Chapter 308 : A Heartfelt Sacrifice
Chapter 308: A Heartfelt Sacrifice
Airet's Lee Kwon.
JPL's Yoo Hyunho.
And finally, TBY's Hwan.
Those were the sponsorship lineup I knew.
I'd brought up those names to persuade Reporter Lee Doyeon, but I hadn't mentioned them in front of Kang Hyeyoung yet.
If Kang Hyeyoung identified them as the source of the information, things would become complicated.
That razor-sharp woman would undoubtedly do everything in her power to punish whoever leaked it.
Just looking at her grinding her teeth with a flushed face was enough to tell.
“Damn it. How did you find out....”
I could hear her muttered curse from here.
How did I know?
Because it'd be plastered all over the news a few years from now.
Keeping my composure, I smiled and lifted my chin.
“The reason I came here today was to let you know that we have cards to play too.”
“......”
“So I'd appreciate it if you made the wise decision.”
I wanted a peaceful life in the entertainment industry too.
There were already more than enough complicated problems tightening around my neck.
I didn't want to see my members suffer alongside me.
Kang Hyeyoung glared at me while biting her lower lip hard.
She'd grown up in a world where money could solve everything.
But this time...
Money couldn't solve it.
Because there were things in this world that couldn't be bought with a few bills.
Smiling lightly, I stood up.
“Then I'll be going now.”
“I'm busy.”
Somehow...
I didn't need to hear her answer.
At the same time, a serious conversation echoed through Stardust's dorm.
“So Seohan went to pick a fight?”
“I think so.”
Junseo pressed a hand against his forehead with a worried expression.
Kang Siwoo slowly nodded with a dark face.
Given the circumstances, he'd told them everything from beginning to end.
That his half-sister was threatening him using his family background.
And that Do Seohan knew about it.
There could only be one reason he'd suddenly disappeared.
He'd probably gone to meet Kang Hyeyoung himself.
Normally, they'd laugh and say there was no reason to worry about Do Seohan.
But even Jin Sehyun looked unusually serious this time.
Their opponent was a wealthy, strong-willed chaebol.
No matter how mature Seohan was for his age...
To real adults, he'd still look like nothing more than a child.
“That timid kid....”
“He probably won't even be able to say what he wants....”
Kang Siwoo held his throbbing head with a deep sigh.
Jin Sehyun instinctively nodded before belatedly frowning.
“Hmm.”
“No, he isn't timid.”
“You guys just don't know Seohan that well....”
Their leader still had a long way to go when it came to seeing things objectively.
Rather than pointing out that small detail, Jin Sehyun simply sighed.
Because, realistically, the situation really was stacked against Do Seohan.
“I just hope he doesn't get dragged into something.”
“Maybe I should've stopped him.”
The dice had already been cast.
All they could do now was hope that whatever conclusion Do Seohan returned with wasn't the worst possible outcome.
Junseo was more concerned about their leader's condition.
His lips were dry.
He already knew Kang Siwoo hadn't slept a wink since the previous night.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh?”
The truth was...
He wasn't.
He'd genuinely considered the worst-case scenario.
And that hadn't changed.
“I just....”
“I figured I've already lasted longer than I should've.”
Kang Siwoo murmured with a faint smile.
The entertainment industry was incredibly small.
Considering that, Doubles had already done an impressive job suppressing the story for this long.
At those words, Seo Haim suddenly sprang to his feet.
“Huh? What are you talking about?!”
“Yeah, hyung.”
“It's way too early to start saying things like that.”
“Our contract is seven years, seven years!”
“We haven't even reached the halfway point~.”
Even Cha Seongbin chimed in.
“Seven years isn't even the issue.”
“We're renewing our contracts too!”
“Hey!”
“Everyone sign a written pledge first.”
“You're all renewing, right?”
“We're Stardust!”
“We've got loyalty!!”
“I think we should realistically decide after seeing how Doubles treats us.”
“Jin Sehyun has no emotions....”
Now Kang Siwoo understood why they kept making such ridiculous jokes.
Looking around at his members, he smiled softly.
He really had wonderful teammates.
The younger members who bickered every single day.
Seo Ian, who worried so seriously that he carried everyone else's burdens.
Junseo-hyung, who silently patted his back.
Cha Seongbin, who desperately tried to lift the mood.
Their feelings toward one another were all the same.
That's why...
All Kang Siwoo could do was wait for Do Seohan to return with good news....
Then Jin Sehyun quietly interrupted his thoughts.
“By the way... what's that person's name?”
“Hm?”
“The sister who's threatening you.”
“Kang Hyeyoung.”
Jin Sehyun nodded and searched her name on Green Window.
The moment he saw her position...
His expression darkened.
He immediately realized she wasn't someone easy to deal with.
“Ah....”
“She really isn't an easy opponent.”
“She said she knows a lot of reporters, right?”
“Yes.”
“I think so.”
