The door near Reporter Choi Sung Jun opened and Do Wook and Manager Oh Baek Ho entered. The meeting place for the three of them was an office in the building next to the HIT Entertainment company building.
The move wasn’t completely done yet, but it was the office the company’s financial team and management support team would be using.
Due to KK’s success and investments from China, HIT Entertainment recently chartered another office in the next building over.
It was the management’s effort to create a better environment for KK and other celebrities in the agency by expanding and remodeling the current studio and rehearsal hall.
In any case, Do Wook, who did not want to be seen with Reporter Choi Sung Jun in public, nor did he want Reporter Choi Sung Jun to be seen entering the HIT Entertainment office building, decided to make the meeting place here.
Once he saw Manager Oh Baek Ho and Do Wook, Reporter Choi jumped up from his seat.
“You’re here.”
Reporter Choi Sung Jun’s expression was as cold as ever.
However, even though the tone was the same, they could feel that, unlike before, Reporter Choi Sung Jun was being humble.
Manager Oh Baek Ho, who had not met Reporter Choi Sung Jun before, frowned as soon as he saw him.
“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me like this.”
As soon as the three of them sat down, Reporter Choi Sung Jun bowed his head. Manager Oh Baek Ho responded with a dissatisfied expression.
“Seeing as you’re trying to apologize properly, I guess you’re not a complete tras…*cough cough*”
Manager Oh Baek Ho briefly got worked up, but calmed himself down.
Manager Oh Baek Ho was especially fond of Do Wook. Do Wook was a big reason why KK was able to get to this point without much flak.
And this person tried to besmirch that Do Wook, so of course Manager Oh Baek Ho, who might act level-headed at work, got angry.
“You didn’t set up this meeting to write that kind of article again, did you?”
“Of course not. First, I want to apologize.”
Reporter Choi Sung Jun continued to speak.
“I think I might have been rude that day.”
Do Wook was often compared to Seo Kang Jun. Perhaps because of that, the usual hostility he had towards idols was even more severe. That was why he kept trying to corner Do Wook with difficult questions.
He honestly didn’t mean to hurt an idol who wasn’t even Seo Kang Jun.
However, none of those were good excuses.
“It’s not you ‘might have been’. You were rude, sir,”
Do Wook replied, expressionless.
Reporter Choi Sung Jun agreed without a fight. He felt it during the interview too, but Kang Do Wook was very thoughtful and sharp for a 20-year-old. Perhaps it was because he started working at a young age, or maybe that was just how his personality was to begin with.
“I’m sorry, Do Wook.”
When Do Wook let out a low sigh, Reporter Choi Sung Jun hurriedly said,
“But I really had no intention to harm you, Do Wook. Fabricating or editing the article in a contrived way was…”
Reporter Choi Sung Jun was only a journalist still. It was understandably difficult to disclose to Do Wook and Manager Oh Baek Ho everything, including his manager’s brutality.
Do Wook got a rough idea of the situation after listening to Reporter Choi Sung Jun.
‘If he’s not the one who edited it…is he saying it was someone higher up?’
Manager Oh Baek Ho was also thinking the same thing. They didn’t know the full story, but they had a general idea of what Reporter Choi Sung Jun was trying to say.
“If it wasn’t your intention to harm me…why did you do that that day?”
Choi Sung Jun blinked slowly when Do Wook asked.
The reason Choi Sung Jun thought he should meet in person to explain and even apologize was because of the article that Do Wook was donating.
When he saw the article that he was particularly interested in school violence and donated a lot to such organizations, he thought that someone like Do Wook would understand his perspective to a certain extent.
“I actually had a bad prejudice against idols. It’s because I prematurely decided that Do Wook was no different from such idols. It’s all my fault.”
To think that he was rude over a reason like that. Manager Oh Baek Ho was dumbfounded.
However, the entertainment industry was a place where various kinds of people were gathered…celebrities, associates, and even reporters. There were many people who were a lot more ridiculous.
