“Haa… yeah, sure.”
‘Get a grip. Nothing changes from you sitting here like this, and nobody’s going to notice or care. Stop being pathetic.’
It was a quick surrender born from experience.
Hadn’t he already been through, in some run he couldn’t even remember properly anymore, how he did nothing and just lay there limp and powerless—and then got Reset in some way?
Go Youngin irritably raked his fingers through his hair. Of course, that was only possible because he was alone in the room.
If someone had been around, the crazy Status Window would’ve definitely started blaring, telling him not to act recklessly.
For the first time, he’d returned as Go Youngin after becoming an adult, not as a kid.
It said it was a benefit, so it seemed like it had shortened the time as much as it could, but of all times, it was the year Zero One hit their 2nd debut anniversary.
Not even pre-debut—if it sent him back to this point on purpose, there had to be a reason it had to be now.
‘…Is there?’
He honestly suspected it just picked the timing that was best for making him suffer like a dog.
And on top of that, “leader.”
What kind of insane nonsense is this. Then what happens to the member who was the leader before?
Sure, the members were people he’d run around desperately to gather in the first place. But that didn’t mean he’d been the leader of this group.
It was just that he’d stepped up because he had no choice—because he was scared he’d experience that trash Reset again.
He could barely handle himself right now—why would he ever want a position where he had to be responsible for someone else?
That was definitely how it was, and now he was supposed to team up with these assholes again? As the leader? What, am I supposed to take responsibility too?
And that was because just looking at Zero One’s members’ histories, they were dazzling.
School violence, drugs, cheating, assaulting civilians……
They’d done things that could show up in the crime pages even if only once, and on top of that, scandals that hit their image hard—personality controversies, plagiarism controversies, attitude controversies—kept happening, so there was no guarantee something like that wouldn’t happen again.
More than anything, the biggest problem was Go Youngin himself.
Even though they were things he’d definitely lived through, there were a lot of parts he couldn’t remember except in fragments.
Of course, he remembered the big incidents and the things that hit hardest, but it was more like—he couldn’t predict exactly what would happen when, and in what way.
Only the broad outlines of a ton of incidents existed in his head.
And even those were all jumbled together, because he couldn’t predict the exact timing.
On top of that, Zero One’s members were only bound together by a formal contract, and they didn’t even communicate properly with each other.
So even if Go Youngin knew what ‘Zero One’ did as a group, and roughly what he did around this time, he genuinely knew nothing about what the ‘Zero One members’ did privately as individuals.
‘Go Youngin, you crazy bastard, you should’ve just kept writing things down…….’
If he’d known he’d be coming back to after debut, would he have forced himself to scribble down anything at all? Would he have tried to talk to them, even if it was forced?
He didn’t know. No matter how he tried to think positively, no good thought came to him.
His head already hurt like hell, and now what were these new clauses, and what were these added items?
Couldn’t it at least show an explanation in detail about what got added?
Of course, the Status Window had almost never been kind enough to do that, so it was basically a pointless complaint.
< 50 Conditions for Becoming a Kind Idol Leader. >
‘Kind, my ass.’
Just hearing the title made him truly not want to follow it.
If it had just been “a kind idol,” he probably wouldn’t have thought like this.
But when the word “leader” got stuck on the end, it felt impossible to pin down, and at the same time, a thought rose up unconsciously—‘Don’t tell me…….’
In Go Youngin’s head, a plausible—but not something he wanted to admit—guess flashed past in an instant.
It was the horrifying thought that maybe some kind of Condition was being created for how he treated the members.
Kind leader or whatever—didn’t any Condition exist that would make it a perfect system?
The explanation was unfriendly, and without a proper explanation, only Go Youngin was left frustrated.
‘What if I just quit and start over, or switch to going solo?’
That was why he ended up thinking even this far, for now.
Unfortunately, Go Youngin’s extreme and impulsive thought was rejected by the Status Window.
[ An idol is a ‘team,’ not alone. A leader must guide the members for the group’s success and move forward together. ]
[ As ‘Zero One’s leader,’ challenge yourself to become the best idol! ]
In front of the line that always ended with “challenge yourself to become the best idol!”, “Zero One’s leader” had been added.
‘Zero One’s leader… so it has to be this team no matter what? And leader, too…….’
Fuck. Damn dogshit Status Window.
What even changes if I become the leader, and what’s the good part? It’s not like being the leader makes things magically go smoothly.
[ Condition 18│A perfect idol does not make reckless remarks or actions anywhere. ]
So it’s fine as long as I don’t say it out loud, right?
It knows when I’m cursing it like it’s got a sixth sense. Seriously, what a joke……
If you’re going to give me a reward, then give it properly. You hand me a piece of shit and call it a reward.
