Chapter 105
Chapter 105
The manager returned with news that was predictable yet mind-boggling.
“…He was going to report it to the police?”
“Yeah. He was making a scene about assault or whatever… I really broke a sweat dealing with him.”
The first manager wiped away a cold sweat, muttering that they had almost handed over a bizarre headline right before the comeback. Then, he grumbled.
“I mean, why on earth did he contact that guy of all people… Tsk.”
He was taking a shot at the second manager, who wasn't there at the moment.
For context, the second manager was currently away accompanying Lee Se-jin for a meeting with the company.
“How did that man get into the lobby in the first place?”
“He said that on the way back from the hospital, Little Se-jin wanted to go to the practice room, so they stopped by the office. The guards, who recognized him, let the man in because he said he was a member’s father.”
“Aha~.”
Keun Se-jin let out an exclamation, but his face didn't look particularly relieved.
‘I guess it’s because this isn't a problem that can be completely blocked off.’
Family scandals could continue to haunt a person even if they cut ties.
Moreover, anyone bold enough to cause a scene in a corporate lobby wasn't exactly normal, so there was plenty of potential for future trouble.
“…Anyway, Little Se-jin must have been shaken up, so make sure to treat him well when you all get back to the dorm.”
“Of course.”
“Understood.”
Between the ankle injury and the family issues, it was almost certain he was struggling mentally.
The members nodded readily, though they each seemed to be pondering the situation in their own way.
Not long after, Lee Se-jin returned to the dorm with his leg in a half-cast.
The situation was the same as a few days ago, but the absence of a companion wasn't the only difference.
Lee Se-jin’s face was grim.
“……?”
Noticing the atmosphere, the members hesitantly spoke up.
“Se-jin, um… did the talk go well?”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. …I’m perfectly fine.”
Lee Se-jin spoke with conviction, then walked steadily through the entrance and headed for the kitchen.
He downed a glass of water in one go.
Gulp, gulp.
He slammed the cup down on the table, took a deep breath, and spoke.
“Tomorrow… I’m filing for a restraining order.”
“……!”
“A-Against your father?”
“Father, my foot. That bastard divorced my mom when I was a kid and doesn't even have custody…!”
A few members were startled, as it was their first time hearing Lee Se-jin use such profanity.
“…Do you have evidence?”
“I’m not filing it for myself. …I’m doing it for my mom.”
“……!”
“……Sigh.”
Lee Se-jin let out a long sigh and began to explain the situation.
“…It seems that person has been contacting my mom and extorting money ever since I started getting a bit of recognition as a child actor.”
However, his mother hadn't let on about the situation to the young Lee Se-jin. He said he only found out for the first time while discussing this recent incident.
“It quieted down once I stopped acting, but… he started contacting her again when I appeared on Idol Inc.”
Lee Se-jin swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly as he continued.
“I… I just thought they had split up due to personality differences. Since he said he was having a hard time, I sent him money, but…….”
Apparently, the requested amounts grew larger, accompanied by subtle verbal abuse and threats.
“…Since the program did so well, he was doing it almost every day from the mid-to-late stages.”
Lee Se-jin’s face turned pale as he recalled those times.
‘…Is that why he became especially sensitive starting from the third evaluation?’
His mental state had already been shattered back then.
“…Then, during the last break, I found out after having an honest talk with my mom.”
That they had divorced in the first place because of his gambling and sticky fingers, and that his biological father had been continuously threatening her for money.
“…….”
A worried silence fell over the room.
“…Then why did you keep in contact until now…?”
“……If I acted rashly, I might have become a burden to my mom or… the group again. We already had that issue with the agency last time.”
Lee Se-jin grit his teeth and wiped his eyes fiercely.
“I decided not to run away anymore, so I was going to… handle it somehow. ……It didn't work out well, though.”
“…….”
“I’ll apologize in advance. If I file for a restraining order… an article might come out. The company said they’d try their best to block it, but…….”
Lee Se-jin hung his head low.
“If it becomes a problem again… I’m sorry.”
“……!”
“Se-jin, you don't need to apologize for something like this.”
“I-It’s really okay……!”
Amidst the flustered members, Keun Se-jin spoke up with a sympathetic, kind expression.
“Hmm… Hyung, your situation is truly unfortunate. But I don't think a restraining order alone will end things. Shouldn't you consider other methods?”
“…I know.”
Lee Se-jin swallowed hard.
“That’s why… I found out where he gambles.”
“-!! H-How?”
“…Does that matter? Anyway, I’m going to report that place to the police.”
“Gasp!”
“Then he’ll go to jail. In the meantime, I can use my settlement money to move my mom to a place with better security.”
“Ooh!”
Amidst the admiring minors, I thought skeptically.
‘Isn't illegal gambling usually just a fine?’
I’d mostly seen cases where even if they were sentenced, it ended with probation.
Furthermore, whether the police would actually believe the report and mobilize was another issue.
“…Won't it just end with probation?”
“It won't. I heard he was running a gambling scam while working at the den.”
“……!”
“I recorded everything he said to scare me. About being a gangster and all that……. I can send it to the police anonymously if I have to.”
I thought it was just an addiction since he mentioned gambling, but he was more of a full-blown criminal than I expected.
Well, I understood Lee Se-jin’s desire for a clean resolution and his big picture. However, I felt the situation might actually become more dangerous this way.
‘If a criminal goes around blabbing that he’s Lee Se-jin’s father, it’ll be an even bigger headache.’
It seemed better to visibly and completely sever the connection with Lee Se-jin… Hmm. Something came to mind.
‘I’m not sure if he’ll agree to it, though.’
Let’s bring it up for now.
