Chapter Text
Famous Boy Group ‘ABYSS’ Announces Disbandment Following Recent Scandal.
Only Four Years After Debut, ABYSS Announces Disbandment.
Is The MXTX Boy Group Curse Real? ABYSS Disbands.
‘Shen Qingqiu’ of ABYSS Found Dead at 20; MXTX Releases Statement
Black words carved itself onto the glowing screen of his computer. He scrolled, and scrolled, and scrolled, the only sound that could be heard was the clicking of a mouse, and keyboard. His eyes scanned through different platforms— news headlines, SNS— and each time, it said the same thing.
NewsABYSS ✓ @NewsABYSS • 3h
Hello, this is MXTX Entertainment.
We are deeply saddened to share the heartbreaking news that ABYSS’s member, Shen Qingqiu, has passed away.
We extend our deepest condolences to the family, members, friends, and everyone who had continuously loved, and supported ABYSS all these years.
At the moment, all of ABYSS’s scheduled events will be suspended for an indefinite time. We ask everyone to refrain from spreading rumors, speculation, or unverified information out of respect for the deceased. We also request that their privacy be honored during this difficult time.
Shen Qingqiu will always remain a cherished part of ABYSS and of our company. We once again express our deepest condolences to Shen Qingqiu’s family, friends, fellow members, and fans.
May Shen Qingqiu rest in peace.
Thank you,
MXTX Entertainment.
——
⤷ JAYIE @Beeflaeef • 13 m
I’m actually crying. wtf?? Rip shen qingqiu 🕊️
⤷ Bingbing @icecream23 • 10m
wow so now everyone’s suddenly shen qingqiu’s biggest fan? fake ass bitches
⤷ huazi ❤ @mar1anette • 21 m
OMFG THE WAY MXTX’s BG CURSE IS ACC REAL i cant beleive the got ABYSS too.
⤷ Tanghululu 🍡 @hi763 • 3m
LMFAOO NOT YALL PRETENDING TO CARE 😭
⤷ sunnystars @shineeebright • 15 m
okay i never liked shen qingqiu but pay him some respect??? like he js killed himself and you insensitive fucks are STILL dragging him? Over alleged rumors too smh 🤦
He reached to scroll again, but before he could, the icon of a battery blinked red at him. The screen went pitch black, reflecting turquoise eyes, elegant features, and a face all too similar to him. To Shen Qingqiu. To Shen Jiu.
He dragged both of his hands down to his face. “Why, Jiu-ge?” He mumbled in a muffled voice. “Why did you…” He swallowed, unable to finish with the needles in his throat, and the water in his eyes.
Shen Yuan forced himself to inhale sharply, scrubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands. But the tears kept falling, and no matter how many times he tried to sweep them away, they always came back. And this time, there was no one who would aggressively pat away the tears with a tissue. No one to hold him as he sobbed. No one who would pat his head, while fussing over him.
There was no Shen Jiu anymore.
Ding!
His phone flashed white for a moment, as a notification came in. For a moment, he just ignored it. But then, it repeatedly vibrated again, and again, until the entire device fell off his nightstand. And to his surprise, Shen Yuan let out a hoarse, small laugh.
There was only one person who was capable of blowing up his phone like that.
Shen Yuan picked himself up from where he was curled up with his computer. Then, with slightly ginger limbs, he stumbled to unlock his phone.
March 24, 20xx
Airplane-Bro ✈️
Shen yuan
Is it rtue
did you see?
Is shen jiu rly dead?
no fucking way
What the ufkc
Im soery
(8:39 PM)
Airplane-Bro ✈️
I’m sorry.
Shen Yuan, I’m so sorry
(8:43 PM)
Airplane-Bro ✈️
(Message Deleted)
(Message Deleted)
(8:45 PM)
Airplane-Bro ✈️
hey cucumber-bro
how are you holding up, man?
Look, ik we usually don’t like yk talk-talk
but i js want you to know that im here for you, ok?
