After the Semifinals – The Bully Exposé
After the semifinals filming for Invasion from Seoul wrapped up.
"As we discussed before, the finals will be live broadcast. The mission... will be original songs. It doesn't matter if you've made them beforehand. Just keep in mind that the songs could be released on our compilation album."
The PD droned on like that before stepping down from the stage. At that moment, Myeongjeon thought to herself,
If we can use ones we've already made, that'll save us a ton of time.
The only real threat was WEKIDS. The third-place band had put in solid effort, but nothing about them screamed "unbeatable." WEKIDS wasn't that intimidating either, honestly. Facing off against Mystica in the fourth round seemed to have been poison for them in the overall broadcast. After that brutal showdown, the other bands looked like their motivation had just deflated.
"Another make-a-song-in-a-week mission?"
Iseo asked, and Myeongjeon shook her head. She had a habit of composing tracks whenever inspiration struck or time allowed—ideas jotted down with arrangement notes too. All Iseo would need to do was write lyrics for many of them. The issue was their themes were too varied for this audition's specific prompts.
"Since it's the finals, we should go with something... easier listening than before. I've got a few candidates. I'll dig them up at home, polish the arrangements, rehearse, and we can take them to the stage. That should be plenty."
The rest of the girls nodded.
"The staff mentioned midway filming footage again when they came by. They'll probably overlay it with our MR during the performance, but this time they want to focus on highlighting you all."
"Us?"
Iseo echoed, and Myeongjeon nodded.
"From watching the broadcasts, it feels like your efforts haven't been emphasized enough. This time, let's push that narrative hard—show everyone that Group Sound has distinct roles for each member."
"...I just got chills. You're the real deal, Yeon."
Whether she was faking or just embarrassed, Iseo pulled an exaggerated hug on Myeongjeon with an unreadable expression. Seoha joined in with her blank face, while Hyeona looked utterly confused. Myeongjeon stood there sullenly for a moment before shaking them off.
"It's hot. Get off."
"Come on, don't be so cold~"
They bantered pointlessly like that, settling at a cafe table for a quick break. Until the phones started ringing.
Myeongjeon's phone buzzed first with a low woong.
"Your phone's going off."
"What now..."
As Myeongjeon reached for it, Iseo's phone blared her own voice as the ringtone. Then Seoha's exploded into fierce metal riffs. Hyeona's trembled pitifully on the table. All four phones going off almost simultaneously, with just a slight delay.
They exchanged uneasy glances. What the hell was this? It felt like the intro to a horror flick or disaster movie.
"Uh... let's pick up."
Myeongjeon glanced at her screen. 'Mom.'
"Yeah, got your call."
"Suyeon-ah."
Lee Hyein's voice from the other end trembled unlike her usual steady tone. Myeongjeon could sense her gritting her teeth, like the storm she'd been bracing for had finally hit.
"It's out. The article. It's all over the internet."
"...On my way now. I'll bring the girls."
"Okay. Don't answer any other calls... Actually, I'll send someone over. Where are you?"
Myeongjeon gave the address, hung up, and gestured for the others to put their phones down mid-conversation with parents, family, or whoever.
"Once you're done, turn 'em off. Head to my place... or the company. Doesn't matter. We've got a plan for this."
[Exposing the School Bullying by 'Ha Suyeon,' Currently Competing in the Band Audition Show]
Hello. I'm the victim who was bullied by 'Ha Suyeon,' leader of Group Sound on the ongoing audition program Invasion from Seoul (working title: Invasion) airing on Mtown. I'm writing this to expose what she did to me and others.
Ha Suyeon has done countless awful things, but here's a summary:
1. I'm a dropout from Han Seung High School. I was in a group with 'Ha Suyeon' at the time, and despite being her senior, I got slapped and beaten.
2. Other incidents and things Ha Suyeon did:
- Back in middle school, she slapped a kid in the hallway while snarling, "What the fuck are you staring at?"
- A classmate got picked on with insults like "Ugh, you fucking loser bitch."
- Ha Suyeon was a chain smoker, always puffing cigs and downing booze at night.
- And countless other things I can't even recall.
