How to stop my idol group from disbanding

“What’s up with him? Did he get caught eating ramen again?”

At the teasing directed at him, Si-chan pouted. But regardless of that, Kang Moon, who was sitting between Si-chan and the manager, never took his eyes off the person who had spoken.

He is a man with naturally fair skin that complemented his black hair perfectly. His thick eyebrows and his features are well-defined on his small face, and he even carries a slight air of sensitivity that suits current trends. His height easily exceeded 190 cm, and his proportions are flawless.

Though he still had a bit of a raw, unpolished feel, with the right styling, he has the potential to become a trending sensation. For a rookie group trying to gain recognition, that is invaluable.

How did they fail with someone like him?

Kang Moon found himself respecting the company president’s planning skills—but in a different way.

“Ha… Come sit over here.”

At the manager’s unusually serious tone, the members exchanged glances before gathering in a circle, sitting on the floor in front of the dining chairs and sofa.

Si-chan, who had been slouching in the corner of the sofa, straightened his back and glanced at Kang Moon before furrowing his brows seriously.

“Hey, Kang Moon.”

“Yeah?”

Kang Moon flinched slightly at the sudden call and turned to look. The manager, who had hesitated after calling his name, glanced up at the ceiling, let out a deep sigh, and finally spoke.

“You already know about him, but from here on, this is Kang Ho-jae, Cha Yul, and Park Hwi-geon.”

One by one, the manager pointed at each person from right to left. Kang Moon’s eyes, drawn by his “handsome radar,” landed on Hwi-geon.

My God… Even his name is perfect.

Before he knew it, in his mind, Hwi-geon was already standing on stage, glistening with sweat after a performance. He can already envision preview photos being uploaded to every site and news articles flooding in.

For a rookie group to gain traction, they needed at least one decisive moment. And Kang Moon is sure that Huigeon’s presence will be the key to making that happen for W.A.IN.

“What are you doing, hyung?”

Ho-jae frowned slightly at the manager’s cryptic behavior. His strong, well-defined features suited his name, and his short, slightly spiky hair added to his rough charm. However, his naturally serious look can make him seem unapproachable, so he will probably need a more audience-friendly image.

“Listen, guys. Don’t freak out.”

“What is it?”

Growing impatient with all the suspense, Cha Yul’s voice carried a hint of irritation.

It was only then that Kang Moon turned his attention to Yul. His sharp, fox-like eyes and slightly protruding canine teeth created an endearing contrast. His entire expression is brimming with playfulness. If Si-chan is a puppy and Ho-jae is a bear, then Cha Yul is undoubtedly a cat—a mischievous, trouble-making adolescent cat.

“Kang Moon… is sick. Pretty badly.”

“What?”

All at once, three pairs of eyes locked onto Kang Moon.

Cha Yul, who had been displaying mild annoyance earlier, is so shocked that he immediately stands up and approaches him on his knees.

“You can’t just say it like that.”

Feeling overwhelmed, Kang Moon pressed his fingers to his forehead. The manager had blurted out the worst part first, without explaining the situation properly.

“Hyung, you couldn’t get up all day… Was it because you were sick?”

“Are you really sick? Where does it hurt?”

Unlike Si-chan, who had burst into tears right away, the others simply looked at him with deep concern in their eyes.

Kang Moon took a deep breath, preparing to explain the situation properly. But before he could speak, a loud “Bam-ba-bam” sound effect rang out, and suddenly, everyone except him froze.  Kang Moon is used to it now, and he waited quietly for the semi-transparent system window to appear in front of him.

Explain your current situation to the members.

[Accept] [Decline]

“Sigh… At least offer a reward if you’re gonna make me do this.”

It’s not like the game is giving him diamonds or anything.

Grumbling softly, Kang Moon tapped the [Accept] button. He is curious about what would happen if he declined, but he was planning to explain everything anyway. The manager isn’t exactly eloquent, so it is better if he handled it himself.

As the quest window vanished with a flashy effect, time resumed as if nothing had happened. Kangmun licked his lips lightly and finally spoke.

“It’s nothing major… I just… lost my memory.”

The once lively living room fell silent. It seemed like it was taking everyone a moment to process what he had just said.

“Like… amnesia?”

At Ho-jae’s question, Kang Moon simply nodded. Beside him, Cha Yul covered his gaping mouth with his hand.

“How much?”

Leaning back against a chair he had flipped around, Hwi-geon asked. Even those few words sounded so good it sent chills down Kang Moon’s spine.

He has not spent much time with Hwi-geon yet, but the more he looks, the more amazing his potential appears. With his talent and visuals, even a major entertainment agency would have fought over him. How had he ended up here?

“How much memory did you lose? Why aren’t you answering?”

“Huh? Oh. Sorry.”

Realizing he had zoned out, Kang Moon quickly apologized. Hwi-geon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“So, um…”

Kang Moon stroked his chin, lost in thought. He knows everything about the protagonist’s background, family, and other details—probably more than anyone. He had memorized not only in-game lore but also extra settings released by the developers. That’s what being a dedicated fan is all about.

So, the only information he lacks is about this group and the company. At first, he considered just faking it, but that isn’t realistic; he didn’t even know their debut song. Forget debuting; he’d be lucky not to get kicked out.

Rather than arousing suspicion, it is better to just flip the whole situation on its head. After all, his goal is to ensure this group’s successful debut.

“I think… I lost everything from when I became a trainee until now.”

“…Really?”

Hwi-geon’s voice has an oddly subdued tone.

Understandably, he isn’t thrilled about having to start over right before their debut. At the very least, this would set them back a month.

