NOVEL WEB Chapter 46
The fact that Seongjae, of all people, would shield him and take the flying egg instead—it was unexpected. Seongjae was the type who cared deeply about his own well-being, so no matter how close they’d become, such a gesture of goodwill was beyond imagination.
While Haeun stammered something stupid like, “Oh, uh, are you okay…,” Junwoo guided Seongjae inside the dorm, and Ilhyun grabbed Haeun, shoving him through the open door as if to toss him in.
Just before the door closed, the person who had thrown the egg shouted out.
“Park Ha! Is clinging to others the only thing you know how to do?”
‘
Wow… They must really hate me.’
And yet, what was with that oddly familiar “Park Ha” tone? It didn’t suit the hostility. To think that life would bring him to a point where he’d have anti-fans throwing eggs at him.
Well, it wasn’t like he was the one who got hit anyway, and considering that the hostility was directed at “Park Ha” rather than “Park Haeun,” it felt almost like someone else’s problem. It wasn’t particularly shocking or painful to him.
After the door closed behind him, Haeun scratched his head and glanced toward Seongjae. He wasn’t sure if he should apologize or thank him. Haeun wasn’t used to doing either, but seeing Seongjae dripping with egg yolk made him feel like he ought to say something.
However, this wasn’t the moment to approach him. Seongjae and Junwoo were already arguing.
“Why did you take that hit?”
“What’s the big deal? It was just a raw egg.”
“What if it hadn’t been just a raw egg?”
Junwoo was yelling at Seongjae the same way he’d lashed out at Haeun during the
God of Live
shoot. He seemed upset about why Seongjae had been the one to take the egg.
Haeun, who was also curious, perked up his ears to listen. Back then, Haeun had to endure silently because the system penalized raised voices, but Seongjae, unlike Haeun, fought back unabashedly.
“So what, should I have just let him get hit?”
“That’s not what I’m saying! If it hadn’t been you, I could’ve―”
“You? You were way too far to stop anything. What are you even talking about?”
Should Haeun step in and say something like,
Guys, stop fighting because of me!
?
The uncomfortable tension between the two made him glance at Ilhyun, hoping for help. Ilhyun, however, simply
raised a finger to his lips in a
stay quiet
gesture.
“Already soaked and gross, so why are you holding me up and nagging?”
“Fine. Do whatever you want.”
It seemed like the conversation was over, though not in a pleasant way. Junwoo, clearly annoyed, stormed off into his room. Seongjae muttered in disbelief as he took off the egg-stained outer layer of his clothing.
“What’s his problem?”
Ilhyun, who had stepped in to take the soiled garment, replied casually.
“He’s upset because things got out of hand while he was too stunned to act. Looks like he’s worried about you—don’t be so harsh.”
It was a light scolding. Seongjae, like a high schooler brushing off a parent’s nagging, pretended to block his ears with his hands and quickly changed the subject.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’m going to shower. Hey, Park Haeun, don’t even think about leaving your room tonight. Just
stay put.”
“Huh? Oh, uh, okay.”
The sudden shift in focus caught Haeun off guard. As Seongjae’s rude demeanor turned towards him, Ilhyun shrugged it off without a second thought, heading to the laundry room with the soiled clothes.
Haeun, who’d accidentally agreed in his confusion, watched Seongjae walk away toward the bathroom and hastily added:
“Hey, thank you.”
The problem was, it came out sounding more like a snide remark than an expression of gratitude.
『”Seongjae’s favorability level has decreased by 1!”』The system notification chimed just as Seongjae grumbled in response.
“Is that how you thank someone?”
Haeun realized too late that his awkward gratitude had backfired, making him clam up in embarrassment.
“Yoon Junwoo’s acting like a big shot, slamming the door shut like that even though we share a room. Where am I supposed to go?”
Still grumbling, Seongjae disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Haeun stood there, staring blankly at the door as if trying to process the exchange.
Meanwhile, Ilhyun returned from dropping off Seongjae’s soiled clothes and struck up a conversation.
“You must have been surprised.”
“Why were they even fighting?”
That question stood out the most to Haeun. Unlike him, who was genuinely puzzled, Ilhyun seemed unfazed, as if this kind of chaos was nothing new.
“They do that sometimes. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it or smooth things over. Just go inside and rest.”
“I don’t understand what’s going on.”
When Haeun ruffled his hair in frustration, Ilhyun laughed lightly, like a teacher handling a group of kindergarteners.
“Junwoo seems upset that he couldn’t do anything while you were getting hit with the egg.”
“But Lee Seongjae got hit instead of me.”
“Maybe that’s why he’s mad at Seongjae?”
What kind of logic is that? Ilhyun kindly explained with his usual gentle tone, but Haeun still didn’t get it. Seeing his utterly unconvinced expression, Ilhyun shrugged, as if to say he wasn’t entirely sure either.
Regardless, it was something to be grateful for that someone took an egg for him. With his original friends, the words he’d said earlier would have sufficed. But Lee Seonjae’s lowered affection level nagged at him.
Still, it didn’t feel like something he should bring up to someone in the middle of a shower, nor did it seem all that important. Shaking off his unsettled feelings, Haeun went back to his room.
Why Seongjae shielded him, why Junwoo said, “If it weren’t for you, I would have—,” and the inexplicable fluctuations in favorability levels—all of it left Haeun confused.
But he couldn’t dwell on those thoughts for long because there was something else that bothered him even more: the rumors and hateful comments swirling around him. The content of those malicious words kept resurfacing, interrupting his ability to think about anything else.
Lying on the bed, Haeun couldn’t help but keep scrolling through the internet. He remembered seeing a celebrity on a talk show once, upset after looking at malicious comments. Back then, he had thought,
If it bothers you so much, why not just avoid looking?
But now that he was in the same position, he understood all too well. Even though he knew the rumors and accusations were baseless, curiosity got the better of him, and he kept searching his name across various sites.
There were hardly any people who spoke favorably of “Park Ha.”
The flood of posts riddled with rumors was irritating enough, but the worst were the ones comparing heavily edited photos of Jaewoon with poorly captured screenshots of Park Ha’s performances, all to disparage Park Ha’s character. Looking at those posts made his chest tighten with frustration.
‘Damn it, why am I even this angry? It’s not like that’s my real face anyway.’
It’s anonymous anyway, right? Should I just leave a hate comment myself? Would the system overlook it if it’s just a comment? Maybe venting would actually make me feel better…
Lost in such thoughts, Haeun opened the comment section. Amidst the agreeing comments, one stood out with 12 upvotes and 287 downvotes.
It was the kind of comment Haeun wanted to upvote a hundred times. Unfortunately, the replies underneath were brutal.
➥ “Blue checkmark? Isn’t this Park Ha himself? LOL”
‘No, it’s not, damn it.’
Of course, he had thought of leaving a similar comment—only with much harsher words. He stared at the screen as if locked in a staring contest with the replies.
Still, it seemed like at least thirteen people, including the original commenter, were rooting for Park Ha. That thought made him feel a bit better. Rather than continue to search his name and stew in frustration, he decided it was time to do something more productive. Perhaps he should prepare for tomorrow’s
(Tomorrow's Superstar)
[1]