By Zephyria 
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The joy I felt for the first time, not as the Guide ‘An Ga-hyeon’ but as just a human ‘An Ga-hyeon,’ was in singing.
Perhaps that’s why it was hard to refuse the President’s offer.
“What should I do….”
The President seemed to be trying to encourage me, saying that the public’s reaction, including the fandom, was good, as if trying to give me a positive impression.
But I was anxious.
“The truth is, I’m not even twenty anymore, what if I get caught up in this and people tell me to get out of the way?”
Jae-ha, who couldn’t stand my muttering, kissed me on the cheek and advised.
“Why are you worrying so much? It’s something you can just do and see.”
“It’s not something to decide so lightly.”
“I’m not saying it lightly? What’s wrong with living as a Guide and an idol?”
“Huh?”
“You can do both. Ga-hyeon, you started as a Guide because the government forced you to, so now you can do whatever you want.”
“…Jae-ha.”
After all of Ban No-ah’s criminal activities were revealed, the sacrifices of the first generation of Ability Users were also revealed to the world.
It was known that they had voluntarily joined the army to stop the Dungeons, but the fact that most of them were forcibly dragged away by the country’s orders and lost their lives in their prime was widely known by the few survivors and the White Tiger Unit. People were shocked.
-We were able to live safely and comfortably because of their sacrifices.
The documentary interviews with the survivors and the White Tiger Unit boasted high viewership and penetrated the minds of many people.
Among them, the gazes towards me, Guide An Ga-hyeon, who barely survived the brink of death thanks to my ability, and Hyeon Jae-ha Esper, who suffered for over 20 years being branded as a deserter by the government, were particularly warm.
Jae-ha stroked my hair and continued.
“No matter what you do, the citizens who live in this era with you will support you.”
“…Really?”
“You lived a dangerous life where you had to kill monsters that came out of Dungeons your whole life. Now that you want to do something, no one will get in your way. Even if there is, it’s a minority, and I’ll get rid of them before they even catch your eye.”
“I think I just heard a pretty dangerous statement.”
“Forget about that. Anyway…. What I mean is, the public opinion watching you and me is positive and favorable. There are many people who want us, who have only experienced sacrifice and hardship due to the government’s coercion, to be happy.”
“That’s a happy thing.”
They want us to be happy.
I didn’t know that when I was in the front lines.
The government strictly controlled Ability Users from interacting with the outside to prevent desertion.
We didn’t know. Whether the people outside were truly at peace with the victory we risked our lives to achieve.
Because we didn’t know, we could only resent.
At that time, everything except the members of the same unit was hateful.
Because we thought no one recognized our sacrifices.
Because the government controlled information and we couldn’t know the situation outside.
“…Yeah. Our sacrifices weren’t worthless.”
That alone made me feel comforted.
Jae-ha said that I could be greedy and try to be happier instead of being satisfied with this.
“If you like singing, I hope you continue your Secrety activities.”
“…If that happens, the time I spend with you will decrease? Aren’t you sad?”
“I am sad. It’s heartbreaking to lose the time I can monopolize you, but if you’re happy doing what you love in return, it’s okay.”
Jae-ha’s blue eyes flickered with love for me.
“It’s the desirable attitude a lover should have to want the person they love to be the happiest doing what they love.”
Jae-ha shrugged.
“Jae-ha….”
I couldn’t help but hug Jae-ha tightly.
The warm warmth, the Esper energy that I could only feel from Jae-ha, made me feel comfortable.
“Thank you. For wishing me happiness. For prioritizing my happiness and pushing me forward.”
“If you’re thankful, kiss me.”
“As much as you want.”
I smiled brightly as I kissed Jae-ha’s lips.
‘Yeah. Let’s do it.’
Comeback, let’s go for it.
*
The next day, when I contacted the President to accept the offer, the President came to pick me up in person.
“Why are you here, President?”
“Well, I came to pick you up, Yujin. After all, you’re an SSS-Class Guide, so I thought I should treat you with the utmost respect.”
“Ugh. Don’t do this next time. It’s enough for just Manager Hyung to come.”
“Okay.”
