translation by mourningmoor
The target of the accident was never me.
That damn magic circle’s owner doesn’t come after me like this.
Because they know that this kind of provocation won’t work.
Which means the real target is Kim Chanyeong. The ones behind this must be HS Entertainment and Assemblyman Jung Euicheol.
Then, all I have to do is take advantage of this situation and claim what I can from it.
The first step is ensuring Kim Chanyeong’s safety.
“My manager threw himself at me and shielded me with his body.”
With this incident, Kim Chanyeong—who was once an HS executive—has now officially become my person. And the public will soon come to know just how devoted he is to me.
Doubts will arise about whether this accident might have been intentional. That will make HS realize that they can no longer openly target Kim Chanyeong like this, forcing them to be more cautious.
“But his head got busted open.”
“Your manager?”
Mom, finally wiping away her tears, looked at me in shock.
“Gyuhyung-ie hyung was busy, so I hired another manager, and that person is…”
Just then, Gyuhyung suddenly cut in.
He was against making Kim Chanyeong my manager until the very end, and now he’s gone and caused a scene.
“Ma’am, that guy is him! I told you before, didn’t I? The HS executive who stole Ichan’s song.”
“What?”
Mom’s face went pale.
“You mean the bastard you talked about before… that manager?”
“Yes.”
“Hyung!”
Ha, Lee Gyuhyung. Big guy, but all you’re good for is running your mouth.
I tried to stop him, but it was useless. Before I could say anything, Gyuhyung had already beaten me to it.
“Do you know how much stress he went through because of that? And yet this fool went ahead and forgave that guy. When even drinking his blood wouldn’t be enough!”
Then, as if she had never been crying in the first place, Mom suddenly sprang up from her seat.
“Gyuhyung-ah. Is that bastard in this hospital too?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Take me to him. I need to see his damn face for myself.”
At Mom’s words, Gyuhyung got up with a triumphant look on his face.
Look at this guy—he couldn’t say a word in front of Kim Chanyeong, but now he’s riding on Kang Ichan’s mom’s back and having the time of his life.
But this is nothing more than friendly fire.
“Enough.”
I infused a little magic into my voice and shouted loudly.
The two, who were just about to leave the hospital room, froze in place as if they were locked in ice.
The members who had been waiting outside the hospital room all rushed in, wondering what was going on.
“How many times do I have to say it’s not like that?”
Even PD Pyo looked shocked.
He probably never expected me to react this strongly over Kim Chanyeong.
“That’s right. He stole it. Director Kim Chanyeong did do it.”
If you only look at what’s right in front of you, then getting rid of Kim Chanyeong would be enough. You could take comfort in thinking that’s revenge and just let things be.
But then who’s the real culprit?
Jang Myungwoo and Jung Euicheol. No—Jung Yoobin, who was using Jung Euicheol as a front, would continue to rise to the top. Is that what you want?
“But the real mastermind is someone else. Director Kim Chanyeong was just a salaried worker following orders, and right now, he’s truly regretting his actions.”
At that, PD Pyo asked, clearly flustered.
“What are you saying? That he was just following orders because he’s a salaried worker? Are you saying HS CEO Jang Myungwoo is involved?”
“PD-nim, why are you suddenly pretending to be dumb?”
Of all people, he knows better than anyone how this industry works. How could he be saying something so naïve?
“What was Kim Chanyeong going to do with my stolen song? Give it to his cousin, Kim Wooyoung?”
Kim Chanyeong had no reason to do it. He had nothing to gain from it.
“And so. You don’t know what happened to Kim Wooyoung? He was acting all high and mighty, pretending to be in charge, but in the end, he took the fall for everything and got kicked out.”
If anything, he was just as much of a pawn as Kim Chanyeong.
If you want to find the real culprit, at the very least, you should look for the person who actually benefited from all of this.
“My song—whose name was on it? Who was Who’s M?”
Kang Ichan’s song was released under the name Who’s M, and HS announced that Who’s M was Jung Yoobin.
“But at the press conference, that kid said he didn’t know anything, and that’s why he reported it himself…?”
“You actually believe that?”
I couldn’t help but scoff.
“You know how dirty this industry is.”
Even we aren’t exactly clean.
“Didn’t you admit me to the hospital even though I wasn’t injured—just for the sake of the media? And you believe Jung Yoobin’s words?”
At my words, PD Pyo scratched his head, deep in thought.
Then, as if something clicked, he clapped his hands together and his eyes widened.
“Wait a second. Assemblyman Jung Euicheol is backing Jung Yoobin, right? And MBS is involved too?”
It’s something anyone could figure out with just a little thought.
Back then, the lighting accident was something Jung Yoobin orchestrated while riding on the coattails of his uncle, who was the MBS vice president at the time—and is now the president. To cover up that accident, he stirred up the laptop scandal, framing Kim Chanyeong as the culprit.
And on top of that, Jung Yoobin was the one behind the laptop incident too.
Finally, as if his brain had started working again, PD Pyo smacked his forehead.
“So Assemblyman Jung Euicheol and CEO Jang Myungwoo pinned everything on Kim Wooyoung and Kim Chanyeong to cut off the tail?”
“No, no. I cut it off from this side before it got severed.”
I almost got cut off.
Barely managed to escape while holding hands with me.
“You knew that and helped?”
“I’m close with Wooyoung. We still keep in touch.”
At that, Jaewon chimed in.
“That’s right. During the lighting accident, Wooyoung hyung told Channie hyung-ah to be careful.”
