translation by mourningmoor
Then, Kim Chanyeong burst into a soft laugh.
“What is this kid saying? So, you were kidnapped, not on a picnic, right?”
It seems the memory manipulation worked perfectly.
Even Kim Chanyeong, who was the first to know I was a grand mage, remembers this incident as a ‘kidnapping.’
“Well, yeah. It was a kidnapping. Not a picnic.”
For a brief moment, I regretted leaving Kim Chanyeong’s memories intact. But I quickly dismissed the thought.
From now on, I shouldn’t use my powers in this world anymore.
If I want to live a normal life under the identity of Kang Ichan, it’s better this way. Much better.
After adjusting my clothes one more time while looking in the mirror, I turned toward Kim Chanyeong.
“I thought it was a picnic because I escaped too easily.”
Then, I gave a slight smile.
“Let’s go now.”
As I stepped out of the bathroom, PD Pyo was waiting for me.
When I approached, PD Pyo smiled with a noticeably relaxed expression.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes.”
After taking a deep breath, I walked out into the arrival hall.
As soon as the doors opened, the sound of camera shutters and flashes erupted.
Fans who had been waiting for me screamed almost in unison, and the waiting protocol team rushed in.
I paused for a moment and waved to the fans.
An even louder cheer erupted.
“Ichan-ah! I’m so glad you’re back.”
Someone’s voice, mixed with tears, called out.
Then, similar words were thrown from here and there.
“I’m sorry for causing concern.”
I bowed to the fans and waved enthusiastically.
That’s when it happened.
The members, surrounded by layers of the protocol team, appeared through the crowd.
“Those guys. I told them to wait at the company…”
Before PD Pyo could finish his sentence, the members ran over and hugged me.
No one said anything.
But their warm feelings were deeply conveyed.
* * *
On the Universe fan community, posts from fans who went to the airport today were pouring in.
Ichan looks even thinner. Seeing the cuts near his eyebrow and his split lip, my heart aches so muchㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└Me tooㅠㅠㅠㅠ But somehow, he looks even more handsome.
└His looks keep improving, but I’m worried because accidents keep happening.
My mom said that since he’s gone through so much bad luck, only good things are left. I really hope that’s trueㅠㅠ
└Only good things will happen. :)
└Yeah, of course. Only good things will happen.
Seeing all the members at the airport made me tear up. Why does it feel so touching just seeing them standing together quietly?
└Everyone at the scene was cryingㅠㅠㅠㅠ I was watching through a screen, and I still got choked up.
└Yeah, I was there today, and everyone was crying. The fans were crying too.
Watch our Bbangdol crying. It’s my tear button. (Video)
└ㅠㅠIt’s my tear button too.
└ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠMe too.
└Aigoo, our maknae. How have you been without your hyung?ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Why are you crying so sadly?
└Wookie’s crying tooㅠㅠㅠㅠ He’s bowing his head so deeply, it really breaks my heart.
└Now that we’re back together, let’s only walk on flower paths♡♡
As soon as I returned, I ended up in a special room at Yeonhee University Hospital. Using the laptop Kim Chanyeong brought me, I browsed the fan community.
According to the memories manipulated by the demon king, it’s only been about ten days since I disappeared. But it seems like a lot has happened during that time.
After scrolling through an overwhelming amount of posts and reading through ten days’ worth, I realized the demon king had handled things very meticulously.
“It was a good idea to leave it as it is.”
After reading for a while, I stopped scrolling.
“What’s this? Why is this… here?”
Just then, Kim Chanyeong entered the hospital room.
I closed the laptop.
“What? Were you looking at something weird?”
Kim Chanyeong, with a suspicious expression, glanced at the laptop and then sprawled on the sofa with a sly smile.
“What? What do you mean, something weird?”
I feigned ignorance and looked at Kim Chanyeong lying on the sofa.
“Director-nim, are you planning to sleep here again today?”
As soon as I returned to Korea, I was confined to the hospital again.
Even though I had all sorts of tests done in Paris, they said I needed another thorough examination. Well, who could stop the eccentric PD Pyo?
Still, I felt sorry for causing concern, so I obediently followed PD Pyo’s wishes.
Then, Kim Chanyeong took on the role of my guardian and started staying overnight at the hospital.
“Even if it’s uncomfortable, bear with it. I’m not sleeping here, am I? The kids are taking turns, right?”
The members had already been arguing about taking turns to care for me.
I thought at least Hanjoon wouldn’t be like that, but he was the most fussy.
