Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail – Chapter 123

Chapter 123

In an instant, Shin Yuhwa and Kim Ryeo-yu’s expressions hardened.

The PD zoomed in on their faces like crazy.

It was pointless.

Kim Mokyung was bound to cut all of this.

“Director Kim talks about you so much, Senior. He often meets with you privately and says there’s no one as wonderful as you. He even said he’d like to make you his son-in-law.”

Of course, that was all nonsense.

“So maybe that’s why you always ask questions looking out for Ryeo-yu. You’re really thoughtful, Senior. I should learn from you.”

Again, pure fabrication.

“…Ha… Haha. So Director Kim said that. Really… I’m grateful, yeah.”

Shin Yuhwa forced a smile by lifting the corners of his lips.

Why did he keep picking fights?

“There’s no need to be grateful. It’s all thanks to your accumulated virtue, Senior.”

Now, please take your accumulated karma and exit.

***

Eventually, Shin Yuhwa shifted his target and began asking normal questions.

The production team filmed a few more of our practice scenes and then wrapped up appropriately.

“Good work, everyone~”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

I also greeted Cha Yul separately.

“Thank you for your hard work today, Senior.”

“Oh, Cheong. Today, we must have din-”

“Yul! We need to run! If we get stuck in traffic and are late for the event, we’re in trouble!”

Just as Cha Yul was about to speak to me, her manager intercepted her with a face more urgent than anyone else.

“…Damn. Next time, let’s definitely have a meal.”

“Yes.”

That manager was still as strict as ever.

Unfortunately, it seemed like our conversation would have to wait until next time.

As everyone was preparing to leave, I was getting ready to clock out when,

“Yoon Cheong?”

Shin Yuhwa called me.

“Oh, yes, Senior.”

Shin Yuhwa regained his poker face and began to smile slyly.

Ugh.

“You’re 20, right? I’m five years older. Can I speak casually to you?”

My name is Yoon Cheong.

I’m 30 years old.

…But I couldn’t say that.

“Oh, yes.”

“I noticed you did really well on the broadcast earlier.”

Isn’t it you who didn’t do well?

I just nodded indifferently.

“Thank you.”

“What do you like?”

“…Pardon?”

Shin Yuhwa was suddenly very close to me.

“There’s a fine dining place I go to often. It’s 100% reservation-based, and since it’s in a private room, it’s guaranteed to be private. Many celebrities go there, so there’s nothing to worry about. The manager there is a friend of mine.”

“Oh, yes. That sounds nice.”

“It’s really great. The food is good, and the atmosphere is nice. Or do you prefer omakase? I could even rent out the whole place for a day.”

….

This was bad.

I felt a bit sorry for him….

His attempt at hitting on me was so pathetic….

Did he really succeed in wooing idols?

Or did he just follow them around like a puppy?

“I’m sorry, but I’m only eating chicken breast to prepare for the comeback.”

“You can make a special order for sous-vide chicken breast steak.”

Does he think adding English words makes it sound delicious?

It’s an insult to chicken breast.

I could feel the production team’s eyes gathering on us as they started to clean up.

I was starting to get annoyed.

“No, I prefer to boil it myself. You should enjoy it more, Senior.”

I tried to subtly step back.

But at that moment,

“…You.”

Shin Yuhwa reached out his hand to me.

“When a senior makes a good suggestion, it’s not polite to refuse it, don’t you think?”

However, I grabbed Shin Yuhwa’s wrist.

“…Calm down, Senior.”

Where did he think he was touching?

I was starting to get really angry.

Had he always resorted to physicality when he was upset?

“You-”

“Hey.”

Just then.

“Shin Yuhwa.”

Someone was glaring at him, biting her lip hard enough to bleed.

“What are you doing?”

It was Sae-ah.

Even I was a bit surprised and froze.

“Ah.”

Shin Yuhwa immediately plastered a mocking smile on his face.

“Sae-ah. Are you seriously taking the side of a junior?”

“…!”

“That’s disappointing, hmm? Shouldn’t you be on my side? Considering our relationship, Sae-ah.”

Did they… know each other?

I held Shin Yuhwa’s wrist and observed Sae-ah’s expression.

“Aren’t you going to let go?”

Shin Yuhwa roughly shook off my hand.

The moment Shin Yuhwa pushed me away, I deliberately fell to the side.

With a bang, the makeup box and table beside me toppled over as well.

“!”

You didn’t see that coming, did you, jerk?

“Cheong-ah!”

“Yoon Cheong!”

