Chapter 3
At first, I dismissed it as absolute nonsense.
The mysterious lip balm—delivered in an unmarked package after my regression—had seemed so absurd that I’d shoved it into a drawer and forgotten about it.
But two months ago, everything changed.
News of NEVR AGIN’s comeback had just dropped when a memory from my past life struck me: Cha Wook’s scandal, which had erupted around this time.
“If it happens at school… can’t I stop it this time?”
The idea took root. One preventable disaster—that’s all I needed.
But first, I had to transfer schools.
That’s when I remembered the lip balm.
“Worth a shot.”
I applied it and became two different people in one night:
- To my mom: “Homeroom teacher suggested transferring me to Elite Prep—for my ‘potential.’”
- To my dad: “Grandma appeared in a dream, chanting ‘Yegrina, Yegrina!’”
Neither questioned it. The lip balm’s power wasn’t just disguise—it rewrote their memories.
But there was a catch: 30-minute limit. After that, only the implanted belief remained.
And today, I confirmed it again.
“Dunno her. Never seen her before.”
Wook didn’t remember our scuffle.
“Still… I had to try.”
I rubbed my nose, embarrassed.
Cha Wook and I were childhood friends.
Back then, he was small and frail, bullied for his size. We met at a playground—where I was obsessively building a toad house—when he tripped and crushed it.
Naturally, I declared war on his bully, Bang Cheol-min.
Our greatest battle? 5 vs. 2 (with Wook as a glorified bystander). We won—but at the cost of my bloody nose and his broken arm.
Still, we became inseparable.
Until he vanished before elementary school.
Years later, I saw him again—on a debut stage.
The scrawny kid who cried when ants died was now an idol.
“You’ve grown up, Crybaby Wook.”
A message popped up from Seo Eun-sol, my classmate and fellow fan:
Eun-sol: [Photo]
Look at Wook today!!! So handsome T_T Why’d I miss his school visit?!
The photo showed Wook and Do Eunseok leaving through the back gate.
“Who took this?”
The angle was too perfect—near the trash area, where no one should’ve been.
But no smoking scandal had blown up. Mission accomplished.
I replied:
Me: So cool! Next time for sure!
Then I zoomed in on Wook’s face.
“Ugh. Stop frowning, you brat.”
I traced his creased forehead on my screen, as if I could smooth it away.
Before bed, I checked fan forums.
A post stood out:
User unknown01:
Wook’s attitude’s gotten worse. Used to be humble, now he’s just arrogant. That ‘artistic’ scowl? Cringe.
Replies were mixed:
“True lol. He’d still be nugudom without that energy drink viral clip.”
“Reported.”
It wasn’t unfounded.
Wook’s debut interview flashed in my mind—his voice trembling with gratitude:
“Hello! I’m NEVR AGIN’s maknae, Cha Wook! Debuting feels like a dream. I’ll work hard!”
But after four years of obscurity, things changed.
Their big break came from a fancam: Wook chugging an energy drink, exhausted but smiling under sweat-drenched stage lights.
Overnight, NEVR AGIN went from “who?” to rising stars.
Yet now, Wook’s demeanor was… darker.
Some blamed a stalker incident from years ago—rumors said it left him traumatized.
But what if it wasn’t just that?
“If you keep this up, stopping scandals won’t matter.”
I wanted to protect him—not just from mistakes, but from losing himself.
As I typed a defense post, another thread caught my eye:
User xxx:
Saw Cha Wook smoking at school.
My blood ran cold.
Final Line:
“…Huh?”
