translation by mourningmoor
A strong impact struck the van.
If I hadn’t used reinforcement magic and pulled Kim Chanyeong toward me, half of his body would’ve been gone from the impact.
In other words, a whole dump truck just crashed into the passenger side of the van.
With a thunderous noise, the vehicle was pushed to the left, crossing over the centerline. I hurried to take measures so that the oncoming cars could avoid the van.
Holding onto Kim Chanyeong tightly, I clenched my teeth.
This was definitely intentional.
"Director-nim. Let’s get just a little injured. In return, I’ll turn you into a hero."
With an accident this big, it would actually be strange if no one got hurt. It would also be a problem if the car remained completely intact.
As I loosened the reinforcement magic slightly, the van crumpled and was pushed in further.
"Hey. You bastard. Are you crazy? Why’d you release it, huh?"
Kim Chanyeong shouted at the top of his lungs.
"See? Would’ve been nice if you’d just worn the anklet."
Then we could’ve made it look like you only got slightly injured.
The windshield shattered, and the passenger door started to cave in.
Debris flew everywhere, and the van shook violently.
And then—finally—the vehicle came to a stop.
The outside was in chaos.
The wailing of police sirens, the screeching of tires, the blaring of alarms, and the clamor of people filled the air.
"Ichan-ah. Kang Ichan."
That was Road 1 hyung’s voice.
"Hyungnim!"
"Chanie hyung!"
Roa and Jaewon were here too.
Judging by the scene, it looked like the management team staff who had been driving had passed out.
Well, this was the typical reaction of a weak, fragile human. But this guy, Kim Chanyeong, was surprisingly resilient. Staying fully conscious in this situation? That said a lot about him.
"Director-nim."
"What."
"From now on, pretend to be hurt."
"Pretend? I am hurt. I’m seriously hurt, you little—"
Because I was holding onto Kim Chanyeong as if embracing him, his voice was practically blasting right into my eardrum.
"You’re gonna blow out my eardrum. If you’re gonna be that loud, just pass out. I’ll take care of everything by myself."
And with that, I put Kim Chanyeong to sleep.
Even as he lost consciousness, he struggled and cursed at me. Tough bastard.
Now, we just had to wait until we got rescued.
* * *
Not long after the accident, <L.I.T, Kang Ichan> took over the front page of every portal site’s news section.
The breaking news reported that L.I.T’s Kang Ichan, who had just returned after successfully completing a concert in Japan, had gotten into a car accident as soon as he landed.
Music Q’s Kang Mina also had to write an article about it.
But she hadn’t been able to write a single proper sentence since earlier.
“What the hell happened?”
Last time, after the whole instrument incident, Blade Entertainment’s PD Pyo Cheonhee had given me their personal phone number.
They said, ‘Connections exist for moments like this,’ so I kept calling, but I couldn’t get through.
“Seriously, what if something really bad happened?”
At that, the cameraman who worked with Mina cautiously spoke up.
“If the car ended up in that state… wouldn’t it be difficult for the people inside to be okay?”
That one sentence made her mind go completely blank.
Here was the background of the breaking news.
A passerby who happened to witness the accident recorded a video and uploaded it to SNS.
Along with it, they added a very short caption.
A huge car accident just happened, and no matter how I look at it, I think it’s L.I.T members. Apparently, the leader, Kang Ichan, is in the crashed car.
The video started with the scene of a dump truck ramming into the side of the van.
As if it had a sudden unintended acceleration, the truck charged forward without any signs of stopping and shoved the black van across the centerline.
The black van, which had been forcefully pushed back, continued skidding until it finally crashed into the opposite-side flowerbed. Only then did the truck stop.
It was, quite literally, a massive accident.
And then, the crucial moment followed.
People jumped out of another van that had been following behind.
Just as the witness had said, it was L.I.T members, Roa and Jaewon.
The two of them were stomping their feet in panic, nearly wailing in distress.
