Chapter 124: Rumors (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 124: Rumors (3)
“Thank you for your concern, PD-nim.”
I expressed my gratitude to Yu Han-su, sounding as if I were truly moved.
“But I don’t think you need to worry too much.”
— Oh, come on, how can I not? After all the years I’ve known you.
Look at this guy.
Are you happy? Is this fun for you?
“No, really, it’s fine. The company said they might be able to track the IP of the whistleblower post. Apparently, there are records from when the network was installed.”
Are you still happy? Huh? You piece of shit.
Sure enough, there was nothing but silence from the other end of the phone.
I’d had my suspicions, but this bastard really did post that hate thread about me.
The call cut off just like that. Now, Yu Han-su would be rushing to the office to see if what I said was true.
‘He’ll probably call back soon to ask if I know that spreading false information is a serious crime.’
Aside from the slight sense of satisfaction, a sigh escaped me.
Feeling as though the phone call had drained all my energy, I crouched down on the stair landing for a moment and took a deep breath.
For now, the company issues could be explained to some extent, and as for my family…
If someone had doxxed them, they would probably deny any relationship with me on their own. Knowing them, they’d draw a line immediately, saying they cut ties with me a long time ago rather than being associated with me.
That left the school issues.
To be honest, I wasn’t confident about that part. Even if I were innocent, I had no one to prove it.
I should have maintained better relationships with my peers. I shouldn't have lived my life as a loner.
But then again, wasn't that just a complacent thought, wanting to use people as a means to an end?
As expected, a guy like me is meant to live alone. Still, I really should have been more social…
“I’ve lived my life all wrong.”
I never thought I’d lived a particularly good life before, but today confirmed it.
My life was trash. Irredeemable trash.
“Still, I have to work hard if I want to be recycled…”
I forced myself to move. It was time to put in the effort for a life destined for the recycling station.
Even after returning to the practice room, I couldn't practice for long.
With so many controversies erupting at once, there was an overwhelming amount of data to organize. Consequently, I ended up leaving early for the second time since the nosebleed incident.
When I returned to the dorm, the new transcripts issued by the system were inside my suitcase. I fidgeted with the edge of my CSAT transcript for no reason.
I also transferred the screenshots I’d taken just in case—back when my university admission was canceled—onto my laptop.
What did the Hanpyeong Industry disciplinary report format look like again?
I’d only ever received them; I’d never written one, so my memory was hazy.
First, I should start by saying I’m sorry for causing concern to the fans, then apologize for the delay in releasing a statement because it took time to organize the facts…
I hurriedly wrote a draft and reread the same text several times.
After all my time stanning Spark as Assistant Manager Kim, I could easily distinguish between what should and shouldn't be said in an explanation. Thanks to that, editing was easy.
The final version of the materials was generally clean. Even if I were asked to provide witnesses, I had enough.
Except for the part regarding my school life.
There was no way around this. It was true that I hadn't received special treatment, but it was difficult to prove that I’d missed group activities because of money. And while I’d never specifically looked down on anyone, it wasn't as if I had good relationships with my peers either.
‘This is why people who only know one side of the story are so scary.’
I spent a long time agonizing over how to break through this difficult situation.
In the end, unable to find a solution, I slammed my head against the dining table.
What changed the tide was a single phone call.
“Manager-nim?”
The caller was the manager.
Thinking something else I didn't know about had blown up, I tucked the phone between my shoulder and ear and woke my laptop from sleep mode.
Fortunately, the message boards were still stuck at the level of "Kim I-wol’s Trash Personality Exposed by Former Classmate."
However, the voice on the other end belonged to someone unexpected.
— Hyung, it’s Seong-bin.
“Seong-bin? What’s up?”
I checked the clock; it was still in the middle of practice hours.
Jeong Seong-bin calling in the middle of practice? That meant it was a major event.
I racked my brain, wondering where else my past might have leaked.
Then I gave up.
Who cares what controversy broke out where? At least I’ve lived honorably, so all I have to do is refute it.
I calmly waited for Jeong Seong-bin to speak.
— Have you seen the post that went up online?
“Online? You mean the ‘Collection of Kim I-wol Quotes That Show His Usual Behavior’?”
— No, not that!
But that’s the hottest topic right now. It has a ton of comments.
As I rubbed my tired eyes and hit refresh, Jeong Seong-bin spoke.
— Someone saying they’re your classmate posted something!
It was true.
Right before my eyes, I saw a post titled, ‘I am I-wol’s classmate. To clear up the misunderstandings about I-wol…’
The title of the post was quite long. It was a story about writing to clear up the misunderstandings directed at me.
I told him I’d read the post first and call him back, then hung up. I began reading the long text, where the scroll bar was the size of a fingernail.
≫ I am I-wol’s classmate. I am writing this to clear up the misunderstandings about I-wol. (Proof included)
Hello. I was the Class President of the same class as I-wol during our third year of high school.
After hearing that I-wol is facing various misunderstandings, I am writing this to speak honestly about the I-wol I saw.
.
.
.
‘The Class President?’
