Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

Long ago, he had once granted the wish of a drug addict.

The man had clung to his legs, sobbing and begging him to help him quit drugs.

The distorted expression that made it impossible to tell whether he was laughing or crying, and the revolting stench emanating from his entire body, were still vivid in his memory.

He couldn't remember exactly what they had talked about, but the man had gone on and on about how he was a celebrity who had met the wrong people and ended up that way, spilling out every detail of his circumstances without being asked.

Thanks to making a wish, the foolish human had been able to stay away from drugs, just as he wanted.

Though he had never managed to return to his former life.

The very same smell that had emanated from that man was coming from Kim Hwanyeong.

Whether by choice or against their will, there were people who ended up that way-

But the fact that a young man who hadn't even debuted had already stepped into that kind of life was both unbelievable and pathetic.

It wasn't as though only one or two celebrities had fallen into ruin because of drugs, so there was no way he didn't know.

...Whatever. He's the one ruining his own life, not me.

'Anyway, I should avoid him as much as possible, at least while I'm here. Even aside from that problem, there's no telling what kind of trouble he might cause someday.'

He didn't know when that day would come, but he wanted no part in getting dragged into an unnecessary controversy.

If he was already like that, it was obvious what his usual behavior must be like. Wouldn't reports about him start surfacing from all directions soon?

There was nothing inherently wrong with simply being seen getting along with him, but...

Putting everything else aside, he had always felt an aversion toward this type of human.

Taking advantage of the song ending, Yuseong moved toward another group of trainees.

He deliberately acted as though he hadn't noticed Hwanyeong, worried that avoiding him too obviously would give him away. But to his surprise, Hwanyeong followed right after him.

...He had become a target.

So he really did come over to stand beside me on purpose.

Did I unknowingly use Enchantment on him?

“...Ah!”

“Oops...”

While he was distracted by the alarm bells ringing in his head,

Yuseong failed to notice someone striding toward him and collided with them.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just stepped on your foot, didn't I...!”

“Pardon? No, it's fine. I wasn't looking where I was going either. I'm sorry.”

Large, bright eyes filled with a lively sparkle blinked beneath thick eyelashes.

Even though Yuseong waved his hands repeatedly and insisted that it was fine while apologizing himself, the other person continued apologizing and making a fuss.

Yuseong met his eyes several times.

Yet, for some reason, his 'Enchantment' skill didn't seem to work.

Wasn't there supposed to be a 65% chance of enchanting someone whenever their eyes met?

“But why are you coming over here? I don't think this song is finished yet!”

“Well, staying onstage the whole time feels a little... like I'm hogging all the attention...?”

“What?!”

...Strange.

A 65% chance wasn't exactly low, and he felt as though he had tried to enchant him more than three times already, yet not once had the yellow light appeared.

Could it be... that the skill had failed to activate?

“I overheard someone earlier saying there's a problem with the dormitory building right now, so we can't move in immediately! I don't think it's anything serious, though, since they haven't made an announcement? Anyway, they said they'll play a few more songs~”

“I see...”

“Then I think it'll be fine! Or would you like to do the next one with me? But what if I don't know the song? Ahaha~”

Separately from that, the fact that he was still being so friendly suggested that he was simply a cheerful and outgoing person.

He was a little scatterbrained, but there was no awkwardness or reserve in the way he spoke, so he probably wasn't just being polite either...

...Who was he again?

As he wondered, Yuseong discreetly brought up his status window.

[Ma Rubin (24) / D]

[Vocals C+ (?)

Rap -

Dance C

Appearance B-

Reputation -

Special Skills:

Unlock Required

]

Ah, he was the trainee who had been extremely nervous during the grade evaluation.

Fortunately, even his name was displayed in the status window.

He couldn't understand why so many of his stats and skills were unknown, though.

“Gasp! Do you know this one? I really love this song!”

Hmm... What exactly was going on?

“Oh my gosh! Aren't you way too good at this?!”

Even as his body followed Rubin's movements to the beat, his mind kept turning over the contents of Rubin's status window.

What did the question mark beside his stat mean, and what was this business about unlocking something?

Well, even if he didn't know now, he'd probably find out later with time.

Meanwhile, he also caught sight of Hwanyeong, who had been wandering around, finally attaching himself to Seong Iseong.

