Chapter 218
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 218
[OMG guys]
[Crazy, Cheong-beom just called out Two Pause]
Despite her initial reluctance, Im Hyeon-su had moved quickly.
[This is gonna be epic. Let’s go watch the drama unfold.]
I rested my chin on my hand and scrolled down the SNS feed.
[LOL people have been saying they sounded similar for ages.]
[Wow, they really are alike... Two Pause is a serial offender.]
There were two songs in total that Two Pause had plagiarized from Im Hyeon-su. Five measures were so identical it was impossible to deny, but since the songs were three years old, the public’s initial reaction was a lukewarm stir.
She had even called him out via a Starstagram story. While plagiarism controversies were common, it was rare for someone to call another person out so directly.
[Is this the first time Cheong-beom’s ever brought up plagiarism??]
Furthermore, Im Hyeon-su had never once mentioned plagiarism before. It was because she had a guilty conscience herself.
[LMAO is Cheong-beom insane??? Where’s her conscience? Hahaha.]
[Title: A Summary of the Blue Tiger Plagiarism Controversy
For those who don’t know why Cheong-beom is getting dragged right now, here’s a summary.
└ They really are two of a kind lol.
└ For real, a legendary battle of the idiots.
└ Wasn’t there a streaming fraud issue with Cheong-beom too?
└ Yeah lol. Watch out, she’ll probably sue for streaming fraud rumors later too~]
Since the opponent was also a composer with a decent amount of recognition, he was getting trashed, but Im Hyeon-su was catching just as much heat.
‘Still, Im Hyeon-su apologized and returned the profits.’
I wasn't saying what she did wasn't wrong, but she was still reflecting and regretting it to this day. And she would continue to do so.
[Title: List of Two Pause’s Suspected Plagiarism Tracks
Mr. Two-Plagiarist, this is pathetic.
└ Mr. Pathetic-giarism is at it again...
└ Is this guy insane??? The allegations are pouring in.]
However, the criticism directed at Im Hyeon-su quickly died down.
As if to prove his nickname "Two-Plagiarist" wasn't for nothing, other composers began exposing him one after another following Im Hyeon-su’s call-out, claiming they had also been plagiarized.
[Mr. Two-Plagiarist really made a career out of this. How many cases is that now?]
[Hey, at this point, didn't Cheong-beom just step up to take the bullet for everyone? lol]
[Ah... Cheong-beom... What a person you are...! Everyone was cursing you, but...!]
[Don't compare Cheong-beom to Two-Plagiarist. Our noona has lived a good life, donating every year and all. Damn it.
└ Hahaha, plagiarists are all the same...
└ It’s a fact that Two-Plagiarist is way worse though lol.]
The issue was definitely gaining traction.
Even those who said they would stay neutral began leaning toward the opinion that Two Pause was the perpetrator.
Now was the time.
The perfect moment to shift the narrative.
But before I could even lift a finger, the Noeuls rose up first.
[Summary of the Two Pause Incident: Plagiarizing Kang Yi-chae’s Unreleased Song]
The frustrated Noeuls were simply repeating the claims they had consistently made, but the impact was strangely powerful compared to when they were ignored before.
‘Of course.’
When a scandal breaks out, people who want to chime in always need a victim.
‘It makes it easier to tear the other person apart.’
It gives their criticism a sense of justice.
Thus, Kang Yi-chae, who had once been reduced to tasty prey for the masses, now took on the role of the victim.
[Why Two Pause is truly malicious:
He plagiarized Kang Yi-chae’s unreleased song, then framed Yi-chae for plagiarism just because he released his version first lol.]
[The most wronged person right now:
Kang Yi-chae, who released a god-tier masterpiece only to be accused of plagiarism.]
[I didn't know much about Kang Yi-chae, but he’s a saint. If it were me, I’d have been so pissed I’d have sued immediately lol.]
The process of turning from a "trashy plagiarist pretending to be a genius" into a "virtuous soul caught up in an unfair situation" happened in the blink of an eye.
Nutube channels that had been bashing Kang Yi-chae until last week were now framing him as the victim, uploading videos with titles like "Two-Plagiarist Gets Schooled by Cheong-beom."
[What’s up with the rookie idols getting songs from this guy? Hahaha. Does their agency have a brain or what?]
[Their performance was trash too lol. It’s so behind the trends.]
