Chapter 476: He Must Love Her Very Much

Chapter 476: He Must Love Her Very Much

“Suicide?”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“I only said what many people have said before—who knew she’d be so fragile! And isn’t the key to her suicide her boyfriend?”

When he learned of Li Meiyuan’s suicide, Park Jae-hae was stunned for a moment, only snapping out of it when his assistant said that this Li Meiyuan was the girl Meng Fan had saved at the airport yesterday. Then, when his assistant mentioned that his public online comments would cause huge trouble, he panicked.

After reading the online discussions, including those on foreign sites, his face turned as ugly as pig’s liver.

He wasn’t stupid; he knew he’d messed up big time.

He’d doxxed people online before, and this time, in his own view, it was purely “following the public will.” But he never expected the girl to be so fragile, nor that her boyfriend would hit her. As for suicide, that was beyond his imagination.

“What do we do now?”

After being beaten by Meng Fan in China and having his fan-beating scandal exposed, coupled with Meng Fan’s rising fame and recognition, Park Jae-hae’s life had become increasingly difficult—he’d hit rock bottom in his career. This time, he’d finally seized a chance to protest Meng Fan alongside the whole nation, hoping to be seen as a “model” and regain his popularity, to rise from where he fell. But now this had happened.

If he fell this time, he’d never get back up for sure!

“What’s the panic?”

The speaker wasn’t Park Jae-hae’s agent, but a senior from the same company, a star who also hated Meng Fan. Besides sharing the same reasons as other South Koreans, he was a judo enthusiast, friends with several national team athletes, including the one who had been too scared to make a move against Meng Fan in the ring multiple times.

His name was Kim Hae-bin, a singer and variety show heavyweight. His public image was very sunny—witty, humorous, with a great physique. He often showed off his muscles on variety shows, had participated in judo star matches, and achieved excellent results. He was a highly popular star in South Korea.

“This situation looks terrible now, but for you, it’s also an opportunity!”

Kim Hae-bin held a cigarette between his fingers, took a long drag, and slowly exhaled. For a moment, smoke half-covered his face as he spoke slowly: “After you returned from China last time, your popularity started to decline. Even without this incident, you’d eventually fade from the public eye, and before that, the company would definitely cut you loose. Remember the contracts you signed over the years? Trust me, you’ll end up looking awful—dead awful!”

Stubbing out the cigarette, Kim Hae-bin walked up to Park Jae-hae and said, “Things have reached this point. Without any other changes, you’re doomed! Don’t think that just because many online are still attacking that Chinese guy and some still support you, it’ll last. As time goes on, foreign public opinion will inevitably pressure the domestic scene. Then people will wake up and turn all their arrows on you! You’ll become a rat in the street, a discard for the company! You have no future!”

“Changes? What changes? How?”

Park Jae-hae knew Kim Hae-bin was telling the truth. If he got knocked down this time, he’d never get back up. And if he couldn’t get back up, he’d owe the company money… His best-case scenario might be losing both legs and truly being unable to stand. He didn’t dare think about a worse outcome.

“It’s simple!”

Kim Hae-bin straightened Park Jae-hae’s sleeve and said, “Prove that the Chinese guy’s airport act was a stunt, and that the girl who committed suicide was an actress he hired—even her suicide was staged! That way, your crisis is resolved! Not only yours, but also the crisis for our athletes who got dragged into this. You won’t be a scapegoat; you’ll become a national hero!”

A spark of hope lit up in Park Jae-hae’s eyes, then quickly died out: “That’s easy to say, but everyone knows the suicide…”

“One step forward, and the sky is wide. Stand still, and you’re in an abyss!”

Kim Hae-bin patted Park Jae-hae’s shoulder and said, “Jae-hae, you have no other choice! I know you. Forget how the company will treat you if this doesn’t pass—even if you walk away clean, can you go back to the life you had before fame? You don’t want to, and you can’t endure that hardship anymore. You can’t go back!”

“Go back? No! I’d rather die than live like that again!”

Remembering his pre-fame days, Park Jae-hae’s heart raced wildly, and he panicked. Then, with a thud—whether from weak legs or weak bones—he knelt directly before Kim Hae-bin: “Senior, teach me what to do!”

“What are you doing? Get up!”

Kim Hae-bin waited a few seconds before helping Park Jae-hae up. His face changed faster than flipping a book, and he smiled bitterly: “What teaching? How would I know? But I think her boyfriend might be able to help with this. I figure he must have had a reason to hit her—maybe because he knew she was in on the act with that Chinese guy, so he hit her in anger! Oh, and her classmates probably know something too.”

“Right, right, right!”

Park Jae-hae caught on immediately, his face full of righteousness: “That must be it—why else would he hit her, right? I’ll go find him now; I’m sure he’ll be very willing to help me. No, this is helping himself too. So many people are cursing him, and he’s been silently bearing this secret. Maybe he loves his girlfriend so much he didn’t speak out? Yes, he must love her very much! But this matter also concerns our country’s honor. I’ll go enlighten him to put romantic feelings aside for the greater national cause.”

Kim Hae-bin felt a churn in his stomach but still gave Park Jae-hae a thumbs-up. This guy was really too easy to steer—once nudged, he came up with such a brilliant spin. Kim Hae-bin gained a new appreciation for Park Jae-hae’s audacity.

Before Park Jae-hae left, besides his assistant, Kim Hae-bin gave him another phone number—if he needed force to intimidate or solve things, he could contact the owner of that number. He also provided “operating funds.”

After Park Jae-hae left, Kim Hae-bin took out his phone, cheerfully sent an OK hand gesture in a group chat—a group full of judo enthusiasts, including several national team members.

(End of chapter)