Trapped in the Idol Universe

“What did I just see?”

Roy’s eyes went wide at the sight before him—something he’d never witnessed in his life.

“What’s with that stunned look? Like it’s your first time seeing a heal.”

He was so shocked he couldn’t even hear the man’s words. Unable to believe his eyes, Roy slapped his own cheek hard.

Smack!

Startled, the man grabbed Roy’s wrist.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Doctor... this can’t be a dream—what is this, really?”

“Self-harm your hobby now? After I healed you, of all things.”

The doctor’s scolding washed over Roy’s ears unheard. His gaze stayed fixed on his foot’s sole. If it weren’t for the dried blood stain, he might have convinced himself it was a dream.

‘Am I really losing my mind?’

His thoughts were in chaos. Watching Roy’s reaction, the doctor decided the shock of the accident must have been worse than expected.

“You seem very disoriented. I’ll come back tomorrow. For now, you should rest.”

As the doctor stood to leave, Roy tugged urgently on his gown.

“No—wait...!”

If this wasn’t a dream, Roy needed to confirm what he’d just witnessed.

“My foot...?”

“Yes?”

“So my foot—”

“Do you feel any foreign object?”

“No—it’s not that... a moment ago it was bleeding and painful, but now it’s perfectly fine. And my stomach is spotless, my face is... odd. Above all... why am I fat?”

“Of course. Our director performed the healing. As for the weight, exercise helps—heals can’t do that.”

“Heal?”

At first Roy thought it was cutting-edge medicine. But the man held no device. And Roy had just seen light burst from his hand.

He’d even seen similar scenes in movies. Though he knew it sounded ridiculous, there was no other explanation.

“Is this... magic?”

His uncertain voice, trembling eyes, and dumbfounded expression formed a perfect trio that even made the doctor laugh.

“Heh.”

Knowing he shouldn’t laugh in front of a patient, the doctor nevertheless couldn’t hold it in. Embarrassed, Roy felt shame at his own reaction.

“I know it sounds impossible, but light came from your hand!”

Roy yanked the doctor’s hand, turning it this way and that. The doctor magnanimously summoned another spark of light.

“This?”

“...!”

He hadn’t imagined it. Roy’s eyes grew to their limits and his jaw dropped.

“Hahaha!”

Not even small children reacted this wildly, which only made it funnier.

“Wh-why is that coming from your hand?”

“I told you—it’s called Heal. Judging by your reaction, you truly didn’t know. Um... I have a hunch about something. May I confirm a few details?”

The doctor held up Roy’s chart as if interrogating him.

“What’s your name?”

“...Lee Roy.”

“And your age?”

“Twenty-one.”

“Any family?”

“I don’t. But first—what was that just now? What are you using?”

The doctor’s face flickered with discomfort.

“I think I have a rough idea of what’s happening.”

“What situation?”

But he didn’t answer at once, delaying as though testing Roy’s patience.

“Don’t you have any questions? About anything besides my hand.”

Up until now, Roy’s words must have sounded like murmuring to him. Roy felt a twinge of irritation.

“I’ve been asking, but you haven’t answered.”

“Ask something else.”

“This time you’ll definitely answer?”

“Yes.”

There were many things Roy wanted to ask: where the hidden camera was, why his group didn’t show up in search results, where his guardian had gone, why he was alone. But most of all, he wondered about his members.

“And my members? I tried searching their names in the news—nothing comes up. Did Naver crash or something?”

They’d be the first to rush to him if they knew he was alive. Yet no one had appeared; worry gnawed at him.

“Naver? No.”

“Then why no results?”

“What did you search?”

“Shooting Star.”

“Ice cream?”

Roy shot the doctor a frigid look.

“Oh~ you searched in English? It means ‘shooting star.’”

Was he mocking him? The anti-fan café had called them “Dung Star.” If this was an intelligent troll, he fooled well—but he didn’t seem to be acting.

“Doctor, do you watch TV?”

“Not really.”

“You don’t know who I am?”

“You’re famous? I thought all the reporters outside the hospital were for the funeral.”

True—while Shooting Star had caused a recent frenzy, some people still avoided idol music. Roy assumed the doctor was one of them.

“Did no one come in with me after the accident? Guys my age.”

“I’m not sure. You came in alone.”

“...What?”

The answer surprised him.

“The EMT report says you were alone when found. The paramedic on scene wrote it, so it’s reliable.”

Roy stared, speechless.

“You have no memory of the accident, right? You were attacked by a blood fiend near home and suffered a penetrating wound to your abdomen.”

“Blood fiend?”

“Yes. Blood fiends—they’ve been rampant lately.”

He vividly recalled the pain of something sharp tearing through him. But his memory of the scene didn’t match this description.

“The bleeding was too severe for any field measures. Blood fiend wounds usually mean on-site death.”

Roy blinked, utterly bewildered.

“You flatlined a few times en route, but you were alive upon ER arrival. Our director treated you directly.”

“Flatlined?”

“Yes. Then during treatment you died. But you resurrected mid-funeral procession—your father carried you in; everyone was shocked.”

Roy’s face, already decaying with dread, now reached its worst.

“Hmm... I have good news and bad. Which first?”

When Roy didn’t answer, the doctor decided.

“All right, good news: you’ve awakened. Congratulations.”

He recommended a thorough examination soon, guessing Roy’s awakening rank was high. Roy’s expression remained grim.

‘Awakened? To what...?’

Maybe the doctor was the crazy one. Or a cosplay-obsessed quack, and Roy had unwittingly triggered his fanboy button.

“And now the bad news... don’t be too tense. It’s just common amnesia.”

“Amnesia?”

Damn. Roy couldn’t help cursing in his head. His memories were crystal clear—how could he have amnesia? This proved the doctor was a charlatan.

Roy closed his eyes and sighed. He missed his manager more than ever.

But the doctor continued unfazed.

“Don’t be too discouraged. Sometimes memories return during daily life.”

“I didn’t lose my memory—”

“Oh, you’re confused between dream and reality, I see. That will improve too, so don’t worry.”

Wrong. He wasn’t listening to a word Roy said. Roy decided to keep silent.

✧

Alone again, Roy found himself staring into a mirror.

“....”

Was this real? He’d never suffered a “dark history” before. Even bedridden, this level of swelling signaled something was seriously wrong.

‘Do I have an incurable disease?’

Even if weight gain changed my look, this was beyond. It was rejuvenation, not just youth.

His height seemed lower too; had he shrunk?

‘Could this be the mythical Return-to-Youth elixir martial masters talk about?’

Had he hit peak idol power and become younger? Ridiculous.

‘I’m going mad, really.’

Roy flopped onto the bed, staring at the harsh fluorescent light as if it were peering into his mind.

‘This is crazy, guys.’

How had things gone so wrong? Seeing the piglet reflection in the window had nearly driven him insane.

Because of his earlier rampage, a “strict rest” sign blocked the door—no leaving allowed.

The only clue Roy had found was the hospital’s name:

[Soul Awakened Hospital]

Earlier, the doctor had congratulated him on awakening—but what exactly was that?

Roy’s gaze fell on the nurse call bell on the wall.

‘Should I ask?’

His reputation already in tatters, asking one question more wouldn’t hurt. Resolute, Roy reached for the handset—

━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━

Lee Roy (???)

Age: 16

Attribute: ???

Skills: □□□□□, ???

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

After revival, magic, and rejuvenation, now even hallucinations.