Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Idol (2)
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The incident all started last week.
Cha Jiye's popularity was hitting new peaks every single day.
In an effort to keep riding that wave, her idol activities kept piling up, but she didn't want to neglect her duties as a Hunter either. Naturally, the fatigue started to build up.
"I'm so tired..."
Even now, she was on her way back from exterminating monsters at the Hunter Association's call.
She wanted nothing more than to head straight back to the dorm and rest... but she couldn't.
She had a broadcast scheduled for early morning.
Cha Jiye was a girl with a strong sense of responsibility.
No matter how exhausted she was, a pro had to act like a pro.
She couldn't skip out on a broadcast just because of personal issues, so even though it was late, she returned to the agency.
And the moment she arrived, her manager unnie came rushing over.
It didn't look like a gesture of simple joy at seeing her.
"Jiye! Jiye! This is bad!"
What her unnie showed her was a post that had gone up on the fan cafe.
[I think she has a boyfriend... more evidence attached]
The title alone didn't seem innocuous. Up to that point, it wasn't a huge deal.
Posts like that—pure clickbait—went up and got deleted dozens of times a day.
But... it was hard to ignore the [999+] comment count.
Clicking on the post brought up images first.
Dozens of photos of Cha Jiye with a specific guy.
She'd scoffed at first, but as she scrolled down, her mouth fell open on its own.
Photos of them pressed close together, even holding hands.
Scenes that anyone would suspect a relationship from.
The body of the post continued with more claims.
That her Hunter work was all a lie, and she was actually dating the guy in the photos.
And speculation that the guy was the subject of the line "My heart races just looking at you" from her latest song.
Cha Jiye learned that day what it meant when something was so absurd that words failed you.
She looked up, hoping for some sympathy, but froze at her unnie's trembling gaze.
"Jiye... tell me it's not true...?"
"What are you talking about?!"
Cha Jiye practically jumped out of her skin.
It was all nonsense from start to finish.
Cha Jiye's ability wasn't suited for solo work, so she moved with a team.
The man in the photos was a fellow Hunter Association exclusive like her—a teammate, nothing more.
Suspicious-looking photos?
During Hunter activities, minor physical contact was inevitable.
There had been moments when she was drained and needed her teammate's support, or when she had to grab a fallen comrade's hand to help them up. That was it.
The photos had been cleverly edited to strip away all context.
Devilish editing.
And ignoring her Hunter work to date? What was that about?
She hadn't had a single day off in months juggling both roles. Dating?
If she weren't an Awakened, she'd have collapsed from overwork long ago. Where would she even find time for a lover!
The most ridiculous part was the song lyric interpretation.
Wasn't that line about her heartache from dieting and skipping dessert?
She distinctly remembered mentioning it during the new song release. There was no room for that kind of spin!
But unlike what she thought, the situation looked more serious than she'd imagined.
If even her manager unnie, who knew her best, was reacting like this, how would regular fans take it?
Just in case, she checked a portal site, and it was already in chaos.
The entire first page of entertainment news was dominated by Cha Jiye's scandal.
"We put out an article denying it all for now. It'll blow over with time, so hold off on all activities—including Hunter work—for the time being."
She felt the strength drain from her hands.
She hadn't been naive enough to think her idol activities would be controversy-free.
But... she never imagined she'd face such baseless slander just for working hard.
Gripping her phone tight, she scrolled through the article comments, strength returning to her hands.
What enraged Cha Jiye even more was that the damage wasn't limited to her.
Her teammate's personal info had been dug up, and the comments were filled with insults too vile to repeat.
As mentioned, Cha Jiye had a strong sense of responsibility.
"Call the reporters."
Cha Jiye declared she'd hold a press conference. Her manager didn't object much.
The facts were clear, so it was a quick and decisive way to put the rumor to rest.
"Fine, then the legal team can prepare materials and do a briefing. You just answer prepared questions from the back—"
"No!"
Fire blazed in Cha Jiye's eyes.
"I'll handle it myself. I'll make sure this ends once and for all—no more nonsense."
"Jiye! Are you sane?!"
An idol who needed to manage her image grabbing the mic herself? Even if it went well, it'd be breaking even. One slip, and her image would take irreparable damage.
There was no upside to stepping forward.
Everyone around her tried to dissuade her, but they couldn't break her stubbornness.
And so time passed,
until only a few hours remained before the scheduled press conference.
"Waaahhh..."
Cha Jiye, who had just poured out this long tale to me, was sobbing pitifully.
For the record, it wasn't tears of injustice. Incredibly, she was regretting the press conference now that everyone had tried to stop her and it was right around the corner.
"You had time—why didn't you just cancel? If scrapping it entirely was too hard, you could've said you were unwell and had a spokesperson step in."
Cha Jiye pulled tissues from the table box and dabbed at her eyes.
"It's just... the article already went out saying I'd speak myself..."
I asked what difference that made, and she said backing out now would clash with her idol image.
"I'm going for the cool, chic, confident vibe."
"..."
The girl who'd been bawling her eyes out in front of me seconds ago was claiming cool, chic, confident?
I nearly retorted without thinking but held back.
Right now, I was Cha Jiye's counselor. You didn't criticize a client.
"So, what exactly do you want from me? It doesn't sound like you need counseling after hearing all that."
"I've heard about your abilities from my fellow Hunters. I was planning to ask you to come with me to the press conference..."
She'd been disappointed to find Jeong Dongsu wasn't here when she arrived.
Makes sense. Having someone with mental stabilization nearby would definitely help her stay calm during the conference.
But it was a bit unexpected.
"Wouldn't it be better to put up a spokesperson even now?"
If she was crying from regret over the conference, what did a little image hit matter?
I couldn't understand why she was still insisting on going out there herself at this point.
Cha Jiye slowly shook her head.
"I don't regret holding the press conference itself. Or even saying I'd do it myself, emotional as I was. I still don't regret it."
She still didn't regret it.
She believed that choice wasn't wrong.
Her voice continued.
"But... after rehearsing over and over, I realized."
A trembling voice, stiff limbs, her mind going blank in front of the camera.
It was worlds apart from stepping on stage for fans who adored her.
Reporters ready to nitpick every slip-up, eyes bloodshot to turn her flaws into headlines.
Cha Jiye, who thrived on public love, facing people who hid nothing of their malice—and calmly stating the facts.
It was scarier and harder than she'd thought.
"I don't want to regret it."
Cha Jiye wanted to stand before the reporters without tensing up, speaking confidently.
Her agency staff had eventually given in to her resolve.
With her strong sense of responsibility, she didn't want to betray their trust.
"If you have abilities like his... please, I'm begging you. Help me just this once."
Cha Jiye bowed her head deeply to me.
I pondered for a moment.
Could my ability help her?
The answer came quickly. Easily.
I might even be better than Jeong Dongsu.
Then, what reason did I have to help Cha Jiye?
I started reasoning it out logically, then chuckled.
I'd remembered why I was sitting here.
I opened my mouth as I typed on the keyboard.
"I'll help you."
Tap tap. I created a new counseling record for Cha Jiye.
Client's visit purpose and current state were already summarized.
What was left was the direction of this session.
I paused over the keyboard for a second,
then typed exactly four characters.
Outdoor counseling.
"Let's go."
Cha Jiye stared at me blankly, snapping to attention only when I stood from my seat.
She hadn't expected me to agree so readily.
"H-how can I ever repay you..."
"Didn't you know?"
"Huh?"
"Counseling's free for Hunter Association exclusives."