Then—
At that exact moment—
A cautious voice quietly broke through the heavy atmosphere.
Almost as though they were afraid of reading the room.
“Kang Hyeyoung isn't that strong....”
Kang Siwoo blinked slowly.
The source of the nonsense was Seo Haim.
“Pfft.”
“You smiled!”
“You smiled!”
Unable to hold it in any longer, Kang Siwoo laughed.
Then he frowned at Seo Haim in disbelief.
“I laughed because that was so ridiculous.”
“You looked way too serious.”
“We don't even have a conclusion yet!”
“......”
“This place feels like a funeral.”
“Let's think positively!”
“If we do, things will work out.”
“Exactly.”
“Maybe Seohan had some secret trump card?”
Junseo enthusiastically piled on.
Yeah.
Even hanging from the edge of a cliff...
Our members would still stay positive.
“I suppose.”
“Seohan must have had a reason.”
Kang Siwoo nodded with a dry laugh.
Right then—
Bzzz.
His phone vibrated briefly.
“Hm?”
He pulled it from his pocket.
A familiar name appeared at the top of the screen.
Kang Hyeyoung.
Of all times...
She'd sent a message now.
“...Check it.”
“Uh....”
It was hard to bring himself to look.
There was no way the message contained anything good.
As Kang Siwoo hesitated, the younger members quietly stepped back.
Jin Sehyun tilted his head.
“We won't look.”
“Go ahead.”
Had his fingertips ever felt this heavy before?
Swallowing hard, Kang Siwoo tapped the message.
His right hand trembled.
His heart pounded so violently he couldn't calm himself.
Taking a deep breath...
He finally read it.
But—
[Kang Hyeyoung: Let's pretend this never happened.]
[Kang Hyeyoung: You bury your side, and I'll bury mine.]
“Huh?”
Kang Siwoo rubbed his eyes with his sleeve.
He thought he'd read it wrong.
But even after looking again...
The words didn't disappear.
“What?”
Seeing his strange reaction, Seo Haim peeked over.
“What is it?”
“What'd she say?”
“Did she say she's exposing everything right now?”
“She said... let's pretend it never happened?”
“What?”
Jin Sehyun's eyes widened.
The younger members hurriedly snatched Kang Siwoo's phone.
“What the—”
“It's real!”
“What exactly did Do Seohan say to convince her?”
“Huh?!”
Whatever had happened...
This negotiation had been a success.
Junseo added excitedly,
“I've got to interrogate Do Seohan about what he pulled.”
“Exactly.”
“Where'd he even go?”
“Dobookstore is seriously talented at threatening people~.”
“I wonder who he takes after?”
“Producer Ryuhei, maybe?”
“Like father, like son?”
“Wait.”
“What would that even be called?”
“Like older brother, like younger brother...?”
“That's not even a four-character idiom....”
While Jin Sehyun and Cha Seongbin excitedly chattered away...
Kang Siwoo remained frozen in place.
One short sentence still lingered before his eyes.
[Let's pretend this never happened.]
“Pretend it never happened....”
Unable to believe it, he slowly pinched his own cheek.
It hurt.
And judging by the noisy members beside him...
This wasn't a hallucination.
“How...”
“How did this happen....”
Running both hands over his face, Kang Siwoo swallowed.
The unexpected stroke of good fortune left him half-dazed.
But that feeling didn't last long.
Because Seo Haim's voice once again broke through his thoughts.
“Kang Hyeyoung isn't that strong....”
“Pfft.”
“Hey.”
“Enough already.”
Seriously.
That was just absurd.
Kang Hyeyoung's answer had been yes.
I heard through Kang Siwoo that she'd decided to let the matter quietly disappear.
As for how I'd managed to persuade Kang Hyeyoung...
I planned to stick with,
"I don't really know."
The other members probably wouldn't believe me at all.
But Kang Siwoo...
He might accept it more easily.
The problem wasn't the members.
There was one thing I'd completely overlooked while persuading Reporter Lee Doyeon.
I should've realized sooner...
People in relationships couldn't keep secrets.
Everything I'd told Reporter Lee Doyeon went straight to my brother.
After successfully finishing the negotiation—
(Or, more accurately, the blackmail.)
The message waiting at the top of my screen was somehow even more terrifying than Kang Hyeyoung's threats.
[Do Seojun: Sponsorships????]
[Do Seojun: Hey, how do you even know about that?]
I replied.
I was trying to smooth things over.
—Hyung, you've got the wrong idea.
It was an excuse that didn't work in the slightest.
Ding.
Ding.
My phone kept vibrating.
[Do Seojun: We need to talk.]
[Do Seojun: Explain yourself properly.]
[Do Seojun: You're seriously dead.]
Seeing the flood of messages pouring in, I hurriedly turned my phone off as if my life depended on it.
“......”
Yeah.
I'm dead.
“I hope Siwoo-hyung appreciates my heartfelt sacrifice....”
...Well that's how it turned out.