Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 187

187. The Butterfly Effect (1)

2022.05.06.

[OMG. Seriously. Is anyone even online right now and seeing this?!]

-You all saw the notice Yeon-woo posted on the fan page, right?

I was so touched after reading it…….

I already knew from the reality show ending that led to the YouTube channel, the directing was amazing, awesome, and legendaryㅠㅠ

The YouTube channel was a hit too. The way he resolved everything without leaving room for any rebuttalㅠㅠ

Anyway, about that notice he posted after it endedㅋㅋㅋ Other communities were down but seem to be recovering now, and they’re all going crazy over itㅋㅋㅋㅋ

I was suffering for almost two weeks from all the hateㅠㅠ

I feel like I’m about to reach enlightenment ☜(U_U)☞

People in other places are talking about not suing, claiming unfairness, or threatening counter-suits, it’s total popcorn timeㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Yeah, who told you to hate~?

Yeah~ You’re getting sued~

For those who were worried, check out other communities! All your stress will be cured!

This kind of post had been popping up frequently on the fan page as various online communities began to normalize.

Seeing the panic-stricken posts from malicious commenters who were freaking out about the sudden lawsuits, the fans felt a powerful surge of satisfaction from the bottom of their hearts.

-I really made the right choice to stan [support] our Yeon-woo. I’ve never seen a celebrity take care of their fans this muchㅠㅠ

-Did you see the portal site search rankings? Number 1 is “lawsuit”ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

ㄴThe Q&A section is a messㅋㅋㅋ Questions like “Can this be sued?” or “Possibility of lawsuit dismissal?” are being posted like crazyㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Everywhere you went, the topic of lawsuits was unavoidable.

You’d expect the agency to do some heavy PR about a celebrity suing their fans, but Yeon-woo had already blocked that off, making it impossible.

How could you criticize someone for hiring a law firm for fans who were being attacked for standing up for him?

“Wow…… Lawyer fees must be really expensive. A law firm? For his fans?”

“Getting hate himself must be frustrating, but he seems to have a strong mentality.”

Rather, people began to see him as someone who deeply loved his fans, thoughtful, and kind.

And the reactions didn’t stop there.

[Cyberbullying. How Far Will It Go? “Mature Civic Consciousness Needed Online, Too”]

[“Celebrities Aren’t the Only Ones Hurt by Cyberbullying” …… Sharp Comments Aimed at Ordinary People]

[“Cyberbullying Is a Social Evil” …… People Suffering from Rumors and Ridicule, “Please Stop!”]

Articles were published, of course,

“Recently, there’s been a lot of talk about cyberbullies. The recent incident where a celebrity was misunderstood and accused of plagiarism has sparked public opinion that the criticism went too far. Today, we have Professor Park Jae-cheol from the Department of Psychology at X University to discuss this.”

And various broadcasts, including current affairs programs, seriously addressed the phenomenon.

In particular, entertainment shows featuring intellectuals didn’t hesitate to deliver strong criticism.

“You need to know how to distinguish between criticism and condemnation. You might think you’re criticizing, but sometimes you’re not. You have to distinguish that. It’s important if we don’t want our internet culture to become sick. Indiscriminate condemnation can never be criticism.”

“That’s right. There’s also that saying, ‘There’s a person behind the monitor.'”

“It’s not ‘There’s space behind the pillar’…….”

“But it’s true, isn’t it~?!”

“Ah, well, yes…….”

They even dedicated an entire episode of the program to this issue.

“Cyberbullying is a crime. It’s a cybercrime.”

“Surprisingly, many people don’t realize this. Does the professor know why?”

“Well, I’m in science, so I know how to survive on Mars…….”

“I’ll explain that. You know Sigmund Freud, right? He’s a very famous person who founded psychoanalysis. According to his psychoanalytic theory, the human unconscious contains various instincts. One of them is an instinct with aggressive tendencies. Humans in modern society live according to the reality principle under the norms set by society, which inevitably suppresses the instincts of the id [the primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories].”

“What’s the id?”

“Human personality consists of three stages, and it’s the most instinctive area of the unconscious. This unconsciousness governs our behavior and emotions.”

“But the internet is different?”

“Exactly. The internet guarantees anonymity. There’s no need to be aware of social norms there. This sense of liberation from anonymity loosens the control of the unconscious. That’s where the instincts come out. Aggressive instincts are also included here.”

Experts from various fields engaged in in-depth discussions and analyses, sharing objective and profound insights into cyberbullying.

Similar phenomena occurred everywhere.

This incident sparked a public outcry for stronger laws against cyberbullies and more concrete and systematic remedies for victims.

Interviews with victims who had suffered from cyberbullying in the past received significant attention.

[Wow…… He planned this, he planned it.]

The current situation had grown too large to be seen as merely a personal scandal involving one celebrity.

It had long since become an atmosphere of complaining about problems across society as a whole.

That’s how big the impact of Yeon-woo’s incident was.

Of course, it was none other than Yeon-woo who fanned the flames.

[You knew this would happen, didn’t you?]

“Well……. Roughly?”

In fact, he knew very well.

As Dongja Ryung had said, Yeon-woo had deliberately orchestrated it this way.

“If I’m going to do it, I have to do it right.”

[Wow……]

“You know it too. I have to be clear about repaying debts and avenging grudges.”

[That’s true.]

If Yeon-woo had pursued the lawsuits personally, it probably would have been an issue only for a short time.

