It had been two weeks—and yet, it was my first time back—and the house was magnificent.

A mansion with its own swimming pool, right here in Korea, not America. I could hardly believe this was a real home, not a film set.

‘They even have a bodyguard out front?’

I stood there, agape, when the door opened.

“Let’s get out, Roy.”

Before I knew it, I was out of the car—and a little girl ran up and threw herself into my arms.

“Oppa! Are you okay now? Not hurt?”

Her eyes were bright and clear, like stars embedded in her face. Monolids with that upturned corner—she looked exactly like me.

Her name was Roze, my twelve-year-younger sister. I’d seen her in our family photos.

But despite understanding with my head, my lips would not cooperate.

“Who...?”

At once, Roze burst into tears.

“Waaah! Oppa doesn’t know Roze!”

She tumbled from my arms into our mother’s embrace and wailed.

Panicked, I stepped backward, and the man slipped forward to take my hand.

“It’s okay. We’ll learn each other slowly from now on. We’re here to help you.”

I hesitated, then managed a nod.

Thanks, doctor.

My strange behavior was all neatly explained by the diagnosis of amnesia.

“All right. You must be cold—let’s go inside.”

“Waaah!”

I heard Roze’s sad cries behind me but forced myself not to look back.

Following the man inside, I couldn’t close my mouth for a good long while.

“This will be your room.”

I should have realized when they’d offered me a VIP hospital suite. Their wealth was clearly on another level entirely.

Realizing I’d been standing there with my mouth wide open, I snapped it shut, cheeks burning with embarrassment.

The man, pleased, offered a small smile and closed the door.

“You’ll be tired. Get some good rest.”

And suddenly I was alone again.

“What... is all this?”

My panic resumed as soon as he left. A gigantic bed that could’ve held three adults, a sofa, a piano, even a basketball arcade machine.

‘This is really... my room?’

Compared to the dorm we’d moved into after our second album hit big, this place was ten times—no, a hundred times—better.

The more I looked, the more I marveled. But it still didn’t feel like mine.

Carefully feeling my way around the furniture, I headed straight for the desk, grabbed paper and pen, and squatted down.

‘First—let me sort out the situation.’

There had been an accident en route to a schedule. I’d died. And I’d woken up here.

So far, I’d confirmed two things: the status windows and the prophecy.

Especially the prophet’s words—they matched Shooting Star’s world view perfectly.

‘But... is any of this worth taking so seriously?’

A sudden wave of reality hit me, and I buried my face in my hands.

[Breaking! Shooting Star’s Roy feels such despair—why become an idol?]

I sighed deeply, then picked up the pen again.

‘No. Focus, Lee Roy. Write down whatever you remember.’

I began listing the world-view settings I’d known during Shooting Star’s activities:

The peaceful Wilderness.

Chaos Evil coveted Earth—the brightest planet.

Splitting its own soul into six fragments, it hid on Earth, taking root and sowing seeds of chaos; soon, Earth was in turmoil.

– Chaos Evil can spawn blood fiends.

– Shooting Star boys were born destined to defeat Chaos Evil.

– Idols by day, handsome warriors by night.

I underlined the “handsome warriors” bit—it was unbearably cheesy.

– Wilderness is a world of many awakened.

– Members’ powers: water, fire, wind, earth, light.

– We must vanquish the soul fragments before they reunite.

My hand, racing across the paper, suddenly halted.

‘Ah. My tolerance for this is zero.’

I knew Shooting Star’s lore was vast, but these were all I could recall.

Clutching my head, I despaired. I should have paid more attention to the lore explanations back then.

And there was no one here to ask.

Thud.

I collapsed to the floor.

‘Who would have guessed it’d come to this?’

As I lay there, sobbing softly,

‘So who is Chaos Evil...?’

I tried to think.

‘Was there a spy among the members?’

No.

‘Oh! Wasn’t there an X-Shooting Star who looked just like us?’

No... that was another group entirely.

After Shooting Star’s world view took off, rookie groups—and even established ones—started crafting their own. Their lore mixed in my mind.

“Sniff.”

I let out an agonized sound.

Despite the CEO himself having explained the world view, I’d just skimmed the fan theories online.

‘I’m terrible at this....’

Rolling helplessly on the floor, I suddenly remembered a conversation with the members back before debut, the night we each pitched our own world-view setting at the CEO’s request.

✧

In the underground practice room, the members huddled, sighing heavily, looking glum.

Who wanted to come up with something for that dreadful world view?

I was first to grab a pen.

[Son of a conglomerate family, ★adorable little sister★, world’s most handsome, height 187cm, runaway luck, successful young entrepreneur]

“Why the long face? We’re already doomed. You know how stubborn the CEO °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° is. Just write down the coolest ideas. It’s not real, anyway.”

At that, Ho-jin, determined, took his pen.

[Cat]

“Hyung—Is that your best? A dream that small?”

“....”

“Hey, wait. So you’d turn into a cat by day and only human when you fight? I can’t wait to see your acting—CEO’s gonna love it.”

Face pale, Ho-jin hastily added:

[Someone who loves cats]

Yeon-woo, watching, scoffed. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

“You’re literally a cat? What’s the difference from now?”

Ho-jin’s face heated. He ducked his head; I rolled over, propped on my elbows to look up at him, and grinned mischievously.

“Just raise me instead. I listen well, dance well, sing well—how cute is that?”

I knew my face looked catlike, so I teased Ho-jin more than the others, knowing he’d go along with it. When he tried to pinch my cheek, I darted away.

“Let’s see the next one.”

This time I grabbed Taeeon’s paper. It bore the one-word answer everyone expected.

[Café owner]

“Boring. Next.”

Reading it like he didn’t care, I handed it back. Taeeon looked hurt, then snatched my notepad.

“Roy, if you set up a Webtoon hero this way, people will hate it.”

“Have you ever thought we don’t lack imagination? Everyone but me is too realistic. This is fantasy! Fantasy needs to be unrealistic.”

“You’re the most realistic one... What’s with the stars next to Sister?”

“They’re the most important.”

Next, I grabbed Han-gyeol’s sheet.

[Jay-Dragon’s dog]

Following Ho-jin’s cat, it was a novel twist—yet I felt a pang of sympathy.

“Wow... cats, then dogs—seriously? Is this world view a joke?”

Han-gyeol, stubborn, defended:

“You don’t get it—pets of third-generation chaebols live the best lives.”

“How would you know? Have you ever been a dog?”

Despite my barbs, he stood his ground.

“There’s a reason they say ‘a dog’s life is a charmed life,’ kiddo.”

He patted my head, acting wise. At that moment, Yeon-woo burst out laughing and thrust his paper at me.

“Haha! Didn’t expect Ham to want to be my dog~”

[Jay-Dragon]

Yeon-woo’s sheet named a second-generation chaebol.

“Hey—give it back. I want to change mine.”

“Eh~ once a man’s decided, that’s it. No take-backs.”

“Give it here, you jerk!”

“Shush~ Poppy, sit.”

“...Did you just call me Poppy? Come here.”

“Ack! Wait—my bad!”

Having to debut with these immature hyungs—no wonder we had a rough road ahead.

✧

Yet that ridiculous scenario actually came true.

In hindsight, we’d created this world ourselves. So surely our members existed here too—in the forms they’d wished.

‘I might see them again.’

If—just if—I could meet my hyungs, defeat Chaos Evil, maybe I could return to my original body?

Who knows? Perhaps they’d reward me for saving the world.

At that thought, my heart swelled.

I must find the members.