“There really are a ton of festivals in this country.”

Lee Cheonghyeon said as he looked over the daily schedule chart posted in the group chat.

“And schools.”

Kang Giyeon chimed in. Just today alone, they had three outdoor stages booked. They had already finished one group interview that morning too. By the time all the schedules ended, it would be deep into the night.

“At least we have a bunch of songs that fit this time of year. ‘With List’ and ‘On A High Note’ both came out in May.”

As Lee Cheonghyeon said, Spark had plenty of songs that suited the stretch between spring and summer. A big part of it was because they had consistently stuck with a youth concept, but... what did they think I’d been cracking my skull open for all this time, pushing debut and comeback schedules forward?

If you suffer when you’re young, your later years get easier. Spark had seasonal songs, festival atmosphere songs, public friendly songs, and encore tracks easy for crowds to sing along with.

Once you considered the timing of the event and whichever recent title track was trending, you could put together endless performance set lists. Five comebacks in one year. It had been fucking brutal, but I didn’t regret it.

As each member’s recognition steadily increased year after year, watching the audience’s reactions became more rewarding too. Separate from always doing your best no matter how many people responded, loud cheers naturally got you excited.

The one whose reactions had exploded the most this year was Kang Giyeon. The son of the countryside, the deserted-island youngest who looked like a rock, was showing off his background as a dancer without holding back once he got on stage. That so called “gap moe” had made him wildly popular.

Park Juu eventually managed to blow out a speaker at one event venue, magnificently broadcasting his abilities to the Mitube algorithm. After that, clips of Park Juu deliberately keeping his distance from microphones became memes of their own and spread across social media. As for Lee Cheonghyeon, whose face was plastered all over the country, and center Choi Jeho, there was no need to even mention them.

As for me and Jeong Seongbin, maybe because so many bizarre clips of us were already floating around, people burst out laughing no matter what we said. Honestly, it felt like we needed to be separated from digital media content for a while. I had already warned Jeong Seongbin that I might look into a temple stay program for him, just in case.

“......Now that it’s nighttime, it feels like the festival atmosphere is even more alive. Or is that just me?”

Cheers erupted at Jeong Seongbin’s comment. By the time they reached their final schedule, the sun had long since set. There was no natural light, but nighttime events fully benefited from the artificial sun effect of stage lighting, so we intended to make the most of prime time. Lasers, fireworks, confetti. What’s not to love?

The growing number of people interested in Spark also played a role. As attention increased, the sense of immersion fitting for a festival came alive. There really wasn’t a better environment for performing.

In the middle of the warm atmosphere and cheerful small talk, a very brief but unpleasant sound reached my ears. It sounded like sharp metal slowly scraping across a heavy iron plate.

‘An in ear problem?’

Issues with in ears and microphones outdoors happened all the time. The noise had been extremely faint, and none of the other members seemed to notice anything wrong, so I concluded it was just ordinary interference.

“We’ll say goodbye with ‘Bright’! Thank you!”

As the final ment ended and the members moved back into position, I pretended to tap the top of my microphone with my hand. It was a signal for them to check the sound before the MR started. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with the mic.

『Remember

the promise we first shared』

『You told me

to become

your eternal star』

Phone flashlights swayed side to side throughout the audience. Kang Giyeon had taken a fan’s phone to film a video before returning it, while Park Juu wrapped a slogan banner around his head after receiving it from someone in the crowd.

『After enduring

the long night

I’m going to you now』

Even after barely sleeping, even after moving nonstop from dawn until night, somehow I still had the strength to stand on stage. My body remembered the choreography, and my head didn’t forget the lyrics. Even in the middle of a massive crowd, the Spark light sticks and banners with the members’ names on them stood out strangely well.

『I’ll become light

and fill you with me

brilliantly』

The scenery blended exquisitely with the lyrics.

The audience sparkled like moonlight rippling over a night sea, while above us stretched an open sky overflowing with stars.

And then...

‘Huh?’

...the stage lights shining brightly overhead began to shake.

Just as I was about to shout for them to cut the music, every movement around me suddenly stopped.

This had definitely happened before.

Right, when the system appeared and told me to try the stick function.

 [SYSTEM] A work directive has arrived from “Supervisor.”

▶ Disaster really does come without warning, doesn’t it?

 I messed up.

I had paid attention all this time, but after my mental state shattered because of Park Juu’s incident, it was true that I had grown careless about inspections.

I couldn’t excuse myself by saying it had only been for a short time. Accidents could happen anytime, anywhere. Of all people, I shouldn’t have forgotten that.

 [SYSTEM] A work directive has arrived from “Supervisor.”

▶ I told you already. Assistant Manager Kim still has a long way to go. How exactly is Assistant Manager Kim supposed to stop a natural disaster?

 “Long way to go” didn’t mean I still had a lot left to accomplish?

It didn’t mean there were still KPIs remaining, but that I was supposed to understand my limits?

A surge of anxiety sent my thoughts spinning. As I desperately tried to think, I forced myself to stay calm.

No need to panic. I got that time stop reward thing before, didn’t I?

If the system tried to interfere with some kind of trick, I could just use the means available to me and evacuate Choi Jeho—

 [SYSTEM] A work directive has arrived from “Supervisor.”

