Chapter 273

I had to sort it out.

After watching the current video of the new Rank 1 from , Seon Ahyeon showed a very bad reaction.

Because he was letting out a cold sweat.

-Are you okay?

-I-I'm okay.

It was almost like repeating myself.

"…"

I heard excuses like 'I'm not feeling well' afterward, but of course, I couldn't believe it.

'How can a guy who was fine suddenly get worse after watching a ballet video?'

However, I didn't ask why on the spot. Because I already had a reason to guess.

And I wasn't the only one who noticed Seon Ahyeon's irregularity.

"Park Moondae, what did you see?"

"What?"

"In the car earlier."

"… …"

After finishing the schedule that day and returning to the dorm, Keun Sejin immediately asked about the circumstances.

'Come to think of it, he sat right behind Seon Ahyeon.'

It seemed that the conversation was overheard.

I spoke as I sat down on Bae Sejin's bed, which the owner rarely used.

"This season's video with the first-place contestant."

"Ah, that contestant…"

Keun Sejin pretended to know if he had already monitored this season, but soon his face hardened.

He probably made the same guess as me.

"… Did he do ballet?"

"Yes."

That this season's Rank 1 and Seon Ahyeon's backgrounds were quite similar.

And in fact, I had already pretty much confirmed my guess.

-Seodam went to an art middle school while doing ballet. ㅜㅜ Was he crazy about doing ballet?

-Chae Seodam went to Sehwa middle school? I think he might be close with Seon Ahyeon. There are few people there.

It was because the word was already coming out on the Internet.

Both of them were from the same class.

And when I saw Seon Ahyeon's reaction… It seemed that this kid contributed considerably to Seon Ahyeon's trauma.

"Ah… shit."

Keun Sejin had already searched on his own, and his complexion changed.

"No… Is this bastard crazy? How did he have the guts to come to the audition?"

"He must have a different way of thinking."

Or maybe… I had to use my head.

I clasped my fingers together.

"Perhaps there is no evidence."

"There should be a testimony."

Keun Sejin set up the logic right away.

"I even got photoshopped, but this guy has nothing? Even one thing."

"… …"

"It would float here and there."

No.

"Then it would have come out by now."

I spit out what I researched.

"It was from the first stage of the theme song that this bastard got a reaction. He's almost in the center position, and he's currently in first place. In addition, he received a lot of screen time on the show."

"…If news were to spread, it would have come out already?"

"Yes."

I threw my phone on the bed.

"But no. There are no rumors going around."

I had looked all over from anonymous sites to private accounts, but there were no rumors there.

It was clean.

It meant that he did not make any enemies other than Seon Ahyeon.

"Ha…"

Keun Sejin let out a sigh.

And after being silent for a while, he spoke with difficulty.

"… It must be hard."

"Yes."

If people wanted to do something, they would've done it at least before the first broadcast.

Now, this bastard already had a pretty big fandom. It was also an aggressive fandom unique to audition programs.

What if, in this situation, school violence against Seon Ahyeon was exposed and this guy was kicked out?

Many of the fans of this guy would pour their anger on Seon Ahyeon.

It seemed the word choice was already visible.

-Because of the stuttering bastard, things have turned to shit. I'm so frustrated.

Like this.

And there were definitely those who would doubt or dislike it. In the current situation, in the eyes of the public, Seon Ahyeon, who was in a first-tier group, was a strong player.

Something like 'taking out his anger on his unfortunate school days' would come out.

-Honestly, if Chae Seodam was really abusive, would he have come to the same audition as Seon Ahyeon?

- Suddenly claiming that Chae Seodam is a bully; Am I the only one who feels weird about this?

-Everyone will leave Chae Seodam and Seon Ahyeon will still have a lot of fans, so he knows that Chae Seodam's life will turn out horribly, so he's like that. But there's no evidence… Hmm.

And in fact, it was very difficult to cover right and wrong in this kind of interpersonal controversy, and public opinion was shaken by one circumstance.

I ended up coming to an unpleasant conclusion.

"If it explodes now, Seon Ahyeon will lose no matter what."

"… …"

Keun Sejin opened his mouth to say something, but just shut it. And he smiled bitterly.

"But don't you think Ahyeon will have a hard time if it's left alone?"

"… …"

"You're worried about that, Park Moondae."

He was right.

If things went on like this, it seemed like someone would ask Seon Ahyeon during his schedule at least once.

They would ask, "Are you two friends?"

'… That's not good.'

It was really bad. It was not a matter of whether the bastard did well or not, it was a matter of whether Seon Ahyeon could endure it without blinking an eye.

Could they say hello, talk, and laugh at music shows, variety shows, and year-end programs?

It was like a red flag of activity.

I pressed my temples.

