The Idol’s Secret

“Let’s talk in person. Where are you now?”
[Songpa, Songpa Police Station…]
“I’ll be right there, so calm down.”

What must it feel like to ask someone for help while crying?
As soon as I received Baek Soeun’s call, I headed to Songpa Police Station.
As soon as I opened the station door and entered, another familiar face greeted me.

“You’re here really fast.”
“I happened to have some free time. Where is Reporter Baek?”

Choi Suhyeok rubbed his dark under-eye circles from fatigue and gestured to the left with his head.

“Are you getting any sleep?”
“I just came in this morning after finishing my stakeout. Tomorrow is my day off, so I’ll rest then. Though it’s probably impossible given the current situation. Tsk.”

Choi Suhyeok clicked his tongue lowly.
I read a strange discomfort on his face.

‘The current situation?’

It seems this won’t be resolved easily.

“What’s going on? Did something happen to Reporter Baek?”

Given her aggressive tone and how she cuts through everyone, I thought it was possible, but Choi Suhyeok let out a low sigh of denial.

“It’s better if you see it for yourself. You’ll know when you go inside.”
“Yes, then let’s have a meal at Family Diner together later.”
“…Yes.”
“Oh, I thought you’d say, ‘Why would I have lunch with Lawyer Cha?'”

Choi Suhyeok waved his hand with an awkward expression.

“I’ll take it back right now, so if you know, then go away.”
“You’ve grown fond of me.”
“Aren’t you leaving? Are you going to keep your client waiting in a cold and chilly interrogation room like that?”
“I’m going, I’m going. See you in a bit.”

I waved my hand in greeting to Choi Suhyeok, who was waving his hand as if to shoo me away, and started walking.

“Reporter Baek.”

I soon encountered Baek Soeun, who was fidgeting in front of the interrogation room.

“Lawyer…”

Baek Soeun’s eyes were swollen, as if she had already had a good cry.
Quite a few of her blood vessels had also burst.

“Did someone you know get arrested?”
“Well… it’s someone I know one-sidedly… I have no one to trust but you, and you’re the only one I could think of…”

Baek Soeun’s rambling was unfamiliar.

[If that Reporter Baek is like that, then something must have happened.]

‘It must be that surprising of an event. A big one. But if they only know each other one-sidedly… Can you cry like this for someone like that?’

It seemed difficult to get a more detailed explanation from the nearly panicking Baek Soeun.
I nodded and pointed to a nearby chair.

“Reporter Baek Soeun. It’s okay. I’ll talk to him. Please sit there and rest for a bit.”
“Please, I’m begging you. Please…”
“Let’s just sit down for a bit. Okay? Reporter Baek.”

Only after almost forcing Baek Soeun, who didn’t seem to want to leave the front of the interrogation room, into a chair could I enter the interrogation room.

Creak.

‘Oh, that face is…’

As soon as I saw the listlessly sitting man, I immediately understood why Baek Soeun was in such a panic.

‘He’s a member of C9. His name is… Kwon Saeha, was it?’

But why did Baek Soeun call me instead of the entertainment company calling a lawyer?
Kwon Saeha just looked at me as I opened the door and entered, like a wax doll.
With dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept for days, a face that was so pale that it made them stand out even more, and a haggard appearance that anyone could see.

“…I’m Lawyer Cha Yohan.”

I omitted the “hello” and sat down opposite him, handing him my business card.
Kwon Saeha looked at the business card once and then bowed his head.
He looked like a dry twig swaying in the wind.

“…Yes, hello. I’m Kwon Saeha.”

A written statement was on the table in front of Kwon Saeha.
It seemed he had already given his statement without a lawyer.

“First, I’ll take a look at this.”
“…Yes.”

As I picked up the statement, Kwon Saeha’s expression darkened a little more.
He looked as if he had given up on everything.
The content that was already written was simple.

‘12 hours since emergency arrest at the scene. The charge is drug use and sales.’

No matter how much Baek Soeun had asked, I couldn’t unconditionally take on the case.

Thump.

As soon as I put down the statement, Kwon Saeha opened his mouth.

“You don’t have to defend me.”
“…What do you mean by that? Is everything written in this statement true?”
“…No.”

But what is this…
Why is he so withdrawn?
Instead of guessing, I muttered to myself.

‘<Eye of Truth>.’

The Eye of Truth, which had been upgraded with points, now gave me a result even if it wasn’t a client, as long as it was a suspect.

[I’m curious what the situation is.]

I nodded once and opened my mouth.

“How do you know Reporter Baek Soeun?”

This was the point I had been most curious about from the beginning.

“Uh… I knew her face, but I only learned today that her job was a reporter. She always came to our fan signs, and she came to our fan meetings every time.”
“Hmm.”
“She knew my situation, that is, that I didn’t have a lawyer, so she called you…”

Listening to Kwon Saeha’s story, I think I understood what had happened.
Kwon Saeha kept moving his arm restlessly. While fiddling with his hands under the table.

“It’s unfair, but… my result will be the same whether you’re here or not… I don’t want to be a nuisance. I don’t want to waste your time either…”

Kwon Saeha spoke in fragments, but instead of cutting him off, I listened to his story carefully.

[He doesn’t seem like a bad person.]