▶ This is fate. Something impossible to predict or prevent, something destined to happen no matter what. How could a human possibly defy something already decided?

 The system flickered. The title changed to red.

 [SYSTEM] Emergency measures requiring Crisis management are hereby announced to “Party B.”

▷ Certain details regarding the “Final Performance Reward” have been partially revised. Grounds for revision may be confirmed under the “Violation of Confidentiality” clause.

 My final performance reward was the nullification of my sister’s death and the chance to reunite with her. If I failed to achieve the final KPI, the process permanently revoked my opportunity to receive that reward under the personnel disadvantage clause.

Now a short additional explanation had appeared beneath “Final Performance Reward.”

 [SYSTEM] The “Final Performance Reward” is hereby announced to “Party B.”

▷ Nullification of elder sister (blood relative)’s death and provision of reunion opportunity

▷ In relation to the “Violation of Confidentiality” clause, failure to maintain confidentiality may result in suspension of “Final Performance Reward” payment according to internal standards.

 My eyes rapidly scanned the text.

Nothing about it felt anything but ominous.

 [SYSTEM] “Violation of Confidentiality” is hereby announced to “Party B.”

▷ Any matters capable of affecting areas beyond Spark’s successful activities, as well as any direct information related to future points in time, shall all be regarded as confidential information requiring security measures.

▷ “Party B” bears responsibility for maintaining confidentiality regarding the above matters.

▷ The severity of disciplinary action shall be determined by consideration of various factors including the importance and public impact of the leaked confidential information, with punishment possible up to and including “death.”

 The word “successful” was emphasized.

As though injuries to one person would be considered too minor to affect “successful activities.” In the system’s eyes, small issues like that could probably just be covered up by their rising recognition.

The system alone determined the importance of confidential information. There was no way it didn’t know what I had been planning to do before the accident. A system that could see straight through my thoughts deliberately informing me that it “may suspend reward payment according to internal standards” meant only one thing.

It was telling me to stand there and watch the accident happen.

Why now? Why make the accident itself the turning point?

What kind of bullshit fate destroys someone’s life over an accident like this?

It was sophistry. If it was going to talk about inevitability, then the system never should have let me change Spark’s future in the first place, or even let me join Spark at all.

As endless questions piled up, the system shot one back at me.

 [SYSTEM] A work directive has arrived from “Supervisor.”

▶ I definitely warned you. How long are you going to keep denying reality? I told you that ignoring reality doesn’t change it. Do you think only one or two critical issues happen while working? Every time something happens, are you going to lose control and say weak things like this?

 The system called it a “critical issue.”

An event where my sister might die and Choi Jeho might never dance again.

As long as Kim Iwol didn’t die, this bastard genuinely didn’t care what happened to anyone else.

Did it think I wouldn’t make an extreme choice anymore now that I knew Park Juu carried trauma from losing his family? Or did it expect me to freeze up completely in fear of losing my sister again?

Then why did it stop me from hating Choi Jeho and Spark more?

Why did it let me see into these bastards’ hearts and realize they weren’t bad people, making me feel solidarity because they shared the same pain as me?

Because critical issues happen several times throughout life?

So that even if accidents happened right beside me, even if things became unbearably painful, I still wouldn’t kill myself?

Was it telling me to adapt and survive no matter what happened?

Did it ever actually intend to give my sister back in the first place?

 [SYSTEM] A work directive has arrived from “Supervisor.”

▶ I told you before. A company has no obligation to give employees everything they want.

 The system disappeared.

Time began to move again.

『That’s probably

because you call for me』

Someone’s part pulled me back to reality.

Noona, what do I do?

I can’t give up on you. You know that. How could I possibly give up on you?

I can’t go back to those hopeless days again. I can never live like that again.

Ever since that day, I’ve never once truly let you go. I couldn’t. I didn’t want to admit it.

I don’t want us to part. There’s still so much I owe you. Everyone else may have forgotten by now, but I remember. Everything you did for me, every promise I made to you, I remember all of it.

You said you’d wait. I really did work hard, so can’t you wait just one more time?

No, I’m sorry. I’m not even in a position to ask anything from you. I should’ve handled things better. If I hadn’t been lacking, if I hadn’t let my guard down...

『I’ll engrave

letters meaningful to you』

A massive white light flashed, similar to the lighting focused on Lee Cheonghyeon in the music video.

Choi Jeho stood in the center of the stage.

His back, his waist, filled my vision.

Noona.

I’m sorry.

『Even if I can’t reach you

it’s okay, to me......』

You’re the most important person in the world to me.

My head told me to stay still, but...

『Please reach out your hand』

...I don’t even know why I’m running toward him either.

“Choi Jeho!”

Choi Jeho turned toward me. I reached my arm out toward him.

“Grab on!”

‘How far can you go doing what I tell you?’

The question I had asked Choi Jeho at the Han River came back to me. Along with the answer he had given.

Without hesitation, Choi Jeho ran toward me and grabbed my hand.

I pulled him toward me with all my strength.

A scream sharp enough to tear apart ears exploded through the air.

I’m sorry for being such a pathetic younger brother.

I’m sorry for doing the worst thing I possibly could to you.

Don’t forgive me.