In the first place, Zero One was, truly and literally, a relationship that fit the word “business.”
There were practically no things that would come out of a close relationship—like talking with the members separately or sharing everyday life.
If you asked whether their relationship was bad, he could only answer he didn’t even know—Go Youngin and Zero One’s members’ relationship was that vague.
So in the end, it was saying he had to be with the members somehow……
Could he even stop the incidents that might become problems?
He didn’t even know how he’d stop them, and honestly, he couldn’t be sure he could change anything at all.
[ Condition 63│A perfect idol does not engage in conduct that could cause social controversy. ]
‘You’re basically saying “make it happen even if you can’t.” If you’re going to be like this, just say “don’t” outright. Don’t talk in circles. And in the first place, the stuff these guys screwed up with, every single one of them…….’
It was around the time Go Youngin was sighing in helplessness.
─Tap
Almost at the same time as a light knock, the closed door slid open.
It wasn’t even a knock that seemed like it was asking permission—just a lazy, insincere knock.
‘What the hell.’
Go Youngin’s gaze naturally turned toward the door. Then his eyes met the uninvited guest who opened it and walked in.
Light sand-colored hair and a gentle impression. Long legs and neat clothes. A man with an overall harmless-looking face.
Without any special greeting, the man just stared at Go Youngin, who had woken up.
They said speak of the tiger and it appears—this was a face he hadn’t seen up close in a long time.
‘Cheon Sayun?’
“Hmm.”
The uninvited guest who lightly let out an impressed sound while touching the corner of his mouth—Cheon Sayun—was a member of the group called Zero One with Go Youngin, and also the member who had been ‘Zero One’s original leader.’
If so, then he must’ve had some kind of vision as a leader, right. Come to think of it, the Cheon Sayun Go Youngin remembered was someone with an image of being good at office politics and very smooth and polite.
‘Wasn’t he made leader because the agency staff strongly recommended him?’
“Did you just wake up?”
Cheon Sayun asked gently, with a worried look.
Go Youngin narrowed his eyes and looked at Cheon Sayun.
Seeing that glossy face, it really was Cheon Sayun. But looking at that expression, and since Go Youngin had no memory of collapsing around this time, it felt like he was just being sarcastic about waking up late.
‘Am I imagining it.’
“At least you didn’t die.”
If you only looked at his face, it was a face that looked sincerely worried and at a loss, but the laugh in Cheon Sayun’s voice couldn’t be hidden.
…No way it was imagination. Separate from being smooth and polite, Go Youngin remembered him not being purely meek.
At least, even if nothing else, didn’t he have no personality controversies? He was the guy people said had an angelic face and personality, like his name.
“So how long are you planning on sitting there like that? Did we have time to spare?”
Was he wrong about him……? Why does he sound so damn annoying. It’s not “smooth,” it’s more like he’s got no future.
Still, it was true they were in a hurry, so Go Youngin casually lifted the phone that was on the nightstand next to the bed, acting like he was checking the time.
The dorm was the dorm, and the phone was an old model he used back then, so it really was the past.
After unlocking the phone, Go Youngin quickly scanned the calendar memo displayed in the banner.
First, it wasn’t oversleeping exactly… and at this time, it was definitely… the 2nd anniversary live broadcast, vocal and choreography practice……
What else was there.
There were also a pile of small SNS notifications and messages, and among them, there were several missed calls from a contact saved as ‘Manager.’
This was driving him insane. He hurriedly sent a text first, apologizing that he was late.
‘Haa… the manager changed so many times that I don’t even know who this “Manager” is.’
First, he needed to get Cheon Sayun out. Only then did it feel like his thoughts would get organized at all.
Fuck. With a uselessly glossy, long-legged bastard standing there staring like he was watching him, he couldn’t even read properly.
Go Youngin swallowed the curse that had formed like a thorn in his mouth, as neatly as he could, pretending to be fine.
“…Anyway, thanks for letting me know.”
“Ah.”
Cheon Sayun responded softly to Go Youngin’s words and smiled gently.
His slightly drooping eyes drew a long curve. That particular smile made Cheon Sayun’s gentle impression look even softer and brighter.
“Not ‘anyway.’ It’s the day of our comeback concept meeting. Why are you suddenly acting like you don’t know?”
What the hell, fuck. Did he notice Go Youngin was trying to brush it off?
It was the moment Go Youngin was about to open his mouth again.
“Are you an idiot?”
Cheon Sayun tilted his head like someone genuinely curious.
It was such a gentle tone and voice that, at a glance, you might not even realize he’d just insulted someone.