LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 212
Chapter 212
Fortunately, since I had stubbornly refused to give in, Kwak Sang-hyun allowed me to appear on the broadcast with a deeply troubled look on his face.
“I’m sorry.”
I bowed my head deeply.
For Kwak Sang-hyun, who was the site manager, my outright insistence on pushing myself must have been quite distressing.
Ban Yo-han came up with a small scheme for Kwak Sang-hyun’s sake.
“Sang-hyun hyung, don’t go back to the broadcasting station; just stay here.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, we need someone to drive anyway, so just take him there and then return to the hospital. Tell the company that you stayed here as a guardian until we got the results of Young-min hyung’s surgery. If people later complain about Raon overdoing it, just say you tried to stop him here as well, but he insisted on pushing himself. Anyway, it’s not like he always listens, so there’s no need for you to take all the blame like a fool.”
Ban Yo-han’s tone, without even glancing at me, was oddly sharp, suggesting he was probably angry at me.
By the way, Young-min was undergoing surgery?
“Is Young-min hyung… okay?”
Even though he wasn’t a real human, I asked out of courtesy about Lee Young-min, who was known for saving me with his body.
Luckily, everyone seemed to think it was reasonable for me, who almost died, to be disoriented, so they didn’t find it too strange that I was only now asking about Young-min.
“His right ankle was severely fractured, so he went into emergency surgery a while ago. His back and neck don’t look too good either, but they say he can fully recover with hospital treatment. The company will take full responsibility for the surgery costs and his aftercare, so don’t worry too much.”
To ensure Oh Hyun-jin was properly cornered, Larry wouldn’t have let it slide with minor injuries.
It seemed Kwak Sang-hyun was trying to make the situation sound as positive as possible, perhaps to ease my guilt.
“Let me know how the surgery goes.”
“I will.”
On the way back to the broadcasting station, Ban Yo-han, who hadn’t asked once if I was okay, finally looked at me and spoke.
“You could’ve ended up like that too.”
Under Ban Yo-han’s gaze, which seemed to see right through me, I couldn’t lie and say it wasn’t intentional.
Back at the broadcasting station, I informed the staff that I was safe.
The police, who had arrived at the scene after Cheon Hae-kyung’s report, asked for my statement about what had happened.
When I said I wanted to calm down and be interviewed after my schedule, the police agreed and left.
At that moment, a staff member, pointing at my neck, exclaimed, “Oh? Raon, your neck makeup has come off. We need to touch it up.”
Looking in the mirror, I saw that the bruises, which had been almost perfectly covered with makeup, were now slightly visible.
It was enough to be caught on camera.
“Oh. It’s okay.”
I responded while hiding the tissue I had used to subtly wipe my neck, which I had crumpled into a ball.
* * *
Noh Kyu-beom, the PD of Music Pangpang, who had heard about what happened between On Raon and Oh Hyun-jin, allowed On Raon to appear on the show after much consideration.
Despite having gone through a significant event, Raon’s determination to carry out his duties to the end impressed him, as he valued finishing what one started with responsibility.
If On Raon were to be absent, Lee Se-jun would be left alone as the MC, making it difficult to proceed smoothly.
“Working hard is good, but if it gets too tough, speak up immediately.”
Noh Kyu-beom, who had always been fond of On Raon for his performance on various company entertainment shows, naturally advised the clearly unwell On Raon.
“Yes. Thank you.”
With not much time left until the broadcast began, On Raon returned to the waiting room and collapsed onto the sofa.
His body had no strength left.
Thinking it might be a physical issue, he tried using grace, but for some reason, it had no effect.
“Raon! Why are you shaking like this? Are you okay?”
At a staff member’s words, On Raon, who was lying in the corner of the sofa with his arms wrapped around himself, weakly lifted his head.
“Are you feeling unwell? Are you cold? Should I turn off the air conditioner?”
“No. It’s okay…”
On Raon stopped speaking as he realized even his voice was trembling.
“I have a thin cardigan I brought. I’ll find it for you.”
“I bought a hot drink from the vending machine. Want some?”
“Raon, if it’s too much, you can say you can’t do it now.”
The unexplained trembling did not improve much even just before the broadcast began.
‘Looks like I’ll have to switch out after the opening…’
He even thought so himself.
Even Lee Se-jun, who usually was harsh on On Raon, was worried about his condition, which seemed unusual.
“Are you sure you don’t need to rest?”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
Lee Se-jun, having heard the unbelievable story that Huntred’s Oh Hyun-jin had pushed On Raon down the stairs, had many questions he wanted to ask, including whether it was true.
On Raon, standing serenely as he reviewed the script, exuded an atmosphere that made it difficult for anyone to approach him.
After a short while, the live broadcast began.
* * *
Two hours earlier.
From the beginning, Go Kyung-yoon didn’t directly mention Oh Hyun-jin by name. Instead, he revealed only the gender, approximate debut time, and the fact that the person was from a major agency, thus piquing the public’s curiosity and interest even more.
