Episode 4

 

Although the stuttering was the same, the last option seemed the most appealing to him. When she chose “M-mind your own business!” the character with red hair immediately became furious.

 

[Seongjae]

“What? Are you crazy?”

“Can’t you see how ridiculous this situation is?”

 

Haeun muttered, glaring at the red-haired character on the screen. Although he was ready to fight when aggressive options appeared, another character appeared and began to calm down the red-haired one. His hair was brown.

 

[Il-hyun]

“Seongjae yah, calm down.”

 

[Il-hyun]

“Something’s wrong, was it because of your condition? Skipping practice is unlike you…”

 

[Seongjae]

“Why do you always put up with his nonsense?”

 

[Il-hyun]

“Seongjae yah.”

 

[Seongjae]

“Don’t hold me back! How long do I have to put up with that brat?”

 

[Seongjae]

“Hmph!”

 

Seongjae with the red hair eventually stormed out with a snort. Il-hyun, who was trying to stop him, had a puzzled expression as he said, “Don’t worry too much.” He seemed to be at a loss. Although there was only one choice, the situation seemed to be unfolding well on its own.

 

As Ha-eun puzzled over the situation, another character appeared. This time, with yellow hair. While it wasn’t Ha-eun’s place to comment on hair color, it certainly added some variety. 

 

[Junwoo]

“Park Ha hyung, your fans say it’s best if you don’t lose your original intentions. I wonder what they’d say seeing you like this~ Just saying.”

 

This guy wasn’t any better at speaking than the others. Ha-eun, annoyed to the core, simply chose any option and quickly skipped through the scene.

 

After that, there were struggles with other members and idol activities. Even for Ha-eun, who usually didn’t think much, something felt off.

 

The members’ coldness towards each other? Who knows. The protagonist, Park Ha, stuttering and unable to express his frustration? That was frustrating, but it was just part of the character setting.

 

But why…are all the characters male?

 

???

 

ㅡ Huh? That’s because it’s a BL game.

 

The first playthrough inevitably ended with a bad ending. This game’s bad ending wasn’t just any bad ending; it depicted Park Ha, the idol, becoming the most forgotten of forgotten idols, struggling in poverty. It was an unavoidable result of choosing options haphazardly.

 

Since the game was already running, Haeun decided to watch one ending, but he still couldn’t quite accept it. As soon as he saw the bad ending, he called the friend who recommended the game and questioned him about the situation where there were only male characters. And that was his answer. A casual confession delivered in an unapologetic tone.

 

He had said it if it was so obvious for a moment that Ha-eun almost said, “Oh, really?”

 

A beat late, Ha-eun stuttered, “Wh- What? BL?”

 

ㅡ Yes. Boy’s Love.

 

The friend’s response came without hesitation. Ha-eun reflexively criticised him.

 

“Don’t roll your tongue, bastard.”

 

ㅡ Park Ha….. You do know what ‘Boy’ means, right?”

 

His shameless tone made him grind his teeth. Surely, he must be joking. No, he couldn’t possibly be serious. Even though he liked to joke around and gave up in English, he wasn’t that clueless.

 

“Stop talking nonsense. Why did you recommend this? Do you like this kind of thing?”

 

As he coldly cut off his playful question, his friend Yongseok’s tone became much more serious.

 

ㅡ Why? Even though it being homo is a little…. Once you actually play it, it’s a masterpiece. It’s fun.”

 

“This… whether it’s a masterpiece or not…”

 

There was no way I would seduce them by choosing options that would please them. But Yongseok still couldn’t understand what the problem was.

 

ㅡ It’s not like you’re really going to date anyone. What’s the problem? It’s for all ages, and there aren’t even any dirty drawings.”

 

“…”

 

Although he didn’t like how easily he was persuaded, the more he listened, the more it made sense. Yongseok continued persuading him.

 

“Besides, what else are you going to do? You’re stuck in the hospital and can’t even move. Just give it a try. I fell for it too and ended up doing nothing else for a damn week.”

 

Haeun remained silent, showing signs of being persuaded. The final blow came with his next words.

 

“But damn, it’s so difficult. There are supposed to be different endings or hidden characters once you clear it, but it’s so hard that I couldn’t finish it.”

 

Stirred by the challenge, he eventually picked up the game he had been about to throw away.

 

For ten long days, Park Ha-eun played “Eurasha Idol” while taking short naps.

 

In the game “ Eu-Idol, ^[1] TMI: Eu-Idol is the short form of Eurasha Idol. ” there were a total of four possible target characters. By sacrificing even meal times and playing the game continuously, Haeun successfully conquered two characters on the first day and two on the second day, breaking through the extreme difficulty level.

 

However, the problem arose afterward. Because ‘Eu-Idol’ was an idol raising game, dating wasn’t the only content.

 

[Park Ha]

“Sob… Thank you so much for giving us such a big award. I want to express my love to our members, our representative, our manager, our stylist, and also to the composer MZ’s for providing us with such a great song, as well as to our fans who have supported us more than anyone else.” I want to say I love you to the people who were with us until we reached this spot: to our members, CEO, manager hyung, Cody, MZ’s songwriter who wrote such an amazing song for us, and our fans who supported us more than anyone else.”

