Public Exposure
Public exposure. A term that's been popping up a lot lately.
It refers to the act of dragging social ills, injustices, or grievances too heavy for any one person to resolve out into the open for all to see.
This format originally started with television networks.
You know, those exposé programs—the same kind Lee Shin once owed a favor to after the supply gate incident.
If you think about social justice or the value of license fees, programs dealing with everyday people's struggles should be thriving. But networks, by their very nature, can't always side with the weak.
Their main revenue comes from advertising, which means corporations. In other words, the money flows from the powerful, so they have no choice but to watch their step.
Because of these adult circumstances, exposé programs never fully blossomed and eventually withered away. Yet that same spirit found an unexpected place to bloom.
In the chaotic world of Blood Ocean.
Right in the realm of personal broadcasting.
— "This is the three kilos of snow crab I just bought. Let me weigh it real quick."
— "This is 5G, right? Seriously, why is the speed this slow?"
— "Used car scam! I'm about to expose it right now."
Once Nutube became the core of the global content market, fame wasn't just about being famous anymore. It became an excellent way to make real cash.
For people like that, the exposé format was incredibly attractive.
First, by resolving a victim's injustice, they could cultivate a "righteous" image. The sight of them boldly taking down bad guys perfectly matched the current trend of "cider" moments—those satisfying, refreshing acts of justice.
Plus, this was personal broadcasting.
Unlike networks, there was no direct communication with society's powerful figures (or rather, no value in having any). They could go all out without worrying.
In fact, they had to go all out if they wanted to survive in the brutal world of Nutube!
And this actually produced positive results.
The so-called "good influence."
— "The gang running rental scams in Seoul has been arrested. They were exposed through a popular Nutube channel…"
— "Today we'll be talking about false advertising that's been on the rise lately. Our special guest panel includes an exposé channel…"
But there's one fact people tend to forget.
No matter how much these creators claim to fight for social justice, they're still individuals. Personal channels.
Even more "personal" than a network.
Which means they have no qualifications whatsoever.
'That silver button isn't a license, after all.'
Yun Cho-a, who had moved to another Nutube channel's office, stared at the silver button and thought to herself. Behind her, a man was kneeling on the floor.
'This is insane. Everything's completely tangled up.'
His name was Choi Dae-pil, the owner of this studio.
He ran a youth counseling broadcast, openly sharing his own difficult past from his school days. Somehow, that led him to expose a school violence incident at a particular school, and before he knew it, his channel had become known as a "school violence exposé channel."
Then, at the perfect timing, an Nflix drama about school violence became a massive hit. The channel skyrocketed overnight and now boasted 420,000 subscribers—a true "major corporation" in the space.
Success changed Choi Dae-pil.
Or rather, if power reveals a person's true nature, then success simply exposed who he really was.
Club tables every week were standard. His social media profile was filled with photos of him posing with a Porsche steering wheel and a Patek Philippe on his wrist—pure flexing.
His office was in Gangnam. His officetel was also, of course, in Gangnam. A man who'd never had any connection to Gangnam in his life now corrected people who asked "Do you live in Seoul?" with "I live in Gangnam."
Once he got a taste of success, his spending spiraled out of control like a dam bursting.
His ordinary income couldn't sustain it, so to keep up with his lifestyle, his thumbnails grew increasingly provocative.
Disappointed subscribers left, and in his panic, he doubled down on even more sensational thumbnails…
The classic path of corruption.
And the final stop on that route was "fabrication."
He obtained Lee Hye-jung's school records through illegal channels and, through clever editing, turned the quiet girl into a scheming, behind-the-scenes school violence perpetrator.
Worse still, this wasn't random—it was a commissioned hit piece, a targeted fabrication broadcast.
It was essentially social murder, a serious crime. Unfortunately, Choi Dae-pil, deep in his corruption, didn't realize it.
He just thought he was unlucky.
'No! No, this is fine!'
Whether his thought process had melted or he was still distracted by the luxury watch he'd seen yesterday, he was already calculating how to profit from the situation.
'The other party's Lee Shin. If I upload a video of this, it'll be huge, right?'
A mosaic-covered photo of Lee Shin with the thumbnail "I'm being threatened"… It would be massive.
Especially since his guild broadcasts had been generating insane buzz lately. This was his second chance at another explosive rise!
The studio owner smirked while keeping his head lowered.
But did Choi Dae-pil even notice?
Yun Cho-a, wearing white gloves, was flipping through photos on the wall—and watching his reflection in one of them with cold eyes.
"……"
She could tell at a glance.
The Ido Group's Strategic Planning Division's main role was to act as the family's shadow, erasing their ugly secrets from the world.
Yun Cho-a had met plenty of people like this during her time there—people who barely qualified as human.
Looking at his usual broadcasting style, how his attitude changed as his subscriber count grew, and the rumors circulating among his staff, it was clear this man's nature was rotten to the core.
In her long experience, people like him would keep acting up unless they were completely crushed into the ground. They were the type the Strategic Planning Division despised most and treated with the most cruelty.
That was why she had come today.
"Choi Dae-pil-ssi."
"Y-Yes…?"
A document envelope dropped onto the floor with a soft thud.
The studio owner, who had been secretly thrilled at the thought of using Lee Shin to draw in more subscribers, went pale as photos spilled out before him.
They showed behind-the-scenes deals for undisclosed advertising that had been causing growing controversy in the Nutube industry lately.
