"How far have you looked into it?"

My sister asked. Her voice sounded like it was both pressing me for answers and feeling helpless.

"You’re a high school senior. The CSAT is next month. At a time like this, you should be focusing on that... instead of worrying about this."

"There’s no point in taking the CSAT if I can’t pay the tuition."

"So you’re going to tell them now? At this important time?"

"If we don’t settle now, I won’t make the deadline."

Those papers were the record of my 19 years. I had to get out of there even if it meant suing those two, and to do that, I needed evidence. They were the traces of my struggle, collected with that in mind.

I was planning to use this card right before the CSAT. That way, I could escape from home as soon as I became an adult.

"The admission fee is due in late January at the earliest, and early February at the latest. This conversation won’t end in 1-2 weeks. We’ll be arguing for weeks."

"You’re going to talk to those people just to get a measly tuition fee? You still don’t know what kind of people they are?"

"It’s not a measly tuition fee, noona."

My sister’s mouth closed at the words that had been driven in like a wedge.

"No matter how much I worked part time, I could only save up enough for the admission fee. I know it sounds like an excuse, but I don’t have enough time to work. I can’t be sure what my CSAT score will be to apply to a lower ranked school that gives scholarships. I want to leave home, but things aren’t going my way. If I’m going to sue them eventually anyway, wouldn’t they agree if I suggested a settlement now?"

Even as I stammered on, I couldn’t tell if I was expressing my opinion properly. I tried to speak clearly and persuade her, but my mind felt like it was turning completely white.

My sister grabbed my hand. Her hands were clenched tight.

"It’s not your fault. The situation is difficult, so it’s hard to set priorities. Let’s pack your things and go to my place right now. If I’m working, I can get a loan for a few million won..."

"I don’t want to be a burden."

"Who said you’re a burden?"

Even my sister, who rarely ever raised her voice, snapped then. Because I already knew she was that kind of person, it was even harder for me to lift my head.

"If you’re not going to ask for help, then why did you come to me?"

Hearing her angry voice, I felt guilty. I didn’t want to be a bother. I wanted to solve it on my own. But I had realized, with a sad clarity, that no matter how much I tried on my own, my decision was lacking in the eyes of my sister, who had lived longer.

"Because you’re an adult."

"..."

"With this much, I figured you’d be able to see better than me whether it would be a threat to them..."

"Hyoil, please."

My sister sighed. I took a deep, very deep breath.

"That’s your right. It’s your only chance to be justly compensated for the harm you’ve suffered."

Her every word was filled with resentment. I didn’t want to hear this kind of voice from my sister.

"Don’t waste your once in a lifetime chance on something like this."

My sister lowered her head and cried. Tears fell onto the plastic cover.

My sister, who spoke like that, had never ended up filing a lawsuit herself.

She worked day and night without stopping, earning money, and after moving out, she even secretly sent me pocket money, letting the statute of limitations run out. And yet, she was telling me to get compensation for myself. Hoping that even if the wound wouldn’t heal, at least the painful memories would be eased.

The food came, but I couldn’t bring myself to eat it. In a crowded restaurant, we couldn’t even pick up our spoons until the customers at the table next to us had changed several times.

I didn’t have the guts to go against my crying sister’s words and confront my family. The evening I parted with my sister, I sent her a text saying I would focus on preparing for the CSAT.

And a little while after the CSAT was over, my sister came to see me. Holding an envelope that was bursting at the seams.

"You can’t open a bank account without Mom and Dad’s consent, right?"

"Huh?"

"Keep it in cash. I’ve already taken out the deposit, so don’t even think about using it for anything else."

I couldn’t bring myself to reach for the envelope. Because I knew what kind of money it was.

But my sister was stubborn.

"I’m not just giving you this money. I’m going to get it all back later."

And then my sister sipped her iced americano, the cheapest thing in the cafe.

So I worked like my life depended on it. Without a moment to think about things like a readjustment period or a job transfer, I just looked ahead, living without flexibility or adaptability.

"...I’ll pay you back as soon as possible."

Because I had said I would pay her back quickly. Because I really felt like a burden.

Because I had become an adult too, and I wanted to tell her not to worry anymore.

But I never became a strong adult like my sister. To become a solid adult, I was too helplessly broken by just the absence of my sister.

The documents were exactly as I had collected them in the past. The only difference was that my name had been changed to "Kim Han."

"What’s your intention in giving this to me?"

Are you telling me to sue those people in this life? After making me an idol whose face is plastered all over the world? In a situation where I’d be lucky not to be counter sued?

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself, but it wasn’t easy. My head was spinning.

And then a thought occurred to me.

"...The bank account."

The account with 15 million won in it.

The account that had the full 15 million won when I came to the past, and the account that I wouldn’t have needed to open if I hadn’t enrolled in college.

With a trembling hand, I accessed the banking app. Even the short loading time felt unbearably long.

And the moment I checked the account opening date...

Account Opening Date 20XX.12.26.

...I felt my breath catch in my throat.

