Trapped in the Idol Universe
Chapter 158
Taeeon, frozen to the spot, could do nothing. The shock was as fresh as the first time he’d faced a Blood Fiend on the farm.
No, it even felt like a deeper trauma than back then.
“......”
Taeeon could only stare numbly at the endless crimson wave surging toward him.
Once the balance had collapsed, it was falling apart faster than he could grasp.
“Kieeeek!”
“Kieeeek!”
His heart pounded as the Blood Fiends’ cries erupted from every direction.
And in that moment, only one thought crossed Taeeon’s mind.
‘I’ll quit halfway.’
Even if these were virtual Blood Fiends, and dying here wouldn’t kill him for real, imagining it sent chills down his spine.
He’d sworn to endure to the end—but now, for the sake of his mental health, it seemed wiser to back out.
Just as he reached to press the midway-quit button,
“Kieeeek!”
Two Blood Fiends charging at Taeeon fell through a crack in the floor, and a clear chime sounded.
Dding!
At the same time, the Blood Fiends filling his vision began to vanish one by one.
‘...What is this?’
Taeeon looked around in bewilderment.
Had he accidentally pressed the button himself?
He stared back and forth between the button in his hand and the disappearing Fiends, utterly stunned.
When he finally came to his senses, he was standing outside the blue gate.
“Kyaaaaah!”
Not coffee cherries nor the blood-red eyes of Fiends, but thousands of yellow and white lights shook wildly, roaring their cheers.
Startled, Taeeon took an involuntary step back—only to bump lightly into Han Gyeol behind him, then turn his head.
“...!”
“Participant Kim Taeeon, well done.”
Beside Han Gyeol stood a paler-blue gate. Above it, an unfamiliar number was frozen in place: Taeeon’s record.
[23:09:45]
About one minute faster than Yeonwoo.
But Taeeon had no time to register that fact. He still didn’t know whether he’d pressed the midway-quit button himself, or if the trial had been forcibly terminated.
As Taeeon gaped in confusion, Han Gyeol raised the mic and continued.
“Participant Kim Taeeon, you cleared the challenge about one minute faster than Participant Park Yeonwoo. We just have to hear your thoughts, right?”
“Ah......”
Only then did Taeeon seem to process the situation, and he exhaled in relief.
He pressed a weary smile, covered his face with his palm, then lowered his hand and accepted the offered mic.
“Honestly, I thought about pressing the midway-quit button at the end...but if I’d done that, I’d have really regretted it.”
Taeeon let out a soft chuckle and lightly scratched his eyebrow.
His bashful smile drew another roar of cheers from the audience.
“It was a much more intense experience than I expected. I feel like it was a chance to see just how far my limits go.”
Finishing his thoughts calmly, Taeeon lowered the mic and looked at Han Gyeol. Han Gyeol then smoothly delivered the next line.
“Well~ maybe it’s just me, but Participant Kim Taeeon seems quite different now than before entering the blue gate. Please point to the next participant.”
Han Gyeol’s observation was probably correct. Taeeon himself felt he’d surpassed his inner limits through that experience—perhaps, like Yeonwoo, his own Re-awakening was drawing near.
But there was no point in getting overexcited. Taeeon decided to focus solely on the situation before him. At the same time, Yeonwoo’s words—“It’s best to strike first”—flashed through his mind, but,
‘Today’s main character °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° is Roy.’
The lead role always suits the finale best.
After deliberation, Taeeon made up his mind, offered a gentle smile, and spoke the next name.
“I’ll... point to Participant Anna.”
✧
[Title: What Are the Odds That Kim Taeeon Also Re-awakened?]
No matter how much of a tanker he is, there’s no way an A-rank could endure that...
└ No, I mean it’s absurd that he’s A-rank, ffs
└ Oh, that’s what you meant? sry
└ Park Yeonwoo: It was easy though?
└ If it were me I’d be done in a minute
└ Who is this dude again?
└ I can’t even respond to him saying he’d be done in a minute
└ lololol what’s one minute? I’d last ten seconds
└ If it were me I’d just try to survive
[Title: Live Star Hero Blue Gate Locations by Participant (+Additions in Progress)]
Park Yeonwoo: Training at an archery range, shot a Fiend’s head straight on. Showed a one-shot, three-kill—certified descendant of Jumong
Kim Taeeon: Went to an Australian coffee farm tour and harvested Fiend eyeballs instead of cherries. The man of 3,000 to one
Anna: Practicing board breaks at a Taekwondo gym in Songpa, started smashing Fiends’ heads. “Their heads are softer than boards, so they’re easier to break,” causing an uproar
Dong Yoil: Playing tag at school when classmates suddenly turned into Fiends—death race out of nowhere. Exceeded the 30-minute limit, forced end
Kim Nabi: Visiting a haunted house at an amusement park when ghosts abruptly became Fiends. Broke windows and flew out, quit midway
...
Seo Hyunwoo: Gave up immediately upon starting
└ Give me back my dopamine...
└ I thought that too
└ What on earth happened on his Awakening day ㄷㄷ
Since Taeeon pointed to Anna, quite some time passed.
Each time a participant’s name was called, the waiting room emptied bit by bit, until only one person remained in the crowded space.
