Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Counter-Attack
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“I think a smear article will be published sometime around this evening.”
-Those sons of... bitches.
I explained my planned counter-article to Daepyo-nim in detail.
-Hey, great, great. As expected from our reliable Min-jun. My right-hand man. I knew I had a good eye for talent.
*Your right-hand man is Isa-nim, isn't he? He's the one who wanted to hire me, too.*
-Hey, hey, hey. I've got an idea.
"...Suddenly?"
-We should add another scene to the music video.
“……”
A sudden wave of anxiety washed over me.
Because CEO Park Jae-yong's "good ideas" often resulted in friendly fire.
-Anyway, good job. I'll be there soon.
“You're coming yourself, Daepyo-nim? You don't have to...”
*Click.*
“No... I said you don't have to come... jeez.”
I grumbled into the dead phone, and Choi Yoo-jun gave me a curious look.
“Yoo-jun, let's go to the club.”
“What? It's not even 2 PM yet.”
“Your sister's workplace.”
“Huh?”
I told Choi Yoo-jun and the Answer members my plan and started writing the article to send to Reporter Shin Dong-min.
* * *
“We only have two hours until we open...”
the club's Siljang-nim said with an anxious expression.
“He'll be here soon. We'll finish up and be out of here in time.”
Just then, someone with a camera and a few other people walked in.
One of them was the music video director we'd contracted.
“Hello, Director-nim.”
“Yes. Hello, Manager-nim...”
The music video director looked around as if searching for someone.
“Where is CEO Park Jae-yong?”
“...He's not here yet.”
“What! He told me to hurry because it was urgent, so I rushed here in the middle of my meal! And now *he's* the one who's late?”
the music video director grumbled, furious. But even so, he walked around every corner of the stage, looking for the best angles to shoot.
*Clack, clack.*
“Ah! Isa-nim!”
Everyone turned at the sound of heels and was taken aback.
It was Isa-nim, dressed in a flashy, sparkling red dress under an ivory fur coat, complete with a retro-style yellow headband.
“What on earth is going on?”
“Wow! Isa-nim, you look so pretty!”
the Answer members said, hands clasped to their chests.
It was a thought I always had, but Isa-nim, in her thirties, was in no way outshone by the popular idols in their teens and twenties.
In fact, her unique thirties' composure and intellectual air seemed even more attractive than the younger stars.
“Wow, our Isa-nim retired way too early.”
As if she'd heard Choi Yoo-jun's mumble, Isa-nim turned her gaze toward him and me.
“Where's Daepyo-nim?”
“He hasn't arrived yet.”
The music video director and the retro-styled Isa-nim.
And then, a dozen of our Yeonseupsaengs walked into the club.
“Hello, Seonbae-nim!”
“Hello, Manager-nim!”
Now the picture was becoming clear.
I'd only intended to take a single commemorative photo for the article, but things had escalated dramatically.
Isa-nim impatiently picked up her phone.
“Why aren't you here yet?”
-…
“Everyone's waiting. You told us all to hurry, and you're the latest one.”
-…
“I was getting my hair done.”
CEO Park Jae-yong's voice grew closer.
He was in a sparkling white retro disco outfit, with an Elvis Presley hairdo? A Kim Moo-sseu style? No, should I call it a Japanese biker gang pompadour?
How did he even think of getting a hairstyle like that?
Moreover, he'd attached a tuft of thick hair to his chest, visible through his open shirt, making him look almost grotesque.
“Min-jun, Yoo-jun. Wear these.”
CEO Park Jae-yong held out gold and silver sequined shirts.
*Ugh... no way.*
“Hoo! Chief Producer-nim, are we getting a shot too?”
Choi Yoo-jun, grinning from ear to ear for some reason, happily took the silver outfit.
“I wouldn't dare wear the gold one, so I'll take the silver.”
“What's with that look on your face, Min-jun? You guys know Answer's choreography, right? You need to be the backup dancers.”
*This is crazy...*
“Understood. But you should take off the chest hair; it looks messy.”
“That's right, Daepyo-nim. It might ruin Answer's image.”
“...This?”
As Isa-nim spoke with a disgusted expression, CEO Park Jae-yong pointed at his own chest with a gloomy look.
