Haven’t you heard the saying ‘
In vino veritas
‘? Wine could reveal someone’s true nature.
“What about the Pantheion’s members?”
“I love them!”
I thought it would take a few more years for this coward to openly show affection toward the members, but who would have thought just a few sips of plum wine could accomplish that so easily? It was almost disappointing.
“Because I succeeded as an idol.”
“Well, anyway, you still haven’t been as successful as Baek Kiheon.”
“How are you going to compare the achievements of an idol and a pianist, who work in completely different fields? … By popularity? Haha, you must be joking, right?”
If you were to ask why Baek Kiryang, who had been smiling just a moment ago, was suddenly hitting the panelists with facts, I could only say the same thing as before.
‘He’s drunk and his true feelings are coming out.’
Baek Kiryang was undoubtedly timid, fearful, and even gloomy—a complete coward. But no matter how much he wore the mask of a coward on the outside, no one could really tell what was going on inside his head.
“Do you know which competition my big brother won?”
“That’s…….”
“What song did he play in the final round?”
“…….”
Think about it.
Would someone who finished a recording in one take just to show off to Lee Hwayoung, never humbled himself when it came to singing, and even went so far as to kick his own mother out during the last competition truly have a gentle, meek inner self?
“Why do people, who normally have no interest in classical music, use my brother’s achievements solely as a way to attack me? My big brother, on the other hand, finds my work amazing and is proud of me….”
In the end, Bae Kiryang wasn’t naturally gentle like Woo Kangwon, nor was he simple-minded like Do Yuda. Right now, he was simply drunk, openly spilling the thoughts he usually kept tightly hidden.
‘Well, I knew he was this kind of person, so I put him in the group, but…….’
As I sighed, thinking such thoughts, Baek Kiryang, who had been staring blankly into the air, suddenly grabbed my arm and asked in a whiny manner.
“Seungbeom-ah, Seungbeom-ah, I did well, right?”
“…Probably.”
When I nodded appropriately in response to the question thrown at me almost like a whine, that funny face I had seen during the fourth mission appeared again. Pretending not to notice, I turned my head and saw the panelists still gaping in shock.
“Ahem.”
When I purposely cleared my throat, the main host, noticing that the audio had been silent for too long, broke the silence with a playful jab at the sexual harasser.
“Agent Park Seungwoo, are you trying to conduct an information warfare without doing proper investigation? How come you don’t even know the name of the competition that pianist Baek Kiheon won? Don’t you watch the news?”
“Hahaha!”
Seeing the other panelists burst into laughter, the sexual harasser seemed to have his pride hurt, as he furrowed his brow and said, “Ah, honestly, no one knows that. Who goes around memorizing stuff like that? It’s really unfair to make someone feel embarrassed just for not knowing that one thing.”
“The one who farted is getting angry
1
? It’s because of that attitude that you keep getting dropped from programs.”
“Hey, just because you don’t know, don’t treat everyone else the same way. I’ve been to pianist Baek Kiheon’s concert!”
As the atmosphere shifted to treat him like an ignorant fool, contrary to what he had expected, the sexual harasser started mockingly sweeping his hand down his arm in an exaggerated manner.
“Ugh! Scary, scary. Who would want to film a variety show with someone this scary? You’re getting all serious and grim over something said for laughs. I’m going to have to watch my back around you from now on.”
It seemed he was trying to provoke Baek Kiryang into reacting sensitively on purpose. But that attempt was immediately thwarted by Lee Danbi.
“Eh, it’s alright. Kiryang-hyung is soft-hearted, so he’ll tolerate almost anything unless it’s really out of line. Don’t worry.”
He’s originally the type who couldn’t even argue against others’ words … but the panelists, excited by the implication that the other person had crossed a line, took the opportunity to escalate the atmosphere.
“Oooh! What’s this, what is this?”
“So, does that mean he’s not tolerating him because what Agent Park Seungwoo just said crossed the line?”
Lee Danbi deliberately paused, and when the panelists finished their remarks and the room became quiet enough for his voice to be heard, he stared at the sexual harasser and answered with a straight face.
“I can’t say it’s not true.”
“OOOOOOOOH!”
