Chapter 204
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 204
Just before contacting Kim Jae-yeon to look into Yun Hee-eon, I spent as much time as I could scouring every corner of the internet on my phone.
[Seong Ji-won, just leave the group already, f*ck lol. It’s seriously nauseating how he acts like he doesn’t know anything, ugh, barf.]
[Seong Ji-won should’ve just done a military run along with Today~~ If you realize it’s not working after six years of training, you should’ve just lived as a civilian. Why the hell are you stubbornly pushing your way in and dragging the other kids down?]
[It’s so pathetic seeing Seong-Peus (lol) trying to market his ‘good personality.’ Meanwhile, Daepasung is just keeping their eyes and ears shut... lol.]
People who mistakenly believe they can climb higher by envying, hating, and crushing someone else. People who swarm like a pack of beasts to bite and tear at the slightest hint of a pretext.
And the fact that their target was the incredibly diligent and kind Seong Ji-won was what annoyed me the most.
Honestly, someone like Seong Ji-won actually deserves to have his personality marketed.
Anyone who spent even a few days talking to and living with Seong Ji-won would know. Even if you didn't want to, your jaded heart would feel a little bit purified.
I was realizing this more than ever, especially lately, living as his roommate.
I searched for F.O.B next, but nothing related to Yun Hee-eon came up. Whether it was the power of a large agency or they were just doing a rigorous job of cleaning up the search results, I couldn't tell.
Clicking my tongue, I tried searching various combinations of keywords, but when I couldn't find a satisfactory result, I paused to think and then adjusted the search period.
[I heard he’s been trying to satisfy his need for validation through gaslighting since his trainee days. Can a leopard really change its spots?
└ (This tweet is unavailable)
└└ Yeah, lol. I just feel bad for the kids debuting with him lol.]
I let out a small smirk as I finally saw a tweet from a few years ago that showed some promise.
Right. Once something gets dirty, the stain can never be fully removed to look like new.
After confirming there was nothing else worth seeing, I deleted Yun Hee-eon’s name and typed in the agency’s name.
As I skimmed through articles, communities, and social media, one particular keyword caught my eye.
[Is it true that F.O.B has a blacklist?? lol. I believed it after seeing the leak last time, but it seems like their management is sh*t lol.
└ F*ck, the agency is a legendary free-loader.]
Come to think of it, I’d heard that some agencies kept lists to monitor fans who crossed the line or sasaengs.
I changed the keywords again and reset the time period.
Soon, a post from a long time ago appeared.
[Let’s not consume this person’s photos... Let’s protect our precious F.O.B members’ privacy...
└ Isn’t it time to stop the trend of bashing a fansite master who isn’t even on the blacklist? ‘Let’s not consume,’ my ass.]
[F*ck, but the photos are so damn good.]
After reading a few more posts where the hostile atmosphere practically seeped through the text, I could roughly grasp the flow of the situation back then.
It seemed the blacklist managed by F.O.B’s agency had been leaked by mistake, causing a massive controversy among the fans.
But something felt off.
Every fansite master who had been called out for posting airport previews the day before the blacklist was expected to have leaked was on that list.
Except for exactly one person.
"Ah... this is getting interesting."
I summarized the details and sent them to Kim Jae-yeon, asking him to investigate.
Since he was a paparazzi by trade, I figured he’d either know someone at F.O.B’s agency or, at the very least, be able to coax some information out of a part-timer.
Once I got the blacklist, I’d be able to tell just by cross-referencing it.
However, even though Kim Jae-yeon understood what I meant, he added a useless question.
[But why are you doing this?]
“……”
[It’s hard to see them as rivals anymore, isn’t it? F.O.B is on the decline. Or is it because you think they’re the ones who started the rumors about Seong Ji-won?]
I naturally ignored him and moved on.
And just now, Kim Jae-yeon had informed me of three things over the phone.
First, Yun Hee-eon had dated sasaengs multiple times.
Second, he was likely seeing a sasaeng currently as well.
However, he couldn't clearly identify who it was.
He said the person I mentioned was suspicious, but he needed more time.
As Kim Jae-yeon grumbled about how difficult it was to sneak out a blacklist because it was a sensitive matter, I expressed my genuine admiration.
“How are you still making a living?”
[……Well, I manage somehow.]
Though I could hear the sound of him grinding his teeth every now and then, Kim Jae-yeon reported what he had investigated quite thoroughly.
I hung up and organized my thoughts while taking a shower. A silhouette regarding Yun Hee-eon was slowly beginning to take shape.
