“This is basically the same as betraying Seo Yutae!”
“You’re telling
me
that?”
As I calmly stated the truth, Lim Seunghoon clenched his teeth, unable to find the words to retort.
It was such a strange feeling.
When I heard the threats about Jo Inchan, a boiling rage surged within me, but when he started talking about me, I surprisingly felt nothing.
In fact, I even felt relieved.
I shouldn’t have reacted emotionally in front of Lim Seunghoon. Whether he was talking about Prism or me, I always had to act like a third party, observing it all as someone else’s affairs.
The reason I could never gain the upper hand in the psychological battle with Kang Hyukwoo in my previous life was because my Achilles’ heel, Prism, had been exposed.
Even if I had the ability to seize Kang Hyukwoo’s weaknesses, what difference would it make? If I was still like I was in my previous life, trembling at the thought of even a scratch coming to those within my fence, I would have posed no threat to them at all.
As long as there was even a 1% chance that the Prism members’ lives could be ruined, I had no choice but to bow down to him. Even though I was aware that Jo Inchan’s video would never be made public because it was tied to his illegal business.
As long as I could protect the everyday lives of Prism’s members, I was fine.
No matter how much I was taken advantage of or controlled, that was enough for me.
And Kang Hyukwoo and Lim Seunghoon already knew that fact.
But what about ‘
Han Seungbeom
‘? On the surface, his only connection to Prism was limited to a-trainer-and-a-trainee in a program.
‘I can’t let it be known that I have affection for Prism. They also can’t find out that I have no intention of actually using the original video.’
This was an opportunity given to me by Han Seungbeom. In order not to waste it, I had to firmly imprint the image of
Han Seungbeom
in Lim Seunghoon’s mind.
Han Seungbeom only pursues his own interests, and he’s a despicable person who will use anything, even Prism, to get what he wants.
I looked down at Lim Seunghoon with cold eyes and continued.
“I don’t care what Seo Yutae wants. If you don’t follow my orders, I’ll destroy everything, including Prism, all at once.”
“…You, are you really…….”
I didn’t have the confidence to hurt the members of Prism or act cruelly towards them.
But I had to show him this side of Han Seungbeom in some way, so I decided to take a different approach.
“Do you really think someone who’s already been betrayed by the likes of you wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice?”
To the public, Seo Yutae was someone who had killed his own father, gotten embroiled in all kinds of scandals, and cowardly escaped through death. However, even with this in mind, hurling insults at a dead person was considered highly inappropriate in the eyes of ordinary people.
But my case was different.
Just telling him what I honestly thought about myself was enough. That was all I needed to do.
“He must have been incredibly stupid and foolish to trust you until his dying breath, never even realizing he was being betrayed. That’s why he’s so easily fooled by me. Don’t you agree?”
The raw and genuine hatred aimed at me provided plausible backing for Han Seungbeom’s cruelty. This was tens of thousands of times easier than directly attacking the members of Prism.
As I was mechanically hurling insults at Seo Yutae, the faces of Prism’s members flashed before my eyes, one by one. Then, absentmindedly, I recalled a recent memory.
“So, all you wanted was a song? Why didn’t you say so from the start? Since Chise-hyung keeps churning out hit songs, did you get a little greedy?”
‘Come to think of it, Nam Yihwon thinks of me as someone who wants to take advantage of Lee Chise.’
I didn’t like that Nam Yihwon misunderstood me back then, but now I realized it was a blessing in disguise. It was a bit unfortunate that I didn’t just let him believe the worst, as it would have made this situation more believable.
“…If I can’t take down Kang Hyukwoo to the end, I’ll upload this video to the internet and make sure you face some pathetic legal consequences, so do your best to help me. Kang Hyukwoo might be able to escape on his own, but you can’t.”
With this, the tables had turned. Now it was Kang Hyukwoo and Lim Seunghoon who were scrambling to keep Jo Inchan’s video hidden, not me. They had to face me, their common enemy.
‘Maybe my existence will make them let Cha Woon have a little more freedom.’
“You’re someone who betrayed Seo Yutae just for a little sum of money. I’m sure you consider your life more precious than money.”
“…For a little sum of money?”
I could hear Lim Seunghoon, who had his head deeply lowered, muttering softly.
