Chapter 135
Chapter 135
…First, I kept listening to the recording.
The more I listened, the more certain I became that this was the conversation I’d had with Choi Won-gil on that secluded staircase at the MBS station.
‘Damn it.’
[Everyone lives like that anyway! Like I’m the only one… everyone fights over parts and curses at each other, so why are you acting like—]
Choi Won-gil’s long-winded self-justifications, dragging others down with him, continued in low-quality audio.
Honestly, even if it had stopped there, the buildup was enough to make anyone want to curse him out. He’d picked a fight out of nowhere and was now doing nothing but whining and blaming others.
But on top of that, they’d worked some editing magic on the back end.
They had rearranged a single word.
[Hyung, everything always worked out for you.]
[…It didn’t. Would you swap places with me if you could?]
[…I can’t swap!]
[So you do have the desire to swap. Hmm… But honestly, you wouldn’t want to swap families, would you?]
[Yeah.]
[…….]
Originally, Choi Won-gil’s "Yeah" had been an answer to a question about his family’s well-being, but it had been spliced in as the conclusion to that specific exchange.
Thanks to that, the nuance had become incredibly twisted.
‘They made Choi Won-gil look way more disrespectful than he actually was.’
It made it seem like the moment I brought up my family history, he’d snapped back with, "Yeah, living as an orphan like you would suck, but I’m still jealous of your career."
Naturally, there was no trace of the apology Choi Won-gil had offered afterward. The video ended after a few more seconds of static.
The silence at the end made it feel as if Park Moon-dae had been left speechless, stunned by Choi Won-gil’s immediate retort.
That seemed intentional, too.
“……Hmm.”
I looked at the comments again.
First, there was a top comment that interpreted Choi Won-gil’s words in an even more aggressive tone than the original.
That was the one I’d read earlier.
And the next most-upvoted comments were… well, exactly as I expected.
Half of them were about me.
‘…Number 1.’
Since the video title had a "2" attached to it, it seemed there was a first one as well.
I clicked the link in the comment.
A shaky, low-resolution camera captured Choi Won-gil muttering to himself while sitting on those secluded stairs at the station.
‘They zoomed in as much as they could.’
It was clearly filmed and enlarged using a smartphone.
Choi Won-gil was muttering something under his breath; he seemed pushed to his mental limit, likely unaware he was even speaking out loud.
The problem was… the content was a direct attack on netizens.
[The bastards who write comments are all mindless anyway…… They don’t even know what they’ve written, they forget so fast…….]
From Choi Won-gil’s perspective, it wasn’t something he couldn’t say.
After being publicly humiliated and torn apart on the internet like that, he could easily say something like that during a counseling session or while trying to steel himself.
In fact, it was a sight that could even evoke sympathy.
However, for the people who had bashed Choi Won-gil during Aju-sa, it was the perfect fuel to get their blood boiling.
The criticism and sarcasm in the comments were relentless here as well.
It was likely thanks to the justification provided by that recording of the conversation with me, which had been so "well-edited."
“…….”
My head was starting to throb.
For now, I could tell that I wasn't the target.
‘They’re trying to take down Choi Won-gil.’
It was obvious, seeing how much effort they put into editing and uploading the recording.
The person I saw under the stairs at the station back then was probably this bastard.
Seeing how they didn't upload it then but waited until the news of Choi Won-gil’s group debut broke, they were clearly determined.
‘And they used me for it.’
What drove me crazy was that this person had used Park Moon-dae as kindling to fan the flames.
Did you see the long string of comments pitying and defending me?
It was easy to mistake this for a good thing since public opinion was favorable, but it absolutely wasn't.
It meant that the image of my tragic family history, which I had barely managed to bury into the background narrative, had been dragged back out into the open.
The posts popping up on social media right now looked like this:
They weren't even TeSTAR fan accounts.
‘…I passed the stage where I could benefit from this kind of thing a long time ago.’
Now that the group had successfully established itself, rather than being in the middle of an audition where every single vote counted, this kind of topic was actually a hindrance.
It was because it distorted the image.
Imagine if people thought of a shockingly tragic past before they thought of the stage or the group's image whenever they saw Park Moon-dae.
And during TeSTAR’s new album promotions, no less.
It was the perfect way to make even the content that should be mindless and fun feel exhausting.
‘…At least being a crybaby was funny.’
In short, this was a disaster for me too.
