182. Dopamine (3)

I never thought I’d get the chance to step inside a building belonging to a major entertainment agency in my life.

Of course, I didn’t really have much to discuss at length with the Director.

Anyway, those people had already decided how to deal with that tabloid, and all I had to do was add a little flavor.

The simple story was that I wasn’t involved with Seo Jia like that, but I was dating her older sister, so I had a personal connection with the younger sister too.

Honestly, I could have added that without even coming here, but seeing the murderous glint in the Director’s eyes, I figured they were determined to take down at least one reporter, even if they couldn’t kill the media outlet, so I just went along with it.

It was probably just a precaution, so if they twisted my words later, it would be a headache for me, and they’d have an excuse.

“….”

While I was chatting away cheerfully with the Director-nim, Seo Jia, sitting next to me, just listened quietly.

Was she dumbfounded because I shamelessly argued that we weren’t involved at all?

Or did she feel guilty towards the Director-nim, who was taking my words at face value?

Maybe it was both.

In any case, it wasn’t bad for me that she didn’t add anything further.

If I caused trouble here like I did to mess with Hinami, it would become a headache for me too.

Of course, in this day and age, you wouldn’t end up at the bottom of the Pacific just for messing around with an idol a bit, but there are plenty of ways to bother someone without resorting to violence.

“Yes, yes. Yes. I understand. Thank you.”

“We are the ones who should be thanking you.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I’m busy with my main job, so I should get going first…”

“Ah, yes, yes. Sorry for taking up your valuable time.”

After reaching an agreement where they could use my name however they pleased, I got up and left, leaving Seo Jia behind.

Of course, if those people have brains, they won’t issue a rebuttal article.

It wasn’t a scoop from a major news outlet, just a run-of-the-mill internet tabloid, so wouldn’t they be satisfied with just threatening to take the article down?

Unless other media outlets, desperate for clicks, started spreading it like wildfire, I didn’t think such a tabloid would surface.

Of course, I pretended to be super worried in front of them… but back then, I didn’t know where it originated.

I never imagined that an article would actually be written by a media outlet that just scraped content from internet communities, and that they’d target me of all people.

I thought, ‘What the heck? They must have gotten it from some paparazzi outfit…’

“…음.”

Muttering to myself, I rode the elevator down, thinking about how to console Haeun, when I casually checked the community site where my personal information was first leaked.

After all, I might have had to file a lawsuit depending on the situation.

But the moment I entered the site, I immediately felt an icy chill.

-Fuck, dating the ‘Gallery Star’ and touching her sister too? Fucking jealous.

-The sisters, both of them, got such huge tits, haha.

-Kang Joo-hyuk << I got his autograph when he was a baseball player, dude’s built like a tank;; bet his dick is huge too.

-Still, it’s a relief it’s not Hinami.

…It felt like a festival.

The number of posts seemed tens of times higher than usual.

It was unusual for a minor YouTube community board, which got decent views but didn’t have many subscribers, to have so many posts.

Moreover, regardless of the content’s intensity, this place was originally where Haeun’s fans gathered, yet surprisingly, there was almost no mention of Haeun.

How much free time did they have on a Monday morning to flock to such a secluded corner after seeing a tabloid?

Normally, I would have just laughed it off, but the more I read, the more I realized the gravity of the situation.

-I went to an otaku event once and saw Kang Joo-hyuk there.

I couldn’t take a picture, but he was hanging out with about five or six girls.

…It was heavily exaggerated, but not entirely baseless eyewitness testimony.

Below it, comments demanding proof flooded in, and then a Twitter link appeared, showing a photo from that day of Haeun walking closely beside me.

It was just a background shot in a photo taken of someone else, but given Haeun’s outfit that day and my height, it was undeniable proof for anyone.

Because of that proof, even the baseless rumor about me hanging out with five or six girls was accepted as fact.

-Fucking hell, so jealous haha. Must have gotten laid a lot IRL.

-I’m a Giants fan, and Kang Joo-hyuk was a total scumbag off the field even when he was a player. Everyone knew he swapped girlfriends every time the team finished an away game.

-But with that body, isn’t it understandable?

-He wasn’t like this as a player, though. But why did his body get even better after his shoulder got wrecked?

-Probably training to fuck.

-Well, they say he retired because he didn’t do his rehab properly, shit.

