Chapter 42
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42
“What is it?”
“Have you ever worried about your team members? Like, what if a scandal or an accident happens? That kind of thing.”
“Well… I’m the biggest troublemaker myself, so…”
At least he was self-aware. If Ju Woo-seong ever got caught in a dating scandal, it would be a catastrophe.
Ju Woo-seong crossed his arms and gave it some serious thought.
“The guys are generally nice, so nothing like that has happened. Oh, but there was one member who insisted on doing a musical and then totally tanked it. He came back and drank straight soju like there was no tomorrow.”
“You didn’t stop him?”
“I didn’t. I figured he’d figure it out. Besides, if I’d tried to stop him before he even started, it would’ve just drained his energy. At least he gave it a shot.”
“Isn’t success more important?”
“You can’t succeed without that kind of drive. If you keep backing out because you’re scared, opportunities just fly away.”
Ju Woo-seong was actually giving some senior-like advice for once. I thought he’d be more pragmatic. It’s not easy to talk about the value of 'trying' once you’ve reached his level of success.
I listened and tapped my fingers on the desk.
“So, you’re saying trust is what matters.”
“We’re in the same boat, after all,” Ju Woo-seong muttered. “But why? Did something happen?”
“I heard a rumor about Kim Seong-hyeon being a school bully.”
“...Really?”
“I don’t know if it’s true.”
When I answered honestly, Ju Woo-seong rolled his eyes as if he were in a tight spot.
“Sorry, I don’t really have anything to say about that. It’s too sensitive an issue.”
“It’s fine.”
“One of our members had a similar controversy. Cigarettes and whatnot… It turned out to be photoshopped, though.”
Ju Woo-seong sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“Seo Ho-yun, as you’ll learn working in this industry, well, all sorts of things happen. To the point where you’ll wonder, ‘Why do they hate me this much?’ The higher you climb, the harder people try to drag you down.”
“...”
“Sometimes, there really is smoke without a fire. So… don’t act rashly.”
Ju Woo-seong chose his words carefully. Since it was a sensitive issue involving something that should never be done, he was cautious.
I slowly chewed over his words.
This was the most serious I had ever seen him since I’d met the man known as Ju Woo-seong.
“Trust him, at least once. No matter what anyone says, he’s in the same boat as you.”
“...”
He was right. I took that advice to heart.
The moment I organized my complicated thoughts and stood up, I suddenly froze.
Ding!
[Surprise!
Oops, my mistake!! >//<
The controversy regarding Kim Seong-hyeon’s school violence has erupted sooner than expected.
Provide an explanation and stop the controversy.
Stop Kim Seong-hyeon’s Controversy: 0/1
Success: Proceed with the Main Scenario.
Failure: If not cleared before the end of ‘Shining Star,’ The Dawn’s Awareness will drop significantly.]
It had finally happened.
* * *
Seeing my expression stiffen, Ju Woo-seong sensed the atmosphere and left.
I ran to the practice room to find the others already aware of the situation, their faces pale. I snatched the phone out of Kim Seong-hyeon’s hand as he stared blankly at the screen.
“Wait.”
An online community site was open on the phone. I slowly scanned the title.
[Title: I am exposing The Dawn’s Kim Seong-hyeon as a school bully.
Hello. I am exposing Kim Seong-hyeon from The Dawn for school violence.
I graduated from XX High School, the same school as Kim Seong-hyeon.
I tried to forget what happened, but I couldn’t stand seeing Kim Seong-hyeon shamelessly appearing on TV again, so I am posting this.
Kim Seong-hyeon and I were in the same class. Kim Seong-hyeon viciously bullied a classmate named Mr. Hwang. He extorted money, used foul language, and occasionally committed physical assault. Everyone was too afraid of him to stop it.
One day, he tried to extort money from Mr. Hwang, and when Mr. Hwang refused, he assaulted him, resulting in injuries that took two weeks to heal. Kim Seong-hyeon left school without a hint of remorse, but he was eventually suspended due to the victim’s testimony. Furthermore, he dropped out a month later.
My high school verification is at the bottom.
I cannot forgive Kim Seong-hyeon for shamelessly acting like nothing happened on TV.]
“Hah.”
I quickly scrolled further down. There was a high school yearbook photo, but no other verification. It was full of vague descriptions, and the poster wasn’t even the direct victim.
The only thing that bothered me was the claim that Kim Seong-hyeon had been suspended due to the victim’s testimony.
“Hyung.”
“Hey, wait a second…”
Kim Seong-hyeon was deathly pale. I held onto him, intentionally not returning his phone, and asked.
“Kim Seong-hyeon. Tell me everything that happened in high school.”
Everyone looked at me as if I were crazy. Kim Seong-hyeon knitted his brows.
“What?”
“Tell me whether it’s true or not first. That’s the only way I can come up with a plan.”
Everyone’s jaws dropped at my sudden, blunt words.
“Hyung, what are you talking about right now?”
“Ho-yun, are you doubting Seong-hyeon right now?”
They acted as if I were the one who was sick.
I guess Kim Seong-hyeon lived a good life. Seeing as no one even considers the possibility.
Kim Seong-hyeon’s face had gone from white to a sickly blue.
“Speak up. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t believe you.”
“...”
“The scandal has already broken out anyway.”
“Hyung!”
Jeong Da-jun’s already large eyes widened even further.
“Hyung, I… I think this is ridiculous. There’s no way he’d do that.”
