Fame eventually fades, but if you were someone who once stood at the top of the stage, it was almost impossible to be completely forgotten. 

“That peron just now, isn't that Song Noah?” A young woman whispered to her friend. 

“What? No way!” 

The two glanced at the man who was lined-up at the cashier. He was wearing a plain white sweater and jeans, with a thin frame of glasses placed on his eyes. 

The clothes he wore were far from the flashy stage outfits they used to see him in, and his body was a lot thinner. His messy hair and the dark bags under his eyes made him almost unrecognizable, and most probably wouldn't have recognized him if they were to walk past him on the streets. Still, there was no doubt that he was Song Noah; the former main vocalist of ‘Dynamic Error’.

Seeing his current state, a sad expression couldn't help but form on her friends’ face, “I still find it a shame… they were going to be the next big thing, but after that stage incident—”

“Shhh!! Not too loud.” the woman covered her friends’ mouth, not wanting to be heard. 

Unfortunately, their conversation had caught the attention of Song Noah, but the former idol pretended not to hear anything. 

“One medium-sized strawberry iced latte, please. Less ice.” he said, ordering from the cashier. 

For the past three years, being recognized hasn't been a common occurrence, but there were still individuals who were familiar enough with his appearance. 

“...Song Noah doesn't like strawberries.” the woman whispered again, “They're Yullei’s favorite.”

That knowledge isn't something that the general public knew about. Rather, it was more of an information that hardcore fans would know. 

The realization broke the two women’s hearts. 

The memory of the news that broke out four years ago was still as clear as day. 

[Dynamic Error's Yullei Passes Away At 24]

[Concert Ends In a Tragedy: Ha Yullei Dies After Saving Fellow Member, Song Noah From a Falling Stage Equipment]

The group took a three month hiatus to recover from the incident, but the memory of the concert became difficult to bear. 

In their first performance after returning from their hiatus, Song Noah trembled on stage, unable to sing and dance to their songs. 

It happened over and over again. 

The members did their best to make him pull himself together, and even when he was eventually able to bring himself to sing, the fear and panic was simply impossible to hide. 

It was no longer a stage that both the fans and idol themselves were able to enjoy. 

When he saw the mix of disappointed and pitying gazes from their fans, Song Noah realized that he could no longer perform on stage. 

‎It didn't take long for the members to part ways. Some pursued individual activities, while some never appeared in the media again. 

‎Song Noah was the latter. 

“It's clear that he's still having a hard time.”

“I hope he's not blaming himself...”

As the former idol sat on a nearby table, the two women whispered among themselves, hesitant whether they should approach him. The cafe would close in an hour, and it looked like he was just here for a drink after a long day. 

When an idol who had once brought you joy is on his low, perhaps it was natural to want to cheer him on. However, even when Song Noah had gotten his order, the two fans kept their distance, choosing to respect his private time even when he finished his drink. 

But the moment he stood up to leave, he was approached by another person. 

It was neither of the two women, but rather, a younger man who had been watching the entire situation from the corners of the cafe. 

“Noah-sunbaenim.” the stranger called him. 

“Have we met before?”

“Yes, that's right. I've received a lot of help from sunbaenim in the past.” he nodded his head, “I'm Johan.”

The younger man was wearing a face mask and a cap, making his face barely visible. From his body and posture, Noah concluded that the younger man is either a trainee, or perhaps a rookie idol. 

“I don’t want to take much of sunbaenim's time, but I've always wanted to express my gratitude.” 

To his surprise, the younger man suddenly grabbed his hand, placing a silver bangle bracelet on top of his left palm. 

“This is my gift to you, sunbaenim.” 

He had no recollection of him, but since he had watched a few trainee evaluations in the past, it didn't seem odd for the younger man to have claimed receiving his help. 

“... Thank you, but there's no need to thank me with a gift. Doing your best is already enough.” 

I don't really recall ever helping you. 

“I insist. I've been wanting to give this since I was just a trainee— I'm your fan.”

It meant that he had already debuted. 

Hesitantly, Song Noah found himself accepting the bracelet, wearing it on his wrist. 

Seeing this, the younger man smiled, though it was barely noticeable due to the mask obscuring half of his face. 