"It is difficult."

It was then.

Click.

"….. What are you doing?"

"Ah."

Bae Sejin packed his things and entered cautiously, then hesitated when he saw the atmosphere in the room.

"No. We had something to discuss."

"Yes, yes. It's nothing, hyung~"

"…. Is that so."

Bae Sejin had suspicious eyes, but without saying anything else, he just changed his book and the blanket and left the room without hesitation.

"Hmm."

I couldn't help but notice it in person, but talking to others before I spoke to Seon Ahyeon himself would only break Seon Ahyeon's mentality even more.

Keun Sejin shook his hands and stood up.

"Moondaemoondae, let's think about this a little more."

"Okay."

We tacitly agreed.

But it wasn't much of a secret or anything to worry about. It wasn't long before they noticed everything.

"Guys, by any chance, regarding … Did Ahyeon ever say anything to you?"

"What?"

"I feel like he's shaking too much while watching TV."

It was because T1 advertised the new season of on all the programs they invested in.

Starting with Ryu Chungwoo, the two youngest children sat next to the stagnant Seon Ahyeon with their pupils trembling and frightened.

"His expression is so bad! I think he's hurting!"

"This is obviously the pain of the time when he participated in the audition program revived while watching this instigating season… Yes! Shall we report this season to the Korea Communications Commission?"

"It's not like that, so calm down."

"Yes, you fool! It's not the broadcast, it's a person!"

"Person?"

"Yes!"

Lastly, Bae Sejin spoke.

"What you guys were talking about last time, it was about , right? That person! You said he did ballet, so it's no wonder that Seon Ahyeon…"

"Yes. Perhaps."

"… That, yes."

In that way, the six people except Seon Ahyeon same to the same reasoning and came to think about how to solve this situation.

And on the day Seon Ahyeon went out for a personal pictorial schedule, we gathered in the living room and started a discussion.

"First, reporting it anonymously… No, that won't work. Because we're not with the other person right now."

Ryu Chungwoo, who spoke out, nodded. The rest of them nodded along with serious faces.

However, other opinions did not come easily. It was understandable.

'There's no one with a similar experience.'

Most of them had no connection to school violence, so we couldn't find an answer.

At least Bae Sejin, who was less sociable, seemed to have lived a life of being an outcast in class.

"Umm, then shall we spread rumors first?"

"On the contrary, I think his fans will unite. Isn't it giving him a chance so that he can refute the formal accusation later?"

"Wow~ That's convincing."

Keun Sejin spoke as if resentful, then tilted his head back.

In the meantime, Bae Sejin opened his mouth with a nervous face.

"…. Are there any social media records?"

"Ah, are you referring to that person's personal social media?"

"Yes. Because those guys really want attention, so they talk on social media."

It was a good approach, but… I shook my head.

"All his social media accounts are gone."

"E-everything?"

"Yes."

All accounts were closed. Even from half a year ago.

'As soon as the audition announcement for the new season of came out, he organized everything.'

He was a man with minimal intelligence.

"Then… There's very little we can do with this condition. There are no clues."

"Yes."

When the atmosphere subsided slightly, Cha Eugene raised his hand.

"Let's listen to Ahyeon hyung's opinion!"

"… Ahyeon?"

"Yes! Ask if there is anything he wants to do. His thoughts are the most important!"

"Mmm."

I avoided it because I thought it would be burdensome, but in fact, that was the orthodoxy.

It was unusual to not say anything when the other members had already noticed.

'And if he wants to do anything, it's right to do it right away.'

As time passed, this bastard would become famous.

This was because even in the midst of this, the new season of was growing with controversy and popularity on its back.

As expected, the talent pool was not as good as in the previous seasons, but the narrative was well organized by distinguishing between the cards to be discarded and those to be saved.

'Ryu Seorin.'

It seemed that the writer definitely had the ability. After going through , her sense got better.

The popularity of the program was better than the previous season of 'Mirynay.

'I have to do something.'

It also had to be done quickly. If it went until the next ranking announcement, it would be out of control.

'…After all, is the only way to ask Seon Ahyeon?'

I nodded.

"You should ask him a little bit. Because you are roommates."

"Well, yes."

"Also, Ahyeon might be scared if it's just Moondae, so I'll be there too~"

"… …"

What?

Surprisingly, however, Keun Sejin's words were passed without any resistance. I wonder what my image was among these guys.

Anyway, he was there that night. As soon as Seon Ahyeon returned from filming and went to bed, he started acting.

"H-huh? Sejin?"

"Yeah~ Ahyeon-ah, come and sit down!"

Seon Ahyeon had a puzzled face, but he approached us without question and sat down on his bed.

"Did you take a good pictorial?"

