Articles related to the exposé continued to pour out. The provocative content—claiming to provide an opportunity for the children to admit their faults and reflect while giving the other members’ families a means to protect their own sons—fueled the media fire.

The statements in the articles were subtly aimed not just at us, but at the other members’ families as well. The intention was clear: push the other families to apply pressure from within, since their own children were undoubtedly being harmed by association.

This meant enemies were being created both externally and internally at the same time. This was the very definition of a “lose-lose” dilemma.

Just as I was clutching my throbbing head and trying to organize the points that needed clarifying, I received a call from Polo. Before I could even greet him, he explained that he knew I was busy and would get straight to the point.

— I gave my agency a piece of my mind today. I told them I couldn’t work while trusting a company with so many suspicious secrets.

Seniors with years of experience were truly cool. They could actually take a stand against their own agency. I was envious.

— I told them to spill everything they hadn’t said yet because we didn’t want to get dragged down and cursed at along with them... and I heard something quite shocking.

“Is it something I’m allowed to hear?”

— It’s something you need to know, Mr. Iwol.

Polo hesitated for a moment.

— Jeho’s dating rumor. It turns out MYTH was the one who leaked it.

I expected as much. But even if I knew this, what would change?

— But the route through which MYTH obtained those photos... it seems it was your father, Mr. Iwol.

I couldn’t believe my ears. I asked him again if I had heard correctly.

Polo confirmed the name of the informant. It was a name I never expected to hear from the mouth of an industry professional.

I thanked him for letting me know and hurriedly hung up. I needed time to process this.

To think they had held onto something to torment someone else, not even me, and then used it as a preemptive strike to expand the scale by publicly tying the two of us together.

Now that there were more targets to blame, the public’s ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) digging doubled, and the posts and comments doubled as well. There was no way this effect wasn’t intentional.

“They must have waited for the drama to air.”

While the full-scale promotion had only just begun, articles about my joining the cast and stories from the filming site had been going out steadily. The old clips and fortune-telling broadcasts getting dredged up because of the drug scandal also played a part.

Since they were very interested in my ad fees and drama appearance fees, they clearly targeted a time when money was coming in and I might have to cough up alimony if things went wrong. They must have judged that I would have no choice but to give them money.

How long had they waited for my profile to rise and my work risks to grow?

It was both ridiculous and sickening. I felt I couldn’t face the team or Choi Jeho. Especially Jeho—hadn’t he ended up with a paparazzo on his tail because he was associated with me?

“Did you put a tail on us?”

How badly did you want revenge, to copy the exact same method? Even though I had never put a tail on anyone.

I leaned forward and put my head on the desk. No matter how many times I pressed my temples, the headache wouldn’t go away.

Jeong Seongbin found me like that and told me I was getting bruises on my temples, pulling my hands away, and Choi Jeho, after hearing the situation, told me there was no need to explain and tried to send me back to rest.

As soon as the articles broke, the families of the other members, starting with Seongbin’s mother, called the dorm one by one.

If it were just to check on their sons, it would have been easier to contact them individually, but they insisted on calling when everyone was together...

— Auntie knows exactly how well the hyungs take care of the younger ones.

...And at the end, every one of them added words like that, as if they had all promised each other beforehand.

My parents’ plan to create enemies inside the group had failed. I was beyond grateful.

When only one household’s call remained, the phone rang. It was a call from Lee Cheonghyeon’s father.

I scrambled to the balcony and answered.

“Yes, this is Kim Iwol!”

— Are you busy?

“No, sir. I’m fine!”

Through the balcony window, I made eye contact with Lee Cheonghyeon, who was crossing the living room. When I pointed to the phone, he gave me an OK sign and disappeared from view.

— I saw the articles.

“Ah, yes...!”

Cold sweat poured down my back. It hadn’t even been a year since I asked him to trust me with his son, and now things had turned out like this. I had no excuse.

— It doesn’t seem like a problem that will quiet down just by staying still.

“Yes... I was planning to resolve it as soon as possible.”

— How?

“I am discussing the plan with the agency.”

He wasn’t even in front of me, but my knees kept buckling. Even though I held the phone with both hands, it felt heavy.

— You have to tie the knot properly so this doesn’t happen again.

“Yes. I’ll make sure of that.”

I reassured him confidently, but I was worried. Why is it impossible in this country to sever ties with first-degree relatives? It would be nice if there were a means to sever ties with direct blood relatives, just like a divorce.

The most definitive way to settle the ties would be a lawsuit, but with the drug scandal having just swept through the idol world, no one would welcome a group whose member was involved in a lawsuit.

As I swallowed dryly, the voice came through the phone again.

— There is someone capable among my former classmates.

