After the live broadcast aired, SNS went wild.
— omg. Han Seungbeom collapsed on stage
— If it were really because of health issues, he would’ve just collapsed in the center of the stage, but he actually fell off the stage, didn’t he? From what I heard, he didn’t collapse but slipped and fell? Apparently, the group that went on stage before them spilled water while drinking and didn’t clean it up properly before leaving;;
└ Who?
└ A boy group whose name starts with D
└ Ah lol … I’m not even surprised
— I heard it was an in-ear electrocution
— No no, I was there in person, he really did collapse. He staggered, lost his balance, and fell off the stage. He must have been so shocked because he just jumped up right after falling, apologized, and then walked off… ㅠㅠㅠ
— Does anyone have the live broadcast video? I didn’t get to see it and I’m honestly just really curious
— They said the kid collapsed because he was sick. How messed up do you have to be to want to watch that?
The broadcasting station tried to quietly contain the incident, but with sensational clips already circulating and being widely shared, the public’s attention didn’t seem likely to fade until something more interesting came along.
— It’s obvious he had a panic attack from the stress over that Seo Yutae copycatissue… Seras, now that your own kid is dead, do you need others’ kids to die too to feel better? Those Wrecker channels are nothing but cesspools of people who live to hate on celebrities, so why are you letting them influence you and turning this into a full-on fandom war?
— #POX_Announce_Han_Seungbeom’s_Health_Status
—I just wish he’d go on hiatus. I hope he takes a long break and only comes back when he’s fully recovered.
—Shouldn’t we at least start a hashtag to stop Seungbeom from being forced to promote…
└ Why are you guys trying to create this atmosphere? You’re telling the kid to stop his career when this is both his dream and livelihood? Just let him make his own decision. We don’t even know yet if it’s just temporary fatigue, indigestion, or something serious, nothing’s been confirmed.
└ Still, health comes first ㅠㅠ… We just want Seungbeom to be happy and healthy. I think it’s okay for an idol to quit if things get too hard
—Can’t they just promote without Han Seungbeom? I do feel bad for him, but honestly, there isn’t much time left on the contract, so I think the ones who can should keep promoting. Seungbeom should go get some rest ㅠ
└ It’s so damn annoying how solo stans take this chance to carelessly run their mouths lololol Like, after saying all sorts of nasty things in the first part and then slapping on a “Seungbeom should go rest ㅠ” at the end, did you seriously think we’d be like, “ㅠㅠ We totally agree”?
—If he gets that stressed and collapses over something like that, maybe being a celebrity just isn’t for him… He might be better off doing something else
└ Mind your business, outsider
—(Burning pizza meme) What is going on in the timeline??? Did Seungbeom say he wants to quit being an idol?? Is he sick?? Noooooo!!!!
Kang Hyukwoo, browsing through the total chaos on SNS, stopped at a final clip that clearly showed Seo Yutae falling off the stage, then muttered quietly to himself.
“…That’s what you get for daring to defy me. You’re completely under my control.”
Seo Yutae had always been someone who sought to prove his worth through the stage. For someone like him, being told to stop his activities after already being torn apart by fan backlash wouldn’t feel like concern anymore. It would feel more like a death sentence.
Nothing could break Seo Yutae down completely, except for the death of someone precious to him.
That guy had such an unnecessarily strong mental fortitude that no matter what happened, he might struggle a bit at first but would always manage to pick himself back up. And yet now, the very fans who once supported him were trying to break him down with their own hands. The irony of it all made him laugh.
Everything was going according to plan.
Isolating Seo Yutae and leaving him completely powerless; that was the outcome he’d been hoping for all along, wasn’t it?
The way Seo Yutae looked during the live broadcast was also quite satisfying. Seeing with his own eyes how deeply wounded he was, attacked by his own fans, gave him the distinct sense that his revenge had been properly served.
‘He should’ve just thought of them as a source of money, but no, he kept getting all hung up on the whole ‘fans, fans’ concept. And now look where that’s gotten him.’
It’s all Seo Yutae’s fault.
If someone stands in your way, isn’t it only natural to remove them?
‘If I can just make a proper return to the entertainment industry, even those gangster bastards won’t be able to look down on me anymore.’
It’s all going back to how it was before. Back to the time when Seo Yutae was dead. Back to the days when he could control the members of Prism however he pleased and enjoyed endless success. As he kept muttering that to himself over and over, the phone in his pocket suddenly buzzed.
Beep, beep, beep.
He checked the screen and saw that the call was from the nanny who looked after his son. It was unusual; she didn’t normally call at this hour.
Feeling a sense of foreboding, he hurriedly picked up the phone, and after a long moment of silence, the nanny’s trembling voice finally came through.
“Chaeyul’s father, I came to the school on time, but…….”
“…….”
“Chaeyul is missing.”
“…What?”
***
Looking back, I think Kang Hyukwoo was always telling the people around him that he loved freedom too much to ever consider starting a family. It was almost as if he was trying to brainwash them.
