Chapter 172: Maintenance Time (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 172: Maintenance Time (5)
"Have you lost your mind?"
Han Ju-hee, who had left for work at the clan, returned home not long after, kicking the door open.
Hwang Do-hoon, who had stayed up late talking to her and then spent hours messing around after she fell asleep, looked at her with a bleary, half-asleep face.
Still groggy, he blinked blankly at first, not understanding what she was saying, but upon seeing her furious expression, a smirk spread across his lips.
"I told you. I can't forgive that bastard."
"I told you it wasn't like that... We finished talking about this yesterday."
Han Ju-hee looked like she was on the verge of tears.
When the usually composed woman spoke with such a rare expression of distress, Hwang Do-hoon felt a prick of guilt and shut his mouth.
Her mind seemed to be racing as she turned her head away several times, breathing raggedly. Finally, she asked in a trembling voice, "The photos... I thought you deleted all the photos?"
"They were... still in the cloud."
Seeing Hwang Do-hoon hesitate and avoid her gaze, Han Ju-hee let out a small sigh.
"I'm really trying my best to live a good life. Why do you keep making things so hard for me?"
"Is this my fault? You're saying this is my fault too?"
"Of course it's your fault! How is it not? We cleared up the misunderstanding, so why did you post them?"
"That bastard keeps wagging his tail at you, and you expect me to just sit back and watch? Am I not your boyfriend?"
Han Ju-hee felt a wave of despair at his words.
She thought they had cleared everything up during their long talk last night, but she was wrong.
He understood that she wasn't cheating, but now he believed Jeong Yeon-woo was trying to seduce her.
Why wouldn't he believe her no matter how much she explained? Why was he so wary of him?
"Anyway, he won't be able to do anything weird anymore. Isn't everything settled now?"
For the first time, Han Ju-hee felt a chill run down her spine because of her boyfriend.
He had caused such a massive scene, and he thought it was 'settled'? He had framed an innocent person, and he called that 'settled'?
Regardless of whether it was the truth or a misunderstanding, what was to become of Jeong Yeon-woo, the victim? And how was she supposed to show her face at the clan?
Even if he lacked social experience from not working much, this was crossing the line.
The fact that he could confidently claim everything was resolved despite violating common sense so flagrantly terrified her. Han Ju-hee stared at him blankly.
"What's with that look? Are you going to tell me I'm wrong again?"
Han Ju-hee didn't want to talk to him anymore.
She stood up weakly, rubbing her forehead. She turned away, wondering how she could ever look Jeong Yeon-woo in the eye again.
"Where are you going? We're talking."
"To work... I have to go to work."
"Is work important right now? After you've created this situation?"
Han Ju-hee didn't respond to his words and headed for the front door.
She heard his voice shouting irritably behind her again, but she gritted her teeth and walked out.
Hwang Do-hoon continued to vent his annoyance for a long time after she left before lying back down on the bed.
However, the emotional drain had chased his sleep away long ago. He got up and paced around before wandering into the living room.
"Ugh... the smell. I told her to do the dishes."
The night before, Han Ju-hee had eaten a late meal while talking to him.
Exhausted in both mind and body, she had only cleared the table before falling asleep, leaving the used dishes in the sink.
Since they divided the housework, the dishes weren't his responsibility, but Hwang Do-hoon washed them anyway, thinking to himself how much of a disadvantage he was at for being so 'kind.'
Feeling proud of himself after cleaning the dishes, Hwang Do-hoon slumped onto the living room sofa and opened his smartphone to check the post he had written yesterday.
As expected, it was a total uproar.
People were bashing Jeong Yeon-woo, with comments ranging from "I didn't think he was like that, I'm so disappointed" to harsh insults that were practically begging for a lawsuit.
Strangely, the more Jeong Yeon-woo was insulted, the more Hwang Do-hoon felt like people were praising him.
Gaining more thrill from the comments attacking Jeong Yeon-woo than the ones comforting him, Hwang Do-hoon thought for a moment, then hit 'edit' to write a follow-up.
He began to write a work of fiction that strayed further and further from reality—claiming his girlfriend looked at him like he was a madman, that Jeong Yeon-woo had come to beg for forgiveness, and so on.
While his previous post could have been excused as a misunderstanding, this follow-up was pure fantasy, projecting the base desires he wanted people to see—or rather, the ones he himself enjoyed.
In his story, Hwang Do-hoon was incredibly cool.
Jeong Yeon-woo knelt and begged for mercy, but Hwang Do-hoon delivered a satisfying line: "Are you apologizing because you're actually reflecting? Or are you apologizing because public opinion is bad?"