 

“That brat…”

 

With widened eyes, Haeun sniffled. It wasn’t tears but the aftermath of staying up all night for several nights.

 

In a positive light, the protagonist appeared pure and kind, but from Park Haeun’s perspective, he seemed awkward and immature. Initially, ‘Park Ha’ only knew how to cry or stutter when treated like a loser, but now he was speaking so eloquently during an acceptance speech… It was a deeply moving feeling.

 

Finally, it was the true last ending. While targeting the characters wasn’t too difficult because I skipped through almost all the dialogues, achieving the last ending where you become a highly successful idol and receive a big award at the end of the year was extremely difficult. Just to see this scene, Haeun paid and suffered a lot.

 

Even as the daylight brightened outside the hospital window, Haeun was still immersed in the lingering emotions. Unable to let go of the lingering feelings, he couldn’t put down his phone.

 

When he checked his search history on the portal, it was filled with nothing but “Eu-Idol” related searches: “Eurasha Idol Yejun Strategy,” “Eurasha Idol Il-hyun Strategy,” “Eurasha Idol Last Ending,” “Eursha Idol Hidden Characters,” and so on.

 

When he searched for “Eurasha Idol Last Ending” to share his thoughts on the ending he had just experienced, numerous blog posts popped up:

 

 

[From Eu-Idol Last Ending: an image of Seongjae being jealous]

 

 

[I Want to See Il-hyun and Junwoo Fighting Over the Player in Eu-Idol Last Ending]

 

 

[Eu-Idol Last Ending…]

 

 

Most of the blog posts were devoid of any substantial content. However, while browsing through them, Haeun came across a post on the official blog of the game developer.

 

 

“Eurasha Idol Virtual Reality Version Coming Soon! Beta Testers Wanted…”

 

 

Eurasha Idol was being released as VR? 

 

Haeun had only tried shooting games in arcades as VR games, and the idea of a dating simulation in VR was completely new to him. Could backgrounds and characters be implemented in 3D? Although he had already completed the game, the prospect of experiencing such a masterpiece in VR sparked his interest, and he felt compelled to apply out of loyalty.

 

Haeun opened his tired eyes and  completed the application form.

 

 

「Thank you! Players who are chosen will be contacted individually.」

 

 

Seeing the confirmation message, Haeun made a satisfied expression.

 

And then he fell asleep.

 

???

 

「Welcome to the world of ‘Eurasha Idol,’ dear player! (๑›‿‹๑)」

 

 

Haeun was disturbed from his sleep by a lively voice. The window that appeared before his eyes looked almost identical to what he had seen in the game.

 

 

「Player information is already saved. (๑⊙ﾛ⊙๑) Shall we synchronize? ღ’ᴗ’ღ」 

 

 

“Uh… Y-yeah…”

 

Haeun nodded his head drowsily. Having cut down on his sleep for the past few days to play the game, he was still in his half-asleep state. It seemed like his body had initiated the execution based on stored memories, and he hadn’t even realized that a new playthrough had started as he dozed off.

 

……What ending did I turn it on again to watch?

 

Even though he waved his hand around to press the button, nothing happened. But the cheerful voice responded to Haeun’s thoughts.

 

 

『Synchronizing………φ(-ω-。`)』

 

 

『 Welcome [Top ★ Idol of the Year] ‘Park Ha’ ♥ ! ヾ (*´∀｀) ﾉﾞ』

 

 

『Shall we start like this?(〃∀〃)ゞ』

 

 

Haeun didn’t notice anything strange in the consecutive messages. Instead, he nodded vigorously in his mind. It was like agreeing without even reading the terms and conditions and just checking the “I agree” box.

 

‘Yeah… I should start…’

 

 

『The game will start with ‘Pro Idol Mode’ (●´∀｀)ノ~ Have a great time!』

 

 

As Haeun was half-asleep, the game system window diligently displayed flashing text. Scenes quickly replayed in his mind, starting with the opening story of “Eurasha Idol” which he had skipped at first.

 

 

「 The main character dreamt of becoming an idol to give people dreams and hope, but he found himself having no place to go after his company he stayed as a trainee in went bankrupt. He almost gave up on his dream, but then he received a casting offer from an agency that’s famous for their actors. He joined the debut group of idols, the first ever group to be launched by the agency.

 

However, because the group’s lineup suddenly flipped upside down before the debut because of the main character, after they debuted, his relationship with the other members was strained. And, all the albums they’ve released so far were all old-fashioned manly concepts ^[2] TMI: Imagine BTS’s No More Dream or Boy in Luv. That’s the concept they’re trying to portray. that didn’t even suit them.

 

Will the player be able to raise the main character, who is on the verge of failing career and relationship, and turn him into the best idol who has got both career and love? 」

 

The replay ended with the appearance of the main character, ‘Park Ha’, who was wiping his tears and saying ‘Help me!’ with a pitiful face.

 

Only then did Haeun wake up and open his eyes.

 

‘Where am I…?’

• 1. TMI: Eu-Idol is the short form of Eurasha Idol.
• 2. TMI: Imagine BTS’s No More Dream or Boy in Luv. That’s the concept they’re trying to portray.