Chapter 143

[Title: Seo Hoyun smoking?]

The post on an anonymous community spread quickly.

[This is from last year, right? A screenshot from the rural self-produced content, haha. This is Seo Hoyun, right? And that exactly looks like a cigarette .]

Jeong Dajun and Kang Ichae were lying excitedly on an outdoor platform, and Sung Jiwon was unpacking next to them. Through the slightly open sliding door in the background, someone could be seen holding something.

Below that, a photo of Seo Hoyun in his outfit before he put on the T-shirt given by Kang Yi-chae was also posted, along with the expected cigarette brand.

[Title: It seems to be true (photo)

The manager is taking it away in a hurry, haha. Ah, it's been a while since a scandal broke out~]

In fact, considering that they sell dreams and hopes and are idols to children, they need to be careful, and as singers, it's possible to talk about management. However, it was common for idols to be caught smoking.

But all sorts of trolls jumped in, saying that they liked the haters who wouldn't let go of a single incident and tried to drag it down.

[Haha, I knew this would happen.]

[Why are you so surprised..? Haha, can't you tell by looking at him? He probably started smoking when he was a minor~]

[Doesn't he take care of his throat? Doesn't he take care of his throat? Doesn't he take care of his throat?]

Of course, there were many posts that subtly annoyed him by pretending to be worried, as well as blatant criticisms.

[Title: Seo Ho-yoon smoking

I think it's okay if he's an adult, but?

Seo Hoyun is a vocalist in an idol group, right..? Haha, I liked him, but I'm a bit disappointed that he doesn't seem to take care of himself... ㅜ]

The actual fans, the Noeul, didn't consider it a big deal.

Why would they turn their backs on Seo Hoyun, who does his best for his fans, even though he has a bad temper?

Not only did he respond to private messages every day, but he also consistently took selfies and uploaded them, always giving them words of encouragement like "Make sure you eat well." and "Hang in there today." with a warm smile. They couldn't help but fall for him.

[What????? Seo Ho-yoon smokes??]

So when a post about Seo Ho-yoon smoking came up, the Noeul rushed over just like everyone else, but their intentions were different.

[I rushed over in a hurry]

[Hurry hurry hurry]

Not because they were angry about the smoking rumor, but because...

[Hurry up and show us the picture!!!!!]

They wanted to see him.

There's a reason why they say "that fan for that singer."

Although it wasn't something to be proud of and they couldn't talk about it publicly, the Noeul, who were holding their pounding hearts and raising their eyebrows on their private accounts, were thrilled to see a blurry 144p quality capture of him holding just a pack of cigarettes.

[Ah~~ What is this]

[Title: If you're going to create a cigarette rumor, at least show a picture of him smoking. It's disrespectful not to.]

[I was so excited to set it as my phone wallpaper...]

These were fans who had overcome any adversity. They were at a level where they could brush off any situation with a laugh.

Even when playing the role of PD Jeonghoon in "Take my camera," they couldn't see the real Seo Hoyun smoking.

The Noeul, who had been eagerly waiting with inflated expectations, now felt a bit disappointed and sad as they discussed the situation.

[First of all, when their comeback teaser comes out, I would smoke two packs a day. It's sad to know that the guy is not mine.

└whenever that jerk Pop Pop pretends to be innocent, I drink soju.]

[Are they still calling this a scandal? These kids have only tasted mild K-pop.]

[If it had been Jeong Dajun or Sung Jiwon who were caught smoking, it might have been shocking (Kim Seonghyeon already said he doesn't like the smell), but Seo Hoyun?

"I've been waiting for you" and "I'm amazed that he doesn't smoke"

  └└Haha, that's surprising

  └└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋAh ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

However, the cigarette incident involving Seo Hoyun was resolved more quickly than expected.

It was because a netizen brought up another variety show episode filmed at the same location as the self-produced content, "Gohyang Jibbap" (Hometown Meal), which completely changed the atmosphere.

[Title: It doesn't seem like that cigarette is Seo Hoyun's. I found another variety show filmed at the same location before the rural self-produced content. Here's a zoomed-in screenshot (cigarette_between_LP_albums.jpg)

Although it's not clearly visible, if you capture the scene where they play the song on the LP albums, you can see it in the corner. It doesn't look the same as the cigarette leaked in the photo of Seo Ho-yoon smoking, right??

└Wow, that's true

└How did they find this???]

Soon after this post, more posts refuting the rumor about Seo Hoyun smoking were uploaded.

[Title: Evidence that Seo Hoyun doesn't smoke (photo attached)

Comparing it with "Gohyang Jibbap" and the rural self-produced content (cigarette_zoomed_in.jpg)

The cigarette brand and the location match exactly. "Gohyang Jibbap" variety show: July 19th, rural self-produced content: July 21st.

And after the healing in the rural show, when the manager from "Gohyang Jibbap" briefly appears, if you zoom in, he's holding the same cigarette. The staff or cast of "Gohyang Jibbap" must have left it behind, and Seo Hoyun was probably trying to pass it to the manager to avoid any noise.

