I was dreaming, caught in deep darkness.
“Y-Yes…! Huh, you worked so hard…! This, this baby is our child…! Our baby….”
A dream where Dad and Mom were happy to see me born, just like usual.
…Or so I thought, but it wasn’t.
“Why is this baby ours?”
“Ah… no, right? I misunderstood.”
The two left me behind, as if realizing they had made a mistake.
I shouted at their backs.
“…No! Dad! Mom! I’m your daughter…!!”
I desperately called out to them, grabbing their arms.
Only then did they shift their gaze towards me, but….
“What are you talking about, Ye-rin?”
“Why would we be your parents?”
“…Huh?”
My parents, who always looked at me with warm eyes, now looked at me with cold eyes and tone, as if they had never cared.
“You abandoned us, didn’t you?”
“You said you never wanted to see us again.”
“…”
Ah.
Even knowing it was a dream, their words stabbed deep into my heart.
“Are you feeling relieved now?”
“Do you think you’ll live a little better after abandoning healthy parents?”
“Sure, do whatever you want.”
“You’re an orphan now.”
Orphan.
Once again, orphan.
I denied reality even though I knew everything was over, with the words of my dream parents.
“…No!”
“…Rin.”
“Ah, no…! I wasn’t trying to…!”
“Ha Ye-rin!!”
“…!”
And I could barely wake up from the nightmare at the intense shout directed at me.
“Hah… Hah…”
Gasping for breath and looking around, the Brotherhood Planning family was looking down at me with concern.
It was really dark outside.
Just before I fainted, it was clearly morning… I must have lost consciousness for a long time.
“…”
Realizing that a lot of time had passed, I asked Kang Hyung-man.
“…President.”
“Yeah, Ye-rin.”
“Dad and Mom… have they left…?”
“…”
Kang Hyung-man sighed once and passed me a bundle of papers.
I knew what these were.
The documents that lawyer Lee Kim-jang had given me last night….
The papers necessary to sever ties with my parents.
And inside it….
“Ah…”
…were the signatures of both of them.
“They left the company a while ago.”
“…”
“They also wrote a statement saying they wouldn’t appear in front of you again. So….”
Kang Hyung-man’s expression didn’t look good either.
“We decided not to proceed with a lawsuit on our side. But… is that okay?”
“…Yes.”
“I helped your dad and mom find jobs in a small town. Unless they actively seek you out… you probably won’t see them again for the rest of your life.”
“…”
…Yeah.
So this really is the end.
Nineteen years.
Dad, Mom, and me.
Our family met its end after nineteen years.
“…”
So if you ask me how I feel right now….
…I don’t know.
Relieved… doesn’t seem appropriate.
It feels like something is… empty inside.
“…”
Since entering the Extreme Demon state, the world has appeared gray to me.
With Shin PD, Representative Ahn, and my parents out of the way, the world was still gray… and my Extreme Demon state hadn’t been released.
Perhaps…, I might end up living in this gray world every day.
But well…, isn’t this all my karma?
I wasn’t loved as a child….
I abandoned my parents….
Isn’t this the sin I’m paying for now?
“President. It’s all over now. All I need to do is debut properly.”
“…That’s right. The public opinion is good, so there’s no problem with your debut. NAS contacted us and said schedules will resume regularly starting next week.”
Hearing that everything was sorted out, I smiled faintly at Kang Hyung-man.
“…Then, President. I’d like to rest a bit now.”
“…Okay, Ye-rin. If you want to eat something or do anything to lift your mood….”
“Alone…. I want to be alone right now. Please take me back to the dorm.”
“…”
Kang Hyung-man flinched slightly at my words but nodded.
“…Understood.”
I bowed my head to Lee Ji-woo, Older Brother Sang-gu, lawyer Lee Kim-jang, and other Brother Planning staff.
They waved their hands at me, showing expressions as if they didn’t want me to go.
Especially Lee Ji-woo….
“…Ye-rin, can’t you just stay with me today? Let’s go eat something delicious together….”
