Chapter 452
Chapter 452
“Um, Moon-dae…! We’re getting off now.”
“Ah.”
I followed Seon A-hyun out of the van.
It had already been a few days since that absurd pop-up about the system appeared. So far, there hadn't been any problems. TeSTAR was handling a comeback schedule so grueling they were practically face-planting into their food from exhaustion, and the public response was great.
“Moon-dae, you’re okay, right?”
“Yeah, no problems.”
Right, I had shared the news that the ‘Mission Failure’ state had ended with these guys the very same day. Since the risk of a member suddenly fainting mid-performance due to a body swap was gone, we were able to start our promotions with much lighter hearts.
And… about that pop-up saying I’d collected two system fragments during the process.
This one.
[■■■ (ver. Beta) Binding Complete!]
[Owner: Player Park Moon-dae (Ryu Gun-woo)]
That incomprehensible nonsense had been sorted out too.
‘Status Window.’
There it was, right in my status window.
[Item: ■■■ (ver. Beta)]
Indeed. An ‘Item’ category had been added to the bottom of the display. In truth, this hadn't existed originally; Keun-dal had simply manipulated the status window to add the entry.
I recalled the conversation I’d had with him at the time.
—Hic?!
He had been terrified at the news of a ‘potential system comeback,’ but regained his composure after my summary: ‘But there’s no response; it seems dead.’
Then, after searching through the status window:
—Um… it looks like some kind of item?
—…??
Surprisingly, the fragment had truly been ‘bound’ to me. It wasn't that the system was clinging to me; I possessed it. It was my property.
—Is it definitely the system?
—Well… it feels like it, but it doesn’t feel that powerful or ominous! Oh, I’ll mark it so you can see it!
And so, it was added to the status window as an item. Naturally, a thought occurred to me.
‘…If it’s an item, can I use it?’
With that thought, I tried clicking it once….
[Use ‘Item: ■■■ (ver. Beta)’]
[Target: _______ ]
The moment that pop-up appeared, I shut it down. Keun-dal screamed too.
‘Are you crazy?’
Seeing a target designation field made it undeniable—it was definitely the system. Who on earth would I use that on? From now on, this was permanently sealed.
‘Let’s just bury it.’
After dismissing the item pop-up, I went back to monitoring the web while the others checked the schedule.
“Manager, didn’t our group have a shoot for Tnet’s new variety show today?”
“Ah, that was postponed due to broadcasting issues, so it’s been changed to a corporate event.”
“Understood!”
‘We only agreed to that new variety show because T1 pushed it so hard; it was just a deal to keep them happy.’
I intended to check the feedback on our other variety appearances and the reactions to our performances. Then, I saw this trending post.
[The CyChart fansite photos that are currently blowing everyone’s minds]
“…….”
Reflexively, I clicked the post. And there they were. The photos I had taken at the awards ceremony a few days ago.
==========================
An anonymous account suddenly appeared and dropped a ton of photos without saying a word.
But they’re so well-taken... (Photos)
People are debating if it’s a pro, a veteran, or a fansite master, but anyway, the K-pop multi-stan timeline is in a festival mood.
(Link) (Link) (Link)
==========================
‘Why did this become a hot topic?’
…A few days ago, after we finished talking about the item, Keun-dal had asked for permission.
—Would it be okay if I shared the photos you took with the fans? If you don’t want to, I obviously won’t!
I didn't see any reason to stop him. To be honest, looking at it objectively, I didn't think they turned out better than before since it had been a while.
‘It’s not like I was the only one holding a camera at CyChart.’
Besides, he was the one who bought the camera anyway. He could do whatever he wanted with it.
—As long as it’s anonymous, it should be fine.
—Okay!!
That was yesterday. And now… this was the result.
“…….”
First of all… it was the way Keun-dal uploaded them. Usually, even if you don't sell the data, you exchange it with other fans or post it separately in each artist’s fan community. It was almost unheard of for someone to dump photos of every artist they took on a single account.
And he did it without a single word of introduction, just a barrage of photos with tags.
Of course, Keun-dal probably thought:
—Great, I’ll make an anonymous account and upload them all at once!
…So, this efficient, common-sense action had unintentionally stirred up ‘aggro’ in the idol world. Eventually, after comparing Keun-dal’s Young-rin cuts with her legendary fancam from CyChart, people even started saying this:
Consequently, heartwarming stories and interest in Young-rin remembering ‘that fancam master from her debut days’ were dominating the trending posts. This, in turn, drew even more attention to the account… and it suddenly became the talk of the town.
