During the casting period for ‘The Missing Case of Saetbyeol High,’ Yooil was on his way to Wolmyeong University.

“Are you sure I don’t need to go?!” Min Woojin had called in the morning, worried. To alleviate his concern, Yooil, following Woojin’s advice, wore a hat and headed to the university. It had been a while since he attended the university in person due to the online classes and the hectic filming schedule.

The class he attended was ‘Introduction to Korean Linguistics.’ Thanks to arrangements made through the department office, his attendance was somewhat recognized through substitute assignments. However, as it was an offline major course, he had to personally present the final assignment.

The Korean linguistics professor, wearing glasses and her hair tied back, raised her eyebrows when she saw Han Yooil. “It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen you in class. You did well on your mid-term report. Why don’t you come more often?”

Yooil, feeling his face heat up from embarrassment and guilt for his lack of attendance, bowed slightly. “I’m sorry, professor.”

“Haha, I’m just kidding. I’m enjoying your drama. I just started watching ‘Sing in High School’ yesterday.” The professor chatted about the drama for a while before Yooil’s presentation began.

Yooil’s presentation was on grammar, specifically about the root (語基), affixes (dependent morphemes that must combine with the root to appear in sentences), and word formation. Thanks to memorizing the presentation script the night before, his delivery was smooth.

‘Wow.’ 

The students glanced at each other, impressed. 

‘His voice is really nice.’ 

But it wasn’t just his voice and looks. 

‘The quality of his PowerPoint presentation is something else.’ 

‘Did he make that all by himself?’ 

It was clear his presentation wasn’t just a last-minute effort to pass the time.

“That concludes my presentation. This was Han Yooil.” 

When he finished, the professor nodded with satisfaction. “It was neat. All the necessary content was included, and you kept to the presentation time perfectly. Well done.”

【Well done, Yooil.】 Yooil breathed a sigh of relief. 

‘Thank goodness.’ 

It felt like he had climbed over a huge mountain.

Meanwhile, social media was abuzz:

– Today at Wolmyeong University, Han Yooil

[(Photo) P.S. Got permission to take the photo]

┗ OMG

┗ Even wearing a hat, he shines

┗ What’s he doing? Giving a presentation?

┗┗ It’s an ‘Introduction to Korean Linguistics’ class

┗ Mom, I want to major in Korean Literature

┗ Dang, should’ve audited the class..

– I’m a student at Wolmyeong University, and I saw Han Yooil on campus today

[(Photo) Saw a tall, stylish person walking by, and my friend told me it was Han Yooil so I snapped a photo in a hurryㅠ]

┗ Look at those legs

┗ Can I see him if I go to Wolmyeong University?

┗ Damn, should’ve studied more. Parents are never wrong.

┗┗ LOL

┗ His handsomeness pierces through the low resolution

┗┗ Seriously, even in a blurry photo, you can tell he’s handsome LOL

Lee Hyejin, reading the comments, clenched her fist and slammed the desk. 

‘Why did he have to come when I’m not there…!’ 

Despite her sadness, she couldn’t resist saving the photos. Even in sorrow, she couldn’t give up on collecting his pictures.

After saving all the photos, Lee Hyejin shifted her gaze to the computer screen displaying a list of news articles:

– [Exclusive] The production team of the hit ‘Sing in High School’ heads for a reward vacation

– [Photo] Ji Eunho, Kim Harang, Han Yooil, ‘Off to Vietnam~’

– [Photo] ‘Star’ of ‘Sing in High School’ off for a reward vacation, ‘Refreshing Smile’

‘He must be really enjoying it.’ 

It was the happiest face Yooil had shown in any official event photo.

While browsing through the articles, Lee Hyejin clasped her hands and hoped, ‘I hope he enjoys the trip and shares lots of photos….’

* * *

“…Really?!” Kim Harang, with sunglasses hooked on the collar of his white T-shirt and a wide-brimmed hat, looked at Han Yooil in astonishment. “Yooil, is this really your first trip abroad?”

“…Yeah.”

“Wow, we have to have so much fun!” Harang assured, tapping his chest confidently.

Yooil was at the airport with the production team of ‘Sing in High School,’ heading out for a belated reward vacation. The delay in the vacation was mainly due to the idols’ tight schedules, making it challenging to coordinate dates. Yooil himself had stayed up all night completing assignments to enjoy this 3-day break.

Ji Eunho was as silent as usual, but the size of his luggage for such a short trip was eye-catching. “Eunho, are you planning to sneak away for a ten-day vacation without telling us?” someone joked.

“No,” Eunho replied.

“Last night, Eunho kept packing and unpacking his clothes! He even brought three types of sunscreen!” Harang revealed, causing laughter among the production team. Eunho quietly moved his massive luggage behind him.

Hyena and Byul were also excited. “I’ve traveled abroad for schedules, but this is the first time I’m flying for a vacation since I was in elementary school.”

“Actors, it’s time to move,” a staff member directed.

As they began to move, reporters and fans who had heard the news gathered at the airport. The idol actors, excluding Yooil, greeted the fans and exchanged eye contact like professionals. As Yooil waved to the reporters and started to walk away, a loud shout echoed through the airport.

“Yooil~~!”

Everyone turned in surprise. The source of the roar was a young woman, barely in her twenties. As soon as her eyes met Yooil’s, her face turned tomato red.

“Ah!” Yooil slowly approached her. The young woman, as if she hadn’t just screamed, shyly spoke up, “I… I’m a fan of yours…”

Yooil, mostly interacting with fans through social media, rarely had face-to-face interactions with them. But he maintained his composure and smiled.

