Chapter 2

I don't think anything was visible for me at the time.

All I could think about was taking back my life that had been so unfairly taken away from me.

I didn't hesitate to do so when I voluntarily boarded the express train going to hell.

"Fifty years ago, I was a madman."

"grr, keong-kwang!"

"Be quiet."

"grrrr, keong-kwang!"

"I'm trying to think right now, and if you have three heads, don't drool all at once."

I gently scratched Cerberus's forehead with the deftness (1) of an accomplished assistant.

He barked ferociously, but the head quickly relaxed, sticking out his tongue, and started giggling.

It sounded so pleasant that the heads on both sides of him began to shove in for a place for scratches too.

"It's a new start at life again, pals."

Cerberus, the fearsome gatekeeper of Hell, always present in mythology.

He's a real monster in the eyes of ordinary people.

From my perspective, as someone who deals with Cerberus and other demons of Hell on a daily basis, he's just a dog with two heads.

Well, I have every reason to be calm and unconcerned.

Reasons why, I've spent the past 50 years in this hellhole.

I thought about the last X I had crossed off on my calendar this morning.

That's right, once I pass through the reincarnation gate that'll soon appear at the Gates of Hell, I will finally return to the real world.

If you ask me how my life in hell has been so far... it's just been Hell as it's described.

The souls in Hell had to do their assigned tasks while being punished.

I had been warned by the Judge of Asphodel beforehand, so I was prepared, and I was assigned the task of 'administration'.

He's spent his life managing the criminals who've flown in from all corners of the globe, demons who'd claim to be the villains of their mythology, and creatures born from the depths of the abyss.

There's no way to describe it except to say it was at the very minimum, dirty.

Between taking down bad guys and grooming the unruly Cerberus.

And most of all, Yu Si-hwan practiced every single day so that he wouldn't lose sight of his goal of becoming an idol.

"Still, time flies."

I stretched and touched Cerberus's fur, which had finally calmed down.

In retrospect, I suppose it was worth it, but when it came to it, I was ready to burn my fiery soul.

But every time I had wanted to give up, I gritted my teeth and thought of the life that had been so unfairly taken away from me.

My determination to fulfill my dreams hasn't changed at all.

By persevering for the past 50 years, I fulfilled the conditions of my reincarnation and was able to escape from Hell and was able to return to Korea on the other side of the world.

At the same age of 21 when I had died.

"I had my ass kicked, but I'll miss you, man."

"Kyeong, keong!"

I said my goodbyes to Cerberus in advance, since I didn't know when the door to reincarnation would open.

I've fought a lot of demons in my life, but this puppy is the one I'm most attached to.

Well, Cerberus is still drooling like a river at this point.

As I watched the horizon slowly turn red, the air around me began to change slightly.

"Soul #10453678, are you ready to pass through the gates of reincarnation?"

I heard a voice call out towards me from somewhere up in the sky.

It was a moment that reminded me of the first time I fell inside Hell.

I nodded wordlessly, and the air that was faintly stirring crackled like electricity.

The sensation of time and space warping spread through around my body.

"One hell of a goodbye."

I turned my head one last time as I walked toward the glowing vortex.

"Goodbye, man. Eat well."

"Kyeong, keong-kwang!"

That should be enough.

I took a breath and stepped through the door of reincarnation.

"Keong, keong, kwang!"

"Hey, hey hey! What are you doing..…

"Arrrrr!"

I felt a really big dump truck pushing me from behind.

Before I could realize what was happening, my entire body was jerked backwards.

BANG!

"Ouch, my head!"

I got pinned onto the hardwood floor.

I was going to make my exit from Hell in style.

I can't be the only soul that reincarnated which had fallen backwards like this.

I rubbed the back of my head and wondered where the hell I was.

"Whoa, whoa whoa!"

"I didn't think so, crazy lunatic, did you actually make it all the way here?"

"Whoa!"

I stood up, narrowly missing the Yorkie (2) which was eagerly nuzzling my cheek.

"Hey, Cerberus. I don't know what the hell you're gaining by following me all the way here, and if you're going to come to the human world from the start, I want someone to guard the gates of hell."

{I don't know, I'll just put another dog in my place!}

"Haah… how can you be so irresponsible with your work…

But wait.

Didn't you just say something that just felt natural?

I glared at Cerberus, who had turned into a Yorkie.

"You say that again."

{You're that excited that the dog you've been pampering about for 50 years is talking? I'm pretty excited right now, too! Ha, I'm finally talking.}

"I'm going to lose my mind. You can actually talk to me now?"

