Chapter 393: Press Conference (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 393: Press Conference (2)
“The events of that time were memories I personally wanted to forget, so I did not include them in my initial statement. However, since distorted facts have been circulated, I felt the need to correct them.”
Photos of the practice room where I had gone to work with bandages on for a while, and photos of me wearing nothing but turtlenecks at official events, filled the beam projector screen.
Next, screenshots of a group chat with the staff members in charge of makeup were displayed.
Spark Makeup – A-yun
[We need to cover I-wol’s neck for the exclusive report shoot, right?]
[I wonder if cover makeup will be enough...]
Spark Makeup – Seung-ha
[It’s gotten a lot better, so I think we can hide it?]
[But I’m worried the wound might get infected if we keep putting makeup over it.]
Me
[Is it impossible to change the outfit?]
Spark Makeup – A-yun
[It’s a sponsored outfit, so I think it’ll be difficult.]
[If it were a music show, we could at least put a choker on him ㅠㅠ]
Spark Makeup – Seung-ha
[An idol’s body is their livelihood!]
On broadcast, it had looked perfectly fine, but the traces of the struggle to hide the wounds remained vividly behind the scenes. The reporters took photos of the screen in rapid succession.
“Since I didn't intend to make this an issue, I didn't check the CCTV separately. However, because the defense requested all CCTV footage recorded that day, we discovered the following scene while processing that request.”
A low-resolution video began to play. In the corner, I could be seen curled up, clutching my neck, while the silhouette of an adult man stood behind a translucent partition, watching me with his arms crossed.
I didn't add any more words. The context explained everything.
The physical abuse from my father that had allegedly started when I was a student. My statement that I hadn't wanted to mention it because it was traumatic.
And now, the evidence being released. What conclusion would one reach when putting all of this together?
“Are you saying your father assaulted you and then tried to pin it on you, Mr. I-wol?”
A question came from the press gallery.
“It is as you see.”
“But isn't this video also insufficient as evidence of assault?”
“That is correct. I did not testify because I believed there was no means to prove it.”
Conversely, it meant that everything I was making an issue of had grounds for rebuttal.
“Is the reason there are zero reports filed since you became an adult also because of trauma?”
It wasn't that I hadn't reported because there was nothing to report, but that I hadn't reported even when things happened. Once this idea was planted, the nature of the questions changed.
“Half of it is, and half of it isn't. A large part of it was also that I didn't want my personal affairs to cause the group to be caught up in rumors.”
“...”
“I am an idol. I didn't want to fatigue the fans, and I believed I shouldn't. The reason I hid the wounds on my neck was also because I had no intention of revealing them. I am simply... sorry to have to share such unpleasant news through an occasion like this.”
After the Yu Han-su incident, I hadn't wanted to cause the fans any worry. I had desperately tried to prevent Hong Un-seop’s caffeine terror from leaking out, and I hadn't stopped my activities even when my sister’s whereabouts became unknown. Because I wanted them to feel only joy when they looked at Spark.
The only thing I could do at the end was to act composed. Calmly, so as not to look exhausted.
I adjusted my grip on the microphone. Then, I steadied my breathing.
“Since I have answered all the issues raised at yesterday’s press conference, I would like to request an explanation from our side in return.”
Up until now, this had been a place to clear the grievances of myself and the fans. However, there was still someone whose resentment needed to be resolved.
“I ask the two of them to explain the abandonment of their eldest daughter that occurred approximately 30 years ago.”
I had already confirmed that the restrictions of the Leak of Heavenly Secrets had been lifted. Ever since Choi Je-ho overheard about my sister’s existence, I had been able to bring her up to the Spark members as well.
Flashes went off incessantly. The reporters leaned their upper bodies forward.
‘You’re going to talk about your sister?’
Choi Je-ho doubted his ears. He wondered if Kim I-wol had been pushed into a corner and lost his ability to make rational judgments. This had happened when the lawyer had stepped away to print something.
‘You said you didn't want to play the sympathy card.’
Nothing the lawyer and I-wol discussed was anything short of appalling.
And among those things, the story of the sister had the biggest impact. Hadn't Kim I-wol himself kept her existence strictly hidden?
‘People aren't interested in explanations.’
‘What does that have to do with your sister?’
‘It means that unless I blow up an issue big enough, I’ll be remembered as a degenerate son forever.’
Kim I-wol still frequently heard people say he felt "off." The aftermath of what happened last year was long-lasting.
‘...And.’
Kim I-wol had said, hesitating.
‘I don't know when I’ll ever get this much attention again.’
‘...’
‘I think revealing my sister’s story now might be the best opportunity to make her existence known. Who else but a fan would listen to an idol’s personal history in such detail?’
Throughout the conversation, Kim I-wol hadn't taken his eyes off his old laptop.
‘This whole thing will die down eventually... I don't want to bring it up again later and make the fans upset multiple times. I want to end it in one go.’
