Chapter 208
Chapter 208
To be honest, I’d experienced some pretty serious privacy invasions while promoting with the group.
—That crazy taxi... it tried to cause an accident on purpose, right??
—Ex-excuse me... the person behind you keeps trying to hit you...
—Wow~ TeSTAR! Please sign this and take a photo!
—Pardon? I’m sorry, but this area is...
—They say they’re your niece/nephew, just do it for them.
It ranged from severe cases, like people intentionally trying to cause fender benders, to minor ones, like people pushing their way into the waiting rooms during music broadcasts.
Well, it wasn't an unexpected side effect, so it’s true that I’d complacently brushed it off as a professional hazard.
Since we live in the information age, there seemed to be more cases of people trying to hack electronic devices than those showing up in person.
And for a start, the dorm had been fine.
‘I didn't think there was any room for something like the studio apartment incident to happen.’
The dorm was an apartment with very good security.
It would have been impossible for someone to break in like they did back when I used that old, shabby studio as a temporary base.
Bae Se-jin probably felt an even stronger urge to buy high-security real estate after moving into this dorm.
However, it seemed that even this place had reached its limit.
"They actually broke in?"
"Yes. Sigh. I heard they bribed a delivery man to get into the parking garage, but the way they were caught was..."
"H-how were they discovered...?"
The Chief Manager sighed and answered a nervous Kim Rae-bin.
"Apparently, it was a diversionary tactic!"
"...?!"
"They were caught while sneaking into the management office's CCTV room to find blind spots. They blabbed everything and were all dragged away... Sigh, honestly."
"Ugh."
"..."
This was absurd.
They weren't the mafia, so why were they bribing employees and executing diversionary tactics?
It was so organized that their persistence and passion felt like a waste. But I wasn't surprised.
‘I encountered similar cases a few times back when I was a data seller.’
Requests like following someone around all day and providing data on them.
The pay was quite high, but I avoided them because it was a one-way ticket to a criminal record if things went south.
Anyway, after seeing things escalate to this point, the apartment management office and the residents' association had issued a formal recommendation.
"They said it was already hard enough chasing away the people constantly camping out in front of the complex, and they can't handle it anymore..."
"...Hmm."
In short, it was: "This is your problem, so do something about it yourselves."
It was a reasonable request, so we couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
Moreover, it was too dangerous for the company to ignore just because they didn't want to deal with it. The moment the apartment residents reported it to the media, things would blow up.
[TeSTAR Dorm Controversy... Apartment Residents Express Fear Over Noise and Intrusions]
The article titles were already vivid in my mind.
‘Moving is the only answer, after all.’
Instead of pouring money and manpower into this apartment, the company would likely choose to move, which allowed for media play like "Moving to a better dorm."
Still, explaining the situation in such detail served a purpose beyond a simple explanation.
It would be easier to get our cooperation by scaring us like this rather than just acting like they were doing us a favor by saying, "We're moving you to a better place~"
Especially regarding future... stalker-related responses.
‘In that sense, he’s definitely more competent than the first manager, but...’
Hmm, still, it would be better to bring in a new road manager with a good personality.
This group was full of guys who ground themselves down for their work. We needed a manager who was warm-hearted but quick on their feet.
"So, since things turned out this way, I think it would be good to move to a bigger and better place. What do you think?"
"Let's go! I love it!"
"Wait a second. Um, can those who want to change dorms raise their hands?"
At Ryu Cheong-woo's words, several people, including Cha Yu-jin, immediately raised their hands.
Instead of raising his hand, Keun Se-jin gave a sly grin and waved his hand like he was hailing a taxi.
"Ah, moving is obviously great~ But where are we going?"
"We're still checking potential locations, but one thing's for sure: we have to go somewhere with better security and a better location than here!"
"Right~ Ah, we're going somewhere close to the salon, right? I'm in!"
It meant he’d oppose it unless it was in central Seoul, close to the salon in Cheongdam-dong.
"Haha, I understand! Oh, then would you like to see the candidates yourselves? I'll send them over!"
"Yes!"
Soon, a file appeared in the company group chat on the messenger app. I immediately clicked the file and skimmed through the candidates.
‘Not bad.’
Of course, you can't know for sure without visiting in person, but based on the location and name value alone, they were all quite good.
‘There are many places where celebrities already live...’
Wait. Why is this place here?
At that moment, the Chief Manager pointed to that exact "place."