Hwanyeong treated Kang Chan, who belonged to the same agency as Iseong and accompanied him everywhere but had received a C grade, as though he were practically invisible.

The way he specifically sought out only A-grade trainees made him look like an opportunist, and Yuseong found it unpleasant to watch.

'If you're going to play favorites, at least make sure people don't notice. Honestly, that guy...'

In the meantime, Rubin's excited giggling drew attention, causing more trainees to gather around them.

Yuseong welcomed the opportunity and examined all their status windows.

There were very few cases that were the same as or similar to Rubin's.

“A-grade trainees, please move over this way!”

Eventually, after a long wait, they moved to the dormitories.

The A- and B-grade trainees used the main building, while the others were assigned to an annex connected to the studio.

As expected, it was a comfortable space. Moderately spacious and cozy.

It seemed less extreme than during Catch One, but the producer was notorious for his class-based discrimination.

Since he reportedly hadn't changed his attitude even after drawing criticism from fandoms, the living conditions were probably no different from those of his previous program.

The trainees in the other grades were probably trying to decide which beds to use in their cramped rooms right about now.

There was a good chance that the dormitory where the problem had occurred was on their side as well. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any accidents...

That thought, entertained out of courtesy, soon became a pointless concern.

Because Yuseong had been assigned to share a room with Hwanyeong, giving him a far bigger problem to worry about.

____________

[87 channels exploring the unknown universe! Break through infinite possibilities and rise to the center of it all!]

[Let's play ON toward becoming the NO. 1 who will captivate every dimension!]

The trainees were operators, each possessing their own dimensional transportation device called a 'channel.'

The operators had gathered here with the mission of spreading Earth's K-pop throughout the distant universe.

They had begun a long journey across time and dimensions to gather fans known as subscribers... That was the general premise of Play ON's fictional universe.

With everyone gathered in a spacious auditorium watching this story unfold on a giant screen, it almost felt as though they had come to a movie theater.

The operators with the most subscribers would unite as an idol group representing Earth and protect the universe.

That was supposedly the ultimate goal, but why had they made the setting so grandiose?

At least to Yuseong, a prospective divine spirit who would soon become a nine-tailed fox, it sounded rather like a childish fairy tale being read aloud.

On the other hand, he was grateful for the opportunity to sit comfortably amid such a packed filming schedule.

They were currently wearing practice clothes with name tags displaying their grades and names, but until a little while ago, they had been wearing matching outfits designed with spacesuits as their motif.

When had they changed clothes again?

The schedule had been so hectic that he couldn't even remember how many hours ago that had been, and the sandwich he had eaten for lunch had already been digested.

'Human bodies really are inefficient...'

He thought he heard another stomach growling somewhere.

It was now time to reveal the signal song.

The dazzling computer graphics explaining the fictional universe faded, and a man appeared on the screen.

[Hello, operators. I'm composer Kim Road, and I was in charge of producing the signal song.]

In the recorded video, a man wearing a cap pulled low over his head stood with his back to a recording booth and bowed.

“Gasp, Kim Road!”

“Wow!”

His delivery was flat and stiff, as though he were reading from a script.

Judging by the excited murmurs, he seemed to be someone famous.

Unfortunately, Yuseong hadn't managed to gather information about composers, so he merely pretended to recognize him and joined in the exclamations of admiration.

[The theme of this signal song is 'Infinity.']

[As people with infinite potential, you'll show your fans that many different sides of yourselves... It carries the meaning that you can become anything and develop in any form, along with the expectation that you'll continue growing endlessly.]

[...Then, let's watch it together.]

[<​NO Limit>.]

The background music that had been playing softly suddenly swelled, and the screen changed.

- There are no limits

At this very moment

Toward what lies beyond

Go high, even higher

Powerful vocals rang out over a refreshing, exhilarating electropop sound.

- If that's what you wish, I can be

Anything, no limit

Absolutely anything

Everything, no limit

The powerful yet rhythmic beat immediately caught his ear.

The choreography shown in the video was also lively and suited the song, while the signature moves were intuitive and looked easy to memorize.

- I'll show you, all the way to the end

So that I can reach you

Go far- NO limit!

At least they had made a good song.

It was easy and pleasant to listen to, while also clearly showcasing the concept and musical appeal.

Depending on who became the center, it could also attract considerable attention.

'And as for who will become that center... who else could it be but me?'

