pappabearbooks Chapter 179: Downfall (5)
Chapter 179: Downfall (5)
The YouTube channel 'Reporter Park TV' was a fairly big channel with over 500,000 subscribers. As the name of the channel suggests, it mainly dealt with issues or scoops related to the entertainment industry, and the channel owner had also been a reporter in the past.Of course, there are many channels like 'Reporter Park TV' run by former journalists or that cover entertainment issues.
However, what made 'Reporter Park TV' different from other channels was that it created content based on clear evidence. It never uploaded videos based solely on gossip or rumors, and when it obtained evidence or tips, 'Reporter Park TV' always conducted its own coverage or investigation.
Then, the videos were uploaded in a format that included solid evidence.
Thanks to this, 'Reporter Park TV' was a highly trusted channel, and just now, on that very channel.
-Shocking! ‘Plagiarist’ Neos Member Jae-chan! We Have Proof of His Drug Party!!｜Reporter Park TV
A video was uploaded featuring the popular idol group 'Neos', which had recently announced a halt in activities after their image plummeted due to a plagiarism scandal. To be precise, the video focused on one of the six members of 'Neos', 'Jae-chan'.
Just from the video title, it gave the nuance that 'Jae-chan' had participated in a drug party.
And the actual video reflected that as well.
Without any buildup, the video immediately showed photos filled with alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. In the photos, 'Neos' member 'Jae-chan' was seen along with several men and women, all appearing to be having a good time. Starting with those images, 'Reporter Park TV', a man with glasses and a plain-looking face, began explaining in front of the camera.
["Everyone, you know 'Neos', right? They've been making a lot of noise lately. Once composer Pineon admitted it, it was confirmed that Neos’s title track was plagiarized, and Big Star Entertainment has temporarily suspended their activities. Up to this point, 'Neos' could be seen as victims, right?"]
Continuing the briefing in a calm tone.
["But as the group's past misconduct is being reexamined, their image is plummeting into the abyss. It was the right decision for Big Star to suspend their activities before things got worse. If it ends here, things will cool down and one day 'Neos' will make a comeback as if nothing happened. Sure, the plagiarism label will stick, but it's not a huge problem."]
At this point, a slightly different angle of the same scene from the early part of the video appears.
["But! I have obtained photos and evidence of 'Neos' member 'Jae-chan's drug party! Do you see here? The gray hair. Anyone can tell it’s 'Neos' member 'Jae-chan'. At a glance, it looks like they’re just partying and drinking in a party room, but on the glass table, you can clearly see things that shouldn't be there. On the floor, too."]
The evidence was quite explicit, and 'Reporter Park TV' even presented messages from 'Jae-chan', as well as various other pieces of evidence, and stated things definitively.
["Idols are often admired by young kids. 'Neos' is completely unfit to be such a role model."]
The video had a runtime of roughly under 10 minutes, and it quickly racked up views. It made sense. First of all, the title was extremely provocative, and negative issues related to 'Neos' had been exploding lately. Moreover, 'Reporter Park TV' had over 500,000 subscribers.
Comments from angry viewers began flooding in almost immediately.
-Wow.......this is insane
-Ugh, I feel like throwing up. Arrest him immediately!!
-Jae-chan seemed off lately on his livestreams
-This isn’t just some random rumor, this is hard evidence ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-An idol doing drugs ㅋㅋㅋㅋ he’s finished
-Investigate everyone around Jae-chan too, there’s definitely more druggies in his circle
-Are the people defending Jae-chan in the comments insane? This is seriously fxxked up!
-Thinking about him singing while high gives me chills....
-Looks like he’s already seriously addicted ㅋㅋㅋ I hope he recovers behind bars
-He must be severely punished. Arrest him immediately
-From plagiarism to drugs... Neos ending in the worst way ㅋㅋㅋ kinda impressive in a way
-Cut him off ㅋㅋㅋ investigate everyone around that bastard too!!
Within just a few dozen minutes, various news agencies also caught on to the story.
"What the hell!! Jae-chan from 'Neos' did drugs?!!"
"Huh?! What’s the source?!"
"That YouTube channel, 'Reporter Park TV'!!"
"Wh-what? It’s real?!!"
