Chapter 184: New Concept! Raising a Cicada
The arcade shimred with flashing lights.
The mbers, huddled together, stared wide-eyed at the screen in shock. Ha Junseo placed his hand on Seohan’s shoulder with a reluctant expression.
“This… what is this?”
“…It looks like a ga.”
They were familiar-looking gas they had seen before. So were even gas they had tried once when they were younger.
Would it start playing if I pressed this?
Seohan reached out toward the monitor, and a small pixelated cicada in the ga suddenly darted out sideways.
“……!”
At that very mont, the screen inside the ga began to distort.
At the sa ti, the mbers’ faces turned to horror.
“Uh… uh oh!”
Where the arcade monitor had been, a swirling blue portal appeared as if it would suck them in at any mont.
And then.
The portal whirled fiercely and instantly swallowed the mbers whole.
“Aaaaagh!”
Beyond the final screams echoing through the portal, soone’s shout rang out.
“Cicada!”
[Thirty-six “cica-dorable” gas.]
A challenge where you can freely choose from a whopping thirty-six gas—Mini Ga World.
“Cicada!”
[Play every “cica-day”!]
A challenge that gives out daily rewards through various attendance events—Mini Ga World.
And in that beautiful world lived one cicada….
[Cicadaaaaaaaa—aaaaaaa.]
As a loud cicada cry sounded from sowhere, the screen transitioned into a neon-style text image. Seo Haim shouted excitedly with a bright face.
[Try out this new concept! Raising a Cicada!]
“What is this?”
“A cicada…?”
Finally, Ha Junseo picked up his phone as the screen zood out.
Seohan was smiling brightly at the center. All seven mbers shouted in booming voices at once.
[Challenge Mini Ga World! Download it now!]
.
.
.
“Puhahahaha! What is that?”
Cha Seongbin burst into laughter after seeing the ad playing on TV. Seo Haim had already rolled away and was lying beside the sofa.
“Ah… I laughed too much, I have no strength left….”
And as for —
I was pressing my aching forehead hard with my hand.
was a concept that brought back and renewed gas popular in the early 2000s.
Among them, was a pixel-style mini-ga where you survive obstacles as long as possible and grow in size.
It seed the ga company had chosen as the main feature and made the ad to push it….
But I didn’t expect the final product to co out like that.
I protested sincerely, feeling wronged.
“No, the director just told to cry once….”
“Yeah. And at the ti they said they weren’t going to use it. Ahahaha!”
“Ugh, I’ve been betrayed….”
I never imagined my crying voice would blend so naturally into the BGM.
It was so convincing that I even worried soone might mistake it for a real cicada sound effect.
I’m still an idol, after all.
So why am I doing a cicada sound comrcial instead of one for a refreshing drink?
Was it really okay to cry that seriously?
“Haah…”
Cha Seongbin grinned and enthusiastically fanned the flas.
“Ah, but. It’s fine~. Your fans already know you’re a cicada sound expert~.”
“My fans do know. But I didn’t want the entire nation to find out.”
“Ahahahaha! True. Now the whole nation knows you’re a cicada…!”
Seo Haim laughed loudly while making a fuss, and then—
“Ack!”
She bumped her head on the sofa armrest and fell quiet.
“Yikes.”
Clicking my tongue, I habitually fiddled with my phone. I didn’t an to, but my finger had already tapped into .
“But have you guys tried this?”
“Huh? The ga?”
Actually, before we took on the ad, we received the beta version and played it in advance.
I dipped my toes in out of worry that it might be so weird concept ga…. And now here we are.
Ha Junseo, watching the ga screen beside , widened his eyes.
“Whoa, what’s that ranking?”
Jin Sehyun, who had also downloaded the beta after , rubbed his eyes and spoke.
We had played together even after the official launch, but he seed genuinely surprised at the unexpected ranking.
“Doesn’t it usually show your percentile ranking or sothing? Why do you just have a number?”
“Raising a cicada is fun.”
I didn’t want to admit it, but it was more fun than I expected. I think this ga might actually do well.
Jin Sehyun laughed at my words and added,
“Seriously… you’re the kind of person who’d enjoy that.”
“Excuse ?”
“No, it’s a complint.”
Cha Seongbin chid in on that remark, sohow managing to sound irritating.
“As expected from our Seohan~. Of course you raise cicadas well—you are one~.”
That’s not what this is.
[Truly, a person must dig only one hole (?)]
