“Congratulations on making it to the finals.”
Ami said, gathering her wind-tousled hair with one hand.
“Th-Thank you….”
I gave an awkward smile and took a sip of the strawberry juice I’d bought from the vending machine.
“By the way, sunbae…. Isn’t it time you started speaking comfortably with me? Even Rowen-sunbae talks casually to me…”
And by casually, I mean he’s threatened to electrocute me.
“Oh, really? Alright, let’s do that, Eunyul.”
Ami smiled softly and rested her chin in her hand.
We were sitting across from each other at a picnic table.
“I saw your team performance on the live broadcast,” Ami said.
“You guys did really well. How did you come up with that concept?”
“Ah, well… They say humans show crazy strength right before they die…”
That was the only way I could explain it.
When Holy’s song came up, I really thought, This is it. I’m gonna die here.
“Thank goodness. Thanks to you, the N-LIVE incident blew over nicely too…”
“Oh!”
I clapped my hands.
…Right, that happened.
Back then, my face got shown in the background of Ami’s N-LIVE shoot.
But when I checked online later, no one had mentioned it. Guess it got brushed off way more easily than I expected.
Maybe it helped that people were focused on The Star Hated by All who showed up during the second round, and the dramatic fainting incident in Jeju Island.
“Seriously, I’m relieved. If some nasty journalist had noticed, I’d be dealing with all kinds of ridiculous rumors right now.”
“Right? Like… a dating scandal or something?”
Ami laughed, then bowed her head, amused by the absurdity of her own comment.
I couldn’t help laughing too.
A dating rumor?
Come on—what kind of aspiring male idol dreams of getting close to a female idol? That’d be suicide.
People who fantasize about that… how do their brains even work?
It’s like they don’t understand the industry at all.
Well, some of my fellow trainees at the beginning had those kinds of thoughts.
They didn’t last long.
“So… you need to start working on your PR video, right?”
As Ami asked, the stress I’d been pushing aside came rushing back.
“Yeah…”
What do I do?
I chugged the rest of my strawberry juice and sighed.
“Hmmm…”
Ami narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Eunyul, you’re the type whose face gives away everything you’re thinking, huh?”
“Huh?”
“Your expressions. They’re really clear. I know I’m one to talk, considering the way I freaked out when I visited you in the hospital, but…”
She gave a bitter smile.
…Expressions, huh.
I instinctively reached up and touched my lips.
I never really knew how I looked.
“Well, I’m not your rival, and I’m your agency senior, so it’s fine if I read you. But the CYB contestants are all your competition. It’s going to get more intense from here on out. You need to learn how to hide your emotions a bit.”
She wasn’t wrong.
I thought I was managing my expressions, but now I wasn’t so sure.
I suddenly remembered how Han Iro once looked like he wanted to ask me something—but didn’t.
As an actor, Iro was probably trained in expressions. He’d be quick to pick up on others’, too.
…Did he see something in my face?
I should ask him about that sometime.
“Right now, you’re thinking of a friend, aren’t you?”
“I was thinking of a rival, actually.”
“Nope. That was definitely a thinking-about-a-friend face.”
“You’re so sure of yourself…”
“Hehe.”
Ami gave a playful smile, still resting her chin on her hand.
“Okay, let’s get to the real topic. You’re stressed over the PR video, right?”
“Yeah… I’m stuck at step one.”
What kind of concept should I go with?
Back in Jeju, I built my strategy around the song we picked.
Saying I gained power like I was on the verge of death was a joke, but it was true that being cornered forced me to push harder.
But now, it’s different.
Publicly, my constellation hasn’t been revealed.
If I had actually made a contract with an unnamed constellation, that would’ve been easier to spin.
But my constellation is The Star Hated by All.
Given what I’ve accomplished so far, his power is leagues above most constellations.
Thanks to that, I’ve gained all kinds of cheat-like abilities.
But that’s the problem.
You can only have one concept.
One concept to reveal who you are.
That’s the point of choosing a theme. And the “cheat” powers just made that harder.
The Star Hated by All grumbled from inside his Bluetooth case.
Absolutely not, nipple guy.
I firmly rejected that idea.
In this era, constellations are forbidden from manifesting in human form, since their powers are restricted.
Of course. There hasn’t been a single exception.
I ignored his creepy laughter and turned to Ami, giving her a version of the truth:
“My constellation hasn’t revealed its true name yet, so I’m struggling to figure out how to reflect that in the concept…”
That was close enough to the real issue.
“I see. And using the violin from Jeju feels like repeating yourself.”
“Yeah… it left a strong impression, so I don’t want to overuse it…”
So which aspect of myself—and of my constellation—should I showcase?
…What am I even good at?
“You’re saying you don’t know what you’re good at?”
“Yeah…”
“That’s… unexpected.”
Ami pouted, thinking hard for a moment.
“…Eunyul.”
She finally said.
“You don’t not know. You just haven’t chosen. Once you choose, it’ll be clear to you. But until you do, you won’t see it.”
