Chapter 131: Malicious Accusations
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 131: Malicious Accusations
Even fantasies need a touch of reality to be fun.
After reading the post online, all I could do was let out a disbelieving laugh.
“Taemin-ssi. This is a very serious matter.”
The manager, who had sat me down, looked at me with a very stern expression.
“I'm being completely serious. You need to tell me the truth right now.”
“Manager-nim.”
I sighed, pressing a hand to my forehead.
Seriously. Where do I even begin to deny this?
The post described the life of someone who wasn't me.
The "proof" they provided was a middle school yearbook, and it seemed the person in it did go to the same school as me.
“It's true I graduated from that school, but you've seen my student records, haven't you, Manager-nim?”
My past records were completely unremarkable.
If being a fanboy was a crime, I might have been a wanted fugitive, but that parallel universe didn't exist.
“I've never hit anyone in my life. I was a quiet student.”
Proving a negative is an incredibly difficult thing to do.
It was like being asked why a pizza is called a pizza.
Wondering how I could convey my side most effectively, I decided to just be honest about what kind of kid I was.
“Um... Manager-nim. You know I'm a fan of Luka, right?”
“Yes, I know.”
“Well, I've always been a huge fan of things like manga and anime. I still am.”
It looked like I'd be getting off work late, but I felt I needed to set the record straight. So I did my best to explain just how much of a loser I was back in school.
“That's why on sports day, I didn't even go outside! I hid in the classroom and read manga!”
That was a top-secret my own mother didn't even know.
As I rattled on with such detail, the manager eventually started nodding with a slightly awkward smile.
“Is that convincing enough?”
“Yes... I think I can explain this to the team leader.”
“Phew...”
School violence... what a ridiculous accusation.
If anything, I was the one who used to hurry through alleys, scared of getting beaten up.
“For now, it's a bit too early to respond directly, so we'll monitor the situation. Taemin-ssi, please try not to worry too much and just trust us and wait.”
We returned to the parking garage, got into the manager's car, and joined the hellish 6 PM rush hour traffic together.
“Honestly... these vile haters have no decency. They don't care if you're a rookie or not.”
The cars inched forward with the traffic lights.
The red brake lights illuminating the road looked like a horde of haters, desperate to block my path.
“Taemin-ssi, if your popularity suddenly rises, you'll probably have to move.”
“...Move?”
Move? You're telling me to move?
“Yes. The place you're staying at now isn't exactly high-security, is it?”
It was unreasonable to expect a luxury security system for a single-room rental.
The tenant and the belongings inside weren't anything special to begin with; it would be weirder if the lock was overly elaborate.
“Still... don't you need a lot of things to fall into place before you can move?”
“We also want our artists to live as freely as possible, but usually, it's the artists themselves who decide to move first.”
I wondered if it was because those people made a lot of money, but her next words cleared up my question.
“Whether you're popular or not, you'll always get malicious fans.”
The manager sighed briefly, her hands on the steering wheel.
“It's just something I've learned from working in this industry. Before I was assigned to you, I worked with rookies and with household names, and they all had them. All of them.”
“At first, they try to take action or endure it, but in the end, they're the ones who feel uncomfortable, so they move. The company knows how things will play out, so we encourage it.”
Resting my chin on the car window frame, I felt a sense of dread about the future that might await me.
It wasn't because I had any special attachment to my home.
It was my girlfriend, who would be left behind if I moved.
I was worried about Doah.
All the benefits I enjoyed from living right next door flashed through my mind.
Her, showing up in the middle of the night saying she wanted a late-night snack, ordering tteokbokki.
The days I spent taking her to and from the studio.
Even the surprise visits she'd make without calling ahead.
...I wouldn't be able to do any of that anymore, would I?
Of course, there was no guarantee I'd become a superstar, but the thought just suddenly crossed my mind.
“You worked hard today. I'll be here at the same time tomorrow.”
The alley was hard to drive into, so the manager dropped me off in front of the bus stop instead.
“Okay! Drive safe!”
The uphill path, still icy where the snow hadn't melted, felt different today.
Moving... The possibility of moving...
Every time I walked up this hill, I used to think how nice it would be if it were flat ground.
