Not once had Cha Woon shown any joy over the success he owed to Seo Yutae’s songs. So whenever he delivered his thank-you speeches, it came off like he was just reading from a prepared script, all while keeping a stony expression. Because of that, the public often criticized him, saying things like, “He’s ungrateful” or “He’s so arrogant”.
However, after Kang Hyukwoo’s misdeeds came to light, Cha Woon’s past reactions, whether when he was praised for his songwriting skills or received awards for Prism’s title tracks, were brought back into the spotlight.
Cyber Wreckers compiled those clips and uploaded them with attention-grabbing titles like “The Reason Cha Woon Couldn’t Smile Even After Winning an Award” and “Cha Woon Missing Seo Yutae”. These videos quickly went viral, helping to turn public opinion in Cha Woon’s favor.
— So that’s why he put the trophies in Yutae’s memorial hall every time he won a producer award. That’s why he always looked up at the sky during his acceptance speeches. Woonie never once thought any of it belonged to him.
— I still remember how people bashed him and called him arrogant just because he didn’t smile during his acceptance speeches. And now look at how public opinion is shifting. Pathetic, rotten bastards
— Hyukwoo’s definitely a problem, but I don’t get how people, knowing full well what that bastard has done, still got fooled and supported him so enthusiastically. Is it really that fun to keep tearing someone apart until they’re dead?
— Looking back now, it seems like the first time I saw Cha Woon genuinely smile after winning an award for his songwriting was during Sing For You. Prism, let’s forget all the difficul times from now on and walk only on flower paths
— I watched the audience fancam of Cha Woon during Sing For You‘s performance, and I got so emotional I turned into one of those subway story women1. How can someone’s eyes sparkle so brightly like that? I think people who never give up on their dreams are truly beautiful, everyone …… This is the first time I’ve seen that light in his eyes since Yutae was gone
└ They forced a kid who genuinely loves music to plagiarize and steal another’s songs …… How could a human being do such a thing? Seriously, just die, die, die, please just die
└ F**k, give me my tears back
└ ㅠㅠ Ah, but honestly, Cha Woon really did look at Han Seungbeom with such sorrowful longing, didn’t he? ㅜ
└ Oh, you’re right lololololololol I wonder why… Han Seungbeom is indeed exceptionally good at performing on stage. If I were him, I’d probably be totally head over heels for the person who did my song justice like that
— Honestly, it’s mind-boggling that he tried to twist the truth by throwing the first punch. Saying stuff like, ‘I’m sorry for failing to stop him‘, my ass lol he was the one who ordered it. Just thinking about how, if Seo Yutae hadn’t left that suicide note or if Lee Chise didn’t have that video, Cha Woon would have been mercilessly ruined sends chills down my spine…
— I really think Kang Hyukwoo crossed the line by trying to pin Yutae’s death on Woon. Those guys were already going through so much. The person in question didn’t leave any words before passing, so what right does he have to go around babbling that someone died because of someone else? I just want to beat that bastard senseless with a rock
└ Why do I feel like he did it on purpose…? Let’s be honest, all of us Seras knew, didn’t we? That the kids’ mental state was completely wrecked after Yutae passed, right…. and since Kang Hyukwoo was there too, he must have seen what a state the members were in. Isn’t it possible he orchestrated all of this, counting on the fact that the Prism members felt so guilty about Yutae they wouldn’t even try to defend themselves or refute his claims?
└ Holy, this makes so much sense. I got goosebumps
And Kang Hyukwoo, too, witnessed those public reactions clearly.
“Ha, f**k, seriously…….”
In the utterly silent executive office, the nervous tapping of a foot went on and on, until a habitual curse suddenly broke the silence. Then once again, a stillness so quiet that even the ticking of the clock could be heard settled over the room.
“…….”
It was quiet.
It was too quiet.
In a crisis of this magnitude, everyone should be scrambling to find a way to fix it, but now, there were hardly any people left who could help him. Most of the company’s employees had either grown tired of Kang Hyukwoo’s irrational behavior or had sensed the shift in the industry and swiftly abandoned RH Entertainment.
‘Who was it that allowed them to work until now, and yet they betray me like this without even showing an ounce of gratitude?’
Feeling like he was left alone on a sinking ship, Kang Hyukwoo broke out in a cold sweat. Eventually, the extreme stress got the better of him, and he started banging his head against the desk.
‘Why did this happen? What did I do wrong?’
If things had unfolded according to his plans, by now the public would be in complete chaos, fighting among themselves and ignoring the truth altogether, while the Prism members would be forced to reflect on daring to try to leave RH Entertainment and grovel before him.