Since there didn't seem to be anything more to do immediately, I lay down on the bed and tried to get some sleep.
When I opened my eyes again, the sunlight was streaming in brightly. The other members must have been together already, as it was noisy outside.
I also tore open a red ginseng extract, downed it, and moved sluggishly.
“The air conditioner must be broken!!”
“Is this a sauna?”
Everyone was huddled outside the pension, and it seemed they had gone out hoping for even a slight breeze because the air conditioner was barely working.
As I pulled my hat down, I locked eyes with Kang Yi-chae, who was playing around by poking the cheeks of a whining Jeong Da-jun. He let out a smirk.
I sat on a bench and waited for the van to arrive.
Just then, Seong Ji-won, who had been near Jeong Da-jun and Kang Yi-chae, walked slowly toward me and spoke.
“You really don’t mind the heat.”
He then plopped down next to me and slumped over.
He probably hadn't been outside for very long, but his skin was already flushed red.
“Ah... I need to contact my grandmother.”
“Then do it.”
“I know. I should... ah...?”
“What?”
“……Where’s my phone?”
Seeing Seong Ji-won fumbling through his pockets without even lifting his head, I sighed and asked where he had slept before getting up and heading into the pension.
When I opened the door to the room he’d mentioned, the phone sitting by the bedside caught my eye.
At that moment, the reports from Lia Purple’s maknae and Kang Yi-chae about Yun Hee-eon constantly contacting Seong Ji-won flashed through my mind again.
The dilemma of whether I should hold back for the sake of a fellow member’s privacy didn't even last three seconds.
You’re the one who should hold back.
I unlocked the device with practiced ease.
Since Seong Ji-won’s and Kim Seong-hyeon’s phones were often used by the maknaes as second phones for game events, I could unlock their patterns with my eyes closed.
Twitching an eyebrow, I pressed the messaging app without hesitation.
At the very top was a chatroom with Yun Hee-eon, and below that was a chatroom with a preview that read: ‘Grandmother, I miss you a lot too!! haha.’
“Hmm.”
I entered Yun Hee-eon’s chatroom and scrolled to the top to check it in order. It was quite a spectacle.
Passing through messages about a ‘5 PM curfew’ and ‘my roommate is strict so I can’t,’ I saw:
[Yun Hee-eon: Come to this address lol]
[Seong Ji-won: I’m sorry]
[Yun Hee-eon: Let’s have a drink together lol]
[Seong Ji-won: I’m sorry]
[Yun Hee-eon: When are you free?]
[Seong Ji-won: I’m sorry]
Traps that would have dealt a massive blow to his celebrity career if he’d been caught in a photo were popping up left and right.
But Seong Ji-won’s responses were the same short answers throughout, as if he’d just used Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.
Yun Hee-eon’s tone seemed to turn threatening as his anger rose.
[Yun Hee-eon: You’re really making it obvious that you’re annoyed with your senior, aren’t you?]
But Seong Ji-won ignored him.
Seong Ji-won...
I couldn't help but be impressed by the iron-clad wall Seong Ji-won had maintained for several weeks.
When he eventually stopped responding altogether, Yun Hee-eon started acting even more blatant.
[Yun Hee-eon: Do you know what I’m capable of? lol]
[Yun Hee-eon: Rumors spread really fast, not just in the industry but among fans too]
[Yun Hee-eon: I’m sure you wouldn’t want the members or family who believe in you to see these kinds of stories]
[Yun Hee-eon: Wouldn’t you feel sorry for the people who supported you, Ji-won?]
Then, breaking his long silence a few hours later, Seong Ji-won sent a reply.
[Seong Ji-won: It would be great if these message logs circulated along with them.]
...He’s tough.
That was the last message from Yun Hee-eon.
And in reality, rumors had been trickling out about Seong Ji-won. Just looking at the comments about Seong Ji-won’s former agency on the radio show was proof enough.
I was about to stop thinking and turn off the phone when a frantic voice reached my ears first.
“Seo Ho-yun!!”
Seong Ji-won was standing at the doorway, his face still flushed red from the sun, gasping for breath.
“What.”
“That……”
Soon, Seong Ji-won’s gaze shifted to the phone.
“……Wait, did you see it??”
I had intended to play dumb, but since I’d been caught, I couldn't just let it slide.
“What, Yun Hee-eon?”
I had scoured through everything from start to finish.
“You did see it….”
Seong Ji-won couldn't even bring himself to step closer, hesitating as he gripped the doorknob.
“Did you... know everything?”
