Chapter 44
“What is this……”
Juha couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Juha had watched this situation unfold from the closest vantage point, but no matter how he looked at it, there was no reason for Taeri to apologize on behalf of the production team and judges.
“Crazy Choi Taeri fans are terrorizing the Gnet bulletin board demanding the production team and judges step down, and they even filed a Blue House petition. Then other fans are going crazy saying Choi Taeri should step down because of his bad attitude! What did Choi Taeri do wrong that he has to apologize!”
Yunha was fuming as if it were her own oppa going through this ordeal.
Juha hurriedly went to the Gnet bulletin board. Even though it was a page directly operated by the broadcasting station where users were especially careful, the board was in chaos.
[Step aside for other desperate trainees and Choi Taeri should withdraw]
[Broadcasting bastards’ manipulation made Lee Juha pick up the scraps]
[Fly high, oh manipulation~]
[Replace all the masters who did unfair judging ㅅㅂ]
[Manipulation is our main enemy]
[Choi Taeri Ankle-Grabbing Movement Headquarters]
[We demand the withdrawal of Choi Taeri who approached the program without sincerity.]
[Can you sleep after manipulating?]
[First time killing but just stab and twist, right?]
[Replace the production team that deceived viewers]
[Choi Taeri withdraw]
[Re-verify Lee Jujak’s skills who received manipulation privileges]
[Sincere manipulation is good manipulation, insincere manipulation is fucking manipulation]
[Is it fun making a twenty-year-old cry?]
The Gnet bulletin board was overflowing with all kinds of curses including those directed at Juha, making it impossible to even click on the posts.
While Juha was looking at useless communities, the situation had reached this point. As Juha’s eyes turned ice-cold, Yunha began to cautiously watch his mood.
“You’re not going to look at the bulletin board too……”
“Get out.”
“Yes.”
At Juha’s single word, Yunha left the room without complaint. She knew her oppa’s personality well – usually indifferent to the point where it was no fun to provoke him, but when he got angry like this, crossing him would make you cry from his harsh words.
“Haah……”
Juha’s hand holding his phone trembled. Juha rubbed his face dry and slowly exhaled. No matter how much he tried to compose himself, his anger wouldn’t stop.
He was furious that Taeri hadn’t said anything to him while writing that ridiculous statement filled with nonsensical sentences, and thinking of Taeri writing it alone in his empty apartment made Juha feel like someone was striking his heart with a sharp stone.
‘Did he think I wouldn’t know?’
Since Juha rarely looked at communities or YouTube, Taeri might not have told him to avoid worrying him. But as a participant in the same program, there was no way Juha could remain unaware of such a major issue.
After clenching both fists to stop the trembling, Juha called Taeri. After a long dial tone, Taeri answered.
-Did you get home safely?
“Who told you to do it?”
Juha asked calmly, suppressing his anger.
-…….
“I asked who told you to do it.”
Juha’s voice dropped another tone.
-What does it matter who told me. It’s good if it gets resolved well.
“……”
Taeri was always like this.
The production team’s manipulation to create dramatic storylines, his ankle injury, the evil editing – whenever Juha asked about these things, Taeri would act like they were nothing.
But Juha wasn’t going to stupidly let this slide. Choi Taeri wouldn’t be okay.
Thinking of the usually fearless Choi Taeri who didn’t care about others’ opinions, once or twice might be understandable. But after brushing off all those big and small incidents as nothing, what Taeri faced was taking all the blame alone.
They had dumped all the weight of what the production team and judges had done onto a mere twenty-year-old and made him the scapegoat.
“I’m coming over, so wait.”
Juha hung up and left home again.
No matter that they had to enter the dorm the day after tomorrow, he couldn’t leave that stupid Choi Taeri alone in this situation.
* * *
Taeri hung up the call from Juha and looked out the window.
At nearly 2 AM, Manager Jeong from the company had contacted Taeri.
His agency Fandom had educated their artists not to look at comments or related posts after experiencing an unfortunate incident a few years ago. While it was difficult to enforce completely, Taeri was one who followed this principle well. He found it bothersome to get hung up on reactions, and he wasn’t the type to change based on what he saw anyway.
Because of this, Taeri didn’t know what was happening even after episode 4 aired.
-Taeri, let’s write a clarification statement.
‘What clarification statement?’
Manager Jeong’s words seemed completely out of nowhere to Taeri.
-The Gnet website crashed because of you right now.
‘Why?’
-Haah…….
With a long sigh, Manager Jeong explained the current situation. The controversy over Taeri’s attitude triggered by his lax practice, manipulation controversy over the story of falling in the death match and passing with the lucky key, controversy over the judges’ qualifications.
Manager Jeong persuaded him that if no one stepped forward to put out the fire, it could lead to the program’s crisis or forced withdrawal.
‘But why do I have to apologize?’
However, no matter what was said, the end of all those stories meant telling Taeri to take all the blame. It was a completely incomprehensible situation.
-It’s not your fault, I know it’s not. But if things continue like this, you might have to withdraw. Lee Juha too. If you withdraw over something like this, you can forget about debuting for a while. You know there are many celebrities these days getting held back by character issues or their past.
‘……’
It wasn’t a matter of pride. No matter how he thought about it, it was absurd and incomprehensible that he had to step forward to clarify and apologize when he had done nothing wrong.
If this incident grew bigger, there would definitely be chaos at home.
On the surface, a glamorous YouTuber with 500,000 subscribers from the Semun Medical Foundation family.
