Chapter 86

The way President Shim looked her made Hyoyoung shiver in disgust. She didn’t know what to do, but thankfully The M members showed up.

When President Shim stumbled towards her, Hyojun ran and pushed him out of the way. He hugged her to protect her while Kiwook grabbed President Shim and dragged him to stand. Kiwook panted angrily and glared at the president as he pushed him roughly against the wall.

President Shim sneered, “It is so nice to see everyone like this. I love it.”

“Shut up.”

“Oh, come on. You are the stars of this country now, so you should really careful about what you say. Swearing like that is very inappropriate. What if your fans hear you? What if a bad rumor starts?”

“YOU are the one who started that crazy rumor!”

“It’s called karma, boys. Don’t you remember what you did to me many years ago? You did much worse to me, don’t you think?”

“How dare you! You…”

“Oh, Kiwook Noh. You just don’t get it, do you? You have no idea what kind of danger you are in, do you? Oh, by the way, how is your sexy mother? She must be so happy that her son became a huge star. She is probably trying her best to figure out how to use her son…”

“Shut up!”

“You really need to watch your mouth boy, or people are going to think you grew up without learning good manners. You know, because your parents are divorced. I am your elder, and telling me to shut up is unacceptable. Especially an elder who can ruin your life. Stupid little boy… when will you learn?”

Kiwook’s face was red with anger. As President Shim taunted, Myunghee cried and moaned loudly. Hyoyoung tried to remain calm, but the situation was too stressful and hearing Myunghee cry made things worse. From time to time, Hyoyoung also felt the president looking at her in a strange way, upsetting her.

Jiwoo seemed to realize how Hyoyoung felt. He slowly moved in front of her to hide her from President Shim. This small gesture made Hyoyoung feel much better. She thought to herself, ‘I really hope this ends soon. I don’t care what happens at this point, I just want to get out of here.’

She sighed as Jiwoo held her hand and squeezed it. He was trying to comfort Hyoyoung, and it helped. She breathed deeply and continued to listen.

Kiwook glared at President Shim like he was about to hit him, but Hyojun grabbed Kiwook’s arm and asked calmly, “What. Do. You. Want?”

“Oh, so now it’s Mr. Hyojun’s turn. What do I want? A very good question. A very sensible question.”

“Stop playing games and just spit it out. You want something from us, right?”

“What do I want? Of course, I want something from you!”

“Tell us then.”

“I want all of you to be ruined.”

“What?”

“I looked into everything. It seems like you guys were very honest when it came to getting paid for your work. You requested to be paid modestly, which means you made President Kim very rich. But you know what? The problem here is that President Kim refused to pay me anything! That bastard! He used to be no one and now that he has made some money, he thinks he’s so great. He thinks he made it this far all on his own. It’s not like I asked for all the money. I just want half, which is only fair. But he refused, so what else can I do? If I can’t have any, then he can’t have any either. So… the only thing left for me to do is make you guys disappear. Ruin you for life. It’s a very obvious choice, don’t you think?”

Hyojun sighed and replied, “If you can’t have it, just destroy it so no one can…?”

“Exactly. I knew you were a very smart boy, Hyojun Ahn. Very smart!”

“Now I can see the resemblance. Myunghee… and now you. Both uncle and niece are crazy, it must run in the family.”

“What?”

“Do your worst.”

“What…?”

“We believe that the world we live in is fair. It may take a long time but people, our fans, will eventually realize the truth.”

“What?”

“Whatever you say will grab a lot of attention at the beginning, but in the end, people will realize the truth. And when they do, you will never be able to work in the entertainment industry again.”

“Ha! Are you threatening me?”

“No. I don’t threaten people. What would be the point? You aren’t the type of person who would ever change. What I am doing right now is letting it go. I am done worrying about it and trying to fix anything. So do your worst.”

“Fine. I thought you were smart, but I guess I was wrong. You are an idiot too. Fine! Try to survive this! Let’s see how long you can keep believing in your naïve dream.”

“Alright, whatever.”

“You…! Hyojun, I’ll give you this piece of advice…”

“Nope. I don’t need it. We are enemies, so stop pretending to be nice and giving me advice. Just get lost and do whatever you want to do.”

“You just don’t understand yet. You don’t get this industry. You have no idea what is coming for you. One day, very soon, you are going to cry and kneel in front of me for forgiveness.”

“I may cry, but I will never kneel. Get lost.”

When Hyojun seemed determined, President Shim didn’t continue. He grabbed his niece Myunghee’s arm and roughly dragged her out.

Listening to the fight was painful. When Hyoyoung saw Myunghee being dragged away by her uncle, it was hard for her to bear. Myunghee looked so resigned and devastated and there was nothing Hyoyoung could do.

Then suddenly, Hyojun appeared in front of her and hugged her.

“It’s going to be okay, Hyoyoung.”

He continued to whisper, “Trust your brother. I may not be able to fix everything, but I promise you that you will be fine. You have to be. I will make sure that you are unharmed, so please don’t worry.”

Hyoyoung could feel Hyojun’s heartbeat on her left cheek. She replied, “I’m fine, Oppa. I’m worried about you. All of you. You should be too. All I have to do is just go to school…”

“Take some time off from school. I think that would be best. I’m really sorry, Hyoyoung. I, I didn’t know something like this would happen.”

“No, I’m really fine, Oppa. I…”

“You can cry if you want, Hyoyoung.”