Chapter 1: Cliché

“Did I get everything packed?”

I stared down at the half-heartedly gathered luggage.

“Sigh… If only I’d finished the deadline a bit earlier yesterday…”

To make the most of a rare golden holiday weekend, I’d practically pulled an all-nighter to meet my work deadline.

“Well, at least I don’t have to go on hiatus while I’m away.”

Look at me, staying this professional—kind of cool, honestly.

And hey, I’ve even got friends to go on a trip with during the holidays. Maybe I am doing okay in life?

“Haven’t gone on a trip in so long that all sorts of thoughts are hitting me.”

It’s true. Ever since I started working full-time as a freelancer, I hardly ever had the chance—or the time—to travel properly with friends.

This job should come with a live mode, seriously.

“…Maybe I’ll just lie down for a bit before I go.”

I’d packed most of the important stuff anyway. If I forgot anything, I could just buy it there.

I flopped down onto the bed. The warmth of the electric blanket, still on from earlier, seeped under my clothes.

Electric blankets in the dead of winter… I love you…

Ahhh… this is the life.

This is what happiness feels like.

Let’s see…

I thought about finishing the web novel I’d been reading last night… but I felt too drowsy. Something lighter sounded better.

So I got into the comfiest position in the world and began quietly lurking through the online community I always browsed.

[World’s Biggest Lottery Winner Ever.jpg]

Although the community was mostly focused on idol-related chatter, posts like this would pop up from time to time.

Wherever people gather, gossip naturally follows.

Curious, I began reading the post.

“No way… 1.96 trillion won?!”

It was about a U.S. lottery jackpot that had rolled over again and again, eventually piling up into a prize worth nearly two trillion won—claimed by a single person.

Even more mind-blowing: they claimed it anonymously, and even after two years, no one knew who they were… I couldn’t help but let out a loud exclamation.

“They could live their whole life secretly flexing… Wait, could they even keep it hidden?”

Just think how many albums that could buy… Or merch… No, with that kind of money, you could just create a whole idol group yourself…

I lowered my phone and spaced out, staring blankly at the ceiling. The drowsiness started to hit in full force.

…Just gonna rest my eyes for a bit.

Sleep crept up on me before I even realized it.

Thirty minutes should be fine, I thought, closing my eyes.

And right then—

[Burn to you— my heart’s burning up for you~♪♬]

Yeah, right. My phone’s ringtone blasted through the room.

Still, I was glad I’d set it to a track from the latest release by my favorite idols.

I picked up the call, feeling oddly satisfied.

“Hello?”

[Hey. What are you doing right now?]

A familiar voice—an upperclassman who was supposed to go on the trip with me today.

“Uh, unni, I’m… all packed now. Just gonna rest a bit before heading out.”

[…Oh really? Just a bit, huh?]

Yeah.

I’d only closed my eyes for a moment, but my throat felt dry and scratchy—my voice didn’t come out quite right.

Was the room that dry?

[Sure. You go ahead and rest forever at home. I’ll have fun without you.]

…What the hell is she saying?

Frowning at the out-of-nowhere sarcasm, my eyes drifted toward the wall clock without much thought.

4:40 PM.

I was supposed to leave at 4:00.

I swore the last time I looked at the clock—before I dozed off—it was 3:30…

My eyes snapped wide open as reality hit me like a truck.

Shit. I really knocked out.

“Unni, I love you. Just wait a little longer—I’m on my way!”

[Love you too. I’ll wait for you on the plane, with all the love I have. But I’m not sure the plane loves you as much as I do.]

Ugh, the sarcasm.

I frantically grabbed my suitcase, dashed out, and jumped into the car.

Slamming the ignition, I sped off, the vehicle quickly exiting the alley in front of my place and merging onto the highway toward the edge of the city.

While stopped at a red light, I checked the navigation.

Estimated arrival time: 30 minutes.

I’ll get there before 5:30.

Cutting it close in every way possible. But in situations like this, staying calm is key.

I took a quick glance away from the road and started scrolling through my phone for a video I watched yesterday.

