Chapter 76 |
I frowned as I looked at the reactions on the community forum that Do Yuda had opened.
— From the start, I found it so annoying that a guy who used to live as an athlete suddenly decided to butt in and become an idol LOLOL Like, does he think he’s someone special? I don’t get how he’s pushing aside trainees who’ve staked their lives on this just to take a spot, especially when it hasn’t been that long since he retired and came back from the military
— Good riddance, Kangwon lol. Your face is all over the place now, so what are you gonna do for a living?
— People like him need to get the crap beaten out of them. They need to experience it themselves to come to their senses.
— When I was in the military, Woo Kangwon was my senior, and his extreme strictness made it incredibly hard for me. Even now, I get so traumatized that my hands start trembling whenever he appears on TV, and I’m seeing a psychiatrist because of it.
└ That’s insane. Even in the army, he was like that?
└ Wow, shouldn’t we upvote this to bring it to the top? Everyone, go ahead and upvote!
└ Y You went through a lot ㅠㅠ LLet’s make him pay for his sins at least now
└ Hey, but why do Anonymous #2 and the original poster have the same IP? Is this fake?
└ Proof, please.
└ Is this guy just seeking attention?
└ Ah, I threw away all the photos and evidence from that time because of my trauma … Just seeing the traces from back then scares me too much.
Harsh criticisms of Woo Kangwon and all sorts of unverified stories were floating everywhere.
Real-time keywords were also flooded with content about Woo Kangwon, and articles about Woo Kangwon were constantly posted on various communities.
“….What is this?”
Do Yuda, who had witnessed all of it from the side, covered his mouth and barely held back his vomit. I quickly hid the tablet from his sight. However, perhaps because he was so shocked, Do Yuda couldn’t take his eyes off the spot where the tablet had just been.
‘Damn it.’
I regretted not removing the tablet sooner after discovering the content.
“Stop looking. Don’t even go near the tablet for a while. And don’t even think about searching for more.”
“…….”
Do Yuda didn’t respond to my warning. Unable to hide his confused feelings, he took a deep a breath for a while before muttering, “…Until yesterday, there weren’t this many people who hated Kangwon-hyung.”
“…….”
“They’ve only heard one side of the story, and yet people are already cursing at Kangwon-hyung. They said they knew this would happen. Have these people even met him in person?”
His murmuring voice, lost in thought, carried a sense of fear.
It wasn’t just out of concern for Woo Kangwon that he was acting like this.
“Will they even give Kangwon-hyung a chance to speak? They’ve already cursed him like he’s someone who deserves to die, but what if it turns out Kangwon-hyung wasn’t at fault? The ones who cursed him will become the perpetrators, so wouldn’t they try to deny what he says just to avoid that situation? What if they lead others to curse him too, making it hard to identify the actual perpetrator? If the truth comes out, will they even apologize?”
That was close to learned fear.
‘There’s no guarantee that this will only happen to Woo Kangwon in the future.’
Even without committing any major wrongdoing, malicious comments naturally follow anyone who steps into the public eye.
Those who have taken to heart all the indiscriminate malicious comments directed at them live in constant fear, trembling every day at the possibility that they could become the next target.
“I’m scared. I’m so scared … Kangwon-hyung must be even more scared, and I feel disgusted with myself for being this selfish.”
His reaction was born from endless imagination and anxiety. It was no longer just someone else’s problem to ignore, as the fear he had been imagining every day suddenly appeared right next to him, clear as day.
“This is a lie … There’s no way Kangwon-hyung would do something like this. Hyung, you think the same too. But if everyone is going to suddenly turn their back on him just from hearing one person’s words, then how is he supposed to..…”
“…You’re agitated right now. Calm down.”
“I want to calm down too. I know this isn’t the time for me to be like this. But, but my body keeps shaking..…”
“…….”
There was no sign of calming down. And Do Yuda’s state seemed to be affected by the surroundings.
“What is this?”
“Woo Kangwon-hyung did this?”
“…There are constantly posts on the broadcast station’s website calling for Woo Kangwon to be removed.”
[“I’m sorry. I never thought my actions would ruin your lives! Please forgive me!”]
The murmurs of the other trainees grew louder. Amidst them, Woo Kangwon’s desperate voice, which had been included as evidence in the expose, was also mixed in.