Choi Sung Jun added to Oh Baek Ho, who was getting worked up.
“It’s because my younger sibling was the victim of violence by a certain idol member.”
Even Manager Oh Baek Ho was a little surprised when he heard that. Of course, what Manager Oh Baek Ho was more surprised by was Do Wook’s question that followed.
“By any chance, was that idol Seo Jun?”
“What?!”
Reporter Choi Sung Jun was completely surprised by Do Wook’s blunt question.
He had named a specific celebrity in front of a reporter and said something bad about them. It was a dangerous thing to do. Manager Oh Baek Ho was about to backtrack Do Wook’s words.
“….Yes. But how…”
Choi Sung Jun replied as if he were bewitched. Manager Oh Baek Ho also wanted to ask Do Wook.
Do Wook quietly stared at Reporter Choi Sung Jun.
***
“…That’s why, after contemplating for a while, I quit being a local reporter and came to the Entertainment Department.”
Do Wook had explained the situation to Reporter Choi Sung Jun by saying one of his friends had been a victim of Seo Kang Jun’s violence in the past.
Reporter Choi Sung Jun clenched his fist. He seemed more enraged that there were other victims of Seo Kang Jun.
Afterwards, Do Wook began to describe what happened to him as if it were about a friend.
Despite speaking calmly, Do Wook was surprised that he was able to ‘tell’ this story to someone.
The wound was not completely healed. However, it was at least true that the scar, which had been left as an unsightly mark, was not as prominent as before.
Choi Sung Jun was infuriated as he listened to Do Wook’s story. Manager Oh Baek Ho also seemed to be quite surprised. He had thought that things like Do Wook looking up Seo Kang Jun were simply because of their rivalry.
The worry about whether it was okay to confide all this to a reporter had long disappeared.
Choi Sung Jun gritted his teeth and told his story with more resentment than anyone else.
No, it was a story about his younger brother. His younger brother who, even now, just stays holed up in his room, just lying down and looking at the ceiling.
Manager Oh Baek Ho clicked his tongue after hearing about Choi Sung Jun’s younger brother.
“I’m speechless.”
Do Wook closed his eyes slowly for a moment and opened his eyes as if Choi Sung Jun’s brother’s pain passed onto him.
At least Do Wook was able to overcome it somehow. Although he had a withdrawn personality, he was able to live a normal life in his own way.
‘Kim Bo Myung’ was actually strong. Do Wook felt that a lot after he became Do Wook.
That didn’t mean that Choi Sung Jun’s brother was weak. All the problems were with the perpetrator of school violence.
“Is it…to get revenge?”
Do Wook asked Choi Sung Jun, who had become an entertainment reporter.
Do Wook and Choi Sung Jun looked at each other. The air in the office, that had been clear, was now so hot that it somehow became dry.
After a moment, Choi Sung Jun slowly nodded his head.
Do Wook could see Choi Sung Jun’s firm resolution.
‘That’s right. This person is trying to get revenge. There were posts and articles naming Seo Kang Jun as a perpetrator of school violence. And it was Choi Sung Jun who published that article…’
However, Reporter Choi Sung Jun’s revenge resulted in failure. Instead, the truth about the violence vanished into thin air too after he got sued for defamation.
It couldn’t be helped since there was no concrete evidence. Seo Kang Jun, who had already started to receive the public’s love, had made a public announcement.
Furthermore, he had a backing called Ara Entertainment, so even if they went after him, they couldn’t lay a finger on him because the media companies would step up to his aid.
‘Therefore I absolutely have to succeed this time.’
HIs eyes shining, Do Wook responded to Reporter Choi Sung Jun. He also briefly looked at Manager Oh Baek Ho. Do Wook felt it was necessary to tell Manager Oh Baek Ho now as well.
Do Wook wasn’t in a position to be the frontman, so he absolutely needed someone to help.
“Me too.”
“What?”
“…Do Wook?”