Hyun-soo Hyung was still the same. It was disappointing that he couldn’t make eye contact with me while hiccuping as soon as he saw me.
“Hyung. Please just treat me comfortably like before, calling me Yujin. I’m not going to change my stage name, and I don’t want my relationship with the members or Hyung to become awkward just because my identity has been revealed.”
“Sh… Should I?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Ahem, I’ll try.”
It seems like I’ll have to wait a long time for Hyun-soo Hyung to feel comfortable with me like before.
As soon as I arrived at the company, all the Secrety members popped out as if they had been waiting.
Everyone looked radiant since the last time I saw them. They were active everywhere, regardless of terrestrial, cable, or NewTube channels. It was obvious that they had been managing themselves tightly as their fame rose.
“You’re here.”
Ra Ho-yeon, the leader and oldest Hyung, greeted me as the representative of Secrety.
“Yeah, I’m here. I heard you guys were desperately begging me to hurry up and return to Secrety.”
Seo Yun-chae, who has a low ignition point, immediately fell for the provocation.
“What! No, that’s not true? When did we ever beg? I didn’t think that of the President, but he’s exaggerating and fabricating things.”
“I’m just kidding. The President only told the truth. I was a little surprised to hear it…. The fans also want me to come back and be active as a complete Secrety.”
The youngest, Cha Si-yoon, joined the conversation.
“Yes, Yujin Hyung. There was some confusion among the Guardian, but that’s all in the past. Now, they understand Hyung’s situation and don’t expect active activities, but the prevailing opinion is that they want to see your face even occasionally.”
Shin Tae-beom also scratched the back of his head and added to Cha Si-yoon’s words.
“It’s not a lie, it’s true. Well…. Since you’re already married to your partner Esper, the fans who mainly liked you may have left, but there are also many new light fans who have become fans of the amazing image of ‘Guide An Ga-hyeon.’ You won’t lose anything if you come back.”
I asked Shin Tae-beom, who was awkward.
“What about you guys?”
“Huh?”
“Are you guys really okay with me being here?”
The skills of each member of the group Secrety are solid.
Although positions have been set, there would be no sense of emptiness just because one sub-vocalist, me, is missing.
Nevertheless, the fact that the members of Secrety called me means….
“Of course, we’re okay!”
Shin Tae-beom shouted as if he was angry.
“It’s sad now if Yujin Hyung isn’t here. The stage feels empty too.”
Cha Si-yoon honestly revealed his feelings.
“I, it’s not that I want to see you sing more. I suggested it because it would be more fun to work together as a team.”
Seo Yun-chae blushed and showed a tsundere-like reaction.
“When you, An Ga-hyeon Guide, are gaining momentum with a favorable image among the public, we need to seize this opportunity to make Secrety a top-tier group in name and reality. An SSS-Class Guide continuing his idol life is a rare content that can’t be easily seen anywhere in the world.”
Ra Ho-yeon expressed his expectations for the future by presenting a logical and analytical position.
Looking at the unchanging members, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Okay. Let’s give it a try!”
My steps towards the practice room were light.
‘I’ll go through hellish practice times again…. But I know what it feels like to hone my skills until my body reacts automatically and show the stage to the fans, so now I’m even excited.’
It’s going to be fun.
That excitement made my heart beat.
About a month later.
Secrety successfully released a special album on the market and achieved great success.
With the public’s great interest in me, the potential that Secrety had accumulated so far was fully realized with this album.
In particular, the previous mini-album titles,
It was also evaluated that the two songs seemed to depict the difficult times between Guide An Ga-hyeon and Esper Hyeon Jae-ha.
I sang all the songs on the album live with Seo Yun-chae, and our stage, where we easily handled high notes, also became a hot topic as a video and recorded high views.
Finishing 5 weeks of music show activities, I wrote a message to the fans on a sketchbook and took an ending pose.
[Let’s meet again next time.]
I will continue to be a member of Secrety until I get tired of singing and quit.
The plan to escape from Failed Idol was dropped after realizing that I truly wanted to sing, along with the promotion to a top-tier boy group.
Although the Failed Idol escape story ended in failure, I am happy now.
Because I can be with precious people.