Chapter Ten: The Collapse
The YouTuber sipped his coffee confidently under the studio lights.
K-World Deep Dive Live was airing its Friday segment, and once again, he was the star.
Tens of thousands watched as he leaned forward, voice oozing certainty.
> "Let's be honest, people. Ji-hoon's silence isn't grace — it's guilt. Sae-jin was a child, and he—"
The screen behind him flickered.
Then froze.
A new video began playing — unplanned.
The host blinked, confused.
> "Producer-nim? What's this?"
It was raw, shaky footage.
The same video Sae-jin had given Eunha.
The PRESSURE ROOM video.
---
The sound cut on.
> "You want to survive in this industry? You better make that boy shut his mouth. Post the photo. Play the victim. Or I'll take your sister next."
Gasps.
Silence.
The YouTuber's face turned white.
> "Shut it down—shut it down!" he yelled off-camera.
Too late.
The live chat exploded:
"WHAT DID I JUST SEE?!"
"Is that her?"
"This proves Ji-hoon is INNOCENT!!"
"EXPOSE HIM!"
A second clip played.
A blurred figure, dressed like the YouTuber himself, was in a car… laughing.
> "Don't worry. Once she's gone, her silence becomes the story. Sad girls get clicks."
> "And Ji-hoon?"
> "He's done. Guilt looks better when they don't deny it."
---
The studio's emergency lights blinked.
Security rushed in.
The YouTuber stood frozen, watching his empire collapse in real time.
Suddenly, a masked woman appeared on the live stream feed.
It was Sae-jin.
Only her eyes visible.
Voice disguised but unmistakable.
> "I was never a victim of Ji-hoon.
I was a victim of the ones who needed a villain.
He stayed silent to protect me.
Now I speak to protect him."
---
The feed cut.
The broadcast ended in chaos.
Viewers kept refreshing, hoping for more.
---
That night, Ji-hoon sat in his apartment. Alone. Watching everything unfold.
He didn't cry.
He didn't smile.
He just whispered, "Thank you."