Harin watched KCN’s <9 O’Clock News Prime> in real time.
When Kim Dusik’s opening remarks first aired, she felt the blood in her body freeze cold.
[Luna Prism Member Harin: Sponsorship Allegations During Trainee Days, Parents’ Gambling Debts]
The news screen displayed a headline she had dreaded imagining, paired prominently with her own face.
Though she had mentally prepared herself before watching, seeing it in reality was utterly devastating.
However, she waited, trusting reporter Lee Hyeonwook.
Her own interview would be coming up soon.
As reporter No Seungsik’s reporting ended and Lee Hyeonwook’s face appeared on the screen, it felt as if her frozen blood began to flow again.
In truth, she didn’t know much about Lee Hyeonwook. Or rather, she hadn’t.
But in the short time she had spent talking with him, she had felt only one thing.
‘This person is trying to save me!’
And that belief became reality.
Everything she had wanted to hide, from the serving of drinks during her trainee days that she wished she could ignore until the day she died, and her father, who couldn’t escape gambling addiction, and her mother, who was just like him… it had all been exposed. Yet, Harin was not abandoned by her fans.
#ProtectHarin
The hashtag filled the internet.
People were enraged after seeing the news report on Harin.
[Our Harin is truly admirable. How did she grow up so right under parents like that?]
└ [Is it for real that her parents spent all the money Harin worked so hard for and even targeted the fans’ money?]
└ [#ProtectHarin]
[I couldn’t believe it even after watching the news. If something happens to Harin because of this, how will they ever pay for that sin?]
└ [No wonder my unnie’s voice sounded so full of sorrow.]
└ [#ProtectHarin]
[If Luna Prism disbands, it’s all Harin’s fault. She’s such a nuisance to the other members.]
└ [Your lack of empathy is what’s a nuisance.]
└ [What is a Luna Prism member doing here?]
└ [#ProtectHarin]
[Are they even parents? I’m almost grateful to the reporter for openly revealing what kind of people Harin’s parents are.]
└ [Don’t they see their child as a cash cow rather than a daughter?]
└ [My god! To think there are people like my mom and dad out there.]
└ [#ProtectHarin]
Comments cursing Harin’s parents uploaded in real time.
Those who had narcissists as parents likely recalled their own memories while looking at Harin’s parents.
Sympathy for Harin surged in an instant.
Fans shuddered at the cruelty of SOME Entertainment.
[Isn’t the agency the bigger problem? Isn’t the place that’s supposed to protect the artist the one that played them?]
└ [That agency has more than one or two problems. Harin unnie, absolutely do not renew your contract.]
└ [Unnie, run away!]
└ [#ProtectHarin]
[It’s absurd that they lied about it being an audition to make her serve drinks, and now sponsorship rumors? Does SOME Entertainment really want to go out of business?]
└ [I’m worried to death that the CEO will do something to Harin.]
└ [#ProtectHarin]
[The reporter is right. Why are sponsorship rumors circulating now, and why are they giving money to Harin’s parents? They’re aiming for the contract renewal.]
└ [Someone please sue that agency. There are probably other celebrities who were played like this.]
└ [#ProtectHarin]
Harin let tears fall silently.
She was grateful to reporter Lee Hyeonwook and composer K, whom she had met in the recording studio.
However, hearing her mother and father’s voices again was too difficult.
Her father, who still called her an unfilial daughter and claimed it was only natural for her to pay back a debt of 800 million won; her mother, who asked for fans’ contact information and requested help getting black-market tickets for fan meetings… Their interviews were unbearable to watch.
Heat rushed through her body until she turned bright red and her hands trembled, but when she saw the hashtag ‘#ProtectHarin’ attached to every single reply, she could no longer hold back her tears.
The fans spoke in one voice, telling her to protect herself from parents who weren’t even like parents, and from an agency that drove an artist into a corner by any means necessary to achieve its goals.
The fans’ anger was justified, and even people who had no interest in Harin took her side, fueling the wave of sympathy.
The interview, in which Harin’s parents spewed unfiltered abuse, had been the deciding factor.
“Huu-huu, sob, sob.”
Harin was now free from the past of monetary threats and serving drinks, and from the threatening debt of 800 million won.
As she felt relieved that she was now in a position to refuse the contract renewal, tears flowed endlessly.
— Slam.
Suddenly, the door flew open and the members of Luna Prism stormed in.
As if the sight of the weeping Harin didn’t even register, four members thrust their phone screens in front of her and shouted.
“What is this?”
“Your parents are absolute trash. But you know this is a direct hit to our image, right?”
“You take full responsibility. Our activities absolutely cannot be hindered!”
Except for one member who hesitated, the other older members pushed her aggressively.
Not a single member asked if she was okay or how much she had suffered in the meantime.
They had simply rushed in the moment they saw comments about ‘disbandment,’ completely indifferent to Harin’s pain.
“By ‘take responsibility,’ do you mean I have to renew my contract?”
Harin, who normally would have said nothing, lifted her head and asked back, catching the members slightly off guard.
Harin had always been the one to give up her stage costumes and never knew how to refuse grueling shoots.
But Harin was no longer afraid.
Reporter Lee Hyeonwook had exposed the agency’s wrongs, and anchor Kim Dusik had promised to further investigate the 800-million-won extortionist.