Our Seohan has proven that sticking to one thing pays off
He stuck with cicadas and ended up in a cicada ad lol
Following Seohan’s example, I’m only raising cicadas starting today
Gonna beco the national representative for Raising a Cicada
—This… I don’t even know where to begin correcting it….
└Ah f*** lol it’s not a cicada ad, it’s a ga ad lololol and what’s with the national rep thing lolol why are they taking this pixel ga so seriously?
└So what’s your ranking?
└(Photo) I’m ranked 18,000!!
└They say Do Seohan is at thirteen thousand sothing, yup yup
└Huh??? Why is the ranking so high???
└Why is he raising a cicada again lololol
—Apparently the whole dorm is obsessed with this ga lately lolol Jin Sehyun and Do Seohan are in a pride war lolol
└The two of them are having a ranking battle
└They’ve been staying up all night gaming after practice lolol Junseo snitched to fans during his livestream lolol
└Stop being so serious about that infuriating pixel ga lololol
[Tried that “New Concept Cicada” ga or whatever]
What is this… what is this… is it fun or what….
Feels like a cicada version of that Ladybug× ga we played as kids
Surprisingly addictive—I’ve already sunk ten hours into it hehe
—Was like “what’s so fun about this trash,” but suddenly I’m all in….
└22222 You end up playing it brain-off lololol
└>>(New Concept! Raising a Cicada guide) Use the items in this order for best efficiency, cooldown is basically nonexistent
└Going to read it carefully…
└Apparently Seohan and Sehyun are planning a livestream soon to share cicada-raising tips lol
└Ah lololol is this a ga stream now?
└The majesty of Rank 13,000…
└I heard he climbed—he’s at 8,900 now
└Why is Do Seohan good at gas too…?
saw a dramatic rise in ranking thanks to the impact of its ad models. The response was explosive.
‘Since the boys are advertising it, maybe I’ll try it just once?’
Even Dusty mbers who started with that casual thought were soon fully invested in the ga.
In the fan community where mbers communicate, ranking proof shots were being uploaded nonstop.
Among them were posts provoking Do Seohan and Jin Sehyun, who were serious about cicada-raising.
[Going to beat Do Seohan]
Noona is ranked 1305
Co at , Seohan
└Ham-Seohan: No way….
[Rank #1 makes a glorious entrance!]
(Proof photo)
I raise cicadas better than anyone in this area
How’s that overwhelming score, Seohan? Let’s get married
└Ham-Seohan: Wow….
└Victorious Sehyun: Crushed it
And so, two weeks passed.
The calm downti of their break flew by thanks to , and the Dusty mbers were now eagerly counting down to the April concert.
However, Stardust hadn’t spent that entire ti solely preparing for the concert.
February 8, at exactly noon.
[Chapter 1 – be trapped in a train]
With an English title that gave away nothing, a full 3-minute teaser video was released.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
What could almost be mistaken for the sound of a heartbeat—intense pounding followed closely behind. It echoed through the entire train, creeping closer to him. His breath grew ragged.
“Haa… ha….”
Ha Junseo knew.
He knew he was being chased. That he must never be caught by whatever lurked in that darkness.
Breathing heavily, he dashed through the rattling train.
Every ti the train shook violently, his pale face flickered in the window’s reflection. His bright silver hair fluttered with every stride.
The train’s interior had an antique feel.
How many endless cars had he passed through? Ha Junseo stomped forward with all his might.
And finally.
At the very end of the train, the thing he had so desperately awaited appeared.
An elevator, shimring with radiant light.
Ha Junseo hurled his body into the open elevator.
“Ugh…!”
His side throbbed slightly where he had hit the elevator pole, but there was no ti to pause.
Beep—
With a tense expression, Ha Junseo quickly punched in the numbers.
He keyed in a set of digits reminiscent of a year, then frantically pressed the close button. His face, wild with panic, looked as though he might smash the elevator in a fit of rage.
Because the shadow was closing in.
Please. Please.
Desperately crying out, Ha Junseo squeezed his eyes shut.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The shadow that had been pursuing him was now right before him.
But—
It seed the narrow escape was his to claim.
By the slimst margin, the elevator doors shut.
“Haa….”
Just as Ha Junseo sat down in relief—
Click.
Soone’s hand slipped into the gap of the elevator door.
“Ah.”
With a face falling into despair, Ha Junseo slowly lifted his head.
And reflected in his retina was—
A figure, smiling coldly.
A shadow of soone all too familiar.
That voice quietly spoke.
“Found you.”
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