"'Neos' is done! Anyway, write up the article right now!!!"
Already generating high click rates due to the 'plagiarism' scandal, 'Neos' now had drugs mixed into the story, so reporters, half-crazed with excitement, began firing off articles.
In no time, the internet was flooded with mentions of 'Neos' or 'Jae-chan'.
《[Breaking News] Shocking! 'Neos' member 'Jae-chan' exposed for drug use!》
《'Neos Jae-chan' throws drug party / Photos》
《Plagiarism wasn't the end! 'Neos' Jae-chan, drug party with multiple people》
《Unending idol drug scandals... This time it's 'Neos' Jae-chan》
The momentum was stronger than ever, and the speed at which it spread was overwhelming.
《Even 'Neos' fans turn their backs, at Jae-chan’s drug party video: “That’s clear evidence, goodbye~”》
《[Issue Pick] Out-of-the-blue 'Jae-chan' drug scandal puts 'Big Star Entertainment' on red alert》
《[Star Talk] 'Drug Partier' Jae-chan, after watching the video... the evidence is solid》
An idol. And not just any idol, but a popular one being involved in drug use was an immensely serious incident. With something of this scale, it wouldn’t be strange if 'Neos' completely disbanded, and 'Big Star Entertainment', still dealing with the aftermath of the plagiarism scandal, was.
“C-CEO-nim!! It’s a disaster!!”
“The damage is already done, what disaster are you talking about now?!”
The future looked pitch-black. One of the top idol groups under Big Star, 'Neos', was.
“Jae-chan’s... drug scandal has exploded.”
“......What?”
Clearly destined to crumble to pieces and disappear.
Meanwhile, at GN Entertainment.
In the large conference room, the A&R team, various departments, and executives were gathered, with CEO Ha Seo-hwan, exuding the aura of a classy middle-aged man, seated at the head of the table. Several staff members were giving their reports. They were part of the team that had recently gone to scout out concert venues in Japan.
“This concludes the venues with around 10,000 capacity. From here, we move on to those with over 20,000.”
From the content, it was a briefing on possible venues for Vanguard's Japan concert.
“Yokohama Hall holds 20,000, Saitama Super Arena holds between 25,000 to 30,000, Niigata 30,000, Yokohama Stadium 30,000, Seibu Dome 35,000......”
As they listed maximum audience capacities, the projector showed the full layout of each venue, including pros, cons, and other relevant points. One thing was clear: they were only considering venues with a minimum capacity of 10,000.
Soon, CEO Ha Seo-hwan, having taken off his suit jacket, folded his arms and muttered.
“...Hmm. Vanguard's debut showcase had 20,000 people, so 10,000 feels a bit lacking.”
“Yes, I think so too.”
“Let’s go bold with something between 25,000 and 30,000.”
Some executives widened their eyes in slight surprise at the large scale of 30,000, but no one dared to challenge CEO Ha Seo-hwan.
“Has 'Vanguard' begun preparing for the Japan concert?”
“Yes, CEO-nim. They’re in the middle of recording and will start rehearsals soon. However, we’re currently prioritizing domestic schedules.”
At that moment.
-Swish.
CEO Ha Seo-hwan’s secretary rushed in and whispered something urgently in his ear. His expression quickly turned into one of surprise as he asked again.
“'Neos' got hit with a drug scandal?”
All of GN Entertainment’s staff immediately dropped their jaws.
And 'Vanguard'.
“D-Drugs??”
Around early afternoon, while moving to their next schedule in the van, they confirmed the news of Jae-chan’s drug scandal. But this time, unlike during the plagiarism incident, their reaction was quiet.
“......”
“......”
Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung all kept their mouths shut. Though inwardly shocked to the core.
‘That's insane! Drugs?! This kind of thing actually happens??!!’
They didn’t show it outwardly. If they were still regular people, they’d have caused a scene, but now they were idols, rookie idols at that, and it was unclear how they were supposed to react in this situation. So Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung simply chose silence.
‘......L-let’s just stay quiet. When you don’t know what to say, it’s best to keep your mouth shut.’
‘Dad always said if you do nothing, you’ll at least stay in the middle. Was he talking about moments like this?’
Kang Rojun had no intention of making a fuss either. He was simply marveling inwardly about the ‘AI Simulation’.
