Refusal (2)
Refusal (2)
"Hoo..."
Recently, just before a popular KGB drama was scheduled to air,
an official on-air apology directed at me and Yeji was aired.
So, the online communities were fiercely debating the matter right now.
Of course, it was an ironic situation—the heated debate was leading to criticism and condemnation of the broadcasting station itself.
There wasn't a single bad word directed at me or Yeji.
Honestly, I expected there to be at least some negative public opinion toward me,
but there was barely any, which was a bit... frightening, I suppose?
I had been anxious, wondering if some strange backlash would suddenly erupt for no reason.
However, those worries were apparently unfounded,
and seeing how there was no noise at all even as time passed,
it seemed the perception that Yeji and I were clearly the victims was firmly rooted.
"It really blew up into something big."
"Still, you have to receive at least this much for your anger to subside, right?"
"I'm just scared A-ra Noona might face retaliation for no reason, you know?"
I had no plans to appear on the broadcasting station or anything, so it didn't matter to me, but I was worried the sparks might fly over to A-ra for no reason.
After all, wasn't A-ra appearing on so many broadcasts?
She hadn't appeared on KGB since declaring a boycott against them until the apology broadcast aired,
but she would be appearing again soon...
"I told you not to worry. Do you think your noona is the type to get bullied anywhere?"
"No... that's not it..."
I wasn't sure if I should say this as her husband, but honestly, A-ra wasn't the type to get pushed around by anyone.
If anything, she'd be the one doing the bullying.
Like Eun-ji... or Eun-ji... or Eun-ji?
Why was Eun-ji the only one I could think of...?
"Typical of a man to be so full of worry at times like this..."
"It's not because I'm a man, it's a perfectly natural worry."
As if throwing a tantrum, I pouted my lips and talked back to A-ra, who was vigorously ruffling my hair.
Seeing me like that, A-ra smiled brightly.
Saying she understood my feelings well, she added some reassuring words.
"And the people at the broadcasting stations don't dare treat me carelessly."
"Why?"
"Because I'm the one with the upper hand."
"Ah..."
There was a flood of directors and PDs personally visiting the agency to ask her to appear on their shows,
so there really wasn't any need to deeply consider KGB.
Especially music shows—they were going crazy trying to get A-ra on.
Because whether A-ra appeared or not made a difference of over 10 percent in viewership ratings, they said.
Even on cable broadcasting stations...
"The broadcasting station apologized... so are you going to accept it, Seong-hwan?"
"It's fine with me, but I guess it depends on what Yeji Nuna thinks, right?"
Yeji was the one who was hurt the most in this incident.
If Yeji decides to let it slide, I'll let it slide too, but if she maintains her stance, I'll upload another video
and shake up the community again.
Yeah, this was repaying a favor.
"Come to think of it, I heard they decided to undergo a parliamentary audit over this incident."
"That's good. No matter how important the press is, a press that only spouts nonsense is meaningless."
I didn't know how hard those assemblywomen would grill them, but I hoped they'd do a good job.
***
"Did Seong-hwan really say that? Repaying a favor?"
"I'm telling you."
Hwa-young laughed loudly after hearing A-ra's words.
The fact that Seong-hwan called it 'repaying a favor' after the unprecedented situation of a broadcasting station airing an apology broadcast at 9 PM
was both admirable and truly hilarious.
"He didn't have to do that..."
Of course, Yeji, the target of that repaid favor, could only force a bitter smile.
Even though she was a former boxer who had used violence to protect herself from a knife-wielding assailant,
she had received a suspended sentence for excessive self-defense, so Yeji had been forced to stay quiet and not say a word against the suspicions raised by the broadcasting station.
But because Seong-hwan, who could be called the biggest victim, stepped up for her, she didn't retire
and instead, sympathetic public opinion was spreading.
How grateful and yet sorry must she feel?
"Goodness... still, he's the person who saved me, so there's nothing I wouldn't do."
A-ra said this while looking at Yeji, who was bowing her head with an intensely apologetic expression.
A-ra, who felt nothing but gratitude toward Yeji, fully supported her husband's actions
and even went on strike, refusing to appear on KGB.
And that wasn't all—the same went for Hwa-young and Eun-ji, who were sitting right here.
Everyone had gone on a broadcast strike for Yeji's sake.
Probably, the reason they even went as far as an apology broadcast was because they couldn't afford to have broadcast disruptions due to the strike by the 'Queens' members,
so it must have been a choice they had no other option but to make.
"So Seong-hwan does things like that too. I only thought of him as simply kind."
"They say people like my husband are scarier when they get angry."
It's a rule that people who are usually quiet are terrifying when they get angry.