I remembered him. He was a social and active guy, so we were on greeting terms.
He loved soccer so much that he’d play every lunch break, and whenever they were short on players, he was the one who always called me over.
≫ The I-wol I observed in the same class was absolutely not the type to look down on his friends.
On the contrary, he was popular among us because he was good at sports, and he was just an ordinary friend who enjoyed playing soccer with us every lunch break.
When I injured my ankle and had a cast, I-wol was the one who carried my bag to the bus stop every day after school.
Right, this guy had tripped while playing soccer and completely tore his ankle ligaments.
His face had been blurry in my memory when I was trying to convince Kang Gi-yeon not to skip the hospital despite his hurting ankle, but now his face was becoming clearer.
≫ The claim that he received special treatment is also not true.
The I-wol I knew always received good grades. Other friends also know that I-wol’s grades were among the top in the entire school. Even during our time there, no student felt dissatisfied or thought I-wol was receiving special treatment.
The post was very long. There would probably be comments asking for a three-line summary or saying they didn't read it because it was too long.
But for some reason, I couldn't just skim through it. Every single character etched itself into my eyes.
≫ I-wol was always a diligent friend, and I believe he still is.
Since he’s someone who works so hard, I would appreciate it if you could support him.
Below the text were photos of the graduation album, group photos, a few text messages he and I had exchanged, and screenshots of a group chat where several classmates were talking, saying things like, “Do you guys remember Kim Han?”
My phone vibrated again. It was a text from Jeong Seong-bin.
He told me to make sure to call him once I finished reading.
I should call him.
I really should, but…
When I closed the community window, the SNS window I’d opened earlier appeared.
The search for my name, which I’d done to see what the fans were most worried about, had been refreshed.
≫ Kim I-wol, don’t lose heart.
≫ No matter what anyone says, you’re doing fucking great.
≫ Ah, fuck, they said our kid wasn't some poser with an attitude.
≫ Leave I-wol alone, please.
≫ Sparklers know best how hard I-wol works.
≫ I hope he never blames himself.
This… it made me feel very strange. My mind went blank for a moment.
How could I ever repay this kindness? It felt like I’d accumulated enough debt to fill thirty thousand trucks.
I immediately called the manager’s phone. Jeong Seong-bin picked up instantly.
“Why did you pick up so fast? What about your practice?”
— Is practice important right now?!
“It is. It kills me that I’m the only one missing, and you guys are monitoring things you were told not to do as a group?”
— Ah, whatever. You can fix all of this, right?!
I heard Lee Cheong-hyeon asking loudly in the background.
“Yeah. Let’s wrap this up cleanly today.”
“Whoa, this is the first time I’ve ever gotten this much attention on the internet.”
“Are you happy? Is this fun for you?”
Baek Hae-won glared at her brother, Baek Hae-in, who wouldn't let go of his phone.
Still, she had to admit that thanks to that man, the negative public opinion toward Kim I-wol had subsided significantly.
‘I mean, if they were that close, he should’ve said something sooner instead of just saying they were classmates…!’
When he said they were in the same class and played soccer together, she’d told him to stop exaggerating, but she had no idea they were close enough to have actual anecdotes together.
‘No wonder Mom talked all day about that handsome friend when this jerk broke his leg.’
Even Mom wouldn't have known that friend would become an idol in the future. Baek Hae-won cursed her past self for not following her mom’s car to Hoyeon High School back then.
“So? How’s the reaction?”
Baek Hae-in asked. Despite his annoying tone, he looked worried.
Well, Baek Hae-in had been truly shocked when he first heard the news from Baek Hae-won.
‘Kim Han is rude? Hey, I heard celebrities get a lot of false rumors, and I guess it’s true.’
‘Ha, our kid has such a soft heart… these bastards…’
‘I wouldn't say he has a soft heart, though.’
‘Shut up.’
Even while grumbling, Baek Hae-in worked hard on the explanation post. Beside him, Baek Hae-won filtered out sentences that shouldn't be in an explanation.
‘What you need to write is the part about I-wol not getting special treatment. You’re the only one who can prove that.’
‘But if they’re our classmates, they’d all know he was good at studying. The person who first posted that probably isn't from our year, or they just made it up.’
‘Aren't they a total piece of shit?’
Anyway, all those attention seekers should be hung upside down from the ceiling. Baek Hae-won felt her head heating up with anger.
“Oh, this came up while we were talking in the group chat.”
“What?”
“You know, how I said he was good at studying.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s something we talked about before, but… why he suddenly changed his career path to become an idol? That kind of thing?”
Come to think of it, he’d said I-wol was at the top of the school. When she first heard that, she’d only focused on the fact that ‘Our I-wol didn't get special treatment!’, but thinking about it now, it was quite impressive.
“Was he really that good at studying?”
“I told you he was! His GPA wasn't quite at that level, but he was always rank one in the mock evaluations. That’s why he was given a private study room.”
Baek Hae-in dropped the bombshell with a nonchalant face. Then, he flew into a rage, shouting, “Hey, someone’s telling me not to take sides blindly on my post! Can I report this guy?!”