Js hit me up if u ever wann a talk and stuff
Cucumber-Bro
Reply to:
⤷how are you holdi…
fuckign horrible
My brother just died
Airplane-Bro✈️ is typing…
Shen Yuan clutched his phone a little tighter as he typed. Then, with shaky fingers, he typed out:
Cucumber-Bro
shang qinghua
can i call you?
There was a brief pause. Then, Shang Qinghua went back to typing. Then paused again. And finally, after a lot of on and off, he wrote back.
Airplane-Bro ✈️
Rn?
I mean, yeah
Yeah ofc.
Anytime, man.
So Shen Yuan hit the call button and almost instantly, Shang Qinghua picked up. Almost immediately, he realized why the boy seemed hesitant to call.
Cut to the chase, Shang Qinghua looked miserable. He was greeted with a familiar face, wearing an unfamiliar expression. He’d never seen Shang Qinghua look so distressed before, with messy, uncombed brown hair, and puffy, red eyes. His clothes were rumpled, with a few specks of wet spots on it. His room— which, although usually cluttered— was messy now. Tissues littered the floors, and a quick glance at Shang Qinghua’s cheeks told him that he’d been crying just as much as Shen Yuan had been.
Simultaneously, Shang Qinghua seemed to also be taking note of Shen Yuan’s miserable expression, and the ungodly state of his room.
The two shared a look with each other, and that was all it took for all the awkward tension to resolve. Both of them plopped to the floor with their phones, letting out a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob.
“You— you look fucking horrible, Cucumber-Bro,” Shang Qinghua gasped out, the corner of his eyes crinkling as his mouth curled into a wobbly grin.
“Me? Speak for yourself, ‘Great’ Master Airplane,” Shen Yuan shot back sarcastically. He drew himself back to a sitting position, leaning against his bedframe. “God, we both look terrible, don’t we?”
“Uh, no? I look beautiful, thank you very mu—”
“Wipe away that snot before you even try.”
Shang Qinghua quickly scrambled for a tissue. He blew his nose loudly, before tossing his contribution back to the mountain of tissues behind him.
“Ew, what the fuck, man?” Shen Yuan reprimanded.
He didn’t bother responding, instead just flipping him off. The camera wobbled a little as Shang Qinghua brought himself to the bed. He curled up under the sheets. “So…” Twinkling, honey-brown eyes blinked at him.
“So…” He casted his gaze away, effectively breaking eye contact.
“How are we holding up?”
“I… I don’t know, man.” Shang Qinghua raised an eyebrow up, gesturing for him to continue. “I just don’t understand, Qinghua. Why…” Tears begin to well up again. “Why would Jiu-ge do this? Why would he kill himself?”
Shang Qinghua was silent for a few moments. “I don’t know, A-Yuan,” He spoke softly. The nickname that he usually reserved for teasing— mimicking the way his twin brother would use it— he murmured it gently now. “I don’t know why. But he loved you so much—”
“Then why would he leave?!” Shen Yuan exploded, his voice coming out in a sob that sounded pitiful even to himself. “I— why would Jiu-ge— stubborn, strong, Jiu-ge kill himself? It—” He hicced. “It doesn’t make sense…”
Shang Qinghua bit his lips, before he admitted, “...It doesn’t.” Because they both knew— Shen Jiu, and Shen Yuan had both been through hell and back together. And yet, neither had ever tried to quit, because they had to stay— for each other. So, why would Shen Jiu commit suicide, when life itself could never beat him down? “But… we don’t know what he went through during the survival program. After that, at the peak of his stardom. There’s a couple blanks in his life that he refused to tell us.”
Shen Yuan knew that. He was so frustrated with himself because he knew that. If only— if only he had pushed a little harder back then. Shen Jiu had consistently shot him down whenever he asked about his worklife. And eventually, Shen Yuan just decided to stop asking altogether— it just soured the mood, and caused Shen Jiu to ignore him. Besides, what could go wrong, right? His brother— his brother was so strong. He had always been the invincible, better twin, capable of defeating the world.