“Hyung, so you really don’t remember anything? Like when we first met, moving into the dorm, recording… all of it?”

Cha Yul, who had been darting his eyes around, asked in a slightly sullen voice. Kang Moon, still holding Hwi-geon’s gaze, slowly nodded.  For some reason, he feels guilty, but Hwi-geon clearly does not like either, as he turns his face away sharply, almost coldly.

“God… So rude, but also so cute.

“This… this is truly lamentable…”

Kang Moon smacked his lips, suppressing a chuckle, and turned to face Cha Yul, who was mumbling and drooping his brow in sorrow. His lips quivered slightly as if he was genuinely hurt. It is strange how he can speak normally one moment and then suddenly slip into a speech style straight out of a historical drama.

The protagonist was kind, considerate to a fault, and at times, almost foolishly selfless. There had even been an event in the survival show where he had secured a critical advantage but ended up in danger of elimination because he kept giving away his opportunities.

So, it was no surprise that he would be even more affectionate toward his fellow members. Kang Moon himself isn’t the type to be warm or affectionate, but at the very least, he needed to pretend. If he wanted to debut successfully and return to his reality unscathed, he had to play the part.

“I’m sorry, *Yul-ah. I’ll do my best to recover my memories quickly, so don’t be too upset.”

[t/n: 아 (~ah) or 야 (~ya)  sound is used in the name of good friends and children. e.g. who aren’t superior. If a name ends with a constant, the modifier(ah) is used, and if it ends with a vowel, the modifier (ya) is used.]

“Hyung…”

“I’m really sorry to the rest of you, too. And to you, manager-hyung. I didn’t mean to cause trouble… But memory loss aside, I’ll make sure to learn the songs and choreography as fast as I can. We have to debut together.”

The performance seemed convincing enough, as Cha Yul immediately threw himself into Kang Moon’s arms. Right beside them, Sichan took it a step further, pulling both of them into a hug and rubbing his cheek against theirs.

Damn, these kids were really close, huh.

If they were already this tight-knit before even debuting, then the disbandment must have been devastating. Thinking about the protagonist walking alone in the rain, crying endlessly, Kang Moon feels a twinge of sympathy. It must have hurt more to see his teammates fail than to fail himself.

“…”

As he smiled wryly at the thought, his gaze naturally drifted to Hwi-geon. The guy was staring at him intently with an unreadable expression. Kang Moon couldn’t decipher what was behind that look, so he casually shifted his eyes away, trying to act natural.

“Guys… can I go rest for a bit?”

Once again, Kang Moon’s acting skills were outstanding. As he pressed his fingers against his temple and slightly furrowed one eye, everyone looked ready to carry him on their backs. Si-chan and Chayul, seemingly intent on giving him a literal palanquin ride, started adjusting their posture—only to get smacked on the back of their heads by the manager.

After finally calming down the commotion, Kang Moon entered his room. With his back against the closed door, he takes a deep breath. At last, he has some time to think on his own. Maybe it is because he is the leader, but having a small room to himself is a huge relief.

As exhaustion rapidly took over, he moved to lie down on the bed—when suddenly, with a cheerful sound effect, flashing letters appeared in front of his eyes once again.

Quest Complete!

Reward: 5 draw Tickets

Oh… right. This game had a gacha system.

Kang Moon tilted his head, realizing once again that he had been reincarnated into a game.

Receiving rewards is nice, but he has no idea where or how to use this so-called “Draw Ticket.”

“Was this game always this unfriendly? How annoying.”

Muttering to himself, Kang Moon collapsed onto the bed. There isn’t much he can do at the moment, so he figured he would naturally find out in due time.

Rolling over, he lay on his back and stared at the ceiling before closing his eyes and sinking into deep thought. He had entered his room because he felt overwhelmed by the unfamiliar people around him, but now that he was alone, anxiety crept up from the tips of his toes about whether his assumption was incorrect. He is afraid he will never be able to escape.

The thought terrified him.

As he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the reality of his situation sank in. Uncertainty crept in, filling him with unease.

What if I can never escape from this world?

He felt like he had to do something so he followed the game’s instructions, but the future is still a giant question mark.

“Ugh… My head hurts. F*ck.”

Just as he was ruffling his hair in frustration, the door creaked open.

I thought no one would disturb him as he sent them to rest.

“…uh?

Expecting Sichan or Cha Yul, he turned with mild annoyance—only to find Hwi-geon standing there, staring at him with an unreadable expression.

Hwi-geon closed the door behind him and took a few slow steps forward, stopping by the bed.

Kang Moon looked with an expression of not knowing what was going on and blinked.

“I need to talk to you.”

Wow… He looks even more stunning up close.

Even though he is still just a trainee who hasn’t debuted yet, he looks more like a celebrity than most celebrities. Kang Moon cannot help but admire him—he feels like he can stare at that face forever without getting tired of it.

He had never understood why fans on SNS would say their favorite idols were entertaining just by breathing on stage. But now, looking at his face, he completely understands.

“Can we do this later? I’m really tired.”

Still, he can put off admiring his appearance until later. They are going to be stuck together all the time anyway, so sorting out his thoughts was the priority for now.

Kangmun was about to make some excuse and send him away when Hwi-geon suddenly narrowed his eyes, glaring so intensely that it made Kang Moon’s forced smile feel awkward.

Before Kangmun could process the strange sense of foreboding, Hwi-geon spoke first.

“You’re not Kang Moon, are you?”

Kangmun felt his heart plummet to the floor.

That wasn’t just a guess.

It was a statement of absolute certainty.

[T/N: HSMIGD will be updated every Saturday with 2-3 chapters.]