So it was settlement money.

Using these documents, I must have promised not to escalate the family matter.

The documents crumpled powerlessly in my hand.

Where was my sister while all of this was happening?

If she had at least filed a lawsuit first and left the house ahead of me, and that was why they treated me, the latecomer, so cleanly, I felt like I’d feel better.

If my sister wasn’t by my side even before I injured my back.

Is my sister, right now, even doing well...

I sat in the room, dazed, for a long time. Until the manager, who had been waiting in the parking lot, came up to the dorm, saying he had come to see what was taking so long.

Saying it was nothing, I closed the document case and shoved it into my suitcase, but my stomach burned. My eyes kept welling up. I tried my best to change the subject, and I suppressed the surging emotions deep inside my heart.

No matter how difficult the inner circumstances, work doesn’t wait for you.

So I silently did what I had to do. While fully feeling the helplessness that came from being unable to do anything, hoping that ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) there would be some progress in meeting my sister.

"Hyung, are you okay?"

Even though I tried my best to hide it, Park Juu noticed with uncanny senses that I was spacing out.

"Why do you ask?"

"You look tired..."

"I think it’s because my schedule is so complicated. Look at this."

When I opened the Dotion calendar and showed him, Park Juu’s face clouded over. The schedule, tangled like Tetris, reminded me of my college timetable.

"Maybe you should... cut back on your work?"

"I’ve cut back a lot."

"Just because a person who used to build a pyramid by himself is now just making a sphinx, doesn’t mean it’s not hard labor..."

For once, Park Juu’s words were long.

"It’s going to get even busier from now on. I passed the audition."

"...The drama?"

Park Juu’s eyes widened.

"Yeah. The company got a call earlier. I’m going to play Tetris with my schedule on the calendar soon."

They said they’d be releasing an article soon, too. With a title like ‘Spark’s Iwol Joins Suspense Drama...’ They were even going to write ‘Rising to the ranks of acting idol?’. I practically had to stage a sit in protest to stop that last one.

"So we have to finish all the ‘IDC’ related meetings within this week. You said you finished your assignments, right?"

"Yeah, the semester’s over now..."

Park Juu, who had been sitting on the floor, flopped onto the sofa and pressed his cheek against the leather.

I ended up learning in an unexpected way that Jeong Seongbin and Park Juu had worked hard in their college life. Thanks to seeing a screenshot of a university community during the monitoring process.

≫ I actually had a prejudice against idol group members

It was cool and nice to be in the same liberal arts class, but I didn’t want him to be in my group. But once we were in the same group, he was so reliable...

He showed me a new world of data research

And he keeps buying us things, saying he’s sorry for not being able to come to offline meetings often

We’re the ones who suggest online meetings because we’re too lazy to go out, but I guess he thought we were being considerate of him

Thanks, J because of you, our group never once got called out on survey statistics...

≫ Seongbin must be going to school really diligently

There are a ton of sightings and verification posts

But why is he so diligent with group projects and not with exams...

└ He’s wise. People who only take care of their individual assignments to get good grades and neglect group projects get a lot of flak, even if they’re not idols.

└ I might not be able to do my own assignment because I don’t have time, but at least I’m not causing trouble for others. That’s actually a plus.

Flowers raised in the barren land known as UA were blooming brilliantly. In recognition of their efforts, I decided to grant a leave of absence to the members who had burned through a semester.

"Cheonghyeon said he had something to say anyway, so let’s book a meeting room before the end of this week."

"I’m good with that. Seongbin probably will be too. ...What about Jeho hyung?"

Park Juu asked, slightly raising his head.

"It doesn’t matter."

Choi Jeho, who was stretching his shoulders, answered without even a glance. I really should delete the phrase ‘doesn’t matter’ from that guy’s shallow vocabulary.

As I was warming up with some simple basics, the other half of the members rushed into the practice room with Manager Daeyeon.

From Lee Cheonghyeon, who was taking off his school uniform as soon as he arrived, to Kang Giyeon, who had already stuffed his tie into his pocket, to Jeong Seongbin, whose face was pale from being in the meeting room for so long, there wasn’t a single one who looked normal.

"Everyone, we have an additional schedule, so I’ll just give you a heads up on that."

Manager Daeyeon took out his phone.

"What else is there?!"

Even as he was horrified, Lee Cheonghyeon quickly took out his planner from his bag. The clicking sound of ballpoint pens was heard from all around.

"We’ve decided to have a profile shoot for ‘IDC’ Season 2 next Thursday. We’re scheduled to shoot in time for when Cheonghyeon and Giyeon finish school, and we’ll also be recording a separate ‘thank you’ message and a message about participating for winning first place in the vote, but the schedule for that hasn’t come out yet, so just keep that in mind. And they said the date and storyboard for the group commercial we talked about last time are out. The dedicated team has uploaded them to Dotion, so please check..."

The announcements didn’t seem like they would ever end. See, Juu? I don’t think reducing my work is a remote possibility.