translation by mourningmoor
As I stepped out of the gate, I saw Gyuhyung’s face.
It seemed Road Manager Hyung 1 had come out too.
The managers who flanked me took my bags and began their close-guard routine.
Camera flashes went off everywhere, and fans holding picket signs came into view.
“Kang Ichan!”
“Oppa!”
It wasn’t this intense when I left.
Back then, it was just fans who happened to be at the airport, not fans who came specifically to see me off. Of course, since the schedule wasn’t publicized, they wouldn’t have known. I didn’t even know about the schedule myself.
I gave a quick nod to the fans cheering for me and then looked at Gyuhyung.
“Was the arrival schedule leaked?”
“No, the CEO banned schedule disclosures for safety reasons.”
“Then how did they find out?”
“Kim Hyunsoo posted a photo on SNS yesterday, and you happened to be in the background. So everyone checked Kim Hyunsoo’s schedule and flocked here.”
That attention-seeking bastard.
Kim Hyunsoo was a different kind of attention-seeker compared to Kim Jeongsoo, but just as bad.
During filming, he was so clingy that I even thought Yoo Noah was better.
“Let’s go. The CEO’s waiting.”
Gyuhyung, who had been blocking the cameras of reporters and fans rushing toward me, pointed to the van waiting at the airport entrance.
Looking at the van, my heart felt heavy.
This marked my return as Kang Ichan, the leader of L.I.T.
Steeling myself, I walked toward the van.
And I confirmed one more thing: Yoo Noah was right about everything.
The moment I returned to Korea and faced the fans, my physical state changed.
In Hawaii, I had to make do with the mana from nature and the small amounts of mana from hotel guests. It was only thanks to the dense mana Writer Jeong Haeseong provided that I managed to get by.
Ah, during busking, I could absorb higher-quality mana.
But it didn’t last long, and the color wasn’t that deep.
Occasionally, I could receive dense mana, but it still felt insufficient to power high-level magic.
However, the moment I faced the fans, my body overflowed with magical power. It was because I had absorbed such high-concentration, high-volume mana.
During my time in Hawaii, I focused on recovering my body by using only the minimum amount of magical power. I also avoided using “Heart’s Resonance” except in special cases.
Breathing good air and using my magical power solely to strengthen my internal energy had made my body incredibly robust.
Now, with dense mana pouring into this body, I could feel my magical power amplifying.
At this rate, reaching the 3rd Circle would be a piece of cake.
After getting into the van and closing the door, I immediately started doing what I needed to do here.
“Let’s go to the hospital first.”
Gyuhyung turned to look at me.
“The CEO said to take you straight to the dorm and let you rest.”
“Let’s go see Siu.”
“Ichan-.”
“Hyung. I’m the leader of L.I.T. Let’s go see Siu first.”
Siu got hurt.
Breaking News: Fire at TVH Annex Building. Jukebox Saturday filming crew evacuated during shooting. Multiple cast members injured.
Breaking News: Injured confirmed to be MC Monna and L.I.T member Siu, who was a guest.
“I need to see if he’s okay.”
Somewhere deep in my chest, I felt extremely uneasy.
* * *
YONSEI UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
Isn’t this the same hospital I was admitted to last time?
The place where I was called a miracle icon for surviving a lightning strike.
As I opened the emergency room door and walked in, all eyes turned to me.
Even with a hat and mask on, I still stood out.
Pulling my hat down low, I quickly scanned the inside of the emergency room.
Every bed was filled with patients.
Seeing patients writhing in pain, my Grand Mage instincts kicked in.
[Don’t use “Heart’s Resonance” recklessly. Don’t waste your magic on trivial things. Use it to strengthen your internal energy instead. So your body can handle high volumes of mana without strain.]
Even though Yoo Noah had warned me, I didn’t think I could follow it.
As I made my way to where Siu was, I let tiny amounts of magical power flow into the patients lying on the beds.
Healing magic, calming magic.
In that world, it was also called “Mana’s Blessing.”
It was the mercy of a Grand Mage bestowed upon ordinary people who were born without abilities, abandoned by the gods.
‘May the mercy of the gods be with you.’
I walked to the very back of the emergency room.
A bed with curtains drawn seemed to be where Siu was. Outside the curtains stood the youngest member and PD Pyo.
The youngest, who had been pacing anxiously in front of the bed, spotted me.
“Hyung.”
Jaewon, his face flushed, ran over and hugged me.
Then, burying his face in my shoulder, he said he felt relieved now that I was here.
Jaewon’s shoulders trembled slightly.
I patted his back and let a bit of magical power flow into him.
Calming him down was the priority.
