ALL NOVEL Chapter 102
Chapter 102. Things Will Explode (2)
The problematic scene involved the part where Yugeon was choosing a team, which the girl had carelessly overlooked. No, to be more precise, it was the moment when ‘Yugeon selected Wonho’s team as a battle benefit.’
—”Hey.”
—”Huh?”
—”What do you think Kim Wonho would like?”
—”Hurry. You’re close with him, right?”
The scene where Yugeon asked Hajin about Wonho’s preferences to decide on his team was broadcasted as is. Up until that point, there was no problem.
—”…? Kang Hajin hyung recommended it.”
Then, an interview cut was added, with a casual tone that followed right after.
It was this cut that became the issue.
**Iyugeon_exit @dldbrjsgkckgo**
**#Yugeon, is it fun?**
*Can’t sing and can’t even handle your part, yet you’re putting on airs, causing a controversy over your teammate’s character—true disgusting class doesn’t go anywhere. Yugeon, aren’t you just lazy and blaming Hajin?*
**OX @odlfkkja**
*Making all the fans who defended you look stupid. Don’t steal other people’s opportunities, just exit the show.*
**#Yugeon, is it fun?**
**Yupna @fxckinggun**
*So Yugeon and Akjin teamed up and made No. 1 look like an idiot, huh? He’s raising his hand right there, asking to be No. 1, but you ignore him right in front of his face, you jerk.*
*(A blurry capture of Wonho’s fingers)*
Yugeon’s act of choosing the song that Wonho, his rival, wanted was completely misinterpreted and spread across the internet. The malicious capture, which no one knew who started, spread to numerous sites along with the controversy about his attitude in Episode 2, causing the rumors to spiral out of control.
*[Isn’t Kim Wonho making the number 2?]*
*(A low-quality capture where Wonho’s fingers clearly show the number 2)*
*Isn’t he showing that to Kang Hajin, asking to be No. 2?*
*Why are people saying Wonho wanted to be No. 1?*
* * *
—”Yeah, go watch the video again.”
└ “You should rewatch it too. It definitely looks like 2.”
*[I was a schoolmate of Yugeon; he was infamous at school lol]*
*I went to the same school as him when he was at Hmo High.*
*There were so many rumors about him back then lol.*
*People said he went to clubs every night.*
*He was famous for riding a motorcycle around lol.*
* * *
—(BEST) *Damn, so you have no proof, and you’re confidently spreading rumors? At least show some effort by posting a student ID.*
—(BEST) ?? *Iyugeon is famous for being at Shina Art High? He was at Hmo High.*
└ *He transferred in the middle of sophomore year after joining Miro. Yeah, he was originally at Hmo High.*
—(BEST) *Honestly, I don’t know about Yugeon being a bully or having issues with his character, but I think he should drop out of the survival show. He doesn’t seem motivated at all, so why did he even join?*
—(Controversial comment) *Maybe you could excuse it once due to editing issues, but twice? That’s a character problem. It shows poor upbringing… He seemed to be in a power struggle with that main vocalist during the team battle too. It was uncomfortable to watch. I hope he just drops out on his own or that the agency kicks him out. It’s their survival show, so why did they force him in there?*
└ *He fits the type Miro likes. Talented, a bit edgy, good at dancing… But they probably didn’t expect him to show this much of his true colors on TV.*
Even though the third episode ended after showing a portion of the team’s
‘Why has this suddenly gotten so heated?’
It was undeniable that Yugeon’s attitude on the show appeared unenthusiastic. However, at some point, the situation had shifted from the truth to rumors for the sake of rumors, and criticism for the sake of criticism.
[The real reason why the controversy over Yugeon’s attitude on the show is ridiculous.jpg]
While clarification posts were quickly made, it was impossible to quell the controversy once it had flared up. Even if the interview scene was explained, Yugeon’s behavior across the first three episodes was still grating to viewers.
And Hajin, fully aware of the situation, had come to find Ji Suho to discuss this very issue.
“You said you can see an aura when there’s going to be a problem. Didn’t you sense anything while watching Yugeon?”
Unlike usual, Hajin’s tone was slightly sharp, causing Suho to take off his glasses and press his throbbing temples, frowning.
“First, let’s sit down. Let’s talk this over.”
“Didn’t you notice the issues when you reviewed the third episode? No, it doesn’t make sense that both you and PD Kwon didn’t catch this. You barely managed to divert the attention meant for Yugeon onto me, so why suddenly…!”
“Kang Hajin! Calm down.”
Without even listening to Suho, Hajin continued to pour out his grievances. Suho, raising his voice at Hajin for the first time, startled him into silence.
When Hajin, looking shocked, finally stopped speaking, Suho rubbed his face dry and pointed to the sofa opposite him again. It was a gesture to sit down and calm down first.
“…”
Clenching his fists tightly, Hajin this time obediently sat on the sofa. After brewing a cup of tea for Hajin, who still looked tense, Suho began explaining what he knew.
