GIJS

Chapter 95 Two Yu Gunjas

The first reward that caught his eye was points.

[First Reward: 2 Points]
It had been a long time since he received points. Since the audition, there had been no point-earning missions for quite a while.

While there are ways to improve skills through practice, using points allows for a more straightforward boost in singing and dancing proficiency.

Gunja opened his status window for the first time in a while.

[User: Yu Gunja] [Appearance: S-] [Singing: B-] [Dancing: B+] [Charm: A+]
Compared to the early audition days, this was a significant improvement. However, singing and dancing still hovered around B levels.

Without hesitation, Gunja invested one point each into singing and dancing. Now, singing was at B, and dancing had risen to A-. These were competitive numbers even when compared to the team's main dancers and vocalists.

Now, regardless of the performance, he wouldn't be lagging behind.

A smile appeared on Gunja's face. This was already a sufficiently satisfying reward. However, the status window still had more to reveal.

[Second Reward Revealed.] [Look Back at Anything] [Experience a portion of the past of any desired person.]
"!"

The status window seemed to know Gunja's thoughts, offering the perfect reward.

Gunja, who was always curious about everything in the world, was now most curious about the previous owner of this body, 'Yu Gunja.'

Of course, he was also curious about the past of his parents and colleagues. But if he could only see the past of one person right now...

The choice was easy. He definitely wanted to see the past of the previous owner of this body, 'Yu Gunja.'

Meanwhile, the status window displayed another reward.

[Third Reward Revealed.] [Jingzhonghuan] [Temporarily calms the outburst of the status window (常太瘡).]
"!"

This was another unexpected reward.

It calms the outburst of the illness. Seeing this phrase made him recall a fact he had forgotten.

Yes, the status window was fundamentally an illness. A terrifying disease that had dried up all the seeds of the men in his family.

Gunja's biological father had died from this illness. His uncle, Hyungwon, likely died shortly after Gunja left for the modern era.

Providing such a reward meant that Gunja's status window might one day also suffer from an outburst of the illness.

Thinking this made him shiver. The thought that Chang, who he considered a friend and had endured hardships with, might become a disease again and kill him.

"Chang, what is this reward?"

...Wuuu—

"It's like giving a disease and then a cure, isn't it?"

...Wuuu, wuuu...

"Even so, if you're giving me such a reward, can I take it as a sign that you also consider me a close friend?"

...Wuuuuuu...

Long and clear resonance. Is this agreement or opposition?

Gunja couldn't tell, but at that moment, he had no choice but to trust his old friend.

The third reward might be useful someday, but not right now. Therefore, it was right to use the second reward first.

Having made up his mind, Gunja called up the status window once more.

"Chang, show me Yu Gunja's past."

...Wuuu...

"Not me, but Yu Gunja, who was born in the modern era and lived as the owner of this body before dying."

...Wuuu, wuuu...

The status window seemed to understand Gunja's words, resonating softly and glowing.

Soon, fluorescent light enveloped Gunja's body in an instant, and he was pulled into the world of unconsciousness.

* * *

...

...

The first thing visible in the darkness was Gunja's parents.

Happy laughter was heard. There was no sign of worry on his parents' faces. The young Yu Gunja was the same. According to his parents, there seemed to be no issues with young Gunja.

However, the moments of continuous happiness didn't last.

As his childhood ended, the scene grew somewhat darker. Gunja, now in his teenage years, had shadows on his face. It was a stark contrast to his childhood appearance.

The images were intermittently cut off, like memories of a hangover. It was natural not to be able to review every moment of life.

Yet, one thing was clear. An event had changed the bright and happy young Gunja.

...My dream is to become a great idol...

...An idol? Gunja, you...

Surprisingly, the original owner of this body also had the same dream.

However, he seemed to lack talent.

Young Yu Gunja was not afraid to dance and sing in front of his friends. It was during a presentation in the third year of middle school. He showed his dream for the first time in front of his friends and teachers, a dream he had never shared with his parents.

But the outcome was a bit different from what he expected.

...Wahaha...

The laughter was close to derision. No one applauded Gunja's courage. Not even the homeroom teacher sitting at the podium.

It was fortunate if it had ended with laughter. From that day, Gunja became the target of ridicule. He was dragged around by strong and unruly students and had to dance and sing during every break.

"Such a vile..."

Even in the unconscious state, Gunja clenched his fists. How could they be so cruel? Not only did they mock someone's dream, but they turned it into a source of ridicule and shame.

Despite this, the previous owner of this body, Yu Gunja, seemed to dislike worrying his parents. He didn't say a word to them.