“Let’s go with that highlight medley that dropped yesterday~”

With less than a week left until the comeback, every day brought a flood of teasers and spoilers. It was a nonstop stream of happiness.

That’s when—

CRASH!

A thunderous series of impacts echoed up the road, followed by blaring car horns all around me.

“Huh?”

I looked up without thinking.

A dump truck was barreling straight toward the car in front of me.

It was ramming into the line of vehicles, smashing through them one by one.

One car, then another—and then it was my turn.

BANG—!!

The truck slammed into the passenger side at an angle. Before I could even register what was happening, my body was being violently shaken.

“Urgh… cough, cough!”

I barely managed to open my eyes to assess the situation.

The passenger seat was completely crumpled in.

“Ha… hahaha… What the hell…”

Laughter slipped out, laced with disbelief and curses. This wasn’t some damn web novel—getting hit by a truck? Seriously?

At least I was alive. I didn’t fall victim to that goddamn cliché.

And then—

BWAAAAAAANG!!!

No way. No. No, no, no.

Dreading the possibility, I turned my head toward the direction of the sound.

Another dump truck.

Barreling toward me at full speed.

A system window drifted gently down in front of my face, as if trying to comfort me.

[You must be very shocked right now, Seo Jimin…]

“There was only a week left…”

I thought I heard the soft tapping sound of the system typing something out.

“…Just one week left until the comeback…”

Drip. Drop.

At last, fat tears began to fall—like chicken droppings, as the saying went.

If I had lived for just one more week… just seven more days, I could’ve seen my babies’ comeback.

The albums I preordered… the music video—hell, even the teaser hadn’t been released yet…

“I really wanted to see the showcase…”

It felt empty. So empty and unbearably unfair.

Sure, my career so far, and the friends who might feel responsible for my death, flickered briefly through my mind.

But none of that stung quite like this.

…Guess I won’t be able to say hi at the fanmeeting this time…

I’d followed them to so many offline events since their debut, my face had become familiar.

They probably just assumed I’d be there again this time too.

That thought hit me hard.

The guilt of possibly worrying them made the lump in my throat rise all over again.

Please… let me meet you again someday, somewhere.

You’ll do great, Chanul-ah…

As I lingered in that feeling, I suddenly heard the system window typing again—di-di-di-dik.

[Have you calmed down a bit now?]

“No. I want to be alone, so go away.”

Was it just spite? I didn’t know—maybe I was just sulking. But I glared at the window, floating there unmoving.

Maybe I was just sulking, but I snapped at the system window that hovered silently in place.

“So… are you not going to let me regress or time-loop or whatever?”

I mean, that’s the most common trope, isn’t it?

[Unfortunately, reliving the life of ‘Seo Jimin’ is not supported.]

Tch. Even that tiny sliver of hope I’d clung to crumbled. The bitterness in me swelled even more.

“Then what, do I get isekai’d into a novel I used to read or something?”

[No.]

Ah, come on. Then what is this? Why bring me here at all?

If it was going to be like this, dying without even realizing it might’ve been the better ending.

[Instead, we are offering you a chance to live once more—this time, as someone who died an unfair death in their original timeline.]

So that’s the direction, huh.

I was never a fan of this kind of setup. Something about living someone else’s life… it just felt wrong.

“…Who is it?”

I asked with half a mind to reject it outright—but then a new window opened, and a photo of a young man appeared.

“…Huh?”

To my surprise, he looked familiar.

“Kim Haram?”

Why the hell is he showing up here?

Anyone even remotely into idols would’ve heard that name at least once.

He was the guy who started at the lowest rank on a trainee survival show from some cable channel and shot up the ranks with unstoppable momentum, eventually landing a spot in the final debut lineup.

That show had been insanely popular—no way anyone wouldn’t know him.

Even I, though not super invested, had watched it for fun.

“Wait a sec. Kim Haram died… unfairly?”

That threw me off.

He hadn’t been my bias, but I distinctly remembered him as a cheerful, upbeat type. He had this clean-cut image—never even a hint of controversy.

“What the hell happened to him?”