But now that I was faced with the real possibility of moving to a flat place, I felt strangely unsettled.
I took out my phone and called Doah.
[Hello?]
[Oppa! Why are you only calling now? You said you'd be done at five!]
It felt a bit much to say I was late because I was getting counseled about a school violence accusation, so I just vaguely said my class ran late.
[Have you eaten?]
[I'm hungry.]
[Are you going to eat at home?]
[Probably order delivery?]
I didn't usually cook for myself anyway, but right now I was mentally and physically exhausted.
[Want to eat together?]
[You haven't eaten yet?]
[I was waiting because I wanted to eat with you.]
Hearing her say that made me feel bad.
[Wait for me. I'll just change and head over to your place.]
[Should I order the food now?]
[Yeah. Order whatever you want.]
[Then how about jokbal? We haven't had it in a while.]
My girlfriend hummed happily, excited at the thought of eating something delicious.
I told her I'd be right over and went inside my house.
Ah, damn... Now that the manager brought up moving, everything was starting to feel tinged with nostalgia.
Even though I'd never felt anything for this room, why did it suddenly feel so precious?
Accepting that I was surprisingly sentimental, I hurried over to Doah's house.
“Ta-da!”
Doah was wearing an outfit I'd never seen before.
“What do you think? It's pretty, right?”
“Did you buy it recently?”
I remembered her only having one pair of light purple pajamas.
Today, Doah was wearing light pink pajamas that reminded me of Luka's signature color.
“I bought them from an online shop. They're nice, aren't they?”
“Yeah. They're cute.”
When I replied with a smile, Doah threw her arms around me in a tight hug.
“You worked hard.”
“It was nothing.”
While we waited for the food to arrive, I enthusiastically explained what I had learned today.
“Show me, then.”
“...No.”
“What? Why not? You went to all the trouble of learning it.”
I'd told her it was torture, just sitting down and standing up, and now she was suddenly telling me to do it here.
It wasn't a cool enough move to show off, and I wasn't confident I could even do it well, so I stubbornly stayed lying on the bed, ignoring her request.
-Knock, knock, knock
When we finally heard the knock signaling the food's arrival, I shot up and went to get the delivery.
“Let's eat~”
“You have to show me after we eat.”
She's as persistent as Luka-tan.
I unfolded the small table, and Doah started unwrapping the packages one by one, placing the containers on top.
“Aah!”
“Jeez! You scared me!”
Doah's sudden scream startled me so much I almost dropped a plate.
“What's wrong?”
“The mak-guksu!”
“Huh?”
“I forgot to order the mak-guksu!”
Doah stretched her cheeks out like the figure in 'The Scream'.
My girlfriend leaned her head limply against the bed frame, as if her soul had left her body.
“I'm such an idiot...”
“Hey, we can just order it next time. It's not a big deal.”
“But you eat jokbal for the mak-guksu.”
“Is it that serious?”
I was the type to eat it if it was there and not care if it wasn't, so I couldn't really relate.
I helped my zombified girlfriend up, and we started our meal.
“Seriously... this is your fault for not reminding me, Oppa.”
“You're the one who ordered. How was I supposed to remind you?”
“I should ban Lucario from chatting for a month.”
Doah-ssi's abuse of power was getting worse by the day.
I just shook my head.
“Oppa, isn't the response to the show really good lately? I think I saw a ton of new comments.”
“Ah...”
The school violence issue instantly came to mind, and I failed to control my expression.
Doah didn't miss the opening.
“Why? Did something happen?”
“No. Nothing happened. It's just... nothing.”
If anything, my reaction made me seem even more suspicious, and Doah tilted her head.
“You're sure nothing's wrong?”
“Of course.”
“I read all the comments yesterday. Everyone was saying how handsome and cool you are.”
Maybe she was trying to show me the comments to cheer me up, but her scrolling finger suddenly stopped.
Her pupils wavered.
“Uh oh...?”
Seeing her react as if she'd seen something she shouldn't have, only one thing came to mind.
What. No way, did she see it...?
I was hoping she wouldn't...
“This fucking bitch?”
I flinched, hearing a sharp curse from Doah that I'd never even heard her say on stream.