They say excessive denial can sometimes mean affirmation, so at first, even the Prism members didn’t take his words at face value. But the longer we spent around Kang Hyukwoo, the more we had no choice but to gradually believe what he said.
“Seongmin-ssi, skipping the company dinner again today? Still scared of your wife?”
“Yes, Director-nim. Haha, I’d really like to join if I could, but it’s my daughter’s birthday today … I’m sorry.”
“Tsk, see? Why’d you even get married? Marriage is the end of freedom. What’s the point of wasting your life like that? You should be enjoying it while you can.”
He never took time off, not even briefly, for family matters, and he was always present without fail at drinking gatherings. I even remember hearing that he hardly ever went home. The women he dated changed so frequently that there were even rumors suggesting they might not be actual partners, but rather hostesses from certain establishments.
It wasn’t so much the vague guess of ‘He probably doesn’t have a family‘, but more like, ‘If he does have a family, there’s no way he could live like that. And even if he does indeed have one, it must be a dysfunctional family where there’s no love between them.’
It wasn’t just me; everyone thought the same.
I never said it aloud, but truthfully, I felt it was a good thing Kang Hyukwoo didn’t have a family.
It was partly a way to console myself; to believe that only someone who didn’t understand the preciousness of family could do what he did. But deep down, it was also a wish that I wouldn’t veer too far off course, that I wouldn’t end up becoming the same kind of person he was.
I, too, had thought about it once.
If Kang Hyukwoo had a family, if he had someone he loved, how would I react? Would I be able to stay rational?
But I erased the thought almost as soon as it came, without ever following it to the end.
Because if I didn’t, I felt like I’d be forced to confront the deepest parts of myself; the parts everyone pretends not to see as they carry on with their lives.
“What else could it be, Yutae-ya? He’s Kang Hyukwoo’s son.”
As soon as I heard that, I was frozen in place, unable to move even a finger.
It felt like my brain couldn’t keep up with what I’d just heard. It was too shocking. I couldn’t even remember how often I was supposed to blink, or how to properly breathe in and out.
I ended up unable to do anything until the whites of my eyes turned stark red and my head grew dizzy from lack of oxygen. All I could do was let out a hollow, dumbfounded sound, “Ah.”
Then, the child standing next to Choi Jeokhyeon trotted up to me and asked in a voice full of expectation, “Are you my dad’s friend?”
Having heard Choi Jeokhyeon introduce himself to me earlier as ‘Kang Hyukwoo’s son‘, the child seemed to assume I was someone who knew his father. The moment his father’s name was mentioned, his face lit up, overflowing with affection.
As I shifted my trembling gaze toward the child, I took in his appearance: a haircut too refined for someone his age, as if regularly styled; limited-edition designer sneakers; and clothes that looked brand new, without a single wrinkle or stain.
He was the complete opposite of who I’d been as a child, yet uncannily similar to the person I’d become after meeting Choi Jeokhyeon. A child who, by all appearances, had clearly been raised with love and care.
If someone were to ask, who in the world raised that child with such care?, the answer would’ve been clear.
‘…That’s Kang Hyukwoo’s son?’
The solid image of Kang Hyukwoo I had built through years of hatred and resentment was crumbling to pieces.
Kang Hyukwoo wasn’t someone who didn’t understand the pain of losing a loved one.
It was because he did understand that pain … that he had tried so desperately to hide the existence of his son.
If he had lived a decent life without trampling on the dignity of others, he wouldn’t have to worry about his son’s safety like this. And yet, despite being the one who threw away that path of his own accord, despite daring to hold Prism’s lifeline in his hands and wield it as he pleased, he lived in constant fear, trembling at the thought that even the slightest harm might come to the child in his arms.
“…Ha, hahaha!”
It was a situation where laughter had no place, yet a laugh escaped me before I even realized it.
Right now, the only emotions I could still feel were a rage so intense it twisted my insides, and an emptiness so crushing it left nothing behind. I had no idea why I laughed like that.
‘You killed Seo Yuseong … you took Seo Yuseong away from me, and yet you have a son?’
Was it because the sight of myself, so blindly believing in him, was just too pathetic?
Or was it because if I didn’t laugh, even in this manner, I wouldn’t have been able to bear this rage?
“…….”
Or perhaps, was it because I was happy?
As soon as the thought hit me, my heart sank and I clamped a hand over my mouth.
‘What am I even thinking right now…….’
Even though Prism and Kang Hyukwoo held each other’s weaknesses, our relationship was far from equal. The crucial difference between us and Kang Hyukwoo was that, unlike him, our careers were at the mercy of public opinion … and we genuinely cared for each other to a fault.
If it had been a matter concerning only ourselves, we would undoubtedly have blown everything up and seen it through to the bitter end1. But we simply couldn’t stand the thought of our members getting hurt. Prism couldn’t afford to take risks, so in every negotiation with Kang Hyukwoo, we were always forced to take the weaker position.
