BANG!
“Huff, huff...”
Lee Romi shut the door behind her as she entered the waiting room, biting her thumbnail while pulling out her phone.
She opened the Onion Market app and navigated to the familiar messenger window. Her fingers trembled as they tapped against the keyboard, hitting the wrong keys over and over.
JjangRoMe: That girl showed up나!! She came to the set!!!
JjangRoMe: Teacher!!
JjangRoMe: Teacher, what do I do?
JjangRoMe: Please help me, Teacherᄆ.
She fired off message after message, but the read receipt never appeared.
Romi paced back and forth across the waiting room, chewing at her nails in frustration. She knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t stop herself.
Not since she saw her again.
The moment Shin Nayun came to mind, a sharp, splitting pain flashed through Romi’s head, like a vice tightening around her skull. That was a face she never wanted to see again.
She still remembered the day she had been working part-time, idly glancing up—only to see Nayun’s face, magnified on a giant billboard, beaming down at her in close-up.
That suffocating, throat-clenching feeling crashed into her all over again.
Nayun had always been like that. Everything that others desperately wished for had always come so easily to her.
Romi struggled to erase that day from her mind, forcing herself to focus. Finally, a notification popped up.
Teacher: Oh dear :( What an unfortunate coincidence.
JjangRoMe: I don’t understand why it had to be now. She always times things perfectly. She’s always been like this. How could she just happen to show up in front of Director Hwang Uncheol? You know how long I’ve been waiting for this day, Teacher.
JjangRoMe: It’s like she came just to ruin everything again. I’m scared, Teacher.
Teacher: Don’t be too sad. Seeing you upset pains me too.
JjangRoMe: It’s too hard to look at her face. I feel sick. I feel angry. I feel like I’m going to collapse all over again...
That girl, who had always stood under the spotlight like it was meant for her, filled Romi with bitter envy. She hated her.
And yet, what hurt even more was that Nayun carried herself as if she didn’t want any of it—as if she never asked for the things that Romi had desperately fought for.
She had no right to act like that. No right at all.
Jealousy had followed Romi like a black dog lurking in the shadows, a gnawing presence at her heels. She had been the only one tormented by its fangs.
Then, one day, Teacher had appeared—someone who had embraced even those ugly emotions of hers.
Onion Market had just been a secondhand goods app she downloaded while moving and trying to get rid of old things.
She’d thought it was just for transactions—until she found out about the chat function.
Normally, she wouldn’t have paid any attention to a random chat window.
But when both body and mind are exhausted, sometimes you end up doing stupid things just to feel something.
That was when she met Teacher.
That was when she learned that sometimes, talking to a stranger—someone who knows nothing about you—made it easier to spill out everything inside.
The person who told her to call them Teacher had taken all the chaotic, fragmented things she had poured out and rearranged them into something beautiful, offering her comfort and validation.
But that wasn’t all.
Teacher had connections—people in the entertainment industry. They introduced her to influential figures, helped her seize opportunities she would never have gotten on her own.
And just like that, Romi, who had once believed she would never return to the entertainment world, found herself stepping back into the spotlight.
She placed her absolute faith in Teacher.
JjangRoMe: Teacher, what do I do? The director is right there, but I feel like I’m going to ruin everything. I feel like I’m suffocating.
JjangRoMe: The director... I think he likes her...
JjangRoMe: It’s always her...
Teacher: Don’t be discouraged. I’m here, aren’t I? I believe you’re far more talented than she is. I’ll always help you get what you want.
A wave of relief washed over her.
Teacher was the only one who supported her. The only person who understood.
JjangRoMe: Teacher... you’re all I have.
Romi clutched her phone, taking a deep breath. Even this small moment of emotional support was enough to settle the chaos inside her.
Then, another message appeared.
Teacher: What would you like me to do?
JjangRoMe: Huh? What do you mean?
Teacher: I’ve told you before—there’s always a way. :)
There was always a way.
Teacher was right.