—Hyungnim.
—Chanie hyung.
—Mingyu hyungnim. Call 119 quickly. And call the police, too!
A police officer who was already nearby rushed over and told them that 119 had already been contacted. At that, the man called Mingyu hyung made a face as if he were about to cry and called someone.
—CEO-nim. Ichan’s car got into an accident. Yes, the car Ichan and Director-nim Kim Chanyeong were in. You need to come here right away.
This was all captured in the witness’s video.
Which meant that the person inside that black van in the video was Kang Mina’s ultimate bias.
“No way!”
Kang Mina screamed and called PD Pyo once again.
After eight rings, PD Pyo finally picked up.
“PD-nim, why are you only picking up now?”
She immediately snapped at them.
On the other end of the line, PD Pyo let out a deep sigh.
—Reporter Kang. I don’t have time to take calls right now. You’ve seen the breaking news.
Their voice was thick with exhaustion.
For PD Pyo as well, Kang Ichan’s accident must have felt like a bolt out of the blue. Maybe I was pushing too hard.
“T-That’s why I called.”
There was a brief silence before PD Pyo, having steadied their breathing, asked,
—Are you calling as a reporter? Or as a fan?
It was a difficult question. One that couldn’t be answered so easily.
“Am I calling as a reporter? Or as a fan?”
—Why are you asking me that? I’m busy. Let’s end this call.
The always-kind PD Pyo’s voice was now laced with sharpness.
“Just one thing. Is Kang Ichan okay?”
Desperately holding onto PD Pyo, Mina asked about Ichan’s condition.
—They’re still running tests.
The wait for a response felt like a thousand years.
—On the outside, he’s fine.
Hearing that he was fine on the outside brought a sense of relief, but at the same time, it made her dizzy with worry—did that mean something was wrong inside?
Then, PD Pyo asked in a meaningful tone,
—Reporter Kang Mina. Do you want an exclusive article?
“What?”
* * *
3 AM.
Juhee doubted her own eyes as she read the exclusive article that had just been posted.
"Music Q’s Kang Mina?"
Wait, this unnie didn't answer no matter how many times I called, and now she’s breaking an exclusive report?
"What the—this unnie really—She reported this as an exclusive? Without even telling us?"
She kept going on and on about views, views, views.
And now, in an instant, she was topping the news rankings at #1.
[EXCLUSIVE] L.I.T’s leader, Kang Ichan, remains ‘strong’ even after a car accident.
On February 20, after returning from a concert in Tokyo, L.I.T’s leader, Kang Ichan, was involved in a traffic accident while in transit.
…
It has been revealed that the dump truck driver had overdosed on antihistamine-type medication, leading to drowsy driving.
The van carrying Kang Ichan was reportedly damaged by about one-third, and manager Kim ○○ (41), who was in the passenger seat, is said to have thrown himself to shield Kang Ichan.
As a result of the accident, Kang Ichan sustained minor bruises, while manager Kim ○○ suffered a laceration at the base of his head. Including the driver, Park ○○, all three passengers were reported to be safe.
Blade Entertainment’s CEO Pyo Cheonhee expressed his anger, stating, “Even though they’re calling it drowsy driving, we will thoroughly investigate to ensure there was no malicious intent.”
He added, “Even if they say it’s just minor bruises, the artist’s health is the top priority, so we have decided to proceed with hospitalization for now,” providing an update on Kang Ichan’s condition.
Additionally, he expressed his gratitude to Kang Ichan’s road manager, Kim ○○.
…
After reading the article, Juhee let out a sigh of relief.
"So that means our Kang Leader is okay, right?"
Her heart, which had been restless until now, finally started to settle.
And then, right at that moment, Mina finally sent a message.
Mina:
Did you see my article? Kang Leader is safe. I’ll meet with PD Pyo tomorrow and update you again. For now, he’s safe, so you guys can relax and get some sleep.