[Details will be provided after you agree to the contract.]

This time, a much larger window appeared.

[Main Quest: ‘Give the Underdog Idol a Second Chance.’ Accept?]

[Yes / No]

The quest title suddenly jogged my memory—Kim Haram had belonged to a fairly new, small-sized agency.

Maybe that’s why no one remembered much about him after the group’s promotion period ended…

It wasn’t uncommon.

An idol who debuted through a hit survival show might shine for a while, but once the project group disbanded and they returned to their tiny agency, most would fade into obscurity—completely forgotten by the public.

I hesitated, thinking it over, then finally spoke.

“No.”

Bzzzt— The choice window wobbled violently, as if startled by my unexpected answer.

“From the looks of it, you want me to possess Kim Haram and survive as an idol, right? But I can’t do that. Being an idol? That’s not something just anyone can pull off.”

There are always people who think being an idol is easy. Maybe it’s because most of them are young, or maybe it’s because they always seem so happy.

“Don’t you think you’re underestimating it a little?”

All across the country, people who can kinda sing, kinda dance, who think they’re cool or pretty—
they start dreaming of becoming idols.

Some of them make it through auditions and become trainees. A few of those trainees make it to debut.

And out of the dozens of groups that debut each year, only a handful survive long enough to finish their seven-year standard contract.

And you’re telling me to survive in that?

“Not a chance.”

Because I was someone who loved idols more than anyone, I knew better than anyone—

It’s not a role you just fall into. They become someone’s hero. Someone’s reason to keep going. That doesn’t happen for nothing.

The system window panicked, spitting out a message like a last-ditch plea.

[System support is prepared to assist Seo Jimin with smooth idol activities.]

“And what’s the penalty if I still fail?”

Please. I’ve read enough possession novels to know how this plays out. I could see it coming a mile away.

[…In that case, it would result in another ‘death.’]

Exactly. Knew it.

“…Yeah. I don’t want to be the reason someone else dies too.”

I made up my mind and opened my mouth again, this time with finality.

“Let’s just pretend this never happened. It’s a shame, sure—but I guess this is just my fate.”

The system stayed silent for a while, no new windows appearing.

Heh. Bet it’s never met someone like me before. Sorry, but I’m not the protagonist—I’m the author. Sure, not seeing my babies’ comeback will haunt me in the afterlife…

But hey, it’s still better than dying again.

With a bitter smile tugging at my lips, I waited.

And then—pop. The system window reappeared.

Finally. Time to send me to hell…Wait, do they even have idols in hell?

[Time remaining until forced quest initiation: 5…]

Ah, so that cliché was still on the table. Counting down from 5? I’ll admit, that’s a mildly fresh twist.

[4 3 2 1]

[Thank you for your consent. We hope to be of great assistance on Seo Jimin’s new journey.]

Sure. Assistance, my ass. First chance I get, if I end up with powers or something, I’m coming for you first.

And with that final thought—my consciousness slipped away again.

*****

Ungh…

I opened my eyes to a hazy world and a weird, uncomfortable sensation. As I sat up, an unmistakable sense of wrongness washed over me.

This body… was solid. Muscular, even. Definitely not the me who’d never built a single muscle in her life.

“…Are you kidding me right now?”

Throb. A headache started to build behind my eyes. I brought a hand to my temple—and that’s when I noticed the phone I was holding.

Tap, tap.

I lit up the screen and casually checked the date.

“…Huh?”

Why… is it two years ago?

Wasn’t I supposed to possess the body of Kim Haram, the one who died unfairly?

What the hell is this?

Throb.

This time, the headache was real. I reached up with my other hand and—

Crinkle.

Something papery brushed against my cheek.

I carefully unfolded it, and bold English text stared back at me:

“Prize Claim Confirmation.”

“…Are you serious right now?”

Throbbb…

The whirlwind of confusion, time travel, and body-swapping chaos finally hit me with a migraine of historic proportions.

The listed prize?

1.5 billion dollars.

In Korean won, that came out to 1 trillion, 960 billion won.

Top Idol. Debut again, baby.