Chapter 31
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: The Malicious Assault Rumor
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"What kind of crazy bastards...!"
This was the first time I'd seen Kim Han-soo spit out words like that. The staff around him wore similar expressions, even if they didn't say it out loud.
The facts Kim Min-jae had just relayed over the phone were that shocking.
Everyone was stunned into silence, but none of them could feel it as deeply as I did, the one at the center of it all.
Not content with kicking me out right after I woke from my coma, they were trying to bury me like this? All over a baseless rumor?
'Crazy bastards.'
Did Moon Dae-chan have some grudge against me? Why the hell was he pulling this shit?
My mind was reeling. My head went blank, and I could feel the strength draining from my limbs.
I needed to do something right now, but I had no idea where to start or how.
Should I call a press conference and say this was GH's doing?
No, maybe it was better to issue a statement denying any assault first?
Dozens of thoughts flashed through my mind in seconds, then vanished.
The problem was none of them offered a way to break through this immediately.
"First, check why GH is pushing this. And contact the reporters—tell them it's baseless and to hold off!"
While we floundered, the article was spreading like wildfire. The rapidly multiplying comments made it visually clear.
Most of them were negative about me, of course.
I didn't even dare check Goodstar. Notifications kept popping up about new comments, but looking would probably give me a heart attack.
'Fuck...'
I wondered what that psycho Moon Dae-chan was feeling right now. Did it feel good? Didn't tormenting someone make him feel dirty?
'What the hell did I ever do to him?'
He was the one who cut me from the company in the first place. After kicking me out himself, there was no reason to go this far.
If I'd actually done something wrong, I might not feel so wronged.
And besides...
'Why drag Seong Joo-chan into this mess?'
The post had clearly named the group "Arena."
If it was about "feud between popular member and the rest," anyone would think of Seong Joo-chan first.
Were they really just trying to get rid of me? Did that even make sense?
Well, considering Moon Dae-chan's character from what I'd seen, it wasn't impossible.
'What the hell am I supposed to do?'
Even trying to think calmly, my heart wouldn't cooperate. For the first time, I clearly understood what a panic attack felt like.
Bzzz— bzzzzz—
My phone buzzed again. Unknown number this time. Normally I'd pick up, but I ignored it. Not the situation for that.
"Take the kids back to the dorm and guard it. If reporters show up, pretend no one's home."
At Kim Han-soo's instructions to the road manager, I stepped forward.
"I'll stay."
Going back to the dorm now wouldn't let me relax anyway. Better to stay at the company where I could at least do something.
But Kim Han-soo shook his head firmly.
"This is our job. Head inside."
"But if I'm here, I can explain any differences when they come up."
Even amid this, my phone kept ringing. I irritably switched it to silent.
'Damn it.'
I flashed back to that slimy smirk Moon Dae-chan had worn the day he notified me of my expulsion.
I'd wanted to punch that ugly mug back then, too.
Now I was even angrier. I'd finally started reaping the rewards of all that grueling practice time, and this was how it went?
If he were in front of me, I'd demand to know what the hell I'd done wrong.
"Whew... For now, Do-jun, come up with me. Everyone else, back to the dorm. Ignore all outside calls."
I couldn't bring myself to look the members straight in the face as they climbed into the car, led by the road manager.
The group's image was starting to hit rock bottom. All because of me.
I didn't know what expression to make or what to say.
A quick glance showed their faces were darkly grim.
A sigh escaped me unwittingly. All I could think was I had to resolve this as fast as possible.
"Team leader! You need to see this right away!"
"Team leader! This too!"
As we reached the second team's office, everyone was buzzing around frantically.
Phones rang nonstop, and every staffer had theirs wedged between ear and shoulder while pounding keyboards.
One spotted Kim Han-soo, hung up, and jumped from their seat.
"Team leader! Should we post the rebuttal article now?"
"Compile the content and send it to me first! Choose every word carefully! One slip and we'll just get more comments."
"Drama production company's asking for fact-check!"
"It's a rumor! Tell them we'll follow up with details!"
Kim Han-soo shed his jacket like it was trash and handled the flood of reports one by one.
In the midst of the chaos, I sank back into confusion.
Stubborn as I was to stay, there was nothing I could really do here.
I couldn't answer calls for them or help with processes I didn't know.
It felt like I was isolated in the noisy office.
'No, do something.'
We had to rebut anyway, so I should read the article and point out the falsehoods in advance.
Actually, sitting still made my chest feel like it would burst from anxiety. I turned my phone back on and found the original post.
I deliberately avoided the comments. Nothing good would come from them now.
'Goddamn...'
I swallowed a curse after the first paragraph. Was this news or a novel?
Biting my lip hard, I started checking the errors one by one.
Most of it was rumor, no need to sort.
'Shit.'
But the darker it got.
The poster claimed it happened years ago, so evidence was "regrettably" gone.
No evidence for something that never happened, but that claim wouldn't fly.
Now I had to prove I didn't do it. How do you prove you didn't hit someone when you didn't?
The worst part: the one verifiable fact in the post.
"Dropped from Flame's debut lineup and expelled." That lent credibility to the rest.
No way to prove I wasn't fired for assault. I hadn't recorded Moon Dae-chan's words that day.
"Rebuttal articles are up!"
Meanwhile, our company's rebuttals started appearing.
They stated the assault was baseless, and GH expelled me because I lost consciousness for half a year in an accident right before debut.
They promised to release hospital records tomorrow and warned of legal action against false rumor-spreaders.
"Please..."
I hoped this would settle it, but public opinion didn't cool.
Neutral comments increased a bit, but the hate stayed fierce.
People naturally sided with the victim.
Even if resolved, I'd be "that assault controversy guy."
'...Damn it.'
Just imagining it gave me chills.
'Even if it resolves well, that'll stick. What if it doesn't...?'
Could I even debut?
No station would touch a controversial rookie without proven talent.
I might carry the "assault criminal" label forever.
'What about the other members dragged down by me?'
If unresolved, I could quit to draw a line, but a plummeted image doesn't recover easily.
'And I can't just live quietly.'
To survive, I needed Likes on Goodstar nonstop. Otherwise, no time left.
Post-debut, Coins exploded—I even forgot about needing Likes for a while.
But now anxiety surged back.
All saved Coins converted to time? Barely 10 months.
If idol life ended here, back to scraping Likes daily like a bug.
'And under worse conditions than before.'
Who'd Like an idol who quit over assault scandal?
"Least I'd get pity Likes at the end."
I could see it clearly: wasting all Coins, dying alone as the system mocked "All time consumed. System shutting down."
'Right? Huh?'
Reporters would gleefully write "Ex-idol Lee Do-jun from assault scandal found dead at home."
Public opinion might flip then. No assault, no charges, no guilt.
"Fuck, seriously."
The more I thought, the more absurd yet plausible it felt—chilling.
Crazy? I couldn't let it end like that.
But racking my brain yielded no solutions. GH planned this—no witnesses from trainee days.
Moon Dae-chan sealed lips tight.
The more I thought, the more hopeless, rage building against him.
"That fucking bastard..."
If I could, I'd smash that smug face right now.
All night, articles poured like the rain outside.
Comments dripped with malice and selfishness like the damp rain.
Maybe it'd resolve by morning? I tried sleeping on that hope, but no dice.
At dawn as the sun rose, Kim Han-soo and I headed to the hospital for my admission records.