The taste of bitterness filled his mouth. The dryness in the mouth, devoid of a single drop of saliva, made Sol furrow his brow in discomfort, feeling as parched as a desert. It felt as if every bone in his body had slackened, leaving him with a lethargic and muddled sensation.
‘Did I fail...? Am I dead?’
He couldn’t remember. After facing Baek Yoo-chan, who was somewhat different from the Yoo-chan he knew, he couldn’t recall anything. It was as if everything in front of him was reddish and pitch-black, with nothing visible.
‘I expected darkness after death, but it’s surprisingly red,’ he thought, feeling disconnected from reality. It felt like his eyes were closed, but his eyelids seemed stuck to his skin and wouldn’t open.
‘It’s over.’
It felt empty. Suddenly, a feeling of emptiness rushed over him, and his eyes grew warm with tears. Despite everything, the past few days since the accident had been the most dynamic period in Sol’s life, as he had exerted all his efforts to try something new. Feeling like all his efforts had ended up in vain, Sol was emotionally overwhelmed by the idea that he was a trapped individual, unable to break free from it all.
It was hard. He persevered and tried hard, but honestly, it was difficult. But if you were to ask if it was only difficult all the time, there were also moments when it felt a bit exciting.
“...Huk... H-huk....”
“Huh? Sol-ah! Sol-ah!!”
The familiar voice shook Sol, who had been holding back his sobs, as he finally let out his suppressed tears. It was a light touch, but his body, suffering from fever and muscle pain, flinched like a piece of cloth in the wind from that small movement. Thanks to that, Sol, who had been shaken indiscriminately, had tears sucked back into his eyes.
“So-ahl! Are you awake?”
“Are you okay?”
In response to the worried voice in his ear, Sol raised his eyelids, now softened by tears, and blinked. He saw the dazzling white ceiling, the particularly rugged face of Manager Yeong-ho, which looked as if it had rolled in a dirt field, and beyond that, the serious expression of Tae-oh. At the appearance of familiar faces, Sol blinked and opened his mouth. The voice that came out was horribly cracked, like a corpse revived from a coffin.
“...Evaluation, evaluation... Should I continue with this?”
“What should continue? What’s uncomfortable, Sol-ah?”
“This... Should I continue even after death?”
Sol muttered to himself incoherently.
“Is this really a real game? It wasn’t like this last time.”
“It seems like he’s still talking nonsense because of his fever. I thought he was pushing himself too hard by staying and practicing continuously.”
“Now, what’s the point of nitpicking about that? If it was really like that, you should’ve stopped it earlier.”
A blunt voice interjected behind Yeong-ho, who was sighing. It was Ga-ram.
“Alright. Ga-ram and Tae-oh. Now that Sol’s awake too, you can go back. I’ll take Sol back to the dormitory as soon as he finishes all the treatments.”
“I’ll just stay here.”
“Okay, then. Since there’s no more practice today anyway, I’ll wait and go back with you later.”
Upon Yeong-ho’s words, Ga-ram stood close to Sol’s bed alongside Tae-oh. The IV tube connected to the back of Sol’s white hand was still filled with transparent liquid. Alternately checking the serious expressions of Ga-ram and Tae-oh’s faces, Yeong-ho sighed and shook his head. They seemed like good, obedient boys who listened well, but in fact, they were quite difficult to handle, stubborn and immature for their age.
“Is that so? Then stay here and watch Sol for a bit. I’ll contact Director Choi and come back.”
“Yes.”
“Ga-ram, I know this reminds you of the past, but try to relax your face a bit.”
Taking out his phone from his pocket as he left, Yeong-ho lightly tapped Ga-ram’s stiff shoulders and said a word of advice to him. Although they were criticizing Yeong-ho for not managing the trainees’ health properly, it was Ga-ram and Tae-oh who seemed troubled.
As Yeong-ho disappeared, Tae-oh locked eyes with Sol’s wandering gaze. The tear-filled eyes still shook unstably.
“Don’t worry about the evaluation. It was the first week, and considering your health issues, we decided to postpone the vocal evaluation to next week.”
“Yeah. Sol, you did well with the dance evaluation, though.”
“... Did well...?”
“Yeah... you did well, right?”
“Don’t you remember? We finished the dance evaluation. Right after the representative gave his opinion, you collapsed.”
“...How did... I do...?”
The familiar voice in his ear and the reassuring words repeated by the familiar face finally allowed him to grasp the situation. Though he had lost consciousness, the quest had progressed, and it was a success. As Sol became aware of the situation, a mint-colored window appeared before his eyes. Today marked the first time this window had been so welcoming.
[<Pass the First Weekend Evaluation!> Success]
[Achieved Grade B in the 1st Evaluation (Dance: B | Vocal: Pending)]
[Obtained 2 Potions of Stability]
[Warning! You are currently in a traumatized state. It is recommended to use Potions of Stability.]
[Abnormal Condition: Fever, Muscle Pain, Dizziness]
It was truly a success. In relief, Sol’s body relaxed from the tension. Simultaneously, dizziness struck him as the mint-colored window suddenly popped up, causing Sol to tightly shut his eyes again, furrowing his brows. Seeing him like that, Tae-oh and Ga-ram exchanged glances.
“For now, rest, and we’ll talk later.”
“Yeah. You did well, so don’t worry and take a break. You pushed yourself too hard, even though your physical condition isn’t good.”
Although the voices of the two were gentle, Sol, without needing their explanation, sighed deeply in relief, feeling remarkably comfortable. He had thought he had only caused disappointment to everyone and prematurely ended the quest by failing the weekend evaluation.
Tears that had been pent up flowed down his cheeks. Ga-ram, thinking that Sol’s tears were due to feeling unfairly judged for not fully engaging in the weekend evaluation, softly placed his hand on Sol’s back to offer comfort and support. It was a light touch filled with encouragement and consolation.
“Take some time to rest comfortably alone.”
“We’ll wait outside.”
As Sol’s tension eased, his body slumped like a dead tree. When Tae-oh noticed Ga-ram’s expression, which wasn’t very good, he placed his hand on Ga-ram’s shoulder and gently pushed him away. As the two disappeared entirely from the hospital room, Sol covered his face with both hands.
“Thank you.”
Sol couldn’t even figure out who he was thankful to as he uttered those words, but he felt gratitude for having his life spared. At least now, he could express his gratitude to the system window displaying the word ‘Success’. Ironically, the one deserving of thanks was Sol’s body, which had moved without losing consciousness, even in a state where he wasn’t in his right mind.
“Thank you...”
The hand covering the face trembled. There was some regret, but the overwhelming feeling was the realization of having survived. When one’s life was at stake, what did it matter whether one succeeded or failed? It would have been good if he had remembered properly and finished the evaluation with finesse, but perhaps that was too much to ask for. Nevertheless, Sol was grateful for the success.
When left alone, Sol found himself unable to easily dismiss the surge of emotions engulfing him, leading him to burst into tears. Unable to express all the emotions that engulfed him, he continued to utter words of gratitude while shedding tears.
Tears flowed, and his whole body trembled, yet it didn’t feel so bad. It felt like the version of himself here, in this place, had become slightly better than his twenty-five-year-old self in reality. It felt like progress.
And above all, Sol was relieved that he hadn’t disappointed Tae-oh, Ga-ram, Ji-ho, and Deuk-yong. After crying for a while, Sol managed to suppress his emotions and, as usual, looked at the clear droplets of liquid falling from his arm with a stoic face. The voices of Ga-ram and Tae-oh were faintly heard from outside the door.
‘How fortunate.’
Sol repeated those words endlessly in his mind. As he heard Ga-ram and Tae-oh’s voices from outside the door, Sol silently repeated their words in his mind, as if harmonizing with them, continuing this internal repetition endlessly. It was fortunate that regardless of whether it was a game or a matter of life and death, whatever it was, all these things hadn’t ended yet.
When Sol regained consciousness again, it was when the nurse was removing the needle inserted into his arm. Unlike before, when he had been incoherent and unclear, this time he was fully conscious and clear-headed. As Sol regained consciousness, Yeong-ho poured out a bundle of vague concerns through his nagging.
“I’m sorry. I just thought it was just a minor issue with my condition.”
“It’s good that you practice hard, and considering you started later than the others, I understand the rush. But, Sol-ah, your health comes first. Do you know how worried we all were when you collapsed?”
“I’m sorry for causing concern. I really was fine.”
“Tae-oh, Ga-ram, Ji-ho, and Deuk-yong, they were all so shocked... Oh well. Forget it. From now on, if you feel even a little unwell, be sure to say something. We’re not some unethical agency...”
“I’m sorry.”
Sol never thought it would turn out like this. Nevertheless, despite the unexpected turn of events, he had thought that over the course of practicing all this time, he had become somewhat accustomed to the trait of being an ‘unlucky genius dancer’ and had found his own way to endure the trauma. Although it was tough, he believed he could overcome it as he had done before, just like he always had.
Sol, who was retracing his memories just before momentarily losing consciousness, began to think that the sudden surge in exhaustion might not have been solely due to his trait as a ‘unlucky genius dancer.’ The rise in exhaustion was something that usually accompanied him even during regular practice sessions, almost like a daily routine. However, this time, the rate of increase in exhaustion was unusually fast.
Dancing in front of several people? Most of the trainers present were the people Sol had been practicing with for a week. Sol suddenly found his memories lingering on Representative ‘Baek Yoo-chan’ who was different from the Baek Yoo-chan he knew. His presence seemed to be a much bigger shock than he had initially thought, enough to break down the defenses he had built around himself.
“Are you okay now? Are you feeling dizzy or uncomfortable anywhere?”
Someone gently patted Sol’s back, as he was lost in thought. Startled, he turned around to find a voice filled with concern asking him questions. It was Ga-ram. His normally languid and indifferent face seemed to be filled with various emotions today. The questions about Sol’s well-being were surprisingly quick compared to his usual relaxed demeanor.
“I’m really okay. I’m sorry I scared you.”
Sol extended his hand in response to Ga-ram’s overly concerned gaze.
“No need to apologize... As long as you’re okay.”
“How about you? Are you okay?”
“Me?”
Looking at Ga-ram’s face, which seemed paler than his own for some reason, Sol couldn’t help but ask about his well-being instead. He looked so pale and anxious that Sol couldn’t help but wonder if he should be more worried about Ga-ram than himself.
“Um... Yeah. From what I see, you seem more...”
“Ji-ho and Deuk-yong are also very worried. Let’s go back to the dormitory for now, since they are waiting.”
As Sol stood facing Ga-ram, he noticed the unmistakable anxiety in Ga-ram’s gaze. Just as Sol was about to ask, his brow furrowing in concern, Tae-oh interjected. At Tae-oh’s words, Sol, who had just remembered Ji-ho and Deuk-yong, nodded his head.
