Chapter 157

Chapter 157

Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack.

Episode 157: The Man Who Sees The Future

Kim Ganghan, a former professional fighter, nodded and spoke as he watched the controversial video ‘Man with Knife vs Bare-Handed Manager’ on the news desk.

“I can confidently say, this is not the movement of an ordinary person.”

The anchor, surprised by his serious tone, asked.

“…Pardon? But the man in the video is the manager, right? Shouldn’t he be considered an ordinary person?”

“Even if he is working as a manager now, he could have been a former special forces soldier or a promising fighter. The important thing is, this stunt is something no ordinary person could pull off.”

“Really… What makes you think that?”

“For instance, if you look at how he avoids the knife of the attacker here, there are many points to consider. His focus never leaves the knife or the arm’s movement, not even for a moment…”

Oh James, who had been staring blankly at the video, asked.

“Team Leader Seon, did you think of all that before doing it?”

…No, the Sword Saint’s Sense took care of everything for me.

“I was just lucky.”

“Listening to what Kim Ganghan said, it doesn’t sound like luck alone could have done it. After all, who could defeat an attacker with a knife just by luck?”

“…”

Naturally, the video filmed by Shin Eun-gyeong was not released.

Even if she had filmed it herself, as an employee, the rights to the video belonged to CBS, so there was no chance it would be released.

However, it wasn’t just Shin Eun-gyeong who filmed the scene where I subdued stalker Park Yeji.

We didn’t notice at the time, but a civilian had filmed the commotion and sent the footage to the broadcasting station’s MTS.

MTS, unaware that this involved a CBS cameraman, simply uploaded the video to the broadcast and AllTube. The provocative thumbnail featuring an attacker with a knife facing an ordinary person drew in viewers, and the video became a huge sensation.

MingMingSoo – But that manager is seriously handsome.

RubyRuby – I heard that sometimes actors or idol hopefuls work in management companies. Is that the case? He’s so handsome!

999821 – ㅠㅠ He’s really too handsome. ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Does anyone know his SNS account?

Revolution – He has one, but it’s just full of Girl Revolution promotions. ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Chiriling – If I had that face, I would take 50,000 selfies a day.

Alexia – 2222222222222222222222222

Omedeto – 3333333333333333333333333333333333

WinterALove – 4444444444444444444444444

—

…It became a sensation for other reasons as well, though.

It didn’t stop there; the footage of an unarmed ordinary person effortlessly subduing an attacker with a knife became a huge topic across various communities, especially in fighting communities. It was soon revealed that I was the manager of Girl Revolution and that the attacker was a CBS cameraman.

CBS’s attempt to block Gyeoul from securing a permanent spot on ‘Star Challenge’ quickly backfired, exposing their own flaws.

It must have been a disappointing situation for CBS, but by now, there was no intention of reversing Gyeoul’s appearance on ‘Star Challenge.’ It was too late for that.

The issue gained traction when Gyeoul had already filmed the first episode of ‘Star Challenge’ and received a positive response from the viewers.

Moreover, the broadcast had already hinted on social media that Gyeoul was going to be a permanent member, so reversing that decision would have caused a huge loss to the station.

-Team Leader Seon, there’s a proposal from the upper management…

“I have no intention of voluntarily leaving ‘Star Challenge.’”

With those thoughts in mind, I firmly drew the line while glancing at the situation and making the call to Writer Ina Bi.

She was a helpful person who had assisted me with the stalker situation, but this was a separate matter entirely.

If I was going to help, I would do it in a different way, but I had no intention of reversing Gyeoul’s opportunity.

But the words Ina Bi spoke turned out to be something entirely else.

-No, that’s not it. The main PD of ‘First-Person Intervenor’ decided to make a special on Gyeoul and Team Leader Seon. I’m reaching out to get your approval.

“…What? Did the upper management at CBS approve of that?”

-They said the upper management has already given their approval. Also, they assured me not to worry, saying that Gyeoul’s appearance on Star Challenge won’t be dismissed.

Listening to this, I learned that upper management had already realized a CBS staff member was involved, and with image damage inevitable, they decided to use the buzz to their advantage.

And their strategy was to use Shin Eun-gyeong’s footage, which contained both the stalking events and my scene of subduing the perpetrator, as part of the special, despite efforts to hide it on air.

“Are you sure this is okay? Originally, ‘First-Person Intervenor’ was a show that alternated between three people, giving each participant about 20 minutes of screen time. But now it seems like you want to fill the whole hour with just Gyeoul’s story. Am I understanding that correctly?”

-It’s not just Gyeoul’s story; it’s actually the story of Team Leader Seon and Gyeoul.

“…”

-You don’t seem to realize how much of a sensation Team Leader Seon has become. He’s the only person whose positive story has spread so powerfully in this issue. They’re even discussing awarding him the Brave Citizen Award right now!

…This is really the first I’m hearing of this.

