Chapter 17: A Response Comes
A car drives into the front gate of Yongsan Police Station.
Squeak-!
As soon as the car stopped, the back door opened and Enbin ran out, his face covered with a hat, sunglasses, and a mask. The police guarding the door glanced at him suspiciously, as he looked obviously suspicious.
“Bina! Let’s go together!”
“Muyoung, hurry up and chase him. We’ve got work to do.”
“Hey! I said don’t run!”
The manager drove the car inside for parking, and Muyoung chased after Enbin instead.
“Where is the Criminal Investigation Division here?”
“Go up to the second floor.”
“Ugh! It’s hard!”
As expected, a kid who dances and sings every day is different. How can he be so quick on his feet? Enbin ran upstairs without stopping to catch his breath.
-The culprit has been caught.
Good news came just two days after the report was filed.
When Enbin asked for the video to be sent to him, the blackmailer did not respond. Two hours later, he sent the same photo again.
Bang!
“Where is Detective Kim Mincheol?”
It felt like an eternity of two hours.
When there was no reply, Enbin’s anxiety gradually turned into anger, and the photo reply ignited that anger, like oil on a fire.
-I only have photos.
Blurry photos, too, where you couldn’t tell who was who. Even the most devoted fans wouldn’t be able to recognize them. All that was left was to report it.
“It’s here.”
A bald-headed detective raised his hand from the corner. In front of him sat a woman wearing a hoodie. Enbin’s face hardened.
“Are you the victim, Jung Eunbin?”
Enbin’s real name. He simply nodded and looked down at the woman. A familiar figure from behind. Since she had been following him, Enbin was just as familiar with her.
“……Look up.”
At his low voice, the suspect showed her face.
That stalker! Enbin couldn’t help but grab her by the collar.
“You bastard-!”
“Hey! No! Stop it!”
“Oh, you mustn’t do this!”
Muyoung grabbed Enbin’s waist and clung to him. A commotion broke out, but it wasn’t an uncommon sight at the police station, so the atmosphere was calmer than expected.
“I’m sorry, oppa. Waaaah…….”
The stalker burst into tears as she was held by the collar. The detective muttered with a troubled expression.
“Oppa, you’re twenty-nine years old.”
“Handsome guys are all oppas!”
A statement that didn’t fit the serious situation. Muyoung gasped and looked at Enbin’s expression. He was clearly on the verge of losing his sanity.
“Oppa, I’m sorry. I needed money, so I did it. Just once, please forgive me for the time we’ve spent together. Okay?”
The stalker began to cry, her hands clasped together in supplication. Enbin’s expression grew increasingly rigid. No, more than rigid—he turned deathly pale. The time they’d spent together? What the hell!
“Actually, I didn’t have any particular thoughts. I was just curious about what oppa did at home. I thought he’d be seeing someone…….”
I didn’t think something like that would get recorded.
The feeling of shock and betrayal lasted only a moment. After all, Enbin was someone she ‘loved.’ He had intended to let it go. If only there hadn’t been a fire.
“……Why did you take a screenshot?”
“I couldn’t see the woman’s face, so I tried to adjust the brightness to see who it was, but I couldn’t figure it out.”
At the stalker’s statement, Enbin inwardly sighed in relief. Yeah, she shouldn’t know. He was trying to live his life without being caught, holding back from meeting her.
The detective gestured for the woman to sit down and spoke.
“So, the original video was put on a USB, which was lost in the fire, and the screenshot was stored in the cloud. The suspect said she was a, uh, what did she call it?”
‘A photography enthusiast.’
Muyoung cautiously mouthed the words. The detective scratched his nose and laughed.
“Anyway, she said that because of that, she automatically saved all kinds of photos without discrimination. She said she didn’t save videos because they took up too much space. We’ll investigate after the fact to confirm if it’s true. Oh, and as expected, it was a drone.”
“What about the money?”
The woman flinched at Muyoung’s question.
“She said she spent some of it on food, lodging, and clothing. About 600, I think. The suspect was arrested at a hotel, and that cost another 150 or so-”
“Damn it-”
“I’m sorry! Oppa, I’m really sorry!”
“Stop calling me oppa-!”
When Enbin reached for the chair next to him and tried to pick it up, the woman clasped her hands together again. Still, it was fortunate that only 7.5 million out of 100 million had been spent. Muyoung grabbed Enbin’s arm and said,
“This is okay. Let’s look on the bright side. Okay?”
“I’m going to get that money back, every last bit of it.”
“Oppa…….”
“Shut up! You disgust me!”
If it hadn’t been for the manager who joined them at that moment, a real punch would have been thrown. Muyoung clung to Enbin’s waist again and struggled with all his might.
“Muyoung, take him out of here!”
“Come here! You bastard-!”
“Don’t you know there are a lot of reporters at the police station? Calm down. I’ll take care of this, so get out of here. Now!”
Slam!
As the door closed violently, Enbin finally caught his breath. He was still excited and rough, but it seemed like he had managed to hold on to his sanity.
“Bina, would you like something to drink?”
“Sigh. What should I do about that? I feel like I need to chew her up to feel better.”