Yoojung:
Unnie. Why weren’t you picking up? Do you know how scared I was?
Mina:
Yoojung, sorry. I was busy too. I couldn't reach PD Pyo.
Yoojung:
Unnie, seriously. Let’s all meet tomorrow. You need to explain everything in detail, okay?
Mina:
Got it.
Mina:
I have a lot to say too. Oh, by the way, about Ichan’s new road manager—it’s him. HS’s former director, Kim Chanyeong.
Yoojung:
What? That guy’s the thief who stole Ichan’s songs!
Yoojung:
Are you saying that Kim Chanyeong is Ichan’s new manager? Why?
Mina:
Remember that incident? Ichan helped wrap it up well. Turns out, there was another culprit. Kim Chanyeong took the fall for everything.
Yoojung:
So, Ichan was the one who brought Kim Chanyeong in?
Mina:
Seems like it. Ichan personally requested for him to be hired as his road manager. But apparently, this accident has something to do with that as well? Anyway, I’ll get the full details from PD Pyo tomorrow.
Yoojung:
Ichan asked for Kim Chanyeong to be his road manager?
What kind of angel is this?
Even if there was someone else behind the scenes and Kim Chanyeong had been framed, from Ichan’s perspective, he was still a perpetrator. And yet, he chose to take him in?
"Kang Ichan… just how much cooler do you plan on getting?"
Juhee immediately started searching online for past articles about the lighting incident and Kang Ichan’s laptop case.
She needed to reevaluate—was this really something that could be forgiven?
* * *
“Gyuhyung-ie hyung.”
It’s past 3 AM, but there’s no way I can sleep.
“Please take Mom to the hotel.”
It’s because of Kang Ichan’s mom, who dropped everything in Samcheok and rushed over.
The last time there was that sinkhole incident, they were able to keep it under wraps since Kang Ichan wasn’t that famous yet. But this car accident—there was no way to hide it.
After driving all the way here in the middle of the night, Kang Ichan’s mom hasn’t stopped crying. Because of that, even the members haven’t been able to return to the dorm and are just waiting in the hallway. PD Pyo is also at a complete loss, pacing anxiously.
“Mom. I’m fine, seriously. I didn’t get hurt at all. My manager did.”
Just when he thought he had finally shaken off that old superstition—"If you do music, you’re doomed to die young"—it seems like that wasn’t the case. The fact that his strong mother is crying this sorrowfully…
“I’m not going to die.”
With his mother like this, there was no choice but to act like a good son.
Because your son already died once, and even if he does again, he won’t be able to tell you.
“Look. I’m fine, right? The hospitalization was something PD-nim forced on me because of the press, you know?”
He shot a look at PD Pyo, silently asking him to say something. After a few awkward coughs, PD Pyo finally opened his mouth.
“That’s right, ma’am. We had him checked, but honestly, he was so fine that it was almost embarrassing.”
“But after an accident like that, how could he be fine? Does that even make sense?”
She had been crying non-stop since she arrived at the hospital, and now, she finally spoke.
“A human body isn’t made of steel. How could he be fine?”
Her eyes, filled with disbelief, turned to PD Pyo, as if demanding he stop lying.
PD Pyo, fully understanding her feelings, quickly continued speaking.
“That’s what I’m saying! His body isn’t made of steel, he’s a person, but he’s fine. I saw it with my own eyes, and I still can’t believe it.”
He exaggerated dramatically, throwing up his hands.
“If he looked too fine, people might start thinking something was weird, so we just announced that he had minor bruises. So please, don’t worry too much, alright?”
At last, his mother’s gaze landed on him.
Her swollen, red-rimmed eyes narrowed in unease.
“You’re really okay?”
He nodded, then moved his body to show her that all his limbs were in perfect working order.
“I’m really fine. It’s my manager who got hurt.”
His manager—Kim Chanyeong—got hurt.
And there was definitely someone pulling the strings behind this accident.