Chapter 400: Red Rouge (19)

All my worries vanished, replaced by a fierce hostility toward the creator god. No matter how intensely I glared at him, he just chuckled lightly and walked past me. He then sat on the couch and turned off the monitor.

"Isaac."

"Huh?"

"..."

I had so many things I wanted to say and so many questions to ask when I finally got this chance. I had run countless simulations in my head, planning how to approach the conversation. But now, none of that mattered. The bright, otherworldly eyes that met mine made my throat tighten, and I couldn't speak at all.

Isaac seemed to know exactly what was going on with me as he merely smirked and taunted me. "What's wrong? Come on, speak up. A guy who's cheated death shouldn't be scared of me, right?"

"..."

"I saw you deep in thought earlier. If you have something to say, just say it."

"You..."

It took me a long time to utter even a single word. There was no need to be so frightened in front of him, but I couldn't shake off the fear of knowing that the being before me was not human.

Still, he was asking me to say what I had to say. If he intended to harm me, he would have done so already. I clenched my cold fists and finally opened my mouth. "...Why do you keep appearing in front of me? I thought everything was over when I returned from the past."

"It bothers me that you keep getting angry when I haven't done anything yet." Isaac put his feet up on the couch and looked entirely too comfortable. "I try to help you, but you never thank me. Why is that?"

"It’s because your intentions don't seem genuine."

It didn’t feel like he was helping out of kindness or a desire to correct a wrong fate. His overly amused expression and constant appearances just to irritate me made it clear he was up to something else.

Isaac sighed deeply and shrugged. "I’m just hanging around to see how the synchronization is progressing. If it bothers you, I will stop being Isaac," he said with a sly grin. "Well, but I gotta enjoy being a singer for today!"

What the hell was he up to? I shook my head and moved away from him. "Just stop whatever you’re doing and go back to where you came from. And stop this synchronization nonsense."

"..." Isaac's smirk vanished, and it was replaced by a cold, stern expression. He looked at me seriously. "Why do you think it's nonsense?"

"You’re the one making the members have weird dreams, right? Please, stop doing that."

"So, you want to return to your original world?" His voice echoed ominously, making the ground seem to tremble. It felt like a disaster was looming and immobilizing me. I never wanted to return to that world.

I clenched my fists tighter and noticed Isaac smirking again.

"Don't think synchronization will harm you, idiot. You seem to suspect everything I say."

"Ah, I’m glad that you know that."

"It might turn out to be something trivial. Who knows?"

There was no way it could be something trivial. Anything related to the creator god was beyond my control, especially if it affected not just me, but those around me as well.

Isaac stood up from the couch. "I have nothing more to say. The synchronization has started, and you have to accept it. Just stay calm. You’re good at that."

"What exactly is synchronization? At least tell me that!" I shouted as he walked past me.

Isaac mumbled as he vanished. "It’s how your worlds become one."

Just like when he first appeared, Isaac disappeared in the blink of an eye. There was no sign of the door opening or closing. What kind of being had I been talking to?

It wasn't until he was gone that I noticed my hands were clammy with sweat. My muscles had been so tense that I collapsed onto the couch, exhausted.

"Eden, did you practice your song~?" Reina walked in and stopped in surprise as she saw the state I was in. "Why do you look like that? You don't look well. Are you sick?"

"No, I’m fine..."

"You don't look fine!"

I turned to the mirror. Sure enough, my face was pale. No wonder she was worried. "It's nothing, really. I’m just nervous."

"Did someone come see you? You were fine a moment ago."

"Oh, Isaac was here just a few seconds ago."

"Who?" Reina looked puzzled, even more confused than before. "Who’s Isaac?"

"...Sorry?"

I unconsciously shifted my gaze toward the monitor that had been showing the rehearsal. Just moments ago, Isaac had been shown rehearsing there.

The set that had been prepared for Isaac had completely disappeared, and now Oh Yoo-Wol was performing passionately.

