With a dazed look, Rowen pressed his hand to his forehead.
“Jeong Hangyeol…”
His trembling lips parted as he murmured.
“…must’ve been a member of Codess.”
As I thought—Rowen had a similar reaction. When I first recalled the name Jeong Hangyeol, the immediate association in my mind had also been member of Codess.
“That can’t be.”
Rowen bit his lip.
“Codess had only five members from the beginning.”
That was where the real issue lay.
The CYB male idol debut team was formed with the top five contestants. Sometimes members were added later, but like Laurea, Codess had debuted with just five.
If Jeong Hangyeol were included, Codess would have had six members. Which raised several questions.
Was Jeong Hangyeol truly ever a member of Codess?
“When I heard the name…”
Rowen said, now with a calmer expression.
“It felt like hearing an old friend’s name. And at the same time, I immediately thought of him as a Codess member.”
Then what kind of person was Jeong Hangyeol?
“My memory’s hazy.”
Rowen folded his arms.
“The image I get of him in my mind… it’s like he’s made of light, as if his form isn’t even solid. I know it sounds ridiculous, but no matter how I try to picture him, that’s what comes up.”
After a brief pause, Rowen added:
“But he was a good person. I just… know that. Like it’s imprinted in my brain—he was a good person.”
Even that was enough to deduce a lot.
Rowen likely retained more fragments of Jeong Hangyeol than Choi Suyeon or I did.
If the phrase member of Codess came to mind when thinking of Jeong Hangyeol, it meant Rowen had more pieces of the puzzle than either of us.
“It’s weird. Codess definitely debuted with five. If Jeong Hangyeol was there too, that would make six…”
“Right.”
I nodded.
“It is strange. But from a human’s perspective, all sorts of inexplicable things…”
“…can be easily made real by constellations.”
“I think so too.”
Both Rowen and I suspected constellations were involved in this. They could easily make something like this possible, no matter how absurd.
“I had the same feeling when I heard Jeong Hangyeol’s name. Maybe a little weaker than yours, but…”
“You also thought he was in Codess?”
I nodded.
“It feels like Jeong Hangyeol was cut out of this world. Like someone erased his existence.”
“A constellation could do that.”
“Yes, they could.”
The question was: which constellation?
There are many with the power to erase a person from existence. To a constellation, a single human might seem no more significant than a bug crawling through the cracks.
But since the Savior Who Is One and All limits the use of such power, randomly erasing mortals would be grounds for intervention.
So there were three potential scenarios:
First, a constellation acted against the will of the Savior Who Is One and All.
That seemed unlikely.
Technically, the only one who had lost their authority was The Star Hated by All.
The Star seems to know something about all this…
He’d warned me not to dig too deep. Still, I didn’t think he was directly involved.
So that was probably a dead end.
Second, the Savior Who Is One and All personally erased Jeong Hangyeol’s existence.
Hmm… doubtful.
The Creator isn’t one to meddle personally. Even during the Gate event, they simply allowed the constellations to act—they didn’t intervene directly.
So that’s likely another dead end.
Which means…
The Savior Who Is One and All permitted Jeong Hangyeol’s erasure.
That’s the only conclusion I could come to.
But would the Creator really allow one person to be erased?
They don’t normally tolerate misuse of divine authority.
However…
The Star had once told me there were certain cases the Creator allowed.
First: when it concerned a hero personally chosen by a constellation.
Second: in conflicts between constellations.
Third: in anything involving the birth of a new constellation.
If Jeong Hangyeol’s disappearance falls under one or more of those…
Then the Creator would have reason to allow it.
“Eunyul.”
Lost in thought, I looked up at Rowen as he spoke.
“How many people have you talked to about Jeong Hangyeol?”
“…You’re the first.”
Choi Suyeon already knew about him. And if we excluded The Star, then Rowen was the first person I’d mentioned it to.
“Tell me everything you know.”
Rowen looked dead serious.
But I couldn’t tell him everything.
Still…
This wasn’t something to take lightly. Right now, Rowen was the most trustworthy senior I had in the industry.
“Well, from what I know…”
I began explaining.
The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell gazed into the distance.
The city’s nightscape unfolded before him.
From atop a towering skyscraper, he watched over the world of mortals.