She had started from nothing, yet she had made it this far—all because of Teacher.
Teacher: You’re still unripe... but for a short while, I can lend you some strength. Do you want it?
JjangRoMe: Unripe? Strength? What do you mean?
Teacher: Whatever you wish for. For example, I could make sure that she never appears in front of you again.
Really? How?
But the method didn’t matter. The truth didn’t matter.
Romi’s fingers flew across the keyboard.
JjangRoMe: I want it.
JjangRoMe: I want it! Give it to me! Please!
Teacher: If you want it that badly, how could I refuse? [N O V E L I G H T] You’re adorable.
Teacher: But since you haven’t fully bloomed yet, the most I can do... is place a debuff on her.
JjangRoMe: A debuff? What’s that?
Teacher: It means putting her in a bad state.
JjangRoMe: That’s it?
Teacher: Oh :) Sweetie, don’t worry. It will be much worse than you think.
Teacher: But in return, I need you to do something for me.
JjangRoMe: What do I have to do?
Teacher: Shake her up. Mentally.
Teacher: You’ve been hurt by her, haven’t you? Now it’s your turn to hurt her.
Teacher: I don’t know if a good girl like you can do it, but...
JjangRoMe: I can do it. Anything.
A debuff... Romi didn’t really understand what that meant. It sounded like something from the Hunter world.
Teacher is a Hunter?
That makes sense... I always thought they were incredible.
Looking back, the way things had fallen perfectly into place—it was almost too lucky. But if Teacher had awakened abilities, that would explain everything.
JjangRoMe: But Teacher...
JjangRoMe: What will happen to her?
Teacher: Hmm... Do you want to know?
JjangRoMe: Ah...
Teacher: Knowledge leads to hesitation. Do you still need to know?
JjangRoMe: No.
JjangRoMe: I don’t want to hesitate. I trust you, Teacher. Give me the power.
Teacher: Good. Since you wish for it.
A pop-up window suddenly appeared in the chat.
A long, rectangular message box with unfamiliar words written inside. Below it, there was only one button.
[Confirm]
There was no way to refuse.
A silent pressure settled over her. There was no turning back.
Without a second thought, Romi pressed Confirm.
At that moment, a faint, delicate laughter echoed in her ears, like the sound of rolling glass beads.
Romi’s head snapped up.
The room was empty.
What was that?
And then—
Knock, knock, knock.
“Romi, do you have a moment?”
Before she could answer, the waiting room door swung open.
A staff member nodded at Nayun. “I’ll leave you two to talk.”
Then, they walked out.
Romi’s expression hardened.
Her heart pounded. Her fists clenched.
I have Teacher’s power now.
This will be the last time I ever have to see your face.free
“...Shin Nayun.”
“Romi...”
Nayun smiled shyly, her cheeks tinged pink.
Romi had been her friend since middle school.
One day, she had followed Romi to an audition just out of curiosity—and somehow ended up becoming a trainee herself. From school days to their trainee years, they’d gone through everything together.
“Geez! Jjang Nayun, you lost your gym uniform again, didn’t you?”
“Huh? Oh, I’m fine. I wore my school pants today.”
“You’re doing P.E. in your school pants? You really think that’ll work? Hold on, I’ll go borrow one from Class D.”
Romi always looked out for Nayun’s careless habits, filling in the gaps she never even noticed. And Nayun, in turn, just genuinely liked Romi for who she was.
Even when they were stuck in a no-name agency, endlessly waiting for a debut that never seemed to come.
“Jjang Nayun. Eat this quick and clean it up. Don’t let anyone see.”
“Are we allowed to eat this?”
“Of course not. That’s why we’re sneaking it.”
Romi would split a secretly smuggled chocolate cream bun in half, popping one side into her mouth and shoving the other into Nayun’s. Sometimes they’d get caught and scolded for it.
“Aren’t idols human too?”
Romi had once cried bitterly, wiping away tears of frustration—and Nayun had held her until they fell asleep together.

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