"Yes. I think it was fine… !"

Then, after an introduction to soften the atmosphere, the main topic finally began.

"Ahyeon-ah. Are you familiar with 's Rank 1 right now?"

"… … C-could you tell?"

"A little."

To be honest, it was obvious, but I said it moderately.

Seon Ahyeon, who was stiff, seemed not to know what to do, but nodded slowly.

"Yes, w-we were in the same middle school."

I threw a fastball.

"He was the one who liked it when you got hurt."

"… !"

Seon Ahyeon swallowed and admitted.

"Th-that's right."

As expected.

"However… I don't know."

What?

"Uh, maybe… Maybe it's because I'm weak-minded. Th-there are people who hate me in my life, right? But I-I can't stand that kind of thing…"

"Wait a second."

I cut him off.

"If you don't like him, you just don't have to get along with him, isn't it weird for someone who bullied you?"

"M-maybe it's bullying… I-I don't know. He wasn't hitting me or anything like that…"

"What did he do?"

"H-he treated me with a smile… It didn't seem like he was serious, but sometimes strange things happened…"

"… … How about an example?"

"I-I was in trouble because my shoes were gone…. A few days later, he returned them to me and said 'thank you for lending them to me' … B-but I didn't remember lending it to him, but he laughed and said it."

"Okay."

"H-he laughed when I failed a technique, but after listening to it, it seemed like he was just laughing while talking, so I think I was being sensitive…"

Oh.

In the real world, there were all kinds of bastards.

'He only picked on Seon Ahyeon and bullied him.'

Was there a need to hate other guys so subtly?

It would have been easier to catch him by beating and teasing him like a normal idiot.

Keun Sejin, who was quietly listening with a mysterious face next to me, asked a question.

"Ahyeon~ By any chance, you were at the top and he was the second?"

"What? I-it wasn't really like that… Maybe a few times?"

"Hmm. Has that person ever been at the top?"

"M-maybe?"

Keun Sejin smiled.

"Okay~ Oh, it's true that he bullied you. Ahyeon-ah, don't worry about something like that~ That guy was wrong! It's because he was jealous of you!"

"Eh, Moo-Moondae also told me that."

Seon Ahyeon calmly nodded his head.

"And yes, the counselor also said that it wasn't strange that I was hurt, even if it wasn't bullying…"

He was a person who realized the value of consulting fees.

"|-I'm much better now! It's just, I didn't expect to see him like this, so I guess I was a bit surprised… !"

"I see! Of course, you are."

As Seon Ahyeon spoke, he made a promise to himself and seemed to be recovering. His complexion became more comfortable.

But the two of us were not very happy.

"Ah, then I'll go to bed~ Don't worry about it, Ahyeon. He's such a mean guy!"

"Yes!"

"I need some water."

I followed the guy out into the room.

Tak.

When Keun Sejin came out to the living room, he spoke casually.

"There will be no proof of this."

"… …"

"It's a bit embarrassing… If I hated someone madly, do you think that's what it would be like? I would have been nice to the other kids. Absolutely."

"Go in and sleep. I will think about it."

"… Okay. You should go to sleep too."

I slapped Keun Sejin's shoulder and sat down in the living room.

"Hmm."

I had to calm my emotions down and think again.

Chae Seodam.

He was a pretty cunning guy. He was a kid who was good at interpersonal relationships and knew how to manipulate his peers.

At the same time, what I could tell from the fact that he was picking on Seon Ahyeon…

'He's very competitive, greedy for success… A style with a strong sense of inferiority.'

If that was the case, it was obvious that his ego was bloated and strong.

Since he was such a person like this.

'Social media is pushing ahead, and there is no testimony from any alumni."

There would be a sense of pride that he had eliminated all the aftereffects that might hinder him in the future.

Something worth noting was here.

'If you're conceited, mistakes usually happen.'

It was 11 o'clock at night now. It was usually late, but idols who were active were usually awake.

I made one phone call.

The beep sounded briefly, then it got picked up right away.

"Hello."

-Yes? Eh, Moondae-ssi?

This was the direct number for Mirynay's manager.

And the person I wanted to call… was Mirynay's Rank 1.

What was her name?

"If it's okay, next to you… Can I speak to Jeong Yulgi-ssi?"

-What??

I was able to talk to her after barely convincing the astonished manager that 'this is absolutely not a useless social networking call, it's for business use'.

- Hello, sunbaenim!

"Hello."

-It's nice to talk to you! But what's the purpose of the call?

"Do you remember the conversation about a few days ago?"

-Ah~ Yes! I do!

I strained the hand holding the phone and asked in a lower voice.

"You said you saw some bad contestants then… Were there any contestants that are popular right now?"

-No way, yes!

Good. It started here.