But the situation was going in a completely different direction than expected.
Yes, everything has turned in a direction favorable to Prism.
The public had even begun to suspect that the COMA-1 members were being mistreated by RH Entertainment. Was it because his standing had fallen to rock bottom? Kang Hyukwoo sensed that the COMA-1 members, too, were starting to see him differently.
‘Those little punks, they used to crawl around at my feet, but now that things are rough, they’re immediately trying to step all over me.’
Kang Hyukwoo’s pride was fatally wounded as he witnessed the collapse of RH Entertainment, which he had dedicated his youth to. But he didn’t have the time to care about that pride.
Rrrring, rrrring.
After leaving the phone unanswered, the ringing stopped and a text arrived right away.
[Director Kang-nim, this won’t do.]
[I asked you several times to be careful not to let our business get too much attention. If this is how it is, how am I supposed to trust you, Director Kang-nim?]
It was a text from the gangster organization he had been working with.
Ever since public opinion had turned, messages from them had been pouring in nonstop. Of course, they weren’t offering to help Kang Hyukwoo; rather, they were pressing him, demanding to know how he planned to clean up the mess.
The reason lay in the shift that occurred after Cha Woon’s circumstances came to light.
— I get that Kang Hyukwoo started all this to get revenge because Prism ran away from him, but why did Prism have to follow his orders in the first place? What did he use to threaten them?
└ Maybe it was because of the contract? I mean, if they went against their agency, they risked being totally neglected
└ Check out the members of Prism’s tempers. Do they look like the type to just stay quiet out of fear of something so minor? They’re the kind of people who’d do just fine even without the company’s support. Plus, they were RH’s source of income, so neglecting them makes no sense. When an artist is doing that well, the company has no choice but to bow down to them
The question of “What on earth did RH Entertainment use to threaten Prism?” naturally began to arise. Seeing reactions he hadn’t anticipated, Kang Hyukwoo felt a fear stronger than he could express.
‘I must never let it be known that I threatened them with Jo Inchan’s video.’
He put on a bluff in front of the Prism members, acting like it didn’t matter if everything was uncovered, to keep a psychological advantage. But in reality, it was just as crucial that the illegal operations he’d been running remained hidden. Especially now, when he had lost his usefulness.
Kang Hyukwoo and the gangsters were never allies. In other words, their relationship was never one of equals. So the moment his mistake put their safety at risk, it was obvious they would try to get rid of him.
‘I never should’ve brought the gangsters into this!’
Every call coming in now was a warning to him.
‘There’s no way the members of Prism would talk, right? After all, if what happened at the club gets out, Jo Inchan’s career in the entertainment industry would be over too.’
As he ground his teeth in anxiety, lost in such thoughts, something Seo Yutae had once said to him came to mind.
“Don’t fool yourself into believing you’re living cleverly. All you’re doing is creating more vulnerabilities for yourself. Sooner or later, everything you’ve done will come back to bite you.”
“I’m not afraid of you. What’s truly frightening isn’t someone as dirty as you, but the good people.”
“…Don’t be ridiculous. Don’t be ridiculous! Don’t be ridiculous!”
Seo Yutae was right.
Kang Hyukwoo’s current predicament was entirely his own doing.
If, from the start, he had steadily built his competencies and entered the entertainment industry through fair and honest means, treated the Prism members and staff with respect, and hadn’t been greedy for the gangsters’ illegal businesses, RH Entertainment wouldn’t have fallen into this state.
“What should I do?”
He had to somehow win the public back over, but he couldn’t see any way to fix things. Most evidence strong enough to sway public opinion almost always favored the truth. The way Cha Woon overturned public opinion this time with various proofs was a perfect example of that.
But unable to accept it, Kang Hyukwoo quickly began searching for something—or someone—to blame instead.
‘F**k, this is strange. It’s strange…….’
If things had gone as he expected, Cha Woon would have been too consumed by guilt to say anything and would have accepted the backlash. After all, even if it was done under someone else’s orders, Cha Woon couldn’t forgive himself for having stolen Seo Yutae’s song.
But how could Cha Woon, of all people, turn the arrow toward Kang Hyukwoo this time and firmly declare, ‘Seo Yutae’s death is not because of me‘?
That wasn’t the only strange thing.
In fact, Kang Hyukwoo naturally expected that Cha Woon would be hated by the members over this incident and would completely break down mentally as a result. After all, there was Jay, who held deep affection for Seo Yutae and had frequently been at odds with Cha Woon.
However, contrary to his expectations, Prism was showing unwavering support for Cha Woon.