She smiled.
“You’ve been a trainee for years. There’s no way you’re not good at anything. You made it to the finals. That alone means you’ve got something.”
I wasn’t sure.
“You know how people compare celebrities to stars?”
She added with a little embarrassment.
“…As in, ‘superstars.’”
I nodded.
“But it’s daytime now, and you can’t see stars. So instead, look at this.”
She nodded toward the flower bed next to the picnic table.
It was in full bloom.
“Flowers look kind of like stars, don’t they?”
With a gentle movement, she drew a five-pointed star on the table with her fingertip.
“…Yeah, kind of.”
I decided to go along with it.
“We’re all flowers. Beautiful ones. Me, you, everyone. We worked so hard to be seen that way—to be beautiful. Just like flowers bloom beautifully because they struggle to grow.”
“…Right.”
“But you know what?”
She looked directly at me.
“What part of a flower do you think it cares about the most? The petals that look pretty? Or something else?”
“…The roots?”
I glanced toward the flower bed.
Even if the petals fall off, the flower doesn’t immediately die. In fact, plenty of flowers look a little worn up close and still shine.
“But roots are hidden safely underground. You don’t need to worry about them.”
Ami said.
“The part that needs the most care… is the stem.”
She reached toward a small flower and gently tapped its stem with her finger.
“…The stem.”
I repeated.
“Stems look weak, but they carry nutrients. They stretch toward the sunlight, guiding the flower so it can be seen in its best light.”
“…That’s true.”
“My whole healer concept…”
She groaned, clearly still uncomfortable with it.
“I stay thin to keep up the ‘frail healer’ look, but…”
Ami smiled proudly.
“…I do intense core workouts every day. That’s my stem.”
Of course she does.
“And I’m sure you have plenty too. Stems you haven’t even noticed yet.”
“…Stems.”
“So think about it, Eunyul. Figure it out by looking at your own stem.”
I nodded, dazed.
She’s a pro for a reason.
…I’ve got a long way to go.
I thought, and decided to peek at Ami’s status window.
Ding!
[Yoo Chaeyoung]
— Level: 163
— Titles: Ami, Unshakable Light, Healer of the Sailrot
— Constellation: Lantern that Lights the Night of the Sick
— Constellation Rank: A
— Core Attributes
- Strength: 62 (+19)
- Agility: 87 (+23)
- Stamina: 78 (+38)
- Mana: 14
- Charm: 302 (+72) (–86)
— Special Skills
[Ironblood Recovery LV.19]
[Reflexes Save Lives LV.23]
[Overnight Nursing LV.38]
[Angel in White LV.72]
[All Revival Begins with Kindness LV.MAX]
[Little Sister Care LV.MAX]
— Status Effect
[Healer Concept LV.86]
…Something’s off.
Her level is 163, but her base stats only slightly exceed Han Iro’s.
Could it be…
The status window I’m seeing only reflects stats that were relevant during the Gate era.
Strength, agility, stamina, mana, charm—metrics for battle with monsters.
Ami’s real growth lies elsewhere.
That’s why it doesn’t show up.
…It’s time to revise this system.
This temporary format has run its course.
Once the PR video’s done, I’ll revamp it.
Asked The Star Hated by All.
Not sure yet…
…Got it.
What I want to see in others…
So much to think about.
After the talk with Ami, I left the YN Entertainment building.
Walking down the street, I murmured to myself.
“Status window.”
Ding!
The translucent panel popped up.
[Ryu Eunyul]
— Level: 67
— Titles: Deep-rooted Demon Worshiper, The One Who Lit Up the Abyss, Star That Reached the End of Another World
— Constellation: The Star Hated by All
— Constellation Rank: ?
— Core Attributes
- Strength: 71
- Agility: 87
- Stamina: 94 (–14)
- Mana: 666 (+1)
- Charm: 117 (+27)
— Special Skills
[Black Magic LV.27]
[Unsinkable Paper Boat LV.1]
[Knowledge of Another World LV.MAX]
[Wisdom of the Lowest Depths LV.7]
— Status Effect
[(Permanent) Tainted Blood LV.14]
After hearing Ami’s advice, I started thinking about my stem.
A stem is your history—your journey.
The status window lists the path I’ve walked so far.
…but it’s too neat.
So simplified that some things are invisible.
Like this one:
[Special Skill: Unsinkable Paper Boat LV.1]
A beloved child of the sea! You can talk to fish for one hour a day!
Still an annoying description.
But I got this skill after defeating the Abyssal Sea King Muddorok.
I can talk to fish for an hour a day.
At first, I had no idea how I’d ever use this.
But maybe I underestimated it.
That’s the plan…
I scratched my head.
I said yes.
I stopped walking.
And looked up.
<…Don’t tell me your plan is…>
[AQUA SPACE]
The glowing sign greeted me.
<…You’re not planning a duet with aquarium fish, are you?>
Little Pink Starfish 
Leave a comment