Chapter 202: Scandal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 202: Scandal
“Ah, Ahyu? What's wrong? Did a dimensional gate open or something?”
As I quickly wrapped an arm around Ahyu's shoulders to keep her from collapsing, she stared blankly at the phone in her hand.
“This, this, this!”
Then she shoved it in my face as if demanding I look at the screen.
I can't see it if you shove it in my face like that.
Ahyu looked like she was about to burst into tears, so I quickly took the phone, and my own eyes widened.
Because the headline was something I never would have expected.
“Blackstar Yua reveals she is dating S-rank hunter Shin Jong-hyeok…”
It was a celebrity scandal.
And it involved someone we knew very well.
“Kkotbi is in a scandal?”
For a moment, a look of disbelief crossed my face.
Because while other celebrities had their share of rumors, Kkotbi had never been involved in a single scandal.
Ahyu, a die-hard fan of Kkotbi, had told me this herself.
She had praised Kkotbi endlessly, saying she cherished her fans so much that she would never let a dating scandal break out.
A scandal involving that Kkotbi? I felt something was off.
“No, absolutely not! Our Yua, how could our Yua!”
Ahyu shouted, practically foaming at the mouth.
She looked like an obsessive fan who simply couldn't accept the fact that her favorite celebrity was dating.
“…Ahyu, didn't you just tell me the other day that you'd 'allow' Kkotbi to be with me? And now you're acting like this over a scandal?”
“That's completely different! Some nobody I've never even heard of is trying to snatch my idol away! How can I not lose my mind?!”
“Never heard of him? Shin Jong-hyeok is a pretty famous hunter, even overseas.”
As I mentioned, Shin Jong-hyeok was an S-rank hunter.
He was one of South Korea's six S-rank hunters, including Si-ho now, and a man one year my senior.
People often called him the "Country Youth."
This was because he had a very simple, rustic image and actually spent his days off from hunter work farming in Gangwon Province.
In reality, though, he was a Seoul native through and through, a man who couldn't be further from the countryside.
In any case, his "Country Youth" image was so strong that he was highly regarded by the general public.
And there had never been any complaints about him from fellow hunters or others in the industry.
I knew this for a fact, being in the same line of work.
A scandal with someone like Shin Jong-hyeok, of all people.
Perhaps it was because they were the two people who seemed least likely to be involved in a scandal.
The whole situation felt incredibly strange.
But the photo attached to the article clearly showed Yua and Shin Jong-hyeok entering a café together.
The two of them, who would normally have no reason to meet.
Then I checked the name of the person who wrote the article.
Park Tae-yeon.
It was definitely that reporter who had barged into the idol's waiting room during Kkotbi's live performance.
That bastard finally went and caused trouble.
I subtly lowered the phone, thinking Ahyu would go straight for his throat if she saw the name.
“Park Tae-yeeeeeeon!”
Guess she already saw it.
Seeing Ahyu's hair begin to turn red, I sensed it was too late.
Someone's going to die today.
“Ahyu, calm down. It hasn't even been confirmed if it's true yet.”
“How can I calm down?! Our Yua's image is about to be ruined!”
“Looking at the comments on the article, it doesn't seem like her image is being ruined at all.”
Kkotbi was already beloved as a passionate idol who worked as both a returnee and a hunter.
And Shin Jong-hyeok was known as a man of good character, enough to earn him the "Country Youth" image.
Most of the comments were supportive.
Of course, I knew that if I delved into the darker corners of various websites, the atmosphere wouldn't be quite so cheerful.
But on the surface, the general mood was one of support.
It wasn't the dark ages anymore; there was a growing sentiment that idols were people too, and they deserved support if they were dating.
“Of course it's ruined! How dare he even be compared to our Yua!”
Excluding the overzealous fans, that is.
“And another thing.”
Ahyu suddenly put her hands on her hips and shot me a sharp glare.
“Are you okay with this, Domi-oppa?”
I fell silent at her question.
“You know better than anyone who Yua likes.”
At her words, I lowered my head.
Because Kkotbi had confessed to me directly.
The person she liked was me.
We even texted and called each other every single day.
Just as Kkotbi cherished that time, I didn't take it for granted either.
And even in those calls, Kkotbi's feelings were clear.
She couldn't speak with such affection if she didn't like me.
“But now some guy you don't even know suddenly shows up and tries to snatch Yua away. How can you be so calm?”
My lips parted and closed once.
“…That's because.”
“Let me ask you something while we're at it.”
Ahyu let out a long sigh and looked up at me.
“Oppa, do you like Yua?”
Hearing that question, I stood there quietly for a moment.
Anyone could see that Kkotbi was a good person.
Her gentle nature was sometimes a cause for concern, but she was always steadfast and hardworking, with a wonderful personality strong enough to overcome her trauma on her own.