“…….”
Can you tell?
I looked over my photos again. No matter how much I looked, I couldn't see much of a difference.
‘Did I take too many?’
It seemed the cause was that I’d taken an especially large number of TeSTAR photos while checking on Keun-dal’s condition. Of course, it wasn't just TeSTAR being mentioned.
There weren't any. I was backstage when that guy was performing.
‘…He did do well, though.’
I recalled Cheong-ryeo’s stage, where he had blatantly used a VTIC song as an intro before his own solo performance. He had skillfully cut the VTIC track and filled the stage all by himself. It was essentially a declaration.
‘He’s saying he’ll make a solo comeback with the presence of a full group.’
The competition this year wasn't going to be easy. Still, TeSTAR had made a strong start with this comeback, so we wouldn't be pushed back in terms of momentum.
‘Let’s keep going like this.’
Anyway, after checking the general reaction to the photos, I passed the word along to the person responsible. Keun-dal was horrified.
[H-Hic, I’ll delete the account right away…!]
…That much?
‘No, it’s fine.’
That would only draw more attention. Let’s just let it pass as a minor incident.
‘Just don’t upload any more and it’ll be fine.’
[Yes….]
People’s interests shift quickly. This would be over in a flash. I took one more look at the reactions, feeling a bit strange.
It was surprising that no one was openly criticizing me or calling me a ‘data seller’ yet. It seemed the interest had shifted toward the YouTube account I’d previously set up to upload unsold fancams.
In any case, it was a peculiar feeling. Originally, I would have sold off everything that could make money. My photos were always only made public after the fansite master who bought them had selected and edited them. This kind of direct reaction was a first.
‘…It’s not a bad feeling.’
I checked Keun-dal’s account with the ID ‘gun4321’ one last time, and after confirming there was nothing else unusual, I was about to finish my search.
That was when it happened.
“M-Moon-dae. Is that… is that me?”
“…!”
Turning my head, I saw Seon A-hyun looking at me with an oddly expectant expression. What now?
“Y-You took that, right?”
How did he know?
“Yeah, when our bodies were swapped.”
“I knew it…! Ah, I saw you editing them on your laptop.”
“…….”
Come to think of it, I had done it on my laptop in the living room. It was an environment where anyone could have seen if they looked. And Seon A-hyun’s words drew the attention of the rest of the waiting room.
“Whoa, daebak~ Moon-dae, did you take these? You put them on the internet?”
“I look cool! This is me and Cheong-woo hyung!”
“…Park Moon-dae, you’re actually really good at taking photos.”
The members crowded around, asking to see, and I handed over my smartphone.
‘Don’t you guys have your own phones?’
Anyone watching would think my smartphone was the group’s communal property. Kim Rae-bin’s eyes sparkled.
“To upload your work separately as a hobby… it is just like the ‘Starry Melody’ account where we previously uploaded our arrangement work!”
Sure. Except there’s a difference in that I’ll never be caught, since it’s physically impossible for me to take photos of myself.
‘…? Come to think of it, I wasn't even the one who uploaded them.’
But before I could say anything, the guys, who had been having a blast with the photos, started chattering again.
“Should we film another travel reality show when this promotion ends? It would be fun to have Moon-dae take photos there. We could even try swapping hobbies.”
“Oh, that sounds great! Going on a trip together is good, but a concept where we work part-time at a theme park or something could be fun too~”
“Great! I want to try that!”
Did they start talking like high schoolers just because we made a comeback with a high school concept? Regardless, seeing that the atmosphere wasn't weighed down by exhaustion despite this relentless schedule… was a good thing.
“What do you think, Moon-dae hyung?”
“…Part-time at a theme park sounds okay.”
“Oh, as expected, Moon-dae is a pro~”
I let out a small chuckle, shook my head, and took my phone back.
‘Hmm, maybe I should take photos occasionally.’
Well, it was a nice event for a change of pace. And that day’s schedule ended without any issues. Since it was a day where we could finally sleep for more than six hours, everyone headed back to the dorm in high spirits.
“We have to leave at 7:30 tomorrow.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
I agreed. I quickly washed up, changed, and gladly went to bed.
And how much time had passed?
“…Moon-dae!”
Mm.
“Park Moon-dae…!”
The alarm hadn't gone off yet.
