Prince from another dimension becomes an Idol chapter 76

The Next Day.

On the way to the broadcasting station for a music show schedule, MOST members were riding in a van.

The atmosphere among the MOST members was ambiguous.

They were not as dejected as they had been the day before, but they couldn’t say they were in high spirits either.

On community sites where idol fans gathered, there was still a heated conflict between those criticizing MOST and MOST’s fans defending them.

‘They said they’d release an article before the show starts.’

Kingdom wasn’t planning to just issue a rebuttal article and leave it at that, so they needed about a day.

Dojae calmed himself by recalling what Manager Kim Seokchul had told him.

Louis, who was naturally more positive, seemed to feel at ease, thinking that the situation would soon be resolved, and he softly hummed their song “Be Amazing.”

Today, at the Music Town comeback stage, MOST planned to perform not only their title track “Yours” but also “Be Amazing.”

“Hey!”

Suddenly, Woochul’s exclamation broke the slightly subdued atmosphere in the van.

Woochul was looking out the window with surprised eyes.

The van had already reached near the broadcasting station building.

“Look at that!”

When Woochul pointed outside, the members turned their heads.

The driver, Jung Giljoo, belatedly confirmed what Woochul had seen and wisely slowed down.

“Wow! Our fans?!”

Louis exclaimed with shining eyes.

MOST’s fans were lined up at the entrance of the broadcasting station from early morning.

They hadn’t gathered just to see the MOST van while holding goods of their favorite members as usual.

The fans were holding papers with the same phrase written on them.

‘BEST TRUST MOST’

It was the same hashtag fans had been promoting on Twittee the day before.

When the van came into view, the fans began to sing the chorus of “Yours” together.

The faint sound of the fans’ voices mixed into the van.

“It seems like the fans are really worried about us getting hurt. To do something like this…”

Woochul murmured, his voice filled with emotion.

Since the news article broke yesterday, MOST hadn’t responded in any way.

But through social media and fan cafes, fans had been sending continuous messages hoping the members wouldn’t be hurt by the malicious comments.

Dojae silently watched outside the window and thought.

‘It’s a curious thing. We haven’t even known each other for that long, and you can’t even say we’ve really met…’

The fans’ love and trust in MOST were truly remarkable.

It was an unconditional trust he hadn’t even received from his family.

‘Even though we’re only connected through songs and performances.’

Dojae felt a lump in his throat.

As a singer, he felt like he was receiving more than he was giving.

The other members were feeling similar emotions.

They quietly took in the words on the signs and the hearts of their fans.

“Ah. I want to tell them quickly that we’re okay and that it’ll be resolved soon.”

Woochul was anxious, feeling worried about the fans who were concerned for them.

But they couldn’t make any premature moves.

“Just hang in there a little longer.”

At Kijoon’s words, Woochul nodded.

*

[MOST Side: No Truth to Chart Manipulation.. Strong Legal Action Planned]

[MOST Denies Chart Manipulation Allegations, “Planning to Sue”]

[MOST, “Nonsense Speculation” Promises Legal Action Against Chart Manipulation Rumors]

[Kingdom Entertainment to Sue Journalist Spreading False MOST Chart Manipulation Rumors]

[Enraged by Rumors?! MOST to Sue Both Journalist and Malicious Commenters]

Around noon, just as the members were starting their rehearsal, the press releases from Kingdom were turned into articles.

The articles strongly refuted the chart manipulation rumors and warned of severe legal action.

The gist was that Kingdom, which had been diligently growing the company for a long time, including executives who were former singers, felt an unbearable sense of humiliation, and that MOST, the ones directly involved, were deeply hurt by the absurd rumors.

As Kingdom took a strong stance, public opinion was divided.

1. Seeing that they’re going as far as to sue, it must be a rumor. It must be frustrating. Come to think of it, Kingdom isn’t a company that would do such a thing.

2. It’s just a baseless denial without evidence. Defamation lawsuits can be filed even for revealing the truth. They’re just bluffing without actually suing.

Of course, Kingdom had anticipated the latter reaction as well.

While fierce debates between the two camps raged in the comments, within an hour, another article was released.

[Why Did the MOST Chart Manipulation Controversy Arise?]

The article clearly explained the controversy from start to finish and deeply analyzed the causes.

[…The initial report was based on speculative posts by netizens, which pointed out that MOST’s song had an unusually high number of listeners in their 40s upon entering the music charts.

However, this is not evidence of chart manipulation.

If you look at the users of the songs that entered the top of the charts last year, it is true that those in their 20s and 30s are overwhelmingly the majority, but there are also quite a few songs with a high proportion of users in their 40s and 50s.

Even though MOST is an idol group, suspecting manipulation just because of a high proportion of users in their 40s is excessive speculation.

Moreover, it is true that MOST has gained popularity as the “idols you want as sons” in mom cafes and 8282 Cook, which are communities centered around women in their 30s and 40s.

Kingdom announced that they would sue the journalist who published the rumor and the malicious commenters who went too far.]

The article’s content was nothing new, echoing what MOST’s fans had already argued within their communities.

