Chapter 157

Episode 157

On the news desk, former professional fighter Kim Kang-han nodded as he watched the controversial video titled ‘Armed Insurgent vs Just a Manager’.

“I can say this with certainty. This is not the movement of an ordinary person.”

The anchor reacted with surprise and asked, “…Excuse me? But the man in the video is the manager, right? Shouldn’t he be considered an ordinary person?”

“Even if he’s working as a manager now, he might have been a former special forces soldier or a promising fighter. What’s certain is that this performance could never come from an ordinary person.”

“What makes you say that?”

“For instance, in this video where he dodges the knife, there are multiple points to consider. First of all, his eyes are tracking the knife and the movement of the arm without missing a beat….”

James Oh, who was staring blankly at the video, asked, “Team Leader Seon, did you think all of this through?”

…No, the skills of a sword master seemed to do everything automatically.

“I was just lucky.”

“Listening to Kim Kang-han, it seems like luck alone wouldn’t do the trick. After all, who could subdue an armed attacker just by chance?”

“….”

Naturally, the video filmed by Shin Eun-kyung wasn’t publicly released. Even if she had filmed it, as an employee, CBS owned all rights to the video, so there was no way it could get out.

However, Shin Eun-kyung wasn’t the only one who filmed me subduing stalker Park Yeji. We didn’t realize it at the time, but a citizen captured the commotion and submitted it as a tip to the broadcasting station MTS.

Unbeknownst to MTS that this involved a CBS cameraman, they simply uploaded the video to their broadcast and AllTube. The sensational thumbnail showing an armed assailant facing off against an ordinary person caught the eye of many, making the video a hot topic.

MingmingSsu – But that manager is seriously handsome.

RubyRuby – I’ve heard that actors or idol hopefuls sometimes twist their paths and end up working in management. Is that the case here? He’s too handsome!

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

Revolushun – There is one, but it only has promotions for Girl Revolution. ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Chiriring – If I had that face, I’d take 50,000 selfies a day.

Alexia – 2222222222222222222222222

Omedeto – 3333333333333333333333333333333333

GyeoulIloveYou – 4444444444444444444444444

…It became a hot topic for other reasons, too.

Not stopping there, the content showing an unarmed ordinary person subduing an armed assailant sparked great discussions across various communities, especially in the fighting community, revealing that I was the manager of Girl Revolution and that the assailant was a CBS cameraman.

CBS’s shortcomings, which had tried to block Gyeoul from gaining a permanent spot on ‘Star Challenge’, were now spilling out easily.
The secrets of CBS that they tried to hide by handing it over to Yuri have been easily revealed.

It’s undoubtedly disappointing for CBS, but at this stage, they had no intention of reversing the participation in ‘Star Challenge.’ It was already too late for that.

The moment this became an issue was when Gyeoul had finished filming the first episode of ‘Star Challenge’ and it received good reactions from the viewers.

Moreover, the broadcast, riding on that wave of support, had already half-confirmed that Gyeoul would be a regular through a social media post. Backtracking on this would be a massive loss for the broadcasting station.

— “Team Leader Seon. There’s a proposal from the Higher-Ups…”

“I absolutely have no intention of quitting ‘Star Challenge.'”

With that sentiment in mind, I decisively cut off any hints to Ina Bi, the writer, who had reached out to me.

She was a grateful person who had helped me a lot when I was involved with the stalker Park Yeji, but that was separate from this situation. If anything, I would rather take care of her in other ways; I had no intention of reversing Gyeoul’s opportunity at all.

However, what Ina Bi actually brought up was something different.

“No, it’s not that. The main PD of ‘First-Person Observer’ is determined to create a special feature with Gyeoul and Team Leader Seon. I wanted to reach out to get your permission for that.”

“…Excuse me? Did the Higher-Ups at CBS approve that?”

“Yes, the Higher-Ups said it has already been approved… Oh, and they also mentioned not to worry because Gyeoul’s participation in ‘Star Challenge’ won’t be considered null and void.”

From what I heard, it turned out that a CBS employee had already informed the Higher-Ups, and given they couldn’t avoid image damage, they decided to use this controversy to their advantage.

And the way they intended to do that was through a special feature that actively utilized footage from Shin Eun-kyung that included the stalking process they tried to conceal and my intervention scenes.

“Are you sure about this? Originally, ‘First-Person Observer’ was a program that alternated between three formats, giving each cast member about 20 minutes of airtime, right? Are you saying you’re going to fill an hour with just Gyeoul’s story?”

— “It’s not just Gyeoul’s story; it’s essentially the story of Team Leader Seon and Gyeoul.”

“….”

— “It seems like you’re not grasping how much of a topic Team Leader Seon has become. Among all the issues, you’re the only one who’s positively impactful and spreading like wildfire. Discussions are even happening about awarding you the Brave Citizen Award!”

…Now that is something I’ve never heard before.

