Chapter 80

Chapter 80

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

Episode 80: Married? Who?.

[An appropriate target has been selected. ‘Memory of Possibilities’ is being used.]

Gyeoul saw the message and felt her consciousness fade as if being sucked in.

“Stop doing pointless things and just quietly do what the agency tells you. Remember that everything you’re doing now can severely damage SS’s image.”1

“…Yes. I’ll stay as quiet as possible.”

“Well, it’s not like I can expect anything from someone who couldn’t even manage that and caused this mess… Ugh, what did I do to deserve cleaning up after this…?”

“I’m sorry. I won’t ever…”

Beep, beep.

Gyeoul, who had received a call from Alcest’s manager, apologized with all her sincerity. However, her heartfelt apology did not seem to reach him, as he remained irritable throughout the call.

She felt very sad and sorry for making someone feel so uncomfortable because of her.

Thus, even though she knew the call had ended, she apologized once more to the empty air.

“I’m truly sorry…”

Gyeoul felt herself sinking into the swamp-like emotions of rising guilt.

The floor of the hallway leading to her dorm seemed to stick to her like the swamp, pulling her down.

With heavy steps, Gyeoul headed to her separate dorm, isolated from the other Alcest members.

-So, did you enjoy selling your body, you whore?-

It was a curse-filled message.

Gyeoul stopped in her tracks when she saw the red paint scrawled across her dorm’s door.

It was a new dorm that the agency had secretly arranged for her, yet even this had been found out by Chanyeong’s obsessive fans.

Feeling more alienated than ever from her haven, Gyeoul opened the door lock and went inside.

The scandal involving Shade’s visual members, Chanyeong and Gyeoul, which she thought would pass as a brief rumor, was growing bigger.

To the point where it was considered a threat to Gyeoul’s daily life and personal safety.

Shade, known for having the most toxic fandom among current male idol groups, had fans whose harassment was extremely vicious and malicious.

It was too much for Gyeoul to endure alone.

The situation escalated significantly due to Chanyeong’s suggestive posts about her, but the other Alcest members ostracizing Gyeoul and stirring negative public opinion also played a large role.

SS didn’t ignore the situation. They negotiated with Chanyeong’s agency to take down the posts and make him post an apology, and temporarily banned Alcest members from using SNS, but it wasn’t enough to solve the situation.

Once a flame is lit, it continues to spread even if the initial spark is extinguished.

Gyeoul, who had walked precariously like burning logs about to crumble, removed her outerwear and socks and lay down on her bed with her favorite hugging pillow.

In this small space, there was no one to call her a whore, to point out her mistakes and stab her in the chest with their words, or to curse her in a low voice as if she were a nuisance.

Perhaps it could be called a small peace.

Yet, her heart was not at ease.

She was tired.

She was sad.

She was in pain.

She was scared.

“…Taeyang ssam.”

She was lonely.

Gyeoul took out her smartphone from her pocket and hesitated several times, pressing and deleting.

Taeyang’s number appeared on the dial, but she couldn’t press it.

At the very least, she didn’t want to be a nuisance to him.

Instead of calling him, Gyeoul dialed her grandfather’s number.

The call connected shortly after ringing.

“Grandfather?”

“Oh, is that you, Gyeoul?”

“…Yes, it’s Han Gyeoul. Is the workshop okay?”

“What workshop?”

She managed to speak through the gnawing guilt.

“I heard Shade’s fans have been causing trouble because of me. I’m really sorry about that…”

“My dear, don’t apologize.”

His voice was so gentle that it could be felt even through the phone.

“I don’t care what those trashy people do. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

“…Grandfather.”

Gyeoul used to be scared of and avoid her grandfather.

She thought he surely disliked her.

She thought he considered her an annoying burden.

But now, she didn’t think that way.

She had many conversations with her grandfather.

His old stories, his daily life as a craftsman, stories about seeing her on TV, stories about music, and stories about her mother.

He wasn’t just a distant and stern person.

He wasn’t someone who disliked Gyeoul.

