GIJS

Chapter 74 My older brothers told me to come over.

The flood of articles pointed to a single truth.

The painting featured on [Masterpiece Genuine Antiques] is confirmed to be by the artist, Hyun Shim Sa-jeong. In other words, Yoo Gun-ja was right, and Won Gyun-sang was wrong.

The articles quickly spread, and as expected, the atmosphere shifted once again.

[?????????] [What is this? LOL] [The painting is genuine??;;;] [So Yoo Gun-ja was right!?!?] [Wait, what about that professor?] [He was so confident in his claims LOL] [How did Gun-ja know when that professor didn't?]

Subsequent follow-up articles explained people's questions.

[[Masterpiece Genuine Antiques] Professor Won Gyun-sang's appraisal under suspicion.] [Professor Won Gyun-sang, who has made similar mistakes in the past... Was it a mistake or intentional?] [The Joseon blue-and-white porcelain sold to China two years ago was reported as a commission for [Masterpiece Genuine Antiques].] [Blue-and-white porcelain, gilt bronze incense burner, and now Hyun Shim Sa-jeong's painting. Idol uncovers corrupt professor!] [Anonymous fellow professor says, "One mistake can be excused, but three times can only be seen as intentional."]

As if by some agreement, portals flooded with articles targeting Won Gyun-sang. It was a joint effort between the client, Professor Kang Yun-sung, and Solar System.

With the truth revealed, people were once again thrilled.

The 'idol with a controversial character' story was entertaining, but nothing compared to 'the idol who caught a corrupt professor!'

The former is a story that comes up every 2-3 years. However, the latter was unprecedented.

[LOL, is it real? I can't believe it.] [The professor was actually the bad guy LOL] [Wow, that person has been on Masterpiece Genuine Antiques for quite some time.] [But how did Yoo Gun-ja find out? LOL] [A Joseon detective? LOL] [He's really sharp, isn't he? LOL] [How do we explain this? LOL] [I'm a bit of an expert, but this idol is a first.] [LOL, all kinds of characters have appeared, but this one is truly rare.] [An idol confronting a professor on Masterpiece Genuine Antiques?] [LOL, this is so thrilling LOL] [Did I say Gun-ja was right?] [LOL, where did all the doubters go?] [LOL, I'm a fan, but I'm a bit nervous right now LOL] [Me too LOL, it's surprising to see a kid suddenly argue with a professor.] [I've decided to believe in whatever Gun-ja does from now on.]

Now, on [Masterpiece Genuine Antiques], Yoo Gun-ja was shown writing a poem. With the Won Gyun-sang – Yoo Gun-ja article covering portals, [Masterpiece Genuine Antiques] ratings soared to 30%.

Looking at the soaring ratings graph, reminiscent of Bitcoin's peak, PD Han Gu-heon smiled meaningfully.

Kim Seok-hoon PD, you were right.

As soon as the poem was revealed, viewers analyzed its tones and meaning, and it caused another stir.

[Won Gyun-sang, the fake scholar??] [LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL] [What's this LOL LOL] [Is this person out of their mind??? LOL LOL LOL] [This is obviously a deliberate insult, right?] [Won Gyun-sang, the professor is a fraud LOL LOL] [But what does it mean? The interpretation seems consistent.] [It's not just wordplay?;;;;] [I transcribed and interpreted it immediately.] [You transcribed it that quickly? You're amazing LOL] [Masterpiece Genuine Antiques Yoo Gun-ja's on-the-spot poem reading, interpretation.jpg] [Oh, the 'fake scholar' part is so explosive LOL LOL] [Did they even cover the meaning?] [He must be a genius LOL LOL LOL] [Does he have a Chinese dictionary in his head?] [Look at Won Gyun-sang's expression LOL LOL LOL] [This is the first time I've seen an idol like this LOL LOL] [Me too LOL, I'm watching Masterpiece Genuine Antiques with my parents and we're amazed.]

If the truth had not been revealed, he would have just seemed arrogant. But once the truth was known, something else was seen.

The image of a scholar rebuking a corrupt academic.

The exposed scholar could not hide his anger and shame but could not retaliate. Yoo Gun-ja's words were all correct.

Now, Won Gyun-sang had only one option left: escape. In fact, he was not a first-time offender. If past actions were also investigated, he might end up in court.

Won Gyun-sang, who chose to flee to buy time, found the prosecution one step ahead.

Predicting the possibility of escape, the prosecution swiftly issued a travel ban. Caught at the airport, Won Gyun-sang could not avoid detention. The decision was made due to the high risk of escape and evidence destruction.

[[Masterpiece Genuine Antiques] Professor Won Gyun-sang detained... The dark shadow of a scholar.] [Won Gyun-sang's continued transgressions, not likely to end with these three cases...] ['Fake scholar' Won Gyun-sang, was his appearance not good from the start? Analysis of Won Gyun-sang's appearance.] [Crucial role in capture played by 7IN's Yoo Gun-ja, "I just did what a scholar should do."]

Hearing the news of Won Gyun-sang's detention, Yoo Gun-ja laughed contentedly.

"Taewoong, did you hear? Won Gyun-sang is going to prison."

"Yeah, I heard."

"Indeed, the appearance has changed a bit, but the principles remain intact."

"Right, South Korea is a country of law..."

"Hehe, today the landscape is really coming together well."