"Actually, we'd like to strongly push for SV Village. TeSTAR has a certain reputation now! We're relaying the message that you guys deserve to live in a place like that!"
No.
"...How about somewhere closer to the broadcasting stations? Like Endre Palace or..."
"Ah, we're looking into that place as a meaningful option as well!"
The Chief Manager skillfully pivoted. Beside me, Seon A-hyun asked.
"M-Moon-dae, do you really hate... being in the car for a long time?"
"...I suppose so."
"I-I see!"
That wasn't it.
I just happened to know whose dorm was in "SV Village."
‘It’s VTIC’s dorm.’
Of course, they say it’s become a dorm in name only as the members have gradually moved out on their own over the years, but there was no need to give them an excuse to be "neighbors."
‘Well, seeing how that guy acts, it doesn't look like he has any intention of leaving his house.’
I don't know why he keeps sending me photos of his dog rolling around in the garden, but anyway, I hope he just stays there.
But since you never know what might happen, it was better to avoid it.
"Then I'll make sure to organize your opinions well and deliver them!"
"Yes!"
The meeting ended cleanly, and it looked like the move would proceed quickly around the time this promotion ended.
‘There shouldn't be any problems.’
I thought so, but the problem was that this news leaked elsewhere.
*
‘They just don't learn.’
The Twin Fansite Master closed the screenshots she was looking through.
This office worker, who ran a twin fansite for Lee Se-jin and Park Moon-dae, was browsing social media during a break. That was when she found the post.
[TeSTAR's psycho sasaengs are so gross]
Someone had screenshotted and posted their private accounts.
Seeing how the poster didn't take the post down despite being hammered with comments like "Why are you bringing this to the surface?" and "The content itself is an invasion of TeSTAR's privacy," their intentions were obvious.
‘They must want to rain on the parade during the promotion period.’
The office worker thought of the usual suspects—VTIC fans, One Curve fans, etc.—before giving up.
It wasn't like the group's momentum would fail because of that.
TeSTAR's current promotion was sailing smoothly.
While there was a large influx of fans, the decline in public popularity—which had been slowly stagnating into "their own world" after Idol Inc.—had stopped thanks to the reality show.
‘That’s probably why they’re so anxious and acting out, right?’
Furthermore, the two members the Twin Fansite Master picked were especially successful, having added new images to their repertoire.
Not only Lee Se-jin, who wore a different type of monocle for every music broadcast, but Park Moon-dae’s silver hair was also receiving rave reviews.
—He was licking a pen nib in the music video, and now he's licking my heart in the fancams. Moon-dae eats people's hearts.
—Preserve silver-haired Moon-dae forever. I can't give up the 1,000-year-old elite yokai vibe (fist emoji).
—Yes, I knew it. The era of the Great Unification of Black-Puppy and Gold-Puppy has arrived.
- Isn't silver hair more like a Tibetan Fox?
Even the comments on the WeTube fancams, which weren't even personal social media, were exploding with unbridled praise.
‘I definitely made the right choice stanning Park Moon-dae too.’
At this rate, she could cover her fan activity costs just by making and selling Season's Greetings. The Twin Fansite Master logged into her social media with satisfaction.
What did it matter what the sasaengs did? It was an issue that would be swept away as soon as new content dropped.
To put it bluntly, the guys she followed weren't the type to get caught by sasaengs anyway, so there wouldn't be any additional controversies.
‘Lee Se-jin is a sure bet.’
Based on her years of experience in this field, the idol Lee Se-jin was absolutely not the type to feel pity for stalkers.
He was an ambitious guy who was clearly good at drawing lines and separating his public and private life.
‘Park Moon-dae? Definitely not him either.’
He was the type to wonder why people even lived their lives as stalkers.
He seemed surprisingly weak toward people who liked him, but seeing how he crafted his image so perfectly, he was smart enough to handle himself.
The office worker finished her assessment and continued editing photos while gulping down a zero-calorie soda.
It was the moment she was uploading a two-shot of the two from the last concert, which she hadn't released yet.
"What's this?"
—Pur-Be-nim, have you seen this?ㅠㅠ
A link to an internet forum sent by an anonymous account she didn't even know looked suspicious.
[TeSTAR's skill at brushing off photographers]
The Twin Fansite Master checked the content immediately.
The post included a GIF of a large person sticking a camera in a TeSTAR member's face, only for the member to use their elbow and forearm to shove them away.
And that member was... Ryu Cheong-woo!
"......??"
