"AAAAHHHHHH!!!"

Minjeong screams, disabling all electronics within a max radius, and clenching her hair to endure the pain penetrating her head. She was alone in an alley. It was to avoid people's eyes as much as possible.

Because she wouldn't want to be on the tabloids, this was the only thing she could do. And it was unfortunate that Jimin was not here to be of help.

Three days ago... walking with Jimin on the sidewalk, they were simply on their way to an event for the competition and Minjeong thought of every possible way to prevent Heejin's foretelling.

However, before she knew what was going on, Heejin's prediction happened and Jimin was confined in the hospital with a broken rib, not waking up.

What went wrong...?

Minjeong tried everything to stop it, but it still led to the same fate. She was furious at herself, sad, and hurt.

She succumbed to the pain, biting her lower lip to the point it bled and it was to avoid screaming even further. It was as if she was back to the very beginning, the moment she asked the system a forbidden question, the moment the system inflicted her great suffering.

It was all coming back to her, and Minjeong couldn't remember what happened thanks to the immense pain. She felt like vomiting her guts out as she fell to the ground onto her knees, breathing at a rapid pace.

Just like her greatest childhood nightmares, her surroundings began to shuffle, glitching and tremoring. It was akin to an earthquake coupled with a mirror shattering into pieces. Shadows filled her sight.

Pitch black.

And it felt cold.

Hissing, Minjeong looked at the text before her, eyes full of rage. "What the do you want?" her voice dropped, sounding like she was about to cry.

"A chance to what?"

That's when the pain in her head started to slowly fade away. Was this the doing of the Goddess? At this point, Minjeong was distrustful of the system. Why would they involve an innocent person in their ty system?

But then again, this offer... it's intriguing. Minjeong knew that it was Jimin's dream to debut— and to become a victim of the system's accidents? That was not fair. Because after knowing what happened to her, the competition eliminated her due to health reasons.

There was no way she was getting back in anymore.

She won't wake up.

Jimin was only an innocent girl, chasing her dreams to become a star like everyone else in the competition. Her getting involved in Minjeong's life was okay, but getting terribly hurt was another thing.

Minjeong blamed herself.

That thought made Minjeong's heart sting, clenching onto her chest. She stood up, breathless, and thought of the offer for a minute— It's do or die. Moreover, she promised herself to protect Jimin at all costs, and she failed.

This brought her great guilt, and even if she shrugged this off, she wouldn't be able to sleep. Jimin was the only precious person she had left. Therefore, gritting her teeth, Minjeong faced the glitching text and nodded.

"Give me the chance."

*DING*

Minjeong stared at the window disdainfully and scoffed, "I knew there was a catch... and whoever you are. I don't know what you're plotting, but once I find out who you are... I'm going to beat the out of you."

She said before tapping [ Yes ].

"Very well."
A familiar voice was heard, laughing in an amused tone and this was the first time Minjeong heard the Goddess speak. It was too damn familiar, but who exactly was she?

"Hey."

"..."

"Minjeonggg."

"..."

"Yah!!! Kim Minjeong!"

"Gah!"

Startled by the sound of Ryujin's voice, Minjeong flinched and blinked her eyes rapidly. There, her vision gradually came back and all she could recall was passing out in a cold dark place. The place where she accepted the Goddess' chance.

The second she recovered her sight, Minjeong kept a calm face and looked at her surroundings. She was with the contestants, seated at a long table inside a popular restaurant. Promptly, her eyes landed on Jimin, who was next to her, sipping her chicken broth.

I'm back...

"What could you be thinking about? I'm curious cause you always space out," Ryujin covered while chewing on her food.

Concealing the nervousness she was feeling, Minjeong smiled stoically. "The dance steps... You know, the song assigned to us is like... impossible to do!"

"Oh, I know."

It was four hours before the accident happened. That was what Minjeong thought as she casually picked a piece of meat from the grill in front of her to take a bite. At this moment, she remembered it all too well.

Sticking with the reality genre, the whole restaurant was rented by the show. There were cameras left and right, as usual. Everyone was discussing their upcoming performances, which were a week away. The group was lively and energetic, and the excitement in the air was palpable.

As they continued to talk, the conversation eventually turned to their individual struggles and fears. Everyone had something they were worried about, whether it was not being able to improve their skills or feeling unsure of their place in the group.

Even Yuna started crying and the others couldn't help but feel like tearing up too. The atmosphere was one of those heartwarming situations you see on reality tv shows every day.

Minjeong, being from the future, knew that they would all make it through these struggles and come out stronger on the other side three days later. She decided to speak up, hoping to offer some words of encouragement.

"I know things might seem tough right now, but trust me, it all works out in the end. You're all so talented, and you're going to make it big one day."

"Huh?" Jimin smiled as she nudged her girlfriend's arm, "What are you saying so suddenly?"

"Yeah." Yiren wiped her eyelids with a tissue, glad that she didn't burst into tears. "You're usually quiet when it comes to eating."

"Well, I just thought of saying something since I didn't want to cry in the end too."

In the end? Too? Everyone looked at her curiously, wondering what she meant. But before they could ask any questions, the conversation turned back to the competition and the strategies they would need to win.

Heejin started it... It was as if she knew this was coming. It felt a bit strange, but Minjeong shrugged that idea off and focused on eating her food in silence.

Thanks for the cover.

She decided that it would be safer to follow the