Chapter 77 |
“Trainee Han Seungbeom! What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“It seems like your condition is really bad.”
As I hurriedly gasped for air, the production team, who had been sitting, rushed over and surrounded me. I covered one ear with my hand and squeezed my eyes shut against the noise around me. A ringing sound echoed in my ears.
“Let’s go inside and rest for a bit.”
“If you have something to say, you can say it when you’re feeling better.”
At those words, I bit down on the inside of my cheek. My condition was fine, but it disgusted me that they were pretending to be concerned, trying to divert my attention in order to cover up the current situation.
“…There’s no need to. That’s not the issue right now.”
“But….”
“I’m fine.”
‘They’ve gotten out of the crowd. Thank goodness.’
If the production team continued to leave Woo Kangwon alone until the end, I was ready to storm out of here and rescue him myself.
I didn’t want Woo Kangwon to end up in that situation.
That was outright violence. It was a just punishment for a fair society, but at the same time, it was a twisted form of entertainment.
‘If I hadn’t waited for Woo Kangwon and had intervened from the start, would things have turned out this way?’
I wiped my eyes with my palm, overwhelmed by the sudden wave of exhaustion and regret.
Let’s pull myself together. It had happened, and I had to do what I could right now.
I turned to the production team and spoke calmly, “Because of the malicious comments that are being posted online right now, many of the younger trainees are feeling very anxious. Please block the internet so they can no longer check the online reactions.”
“Ah, the trainees…..”
After hearing my words, the production team seemed to realize that the other trainees would be watching the entire situation, and they held their breath.
‘These bastards, seriously…..’
Some of the trainees were children who had just graduated from middle school.
The fact that they’re all sitting here, completely ignoring whether the other kids were anxious or not, and consuming Woo Kangwon’s suffering, made my blood boil.
I clenched my fist tightly and shifted my gaze towards the main PD, who was sitting at the top of the table among them, “PD-nim, I have something to discuss with you in private. Could you spare me a moment?”
“Oh, yes, yes! Sure.”
The main PD, sensing my unusual mood, quickly got up from his seat and took me to another meeting room. He entered the meeting room first and pulled out a chair in front of me, but I didn’t sit down.
I felt like if I allowed my body to relax even for a second, everything would come crashing down.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Although I hadn’t moved my body much, the sound of my heartbeat reverberated through my entire eardrum. It was as if I were on an airplane, dazed, but even the smallest sound felt amplified.
Even when I swallowed, my hearing didn’t return to normal, so I ended up starting the conversation without resolving the issue.
“The place where Trainee Woo Kangwon was standing earlier, it’s not far from here.”
“Yes, that’s right. It should take about 15 minutes by car.”
“Then they will both return to the Lucky Center soon.”
“The Lucky Center is being controlled to prevent entry from the general public or reporters, and Trainee Lee Hwayoung’s car is already registered, so they should be able to return without any major problems.”
‘Thank goodness, Lee Hwayoung was able to bring him back.’
My throbbing head recalled Lee Hwayoung’s existence. I had no idea why on earth that guy was outside at this hour, but he was truly a blessing in disguise.
“So, what will you do when the two of them return?”
“The production team will probably need to talk with Trainee Woo Kangwon and consult with his agency first.”
“About whether he will leave the program?”
“…….”
When I asked sharply, the main PD avoided my gaze and kept his mouth shut. It wasn’t a surprising reaction since I had already seen how reluctant the production team was about going to fetch Woo Kangwon.
Feeling stifled by the crushed expression on the PD’s face, I unzipped my jacket up to my neck. But it didn’t make breathing any easier.
“When Trainee Woo Kangwon returns, please let me be the first to talk to him. Just the two of us, without the production team.”
“…..That won’t be possible. The production team also needs to address this issue, so we can’t let Trainee Han Seungbeom meet with him first. The production team takes priority.”
“What has the production team done properly so far to earn that trust? You couldn’t even protect Trainee Woo Kangwon while he was being publicly humiliated, nor did you check on the condition of the other trainees. How can you expect me to trust you with this?”
“But!”
“Protecting the trainees who appear on this program. Isn’t that the responsibility of the production team? I’ve just left nineteen-year-old Do Yuda in the care of seventeen-year-old Lee Danbi. Do not test my patience any further. I’ve reached the limit of what I can tolerate.”
“…….”
The main PD broke out in a cold sweat and couldn’t hide his uncomfortable expression in response to my firm attitude. No doubt, in his mind, calculations were being made about the weakness that I had on him and the existence of ‘that person’.
“Please communicate with the agency first. I will be the one to speak with Trainee Woo Kangwon.”
Bam!
At that moment, the door opened with a loud noise, without even a single knock. As I turned my body towards the direction of the sound, I saw Lee Hwayoung, out of breath.
“…….”
As soon as I saw his face, the world in front of me spun around.
“Han Seungbeom!”
As I staggered weakly, Lee Hwayoung hurriedly supported my body. It wasn’t until I saw how pale he looked that I realized I wasn’t in normal condition.
‘…Did all the tension just drain out of me?’
But when I glanced behind Hwayoung, Woo Kangwon was nowhere to be seen. My heart dropped, fearing something might have happened.
I grabbed the arm that was supporting my shoulder and quickly opened my mouth, “….Where’s Kangwon-hyung?”
“In our room. I told him not to come upstairs and just wait in the room.”
Lee Hwayoung replied quickly, as if trying to cut off my anxiety right away, and then held my shoulder a little more firmly. And then, glaring at the main PD, he continued speaking.