He even wrote that the house was actually his and that he was preparing for a business, and that his girlfriend had eventually broken down in tears, saying Jeong Yeon-woo was just a fling and that he was the only one she loved.
Satisfied with the follow-up, he turned off his phone.
Hwang Do-hoon would do something else for a bit, only to pick up his phone again and check the comments repeatedly.
As time passed, comments calling the story "satisfying" and "refreshing" cropped up like mushrooms, and Hwang Do-hoon's self-esteem grew along with them.
Feeling hungry, he ordered delivery and chuckled to himself, never letting go of his phone. After finishing his meal, he tossed the disposable containers into the sink and lay back on the sofa.
Just as he was enjoying the comments, a post titled "Analysis" appeared, criticizing him.
Hwang Do-hoon could not forgive someone for rebelling in his world—a world where he was surrounded by people praising him.
Changing his ID, Hwang Do-hoon began to argue in the comments. After a long battle, he browsed the internet in a huff.
He didn't usually watch the news, but since articles about Jeong Yeon-woo were pouring out, he read them with excitement.
As he scoured various communities and news sites for posts about the Jeong Yeon-woo scandal, he spotted a peculiar post.
It was a post titled: I cheated with Jeong Yeon-woo too.
When he opened it, there was a single photo and the content was exactly like the title: "We cheated. Lol."
It was a selfie of the poster with Jeong Yeon-woo, with only the woman's face blurred out.
Jeong Yeon-woo, dressed casually as if they were in the neighborhood, had his head pressed against the woman's like a lover.
"I knew it."
Hwang Do-hoon snickered, thinking the mask was finally coming off.
Thanks to his post, the mask of the devilish brat who stole other people's lovers was being stripped away.
Just as Hwang Do-hoon was basking in self-intoxication, thinking he was the brave one who first exposed the truth, he saw another similar post.
This post contained a photo with a different woman.
Jeong Yeon-woo and the woman, who looked very close, were posing with V-signs and their arms around each other's shoulders.
This one also simply said, "I cheated with him." Feeling a sense of unease, he began checking other communities and social media.
As if something had exploded in a split second, posts and photos claiming to have "cheated" with Jeong Yeon-woo were flooding the internet.
Confused by the situation, Hwang Do-hoon went back to his own post.
The top comment saying they were disappointed in Jeong Yeon-woo had vanished. In its place, a comment saying "I cheated too" had taken the top spot.
And every comment posted below it was now insulting Hwang Do-hoon.
Hwang Do-hoon's expression froze as he scrolled down with trembling hands.
"I'm the only one without Jeong Yeon-woo! I'm the only one who didn't cheat! Isn't this discrimination?! Why am I always left out of the good stuff?!"
"I didn't cheat either, so please calm down."
"Calm down? Good restaurants are never in my neighborhood, and while everyone else is cheating with Jeong Yeon-woo, I'm the only one who couldn't!"
The two hosts of a talk show known for their blunt humor were performing a comedy routine.
The woman on the screen was shouting in mock outrage.
"The 'I Cheated with Jeong Yeon-woo' Challenge? Who the hell started this? Do you think I'll be jealous just because you took a sweet photo with him?! Yes! Exactly! I'm jealous! I'm so fucking jealous! Don't call it 'I Cheated,' call it the 'I'm the Only One Without Jeong Yeon-woo' Challenge!"
"Please watch your language. And who exactly labeled this a 'challenge'?"
"I don't know, that's just what everyone's calling it!"
After calming the woman down, the MC provided a brief summary for the viewers.
Kwon Ye-jin had really pulled it off.
When the Black Unicorn account was flooded with messages asking if it was true that I had cheated, Kwon Ye-jin got annoyed and posted a photo of the two of us, saying, "Then am I cheating too?"
Then, the other members and even the staff started uploading every single photo they had on their phones of just the two of us.
They were kind enough to mosaic the faces, but by the end, they must have gotten tired because they just put black bars over the eyes.
Putting black bars over women's eyes gave it a somewhat suggestive vibe, but the public reaction was great.
I swear, the women here really do love that kind of stuff.
Except for when I was busy, I never turned down a request for a photo or an autograph, and I always did my best when taking them...
Okay, fine, I actually enjoyed it a little.
Anyway, since I always gave it my all with the skinship while taking photos, there were over hundreds of pictures that looked like they were taken by a couple.
Following Kwon Ye-jin's lead, fans also started posting photos they took with me, blurring only their eyes. The internet was soon plastered with photos that looked like illegal compensated dating.
