Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 183

183. Inviting You (1)

2022.05.02.

The reaction to Yeon-woo’s statement was twofold.

One was the unwavering support from people who trusted Yeon-woo.

And the other was……

[Wow…… Do these guys have no future? Or are they just empty-headed……? How can they think this is a bluff?]

It was the slanderous forces, even more excited after seeing Yeon-woo’s reaction.

-Eung~ I don’t listen to plagiarists~

-Aigu! I’m so scaredㅠㅠ Did you think I’d say that? Tsk tsk.

-Even if you sue, it’ll be dismissed~ Who even swears these daysㅋㅋ Are there people who can’t find grounds for a lawsuit? Heh.

Yeon-woo’s belated statement further solidified the unity of his fans.

Those who felt jealous seeing this poured out even harsher ridicule.

[How are they going to handle the aftermath……? They’re like pitiful souls……]

Dongja-ryeong, who knew what plans Yeon-woo had, clicked his tongue.

“People only learn when they get hit, so there’s nothing we can do.”

Just in time, the doorbell rang.

It was the reality show production team.

“I was worried, but I’m glad you look well, Yeon-woo.”

“What’s there to be worried about? These rumors will disappear once the show airs anyway.”

“Haha…….”

The main PD [Production Director] laughed awkwardly.

He could easily guess why Yeon-woo, who hadn’t taken any action at first, was suddenly doing additional filming like this.

‘As expected, the most frightening people are those who get angry with a smile…….’

Yeon-woo had always been calm and diligent, treating the staff with respect.

Even after the incident, he maintained his composure.

It was the same now.

But everyone in this place could tell.

‘He’s definitely angry. He’s angry……!’

If there was one good thing, it was that they weren’t the target.

‘Why did they have to mess with such a diligent, kind, and upright person……? Tsk.’

The production team, with one mind, offered a silent prayer to those who had driven Yeon-woo to this point.

To be honest, they felt wronged.

Who wouldn’t feel bad when someone who had been loved throughout the filming was being attacked for something they didn’t even do!

‘Okay, let’s just pray for their souls. Action beam for their souls!’

Just then, the interview setup was complete.

“Then…… let’s start filming!”

The FD [Floor Director] slammed the clapperboard.

At the same time, Yeon-woo’s smile deepened.

*

How would this broadcast turn out?

The rumors had spread beyond online to offline.

And Yeon-woo even left photos and messages directly on the official fan page because of those rumors.

Those who were watching all of this unfold with great interest were waiting for the reality show’s airdate.

“Will it even air?”

“It will, right?”

“Still, there’s been so much controversy, isn’t it a bit brazen to just air it?”

“What’s brazen about it? He says he’s confident.”

“No. But he hasn’t really explained anything. Is he just going to gloss over it and act all happy-go-lucky?”

“I guess we’ll find out when we watch the show today.”

“I thought it would be canceled or postponed…….”

Most people expected it to be replaced with another program, a break week with bloopers, or a special broadcast.

However.

[Airs in 180 seconds.]

Seeing the reality show’s logo on the top right corner of the TV screen, it seemed like the broadcast wouldn’t be canceled.

“What’s going to happen to Kang Yeon-woo……? He’s drawn so much aggro [attention/antagonism] by writing that kind of message.”

“I know. If he doesn’t explain properly in this episode, he’ll just be buried, right?”

Even people who hadn’t watched the reality show before tuned to the channel after hearing about the hot issue.

Thanks to that.

“Current ad viewership has surpassed 17 percent.”

With less than 120 seconds left until the broadcast, viewership had already easily exceeded 15 percent.

At this rate, it would be the highest viewership in reality show history.

But no one was happy; they were just solemnly watching the monitor and graphs.

Because there was a risk that this much attention could become a bomb and fall on them.

Of course.

“That won’t happen.”

All worries vanished at Yeon-woo’s confident voice.

“Let’s just trust Yeon-woo and hold on.”