Although the scholar was happily painting a landscape with vigorous strokes, the other members felt a sense of unnecessary fear as they watched.

"Yuchan, from now on, I'll try to follow everything Seonbi says."

"...W-why all of a sudden?"

"Look at what happened to those who fought with him. A-Yuk-Si's number one fell from grace, and the professor ended up in prison."

"Ugh—."

"Let's listen to Seonbi carefully."

"...Yes, yes. Absolutely!"

Though it wasn't intentional, Scholar had managed to gain loyal followers.

* * *

Starting with [Masterpiece Genuine Antiques>], the 7IN members continued to appear on variety shows. After the unusual start, they began to feature on regular talk show-style studio variety shows.

Fans were delighted to see the full group of 7IN together for the first time in a while.

[ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I can't believe how clear their faces are nowㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ] [It's only been a few weeks, why does it feel so good?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [They were all so exhausted during the auditions, but now they're shiningㅋㅋㅋ] [Siwoo's hair color is so prettyㅠㅠㅠㅠ I hope the debut album comes out soon] [Yuchan seems to have grown tallerㅋㅋㅋㅋ Is he going to be 2 meters tall?] [Inhyuk, talk more today]

In particular, the talk variety show [Sunday Night>] featured all seven members in traditional Korean attire, creating a bit of a buzz.

[7 Scholarsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Haha] [So good] [Why does everyone look so good in traditional attire?ㅋㅋㅋ] [My heart skips a beat seeing them dance in hanbok after a long time] [ㅋㅋㅋ The Oriental concept is really a cheat code] [Even though you get bored of it after a while, why don't these guys ever get boring?ㅋㅋㅋ] [I agree] [Isn't the next show, the equestrian variety show [With Horses> where they'll appear?] [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ If they really are going with the scholar concept, won't they end up making their debut album with that concept?] [But this prediction seems quite plausible] [[PLAY!> was removed from the activity songs, and the reactions to the 7 Scholars were explosive] [Isn't this hinting at a concept change to the Seven Scholars?] [I support that concept] [ㅋㅋㅋ If they're scholars, we probably don't have to worry about accidents] [Our kids will just handle accidents positivelyㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [An idol who wiped out fake professors on [Masterpiece Genuine Antiques>??] [It feels like [Masterpiece Genuine Antiques> will still be popular even after three yearsㅋㅋㅋ] [I made that one poem my phone wallpaperㅋㅋㅋ]

Fans speculated about the debut concept based on the members' attire on variety shows, and it matched exactly with the world view of 7IN being prepared by Solar System.

It wasn't too hard to guess. The characters, stages, and recent variety show appearances of 7IN had been very consistent.

The emergence of the first scholar idol group in Korea.

Both the members and the fans wanted it.

The key now was to come up with a perfect title song for that concept.

The title track that was initially planned to be [PLAY!> was demoted to a B-side track.

Once they decided on the 'scholar idol' concept, [PLAY!> seemed a bit too plain.

"We will have two title tracks. One of them will be [Concept: Loyalty> which is the final round song, so now we need to focus on composing the other one."

One of the two title tracks was already decided, but choosing the other one was somewhat ambiguous.

There was plenty of budget. They knew the best composers to help. However, whether an Oriental-themed song that perfectly suited the boys would just come together was in question.

Since they were going with the unique 'scholar' concept, the title song needed to represent that concept well.

The debut title song was almost like the group's face, so it needed to be chosen with the utmost care, according to Team Leader Seo Eun-woo.

Moreover, the timing was also not ideal.

The debut of 7IN coincided with the comeback of the popular group 'Favorite.'

Favorite was a group with a strong fan base both domestically and internationally. The debut track might not even top the charts.

When the situation was shared with the boys, Scholar was unexpectedly the most agitated.

"It can't be!"

"?"

"Winning first place is the only way to see rewards..."

"Rewards?"

"Anyway, we have to be number one!"

"...Alright, I understand. We definitely have to aim for first place."

Although the reason was unclear, Scholar strongly desired a number one debut track.

If Scholar wanted it, they had to make it happen. But how?

"Actually, the track [The Unmannered Ones> is really good..."

"Right, that stage was my favorite too."

"That's when Scholar started to truly shine."

Positive opinions about [The Unmannered Ones> were useless. The track had already been bought through auction by Leon, the leader of 'Lunatic.'

Since the ownership had passed to Leon, they couldn't use that track as an activity song.

An Oriental-themed track that suited the 'scholar' concept and fit well with the members. In fact, nothing matched [The Unmannered Ones> in that regard, which made Team Leader Seo Eun-woo regretful.

In such cases, getting the members' opinions wasn't a bad idea.

Team Leader Seo Eun-woo decided to consult the 7IN members.

"Mr. Manager, are all the members at the dorm right now?"

"Yes. I was about to tell you, they're asking if they can go somewhere together..."

"Where?"

"They said they're going to visit the Lunatic guys' studio."

"Lunatic?"

"Yes. Leon invited them. They said they are going there."

"Why is Leon inviting our members...?"

"He said he has a gift for them."

"A gift?"

"Yes. Should I tell them not to go?"

"No, please let them go."

Leon, who bought [The Unmannered Ones>, called 7IN first? What could this mean?
And what could the gift from Leon be?

Once again, Team Leader Seo Eun-woo found herself unable to predict the future.