Chapter 596
Chapter 596
Looking back, it seemed like these kinds of bastards had been clinging to Seon A-hyun ever since Idol Inc.
It wasn't just a simple matter of someone disliking him. It was the kind of people with a twisted worldview who felt that Seon A-hyun receiving recognition was an act of injustice, something so unfair it made them feel victimized.
But this was a new level.
[TeSTAR Leader’s Savage Call-out of Seon A-hyun’s Shameless Hypocrisy!! OMG]
‘He’s literally putting his life on the line just to see Seon A-hyun get fucked over.’
This wasn't just a group of people gathering to curse and pray for his downfall.
Seeing them pour their heart and soul into fabricating rumors, acting on a "please, let just one of these stick" mentality, I didn't even know where to begin or what to say.
"Fuck."
I pressed my aching temples as I looked at the YouTube video thumbnail.
I understood why Ryu Cheong-woo showed this to me before reporting it to the company.
‘The moment a member personally brings this to the company’s attention, it’s a gesture asking them to take it seriously.’
That would inevitably escalate things.
He wanted us to review whether "that method" was the right way to handle it first.
I suppressed the urge to bash someone's head in and flipped to the next page.
I was dealing with all sorts of nonsense the moment my vacation ended.
‘First...’
The cyber-wrecker spreading the rumors.
‘Due to the nature of the YouTube platform, reporting these things usually doesn't do much.’
But here was the thing.
If there were bastards being this persistent and obsessive every single day, I should have known about it sooner. Why didn't I?
If they were this malicious, shouldn't they already be a notorious Seon A-hyun anti-fan?
"Wait a moment."
I raised a hand to Ryu Cheong-woo, then took my smartphone and went directly to the rumor-spreading account to look through it.
"……."
And then I realized.
Why I hadn't been able to pinpoint this specific account.
‘It’s not just about Seon A-hyun.’
[The Chilling Meaning Behind the Photo Mirinae’s Jung Yul-gi Couldn’t Help But Post]
[HaloHe-im’s Villain, Lee Soo-hee’s Diet Media Play Summary!]
When looking at the account as a whole, rather than just the screenshots, it didn't look like an anti-account filled only with malice toward Seon A-hyun.
It looked like one of those typical, low-quality gossip accounts frequently seen on YouTube that scavenges for entertainment industry rumors.
Furthermore, look at the insane volume—they uploaded at least three or four "issue" videos a day.
Because Ryu Cheong-woo had only screenshotted the parts about Seon A-hyun, the frequency had stood out, but in reality, it was only about one in every five or six videos on the account.
In other words, it looked like an ordinary cyber-wrecker account.
"……."
Ryu Cheong-woo waited until I had thoroughly scrutinized the actual account before asking calmly.
"What do you think?"
I remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"I think they’re being smart about this. It’s intentional."
"…!"
Was this just a malicious account targeting everyone across the board?
‘No.’
This was more dangerous.
The rumors about Seon A-hyun and the general celebrity rumors.
The two were different in nature.
‘They’ve cleverly mixed them together on purpose.’
"The other rumors were already trending elsewhere before this account posted them."
"……."
"But the ones about A-hyun... they fabricated those themselves and slipped them in."
What happens if this bastard naturally slides their self-made rumors about Seon A-hyun in between famous, trending issues?
"A-hyun’s story will end up looking like a rumor that was already circulating."
"Yes."
Seon A-hyun's rumors would naturally be treated as "one of those hot topics lately."
Besides, accounts that deal with these kinds of nasty entertainment issues are common.
‘There are even accounts that get millions of views, not just hundreds of thousands.’
So, an account of this scale just looks like "one of those somewhat popular celebrity wrecker channels."
Then, what happens to the people who encounter these rumor videos without thinking?
"……."
That was how it seeped in.
And slowly, "factory-style" cyber-wreckers—the ones who blindly copy and stitch together content from famous cyber-wreckers—started to latch on.
That was when a groundless rumor, made out of thin air, would turn into a real controversy and a major issue.
[The Truth Behind the Massive Controversy Surrounding Seon A-hyun’s Ambassador Role?]
If enough people talk, smoke can rise even from a chimney that hasn't been lit.
"……."
Fuck.
I cleared the search terms.
‘Ryu Cheong-woo was right to look into this.’
