[News Rankings]
- Sedalbaekil’s Han Shion releases handwritten statement
- Seocho District Family Court releases ruling confirming guardianship appointment was proper
- Sedalbaekil’s legal representative: “Planning to sue malicious commenters soon”
……
I nodded while looking at the portal site’s news rankings.
It was over.
From now on, the issue regarding my parents would no longer be a risk factor.
The public sentiment in the online comments made it clear.
-Wow, Han Shion’s relatives are such scumbags. I wouldn’t want to leave my inheritance with people like that either.
-Yep, smart move going with the law firm.
-Choi Jiwoon? That guy’s got romance in his soul. He listened to a 20-year-old kid.
-Wasn’t it just because he was a celebrity?
-What are you talking about? He went right after being discharged. That was before Coming Up Next. He was a total ordinary person.
-Oh, you’re right. I didn’t think about that.
-I heard he even set the fee as contingency only. That’s amazing.
-Where did you hear that?
-There’s a phone interview with attorney Choi Jiwoon.
-It’s not 100% romantic though… he did make good money.
-lol true lol but it’s one of the top law firms in Korea.
-Let’s go with 70% romance, 30% profit!
-Let’s just think of it as a blessing in disguise before Sedalbaekil’s album releaseㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-When does Sedalbaekil’s music show air today?
-Starts at 5:45 PM. Don’t know their order yet! But probably near the end!
-Okay, I’ll get ready to watch.
That’s how issues work.
What’s scarier than facts is people’s judgments.
Once an issue spreads from mouth to mouth among the public, it always ends with judgment.
He’s a bad guy.
Why feel sorry? He should’ve just done everything right from the start.
Once people reach a conclusion, it’s nearly impossible to change.
Even with legitimate clarifications.
Humans hate admitting they were wrong.
That’s why I didn’t give the public time to judge.
I continuously dropped new information every 10 to 20 minutes.
As more information came in, people delayed judgment.
And they followed the flow of the headlines.
At the end of that path, I placed my innocence and justification, with the media even modifying their articles to support it.
This way, people believe they reached the conclusion themselves.
That Han Shion, the accident victim, was wrongly accused.
But to be honest?
The financial records are fabricated.
I simply matched the balance from when the court order was issued to the current balance.
There were countless financial transactions in between, but I cleaned them all up.
The same goes for Choi Jiwoon’s contingency fee.
In my scenario, Choi Jiwoon is the righteous lawyer who helped a pitiful child.
But such a person can’t take 50% of the assets.
So I set a reasonable amount for the contingency fee and lied that that was what was paid.
Only Choi Jiwoon and I know this.
Some law firm staff might know too since we need documents for the tax office, but…
It’s a massive law firm, overflowing with connections and corruption.
It’ll never leak.
I guarantee it.
But the public will never know these facts, and their judgment won’t change.
“Good job, Shion.”
As I was thinking that, Lee Eon patted me on the back.
“No big deal. You can check the internet now.”
“No, let’s focus on the music show.”
I had informed the members days earlier.
That something like this would happen on the day of the music show and not to let it shake their mental state.
I told them not to check the internet today if possible.
The members seemed curious why it had to be on the music show day, but I didn’t explain.
They didn’t need to know that today was originally Choi Daeho’s scheduled strike day.
Frankly, I find Choi Daeho laughable.
How many times have I dealt with these kinds of things?
Did he really think such a predictable scheme would work?
If you want to trap me, you’ll have to be far more creative.
In a way I’ve never experienced in my long, long life.
But that’s just my perspective, and the members might still feel pressured.
That’s why I didn’t say anything.
“The fans seemed really worried. Shouldn’t we at least take some waiting room photos and upload them, like other groups?”
At Choi Jaesung’s suggestion, Koo Taehwan shook his head.
“They’ve been worried for hours. Acting like nothing happened might not be good.”
Honestly, both of them are right.
From our fandom’s perspective, Choi Jaesung is right; from the general public’s perspective, Koo Taehwan is right.
But too many eyes are on us right now.
Even though I’ve proven my innocence, the news about my parents being in a vegetative state only broke today.
Posting smiling photos wouldn’t be received positively.
For me, it’s something from months ago, but the public judges based on their timeline.
Still, many fans must be anxious; it feels wrong to just leave it be.
I do have a grand fan service planned.
Not sure if it’ll work out as intended though.
“I’ll go meet the music show’s CP real quick.”
“Shion.”
“Yes?”
“You should say CP-nim.”
Lee Eon really is consistent.
“But why the CP?”
“Since there was some commotion before the broadcast. I should apologize if the program was affected.”
“Oh, right. Want me to come with you?”
“No, I’ll go alone.”
With that, I got up from my seat.
The CP of SBN’s Music Taste had been frazzled since morning.
The prerecordings that started at dawn were handled by field PDs, so that wasn’t an issue.