Except… except he wasn’t.
Except he’d been suffering— all alone, all that time, until the only escape he could see was death.
And Shen Yuan did fucking nothing. If only he’d push a little more, maybe Shen Jiu would’ve lived. If he had—
“No, shut up,” Shang Qinghua interrupted his train of thoughts. His voice was slightly hazy, as Shen Yuan gasped for breath, hands still shaking like a leaf in the wind. “I don’t know what kind of self-deprecating bullshit you're telling yourself, but you need to shut up. It’s not your fault.”
“But, I—” Shen Yuan managed to choke out, as he inhaled for air again. He clutched at his chest— it was so hard to breathe.
“But, nothing.” Shan Qinghua continued on, voice stern. “It’s whoever, or whatever that caused him to be backed to a corner. It’s them that made him feel like he had no other choice than death. It’s not you— not his sweet, little, A-Yuan, that made him commit. You got that?”
“Y…Yeah,” He rasped out. “I just… I wish I could have been there with him.” He paused, his throat tight. Why was speaking so hard? “I just want to be able to protect him for once, instead of… the other way around.”
Shang Qinghua’s eyes were sad. “I know, A-Yuan,” He told him. “I wish that— that stupidly independent Shen Jiu had just relied on us for once, you know…?”
He opened his mouth to respond. But no words came out. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t breathe. He kept gasping for air, but his lungs— it’s not working. His chest, and his throat are so heavy, and itchy, and tight. And he felt the rise and fall of his stomach, so he was breathing, but no air was coming into his system.
“A-Yuan…?” Shang Qinghua called out. But it sounded muffled, like he was speaking through a screen. “SHEN YUAN! Where is your inhaler?”
Inhaler. Where did I…? Ah, the desk. With weak, shaky legs, Shen Yuan stumbled to his desk. His mind was muddled, and at this point, nothing Shang Qinghua was saying was processed in his mind. He fumbled around in hopes of finding the inhaler, as he continued to wheeze. His vision was beginning to grow blurry, and when he finally found his inhaler, Shen Yuan’s fingers trembled so much, he lost grip.
The inhaler clacked against the ground, just as Shen Yuan’s knees gave out, and he collapsed to the ground. He reached out desperately, but no matter how hard he tried, it was just out of reach.
“A-Yuan, h– hold on, okay? I’m going to call the poli—” Shang Qinghua’s voice suddenly cut off, turning into a shriek. Then, silence.
Shen Yuan’s eyes slipped close.
For an unknown amount of time— both seeming long, and short— he just drifted in darkness. No thoughts, no emotions, just an endless void. But, somewhere in between, a mechanical voice suddenly sounded by his ear; a tone vaguely like Google Translate.
【 Welcome to the System. 】
The sound came from all directions.
Shen Yuan opened his eyes in confusion, but it was pointless— the area was so dark, his hands weren’t visible.
The voice continued:
【 This System operates to provide you with the best possible experience. It is our sincere wish that during your time, you can fulfill your desires and, in accordance with your wish, save SHEN JIU, while reforming the entertainment industry. We hope you enjoy. 】
“Wait, what—” Shen Yuan sputtered, reaching forward as though that would stop them. Instead, he just lurched forward, into a pile of blankets.
For a few moments, Shen Yuan just stared at his hands in confusion. Then, he looked at the blankets and bedsheet underneath his curled fingers. Finally, he lifted his head, and surveyed the room.
His room.
His old room, to be more specific. He took in the moonlight that passed through pale green curtains, the fluffy puppy plush that sat next to his pillow, and a small bamboo plant placed on his windowsill. He caught his reflection in the mirror— his own face, but… more youthful. More like his 16-year-old self. And that solidified it:
Back. He was…back.
In disbelief, Shen Yuan slowly brought his hands up and pinched his cheeks. He watched as his reflection copied him. Yeah, no, not a dream. He was back!
