GIJS

Chapter 191 Haters Gonna Hate

After being scolded by Gunja on the 'Restaurant Maker' set, the fluorescent pants gang was seething with revenge. At the time, they had been so drunk that they couldn't grasp the situation. However, a day after the incident, they stumbled upon the faces of the 7IN members on the internet and easily recalled the faces of the staff at the Bukhansan restaurant.

"Hey, aren't these the guys?"

"What the hell?"

"Isn't it them?"

"So those bastards were idols?"

Confirming the identity of 7IN, the fluorescent pants gang smirked. Having lived by the motto of "might makes right," they had backed down before stronger opponents, but when it came to idols, the situation was different.

"Fuck it, should we just post a big exposé online?"

The three delinquents quickly agreed on their plan. Their goal was simple: to harm Gunja and the 7IN members who had embarrassed them. While they couldn't compete physically, they believed they could sway public opinion.

"That PD guy turned off all the cameras at the time. There probably isn't any footage."

"There were no other people in the restaurant."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, you idiot. I was thrown and knocked out cold, damn it."

"Were there any dash cams around?"

"Yeah, like a dash cam would cover the inside of a restaurant."

"Alright, alright. Haha."

Regardless of the context, it was true that Gunja had physically thrown the delinquents, and they had suffered enough damage to be knocked out. Furthermore, at the time, there were no objective witnesses inside the restaurant.

"Make sure to exaggerate everything. There was no one to give a proper witness statement anyway."

"Yeah? The agency will probably try to publish a rebuttal article."

"You clueless fool, do you know nothing about the entertainment industry? Agencies don't just whip up rebuttal articles like instant noodles. They need to gather evidence, organize it, and by then, the image will already be tainted."

"Oh, this guy's thinking a bit."

"Hehe, do you think the road manager ran around for free?"

The delinquents understood the workings of the entertainment industry. Once an idol is involved in a violent incident, their image inevitably suffers. The agency would issue a rebuttal, but by the time that happens, the damage to the image would already be done.

Thus, they crafted an exposé filled with exaggerated claims.

["Exposing the Idol 7IN for Abusing Innocent Citizens"]

The article they wrote lacked context. They portrayed themselves as innocent citizens and exaggerated Gunja's actions.

"Ugh, it hurts!"

"Damn it, just hold on. The bruises need to be visible for it to look more serious."

They attached photos of bruises they had inflicted on themselves to make the exposé more sensational.

The post uploaded to the anonymous community quickly spread across the internet. The name "7IN" and the keyword "violence" had enough firepower to ignite every social media platform and online community.

[What?!] [What is this;;] [Violence? For real? Chillin?] [Look at the bruise photo... It looks serious] [;;;;;;] [Crazy] [Is Chillin really like this?] [A male idol not even a year since debut? lol] [They were all about their good image, but look at this, tsk tsk tsk] [Claiming to be a scholar idol, but is this true? lol] [I suspected it from the start] [Wow... I thought the world was all good until now, and wondered if I was the only one being filmed without my consent] [Haha, of course the fake news is out] [Yeah, it's clearly fabricated] [Look at how everyone's being manipulated by an unsubstantiated post] [But it seems like there's some basis, thoughㅠㅠ] [Wasn't there a spoiler about Chillin filming near Bukhansan a day or two ago?] [It seems true that Chillin was at that restaurant] [Haha, don't you see the tattoos in the photo? Haha] [What's wrong with judging people by tattoos?] [Ugh, the Chillin fandom is the worst] [Stop deflecting and properly refute this~] [Doesn't everyone know what neutral gear is? Haven't you seen these incidents before?] [Neutral gear means = I don't know, but I'll believe the person I like] [Everyone shouting about neutral gear are just Chillin fansㅇㅇ]

In less than ten minutes after the post was made, responses started pouring in. As it was an exposé about violence, most reactions were negative.

While some doubted the credibility of the post, the negative responses quickly overshadowed them.

Seeing the flood of hateful comments, the fluorescent pants trio laughed gleefully.

"See, the response came so quickly, what rebuttal could they even make? By the time the rebuttal article comes out, the game will be over."

"This guy suddenly looks really smart."

"It'll take at least a few days for a rebuttal article."

The fluorescent pants gang, who had once been road managers, said this confidently.

However, their expectations were completely shattered.

"Huh?"

"Hey, what's this?"

[March 15, 2023: Rebuttal and Evidence Video on the Violence Incident During 'Restaurant Maker' Shoot.]

Less than an hour after the fluorescent pants gang posted their exposé, Solar System had already issued a rebuttal article across all portals.

* * *

Team Leader Seo Eun-woo had anticipated the situation.