‘Did he really just quit and leave?’

Creating a whole persona and making himself disappear without a trace seemed like nothing to him.

As I stood there blankly staring at the TV, Reina approached and gently patted my shoulder. "Eden, now's not the time to be watching TV. It's time for your rehearsal."

"Oh, right!"

"Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

"Yes, really, I’m fine."

"Alright, then. Let’s go."

I followed Reina and Tae-Seong to the stage where the rehearsal was taking place. Even as Oh Yoo-Wol's rehearsal ended and mine began, I couldn't shake the image of Isaac from my head. He seemed to have vanished completely from this world.

***

After the rehearsal, I returned to the waiting room and watched the ongoing recording in the studio on the monitor.

Tae-Seong quietly approached and handed me a drink. "If you’re feeling uncomfortable, speak up now. There's no need to push through and film if you’re not well."

"No, I mean it. It's nothing like that. Thanks for worrying, hyung. Do I look that bad?"

"Yeah, you look like you’re sick or just had a fight with someone."

"No, I’m fine."

"Then relax your facial muscles," Tae-Seong sternly replied. "Whatever it is, stop looking so gloomy and making everyone around you worry."

"...Sorry?" I snapped out of it. I was startled and looked up at Tae-Seong. He was staring at me with a very serious expression.

"You are always so professional, but why are you like this today? It's one thing to make the staff worry, but you need to pull yourself together with filming right ahead."

"I’m sorry."

I got scolded. I had been so preoccupied with Isaac that I couldn't focus on my surroundings or what I needed to do.

Tae-Seong sighed lightly and patted my back. "If you’re not sick, then focus on the shoot for now. If there's an issue, you can discuss it later with me and the other members."

"Yes, hyung. I don't know what's wrong with me today. I’ll focus." I slapped my cheeks to wake myself up. Whatever was going on, Isaac was gone for now. I needed to focus on my work.

Tae-Seong looked at my face again, and when he seemed reassured, he smiled. "Let's go, then."

"Okay!"

I put on my mask and left the waiting room. Although the worry about Isaac hadn't completely vanished, I tried my best to push it out of my mind and focus on the broadcast and the upcoming performance.

"Eden is here!"

As soon as I arrived backstage, I received my microphone and waited in my designated spot. I listened to the conversation between the host and the guests.

"And our next singer is... Reina! It's been a while."

"Oh, it's Eden~!"

I heard the excited reactions of the guests welcoming me.

"Yes, it’s been a long time! My singer and I have been looking forward to this."

"It's really been such a long time, Reina."

"Yes, I've wanted to come back so badly."

"Why did it take so long for you to return?"

Of course, it was because Chronos had been busy preparing for our comeback.

Reina smoothly deflected the question by mentioning the busy schedule of preparing Eden's second album, cleverly promoting it at the same time.

"Now, let's welcome back someone we haven't seen in a while! The biggest rival of the continuously winning Oh Yu-Wol! The sensational newcomer! Reina, please introduce them!"

"Yes, let me introduce you to my pick singer, Eden!"

With Reina's introduction, the once brightly lit set darkened, and a grand soundtrack accompanied by colorful lights began swirling around the space. A large screen displayed Eden's introduction video, which was quite lengthy since this was my third appearance.

"Eden, the lift is going up," a staff member whispered softly next to me. As the introduction video ended and another song started playing, the lift I was standing on began to rise.

"Waaaah!!!"

The audience's cheers were loud even before I made my entrance. It showed how impactful and talked-about Eden had been on

Introduce My Singer.

Hearing the cheers, I could finally focus entirely on the stage. The intro of the song I had prepared began to play. This time, I chose Bearview's "Sentiments," a song with a more elaborate backing track than the song itself. Since it was the last performance, I picked a song from the list that I could perform best.

Just like in rehearsal, I slowly descended the stairs and greeted the audience. Then, the song began.