Uneducated
Kim Ji-rok hid his smartphone, stormed out of the restroom, and hurried outside. After making sure no one was around, he called a friend.
“Damn it. Why aren’t you picking up?”
The endless ringing seemed to stretch on forever. The moment the other person answered, Kim Ji-rok lowered his voice as much as he could and barked, “Delete it! Now!”
“What’s with the attitude?”
“I’m not joking, asshole. Delete it.”
“Haa… I’m hurt, Ji-rok. I did you a favor you didn’t even want, and now you’re ordering me around?”
“You called Gal Neoul an uneducated nobody. If you don’t erase it, you’re screwed too.”
“What are you talking about? The only one getting screwed is you, the guy whose face is already out there. I’m a civilian, my friend. Try being polite and asking, ‘Please delete it for me~.’”
Kim Ji-rok had the urge to hang up on the spot. Had this bastard lost his mind? The same guy who’d been groveling at his feet a moment ago was suddenly climbing all over him?
“Quit talking nonsense. What do you actually want?”
“Well… I’m about to get sued for spreading false information, and 2 million won just isn’t enough for keeping my mouth shut. If I’m going to pay a fine, it’ll cost more than that. Don’t you think you should be a little more reasonable?”
“What?”
“Mm-hm. Defamation can get you up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won… and obstruction of business is five years and 15 million. Man, just the fines alone are ridiculous. Two million? That’s child’s play. Honestly, come on.”
Kim Ji-rok was speechless. So this was it. The bastard was a beggar all along. Had he agreed to post those articles just so he could squeeze more money out of him once he found a weakness?
They’d known each other for years, and still Kim Ji-rok had never imagined he’d get stabbed in the back like this. Damn it. He was already behind on credit card payments. Should he take out a loan?
He pressed a finger to the throbbing vein in his forehead.
“I’ll send you another 8 million. Happy now?”
“No, no. The math still doesn’t work. It has to be three times eight million. That’s the amount that makes it worthwhile.”
“You son of a bitch. Damn it. Was this your plan from the start?”
“Huh? Son of a bitch? You really shouldn’t be throwing insults like that at me.”
Ding!
Then an image came flying over from the other end. It was a screenshot of every single message between them. There was even an audio file recording the contents of Kim Ji-rok’s call.
A sneering, oily voice leaked through the phone speaker.
“Hey, Ji-rok. Wake up. If I put this online, you’re finished. Singer? Idol? Forget that—do you even think you’ll be able to get a job or get married? Your face is already all over the place.”
“What?”
“If people find out you tried to smear some ordinary contestant who’s never even set foot through a school gate by sending a friend to spread lies… wow. That would get really fun, wouldn’t it?”
“Fine. I get it. 24 million won. I’ll send it right now, so shut your mouth.”
“30 million.”
“Ah, damn it, fine—30 million!”
“Haha! Thanks, friend. I knew I could count on you. I’ll delete it as soon as I confirm the transfer.”
The call ended with a sharp click.
Kim Ji-rok stood there seething, his face flushed red, grinding his teeth.
Damn it. Where am I supposed to get that kind of money? They already cut off my allowance months ago.
In the end, Kim Ji-rok scraped together 30 million won by taking out a no-credit loan.
Once I debut, I’ll pay it all back right away. When I get my first settlement, I can pay off the interest too and be done with it.
Thinking of it as a little temporary loan from the future superstar Kim Ji-rok made him feel much better.
Soon enough, he would be making so much money that 30 million won would feel like pocket change. If he ever went on an overseas tour, the settlement alone would come in at hundreds of millions.
But what if this bastard runs out of cash and comes back to blackmail me again? The next time he shows up, he’ll probably demand money in the hundreds of millions.
Squatting down, Kim Ji-rok pawed through his clothes for a pack of cigarettes. He’d left in such a hurry that he hadn’t managed to bring anything with him.
Still, once the cold night air hit his face, the fire that had been raging through him slowly began to cool.
Once he swallowed his anger and found his composure again, he could think a little more calmly.
Should I kill him?
He’d kept that pathetic bastard around as a friend because he was at least useful, and now he’d crossed the line. Kim Ji-rok offered a silent prayer for the man’s soul in advance.
Go to hell, asshole.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The law student and her younger sibling hugged each other and jumped around the room in delight.
“The school violence thing about Neoul was all a rumor!”
“Whaaaaat!”
There were only two minutes left before Episode 11 aired. The terrifying plunge they’d felt in their hearts had barely lasted a moment before the official post on the program’s homepage brought them enormous relief, letting them shout Inhale Gal Neoul, exhale I love you without restraint.