Reporter Choi Sung Jun and Manager Oh Baek Ho asked back what Do Wook meant by that.
“Me too. I’m trying to get revenge on him.”
Do Wook’s heavy words rang out through the office.
***
“First, let’s get to the bottom of the corruption scandal in universities. I’m sure we’ll find it if we keep digging. Their dirty dealings…….”
The two of them, who didn’t know there was such a thing, were surprised by Do Wook’s words.
Finding evidence of Seo Kang Jun’s school violence incidents would be difficult anyways since he hid it very cleverly. That was also why Reporter Choi Sung Jun’s revenge failed before.
So they had to bring Seo Kang Jun down starting with something more concrete.
Reporter Choi Sung Jun felt like he had gained an ally. And that ally was the star in the center of the entertainment world no less. And that person’s manager, who was in the entertainment industry. There were no better allies than them to uncover the truth about Seo Kang Jun.
Do Wook was heading to his own school, hoping that Reporter Choi Sung Jun had the skills to uncover the university corruption.
‘His will is probably more resolute than anyone else, so…for now, I’ll trust him and wait.’
In the end, getting rejected from Juwon University helped Do Wook in many ways.
It was also thanks to that that he decided to enroll in the Korea National University of Arts.
On the way back to the dormitory, Manager Oh Baek Ho had said he was surprised that Do Wook had such thoughts, and had tried to dissuade him because he thought revenge was dangerous, but he had not been able to break Do Wook’s will.
Manager Oh Baek Ho was actually someone with his own sense of justice.
Since he had a large physique and was powerful, Manager Oh was also in a position to use violence in his school days, but he used that power to learn martial arts such as taekwondo and hapkido instead of resorting to violence.
“I don’t think I would be able to stand it either…if that happened to a close friend of mine.”
Do Wook had laughed a little when Manager Oh Baek Ho had said that, as if implying “I knew it”.
“I trust that you’ll help me so I won’t be in danger.”
Manager Oh Baek Ho had nodded his head at what Do Wook had said. He also had faith that Do Wook wouldn’t do anything that would put KK in danger too.
Do Wook stood in front of a KNUA professor’s office door.
The reason he came to school today wasn’t for a lecture. It was because the professor had asked him to come for a ‘special assignment’ class.
Knocking on the professor’s office door, Do Wook waited for the professor to answer.
“Come in.”
When the professor answered, Do Wook opened the door and entered. Professor Jung, who called Do Wook, waved to him to come in.
The inside of the professor’s office was similar to that of any university professor’s office. There were books all over, and documents were scattered among the piles of books.
Furthermore, the bookshelves were filled with videotapes that weren’t watched much anymore.
And a song was playing from a big speaker. It was a familiar song.
“Hello, professor.”
“Have a seat in that chair over there. Sorry to call you over when you’re busy.”
“Not at all. But…”
“Ah! I’ve been listening to this song continuously lately. It’s quiet yet full of emotion, so it’s very good to listen to.”
The song Professor Jung was listening to was Do Wook’s solo song ‘Please Don’t Go’.
As the song faintly filled the room, Do Wook sat across from Professor Jung.
“Would you like some tea or anything?”
“No thank you. I just came from drinking coffee.”
“Ok. The reason I called you over is because I have a private favor to ask.”
“Ok.”
At that moment, there was another knock at the professor’s office door.
“Just in time, it looks like she’s here. Come in!”
Another guest opened the professor’s office door and came in. It was a lightly-dressed woman in a purple box-shirt and jeans.
The woman smiled brightly when she saw Do Wook. Do Wook also knew the woman. He almost didn’t recognize her because she looked so different.
When she looked at Do Wook’s expression and realized that he recognized her, the woman greeted him excitedly.
“Running into each other here is a little different, huh? I really appreciate what you did last time. I hope there will be something else for me to thank you for…”
—
Next chapter: What kind of past interaction did Do Wook have with this mysterious guest?