PIB CH 05

Chapter 05 — The Idol’s Company

“MOA…”

Ji-hyun stared blankly at her phone.

There were plenty of messages — texts full of worry, encouragement, and sympathy.
But the one kind of message she most expected… wasn’t there.

No one from MOA, her group, had contacted her.

To the public, the news had reported her accident as a “minor incident during stage prep.”
But her members had to know the truth — that she’d been hospitalized for two whole weeks.
So why hadn’t any of them come to visit… or even sent a simple “Are you okay?” text?

Did something happen between them?

Ji-hyun sighed, poured herself a glass of water, and sat down on the couch. Her hand reached automatically for the TV remote.

“I don’t get it…”

She muttered, turning on the screen — only to see MOA, minus herself, performing live on a music show.

So they’ve made their comeback already.

If her timing was right, it had been about two months since the accident — exactly when MOA’s comeback was scheduled.

“They won first place, huh.”

She nodded slowly.

Of course they did. Their company was one of the biggest in the industry — top-tier songs, top-tier performance, and a massive fandom to back it up.
Not getting first place would’ve been the real surprise.

Even the encore looked perfect.
Even without the group’s main vocalist — her — the performance felt solid. The other members handled everything naturally, laughing and joking together on stage.

Which somehow made it feel even stranger.

“Would it have killed them to mention me just once?”

Her voice was small and bitter. She tapped the edge of her phone in irritation.

Not a single word. Not during interviews, not during encore speeches.
Even if they didn’t mean it — for the sake of image, any group would normally mention their injured member once.
A quick “We hope Ji-hyun gets better soon,” something simple.

But from MOA… nothing.

Should I text them first?

The thought crossed her mind — but when she opened her phone, there was nothing.
No chat history with the members.
No group chat.
Only their numbers, saved cold and silent.

This doesn’t make sense… In all those variety clips I saw, they looked so close.

She couldn’t figure it out.

“Forget it.”

Her head throbbed. She buried her face in a cushion and sighed.

There was no point rushing. Her quest progress was still only at 10%, and maybe as she continued with these missions, she’d understand more.

Whatever this mysterious system was, its instructions all seemed to push her toward living as Ji-hyun.
For now, she just had to follow along and hope the answers came eventually.

***

A week later.

“Wave— and finish with a turn. Boom, snap!”

She twirled gracefully, landed cleanly, and locked eyes with her reflection.

Even now, Ji-hyun still couldn’t get used to the sight of her own — no, this body’s — perfection.

Her movements were sharp and smooth.
Her expressions — cute, playful, radiant — came out naturally, like she’d rehearsed them for years.

And that face in the mirror… it was almost unfair.
Soft dark hair glinting as it moved, large gentle eyes, flawless skin, delicate features packed into a palm-sized face — every pose, every glance looked like a magazine photo.

It was honestly fun just to watch herself move.

Her progress bar proved it.

****

Quest 2: Become an Idol (67%)

Sixty-seven percent already!

In just one week, she’d caught up to more than half of the original Ji-hyun’s skill level.

They say even a dog can learn poetry after sitting in class for three years… well, fifteen years of K-pop fandom must count for something.

Sure, Ji-hyun’s body did most of the work, but still — she couldn’t help feeling proud.

To celebrate, she played MOA’s newest title track and danced along.
She’d only watched the choreography video a few times, but when she recorded herself and replayed it — the result looked flawless. She could’ve gone on stage right then and no one would notice a difference.

Next came singing.

She grabbed the mic and tried a few verses. The notes came out effortlessly — strong, steady, and perfectly in tune, even while moving.

Can I sing while dancing too?

Her mind flashed back to the school talent show — she’d tried that once as Se-hee, got out of breath, and ruined both the singing and the dancing.

But now? Even through this demanding choreography, her voice stayed clear.

So this is what real idols can do… no wonder she was a legend.

She laughed, panting a little.

“That’s enough for today.”

Her progress bar was climbing faster now — maybe soon, she’d unlock a new quest.
Maybe even one that could lead her back to her original body.

This system is wild.

Sometimes she’d test its limits — stepping outside to buy snacks? Fine.
But the moment she even thought about going near her old neighborhood, or the accident site, a red warning would flash:

⚠️ Warning:
This action may negatively affect quest progress and lead to a death state.

Still too early, huh…?

She sighed. Waiting was her only option.

Then something caught her eye.

Huh? What’s that?

In the bottom corner of the quest window, a tiny yellow question mark was blinking faintly.

She didn’t remember seeing it before.

It didn’t disappear like the usual pop-ups either — it just hovered there, no matter how long she looked.

Curious, she leaned closer.

“Whoa!”

The symbol suddenly expanded into a glowing new window.

Setting the towel aside, Ji-hyun read the text carefully.

***

New Event Quest

It’s time to learn more about Ahn Ji-hyun.
Go to JW Entertainment.

“Go… to the company?”

She frowned.

Up until now, every quest had simply given her a direction — a safe, logical step.
The last “event quest” (the one that sent her to the annex) had helped her adjust.

Maybe this one would help her understand Ji-hyun’s life better.

All right then. Let’s go.

She jumped up to get ready, slipping on sneakers by instinct — then paused.

Wait. I’m not just some random girl anymore.

Even without makeup, she was unmistakably Ahn Ji-hyun — her proportions, her aura, everything screamed “celebrity.”
Anyone could recognize her from across the street.

She caught her reflection in the mirror and chuckled.

Is it narcissistic to say I’m beautiful?

Probably.
But when the mirror hits you with a superstar face like that, what else are you supposed to do?

Whatever. I’ll just enjoy it.

With a small grin, Ji-hyun tied her hair, grabbed her bag, and headed out — ready to step into the life of a superstar.