{Probably only with you. Anyway, I was way too tired of being a gatekeeper that I decided to follow you. The air in the human world isn't really all that bad. Though it does have a lot of foul odors!"}

Despite his haggard appearance, Cerberus had spoken in a very straightforward tone.

You really are messing with my head from day one of my reincarnation.

Not only did I return from hell, but now I've acquired a special dog that can actually speak my language.

"Cerberus belongs in Hell to begin with, and I don't know if the Judge will take him back or just leave him alone."

Either way, there wasn't anything I could do about it at this point.

I decided to start by trying to figure out where the reincarnation gate had transferred me.

A clean interior.

Minimalist furniture and a single bed that reminded me of the old Blackshot quarters.

It was a normal sized studio, neither too small, nor too big.

"Very ordinary."

I muttered to myself as I made my way into the living room.

There were papers laid out on the table.

I sat down on the couch and checked the laid papers out: my national ID, a certificate of family relationship, and a studio contract.

'I was an orphan in the middle of nowhere.'

I smiled painfully as I looked at my parents' names, which weren't on the family relationship certificate. For a moment, I missed my mom and dad, but the Yu Si-hwan of that world was already gone.

Now I can only think about the Korea I will have to live in from now on.

I reviewed the information that was given to me before I had left hell.

Name Yu Si-hwan, 21 years old.

Dropped out of high school after his parents died. Moved to Seoul on his own to pursue the career as an idol trainee.

It was actually pretty accurate to my original life. I didn't even go to high school and actually joined an agency on my own and became a trainee.

I thought, 'It doesn't matter if I don't act.'

After checking all the required documents, I entered the room.

The room was extremely neat and organized, with a black laptop sitting on the floor.

It was as if it was urging me to open it and search for the information I needed.

I sat down at the foot of the bed and slowly browsed through the internet.

In my head, I had a rough sketch of the current situation.

The reason I was reincarnated through that hellish time was to become an idol again.

So I needed to find the most efficient and most likely path.

My current age is 21, the same as when I had died.

That means I can't become an idol again in the usual way I did.

If you think about how many years it would take for me to get into an agency as a trainee and try to make my debut again, I'd be already in my mid-twenties.

It's hopeless.

So the typical trainee-to-debut route is to pass.

What naturally comes to mind is Korea's famous "Survival Audition Program".

If you can make it into the debut group, you can immediately enter the stage of your dreams.

Knowing that there are many famous audition programs in Korea, even before my reincarnation, I decided to approach them first.

I surfed through various communities and entertainment articles, and the result.

"Idol Stardig Season 1〉…."

I silently read the title of the program that dominated the Korean news headlines three years ago.

I'm sure it was a baseball term, but suddenly the word appeared in an idol survival program, which was very unfamiliar to me. My curiosity had gotten the better of me and I googled it.

"Hmm, this is an interesting program."

'Idol Stardig' was a survival program that was boldly planned and invested in by the parent company of Korea's most popular baseball team, of which I am a reincarnation.

At first glance, the basic program seemed ordinary. The usual format of totaling the votes of the trainees over the course was of 12 episodes and forming the debut groups based on their rankings.

What stood out, however, was that 'Idol Stardig' combined these elements with the baseball's 'game prediction' system.

[Bet it all on your idol!]

[Become a manager and invest in your one pick!]

[A competitive league where the tables can turn at any moment - your choices can shape the future].

Similar to picking the team to beat and the 'MVP of the game' in a regular sports game, the format is to predict who would rise and who would come out to be on the top before watching the main broadcast.

And the 'management money' that's earned in the early prediction rounds can be invested appropriately to raise money for 'benefit items' later on.

In short, it is a system that requires not only the skill of the participants but also the brain power of the fans.

'I wonder if it's possible not to be overly immersed in it.'

It's the viewer who enjoys empathizing with the trainees on the show.

Add in the ability to directly sponsor them, and you've got a recipe for a fun-filled overdose.

Apparently, 'Idol Stardig' Season 1 has been a huge success, despite the initial expectations.

We've been working on a season 2 for a couple of years now, and the support has been incredible.

'The recruitment period for Season 2 will be….'

I looked at the date on the article and smirked.

Today is April 18th.

And, the recruitment period for 'Idol Stardig 2' is until May 18.

In that case, that means you'll have a whole month to prepare for the program.

Not too short, not too long, but just right.

'I'm sure the Hell Reincarnation service is up to the task.'