However, those who had believed, or wanted to believe, that MOST manipulated the charts continued to criticize MOST blindly.

But that was about to change.

With the lawsuit announcement and the clear rebuttal article, most of them fell silent.

[Is Being Popular a Crime? MOST’s Chart Manipulation Controversy, Unjust]

[MOST’s Secret to Success… The Power of Moms?!]

[Women in their 40s are also captivated by MOST! The new rising stars…]

Just like when the controversy erupted, articles were produced in a variety of ways.

Yesterday, they wrote about suspicions of chart manipulation for the new song, and today, they’re praising MOST as the new trend, even capturing the hearts of women in their 40s.

As the atmosphere quickly changed, [Nara Daily] published an apology.

It was written by Son Junggi, the reporter who posted the article and stirred up the situation.

*

[Yesterday morning, we reported suspicions that Kingdom Entertainment’s artist MOST’s new song “Yours” manipulated the music charts.

The article was written and edited in a way that made it appear as if the speculations were facts, even though the factual basis was unclear.

We sincerely apologize to the artist MOST, the related parties, and the fans who may have been hurt by this.

We will strive to provide more accurate information to prevent such confusion in the future.

-Reporter Son Junggi-]

The reactions to the apology were predictable.

-Just another trashy journalist being trashy

-Another day, another trashy journalist

-Stop trying and just break your pen already lol

-What about the hurt MOST received? Can you just write anything and call it an article?

-I feel bad for MOSTㅠㅠ How did they end up with a journalist like thisㅠㅠ

-Is this apology the end of it? Can I punch you and post an apology too?

-Living off other people’s misfortune, they are trash for a reason

-It’s sad how Korean journalism has come to this! All because of the politicians! Meanwhile, the country is in turmoil! The NIS in January…

-They posted the apology because they were afraid of being sued

-All the journalists who followed the trend and wrote similar articles should be sued too

-They didn’t expect Kingdom to actually sue? Always writing speculative articles…ㅋㅋㅋ

Yesterday they bashed MOST, and today the comments were bashing Son Junggi.

Reading the comments, Son Junggi frowned.

‘Just when I thought I’d make some money… My luck is terrible! Damn.’

Originally, celebrities and their agencies rarely sued journalists.

Primarily, it was for their own image management, and also because the lawsuit process was very cumbersome.

Of course, the biggest reason was that it wasn’t beneficial to antagonize journalists.

Suing a journalist would not only be a problem with that journalist but would also create animosity with other journalists.

‘I thought they would quietly let it go, but they made a bigger deal out of it.’

So, it never occurred to him that the rookie group MOST would sue him and the malicious commenters.

‘What? They feel insulted?’

Even after posting the apology, Son Junggi was seething with anger.

The humiliation felt greater on Son Junggi’s side, who faced backlash without making any profit.

“Reporter Son, Reporter Son!”

As Son Junggi was suppressing his anger in front of the monitor, Park Dongman, the chief editor, called out loudly.

‘I’ve posted the apology, so it should be fine now.’

Even in the Digital News Team 3, Son Junggi was about to be told to lie low for a while.

Swallowing his sigh, Son Junggi stood in front of Chief Editor Park Dongman.

“Reporter Son. You see.”

Just a moment ago, Chief Editor Park Dongman was raging about why he caused such trouble by posting that article.

Now, his voice had softened.

Just as Son Junggi thought everything was resolved with the apology.

“The legal team says Kingdom is proceeding with the lawsuit against you.”

“What? But I posted the apology…”

“Sure, you did. Good job on that. But do they have to accept the apology? No, right?”

Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and now he was making sense.

“Now, you’ll be contacted personally. Why did you do something you weren’t asked to? Huh? You should verify facts before writing an article…”

“They’re suing me personally? Then what am I supposed to…!”

Interrupting Chief Editor Park Dongman’s useless reprimand, Son Junggi asked.

Park Dongman clicked his tongue and replied.

“You have to deal with it yourself. I’ve never been sued, so what can I tell you?”

“What about the company? Can’t the company’s legal team help me…”

“Why would the company’s legal team handle a personal lawsuit? Be thankful the company isn’t holding you more accountable. Understand?”

Chief Editor Park Dongman nailed it down for the stunned Son Junggi.

“You’ll be busy with the lawsuit for a while, so take some time off at home and sort it out.”

“What?”

“Three months should be perfect for recharging.”

After saying that, Chief Editor Park Dongman got up and headed to the break room, leaving Son Junggi alone.

At that moment, Son Junggi’s phone rang incessantly.

It was an unknown number.

“…Hello?”

Feeling a sense of foreboding, Son Junggi answered the call.

*

The call was from the police.

Receiving a summons, Son Junggi took a half-day off and left work in a gloomy mood.

He decided to go home and gather his thoughts.

After making inquiries, it became clear that Kingdom was serious.

‘They even hired a renowned law firm for this…’

He gritted his teeth.

Speculative articles for clickbait were still being published.

‘So why just me!’

Ignoring his initial wrongdoing and demands for money, Son Junggi seethed with resentment.

Just as he reached his home and was entering his digital door lock code.

“Son Junggi… Reporter?”

Someone called him from behind.