As he intended, in the idol fan community, which had become sensitive to such issues due to Gyun Seong-ha and Gyun Ha-ram’s incident, suspicions quickly spread. Fans speculated, “Could it be him?” or “No way, is it him…?”
With the power of collective intelligence, the list of potential culprits was quickly narrowed down to two or three people, including Oh Hyun-jin.
In this situation, multiple eyewitness accounts emerged from idol fans nearby, stating that police cars and ambulances had arrived at the broadcasting station where Oh Hyun-jin was supposed to appear.
– (Photo) Came to the public broadcast, and since earlier, police cars and ambulances have been taking someone away. Is something wrong with the kids? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– No… seriously, what’s happening? The atmosphere among the staff during the pre-recording is extremely serious.
– RT) Isn’t that person the manager who blocked sasaeng fans with his body last time? Tall and intimidatingly handsome…
– But is it okay to upload photos of ordinary people like this?
– I think it’s the new manager I saw at the work entrance last week. Sid, what’s happening?ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Today, Yo-han went to support Raon as MC. Are they okay?ㅠㅠㅠ
Additionally, eyewitness accounts with photos surfaced, claiming to have seen On Raon, looking pale and with signs of bruising, at a nearby hospital.
– (Photo) It seems the incident with the police and ambulance is related to On Raon. I saw a very handsome person while passing by, and it was On Raon. He was sitting there looking somewhat dazed.
– Damn, Raon, are you okay?ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– It seems certain that something happened to On Raon and the manager. Sid, please inform the fans quickly about what’s going on @ORCA_Official.
– No matter what happened, On Raon was likely taken to the hospital due to an injury. Now he has to deal with being photographed like this… I’ve heard about female idols going to the emergency room fully made-up before. Being an idol is really an extreme job.
– But looking at the timing, doesn’t it seem related to the story about the male idol who was a bully during his trainee days and the incident with On Raon and the manager? Am I just overthinking it?
┗ Yeah, you’re overthinking it.
┗ I thought the same. If it was just an ambulance, it might be different, but the police were also there, which feels suspicious… And On Raon was in TRUE too.
┗ What, does that mean On Raon is the perpetrator? The debut timing and major agency fit him perfectly. Creepy… Why wasn’t On Raon’s name mentioned earlier?
┗ No, no. Read the reveal post correctly. It said the male idol debuted at a major agency. On Raon debuted with Sid after leaving TRUE.
┗ Ah, sorry. That’s why he wasn’t mentioned. Deleting my comment.
– But in the reveal post, there was a mention of a talented dancer falling into a slump and quitting as a trainee because of the perpetrator, which kind of matches On Raon’s trainee days revealed in Pick Heart… Even the part about the trainee debuting elsewhere fits On Raon…
┗ Did On Raon and Huntred train at TRUE during the same period?
┗ Yes, On Raon was a TRUE trainee until two years ago. He left TRUE, appeared on Pick Heart, and then debuted with Sid as Orca.
┗ Whoa… Does that mean Oh Hyun-jin is the perpetrator and On Raon is the victim? Both are rising stars, that’s crazy.
– No, it hasn’t been confirmed that it’s Hyun-jin yet. Let’s not jump to conclusions after seeing what happened with the Gyun siblings.
– We all know it’s easy to wrongly accuse someone. Let’s stay neutral and wait for the follow-up posts and statements from those involved.
– Aren’t both On Raon and Huntred appearing on Music Pangpang later?
┗ Yes, On Raon will appear as an MC if nothing goes wrong, and Huntred has a pre-recorded stage but will be present for the live 1st place announcement.
After the commercial break, Music Pangpang started.
The screen showed Lee Se-jun and On Raon.
[Live Music-]
[Pangpang!]
[Raon, have you heard the news?]
Though it started no differently than usual, the viewership ratings for Music Pangpang were unusually high from the beginning due to people’s curiosity about the incident.
– It seems like something really happened to On Raon. His voice is different from last week, and his complexion looks terrible right now.
– Sid, if the kid’s condition isn’t good, don’t let him appear on the showㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– (Broadcast screen capture showing a circle around On Raon’s neck) What’s this on On Raon’s neck? Did the makeup smudge?
┗ Ah? What is that? Would they use such a dark color on On Raon? The shape looks weird, like a bruise.
– (Zoomed-in photo) It looks like a bruise.
– No way, what else can cause a bruise like that on someone’s neck other than strangulation?
– Damn it, what’s going on?
– He looks seriously unwell. Is it okay for him to be an MC?
– How can they make such a sick-looking kid go on broadcast? Sid, are you out of your mind?
Somehow, after safely guiding through the introduction of this week’s number one candidates, the screen changed, and the first group’s stage began.
Immediately afterward, shocking news spread on social media.
– Whoa, On Raon collapsed as soon as the cameras stopped rolling.