“First of all, it’s true that when someone is about to face a problem, I can see a dark aura around them.”
“Then why…!”
“Listen. But that only happens when there’s ‘actually’ a problem with that person. Celebrities always have scandals and gossip following them; it’s impossible for them to have a dark aura every time a controversy arises.”
“…”
“The Yugeon I’ve seen has always been surrounded by a violet aura, and when I checked recently, it was faint but leaning towards red. This means that of all the controversies brewing online, none of them genuinely concern Yugeon.”
Despite Yugeon’s attitude issues, malicious ‘rumor-mongering’ was spreading about him online. His name became associated with school violence, bullying, drinking, smoking—anything that could easily lead to negative assumptions based on his appearance.
The fact that Suho hadn’t seen any problematic aura indicated that Yugeon was at least innocent regarding those rumors.
“The scene that caused the issue in the third episode wasn’t flagged during the review. Even when it aired, there wasn’t an immediate problem.”
“…”
That was true. Hajin had also watched the third episode with the trainees, but none of them had found the scene odd. But that might have been because they knew Yugeon’s personality and circumstances, making objective judgment difficult.
As Hajin unknowingly bit his lip while reflecting on that, Suho turned on his tablet and showed him something.
“The issue with that scene only started when someone on a community site maliciously captured the broadcast and posted about it. They blurred Wonho’s fingers, reordered the captions and sequences from the show—everything was rearranged to make it look like Yugeon was deliberately sabotaging Wonho.”
It meant that someone was intentionally trying to bring Yugeon down.
But who? And for what purpose?
Hajin knew that he might never find the answers to those meaningless questions. He knew better than anyone that there often wasn’t a significant reason behind someone hating another.
“The staff is tracking down the original poster, and the legal team is preparing a statement regarding the malicious rumors about the trainees.”
“Well, that’s a relief. Once a lawsuit is filed, a lot of people will shut up and run.”
“The production team also said they’ll actively address the malicious editing accusations, and our PR team is uploading clarification posts one by one, so there’s no need to be too shaken. As you well know, this industry is like that.”
Suho, continuing his calm explanation, gulped down his coffee as if his throat was dry.
Though Yugeon was just the example, rumors and malicious comments about Hajin were spreading just as much below the surface. People were concocting stories that Hajin and Yugeon were excluding Wonho, or that the production company was receiving bribes to promote Hajin.
In the process, there were undoubtedly baseless speculations and slanders about Hajin’s character, personality, and past, and Hajin couldn’t have been unaware of those reactions.
Noticing that Hajin seemed particularly on edge, Suho carefully asked him about his state in a slightly softened tone.
“…Are you okay?”
As a manager, this was the hardest part of the job.
When you had to say, ‘There’s nothing we can do,’ to someone suffering from baseless criticism or rumors.
Knowing how irresponsible it sounded to say, “Just ignore it,” while also knowing there
wasn’t much else you could say.
Hajin gently brushed his dry eyes with his hand and sighed deeply.
“…Yugeon says he wants to quit.”
“What?”
“He says he doesn’t care if people insult him, but he can’t stand seeing his grandfather and younger siblings get criticized because of him. He’s making a fuss about quitting. Siwoo hyung and I barely managed to convince him to stay in his room for now.”
As Hajin spoke, his eyes were different from usual, hollow and devoid of light. His low, sunken voice and the tense jawline or the veins occasionally standing out on his neck when he clenched his teeth hinted at his condition.
At that moment, Suho felt something odd.
—”You absolutely can’t let Yugeon quit!”
‘What?’
A memory that didn’t exist flashed through Suho’s mind like déjà vu. Although this was the first time he was hearing about Yugeon wanting to quit, images of Hajin telling him about Yugeon’s resignation in various ways repeatedly played in his head.
Suho looked at Hajin with trembling eyes. The Hajin in front of him now seemed too…
“Hajin, you―”
“If I can’t finish the third round of the competition with Yugeon, I’ll regress.”
“…What?”
“This damned Chosen Regressor or whatever is driving me insane. When I meet that bastard, I’ll tear him apart. Damn it…”
Unfiltered, raw words poured out of Hajin. Suho was taken aback by this side of Hajin he had never seen before.
The problem was, even with this unfamiliar version of Hajin, Suho felt a slight sense of déjà vu.
“Haha, are you shocked? Don’t worry, you won’t remember this anyway.”
“You, then…”
“Team Leader.”
Hajin, looking completely mentally shattered, stared at Suho with his lifeless eyes. Suho noticed that Hajin’s eyes were slightly red. The Hajin who had lost the vitality he had when they first met, looked coldly at Suho and spoke.
“How many times do you think I’ve had this conversation with you?”
“…”
“I can’t remember exactly. Maybe around twelve times…? After a certain point, it just became meaningless to count. Haha!”
That laugh left Suho speechless, unable to find the words to respond.