“Dojin!”
Madojin was pulling me up the stairs by the wrist.
I had forgotten, since I’d mostly seen him in a daze, but Madojin had one of the most solid builds among the contestants.
He was so strong I couldn’t shake off his grip.
“Wait, Dojin!”
I spoke, but Madojin didn’t even pretend to listen.
“Please, just stop for a second!”
At that moment, Madojin’s steps halted.
He let go of my arm and turned to face me.
It was the first time I’d seen that expression on him.
“Hah… haah…”
He was breathing heavily.
But not from exhaustion—he was gasping, unable to contain his rage.
“Eunyul…”
Through gritted teeth, Madojin said,
“…I have something I want to ask.”
“…What is it?”
Madojin looked down at his right hand with a confused expression.
As if even he couldn’t understand why he was angry—why he’d just lashed out violently.
Like he was scared of himself.
But more than that—
“Why did you go to see Ha Min?”
Madojin seemed genuinely afraid, unable to comprehend my actions.
“I needed to confirm something.”
“What were you trying to confirm?”
“…I can’t tell you.”
Because even I—and the Star—weren’t sure who had manipulated Ha Min.
“Eunyul.”
Madojin grabbed both my shoulders.
“…How about stopping this? Quitting everything and going home?”
“What?”
“I don’t want you to be involved in something this dangerous. You could just live an ordinary life. You and Ha Min were friends. Friends putting each other in danger… I can’t understand that. And it’s not just him—people who used to like you are suddenly turning against you. So why…”
Why haven’t you run away?
Why are you still here?
That’s what Madojin wanted to ask.
“Dojin.”
He was muttering like he was under a spell, but when I called his name, he clamped his mouth shut.
We stood there, staring at each other in silence.
Madojin’s hands on my shoulders began to tremble slightly.
Even while feeling that tremor, I couldn’t help but question—was Madojin being sincere, or was this all a lie?
Within the range of what I knew, Madojin was the most suspicious contestant.
Most participants had made contracts with Constellations through sanctuaries within their agencies and received specified powers—but there were always exceptions.
Even I had made my contract through an unusual method.
Jeong Noeul also couldn’t be classified as a standard contestant.
But I was a given, and Noeul had already revealed too much to plausibly be the mastermind.
So far, based on what the Star and I had uncovered, the most suspicious remained: Madojin.
The chance that Madojin had tampered with Ha Min…
Even conservatively, it was more than 50%.
“…What do you think, Dojin?”
“About what?”
“About me.”
“…I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”
“You said earlier—people who liked me turned against me. What about you, Dojin?”
“I…”
“Are you on my side?”
Madojin looked down and said nothing.
“Of course you’re not. We’re competitors. We probably each have secrets we’re hiding. We can never truly be on the same side. I appreciate your concern, but…”
“Eunyul.”
Madojin spoke like he was pleading.
“Eunyul… I said this before, but—I just don’t want you to die…”
“Madojin!”
I snapped sharply.
Madojin went silent again.
Had he ever been this talkative before?
Probably not.
…‘I just don’t want you to die.’
That line felt off.
But that wasn’t why I was angry.
“…Have you ever seen someone die?”
Madojin’s face stiffened.
“If not, then don’t talk about things like that so lightly.”
I turned my back on him.
Whether or not Madojin was behind all of this didn’t matter anymore.
Even if he was, I had no proof right now.
<No, that’s not it.>
The Star’s voice came.
<You just want to believe that bug encyclopedia creature had nothing to do with this.>
‘Maybe you’re right.’
I looked back.
Madojin was already gone.
“…What do you think?”
I asked the Star.
“Do you think Madojin’s behind this?”
<That, I do not know. If the bug encyclopedia creature intended to harm you, it’s had more than enough chances. You two have been involved far too often for someone supposedly suspicious.>
“I agree.”
But the last time I checked his status window, there was something odd about his “Tutorial Quest” condition.
“Madojin’s Constellation… it must’ve faked its rank, right?”
<Likely so. But even so, there’s not enough evidence to conclude he’s behind this.>
“True.”
If we go by suspicion alone, I’m the most suspicious contestant this season.
“I don’t believe Madojin orchestrated this.”
He was visibly shaken during our conversation.
Maybe it’s because he wasn’t someone who easily showed emotion.
I didn’t want to doubt Madojin’s feelings.
Maybe that’s why I got angry.
Because he spoke with emotion—telling me to give up everything.
That’s why I lashed out.
“I think, Star…”
As I walked toward the lobby, I continued,
“It’s not a contestant. I think someone else is behind this.”
<Someone else?>
“I want you to keep an eye out.”
Because I was about to see them.
…Aiden.
Lobby of the Central Headquarters of Bichang Guild.
Receiving final test announcements here had become routine.
I used to be nervous standing here, but now I was strangely calm.
I leaned against the lobby wall and waited for Aiden to appear.
“…It’s Ryu Eunyul.”
“So he didn’t quit?”
“Apparently it was Ha Min who quit.”
