Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 306. Phantom Pain (5)

‘Confession?’

As soon as I heard that word, Reporter Han felt as though a massive boulder had slammed down onto her body, crushing her.

No, that wasn’t it. That wasn’t her intention at all.

She only wanted to propose a way to correct the current situation, which had gotten out of hand. It was the right thing to do as a person and what was expected of her as a human being.

Reporter Han, trying hard to conceal the tremor in her voice, responded to Hajin.

“A… confession? Hajin, that’s not what I meant―!”

“You’re the reporter who approached Eunchan pretending to be a fan, right?”

“……”

But once again, her words were cut into worthless pieces by Hajin.

Faced with Hajin’s tone, as if he knew everything, and the eyes that carelessly revealed the disgust within, Reporter Han could only close her mouth again.

Watching her, Hajin continued speaking.

“You knew Eunchan was particularly careful around fans, didn’t you?”

“……”

“You wrote an article before, didn’t you? With a title like, ‘Kairos’s Joo Eunchan, Controversial Behavior at a Fan Sign Event? Is It a Rookie’s Clumsiness, or an Unveiled Personality?’ You wrote a lot of articles about us after that, too.”

“……!”

At Hajin’s precise mention of the title of an article she had written before, Reporter Han, who was about to rebut, could only open and close her mouth before sealing it shut again, as if glued.

Hajin, looking tired, pressed his hand against his eyes. His movements were slow and lethargic, but no one in that place could break the silence and the oppressive atmosphere Hajin was creating.

“If writing an explanatory article is your way of easing your guilt, then go ahead. But…”

“……”

“…if you want forgiveness, maybe try again another time.”

“………”

“Because right now, all I want is for those two people to wake up safely.”

With that ominous final remark, Hajin gestured to Kwon Wook to go upstairs and walked past Reporter Han. Despite taking only a few steps, Hajin quickly put a considerable distance between himself and Reporter Han.

Kwon Wook sighed quietly as he watched Hajin, then took the business card still in Reporter Han’s hand, saying that he would be in touch.

It wasn’t until that moment that Reporter Han realized she had been unconsciously holding her breath.

Even as she gasped for air, Reporter Han’s gaze remained lost, staring into the void. A mix of emotions, impossible to define, weighed her down from head to toe.

And it was Hajin’s voice that roused Reporter Han, buried beneath the weight of those emotions, from her stupor.

“…Reporter.”

“…?”

Startled as if waking from a dream, Reporter Han turned around to see Hajin and Kwon Wook standing far away, looking at her. Hajin, still with that indifferent and imposing gaze, delivered his final words to her.

“…Thank you for reporting the accident and for testifying.”

“…Ah.”

“I’m sincere. Regardless of forgiveness.”

Then Hajin gave a brief nod to Reporter Han. Seeing this, Kwon Wook also bowed deeply, showing a slightly more relaxed demeanor.

Reporter Han stood frozen, staring at them for a long time.

Until the two had almost run toward the emergency exit. For quite some time.

“…Ha.”

Only then did Reporter Han finally confront the raw, unmasked version of herself that had been hiding under the shell of rationalization.

-You should give your confession at a church.

Confession.

Could there be any word that more clearly expressed what she had just done?

‘What was I even doing?’

She, who had started it all, arrogantly pretended to have a solution.

How arrogant and self-centered it was to think that she could make up for the pain her articles caused with another article?

Reporter Han, realizing that she was mimicking the outdated and despicable mindset of the industry she so despised, felt an unbearable shame.

‘Did I want to be forgiven?’

Did I want to be recognized, to gain comfort by telling myself that I’m different from them, that I’m not that terrible of a reporter?

If so, how hypocritical was that desire?

Reporter Han stared blankly at the business card case in her hand. She had been gripping it so tightly that the leather case had left imprints on her palm. She pulled out a business card and placed it in her other hand.

The two characters that read “Reporter” on the card, which had become glossy with age, felt particularly foreign.

“…Pathetic, really.”

The business card was mercilessly crumpled in Reporter Han’s hand.

As she stood there for a while longer, making her way back to her car, the weight of guilt began to press down on her, finally revealing itself.

* * *

The elevator ride up to the hospital room was still filled with silence.

Though we were idols, I couldn’t help but wonder if we should really be using a VIP room in such a good hospital. But then I realized that if Joo Eunseok had known about this, he wouldn’t have left his younger brother in a shared room with poor privacy. Given that he’s a rich and generous man, it made sense that he wouldn’t have ignored Ji Suho, who was injured while trying to protect his brother.

“……”

“…Hyung.”

“Yeah, what?”

As I stared at the quickly rising floor numbers on the elevator, I turned to Kwon Wook hyung, who was still busy texting someone. Despite being busy, he answered me and then put his phone down to look at me.

“Why? Do you have something to say? Need anything?”

Even in moments like this, he still seemed like such a manager.

I’d heard that Ji Suho had spent years trying to recruit him from another company. It made sense; he was the kind of person who’d be indispensable. Just looking at how Kwon Wook hyung was acting like he’d immediately get me a coffee if I asked, I nodded with a small smile.

“…Why aren’t you scolding me? I was really rude to a major news outlet reporter just now. I’m a rookie, after all. Shouldn’t you be scolding me for acting like a diva?”

