GIJS

Chapter 192 Say it again.

From the moment the '7IN assault disclosure' post appeared, fans, including Yeonji, were extremely sensitive.

Fortunately, the company's response speed was almost lightning-fast.

The fans breathed a sigh of relief at the swift and clean apology, but the worry was not over.

Relentless anti-fans were rallying opinion on social media and forums. The keyword 'assault idol' was enough to capture people's attention.

"Seriously, why do people live like this..."

Even knowing that no response was the best response, the fans' worries deepened.

Thanks to the company's quick handling, they managed to avoid being branded as a mindless violence idol, but ongoing attempts to sway public opinion could have changed the mood again.

Idols are more sensitive to incidents and accidents than other celebrities. Additionally, since 7IN had been debuted for less than a year, the fans' concerns were even greater.

However, the public did not turn its back on Gunja and 7IN.

[Ugh, the violence fanatics are really annoying] [Assault? Those punks hit people without any reason, and Gunja grabbing the collar is called assault] [The body slam was a lesson, wasn't it? lol] [If there were no evidence, maybe, but there are videos, so why are they trying to make it unfavorable?] [Honestly, if you were in that situation, you'd have cheered too] [Why do idols have to just take unfair treatment? Do celebrities have no feelings? lol] [Idols are human too] [Honestly, as long as they're not dating] [But my idol is dating, damn] [Ah... cheer up, previous comment;;] [Those who bash Gunja = people who usually preach education through singing] [You just need something to criticize lol] [Those who normally search for soda stories and only act serious when it's about idols are really disgusting. Please be consistent;;;] [I don't know, but anyway, I like Gunja and Chillin~] [Why are they getting criticized for body slamming punks? It wasn't even them who started it] [The reason for the criticism = because they are popular idols] [Those manipulating public opinion, just know you're transparent lol] [I'm a guy who doesn't know anything about idols, but watching the punks getting body-slammed made me like Chillin. Now I decided to be a fan with my sister]

It was no longer an era where idols were ruined just for being involved in violence. Moreover, the remaining clear evidence was effective.

Few people were willing to defend the punks even after witnessing their typical violence. Apart from the anti-fans who never die and a very small number of people swayed by them, the portal comments and the ratio of likes/dislikes reflected the public opinion.

[They said it was an assault on innocent citizens, but it turned out to be justice served] [Likes 4856 / Dislikes 24] [Rather, the cool body slam made me like them more lol] [Likes 2915 / Dislikes 21] [The spelling mistakes in the expose were suspicious, as expected from uneducated people] [Likes 3551 / Dislikes 19] [Tattoo + fluorescent pants + crop top + bag + fake Rolex + BMW key in pocket lol I don't like "trust" but this is honest lol] [Likes 3121 / Dislikes 43] [Honestly, I believed in the Chillin kids. I wasn't interested in idols, but they seemed to have good character] [Likes 6419 / Dislikes 87] [I don't know, so Chillin's going to be on a food show? I'm reserving for a fun time] [Likes 5521 / Dislikes 10]

The fluorescent pants group tried to send Gunja and 7IN to the abyss, but their created controversy actually served as noise marketing, promoting the [Restaurant Maker >].

[Oh, but the Restaurant Maker is giving more power to the guests this time] [Yeah lol Chillin's full group appearance is amazing] [I usually watch only SSS-grade bizarre food, but I'll watch the Restaurant Maker during that week lol I'm even more excited now] [Will the fluorescent pants people's scenes be cut?] [Yeah, probably lol But I'm curious about how they run the business] [Lol the punks must be dying of jealousy by now lol] [Even smart people do public opinion manipulation lol ugh] [Thanks for the noise marketing, fluorescent pants people~]

Seeing the positive turn of public opinion towards 7IN and Gunja, the fans could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"...Phew..."

The accumulated good image also proved effective.

"Hehe, our team members are really kind."

Watching the public reaction, Yeonji felt a swell of pride in her chest. It was good that Gunja was cleared of charges and that people saw 7IN as a 'good group.'

But aside from that, she was still worried about Gunja and the members.

Despite being less than a year since their debut, 7IN, especially Gunja, had encountered numerous incidents.

Meeting Park Young-jae, who had troubled him in the past on [Sing Along Duo >], suffering from claustrophobia during [Dynasty >] filming, and almost gaining the label of 'gangster idol' this time.

Antis kept trying to undermine Gunja's character, saying "No smoke without fire." However, Yeonji and the fans knew well that Gunja was one of the kindest people.

This made her even more concerned. She feared that his kindness and innocence might make him more susceptible to being hurt and becoming a dark person.

However, Gunja appeared quite calm when meeting fans through J-Live.

"I am truly sorry for causing you concern."

Starting the live broadcast with a polite greeting, Gunja seemed to promise that he would never worry the fans with the same issue again.