Although they weren’t as close to Woo Kangwon as Do Yuda was, everyone was losing their composure. Some were repeatedly clenching and unclenching their fists as if their fingertips were numb, while others compulsively scrolled through their devices, checking people’s reactions.
I swallowed hard as I watched them.
‘The situation is bad.’
Anxiety and fear spread.
“Ugh, if he caused trouble, why is he still hanging around instead of leaving already?”
“It’s seriously disgusting how he’s dragging the whole show down.”
There were occasional people loudly talking badly about Woo Kangwon, but it didn’t feel genuine. It was just an unconscious manifestation of trying to distance themselves from Woo Kangwon, the target of the attacks, in an effort to relieve their own anxiety.
‘Because Woo Kangwon has always been like a kind older brother to the trainees here.’
Since the trainees were still young, it was very likely that they would struggle to draw a line between “myself” and “others“. Especially if the person they had trusted and relied on was involved.
‘If the other trainees are like this, then Woo Kangwon himself…….’
He’d always been easygoing by nature and the type to calmly handle any situation, so would he react in a similar way this time as well?
I quickly dismissed the thought and shook my head.
‘No, there’s no way he could.’
Being attacked by an anonymous crowd is terrifying, whether you’re guilty or not.
Your heart would beat fast, your thoughts would spiral to the extremes.
You know it was out of your control, that no one will be held accountable for it, and no one will feel guilty about it, but you can’t help but be drawn to it, knowing full well that seeing those comments will do you no good.
‘Besides, he’s outside right now. People must be dying to see Woo Kangwon panic.’
It was no different than throwing a wounded prey in front of a pack of hyenas.
Although Woo Kangwon was relatively older within the program, he was still just a trainee in his early twenties. And no matter how old you get, these things never get any easier. We just learned to pretend we didn’t see them.
As soon as I finished thinking about it, I got a headache.
“Ha…….”
‘There’s a mountain of things to do, but I can’t leave Do Yuda alone right now….’
I rubbed my temples, which were throbbing painfully, and gently patted Do Yuda’s back as I looked around. Then, I saw Lee Danbi passing through the hallway. I quickly gestured with my hand and called out to the child.
“Danbi.”
“Yes, hyung.”
Lee Danbi responded calmly and approached me with the same gait as usual. I looked at Lee Danbi’s face and tried to assess his condition.
”He’s not agitated at all.’
He was unusually calm. To think that someone younger than Do Yuda was more composed than the adult trainees … it was almost enough to make me laugh bitterly.
“…You know everything, right?”
“Yes. Feel free to speak, I’m fine.”
Sighing in relief at Lee Danbi’s words, I immediately opened my mouth, “I need to talk to the production team, so can you stay with the other kids for now? I want everyone to stop looking at the internet and do something else to pass the time.”
“Sure. Don’t worry, go ahead. I’ll keep an eye on the others.”
“Okay, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s an unavoidable situation, and I’m glad if I can help. Now, Yuda-hyung. Come with me.”
Lee Danbi, who calmly nodded at my request, grabbed Do Yuda’s arm and led him. As if influenced by Lee Danbi’s calmness, Do Yuda gradually regained his composure. While walking to the break room, he turned to look at me several times.
I stood in place until Do Yuda stopped looking back at me, then immediately ran to the meeting room where the production team was gathered.
***
“Have you been able to reach his agency? They seem completely swamped dealing with this right now.”
“Still, isn’t it proper courtesy to consult with us first? It’s not like Woo Kangwon has another schedule, our program is the only one.”
As I ran hurriedly, I could hear the production team discussing things. They were closing the door as they were in a meeting.
“Even so, he’s a cast member of our program. Shouldn’t we bring him in and talk to him first? No one even knows if that whistleblower is lying or not.”
“That’s right. When a program enters its later stages and the cast members gain popularity, incidents like this always happen. We need to handle this with more composure.”
Someone suggested bringing Woo Kangwon in to have a conversation.
“What if when we go to get him, it ends up looking like the production team is taking Woo Kangwon’s side?”
“Let him come back on his own. What’s so special about him that we should go pick him up?”
Someone tried to kick Woo Kangwon out.
After hearing the whole conversation at the door, I pushed the door open and entered.
“…….”
As soon as I entered, I saw a huge screen. I was lost for words as my eyes took in the video on the screen.
The screen was showing a NeoTube Live streaming window.
