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Chapter 21
Il-joo stuck her head out to see the screen and grinned.
“It’s Gogeon. Answer it.”
“This is something Geon changed on his own.”
“What did I tell you?”
Her expression said she already knew everything. Her face looked sly.
Telling Bom to talk comfortably, Il-joo moved to sit next to Nam-hoon.
When Il-joo sat beside him, Nam-hoon leaned his body toward her and rubbed his head against hers.
Then in the end, he got smacked on the back and sat up straight.
Bom held back her laughter and answered the call.
—Have you eaten dinner?
“I ate, and I was talking with my sister.”
—Come down. Let’s see each other for a bit.
“Huh? What? I’m not at my house. I’m at Il-joo’s place.”
—I know. I got the address from Il-joo. I’m downstairs, so come down. I can’t stay long. I have to see you briefly and go.
Hearing he was busy made her feel urgent too.
Even before the drama release, Bom had already learned how packed Gogeon’s schedule was.
Once the drama was released, it would become even harder to find time to meet.
“Unnie, I’m going to the convenience store to buy some beer.”
As Bom rushed toward the front door, Nam-hoon tried to get up.
“Hey, sister-in-law, we already have beer at home.”
“There’s a specific brand I want to drink.”
“Then I’ll go with you.”
“Babe, sit. Bom, go slowly.”
“Huh? What? Are you jealous because I care too much about your sister-in-law?”
Il-joo covered Nam-hoon’s mouth. Their lips briefly touched then parted.
“Just stay next to me.”
“Mmph… okay.”
They lived together, but could a simple kiss really make him that happy?
Even when Nam-hoon leaned his shoulder against hers, Il-joo no longer smacked his back.
Bom hurriedly left the house.
Her brother-in-law knew her relationship with Gogeon was “real,” so she had a valid reason to go meet him.
In the quiet underground parking lot stood the van he usually used. He wasn’t inside but leaning against the outside of it.
He was wearing a cap, but his tall height and solid yet lean build couldn’t be hidden. And even with only the lower half of his face visible, you could tell he was handsome.
When their eyes finally met, Bom’s steps slowed.
Seeing his face made her mind go blank; she couldn’t think of what to say.
“You came down fast.”
“I didn’t run here.”
Bom blurted out something she didn’t need to say.
It sounded like she had rushed because she was excited to see him, so it slipped out awkwardly.
Gogeon opened the back door for her.
“Get in.”
“What about Gi-woong?”
Gi-woong wasn’t in the driver’s seat.
“I told him to go to the convenience store.”
The apartment complex Il-joo lived in was huge, so the convenience store was far away.
Did he send him on purpose, knowing that?
Bom swallowed dryly as she could hear her heart pounding by her ears.
She got into the car.
Once they were alone in the quiet car, what happened that morning came to mind.
The moment when suddenly, the past appeared in front of her eyes and she froze, unable to do anything—and then he appeared like a hero from a superhero movie.
If Gogeon hadn’t shown up then, Bom would’ve just stood there blankly, unable to handle people recognizing her.
She needed to thank him, but the words wouldn’t come out.
She was truly grateful. Deeply thankful.
“Um… could you tell Gi-woong to buy my beer too? If he already left the convenience store, then he doesn’t have to.”
“He probably hasn’t arrived yet. I’ll text him.”
Bom looked at Gogeon’s side profile as he texted on his phone.
She had checked the worried messages from coworkers and acquaintances but had deliberately avoided the internet and social media.
Gogeon had briefly spoken to the reporters in front of the police station, and during that gap, Bom went straight to Il-joo’s house.
He had called afterward, saying he wanted to hear her voice, but he only briefly checked on her well-being.
“This morning…”
Her voice sank as she began speaking.
Bom wet her lips and took a deep breath.
“You said you got a tip-off, right? What exactly happened?”
“Didn’t Il-joo tell you?”
“I guess she thinks I’m still in shock. She didn’t mention anything about this morning.”
“I shared the tip I got and the story I heard. I’m sure Il-joo will tell you later, but you should know too.”
Gogeon opened his SNS and showed her a DM.
