Chapter 88

The entire classroom quieted down and stared at Mikyung. Then suddenly, everyone gathered around her like a tsunami.

“OMG, Mikyung! You were there? Seriously?”

“This is the biggest news ever! So you saw EVERYTHING, Myunghee?”

“No way! This is crazy! So is Hyoyoung Ahn really Purple M’s girlfriend?”

“Then is Hyoyoung Ahn’s older brother really Black M?”

“Mikyung, say something! Tell us the truth! Tell us everything! What did Myunghee Shin say? What happened?”

“The articles about The M… are they really true?”

Mikyung was bombarded with so many questions that she didn’t know what to say. She just looked around in shock and confusion, and when she saw all the curious and obsessed eyes on her, she shivered in fear.

After a brief hesitation, she swallowed hard and replied, “B-Black M is really Hyoyoung’s older brother. And… Hyoyoung really is Purple M’s girlfriend. It’s all true.”

“OMG!!!”

“AHHH! This can’t be! I can’t believe it!”

“Oh my god! My Purple M! He is supposed to be mine!”

“OMG, OMG! Are you serious, Mikyung? Is this real? Are you sure?”

All her classmates became wild with excitement and anger as Mikyung confirmed their suspicions. When the girls took out their cellphones and started to text everyone they knew, Mikyung stammered, “H, hey… s-stop…”

She became afraid as her classmates typed like lightening with their nimble fingers. It felt like she was in the middle of the ocean and she had thrown a stone into it, creating a large wave. Mikyung thought about saying something to fix the situation, but it was too late. No one was paying any attention to her anymore.

***

Within the hour, another article appeared that shook the nation.

‘Purple M’s Girlfriend’s Best Friend Reveals that Rumor is True. Purple M is in a Relationship.’

Mikyung realized the mistake she made. She considered going to Hyoyoung’s house to explain, but she knew that it would be a mistake. There were girls from different classes that were spying on her as well as reporters outside. She knew that she could be followed and leading people to Hyoyoung’s home would be an even bigger mistake.

After much deliberation, Mikyung sent a short text to Hyoyoung.

-Everyone in class knows.

Mikyung typed “I’m sorry,” but quickly erased it. She then sent the text and waited, but she didn’t get a reply.

She would have preferred Hyoyoung to get angry at her and send her a furious and accusing text. That would’ve given Mikyung an excuse to call her and perhaps sort things out with her. But Hyoyoung remained quiet, making her feel worse.

Was this really the end of their friendship?

Meanwhile, Hyoyoung was at home with Hyojun. He had just returned from making sure no one was in front of their house when Hyoyoung said to him, “Oppa… the new article online…”

“Did another article get released?”

“Yeah…”

“What does it say?”

“It sounds like Mikyung…”

“Mikyung?”

“I think she must’ve talked to a reporter. The article says that I am your little sister… and that I am also Kiwook Oppa’s girlfriend.”

“WHAT?”

When Hyojun yelled in shock, Hyunsuk, Jiwoo, and Kiwook all came running with their cellphones in their hands. It was obvious that they all had read the same article online.

“Hey, Hyojun! There is another article online!”

“This is… too accurate.”

“What can we do? I guess we expected something like this, but still…what should we do?”

The M members and Hyoyoung all sat in the living room and look down quietly in defeat. The day of the concert, when they came back home, they were so tired that they all went straight to bed, but no one could get any sleep. They all kept thinking about what President Shim said to them.

“You all will get to experience what it’s like to lose everything you care about!”

It was a real threat.

Hyojun asked Hyoyoung to stay home from school until things quieted down, and she agreed to it. She didn’t think she would be able to survive the school life at this point.

The guys and Hyoyoung were also trying to figure out how to stop Mikyung from telling anyone about them. And even if Mikyung didn’t tell anyone, they still had no idea what President Shim would do.

Their CEO, President Kim, blamed himself for having such a horrible friend. He asked The M members to remain silent and under the radar until the agency could come up with a solution. Historically in the Korean entertainment industry, the best thing for an agency to do in this kind of situation was to remain silent until things settled down. When people started to forget, that was the best time for the company to release an apology or an explanation.

It was a serious situation, but for some reason, Hyoyoung felt better.

She felt like a burden had been lifted off her shoulders because she no longer had to lie to Mikyung. She also realized that she may be the most hated girl in the country, but perhaps she could now openly date Kiwook since it wasn’t a secret anymore.

There was one main thing they had to decide now. Should the members all take their masks off and reveal their true identities to the public? But if they did this, that would mean that the members would no longer be able to go outside freely.

Their private personal lives would be over.

Before the guys and Hyoyoung could decide, however, it seemed that Mikyung had revealed everything to the reporters.

Before she saw the article, Hyoyoung received a text from Mikyung. When she read it, Hyoyoung’s heart turned cold like ice.

The way Mikyung’s text was worded… it felt so dry and angry.

It sounded like she thought that Hyoyoung deserved it.

Hyoyoung couldn’t help feeling disappointed and angry.

‘What did I do so wrong that I deserve this? Did Mikyung really have to do this to me? She was my friend, yet she treats me this way? How could she? How dare she?’

Hyoyoung was so upset that no matter what the guys said to her, she couldn’t be consoled. When Hyoyoung looked beat, Jiwoo said to her, “Hey, Hyoyoung… I think we should first make sure it really was Mikyung who talked to the reporter. Maybe we are all mistaken.”

Hyoyoung replied coldly, “Mikyung texted me admitting that she did it. She told me that we were no longer friends after the concert, then she sent me this text… Why else would she send me such a text except for the fact that she’s guilty? It’s clear that she told everyone, including the reporters, about me.”

“But…”

“It’s fine. I mean, it was bound to happen at some point, right? I will just be the most hated girl in the school… probably in the entire country, but whatever. It’s done and it’s too late. The only thing I’m worried about is my SAT… I might have to delay it for a year. Which means I will go to university a year later, right?”

Hyoyoung acted calm, but the guys looked at her sympathetically. Kiwook called to her, “Hyoyoung…”

“It’s ok, oppa. I’m fine, I swear. You all have nothing to worry about… well, at least not about me. I am more worried about you guys. I think you better make a public statement by tonight, or else, your careers might really be over. Just make sure to come up with something good. You better choose your words very carefully. And stop worrying about me, just take care of yourselves.”

Hyoyoung shrugged her shoulders and went into her room.

The guys watched her leave and after a few minutes of silence, they started to discuss what to do. In the end, it was decided that it would be best to release their explanation through an internet show in three hours.

So what should they say?

Hyunsuk said that the best thing was to be honest. Everyone agreed and the members decided that they should tell their fans the truth. They should admit that Black M’s little sister and Purple M were indeed dating. Kiwook wanted to explain this himself, and the other guys agreed that would be the best. They also decided that they should talk about Myunghee and President Shim without mentioning their names.

However, 30 minutes before the internet show, Jiwoo called everyone. His face was pale.

He was in shock.

“Hey guys, something is very wrong! Come quick! You all need to see this right NOW!”