The fans were sending her strength through the ‘#ProtectHarin’ hashtag.
Even people who weren’t fans stood by her side, pointing fingers at her parents’ faults and the agency’s behavior.
Just as reporter Lee Hyeonwook had said, it was truly the right choice to put it in the news. A person with nothing to lose is bold, but a person with nothing left to hide can be just as fearless.
As if she couldn’t back down now, the members took turns speaking.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“You’re not retiring, are you? You have to keep being an idol!”
“That’s what you unnies want, not me.”
“This little…!”
As Harin stood her ground, Han Soyeon, the leader famous for her aggressive image, reached out and grabbed Harin by the hair.
“Everyone, stop it!”
Manager Kim Seokcheol rushed in, breathing heavily.
“Oppa, you’re here. This girl has gone crazy. Did you see the news? What are we going to do about our image? How are we going to handle the contract renewals?”
“Oppa. What did the CEO say? We’re not in trouble, are we?”
“Everyone, calm down first. All of you, go back to your own rooms. You’re too excited right now. I’ll talk to Harin first and then let you know.”
The manager barely managed to close Harin’s door, pushing the huffing members away.
.
.
.
“…Harin. I’m sorry.”
The manager, who had handed Harin tissues and waited about ten minutes for her to calm her breathing, finally spoke.
“…!”
Harin looked at the manager with surprised eyes.
She hadn’t expected Manager Kim Seokcheol to apologize. He had always been a third party.
Hadn’t he maintained a position that felt like he was monitoring her until recently?
“I just followed the company’s lead, so I pretended not to know even though I knew you were struggling. No, to be honest, I didn’t even really know why you were struggling. The company didn’t tell me…. But I found out after seeing the news. That I let you handle such a serious matter all by yourself… I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for not knowing as your manager, and even for not trying to find out.”
“…Huu-huu-huu.”
Harin burst into tears again.
Living as an idol for seven years, she had always felt like a lonely island.
The members had openly ignored her after learning about her poor background, and she couldn’t make close friends because she had to block so many contacts while cutting ties with her parents.
After being called out at night during her trainee days, she couldn’t even trust the people at the company.
The only moments she felt she could breathe properly were when she was singing.
And yet, Manager Kim Seokcheol apologized.
He said he was sorry with sincerity.
That he didn’t know, and that he was sorry for not knowing.
Knowing that there was someone by her side who cared for her, she felt a sense of peace, and the tears continued to flow.
Though he wasn’t crying, Kim Seokcheol’s expression was equally distorted.
He hadn’t become a manager for this; he felt a level of self-loathing that made him feel like he was going crazy.
The phone in his pocket rang incessantly, but Kim Seokcheol prioritized Harin in front of him.
Everyone calling now would be the people who had manipulated Harin until now, so he had to ignore them even more.
“…Oppa. There’s something I want to say.”
Harin spoke, her voice sounding determined.
After Harin’s news report, the KCN broadcasting station was in chaos.
Viewership ratings exploded, and every other media outlet was busy quoting KCN’s exclusive report.
The social affairs department and the <9 O’Clock News Prime> team were walking tall for days.
Except for one person: Kim Dusik.
Between his promise to PD Ji Minsu and the words he had uttered during the live broadcast, he was likely racking his brain over the follow-up investigation.
‘Do your best. You should experience firsthand how that reporting comes back to haunt you!’
Kim Dusik had always used his reporting to ruin others.
It seemed it was finally time for that blade to point toward himself.
Feeling the corners of my mouth curl up instinctively, I opened my reporting notebook.
[December 31, 20XX: Luna Prism member Harin commits suicide due to depression after suffering from sponsorship rumors. Point +1 earned. Total +2 Points]
It worked.
Once again, the contents of the reporting notebook had completely changed. And points were credited.
Once I change the next entry in the notebook, I’ll probably hit 3 points and get a bonus.
With a light heart, I headed home to K’s place.
K had called for me.
An unexpected person was at K’s house. It was Harin and her manager.
“Thank you so much, Reporter. For saving our Harin.”
Manager Kim Seokcheol bowed deeply.
“Reporting on wrongs to reveal the truth is what I do, so it’s nothing. Anyway, are you okay now?”
“Yes. I’m doing better thanks to you. You even went to meet my parents… Thank you.”
Seeing Harin’s refreshed expression made me feel at ease.
It was wonderful not having to think about articles like Harin’s death.
“But is it okay for you to be out and about like this? I bet the company is searching for you with fire in their eyes.”
At my question, K nodded and replied.
“Actually, they’ve been staying here with me since last night. But hyung, there’s something I want to discuss. Harin-ssi and I…”
As K hesitated, Manager Kim Seokcheol stepped in and boldly finished the sentence.
“Our Harin is going to go solo. But not through a one-person agency—could K-nim sign her? Harin recently blew up thanks to the songs K-nim produced, and she wants to continue her activities with K-nim’s music. And we feel we can truly trust K-nim to work with. I will handle all of Harin’s activity care. Won’t you take her in?”
K looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“K. Call Eunwoo, Myeongjin, Suyeon-sunbae, and Hakjun right now and tell them to come to your house immediately. I’ll order chicken.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Why else? It’s the day you become the CEO of an entertainment agency; we have to celebrate together!”
I grinned and looked at K.
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