Kim Seong-hyeon let out a hollow laugh, and I watched him with my arms crossed. Seong Ji-won calmed the agitated Jeong Da-jun.
“Let’s just… listen to what he has to say first.”
Seong Ji-won and the others had known Kim Seong-hyeon for about two or three years. However, because they practiced together every day and lived closer than anyone else, their trust was bound to be biased.
Kim Seong-hyeon let out a sigh and pressed his hand to his forehead.
“...It’s not true.”
“...”
“What’s written there. It’s really not true. I swear, I’ve never bullied anyone in my life. No extortion, no assault.”
I tried to gauge whether he was being sincere or not. It was a habit.
In that moment, Ju Woo-seong’s words echoed in my mind.
That because we were a team, because we were in the same boat, I had to trust him.
“What about the suspension?”
“...That part is true.”
“That doesn’t add up.”
“Ho-yun.”
Seong Ji-won cautiously tried to stop me. I was already formulating a plan in my head.
“The manager and the CEO will be talking about this soon. We have to have everything sorted out by then. So tell me the truth, exactly as it happened. If there’s even a hint of a lie, I can’t help you.”
“...Seo Ho-yun.”
Kim Seong-hyeon massaged his temples as if he had a headache. Then, he sighed again and slumped down.
“Right, I guess it doesn’t make sense. Being suspended when I didn’t commit assault—it sounds ridiculous.”
Kim Seong-hyeon muttered hollowly.
“But it’s not true. How could I do that to him?”
To him?
“I was friends with the guy listed as the victim here.”
Kim Seong-hyeon looked bitter.
His lips twitched several times before he seemed to make up his mind. He began his story, slowly and with difficulty.
“I might have been the only one who thought we were close, but at the very least… we were on speaking terms. Then suddenly, he was targeted and bullied. I was scared, so I just stood by and watched. Then one day, I saw him getting beaten up in an alley next to the school and ran over. I called the police and helped him.”
From this point on, I decided to listen to Kim Seong-hyeon’s words as one hundred percent truth. That was my maximum compromise.
I slotted the sequence of events of Kim Seong-hyeon’s incident into my head chronologically.
“But the moment the police arrived, the bullies smiled and said I was the one who hit him. The friend who was the victim couldn’t withstand the pressure and pointed to me as the perpetrator. I ended up getting suspended, and after that, my hands would shake every time I went to school. So I dropped out. My family didn’t have the money to send me to college anyway…”
“...”
“I spent some time wasting away like a loser, then I started dancing again, worked a lot of part-time jobs… and tried being an idol.”
Kim Seong-hyeon laughed hollowly.
“That’s how it happened.”
[Quest Success!
‘Find out about Kim Seong-hyeon’s past.’
Kim Seong-hyeon’s trust has increased (very) slightly. Proceeding with the Main Scenario.]
It was the first time I felt this uneasy despite a quest success.
Suddenly, tears began to stream down Jeong Da-jun’s face.
“Hyung.”
“Wh-what’s wrong with you?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know… and I, hic, kept whining to you all the time.”
“Hey, hey. Don’t cry. Stop it.”
Flustered, Kim Seong-hyeon threw a stray coat at Jeong Da-jun. Jeong Da-jun caught it and wiped his tears, which were flowing like a leaky faucet, and even blew his nose into it. Kim Seong-hyeon’s expression soured.
“Hey, why are you blowing your nose in it?”
“My nose is stuffed, I can’t breathe…”
“But on my coat?”
“I’ll—sniff—I’ll buy you a really nice one once I make a lot of money!”
Jeong Da-jun grumbled, his eyes still brimming with tears. The atmosphere lightened considerably. Seong Ji-won cautiously patted Kim Seong-hyeon on the back.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“...”
“Hyung, you really worked hard.”
Kang Yi-chae followed suit, comforting Kim Seong-hyeon. Kim Seong-hyeon suddenly went quiet, his nose turning red.
While he sat there with his head bowed, processing it all, I committed every detail of the incident to memory.
“We… have to put out a clarification.”
“Kim Seong-hyeon, are you in touch with that friend?”
When I asked tentatively, Kim Seong-hyeon shook his head.
“I haven’t been in touch once since I dropped out.”
“Then what about witnesses to the incident?”
“There are… none that I know of.”
Kim Seong-hyeon said dejectedly.
I weighed the post that had just gone up against the best clarification Kim Seong-hyeon could give right now. I predicted which side would have the upper hand. The calculation was complete.
“Then let’s not clarify anything for now.”
“Whaaat?!”
Jeong Da-jun jumped up.
“Hyung, you can’t do that! Do you know how much people are misunderstanding right now? Seong-hyeon hyung is so nice, we have to clear up the misunderstanding quickly!”
“Doing it now will backfire.”
“...I agree with that.”
Seong Ji-won, who had been quiet, stepped forward. He looked at Kim Seong-hyeon with an apologetic face.
“If we can’t even get in touch with the victim right now, there’s nothing we can do.”
“Ji-won is right. If we just vaguely say he didn’t do it, it won’t be seen as a proper explanation, and the public backlash will only get stronger.”
“Can’t we just put out a quick response now and explain properly later?”
“No, people will forget the explanation. Only the label of ‘school bully’ will remain.”
I racked my brain. It was about time for the manager to burst into the practice room. I grabbed Kim Seong-hyeon’s shoulder.
“Kim Seong-hyeon.”
“...Yeah.”
“I believe you.”
Kim Seong-hyeon’s eyes wavered.