She held onto me tightly, looking like she didn’t want to let go….
Swish.
“…I’m sorry, teacher.”
I brushed away Lee Ji-woo’s hands and stepped out the door.
I felt like being here would just trouble the Brother Planning people and radiate negative energy.
So I chose to endure my current pain alone, leaving the Brotherhood Planning family behind.
Vroom.
Brotherhood Planning wasn’t far from the Rookie dorm, so Kang Hyung-man drove me back quickly.
“We’re here, Ye-rin.”
“Thank you, President.”
As I opened the door after bowing my head to Kang Hyung-man….
“…Ye-rin.”
He spoke to me with sad eyes.
“If it’s hard, feel free to rely on Brotherhood Planning anytime.”
“…”
“We consider you family.”
…Family.
…Yeah, I actually consider Brotherhood Planning like family too.
But….
That’s why I couldn’t rely on them more.
Just like I gave all my affection to Dad and Mom and ended up in this situation….
It’s unlikely, but what if….
What if the relationship between me and Brotherhood Planning tore apart like with my parents…?
If that ever happens… it would hurt too much….
I knew this was foolishness, but… I couldn’t put all my faith in Brotherhood Planning people.
Above all, Brotherhood Planning almost faced a huge problem because of me.
The people at Brotherhood Planning are too kind, and if I were there, they would have worried their heads off.
…I didn’t want to burden the Brotherhood Planning people anymore.
So I nodded as if to say I understood Kang Hyung-man’s words.
“Of course. If it ever gets too hard, I’ll lean on you anytime.”
“…Alright, take care.”
“Yes, goodbye, President.”
As soon as Kang Hyung-man left, I entered the dorm with a gloomy face again.
Ding.
As I opened the door, the luxurious Rookie dorm welcomed me.
Of course, it was empty and silent.
“…”
Without turning on the lights, I walked to my bed and collapsed onto it.
At that moment.
Ding.
I lifted my head at the familiar sound effect and saw….
[Congratulations! You have stepped one step closer to becoming a true Sky Demon by discarding your heavenly ties!]
…A new status window welcomed me.
I stared blankly at it, as I had never seen such a status window before.
Suddenly, more status windows appeared one after another.
[Quest window opens due to conditions met!]
[Unique Quest]
[Details: Become the greatest idol.]
[Penalty for failure: Void.]
[Reward for success: One thing you desperately desire.]
“…”
I read them slowly, feeling flustered.
Quest details…, become the greatest idol….
The greatest idol, huh… such a vague goal.
What does it mean to be the greatest idol? Is it to be number one on the domestic charts? Does it mean I don’t have to be number one internationally?
With such subjective quest details, I chuckled quietly, as I seemed to be talking to the status window.
“…Hey, what are you?”
I wondered what the status window wanted by making me, Ha Ye-rin, and giving me the trait of Sky Demon.
The traits of the protagonist, arrogant/ conceited, childish, and so on suited their respective owners perfectly.
But I only look fierce outwardly, yet I’m weaker than anyone and lack confidence.
I just didn’t seem fit for the Sky Demon trait.
“…What do you want from me?”
But no matter how many times I asked, the status window remained silent as always.
I sighed softly and continued to read the new quest window.
“Penalty for failure…, Void….”
It seemed like a trivial penalty, but I felt like something terrifying awaited behind it and read on.
“Reward for success…, something I desperately desire…?”
Something I desperately want….
What could that be?
I closed my eyes for a moment and thought about what I desperately desired.
And…, I easily recalled it.
‘I want a family.’
That was something I had wished for even as I was dying in my previous life.
In my past life, I was an orphan.
In this life, I had a family.
I had parents who gave birth to me and raised me.
But today, I abandoned them.
“Didn’t you see the press conference? I’ve already abandoned my parents in front of the entire nation. You’re no longer my parents.”
“We’ll never see each other again. I won’t care if my dad and mom go to jail or whatever.”
“Did you really think of me as your daughter? …No, if you thought of me as your daughter, you wouldn’t have done this.”
