Chapter 34

The moment he practically rolled into the passenger seat, the car pulled away. The navigation route pointed in the opposite direction from the way we had come earlier.

Back to my place.

“...Brother....”

“What? Want to get out again? Should I pull over?”

“You can just let me out on the first floor of your apartment’s parking garage.”

“Sure, go ahead. But what a shame. The place you stayed feels so empty now that I might have to delete every picture of you from my phone album before my emotional wounds can start healing.”

“......? Ah...!”

I had every proof photo from the billboard.

With the crowd gathering around him, he probably had not even managed to take a proper selfie on his own phone.

And Gowon going there twice?

At that point, he might as well illegally occupy the place and hold a fan signing.

“Th-this is bullying!”

After ending up back in the same living room as that morning, Gowon finally clenched both fists and got angry for once.

Gowon

Current Status: Broth■ is too much! I should ■■ protest!

He really was transparent.

“Really...? That’s disappointing. I thought you’d find it fun.”

“Wh-what part of that... is supposed to be fun?”

“Sorry. Maybe I learned entertainment shows too long ago. Abandoning people, messing with them, that kind of thing.”

“.......”

“I was joking. I’ll send you the pictures later. Leave whenever you feel like it after resting a little.”

I pressed at my head, still heavy with fatigue, and went into the bedroom.

Then I lay down on the bed, blinked a few times, and opened my mouth.

“Gowon.”

I had called quietly, but the door opened immediately, as though he had been nearby.

“...What? No, I mean, did you call me?”

“Yeah.”

“.......”

I met his gaze as he stared at me, waiting to hear what I had to say, then spoke with complete seriousness.

“Turn off the light.”

The look on Gowon’s face at that moment made it impossible not to laugh.

“Pfft, khk, khuhuh....”

“Ha....”

Gowon smacked the switch hard enough to make a sharp crack and turned off the light. His footsteps thundered as he walked back out, as though carrying out the protest he had not managed earlier.

Still laughing like I was sobbing, I called him.

—...What.

“Gowon, there’s an article about me....”

—What kind of... article? The news? ...Wait, no. Now that I think about it, wouldn’t it be a bigger problem if you showed up somewhere like a subway station? A lot more people would have recognized Hanzel from Young Ace.

“No. Not that....”

—Then what is it...?

“‘Young Ace’s Hanzel Sued for Causing Extreme Noise Between Floors’... Fans ‘Disappointed.’ What am I going to do? I’m ruined. Looks like I’ll have to sell my place.”

—Oh, seriously.

“‘Oh, seriously’ is speaking casually.”

—...Seriously.

“‘Seriously’ is also forbidden language for an idol.”

—Ha....

The sigh sounded as though he might die of frustration.

It could not have been sweeter.

I was about to throw myself back into your character-development simulation again. Surely I deserved at least this much entertainment.

***

The final objective of this stage was to reach the Top 10 of the CPCE Public Reputation Index.

CPCE stood for the Center for Popular Culture Evaluation, an organization that ranked celebrities, athletes, influencers, and others with public influence by evaluating their data.

The current number one on the Public Reputation Index was Lee Jinso, Dearune’s center and an advertising-industry phenomenon.

In second place was Kim Yeban of Young Ace, the lead actor in a recently concluded hit drama.

The people ranked third through tenth varied widely: the nation’s favorite host, a comedian whose value had surged through YouTube, idols, actors, and more.

The factors reflected in the rankings were complex.

Portal-site search volume, social media mentions, advertiser preference, frequency of drama and entertainment-show appearances, public buzz, and so on.

So I have to do all of that and break into the Top 10....

The quest window certainly issued tasks in an order that matched the gradual development of a rookie idol.

Let us look at the sequence of quests completed so far for the overarching objective, <Reach the Top 10 of the CPCE Public Reputation Index>.

Appear on as many music shows as possible, increase the number of performances, and achieve first place to establish musical success.Raise stats such as Vocals and Dance to improve individual ability.Appear on entertainment shows and create opportunities to stand out, even if only for a single moment, using the skills developed so far.It would probably keep issuing new quests like this until the overarching objective was achieved.

Now then, what would be the best way to cut this irritating process short?