Besides, the label of plagiarism would have continued to follow him.

Bad rumors spread easily, but very few people listen to rumors that correct them.

There could have been a backlash instead.

[Celebrity Mr. So-and-so, mass lawsuits against fans…… “I’m being unfairly labeled as a cyberbully.”]

Something like that kind of article might have come out.

Awareness of lawsuits has improved a lot, but the reality is that it’s still not enough.

“Do you only want to hear sweet words and not bitter ones? Then you should quit being a celebrity.”

If that kind of perception is ingrained, you can consider your image ruined.

As a result, Yeon-woo would be the only one taking the hit.

‘That won’t do.’

However, instead of directly pursuing lawsuits, he shifted the direction to bearing all the attorney fees for the internet users who defended him, and the issue grew even larger.

Exactly in the direction Yeon-woo had hoped for.

It was extremely rare for ordinary people to file lawsuits on such a large scale, and the condition of covering all the costs was very unusual.

“There’s that actor who had the plagiarism controversy back then. I heard he’s paying the lawyer fees for hundreds of people?”

“Wow. That’s crazy. How much money is that? But why is he paying for it?”

“I heard it’s because his fans were unfairly criticized?”

Thanks to that, he also saw additional effects.

Without having to publish fancy correction articles, Yeon-woo’s innocence was naturally and deeply imprinted in people’s minds through word of mouth.

And that wasn’t all.

“In reality, it’s difficult for ordinary people to file lawsuits even if they receive malicious comments online. Cyberbullying doesn’t only target celebrities. What should we do in times like these? This situation shows that well.”

From the scope of cyberbullying to the harms of cyberbullying, and even how to deal with it, this incident has more clearly established everything.

“As it becomes a major social issue, the dangers of cyberbullying will also be widely known. The punishment for cyberbullies will be greatly strengthened. It’s a virtuous cycle brought about by one person’s great vision.”

He even received praise for comprehensively overturning one aspect of a sick society and administering a vaccination.

He was even introduced as a good deed that changed social perceptions.

Perhaps thanks to that,

Yeon-woo’s image was much better than before the plagiarism issue broke out.

Of course, hiring a law firm wasn’t solely for the purpose of achieving these effects.

“To be precise, it’s more accurate to say that I was trying to repay a favor, but the corpses of my enemies floated down.”

In fact, if the fans hadn’t been involved, he would have been too lazy to bother with lawsuits and just given up.

He wouldn’t have used his brain like this to clear his name.

As for rumors, well.

Kwon Seong-hyun and Woo Do-gyeom were there, so catching them was a piece of cake.

The reason they didn’t step forward this time was because Yeon-woo wanted it that way.

[Still, you weren’t completely unaware of it, were you?]

“I wasn’t unaware, but the main focus wasn’t that.”

[That’s even scarier…….]

The plump sparrow shuddered once.

The butterfly effect caused by Yeon-woo’s flapping wings continued to grow.

[The Identity of the Excessive Cyberbully. Turns Out to Be Celebrity X?!]

[A Sick Society. A Sick Civic Consciousness. “Treatment Is Urgent”]

In the process, the malicious comments Yeon-woo had received were also re-examined.

*

[Excessive Cyberbullying…… “How Far Will It Go?”]

A statement from a user presumed to be a classmate of celebrity K, who was once embroiled in plagiarism allegations, is attracting attention.

According to this user, K had poor relationships with his peers and an unhappy life during his school days.

Classmate Mr. So-and-so testified, “K was very gloomy in the past,” “His friendships were not smooth,” “He always walked alone and didn’t get close to anyone,” and emphasized his claim by saying, “If he was avoided by the entire school, can you imagine how strange he was?”

Meanwhile, celebrity K’s agency has remained silent regarding this user’s claims…….

But unfortunately, the spotlight touched an unfavorable area.

An article cobbled together with clickbait content to manipulate views was featured on the main page.

Copy-pasting other articles or writing novel-like articles is always common.

It was an ordinary article, but its impact was enormous.

-What’s with this article? The title and content don’t match? So what are they trying to say? That the victim deserved to be bullied?

-What did the victim do wrong for this kind of article to be published?

-What’s the name of this reporter? Kim XX? XX Daily XX Reporter, I’m filing a report with the Press Arbitration Commission now.

The article subtly shifted responsibility to Yeon-woo.

It not only angered Yeon-woo’s fans but also angered the general public.

In particular, it was more than enough to provoke the anger of parents with student children.

Of course.

-How do you know what Kang Yeon-woo really did to be bullied?

There was a weak protest that Yeon-woo might have been at fault.

-What nonsense;

-If something really happened, it would have been exposed by now, would it have been quiet??;

-You must have udon noodles for brains [You’re stupid]…….

They were immediately bombarded with all sorts of insults.

‘There’s no way anyone remembers correctly.’

There might be a few people who haven’t forgotten Yeon-woo’s existence with a rare probability.

But it would probably be difficult to find someone who would equate the gloomy Kang Yeon-woo with the current Kang Yeon-woo.

The fact that no additional articles are being published is proof of that.

‘They must have been searching with their eyes wide open, but nothing will come out.’

In fact, Yeon-woo didn’t care even if someone remembered.

Because he hadn’t done anything wrong.

Even if someone testified again, it wouldn’t work against Yeon-woo.

That’s why atmosphere is important, and the flow is important.