What had thrown him off was Sedalbaekil — no, Han Shion’s issue.
At first, he thought it was a good thing.
News broke that Han Shion’s parents were in a vegetative state, and sympathy poured in.
This meant he could ignore his junior PDs’ grumblings about having to book Sedalbaekil first and spar with Choi Daeho.
Then he thought it was doomed.
The sympathy shifted to suspicion, and the direction of suspicion wasn’t looking good.
In Korean society, anything resembling parental betrayal is unforgivable.
And now there were even rumors that Han Shion had orchestrated the accident for inheritance.
‘Damn it… why today of all days…’
If the articles had come out a few days after the broadcast, they could’ve just claimed ignorance.
But today?
The situation got so serious even the CEO called him.
But then the situation dramatically reversed.
The public fully sided with Han Shion.
At this point, the higher-ups who understood media structures sensed it.
‘This is scripted, isn’t it?’
They didn’t know where the script began or ended, but at some point, the articles were clearly coordinated.
The progression wasn’t natural.
Perhaps attorney Choi Jiwoon had a hand in it?
But no one thought it was wrong.
After all, this is show business.
Han Shion pulled off a good show and made good business.
He deserved applause, not criticism.
‘Anyway, we’re safe now too.’
Relieved, the CP heard that Han Shion wanted to come greet him.
He gladly accepted.
This was proper.
No matter what happens, if you create a stir on the program, you should offer your apologies.
When he met Han Shion…
It felt strange.
The conversation started normal.
He apologized for the commotion, offered to apologize again if the program had suffered, and asked permission to speak to the reporters outside.
Calm, polite, and appropriate.
If the conversation had ended there, the CP would’ve simply thought of him as a mature young man.
But as they spoke, the topic naturally shifted.
“Sorry again for all the articles because of us.”
[State Of Mind, dominating the charts. Can Sedalbaekil win first place on music shows?]
[Will SBN’s Music Taste set new viewership records with Sedalbaekil’s appearance?]
[“When will Sedalbaekil perform?” Growing public interest in Music Taste]
[Sedalbaekil’s first music show appearance — what kind of stage will it be?]
After all the sympathy, suspicion, and support, the public’s attention was now fully on Music Taste.
The producers were well aware.
They were determined to ensure a flawless stage.
But something felt odd.
It was as if Han Shion…
‘…thinks it’s natural to reshape the show itself.’
It was so natural, the CP almost missed it, but the logic was there.
“Wait, Han Shion-ssi.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Are you asking to be included as a first place candidate?”
That was absurd.
He knew State Of Mind was doing well.
But Sedalbaekil had no broadcast points, and the album sales hadn’t even been counted yet.
The CP expected Han Shion to wave it off, saying he hadn’t even considered it.
But instead—
Han Shion scratched his head and smiled bashfully.
“Well, the station would want to keep viewers tuned in until the end…”
He was so casual it was unsettling.
But not wrong.
Music show ratings had long been below 1%.
He wasn’t sure how many would tune in today due to the issue, but surely at least 3%?
And if Sedalbaekil appeared last as first place candidates?
It would keep viewers watching to the end.
“And there’s the live text voting too…”
But Han Shion didn’t realize: if Sedalbaekil made first place candidates, they’d have to win.
That would complete the narrative.
The unlucky accident victim who suffered false accusations, overcame adversity, and succeeded.
That’s how these stories work.
And what signifies ‘overcoming’?
Obviously, first place.
If they only became a nominee but didn’t win, it could feel hollow.
‘Wait a second… So if we complete the narrative, it could actually benefit us?’
The CP’s head was spinning.
“Other agencies would understand the situation too…”
At Han Shion’s words, lightning struck in his mind.
Right, that was true.
If Sedalbaekil was nominated, the other agencies would probably call.
The biggest thing idol agencies fear is unnecessary controversy.
In this situation, they might voluntarily yield first place.
Besides, today’s scheduled winner was Ocean, the unit from Tension, who had already won for two weeks straight.
They might naturally be ready to step back.
“That’s just my silly fantasy… Sorry, I said something ridiculous.”
The CP was flustered.
Looking at Han Shion’s face, it didn’t seem like he was acting at all…
‘Is he just naïve?’
But something still felt off.
In the end, the CP couldn’t decide.
This wasn’t something he could determine alone, or even with the PDs.
He had to consult higher-ups.
But first, there was one thing to confirm.
“Uh, Han Shion-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Your album pre-orders started, right?”
“Yes. We haven’t received the physicals yet, but once we do…”
“No, I mean, how many have sold?”
“It’s only been two days, so not many.”
“How many?”
The answer was simple.
“About 130,000 copies.”
Insane.
No agency, no fan sign events, no merch marketing…
In just two days?
“R-right. Got it. Please return to your waiting room.”
“Thank you.”
After a brief pause, the CP picked up his phone.
And three hours later—
Music Taste began airing.
Little Pink Starfish 
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