It was Roy.
Roy slowly surveyed the waiting room he’d been left in alone.
Then, at last, he heard his own name called from beyond the monitor.
[Han Gyeol: Whom would you like to choose as the next challenger?]
[Hyunwoo: I point to Participant Roy.]
It wasn’t at the producers’ request, nor had the participants conspired beforehand.
Yet, as if by agreement, only Hyunwoo’s and Roy’s names weren’t called. Considered the front-runners to win Star Hero, the two remained until the end—and only when the final two were left did Hyunwoo’s name come first.
But Hyunwoo chose to quit immediately upon entry, shocking everyone.
The arena murmured at the strong contender’s withdrawal, but Hyunwoo seemed unconcerned. With a calm expression, he took the mic and briefly stated his thoughts: he’d already achieved his purpose on the show, and didn’t want to be the center of attention anymore.
Without hesitation, he then spoke the next name: Roy.
‘What a funny guy, really.’
Roy snorted at the screen as he watched Hyunwoo.
Of course, others might not understand, but Roy did: Hyunwoo had joined Star Hero to make contact with Roy and recruit him into his guild.
But once he’d been rejected, there was no need to try any harder. In fact, making it to the finals showed Hyunwoo had maintained at least some courtesy toward the producers.
After all, in the Pluton Guild, having an Awakener’s abilities fully known would bring no benefit.
“Tsk.”
Roy clicked his tongue softly at Hyunwoo on screen, when the waiting room door opened and a staff member approached.
“Roy, it’s time to move.”
He thought he’d be unfazed, but as his turn neared, a surprising tension took hold. And when he followed the staff member out, glances from all around began to rain down on him.
There was no need to ask why—they were clear in those eyes.
‘They’re wondering if I really am S-rank.’
Once he registered those gazes, unease prickled his mind, and stray thoughts began to surface.
What if, out of nowhere, his body froze and he was eliminated in under a minute?
In that case......
‘Should I just pretend to be F-rank, sneak in something like a mask like Hyunwoo did, and run my side character?’
As he indulged in such pointless fantasies, Roy found himself at the foot of the stairs leading to the main stage.
“......”
Pausing briefly, Roy looked at Han Gyeol’s back as he waited in the center of the stage.
Han Gyeol wore a self-satisfied smile as he surveyed the audience.
Roy wondered what could make him smile like that—then a tremendous roar surrounded him. His ears, closed off by anxieties in the waiting room, finally opened.
“Roy! Roy! Roy!”
At the audience’s cries of his name, Roy felt goosebumps rise from his toes to his scalp.
His name booming through the vast auditorium felt just like hearing Shooting Star called at the cusp of winning a major music award.
“......”
Roy’s throat tightened. He bit his lower lip hard and lifted his head.
He almost broke down in tears onstage.
Roy blinked rapidly to clear his reddened eyes, then stepped onto the stairs.
“Kyaaaaah!”
As Roy appeared onstage, the roar surged once more. Han Gyeol turned with a broad grin and introduced him with a brighter, more energetic voice than ever before.
“And now! Finally, the last participant, Roy, has just stepped onto the stage!”
Roy, standing beside Han Gyeol, bowed politely to the audience in thanks.
Though the lights weren’t those he remembered, in that moment, they were more encouraging than any words of support.
After about three seconds, Roy straightened, and Han Gyeol, as if he’d been waiting for the cue, continued.
“If you’re ready, please enter.”
Without hesitation, Roy strode through the blue gate.
✧
[Title: Live Star Hero Final Top 3]
1st: Anna (17:32)
2nd: Kwonryeok (20:18)
3rd: Kim Mumyeong (21:09)
[Title: How Fast Do You Think Roy Will Finish?]
I say 10 minutes
└ Yeah, Fiend spawn count scales with rank, so record might actually be lower...
Roy himself was equally eager.
What scene would he face?
As he waited his turn in the waiting room, Roy kept trying to peer into his own heart. He was curious about what would scare him most.
‘The day Hojin almost died at the hands of a cultist-turned-Blood Fiend? Or the day Yeonwoo rampaged during their Awakening?’
Or perhaps the day Taeeon fought Fiends alone on the coffee farm.
Yet none of Roy’s guesses proved correct.
The moment he stepped beyond the blue gate, the audience’s chants of his name and the dazzling stage lights vanished in an instant.
The darkness that swallowed him cast no images—then slowly, it brightened to reveal Roy’s fear.
What appeared before him was none other than...
“Just hang in there a bit more. We’ve got to get to the fan signing next, so hurry up and change outfits—and be careful not to wipe off your makeup.”
His manager brother approached, towel in hand.
“...!”
Roy’s eyes widened in shock.
He stumbled backward, and someone entering the waiting room grabbed his shoulder to stop him, gently chiding him.
“Wait. You almost bumped into me, Roy.”
The voice was so familiar.
Roy turned slowly, and standing before him was a smiling Taeeon.
His hair swept back from his forehead, the deep-cut shirt revealing his collarbones; over it, a bold necklace and in-ear monitors hung across his clavicle.
The outfit from Shooting Star’s third comeback title, Evil. The day before the accident, before Roy came to the wasteland.
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