‘What a mess, right from the day of the first comeback broadcast……’
I was already tired.
“…Whew.”
First, let’s control the situation within reach.
I immediately informed the manager of the situation.
After confirming the manager had grabbed his phone and rushed out, I immediately looked for "Gold 1" in my contacts.
Ryu Cheong-woo, who had been watching me, spoke up immediately.
“What’s wrong?”
“…Check the 5th… no, the 3rd most popular video on WeTube.”
The real-time ranking was already shooting up.
This is driving me crazy.
Keun Se-jin rushed over, having apparently already checked.
“Is this really Choi Won-gil?”
“The nuance was changed through editing. Hold on.”
Gold 1 finally picked up the phone.
“Hyung.”
“I saw it.”
“It’s edited. It wasn't that level of verbal abuse, and Choi Won-gil apologized afterward.”
I heard a sharp intake of breath, as if he were relieved.
“Does the company there know?”
Gold 1 let out a long sigh.
“…….”
“Yes. I’ve told them.”
The agencies were probably already in contact with each other.
Gold 1 hurriedly hung up after offering me a few words of comfort.
And I roughly grasped the situation.
‘Choi Won-gil… might actually get kicked out of the debut lineup at this rate.’
Since public opinion was disastrous, that company seemed to be looking for an exit strategy. Their nuance suggested they’d drop him if the reaction remained poor even after an explanation.
And hearing that Choi Won-gil’s condition was bad… wait, I have a bad feeling about this.
This kid isn't thinking of doing something extreme, is he?
“…….”
A cold sweat broke out.
This… the speed of the cleanup might be a matter of life and death.
‘If it’s too late, won’t the backlash be enormous?’
Let’s say this controversy keeps getting reproduced and grows insanely large, and after the agency looks for an exit and a struggling Choi Won-gil hits rock bottom, an explanation finally comes out.
Even if the situation is resolved then, the backlash will pour onto me.
Why?
Because a one-on-one good-versus-evil dynamic has already been established between me and Choi Won-gil.
Let’s look at it objectively. The things I said in that recording weren't exactly saintly remarks either.
They were just the kind of words an idol might say to play it safe when faced with a provocation.
But right now, people are hyping them up as if they were the words of a holy man.
That’s because making me out to be a pitiful and kind victim makes it easier to bash Choi Won-gil.
However, if Choi Won-gil gets beaten to a pulp and only later is it explained, causing a surge of sympathy for him, the situation will flip exactly the other way.
It was highly likely that I’d be attacked, with people claiming that Park Moon-dae’s fans had manipulated public opinion by image-making him as a victim.
Of course, in that process, Park Moon-dae’s past controversies would all be dragged up again.
They’d just be having another round of exciting "justice-serving."
‘I can’t let that happen.’
I have to settle this at the level of a minor incident before it develops that far.
Besides, Choi Won-gil is too young to suffer more from this kind of misunderstanding; he’s already tasted too much bitterness.
‘I need to clear this up quickly.’
The only way is to wrap it up before it hits the main news headlines so that Choi Won-gil doesn't get completely screwed.
After a quick phone consultation with the company through the manager, I received immediate confirmation.
“What are you going to do?”
Bae Se-jin crept up and asked.
Looking at the atmosphere, it seemed the situation had already spread to all the members.
“I have to clear things up for him.”
“On the TeSTAR account?”
“No.”
Bae Se-jin seemed to be thinking of when he posted his own statement, but this wasn't that kind of case.
‘If I post it directly, the buzz will only get bigger.’
Then the controversy might even swallow the attention TeSTAR’s comeback is receiving.
On the other hand, if I just let the company release an official statement, people will definitely say things like, "The agencies already got their stories straight, I feel bad for Park Moon-dae."
Then there’s only one way.
Use a third party.
I called Gold 1 again.
“Hyung, do you have a moment?”
“Something like that. I was thinking of creating some message records.”
The live stage was just around the corner. Let’s create the evidence within 30 minutes.
Choi Won-gil began to get pummeled from all sides by excited trolls, an immersed public, and furious Park Moon-dae fans.
Since there was almost no one defending him properly, the news of the recording was spreading rapidly without any reinterpretation.
In the meantime, the stock of Park Moon-dae’s character temporarily reached its peak.
