The system didn’t tolerate me engaging in improper conduct. Even if it was to carry out a KPI, every action must be done within ethical boundaries.

There were no particular sanctions regarding this recent media play. This was likely because I didn’t tell a direct lie—I simply "created a situation that looked that way"—and I never dragged the incident into court.

Even so, it was true that I made it look as if they had committed assault in the meeting room. And afterward, I didn’t correct the distorted reports either.

We both ended up in positions where we couldn’t really claim the moral high ground.

How pathetic, Kim Iwol. Getting a guilty conscience after doing something wrong and then picking a fight with an innocent bystander. Who are you to lecture anyone about character?

"I was so obsessed with the thought that this was my chance to cut them off for good that I did something I shouldn’t have. Even after being so stressed by rumors myself... There’s no way I could act just like those people and still live comfortably. And yet after all that, I told you I’d stop thinking about these things."

"......"

"I’m a hypocrite."

I spat out my true feelings as if vomiting them up and closed my eyes. I waited until Jeong Seongbin delivered his verdict.

However, Jeong Seongbin was quiet. It was only after a very long time that he finally spoke.

"......A long ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) time ago."

"When?"

"When I was a trainee,"

Jeong Seongbin said softly.

"Jang Junhoo sunbaenim told me that my vocal tone wasn’t "mainstream" and that people would get tired of it quickly."

It must be a name he hated to even say aloud, yet Jeong Seongbin sounded fairly calm. His voice didn’t tremble.

"For a really long time... almost every day until Jeho hyung came. That’s why just having Jeho hyung around makes me feel reassured and grateful, but that’s aside from the current point."

"......"

"Hearing things like that over and over makes a person lose confidence."

I remembered the Jeong Seongbin I met right after my regression. That shadowed face devoid of any confidence was still vivid in my mind.

"It was hard."

"......"

"I wanted to quit. Everything."

It wasn’t just a question of whether to continue as an idol trainee. It was singing, working... building new relationships with strangers—everything necessary for living.

"Then, like a miracle, I got an apology, and we stopped being involved with each other. Then I got to sing "First Step"."

When I told Jeong Seongbin that I would get permission from Jang Junhoo to release a cover of that song, Jeong Seongbin certainly expected him to refuse. I hadn’t told Jeong Seongbin everything that was said in that meeting room with Jang Junhoo. But Jeong Seongbin had realized it. He knew that Jang Junhoo hadn’t given permission out of the goodness of his heart.

"Because you are such an upright person, hyung, you feel guilty for framing your family. I wasn’t exactly comfortable either, since it ended up looking like I was threatening a senior by holding his weakness..."

Jeong Seongbin took a small breath.

"On the other hand, what other way was there to get an apology that would actually bring peace? There was none."

I couldn’t answer.

Taking away the original singer’s image from the song Jang Junhoo cherished most was the greatest revenge I could think of at the time. Against a senior with far more experience, and in a situation where we belonged to the same company so even involving the agency was difficult, it was the best I could do...

"I think it’s cruel to call the only remaining option a "choice" when someone is backed into a corner."

"......"

"There were no other choices."

I recalled the recent days when I felt hopeless because I couldn’t see a breakthrough. The memory of desperately searching for a way to escape a situation while standing on a cliff with no place to retreat still felt like it happened yesterday.

"Unless someone has gone through the exact same thing, no one can criticize you for this, hyung. They don’t have the right."

Is that so? Only the individual knows the events that shaped their beliefs.

I knew this in my head. I’d even been thinking that just a moment ago. That was why I had reflected on how I shouldn’t have spoken so recklessly to Gu Jahan.

"No matter how the trial turns out, nothing can fully compensate for the wounds you’ve received. I hope you don’t add more wounds to yourself on top of that."

"......"

"It would be so unfair if you ended up thinking exactly the way the perpetrators want you to. Just do as you told me you would. If you hate them, resent them as much as you hate them."

"......"

"If anyone calls you a hypocrite, it’s right to distance yourself from them using this as an excuse. Because someone who truly treasures you couldn’t possibly say that."

Jeong Seongbin’s words were etched into my mind.

Just as Jeong Seongbin’s decision to quit being a trainee hadn’t actually stemmed from his own will and judgment... was my obsession with being flawless in my relationship with those two people, and my thought that I had misled people into thinking they were "bad" people through lies, truly my own opinion?

A hollow laugh escaped me. Gaslighting... experiencing it firsthand, its influence was truly powerful. Even though I was the one who had advised Park Juu that it was better to listen to the people who give advice for his sake.

"Our leader is really scary. He can see a thousand miles away even while lying in bed."

"Is that so?"

Jeong Seongbin laughed.

I praised Counselor of the Day Jeong Seongbin’s efforts to the moon, telling him how reliable it was to have a leader like him.

The next morning, the dorm was in chaos over the issue of: "Kim Iwol’s Guilt Outbreak... Unconditional Praise and Taking His Side Required". This happened because Jeong Seongbin asked me to repeat what I said yesterday while we were eating breakfast. I’ll say it again: our leader is truly scary.

