LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 346
Chapter 346. Admiration and Salvation (5)
The land of dreams and hope, filled with adventure and fantasy—Dreamland.
I was there, right now….
“Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!”
…Falling from a height of 40 meters, all my childhood dreams shattered.
—”Alright~ everyone~ here’s your next challenge~ pay close attention~.”
“WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO LOOK AT WHILE FALLING FROM HEREEEE?!”
I could hear PD Kwon’s voice faintly through the earpiece, but none of it registered. Even if I did hear it, it didn’t matter—I couldn’t make out a single word. The noise just evaporated in the chaos of the fall.
‘That guy really went and dropped me from the height of a 15-story building…!’
Of all the things in the world, why does it always have to be this stuff that keeps repeating across so many timelines? The ground below was rapidly approaching, and the sensation of my heart rising into my throat was overwhelming, intensified by the pressure of the safety harness around my shoulders and upper arms.
What annoyed me most was that I was having fun. The fact that I was enjoying this was absurd.
As I screamed my head off, the dispassionate, rhythmic voice of the ride operator echoed in the distance.
—”From the highest point to the lowest in an instant! Experience the speed of light as you drop on Dreamland’s iconic attraction, the Giant Drop~.”
—”And now, a special service~! Bounce, bounce, bounce on the way down~.”
Service? Bounce? How about skipping all of that?!
Somewhere deep inside, I was screaming for it all to stop, but all that came out of my mouth was a high-pitched, primal scream. I looked to my sides, hoping that the others might be handling this better, but I was met with the sight of Joo Eunchan and Dan Haru—one looking half-insane, the other half-dead.
Just when all hope seemed lost, our ride, the Giant Drop, shot back up into the sky before plunging down again, even faster this time.
“Are you out of your mind?!”
How are we supposed to perform later tonight with this?!
My scream echoed in the sky, fading into the distance….
* * *
“Hey, Hajin! Didn’t you say you were good with rides…?”
The moment we got off the Giant Drop, PD Kwon hit me with a mocking question. I was holding onto Joo Eunchan, who looked dazed and out of it, while pressing my palm to my forehead. I shot him a look, my eyes practically screaming, *“Are you serious?”*
“If by ‘good with rides’ you mean being able to handle two high-speed roller coasters, three mega swings, four bungee drops, and two Giant Drops without puking, then no—I’m terrible with rides.”
Damn that generous sponsor.
Not only did we get free passes to enjoy the rides all day, but we also had priority access, skipping every single line in the park. The problem was, rides like these require some downtime between them—you need to stand in line, catch your breath, and prepare yourself mentally. Thanks to these *golden tickets*, we hadn’t touched the ground for hours.
‘If only we were completing the missions at least… we’d finish quickly and have some fun.’
But no—since the production team had saved the hardest missions for us, there wasn’t a single easy one in sight!
And Eunchan, who had never been on any real rides before, along with Haru, who was in a similar boat, were more of a liability than help. The two of them were too busy having heart attacks to focus.
Despite all the rides we went on, we’d only managed to collect five invitations so far. Considering we needed at least 140 by 4 PM, it was a dismal success rate.
“Now, let’s move on to the quiz.”
PD Kwon, ever the sadist, smiled triumphantly, clearly anticipating our failure.
At this rate, we wouldn’t be able to collect enough invitations, and then the production crew would swoop in with some last-minute, extreme mission designed to save us. That’s how these idol reality shows worked.
‘And that hidden mission will probably be some brutal challenge designed to maximize camera appeal while fulfilling the sponsor’s requirements, and we’ll end up doing it just to meet our PPL quotas.’
Yeah, yeah. I know how this goes.
“When you reached the highest point of the Giant Drop at 47 meters, something special was happening down on the ground. Dreamland’s mascot, Dr. Land, was dancing to a fun tune! So, what song and which part was Dr. Land dancing to?”
“Answer.”
“…Answer?”
“Kairos’ ‘Spring Never Comes,’ the part that goes, *Let it all burn, let it all fall apart~♪*.”
“…Uh, correct!”
I knew exactly what PD Kwon’s plan was, but there was no way I was going to play along today. Not after he dropped me from the sky!
“H-how did you know? Weren’t your eyes shut the whole time?”
PD Kwon’s surprised voice rang out, while I just shrugged and smirked as smugly as I could.
“My reflexes are just that good.”
Then, the *real* cheat code chimed in from my headspace.
[System Notification: You totally got that from me!!!!]
[System Notification: The system is exasperated by the host’s blatant credit-stealing and blows a raspberry.]
‘What did you expect? Want me to tell everyone I’ve got some supernatural being feeding me the answers? Want me to get committed to a psych ward?’
[System Notification: – 3-]
The system window stretched out with a long, sulky line, as if it were pouting. Despite its complaints, I knew it wasn’t really upset. Judging by the sparkly effects, it seemed to be enjoying itself for once.
‘Don’t get too carried away though—something feels off. Stay alert.’
[System Notification: Request received.]
[System Notification: Mental care program for companions ‘Joo Eunchan’ and ‘Dan Haru’ has been reinforced.]
[System Notification: Time-sequence protection system for companions ‘Joo Eunchan’ and ‘Dan Haru’ is in effect.]