He may have shown grumpy reactions in the past and kept too much distance.

But her grandfather was just a human being.

And he was her family.

Through their continuous conversations, she realized that he was a family member who cared for her.

The change started from the day Taeyang opened the floodgates.

“How’s that friend of yours doing?”

“That friend?”

“Seon Taeyang. He must be really busy; he doesn’t even call. That rascal.”

She laughed a little at her grandfather’s grumpy words and said,

“He seems really busy. Last time I talked to him, he said he only got six hours of sleep in three days.”

“See, that’s why I told him to work at the same company as you. Young people these days don’t listen to their elders. How great would it be if Taeyang was by your side right now?”

Gyeoul imagined him by her side.

It would feel so reassuring.

“Yeah, that would be really nice… But Taeyang ssam has his own life. It’s not right to expect him to just take care of me. That would be too much.”

Her grandfather sighed at Gyeoul’s words and said,

“At this rate, I don’t know if I’ll hear about my granddaughter’s wedding before I die.”

“…Wedding? Who?”

“Who else? You and Taeyang, of course.”

“…What? No, how could someone like me be with Taeyang?”

“Hey, what do you lack? If needed, I’ll show him my land deeds. What kind of man would resist a pretty and kind girl who also has money?”

“…Still.”

Her grandfather burst into hearty laughter and said,

“I’m in favor. Just know that.”

For the first time in a long while, Gyeoul smiled genuinely and said,

“I’ll remember that.”

That was her last call with her grandfather.

Snow was falling heavily from the sky.

The accumulating snow made the world look holy and peaceful.

But this place was not like that.

“It’s for the public’s right to know!”

“I told you, we’ll schedule an interview later! We’re in mourning right now!”

“You whore! You’re getting what you deserve!”

“Damn obsessed fans. We blocked entry for non-related personnel, where did they sneak in from? Do they think SS is a joke? Hey, go chase them out now!”

A space meant to honor a person’s spirit.

Thus, this funeral, which needed more solemnity and respect than ever, was noisier than ever.

Bustle, confusion, desire, hatred, fatigue.

This was not a space for the deceased, Gyeoul’s grandfather.

….

And it was not a space for Gyeoul either.

“Haa, haa.”

Everyone. Everyone was mocking her.

People were knives, people were guns, people were prisons.

People were hell.

Gyeoul crouched in a corner with her head down.

And she screamed silently.

‘…I want to die.’

“Gyeoul!”

Gyeoul looked up towards the unforgettable voice.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

It was Taeyang.

“…Taeyang ssam.”

When life felt unbearably heavy for Gyeoul.

When people were scary and life was cold, making her feel breathless, and the word ‘end’ seemed like a temptation.

Taeyang was the man who appeared before her.

“It’s been really tough, hasn’t it? It’s okay now. I’ll help you.”

He always did that.

“Taeyang ssam, I’m fine. I can be alone. You don’t have to spend your time on me.”

“No, you need someone by your side right now. So I’ll be with you.”

Gyeoul barely held back the overflowing emotions and tears, trying to speak as calmly as possible.

“Taeyang ssam, you’re busy. Really busy. I don’t want to take your time.”

Taeyang smiled warmly, more than ever, and said,

“No, I’m not busy at all. I’m so free that I’m bored.”

“You have a lot of work at the company too.”

“If a company has a problem because one person is missing, that means the company is really…”

As he was saying that, his phone rang.

“Oh, sorry. Just a moment.”

He answered the call, said, “Sorry, I can’t work right now,” and hung up.

“See, you’re busy right now.”

“No, it’s something that can be done without me…”

Then another call came in. As Taeyang took the call and asked for a moment, his second and third phones kept ringing like alarms.

To anyone, he looked very busy.

Seeing Gyeoul’s trembling eyes watching the scene, Taeyang seemed to make a decision. He turned off all his phones and threw them into a nearby trash can.

Then he smiled warmly, like when he once held her hand, and said,

“I have a lot of time.”

ED/N: For a recap on this, it’s on Chapter 15. ↩️