Now they could watch the broadcast in peace! They didn’t have to be embarrassed about their love anymore!
The sisters cheered with joy and relief, then sat together on the sofa to wait for Episode 11.
“He’s never even gone to school! There’s no opening for rumors to sneak in!”
“Best of all, he’s uneducated!”
To be thrilled that their idol had a short educational history—it was a bizarre feeling, even as they cheered. They couldn’t help thinking, Is this really okay…? But at least the rumor had been cleanly buried, and that was reason enough to be happy.
Though I’m still worried about the part where it said it was due to health problems… But he looks healthy now. It should be fine, right? Surely he isn’t still sick and overdoing it?
They worried about Gal Neoul’s condition. They also worried about how Gal Neoul must have felt facing such malice. Had he been hurt?
I’m upset. Why does Neoul have to go through this?
Gal Neoul was just someone who was sincere about the stage and always did his best. Why should he be attacked for something he never even did?
The person who wrote the post was eventually beaten down by the flood of responses and deleted it before running away.
You lousy creep…! Just you wait till we catch who you are!
They didn’t even need to meet him to know what a rotten, ugly person he must have been.
Someone soaked through with inferiority, that’s who.
A person who had no intention of working hard himself, but envied the popularity and success of someone else who was bleeding sweat and tears to earn it.
A person who couldn’t say a single thing to someone’s face, yet hid behind a monitor to spread filthy lies and drag them down.
They need to be sued and punished properly for all of it.
People should live like people.
When the commercials ended, the logo for Idol Travel appeared on the TV. Then the image of a baby standing alone in a hallway came into view.
The screen split into six panels, showing several children sitting in the hallway and waiting for the contestants all at once.
A child’s problem appeared in large text on the screen, then cut to the scene of Gal Neoul greeting the baby.
Gal Neoul praised the baby for writing neatly, then abruptly stood the child up and told him to try walking.
[Gal Neoul: I only started learning to walk a few months ago myself, so I’m hardly in a position to give advice…]
The livestream chat exploded at his remark.
The viewers’ reactions turned serious when the broadcast showed scenes of Gal Neoul leaning on Baek Yuri for support, followed by footage of him practicing walking and running with Baek Yuri and Baek Gi-yeom.
Baek Yuri’s interview was inserted.
Q. While you were on Jeju Island, contestant Gal Neoul kept falling over.
Baek Yuri: Ah… yes. Mr. Neoul only just started walking not long ago.
Then came footage of Gal Neoul learning the signal song choreography, only to trip and fall again and again, rolling across the floor and swaying like a newborn giraffe.
A brief clip showed Gal Neoul being examined at a hospital. It had been secretly filmed by an assistant director who had gone with him, just in case.
The heavily dramatized captions were followed by an interview clip of Gal Neoul.
[Gal Neoul: Since I was born, I’ve managed well enough without using my legs. I never once thought I’d be able to walk.]
Gal Neoul’s awkwardly honest interview turned viewers’ rooms all over the world into seas of tears.
[Q. Didn’t it hurt or feel hard when you kept falling during practice?]
[Gal Neoul: At first I think I got bruised a lot and had a hard time… but every time I succeeded at a move that hadn’t worked before, it became fun, and later I was so proud I forgot how hard it was.]
[Q. We heard you couldn’t go to school?]
[Gal Neoul: Yes. If I get the chance, I’d like to go at least once.]
There was also footage of Neoul receiving the signal song lyrics after the interview and being unable to read them.
And then the screen filled with recent videos and photos of Gal Neoul, changed at last.
[Q. Did you study Hangul?]
[Gal Neoul: Yes. I learned because I wanted to know the reaction of the passengers who watched my performance. I can listen and speak, but I couldn’t read or write, so I received instruction from a Hangul teacher.]
[Gal Neoul: I didn’t realize there were so many spelling mistakes in the letter I wrote before, but I’ll keep striving harder and become a hero, not a villain.]
“I’m garbage.”
“Me too….”
The younger sister, owner of the channel Gal Neoul Devotion, Wave-Only, also buried her head with a thud.
They had been thrilled simply because he wasn’t a school violence perpetrator, because he’d escaped the false accusation, without knowing anything about the hardships he’d faced.
They felt pathetic, ashamed, and miserable. Most of all, they felt sorry for Neoul.
“I laughed and teased him so casually when he couldn’t dance, saying he was cute….”
“Me too….”
The sisters reflected on their reckless past. Their noses stung, and tears threatened to spill. The law student jerked her head up and stared fiercely ahead.
“If we can’t make Neoul debut, I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself.”
“Me neither!”
It wasn’t the time to be crying like this. It was time to do whatever they could for Gal Neoul’s debut.
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