translation by mourningmoor
Be careful.
I needed to figure out what Kim Wooyoung's note meant.
But MuteSeven is holed up in the waiting room and shows no signs of coming out.
First, I need to see his face to ask him, or listen to the signs of his heart.
Meanwhile, the stage director started looking for L.I.T. It seemed like rehearsal was just around the corner.
“They’re calling you.”
Jeongsoo, who considered Wooyoung's note as a threat, stayed by my side the entire time. It was his way of saying he’d fight alongside me if things got messy.
But when rehearsal started, he regretfully said he couldn’t go on stage with me.
“Well, no worries about the stage, right? Just like I can’t go on stage, Kim Wooyoung won’t be able to either.”
Then, he clenched his fist tightly and cheered me on.
Jeongsoo’s words suddenly made me think.
Kim Wooyoung’s “Be careful” wasn’t a threat—it was a warning.
Then, what is he warning me about? Obviously, HS is planning something against me.
When? What?
If he was in such a hurry to send me a note through Kim Jeongsoo, it must mean “today.”
So, what are they planning?
They won’t do something obvious that would leave traces. Even if something happens, there shouldn’t be any evidence pointing back to HS.
Then there’s only one thing.
The stage where only we perform, without any interference.
Today, there are two stages: the rehearsal stage and the live broadcast stage. Since they don’t give us pre-recorded opportunities here…
As I was lost in thought, the rehearsal began.
If something happens during the live broadcast, the broadcasting station won’t be able to cover it up, so it’s more likely to happen during the rehearsal stage.
Then it’s now…
The members, who were forming a formation around me, scattered as I turned around.
The camera zoomed in on me and then pulled back.
I heightened my heart’s sensitivity to level 3, but I didn’t sense any malice from the cameraman.
Roa’s part was almost over, and Jaewon and Roa stood in the center, performing a choreography where they bumped shoulders, transitioning into Jaewon’s part.
At heart sensitivity level 4, I caught something.
It was above.
As I moved from the left side of the stage to the right, I looked toward where I sensed the presence.
At that moment, a screeching sound tore through the air, and a beam light fell from above.
‘Pulling something like that.’
There was no time to hesitate or falter.
Right under the light, the main dancer and main vocalist were dancing, completely unaware.
I threw my body forward.
I couldn’t use long-range defensive magic in front of people, and my mana hadn’t fully recovered to cast a perfect defensive spell. So, I had no choice but to use my body.
A loud noise echoed as fragments scattered everywhere.
“Hyungnim!”
Hearing the loud voice, thankfully, Roa seemed to be okay.
“What about Jaewon?”
At my question, Jaewon peeked out.
“Channie hyung.”
With a frightened face, Jaewon looked at me and soon started shedding tears.
“Hyung-ah.”
“Hyungnim.”
The kids seemed to be okay.
Only then did the pain hit me.
No wonder it felt ominous—it was a warning from mana.
* * *
There was a lot of blood.
But no bones were broken, and no muscles were injured.
The faint defensive spell I cast at the last moment had worked.
If I had only protected myself, there wouldn’t have been any blood, but I expanded the barrier to prevent the fragments from scattering. I couldn’t let Jaewon and Roa get hurt.
Because of that, the edge of the light hit my shoulder, leaving a wound.
If I were an ordinary human, my shoulder bone would have been broken, but the mana concentrated on my shoulder deflected the light. The flesh was torn, and there was a lot of blood, but the wound itself wasn’t too severe.
“Why does this keep happening to you…….”
But to the tender-hearted black bear, all of this was a disaster worthy of tears.
“Don’t worry. It’s not a serious injury. It’ll heal quickly.”
It’s true. My wounds heal several times faster than an ordinary human’s. Even now, the surrounding mana is gathering, soothing, licking, and making a fuss.
Even Gyuhyung, who’s busy driving, is emitting mana to soothe my wound. The mana of humans who care about me reacts even more intensely to my injuries.
Gyuhyung, who was sniffling while holding back tears, parked the car.
“We’re here. Let’s get out.”
We went to the plastic surgery clinic closest to the broadcasting station. In this world, it seems wounds are treated in places like this.
As we entered the hospital, the woman at the counter widened her eyes. Did she recognize me?
“K-Kang… Ichan?”
Damn, she recognized me.
Since half of the T-shirt I was wearing was soaked in blood, the hospital staff’s eyes filled with shock. And soon, that shock turned into concern.
“I just lost a lot of blood. It’s not a serious injury.”
Even though I said I was fine, the flustered staff guided us to the treatment room.
“I’ll call the director right away.”
After saying a few words on the phone, the staff sat me down on the treatment bed.
“How did this happen…”
Busily moving around, she took out items and arranged them on a silver tray, then examined my shoulder.
“Our leader’s precious shoulder…”
The staff couldn’t finish her sentence and looked at the wound with pity. Seeing this, Gyuhyung asked with a puzzled expression.
“Are you… a Filament?”
If she’s a Filament, that’s trouble.
If this gets out to the fan cafe, it’ll definitely cause a commotion.