The realization finally settled in, and Shen Yuan immediately leapt to his feet. His breathing quickened a little in his excitement, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Shen Yuan raced through the grand estate, his feet thumping against the ground. Any other time, he would’ve made sure to keep it more quiet, but right now, nothing else mattered other than his brother.
Finally, Shen Yuan reached his twin’s room. Without any courtesy, the boy slammed open the door.
The boy on the bed jolted awake, instantly on fight or flight mode. He quickly scrambled into a stiff sitting position. Silky black hair, slightly mussed up from sleep, and cold teal eyes glared at him. Though, they softened a miniscule amount when Shen Jiu realized who had disturbed his sleep.
“A-Yuan…?” was all he managed to get out before Shen Yuan tackled him into a tight hug. Now, Shen Jiu looked a lot more alarmed. “A-Yuan?! What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”
Shen Yuan shoved his face into his brother’s arms. He paused for a few moments, going over his answers, before deciding to mumble out a simple, “Mn.” Shen Yuan grasped at the soft cotton of his brother’s shirt. “Jiu-ge, don’t ever leave me, okay?”
He felt his brother’s grip on him turn gentler. “I won’t,” He promised, his voice sincere.
Still, Shen Yuan didn’t believe him, because he did. But instead of voicing his thoughts, he just replied with a quiet noise of affirmation. Shen Jiu was with him at this moment, and that was all that mattered.
Of course, Shen Jiu would never let sweet moments linger, though. For, a moment later, a finger flicked his forehead, without holding back any force. “Ow!” Shen Yuan cried, quickly retracting his hands to protect his forehead. “What was that for?!”
“Because you’re being a baby,” Shen Jiu snorted. “You’re fifteen, A-Yuan. And here you are, blubbering like a mess.”
Shen Yuan glared at him, feeling wronged. Baby, my ass! He huffed mentally, rubbing his forehead. I’m a 20-year-old man, Jiu-ge— or should I say… Jiu-didi. .
The moment soured even further when loud, heavy footsteps made the way to the room. Of course, they belonged to none other than Qiu Jianluo. “What’s with all the fucking noise?! Are you trying to wake up the whole house?”
Shen Yuan felt Shen Jiu stiffen in his hold. Once upon a time, he would have the same reaction— one worse than his brother’s— but at this point, Shen Yuan’s got the mind of a seasoned, 20 year old. Sure, being back in the Qiu’s manor poked at some deeply buried emotions, but no fear could beat the kind he’d felt when he had found out about Shen Jiu’s death.
“I’m sorry,” Shen Yuan quickly blurted out, looking up at him with round eyes; the picture perfect display of innocence. He tilted his head, hair slipping past his shoulders, before quickly scrambling to his feet. “I’ll be quieter, I swear.”
Shen Yuan promptly ignored the flabbergasted, and slightly disgusted (hey, I’m doing this for you, gege!) expression Shen Jiu shot him, continuing his innocent, white lotus act.
You see, to deal with a disgusting dog like Qiu Jianluo, all you needed to do was look pitiful, and pull on his heartstrings. It’s the reason as to why little Haitang-meimei was doted on so much. Shen Yuan had quickly learned in his previous life that Jianluo was a man who needed to feel in control at all times. That’s why he beat them into submission— so that they’d never overstep his authority.
So, even though Shen Yuan would much rather slice him into tiny pieces, and feed him to the dogs, it was wiser to de-escalate the situation. Simply put, Shen Yuan didn’t trust himself right now. If that fuckass man laid a single hand on his brother right now, he might lose it, and burn the whole house down. So, instead of living out his gruesome fantasies, he just bowed his head and quickly scurried out of Shen Jiu’s room. Shen Yuan made sure to close his door to separate Qiu Jianluo from his twin.
He had hoped to run away then, but of course, his luck wasn’t that good. A hand clasped around his wrists, effectively stopping his escape. “Shen Yuan…” His brow was furrowed. “You seem different today.”
