Chapter 413: Reunion - Lee Jin-Sung’s Point of View (3)

[Notification] A regressor is nearby!

The regressor intends to reveal their identity to you!

Caution! Any deferred choices will be forcibly viewed within twenty-four hours.

If you are not prepared, please avoid this.

I felt dazed. I couldn't make sense of Hyun-Woo's actions or the text flickering before my eyes. It felt like staring blankly at an unfamiliar test paper, unable to comprehend a single word.

‘A regressor is nearby? What is a regressor anyway?’

Through the text, I saw Hyun-Woo. He was visibly pale and gripping my arm tightly. A regressor was planning to reveal their identity to me. The only person close to me was Hyun-Woo. Did this mean Hyun-Woo was about to reveal something to me...? Was Hyun-Woo hiding something from me?

As this thought crossed my mind, a shiver ran down my spine. I recalled the odd behavior of Hyun-Woo, different from when he interacted with the seventeen-year-old Jin-Sung. The way he seemed to avoid or be wary of me made me suspicious of him. The one person I suspected could be the cause of how this world was so different from the one I used to live in, Suh Hyun-Woo. If Hyun-Woo was the regressor, what would he reveal?

[Caution! Any deferred choices will be forcibly viewed within twenty-four hours.

If you are not prepared, please avoid this.]

If I didn’t view the deferred choice and made a decision, the lost memories would return. With no idea what the deferred choice or the lost memories were about, I couldn’t proceed blindly. However, one thing was certain: Hyun-Woo knew something about this situation.

Though I had resolved to make choices for Hyun-Woo, this sudden revelation made me hesitate. I pulled my hand away from Hyun-Woo.

“The creator god? What are you talking about?”

I tried to walk away quickly, but Hyun-Woo’s grip tightened around my arm and prevented me from leaving. Hyun-Woo’s expression was calm, yet his demeanor felt desperate. I couldn't bring myself to push him away again. I stopped and looked back at Hyun-Woo.

“What do you mean by choices? What are you doing here?” Hyun-Woo asked.

At that moment, the surreal situation and space around me started to feel like a dream. The familiar expression on Hyun-Woo's face and the way he spoke, something the seventeen-year-old Jin-Sung of Chronos had never heard before, made the real and dreamlike world overlap.

The young Hyun-Woo disappeared, and he was replaced by the twenty-three-year-old, or rather now twenty-four if he had survived... Illusions of burn scars appeared on his otherwise clean face. It felt like the person I had longed to see was standing right in front of me.

‘If this isn’t a dream, then what could this be?’

The yearning that made my heart ache turned into a strange emotion that overwhelmed me, making my mind go blank. This feeling shattered when Hyun-Woo spoke again.

“Whatever choice you make, don’t think foolishly. Got it? Lee Jin-Sung, don’t do anything stupid and just think about how to get back to your original world.”

“...What?” I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

“Don’t say you will do anything for me. Just go back to your world and live your life. If you disappear again...”

“Hyun-Woo hyung, is that you?” My voice trembled with a mix of hope and disbelief.

Hyun-Woo spoke without taking a breath as his voice sounded urgent and shaking. I blurted out a strange question, almost involuntarily.

‘

What kind of question was that, Lee Jin-Sung? Ugh.’

I scolded myself internally.

This had always been my problem. I blurted out whatever came to mind without thinking. The Hyun-Woo standing in front of me seemed too much like the hyung I knew. It felt like meeting a dead person in an unrealistic situation, and I must have somehow sounded very stupid. Surely Hyun-Woo thought my question was absurd.

However, to my surprise, he seemed to have expected my question.

“Hyung?” I repeated, my voice almost a whisper.

“I’m sorry, but I don't want to have a deep conversation with you.” His tone was cold but kind. It was the same as it had been since that incident. I could tell if Hyun-Woo was the one I knew. “I don't know how I got here either. I'd prefer if you didn't ask, and I don't plan to answer. I just... I don't know why you suddenly appeared, but I hope you don't have any stupid ideas.”

“....”

Hyun-Woo's face turned red and blue. It wasn’t from embarrassment or shame, but from trying hard to suppress very complex emotions. I couldn't say anything. His hand, which had been gripping my arm tightly, slowly loosened and dropped.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“Whatever choice you make, just think about how to return to your original world. I don't know if it's even possible to go back, but you don't want to stay here forever, right?”