I could see Woo Kangwon in the middle of the crowd, his head bowed as he made his way forward in silence.
[“Trainee Woo Kangwon! How do you feel when you bully your juniors? Does it relieve your stress and make you feel better?”]
[“Did you ever hit any of the trainees? Just tell us the name of one you didn’t like!”]
[“Oh my, thank you for the 10,000 won donation! I’ll work hard!”]
[“The whistleblower said they had to end their athletic career because of you, Woo Kangwon. Don’t you feel guilty? Aren’t you going to apologize to the fans who supported you?”]
[“Are you upset? You look like you’re really upset? Do you want to punch me too?”]
[“When are you going to quit the program!”]
[“I heard you kept good relations with the members who shared a room with you. Is it true you only suck up to the more popular members?”]
That person wasn’t even a proper proper from a legitimate newspaper. He was a cyber wrecker1 running a NeoTube channel.
The production team was having an argument among themselves while displaying the image of Woo Kangwon’s suffering.
“…What are you doing?” Overwhelmed with bewilderment, I asked an empty question.
“Turn it off. Turn it off!”
“Hurry!”
The production staff, startled by my sudden appearance, scrambled to close the browser windows. But even if they hurriedly closed one, another streaming window from a different channel was still visible behind it.
“…..Tra-Trainee Han Seungbeom.”
“This is…….”
I left the production team, who were at a loss for what to do, behind and stared blankly at the screen.
Woo Kangwon looked exhausted. He no longer moved forward. He stopped in place and closed his eyes.
I saw a reflection of my past self in Woo Kangwon’s appearance.
My breath caught in my throat.
It was the same.
There was no difference between me at that time and now.
One person had died, but the people remained the same.
“…Trainee Han Seungbeom?”
“Are you okay?”
My arms and legs wouldn’t move.
I stood still, unable to move, just like the Woo Kangwon on the screen.
[SCREEEECH!]
In the moment when my mind was fading, the screeching sound of tires, like something tearing, pierced my ears.
And then, a black limousine came right in front of Woo Kangwon. The limousine door slammed open, and a familiar voice shouted.
[“Get in!”]
It was Lee Hwayoung.
Lee Hwayoung reached out and grabbed Woo Kangwon’s arm in an instant, pulling him into the limousine and immediately closing the door.
“Huk, huff … haa.”
It was only after I heard that voice, after Woo Kangwon had escaped from the crowd, that I was finally able to breathe again.
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Translator’s Corner:
- Cyber Wrecker (사이버 렉카): a person who makes profits (views, recognition, advertising revenue) by publicizing other people’s misfortunes, accidents, mistakes, shortcomings, and errors, mainly in the form of videos, on the Internet.
This is derogatory term for YouTuber who posts a video that edits an issue that happened to a specific person online and uses the video as content to disparage and criticize the person (and gaining money from it too). It’s from Cyber (internet) + 렉카 (Wrecker, but the lit meaning is “tow truck”). In Korea, tow truck is notorous. Because whenever there’s a car crash, tow trucks will show up out of nowhere. They are often criticizen because of “violent driving” because the truck drivers’ income depends on how quickly they could arrive at the accident scene. So, their source of income is taking advantage of someone else’s misfortune.
The behavior of the issue YouTuber is similar to this tow truck, so the word is called “Cyber Tow Truck”. I like “Cyber Wrecker” more so I use it.
If you’re active in the K-POP community today, the recent most famous Cyber Wrecker example is the YouTuber Sojang, who was brought down by Jang Wonyoung from IVE. ↩︎
This arc is hard for me and it’s still the surface level … I just want to cry…….
Actually, at first I had no intention of picking this (because I felt bad for doing things that others already did), but then I saw people not sure about this novel because the synopsis make it seems like MC commited “just” to expose his agency …. when the story actually went much much deeper than that …. He’s actually my current #1 favorite Idol MC tbh and I think I already read almost everything in this trope.
I’m actually very sensitive about this topic since the same thing happened to my favorite female idols that I supported ever since I was in elementary school until years later (like, I don’t even like seeing one of the most famous kdrama this year for the same reason), but I really like how the author portray the severity of hate comments that Idols received in this story, that when you read this you can’t help but feel sorry for them. I think people need to read this kind of story, especially if they’re idol fans in real life, so I finally picked it up (and even halted my other series for this) (omg I’m sorry for not being fair)