Survive! Foolish Bottom!

 

The second option was like mocking Junwoo while pretending to apologize, and the third option was out of character—it wasn’t something to say after crying so much. Even though he was not particularly concerned about etiquette, it was clear that Junwoo found the stranger uncomfortable, so Haeun couldn’t choose anything that might provoke him further. Haeun chose the first option and let himself be carried by the choice.

 

“I’m. I’m sorry. Hiccup! I’m crying because I’m pathetic,

sniff

, that’s all…”

 

Though the chosen dialogue was fairly straightforward, the words came out with a lot of strange additions. The tears hadn’t stopped yet as the five minutes weren’t up. 

 

Junwoo pinched his forehead and gripped Haeun’s wrist tightly. He looked exasperated as he muttered,

 

“…Hyung, for now.”

 

“Do you really need to hold someone like that while talking?” 

 

The man interrupted again. It was understandable why Junwoo would be annoyed by the constant interruptions. However, Haeun felt a bit relieved by the man’s interference. Honestly, it hurt a little to have Jun-woo holding onto him so tightly, and it was also a blow to his pride. 

 

This person might be the most helpful busybody he had ever met. Revising his earlier opinion of the man as an “annoying busybody,” Ha-eun spoke.

 

“I’m alright…”

 

He was about to lie out of politeness. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Junwoo’s sharp gaze turned back to Haeun.

 

“Hyung.”

 

But once again, the timing was impeccable. Just as Junwoo began to speak, a voice called out from outside the closed stairwell door, searching for Junwoo.

 

“Junwoo ssi! Junwoo ssi, are you in there?”

 

“Yes? Yes! I’m here!” 

 

Junwoo’s voice changed to that of an eager rookie idol as he loudly responded.

 

“Junwoo ssi! Come here for a moment!” 

 

It was hard to tell why Junwoo was the only one who was suddenly being called. His face showed a hint of dismay, but his voice remained consistent.

 

“Yes, just a moment!” 

 

He glanced at Haeun, whose face was still streaming with tears, and clicked his tongue briefly.

 

“We’ll talk later.”

 

Leaving that remark in a resigned tone, Junwoo quickly ran down the stairs.

 

Throwing open the door and shouting “Yes!” as he ran out, Junwoo looked like a different person from a moment ago. Haeun sniffled and kept staring at the door. He was contemplating whether to use this opportunity to follow Junwoo and escape the situation.

 

Haeun felt grateful to the man. If it weren’t for him, he would still be making a messy apology, crying miserably in front of Junwoo. Thanks to him, he was spared that humiliation. But as the man continued to stand there even after Junwoo left, Haeun felt more and more embarrassed.

 

The protagonist of the original story was always described as looking pure and beautiful, even when crying. Could he maintain that image after crying non-stop for five minutes? This man was likely seeing Haeun’s eyes swollen from all the tears. At least the sobbing had almost stopped, which was a relief.

 

Haeun kept wiping his tears and glanced at the silent man. Through his blurred vision, he saw a well-dressed man standing there. He seemed as tall as Il-hyun, the tallest member of their group, maybe even a bit taller. There was something oddly familiar about him.

 

‘Who is he… Where have I seen him before…’

 

It must be absurd to watch Haeun squinted and scrutinized the man in front of him with tears streaming down his face. The man probably thought he was dealing with a bizarre individual, yet he remained calm. He silently watched Haeun before slipping a hand into his pocket. Haeun instinctively felt defensive, assuming the man was trying to assert dominance. However, instead of picking a fight, the man pulled out a handkerchief.

 

Carrying a handkerchief all the time? It felt like something out of a movie. What a pretentious guy. 

 

But it wasn’t an entirely bad feeling. As Haeun took the handkerchief and wiped away his tears and snot, he noticed the man’s expression gradually growing more awkward. Just then, the five minutes seemed to be up, and his tears finally stopped.

 

With his vision clear at last, Haeun leaned forward and looked closely at the man’s face.

 

“Oh!”