“...Hyung.”

The person I thought was dead was alive and well. Although it was an unknown world to me, he was achieving dreams here that he couldn't fulfill in our world and was happy. When I became certain that this person was the hyung I knew, I felt relieved. I was really glad.

“Are you crying?” he asked, his voice softening a bit.

Hyun-Woo had fulfilled his dreams here. How could someone be so kind-hearted? If he had pretended not to know me until now, it meant he hadn't planned to reveal his identity. Yet, he revealed his identity to stop me from making a choice out of concern for me.

This was indeed a really bad situation. Hyun-Woo quietly muttered with a sigh and patted my back. At that moment, another text window appeared before my eyes.

[Notification] Special event condition met!

The regressor has revealed his identity. The deferred choices will be forcibly reviewed, and lost memories will be unlocked.

- Caution! Make your choice within twenty-four hours! If you don't choose, everything will revert to its original state.

Ding!

[Deferred Choices]

- Accompany the regressor

(The regressor’s world will be integrated, and players will be synchronized)

- Keep your world

(You will return to the original world, and the regressor will remain here)

※ If the world is integrated, your physical body will disappear (due to the regressor's choice), and the memories will be transferred to the current world’s Lee Jin-Sung.

Ding!

[Unlocking Lost Memory - The Beginning of the Story]

“Lee Jin-Sung?”

Hyun-Woo’s puzzled call echoed in my ears as my vision went black and I couldn't see anything.

‘What is this? What's happening?’

As I fumbled around in the unfamiliar darkness, forgotten memories suddenly flooded back into my mind.

***

The memories that surfaced were of that day two years ago. I was returning after filming as a judge for

Pick We Up Five.

“Your judging ability was highly praised, Jin-Sung,” my manager said as he glanced at me in the car.

“Oh, really?”

“The fans appreciated how soft and kind you were compared to the other judges.”

I gave a bitter smile at my manager's compliment and shook my head. “I just gave up. There were too many things to criticize, so I just said they did well.”

I hadn't danced much since our group disbanded, and I didn't know much about the current dance trends. None of the trainees stood out either. They were so terrible that I added some compliments to lighten the atmosphere since the other judges' harsh critics seemed overwhelming.

The corruption between the major agencies and UNET, which had existed since the first season of

Pick We Up,

worsened with each passing season. Now, the rankings of all the groups were predetermined from the very first episode.

In such a situation, it was painful to watch the smaller agencies struggle and fail, so I decided to offer some kind words to give them some relief. The fans appreciated that. Although, in reality, judges who gave sharp critiques were more helpful.

I stretched my arms, then picked up my phone. I scrolled through my KaTalk friend list out of habit, and hovered my finger over Hyun-Woo's name.

‘I think I heard Hyun-Woo hyung going to New York today.

’

My finger lingered in the air as I hesitated for a long time.

‘Should I send him a message wishing him a good trip? Would that be too much? Hmm... He'd probably find it burdensome,

I thought, even as I opened Hyun-Woo’s chat window. I hesitated for a while, then shook my head.

“That wouldn’t be appropriate.”

I hadn't heard about his trip directly from Hyun-Woo anyway. It was his juniors who told me. If I sent him a message based on what I heard from them, he might feel burdened or even annoyed. But not long after, I picked up my phone again.

[Hyung, I heard from On-Sae that you are leaving for New York today. Have a great trip!]

Even so, I felt it was right to convey my feelings. I didn't expect a reply as I just wanted him to know that I still valued him and hadn't forgotten about him.

‘This is a rationalization if anything.’

“Are you going straight home today? If you’re going to Joo-Han's place, I’ll take you there,” my manager offered.

“No, I’m going straight home. Yoo-Joon hyung is visiting Joo-Han hyung today.”

“...Geez, why don't you settle things with Yoo-Joon? It's not like you are having secret talks with Joo-Han and doing things behind Yoo-Joon's back all the time. You guys used to be close, right?”

“Everything has a reason, hyung. We are not in a position to reconcile easily. It's my fault.”

My manager nodded as if he understood and dropped me off at home. After work, my routine was the same as always. I took a shower, uploaded photos on social media, and listened to some music from the artist Joo-Han was promoting. Well, at least until I received those urgent calls that night.