129. Damage Control (2)

Thanks to the Director rushing over in his car, we were able to tie up the situation.

The Director also recovered the can suspected of containing sleeping powder.

The Manager, realizing that running away further was pointless, gave up his escape and got into the Director’s car.

However, the problem was.

“…Hinami is here?”

“…”.

…The Manager.

spilled the beans about Hinami’s presence too.

To spend the night with that guy.

He said they came together in the car.

“Um, Kang Joo-hyuk… ssi. Is that true?”

“Yes. …I sent her up for now.”

While I kept my mouth shut, he nodded to the Director.

It wasn’t impossible to deny, but if they went looking for her right now, she’d be caught immediately.

That decision itself was understandable.

“Um, what kind of relationship…?”

“…Hinami and I are close. She visits every weekend. But since I don’t have a driver’s license, I brought her with Joo-hyuk.”

…I hadn’t expected my unnie, who had just come down, to defend me so actively.

Actually, if I were trying to make an excuse, saying she came over to hang out with me would have been much more plausible.

However, there was too big a logical problem with lying like that.

Since the other members had already gone home, saying she came to the house from the start would have made sense well enough.

But if she had come back to our house in the manager’s car, Hinami should have taken the sleeping drug and passed out like me for the current situation to make sense.

So, even if it was a bit awkward, my unnie had no choice but to make excuses in my stead.

“Ah, I see. …So that’s how it is.”

The Director also looked unsure whether the excuse was true or not.

It was strange enough that she would specifically come to an acquaintance’s house, where her boyfriend lives, this late at night.

It was even stranger that someone like Hinami would specifically get involved with a man who already had a girlfriend.

In the end, after diligently mixing his personal acquaintance with Hinami and his rational deductions as Director, the Director…

“…I understand for now. Yes.”

This scandal itself would be temporarily shelved. It was decided to sweep it under the rug.

There was no clear basis to be certain either way.

In fact, since the dating ban had been lifted, as long as it didn’t get out to the public, it wasn’t a contract violation.

However.

“…And let’s sweep this matter under the rug too. For now.”

“Why?”

“If it gets out in the news that our company’s manager did something like this… well. It’s dangerous from our perspective too.”

…This matter, too.

was decided to be swept under the rug.

Of course, the Director’s words just now were part of the reason, but…

What was more important was.

“True. If we call the police now, we’ll all have to be investigated.”

“…Yes. That’s part of it too.”

The fact that I, unnie, Hinami, and Kang Joo-hyuk were gathered in the same place at this late hour was a scandal in itself.

If word got to reporters, it might not end as mere suspicion.

The worst-case scenario is leaking…

…In that case, Hinami’s life as an idol.

No.

Her life as an entertainer would be over forever.

She’d even get branded as ‘the bitch who committed adultery with her friend’s unnie’s boyfriend’…

“So, what do you plan to do about that manager?”

“We need to silence him. Make him sign a contract or something.”

“…He’s a psycho who even tried to drug me, do you think he’ll stay quiet?”

I agreed with Kang Joo-hyuk’s words.

…I couldn’t imagine someone like that staying silent forever.

But if he was the manager I had known all this time.

“He’ll probably keep his mouth shut until the statute of limitations runs out. He wouldn’t want to go to jail.”

“…How many years is that?”

“If we consider it attempted rape, it’ll last until the kids’ contracts are up… It should be fine. …I’ll make sure it’s fine.”

That man wasn’t brave enough to walk into jail on his own.

The fact that I, who had even taken the sleeping drug, am fine like this is proof.

…If he had been someone like Kang Joo-hyuk.

I might have been dragged to the manager’s house instead of our apartment’s parking lot right now.

“…Um, Director.”

“Oh, ah. Right. Jia-ya. I needed to hear your side too…”

“I’m okay. …With that.”

“…I’d appreciate that.”

I bowed my head as well to express my intention to dissuade him, towards the Director who bowed his head apologetically.

Of course, if it were up to me, my heart was full of wanting to throw that bastard in jail right now…

…I don’t know.

Maybe I still had lingering feelings for my idol activities, which I thought I had grown tired of.

And perhaps for Hinami, whom I had felt the same way about.

Maybe friendship still remained.

Most importantly.

“Instead, could you please cancel next week’s schedule?”

“Oh, about that, we have to find a new manager anyway. And you need to get counseling too. I’ll cancel it within my authority.”

“…Thank you.”

Just the thought of this getting out to the public made me sick.

I felt like I was going crazy just knowing the secret alone.

The moment others found out and started pointing fingers at us.

I felt like I wouldn’t be able to endure it.

I didn’t even want to imagine it.