After all, didn't becoming the center raise one's chances of debuting to almost one hundred percent?

It seemed to have been that way in the other audition programs he had watched for research.

He had to become the center. No, he would become the center.

Standing at the center of the stage and captivating even the people watching through their screens?

Who could possibly do that better than an actual fox?

Yuseong's eyes gleamed with competitive spirit.

[Did you enjoy listening to it?]

Kim Road spoke again.

Although it was merely a recorded video, everyone shouted, “Yes!” in response, as though they were kindergarteners.

[Now, you'll undergo your second grade evaluation using this song, and we'll also determine the center.]

[I believe all of you will do well.]

[I hope you'll all become idols who surpass even infinity, just like this song. Play ON, fighting!]

They had two days until the second grade evaluation and the competition to determine the center.

A strange tension stretched the air taut.

_______________

After someone called "Cut!" and Yuseong rose from his seat, someone tapped him on the back.

“Are you going to practice... at dawn?”

It was Seong Iseong.

His tone was quite friendly, although Yuseong had never even exchanged a proper greeting with him.

“If possible.”

There had been an announcement that the practice rooms would be open twenty-four hours a day.

The intention was to encourage overnight practice, so naturally, the cameras would be rolling as well.

Yuseong had planned to practice anyway, and there was no reason to give a lengthy response, so he answered briefly.

“Really? I was thinking of practicing with Chan, too. We might run into each other.”

“Yes, I suppose we might.”

As if the three of them would be the only ones there.

The official training sessions with the mentors wouldn't begin until tomorrow, and before that, they needed to memorize the choreography and lyrics.

If they wanted to show results within two days, everyone would head to the practice rooms, even if only to secure screen time.

That included Kim Hwanyeong, who was standing over there looking for a chance to approach another A-grade trainee.

His thoughts had unnecessarily turned sour.

If someone else had approached him just now, he might have responded more warmly.

But he couldn't do that because Iseong reminded him of an entirely different kind of being.

'He's... like a fox.'

Not that I'm one to talk.

There was a subtle artificiality in his tone, expressions, and even the smallest gestures.

He pretended otherwise, but the cunning in his eyes and the arrogance with which he looked down on others were unmistakable.

Iseong's attitude reminded him of young foxes with about two tails.

It was the age when they had become accustomed to acting like noble prospective divine spirits, so no matter how gracefully they behaved, it only looked like they were 'pretending' to be refined.

As he recalled those behaviors, he added excuses and unnecessary comments in his head that no one else could hear, such as 'I wasn't like that, though-' and 'I was quite mature even back then-'.

“Oh, right.”

Iseong gave him a sly smile with his eyes.

“Your age... was it twenty-nine? Or thirty?”

“I'm twenty-eight.”

“Ah, sorry. I was just checking before asking if I could call you hyung. I was pretty close, though, right?”

In truth, up until that point, Yuseong hadn't thought much of it.

“Do you think we'll be able to debut together? I'm exactly twenty, you see.”

Not until he heard those words.

The smiling face with drooping eyebrows and the tone that seemed to be deliberately suppressing laughter made his intentions obvious.

Right... This is exactly what makes him seem like a young fox.

It was fortunate that the one inside this body wasn't actually a twenty-eight-year-old human.

From Yuseong's perspective, unless there was a difference of more than a hundred years, everyone was practically the same age. Bringing up age wasn't enough to hurt his feelings in the slightest.

Yuseong silently nodded.

“Ah, yes. So you're twenty. I thought you'd be younger.”

“How old did you think I was?”

“About sixteen?”

“Ah~.”

Then he simply stared at him.

His mental age was that of an adolescent, and judging by his childishness, he might not even be five years old. Yet he had the nerve to try to provoke him with words.

Only when it became obvious that Iseong was forcing himself to smile did Yuseong look away.

“Now that I see you, you're much more... than what Chan told me.”

“Pardon?”

“It's nothing.”

After muttering his dissatisfaction, the brat quickly darted away, leaving Yuseong no way to stop him.

What on earth had he and that Kang Chan fellow been saying about him behind his back?

After that, everything passed without any particular trouble.

Even while filming content at the dormitory until late in the evening,

And while spending the entire night practicing with the other trainees, including Iseong.

It was a day when everything went smoothly, without a single incident.

Then something new began to appear before his eyes.