Shen Yuan forced his lips into a soft, dumb smile, channeling his best ‘Qiu Haitang’ impression. “Am I?” He cocked his head, eyes twinkling without any thought. After all, Qiu Jianluo had always viewed him as the weaker, and stupider twin. Unlike his Jiu-ge, he wasn’t that fun for the scum to ‘play with’.
He stared at him for a couple more seconds before ripping his hands away from Shen Yuan. “Nevermind,” He said with a tsk, shoving his wrists away as he released him, causing Shen Yuan to collide with the wall behind him.
The boy glared at the retreating figure of the man. Qiu Jianluo, you fat fuck. He continued spitting out strings of curses in his mind, as he made his way back to his own room. Once he had finally settled back onto his bed, a bright blue box suddenly popped up.
【The system has been successfully activated!
Role: ‘Shen Yuan’, younger twin brother of ABYSS member ‘Shen Jiu/Shen Qingqiu’
Missions:
- Debut with Shen Qingqiu under two years.
- Prevent Shen Qingqiu’s death.
- ???
*If failed, User will be immediately deported back to their original world. 】
For a moment, Shen Yuan just stared at the screen with a stare devoid of intelligence, not quite processing the words. Then, he thought: Wait. Hold on, system. Slow down, you're going too fast. Me?? Idol? What kind of bullshit is this?
【USER STATS】
{VOCAL: B+
DANCE: D-
APPEARANCE: S
TALENT: B
STAR POWER: A+
TRAIT: Stay tuned (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧}
…
What?
He stared blankly at the blue screen for a few more seconds. The line between sanity, and losing his shit was growing dangerously thin. Thankfully, Shen Yuan wisely remembered the classic saying: “run away from your problems”. So, instead of addressing the enormous concern in front of him, he promptly fell back onto his bed, curling underneath the blankets. Shen Yuan turned his back onto the system messages, before thinking, Good night.
—
So, whoever said running away from your problems was the solution was a big, fat liar.
The moment Shen Yuan woke up, the google translate voice resounded from all directions. It repeated the information he’d read out from last night, over and over again.
【Mission 1: Debut in two years. If failed, User will be immediately deported back to their original world】
【Mission 1: Debut in two years. If failed, User will be immediately deported back to their original world】
【Mission 1: Debut in two years—
“OKAY! I get it. Shoo!” Shen Yuan exclaimed, waving at the constantly popping blue boxes like it was a particularly annoying fly.
He more or less understood what was happening, being an avid reader of regression stories. These kind of books usually go like this:
- The main character has a sob story to tell, and there’s something in their lives that they wish they had changed. Then, they fucking DIE. (Pretty accurate. Shen Yuan wanted to save his Jiu-ge. And he…definitely died, alright.)
- Their lives were so horrible that the gods take pity upon them, and lo and behold, they get sent back years into the past to fix their shit. (...Well, yeah. Unless this was all a dream, but he sincerely doubted it.)
- They get swept off their feet by some charming male lead, and ride off into the sunset together. (Um…well, he fucking hoped not. He wasn’t interested in men, thank you very much.)
So yes, Shen Yuan was fairly certain he had regressed five years into the past. The universe was trying to give him a chance to prevent his twin’s suicide. The only thing he was confused about was why he needed to be an idol with his brother. Because, look, it wasn’t that Shen Yuan didn’t want to. It’s just that his brother would never allow him to.
The only reason as to why Shen Jiu was an idol in the first place was, of course, because of Haitang-meimei. (What in their lives didn’t revolve around this particular, idiotic, ignorant, naive, dense, air-headed, moronic—)
Let this spectator who had seen the entire ordeal explain. You see, when Qiu Haitang had turned 13, she had fallen into the rabbit hole that was called ‘idol boy groups’. And by the time she was 14, she would sell her soul to get front row seats to see groups like Flower Crown, or SUNSH∅T.
So of course, the rich little princess had gone running to her older brother and demanded that he turn her favourite pets, the Shen twins, into idols. Stupid demand by a stupid little girl— one that should’ve never been plausible.
