GIJS

Chapter 115 Thank you

The nuclear explosion that erupted at the press conference triggered a series of subsequent explosions. Every explosion occurred above Park Young-jae and his agency, Nations.

The issue of school violence between idols was already unprecedented, but with the addition of personal issues, it seemed that Park Young-jae's idol career was over.

Dispatch continued to release exclusive articles, reporting on the darker side of Park Young-jae as if they had been waiting for his downfall. Most of these revelations were things even his manager, Hong Hyun-seok, didn't know, making it a disaster for Nations.

"What is this now? Park Young-jae, having an affair with the habitual drug user, former idol JB? Did you even meet with junkies?"

"No, it's not like that! I just happened to run into him while taking a walk!"

"I really can't believe you anymore, what are we going to do, Young-jae?"

"Do something. We need to come up with some countermeasures."

"Countermeasures? What countermeasures? Should we file a lawsuit? The other side has presented such clear evidence."

"···"

"We were fools to believe only your words from the start, ugh."

"So what do we do now?"

"Just wait and see."

All the circumstances and evidence pointed to Park Young-jae's guilt. However, Nations had not yet abandoned him.

Although many fans had already left, there were still supporters, and as long as they existed, the value of Park Young-jae as a commodity was still considered intact.

"We can't persuade everyone at this point."

Let's pretend to be innocent for now. Most people won't believe it, but if they can at least keep the remaining fandom, it will be a success. Nations and Park Young-jae's choice was yet another lie.

The next day, instead of posting an apology, Park Young-jae started a live broadcast. The live broadcast was a time for expressing his grievances. 'I am not a perpetrator of school violence. I have never committed sexual harassment. The recorded transcripts are falsified evidence. Fans, please believe in me.'

He mixed in his learned crying act from his time at an acting academy. Although the emotional line was occasionally broken due to aggressive trolls in the chat, it seemed that quite a few fans were still supporting Park Young-jae.

"It's okay, time will solve everything."

But Solar System and Team Leader Seo Eun-woo were no easy opponents.

"Just as expected, appealing with tears without any real evidence."

"Do you think people will believe what he says?"

"Most won't. But there will be fans who want to believe in him despite the situation."

"So they are planning to use the fans' trust?"

"It seems that way."

"···Truly pathetic until the end."

"But it's okay. We expected this reaction, and we have prepared countermeasures."

The baseless claims that all the presented evidence was fabricated were anticipated.

Soon, Solar System presented second-tier evidence.

Additional transcripts, digital forensic results, and voice recordings with consent from informants. These materials were far more credible than the first batch of evidence.

Even the most blind fans would turn away once the level of deceit surpassed a certain point.

The collapse of Park Young-jae's fandom following the release of the second-tier evidence seemed to validate his guilt.

Moreover, contract issues began to surface in a chain reaction.

Several advertisers who had used Park Young-jae as a model filed compensation claims. The program producers who suffered due to his absence did the same.

Now Nations also seemed unwilling to bear the full extent of the damages.

Contract termination due to breach of terms, and claims for compensation for financial losses suffered by the agency. Every day, bills with eight or nine-digit figures addressed to Park Young-jae arrived.

In just three days, everything Park Young-jae had built over the past three years crumbled.

He tried calling his fellow debutants from the audition, but none of them answered.

There were no answers anymore. No matter how much time passed, it seemed unlikely that Park Young-jae would be able to reenter the entertainment industry. Far from being an entertainer, he was on the brink of becoming a debtor and sex offender at the age of twenty.

* * *

Amid the controversy surrounding the world, the 7IN – Yeonguijeong duo participated in the final episode shoot of [Sing Along Duo> and completed the final competition.

The final song was an acoustic-style track called "Simsan-yugok," created by the 7IN members while reminiscing about their visit to Yeong-Ui-jeong's house in Jeju Island.

Meanwhile, Ha Yeon-jin, who was Park Young-jae's partner, did not drop out and even personally recruited a new partner to participate in the finals, creating a small buzz with the 'Young-jae-less Young-jae team.'

After the first round of post-show parties with the "Sing Along Duo" production team, Solar System organized a second party exclusively for the 7IN members and Yeong-Ui-jeong and her family.

"Yay-!"

"Good job!"

Unlike the somber atmosphere of Nations, Solar System and 7IN enjoyed a festive time.

The team, already known for its high profile and fan power, gained even more recognition with the collaboration with Yeong-Ui-jeong.

The released tracks "Yugyo Woman," "Sip-deok (十德 10 virtues)," and "Simsan-yugok" all topped the music charts. Although their rankings eventually fell, their performance was overwhelming compared to other teams struggling to enter the Top 10.

The views on the YouTube clips released after the competition were also unmatched by other teams. The innovative concepts and new attempts in each competition provided 7IN's fans with ample new elements to fangirl over.

Despite the uncomfortable moments caused by the controversy between Park Young-jae and Yu Gun-ja, Gun-ja was drinking happily, seemingly having forgotten everything.

"Ahh-."

