits.

The time that had been going up one by one from 1, the moment it becomes 10, Ji Donghwa opens his mouth.

‘…It’s adding the squares starting from the first digit.’

[…In just 10 seconds?]

Ji Donghwa mutters, pressing 595 on the lock and opening the box.

‘…Easier than expected.’

And then the caption appears.

[The production team realized that something was wrong around this time.]

* * *

As elegant opera music flows, Jane loudly calls people together.

Because it’s a performance hall, the sound echoes and reaches my ears on the 4th floor.

‘…That was close, if I had been any later, I wouldn’t have been able to do it all.’

When I arrived at the stage, everyone was already gathered and sitting in chairs. They were having a tea party, thoroughly sticking to the concept.

‘Tea… It’s my first time drinking it.’

“Donghwa! Why are you so late? Your employer is already here!”

“…I’m sorry, Madam, I was coming from the 4th floor.”

“Now, everyone, let’s talk about how much information we’ve gathered!”

I took out a large amount of paper from my chest pocket, a pendant from my inside pocket, and a ring case from my pants pocket and showed them.

‘…The others haven’t gathered much. Were they too busy with the entertainment aspect to focus on the problems?’

Considering the difficulty of the problems, there’s no way they could have only solved that much, so it’s reasonable to assume what I thought.

“Wow, Donghwa! You really solved a lot of problems!”

“I know, wow, our junior, there’s a reason he went to Korea University…….”

“…Has anyone ever solved this much in the first investigation in the past, PD [Production Director]?”

PD Jang shakes his head.

…Oh dear, was this problem particularly easy?

“…First of all, I will explain the information I have acquired.”

I first take out the ring case. The letter in that ring case contains heartfelt confessions of love for Chae Hamin.

“Theater Manager Gyeonhwon… Did you have an affair with my actress?”

Gyeonhwon and Hamin’s expressions darkened noticeably. They’re really good at getting unnecessarily immersed.

Then Jane jumps up from his seat and shouts exaggeratedly.

It’s a plausible reaction, considering the setting is that his lover had an affair with his friend.

“No! Gyeonhwon! Hamin! How dare you do this to me!”

I stare at Jane for a moment and then open my mouth.

“…But Jane also knew about it.”

Then Jane becomes silent for a moment.

I carefully take out a letter and read it.

“To my dear friend Brownie, I heard that Gyeonhwon is having an affair with my fiancé. What should I do? I cannot control my trembling hands with anger, and I cannot calm my boiling heart.”

I put down the letter.

“…Why did you pretend not to know just now?”

But Jane remains quietly silent. He’s making the wrong choice. Remaining silent isn’t always the right answer.

“Hmm… Since you’re not answering, I’ll try writing a novel.”

It’s nice to use my old profession for once.

I take out a small piece of paper. It contained an eyewitness account about Jane.

“Surprisingly, Jane bought a crossbow 3 days ago.”

Then Jane’s expression hardens even more.

“Unlike bows, crossbows can hit people with high accuracy even without being skilled. Also, because you can kill people from a distance, there’s no blood left on the body, so it’s clean.”

I look at Jane.

“Currently, I have the most information, but Jane, you were the only one who could confirm both the motive and the weapon for the murder.”

I raise my monocle once with my right hand.

“Hmph, I enjoyed your interesting novel. But isn’t it too early when no one has died yet?”

“If the murder is committed with a crossbow, I will strongly argue for your expulsion, Jane.”

I answered with a triumphant smile.

And then the others introduced their information, most of which was fragmentary because they hadn’t found much.

Among them, the eyewitness account that Junseong found drew attention.

“Ja, Jane was asking around from people about when and what Gyeonhwon was doing.”

Then Junseong becomes discouraged by Jane’s gaze. His role-playing to the best of his ability is truly impressive.

* * *

# Unedited Version

Chae Hamin and Ji Donghwa are gathered and talking.

‘Manager! Why are you so good!’

‘Madam, you flatter me. By the way, would you like to go to the 4th floor with me to search?’

Then Chae Hamin looks at him suspiciously.

‘You’re not going to kill me, are you, Donghwa?’

‘Madam, you know that I value Madam’s life more than my own.’

‘Wow, I know it’s role-playing, but I’m a little touched!’

Ji Donghwa’s expression immediately sours, but he quickly regains his composure, reminded of his role.

‘There was a problem I was solving on the 4th floor earlier, how about we go take a look together?’

[Prima Donna going to the 4th floor with her manager]

‘Lead the way, Manager.’

Then Chae Hamin daintily holds out her hand.

Ji Donghwa carefully grabs it from below and helps Chae Hamin climb the stairs.