└Wow, they're really delusional

  └└It seems plausible

  └└The previous comment is just trying to find fault, haha

└If this is true, it must be so unfair, ㅠㅠ]

And this story quickly spread, and at that time, the staff of "Gohyang Jibbap" clarified on their personal accounts that it was their own cigarette, bringing the cigarette incident to a close.

[ㅋㅋㅋWhere did all those people who cursed him go?ㅋㅋ]

[This is really ridiculous..]

It passed by like a passing issue, and everyone moved on.

[Ho-yoon~ I'll support you no matter what you do └Even if you're dating

└└Ho-yoon is already dating

  └└Huh??

    └└With me♡

      └└That's...]

However, not long after, another response surfaced.

["Hey, where did that initial cigarette screenshot come from? No matter how much I search, I can't find it in the official videos."]

To verify the screenshot, even after scouring through the self-produced content videos uploaded on YouTube, such a scene was nowhere to be found.

["....? Wow?"]

It was then that the fans reacted quickly.

While they could casually brush off the cigarette incident, if it was leaked, it changed the game.

["Is this screenshot private? Was it leaked from Daepaseong?"]

"????"

No matter how much they scrubbed through the videos and cut them into seconds, there was no part that precisely matched the photo circulating on the internet.

["Ah, damn."]

The perplexity of the fans gradually turned into anger.

["It seems there's a leaker at Daepaseong."]

This was not a problem to be left alone.

At that moment, amidst the confusion among the fans, various suspicious incidents began to emerge.

["Ah, LOL, was last year's Second Chance song leak by the same person?"]

["The idols don't reveal a thing, but when they're on the V app, they receive many private calls... Did someone leak their phone numbers too??"]

["This is so infuriating..."]

The keywords "leaker" and "Daepaseong" quickly trended on social media.

During Second Chance, the fame was low enough to overlook the issue, but not now.

Numerous posts flooded demanding the official stance of Daepaseong along with the trending hashtags.

As the situation escalated, Daepaseong couldn't stay silent anymore.

"The Second Chance song leak by The Dawn constitutes copyright infringement... Daepaseong Entertainment immediately requested an investigation."

Though it was quite late, it was a sign of doing something at least. While the public was stirred up outside, the atmosphere within Daepaseong's office was equally tumultuous.

Especially in the planning department.

As the department overseeing the data, the chaos was even more intense.

After the CEO lashed out, the atmosphere in the planning department turned grim.

"Hey, who was the last person to access the data on The Dawn recently?"

As Jihyeon's senior's face turned pale, she was too preoccupied with other thoughts...

That crazy....

Leaker...

Seo Hoyun, this crazy guy....

It's  Seo Hoyun.

While not providing specifics, on that day Seo Hoyun had secretly asked Jihyeon to pass him the data from The Dawn. Then he instructed certain senior staff members to handle the data theft task without involving him in any way.

"Are you doing something strange?"

"Of course not. Don't you trust me?"

She didn't.

Though he held the copied files tightly to his chest, unable to erase the suspicious look in his eyes, Seo Hoyun reassured Jihyeon with a playful tone.

"Don't worry. You just need to act like you don't know anything, Jihyeon."

"...."

"Just relax, okay?"

And with that, he subtly leaned away.

"We didn't meet today."

Following his instructions, shutting her mouth, closing her eyes, closing her ears.

His words made it clear to Ji Hyun, who didn't need to ponder.

Sigh, this is driving me crazy. Seriously....

Seo Hoyun had orchestrated it all.

While wanting to catch the leaker and pressuring the planning department, bringing up past issues now would be futile. Thus, igniting a new incident to light the fuse was his plan.

In other words, it was spread by Seo Hoyun himself.

"On his birthday, no less."

Naturally, since no one would have expected him to shoot himself in the foot, Seo Hoyun wasn't considered a suspect.

Who else would spread rumors about their own cigarettes in the company and set off a firestorm, other than an idol who turned their own birthday into a spectacle?

If it was Seo Hoyun, it was entirely possible.

"I'll report to the CEO first and talk to you later. Okay?"

"...Yes."

However, Jihyeon couldn't see what lay ahead.

Even if rumors about cigarettes, music leaks, and phone number leaks were all ignited, how did it lead to upheaval in the planning department?

Even if they ignite something, if they can't find the leaker, it would only tarnish their image and end up as a failed attempt at creating buzz.

"Well then... I'll go to work."

Jihyeon turned her head, gently looking around.

She doesn't have time to worry about that crazy person.

.

.

.

.

"Give it to me quickly and cheaply."

"What a thug..."

At that time, I was eagerly looking at the system window after a long time.

[Quest arrived! Complete 10 events in Japan! Success: 5,000 points rewarded, Failure: (I don't have it, I tried my best)"]

"That's awesome hehe"

Before leaving for Japan, or rather before meeting Jihyeon, such a quest came after a long time.

