NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 199
[Hello, I’m a middle school classmate of Yoo-jung.]
[It seems there’s a lot of noise around Yoo-jung lately, so I decided to write this.]
Kim Young-hee expressed all the facts in her rebuttal.
She was bullied in middle school. Park Yoo-jung helped her during that time.
And the person who wrote the exposure post is actually the perpetrator of school violence, and everything they wrote is a lie.
[Since I lost my parents, I’ve always lived with endurance.]
[Yoo-jung told me not to live with endurance, that not having parents is not a crime.]
[And she fought for me against my bullies.]
Kim Young-hee’s post carried strong emotions.
Those who were angry without knowing the circumstances calmed down while reading her post and instead felt sympathy and regret towards Park Yoo-jung and Kim Young-hee.
[Yoo-jung was always a cheerful kid with a great sense of humor.]
[It was hard to watch Yoo-jung get blamed because of me in this unfortunate incident.]
[Please think kindly of our good Yoo-jung.]
– So, to summarize, Yoo-jung saved a friend who was being bullied by a bully, right?
– Ah, Yoo-jung ㅠㅠ
– No wonder the exposure post had so many unnatural parts.
– I believed in Yoo-jung from the start.
– So that guy who wrote the last exposure post is the perpetrator of school violence and tried to frame Park Yoo-jung? What a jerk.
As Kim Young-hee’s post spread and public opinion started to turn, Rookies released their official statement.
[Hello, this is NAS Entertainment.]
[We’d like to address concerns regarding our Rookies member, Park Yoo-jung.]
[From yesterday, some online sites raised allegations against the member, and NAS Entertainment conducted internal verification.]
[As a result, we found records of the member being punished at school.]
[However,]
[Based on student records and the findings of the school violence committee investigation, we confirmed that the member’s actions were justified.]
[The actions of this member were for the sake of a friend being bullied, and we would like to affirm that we consider this to be both honorable and rightful.]
[We have attached photos of the student records and the findings of the school violence committee below for your verification.]
[Moreover, we believe that these allegations are heavily influenced by malicious intent to defame the member.]
[We also confirmed that the exposure post contains one-sided and distorted false claims.]
[Therefore, we notify you that we have initiated legal action against the spread of distorted claims and falsehoods.]
[We earnestly request that you refrain from speculative comments regarding these allegations.]
[Thank you.]
– Wow, look at that quick response!
– How bold and proud they are to express such firmness against school violence allegations? This is genuinely admirable.
– There are even photos of the student records; looking at them, Park Yoo-jung seems to be a really kind and bright kid.
– I knew it ㅠㅠ I hope all those who blamed Yoo-jung for this go to court.
– Lol, they’re taking legal action against the perpetrators of school violence? They’re screwed already ㅋㅋ
– Of course, I believed in them. Please bring the Rookies’ new song schedule forward.
As public opinion began to flip and NAS Entertainment began to hint at legal action, people became almost certain that Park Yoo-jung was innocent.
As voices even emerged saying that the perpetrators who spread false information should be punished…
– Hey, lol, the guy who wrote the exposure post deleted it and ran away.
– What an idiot, lol, he must’ve gotten scared and bailed immediately.
Today, the exposure post accusing Park Yoo-jung of school violence, which had been the talk of the community, was deleted as if he ran away.
– Oh, that jerk ran away.
– That crazy person must’ve been planning to cause chaos because Rookies were doing well.
– I guess he’s still in high school; why has he turned out like this?
– Even if you freak out, Rookies and Yoo-jung will continue to do well.
School violence.
It was a life-and-death crisis that could have forced them to kick out a member…
But Rookies, with their quick response, managed to pass this major hurdle.
They wrote a rebuttal and released a statement.
The person who wrote the exposure post fled…
It seemed like the issue was wrapping up smoothly.
But…
– But isn’t it true that Park Yoo-jung really beat those kids?
Even if wounds healed, scars remained.
The damage Rookies endured from this incident… soon began to surface.
Idols with enough tenure can go back to their homes or their personal places during inactive periods.
Black Night was also a seasoned idol, and after their activities ended, Shin Si-woo spent time in his own apartment.
Of course…
“Ah…, I’m so annoyed…”
Being alone didn’t ease his discomfort.
The source of his irritation was none other than Ha Ye-rin.
“How can I turn Ye-rin’s heart around…?”
His world had always been dull.
He had no interest in anyone except himself.
His members, fans, company people, even his parents.
To him, others were no different than lifeless objects.
But suddenly, he felt a thrilling presence in his heart.
That was Ha Ye-rin.