But the company people knew he was an abandoned crown prince, which is why they were saying such things. The family didn’t matter at all. As long as he didn’t become a doctor, the family would act this way regardless of what Taeri did.
The problem was ‘My Job is Idol.’
There was no answer even if Taeri withdrew from this, and if he refused to apologize and made enemies with the production staff, they wouldn’t hesitate to do even worse editing than now and destroy him.
If that happened, his relationship with Juha and the future he dreamed of with Juha would all end.
Choi Taeri’s life had been like a rotten shell – pretty and hard on the outside but torn and tattered inside. Since everyone envied his circumstances, he thought he shouldn’t even complain. He thought it was his duty to enjoy this position with the most beautiful posture.
But life with Juha was different. Talking and laughing over small things, feeling endlessly happy just looking at him, walking dark paths that seemed bright when they were together.
He couldn’t give up in the middle of pursuing the same dream with such a person just to protect his pride.
If he could debut with Juha, he could write a hundred clarification statements.
‘……Yes. I’ll write it.’
After suppressing his anger and writing the clarification, Taeri’s fighting spirit became even stronger. To avoid being manipulated by others when his position and his person were at stake, he needed to grow big enough that they couldn’t treat him carelessly.
Instead of begging to be chosen by them, his future mission was to make them beg and desperately want him.
Ring ring.
At the sudden intercom sound, Taeri startled and turned around. It was a notification from the security office that a visitor had arrived.
Taeri immediately got up and opened the front door.
“You came?”
“Choi Taeri!”
Juha embraced Taeri with wide eyes.
“What’s wrong with you, startling people. You said you had to go home today.”
Taeri chuckled softly and wrapped his arms fully around Juha’s waist. His mood improved dramatically, as if he’d never been so furious.
“How could I leave you alone.”
“I’m always alone, what’s there to worry about.”
“That’s exactly why I’m worried. You’re always alone, but you can’t be alone tonight too.”
Juha’s voice was tinged with tears. Juha’s sincere concern for Taeri swirled in his embrace. Normally his blood would have boiled, but now Taeri became calm instead.
“I thought about posting something, or confronting the production team. But no. This is what you need most right now.”
As he spoke, Juha hugged Taeri even tighter.
“You know well.”
Taeri briefly pondered how he should react. With the dorm approaching, Juha should rightfully be resting at home. Now that he’d seen his face and hugged him, he should send Juha home, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. For that, Taeri was too exhausted and tired.
Just for today, he wanted to be selfish and follow his heart.
“Let me sleep over. I’m suddenly feeling the tension release.”
When Taeri spoke while slowly blinking his heavy eyelids, Juha immediately took him to the bedroom.
The bed that had been hotly heated just hours ago was now soft like snow had gently accumulated. Juha faced Taeri and held him while patting him.
“Lee Juha……”
After deep silence, Taeri called him.
“Yeah.”
“Let’s definitely debut together.”
“Yeah.”
After the brief conversation in the darkness ended, silence fell between them again.
Though he didn’t cry, Taeri felt like he was about to. He didn’t say much, didn’t do much. But Juha could feel how lonely Choi Taeri was, how much he had been waiting for Juha.
He always seemed strong, but he must have been acting because he had no one to lean on.
Juha stroked Taeri’s back until he fell asleep. Taeri stayed curled up in his embrace with that large frame all night and only fell asleep around sunrise.
* * *
After eating a late lunch and being chased out by Taeri, Juha finally returned home. Only after seeing Taeri push him out the front door saying he was really fine now and to go home and prepare for the dorm, did Juha feel relieved.
Throughout the ten days of rest, Juha had barely stayed home. He expected to get scolded for staying out until the last day, but strangely, his parents were being cautious around him.
Due to losing sleep watching over Taeri, extreme fatigue hit Juha as soon as he arrived home. In the midst of this, Lee Yunha quietly followed him into his room.
“I told them oppa is serious right now so don’t mess with him.”
Yunha said with a proud face.
“Good job. Let me sleep.”
“Oppa, you know.”
When Lee Yunha called him so formally like that, Juha felt uneasy.
“What?”
Yunha hesitated before speaking.
“Really don’t look up reactions today.”
“Got it.”
“……”
Even after making the request, Yunha stood guarding the door looking anxious.
“Go away. Let me rest. I won’t look up reactions.”
Only after he said it again did Yunha shuffle out of the room. Normally there would have been a fuss about confiscating or breaking his phone, but seeing her being so careful, the situation must be serious.
Since Choi Taeri dropped a bomb yesterday, the bulletin board situation was obvious.
As expected, there would probably be a flood of curses about the production staff who not only manipulated but made Choi Taeri take the bullet.
Seeing Lee Yunha worry like this, there were probably plenty of curses directed at Juha too.
Choi Taeri’s fans, who always chanted “Eoltae” (Either way, first place is Taeri) while subtly looking down on other trainees, had already been branded as unlikeable by other fans. But since Choi Taeri fell so miserably in the death match and then miraculously rose up, other fans would gleefully tear Taeri apart. It wasn’t hard to imagine that the arrows of Choi Taeri’s furious fans had turned toward him.
‘Let’s not look.’
Though he was curious about what posts had been uploaded, he boldly gave up. The public already thought of Juha as a beneficiary of manipulated broadcasting.
The firepower of people cursing Lee Juha right now would be enough to burn the earth and more. While Juha wanted to live happily ever after, he had absolutely no desire to extend his life by being thoroughly cursed like this.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