“Really? Did he go after Ryu Eunyul just to ruin him?”
“Did you see the news? Turns out Ryu Eunyul was a school violence victim.”
“Kinda feel bad for him.”
All eyes were on me.
‘So it got out that I was a bullying victim too, huh.’
Reporters had probably dug into my past as a trainee, my middle school history, and even my family.
For now, the chaos would continue—but my identity as a victim might serve as a buffer that keeps the scandal from becoming catastrophic.
‘…But Mom must be worried sick.’
I’ll call her after today’s schedule.
I can’t keep avoiding it.
I pushed through the stares and moved toward the podium.
It seemed the consensus among contestants was sympathy, but there was also relief hidden in their gazes.
I had dropped from 5th to 16th.
With only a bit over 30 contestants left, they felt reassured.
Ryu Eunyul probably won’t reenter the top 10.
‘That’s what they all think.’
Since I was no longer a threat, they could sympathize all they wanted.
“Everyone, did you enjoy your lunch?”
Aiden appeared, holding a mic.
Murmured responses of “Yes…” came from here and there.
“How did it feel to meet your fans directly on N-LIVE? I’m sure it was a wonderful experience. Now, let’s go over the updated rankings and move on to the next test, shall we?”
As Aiden went over the changes, I reached into my jacket pocket.
I gripped the metal case tightly and whispered in my mind:
‘「Aiden’s Status Window」.’
Ding!
[Choi Woo-hyun]
— Title: ‘Aiden’, ‘One Who Doesn’t Peek Through a Hairbrush’
— Constellation: The Eternal Burning Mother
— Constellation Rank: SS
— Basic Abilities
Expression (If it could extinguish your burning tears): S+
Aura (Indescribable speech): S–
Creativity (Could bring back the dead): S+
Self-Esteem (Willing to cast away at any time): B
— Special Skills
[Hidden Emotions LV.A]
[Comradeship LV.EX]
[Larvae, Become Lightning and Pursue My Beloved LV.EX]
[If You Truly Imprison Me, I Shall Slay a Thousand Humans a Day LV.EX]
— Status Effects
[None]
Aiden’s Constellation was The Eternal Burning Mother—that is, Izanami.
The land goddess of Japan, who died giving birth to the fire god.
Izanagi, who followed her to the underworld to retrieve her, fled in terror upon seeing her rotting body.
‘But that’s just legend…’
The important part was—Aiden’s status window showed nothing suspicious.
In contrast, I couldn’t even access the status window of YN Entertainment’s CEO, Jeong Moon-sik.
And with Madojin, the ranks of his attributes were all hidden.
But Aiden? Nothing suspicious at all…
‘…That makes him most suspicious.’
<Hmm… I feel the same. It’s all too ordinary. He just looks like a normal creature contracted with a high-tier god.>
‘Take a closer look for me.’
I opened the metal case.
<So I’m to observe him until nightfall?>
I nodded at the Star’s question.
The Star flew from the case toward Aiden.
“You all must’ve guessed by now—yes, the finals are just around the corner.”
Aiden said with a beaming smile.
“This final test will conclude the male idol division of CYB. That means this is your last chance to qualify for the final stage.”
The tension in the room rose palpably.
“…That’s why, this test will be a showcase for those outside the top 10. Would you all take a look at the screen?”
Text appeared on the screen in stylized typography:
“A Stage Crafted by Your Fingertips”
“In this final test, contestants ranked 1st to 5th must recruit members from those ranked outside the top 5 and form a performance team.”
So the top 5 would act as team leaders, creating and leading their own performance groups.
It meant risk for them too.
If the stage flopped, their own reputations would suffer.
“Recruitment will proceed in order from 1st to 5th. If any participants remain unchosen, a reverse selection from 5th back to 1st will occur.”
1st place was, of course, Han Iro.
“Contestants outside the top 5 will have one chance to refuse an offer.”
That’s probably meant to give them an out from teams they dislike.
But really, it’ll just make the mind games more intense.
“Now, shall we begin the recruitment?”
At Aiden’s signal, Han Iro’s profile appeared on screen.
“Han Iro, please come forward and choose your teammates.”
Following Aiden’s words, Han Iro stepped onto the platform.
“Hello, I’m Han Iro.”
He spoke into the mic.
The night Ha Min made his accusation, Han Iro had come to see me at dawn.
‘Back then…’
Maybe as a defense mechanism, I greeted him with a smile.
And he had said—
“No matter what happens, I’m on your side, and I’ll do my best to help you.”
That’s what he said.
I felt guilty.
“The first contestant I want to recruit is…”
Han Iro stared at me the whole time he stood on the platform—maybe to reassure me.
“…Ryu Eunyul!”
But Han Iro didn’t have to take that risk.
‘There’s no reason for him to include me…’
…None at all.
I looked down.
Then, above my bowed head, Han Iro’s voice rang out.
“And Min Heejae and Jeong Noeul! Lastly, I will recruit Madojin!”
Little Pink Starfish 
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