“Should I just throw him onto some deserted-island survival show...?”

He had a serious personality that occasionally turned awkward in spectacular fashion, so he might unexpectedly produce scenes capable of establishing a distinct character.

He seemed fairly capable at taking care of himself, so he would probably survive just fine.

“Hmm.”

While I was turning the possibilities over in my head, I received a call from an unexpected person.

—Hanje, I’m hurt. Is this really how you’re going to treat me?

“What?”

Before I even had time to say hello, the bewildering complaint came pouring out.

“Uh... this is Producer Oh Jeongwon’s number, right? It sounds like you too.”

—I’m a little less hurt because you remembered my voice, but I’m still offended.

“No, why? <Under the Same Sky> seems to be filming well.”

Producer Oh worked in VBS’s entertainment division.

He had previously directed real-variety shows, then reached a new career peak several years ago after scoring a hit with a new program.

That program was <Under the Same Sky>.

Its format compared the lives of two completely different people living in the same building at the same time.

The program’s run of success had begun early on with an episode where an actor and an idol from the same agency each recorded their lives and came to understand one another while saying, “Wow, you really live a hard life....”

And I had appeared on that program about three times.

—I really like you, Hanje, but I heard something interesting has been happening lately. You’re living with someone now?

“Aha....”

—Someone is literally living under the same sky with you?!

It had now been one week since the emergency quest and the incident in question.

Gowon still had not managed to escape my home.

Of course, I let him go to lessons and work out, but whenever he tried to escape from the company building, I immediately caught him and hauled him back to my place.

Gowon

Current Status: I’m going to hurry back to the accommodations today.

Not a chance, junior.

The fact that his Current Status, usually concealed, became this blatantly visible only at times like this meant the quest window also judged that keeping Gowon at my place was the better option.

After being repeatedly dragged back, Gowon finally gave up trying to escape.

One way or another, we had continued living together, and apparently word had reached Producer Oh.

—People were already saying the show had started feeling stale lately, but cohabitation? Why didn’t I think of that?

“Hmm... So you want to film Gowon and me together.”

—Yes. I’ll make it look really good.

“I see....”

Even while pretending to hesitate over appearing, I was inwardly surprised that an opportunity had come looking for me before I had even planned one.

—Oh, why are you thinking so hard? When you’re with someone close to you, your way with words goes completely wild. If this is a junior you even allowed to live with you, I’m already excited to see what you’re like together.

“Haha. Come on, I’m nothing special. That only happens with people I’ve known for a long time.”

It was not a bad opportunity.

Especially when I considered Gowon’s circumstances.

The problem was whether that kid was actually suited to an unscripted vlog-style entertainment show.

...No matter how much I thought about it, the only answer I got was no.

What if he appeared for no reason, got labeled boring, and then every entertainment-show offer dried up...?

Wait.

“Ah. He has to appear.”

All the more because it would record an entire day in vlog format.

Gowon would go to the practice room.

And watching him practice had once changed even my own perspective, back when I had viewed him with hostility.

—Huh? Yeah, exactly! He should appear!

“Yes. Please film and air it as soon as possible.”

—Sure. Could you give Gowon a heads-up in advance?

“He has to do what he’s told anyway. Why would I bother asking him?”

The kid who had to do what he was told had been staring at me with wide eyes for a while now.

—Yes, this is exactly the dazzling eloquence I wanted....

Huh?

What part?

“It’ll definitely be entertaining. He gets funny once you keep watching him.”

“...Brother, you are talking about me, right?”

—Got it, thanks!

“Yes, take care.”

The call ended.

When I lowered my phone, Gowon raised his voice from the faint whisper he had used earlier and asked again.

“You were talking about me... right?”

Instead of answering, I plucked a guitar string.

When no sound followed immediately, I raised an eyebrow.

“Why did you stop? Finish your vocal exercises.”

“What exactly was that call about?”

“You already heard the spoiler that you have to do what you’re told. Explaining it or not explaining it makes no difference, and explaining is a hassle, so I won’t.”

“.......”

Gowon

Current Status: The fact that comments like that do not even make me angry anymore is making me angry....

Well, look at him.

Even while making an aggrieved face, he erased the blocks completely, as though staging a protest.