The system window, which had brought quite favorable quest conditions, seemed to reflect on my previous complaints, but I was more interested in the items in the item shop.

[

You can influence the dreams of the designated person. Many fans continue to think of you more...]

-...No.

[Reality hits. Just use it as you wish].

[It's an item that Seo Hoyun can use to create all sorts of nonsense.]

[But it's expensive, so I recommend not using it unless necessary.]

[Points: 20,000 *Additional points may be paid depending on the content of the dream."]

It meant that the minimum required points were 20,000. Since I wasted a lot of points last time by helping Yoon Heeon, I couldn't afford to buy it right away.

["Why are you looking at it again?"]

["You won't be able to buy it anyway."]

Why can't I buy it?"

["...What?"]

The system window was very surprised.

When was the last time it reacted like this?

I complained in passing, saying that it's so difficult to earn points by completing quests and yet spending them so quickly.

Then, surprisingly, the system window responded sincerely.

Although there is a price to pay, points can be borrowed.

"No, thank you."

But then, I suddenly realized something and frantically brought up multiple system windows.

["Don't borrow!"]

["Seriously."]

["Too much."]

["It's excessive."]

["It's a huge loss."]

"[You'll regret it!"]

"Yeah, I'll do it."

I chuckled at the system's inquiry.

It was a pretty good judgment to expand the board with Kim Jaeyeon's help.

Look at the reactions now.

"See, there's a use for everything."

At that time, there were no cameras installed in the room yet. However, outside, from the moment the van arrived at the filming location, it had been capturing the members' reactions continuously.

The edited footage of the self-produced content was sent separately to the planning team leader and to Jihyeo, who was almost exclusively in charge of The Dawn. Later, the edited video was uploaded to YouTube, but it was removed afterwards.

In that moment, memories came flooding back, and I quickly formulated a plan.

After asking Jihyeo to pass me the data, I searched through the stored data and leaked screenshots of the unreleased video, and through Kim Jaeyeon, successfully flipped the leak rumor to The Dawn.

With the planning department upheaval initiated, now all I had to do was run with it.

I wanted to catch the leaker and create a perfect picture, and this item seemed to offer the best value for that.

["How did you even come up with that idea? Don't people usually try to save from what they have?]"

"Usually, salaried workers have negative bank balances."

I responded lightly, trying to push the system window, but this kid kept persisting.

["After all, you know you can't use that item if you don't know the person, right?"]

"Do you think I'm just sitting here clueless?"

[...How would you even know?]

"I threw a bait last year."

I lay on the sofa, legs crossed, munching on a candy bar.

From the time of the Second Chance music leak (that is, when I was busy vomiting in the bathroom), I had suspected that the culprit was inside the company.

After the incident with the prank calls, my suspicions grew even stronger, and I deliberately threw out bait.

"I changed my phone number and shared it with only a few selected people, just to see if the information would be sold."

[What??]

"Not long after, I received a call. Information was being sold."

The purpose of the leaker  wasn't clear.

It was just a loser who enjoyed revealing secrets or was satisfied with a small fee.

And that loser was right there in the planning department.

When it came to gathering evidence, it was difficult to catch them red-handed these days.

Even if I received self-produced content data from Jihyeon to expose the cigarette incident, the Second Chance music leak, and the prank calls, it wasn't enough.

The company was unlikely to move easily.

Most companies were conservative, and rather than cut off what might worsen later, they were eager to cover it up.

In other words, unless the leaker was directly caught, the CEO wouldn't easily overthrow the planning department.

"It's all about timing."

Rather than waiting for a shaky investigation, now that there was intense external pressure, it was necessary to catch the leaker and restructure the planning department.

And while contemplating such thoughts, the item caught Seo Hoyun's eye.

"Crazy..."

["Are you really going to do it?"]

"Yeah, kid. Don't make me repeat myself."

As I seemed determined, the system window showed a bit of noise before promptly displaying something else.

["...Then, symptoms like high fever, muscle pain, chills."]

I had expected that much.

It was the same during the music leak incident.

As I glanced skeptically, I momentarily lost my words at the continuous stream of symptoms.

["...Coughing that feels like I'm about to die, severe headaches like someone's splitting my head from behind, loss of appetite where I feel like throwing up no matter what I see or smell, blood in the sputum due to bronchial mucosal bleeding, and nasal blood vessel damage bursting once an hour...."]

"...That's quite an intentionally vivid description."

["Are you really going to do it? It's incomparable to last time, you know?"]

I raised my gaze and scanned the list of side effects again.

Endless, truly endless.

After a moment's hesitation, I nodded my head.

"I'll take the loan."

I couldn't stop now that I had come this far.

["Oh, really... This is seriously over the top..."]

The system window mumbled as it popped up a message box. I immediately used the loaned points to purchase the item.

[Really don't regret it.]

"Why would I regret it?"

.

.

.

.

However, exactly one hour later...

"...Cough, cough! Ack!"

...After vomiting blood three times in the bathroom,

"Dammit."

For the first time, I began to regret not listening to the system window's warning.

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