He seemed to be upset about something.
“I betrayed Seo Yutae for money?”
He gave a bitter, dismissive laugh, as if to say that wasn’t true. As he went on, I closed my eyes for a long moment.
No matter how pitiful or convincing the reasons that came out of his mouth were, I couldn’t forgive Lim Seunghoon for trapping the members of Prism. I shouldn’t have. I didn’t want to be swayed by listening to his side of the story.
When I blatantly turned my head away from him, he seemed to become even more enraged and started ranting.
“Don’t treat me, me, like some bastard who does these horrible things just for money. I was left with no other option ……. My life was ruined because of Seo Yutae, I had no choice! Think of everything I’ve suffered because of him!”
‘…What?’
“
I was threatened by Kang Hyukwoo, so I had no choice
” or “
I didn’t want to do it either
“—unlike these word that I had expected, unexpected statements flew by like arrows, leaving me feeling bewildered.
‘I ruined Lim Seunghoon’s life?’
I must not waver. Even as I had such a thought, the question slowly crept in:
While he was working as Prism’s manager, had I done something wrong to him?
If I had indeed done something wrong to Lim Seunghoon, and that’s why our relationship had turned so twisted, then ultimately, wouldn’t it all be my fault?
However, I always treated the staff the utmost courtesy. Just like I currently did with the employees at Pantheion’s agency. This was also how I treated Lim Seunghoon, the manager of Prism, so I had no idea what he was going on about.
But before I could find an answer to that question on my own, Lim Seunghoon, without a moment’s pause, gritted his teeth and poured out his resentment towards me.
“Because of him, I kept losing in competitions and had to give up dancing! It’s all because he received help from that person. If I had that kind of backing, I would have been more successful than him!”
This story wasn’t from his time as our manager, but something that happened long before then.
I could feel it in my gut the moment I heard those words.
I realized I had been thoroughly mistaken about something.
‘From the beginning…….’
I had often wondered about where it all started, as articles kept coming out about me allegedly hitting my manager or verbally abused him. I knew the journalist who spread those rumors—the one who met a miserable end at Choi Jeokhyeon’s hands—but I never managed to find out the original source of the information.
But since it wasn’t the first or second time ridiculous stories were being spread as if they were true, I tried to pay them no mind. But hearing those words made me feel like the pieces of a puzzle were finally falling into place.
“He’s just someone who barely succeeded by catching the eye of a chaebol, yet he acts like he’s some big shot! All of a sudden, he showed up draped in luxury brands and looked down on people.…..”
I had felt uneasy since I saw him blaming Kang Hyukwoo after killing someone, but I never expected he harbored such feelings.
It felt as if the inferiority complex towards me had turned into a mass and materialized into human form.
It was my fault that he gave up on his dream, and it was my fault that he betrayed me.
In the first place, my meeting with Choi Jeokhyeon happened after I had already swept the prize money at competitions. Once I was receiving support from Choi Jeokhyeon, there was no need for me to keep entering those competitions just for the prize money. As for Lim Seunghoon, the reason he didn’t win any competitions was simply because his dancing skills were lacking.
‘…Has he been harboring these thoughts all along? And I, cluelessly, was even thinking I should be grateful to him?’
I never thought my life was unhappy. I had Seo Yuseong, the members, my one and only friend, and my fans. However, I had also never lived a life that was convenient and selfish, as Lim Seunghoon made it out to be. Yet, he described it in such a way.
It all made sense now.
The reason Kang Hyukwoo brought Lim Seunghoon, who lacked any proper weaknesses, into his plan, the reason my personal life kept getting twisted and spread around in such strange ways, and the reason Lim Seunghoon obsessively clung to the very same items that Choi Jeokhyeon had used 10 years ago.
‘It wasn’t Choi Jeokhyeon himself that Lim Seunghoon was trying to imitate.’
Red-soled shoes, the watch, and even the fountain pen.
At that time, Choi Jeokhyeon, as my sponsor, took care of all my living expenses. As a result, I went around using the things he gave me, from head to toe, without knowing what any of it really was.
1
Yes, just like a son naturally inherited his father’s things.
The Lim Seunghoon of today was imitating the me of that time.
