Just before contacting Kim Jaeyeon to dig into “Yoon Heeon,” I searched everywhere I could on my phone first. [Sung Jiwon quit lol fuuuck that’s disgusting, pretending not to know anything, bleh 🤢] [Sung Jiwon should’ve peaced out with Today when they fled for the army~~ 6 years of training and still didn’t make it—should’ve stayed a civilian instead of forcing his way in and dragging others down] [Sungpris (lol) trying to sell his personality, how pathetic. Meanwhile Daepaseong’s just playing deaf and blind... lol] People really think tearing someone down is a way to elevate themselves. The second they smell a weakness, they swarm like wild animals and tear into it. And what pisses me off the most? The target of all that is someone like Sung Jiwon, who’s nothing but decent and hardworking. 'Honestly, if anyone deserves to sell his character, it’s Sung Jiwon.' Anyone who’s spent even a few days talking with him would get it. Even if you didn’t want to, you’d start feeling like your rotten insides were getting just a little bit cleaner. Especially now that I’ve been rooming with him, it’s even more obvious. I searched ‘PROVE’ next, but nothing connected to Yoon Heeon came up. Was it the influence of a major agency? Or some industrial-strength image scrubbing? Clicking my tongue, I started combining different terms in various ways, adjusting the search settings—until I finally stumbled across something. [He’s been using gaslighting to feed his need for validation since his trainee days. You think he’s changed? └ (This tweet is unavailable) └└ lol yeah, poor guys debuting with him] Finally, a few tweets from a few years ago started to give off the right kind of stench. I couldn’t help but laugh faintly. 'Right, once you’re dirty, there’s no going back to clean.' After confirming there was nothing else worth reading, I deleted “Yoon Heeon” from the search bar and typed in the name of his agency instead. I scrolled through articles, forums, and SNS posts until a single keyword caught my eye. [P.O.V definitely has a blacklist, right?? lol I believed it when that leak came out—can’t manage shit lmao └fuckㅠ legendary agency living off scrapsㅠ] Now that I thought about it, some agencies did keep lists to track extreme fans or saesangs who crossed the line. I changed the keywords again and reset the search period. Soon, I came across an old post. [Let’s not person’s photos anymore... Protect our PROVE boys’ privacy... └Isn’t it time we stop beating down home masters who aren’t even on the blacklist? Stop sharing. Seriously.] [Fuck but their pics are so damn good] The tone was nasty enough that you could feel it bleeding through the text. After reading a few more, I started getting a general idea of what had happened. Apparently, PROVE’s agency had accidentally leaked a blacklist once, and it caused a huge uproar in the fandom. But then something stood out. All the home masters who had uploaded airport previews the day before the supposed leak? Every one of them was on that list. 'Ah~. This is fucking gold.' I compiled the findings and sent them to Kim Jaeyeon with a brief summary, asking him to investigate. He’s a paparazzo, so I figured he had at least one contact at PROVE’s agency. Worst case, he could charm the truth out of some intern. Once we got the blacklist, all we’d have to do is compare names. But even after he grasped what I was implying, Kim Jaeyeon still had to ask the world’s most useless question. [But like, why are we doing this?] [They’re not even your rivals anymore, right? PROVE’s kinda losing now. Or wait, you think they’re the ones spreading rumors about Sung Jiwon?] I ignored him, of course. Then earlier, Kim Jaeyeon called and gave me three points: —Yoon Heeon had dated multiple saesangs in the past. —He was likely still seeing one. —But the exact identity was unclear. He admitted the person I’d pointed out was suspicious, but said he needed more time. Since the blacklist was a sensitive matter, it wasn’t easy to extract. He grumbled about it, and I offered a genuine word of admiration. “How are you still managing to make a living?” [......Well, somehow, I manage.] ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ No(ᴠ)ᴇlFire.nᴇt I could hear the sound of his teeth grinding through the line, but he still gave me a fairly detailed report of what he’d found so far. I hung up and hopped into the shower, gathering my thoughts. At least the outline around Yoon Heeon was slowly starting to take shape. With nothing else urgent to handle, I sprawled on the bed and tried to sleep. When I opened my eyes again, the sunlight was pouring in strong. It sounded like the other members were already outside and making noise. I lazily popped open a red ginseng extract and started moving around. “Is the air conditioner broken or something?!” Everyone had gathered outside the pension, hoping for some kind of breeze since the A/C clearly wasn’t doing its job. I pulled on a cap and headed out, only for my eyes to meet Kang Ichae’s as he was poking a whining Jung Dajun in the cheek. The kid grinned like a fox. I sat down on a bench to wait for the van. Just then, Sung Jiwon, who’d been nearby with Dajun and Ichae, slowly walked over to me and struck up a conversation. “You really don’t feel the heat, huh.” He plopped down next to me and sagged like a melted ice cream cone. We hadn’t been outside that long, but his skin was already going pink under the sun. “Ah... I need to call my grandma.” “I know, right? But... huh?” “...Where’s my phone?” Watching him pat around his pockets without even lifting his head, I sighed and asked where he slept. Then I got up and headed inside the pension. I opened the door to the room he mentioned and immediately spotted his phone sitting by the bed. And that’s when it hit me—the thing the youngest of Ria Purple said about Yoon Heeon messaging Sung Jiwon, along with Kang Ichae’s report. Should I really ignore it for the sake of my teammate’s privacy? That ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ hesitation lasted less than three seconds. I unlocked the phone without any difficulty. Jiwon and Sunghyun’s phones were often used by the maknaes for mobile game events, so I knew the pattern locks by heart. Wiggling my brows, I opened the messaging app without hesitation. At the top was a chat with Yoon Heeon. Right below it, a preview of a message read: “Grandma, I miss you so much!! hehe” I clicked into Yoon Heeon’s chat and scrolled to the top. Right past the messages about a 5 PM curfew and strict roommates— [Yoon Heeon: Come to this address lol] [Sung Jiwon: I’m sorry] [Yoon Heeon: Let’s drink together lol] [Sung Jiwon: I’m sorry] [Yoon Heeon: When are you free?] [Sung Jiwon: I’m sorry] Trap after trap, the kind that could’ve completely destroyed his career if he’d gone along with them. But Jiwon had answered every one with the exact same short reply. Copy-paste level consistency. Yoon Heeon’s tone shifted—he was clearly getting pissed. [Yoon Heeon: You really don’t know how to hide how annoyed you are with your senior, huh?] And Jiwon ignored it. Watching how he’d stonewalled for weeks without breaking, I couldn’t help but be impressed. Eventually, when Jiwon stopped replying altogether, Yoon Heeon went more direct. [Yoon Heeon: You know what I might do? lol] [Yoon Heeon: Word spreads fast—not just in the industry, but among fans too.] [Yoon Heeon: Don’t you think your teammates and family wouldn’t want to see stuff like that?] [Yoon Heeon: Wouldn’t it be a shame to the people who’ve supported you?] And finally, hours later, Jiwon replied, breaking his silence. [Sung Jiwon: Hope they include these messages too when they spread.] There hadn’t been another message from Yoon Heeon since. And yet, small rumors had already begun to bubble up around Sung Jiwon. Just looking at the comments popping up during that recent radio appearance was proof. I was about to power off the phone when I heard a panicked voice behind me. Jiwon stood by the door, face flushed red from the sun and panting. Then he saw his phone in my hand. “...Wait, did you read it??” I thought about pretending not to know, but it was too late. Yeah. I read it. All of it. He didn’t step closer, just stood there holding the doorknob, hesitant. “You knew about all this?” The rumors online, Yoon Heeon’s creepy bullshit behind the scenes. Even without a subject, Jiwon understood exactly what I meant. “You mean the rumors, right?” “Hard to miss them. No matter what set I go to, people whisper when they see me.” I crossed my arms and forced myself to stay calm, even though I was fuming. “And that doesn’t bother you?” “It’d be a lie to say it doesn’t. But it’s not the first time.” He trailed off for a second. “...But hearing you get mad for me kinda helps.” The back of my neck tensed. This stupidly kind bastard. “If it were me, I’d be flipping tables.” I wanted to grab him by the collar and shake the sense into him, but considering who I was dealing with, I held back. He was frowning gently, about to say something, when a loud voice cut in. “Guys!! All rested up?!” Just the voice told us it was our manager. “...Ah, nothing. Let’s go.” Jiwon glanced at me head to toe, then walked out the door without another word. I followed silently. If we kept talking, I was going to say something I’d regret. “What happened to Jiwon hyung’s face? He looks dead!” “If you shake him any more, he might actually die.” Jiwon slumped in the van while the maknae kept shaking him. Watching that, I clicked my tongue. Sung Jiwon... I’m not letting this go. I always pay back double. Unfortunately for him, unlike Sung Jiwon, I held a fucking grudge. The next day, surprisingly fast, Kim Jaeyeon managed to get his hands on the blacklist. Not just one version, either. Sung Jiwon was out for a solo schedule, Kang Ichae was in the studio, and Kim Sunghyun and Jung Dajun were watching TV together outside, making a racket. I sat down and started comparing everything—the PROVE and Yoon Heeon home master lists floating around online, the blacklist, and every related rumor. And sure enough, one name was missing. Consistently. [Kim Jaeyeon: Pretty sure this one’s the connection to Yoon Heeon.] Text messages stacked under each photo of the list. He had tagged the account I was already suspicious of. [Kim Jaeyeon: I found the private side account too, but it had rumors about not just Sung Jiwon but other idols too. No concrete proof, though.] [Kim Jaeyeon: If we could find a Lovestagram, that’d be the fastest. Not sure if one exists, but I’ll keep looking.] [Kim Jaeyeon: Might take a few months, but if you want, I could try hacking.] [Kim Jaeyeon: You’re really consistent, huh..] I wasn’t about to risk jail time cracking into someone’s private account just to confirm a hunch. Even if I did, outing a civilian’s private info just like that... it didn’t sit right. If I’m going to do this, it needs to be picture-perfect. I opened the item shop. Scrolled from top to bottom, but there wasn’t a single thing worth using. Smacking my lips in frustration, I summoned the system window. “You better start talking before I get pissed.” The dumbass reverted immediately, and I asked again. I was numb to the cuteness by now. There was no more shame left in me. [Hmm, actually... there’s one that fits you pretty well.] “Hand it over. Talk after.” [You sure you won’t regret it?] I smirked and waved my hand. The system window blinked a few times—then tossed the quest my way. And as I read it, my face slowly froze. “...Are you kidding me?” A gentle glow shimmered as the quest window opened next to it. ‘Show affection to a designated close individual.’ Strengthen your bonds by expressing affection to someone close to you. Affection Points: 0/5 Reward: ‘Pandora’s Box’ item Failure: Rumors about Sung Jiwon will be leaked to the media Designated person is one of your nearby acquaintances.] This had to be a fucking joke. No way this wasn’t rigged just to screw me over.