Gunja marveled at the taste of the 'Wan Soju' she received as a gift. Tae-woong and Hyun-su found it amusing to see Gun-ja drinking so well.

"Gun-ja, is it good?"

"Yes. It's very sweet, probably because it's distilled using traditional methods."

"Well, if it's traditional, you just can't stay sober, haha."

"By the way, Gun-ja is unexpectedly firm."

"Firm? Why?"

"I thought he would just let Park Young-jae off, thinking of the scholar spirit and tolerance."

At Ji Hyun-su's words, Gun-ja shook his head resolutely.

"That's not right."

"Wow, listen to how firm your voice is."

"Unconditional tolerance is not the spirit of a scholar. Rather, giving appropriate punishment to those who have committed crimes is a more scholar-like attitude. That's how social discipline is maintained, and people will reflect on their own conduct."

"Another lecture on correct words."

"The scholar's way of speaking might sound ridiculous, but what he says is all truth."

"Seems like the handsome moral teacher has rejuvenated..."

Just as Gun-ja was about to take his second drink with a smile, the door of the private bar burst open with a loud crash, and a scruffy man with unkempt hair strode in.

Coincidentally, the secret police officer Cha In-hyuk had gone to buy banana milk at a convenience store. The remaining members were frozen at the sudden appearance of the scruffy man.

Despite his appearance, Gun-ja recognized him at once. Park Young-jae, what on earth is he doing here?

Park Young-jae stormed up to Gun-ja and grabbed a bottle of 'Wan Soju' from the table. His eyes seemed to be half out of it.

"Uuuaaaa—!!"

The Wan Soju bottle flew towards Gun-ja's head. Park Young-jae showed no sign of hesitation.

"This, this crazy—!"

Tae-woong, who moved late, was too far away. The Wan Soju bottle seemed poised to hit Gun-ja's head.

But then.

Swooosh-.

Gun-ja's left hand moved smoothly, lightly blocking Park Young-jae's right hand.

He then grabbed the wrist and, using his other hand, took the Wan Soju bottle away, placing it gently back on the table.

"This is a liquor distilled using traditional methods."

"!"

"I don't want to waste a single drop. I'll enjoy this drink tonight."

"This bastard..."

Park Young-jae seemed completely out of his mind. His eyes were bloodshot, and stress-induced skin troubles covered his arms.

His rational judgment had long since disappeared. Moreover, Hong Hyun-seok, who was supposed to manage and oversee Park Young-jae, had completely neglected him.

Park Young-jae was intent on causing harm to Yu Gun-ja. That was all he could think about.

Whip-.

This time, Park Young-jae's left hand swung toward Gun-ja's face, holding a lighter tightly in his large left fist.

But once again, Park Young-jae's attempt failed to reach Gun-ja.

Pah-!

Even his punching skills were clumsy.

Gun-ja, who had never been outmatched even by the guards of the great General Yu Hyung-won, easily avoided Park Young-jae's blows.

After dodging a couple of clumsy left-hand swings, Gun-ja swiftly threw Park Young-jae's right wrist, unbalancing him.

Then, he extended his foot to lightly tap the back of Park Young-jae's knee.

"Ugh-."

As Park Young-jae collapsed grotesquely, Tae-woong and Cha In-hyuk, who had arrived late, firmly restrained him.

"This son of a—!!"

Park Young-jae, losing his sanity, cursed and glared at Gun-ja. Manager Lee Yong-jung tried to step in to handle him, but Gun-ja intervened and stood in front of Park Young-jae.

"What are you doing?"

"You, you bastard... you lived well until now..."

"Hmm."

"Why now, after living well until now—!!"

"You must feel wronged."

"!"

"You are the perpetrator, and I am the one who has been harmed. It seems you are quite displeased that your flourishing life as a celebrity has been disrupted."

"···!"

"Isn't it too shameless to complain about the life you've ruined for someone else?"

"Do you know how wrecked my life is? Contracts are all canceled, and the penalty fees..."

"So?"

"What?"

"So what do you want me to do? Did I cancel the contracts? Did I ask to be harassed? Did I order you to sexually harass women? Oh, now assault will be added too."

"!"

"Everything is a result of your own choices. So, take responsibility for your actions. That's the scholar-like attitude."

"I don't care about being a scholar or anything!"

Just as Park Young-jae was spitting out curses, the police, alerted by Team Leader Seo Eun-woo's report, arrived and took Park Young-jae away. Watching Park Young-jae being taken away in handcuffs, Gun-ja sighed with relief.

"Indeed, those uninterested in scholar culture end up being taken by the police."

"Oh, that doesn't seem quite right..."

Seeing Park Young-jae in handcuffs and being taken away in a police car, Gun-ja felt as if he had repaid his debt in some way.

Though it might still fall short compared to what he had suffered, he hoped it would relieve at least a bit of his resentment.

As Gun-ja was thinking this, the status window, which had rarely appeared before, finally showed up before his eyes. However, the format of the message was a bit different from usual.

[···.] [···Thank you···.]

The status window, which had always displayed only rigid messages since moving to modern times, now directly spoke to Gun-ja.

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