However, the fact that his only dream had become a terrible subject of mockery was a reality too hard for a 16-year-old to bear.

Thus, Gunja slowly became darker.

He locked his room and didn't come out, and became increasingly difficult for his parents.

Throughout looking back at the past, Gunja could fully feel what he had gone through. What he was thinking, what emotions he was feeling. It was as if, for that moment, the past and present Gunja were one.

Now, even though he had realized that he lacked talent, he still had lingering feelings about his dream.

Confined in a small room, Gunja danced without singing and mouthed words silently. Although the dance moves made all his classmates laugh, Gunja found them endlessly sad.

...It's unfair, it's unfair...

His thoughts flowed into Gunja's mind. It was a life he had never imagined as someone born with a talent for performing arts.

Yu Gunja, who wanted to enjoy dancing and singing but couldn't due to his uncle.

Similarly, Yu Gunja, who wanted to enjoy performing arts but lacked talent.

Gunja couldn't judge who was more unfortunate. He only felt that their lives were somewhat similar.

Perhaps becoming possessed by this body was not just a coincidence.

As Gunja realized this, the screen switched rapidly, reflecting his later life.

He became increasingly twisted, clashing with his parents.

Choosing a motorcycle as his only escape route, but ultimately meeting a tragic end.

...Screech...

...Boom...

The memory cut off with the accident scene. As Gunja emerged from the world of unconsciousness, he wiped his tear-streaked eyes. They were now soaked with tears.

He felt he now knew a bit about the previous owner of this body. They shared the same dream.

Although he hadn't seen the scene where the SNS password was entered, he now knew the answer. Gunja opened his laptop again and accessed the Twitty page.

[JaYukoon1215]
With the account name already entered, Gunja slowly typed in the password.

Dkdlehf, typing 'idol' without switching between Korean and English, followed by the number 1215.

[Welcome, JaYukoon1215!]
"!"

Gunja's deduction was correct. The most precious thing to the previous owner of this body was the dream. That's why he couldn't give up on the dream even while confining himself in a small room.

Though the account was private, the account owner could view all the posts inside. Gunja found and clicked on the oldest posts one by one.

...October 21, 2019, Self-Cam...

The post was a self-cam video of his dance.

"..."

Gunja had never evaluated anyone's performance before. But even with his eyes, the dance in the video was terrible.

The arms and legs moved aimlessly, and the singing voice, though using very little breath, sounded breathless.

Yet, Gunja did not laugh. He couldn't laugh. Because it showed how serious he was.

The videos filled the SNS timeline. Starting from 2019 and continuing through 2020 and 2021.

...April 26, 2020, Self-Cam...

...January 31, 2021, Self-Cam...

During the long time spent in this room, the body's former owner filmed self-cams whenever he could.

...February 14, 2021, Self-Cam. Will my skills ever improve...

Some videos included personal thoughts. Because of these videos, Gunja watched every single one without skipping.

...March 4, 2021, Self-Cam. I don't even know why I'm so obsessed with being an idol. Sometimes I want to quit...

...April 21, 2021, Self-Cam. I had a dream yesterday. It was a dream of debuting as a great idol...

...May 30, 2021, Self-Cam. I accidentally found the SNS of the kids who tormented me. They still mock me from that time...

As he spoke, the protagonist of the video trembled with anger. Gunja also clenched his teeth.

"Those rotten bastards..."

Swearing with the strongest profanity he knew, Gunja clenched his fists tightly. Those bastards were probably still living well.

If he ever met them, he would definitely avenge the previous owner of this body.

The more he watched the videos, the firmer Gunja's resolve became. For the sake of the previous owner of this body, he was determined to succeed as an idol.

As he continued watching the videos.

...November 12, 2021, Self-Cam...

A personal note inserted in a self-cam made Gunja's whole body stiffen.

...If only I were from the Moonwon Yu family...

...Even if I don't live long, if I had been born with the talent of the Moonwon Yu family...

The 'old Yu Gunja' in the video was talking about the Moonwon Yu family.

A legendary family from the past that modern people could never know about.

Gunja's head spun in confusion.

The previous owner of this body knew about the Moonwon Yu family? How could that be possible?

Unable to grasp his thoughts, Gunja's smartphone rang. It was a call from his colleague, Kwon Taewoong.

– Gunja.

"Hm, what's up?"

– Did you see the internet?

"The internet?"

– You haven't seen it yet.

"What's happening?"

– There's a story about your old classmates.

"!"

– Come to the dorm first. Don't watch it alone. Got it?