I was once again alone.
Alone.
In this vast world, alone.
“Huh…”
A surge of emotion welled up from deep within me, but I didn’t cry.
An even greater sorrow…
The thought that I was left alone in this gray world…
The instinct that this might be my fate…
Pulled me down below.
It made me sink deeper and deeper.
And so, I let my body succumb to this cruel loneliness without any resistance.
Then, it happened.
Thud.
“…?”
“What were you thinking so deeply about that you didn’t even notice we came in?”
As I opened my eyes at the sensation and voice felt on my forehead….
Whoosh.
The lights in the room turned on, revealing Yoo Seol staring right at me.
No, Yoo Seol wasn’t alone.
Behind her stood Seo Yoo-jin, Lee Hye-jeong, Park Yoo-jung, and Na Han-na.
Even though it wasn’t a gathering day, all the Rookiez members were in front of me.
“…”
At first, I stared at them absentmindedly, thinking it was a dream, but….
Swish, Swish.
As Yoo Seol gently patted my head, I realized this wasn’t a dream.
Still with a dazed expression, I asked them.
“Why… why is everyone here…?”
“We wanted to be here for you because we were worried you might be struggling.”
“…”
You wanted to be here for me because you thought I might be struggling.
In other words….
For me.
Tears.
“…Kihing.”
Tears I hadn’t shed when I was alone flowed forth as if throwing a tantrum in front of the Rookiez members.
I embraced Yoo Seol with tears streaming down my face.
And I mumbled into her chest.
“I… I cut ties with my parents today…. I… I became an orphan again…. Huh….”
“…”
“My dad and mom said they were sorry, but… I cold-heartedly abandoned them like they were trash… Huh… I’m such a bad person, right? Ah, I’m a total trash person, right?”
In response to my self-deprecating question, Yoo Seol firmly stated that it wasn’t true.
“No one here thinks that way.”
“Uhh…, huh…, uhh….”
“We know who you are, Ye-rin, better than anyone. We’re… definitely on your side.”
My side.
Hearing those words, I looked up at the members.
They looked at me as if they were looking at something precious, unsure of what to do as I cried.
Choke.
Feeling overwhelmed, I got up and opened my arms wide.
“Uhh…! A hug… please….”
Then the members immediately approached and wrapped their arms around me.
As they hugged me, warmth spread through my entire body, and the gray world began to fill with colorful colors once again.
At the same time….
[The trait ‘Extreme Demon’ is released.]
The trait that had ruled over me for days was now lifted.
“Huhhh…!!”
As Extreme Demon released its hold, my tears burst forth like a faucet turned on.
The members holding me hugged me even tighter.
Yoo Seol….
Seo Yoo-jin, Lee Hye-jeong, Park Yoo-jung, Na Han-na….
They all hugged me as if I were precious…, as if I were family.
‘…That’s right.’
I lost my parents today, but that doesn’t mean I’m left with nothing.
The Brotherhood Planning family… the Rookiez members….
Everyone is still by my side.
This time, I won’t lose them….
This time, I will never let them go.
To do that….
[Unique Quest]
[Details: Become the greatest idol.]
[Penalty for failure: Void.]
[Reward for success: One thing you desperately desire.]
I had to tackle this damned quest first.
What I desperately wanted at this moment….
Was not to lose those Rookiez members and Brotherhood Planning family in my arms.
So, with a voice filled with tears, I said to the Rookiez members.
“Huh… We… we have to become the best… the best idols…. For sure….”
At my sudden declaration, the Rookiez members tilted their heads but…
“Of course.”
“You will become the best idol. For sure.”
They nodded with smiles.
The greatest idol.
It was the moment our Rookiez’s goal was set for the next year of activities.
“Uhhhhh…!! We… we have to be the best… uhhhhh…!”
I continued to cry, holding tightly onto the Rookiez members for a long time.
If I could, I would never want to let go of their hands, never… never forever.
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I’ve been crying for the past 10 chapters holy hell man. Thanks Cyborg TL