Chapter 61:
Chapter 61
I hope it’s for the better.
Ian didn’t have anything to worry about.
“I bet my right kidney that he went to open the gifts.”
“I bet my left one after he received them.”
Jo Tae-woong and Kim Joo-young said as they watched the van carrying Ian to the company.
“Who’s betting on the other side?”
“Probably no one?”
Park Jin-hyuk shook his head when Kim Hyun asked.
“Did you all know?”
Lee Joo-hyuk asked. He was secretly concerned that the other members might feel bad because of Ian’s popularity.
“It was on Parangse. Didn’t you see the photo he posted in front of the support company today?”
“Dong-soo hyung was looking at us earlier.”
“It’s a fact that Ian is the most popular member of our group.”
The members answered casually, not knowing Lee Joo-hyuk’s feelings.
They got on the elevator and pressed the floor number.
“Did you see how Ian looked when he opened the gifts yesterday?”
“He’s good at acting, but he sucks when he’s with us.”
Kim Joo-young imitated Ian’s expression.
He made a furrowed brow and a grim face, which made Park Seo-dam laugh and hit his back.
“Anyway, is Ian too considerate or too timid?”
“Let’s say he’s timid. He needs to have at least one flaw with that face and talent.”
“Agreed.”
Jo Tae-woong agreed with Lee Joo-hyuk’s words, and everyone nodded.
“Honestly, it’s annoying that he cares about us so much.”
“You too? Me too.”
“Just act confidently. We won’t say anything even if you bring less gifts.”
“Okay. And if you get something limited edition, let us borrow it later.”
“You bastard, that’s your real motive.”
“What, you’re not?”
“No, actually I thought about that too. How can we three have the same shoe size?”
“A destiny of mutual benefit?”
Jo Tae-woong and Kim Joo-young snickered and laughed together. Ding- The elevator door opened.
Lee Joo-hyuk sighed when he saw a small shopping bag hanging on the door handle.
“When did our address get leaked?”
“Our numbers were leaked long ago, so our home address must be the same.”
Everyone shuddered and trembled when Kim Hyun’s phone rang at that moment.
“Ah, why does it have to ring right after we get home?”
“It could be planned.”
“Hey Park Jin-hyuk, don’t say scary things like that.”
The members had received calls from unknown numbers that were not saved on their phones before. Not only calls, but also texts and CocoaTalk messages saying things like “Who are you? Is this your CocoaTalk?” that gave them goosebumps.
“Well, judging by the sasaengs we had since debut, they must have a good estimate.”
“I’m going to change my number next week.”
“Hyung, let’s go together. I want to change mine too.”
Lee Joo-hyuk opened the door without picking up the small shopping bag on the floor. It was not a good thing to bring it in. It was something for Park Dong-soo to deal with later.
“I feel like I’m alive since we got a dorm maid.”
“What should we order for dinner?”
The members lay down in the living room and took a nap from exhaustion.
It was when Lee Joo-hyuk was lying on the sofa and looking at the delivery app.
The sound of someone pressing the door lock rang out, and Ian came into the dorm.
“Huh? What? You came early?”
“Hey Ian, we know everything about you opening the gifts!”
Jo Tae-woong jumped up.
“Oh really? You knew?”
Ian smiled awkwardly.
He had already heard everything from Jin through his earpiece.
Jin even told him [Hey, your members are much more sociable than you.] as he played their conversation.
Ian felt more relaxed after seeing that scene.
“But why are you empty-handed? I thought you would bring something.”
“Yeah, you don’t have to care about us, Ian. We’re fine.”
“Hyung, that’s not the problem.”
Ian sat down on the floor with a thud, and the members who were lying down got up one by one.
“We got invited to NMA.”
“NMA? Nnet?”
Ian nodded his head, and all the members pulled back their faces with nervous expressions.
“Why would they invite us?”
“Do they think we’ll forgive them for ‘rigging’ so easily?”
“That doesn’t make sense?”
The members had the same reaction as Ian. Park Jin-hyuk frowned.
“Hey, this is suspicious. You all know what Kang PD said to me after ‘Idol Rapper’ ended, right?”
Kang Byung-in PD, the producer of Nnet, had threatened Park Jin-hyuk after the show ended, saying “Don’t ever think of coming out on Nnet again.”
“But Kang PD is in hot water right now.”
“That’s true, but…”
Kang Byung-in PD was not only suspected of manipulation, but also involved in various incidents that led to a warrant for his arrest.
“But I heard that Kang PD is still messing with the headquarters. If he has connections with the headquarters, he might still have some influence, right?”
“Yeah, and I don’t trust Nnet.”
Park Jin-hyuk and Kim Hyun expressed their skeptical opinions.
“I hope it’s for the better.”
Park Seo-dam lowered his head.
Every award ceremony was precious for a rookie.
Especially this year, when they had a chance to win the rookie award.
“Yeah, let’s think positively. Anyway, the company will tell us to go, right?”
Lee Joo-hyuk patted Park Seo-dam’s shoulder and said.
Ian nodded his head.
“Yeah, we have no choice but to go since they told us to. If we don’t go, they’ll think we’re picking a fight.”
“Right… It’ll be okay. But let’s not get our hopes up.”
Lee Joo-hyuk changed the topic.
“Who wants to eat jokbal for dinner?”
“Me!”
“Bossam jokbal set!”
The mood changed in an instant as food was mentioned.
‘What do you think?’
[Nnet? They’re trying to screw you over, what else?]
‘Sigh… We can’t refuse anyway.’
[And this year… They’re doing it in three countries, right? Vietnam, Japan, Hong Kong. Want me to write a scenario for you? You’re definitely going to be exiled to Vietnam.]
Ian sighed.
