Chapter 164

Roy hurried into the school and headed straight for the roof instead of the classroom.

It was the spot where Yeonwoo and he enjoyed yokan after lunch—their hideout in all but name.

Hardly anyone ever came up here, so there was no better place for a serious talk.

"What, what is it, Lee Roy? Where are we going right now?"

But because he hadn’t said where they were headed, Bi kept slowing down in a panic.

The more Bi dragged his feet, the harder Roy pulled him by the wrist.

"Hey, did I mess up or something? I only tried to answer for you because you looked like you were in a tight spot..."

Bi—so unlike himself—trailed off, voice small. Roy still didn’t answer.

They reached the roof.

When Yeonwoo and Kim Hojin, following behind, stepped through the doorway, the roof door shut with a heavy metallic clang.

Roy planted himself in front of it as if to block it, then finally let go of Bi’s wrist.

"...!"

At the same time, Bi’s body, rigid with tension, gave a jump.

On a normal day he wouldn’t be this scared, but the power Roy showed in the Star Hero Final had been beyond imagination.

Roy, for his part, had no intention of yelling at Bi or threatening him. His head was just a mess; he hadn’t really heard what his friend was saying as he tried to sort his thoughts.

"Ha..."

Where was he even supposed to start with this?

Roy was purely thinking it through, but to people who didn’t know what was going on inside him, his demeanor felt like pressure.

Sure enough, as the air grew more and more grim, even Yeonwoo and Hojin had gone quiet, watching Roy for a cue.

Roy, of course, had no idea.

‘What’s a Fans’ Union statement, and what’s this fan club thing?’

And more than anything,

"How do you know Starlight?"

What good was picking and polishing the words in his head.

Despite all that agonizing, the question came out blunt.

It couldn’t be helped—Starlight had been the official fandom name of Shooting Star in the past.

No matter how he rewound his memory, Roy couldn’t recall ever saying that name out loud.

And now, not only had it suddenly surfaced, they were saying they’d use it as the official fan club name. How could he not be worked up?

"Huh? How do I know it?"

Pressed by Roy, Bi’s eyes rolled and landed on the innocent tip of his shoe.

For a second he wondered if Roy just didn’t like the name, but that part—at least—wasn’t on Bi.

At least when it came to the name, he wasn’t responsible.

Even before Bi had been asked to serve as fan club president, “Starlight” had been half-set among netizens.

Bi still couldn’t meet Roy’s eyes, but he explained things calmly.

"First off, let me be clear. I didn’t come up with your fan club name. All I did was write the statement and send a protest truck to the Detention Bureau."

"A protest truck?"

"...!"

Bi slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide. He realized he’d slipped.

But what could he do now that he’d been caught?

He worried his lip for a moment, then lifted his head, slipping back into his usual brazen self.

"Yeah, a protest truck. As Starlight’s president, it’s my duty to lead from the front when it comes to demanding and defending our rights."

"President? You’re... the president of our fan club?"

"Yeah, Lee Roy."

Bi started to push his glasses up with his middle finger, then hastily switched to his index.

Then, wearing a proud little face, he declared,

"This was decided in consultation with President Hojin of the Lee Roy Fans’ Union, so please keep trusting us and leave it to us."

"Fans’ Union... president?"

What even was that?

Roy turned his head to Hojin this time.

Catching Roy’s eye, Hojin licked his lips, unable to hide his fluster.

"R-Roy, it was offered to me too. They said there was no one else who could do it, so I had no choice... I just sort of..."

He admitted he’d been paying more attention to Han Gyeol, Taeeon, and Yeonwoo and had been comparatively neglectful of these two.

Even so.

He’d thought they’d grown closer while he wasn’t looking, but he’d never imagined they were doing this behind his back.

Swept up in an emotion he couldn’t name, Roy stood there, face set, unable to speak for a long while.

‘I did bring the members together and tie them under the name Shooting Star. But Starlight isn’t me.’

Despite having zero involvement, things were flowing far too much like his previous life.

‘Is this really a coincidence?’

After a brief struggle, he reached a conclusion: ‘No.’

When he’d first opened his eyes in the Wasteland, everything had been a fog. He’d made his share of black marks because he didn’t even know where to begin.

But by the time he’d come to his senses, the members were by his side, and before long they’d been able to gather under the name Shooting Star.

Even the skill that had been locked all along had finally been released.

Only now had an environment formed that resembled the worldbuilding of Shooting Star he knew.

If so, then maybe this was...

‘A sign I’m moving in the right direction?’

The path here had been a little grueling, but none of it had been wasted.

Realizing that, Roy felt lighter.

Only one thing remained.

Raise the members’ skills, and gather information on the Chaos Evil one by one.

✧

[Title: God Gong? Team Leader? Anyway, today’s Seogak High commute]

(Lee Roy, on the way to school—unedited fan shot.jpg)

Queued for 20 hours since lunch yesterday to watch Roy live from the front row