“It’s been a while since the incident blew up, but they just left Woo Kangwon alone like that. I’m not stupid enough to throw him in front of these people.”
“…….”
Thank goodness.
I was truly relieved.
I exhaled as I patted my chest, and Lee Hwayoung frowned, studying my face.
“Are you okay?”
“…..Yeah, you’ve worked hard. Thank you.”
‘I see all kinds of unbelievable sights.’
I patted Lee Hwayoung on the shoulder and turned my head towards the main PD.
“I will handle this matter myself. If you’re not going to help, at least don’t get in the way.”
And with that final warning, I walked out of the meeting room with Lee Hwayoung.
***
I was definitely disappointed in Woo Kangwon.
So much so that I thought there was no need to have him as a member if he continued to show the kind of behavior he displayed in the third mission.
I had no intention of lying to Do Yuda, who asked me to tell the truth, so that was undeniably how I really felt.
The first time I realized something was wrong with Woo Kangwon was during the concept assignment.
“I think I gained more attention for my silly appearance rather than my skills. Now, I hope I’ll have the opportunity to be recognized by the public with a more polished side of myself.”
Woo Kangwon seemed to have doubts about his image in the public eye.
When the concept voting took place, there was talk among some communities suggesting a joke vote, like “Let’s see something funny again“. A promising athlete decided to pursue becoming an idol, so it probably seemed quite ridiculous in the eyes of the public.
In the end, he was barely able to be assigned to the Chic Concept, but it must have been a turning point for Woo Kangwon to realize what the public expected of him.
‘But that’s something he has to bear, no matter what.’
Once you entered this industry with the thought of becoming an idol, the public’s attention was something that you must overcome. Everyone was fighting fiercely. Even if you became a laughing stock, in this industry where countless people ruin themselves for a fleeting moment of attention, you would only appear pathetic if you despaired over something like that.
‘What people say is just temporary. You just need to work hard and prove yourself moving forward.’
And since it seemed that Woo Kangwon understood that part well, I didn’t make a big deal out of it. The real reason I changed my mind about Woo Kangwon wasn’t just that trivial thing.
“I’ll quietly leave so that it won’t affect the filming.”
It was the fact that he had let go of an opportunity that would never come again so easily.
I was disappointed by that.
I knew very well how dedicated Woo Kangwon was to his work. We were living together, it was impossible not to know.
Therefore, I never asked Woo Kangwon once since the first time we met. “Do you really want to be an idol?“. Even without asking, I could tell how earnest he was.
I couldn’t forgive him for giving up on his dream so easily.
And another reason……..
“Seungbeom-ah.”
“Hyung.”
When I opened the door and entered, Woo Kangwon was waiting for me, sitting on the bed. He looked tired, but there was a gentle smile on his lips.
“Where’s Nicholas?”
“…I sent him to take care of the other trainees.”
“I see. He said you wanted to talk to me.”
As I sat on the bed in front of him, Woo Kangwon rested his elbows on his knees and began rambling on.
“Were you very surprised? I was really worried too. I was worried that it might negatively affect the kids who were close to me, like you and Yuda. I’m really sorry that things turned out this way.”
“…….”
“The friend who wrote that post is indeed a junior I spent my athlete days with. The voice recording he included as proof is also my voice. Ah, you’ve probably already seen it online. I’m sorry.”
“…….”
“I didn’t mean to listen on purpose, but the words you said to Yuda … I accidentally overheard them. I’m sorry. Now that things have turned out this way, I know I won’t be able to debut, but after hearing those words, I’ve reflected a lot on myself. In a way, I feel relieved. I think I was lacking a lot to fit in with you guys.”
“…….”
Three times.
While Woo Kangwon repeated his apology three times, I didn’t respond at all. I just quietly listened, and after a while, Woo Kangwon asked with an awkward smile.
“Didn’t you have something you wanted to say to me?”
“…Yes. But I didn’t come here to hear those words.”
“Then what is it?”
“Hyung, I’m sure you heard what I said to Do Yuda.”
As soon as Woo Kangwon heard the words “what I said to Do Yuda“, he lowered his gaze. It seemed like he was recalling the memory of me saying I was disappointed in him, as if it had become quite a trauma for him.
But that wasn’t it.
“Don’t try to fool me. It won’t work.”
What I was referring to was the time when Do Yuda, just like Woo Kangwon, was cornered and hid in the bathroom.
A look of bewilderment crossed Woo Kangwon’s face as he finally understood the meaning of my words. I didn’t stop talking, regardless of his flustered expression.
“The recording … it wasn’t a request to cover up the assault, was it?”
Then, Woo Kangwon stopped breathing. His widely opened eyes trembled uncontrollably.
“Don’t even think about fooling me. What I want to hear is neither your meaningless apology nor that bastard’s lies.”
“….No. Everything that kid said is true.”
Ignoring Woo Kangwon’s trembling voice and meaningless resistance, I stood up and spoke,
“How long are you going to be played by that liar?”
“…….”
“Do you really think that kind of resentment will ever have an end? Seriously?”
The truth he wanted to hide the most.
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Translator’s Corner:
I empathize with the MC too much I seriously got angry just by reading this
If you wondered about the meaning of “A promising athlete decided to pursue becoming an idol, so it probably seemed quite ridiculous in the eyes of the public” that’s because Woo Kangwon used to compete for the place in the national team. An athlete considered for national team is pretty much respected by the public, while idols are just seen as “entertainers”, the accomplished athletes are “national pride”. So that’s why it’s ridiculous why a promising athlete changed career to become an idol. This is why you see a lot of k-drama and k-movies with athelete main character or main character is a former athlete who was forced to quit because of injury.