The rumors circulating on the internet, the tricks Yun Hee-eon was pulling behind the scenes, and so on.
Even though I’d omitted the object, Seong Ji-won seemed to understand what I meant.
“You mean, the rumors?”
A sheepish smile played on Seong Ji-won’s lips.
“How could I not know? No matter what filming site I go to, everyone is whispering while looking at me.”
I crossed my arms, pretending to be calm while suppressing the boiling rage inside me.
“And you’re okay with that?”
“It would be a lie to say I’m okay, but it’s not like this is the first or second time something like this has happened.”
Muttering that, Seong Ji-won paused to choose his words.
“…But seeing you get angry on my behalf makes me feel a bit better.”
I felt a sharp pang of frustration in the back of my head.
This foolishly kind bastard.
“Why are you so soft?”
“…Huh?”
“If it were me, I would’ve been furious, you hear me?”
I wanted to grab him by the collar and shake him out of frustration, but since it was him, I couldn't bring myself to do it.
“…Ho-yun, you—”
Just as Seong Ji-won, his eyes slightly narrowed, cautiously called my name, a loud voice rang out.
“Guys!! Did you have a good rest?!”
Just from the voice alone, it was clearly the manager.
I gestured toward Seong Ji-won and asked.
“What?”
“…Ah, nothing. Let’s go.”
After scanning me from head to toe, Seong Ji-won turned and walked out as soon as our eyes met.
I followed quietly behind him. I felt like I might say something I’d regret if we continued the conversation.
“What’s wrong with Ji-won hyung’s face? Is he dead?!”
“I think he’ll die if you shake him any more.”
The maknae shook Seong Ji-won, who had collapsed after getting into the van.
Watching that, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Seong Ji-won, I’m not over this.
I have to pay them back double, no matter what.
Unfortunately, unlike Seong Ji-won, I held a hell of a grudge.
* * *
The next day, Kim Jae-yeon succeeded in obtaining the blacklist faster than expected. There wasn't even just one list.
Coincidentally, Seong Ji-won was out for an individual schedule, Kang Yi-chae was in the studio, and it was noisy outside as Kim Seong-hyeon and Jeong Da-jun were watching TV together.
I gathered the lists of F.O.B or Yun Hee-eon’s fansite masters circulating on the internet, the blacklists, and various rumors to cross-reference them.
There was definitely one person who was consistently missing.
[Kim Jae-yeon: This person seems to be the one involved with Yun Hee-eon.]
Below the photos of the lists, Kim Jae-yeon’s messages followed in succession. He also pointed out the account of the person I was suspecting.
[Kim Jae-yeon: Besides this account, I found a public private account, and while there were rumors about other idols as well as Seong Ji-won, there was no clear evidence.]
[Kim Jae-yeon: Finding something like a ‘Lovestagram’ would be the fastest, but I don’t know if it exists. I think I’ll have to look for it.]
[Kim Jae-yeon: It might take a few months, but if you want, I can try hacking it.]
[Me: No.]
[Kim Jae-yeon: You’re really consistent...]
I didn't want to leave any room for potentially ending up in handcuffs by spending months hacking someone else’s account.
Besides, even if I did hack it, exposing a civilian’s account like it was nothing felt a bit wrong.
If I’m going to do it, I should make sure it results in a pretty picture.
First, I pulled up the Item Shop window.
I looked through it carefully from top to bottom, but I didn't see anything particularly useful.
Smacking my lips, I called up the System Window.
“Hey.”
[Kyuuu~~? ₍⑅ᐢ..ᐢ₎]
“Speak properly before I really get mad.”
[Yes….]
I spoke again to the thing that had immediately reverted to its original state.
“Don't you have any quests?”
The aegyo was nothing special anymore, and I had no more shame left to feel.
[Hmm, there happens to be one that’s just right, but….]
“Hand it over. Talk after you give it to me.”
[You won’t regret it?]
Me? Regret?
[You’re sure?]
As I smirked and gestured, the System Window flickered a few times before tossing a quest at me.
And as I saw it, my expression slowly hardened.
“……Seriously?”
Beside the System Window, the Quest Window emitted a faint glow.
[Quest Arrived:
‘Express affection to a designated close person.’
Express affection to a close person nearby and gain their trust to build an even deeper relationship.
Number of Affection Expressions: 0/5
On Success: Obtain ‘Pandora’s Box’ item
On Failure: Rumors regarding Seong Ji-won will be released to the media
※ The close person is one of the people around you.]
No matter how I looked at this, wasn't this just trying to screw with me?