“...It's my real hair.”
⋮
In the end, CEO Park Jae-yong and Director Lee Sun danced disco together, and the rest of us, including the Yeonseupsaengs, finished the shoot as cameos cheering for the stars on stage.
What's going to happen to our Answer music video? A B-movie insert like this... will it really be okay?
If it doesn't look right, I'll have to throw a fit and demand they cut it from the final version.
* * *
Gyeon Sang-jin was in a private room at a high-end Japanese restaurant with the members of Your Girl.
“Aigoo, how can my little babies be so pretty?”
“……”
“Lighten up. I told you to just trust your Oppa, didn't I?”
“Honestly, I don't understand how Answer is still doing fine after getting on the CEO's bad side.”
“I asked you to dinner because things are about to get interesting. Eat as much as you want today. You can start your diet tomorrow.”
But the Your Girl members just poked at the expensive seven-band grouper.
“It should be up by now.”
Gyeon Sang-jin was waiting for the time when office workers got off work.
*Bzzz.*
-It's up now.
A link appeared on Gyeon Sang-jin's phone, and he immediately posted it in the group chat with Your Girl.
*Bzzzzzzz.*
“?”
“See? It's really starting now.”
Gyeon Sang-jin and Your Girl clicked the link at the same time, and an article popped up.
-Is It Okay for Group A from the Popular Competition Show to Continue Like This?
News has broken that Group A, who gained fame from their appearance on a popular variety show, caused a drunken disturbance at a club.
Having debuted last year, these "experienced rookies" have been frequently spotted drunk at clubs, drawing criticism from the public.
Furthermore, Miss S is also famous for enjoying private dates with a third-generation chaebol heir in a club's private room.
According to club employees, the amount of alcohol in the room doesn't decrease, yet she often emerges completely intoxicated...
In the middle of the article was a photo of Seul-bi and Ro-si dancing on the upstage in the same pose, with only their eyes and noses pixelated.
Their similar hair color and figures made it obvious to anyone who they were.
-They are celebrities, objects of public envy and admiration. Even if they can't be role models, isn't it time to reflect on how far we should tolerate their behavior, filled with twisted desires, and what kind of negative influence it will have on our children?
It was an unusual article that even included the reporter's subjective criticism, but Gyeon Sang-jin and Your Girl were simply delighted.
“I told you, didn't I? Anyone who messes with this Oppa gets erased from this world... forever.”
But the Your Girl members didn't even respond to Gyeon Sang-jin's words; they were too busy posting comments on the article.
-They looked like bitches from the start.
-If you checked their school records, you'd probably find they were bullies.
-I think I saw them at a club once. They were drunk and causing a scene, even slapped a guard.
-I was at the 'Best Idol' recording, and the reaction for Your Girl was way better. Your Girl's main vocal's unedited opera part was insane.
↳True. Did Your Girl get robbed?
Gyeon Sang-jin and the Your Girl members giggled as they upvoted each other's comments.
“Girls, let's eat while we do this.”
“Okay!”
“I was going to beat them fair and square, but they had to make things difficult. For dogs that don't listen, a beating is the only cure.”
At Gyeon Sang-jin's words, the Your Girl members' faces twitched.
But they forced themselves to ignore the unpleasant feeling and refreshed the article page.
*‘But why is there so little reaction?’*
He was an influential reporter, someone who could get an article featured on the platform's main page in the shortest amount of time.
“Ah... what the hell.”
The comments Your Girl had written started getting downvoted.
-They looked like bitches from the start.
Likes: 5 Dislikes: 554
↳Your Girl seemed way bitchier.
↳lol for real
-If you checked their school records, you'd probably find they were bullies.
Likes: 5 Dislikes: 325
↳Crossing the line, aren't you? You're asking to get sued.
-I think I saw them at a club once. They were drunk and causing a scene, even slapped a guard.
Likes: 5 Dislikes: 335
↳Reveal your identity.
-I was at the 'Best Idol' recording, and the reaction for Your Girl was way better. Your Girl's main vocal's unedited opera part was insane.
Likes: 55 Dislikes: 1135
↳True. Did Your Girl get robbed?