It was the same for A-ra's husband, Yoo Seong-hwan.
Especially if something happened to the people around him, he wouldn't just sit still.
Because he had the power to do something about it.
"Right... so that's why you're living with him, A-ra unnie?"
"Eun-ji, you..."
Eun-ji had joked while smiling playfully and 'attacked' A-ra.
Since it was clearly Eun-ji's effort to lighten the heavy mood, A-ra responded to it.
"There... it was a joke.... Aaaack!"
Wait, was responding to a joke with that appropriate?
A-ra slammed her fist, a stone fist full of sincerity, right into Eun-ji's head.
Hwa-young and Yeji burst out laughing at the sight.
Looking at them now, smiles were also all over A-ra's and Eun-ji's faces.
"So? Where's Seong-hwan?"
"He went to school."
A-ra thought it might be okay for him to skip school at times like this, but university wasn't such a lenient place.
If he had taken a leave of absence for employment, maybe, but wasn't Seong-hwan still a sophomore?
"Oh right, he's a college student... what was his major again?"
"Department of Social Welfare."
"He must have been influenced by his mother, right?"
The mother who raised Seong-hwan had been an employee working at the orphanage with a social worker's license,
but now she had become the director, of all things.
Considering she was still only in her mid-thirties, you could say she was quite successful.
"There's that, but I also heard the influence of a role model was significant."
"Hmm.... A role model, huh..."
It was surprising that a man his age had a role model.
Everyone simply thought that way.
"A-ra unnie."
"Yeah?"
Eun-ji, who had just been attacked by A-ra, spoke to her while continuously rubbing her temple.
A-ra tilted her head, wondering what it was about.
"Unnie, you really succeeded."
"What is this girl saying all of a sudden, so embarrassing?"
A-ra stroked the head of Eun-ji, who was pouting her lips.
It seemed Eun-ji still hadn't realized that she herself had a successful life.
***
"So? You're not going to appear on the broadcasting station?"
"I won't."
"Alright, well, that's your freedom."
Uploading Qtube videos was already tough enough, so I had no intention of going to a broadcasting station to film a program.
No, wait... to screw them over properly with this chance, should I try appearing on a competing program in the same time slot?
And what's more, by personally approaching the PD or director.
"But it's a bit of a waste."
"What's a waste..."
Lee Min-ho sighed and rested his chin on the desk.
Looking at him now, it wasn't the broadcast appearance itself that he felt was a waste,
I could tell that he thought something else was a waste.
"No, if it were me, I would have appeared and stirred up a ton of attention."
"Attention?"
"Remember when your view counts dropped in the past, you were willing to do anything? If you'd gotten a program offer back then, you would've appeared and drawn in a ton of attention, right?"
Trying to use a broadcasting station just for attention... as expected, the son of a chaebol family is built different.
Once you've done commercials, you just get it...
The blood of a major conglomerate heir really does show itself, doesn't it?
"Anyway, what would you even do if you appeared, Seong-hwan? You'd be lucky if you didn't just stammer, blush, and run out of there."
"It wouldn't be that bad...."
'Actually, it might.'
I tried to reply with that, but I was ashamed that I couldn't even get the words out in the end.
I was so embarrassed that my face turned red, and I had to cover it.
"Even you think that could happen, right? Right?"
"Urgh..."
Because Jeong Hwan-yi had personally witnessed that scene, I couldn't help but bow my head deeply.
Because it was a fact that I had caused trouble.
And because of that trouble, Jeong Hwan-yi must have had a nerve-racking experience.
"Don't be embarrassed~ I totally understand. The PD and writers are just taking it in stride now."
Maybe he was seizing the opportunity, because Jeong Hwan-yi started to peck at me more and more.
And seeing this, Lee Min-ho started to tilt his head in confusion.
"What is it? What happened?"
"Well, you see, before, while filming with another Qtuber..."
"Th...the professor will be here soon..."
I tried to use the excuse that there wasn't much time left until class started to shift his attention to Lee Min-ho.
But my incredibly shallow tactic didn't work.
"There's still plenty of time."
"Ugh...."
In the end, Jeong Hwan-yi completely exposed the previous incident to Lee Min-ho.
A strangely sly smile began to linger on Lee Min-ho's face.
"To think you'd be that embarrassed about it."
"Well, they were people he met for the first time, so it's understandable he'd be embarrassed, mm-hmm...."
"I told you! That's not it!"
The two of them didn't even pretend to listen to my excuses.
I had no choice but to let out a sigh.
This must be what it feels like to want to hide in a mouse hole...?
No, I want to hide inside a drum washing machine.
It's driving me crazy with embarrassment.