It was a bit weird seeing men blurring their faces and posting them too, but regardless, the media caught on and fueled the fire by calling it a "challenge," and it became a massive trend.
Trends on social media are truly unpredictable.
"Hero Jeong Yeon-woo! Are you watching?! I want to cheat too, so call me! My bed at home is very soft..."
"That's enough, that's enough. Stop right there."
"What do you mean? You said you wanted to cheat too!"
"We're going to get another warning from the Broadcasting Standards Committee!"
The two hosts bickered back and forth.
Sigh. If you just call, I'll run to that bed in a heartbeat.
However, I had received a stern warning from Yoon A-young to stay quiet for the time being.
Thanks to Kwon Ye-jin's miraculous performance, things ended without much trouble. It's not like my dick is doing the thinking for me; why would I go out and cause more trouble?
With the flood of photos people were posting and Hwang Do-hoon's endless, delusional follow-up posts, no one believed his story anymore.
I read them myself, and honestly, the follow-up was way too much. Within less than a day, he had me kneeling and begging, and then trying to bribe him with money from Square Garden. You have to be somewhat realistic for people to believe you.
As a result, Hwang Do-hoon was now facing a potential lawsuit from Square Garden for malicious defamation.
You can mess with me, but you shouldn't have brought Square Garden into it.
Well—I'm sorted, but what about Han Ju-hee?
It's not even her fault, but she can't even hold her head up at the clan.
Knowing her personality, she'll probably bounce back soon, but if she ends up quitting, the loss would be enormous.
The amount of work Han Ju-hee handles behind the scenes for Black Unicorn is significant. We might never find someone else who works with that much passion.
And remembering how happy she was, saying how rewarding it was to work at Square Garden, makes me worry.
Personally, she's the person I've spent the most time with, so I want her to be happy.
Whoa there, it's not your turn. Stay still.
I glanced down at my crotch, which had reacted reflexively, then checked the clock.
He should be here by now.
Knock, knock—
An employee knocked and opened the door, bringing Hwang Do-hoon inside.
Hwang Do-hoon shuffled in hesitantly. When he saw me staring at him, he scanned my expression and immediately dropped to his knees.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know things would get this big."
"That's not where you sit. Sit here in the chair."
Didn't know they'd get big? My foot.
You even posted a photo with my face clearly visible.
Hwang Do-hoon sat across from me, rambling about how sorry he was.
Is he actually reflecting?
Listening to him was a spectacle in itself.
He claimed he was depressed because he couldn't find a job and was stuck at home, that Han Ju-hee made him lonely by only focusing on work, and that while he was wrong, it was only natural for him to misunderstand since I was seen with her...
I can't listen to this anymore.
When I tapped my finger on the desk, Hwang Do-hoon shut his mouth and watched me warily.
"Mr. Hwang Do-hoon."
"Yes, yes..."
"Because of you, I've become the icon of cheating. Everyone's treating it like a joke now, but if this image sticks, it won't exactly suit a hero, will it?"
"... ..."
"And Ms. Ju-hee can't even hold her head up at the clan right now. If you're her boyfriend, shouldn't you at least avoid being a nuisance, even if you can't help her?"
"Yes, yes... you're right."
The way he says "yes" twice is subtly annoying.
I stared at him for a moment, then gave a thin smile.
"We're adults, aren't we? We shouldn't act like children. Let's not bother so many people over such trivial matters."
"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right. I was a bit mistaken. Thank you so much for your generous forgiveness."
Hwang Do-hoon bowed his head deeply, expressing his gratitude.
I didn't do anything to be thanked for, though?
"Right. Since we're adults, we have to take responsibility for what we've done."
"... ... Does that mean..."
"It means there will be no leniency. Our lawyers will be filing a lawsuit, so go home and prepare for trial."
Did you really think I'd let you off?
Whether you're weak or strong, if you act with malice, you should be punished. Don't think you can just slither away.
Hwang Do-hoon stared at me blankly before rushing toward me, kneeling and trying to grab my pant leg.
But I pulled my feet back and stepped away.
"Don't look to me for sympathy. I'm the victim here."
"But..."
"There are no 'buts,' Mr. Do-hoon. Don't worry, the judge will provide all the sympathy you need."
Ignoring Hwang Do-hoon's wailing behind me, I walked out of the meeting room.
He eventually started screaming insults at me and Square Garden, but he was subdued by security and kicked out.
Now, the problem is Han Ju-hee.
Personally, cutting off that loose cannon is something Han Ju-hee has to do herself, so I can't interfere.
Whether it's marriage or dating, people often ruin their lives because of 'attachment.' I wonder if Han Ju-hee will be able to handle this well.