According to the production team of 'Restaurant Maker', those who got into a fight with the members were quite the low-class delinquents. Such individuals would likely engage in dirty tactics, like posting provocative keywords such as "idol assault" online.

It would have been best if the incident hadn't occurred, but it had already happened. Therefore, the best response had to be executed.

Fortunately, Team Leader Seo Eun-woo already had all the necessary materials for the response.

'Restaurant Maker' was filmed on a set created by the production team, but high-performance CCTV cameras with sound recording, requested by Solar System, were installed. The first day of shooting involved using ordinary customers without any special guests, which was why Seo Eun-woo had requested such facilities.

As a result, although the broadcast cameras were off, the CCTV captured the fluorescent pants gang's rampage in full detail.

As soon as the incident was recognized, Seo Eun-woo secured and organized the CCTV footage. Based on the neatly organized footage, the timeline and transcript of the incident were prepared, and rebuttal articles were queued for major media outlets and key online platforms.

With a phone call, a rebuttal article could be published immediately, ensuring a perfect response system.

As expected, three days after the incident, the fluorescent pants gang posted their article online.

Since Solar System always monitored 7IN's buzz, they quickly became aware of the post.

As soon as Seo Eun-woo saw the post, he promptly pressed the counterattack button. Consequently, within an hour of the exposé spreading, the rebuttal article and evidence video were online.

[What is this? Is it a rebuttal?] [Lol, what the hell] [Is the rebuttal this fast???] [The response speed is insane, lol]

Netizens were shocked by the fluorescent pants gang's behavior. The gang had portrayed themselves as "innocent and good citizens" in the exposé, but in the video, they appeared as clichéd delinquents.

[Watch the video;; It's absurd] [The tattooed delinquents causing a scene while drunk is disgusting] [At 1:48, the delinquents hit the female staff first and grabbed Gunja's neck] [Didn't they claim to be innocent and good citizens in the exposé?] [Where's the innocence and goodness here? Fuck] [They were just plain delinquents] [So, to summarize, the tattooed delinquents came to the set, caused a scene, ignored requests to leave, hit female staff, swore, and then got a lesson from Gunja?] [Yeah, but they conveniently left out their own bad behavior in their online post]

The rebuttal article from Solar System also included a personal apology from Gunja.

Gunja's apology was straightforward. He apologized without any excuses for the violence and expressed regret to fans and the public who were disappointed by the incident.

Despite Seo Eun-woo's and Solar System's best efforts to address the situation, they couldn't eliminate all negative reactions.

Regardless of the circumstances, it was an undeniable fact that an idol had committed violence. As a popular group, 7IN also had a proportionate number of anti-fans.

Anti-fans would undoubtedly spare no effort in making the public opinion negative.

Proving Team Leader Seo Eun-woo's thoughts, anti-fans were fervently commenting and trying to shape public opinion.

[I get the point, but violence can't be justifiedㅇㅇ] [If there are thugs, you should call the police, why act like thugs yourself?] [Yeah, already a violence idol~] [Damn, an idol hitting people~ lol] [An idol involved in an assault case less than a year after debut?] [Yeah, Gunja, so are you going to keep living as a scholar idol? Fans will continue to promote your character? lol]

No matter how well a company handles things, they couldn't fully control such reactions. After all, the people who hated 7IN were already mentally unstable.

"Team Leader, will it be alright?"

"..."

"We've issued a rebuttal, but if the public opinion continues to worsen..."

"We've done everything we can. Now, we can only hope that the public won't be misled."

"I really hope so."

"Please pay special attention to the members' mental health. This is their first experience with such a situation, so they must be confused. You, as the closest person, must ensure they don't blame themselves."

"Understood, Team Leader. I'll be more attentive."

The relentless efforts of anti-fans began to show results. With continuous mentions of "violent idol," the public started reacting.

However, the public's reaction was somewhat different from what anti-fans had expected.

[Ugh, it's getting tiresome] [Why keep calling them violent idols? lol] [Is incitement fun? Is that the most important thing in your lives now?] [Aren't idols people too? Do they have to endure everything like some bullshit?] [Honestly, it was satisfying watching the delinquents getting their comeuppance;;] [Isn't it from a bygone era to expect entertainers to always tolerate and smile?] [Yes, they were wrong for the violenceㅇㅇ So they should be legally punished and pay compensation] [But one thing's for sure, I find Chillin more likable now] [They didn't hit an innocent and good person] [Are you all really crazy? Calling it violence;;;] [Ugh, these pests are really working hard] [Anti-fans are just taking the side of the fluorescent pants delinquents?] [Let people who don't like them not like them, lol]

While unfortunate for the fluorescent pants gang and anti-fans, the public didn't seem inclined to fall for such poor incitement anymore.