Unfortunately, Qiu Jianluo had found that idea amusing. He wanted to see the prideful Shen Jiu be dressed up like a doll, in foolish clothing, and sparkling makeup. He wanted to see him humiliated, as he performed for the world, like a circus clown. And, despite it all, Qiu Jianluo was a capable man with enough money to make this happen.
In the end, Qiu Haitang only got half of her wish fulfilled, because his brother would only sign the contracts if Shen Yuan was left out of the deal. Surprisingly, both siblings had quickly agreed— Qiu Jianluo had only wanted to see Shen Jiu suffer, while Qiu Haitang hadn’t wanted Shen Yuan’s health complications to worsen further.
So, while Shen Yuan stayed home, holing up in his room, getting homeschooled by the Qiu’s staff, Shen Jiu would be out practicing day and night. His Jiu-ge was stubborn; if they were going to shove him into a role he never wanted, then he’d perform it to the best of his abilities. He wouldn’t ever let somebody like Qiu Jianluo beat up his pride.
...And, yeah, end of story. That was basically what had caused Shen Jiu to become Shen Qingqiu of ABYSS.
And now the system wanted him to become an idol? The most exercise Shen Yuan had done in the past was walk up and down the ridiculously long stairs of a hospital. And don’t even get him started on his singing skills.
He dragged his hand down his face, fighting a groan. Did it even matter what he wanted? The system said that if he didn’t debut in two years, he’d be “sent back to his original world”— which, of course, meant death.
With an exasperated sigh directed at the complicated mess, Shen Yuan drew out of bed. It felt a little surreal as he passed by the familiar halls, until he reached the bathroom. He quickly freshened up, brushing his teeth, and scrubbing at his face until they were rosy. His eyes were glued to his reflection, lingering at how youthful he looked.
“A-Yuan?” A voice called from outside.
He jumped, quickly averting his gaze. “Jiu-ge!” Words quickly tumbled out. “Uh— what is it?”
“Hurry it up! What’s taking so long?” He snarked. “What? Are you admiring your reflection?”
“No—” Well. Yes. “I’m admiring our reflection.” He amended sweetly.
Shen Jiu snorted. “But seriously, hurry it up,” He repeated, this time more firmly. “I don’t want to deal with Qiu Jianluo’s hissy fits again.”
At that, Shen Yuan slammed the bathroom door open, quickly blurting out, “Ge! What if he hears you!”
From where he stood, leaning against the door frame, Shen Jiu rolled his eyes. “Ohh, no, what am I going to do? Qiu Jianluo’s going to fuck me up again! I’m shaking in fear,” He drawled sarcastically. But seeing the wide, terrified eyes of Shen Yuan, he sighed, flicking his twin brother on the forehead. “It’s fine. He left this morning— he’s with his dear mommy and daddy right now.”
He perked up. “Oh, they’re back?!” Shen Yuan said excitedly. That’s good— whenever Qiu-furen returned, Qiu Jianluo knew better than to actively antagonize them in front of her. After all, if their charity cases dropped dead, then what would that say for their public image? Goodbye ‘Celebrity Qiu, Benevolent Angel of the Entertainment Industry’, hello ‘Criminal Qiu, Convicted of Child Abuse’!
“Mn,” Shen Jiu made an affirming noise as he shoved a toothbrush into his mouth. He swished the water around his mouth before spitting it out. “That scum won’t be back for another two months.” Then, he moved to grab a face cloth, wetting it quickly.
Shen Yuan watched his brother as he went through his daily routine, eyes never leaving him. And for a second, Shen Yuan could forget everything that had happened in his past life— waking up to find his brother dead, sobbing until his eyes burned, and throat dried, dying. Instead, he could just pretend this was another normal day in which he’d spend annoying his brother.
And when he watched his brother turn back to him, his gaze quizzical as a pinch of worry slipped past his usual indifferent facade—
Shen Yuan knew. He’d do anything to make sure he never lost his brother again.