Having finally found the family they’d longed for all their lives, was it not inevitable that children who had grown up alone would fear the possibility of losing it? We couldn’t even bear the thought of weighing each other on a scale.
But now that all of Prism’s weaknesses had been eliminated, we discovered Kang Hyukwoo’s.
At long last, the positions had entirely reversed.
The problem, however, was this.
“…Hyung?”
The child was far too young.
He hadn’t committed any sin.
I couldn’t bring myself to meet the eyes of the child looking up at me with such an innocent face, so I turned my head away. His small frame and the soft, fair cheeks so typical of children reminded me painfully of Seo Yuseong’s childhood. Eventually, I buried my twisted expression in my hands and forced myself to speak.
“…Why on earth did you bring Kang Hyukwoo’s child here?”
At that, Choi Jeokhyeon replied calmly, as if he had expected that question all along.
“You already know. Don’t pretend you don’t, Yutae-ya.”
“What were you planning to do by bringing him here? What do you expect me to do…….”
But Even after hearing his answer loud and clear, I just kept muttering the same words over and over. Choi Jeokhyeon, who had been silently watching me, walked over with unhurried steps until he stood just inches away. When the tip of his shoe tapped against mine, I slowly lifted my head. Our eyes met.
His eyes curved into crescent moons as he smiled brightly, then, as if offering me a hint, he leaned in and whispered in my ear.
“You know what people say. There’s no pain greater than the pain of losing your own child.”
“…….”
“You said you wanted to make Kang Hyukwoo suffer a pain worse than death. This is the only way, Yutae-ya.”
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Translator’s Corner:
Who agreed with Choi Jeokhyeon … wow he’s such a well-written psycho …..
The moral questioning in this arc will be really hard … it reminds me to the hundred chapters ago when Yutae said they already went too far to go back ……. if it’s not because I’m actually looking forward to the days I can translate the side stories, I would already run away because the next 50 chapters are … well. It’s okay, guys, we’re on this together.
Idk if i took a break in the wrong day because it REALLY RAINED FOR TWO WHOLE DAYS ??? IN JUNE ??????????????? Global warming is crazy. And kpop community also really noisy yesterday and today. I was expecting noise because BTS all free from military service, but no …. a big controversy just happened T_T It started when a TBZ member got dating allegations to an actress (his agency denied), and apparently, that group’s kr fandom is … full of mentally unstable people I guess … because everything went downhill afterwards. (If any of you is their fan, I wish you well and healthy … if something like this happened to my idols, I would be mad and have a headache….)
Like, I’m amazed (in a bad way) because it really showed how k-fandoms works. After the dating was denied, they uploaded more proofs (I’m pretty sure I even saw one video of him inside a car with a girl), and you might think it’s enough, but no … the sasaengs then dropped all the problematic materials they have on the group as a whole. And that includes past datings, smoking video, another smoking video, spitting video, sighting in clubs, girlfriend lists, fansign mistakes, even drinking parties with minors ….. I can’t even keep tracks anymore because then all sorts of rumors without proof came up (there’s even this one about Transit Love ??? like I wondered if I just read a wattpad instead of twitter expose).
But yeah, their k-fans are in literal way hunting for bloodbath now. Intl fans are calling them crazy (as usual), but the thing is … their k-fans literally the laughingstock of the whole (boygroup) k-fandoms right now … like even the NCT fans are laughing at them. You see, usually in kpop scandals, the involved fandom busy defending their idols, meanwhile other fandoms attacking them? But n this case, the group fandom is the one who’s attacking their own idol, and other fandoms are all watching it like a comedy movie….
To put cherry on top, despite various pics and videos, their agency posted a notice saying they’re going to sue people who’s spreading false information of their artist and asking fans to submit reports about those people to them …. you might think “isn’t it good that an agency protects its artist?”, except it’s actually not … that’s actually like … delivering a finishing blow. even the qrts are full of k-fans mad and asked them to state clearly which ones are “false information“. But then, what do you expect from a label with a literal criminal as its founder …. instead of cleanly addressing the issue, they killed the fandom with their own hands. I saw one of the group’s biggest fanbase (the one who usually organized fan-events, like the distribution of slogan in concert) closed their account, and some big accounts also put [REST] notice. With Boys Planet 2 incoming, it’s really a bad timing to make your fans mad at you tbh…..
Okay enough storytelling. If anyone curious, Prism never had any dating scandals …. pretty realistic considering the author kept making it like they still have the biggest fandom. K-fans would probably forgive you for killing someone (and they maybe would even help bury their body), but if you got caught openly dating, you would end up like what I just shared….. (It’s not like dating is bad. Surprisingly, fans nowadays know that idols are realistically not single. They just took the attitude of “Just don’t get caught. Don’t make it obvious by doing lovestagram and wearing couple items)
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