The panelists, certain they had captured a perfect moment, erupted in cheers and excitement, but that child merely stuck out his tongue and shrugged his shoulders, as if it was no big deal. Seeing Lee Danbi’s reaction, the panelists exclaimed in genuine admiration.
“Today’s guest is really something, isn’t it?”
“Is this the monster that survival show raised, the one I’ve only heard about? No wonder I kept seeing that friend in the previews.”
No matter how much trouble they had caused in their personal lives, they were still broadcasters who had been on the TV for decades. In their eyes, Lee Danbi, who intentionally created scenes without hesitation, must have looked incredibly attractive.
While everything seemed to be going smoothly, if I had to point out one problem, it was that there was someone who didn’t seem to have any intention of blending into this friendly atmosphere.
‘.…He’s so bad at managing his facial expressions.’
It was hard to pretend not to notice when the sexual harasser was staring at Lee Danbi with such intensity. I couldn’t figure out why he was so persistent in pursuing Lee Danbi.
‘I wish he wouldn’t make unnecessary risky moves……’
Without even having time to calm the unease I felt from seeing the guy who was giving off a strange vibe, the filming continued on.
.
.
.
The outcome of the continued attacks from the panel was devastating.
“I heard a rumor that Agent Do Yuda didn’t get along with Trainee Kang Baeyoung. There’s no way smoke would come from a chimney without a fire, so there must have been something that led to such a rumor, right?”
“Yes?”
I think their method of attack was … wrong from the start.
Do Yuda was an idiot, so he wouldn’t understand if you asked him in such a twisted way.
The panel members were at their wits’ end, groaning in despair at the brilliant collaboration between Do Yuda, an idiot who couldn’t understand the intent of the questions no matter how sarcastically or provocatively they were asked, and the Buddha-like Woo Kangwon, who simply smiled at any question.
“This is the first idol group since Prism that’s been this tough. Why is the member composition so extreme? Half of them have knives in their mouths, and the other half are like the princes of Haha Nation. Of course, Prism, where all of them had knives in their mouths, was definitely tougher!”
“Please, end this segment quickly. I’m about to get PTSD.”
The main host, who was likewise becoming increasingly drained of energy, checked the script, and seeing that there was only one last person left, his face brightened with color.
“It’s finally the last one! Agent Lee Danbi. Let’s go!”
With a gesture to move quickly, Lee Danbi’s turn began, and the sexual harasser immediately rushed in as if he had been waiting for it.
“There’s been a lot of talk about the final member selection. People are saying that Agent Lee Danbi’s skills are clearly not up to par compared to the other members and that you’re just a liability to the team. Don’t you feel guilty about this?”
At those words, the expressions disappeared from the Pantheion members’ faces, and a tense atmosphere began to settle in. We were openly showing our displeasure at his comment. Noticing this, the sexual harasser glanced around cautiously, but didn’t stop and continued speaking inappropriately.
“Honestly, I’m sure both the fans and the members secretly hoped that Agent Danbi wouldn’t be chosen as the final member. Your presence is just creating uncomfortable situations. Look, they’re already hearing things they shouldn’t be hearing, all because of Agent Danbi.”
Beep!
Suddenly, a sharp notification blared from the speaker.
And then, the screen displaying the heart rate turned red as the numbers inside rapidly increased. It was a sign that Lee Danbi’s heart was beating faster than normal.
Seeing this, that bastard grinned in triumph, as if he had finally gotten his revenge for all the humiliation he’d suffered, and began to mock him.
“Oops, so you were just good at managing your expression? Sorry. The score gap between the guest team and the panel team was too big, so it couldn’t be helped.”
‘That bastard….’
Just as I was about to unconsciously unleash my original temper, Lee Danbi, with a horrified expression, grabbed my hand and urgently shook his head. Then, he whispered, “
I’ll handle this. I’m fine
“, before swiftly turning to ask the main host.
“I may have lost the point, but I can still refute, right?”
“Don’t push yourself too hard. You look like you’re about to cry, you know?”
Lee Danbi, who had kept his eyes locked on the main host no matter what nonsense the sexual harasser was ranting on the side, put his hand on the table as soon as he received the green light.
