MDQ Ch 28

What was fortunate amidst it all was that there were no interviews from the Given members that sounded like they were siding against me.

If even one of the four had confirmed that I had abused my power, I would have been even more devastated. I would have bitterly regretted the past days when I had taken the blame for the mistakes of the Given members…

‘Do they at least have a speck of conscience left?’

I handed the tablet I had been holding back to Park Chungrim. I was angry and my head hurt a little, but no more tears came.

“What do you think, Chungrim-ssi? Do you believe the contents of this article?”

I gazed at the only one who still trusted me.

“Of course I know it’s nonsense. I know better than anyone how hard you worked while sacrificing yourself. But how could the CEO put out an article like this?”

I nodded weakly.

The fury that had flared when I first read the article had cooled a little. Maybe because of Park Chungrim’s trust, or maybe because I simply didn’t have the energy left.

“Thank you for believing me. Then what should I do? Should I file charges and claim my innocence?”

“If you do and it goes to court, while your innocence will be proven, it’ll be a long fight if. We don’t know what other cards the CEO might be holding.”

Park Chungrim was right. The CEO, who had been taking those malicious photos for so long, might still be holding something else.

Arguing with someone who was full of nothing but spite toward me, someone who wouldn’t listen anyway, was meaningless.

Maybe even the only evidence I had—the messages I had exchanged with the Given members—would be useless.

The article had already mentioned fabricated messages. Clearly, the CEO was ready to paint me as a forger no matter what.

Of course, as Park Chungrim said, after a long fight, my innocence might finally be proven.

But I had no confidence in enduring such a fight.

I didn’t want my name and story paraded in the media every moment, judged by strangers.

In short, I was exhausted.

I was so exhausted that I wanted to avoid even a fight I might ultimately win.

“What if I just ignore it?”

I spoke in a weary voice. At that, Park Chungrim sat beside me and patted my shoulder.

“I’m the one who feels wronged here.”

“Of course I feel wronged too. But I’m never going to work in entertainment again, and I’m quitting songwriting as well… who’s going to recognize me?”

Although my real name was mentioned in the article, my face in the photos had been blurred.

Unless I admitted it myself, no one would think I was that Lee Hyunseok just because of the name.

The abuse article might make waves for a moment, but the public would soon forget. After all, new stories exploded every single day in the entertainment world.

If a top celebrity’s dating scandal broke tomorrow, my article might be buried in an instant.

And really, who would remember a manager’s story for long?

“The Given members would side with the CEO, right? They wouldn’t stand up for you.”

“Of course. There’s no way they didn’t know this article was going out. If they could release a fake article so blatantly, how would they ever take my side?”

“Haah…”

Park Chungrim sighed as if he himself had gone through it.

“For now, I’ll stay quiet. If things get worse in a few days, I’ll think again then.”

I doubted the CEO would sue me or try to pin legal responsibility on me.

His aim was simply to brand me as a malicious manager and make sure I could never step into the industry again.

Like Park Saebit, the CEO seemed convinced I had some reason I couldn’t quit being a manager, and so he had pulled this stunt.

However, the reason which was tied to my father had long since disappeared.

“If you change your mind, tell me anytime. Whether it’s a lawsuit or something else, I’ll help you.”

I nodded. But I couldn’t lean on Park Chungrim again after all the help he had already given me.

And absurdly enough, I couldn’t even fully trust him.

What if he was only pretending to help while secretly reporting to the CEO? What if he was acting kind just to get closer to me?

Perhaps because I’d been betrayed by so many people lately, trusting others had become difficult—even Park Chungrim, who had sincerely helped me over the past few days.

---

The next afternoon, I went out for a light check-up at a nearby hospital. My heart was pounding even though I wore a cap and mask.

‘No one’s going to recognize me…’

I kept muttering like a spell to calm myself, but I could barely breathe. Even though I hadn’t run, my breath was ragged as if my airways had narrowed.

In my head, the scarlet letters “Malicious Manager Lee Hyunseok” spun endlessly.

“Haah…”

Maybe I should’ve come with Park Chungrim. I regretted refusing his offer to accompany me.

I forced myself to calm down and somehow managed to get examined.

As Park Chungrim had said, nothing was physically wrong, but they said the extreme stress had knocked me out for days.

The doctor even recommended hospitalization to recover my strength.

But I just took a simple prescription and waited for the medication slip. I didn’t think being hospitalized would make me feel any better.

Then, from the big TV in the waiting room, the entertainment news came on.

“Given, the group that suffered from the sasaeng manager scandal, is facing another problem with their manager.”

Damn it, that’s about me.

I had thought it was just another article that I could brush aside. But now it was on TV too.

The moment I heard it, the porridge I had eaten earlier shot up my throat.

“Ugh.”

I bolted to the restroom.

As soon as I entered a stall, I collapsed and buried my head. Since I hadn’t eaten much, it was only dry heaving that kept coming up.

It wasn’t until my throat burned from retching that I finally staggered back out. My legs trembled just to hold me up.

By then, some time had passed, and the TV was on another entertainment story—something about a celebrity getting scammed.

But the ringing in my ears made it hard to hear anything clearly.

I grabbed my prescription slip and hurried out of the hospital. Then I just stood there for a long time.

Because I had nowhere to go.

The days were longer now with summer approaching. The sky was still bright, the weather was perfect, and everyone passing by rushed off busily to their own places.

But me? I had nowhere to go.

I couldn’t return to my father’s house, of course. And the dorm I had stayed in for years had become hell.

Park Chungrim’s place seemed safest, but I wasn’t sure I could stay there.

What if he, while claiming to believe in me, was actually finding me burdensome?

And there was always the chance that Park Saebit, knowing I had disappeared with Park Chungrim, might come looking there.

Should I go back to the quayside where I had stayed briefly before coming to Seoul? But what would I do there?

What could I even do when I was this sensitive to the slightest stimulus…

Would I only be okay if I cut myself off from the world completely?

Unable to find an answer, I couldn’t move from where I stood.

Maybe because I stayed by the roadside for so long with my cap pulled low, people nearby started glancing at me strangely.

Those glances felt like knives.

Just a look already made me felt like my whole body was being ripped apart. Yet, my feet stuck to the ground like glue.

Then, someone rushing past brushed against me, knocking me over. I fell forward.

Right… at least I shouldn’t block the way.

Slowly, I picked myself up and finally took a step forward.

Then a second step. But suddenly my legs felt like lead. I needed to move…

That’s when I sensed the commotion around me.

What’s happening? Confused, I lifted my head—and saw a truck speeding toward me.

The angry blare of its horn came too late, breaking apart in fragments in my ears.

‘If I get hit like this… will anyone grieve my death?’

I knew full well I had to move out of the way quickly, but my heavy legs refused to budge.

I closed my eyes and let my arms hang limp. The only thought in my head was wanting to escape this exhausting life.

I truly wanted to quit everything.