Trapped in the Idol Universe
Chapter 162
<Star Hero> has ended.
The front pages of every major portal stacked with articles about Roy.
[“God Gong’s identity revealed: Star Hero F-rank Roy”]
[“Korea’s first Elemental S-rank appears, Star Hero’s twist ending!”]
[“The world is speechless at Roy’s performance”]
That wasn’t all.
Anyone who searched Roy even once now had their YouTube seized by the algorithm; the feed was overrun.
Thanks to that, the home screen was nothing but Roy’s face.
Roy was no exception. He’d searched his own clips harder than anyone.
[Star Hero Final | “The S-rank kitty burns fear...” Roy’s Blue Moon]
[Birth of a Star Hero! Hidden-strength Roy—winner’s remarks]
[Blue Moon Concept Teaser (thumbnail: cross-dressed Roy with petals drifting behind)]
[Universal rule: “If you don’t throw, you lose—Rock Paper Scissors!” Star Hero Roy cross-dressing behind the scenes]
Staring at a YouTube home blanketed with his own face, Roy pressed his lips tight.
“...”
Most videos were blowing past several million views.
Among them, the rapidly climbing Final of had already leapt past ten million and was racing toward twenty.
Honestly, the thumbnail was great. At a glance, it looked like the climax of a famous hero movie.
Even so, Roy couldn’t bring himself to click. The video would show the real members, not the wasteland versions.
Feeling weird for no reason, Roy was about to close YouTube when his eyes stopped on a Short floating to one side.
[What does “Shooting Star” mean? Roy’s first official move after winning is an ice-cream ad]
The views had already passed three million.
‘Even this ridiculous gossip bait is pulling numbers like that...’
Curious how far the nonsense would go, Roy tapped the video.
An AI voice came in the moment it started, with caps from the Final rolling by.
Selfies of Roy—clearly lifted from Butler Kim’s SNS—flashed in succession.
The point of the video was this:
At the Final, Roy revealed his identity and apologized for having to hide it against his will.
In his winner’s remarks he thanked his family and the fans who supported him; as for future plans, he offered only a short promise: “I’ll return as Shooting Star.”
But the story didn’t end there.
Netizens brought up Maru Group’s chairman Lee Junyong, who appeared in the live audience at the Final, and poured out speculation that Roy had signed an ad contract with Maru Group’s ice-cream brand.
After watching, Roy felt a little heavy.
‘Why does this feel exactly like the reaction when we debuted as Shooting Star...’
Roy had never forgotten how their group name was mocked across every community at debut.
└ Controversy? lol
It wasn’t like his life was in danger, but those memories played like a death-flash in front of his eyes.
He squeezed his eyes shut, opened them, drew a deep breath in and out, and opened the comments.
Six million views came with plenty of replies.
Let’s see what the public thinks.
└ Jun Dragon, what are you doing? Give him a lifetime Shooting Star pass right now
└ S-rank marinated pork ribs omg
└ Oh that’s actually good
└ Judging by how he roasted Blood Fiends, the fire flavor would be legit
“...”
Enough of that.
Compared to the past, the sneers were fewer, but it still didn’t feel good.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have said Shooting Star at all...’
Roy briefly pictured himself lighting briquettes and pinched his eyes shut.
He felt a flicker of regret, but it’s not like he could change the team name.
That wasn’t his call.
If he looked on the bright side... if they kept exposing the name like this, maybe one day the public would accept it more easily.
He’d already been through that once.
For now he was being misunderstood as a lunatic who won a variety show and immediately declared an ice-cream ad...
“Eh, whatever.”
Tossing his phone onto the table, Roy picked up the Shus Bong lying next to it.
Leaning back deep in his chair, he quietly looked up at the Shus Bong.
[Sleeping Wondrous Shus Bong (S)
: A staff imbued with Starlight’s energy. Healing-specialized item.
Restores HP and completely removes poison or curse states.
※ Restriction: Requires a charging period after excessive use]
It was the Shooting Star cheering wand he’d received as a reward for winning the finale.
You’re not supposed to “understand” anything from the wasteland, but if he had to pick the most absurd, this would be it.
‘This being an S-rank item.’