↳Your Girl did well, but they weren't on Answer's level.
↳Aren't the people who wrote this from Your Girl? lol
↳Caught you red-handed! lol
↳This rumor article is swarming with part-timers.
-Wow, but the timing of this smear article is so fucking stupid lol. Hey reporter, how much did they pay you? 50 bucks? lol
Likes: 738 Dislikes: 5
↳They must've gotten at least 500...
↳What's with this guy being so serious lol
-For anyone just seeing this, there's another article that came out before this one. If you read that first, you'll understand what's going on.
Likes: 538 Dislikes: 5
-There are 5 Your Girl part-timers here lol
Likes: 678 Dislikes: 0
-Link to the article from 5 minutes ago https://entertain.saver.com/read?oid=447&aid=003047
Every time they refreshed, unexpected comments and downvotes piled up, and Gyeon Sang-jin and Your Girl began to panic.
They cautiously clicked the link in the comments.
It was an article about Answer, published exactly five minutes earlier, as if it had been waiting for the smear piece to drop.
-Q: For the competition, for their new album. Answer, four talented hard workers who are finally starting to shine. We met the group who stood out in the first part of 'Best Idol's' first round. They said they even did special practice to conquer the second part.
-A: ‘We did a lot of research for our performance. It was so embarrassing... but like our Daepyo-nim said, I think we built up some nerve by going up on the upstage at a crowded club. But honestly, I was surprised by how fun it was. I want to go dancing again. (Seul-bi laughs)’
-[Photo 1: A commemorative photo of CEO Park Jae-yong and other people from JD Enter at the same club, looking like they were filming a music video.]
-Q: It looks like you filmed a music video at that club, too?
-A: ‘Oops! That's a secret.’
-Q: Being as beautiful as you are, were there any problems on your first trip to a club? Did you have any trouble with drunkards?
-A: ‘I went with my manager Oppa, so there weren't any big problems. But you know free drinks? They gave us some for livening up the place, and we just kept sipping them (actually, I love soda, haha), so when they begged us to just show our faces and leave, it was hard to refuse. We did see some nasty people there, though. Our manager Oppa scolded them, but I don't know if they came to their senses. He's really scary when he's angry.’
-[Photo 2: Choi Yoo-jun playfully taking a selfie upstairs, with Seul-bi and Ro-si making the same pose next to him.]
While it seemed to cover the same events as the smear article, the interview, which was clearly pure and honest, made Answer look all the more charming.
-Did Answer win the second part too? I smell it. Isn't this a spoiler?
Likes: 2738 Dislikes: 52
-Now I remember. They were from that Park Jae-yong audition show. They struggled for a long time, I hope they walk a path of light.
Likes: 2708 Dislikes: 25
-New album spoiler. It's retro disco dance.
Likes: 3738 Dislikes: 225
↳You're farming likes for something everyone can tell from the picture?
↳So cynical.
-I was at that club. Those two were amazing. It was like one person dancing in front of a mirror, perfect synchronization! I'm a woman, and I don't think I've ever seen another woman look so cool.
Likes: 4383 Dislikes: 144
↳Does your boyfriend know you went to a club that night?
↳So many losers in the comments lol
-I was there that day too, and I saw a senior fan of S Girls trying to discipline them. It was crazy, she was telling Answer to get on the ground even with people around.
-Whoa, that's messed up.
-So who are S Girls?
-Isn't S short for Savage? No subject mentioned.
-Didn't Savage Something-or-other have a controversy before? For slapping a makeup artist or a stylist.
-And they're still active after that? So shameless.
The flames were instead spreading to Ji-yoo of Savage Girls, and a curse escaped Gyeon Sang-jin's lips.
“Son of a bitch.”
-A smear article on Answer just came out. The timing is hilarious? lolol Go check it out. It's so obviously malicious. Looks like an article paid for by S Girls lolol
His anger exploding, Gyeon Sang-jin slammed his hand on the table.
*BANG!*
“!”
Your Girl flinched in surprise.
*‘Why is every single thing going wrong?!’*
His face flushed, Gyeon Sang-jin rubbed the back of his neck and started trying to pinpoint when things had started to go south.