At first, it was just simple curiosity, but once he became interested, he looked at her, and as he looked, his heart followed.
Moreover, how did Shin Si-woo and Ha Ye-rin first meet?
The two exhausted idols coincidentally met in a deserted area of a broadcasting station.
How could one say this wasn’t fate?
“Yeah, Ye-rin and I are truly fated partners.”
The problem was that Ha Ye-rin wasn’t accepting him.
Not only that, but she also openly hid her hostile feelings toward him, blocking him at every chance.
Adding onto that, NAS warned him at the company level not to approach Ha Ye-rin, and YW expressed their astonishment alongside scolding Shin Si-woo.
If this continued, the distance between them would only grow.
“…This is so annoying.”
No matter how many cigarettes he smoked, the void and irritation remained.
Shin Si-woo turned on his phone just to see Ha Ye-rin, even if only through video.
And…
“…Hmm?”
He came across the incident surrounding Park Yoo-jung’s school violence case that happened overnight.
‘Park Yoo-jung… isn’t she the one who stared at me during the idol sports day?’
The members of Rookies who were blocking Shin Si-woo were also obstacles to his relationship with Ha Ye-rin, so he found the incident interesting.
And…
“…What the hell.”
Feeling deflated by how quickly the situation wrapped up, he turned off his phone.
“That ended so boringly.”
Shin Si-woo lay on the sofa, thinking about what would happen if Rookies had failed.
“If Rookies fails…”
And…
“If Rookies fails… Ye-rin is alone?”
A sudden thought struck him, and he stood up, lost in contemplation.
‘Why didn’t I think of this before?’
The reason he couldn’t approach Ha Ye-rin was… because she was hiding behind the massive shield called NAS when viewing Rookies.
But if Rookies failed, and Ha Ye-rin emerged from behind that shield…
If he could drag her from the praised, loved heights to the muddy ground…
‘Then I could get closer without any obstructions.’
Shin Si-woo, who wasn’t fond of Ha Ye-rin being so popular, didn’t like the situation. She should only be his beloved.
To make people stop seeing Ha Ye-rin, he had to ruin her.
If there were no disqualifications for her, then he had to tarnish her surroundings.
Having finished his thoughts, Shin Si-woo took his second phone from his room.
It was a dirty playground where anonymous Shin Si-woo played while hiding his name, filled with various community IDs suitable for manipulating public opinion and contact details of tabloid journalists.
Idols should be perfect and flawless.
Park Yoo-jung used violence for whatever reason and had been punished.
Shin Si-woo intended to drag this point out to torment her.
Until Rookies became a total mess.
And… until it eventually had a negative impact on Ha Ye-rin.
The Park Yoo-jung school violence incident quickly concluded but didn’t easily fade from people’s minds.
– But using violence is a problem, right?
– Just because you’re angry doesn’t mean you can hit someone;;; Plus, how hard must she have hit for it to result in punishment;;
– Park Yoo-jung used to have a pure image, but this incident has seriously damaged her image.
– If she has a conscience, Park Yoo-jung should just leave Rookies;;
– I’m worried that violent singers might influence kids watching.
People kept debating whether Park Yoo-jung’s violence was justified and many mentioned the ‘celebrities are public figures’ issue to criticize her actions.
[Shock! Is there a dark side behind Park Yoo-jung’s angelic face?]
[Is Park Yoo-jung actually a well-known bully? Or is it just rumors?]
[We reveal the true nature of Rookies’ Park Yoo-jung.]
At that time, some journalists decided to produce baseless tabloid articles.
Even though they were just groundless nonsense, the problem was that Rookies were about to start their next activities.
The malicious public opinion and tabloid rumors spreading in the community were like cockroaches lurking everywhere, and no matter how much legal action they announced, they couldn’t eradicate them.
These issues came as painful realities during a sensitive time and slowly tarnished Rookies’ image.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere around our Rookies wasn’t great either.
“…I’m sorry.”
“…Yoo-jung.”
“This is why… I was going to leave…”
Even with our pleas, Park Yoo-jung kept blaming herself and continuously apologized to the members.
So, I felt agitated too, but I desperately tried not to show it.
“Yoo-jung, it’s not your fault. So don’t feel small.”
“Sister…”
I was the leader of Rookies.
And…
“There’s a showcase in a few days. We need to show our good side then.”
With the new showcase just around the corner.
“Let’s show it with our skills. We need to shake off the noisy atmosphere in the showcase, okay?”
“…Yes.”
Especially while patting Park Yoo-jung’s shoulder, I gritted my teeth.
This showcase… I planned to successfully wrap it up by unleashing everything I had, silencing the controversy.