Meeting the Sasaeng Directly
“Hahaha… Who the hell are you? Calling Ryu-bu a stalker? Must’ve been risking your life, huh?”
“He’s gone crazy. Bro, you can’t hit people like that *.*”
“Ryu-bu is so cool! We’re all cheering for you!”
“One drama success and he’s already blackmailing the few fans he has?”
“Those sasaengs keep calling themselves fans. Just a bunch of stalkers.”
“Ryu-bu is eating well now. We’ll thank him by chasing every last one of us away.”
“Don’t listen to those crying fans. Justice is justice.”
Although some fans mocked Deok-su for his arrogant tone, the majority supported his words.
Fans had grown furious upon seeing sasaengs, and their frustration at the agency and idols’ responses only deepened.
Existing idols and agencies never fought back like Deok-su did against sasaengs.
They either warned them through the press or silently endured the harassment.
Deok-su took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anger, when Lee Hui-yeong placed her hand on his shoulder.
It was meant to calm him down, but the move accidentally exposed her own face.
“Who’s that? Is that Deok-su oppa’s manager?”
“Manager is so beautiful!”
“Manager, Leha.”
“I’m not!”
Hui-yeong was utterly bewildered by the sudden barrage of greetings.
Her face flushed bright red.
After shooting off his words, Deok-su let out a soft chuckle and positioned Hui-yeong right beside him.
“My manager, right? She’s pretty, isn’t she?”
“Ah, oppa… Leha. Deok-su oppa’s manager is Lee Hui-yeong. Is this okay?”
Hui-yeong waved shyly at the phone camera, hiding her embarrassment.
“Leha~ Wow! Oppa must have a lot of girls around him secretly.”
“Leha~ Manager, are you dating Ryu-bu oppa?”
“That’s rude. You’re the manager who created Ryu-bu. Show some respect.”
“Get lost, concept junkie”
“Manager~ It must be tough because of Deok-su oppa, right?”
The crowd bombarded Hui-yeong with questions.
From how she met Ryu-bu to the secrets she had endured for over a year.
Though some questions were ridiculous, Hui-yeong answered them all with her face still flushed.
After five minutes of conversation, Deok-su waved and ended the broadcast.
“Articles are already pouring in. Even journalists have their uses in times like these.”
Alongside the screenshot of the live stream, articles began to flood in one after another.
“What exactly does it say?”
“Ryu-bu’s warning to the sasaeng fan—has it worked? Will it bring real results? Something like that.”
Deok-su’s plan was working perfectly.
Articles were exploding with the sensational topic of sasaengs and his fierce statements, all in hopes of racking up views.
Deok-su’s intent to make the sasaeng problem blow up had succeeded so far.
But he wasn’t satisfied.
“…We need evidence. Did that woman really get the number through company employees? Or is it a lie?”
“I’ll go report that first. We have to use JMT’s name when we can.”
Hui-yeong took Deok-su’s recorded conversation and headed to Lee Gwang-yong’s office.
After replaying the call between Deok-su and Jung Na-yeon multiple times, Gwang-yong rubbed his temples and sighed.
“Internal leaks of Deok-su’s information… Is what the woman said true?”
“I can’t confirm it yet. But the possibility is high enough.”
“…Okay. Starting tomorrow, the security team will be assigned to you. For now, stay together.”
“That alone isn’t a fundamental solution, Director. We need something more comprehensive.”
Gwang-yong’s eyes narrowed.
“Fundamental solution. How?”
“That’s…”
Gwang-yong absentmindedly pulled out a cigarette, then put it away again. Sasaeng problems were the most vexing and irritating issue.
“This is all we can do for now, Manager.”
“But we should be more proactive…”
“I know how much you care for Deok-su. But we’re not the police. We can criticize sasaengs for following around, but we can’t force them to stop.”
“So legal action first…”
The office door opened. A man walked in.
It was Kang Ha-seong, the Idol Division Director.
“Director, what are you doing? I told you to come up…” Wait a minute? You’re Kim Deok-su’s manager?”
Hui-yeong bowed her head. Kang Ha-seong’s lips curved upward.
“It’s noisy outside. Is that your idol?”
“Yes, President.”
“…How interesting. A manager turns her celebrity into a bully on broadcast and thinks sasaengs will disappear?”
“We needed strong warnings to protect our idol, Director.”
“No, so you know it can’t be solved and still issued a warning? Why drag useless drama into it?”
Hui-yeong suppressed her anger at Ha-seong’s words.
She had no intention of backing down.
Just as she was about to speak, Gwang-yong stepped between them.
“Sorry, Director. I’ll discipline him properly.”
“S-Sir…”
Ha-seong sighed long and hard, grabbing Gwang-yong’s shoulder.
“…Keep the kids downstairs in line, Director. What if stock prices crash because of Ryu-bu again like last time?”
“I’ll handle it.”
Hui-yeong remained silent.
“Fans are also supporting us. The Arosam fan club has already started campaigns against sasaengs, refusing to consume anything they release. Even Turnshine and other agencies…”
“Stop worrying, Manager. When did we ever let the underlings make all the noise?”
Hui-yeong clenched her fists.
This man only cared about his own authority, not solving the problem.
After Ha-seong left, Gwang-yong spoke.
“Hui-yeong, it’s good that you have conviction, but be careful when speaking. That guy…”
“I understand, Director. I know who the Director is. Excuse me.”
On the way down to the training room, Hui-yeong sorted through her thoughts.
Gwang-yong had been concerned, but he seemed to want to sweep it under the rug from above.
She thought of Deok-su’s previous actions and realized he could very well be the one leaking information.