[ㅠㅠㅠㅠNoㅠㅠㅠㅠ] [Don't apologize to usㅠㅠㅠㅠ] [There's nothing to apologize for······those punks were crazy] [I'm so happy to see you like this] [Just stay healthy] [Thank you for starting the live, Gunja] [Don't listen to the bad commentsㅠㅠ] [We're more sorry... Sorry for not being able to protect you, Gunja] [You're too pure and kind, and it makes me upset that bad things keep happening to youㅠㅠㅠ]

Seeing Gunja's composed expression, Yeonji felt tears welling up for no reason.

"...Hing..."

She would have preferred if he had shown a sad face and expressed his frustration. Seeing Gunja smile faintly even in this situation made Yeonji's heart ache even more.

"Thank you for always supporting me. Even when there are upsetting things, talking like this makes me feel better soon."

[It's great that we can be a source of strength] [Really? Is it true? Heheh] [Gunja makes me happy :)] [Really, Gunja makes me smile] [Oh...? But why tears...★] [Why do you keep making us cry and laughㅠㅠ] [Fans probably all have tears in their eyes now] [I will love you forever] [Don't pay attention to people's reactions, Gunja! Just look at the J-Live chat]

"I know there are people who hate me. But it's okay. There was a time when I thought the whole world hated me. Compared to that, I'm very happy now."

Gunja's words about thinking the whole world hated him were enough to bring tears to the fans' eyes. Yeonji, who had been on the verge of tears, eventually let them flow, typing in the chat.

The rapidly scrolling chat made it hard to keep up with what was being said, but it was okay. She just wanted to convey comfort and love.

[ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ] [ㅠㅠㅠㅠReallyㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ] [YesㅠㅠㅠWe love you] [It's unbelievable that the world hates you] [That won't happen anymoreㅠㅠㅠEven if there are people who hate you··· there are so many more who love you] [It's so admirable and sad that you say that with a calm smile] [We'll always be by your side] [You'll never walk alone, Gunja!] [Love youuuuuu] [I'm still cryingㅠㅠ]

After wrapping up the precious communication time, Gunja went to the practice room instead of going straight to bed. The members were waiting for Gunja in the practice room.

Despite the chaotic situation caused by the fluorescent pants gang incident, the members of 7IN were steadily preparing for their comeback album.

"Oh, Gunja hyung is here."

"Did you do well on the live? Ji Hyun-su was crying his eyes out while watching your live in the practice room."

"Wh-who was crying?"

"Hahaha, Hyun-su really likes Gunja, huh? It's making me jealous~"

"Okay, enough with that. We were supposed to have a meeting about the title track."

Once again, the members planned to take charge of the album's narrative. Thanks to the diligent producer Hyun-su and the top-notch arrangement staff, there were plenty of tracks, but there was still a problem.

There wasn't a standout track suitable for the title song.

Most tracks scored above 80 points, and the sub-tracks were satisfactory, but there was no track that could make a significant impact as a title song.

The team's opinions were divided into two main camps.

Hyun-su, Si-woo, and Yu-chan believed that the quality of the completed tracks was good enough and suggested further developing them to create the title track.

"How about we refine the tracks we've completed so far? There are some really good ones."

"Yeah, yeah~ There are already plenty of good songs."

"...Don't you think we might be hearing them too much and starting to dislike them?"

However, Tae-woong, In-hyuk, and Gunja had a slightly different perspective.

"But isn't there a track that just stands out as 'the one'?"

"Umm... That's true..."

"Hyung, Yu-chan, can't we think a bit more about it?"

"I'd like to think more too."

"But we can't just keep pondering endlessly. The team leader said we can't delay any further."

"That's true, but... I think we'll feel disappointed if we don't put in more time. Especially since this is the first song of our debut album."

"If investing more time will ensure a better outcome, then I'd go for it... Hmm."

"Isn't there any groundbreaking concept? Something that instantly catches attention and makes the top-line melody flow smoothly!"

"Yeah, if we had something like that, it would make the work easier."

Producer Ji Hyun-su needed an idea. However, none of the members could come up with a fresh idea. After months of preparing the album and squeezing out ideas, their brains had dried up like dried fish.

"Wow, I think my brain has really short-circuited."

"Gunja, don't you have any good ideas? You always come up with something when we're in a bind."

"Hmm..."

"Hey, don't bother Gunja. He's already been through a witch hunt by haters."

"Witch hunt? Is Gunja a witch?"

"What?"

"Shouldn't it be 'man-hunt'?"

"Oh, forget it..."

As Gunja watched Tae-woong and Hyun-su bantering back and forth, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him.

"!"

"What? What? Did you think of something?"

"Tae-woong, what did you just say?"

"What? Man-hunt?"

"No, not that!"

"Oh..."