Sometimes he received cash in shopping bags. Sometimes luxury goods. The Gucci wallet sitting on the chair over there was one of them.
'How did she get these…?!'
But his thoughts stopped there.
Her voice came again.
"Choi Dae-pil-ssi."
This time, the photos showed him inside the company.
Images, videos, and recordings of him mistreating employees—completely at odds with his usual gentle, mild-mannered public image. There was even evidence of wage arrears.
"Choi Dae-pil-ssi."
Another envelope dropped.
Bank statements, expense records, office lease agreements, officetel contracts. Accounting documents with suspicious "adjustments," tax records, and various instances of tax evasion.
"Choi Dae-pil-ssi."
He flinched!!
Faced with his own ugly past, Choi Dae-pil was so terrified that even hearing his own name made him jump.
He didn't even have the presence of mind to wonder how she'd obtained all this. It felt like he was standing before some monster he absolutely shouldn't have provoked.
His head lowered instinctively.
But even that wasn't allowed.
Yun Cho-a grabbed him by the hair, yanked his head up, and forced him to meet her eyes.
"Choi Dae-pil-ssi."
"…P-Please spare me."
The plea slipped out unconsciously.
Yun Cho-a had only spoken four syllables since entering—"Choi Dae-pil-ssi"—yet he was soaked in fear, his lower body damp.
She pressed a finger to her lips in a silencing gesture and spoke for the first time.
"Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes, yes, yes, yes!!"
Choi Dae-pil nodded frantically.
Yun Cho-a gave his cheek a light tap and stood up.
Public exposure?
Even that required knowing who you were dealing with.
* * *
In a darkened room, Ryu Jae-seok sat before the only source of light—his monitor—holding a glass of wine.
— "What? You code like that? What do you eat at night? Energy drinks? What? Potion? Puhaha!!"
— "Let's see. 'There's a girl I like in my class, but I don't know how to confess.' Hmm, I'll call you my little sibling. Little sibling, if you ask your big brother for dating advice, I don't have anything to say. I've never had that kind of worry before. Sorry."
There are people who shine.
People blessed with extraordinary talent, noble value, beloved and admired by the masses—sparkling brightly.
We often compare such people to the twinkling stars visible beyond the window.
Stars.
Right now, there was a star on the monitor.
— "Aww~ What's with the dogeza and justice talk, everyone? Apologizing also takes courage. He mustered up the courage to apologize, so instead of mocking him, let's give him a round of applause."
— "……Did it show?"
Lee Shin stuck out his tongue like a child caught playing a prank and grinned, causing the chat to flood with hearts and excited comments. That was it—that lethal smile!
Objectively speaking, Lee Shin's broadcasting skills weren't particularly professional.
His content sometimes pushed the limits, and he occasionally went off-topic.
But so what? That dazzling smile made up for everything.
"Unbelievable. Now I get why Myeong-hwan got wrecked dragging that cleaning lady into this."
His charm was unnaturally overwhelming. Truly.
"It was wise not to make a move. If I'd stirred things up for no reason, I might've lost everything."
According to the original plan, they were supposed to shake the raid team in the first phase by using controversy and personal history, sow discord in the second, and finally mobilize the contacted hunters to destabilize the guild in the third.
But Lee Shin had come out alone, beating drums and gongs, sucking up all the attention like a black hole before detonating everything with his "method to increase awakening probability."
In the process, the controversy had long since become non-controversial.
— "Aigoo, ma'am~ Just carrying it won't do anything. You need to find a professional craftsman, split it into three pieces, and attach them below the navel, over the heart, and on the side of the head. That should do the trick. Though results may vary from person to person, of course."
— "Let me repeat the precautions. One: they must be the same magic stones. Two: avoid using high-grade ones. This isn't about gathering mana—it's about stimulating the mana hole through resonance. If it's difficult, check the information posted on the community."
Nutube was already in an uproar trying to verify this unheard-of method.
Of course, it was half-joking—like trying the latest viral dalgona trend at home—but that was enough. Regardless of the reason, it had captured everyone's attention.
"I have to admit it. From what I can see, touching that guy would be a mistake."
Every round, every record broken in the 4th Division League.
Every round, an undefeated record in the 3rd Division League.
He'd recruited the Mountain King from the 4th Division and discovered the unknown world-class talent Park Su-bin. Then he'd picked up Yu Ri-ra in the 3rd Division.
A truly perfect representative who had never made a single misstep.
Just looking at his clean achievements made it obvious how foolish it would be to provoke Lee Shin.
Lee Myeong-hwan might be blinded by inferiority and personal grudges, charging in without regard for consequences, but Ryu Jae-seok, who hated losing more than anything, had no intention of poking that particular hornet's nest.
"If you can avoid it, you should. Why fight someone who's riding high on momentum? That'd be stupid."
Following his own principles, Ryu Jae-seok had decided to focus on consolidating his forces rather than engaging in a fight that would only bring losses…
— "Hmm, there aren't any standout hunters, but there are pitiful ones. Hunters who could show more potential but aren't receiving proper tactical guidance because their guild lacks leadership."
But Nietzsche once said something like this.
If you stare into the abyss for too long, the abyss stares back.
— "Eh? You want me to pick just one? Hmm… Should I?"
Ryu Jae-seok had stared into the abyss for too long.
— "Yeah. Those guys are a bit pitiful."
Now the abyss was staring back at him.