“Now that we’re following the law, don’t be like that. The more you do, the more it’ll hurt you. She’ll pay for her crimes anyway.”
At Muyoung’s words, Enbin frowned. The way he spoke was like a monk. As if he had mastered all the trials of the world, water is water, and mountains are mountains!
“You’re annoying.”
“Hee-hee. But it’s true.”
Muyoung answered confidently.
The black smog tangled behind her was thicker, darker, and more massive than what he’d seen in the reading.
Her mother, the malevolent spirit, was so engulfed that she was invisible.
“……Words.”
Enbin replied like that and headed to the break room.
When he sat across from him and opened a can of coffee, he regained some of his senses. A quiet space. Outside, he could hear only the pleasant noise of police officers coming and going.
“Thank you.”
After a long silence, Enbin spoke.
Words he couldn’t say because he was so confused. Muyoung just smiled.
“Yeah. I missed all my classes.”
Since that day, Muyoung hadn’t returned to school and had been staying at his dorm instead.
It was a house that all the members shared, but since they had all moved out and the situation was so urgent……
“You said it was Seoyeon University, right? You must have been a good student.”
“What can I say? It was an act of God.”
“……Thank you so much. For what you did at the reading that day, and for coming to find me. Thank you.”
He had colleagues, but no friends, which was typical of an idol’s life. Enbin might have been unusual, but he’d been working in society since he was so young. He hadn’t had anyone he could easily open up to.
“What can I do for you?”
“What can you do? Buy me a meal.”
“If I get that 100 million back, I’ll give it to you.”
At his words, Muyoung’s eyes widened.
The coffee he’d just drunk almost came out of his nose. It sounded like a joke, but Enbin’s expression was serious.
“Are you crazy? Why would I take that?”
“If it wasn’t for you, I would have lost that money, my career, my girlfriend, my private life. None of it was unimportant.”
Because he had no friends, he believed deeply that every action required a price. He had simply stopped believing in kindness. Muyoung looked awkwardly at his hands and scratched his head.
“No. What are friends for…….”
At Muyoung’s words, Enbin just blinked.
Friends? You? My friend?
“I’m one year older than you.”
“You’ve been speaking casually to me all this time. And you’re an early birthday. What, do you want me to raise your status right now?”
“……That’s ridiculous.”
“Yeah, yeah. I think so, too. 100 million? Whose dog’s name is 100 million? 100 million! Put that in your bank account and save it for your old age. And don’t stop your activities.”
All schedules had been halted due to the contract termination. From the main activity of album releases to concert rehearsals.
Of course, the production of the web drama had also come to a complete stop. Square Film and the city of Seoul must have been scratching their heads over how to deal with this.
“It’s usually uploaded on Fridays, but it’s been delayed. Today is Saturday, so the company people probably aren’t at work, right?”
“You’re crazy. Is that so important to you?”
“I told you. It’s my first work.”
At Muyoung’s words, Enbin just laughed. He was a really strange guy. He knew exactly where he was going and was determined to get there. Then the manager called the two of them.
“Bina- Muyoung!”
“We’re here.”
“Yeah. Did you have something to drink? Are you feeling better?”
Enbin drank the rest of his coffee and asked.
“How did it go?”
“I made it clear that there would be no leniency, and from now on, the company’s legal team will handle it. You don’t have to worry about it anymore. Fortunately, there were no trashy articles.”
Enbin had been furious, insisting that he had to see the blackmailer’s face. The manager wiped his sweat and cautiously looked at him.
“So now-”
“Let’s go.”
Ting!
Enbin hit the trash can with the empty can. Then he stood up and walked past the manager.
“I’m sorry, hyung. I’ve caused you a lot of trouble because of me. I’ll talk to the company separately. So, reschedule the delayed schedule.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
The manager’s face lit up. Enbin gestured for Muyoung to follow him quickly. Muyoung smiled roundly and threw away the can of coffee.
“I’m going to work harder to make up for the lost time.”
“Yeah, Bina. You’ve got your head on straight!”
“Don’t tell Mom and Dad about this.”
“Of course. You don’t have to worry about that!”
Before leaving the police station’s front gate, Muyoung grabbed Enbin and checked his hat, sunglasses, and mask again. Only his ears were visible, so no one would know who he was.
“Okay. Let’s go now.”
“Ha Muyoung.”
“Yeah?”
“If you need that 100 million, tell me.”
“Oh, come on. Shut up already.”
“Or I’ll make it up to you with something else. If you need anything, just tell me. I’m kind of a big deal in this industry.”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it. Let’s go.”
Muyoung answered vaguely and walked down the stairs. Even if he made it up to him with something else, what would he need? He was just going to live his life as an actor……
Vroom!
Enbin’s car sped out of the police station smoothly.
And that evening, when Square Film heard the news of Enbin’s return to work, they shed tears of relief and joy and sent a video to the MeTube manager in charge of Seoul.
Ding.
[Seoul promotional web drama - A late-night snack bar that soothes the pain of youth! But the boss is Enbin? Late Night Pocha Episode 01]
It was the moment Muyoung’s first work was uploaded.