With the system functioning normally, I focused back on the show. As long as I could use Thirteen’s help to clear the missions, we should be able to meet our goals.
Just as I reached out to PD Kwon for our promised invitations…
“Well then! What number was on the back of Dr. Land’s costume?”
“Excuse me?”
This guy was playing dirty again.
While I stalled, hoping Thirteen could come through for me, Haru, who had been quiet while calming his nerves, suddenly lifted his head and shouted.
“Number 47!”
“…Oh, uh, correct!”
“Mission complete! Ten more invitations earned!”
“Woohoo!”
Haru’s unexpected answer left PD Kwon genuinely shocked, but he had no choice but to declare our success. With the number of invitations now in the double digits, I couldn’t help but cheer. Even Haru, who’d been in full rebellious mode earlier, pumped his fist in triumph.
Eunchan, fueled by his own competitiveness, was just as hyped, silently bouncing in excitement. With his face glowing, he held out his hand to Haru.
“…?”
“Haru, nice job!”
“…Thanks.”
Haru hesitated for a moment but eventually slapped Eunchan’s hand with a high-five. When Eunchan turned to me with the same gesture, I didn’t hesitate either.
“Hey, Haru.”
“…What?”
Seizing the moment, I extended my hand toward Haru for a high-five. He glared at me with a look that said, *“What do you want?”* But when I reminded him with a glance that the cameras were still rolling, he reluctantly gave me a slap, too.
“Alright then, Team Kang-Joo-Dan! You’ve completed two missions so far. Since you succeeded on the first attempt at the Giant Drop, you’ll also receive Dreamland’s Dream Coins—tokens to enjoy the park’s food and attractions.”
Nice.
I gratefully accepted the handful of Dream Coins the assistant director handed over. Since I was getting pretty hungry, I figured I’d use them to buy some snacks for the group. Eunchan peeked over my shoulder, checking out how many coins we had.
“Hyung, can I get a hot dog?”
“Of course. We’re doing all this for food, after all. Let’s head straight to Snack Town.”
“Yes!”
“But before that…”
“…?”
Just as I was about to lead the two kids toward the food stands, something caught my eye. It was the perfect item to manage these two troublemakers.
“Let’s get that first.”
Eunchan and Haru followed my gaze to the item in question. Haru’s expression immediately twisted in disgust.
Not that I cared.
* * *
During a short break to regroup, Dan Haru sat at a parasol-covered table in Snack Town, seriously considering something.
*Should I just kill him?*
The bracelet around his wrist clinked as he clasped his hands together. The object attached to the bracelet bobbed and floated in the air, a nuisance to Haru. He glared at it with all the annoyance he could muster.
“…….”
It was a giant, overly cute character balloon, about three times the size of the one Eunchan had bought earlier. It was tied to a long, sturdy string, making it impossible to miss.
This ridiculous, oversized balloon was what Kang Hajin had bought as a “lost child prevention tool,” and it was the reason Haru was currently plotting murder.
“Wow, I swear you could pop that balloon with just your eyes.”
Someone sat down across from Haru, joking.
Of course, it was the man who had bought the balloon, tied it to Haru’s wrist, and threatened to merge personalities with him if he tried to remove it—Kang Hajin. He plopped down several snacks onto the table: chicken bites, cheese bread, and more.
“Why are you alone? Where’s Eunchan?”
“Over there, getting his hot dog. You’re really overprotective, huh?”
“…….”
Haru glanced in the direction Hajin pointed and saw Eunchan chatting with a staff member while waiting for his food. The oversized ribbon balloon tied to his wrist made him easy to spot from a mile away.
Finally, Haru relaxed a little and slumped back in his chair. Hajin handed him a cup of chicken bites, gesturing for him to eat.
“Here. They’re fresh out of the fryer—super tasty.”
“…I’m good.”
“Worried you’ll like it so much you’ll want to stay alive to eat more?”
Hajin grinned mischievously, wiggling his eyebrows. Even though Haru knew it was meant to provoke him, he gritted his teeth and gave in, grabbing the cup of chicken bites. He knew Hajin well enough by now to know that if he didn’t eat, Hajin would find a way to shove it down his throat.
The warm, crispy chicken filled his mouth with savory flavor.
But Haru’s long, tedious life across countless timelines had dulled his sense of taste to the point where even this delicious food failed to register as “good” to him. He’d lived too long without distinguishing between what was better or worse, to the point where it didn’t matter anymore.
*Haru would have enjoyed this,* he thought bitterly.
Haru missed that part of himself—the side that could savor these little joys, the feelings of excitement and happiness that he no longer allowed himself. It felt like he was ruining everything that other version of himself should have been able to experience.
*All I do is ruin things…*
With every reminder of life’s simple pleasures came the familiar sting of failure and loss that had clung to Haru for so long. It left him feeling empty.
“Haru.”
Just as the gloomy thoughts began to pull him under, a voice broke through, pulling him back to reality with ease.
It was Kang Hajin, blissfully munching on freshly baked cheese bread.
With an air of casual curiosity, he asked, “So, do you like Eunchan?”
“…What?”
*Maybe I should kill him for real.*
Haru’s brief moment of sentimentality crumpled like paper at Hajin’s audacious question.