He wasn't the type to do this either.
She thought he’d be the type to be an expert at avoiding conflict since he was a former athlete, but based on the scene alone, it looked threatening, almost like he was hitting the person.
The top comments were also in an uproar with similar sentiments.
—Heol, was Ryu Cheong-woo's personality always like that?
—Honestly, those kinds of bastards deserve to be hitㅋㅋㅋ But Ryu Cheong-woo is a bit of a turn-off now.
—What did Cheong-woo even do wrong? Is this really worth 1,000 comments? It's scary, seriously.
—That's so cool? As expected, people need to exercise.
Downvotes and upvotes were flying chaotically as all sorts of comments were made.
"This is strange."
While she felt a sense of "I knew it" because it wasn't the two guys she picked, the Twin Fansite Master couldn't shake her unease.
Ryu Cheong-woo wasn't an idiot; why would he do that in front of cameras when he had security and managers?
‘It’s probably the magic of the camera angle.’
And sure enough, not long after, other camera angles and testimonies of the situation came pouring in.
—That bastard broke through security and was practically throwing his camera at the kids' bodies. It would've been dangerous if Ryu Cheong-woo hadn't done that.
—Looking at it, he didn't even hit him. If you look at other angles, the guy who stuck to them tripped over his own feet and fell. Stop fabricating (screenshot).
—I don't even know why this is being discussed when it's such a natural defense. Seeing people bring up Cheong-woo's national athlete days to make assumptions makes me want to die of frustration.
The Twin Fansite Master understood why Ryu Cheong-woo's individual fans, who weren't usually aggressive, were coming out and venting their anger.
It was a situation where they’d been slapped out of nowhere.
And she slowly began to have doubts about the situation.
‘Did someone set this up?’
She was right.
There were data sellers who had been hired for a decent daily wage, and a group chat that worked hard to recreate the controversy.
And the ones who paid the data sellers... were the ones who had broken through the security of TeSTAR's apartment.
They had lost their minds at the news that TeSTAR was moving to a place with tighter security.
Naturally, the topic had to come up at TeSTAR's company as well.
*
"Are you in your right mind? Can't you get it together?"
"I'm sorry."
The one getting chewed out right now wasn't a TeSTAR member... obviously, but the first manager.
"No, what are you going to do if you're the only one dodging? Why do you even get a salary, you bastard?"
He was being subjected to all sorts of verbal abuse for dodging a guy who had lunged at them as if he were going to hit them with a camera.
‘It might be a bit annoying that he dodged by himself... but it's not something to get that angry about.’
The manager wasn't a martial arts master, just an ordinary office worker; he didn't need to throw his body into the line of fire.
So, this was a performance.
"I'm sorry. I'll pay more thorough attention to security in the future!"
They were shifting all the arrows of blame onto the first manager to prepare for a situation where the artists might be angry about the poor security.
‘I can see his experience.’
In fact, it wasn't that there was a lack of security personnel usually, it was just a special situation, but he was skilled at trying to soothe them.
Because several members already looked like they didn't know what to do in this situation.
"I-it's okay."
"I think it's a situation where you don't have to reprimand the manager hyung..."
"Phew, thank you!"
The Chief Manager continued with a look of immense relief.
"Cheong-woo-nim, you don't have to worry too much either! Everything's been cleared up, and there were actually many reactions saying you were cool."
"..."
Ryu Cheong-woo gave a bitter smile.
Since he was a former national athlete and had such a gentle image, he must have taken a bit of a hit this time.
Because the bastards who usually looked down on him would find it easy to act shocked right now.
"Don't worry!"
"Um, alright."
However, it would have been better if the manager hadn't added the following words.
"But you don't have to do this in the future! The company should take care of these things, but when the artist steps forward, it often ends up like this..."
Between the words that sounded like self-reproach, there was a slight, strange nuance of "Why did you even do that?"
‘Why is he being so unnecessary?’
Just as I was debating whether to step in and respond, Ryu Cheong-woo spoke first.
In a sharp tone that was unlike him.
"...So, are you saying I should have just let someone get hit?"
"......!"
"No, that's not it... I mean that dodging would have been enough! Since there are many eyes watching..."
"..."
Ryu Cheong-woo didn't answer for a long time, then replied with just one sentence.
"I understand."
It was a tired voice.
And for the rest of the schedule that day, Ryu Cheong-woo didn't speak except in official settings.
‘Damn it.’
It was a clear sign of burnout that anyone could see.