 

He exclaimed without thinking. He had just realized why the man seemed so familiar. The man’s reaction was minimal, as if he was used to such responses. He simply shrugged his shoulders slightly.

 

This reaction indicated that the man was someone widely recognized, but that wasn’t why Haeun was surprised.

 

‘He looks like Geonju!’

 

The recognition wasn’t because he was a famous person in the idol world but because he resembled a character Haeun liked. The character’s name was Geonju, from the movie

“The Third Illegal District,”

which Haeun had watched countless times.

 

‘If you look closely, their faces are different… and the vibe is totally different.’

 

Haeun kept observing the man, fascinated.

 

‘But still, he looks like him.’

 

Haeun confirmed that the man was speaking to him as he leaned against the wall beside them. The man muttered to himself, as if unsure whether to direct his words at Haeun or not.

 

“What were they doing next door today? Was it

‘God of Live’

?”

 

While Haeun was contemplating whether to answer the man’s murmurs, he made the decision for him by adding another comment.

 

“Are you here for a

‘God of Live’

shoot?”

 

“Yes…”

 

“Ah, I see.”

 

He nodded absentmindedly, as if he wasn’t particularly curious. Haeun continued to marvel at the man’s resemblance to Geonju. 

 

‘Did they actually use the actor for Geonju as a model for this guy? Then, isn’t that plagiarism? Or maybe it’s a cameo?’

 

The confusion about plagiarism or cameos seemed out of place in this context, but Haeun didn’t dwell on it for long. The man spoke again, his voice slow and deliberate.

 

“Good luck with the shoot.”

 

For someone who had suddenly intruded, he spoke with a surprisingly casual tone. As he straightened himself up from the wall and began to descend the stairs, Haeun, who had been watching in a daze, hurriedly called out to him.

 

“Excuse me! Thank you!”

 

The man turned his head slightly, giving a minimal acknowledgment with a simple nod and a short reply.

 

“Ah, yes.”

 

Was this the same person who had just helped him? Regardless, Haeun, trying to appear as harmless and innocent as possible, held out the man’s handkerchief.

 

“Um, your handkerchief…”

 

He meant to say he’d wash and return it. After all, returning it in its current state was out of the question. But before he could finish, another voice interrupted—this time, it wasn’t the man’s.

 『”Gyowon’s” favorability has decreased by 2 points! (ﾟДﾟ;)』 

Haeun froze, still holding out the handkerchief. It wasn’t the decrease in favorability that shocked him. Offering back a handkerchief used to blow his nose would naturally be off-putting. What confused him was that “Eu-Idol” didn’t typically apply favorability metrics to non-target characters.

 

“You can just keep it.”

 

The man smiled gently, even though Haeun had just received an alert about a decrease in favorability. It was hard to shake off the confusion. Was there really such a character to be targeted? The question seemed pointless. If there had been, Haeun, who had seen all the endings, would surely remember.

 

Then… who exactly was he?

 

Even those with poor memories sometimes suddenly recall someone they had forgotten. This was happening to Haeun now.

 

‘Once you clear everything, there’s supposed to be a true ending or a hidden character.’

 

His friend had mentioned this when he recommended ‘Eu-Idol’ to him.

 

At first, Haeun had been curious about the hidden character or secret ending that no one had confirmed, so he started playing. But despite playing through all the endings, no one had posted any concrete evidence of this rumored character. Haeun had also never encountered any new characters, so he dismissed it as mere rumor and forgot about it.

 

Could the man he just met be that rumored hidden character?

 

Even if that were true, it was hard to make sense of it. A newly introduced character typically provides opportunities to raise favorability or at least hints at another meeting, but this man had even refused to accept his handkerchief back. And with a simple thank you, Haeun’s favorability had decreased.

 

The man had left, so there was no telling if they’d meet again. All he knew was the name “Gyowon” that the system had provided at the end.

 

Was he just an event character? The character design reminiscent of Geonju seemed to suggest that.

 

Despite the swirling thoughts, Haeun couldn’t dwell on it for long. He had received a KakaoTalk message from Junwoo who was urging him to return quickly. Haeun hurriedly went back to the filming set.

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