There was a kind of chaos here you’d never see in the heavens.
It fascinated him… and at the same time, disgusted him.
From a constellation’s point of view, the lives of mortals were pure disorder. They set goals, only to break them. Sometimes they gave in to desire; other times they concealed it. And all that, they called life. What a clumsy definition.
“Where do you plan to patrol today?”
Beside him, Madojin asked.
<Ah, today…>
The Archangel turned to look at him.
His contractor, still just an apprentice angel.
Madojin stood with his wings unfurled, expressionless, facing the Archangel. Sometimes, the Archangel envied that innocence. The ability to question everything—even the heavens.
<I was going to patrol the south…>
He smiled faintly.
<But that’s not happening, it seems.>
His gaze shifted behind Madojin.
<We’ve got an uninvited guest.>
Flap—!
With the sound of wings snapping into place, the Star Hated by All landed beside the Archangel.
<…I’m off work.>
He scowled and approached without hesitation.
<I’ve been working all day, and here you are, just lounging around watching humans.>
<It’s educational. I only just finished my duties.>
The Star glared briefly at Madojin.
<Tch.>
Then muttered.
<Must be exhausting dealing with my dear brother.>
“It’s fine. I enjoy it.”
<Then you’re quite the weirdo, enjoying time with this middle-management paper-pusher.>
Grinding his teeth, the Star grumbled.
<So what’s going on? You didn’t come all this way just to see me. Something happened, didn’t it?>
In response to the Archangel’s question, the Star spoke bluntly.
<My contractor caught a scent.>
He began explaining about Ryu Eunyul.
That he had started to perceive the existence of Jeong Hangyeol.
<Ah…>
The Archangel nodded.
<That makes sense. Eunyul was a fan of Codess, after all. For mortals entangled with the life of the deceased, recognition often comes quickly. That’s a step toward resurrection…>
<That’s not my concern.>
The Star snapped at him.
<My contractor is tracking Jeong Hangyeol’s existence. He’ll reach the truth eventually, with or without me. There’s no point in trying to scare him off—it won’t work. Humans are curious creatures. I don’t want to see him in danger again.>
So…
The Star muttered.
<Let me act against that one.>
<That one?>
<Don’t play dumb. I mean the Mother Who Burns Eternally’s contractor.>
Calling him a contractor feels like a stretch now.
He’s probably going to become a new constellation.
The Star gave a bitter smirk.
<What kind of action are you planning?>
The Archangel asked coldly.
<I won’t kill him.>
The Star said flatly.
<As much as I’d like to, you’d throw a fit. But that guy’s abusing his power. If I’d known his identity during CYB, I’d have dealt with him then.>
<We were aware that he used divine authority on multiple people during CYB, including Eunyul.>
The Archangel looked away.
<Constellations aren’t supposed to interfere with the birth of new ones. So instead, we tried to restore the lives affected by him through other means…>
<That could’ve been dismissed as antics back then. But not now. He’s enjoying the chaos caused by resurrecting someone who was erased.>
The final requirement for becoming a constellation is creating life.
Creation could mean many things—but right now, the worst kind of resurrection was happening.
“Sirs.”
Madojin, who had been silently listening, spoke up.
“Are you talking about Aiden?”
<What if we are? Stay out of this.>
<Young one, this matter is not for you to interfere in.>
“I couldn’t interrupt even if I wanted to. I don’t fully understand what you’re talking about.”
So I’ll ask instead.
He muttered, turning to the Star.
“Are you saying Eunyul might be in danger?”
<He won’t be in danger.>
The Star answered.
<I’ll protect him. Physically, at least. I just… don’t know if I can protect his heart.>
Madojin nodded. Then turned to the Archangel.
“You said someone erased is being restored… Do you mean resurrection?”
<Not quite.>
The Archangel replied.
<…It’s not reviving the dead. It’s more like reassembling someone whose very existence was shattered.>
Madojin nodded again.
After a moment of thought, he came to a conclusion.
“I’m going to meet Aiden.”
<…What?>
<What are you saying?>
The two absolute beings stared at him in disbelief.
“I’m curious.”
Madojin shrugged.
“I want to know… what it is he’s trying to accomplish.”
Little Pink Starfish 
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