[Newbies who are serious about role-playing]

And elegant music plays in the background. It’s like watching a butler and madam walking together on a street in Europe.

And then.

‘First murder occurred! The location is the 4th floor warehouse!’

The notification echoes.

Ji Donghwa and Chae Hamin, who made eye contact, stop their role-playing and start running to the 4th floor.

And the moment they open the door and enter the 4th floor warehouse, there is a mannequin dressed in Seohwi’s clothes, collapsed with an arrow in its stomach.

Ji Donghwa, who quickly entered the room, picks up the crossbow placed on the desk and turns around.

‘Madam…….’

‘…Why, Manager?’

‘I’m sorry, but…….’

Ji Donghwa quietly shows the crossbow and touches his monocle once with his right hand.

Then he smiles and says…….

‘Madam, I think your lover is the culprit.’

And the camera flows, briefly zooming in on a stuffed deer head hanging on the wall.

* * *

“Think carefully! If I were the culprit, would I have used a crossbow? Right after our fiancé’s manager said that?”

“…I think you may have been aiming for that point instead. Wouldn’t you have committed a murder using a crossbow to make that claim?”

After the first murder occurred, we gathered in the center of the stage to identify the culprit.

Currently, a sharp debate is taking place between Jane and me.

“And I only bought the crossbow with the intention of killing Gyeonhwon. I have no grudge against Seohwi.”

I immediately take out a piece of paper from my chest and start reading.

“Oh, my Seohwi, I miss the old days when you hugged me. I have someone else by my side now, but is it okay to go back?”

And I raise my monocle once with my left hand and look at Jane.

“…If you were betrayed by your lover and abandoned by your past lover, wouldn’t that be a sad thing?”

“That’s a complicated story……!”

Jane says that, but then loses energy and sits down with a hollow expression.

“…Donghwa, then what’s your proof that you’re not the culprit?”

“Our madam here, Hamin, is the witness.”

“Donghwa was with me the moment I heard the scream. Jane, were you planning to kill me too!”

…Chae Hamin’s acting is at its peak. I could even feel the moisture in his voice.

“When I looked at the scene of the incident, there were no traces that the crossbow was fired on its own. So, someone must have stood there and pulled the trigger, so Madam and I can’t be the culprits.”

The room becomes silent for a moment, and Jane looks around at everyone’s faces.

“Everyone… is seeing me, the greatest opera singer of this era, committing murder just because of love!”

And then Junseong steps forward to resolve the situation.

“Yes, probably. It seems like the culprit has been somewhat identified. Since there’s no one who has gathered evidence like crazy like Donghwa.”

“This is probably the first time the culprit has been revealed in the first murder, right? I’m going to get off work early for the first time in a while.”

And Jane’s mentality breaks down, and his tone returns to normal.

“No, I’m not the culprit, you stupid idiots! Why would I kill Junseong and Donghwa!”

I immediately take out the real estate purchase certificate.

“You made the real estate purchase in the manager’s name. There’s even an additional clause that the owner will be transferred to Jane if Junseong’s whereabouts are unknown. I don’t know why you signed the contract like this, but anyway, there’s a reason to kill him.”

I neatly stack all the evidence and present it in front of him.

“Of course, the circumstances to kill me have not been revealed yet, but with all this evidence pointing to you, can you deny it?”

And Jane, as if losing his will to fight, lies down on the seat and shouts.

“Ah! Kill me! Just kill me! I can’t do it because I’m stressed!”

“Yes! Then we will follow our Primo Uomo’s will!”

Junseong, thinking it’s all over, throws away his timid concept and shouts energetically.

“Now! Who agrees to Jane’s expulsion!”

* * *

# Unedited Version

As Junseong shouts that, everyone quietly raises their hands.

Chae Hamin says, half crying, as if the situation is sad.

‘Jane, I really loved you, but I can’t help it. I agree to the death penalty!’

‘Ahhhhh! You idiot! It’s not me!’

And a 5-second countdown appears on the screen.

And finally, when it becomes 1, the voice actor’s voice echoes.

‘This is the citizens’ verdict!’

A tense background music fills the background.

‘Prisoner Jane, is sentenced to death for the crime of murdering Seohwi and the suspicion of murdering others in the future!’

And Jane screams and shouts, laughing hollowly.

‘Ji Donghwa is! An idiot! He’s good at solving problems! He’s good at writing novels, and even interpreting evidence is somewhat logical, but anyway! He’s an idiot!’

And Ji Donghwa’s face is zoomed in on in embarrassment.

‘This is the result of the citizens’ verdict. The game is not over.’