The sender’s name was “GogeonLoveBlackBunny,” clearly a fan.
[Mr. Gogeon, I’m reporting something because a strange post was uploaded to the Zerona fan café last night.]
[I think it’s related to your girlfriend.]
[The Zerona members commented that this person was doing something wrong and reported it to the vice president. The post got deleted quickly, but…]
[The plan was for this morning.]
[I was worried something might happen so I’m sending this.]
There was also a screenshot of the deleted post.
[[Tomorrow morning from 5 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., the electricity at Gogeon’s girlfriend’s company—Management Ilsam Building—will be under inspection, so CCTV and the entry gates will be down.
Recruiting people to expose the girlfriend’s identity. Banner is ready.
If you can help spread the banner when that bitch comes to work, meet on the building rooftop at 6.]]
Her hand holding the phone trembled.
Goosebumps crawled over her skin.
It wasn’t something impulsively done in the heat of the moment. The fact they even made a banner already proved it was planned, but seeing an actual premeditated scheme written out felt completely different.
It was like a huge deep pit yawning wide open in front of her eyes—waiting for her to fall in.
Dizziness washed over her, and Bom squeezed her eyes shut.
Gogeon’s large hand covered hers.
Another person’s warmth. Their touch. Bom was not alone.
She opened her eyes to confirm that and looked at him.
“Then that person… wrote the post?”
“No. According to their statement, they just went because they saw the post. There was only the banner on the rooftop, and when the time came and the original poster didn’t show up, they unfolded it alone.”
The one who orchestrated everything hid, using someone else to publicly humiliate Bom.
How vicious was that?
The culprit was truly insidious.
“If it was in the fan café…”
It should’ve been easy to identify who posted it.
Bom looked at him hopefully, but reality was not that simple.
“The person who posted in the fan café had never uploaded anything except the basic posts required to join. It looks like they joined using someone else’s identity. They were prepared.”
Suddenly, something came to Bom’s mind. The post mentioned the building’s power inspection. They even knew the exact time.
Her scalp tingled.
“In our building, the power inspection notice has been posted in the elevator for a week. But all the other companies there rely on the first-floor access gate system, so they manage employee badges strictly. Someone who doesn’t go in and out regularly wouldn’t know about it…”
“Yeah. Il-joo said the same thing.”
Seeing Bom’s pale face still not recover, Gogeon gently patted the back of her hand in a rhythm like a heartbeat.
The gesture calmed her a lot.
“They avoided the building CCTV, but they wouldn’t have been able to avoid dash cams and nearby security cameras. Our country isn’t that easy to get away with stuff in.”
“…That’s true.”
She knew he was trying to comfort her.
Even though it would leave Bom with trauma, legally it would probably end with just a fine.
She remembered the flapping banner. The vivid red letters carried a hostility you couldn’t forget after seeing them once.
The high-school bullying accusations had been exposed as false through a clumsy accusation post, and the gangster rumors were also baseless.
But those truths were only revealed long after Pink Pop disbanded.
People paid attention to bad rumors but didn’t care about corrections or outcomes.
Even when people commented “That wasn’t true, actually…,” it was just one or two lines floating in the vast internet.
She had been innocent, but most people still misunderstood.
Those misunderstandings were still lurking around her.
Bom’s expression refused to relax.
“Should we stop?”
Bom looked up in surprise.
“If we break up, things like this won’t happen anymore.”
She hadn’t expected him to be the one to bring this up first.
“I was scared you’d get hurt.”
For someone saying he was scared, his expression looked oddly calm.
But the fingertips holding Bom’s hand were cold.
When they walked along the fortress wall to see the night view, his hands had been big and warm.
Bom looked up at him. He kept his mouth shut, only staring at their joined hands.
After a long silence, Bom answered.
“No. We can’t. We signed a contract. And the Able CEO said he’d get Myeong-jo on a variety show.”
“Who exactly is your boyfriend? Myeong-jo or me?”
“You, Mr. Gogeon.”
“As long as you know.”
She’d agreed to the contract and had already received the benefits. It was too late to undo it.
She had prepared herself anyway.
“I won’t let something like this happen again.”