In the end, Kim Chanyeong stepped in and firmly said that it was the manager’s job, and only then did they quiet down.
Well, it’s better for Kim Chanyeong to suffer than the members.
“Alright. I’ll behave. But…”
Still, this is a bit uncomfortable.
“Can you lend me your phone?”
“My phone? Why?”
I had to explain the situation in detail.
“I need to call Yoo Noah…… sunbaenim.”
Should I ask Noah to restore Director Kim Chanyeong’s memory?
* * *
Noah, who returned to Korea a day after me, came to the hospital as soon as morning broke.
I had called him urgently, saying there was something important to discuss.
After sending Kim Chanyeong away for a moment, I opened the laptop.
“Take a look at this.”
I showed him a post I had found yesterday. The problem was the photo attached to the post.
Noah also seemed surprised.
“Did you do your job properly?”
Then, with a very offended expression, he stared at the post on the laptop, reading it over and over.
“When was this photo taken? Was there someone else there? And the physical manipulation was done by the goddess lady, right?”
It’s a photo from when we opened the gate to another dimension with Bartholomew.
Judging by the angle, it seems to have been taken from somewhere on the second floor.
“Reading the post… it seems like the memory manipulation worked, though?”
That was true.
The post accompanying the photo was simple.
If anyone knows when and where this photo was taken, please provide information.
It wasn’t just about not remembering.
Whether I remember or not, the fact that there’s a photo from that time is awkward. I even worried that this photo might trigger the return of memories.
Noah jumped up, saying that would never happen. He explained that his mental magic doesn’t just cover memories but completely rewrites them, so unless he intervenes, they won’t come back.
“Still, I’m uneasy, so I’ll delete this photo. Let’s find the person who posted it and handle it.”
“Yeah, you should. Move quickly before it spreads.”
But why do I feel so uneasy?
Did this guy really do his job properly?
* * *
My unease resurfaced in another place less than a week later.
After being hospitalized for almost a week, I was finally able to return to my daily life.
PD Pyo loudly declared that he would find us a new dorm, and the postponed concert schedule was back on track.
Gyuhyung, who had undergone surgery, was recovering quickly, and everything was progressing smoothly.
But the problematic photo ended up in the hands of Blade Entertainment’s PR team.
An emergency meeting was held in the 6th-floor conference room.
Along with the usual attendees, Kim Chanyeong was also present. The intention was to have the LIT chief manager join in to discuss the issue.
PD Pyo displayed the problematic photo on the wall.
Then he said one thing.
“A post asking for information about this photo has surfaced. I’d like to receive some information too. Does anyone know anything?”
At that moment, the expressions of everyone in the conference room changed in various, colorful ways.
The management team tilted their heads in confusion, the IT team suggested tracking the poster’s IP, and the PR team wondered if it was from the Paris POP-UP store incident. The reactions were all over the place.
But amusingly, five people had a completely different, yet identical reaction.
Kim Chanyeong and the rest of the LIT members.
These five people shouted in unison.
“It’s a photoshop. A fake.”
“Right. It’s a fake.”
“Since when do people have blue flames coming out of their hands…? This can’t be real. It’s CGI.”
“It’s obviously a fake.”
“Yes, I think it’s a fake too.”
PD Pyo’s expression twisted horribly.
Of course, he thought it was a fake, but the way they insisted so strongly made it seem like they were hiding something.
Strong denial is affirmation, after all.
Frowning, he tilted his head and looked at me.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? You look like you’ve eaten something bitter.”
Eaten something bitter?
Well, I was surprised to see the photo here, but not to that extent.
It’s just that Kim Chanyeong and the kids’ reactions were so suspicious that it made me uneasy.
I tapped the table with my fingertips and leaned back in my chair.
“What should I say?”
My thoughts were getting complicated.
If it were the usual kids, they would’ve been exclaiming in awe at such a photo. Especially Jaewon and Roa.
Kim Chanyeong would’ve snorted.
No, he would’ve said, “Does the company not even know how to distinguish a fake photo that they called a whole meeting?”
“Do you agree that it’s a fake?”
“If it’s not a fake, then what is it?”
I deliberately smiled coldly and continued.
“Do you think we took such a photo without consulting the company? Don’t you trust your artists too little?”
Then, the members, who had been swallowing dryly, nodded in unison.
Hey, this makes it even more suspicious.
Ignoring the members, I continued with a calm expression.
“We’ve never taken such a photo, and the company has never planned such a photo, so it’s a fake. Obviously.”