3. Ha Suyeon was a notorious delinquent at Han Seung High, known to pretty much every high schooler in Jongno-gu. When I heard she'd gotten into an accident, I honestly thought 'serves her right,' but felt bad about it. Then she wakes up claiming she plays guitar, debuts in a band, and starts blowing up. She tormented other kids, yet gets to shine on an audition show...
Myeongjeon scrolled to the end, read it thoroughly, closed the laptop, and ruffled her hair in thought.
Sung Juhee.
Han Seung High dropout. Got beat up at a group hangout—slapped and assaulted. It screamed the senior Park Dain and the others had mentioned: Sung Juhee.
"This... all of it... real...?"
Hyeona's trembling voice came from beside her. She'd set down her phone and was staring at Myeongjeon with shaky eyes. Disbelief?
"It's real."
"Then...!"
"Of course we apologized. They accepted. If they hadn't, we wouldn't be on this audition show... The old me might've, but not now."
Myeongjeon calmly cut off Hyeona's rising anger.
The statement sparked sensational headlines:
"I've checked that part too. We went together to apologize to some of them," Hyein added, and Hyeona seemed to calm down.
"...Then why are these stories surfacing now? Something fishy? They stabbing you in the back?"
"That's the thing... doesn't seem like it."
Seoha spoke up, and Myeongjeon replied. She could run into them at school anytime—they weren't the backstabbing type. If they wanted to screw her over, they wouldn't do it like this. Just go public with real names and claim "She tried to bribe me!" Boom, done.
So...
Myeongjeon glanced at the ceiling and said, "They probably haven't gotten the update. Someone like Sung Juhee dropped out... not close to the 'victims.' She heard the old stories, remembered them, but doesn't know about the apologies."
That had to be it. No details otherwise. Not the worst-case. Actually, close to best. Something they could counter—exactly what she'd prepared for.
"We'll handle the response—me and Mom. You girls ignore this crap, shut off your phones, focus on practice. I'll take care of the rest."
Myeongjeon met each of their eyes firmly. The other three felt a bit relieved.
The school violence articles exploded not just in music and broadcast communities, but across the entire internet, right when everyone was fixated on Group Sound. They shook the web to its core.
The twist: the "pretty, sings great, shreds guitar (kinda bitchy tho) genius high school girl guitarist" was actually a "middle school bully who chain-smoked, boozed, and slapped kids."
I knew it, bitchy from the start. Face screams it. Girls who play instruments are sluts anyway... The usual trash talk, plus baseless smears. Despite flimsy proof—just a Han Seung High yearbook—the post ignited the net.
"What do we do about this?"
Yoon Dong-wook, PD for Invasion 2024, stared at the post. He didn't buy it—gut feeling, too vague. But as PD, he had to decide.
"How's the other side?"
"No response. Parents say no voluntary withdrawal. Haven't talked to her yet."
"Just make 'em quit."
Kim Jiwon, the Mtown oversight PD pushing their agenda, spoke up. If she said that, execs probably agreed.
"Ratings are the issue. The longer we drag, the higher they climb. Live broadcast? Perfect punching bag—even casual viewers will tune in to hate."
"I get it, but it tanks our image. Kinda pathetic for them."
"True."
Dong-wook stroked his chin. But for pushing WEKIDS, this was gold. "Bullying villains" punished by the heroic boy band. And their music slapped—classic, but classics endure.
The "final bosses" were trashy psychos; the "underdogs" were hidden talents. A narrative even novels couldn't dream up.
"If they won't quit, let's ride it out."
"...Boss wants withdrawal."
"Whatever. He can PD it himself."
Dong-wook downed his cold coffee at Jiwon's words. Bitter as hell.
Invasion 2024's finale would air live on Mtown TV and streaming platforms—with chat. Prime chaos fuel.
Days ago, Group Sound were saviors of Korea's rock wasteland. Now? Top traitors, lumped with that band flashing dicks on network TV.
Innumerable posts flooded the net. Days after the exposé and articles, no official response. People saw it as free rein to pile on. The internet became a stress-dump on Group Sound: whore, slut, face like a bully, reminds me of my school tormentor...
The vibe kept building. Folks wondered: if this lasts to air day, could we see trash thrown live? Sounds fun. Push one to suicide? Some said.
Until this post dropped: