When attack from the Pantheion side began, and as I opened my mouth towards the bastard who had hurt Lee Danbi, I realized that perhaps I was someone who reacted much more sensitively to attacks against Lee Danbi than I initially thought.
When I thought about the reason for this, several things came to mind.
The first, as always, was my affections.
Yes, the very same affection that Seo Yuseong hated to death.
I couldn’t help but know what kind of heart children like Lee Danbi, who have lived tough lives from a young age, have. Because there was a time when I was like that myself.
“Hyung, I don’t want to go on the school trip.”
“Are you being bullied?”
“I’m not.”
“Then stop talking nonsense and go. There’s a reason why everyone else is doing it.”
“What about you, hyung? My brother couldn’t even go school like everyone else and just work. I’m not happy at all about having fun with the money you earned like that.”
Maybe that’s why, when I saw a young child desperately struggling to survive no matter what, I couldn’t help but feel a desire to help. Well, it’s not really that important of a story, though.
And the second and decisive reason.
I was still projecting Jo Inchan onto Lee Danbi.
[Can’t they just do activities with 6 members and not include Lee Danbi? LOLOL]
[Live life like Lee Danbi! ^^]
I knew they were two different people, but that’s the way things were going.
I didn’t want to hear things like ‘
Lee Danbi is a strong child, so he won’t end up like Jo Inchan
‘.
“I won’t be scared of anything as long as you’re with me, hyung! Let’s stay together as Prism for the rest of our lives!”
That comment was no different from thinking that Jo Inchan fell apart because he was weak. People who casually said such things clearly didn’t know how happily Jo Inchan used to smile before being exposed to the public’s ridicule and comparisons. They didn’t know how hard he worked. They didn’t know what kind of things people said to him.
I knew it was something they said lightly since it was none of their business, but I couldn’t help but feel irritated.
‘Lee Danbi was eventually hurt by people’s words too.’
The numbers on the heart monitor confirmed it.
Just because that child is strong doesn’t mean he won’t get hurt.
Lee Danbi was only holding on because he knew that showing signs of being hurt would only lead to being looked down upon. So, it wasn’t hard to predict that if this situation endlessly repeated and worsened, it would eventually take a toll on him, just like it did on Jo Inchan. Of course, the way they expressed it could be different because their personalities weren’t the same.
How could I, who had witnessed with my own eyes how much pain Jo Inchan suffered, just sit back and watch the same thing happen to Lee Danbi?
“Hyung, you’re really soft on me. You’re gentle with the other members too, but it feels like you’re especially gentle with me.”
Lee Danbi seemed to have no idea why I was treating him differently, but still, that was how I felt.
‘.…I really tried to hold back until just a moment ago.’
My members were handling things better than expected, and since we were still rookies, I didn’t want to stir up trouble for nothing. The reason I didn’t take any special action when the panelists accused me of being greedy or having a center disease was because of this.
But why did you have to touch Lee Danbi?
Why would you ruin the image of
Han Seungbeom
that I had been working so hard to maintain?
‘So, this is how it ended up.’
I’d rather be seen as a rude bastard than become a pathetic fool who just smiles after watching my own child being bullied.
Trying to control my rising anger, I thought.
How should I act to steer the situation in our favor? What should I do to make the person who hurt Lee Danbi take full responsibility?
After thinking about it for a while, I stood alone in front of that bastard.
“Shall I tell you the reason you keep getting dropped from programs, since you don’t seem to know it yourself?”
The members I chose were children who had the strength to defend themselves rather than attack others. I couldn’t possibly let my children dirty their hands just to take down scum like him.
Therefore, these 7 bullets were all mine and were to be used on only one person.
“There are still seven minutes remaining, but you’re being impatient.”
I had to thank this bastard.
Thanks to this bastard, who pointed out Lee Danbi on behalf of all the malicious commenters on the internet, I was able to expose his true colors in front of the camera and cast a degrading image of a pathetic loser onto those who criticized Lee Danbi.
“Ha, what are you talking about?”
The sexual harasser, who had blatantly set off the heart rate alert, smirked and muttered to set the mood, trying to appear nonchalant. I knew he was only saying it because he had nothing to counter, but it was none of my concern, so I played it off as if it were a question.
“It’s because you have no jam. You’re a comedian, but you’re not funny.”
As soon as I declared he had
no jam,
the other panelists were momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter.
“Wow, that’s a fact bomb. Fact bomb!”
1
“Doesn’t telling a comedian he’s not funny basically the same as telling him to just die?”
“But do you know what’s funny? None of us are denying what he just said. Bwahahaha!”
The comment, which would be incredibly humiliating and hurtful to the listener but too embarrassing to seriously argue against, was inspired by Zen.
‘Although the reaction is not quite the same as when Zen said it.’
The reason the panel team’s reaction was far more enthusiastic compared to earlier seemed to be due to the difference in the images Zen and I had built through
Survive IDOL
.
Strangely enough, when Zen called something
no jam,
people seemed to take it as “
it’s not great
“, but when Han Seungbeom said
no jam
, they seemed to interpret it as, “
How did someone with such crappy skills even get a job? What an incompetent fool
“.
Oh, that didn’t mean their interpretation was wrong.
Everyone read my message correctly.
“If I really had no jam, do you think people would keep telling me how good I am? There’s a limit to how much baseless criticism I’m willing to accept.”
The sexual harasser, who had been glaring disapprovingly at the panelists laughing at my remark, seemed to recall comments praising him and confidently retorted.
‘Even delusions have their limits.’
It was hilarious that someone like him was still carrying a comedian’s business card.
In the first place, finding joy and pleasure in mocking others is one of the ugliest aspects of human nature, and that guy is nothing more than a pathetic bastard who fills his belly by selling it.
I calmly opened my mouth to point it out, “It’s not that those people find Agent Park Seungwoo’s jokes funny, but rather they find the act of mocking and ridiculing others funny. Agent Park Seungwoo simply lacks the ability to make people laugh in any way other than by putting others down.”
“…What?”
Beep!
A piercing beep sounded, signaling the second point.
I could see that my score had gone up, but I wasn’t satisfied with that and continued talking. What mattered to me now wasn’t the score, but exposing how pathetic the bastard who had belittled Lee Danbi was.
“Isn’t this what people call … clearly not up to par? What a relief. Comedians who aren’t funny don’t get criticized as much as idols who can’t dance or sing.”
“Phew phew phew phew!”
When I brought up the exact words that bastard had said to Lee Danbi, the panelists made the typical air horn sound that you often heard when something was ripped apart and started causing a ruckus.
Don’t do that.
And before that noisy sound even finished, another alert sounded from the heart rate monitor worn by the sexual harasser. It was the third point.
“Oh, I’m going crazy. This is so fun. This is so exciting!”
I was convinced as I watched the panelists, who were just watching with excitement as if they were ready to eat popcorn while their colleague was being attacked.
‘Indeed, these people don’t seem to have any positive feelings toward that bastard.’
As I observed the production staff and panelists’ facial expressions and reactions throughout the filming, it became clear to me that the sexual harasser didn’t seem to have a very positive relationship with his colleagues. Although they laughed and chatted together as part of social life, there was an underlying sense that, deep down, they were uncomfortable with the sexual harasser.
‘Well, it’s no wonder he isn’t likable. He’s always busy helping with someone else’s political schemes, and he’s the kind of guy who shamelessly makes outrageous comments just to stand out.’
“Sometimes, as if possessed by something, you attack only one person excessively. It’s hard to believe you’re doing it for the sake of the program, so what’s your motive? Personal feelings? Or is there some kind of secret reward that we don’t know about?”
“…….”
When I raised the question that there must be a reason behind his irrational actions, I noticed the main PD was making a complicated expression while looking at the sexual harasser.
Agent War
was recently sanctioned by the Korea Communications Commission for violating broadcasting regulations. The reason given was that the remarks made by the sexual harasser could potentially harm the viewers’ ethical emotions or sentiments.
The production team and the other panelists probably noticed this over time.
That bastard’s words and actions were getting increasingly out of hand, and it was highly likely that he would have to face serious consequences soon. The production team would realize that instead of editing everything out, it would be more efficient to find a replacement who knew how to keep a proper boundary.
‘On top of that, if there’s suspicion that he’s collaborating with outsiders on his own, he’ll completely fall out of favor. This is a serious work environment, not a playground.’
In addition, those who were thrilled by the
fun
that the sexual harasser provided were likely to demand more and more of it, making it poisonous in the long run. This was the last chance to stop. If they didn’t want to tear down the tower they had worked so hard to build, they had to cut ties now.
‘I’ve laid the groundwork for you, so now it’s time for you to quietly clean it up.’
You guys, do what you’re good at. Your common tactic when a show’s image is completely ruined. Replace the celebrity cast and declare ‘we will change from now on
‘.
I was currently lowering that bastard’s value in order to induce that outcome.
“If you’ve ever committed a mistake with your mouth, at least showing an attitude of not repeating the same thing would be the proper thing to do, don’t you think?”
Beep!
“Hey, do it moderately.”
When I brought up the sexual harassment incident, that bastard openly glared at me with a stern expression. He must have thought that if he acted like that, I would be intimidated and stop talking.
But there was no way I would react like that.
The one in front of you is Seo Yutae.
I opened my eyes wide on purpose, as if I were surprised, and asked, “Now?”
The meaning was, “
You said all sorts of crossing-the-line things to my child, so why are you only making that serious face and acting like that when you’re the one getting attacked?
“. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who felt that way, as the panelists quickly backed me up.
“Hey, you even mentioned my ex-wife’s initials and made a joke about it, so why are you getting so worked up over something like this?”
“It’s an entertainment show, entertainment! Come to your senses. Don’t be a hypocrite.”
“Tsk tsk. That person should learn from Agent Jeonghu. That hyung’s nickname is 1336, you know.”
2
“Hahahaha!”
Just as his face turned bright red due to his colleagues’ criticisms and he started to tremble, the production team announced that the 7-minute time limit had ended.
“And that concludes Pantheion team’s offense. The final score is 6:1, Pantheion wins!”
I smiled brightly at that bastard and bowed my head.
“Thank you for your hard work. You know I said that because of the program’s concept, right? I really hope you didn’t take it personally.”
With my
joke
, the first part of Agent War ended with Pantheion’s overwhelming victory.
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Translator’s Corner:
Fact bomb (팩폭,
short for 팩트폭력). means to give psychological damage to the opponent with an undeniable fact. Basically used to call a statement that is brutally honest and often hits the target right in the heart. ↩︎
1336 is the number for the National Gambling Helpline in Korea,
which is operated by the Korea Problem Gambling Agency (KPGA). The helpline is available 24/7 and offers free, confidential support and advice to people who are struggling with gambling addiction issues. The helpline can also connect people with local agencies and regional centers for more in-depth services.
When you called them because you suffered for gambling addiction, you would be offered to attend addiction treatment meeting or received treatment or their center. And if the caller is someone who’s close to a gambling addict, they would provide addict like please don’t lend them money, etc.
This “Jeonghu” person has a gambling scandal, that’s why he’s called “1336”, because he needs to call them lol ↩︎
Father-nim …. hand in adoption please ….
But wow, I’m actually impressed that Korea has a separate hotline for gambling issues??? My country when?