[I guess they wanted to ride Kang Yi-chae’s coattails. There aren't many chances to promote a nugu idol like this.
└ Those bastards... they’re even more of a nugu agency than Daepasung, and they have no professional ethics.]
Thanks to that, public opinion completely flipped.
‘What a bunch of thugs.’
Well, I was quite the thug myself.
[T_T Our Yi-chae, what are we going to do... you’ve been through so much...]
[Sigh... I have so much to say... but I just want Yi-chae to get some rest T_T]
[♡♡♡♡♡ Yi-chae, I love you ♡♡♡♡♡]
The controversy had been reframed.
Kang Yi-chae’s name was cleared. His image was recovered to some extent.
‘People are something else.’
What I had asked of Im Hyeon-su was simple.
"Seo Ho-yun, you son of a bitch."
I’d asked her to pick a fight over plagiarism and drag the guy down to create a scene. If she didn't, I told her I’d have Kang Yi-chae make a similar song and do it himself.
After nearly two years of being "teacher and student," it seemed Im Hyeon-su truly cared for Kang Yi-chae.
Aside from the plagiarism issue, there was one thing she could never fix.
"...You are a truly, truly consistent son of a bitch."
Her soft-hearted nature.
That day, Im Hyeon-su had kept her mouth shut until I finished explaining what I wanted her to do.
"Composer, I'll leave it to you, then?"
I had left the studio after seeing Im Hyeon-su sitting still with her head bowed.
Whether she accepted it or not was entirely up to her.
And two days later, I saw the news online that Im Hyeon-su had called out the rival composer on Starstagram.
‘Everything’s handled.’
Thanks, Im Hyeon-su.
Because of you, things have been settled to some degree.
‘...Hmm.’
I also searched for Im Hyeon-su.
There were still insults, but they had decreased significantly, and I occasionally saw posts of support.
[But Cheong-beom unnie... why did she suddenly bring up an old song for a plagiarism dispute now?
If it’s for that reason, I think I’m gonna cry.]
[I’m just gonna keep loving our unnie.
She made mistakes, but she’s done so many good deeds over the years.]
The Noeuls were careful not to link the incident with Kang Yi-chae, but it seemed some people were guessing the truth.
Scrolling through the posts, I closed the SNS app and headed to the company to wrap things up.
Now that the fire had been lit, it was time to control the burn.
"Keep up the good work~."
"Ah, Ho-yun! It’s been a while."
Since so much had happened to The Dawn, I had run into the Daepasung legal team several times and was now on a first-name basis with them.
"You look busy."
"Ah, we're processing a mass lawsuit..."
The legal team was preparing their response to this situation.
I beamed at the haggard legal team staff member and held up the bags and drink tray I was carrying.
"Have some of this while you work!"
It was snacks and drinks I’d bought on the way to the office.
"Wow, as expected of Ho-yun~!"
I chatted with them for a bit, smiling softly, before casually bringing up the main point.
"Oh, right! I bet the monitoring team has a lot of stuff regarding Composer Im Hyeon-su too, right?"
"Huh? Oh, yes, of course."
The staff member answered but tilted their head slightly.
"Are you managing those separately?"
"...Well, while we were collecting stuff for Yi-chae, we did gather some malicious comments about the composer. Why? Do you want me to pass them along?"
"Yes, haha."
He looked at me with a slightly puzzled expression but soon nodded as if he understood.
"Ah, did the management team give you a heads-up? For networking purposes?"
No, this was just me being nosy.
Setting aside the fact that I was trash for using her, I wanted to clean up the bastards who had crossed the line while they were at it.
Fortunately, since few people in the industry didn't know that Kang Yi-chae and Im Hyeon-su were close, he seemed to mistake it for me trying to help out for the sake of maintaining connections.
As I just stood there smiling, the staff member said he’d check if he could send them through the manager and then stretched his arms.
"Oh! Come to think of it, Kang Yi-chae was just here. He even bought us lunch."
"...Kang Yi-chae was?"
"Yes!"
Why would he have a reason to visit the legal team again now? I thought everything had been settled after his multiple visits.
"It took some time, but thanks to Yi-chae’s immediate response, it looks like things will be settled soon. What a relief. An official notice will be posted shortly."
"...Excuse me?"
"Ah! Of course, Yi-chae said he’d talk to the members first before we post the notice, so we’re waiting!"