That they’d be talking about us even in communities completely unrelated to us.

That they’d be mocking us even in places that used to cheer for us.

“Anyway… thank you for discovering and cleaning this up before it got worse. Later, we’d like to show our gratitude somehow…”

“No, no. It’s about my future sister-in-law, so don’t worry about that…”

“When you have time, I’d like to treat you to a meal. Together with Jia unnie.”

“…Thank you. Please contact me sometime.”

So.

This was the best option.

Pretending nothing happened.

Hinami came here not to meet Kang Joo-hyuk, but to see my unnie.

The manager didn’t get caught trying to drug me and rape me, he simply quit because it was too hard.

The Director never even rushed to this parking lot.

Kang Joo-hyuk also just brought Hinami for unnie,

there wasn’t specifically a romantic relationship.

This was the truth.

“Then, I’ll take that guy and… silence him for now. Go up and rest. Jia, you too. Don’t go out anywhere this weekend. Stay home until I contact you.”

“Yes.”

“Well then, thank you for now.”

After bowing together to the Director, who bowed his head one last time, I felt the sudden silence in the parking lot where only three of us remained.

…Should I call this a debt?

Even if it was by chance, he stopped something worse from happening,

and even helped clean up the mess.

“…”.

But I didn’t want to sincerely thank him, looking at his expressionless face staring at me.

…In the end, it’s obvious this man will get together with Hinami once they go upstairs.

Saying thank you to the very person causing me a headache.

I honestly didn’t feel like it.

“…Thank you.”

“…Yeah,”

“If things had gone wrong, it could have been a disaster, but it didn’t go that far, so it’s fortunate.”

“I suppose so.”

…Still.

Keeping my personal feelings suppressed.

I bowed my head to Kang Joo-hyuk and unnie, expressing my thanks.

It wasn’t the first time I had to bow to someone I disliked.

If he hadn’t been there, I might have been raped…

At the very least, the manager’s rolling eyes I saw earlier suggested he was capable of such an act without question.

“Hey, Joo-hyuk-ah.”

“Yeah?”

“…The Director must have noticed, right? You and Hinami.”

“…Probably.”

The only problem, however, was.

That the Director harbored suspicions about his relationship with Hinami.

Even though the dating ban was lifted, it didn’t mean they wanted a scandal.

The manager could be silenced outwardly, but if he spread rumors maliciously online, that couldn’t be stopped.

In fact, for that reason, even if they drifted apart and broke up, it wouldn’t be bad for me.

“…”.

From Kang Joo-hyuk’s perspective, who was agonizing considerably, this was clearly a precarious situation, just as much as it was for me.

…That man.

He clearly had affection or obsession towards Hinami.

“Kang Joo-hyuk ssi.”

“Yeah, what.”

“I don’t care what you and Hinami do anymore. It’s not my business now.”

“…You?”

So.

I said, with truly honest feelings.

“…Honestly, I don’t really understand why unnie accepts that, but it’s not my place to argue, so I’ll let that go.”

“What’s gotten into you?”

“But… could you at least not take photos or videos? You know as well as I do that a simple scandal and a leak are entirely different things.”

To him.

I delivered the one thing I wanted to say.

“…It’s not because I like you alone.”

“Hey, how could you…”

His slightly troubled expression,

and my unnie’s face, looking quite flustered.

“If you don’t like him, does that mean Hinami does?”

Ignoring my flustered unnie, I approached him and pressed my point.

“Yeah. …You know that too. You saw it.”

He too.

easily parried my words and pushed me back with just his gaze.

“…If you truly care about her, you should be the one to stop it. You’re the older one.”

“Why should I?”

“Does that mean you don’t care what happens to Hinami?”

“…Why are you the one discussing that?”

Not backing down from him.

I

spoke the words I wanted to get off my chest confidently,

and said one thing clearly to that man.

“…Because I don’t want to see my friend die.”

“…”.

…Right.

No matter how I put it.

Whether I’d lost affection or whatever.

Even if I said I couldn’t stand the sight of him.

She was my friend,

and a colleague.

“If you made it that way… you take responsibility. Because it’s what you did.”

…Not just Hinami,

but unnie, who disliked me, was the same.

And the other fellow members were the same.

I simply don’t want to see people around me fall apart.

I had already seen too clearly how unnie and Hinami were being ruined by this man.

Anymore.

The sight of him violating my friend.

I didn’t want to see.

“…Is that why you barged into my room because you hated it so much?”

“…”.

…Even that.

“You came. Last weekend. …When we went out to play, secretly.”

“…”.

…I never imagined [he] would have recorded it.

but I couldn’t imagine.