“That’s right. It’s too early to celebrate.”

The broadcast ending wasn’t the end.

There was more waiting for them.

You need cider when you eat sweet potatoes [a refreshing drink after a heavy meal, like closure after suspense].

The production team knew why Yeon-woo had remained silent from the time he posted on the fan page until the reality show aired.

It was for an even bigger cider [satisfying resolution].

*

“Hello. This is Kang Yeon-woo. I usually greet you every morning with a self-cam, so it feels a bit awkward to greet you formally like this.”

His delicately sculpted features form a smile full of likability.

“Today, I’ve prepared a very special broadcast.”

He scratches his cheek with his finger, looking a bit shy and embarrassed.

“There’s a secret I’ve wanted to tell you for a while. Today, I’m finally going to tell you. That secret is…….”

Yeon-woo, showing excitement and nervousness about finally revealing the secret, smiled brightly.

“You’ll find out if you watch until the end! Stay tuned! Don’t forget!”

And then the intro immediately followed.

When the originally planned screen started broadcasting.

The FD, who was looking at the monitor, shouted as if he was about to lose his breath.

“Instant viewership has surpassed 24 percent!”

The instant viewership didn’t stop there.

The viewership, which had soared to 24 percent, hovered around 20 percent before starting to climb again.

“Crazy. I can’t believe a reality show is getting 25 percent…….”

The main PD, who was waiting at Yeon-woo’s dorm for the next segment, quietly exclaimed.

“Did we draw some aggro?”

“Oh, you have no idea. It’s a complete mess right now. Here, take a look.”

The viewers’ bulletin boards and most online communities were capturing and sharing the reality show in real-time.

The strange thing was that people who had already seen the captures didn’t just stop there; they were even more actively looking for the broadcast.

-I’m working overtime right now, but after seeing the screenshots, I can’t take it anymoreㅠㅠ I’m going to watch the broadcast nowㅠㅠ

ㄴYour company is crazy, making you work overtime on the weekend? I grant you a holy day of slacking off~~~

-What channel is the broadcast on? I need to watch this live?

“It’s going well.”

Yeon-woo nodded after roughly skimming through the reactions.

That’s right.

Yeon-woo deliberately wore the happiest smile in the world to get this kind of reaction.

With the additional stats Yeon-woo possessed backing him up, a perfect sense of happiness without a single lie was created in his expression.

“I honestly thought when Yeon-woo said he was going to do additional filming…… I thought about something like that?”

“Like an apology?”

“Yes. Usually, well…… that’s what most people do.”

The actions taken by celebrities with controversies are largely divided into several categories.

One is silence.

This was already rejected from the moment they decided to air the show.

Another is apology.

‘Even if you haven’t done anything wrong, you apologize just because you’ve offended someone, and then you get even more criticism for it. It’s something you should never do.’

Then you get looked down on even more,

You get criticized even more,

You apologize even more because the reaction isn’t good…….

Once you step into that trap, it’s a cycle of bondage you can’t break.

“If you act weak in these situations, you’ll just get ignored even more.”

“That’s true. It’s not like the saying ‘strong to the weak’ exists for no reason. But isn’t it hard for celebrities to act strongly? They have their image to think about…… they tend to be cautious.”

“So I deliberately kept the atmosphere light.”

“Aha……?”

The PD made a knowing expression.

“It’s about showing composure. That’s why I drew aggro. In their minds, I should be trembling right now, worrying about my image dropping. But I wasn’t.”

Instead, he smiled and exuded an atmosphere of happiness with his whole body.

“The people who like me will just accept it as it is. They’ll just think, ‘Oh, he’s really going to tell us a secret.’ But the people who are against me will be annoyed.”

It’s a very simple principle.

It’s also a realization Yeon-woo has gained from living his life.

‘Image? If you get looked down on once, it’s going to be ruined anyway, so if I’m going to go out, I should go out strong.’