‘…CEO Lee taking responsibility for Prism? Don’t make me laugh. That person doesn’t care whether anyone lives or dies, unless it’s Seo Yutae.’
And most of all, he couldn’t believe that Choi Jeokhyeon had gotten involved in Prism’s affairs. From what Kang Hyukwoo had seen until now, Choi Jeokhyeon was the type who wouldn’t have the slightest interest in Prism without Seo Yutae.
Protecting what a dead friend left behind? What a load of nonsense.
Lee Saehwa was the kind of person who would throw even his own parents’ ashes in the trash, saying they were nothing more than bone dust.
It was truly strange. Who in the world could have stopped Cha Woon from blaming himself, resolved the deep-seated conflicts among the members, and persuaded Choi Jeokhyeon? There was only one person in the world capable of doing that … and he was already dead.
The unsettling feeling wouldn’t go away.
He felt a strange sense of incongruity, as if Seo Yutae was still guarding Prism.
“…No way. No matter what, that’s just impossible ……. I saw that bastard die.”
Just as he was letting out hollow laughs at the absurd possibility that kept crossing his mind, certain memories suddenly surfaced.
“I think it’s better to go to a company with a promising future. I know what’s in it for me too.”
“I hit him as you ordered, I hit him just like you told me to … uh, huhhh?”
“I don’t know, I suddenly can’t remember. I remembered just a moment ago … What was I talking about?”
“Hey, calm down. Isn’t Han Seungbeom just a stranger to you anyway? What happens to him has nothing to do with you. Why are you getting so worked up?”
Now that he thought about it, everything seemed to start going wrong after Han Seungbeom showed up.
Why on earth did Han Seungbeom act hostile toward him right from the start? Why couldn’t that guy properly deal with Han Seungbeom when he was speeding? What was that mark on the car, indicating a collision? How could Han Seungbeom have possibly possessed perfect skills from the beginning, despite only being a trainee for a few months?
And how on earth did he manage to get close to Prism in such a short time?
For some reason … aren’t there too many similarities between Seo Yutae and Han Seungbeom?
‘Seo Yutae would never, ever ask a child for help. That’s something that won’t change, no matter what happens.’
Once he reached that conclusion, he felt as if the fog in his mind had completely cleared away.
Kang Hyukwoo, who had been tightly closing his eyes against his flickering vision, slowly curved his lips into a smile.
Then, he spoke to the secretary who was on standby,
“……I don’t care what it is. Find any trace of Han Seungbeom from his school days. Test sheets, videos, anything will do.”
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Translator’s Corner:
“I legit thought Cha Woon was the one who gave birth to Han Seungbeom” if you’re confused what does this mean, during Sing for You, Cha Woon was staring at Seungbeom like he himself personally “gave birth to him” … so, like his mother. You know, how parents usually look at their child. Although the next comment described the stare with 애절하다 (describes a feeling or expression of deep, heartfelt sorrow or yearning).
We’re finally entering Kang Hyukwoo’s arc … this is going to be long (20+ chapters I think?), and I’m really not looking foward at translating his POV hahahahahahahaha #MyMentalHealthMatters #WeShouldOnlyLookAtGoodThings
Anyway I just read another mental breakdown of someone getting the spoiler about Seo Yuseong …. my condolences …. no, I know the temptation to give spoilers about it is huge, but giving spoiler about Seo Yuseong and the real reason of Yutae’s death is just evil asdgghjkl I pity the future manhwa readers in advance …. honestly, I think knowing that spoiler would make you kinda lost interest in the story ? Then you will missed out this delicious found family tale …. and if you re-read it after knowing the full truth, everything would feel different, which is why I strongly tell people not to spoil it ….. but well. I’m also on the opinion that people shouldn’t spoil the ending of “Fall into Ghost Story Part 1”, but everyone and their mother already spoiling it ….. this is why you should read everything fast nowadays. I love spoilers (I’m basically that one “the person who already reads the novel” in rofan manhwa comments answering people about the plot. But in my defense, I always make sure I don’t spoil something that would ruin your reading experience in great stories …. I don’t feel bad about spoiling shitty plot, though) but some spoilers are meant to be read in your own asdfhjkl
^ Now that I think about it, I hardly saw any spoilers about Cale despite how popular it is. I guess it’s just because everyone also doesn’t really understand what’s going on in the latter parts…. (when will they let that poor guy rest)
Oh lately I saw a lot of people mentioning exams in their comments. May – June is the exam period for students, right T_T Please don’t forget to take care of yourself, get enough sleep, and don’t be too stressed about the results! (I almost never studied when I was a student, so I’m not going to nag people who are binge-reading this novel instead of studying…. but guys, get enough sleep…..)
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