-I understand your concern about broadcasting overly personal matters. But for my sake, could you please give your approval? I feel embarrassed to ask for favors, but I’ve been working hard to help Team Leader Seon, giving testimonies, and making excuses to upper management. Please, think of it as me trying to get one variety show writer hired…

As Ina Bi spoke in a manner that made it seem like she would kneel if I could see her face, I let her words slide by while reassessing the current situation.

So, the fixed spot on ‘Star Challenge’ is still guaranteed, and now they want to make a one-hour broadcast special featuring Gyeoul as the main character?

“Let’s do it.”

This is something I have to do, no matter what.

Gyeoul thanked the taxi driver.

“It must have been difficult to come this far. Thank you for bringing me.”

“It’s just a job. I’m being paid for it.”

The taxi driver asked Gyeoul as she handed over the money.

“Are you heading back to your hometown?”

Gyeoul paused for a moment at the question but soon nodded.

“…Yes, it’s my hometown.”

She took out the automatic defibrillator from the taxi’s trunk and sent the taxi on its way.

Then she took one step after another, walking towards the home where she had once lived.

It was a chilly early morning.

“…”

On the first night of Girl 100, Gyeoul had seen the future.

That future, which ended with Taeyang’s death, was too harsh to be dismissed as just a dream. Gyeoul was certain she couldn’t just ignore it.

After all, it was too real to pretend she hadn’t seen it.

In that future, there were many hardships and obstacles.

But even so, there was one thing that should never be forgotten.

The death of Gyeoul’s grandfather was one of those things.

While Gyeoul was active as a member of Alcest and caught up in scandals, her grandfather’s death came so suddenly, and he was alone in his home.

There were no signs, just a sudden heart attack. That was the cause of her grandfather’s death.

In that future, Gyeoul regretted deeply.

The guilt of thinking, “If I had been there, at least I could have helped him,” constantly tangled her and drove her into despair.

The only time she could forget that guilt was when Seon Taeyang was by her side.

The future where Gyeoul lost her grandfather helplessly left a deep scar in her heart.

But she was given an opportunity to make up for it.

And that was today.

Gyeoul had been preparing for this day all along.

She had been worrying and preparing to stop her grandfather’s death.

As a result, she was now heading to her hometown, prepared for the visit.

“I’m causing such a huge inconvenience to everyone.”

In fact, this return to her hometown was not approved.

Of course, it wasn’t. What company would allow her to go back after hearing that she saw a dream where her grandfather died and decided to save him? It would be lucky if they didn’t suggest mental therapy.

So, Gyeoul left TwoBear secretly, without telling anyone.

“Taeyang oppa will surely be disappointed, too.”

Gyeoul had a schedule today as well.

Starting to gain popularity in the Witches competition and receiving positive feedback from Star Challenge, Gyeoul had become a variety show rising star.

Requests for appearances kept coming in, and despite choosing only the best programs, she had no free time left.

So, Gyeoul heading to her grandfather’s house now meant that she had to cancel all of her schedules for the day.

Even though she knew all of this, and understood the weight of responsibility, she still accepted it all. She was too afraid to lose the opportunity to save her grandfather.

“Still, shouldn’t I have told Taeyang oppa?”

Gyeoul remembered every word Seon Taeyang had said to her as she ran out of Girl 100, while crying.

He had said he saw the future too, and his comforting words and warm touch as he comforted her about the dream she had seen.

Even while thinking about that, Gyeoul hadn’t said anything.

In fact, she couldn’t believe what Taeyang said about seeing the future.

If it were Seon Taeyang, who had always been a strong supporter and cared for her so gently, she thought he would probably allow it.

But if it were Taeyang, who had a strong sense of responsibility for the company and cared about his colleagues’ trust, he would probably say no. Instead, he would propose a lighter alternative, considering he had more important things than Gyeoul.

He could have taken both of those actions.

However, Gyeoul was afraid of the answer.

She couldn’t believe that a sweet miracle of becoming important to someone would happen to her, so she couldn’t completely trust Taeyang either.

…She just wanted to stay by his side, even if she wasn’t important to him.

But facing that was frightening.

“….”

Gyeoul stood in front of the main gate of her traditional Korean house, alone.

She had made up her mind. She had prepared to be hated and to lose trust over this.

She took a deep breath, and, just as she was about to open the door, she heard the sound of a car approaching from behind.

Feeling suspicious, she turned around to check the car.

It was a familiar car.

“…Taeyang oppa?”

The car stopped, and Seon Taeyang got out.

Seon Taeyang, who had gotten out of the car, seemed awkward, as if he hadn’t expected to meet Gyeoul like this.

In his hand, he held the same defibrillator that Gyeoul had brought, prepared for a heart attack.

Ah…

And in that moment, Gyeoul understood everything.

That everything Taeyang had said was true.

Without wiping the tears that began to flow, Gyeoul asked Taeyang.

“How did you get here?”

“I told you back then. I also saw the future.”

The tears wouldn’t stop.

Her throat tightened.

Her chest ached.

Yet, Gyeoul tried to speak as she had before.

“What kind of future was it?”

And Taeyang spoke as clearly as the bright sunlight on the day he comforted her.

“A future where you become happy.”