Lim Seunghoon envied and resented me for catching Choi Jeokhyeon’s eye and living a ‘c
omfortable, high-class
life that was above his.
“Yutae-ya, do you remember that journalist who kept publishing negative articles about you?”
“He was dead, by hanging himself in his own home.”
Could it be that Lim Seunghoon telling me that story was also part of his attempt to sever the relationship between Choi Jeokhyeon and me? All sorts of thoughts started running through my head.
‘It was all your doing.’
“He was a guy who lived in a semi-basement
2
! He was supposed to be beneath me!”
Enough, just stop it. Even if you betrayed me along the way, at least don’t taint all the times I once believed to be joyful.
I barely held back the scream that threatened to escape from my lips.
For the sake of the members of Prism, I mustn’t react emotionally at this moment.
After tightly shutting my eyes, I breathed out and put on a cold tone to resume the conversation.
“I’m not interested in your long-winded story. Just answer what I asked.”
***
After finishing the conversation with Lim Seunghoon, I spent the next few days wandering outside. And when a new schedule came up, I had no choice but to return to the dormitory for a while.
In front of the dormitory door, I placed my hand firmly on my eyelids and took a moment to catch my breath.
My eyelids felt dry and scratchy, like sandpaper on my bloodshot eyes.
‘…Let’s not show it in front of the members.’
With that firm resolve, I reached for the doorknob, only to have the door suddenly burst open and someone rush towards me.
“Hyung. Hiiiii!”
I was dumbfounded and, without understanding what was happening, habitually held onto the body that had snuggled into my arms. Then, the guy who had been crushing me in a tight embrace let out a cheerful voice. As soon as I heard him, my heart raced with anxiety, and I quickly turned my head.
“Tada! I can walk around with crutches now! Isn’t this awesome? The doctor said my recovery is super fast. I could have been discharged earlier, but Mom was so worried that it got delayed a bit. I’ve always been someone who recovers quickly from injuries, even when I was a kid … Hyung?”
Then, slowly, his features came into my focus: the scattering of moles across his pale skin, the long, drooping upper lashes that gave him such a gentle impression, and the slightly hazy black hair.
It was a face I hadn’t seen at the dorm for quite some time, one I had missed.
“Wow, hyung, look at those dark circles! What happened? Or, wait! Hyung, was it because you were feeling lonely without your cutie Do Yuda?”
“…….”
“Ack! Wait! I can’t breathe! Oh my God, I really can’t breathe! I’m going to die from this hug. Let go for a moment, hyung. Okay?”
…Do Yuda is back.
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Translator’s Corner:
The word “sponsor” here is using the pure Korean term, 후원자. So, sponsor in the literal way. The word that used to describe someone who is giving support, whether it’s money, resources, or other forms of assistance.
It was different from the kind of negative “sponsor” that I explained it before, since that one is being referred as 스폰. So don’t get the wrong idea….
Hmm, actually for this, “patron” would work too, but patron sounds too much like … idk, so classy. charity acts. so artsy. I mean … CJH indeed wanted something in return … the world that Yutae introduced him to … so he doesn’t really fit the term patron, does he….. ↩︎
Semi-basement (반지하)
: In architecture, a semi-basement, lower ground, lower level, etc. is a floor of a building that is half below ground.
It refers to a residential space or type of housing where half is above ground and half is underground. A space that seems to be the opposite of an attic, but is similar in … you know, nature. It’s the cheapest-type of apartment/flat because the environment is the worst. The ventilation is poor, the sunlight doesn’t shine in, the humidity is high, so the moisture in the air does not evaporate, causing a lot of mold. There are like 100+ other problems too. Housing problem, but in the most extreme. A lot of cases of death because of flood during heavy rain happened in this type of house too.
Anyway, so you can imagine how poor MC was. ↩︎
Day 15…..
My blood pressure … why did I have to go through LSH’s delusion … please just offed him or something …..
Anyway you guys are so sweet asdfghjkl I was just trying to see what it looked like without TN, I felt like I talked too much…..
Chapter 222 posted on 2/2 of 2025 < 3 It felt so pretty somehow. I really like pretty numbers.
And now that Pantheion’s sunshine is back, we’re going to get some healing before moving to the next arc. In the meantime, you guys can cast your vote on this for giggles