PD Pyo also seemed a bit relieved when he saw my face. But he still muttered something insincere.
“Why did you come? You were supposed to go back to the dorm and rest.”
Would you rest in my place? One of the kids got hurt.
“What happened?”
PD Pyo’s expression twisted uncomfortably.
“There was a bit of an accident.”
I know there was an accident.
I want to hear the full story.
“Is Siu okay?”
“Yeah. He’s not seriously hurt. They’re putting a cast on him now.”
“A cast?”
Did he break a bone? Did he break his leg? Or maybe a rib?
At that moment, a doctor in blue scrubs pulled back the curtains.
“The cast is done.”
I had imagined Siu looking haggard in a hospital gown, but instead, he was wearing flashy makeup and a strange uniform, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Then, spotting me, he smiled as if he were glad to see me.
“Ichan.”
“Why are you smiling? Your hand is…”
It seemed his finger was broken.
“They made it look like this.”
And of all fingers, it was the middle one.
I finally understood why Siu looked so embarrassed. This was unintentionally turning into a constant stream of curses.
A thick, lumpy green middle finger.
I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
Seeing me laugh, Siu also smiled faintly.
From the moment I saw the breaking news at the airport until now, it felt like I hadn’t been able to breathe.
I was terrified that something drawn to my magical power might have hurt the kids. But seeing Siu sitting there, looking a bit ridiculous, eased the tension that had been building up.
“It’s funny. Today’s Jukebox Saturday concept was cartoon characters, so I’m dressed like this.”
He added that the outfit he was wearing now was inspired by the uniforms of the guards who protected the Palace of Versailles during the reign of Louis XVI.
White pants and a short, ink-colored top. The outfit was as flashy as possible, adorned with golden buttons and decorations.
“I was supposed to wear a blonde wig too, but I can’t find it now.”
So, what Siu was trying to say was that he had dressed up nicely for the Jukebox Saturday concept, but now he was stuck flipping the bird, which was embarrassing, right?
But what I wanted to say was different.
“Yeah, you look cool. But…”
I looked down and noticed footprints all over Siu’s white pants.
“Did you get stepped on?”
* * *
We returned to the dorm with Siu.
Jaewon, who had been quiet until now, started talking as soon as we entered the dorm.
“So, Siu hyung fell, and that senior from the band stepped on him repeatedly.”
“What?”
What kind of nonsense is this? Who stepped on whom?
When I turned around, Siu and Gyuhyung, who had just entered the dorm, flinched in surprise.
“Kim Jaewon, the CEO told you not to tell the others.”
Gyuhyung scolded Jaewon.
It seemed a gag order had been issued.
“How can I not say anything? The members need to know. That sunbae is completely insane.”
Jaewon, his voice rising, began to explain what happened.
It was true that there had been a fire at the TVH Annex Building. But the fire hadn’t started in the Jukebox Saturday studio.
The fire alarm went off, and smoke filled the hallway, creating a somewhat dangerous situation.
The kids, following the crew’s instructions, crouched low and headed toward the emergency exit.
Everyone was in a hurry, but they moved calmly toward the emergency exit. Jaewon was right behind Monna, the main MC of Jukebox Saturday, and in front of Monna was Siu.
Behind Jaewon was Aki, a regular cast member of the variety show. When a loud bang came from somewhere in the building, Aki suddenly screamed and pushed Jaewon. Jaewon, with his good reflexes, managed to dodge to the side, but Monna, unable to withstand Aki’s force, fell forward. In the process, he pushed Siu, and they both tumbled down the stairs.
“Monna hyung broke his leg. Siu hyung was okay until then…”
Recalling the situation, Jaewon paused, swallowing his anger. Then he continued.
“That crazy woman started complaining about why we were in her way and then stepped on Siu hyung repeatedly. That’s when his finger got crushed.”
When Siu screamed in pain and rolled on the ground, Aki, panicking, tried to run away but ended up stepping on Siu’s head.
Jaewon’s body trembled as he spoke.
Recalling that moment must have been horrifying.
“The only silver lining is that she wasn’t wearing high heels. If she had been, with her size, she would’ve put a hole in Siu hyung’s head.”
A hot surge of anger rose from my core.
Siu’s delicate hand came to mind.
Imagining some woman I didn’t even know crushing his hand, the anger swirling in my core pressed down on my neck.
Yeah, I get it.
People can be like that.
When overwhelmed by fear, they can lose sight of what’s right.
Sometimes, fear can make people do inhuman things. That’s what fear does.
But you can’t do that to my people.
With trembling hands, I grabbed Gyuhyung’s sleeve.
“Where is that woman?”
I had bitten down so hard on my teeth that my mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood.
“Where is she?!”