Thanks to rumors whose authenticity was questionable at best, even my past, which I had lived diligently, was being smeared dirtily.

For a moment, I felt a surge of anger and almost commented ‘Stop bullshitting,’ but I suppressed it, got into my car, and cooled my head under the air conditioning.

…What the hell are these guys?

Why are they even here?

Who gave them the coordinates?

“Haa….”

Even if such a tabloid spread widely, there was absolutely no reason for it to be circulating here.

There were plenty of large sites, and this tabloid had nothing to do with Haeun originally.

I decided to check various sites to see where this whole thing started.

Surprisingly, I found posts featuring my face and Seo Jia’s on most of the sites.

…This was clearly a piece of trash tabloid article that couldn’t even be used as gossip.

It wasn’t even a day; it felt like less than half a day since the article broke.

Who the hell is doing this…?

“…아.”

Lost in confusion, I read the comments on the trending posts and realized the answer far too easily.

…Fans of other idols.

Fans of girl groups other than the one Seo Jia and Hinami belonged to.

The ratio of upvotes and downvotes was perfectly balanced, with comments bashing Seo Jia at the top.

Hundreds of replies piled up beneath them, adding fuel to the fire.

“돌겠네….”

Clutching my throbbing head, I tried to figure out why the backlash had spread to Haeun.

At some point, I started skipping past the comments where they were fighting amongst themselves after pushing me aside, and searched for Seo Haeun to find related posts.

…As expected, this time it was a rumor spread from the internet broadcasting scene.

Was it triggered when Haeun went on an internet broadcast for promotion last time?

People who intensely disliked the guy hitting on Haeun back then went crazy spreading my tabloid, mocking that male broadcaster.

They posted ridiculous titles like ‘Difference between that sleazy guy vs. Alpha Male.jpg’, juxtaposing unflattering photos of the male broadcaster with handsome pictures of me, and spammed them across every board.

It was a thought process I couldn’t comprehend at all, but it seemed they were using me to mock that guy.

Realizing the sheer volume was impossible to erase, I leaned my head back against the car seat, feeling a wave of dizziness.

“…Are they fucking insane, seriously.”

…I can’t find any other way to put it.

How did the simple fact that ‘Seo Jia used Kang Joo-hyuk’s gym’ escalate into this?

Of course, I know well that the internet is a place that latches onto the smallest things like a rabid dog.

I have experience being cursed out heavily just for chewing gum loudly during my playing days.

But this isn’t on that level, is it?

Nothing was really exposed, so why are they using me as fodder for their own fights?

This sucks, really.

Sure, I won’t deny feeling superior while having sex with Haeun or Hinami, looking down on those kinds of people, but the way these guys are freaking out now feels completely different from the public reaction I imagined back then.

It was a much uglier, darker, and more sinister fight.

A fight that didn’t even involve me.

I couldn’t stand watching them use me just to tear down people they disliked, so I sent Seo Jia a DM and turned off my phone.

-Take a day off and come home.

…The Director would probably allow this much if they saw what was happening on the community sites.

Since they figured out the dating rumor overnight, they’ll surely notice much more impactful community issues even faster.

In hindsight, bringing Seo Jia from her home to the agency in my car was problematic in many ways.

There were eyes watching at the company too, after all.

I can’t give her a ride home in my car anymore.

“…Hoo.”

Not bothering to swallow the feeling of disbelief bordering on absurdity, I let it out aloud.

I aggressively hit the gas pedal, merged onto the road, and headed home as quickly as possible.

With the air conditioning on, I even rolled down the windows.

Only after letting the excessive wind mess up my hair did I manage to calm my mind and reconsider the situation.

…Maybe it’s not as serious as it seems.

My relationship with Hinami isn’t exposed, and in Haeun’s case, it might even serve as noise marketing.

Besides, they’re crossing the line over a completely baseless tabloid, so the already furious Director would surely unleash hell.

Just like how the manager who stalked Seo Jia completely disappeared from view.

…Of course, that bastard is probably busy badmouthing Seo Jia somewhere at the bottom of the Pacific or across the ocean.

If this absurd incident could be suppressed somehow, it wouldn’t escalate into a real scandal.

It’s just that,

The shock Seo Jia will endure will be immense.

Now, there’s no one by her side to shield her from the countless malicious comments.

…Except for bastards like me who curse people out in real life.