[And then you won’t even get to perform there. You’ll just clap like a shuttle and come back.]
‘Hey, that’s a bit… Too harsh, isn’t it?’
[You don’t know Nnet well. I guarantee it.]
‘No way…’
Ian denied it, but he couldn’t help but doubt it rationally.
Nnet was capable of doing something like that, right?
‘We’ll make it.’
We have to make it and make those bastards from Nnet come crawling to us.
The best cure for unfair treatment was to become famous.
***
“Hello.”
Ian arrived at the filming site of the movie ‘The Righteous Band’. He agreed to make a special appearance at Jo Min-hwan’s request.
“Ian is here?”
Jo Min-hwan, who had finished his beard makeup, greeted Ian warmly.
‘The Righteous Band’ was a movie based on the independence activist Kim Sang-ok, set in the Japanese colonial era.
And this movie was one of the ten million movies that Jo Min-hwan would achieve.
“Hyung, long time no see.”
“Wow, you’ve been getting a lot of camera massages since your debut, huh? You’re getting more handsome.”
Ian laughed.
“Let’s start with the makeup.”
Ian followed the staff’s instructions and entered the powder room.
He was going to make a brief appearance as a member of the secret assassination group organized by Kim Sang-ok.
“I thought you wouldn’t suit a beard, but you look good with it?”
“Change into these clothes.”
It was lunchtime, so there were a lot of people around Ian.
Even the camera that was filming the behind-the-scenes captured Ian’s makeup process.
“Can I take a picture of this and post it on SNS when it’s released?”
“It would be great if you promote it for us. Don’t post it on the release day… Post it a week later.”
He put on a beard and fixed his hair, and he had a completely different vibe than before.
Ian looked satisfied and turned to the set.
***
“You have to run away!”
Ian burst into the door of the secret hideout where the assassination group was planning to kill Saito Makoto.
“What’s going on?”
“The plan… The plan has been exposed. The police are coming this way!”
“Damn…”
The sound of Japanese policemen shouting outside reached their ears, and the people gathered in the assassination group got up quickly.
“What do we do?”
“Shanghai… Let’s escape to Shanghai!”
He couldn’t carry out the plan that he had prepared so hard for and had to run away.
Jo Min-hwan, who couldn’t accept it, got up and shouted.
“We can’t run away like this!”
“It’s dangerous if we don’t run away now!”
Ian blocked Jo Min-hwan’s way as he tried to jump to the other side.
“Please go ahead.”
“I’ll go with you…”
“No. Comrade, you must survive. The future of our country is in your hands.”
“You…!”
Ian turned around and ran toward where the policemen were.
The remaining independence activists grabbed Jo Min-hwan’s shoulder.
Bang- A gunshot rang out and Jo Min-hwan looked back.
He hurried his fleeing steps as he clenched his teeth.
Ian fired his gun wildly and bought time for the independence activists.
He ran out of bullets after a few shots and threw his gun away.
“Catch him!”
“There he is!”
Japanese voices and footsteps echoed in the dark alley.
He heard some of the independence activists who had scattered to meet in Shanghai being caught.
“I guess we can’t do this. We can’t leave our comrades behind.”
Jo Min-hwan tried to jump to the other side again, but Ian snatched his gun from his waist.
“Please go ahead.”
“What about you…”
“No. Comrade, you must survive. The future of our country is in your hands.”
“You…!”
Ian turned around and ran toward where the policemen were.
The remaining independence activists grabbed Jo Min-hwan’s shoulder.
Bang-
A gunshot rang out and Jo Min-hwan looked back.
He hurried his fleeing steps as he clenched his teeth.
Ian fired his gun wildly and bought time for the independence activists.
He ran out of bullets after a few shots and threw his gun away.
“Catch him!”
“There he is!”
Japanese voices and footsteps echoed in the dark alley.
He fought with some policemen who popped out from the side, but he was eventually caught by their numbers.
A Japanese policeman pointed his gun at Ian’s forehead.
“Wait! Don’t shoot!”
A man in a police uniform shouted in Japanese.
He approached Ian, who was kneeling down, and squatted down to meet his eyes.
“Where did the remaining Koreans go?”
“What are you… Are you Korean?”
Ian raised his head at his fluent Korean accent.
The man in a police uniform was a pro-Japanese policeman.
Ian looked at him with a hateful expression.
“Where are the rat bastards?”
Ian clenched his mouth shut, and the man nodded to his subordinate.
The policemen who restrained Ian pinned his right arm to the ground.
He saw a knife coming to his hand and clenched his teeth.
“Talk.”
Ian let out a desperate breath as he endured the Japanese policeman’s torture.
He didn’t want his scream to catch the feet of his fleeing comrades.
He just breathed heavily as he was tortured, and the Japanese policeman stabbed his finger with a knife again.
“Talk!”
Ian writhed in pain, but he never opened his mouth.
“Long live Korean independence3.”
A drop of tear fell from his eyes, which were burning with anger.
The pro-Japanese man sneered at his face, which was soaked with sweat and blood.
“You little…”
The man took out a gun from his pocket and aimed it at Ian. Ian glared at him with fiery eyes.
A drop of tear fell from Ian’s eyes, and the man pulled the trigger.
Bang-
The camera zoomed in on Ian’s lifeless eyes as he fell limp.
“Cut!”
The director Choi Moon-sik, who was watching the acting, clapped his hands.
“Wow, that was perfect. You’re a total scene stealer.”
Ian, who had been lying like a corpse, got up and bowed.
“Thank you! You’ve worked hard!”
Ian shook off the fake blood that was stuck to his hand.
His teeth and jaw were sore from clenching them during the acting.
[How come you’re always blood, sweat, and tears?]
‘Tell me about it.’
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