GTRC&D!

Chapter 267 The Day of the Decisive Battle (5)

In the waiting room where the PD and writer had left, the only sound that filled the room was my fingers drumming on the armrest of the sofa. The noise outside the waiting room seemed irrelevant as I sat there, lips tightly sealed, lost in thought.

There was no need to ponder for long what that 'something' could be.

'What else could make a PD act like that in a survival program that's already over? If it's big, it's manipulation, if it's small, they probably just played around with the editing.'

'Audition manipulation' was a big issue even in the previous timeline.

However, that was something that happened five years from now, and the PD who took responsibility back then and left was the same CP Yoon who was brought down during <MirroMaze>. The nationwide audition program that caused the problem hadn't even entered the planning stage yet.

'Although various audition programs produced by the same broadcasting station as CP Yoon were scrutinized one after another, there was no particular issue with <The Boy's Empire>...'

So, was it just simple editing manipulation?

Feeling a sudden drop in my sugar levels, I rummaged through my bag and took out a chocolate bar. It had been squashed from rolling around in my bag, but it was still edible.

Honestly, as long as we ignore the ethical aspects, what kind of corruption might have occurred in <The Boy's Empire> back then wasn't really my concern.

<The Boy's Empire> had ended three years ago, there was no follow-up despite its success, and the group that debuted through it had already ended their contract and even gone through re-debut as spin-off groups.

Unless the broadcasting station had scammed the viewers out of billions of won in paid votes, it wouldn't be beneficial for either Seo Taehyun or our group if something from back then was revealed now.

However...

'What if Seo Taehyun finds out about it...'

And what if that incident had been subtly influencing us until now?

"......"

The endless chain of thoughts swirling in my head came to an abrupt halt when the door to the quiet waiting room suddenly burst open.

"Hey, Kang Hajin―!"

"...Now he's just calling me 'hey' like it's nothing.... Did I teach you to talk to me like that!?"

The one who broke the silence in the waiting room was none other than Seo Taehyun, the source of all this anguish.

Behind Seo Taehyun, who was glaring at me while making his navy duffle coat flutter dramatically, stood Lee Yugeon, looking equally menacing with his eyes widened in fury.

The two of them quickly stormed toward me.

"Wh-what! Why! You guys, after I packed you lunch and saw you off this morning, now you're glaring at me like...! Ugh!"

My collar was grabbed without hesitation.

Lee Yugeon and Seo Taehyun pushed me into the corner of the sofa, shaking my collar vigorously while shooting daggers at me with their eyes.

Hey, what? Why? What did I do wrong?

Feeling both wronged and frustrated, I pushed the two away with all my strength and shouted back.

"Hey, why! What! What did I do!?"

"Don't you know your crime?"

"I don't know!"