It needs to be revealed after the company and broadcasting station have sorted things out.
Seeing Gyuhyung’s troubled look, the staff waved her hands.
“Huh? No, not yet. But my younger sibling is a Filament, so I know well. They show me L.I.T’s music videos every day.”
Fortunately, she seemed to be quick on the uptake. She smiled warmly and quickly reassured us.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell my sibling either. Patient confidentiality is strictly maintained.”
Then, she began cleaning the bloodied wound with disinfectant cotton. She said they’d start stitching as soon as the doctor arrived.
“This might sound silly given the situation.”
The staff, who was carefully washing the wound, paused and spoke.
“Leader-nim. You’re so cool. I think I’ll join the fan cafe too.”
Ha, damn.
Even in this situation, I’m gaining fans.
From a fan service perspective, I smiled gratefully, and Gyuhyung took on a more serious expression to reinforce the secrecy.
“I’ll give you a signed CD. But please keep this a secret. Absolutely.”
* * *
We canceled all schedules and returned to the dorm.
Only the other members of L.I.T performed on the MBS stage, and at the end of the broadcast, a message about the accident was displayed.
The gist of it was this:
During rehearsal, a light fell, and one member of L.I.T sustained minor injuries. We will ensure the safety of our artists to prevent such accidents from happening again.
“Even if I die, they won’t admit they were wrong, huh?”
I scoffed and put my phone aside.
The fan cafe reactions were predictable, and the group chat was already in chaos.
From Kim Jeongsoo, who witnessed the accident, to Ga Yuna, who wasn’t there—calls kept coming in.
Then, an annoying text arrived.
2000-Year-Old Trash
Are you okay? I heard you got hurt.
Noah. It seems the news reached this bastard too.
2000-Year-Old Trash
Don’t get hurt carelessly. It’s not fun.
What kind of bastard says that? Who gets hurt for fun?
“And why does he keep contacting me like we’re close?”
“Who?”
Just then, Gyuhyung came into the room with medicine.
“That bastard. A person who gets on my nerves.”
Actually, he’s not a person. He’s the Demon King.
“But it seems he’s worried about you, so don’t be too harsh. You need to get along with everyone, or they might block your path later.”
Even if I get along with everyone, that guy will still block my path.
He’s probably sending those fake worried messages while secretly celebrating.
He’s probably thrilled that I, who destroyed him, have been reduced to someone who couldn’t even prevent such an accident.
That Demon King bastard.
“Take your medicine. You need to finish all the prescribed ones.”
I swallowed the medicine Gyuhyung handed me and got up from the bed.
Gyuhyung, startled, blocked me.
“Hey, stay down. Stop moving around.”
“Did I hurt my leg? And it really doesn’t hurt.”
Gyuhyung’s overprotectiveness had been ongoing since earlier. He wouldn’t even let me open the door and helped me lie down on the bed. At this rate, he might even feed me.
“Don’t make such a fuss over nothing.”
“You got 5 cm of stitches.”
Gyuhyung exploded at my dismissal.
“And you lost a lot of blood.”
Seeing the tears welling up in his small eyes, it seemed he was about to cry again. Why does he keep doing this? It’s making me attached.
“I know. I got 5 cm of stitches, and I lost a lot of blood.”
I patted Gyuhyung, who was blocking my way with his large frame, as he sniffled.
“But I know my body best.”
The doctor said to come back in a week to remove the stitches, but the wound will heal completely in about three days.
I didn’t even need stitches, but I went to the hospital to align with this world’s norms.
“The plastic surgeon did a good job, so there won’t be any scars. Don’t worry.”
Gyuhyung sniffled and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. He seemed to be calming down now.
I patted Gyuhyung’s shoulder again and picked up my phone, which I had tossed on the bed.
“Where are the kids? The practice room?”
“Yeah. I stopped them from coming to see you. They need to start practicing for PMA.”
Good kids. They know how to prioritize work.
I nodded and put on the blue padded jacket I had thrown at the foot of the bed.
“Where are you going?”
“To practice.”
Gyuhyung, startled, grabbed me.
“You can’t practice. You need to rest.”
“Hyung, I’ll handle it.”
I gently removed Gyuhyung’s hand from my clothes and left the dorm.
I don’t have time to laze around and rest.
I need to be on the PMA awards stage hosted by Pumpkin Music.
Earlier, Kim Wooyoung showed his face at the accident site.
《Hey, I told you to be careful. Jung Yoobin said he’s going to stop you from performing at PMA. And why did you get hurt? Jung Yoobin was targeting the two kids.》
The guy, pale as he looked at me, revealed his true intentions.
Roa, who’s performing in the PMA opening dance, and Jaewon, the main vocalist.
Jung Yoobin’s ambition has grown enough to target the two indispensable members of L.I.T simultaneously. That’s how desperate he is.
“Ha, that crazy bastard.”
Jesquière, the guardian of Armenia, is a pacifist.
He rarely fights with others.
But he’s not lazy enough to avoid a fight that comes his way.
“Jung Yoobin, see you at PMA.”
I’ll show you the true worth of L.I.T.