“Voting manipulation is a very sensitive issue, so I think it’s better to clarify it on the air. First of all, I’m just a trainee, so I don’t have the authority to be involved in the final member selection. And my company is a completely new, small agency, so it’s not as impressive as you might think. We don’t even have enough money to install an air conditioner in the practice room, so if you talk as if there’s some kind of backdoor dealings, our CEO will be so upset that he’ll cry.”
“Don’t you think you’re dissing your own company too much?”
“It’s the truth, so what can I do? My company is already struggling, so please don’t make things any harder for them.”
“Hahaha!”
The panelists burst into laughter at the comment dissing his own agency. Having created a favorable atmosphere for himself, Lee Danbi confidently refused the rest of the statements.
“And our team hasn’t even debuted, so I haven’t had any opportunity to cause an uncomfortable situation yet! If you want to point something out, I guess it’s when I constantly asked Seungbeom-hyung to teach me how to dance. But Seungbeom-hyung, the person involved, hasn’t said anything about it, so it’s strange that the people who haven’t helped at all are making the loudest fuss.”
“That’s right! That’s right!”
“Please judge for yourselves whether or not I fit in with this team. In 10 days, I’ll be making my debut with Pantheion. Everyone, please listen to our album a lot.”
I quietly watched Lee Danbi, who had skillfully finished refuting and was now calming his breath with a smile on his face.
“Wow, he’s doing some sneaky promotion in this situation.”
“Isn’t the youngest pretty quick-witted?”
The panelists and members, seeing Lee Danbi’s usual face, seemed to think that the heart rate earlier was simply a physical reaction to anger, but I couldn’t think of it that simply.
In the first place, Lee Danbi wasn’t the type of person to get so worked up that his pulse would race when he was angry.
The reason Lee Danbi’s heart rate suddenly skyrocketed was because he must have felt immense anxiety and fear after hearing that “
the fans and members don’t want him
“.
“…….”
In the end, that panelist crossed the line.
No matter how much his pride was hurt by a young guy rebutting him so assertively, his behavior earlier was definitely excessive. A grown man, who was ancient enough to know better, showing such an ugly attitude toward a child who hadn’t even graduated high school, was just disgraceful.
He must have known that himself, but why did he go after Lee Danbi, taking on so many risks? And why did he say the exact same things that a certain company had been claiming?
As I began to have doubts about his action, my mind, which had been turning in search of clues, recalled a certain voice.
“Kang Hyukwoo has more than one kind of business. All of them are shady, and there are quite a few celebrities who ended up getting their weaknesses caught while frequenting his places.”
‘….Ah.’
I was starting to get a sense of why that bastard had been so unusually obsessed with Lee Danbi.
And I just sat there and watched as that bastard messed with my child, without giving it any second thoughts.
.
.
.
“The guest team will be given a total of 7 bullets. You can think of each bullet as having 1 minute of attack time, and it’s up to each team how to use them. Please devise your strategy well and give it a try.”
As the main host finished explaining the change of offense and defense, I noticed one of the panelists getting up from his seat. I shot a brief remark in his direction.
“You can remain seated. I’m not going to share them.”
Then, I slowly walked out, leaving the panelists with their eyes wide open, and stopped in front of the long table. To be exact, I stopped on the opposite side of where the bastard who hurt Lee Danbi was sitting.
I bent down and, glaring directly into his eyes, delivered my words with deliberate emphasis.
“Shall I tell you the reason you keep getting dropped from programs, since you don’t seem to know it yourself?”
Beep!
Like a buzzer signaling the start of a game, the alert sounded. Ignoring it, I looked down at his face, dramatically twisted with anger, and smiled brightly.
“There are still seven minutes remaining, but you’re being impatient.”
Why? Isn’t this funny?
Go, laugh.
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Translator’s Corner:
The one who farted is getting angry (방귀 뀐 놈이 성낸다)
is an proverb, literally, it means that you fart and then get angry at others instead. The actual meaning is that
the person who did something wrong, rather than reflecting, gets angry instead
. ↩︎
Leader-nim, I love you …………. I’ll kill people who dare to mess with Pantheion kids too … but MC will kill them first, so …..