‘…We can’t keep doing this.’
She had no intention of staying quiet.
Hui-yeong reviewed the articles and reactions.
Deok-su’s statement had stirred public opinion.
Most fans supported him, but that alone wouldn’t provide real solutions.
‘We need to escalate this.’
She headed to the management team.
“Aren’t you ashamed to talk about us on broadcast? That’s so mean, oppa…”
Deok-su was still practicing his walk when a message suddenly arrived.
It was the same person who had been calling him nonstop.
“I know I was wrong too. But I couldn’t stop my heart…”
“Even if you don’t understand now, you’ll definitely know my love someday.”
“Oppa must have been through a lot too, right? Sorry… and…”
The messages kept coming.
Deok-su’s heart sank as he read them.
But he knew he had to stay calm in times like these.
“Your number has changed?”
“It’s me, oppa. Hehe. Bimmi~ If I tell you, you’ll want to hit that person too?”
“I’m just curious. Can’t you tell me?”
“Uung~ What should I do? ♡♡♡”
The heart emojis in the messages made Deok-su’s stomach tighten.
But he calmly typed the next message.
“Then let’s meet and talk.”
“Uung~ What are you looking at? Oppa~”
“If you don’t want to, just stop.”
“Wait a minute! It’s just a joke TT TT Did oppa get mad? I was wrong TT TT Please don’t be sad…”
After exchanging messages, Deok-su gradually figured out how to handle the woman.
‘This person has no patience. And they keep craving love and attention.’
He would shake her heart while getting what he wanted.
It was risky, but it was more important to prevent such incidents in the future.
“I’ll tell you the detailed location and time later.”
“Aww! Oppa finally knows my love. I’m so nervous… TT TT”
Deok-su stood up to set the appointment when Hui-yeong entered.
After calmly resolving the issues with the director and Gwang-yong, Deok-su shook his head.
“…I expected this. The company hates drama the most.”
“Sasaengs are fans too. They have a reason, right? They don’t even think about how idols feel… Huh? What’s this…”
Hui-yeong looked at the messages exchanged between Deok-su and Jung Na-yeon, her eyes widening in shock.
“Oppa! You’re going to meet her directly!? This is too dangerous!”
“I thought about it. I know it’s risky. But we have to uproot the problem at the root or it will happen again.”
“She thinks she knows everything about me. What panties I’m wearing today.”
“…Impressive.”
“Gugu? No one in this world knows oppa as well as I do.”
Each word sent a chill down Deok-su’s spine.
But he continued speaking as if nothing was wrong.
“If you’d said that from the start, we wouldn’t have met like this.”
“My oppa, did you say that?”
“You’d have figured it out when my number changed?”
“You were the one who said you wouldn’t tell…”
“Now you’re trying to tell me. But if you don’t say it, it’ll make me sad…”
Deok-su turned, and she gasped.
“I-I’ll tell you. It was a JMT employee. They said it was some kind of management team.”
She showed him the phone screen.
With a tracking app called Helagram, every exchange of numbers with a JMT employee was recorded.
Including bank account numbers.
She tucked her phone away and took a few steps closer.
“Now you believe me, right? My love… is real. I love you, oppa.”
Her face was glowing with inexplicable joy.
Deok-su unconsciously stepped back, and her expression twisted instantly.
“As I thought! You don’t love me?! You only use me!”
“I was surprised! You suddenly…”
“Lies… I only have oppa, but oppa…”
She suddenly pulled a utility knife from her pocket.
The sound of the blade sliding open made Deok-su try to calm her.
But she was beyond control.
“I trusted you! How could…”
Whack!
With a loud crack, she shuddered and collapsed.
The knife fell from her hand.
Behind her lay Hui-yeong holding a stun gun, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
“H-Hui-yeong. Phew…”
“Oppa, are you okay?! Are you hurt?”
Deok-su breathed heavily and nodded.
“I just fainted for a second. It’s fine.”
“…I guess sasaengs really are scary.”
Relieved, Deok-su picked up his phone.
The Star’s private live stream was already on.
“Wow… Is it real that the manager caught a sasaeng?”
“Oppa, are you okay????????”
“He said he wouldn’t leave sasaengs alone… Is this for real?”
Viewers of the live stream poured out their anger.
At that moment, sirens blared loudly.
Hui-yeong had called the police in advance.
The incident spread in an instant.
Kim Deok-su’s name topped search results on every portal site.
Police could no longer treat it lightly with public opinion turning against them.
Hui-yeong’s use of the stun gun to rescue Deok-su was easily justified as self-defense.
“An actor lets a sasaeng meet him directly? JMT”
“JMT aren’t you doing your job? Change the name from JMT to something tasty.”
“Highly recommend JNMT. It's damn tasty.”
“Nonsense… Of course sasaengs aren’t fans.”
“Kim Deok-su, just come out. Is JMT your only agency?”
JMT was facing enormous backlash.
All the times they had ignored sasaengs calling themselves fans now came back to haunt them.
Agencies operating idol groups nationwide had to face the press, forced to explain how they would handle sasaeng fans.
Naturally, the story reached President Kang Sang-mi.
“Kim Deok-su! You again…! What did you say? If you cause another incident, you’ll pay penalties…”
“There’s no reason to listen to penalty talk. I only tried to protect my own body.”
“You said you’d assign security! You think issuing warnings will make sasaengs disappear completely… Hah! No way. You…”
Before Kang Sang-mi could finish, Deok-su slid something across the table.
It was the transaction history of his own phone number recorded on the sasaeng’s phone.
“Want to hear this too?”
Kang Sang-mi buried her face in the table.