Just as I felt I was missing something and furrowed my brows—
"Oh, oh! Ho-yun, your nose."
Something hot trickled down from my nose.
"Gasp!!"
Even though I quickly tilted my head back, droplets of blood splattered onto my hand.
"...Oh, for real."
I looked at my sleeve and realized it was white—the one the Noeuls had given me as a gift.
I hurriedly rolled up my sleeve and craned my neck back as the staff member frantically pulled out tissues and handed them to me.
"Whoa, is your schedule that packed lately??"
"Eh, no... not really?"
It was a relief this happened inside the company.
The staff member made a fuss, asking if labor hours were being respected these days, but I just told him I was fine and wiped my nose with the tissues.
"Just now..."
"Ah, a call! I really have to take this. See you later!"
Just as I was about to ask what he meant earlier, the staff member’s phone rang.
He gave me a nod as he answered and hurriedly began digging through the piles of documents on his desk.
In the end, I threw the bloody tissues in the trash and stepped out into the hallway awkwardly.
‘What was that about?’
A nosebleed was nothing special; I used to get them all the time from frequent overtime back when I was a PD.
More than that, the staff member’s words bothered me.
‘I should talk to Kang Yi-chae soon.’
The nosebleed would stop shortly, and I figured I’d be fine as long as I didn't run into that health-obsessed freak right now.
But speak of the devil.
"...Uh?"
"......!"
On my way to the elevator, I ran right into Kang Yi-chae, who was standing in front of his studio with his arms crossed, staring at me in-ten-tive-ly.
I immediately tried to turn around and walk the other way, but something grabbed my shoulder.
It was, of course, Kang Yi-chae’s hand.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"...Nowhere?"
"Aha?"
I tried to shake off his hand and take a step or two back, but my nose started bleeding again.
I blurted out an excuse almost reflexively.
"My kidneys are healthy, I have no chronic illnesses, and I take my supplements every single day."
"Who said anything?"
You’re the one who makes me recite that every time, you brat.
"I wanted to talk to you anyway, so this is perfect. Come in. There should be tissues."
He was sensitive about health, but he didn't seem inclined to make a fuss over a mere nosebleed.
Even as he led the way into the studio and tossed me the tissue box from the table, I watched his every move closely.
‘Does this guy know something?’
I had solved the problem, but the way it happened felt a bit greasy.
I couldn't hide it from someone as sharp as him forever, and I couldn't even imagine how he’d react if I told him, "I solved the problem by selling out the teacher you respect so much."
I laid some groundwork before bringing up the official notice I’d heard about from the legal team.
"Kang Yi-chae, why have you been so scarce lately?"
"Ah, me?"
As I asked while plugging my nose with a tissue, Kang Yi-chae plopped down into his usual work chair and spoke nonchalantly.
"I was busy talking to a lawyer."
"......?"
A lawyer?
Come to think of it, they said he’d met with the legal team earlier too. A lawyer? What for?
"Hyung, are you in touch with Composer Cheong-beom right now? I want to go see her too."
And why Im Hyeon-su?
My nerves grew sharp, and even though the tissue was soaked, the blood kept flowing.
"...Whoa, that’s a lot of blood. Do you want to go rest?"
"What did you just say?"
"That’s a lot of blood?"
"Not that, you brat. Before that. Why are you meeting a lawyer? Did you get hit with a plagiarism lawsuit or something?"
"What are you talking about? If anyone’s suing, it’s me."
Kang Yi-chae let out a small, incredulous laugh.
"It took longer than I thought to make sure it had legal standing. I’ve been out of it."
"...The company is already doing that. Why would you need to look for a lawyer separately?"
"...Didn't you just come from the legal team?"
I felt like I was missing something when I talked to the legal team earlier, and now my conversation with Kang Yi-chae felt increasingly out of sync.
Seeing me scowl, Kang Yi-chae tilted his head.
"Ah."
Then he scanned me from head to toe.
"I thought you were pretending not to know... but you really didn't."
"......What?"
"There’s no way I’d just stay still."
Suddenly, the hair on my arms stood on end.
Kang Yi-chae touched his lip and looked me straight in the eye.
"About that unreleased song."
His gaze was similar to the one he’d given me in front of the restroom after I’d coughed up blood during the Japan promotions.
—By the way.
"I already had the copyright registered."
What the hell was this guy talking about?