“Pardon?”

— Not all lawyers are the same. You need someone who specializes in this kind of thing if you want fewer headaches.

At the same time, my phone vibrated. A text came in with a phone number.

— I already talked to him, so contact him and get this handled. Don’t just dump it on the agency’s lawyer without a plan.

“Ah...”

— I let it slide, thinking you’d just be an idol for a few years anyway as long as you didn’t do anything foolish with the contract, but looking at it now, it’s a complete mess. If the company insists on using their lawyer, tell them to call me.

The man who extremely disliked inefficiency had brought the most definitive solution. I almost wondered if I’d heard him right.

However, there was one concern I had about his acquaintance, so I cautiously spoke up.

“Thank you for your concern. Fortunately, the company has decided to support part of the legal costs... so I will look into it within the range that the company and I can handle first.”

I wouldn’t have gone this far if he hadn’t said he’d already spoken to the person. I didn’t want to seem like I was rejecting his kindness. But now that the conversation had already happened, I couldn’t just pretend I didn’t know and not reach out.

Going to someone I was just connected to without a plan would mean astronomical legal costs. Now that the company had stepped up to help, I didn’t want to increase the amount of money spent on an uncertain matter.

I only hoped he wouldn’t be offended—especially since I knew how much leeway he was giving me.

The answer I got was completely unexpected.

— I’ve arranged it so that I will be the one paying the retainer fee.

“Pardon?”

— It’s not a big sum for our family. You won’t be billed for anything. If you win, you’ll get it back anyway. Spending a bit upfront isn’t a problem.

“No, sir. Even if it’s not company money, I am more than able to pay...”

— I raised my kids so they wouldn’t have to deal with messy business like this. There’s nothing more pathetic than wasting time on noisy problems just to save a little money.

“......”

— Resolve it quickly, before it gets any noisier.

With those words, he hung up.

To an outsider, his tone could easily be misunderstood. It even sounded like something straight out of a drama, “Take this money and stop being a nuisance.”

But the core message was what mattered. It meant he would help, so I shouldn’t try to settle it alone. In a difficult situation, I wasn’t in a position to be picky about how the help was packaged.

More than anything, the fact that he never asked whether I was at fault, only how I planned to resolve it, made it clear that this came from trust.

I recalled Jeong Seongbin’s words about being worried about me. And his actions as he desperately pressed down on the document folder.

—

[SYSTEM] A work order from “Superior” has arrived.

▶ Assistant Manager Kim, these are documents that were stuck in that cabinet, you see? They’re old, so just give them a quick look and throw them away as you see fit. I’ll have it placed on your desk.

—

If the system truly cared for me even a little, those words might also be out of concern. It was telling me to let go of the past, rather than reading through documents alone, attaching evidence, and revealing every single thing that happened.

“Is it telling me not to agonize over old matters?”

I’d thought they were persistent. I’d even wished I could cut them off completely and be left alone with just my sister. If there was nothing to gain from staying tied to them anymore, maybe cutting everything clean would be better for my mental health. Wouldn’t it?

“Who were you talking to that made you look so desperate? Did someone say something to you?”

As I walked into the living room, I ran into Lee Cheonghyeon again. He asked while eyeing my phone.

“No, it was a good call.”

“Who gets a ‘good call’ while practically kneeling on the floor?”

“The more grateful you are, the more politely you should answer, right?”

I went into my room and changed my clothes as quickly as possible. Then, I formally stormed into Choi Jeho’s room.

“Choi Jeho.”

“What?”

He scanned me from top to bottom. He seemed surprised by my secret weapon: a full business black suit.

“I think it’s time to settle things.”

“Settle what?”

“Family stuff.”

At my words, even Park Juu, who was on the opposite bed, sat up with wide eyes.

I had been holding back until now because it was embarrassing and I felt I couldn’t face the members’ families. But I wasn’t going to do that anymore. I couldn’t stand by and watch them poke around in other people’s homes and throw salt on a group career we’ve built so well.

“I’m planning to settle everything once and for all. What about you? If you don’t want to get involved, I’ll try to keep your family issues from flaring up further.”

“I’m so damn anxious I should probably join in.”

Choi Jeho said, making a face like someone who’d just been handed fermented tofu.

I rummaged through his closet, pulled out a black dress shirt and slacks, and shoved them at the owner.

“Then take a tour with me.”

“To where?”

“We’re stopping by the company, and then going to a law firm.”

“What?”

Choi Jeho looked up at me from the bed.

“I realized too late that we crossed the point of no return a long time ago.”

“......”

“We need to see this through to the end. Let’s file a lawsuit.”

At my words, his eyes blinked slowly. After a period of silence, he slowly changed his clothes and took the lead.