“Thank you.”

The fan handed him a small white paper bag. “This is sunscreen… I thought you might not have packed any… Please use it…”

“Uh…”

Yooil was taken aback, not expecting a gift. The fan, looking nervous, blurted out, “If you don’t like it!! You can exchange it!! The receipt is inside!!”

Yooil’s face momentarily showed confusion. “No, I was actually thinking that it’s too precious for me to use. I usually don’t use gifts I receive.”

The fan, speaking passionately, urged him, “No, no! Please use it! Use it liberally!”

Yooil chuckled softly at her enthusiasm. “Thank you, truly. I’ll use it well.”

Then, from a distance, someone called out for Yooil. “Yooil! We need to go now!”

Yooil exchanged a final farewell with the fan before heading to board the plane.

The girl remained in a daze for a long time, watching his retreating figure. Her reason for becoming a fan was unique; it was Han Yooil’s cameo appearance in ‘How We Ended Up’ that had captivated her. She had been recording a video, so absorbed in the moment that she forgot she was even doing it.

‘Right, the video!’ 

The footage was shaky, but at least it captured a close-up of Han Yooil’s face. 

‘I need to edit and upload this quickly.’ 

And that night, a new channel named ‘OnlyYooil’ was created on OTube. The first video uploaded by ‘OnlyYooil’ was a short clip of Yooil receiving the gift before his departure. In a few days, the video garnered 600,000 views, with comments ranging from admiration to playful jests about the sunscreen gift.

Yooil had never anticipated such a response.

* * *

The ‘Sing in High School’ team, upon arriving in Vietnam, started their reward vacation with massages, sightseeing at night, and exploring Hoi An city center the next morning. They enjoyed a leisurely schedule, indulging in local cuisine and basket boat rides.

‘It feels strange to relax and do nothing.’ 

Initially, Yooil had such thoughts, but as his body relaxed, his mind followed. The group had some free time before their next massage appointment, and some cast and crew members decided to dive into the hotel swimming pool. Yooil joined them initially but soon retreated to a sunbed, watching others engage in playful water fights.

“Ooh, should we try this?” Harang challenged Byul, who responded, “You won’t get away with it, senior!”

While Yooil observed Harang and Byul’s earnest water gun battle, his phone buzzed with a text from Min Woojin, his manager.

– Min Woojin Manager: Yooil, having fun?

– Yes, hyung.

Yooil snapped a photo of Kim Harang and Ji Eunho enthusiastically spraying water at each other and sent it back.

– Min Woojin Manager: Haha, looks like a blast! Enjoy yourself and relax!

– Min Woojin Manager: By the way, the casting for ‘The Missing Case of Saetbyeol High’ is almost confirmed!!

Before Yooil could process the news, another message came through.

– Min Woojin Manager: But Yooil, after ‘The Missing Case of Saetbyeol High’, you might have to dive straight into another project.

‘…?’ 

Yooil immediately called him.

“What do you mean, hyung?”

– We’ve received several scripts. The planning team has shortlisted a few, and you can decide after reviewing them. For now, just relax and recharge!

After the call, Brion’s voice resonated in Yooil’s mind. 【Stage 2 Goal 100% achieved.】 ‘100%?’ Yooil wondered when that had happened. The criteria for each stage had been unclear, and he hadn’t been particularly focused on the goals, but the completion of stage 2 was unexpected.

Leaning back on the sunbed, Yooil gazed at the clear sky. That’s when…

【Starting phase 3 now…】 Brion’s message abruptly cut off.

‘…?’

Brion had never paused in its speech on its own until Yooil interrupted it.

Taken aback, Yooil slightly raised himself.

“Brion?”

At that moment, a strange language resonated in his head.

No, it was less a language and more akin to a distorted mechanical sound.

【@&%@#$%•••】

Along with it, a translucent window floated in front of his eyes.

【October 20, 2310】

The year displayed on the window began to change incessantly.

【October 20, 2030】

【October 20, 2130】

【October 20, 2090】

【October 20, 2212】

.

.

.

As the years fluctuated wildly, Brion’s voice resounded.

【•••Error detected.】

‘What?’

【Error detected. Error detected. Error detected. Error detected. Error detected. Error detected. Error detected.】

Brion began to repeat the same phrase like a broken robot.

‘What the heck•••’

Before Han Yooil could grasp the situation, Brion continued in a staccato voice.

【•••Code TTE011 is now being executed.】

Subsequently, Brion emitted a menacing sound.

【AI Nano Dictionary, emergency self-destruct mechanism of Brion V.15 is now activated.】

An emergency self-destruct mechanism.

It felt as unreal as when he first heard Brion’s voice.

【The device connected to the cerebral cortex neural network will explode in 30 seconds. 30, 29, 28•••】

Han Yooil couldn’t comprehend anything.

One thing was clear: this situation wasn’t a fabrication by Brion.

‘Think, I need to think.’

But no thoughts came. His whole body turned cold with tension.

It was as if someone had drained all the blood from his body.

Where did it all go wrong?

【10, 9, 8•••】

Damn it.

【•••6, 5, 4, 3•••】

It was then.

The incessantly decreasing numbers halted.

The next moment, the same distorted mechanical sound that he had heard before echoed.

【$%@#$%•••】

And a few seconds later, Brion spoke in its usual tone.

【Alternate code TTEE001 is now being executed.】

.

.

.

【•••The previous error has been partially corrected.】