‘What is the reason? Innocent, wronged, yet he won’t hire a lawyer.’

Through the last case, I already knew how popular ‘C9’ was.

‘Is it because of my reputation?’

Drug cases usually don’t result in a prison sentence for a first-time offender.
But sales and distribution were different.
So in cases like this, there was a strong tendency to prefer lawyers who had been former judges.

“Is there a reason why you’re not hiring a lawyer, Mr. Kwon Saeha? If you have some circumstances, I will help you as much as I can.”

His appearance, like a rain-soaked puppy that couldn’t even make eye contact, was too pitiful.
And now that I knew he was innocent, I couldn’t just leave him.

‘Because then he really would get a prison sentence.’

At my question, Kwon Saeha lowered his head and fiddled with his fingertips for a long time.

“I, that is… my legal fees…”

His already small voice got even smaller.

“…I can’t pay them.”

What is this again?
The biggest reason people admire celebrities is because of the wealth they enjoy.
It was hard to list all the benefits that come with making a name for yourself.
So much so that there’s even a saying that most problems will be solved if you just become famous.

‘<Truth of the Lips>.’

Soon, a light green hologram appeared in succession.

I asked one more question to Kwon Saeha’s round, brown head.

“…Are you in debt by any chance? Or investments, things like that.”
“…It’s not that, I really don’t have any money.”

“Then, why. Ah.”

A thought flashed through my mind.
An agency that doesn’t send a lawyer even for a case of this magnitude, a popular idol who has no money, an excessively subservient attitude…

“…Mr. Kwon Saeha. Have you not received any settlement from your agency?”

At that moment, Kwon Saeha, who had been bowing his head all along, suddenly raised his head.
Anxiety was clearly visible in his light brown eyes.
The signal was enough.

Kwon Saeha, who had been locked in the interrogation room for 12 hours, thought about the time he had been nurturing his dream.
Before he even became a trainee, when he first had a dream, he was just happy to imagine himself on stage.

‘…At that time, I thought I would be really happy just to stand on stage.’

Kwon Saeha was not a street-casted trainee who was constantly talked about even after his debut, nor was he from a public audition.
No company wanted a trainee with average skills, even if his face was decent.
They wanted trainees who needed less hand-holding from the beginning.
Among the many failed tests, the only place that accepted Kwon Saeha as a trainee was a new agency whose only asset was a semi-basement practice room.

“Yes, Saeha is getting better! Keep this up!”
“Thank you, CEO!”

He thought he could get better and better like that. It was an arrogant thought.

“CEO…”
“…I’m sorry, guys. I have no excuse.”

The first agency, which had become as difficult as it could be, was eventually merged with another company one day.
The new CEO smiled brightly and handed him two documents.

“Now, just decide whether to continue your contract with us or pay the penalty and leave. The left is to maintain the contract, the right is to terminate it.”

Kwon Saeha, who had started as a trainee in middle school, was now 18 years old.
He had missed too much to give up now.

“Ah, we can fully support you, unlike the previous CEO, so keep that in mind. I heard you’ve been through a lot, so you should be compensated.”

That kind and sweet words and the past time moved Kwon Saeha’s hand.
A short while later, he really debuted, but his joy was short-lived.

“Get up quickly! You have an event in the countryside today! Do you want to get beaten again to come to your senses?”
“…I’m sorry.”

He had to endure a packed schedule that didn’t allow him to sleep for even two hours a day, as well as practice after practice.
Whether it was a local festival or somewhere else, he had to be called out regardless of the members’ will.
If he refused, a fist or a kick would immediately fly at him. Only avoiding his face.
The more C9’s name became known, the more the smiles faded from the members’ faces.
Because it was literally a s*ave contract with a penalty of billions of won if they withdrew.
The settlement was continuously postponed on the pretext of investment during his trainee days.

“Oh, Mom. I’m fine. It’s been a while since I’ve heard your voice, right? Of course. I’m doing well, Mom. Take care of your health too. Okay?”

It had been four years since he started his activities.
His life was still completely controlled, but C9’s popularity had grown to the point where they had held several solo concerts.
He could only use his phone at a set time under the supervision of the staff.
Since he had no money, there was nothing he could do on his own.
But Kwon Saeha was satisfied.
Because now he was given at least five or six hours of sleep a day.
Though he was still occasionally dragged out of his sleep for no reason and beaten.

“These things! They don’t know gratitude! I feed them, I give them a place to sleep, I even clothe them, but they always, once in a while!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“I’m sorry, CEO!”

There was only one way to end this pain quickly.
For all the members to lie flat on the floor and beg for their lives.

‘What did I want to do?’

Whenever that thought came to mind, Kwon Saeha would shake his head briefly. It was a habit now.
It was the same half a day ago.
As always, he didn’t ask for the destination.
Because all he had to do was get out where the manager dropped him off and smile, or smile and dance.
As his body remembered.
But something was strange today.
He was alone in the van, and it was late at night.

“Get out.”

The moment he raised his head and looked beyond the open door, Kwon Saeha instinctively realized that something unbearable was about to unfold.

“M-manager. This is…”
“I said get out. Hey, are you deaf?”

Because the place where the car had stopped after a long silence was a hotel.