“We need to make sure a person with that kind of criminal record can't use your name for anything stupid later. He could get out of jail and commit investment fraud while claiming to be your father.”
“……!!”
“Why don't you use this opportunity to draw a line once and for all?”
“H-How…?”
I twirled my finger.
“By changing your surname to your mother’s.”
“……!! Cough.”
“Completely erase the link to your father’s side.”
Was it such a shocking and radical suggestion?
Lee Se-jin choked on his breath.
“Take it easy.”
I poured another glass of water into the cup he had been using and handed it to him. Lee Se-jin downed it and muttered with a dazed face.
“I… I never thought of… that.”
“Me neither.”
“M-Me too.”
Cha Yu-jin and Seon A-hyun agreed blankly from the side.
Keun Se-jin seemed to be quickly searching on his smartphone before nodding.
“Oh~ It says if you’re not a minor, you don't necessarily need the biological father’s permission. They still send out a notice for an opinion, but you could do it right when he’s distracted by the gambling den raid!”
Lee Se-jin’s expression became complicated.
“……But that will take quite a while. Changing it in the middle of comeback promotions is a bit……”
Hmm, he’s worrying about something meaningless.
“You can just start using it as a stage name immediately.”
“…!!”
“Ah, I see. You can change your stage name first and then naturally proceed with the legal name change!”
Kim Rae-bin marveled. Lee Se-jin still looked stunned.
‘Well, if I suddenly had to change my surname, I’d probably be conflicted too.’
It was a bit funny for me to think this, considering both my first and last names had been swapped.
Anyway, since he had built a career under that name since his child actor days, it was understandable if he felt some resistance to changing it.
‘He might refuse.’
Just as I thought that, Lee Se-jin nodded resolutely.
“…Fine! The surname doesn't matter anyway.”
His eyes were burning with fire.
‘……That’s the same look he had when he was staring at his phone a few days ago.’
I guess it was a burning desire for catharsis.
Regardless, the members clapped at Lee Se-jin’s bold declaration to change his name.
“Oooooh!”
Lee Se-jin turned his head away, looking embarrassed.
‘That’s settled then.’
I immediately added a further piece of advice.
“Make sure to tell the company to release articles implying the divorce was entirely due to the biological father’s fault. Not overtly, but just enough so it can be inferred between the lines.”
It meant don't draw unnecessary aggro, but don't leave any room for doubt either.
Of course, the company would likely handle it well, but there was no harm in making sure.
Then, Lee Se-jin took on an expression as if he were reminiscing.
“……I thought this last time too, but you’re… never mind.”
“…? Go ahead.”
“I said never mind.”
Well, if you say so.
Ryu Cheong-woo joined the conversation with a slightly awkward smile.
“Actually, aside from the goals we just discussed… I think it’s a great decision. Your mother’s surname, who loves you, is much better than one received from a person like that.”
“……Right.”
“Anyway, thanks for making a tough decision, Se-jin.”
“……It wasn't that tough.”
Lee Se-jin had apparently used up his social battery for the next six months, as he returned to his usual blunt way of speaking.
“A-Anyway. I’ll call the company now.”
“Yes!”
“I’m glad it reached a good conclusion.”
“……Thanks.”
“Hehe.”
“You worked hard~”
Keun Se-jin also offered a friendly remark with a smile.
It didn't seem like he had developed any particular liking for Lee Se-jin, but at the very least, he didn't seem annoyed by this incident.
And Lee Se-jin seemed too immersed in his task to feel uncomfortable around Keun Se-jin.
‘That’s good.’
As long as I don't force them together for no reason, it should be fine.
In that harmonious atmosphere, a question suddenly occurred to me.
“By the way, Hyung, what is your mother’s surname?”
At that, Lee Se-jin’s ears turned bright red.
What was it?
“……Bae.”
“Pardon?”
“I said it’s Bae!”
“……!!”
…And so, after a long detour, the former child actor Lee Se-jin truly became Bae Se-jin.
This time, it wasn't an abbreviation for "actor," but a surname taken from his mother. Since Bae Se-jin himself seemed satisfied, it was a relief.
It was theoretically interesting how the same name could yield such different results based solely on the perception of the person receiving it.
However, the most surprising part of this incident wasn't that.
It appeared in an internet article that Bae Se-jin found a few days later.
“This is it!”
Bae Se-jin thrust his smartphone at me with a rare look of excitement.
“……?”
I read the article.
=========================
[Illegal Gambling Den Operators Apprehended in XX City… Drugs Also Confirmed]
: Northern Gyeonggi Police Station announced on the 12th that they apprehended six individuals, including Mr. A (43), on charges of opening a gambling den and engaging in illegal gambling in the basement warehouse of a building in XX City on the 11th.
Furthermore, 2.2kg of pill-form narcotics were discovered inside the gambling den facility…….
=========================
“……!!”
“See! I don't think I’ll have to worry for a few years!”
“……Yes.”
Indeed, he really wouldn't have to worry anymore.
It was the day we caught Schrödinger’s drug addict with a lucky strike.
A few more days passed, around the time Bae Se-jin removed his half-cast and switched to a light brace.
‘The music video teaser comes out at midnight tonight.’
It was essentially the signal fire for the start of full-scale promotions.
And now, the day had come for me to make the choice I had been putting off.
The point distribution.
‘Status Window.’
I had 3 points available. I planned to save one for emergencies and definitely use 2 points.
The question was where to use them.
“Hmm.”
Without agonizing for too long, I decided where to distribute the points.
And before actually raising the stats, I decided to do something else first.
“Hyung.”
“Huh?”
“What do you think about changing our shop?”
It was an advanced version of what I had done during Idol Inc.