“Wake up for a second! This article…!!”
Article. In that instant, my sleepiness vanished as if doused in cold water. I opened my eyes immediately.
In front of me, Bae Se-jin stood in the darkness, his face pale, holding his smartphone. Why was he in this room… no, that wasn't it.
“What article?”
“This.”
Bae Se-jin immediately thrust his phone forward. Reflexively, the current time caught my eye.
‘…6:00 AM.’
Twenty minutes before my alarm was set to go off. It was also the perfect time for events that happened overnight to be organized and hit the main page.
‘What is it?’
I immediately read the headline.
[(Breaking News) Prosecution Requests Arrest Warrant for T1 Ent CEO]
“…!”
“It’s not an article about us, but… the company, it doesn’t seem like a normal situation.”
Having suffered under agencies before, it seemed Bae Se-jin had sensed something wrong the moment he saw the article.
“After all… you’re the best at handling things like this.”
“…….”
“…Sorry for waking you.”
“No.”
You were right to wake me. I immediately took the phone and read the article.
‘Please let it be embezzlement.’
The best-case scenario, where it had nothing to do with us, was the CEO acting like a lunatic over money on his own. But unfortunately… it wasn't.
— CEO Lee (58), who was arrested for violating the Political Funds Act…….
“…….”
Politics? Right. Since Bae Se-jin had acted immediately after seeing the content, it was perhaps expected.
‘Damn it.’
I read further. It seemed the CEO of T1 Ent had poured money into a certain party after receiving a promise for a National Assembly nomination. And not just the CEO, but several others were arrested on similar charges….
“…….”
“What… what do you think?”
Wait.
“Just a moment.”
I filtered out a few keywords from the article and reset the date settings.
‘Last 3 months.’
And the criteria… not just T1 Ent, but all of ‘T1.’ I began scanning the articles, sorted by popularity.
[T1 Food violates Imported Food Safety Act, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issues ‘Correction Order’]
[Tnet <Voice of You> warned by Korea Communications Standards Commission]
[T1 Running Express and 3 other companies collude in port distribution, fined 5 billion won]
…….
Every few days, articles about all sorts of indictments and fines poured out. Even when multiple companies were listed, the headlines specifically emphasized ‘T1.’ Even for a large conglomerate, the frequency was abnormal.
“…….”
I quickly scrolled through the screen. Bae Se-jin grit his teeth.
“There’s a problem with T1 itself, isn’t there?”
“…You could see it that way.”
Let’s be honest. It wasn't like Tnet’s dirty tricks while expanding their business were anything new; they had always managed to smooth things over with capital and connections like a typical conglomerate. But for the number of articles to suddenly explode in the last few months?
“T1 has always been like this. Doesn't it seem like the ‘ones catching them’ have suddenly become strict?”
“……!”
Bae Se-jin swallowed hard. “Then….”
“Yes.” I muttered gloomily. “Hyung, you know there’s a presidential election this year, right?”
“…….”
This was… entangled with politics.
Damn it.
‘T1 has been targeted.’
I didn't know what they were targeted for, but either way, they were screwed. And the one caught as an example among them was… the entertainment sector.
‘The closer we get to the present, the more stories there are about the entertainment business.’
After slowly scanning through two months of records, I found the most frequent items.
[Tnet <Be My Girls> Unfair Contract Lawsuit]
[T1’s Abuse of Power... Tears of <Be My Girls> Cast]
[T-Ones Studio, <Sweet Ending> faces censorship difficulties: “Expression is vulgar”]
‘Tnet.’
In other words, T1 Ent. From the broadcasting station to the production studio. Since it was likely the business part where public image was most important and had the greatest impact, they were stabbing here.
If so, how would the corporation respond? If they were in a situation where they had to give up some flesh to survive….
‘…They’ll have to cut the tail.’
They would decide on a course of action—whether to cut off one of the most problematic parts and prostrate themselves or act tough. But giving up the broadcasting station in the entertainment business would be madness. They would keep the station at all costs and choose a tail to cut instead….
What would they discard?
‘It’s obvious.’
They have the confidence that they can replace them as long as they hold the broadcasting station. And it’s a business where the ones who serve as the face of the company are nearing their contract renewal season anyway.
Namely… the subsidiary talent agencies.
“…Let’s wake everyone up.”
These were the various agencies under T1 Ent.
And a few days later.
The board of directors of T1 Stars, the agency TeSTAR belonged to, was arrested.