In an instant, the production crew rushed over, helping me up and clearing away the table and makeup box.

“Are you okay?!”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Oh my…!”

The production crew, while wary of Shin Yuhwa, started looking at him with contempt.

“No, I…”

Shin Yuhwa tried to speak as if he were wronged.

But realizing he had nothing to say, he just glared at me.

“Can you stand?”

Sae-ah was also there, helping me up.

“Oh, yes. I’m fin…e.”

I said that and intentionally staggered a bit.

“Oh no.”

“It might be best to go to the hospital….”

“Hospitals? For what!”

While the production crew was worrying about me, Shin Yuhwa shouted.

“You, falling down a bit and making such a big dea-”

“…I’m feeling very dizzy.”

I quickly spoke up before Shin Yuhwa could continue rambling.

“Can I leave now…?”

“Of course, of course!”

“Where is Cheong’s manager?”

“Oh, right.”

My manager?

Where would she be?

“Unnie, let’s go now.”

She was standing at the door filming the entire situation.

***

“Did you film it well?”

“Yes…”

In the car on the way back to the dorm.

“Let me take a look.”

I checked the video on my manager’s phone.

It came out well.

The audio was clear, and Shin Yuhwa’s face was clearly visible.

I immediately sent the video to my phone.

“But Cheong, are you really… okay? You didn’t get hurt?”

“I’m not hurt.”

I fell on purpose, so there was no way I was hurt.

Apart from feeling a bit tired, I was fine.

“…But how did you know…?”

“Know what?”

“That Shin Yuhwa would… act that way towards you….”

The manager seemed very confused.

Did he not expect Shin Yuhwa to go that far?

“I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t?”

“Yes. I’m not a prophet. There was no way to know.”

“Then why… did you tell me not to interfere if Shin Yuhwa talked to you privately and to film from a distance?”

That was a request I had made in advance.

When we were catching that rat a while ago.

Fortunately, the manager, who had probably done this many times before, played her part well.

“Trash can’t help but reveal their true nature.”

I answered while checking the video again.

“That’s their nature. Being trashy. So I figured they’d show it eventually, and that’s why I asked you to film everything.”

Of course, I didn’t expect to catch him so quickly.

Shin Yuhwa was an unusually brazen piece of trash.

He probably got bolder because he kept getting away with this behavior quietly every time.

I could understand.

“Is Director Kim’s family covering for Shin Yuhwa?”

“…Yes.”

What a remarkable family.

“The editor-in-chief of Star Patch is Director Kim’s relative, right?”

“…As far as I know, they’re siblings.”

“Oh my.”

No wonder they’re a persistent corrupt family.

At this point, it was undeniable.

Hmm. There was a reason another media outlet exposed Jo Hee-on and Shin Yuhwa in my past life, not Star Patch.

No wonder, I thought Star Patch wouldn’t just stay quiet.

“Are you… going to expose this, Cheong?”

My manager asked me with anxious eyes.

“Focus on driving. Keep your eyes on the road.”

“Oh, okay….”

I sighed.

“I’m not going to expose it right away. This alone is weak. They might even retaliate against me.”

Shin Yuhwa’s fans wouldn’t believe the truth with just this video.

The public would also be skeptical.

That’s obvious.

“‘There must be a reason behind it.’

‘Yoon Cheong must have provoked Shin Yuhwa, which is why he acted like that.’

‘Didn’t Yoon Cheong flirt with Shin Yuhwa, and that’s why this happened?’

The usual rhetoric was so predictable that it didn’t even make me angry.

“Then… how about getting testimonies or something from the idols who suffered because of Shin Yuhwa…?”

My manager suggested an idea.

“That won’t work.”

Of course, it wasn’t a very useful idea.

“Why not?”

“How can we ask others to bring up their painful memories just to solve my problem? Asking those who suffered from Shin Yuhwa to speak up. What female idol in her right mind would want to do that?”

“…!”

“Those who were in the same space with that jerk, even for a moment, would find it unbearable. Asking them to testify that he tried to smear his filth on them—no way.”

Even earlier, it was evident with Sae-ah.

The way Shin Yuhwa sneered and the furious look in Sae-ah’s eyes.

I didn’t know the specifics, but it meant Sae-ah had gone through some emotional hardship too.

Yet she mustered the courage to step in.

And I should exploit such a person?

Why would I?

“Instead of the victims, we’ll make someone else a witness.”

“…Someone else? Who?”

“Kim Ryeo-yu.”

“!”

Using just the bad people is more than enough for me.