“Don't you miss it?” the man who called himself ‘Johan’ asked, “Being an idol, I mean.”

“...I'm already done with the stage.” 

“Is that really the truth?”

Song Noah froze. 

“Sorry, I hope I'm not being disrespectful or making you uncomfortable.” the younger idol apologized, “I just think it's a waste… and I know that I'm not the only one who feels this way.”

After saying these words, he turned his head to the two women who had been sneaking glances at the two of them, when he met one of the women's gaze, the two looked away. 

Song Noah didn't even dare look at what expressions were on their faces. 

“Ah— I need to leave now. I'm sorry for taking your time, sunbaenim.” Johan bowed, “I hope you'll consider it. See you again soon.”

After saying his goodbye, the younger idol immediately rushed out of the cafe, leaving Song Noah standing there in confusion. 

Perhaps, finding courage from the younger idol's actions, the two women eventually approached him, giving him words that he usually hears whenever he encounters a fan. It was an expression of admiration and support, but other than that, it carried a wish that many fans carried. 

‘I want you to be happy.’

And, 

‘I want to see you stand on the stage again.’

Those were his wishes too. 

“I'm sorry.” 

Yet he could only apologize. 

Meeting their sincere and concerned gaze was the hardest. Even when he had left the cafe, there was still a lingering guilt. 

The memories of being on the stage isn't something that is always on his mind, but not thinking about it does not mean that it wasn't special. 

After arriving in his apartment, Song Noah immediately laid on his bed, his head turning to stare at the picture frame placed at the bedside table. 

It was a photo of Dynamic Error after their debut stage, with all six members together. 

In the middle of it was Yullei; looking indifferent in contrast to the members who were smiling. 

He remembered the events before the photo was taken; Yullei had pointed out each mistake they'd made as soon as they were backstage, and to cheer everyone-up, their leader, Cipher, suggested taking a commemorative photo.

It was one of his favorite memories. 

There were a lot of times when Noah wondered if Yullei hated them, but after spending a lot of time with him, he realized that he was just someone who aimed for perfection. He's one of the members who contributed a lot to their group's success. 

… had it been Song Noah who died, would Dynamic Error still be together now? 

I bet they'll be able to reach the top. 

With a foolish yet desperate thought, Song Noah found himself closing his eyes. Even if he dwells on what happened, it wouldn't change the past events. 

But as his consciousness slowly drifted, the voices of his members calling for him echoed his head. 

‘Song Noah’

‘Noah!’

‘Song Noah…’

‘It's time to wake up!’

When Song Noah opened his eyes, he was met with a once familiar ceiling. There were no members calling his name, but rather, they were two trainees that he had once roomed with back when he was still a trainee at DAY-TA Entertainment. 

He rubbed his eyes a few times, blinked, and looked around. The other trainees assumed that he was still just half awake, but the sight of something from his past couldn't make him any more awake than he already was. 

“What day is it?”

“It's our monthly trainee evaluation day.”

Song Noah's eyes went wide. 

“...What month?”

Hearing his question, the other trainees looked at him weirdly, with some of them laughing. 

“Whatever dream you're having, I want to have that too— You're completely out of it! You should be showering by now, all of us are almost done.”

Thankfully, another trainee provided an answer, “I mean, time passes by. It's July now.”

If his memory is correct, after this evaluation, they would be announcing the selection for the upcoming debut group. 

The members that would form Dynamic Error. 

Truthfully, the entire situation doesn't feel real. It could be a long, sweet dream, one he'll eventually have to wake-up from. Or perhaps, those tragic events were the ones that were dreams. 

However, there is one strange thing that somehow made sense, one that told him and made him conclude that he had really returned to the past. 

The silver bangle bracelet from the younger idol was wrapped around his wrist, and upon examining it, words that previously weren't there were engraved in extremely small letters.  

Main Mission: Prevent Yullei's death

Cost: ??? | Penalty:???| Reward: ??? |

Current Task: Debut with the exact members | Penalty: ??? | Reward: ??? 

There were a lot of questions on his head regarding the bracelet, and the intentions that ‘Johan’ had for giving it to him, but if he was given another chance, he couldn't throw it away. 

Even if it may cost him his life.