Roa and Siu also nodded in agreement with Jaewon’s words.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Kim Chanyeong’s sins are all erased.
He still stole the laptop and pretended not to know until the end. And on top of that, he stubbornly tried to step on me out of sheer obstinacy.
I’m not generous enough to forgive all of that. I’ll make sure to pay him back thoroughly, over time.
But now isn’t the time for that. Now is the time to join hands. Now is the time to unite.
“Out of resentment over that incident, Jung Euicheol once tried to kill Director Kim Chanyeong. He barely survived then too.”
Then I roughly told the story of how one of Jung Euicheol’s lackeys pushed Kim Chanyeong off a building. I couldn’t say it was from the fourth floor, so I just vaguely said the second floor instead.
“Hey, then this time too, maybe…”
“PD-nim, you’re right. Not ‘maybe’—it’s certain. They’re the ones who carried out the terror attack.”
PD Pyo’s pale face turned even whiter.
“Hey. Then hiring Kim Chanyeong put you in danger too.”
Gyuhyung also turned pale.
He made a fuss again, saying Kim Chanyeong was a dangerous person in every way.
“Who’s going to guarantee this won’t happen again in the future?”
PD Pyo, nearly in tears, couldn’t hide his anxiety.
Seriously, for someone with such a big build, he’s way too cowardly.
“I’ll guarantee it.”
“What?”
“If it becomes known that Kim Chanyeong is my benefactor, our fandom will support him.”
It’s a kind of safety measure.
“Then we spread the rumor. That HS was the one who went after Kim Chanyeong. We subtly link it to the previous accident and let it slip.”
The one who understood my words the fastest was, of course, Roa.
“Then they won’t be able to move recklessly? No matter what happens in the future, everyone will suspect HS and Assemblyman Jung Euicheol first.”
“Exactly.”
Roa nodded with a serious expression.
“As expected.”
“You little punk.”
PD Pyo finally finished his calculations and shouted.
“So that’s why you deliberately gave an exclusive to Kang reporter from Music Q about the accident’s behind-the-scenes…”
“Bingo.”
The first thing I asked for when I was brought to the hospital was that.
I figured reporter Kang Mina would call. And when she did, I told them to dangle the exclusive as bait.
“For now, we’ve secured Kim Chanyeong, who was both the tail end and the field leader of the last incident and knows the full story, so we’ll slowly tighten the noose.”
“The target is HS and Jung Euicheol?”
“Of course.”
To make this work, I desperately need PD Pyo’s help.
There’s only so much I can do in the body of young Kang Ichan.
For PD Pyo to move as if my cause were his own, I absolutely need his empathy. And judging by his expression, he’s already more than 80% on my side.
“Did they think I’d forgive the ones who stole my song and even caused the lighting accident?”
PD Pyo, engraving each of my words into his heart, burned with determination in his eyes.
“Yeah. We can’t forgive them. We have to crush them completely.”
“That’s the spirit.”
Now this is more like it. PD Pyo.
Satisfied, I gave PD Pyo’s shoulder a firm pat.
Watching me from a distance, Kang Ichan’s mom called out to Gyuhyung.
“Hey, Gyuhyung.”
She looked half out of it.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Who is that kid? Is he really my son?”
Gyuhyung had the same bewildered expression as Kang Ichan’s mom.
“Yes, he’s changed in a really weird way, but he’s still your son, ma’am.”
* * *
Last night’s breaking news about the traffic accident went through the first, second, and third reports before being fully covered in the morning.
The conclusion was this.
Kang Ichan, who had returned from his concert in Japan, was involved in a severe traffic accident while traveling, to the extent that the car was half-destroyed.
Thanks to Kang Ichan’s new manager, he only suffered minor bruises.
Kang Ichan is scheduled to be discharged this morning, and his future schedule will proceed as planned.
Kang Ichan’s new manager is Director Kim Chanyeong of HS Entertainment, who was previously known as the main culprit behind the stage lighting accident and the laptop theft incident. This time, Kang Ichan personally recruited him as his manager.
After thoroughly reading the article, Juhee gathered various pieces of information she found overnight and posted on Universe.
Hello. Lightbulbs-nim.
Good morning.
First of all, congratulations on our Kang Leader-nim’s safety and speedy discharge.
Also, I would like to express my gratitude to Director Kim Chanyeong for protecting our precious Leader-nim from getting hurt.
I know everyone has uneasy feelings about Director Kim Chanyeong.
I did too. But after thinking about it all night, I have concluded that our Kang Leader’s decision is the right one.
Allow me to briefly share my thoughts.
Everyone was confused about the investigation results of the last incident (the stage lighting and laptop incident), right? Why was there a suspended indictment? Why did Ichan write a petition for him? Then the issue faded away quickly. People forgot about it.
Now that I think about it, perhaps the real culprit was someone else.
Director Kim Chanyeong was falsely accused, and our Kang Leader knew that and helped him.
As you all know, Kim Chanyeong is cousins with Kim Wooyoung, and Kim Wooyoung is close with Ichan. When rumors about conflicts came out after the stage lighting accident, Ichan shut them down, saying it wasn’t true. He even said they were close enough to go grocery shopping together.
Then, who is the real culprit? Who was it that pinned everything on the Kim Chanyeong and Kim Wooyoung brothers and hid behind them?
I have my suspicions, but I will refrain from speaking further.
Instead, I’m dropping a video here. Let’s each judge for ourselves.
Once again, thank you, Director Kim Chanyeong, and get well soon.