He didn’t know when he was young, but he felt it as he grew up.

The world as seen by Yeon-woo is often bizarre and strange.

-Mommy…… a ghost is following me……!

There was a time when he was terrified after seeing a ghost with black, hollow eye sockets, dragging a bloody lower body and moving its arms madly as it approached.

He ran to his mother, Madam Kang, trembling, and Madam Kang’s answer was a masterpiece.

-Ignore it. If they know you’re scared, they’ll rush at you even more excitedly. You need to be able to ignore things like that with composure. You’re going to be seeing them for the rest of your life anyway. Whether they’re doing handstands and spilling their guts in front of you, you need to be calm enough to eat in front of them. Do you understand?

It was a harsh thing to say to Yeon-woo, who was still a child…….

‘But that was the right answer.’

That teaching has been passed down excellently to this day.

Just like this.

“Since I have nothing to lose anyway, they probably won’t be able to say much even if I go out strong. Well, they’ll probably make a lot of noise. But that’s like tightening their own noose, so I don’t need to worry about it.”

Seeing Yeon-woo shrug, the PD quietly gave him a thumbs up.

“Yeon-woo, you have a really strong mentality.”

“Yeah, well.”

Anyone who lives in a world where they get eaten if they’re not strong can become like this.

Um……. Maybe?

“Anyway, it was an amazing move that caught them off guard. When you said you were going to draw aggro there…… I wondered what would happen, but…… the viewership speaks for itself.”

Just then, the part where Yeon-woo participates in the music festival was being shown on the screen.

“Wow. Amazing. Instant viewership is 29 percent.”

“Crazy.”

“Wow……. Is this going to continue like this?”

“As expected, Yeon-woo has it all figured out…….”

One of the production team members asked.

“Then, did you perhaps…… deliberately not bring up the controversy?”

“Yes.”

That’s what Yeon-woo was aiming for.

‘Bringing up those kinds of things is the easiest way to get criticized.’

Everyone knows that there is a plagiarism controversy.

Yeon-woo knows, the haters know, and even most people who are even slightly aware of online news know.

That’s why Yeon-woo deliberately avoided mentioning it.

‘Mentioning it directly could give the impression that I’m worried about the issue, so I should definitely avoid it.’

The more Yeon-woo is happy, the more aggro this will draw.

Especially since this kind of broadcast might be permanently archived and used forever.

‘Annoying them too. Isn’t it killing two birds with one stone?’

He had no intention of giving those who were trying to find fault with him what they wanted.

Hearing this thought, Dongja-ryeong,

Muttered a familiar sound, [Kang Yeon-woo, that sly child……].

No.

Wasn’t he too old to be called a child?

“Yeon-woo, 5 minutes left until the end of the broadcast!”

Before he knew it, time had passed, and there were only 5 minutes left until the end of the broadcast.

“Let’s start the final check.”

The production team diligently checked the equipment.

Whether the laptop was properly connected to the camera.

Whether the microphone was securely attached.

Whether the composition was arranged as planned, and so on.

A tension comparable to a live broadcast flowed inside the dorm.

“Have you been waiting long?”

Before the preview for the next episode came out.

The screen suddenly switched.

It was Yeon-woo’s appearance from before the intro.

“It’s a little embarrassing to say it directly, so I’ll write a letter to you.”

“Um. This is a secret between us…… so you can’t secretly peek, okay?”

“Please wait a moment.”

Yeon-woo, who smiled brightly, playfully pretended to cover the paper and began to scribble something on it.

Rustle, rustle.

The sound of the pen scratching the paper briefly filled the sound like ASMR [Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response – a tingling sensation some people experience in response to certain sounds or visuals].

Neat handwriting was embroidered one by one on the paper.

The camera work moved like it was playing push and pull with Yeon-woo, as if it was peeking.

After a while.

Finally, the camera fully captured the paper.

And.

All the communities and bulletin boards began to flip out.