— “I understand your concern about excessive private matters being aired on the show. But, for my sake, could you please grant permission? It feels embarrassing to ask this, but I’ve worked hard to help you, making testimonies and defending you to the Higher-Ups. Please, think of it like just hiring one entertainment writer…”

If my face had been visible, I could imagine Ina Bi speaking in a posture that looked like she was about to kneel, while I reflected on the current situation.

So, the fixed slot in ‘Star Challenge’ was still guaranteed, and they were planning to create a one-hour special program featuring Gyeoul as the protagonist?
“Are you saying that the ‘TaChallenge’ will guarantee a fixed spot and plan a one-hour broadcasting special featuring Gyeoul as the main character?”

“Let’s do it.”

“I have to do this no matter what.”

*

Gyeoul expressed her gratitude to the taxi driver.

“It must be tough to get out of here, so thank you for coming this far.”

“What do you mean? It’s my job.”

The taxi driver asked as Gyeoul handed him money.

“Are you going back to your hometown or something?”

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

“…Yes, it’s my hometown.”

She took out the automatic defibrillator she had stored in the trunk and sent the taxi away.

Then, she stepped forward, walking towards her former home.

It was a chilly dawn.

“….”

On the first night she stayed up in Girl 100, Gyeoul had a glimpse of the future.

The nightmare-like future that ended with Taeyang’s death was so cruel that she wanted to dismiss it as a mere dream, but a conviction within her insisted she couldn’t do that.

After all, it was far too realistic to simply turn a blind eye to it.

That future held countless hardships and adversities.

However, there was also something that must never be forgotten.

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

Amid her days hiding at home, entangled in scandals while working as Alcest, her grandfather’s death came upon her so suddenly.

A heart attack with no prior warning. That was the cause of her grandfather’s death.

In that future, Gyeoul was filled with regret.

“If only I had been there, I could have at least helped my grandfather.” Such self-reproach continuously ensnared her, dragging her into despair.

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

The unbearable loss of her grandfather in the future left a deep scar on her.

Yet, an opportunity to make amends was given to Gyeoul.

And that date was today.

Gyeoul had been preparing for this day all along.

She had been contemplating and preparing to prevent her grandfather’s death.

The result was her direct visit to her former home.

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

In fact, returning to her hometown wasn’t permitted.

Of course. Who would grant permission to save someone after seeing their grandfather die in a dream? It would be a miracle if they didn’t suggest she get psychiatric treatment.

So Gyeoul sneaked out from TwoBear. Without telling anyone about it.

“Teacher Taeyang will definitely be disappointed too.”

Gyeoul had a schedule today.

After becoming popular in the Locations Tournament and receiving good reviews in the Star Challenge, she had emerged as a kind of variety show blue chip.

The requests for appearances were endless, yet she still had no free slots, even after carefully selecting only the best programs.
There was no schedule in the past.

So now, Gyeoul heading to her grandfather’s house meant having to forcefully cancel those schedules for the day.

Even knowing all of this, even being aware of the weight of responsibility, she endured it all. Losing the chance to save her grandfather was scarier than anything else.

“But shouldn’t I have at least told Teacher Taeyang?”

Gyeoul remembered everything Seon Taeyang had said to her as she dashed out of Girl 100 with tears in her eyes.

How he consoled her about the dream she had seen, claiming he had seen the future too, and his warm touch.

Even with those thoughts, Gyeoul hadn’t said anything until now.

The truth was, she couldn’t believe Taeyang’s claim about seeing the future.

If it were Seon Taeyang, who always stood by her side and kindly protected her, it felt like she could trust him.

But if it were Taeyang, who had a strong sense of responsibility towards the company and valued his comrades’ trust, she felt he wouldn’t say anything. Instead, he might come up with some lighter solutions. After all, he probably had things more important than Gyeoul.

Both were actions anyone could take.

But Gyeoul was afraid of the answer being decided.

The sweet miracle of becoming someone precious to someone felt unbelievable, so she couldn’t fully trust Taeyang either.

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

But facing that truth was terrifying.

“…”

Standing alone in front of the main gate of her traditional Korean house, Gyeoul had made up her mind. She was prepared to be hated and to lose trust because of this.

Taking a deep breath, just as she was about to open the door, she heard a car approaching behind her.

Feeling curious, Gyeoul turned around to see the car.

It was a familiar vehicle.

“…Teacher Taeyang?”

The car came to a stop, and Seon Taeyang stepped out.

Seeing Gyeoul, Seon Taeyang appeared flustered as if he hadn’t expected to run into her.

In his hand, he held an automatic defibrillator, just like the one Gyeoul had for heart attacks.

Ah…

At that moment, Gyeoul understood everything.

That Taeyang’s words were all true.

With tears starting to flow, Gyeoul asked him without wiping them away.

“How did you get here?”

“I told you before. I’ve seen the future too.”

Tears wouldn’t stop.

Her throat felt tight.

Her chest ached.

Still, Gyeoul tried to speak as she had that day.

“What kind of future was it?”

Then Taeyang spoke like a clear sunshine comforting her that day.

“A future where you are happy.”

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