On top of that, her looks were flawless enough to make her a world-class idol, and her voice was, without a doubt, overwhelming.
Just listening to it was enough to make one feel at ease.
So, if asked whether I liked a person like Kkotbi…
“…I'd have to say I do.”
“Romantically?”
But to that next question, I couldn't give a clear answer.
My relationship with Kkotbi was undeniably ambiguous.
Kkotbi had already confessed to me once, and I had asked for time to think about my feelings.
And I was still in the process of thinking.
I definitely think I like Kkotbi.
There's no reason to dislike such a charming person liking me.
But when I thought of Seol-hyang, Si-ho, and Ahyu…
If asked whether I held Kkotbi in my heart as much as those three, I couldn't give a definite yes.
There may be no standard for love, but there are differences in degree.
To be honest, I couldn't confidently say that I could love Kkotbi as much as I loved those three.
And the same was true for the other women connected to me.
Baeksan had told me to accept all of their feelings.
And even the Seol-hyang from the future had told me she was making her moves with me as the centerpiece.
The pieces needed for that centerpiece were surely the people entangled with me now.
If you don't want the world to end, date them all.
It was an absurd notion, but I now understood what it meant.
And yet, my reason kept putting the brakes on me.
I'd already thrown ethics out the window the moment I started dating three people.
It was simply the rational question of whether I could like Kkotbi as much as the other three that held me back.
“Haaah, honestly.”
Just then, Ahyu reached up and firmly grabbed both of my cheeks.
Then she started squishing and stretching them as she pleased.
“Why are you so naive? Wouldn't a normal guy want to be greedy? Like, wanting to be with lots of girls, or sleep with lots of women. I've seen plenty of guys talk like that.”
“…Ahyu, where on earth do you see that kind of stuff?”
“I'm Ahyu.”
This was the same Ahyu who, back when I thought she was a guy, would understand all my nonsense and joke around with me.
Knowing she was well-versed in those corners of the internet, I placed my hand over hers as she pulled at my cheek.
“Not all guys are like that. And the people who write those things probably don't act that way in real life.”
“Hmph, but the desire is still there somewhere deep down, right? There are plenty of guys who say if they got caught in a dimensional shift like a returnee, they'd become a harem king in another world and never come back.”
“You're banned from the internet.”
“Anyway.”
Ahyu rested her chin on my chest, as if telling me not to change the subject.
“Isn't it okay for you to be a little greedy too, Domi-oppa?”
“I think I'm already being excessively greedy.”
Dating three women at the same time was more than enough, wasn't it?
“I'm saying since you're already being greedy, you might as well be even greedier. Maybe you should just live a little more according to your heart.”
“And you're okay with that?”
“Why wouldn't I be? I don't really care about that kind of thing. Besides.”
Ahyu wrapped her arms around my waist.
I could smell her characteristic soft scent of camellia.
“I already know that you'll like me the most, Domi-oppa.”
That was an undeniable fact, so I stroked her hair.
“The reason I'm saying this is because I know exactly what Yua must be feeling.”
Ahyu's expression softened slightly, as if she were reminiscing.
“Because I know how painful and difficult it is.”
“Ahyu.”
“So if you truly care about Yua, Domi-oppa, just leaving her like this isn't the only answer.”
Truly care about Kkotbi.
Hearing those words, I slowly lowered my gaze.
Ahyu's eyes met mine and she smiled.
“Back then, I was happy just being able to stay by your side, Domi-oppa. That alone was enough for me.”
She said it with such sincerity that I couldn't help but give a bitter smile.
Thinking 'Who am I to deserve this?' would be disrespectful to the people who like me, wouldn't it?
“Ahyu, let's go see Kkotbi.”
It was a sudden scandal.
Kkotbi must be flustered, too.
In that case, shouldn't we, the people she'd find it easiest to confide in, go see her?
“Uh, r-right now?”
The moment I said that, Ahyu's expression turned to one of panic.
Seeing her face, I remembered that I was in the middle of a date with her.
It was already getting late, but Ahyu had come here excited to spend the whole day with me.
She would naturally want to continue our date, so I realized my mistake.
“Ahyu…”
“Ah, h-how do I look? Is my outfit okay? Do I look pretty?”
Just as I was about to quickly apologize, thinking she'd be disappointed, Ahyu suddenly started checking her hair and clothes.
“Should I go to the salon first?”
A dry laugh escaped my lips as I watched her seriously contemplate this while looking at her reflection in a nearby shop window.
A girl who came out for a date is now considering a trip to the salon because of her favorite idol.
Is this the part where I'm supposed to feel disappointed?
I quietly came to understand the depth of Ahyu's love for Kkotbi.