"It would be one thing if you went to court and testified that you were choked in that room. But you announced that you wouldn’t make it an issue because neither side had proof of being hit, and you didn’t actually file additional charges!"

Lee Cheonghyeon was practically in a frenzy. He slammed his fist on the dining table and shouted.

"Even the lawyer said it was worth filing a complaint just for adding pressure even if it ended in non-indictment! It wouldn’t have increased their punishment anyway, so why does it bother you so much? Is it a problem that you gained a few more supporters? The other side is throwing trash in the middle of the match!"

"Alright, let’s just eat."

"How can food go down right now?!"

The manic Lee Cheonghyeon was only silenced when Choi Jeho said, "If you aren’t going to eat, I’ll eat yours".

"I’m not saying I don’t understand how you feel, hyung, but at least about this, I hope you don’t blame yourself. Think about your hate comment file. How many of the comments in there were actually reasonable?"

"What’s a hate comment file...?"

At Park Juu’s question, the utensils in my and Kang Giyeon’s hands stopped in mid-air. Jeong Seongbin’s clear eyes turned toward the two of us.

In an instant, Giyeon and I were on the verge of having to write a reflection letter titled: "I will unconditionally share with the members if I feel a hate comment has merit" and "I will not keep secrets from the members."

Fortunately, after staring at us silently, Jeong Seongbin let us off with a sigh, and we managed to escape the crisis by making a pinky promise.

Lee Cheonghyeon, who had successfully defended his rice bowl from Choi Jeho, completed his song work faithfully on schedule. Choi Jeho, the proactive guy who knew how to scoop more rice from the cooker when needed, mastered advanced skateboarding skills. Everyone finished their preparations for the comeback.

To secure as much promotion time as possible, we drastically shortened the teaser period. At this rate, instead of pre promotion, we’d practically start promotions right when the song was released.

"Well, we took the risk because we had something to rely on."

Because the trial was still ongoing, every minor move Spark made was being reported in the news. As the members’ variety show appearances increased, there was plenty of room to slip in a word of promotion about the comeback.

Above all...

≫ Lee Cheonghyeon’s Insta is literally a collection of every trend.

Who else but Lee Cheonghyeon can cover themselves from head to toe in ambassador products?

└ I’ve seen people post outfits with one or two brands, but he posted them all at onceㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ Usually, he wears each brand separately or takes photos one by one to make separate postsㅋㅋ Wearing them all together as "casual wear", isn’t that totally the "Good thing + Good thing = Super good thing!" mindset?ㅋㅋㅋ

└ It looks pretty without being too much. As expected, you need basic fashion sense to back it up...

≫ OMG Lee Cheonghyeon changed his Bubble Pop nickname to "CutePrettyVisualR2Cheonghyeon". Is it because he ranked 2nd in brand reputation?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ What are we going to do with this hyperactive puppy?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ I’m so proud of our maknae for hitting 2nd in brand reputation in his 2nd year since debut T_T

...Lee Cheonghyeon pulled off the feat of landing five additional advertisements in the second half of this year alone. Thanks to that, every time he posted something on SNS, tiny articles like "Muse of [Brand], Lee Cheonghyeon, gives surprise spoiler ahead of comeback" poured out.

Since we’d already gained enough benefit from the ripple effect alone, I told him it was fine whether he promoted the group at ad shoots or not. Nevertheless, Cheonghyeon made a fuss about wearing a handmade headband to a red carpet event. I had no choice but to allow him just one phrase: "Please look forward to Spark’s comeback!".

Everyone worked day and night, and before we knew it the comeback was right around the corner. Park Juu had even circled the date on the calendar as if he had been waiting for it.

"Guys, after today we probably won’t get much rest until the comeback and promotions are over. So go straight to sleep the moment we get back!"

At Manager Chanyoung’s warning, which sounded more like a threat, everyone washed up and crawled into bed as soon as we arrived at the dorm. Except for me.

Since they said there would be no personal time for a while due to the heavy workload, there was something I had to check in advance.

"Just how much time do I have left...?"

There was 25% left before the synchronization rate was full. The shaman had only recently said he sensed danger from me. There clearly wasn’t much time.

The system not rushing the concert meant the current schedule was reasonable. If I’d been lagging, I would have already heard that "Assistant Manager Kim is lazy".

The window for the final KPI to appear was clearly defined: the moment when there was a chance to nullify my sister’s accident. Once that time passed, the KPI would become meaningless.

Since the time I lost my sister was in my late 20s, some might say I could just calculate the number of KPIs that would appear until then and knock them out, but...

"The synchronization rate is filling up too fast."

The road ahead was long, yet my body was wearing down too quickly. It was just like how, in the beginning, I moved up the debut schedule and ten thousand accidents rushed in at once.

"Even so, if you’re assigning someone a project, at least tell them the final deadline."

I opened a system menu that had recently unlocked.

[SYSTEM] "Subordinate" is being notified of the "Penalty for Breach of Confidentiality."

▷ Internal regulation violation

▷ Breach of confidentiality

▷ Failure to Meet Deadlines

I opened the function that had been activated because my resume’s "Self PR" score had reached the 20 point maximum due to the series of events: "Failure to Meet Deadlines."