If we had missed the timing on this, Seon A-hyun would have ended up being tormented by it for a long, long time.
"Usually, people say it's best to quietly ignore these things until they cross a line, but... I was wondering if we could get rid of it without letting it grow."
Ryu Cheong-woo gave a bitter smile, then sat on the edge of the bed and laced his fingers together.
"If it's a matter of just catching one person, that would be better."
It was a wise judgment.
However...
"The thing is,"
I silently scanned the screen.
"This isn't just one person."
"…!"
Think about it.
Producing three or four videos every single day?
Even if they weren't making everything up and were just pulling from existing controversies, could one person really do that alone?
Especially since they were fabricating Seon A-hyun's controversies themselves—writing scripts, finding appropriate footage, and editing it for impact—they couldn't maintain this kind of rotation alone.
"The factories that use AI have unnatural transitions or grammar, but that’s not the case here."
"……."
"So, thinking within the limits of human time and labor..."
"You mean there are several of them."
Exactly.
Even if there was only one account owner, this was a collective effort.
They were likely a group of people who enjoyed the sense of belonging, and because they were doing it together, the pressure of being held responsible if things went south was diluted.
"But regardless of that, I think you’re right about informing the company, Hyung."
If we buried this, it would likely explode even bigger later. For now, it was better for the company to quickly look into legal response routes. Of course...
"Right, let's do that then."
I could more or less guess how this report would end.
With a somewhat heavy heart, I watched Ryu Cheong-woo make the call.
And a short while later.
"You already knew?"
—Yes... that’s right.
Ryu Cheong-woo received a response from the company saying they were "already monitoring this account."
‘Right.’
I knew it.
Fans had likely already collected PDFs and reported it to the company multiple times.
‘Statistically, it’s much more likely that Seon A-hyun’s fans knew about this before we did.’
And it seemed the company had confirmed it several weeks ago.
However, they weren't neglecting it because of factional infighting like back when we were under T1.
There was a realistic reason.
—We looked into how these kinds of accounts reacted to lawsuits in the past, and... they actually made videos about the lawsuit results.
"……."
Oh, I remembered that too.
[Young-rin’s Agency Overreacting! The Truth About Young-rin’s Plastic Surgery That They Tried to Silence Because They’re Scared of Issue YouTubers?]
—So, we were worried it might end up being used as promotion, making it look like we’re doing this because we have something to hide...
"I understand what you mean."
It was a simple logic.
Even in countries like the US, where lawsuits are easy and common, why don't paparazzi who invade privacy disappear?
‘Because it’s more profitable to pay the fine and keep taking pictures.’
It was because it made more money.
Similarly, once an account like this starts hitting hundreds of thousands of views, the money they make from running it is far sweeter than any fine they might have to pay.
If they don't have any life goals that would be hindered by a criminal record? They have no reason to be afraid.
‘They’d probably even turn the fact that they were sued into content to bait more attention.’
Furthermore, if these bastards were targeting Seon A-hyun this obsessively, they would actually rejoice and use this as an excuse to blow things up even further.
It would be the perfect opportunity to bring their fabricated controversies to the surface.
‘They’d use the logic of "How much must the agency care about my videos to sue me?"’
And as shitty as it was, the reality was that there would be people who found that argument convincing.
The company was being cautious because they didn't want to play right into their hands.
—For now, we’ll prepare even more thoroughly so we can respond immediately if needed.
"Yes."
Still, since we had pressured them once, they would be able to respond quickly if the controversy truly started to spiral out of control.
A slight look of bitterness crossed Ryu Cheong-woo's face as he hung up, but he soon regained his composure and strength.
"Well, let's look into other methods as well."
"Yes."
Of course we would.
But before that, just a second.
"Hyung."
"Yeah?"
I asked Ryu Cheong-woo casually.
"You said you didn't usually look at things like this. Internet controversies, I mean."
"……."
"I was just curious how you happened to see it."
He had been doing a moderate amount of monitoring before.
But that was strictly to listen to the fans' stories; it wasn't this method of predicting, identifying, and trying to avoid "what controversies might arise."
‘There was no need for him to.’
It wasn't Ryu Cheong-woo's strong suit to begin with, and with me and Keun Se-jin around, there was no reason to encourage him to do it.
I met Ryu Cheong-woo's gaze as he remained silent.