The moment he stepped out of the Blue Moon, his wounds vanished like a lie.
So he hadn’t tested the performance, but for some reason this one felt good.
Maybe because it was the only thing that came across from the wasteland with him.
‘In the original world it was just a cheering light, nothing more or less. Here it’s treated like a holy relic... that’s wild.’
There was one puzzling point, though.
Junseo and the three guild leaders all seemed to think the Shus Bong was merely a luck-boosting item.
That was odd.
‘Even if it’s a reward aimed at marketing effect, handing out an S-rank item so easily was suspicious.’
The healing might be a hidden effect of the Shus Bong. Or maybe it revealed its true function only when he used it.
Just as Roy was about to examine it again, a knock sounded at the door.
[knock knock-]
He straightened from his recline, and the door opened to a familiar face.
“Team Leader Roy, I’m here to escort you.”
It was Wonil, the rookie agent who’d been with Kang Saeon on the day Hojin awakened and was transported to the Detention Bureau.
He snapped a salute with tense face, fingertips to the brow.
In the Detention Bureau, seniority of hire didn’t matter as much as rank in the world of Awakeners.
Besides, Roy was the in-waiting leader of Special Team 2. It hadn’t been officially announced yet, but it would be soon.
Taking a more relaxed salute than Wonil’s, Roy rose, stepped forward, and offered his hand.
“Nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”
Wonil glanced down at Roy’s hand; his eyes shook wide, then he grabbed with both hands and burst out:
“It’s an honor, Roy!”
“Haha, honor is a bit much.”
Roy waved it off, feigning embarrassment, but he couldn’t hide the cheekbones lifting high.
With a single greeting, he could feel his position and power.
This treatment? Extremely his taste.
‘I never served in the army, but maybe I’m... built for it?’
This hierarchy that becomes endlessly formal to those above—unexpectedly, it suited him.
✧
The next day, an official video went up on the Awakeners’ Management Department website.
The thumbnail showed Roy in an agent’s dress uniform before a wall hung with the national flag and the Bureau banner.
The title read: “Detention Bureau—Shooting Star Team Leader Inaugural Address.”
Detention Bureau?
Shooting Star?
Team leader inaugural...?
The combination naturally spawned question marks, and the public couldn’t help being curious.
Views spiked fast; within an hour it blew past three million, lighting up the communities.
[Title: “God Gong” is the Detention Bureau’s Shooting Star team leader]
What does that even mean? Literally, he entered the Bureau and will serve as team leader of Team Shooting Star there.
Team picks are already done; whether they’ll recruit more is TBD.
└ It’s just a team name like Special Team 1, Support Team 2, etc.
└ ????
└ This, exactly
└ Next Minister’s seat
└ Isn’t that Kang Saeon’s?
└ Leverage an A-rank
└ lol can’t believe the day would come when Kang Saeon gets treated like that
└ Why? Bella treats him worse
[Title: Team Shooting Star....]
Don’t lie, no way this is real
How can a team name be Shooting Star...
└ Left arm will sprout a black flame dragon any day
└ He’s fire-type, so I’m predicting a red flame dragon
└ Since they said they’ll reveal members one by one, feels real
[Title: Everyone hating on “Shooting Star,” get in here]
Be grateful he didn’t quit being an Awakener to debut as an idol. Just play along a little and let him enjoy the idol mood.
└ There already is one lol “Butlers”
└ Isn’t that for personal fans of Lord Roy?
└ Since it’s Team Shooting Star, what about Ba*skin
└ Hard to search, pass... how about Starlight? Gives a space vibe too
└ Starlight, upvote
└ Feels like Star Hero—nice
└ We’re set
└ This is it
└ Moving fast
└ Couple item with “God Gong”..? Want it so bad
Roy’s first move wasn’t an ad or a variety show; it was a video announcing he had joined the Detention Bureau.
But the team name was, predictably, the issue.
SNS and communities buzzed all day over the name “Shooting Star.”
Over half the comments were denial of reality.
Roy watched early on, then quickly gave up and stopped caring.
No matter how much the public disliked it, he couldn’t change the name anyway.
But left alone like that, public opinion started drifting in a slightly strange direction.
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