“What? Oh… I see.”

Kwon Wook hyung scratched his forehead, seeming to finally understand what I meant. The man, who had apparently been quite an athlete in his youth, shrugged his shoulders like he was warming up before a match and spoke.

“If anyone should be scolded, it should be me. Managing your image is part of a manager’s job, and instead of stopping you, I was feeling relieved that you said the right thing.”

“You felt relieved?”

“I felt like a weight had been lifted.”

At Kwon Wook hyung’s jest, I couldn’t help but laugh again. Despite the suffocating worry over Eunchan and Ji Suho, who were probably in the hospital room right now, it surprised me that I could still laugh.

Kwon Wook hyung continued speaking.

“Well… I don’t know. Maybe I should have stopped you. Nowadays, a single word or nuance can become a big issue. Especially since things aren’t great right now.”

“……”

“But I just… In that moment, I was so relieved. I was relieved that you still seemed like the kind of person who could express your feelings so clearly to others.”

As he spoke, it seemed like he had a lot on his mind. He took deep breaths between his words, like someone who needed to clear his throat. Looking at me, he gave a faint smile.

“When you work in this industry, you see it a lot. People who learn to smile before they can even say what’s rude.”

“……”

“I’ve heard that Eunchan couldn’t say no because of the word ‘fan’… That he couldn’t refuse, and that’s why it happened. If I made you act polite and courteous in that situation… Wouldn’t I be a terrible adult?”

Even though he was smiling and joking, Kwon Wook hyung’s eyes were red and swollen. Trying to hold back his tears, he kept wiping his eyes with his hand, but eventually, the emotions he had been suppressing overflowed, and he let out a sorrowful breath.

“I was the one who told Eunchan… I know it’s hard, but to try a little harder. That sometimes, if he put in a little more effort, the fans would understand his sincerity. That he had a strong impression, so he’d have to be more careful in the future…”

“…Hyung, don’t cry. Why are you doing this, really?”

“Even though I knew he was sensitive… If I hadn’t said that to Eunchan…”

This was someone who saw us every day, managed our every move, and drove over six hours round trip for us. There was no way he was feeling okay after hearing about their accident.

Yet, despite everything, he had driven all the way to pick us up, making sure we were safe and driving us back, all without a single complaint.

And that was something only someone with immense affection and a sense of responsibility could do, and I knew that better than anyone.

“Hyung, you know it’s not your fault. None of us think that way. You know that, right?”

“A manager crying in front of his artists, not handling the situation earlier… I’m really… Ah, I’m so pathetic.”

“Come on, hyung, I don’t want to make this joke, but… why do you say there’s no one on your side? We’re all on your side here. I told you to stop crying, didn’t I? A grown man, really, geez.”

Knowing that someone was thinking like this for us, and knowing they could cry like this for us…

Just that one fact was enough for me to become a carefree fool who could laugh in the middle of this tragedy.

“So Hajin, you just… you know? Refuse when you need to. Say no when something isn’t right. It’s okay. Even if you’re a bit rude, I’ll cover for you, somehow. Got it?”

“Got it, got it. Seriously, who spread the rumor that everyone at Miro was scary? Both the manager and the artist are all so soft…”

I handed hyung a handkerchief as I laughed at him, crying over something that wasn’t his fault and still pleading with me. He scrubbed his face with the handkerchief and finally let out all his pent-up emotions.

“My heart just… oh, it really… when I heard about Eunchan and Director Son’s accident…”

“Stop crying, really? Geez, this is like a funeral.”

“Don’t make those kinds of jokes, you brat…!”

“Okay, okay, I won’t. But you’re still so strict even now.”

“Ah, seriously… Jung Kwon Wook, you’re so pathetic, so pathetic today.”

“Wait, hyung, you’re not a Kwon?”

“I’m a Jung…!”

“I didn’t know that…”

True to someone who had once been a judo athlete, his build was solid, and his face looked tough, but he cried easily with that rough face of his. I checked that the elevator was almost at our destination, then awkwardly hugged Kwon Wook hyung and patted him on the shoulder.

“It’s okay, hyung. Everything’s going to be okay. It’ll be okay.”

“…I really can’t face Director Son like this, I can’t.”

“It’s really okay.”

“……”

“We haven’t lost anything yet.”

Not yet. It’s not too late, hyung.

Like a spell. Or like a candy to swallow after taking medicine. I repeated those words over and over as I comforted Kwon Wook hyung.

“Oh, seriously… what a sight this is? And in front of you, too…”

“It was comforting to see you like a human, hyung.”

I released him from my awkward embrace and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Now that he had finally let it all out, it seemed like he felt at least a little relieved. His face returned to the usual, reliable man of reason as he let out a sigh.

“Anyway, I’m not going to let this slide. I’ve already told the company we’re going to respond strongly to this. So don’t worry, okay?”

“Okay, okay. That’s reassuring.”

“From Taehyun to Eunchan… Let’s see them try. I won’t let a single interview go out, I swear.”

The determination on his face was truly reassuring. He looked like he was ready to round up every reporter writing speculative articles about us and tie them all up.

“No, hyung.”

“…?”

“Let’s make this even bigger. So those fearless reporters get a real wake-up call.”

But I wasn’t satisfied with just that level of revenge.