The sound of typing continued mechanically, then stopped.
‘Do I seem calculating? Enough to look selfish?’
While his eyes were still fixed on the monitor, Kim I-wol asked.
Choi Je-ho had only one thing to say.
‘The bastard who talks shit about someone trying to find their family is the real piece of trash.’
Kim I-wol let out a short laugh. Then, he went back to writing the long rebuttal document.
And now, Kim I-wol’s story about his sister was beginning to draw attention.
“By eldest daughter, do you mean you have an older sister?”
“Please be more specific about the term ‘abandonment.’”
Questions poured in. Kim I-wol answered with a calm expression.
“I only had a suspicion that I had a sister, but in the process of meeting and talking at UA, I learned that the two of them had abandoned her and hidden the fact. Because of this, my father misunderstood that I had put a tail on them, and in retaliation, he hired someone to monitor every move of my fellow member, Je-ho.”
“You said there was no evidence left of the conversation in the meeting room. Do you have evidence that someone was following him?”
“We have captured circumstances where false dating rumors were reported to MYTH. The timing matches perfectly.”
After this happened, Kim I-wol hadn't met his eyes for several days. He had said he was sorry, and Je-ho thought it was over after telling him not to apologize for something he hadn't done wrong. But Kim I-wol had been holding those dating rumors in his heart the whole time.
“We hear that your mother is currently in the lobby protesting that you are giving false testimony, Mr. I-wol. Did you not think that the dispute would escalate into a defamation suit?”
A reporter looking at their phone tossed out a question.
“I expected it.”
“The reason you went ahead with the announcement despite that is...”
The intention behind the question seemed malicious, but Kim I-wol remained composed.
“This year marks the third year I have been searching for my sister.”
“...”
“I hope you understand that I am desperate enough to endure any blow.”
Kim I-wol took his mouth away from the microphone. The room fell silent.
“...We will take a ten-minute break before continuing.”
As the break was announced, the stiff atmosphere loosened. People stood up from their seats.
As he was about to leave the conference hall, someone placed a hand on Choi Je-ho’s shoulder.
It must be Kim I-wol. He had been sitting next to him.
He turned around, wondering if I-wol had something to say...
“What the?”
“Did he collapse?”
...The touch slid down Choi Je-ho’s arm. There was no one in his line of sight.
Kim I-wol was slumped at his feet, clutching his stomach.
Previously, it would have been his heart, but his brain thought of the drink first. However, the bottled water on the table was a new one, unopened. Beyond the perfectly fine water bottle, flashes went off like crazy.
“Wait a moment, please don't come closer!”
The lawyer and the managers blocked the swarming reporters. Choi Je-ho knelt in front of Kim I-wol.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
Every time he shook him, Kim I-wol grimaced. The hand gripping his suit jacket was bright red.
“Can you get on my back?”
He asked, but Kim I-wol shook his head.
“I don't want to... be carried out in front of people.”
“Then you’re going to walk? Can you even stand up?”
Even as he scolded him, he knew he wouldn't be able to persuade Kim I-wol. The image of Kim I-wol trying to secretly take medicine even when his mind was crumbling was still vivid.
Choi Je-ho roughly pulled the table, which had a closed front, toward them. The white lights flashing above their heads subsided a little.
“They won't be able to see now. Happy?”
Kim I-wol slowly raised his head. His eyes were hazy. He was covering his mouth with his other hand, as if he wanted to gag.
“If you want to throw up, just do it,” Choi Je-ho said.
But Kim I-wol, despite breaking out in a cold sweat, didn't put his fingers in his mouth like before.
“It’s a nuisance...”
“...”
“If I get criticized any more than this, it’ll be hard to fix...”
Fuck.
Choi Je-ho took off his jacket.
Then, he spread it out on the floor, right under Kim I-wol’s face. He smoothed it out with both hands, even removing the wrinkles.
“There. Happy?”
“...”
“I can just wrap it up and throw it away. Throw up or spit, do whatever you want.”
Kim I-wol furrowed his brows. It didn't seem to be because Je-ho’s words were offensive. Kim I-wol’s back arched violently.
“Ugh...”
He didn't know why the sound of something coming up someone else’s throat sounded so loud.
“Whoa, he’s throwing up.”
“Everyone, please step out! What are you doing? This is disgusting!”
The shutter sounds still didn't stop. It was sickening how they kept taking pictures of someone vomiting as if it were entertainment.
Just as he was thinking it was a relief they were covered, something viscous and transparent began to drip from between Kim I-wol’s fingers.
Is it spit? Or gastric juice?
Did he even have anything to throw up in the first place? He hadn't eaten anything lately.
Just as he was about to feel something was wrong, Kim I-wol gasped for breath.
Something surged over his covering hand.
It was much thinner...
“Isn't that blood?”
...A transparent liquid, clumped with red in places.