‘This must be why Big Star Entertainment scored 28 points. Whew, chills. ‘AI Automation’ is insane too.’
Now it was finally clear why Pineon and Big Star Entertainment received scores like 18 and 28. Such low scores were deserved, composer Pineon for plagiarism, Big Star Entertainment for Jae-chan’s drug scandal. Soon enough, Rojun erased thoughts of ‘Neos’ from his mind.
‘The entertainment industry’s bound to be shaken for a while, but as long as I and ‘Vanguard’ do our jobs right, we’ll be fine. Our schedule’s already crazy, we don’t even have time to care about that.’
He was just starting to enjoy idol life, there was no reason to let ‘Neos’ drag him down. Manager Kim Ki-baek in the passenger seat seemed to share the same thought.
-Swish.
He turned around and spoke to the ‘Vanguard’ members in a mild tone.
“What just erupted isn’t your business, don’t let it bring your mood down. The idol industry may get a little darker for a while, but when you shine in a crisis, you stand out even more.”
He was stating the obvious. Still, Manager Kim Ki-baek remained exceptionally calm. Then, he changed the subject, listing the schedule ahead.
“We’ve got two short and intense interviews, then we head to the last music show of the week. You all know that if we win today’s music show, that makes us 4-time winners, right? Once it’s over, hm- we might be able to get off work early for once.”
So while the world was in chaos over ‘Neos’, ‘Vanguard’ cleared their schedule like nothing had happened. And even in the middle of all this uproar.
《‘Vanguard’ fever burns hot... 4-time winner on music shows!》
《Vanguard wins 4 times on music shows: “We’ll keep showing you our growth”》
《[Star Photo] Got 4 music show crowns right after debut! Healing hearts wounded by ‘Neos’ with ‘Vanguard’ / Photos》
They had pulled off 4 music show wins. It was another moment of achieving a first.
-♬♪
‘GreenBee’ echoed across the stage.
Perhaps it was because this was their fourth music show win, but not just Kang Rojun, all the members had become somewhat more relaxed. You could tell just by how perfect the encore stage was.
“Kyaaaaaaa!!”
Hundreds of fans were cheering for ‘Vanguard’. Holding the trophy in one hand, Kang Rojun danced passionately.
‘Nice! The more I do this, the more fun it gets!’
He was fully enjoying the moment. The stage lights blazing down on him were hot, the song rang sharply in his in-ears, and the screams of the hundreds of fans created chaos, but all of it was exciting. It had only been a few weeks since debut and things were already like this, just how many more things awaited them from now on? How many fans would scream their names?
Naturally, a smile reached Kang Rojun’s eyes.
“He’s crazy!! Rojun just smiled!! Kyaaaaaaa!”
The other members, feeling the same as their leader, smiled or showcased their charm to the fullest.
The fans' excitement hit its peak.
As their light stick, glowing like a planet, shook violently.
“......”
Off to the side of the stage, where the music show staff were stationed, someone stood with arms crossed, overseeing the entire scene. It was Manager Kim Ki-baek. After scanning the half-crazed fans, he turned his gaze toward ‘Vanguard’ on stage.
‘Mm- they’re getting better and better. Maybe because they’re genuinely having fun?’
The more ‘Vanguard’ grew, the more interested Manager Kim Ki-baek became. It had been a while since he’d seen this. Kids who radiated a clean, pure passion, even while their popularity exploded right from debut.
‘They’re fun to watch.’
Just then.
-Bzzzz.
A short vibration came from the phone in Manager Kim Ki-baek’s back jeans pocket. He casually took out the phone.
-Swish.
A text message had arrived. The saved name of the sender was ‘Reporter Park’. A familiar name. Yes, just like the YouTuber ‘Reporter Park TV’ who exposed Jae-chan’s drug scandal.
In any case, Manager Kim Ki-baek checked the text from the person named ‘Reporter Park’.
[Reporter Park: Did you see the video I uploaded about Jae-chan? What do you think? I mixed it well using the source you gave me and threw it out fast so it wouldn’t get too soggy. How’s the timing?]
Manager Kim Ki-baek gave a faint chuckle and sent a brief reply.
[Yeah, it was good.]