[Park Moon-dae crying at the fans’ sing-along during the concert]
[Collection of testimonies that Park Moon-dae took care of other participants throughout Aju-sa]
[Park Moon-dae’s circumstances at the time of his dropout.jpg]
All sorts of heartwarming stories, from recent ones to those from the early days of Aju-sa, were being dug up and posted.
However, Park Moon-dae’s fans were feeling complicated.
A whirlwind of opinions swirled, from those who were simply furious at Choi Won-gil to those worried about the potential fallout, but they were all equally flustered by this sudden situation.
It was at that very moment that a post appeared on Gold 1’s SNS.
=========================
(Photo)
After hearing what Won-gil said, I worried a lot before asking directly. He’s a friend who works really hard, so I hope you won’t look at him too unkindly.
Won-gil doesn't have an SNS account, so I’m posting this on his behalf.
=========================
The photo posted was… a screenshot of Gold 1’s own chat room.
And the name of the room displayed at the top was "Moon-dae Dongsaeng."
The content of the screenshot began with a message from Gold 1.
[Me: Moon-dae, I’m sorry, but could you take a look at this? Is this for real? (Video Link)]
[Moon-dae Dongsaeng: ?]
[Moon-dae Dongsaeng: One second.]
The link was, of course, "Choi Won-gil Recording 2."
And after exactly the length of the video had passed, a reply came.
[Moon-dae Dongsaeng: What is this?]
[Moon-dae Dongsaeng: It wasn't like this at all…]
[Me: ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[Me: Right? This isn't it, is it…?]
[Moon-dae Dongsaeng: Yeah, it looks like it was stitched together.]
[Moon-dae Dongsaeng: I think Won-gil and I just exchanged well-wishes and that was it.]
[Moon-dae Dongsaeng: Tell Won-gil to sue the person who posted this for defamation. They rearranged the order of the words however they wanted.]
[Me: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅠㅠ Got it! Thanks (Heart-shooting emoticon)]
[Moon-dae Dongsaeng: No problem (Waving yellow dog emoticon)]
The screenshot concluded with Gold 1 asking about 14 minutes later if it was okay to capture and post this, followed by Park Moon-dae’s ready permission.
And unlike some other agencies, Gold 1’s agency, which actually did its job well, released articles and took over the top comments on WeTube in line with the shifting public opinion.
In that way, the criticism toward Choi Won-gil began to subside before it reached an irreversible level and before it got stuck on the portal main pages.
The people who had been bashing him felt a bit embarrassed and lost their momentum, and the arrows of criticism were able to turn toward the party who had fabricated the recording.
Park Moon-dae, who grabbed his smartphone as soon as the music broadcast ended, also confirmed the situation in an instant.
‘For now, the immediate fire is out.’
I let out a sigh as I turned off the smartphone screen.
However, this response was merely a stopgap measure.
If the bastard who uploaded this recording is holding onto something else, Choi Won-gil could still take another nosedive.
And I still had a long way to go.
The talk about my family history that had popped out once hadn't been sealed away yet.
Moreover, the reaction in the comments of the explanation article I just saw was unsettling.
To summarize, it was "Kind Moon-dae is letting it slide."
Since the fact that Choi Won-gil had picked a fight in the first place didn't disappear even if it was a malicious edit, my correction message to Gold 1 was misinterpreted as a sign of a considerate and kind heart.
If it had ended there, it would have just fizzled out, but the problem was that someone had started working the narrative.
Choi Won-gil’s agency seemed worried that the explanation article itself might just be poking a hornet's nest.
So, perhaps wanting to shift the topic entirely, they pushed public opinion and released articles focusing on Park Moon-dae’s "kind response" rather than Choi Won-gil.
The result was the comments I saw earlier.
‘This feels ominous.’
I have a bad feeling.
"God-tier personality," "Angelic." Labels like these can be stripped away as quickly as they are hastily attached.
I don't know if the image will be shattered and ruined by a single slip-up, but the problem was that there would be more than one or two people waiting to catch that slip-up.
‘The bastards who even made news cards to prevent us from winning the Rookie of the Year award wouldn't have suddenly disappeared.’
In this situation, it was enough to just seem like a subtly good guy without being highlighted. An overtly "kind" image like that was a burden.
‘There’s a reason people avoid marketing based on personality.’
So, overall, a conclusion was reached.
‘I have to shift the image.’
I needed a strong, powerful impact—one strong enough to immediately cover up this mess at the beginning of this promotion cycle.
‘The answer… can only be variety shows.’