He gave a small smile.
"Well, I just happened to think of it on the way back to the country and checked, and I found it by chance. It was lucky."
"Hmm, I see."
Hmm.
It was a standard answer.
Which meant...
‘He’s just giving me a vague answer.’
I knew. Back during his time in Steer, this guy had watched his group get caught up in all sorts of rumors and controversies, and he was the one who had struggled desperately to defend them and lead the members.
‘And those memories must still remain.’
So his monitoring skills had improved drastically? I got it.
But here was the thing.
‘Being able to do something and doing it obsessively are two different things.’
Types like me or Keun Se-jin are fine even if we take a quick look.
We do this kind of thing without much trouble anyway. It's enough for us to just manage our mental state by not looking too deep and refreshing ourselves.
But for this guy, isn't this something that doesn't suit him and that he doesn't even like?
I wasn't sure if it was a positive sign that he was trying to do this by keeping his nerves on edge.
Especially on the plane back from a nice, relaxing vacation.
But even if I explained all that, he'd probably just think, 'What are you talking about? You wouldn't even have known if it weren't for me.' So I just patted his back.
"You should get some rest when you can, Hyung. I'm grateful, but I also feel bad."
"There's no need for that... but okay. Thanks, Moon-dae."
Ryu Cheong-woo chuckled and moved on without any awkwardness.
‘I’ll have to keep an eye on his progress.’
"Then, shall we look into other methods?"
Now. It was time to take action.
"About that."
I nodded as I watched Seon A-hyun, who was happily looking at the diffusers he had made during the vacation.
For the record, Cha Yu-jin was currently being secretly hit by Kim Rae-bin and Bae Se-jin for trying to reject his gift in advance.
"He still doesn't seem to know for sure, right?"
"Seems so."
"For now, could I ask you to make sure A-hyun doesn't notice? I don't think it'll do him any good to find out."
"Of course."
Ryu Cheong-woo nodded readily, and I continued seriously.
"Besides that, I'd like to ask you to handle everything in reality."
"...Huh?"
I nodded solemnly.
"I want you to take charge of reality. While I look at my smartphone."
"...Um. Moon-dae."
"Yes."
"So... you're going to try another method, using your smartphone?"
"Yes."
Ryu Cheong-woo was silent for a moment before speaking.
"Well, I don't think you'd do this, but... you mustn't forget that if people find out a teammate posted something on the internet anonymously in a situation like this, it'll only make things more difficult."
"……."
Are you sure you don't think I'd do that? Your face is overflowing with doubt and concern.
I shook my head immediately.
"No. I have no intention of posting anything on the internet."
"...?"
Because the method I was going to use was different.
I cracked my neck.
So it's a group, not just one person.
Even better.
"There's a method that works precisely because it's not just one person."
I'd clean this all up before the comeback.
One afternoon in March.
An anonymous group message room.
Encouragements were exchanged as if they were energetically working on a group assignment or a team project.
However, the moment a normal person saw the post pinned as an announcement, they would have hesitated.
[At least one piece of material for the Stutter-boy controversy per week is mandatory! If it lacks impact or punch, the room manager will cut it.]
It wasn't as if they were constantly exchanging slurs or flooding the room with insane nonsense.
Malice was passing through their ordinary conversation like a strange dissonance.
They were harmonious among themselves.
It was because they all shared a similar sensibility.
They had filtered out everyone else to only accept people like them.
Since its creation, this message room had only accepted people through remote anonymous boards in the massive communities where they originated, or through private SNS account connections.
Someone who could answer trivia about the community's old, minor controversies and stories.
They had made it so that if such people followed the answers, they could find the address.
They had used a complex method to filter and filter, making it so that someone could only gain access after passing all those petty hurdles.
And they maintained total anonymity.
As a result, responsibility was blurred and dispersed, while the fun of wielding power and chatting with people who shared the same feelings grew.
The sense of belonging within a group.
The sense of efficacy from exerting influence over the majority.
Even the fun and superiority of dragging down a common enemy they hated.
A few newcomers who had quietly entered also started to chime in.
A string of responses followed, filled with excessive consonants for laughter, as if they were excited to use even more impressive and cathartic expressions.
And among them was a newcomer from last night who naturally brushed past.
"……."
Park Moon-dae.
Infiltration of the anonymous group chat complete.