Chapter 62 : Stalker (3)
"Could that stalker be the one who kept sending messages to Hae-sol?"
"How could someone who looks so normal do something like that?"
"It's really scary. She didn't look like she would do something like that."
"Can you see her face clearly from here?"
"More or less? She's actually quite pretty."
"Really? She's pretty?"
As the members' attention turned back to the window, the manager was still struggling to keep the stalker away. Soon, a car arrived near the dorm, and a familiar face emerged.
"Oh? It's the director!"
"Don't stick your heads out the window."
"Is the situation serious?"
"We should finish getting ready. We might be late."
After finishing our preparations, the commotion outside continued. The director entered the dorm, sweating profusely.
"Manager, what happened?"
The members rushed to ask about the situation.
"Phew, this is crazy. Hae-sol, can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Sure."
I had been expecting this.
"By any chance, did you go out late last night?"
"Last night…."
"No way! He was the first one to fall asleep yesterday!"
Before I could answer, Woo-yeon raised his hand and provided my alibi. Since I had left the doppelganger doll in the dorm, it would have seemed unbelievable to him.
"Really?"
The director's expression brightened after hearing Woo-yeon's words.
"But why are you asking that?"
"Phew, the stalker downstairs insists that she had a date planned with Hae-sol last night. She's sticking to her story even after we threatened to call the police."
"No way, you came up here just to ask that? It's obviously not true, so why bother asking?"
"We have to confirm before calling the police. If her story turns out to be true, we need to change our approach and handle the situation."
"Like Woo-yeon said, I went to bed early yesterday."
"That's right. No wonder your nickname is 'Sleepyhead Hae-sol'."
"Since you confirmed it, we can call the police without worry. Once the police take the stalker to the station, we'll head out for our schedule. Just wait a little longer."
"Yes, sir!"
"Thank you for your hard work."
The director left the dorm. Shortly afterward, a police car arrived, and the stalker was taken away by the police. However, the situation took an unexpected turn. Somehow, the news of the incident spread online through trashy journalists. Initially, the articles were about the stalker being taken to the police station.
[Rookie Group 'S.K.Y already Has a Stalker…?]
[Stalker Taken Away by Police: A Case of Obsessive Love]
└She's already got a stalker? She just debuted.
└She's been popular since debut, poor thing.
└That crazy bitch deserves to be beaten up.
└Don't mess with our babies!!!!!!!!!!
The public's sympathy for us turned around when a particular article was published.
[Stalker Kim XX: "I only came because I had a date planned with ○○. I'm innocent."]
[○○○ from a Certain Group Attempts Private Meeting with Fan]
└Wow!
└Is this true? But who is XX?
└Don't you know? The idol who sent the stalker to the police.
└Wow, the idol scene is wild these days.
└This is all trashy journalism. Don't believe it.
└LOL Fans are already defending him. They'll regret it later.
└Who is this? I checked because I was curious, and he's actually good-looking.
└If he dates fans, can I date him too? Then I'll become a fan.
The news, which started as trashy journalism, quickly turned into an attack on me. Since we debuted as rookies and became too popular, there were many envious people. Although the idol's name was censored, it was easy to figure out that it was me. The agency quickly confirmed the situation and rushed to publish an article to control the damage. Fortunately, Woo-yeon had taken a selfie the day before, which showed me sleeping, allowing us to act quickly. The agency's unusually swift response helped calm the public's outrage.
[Agency: "After confirmation, the member in question was asleep in the dorm at that time. We have evidence, so any unverified reports or rumors will face legal action."]
[
[The Dark Side of the Entertainment Industry: Stalkers! How Serious Is It?]
[Source: "○○○ is usually well-behaved and kind, so he wouldn't have a private meeting with a fan."]
└I knew it. Honey Entertainment wouldn't debut someone with character issues. They weeded out all the problematic members this time, right?
└Why are you saying this now? You should have said something earlier.
└They were quiet when he was being criticized, and now they're talking because the truth is out? LOL
└Poor thing. He got so much hate because of the stalker.
However, the incident was not without consequences. Many of our scheduled activities were canceled due to the scandal. As a rookie group, we were booked at low rates, and the controversy led to quick cancellations. Some places offered to reinstate the contracts after the truth came out, but Honey Entertainment refused, stating they did not want to work with disloyal partners. The members, who were supposed to be worked hard, ended up with unexpected rest due to my incident, and I had to apologize.
"I'm sorry. It's all because of me."
"Why are you apologizing, hyung? It's all the stalker's fault."
"That's right. You're the victim here."
"This incident made me realize how serious stalkers can be. Even if you do nothing, something like this can happen…."
The members were shocked by the stalker's actions and the journalists spreading unfounded rumors as if they were true. I, on the other hand, was surprisingly calm. The members were amazed by my composure and eventually accepted that my mental state was unaffected by the incident.
"How can you be so mentally strong, hyung?"
"That's right, I wish I had your mental fortitude. I was shaking just watching from the side."
"Well, it didn't seem like a big deal to me. Since I'm innocent, I trusted the agency to handle it."
I had experienced changing worlds, switching genders, and even changing bodies. The stalker incident was something I had unintentionally caused, and it had grown bigger than expected. With a perfect alibi, I trusted that Honey Entertainment, a company worth over 1 trillion won, would handle it. And they did, swiftly and effectively. They not only contacted the media but also posted evidence on their website: proof that I was asleep that night, a recording of the stalker making ridiculous demands outside the dorm, and the fact that the stalker had previously been reported for stalking another celebrity. The evidence was overwhelming, and the public's opinion quickly turned against the stalker.
'But I never got to see the stalker all dressed up.'
The company made sure that the stalker never got what she wanted, and I never saw her again after that day.
'There are so many beautiful women out there; I don't need to deal with someone with delusions.'
Getting involved with her would only have caused more problems later. I have three beautiful future wives; why would I need someone like her?
'You have to be careful about who you associate with, especially now that we've debuted.'
Anyway, the stalker incident was resolved, and we gained something unexpected from it.
"We're planning to move you to a new dorm."
"Where to?"
"A much bigger and better place. And it will have strict security to keep stalkers away."
"Wow!!!"
"The number of rooms will be the same, but they'll be bigger, so it will be more comfortable to live in."
"That's great!"
"Yes! Thank you!"
According to the director, our group was doing exceptionally well, and the company was making a lot of money. Plus, after the stalker incident, they wanted to ensure our safety.
"We underestimated Hae-sol's face."
"Mmm."
"He really is…."
"His face is amazing."
"I can almost understand why he has a stalker."
"...."
The members joked that my face was dangerous because it attracted stalkers. After being scared by the stalker and the media, they were excited about moving to a new dorm.
'I guess it's good that they recover quickly.'
"We're moving, but the photo shoot is still on, right? This incident didn't cancel it, did it?"
"Oh right! What happened with that?"
"It's not canceled!! That's in a foreign country, so they don't know about this, right? They called a few days ago to confirm the schedule, even during the controversy."
"That's a relief."
The members were most looking forward to the photo shoot.
"Before the photo shoot, remember you have the photocard shooting."
"Of course! And the reality TV show at the studio, right? We're really looking forward to it."
Photocards, or "poka" in Korean, are a type of merchandise, also known as "goods," primarily used to meet fan demands.
"They'll sell like crazy. Your character dolls are already selling like hotcakes."
Since a small percentage of goods sales goes to the members, everyone was highly motivated. Working hard to increase our popularity is good, but if we don't see any money from it, motivation can drop. A few days later, we stood in front of the camera to create our photocards before the photo shoot.