[This chapter contains slightly mature topics and crime. It can trigger some people. It's a harsh reality of South Korea though especially in early 2010s.]
After Kim Seo-jun returned from the bathroom, he received a phone call from Nichkun. To receive that call he moved towards the storage room in the back kitchen. This area was quite dimly lit.
"Hello, Nichkun-hyung?"
"Hmm. Hello, Seo-jun. Where did you go? I just saw you as a resident singer. I'm with Girls Generation Tiffany, Hyoyeon, F(x) Sulli and some other guests. So, I wanted to introduce you with them. It's always a nice thing to be connected, you know." Nichkun's slightly drunk voice came through from the phone.
"Well, my shift should end soon after 1 hour. It's my last day here. So I am gonna stay a bit longer. Tell me where you are. I'll come find you after I am done," Seo-jun said, tilting his head slightly, holding his phone between his cheek and shoulder, and casually straightening the hem of his black shirt.
"Okay. Meet me at the second floor. We are at the table near the stairs." Nichkun hung up the phone.
Seo-jun put his phone back in his pocket and was about to turn and leave when suddenly, he heard footsteps clearly. Then, a voice called out, "Oh, where's the drug?"
He stopped at his tracks and subconsciously hid behind a shelf in the corner.
"The drug is with me, Jae-ho hyung. Aren't you focused on pursuing that F(x) Sulli?" another voice replied.
Seo-jun gasped. Drug? Sulli? He had been in Seoul for 3 years now. He knew most idols now. Obviously he knew Sulli from SM. He had their debut song 'LA chA TA' back in 2009 upon its release. Moreover, she was from SM. The SM entertainment where Kim Taeyeon resides. Thinking of Kim Taeyeon, he couldn't help but think of her. A man in love is very daring. He shook his slightly and let go of his intrinsic thoughts. Those were for another day not now. What he needs now is not to reminisce but to think of a solution.
He slowly pulled his phone out and started to record. Thankfully, he bought a Samsung Galaxy S2.
Choi Jae-ho said, " Mind your own business and just give me the drug."
The man held a small bottle. Just as Choi Jae-ho reached out to take it, the man suddenly pulled his hand back and excitedly said, "Hey, wait a minute, you're not planning to drug Sulli, are you?"
Jae-ho panicked, lowered his voice and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? I just saw a new wrench who's just started out. What Sulli?"
The man stared at him with a smirk in his face and said,"No, no, you said in the group chat today that you were going to meet up with Sulli tonight. What's your relationship with her hyung? We've been friends for years, why are you hiding this from me? We both enjoy together."
"Shut the fuck up and give me the drug!" Choi Jae-ho's words ultimately implied that he was going to drug and do the most monstrous thing to Sulli. The man looked at him for a while and replied," I can't give you the drug. Do you think if we do this to SM's Sulli, we will be able to roam freely? It is one of the Big 3."
"What do you know?" Choi Jae-ho smugly said. "Although we're not dating yet, she already trusts me completely. Tomorrow morning, I'll just coax her a little, and she'll not hold it against me."
The man looked at Jae-ho like he was looking at a clown. Sulli? With him? SM's one of the most popular idols. She was one of the best looking kpop idols in 2012. She had a bright, youthful, almost ethereal presence that made her stand out instantly, even in a group known for unique visuals. Her face carried a soft, doll-like quality- round cheeks, fair smooth skin, and pink luscious lips that gave her a fresh, almost innocent charm. Her eyes were expressive, slightly curved when she smiled, giving her that signature "eye smile" that fans adored.
Choi Jae-ho taunted him, "Her father divorced and abandoned her when she was a child. Her mother sent her to SM Entertainment to earn money and then ignored her, treating her like a stray dog that no one wanted on the street. She is like a cash cow. You understand?"
"If you suddenly reach out a stray dog and touch it, it will definitely bite you. But if you throw it a bone, coax it every day, and feed it, it will roll around at your feet, begging you to pet it, and you can easily take it home."
"At this point, even if you scold or beat it, it will only think it's not good enough and try even harder to please you."
"I just showed her a little more care, and she was so touched that she even gave me the latest iPhone for my birthday. She's like a stray dog I picked up, afraid of being abandoned. Just you wait and see, after tonight, I'm going to teach her a lesson. I can also use her fame to promote myself and expand my career!"
The man had a lewd face and slowly said, "In that case, hyung. I will give you the drug. But you will record the scene and upload it on our group."
Choi Jae-ho grabbed him by his collar and roared," She is mine. You bastard. Only I can have her."
The man held a mocking smile. " Good luck on getting her without these drugs. You can't even record a video while you do it? I thought we were brothers. You get to enjoy Sulli while we can only see her from afar. This doesn't seem fair. It's not like you are going to marry her. She is just a plaything after all. "
Choi Jae-ho relented slowly. "Alright. But don't let others know. I'll give the video only to you."
The man calmly gave him the drugs and they both went away. Kim Seo-jun slowly walked out with the phone in his hand and saved the video. He was contemplating whether to call Nichkun and warn him but these bastards are on their way to Nichkun now. Most importantly, he didn't know if Nichkun was one of them. If he called him and he reports to Jae-ho, he might get killed. He knew this guy and his family background.
He made his way to the manager and asked if he saw Sulli. As for how he knew about Sulli's presence, the manager saw Nichkun with his group and also knew they both were from JYP.
"I heard from Mrs. Yoon that Sulli was at the ladies bathroom. Why?"
Seo-jun shook his head and said nothing. He couldn't bring himself to trust anyone here. He only knew that officials of SM and JYP could be trusted.
He made his way to the female bathroom, hoping she was there and on his way out he could let her see the video.
'There she was.' Because of being drunk, Sulli pulled of her mask and walked slowly. Just as he saw her, she also saw him. She already knew about him from her conversation with Nichkun. Just as she was about to introduce herself, Seo-jun calmly took her wrist and took her to a corner. Sulli's mind went off for some seconds before she punched him in the stomach, thinking him as a stalker. Thankfully, Seo-jun exercised a lot from 2010 and so he was quite strong. A drunk girl couldn't have that much strength.
"Sulli-ssi. I'm Kim Seo-jun and I'm not a stalker. Hell, I'm not even your fan. I need you to calm down because I want you to see a video. It's a criminal act regarding one of your trusted friends."
Sulli slowly calmed down and looked at the phone Seo-jun pulled out from his pocket.
Seeing the video thumbnail, she realized it was her Choi Jai-ho oppa! Filled with doubt, she pressed play with trembling fingers.
"Stop talking nonsense, give me the drug!"
"Her father divorced and abandoned her when she was 7 years old. Her mother sent her to SM Entertainment to make money and then ignored her. She was like a stray dog, a cash cow that no one wanted."
"After tonight, I'll teach her a lesson."
"I'll record a video tonight then."
Each word was like a sharp knife, stabbing deeply into Sulli's heart. Her face instantly turned deathly pale, and she covered her mouth with her hands, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. She was never wanted. People always wanted her for her body, not for her soul. "Impossible, this is impossible..." Sulli she sat down on the ground, muttering to herself.
'How could he do this? How could he be so cruel? How could he do such a thing?'
Looking at the despairing Sulli, Seo-jun thought of himself. When he was 10 years old, his parents left without saying goodbye, leaving him to make his own way in the world.
How similar he was to Sulli! People can always empathize with those who have had similar experiences. He slowly squatted down and gently patted her back, hoping to make her feel a little more comfortable.
"At least you are safe. Don't lose hope. There will always be people who truly care about you. Right now, what we can do is punish these bastards, so that other poor girls don't have to suffer."
Sulli nodded, slowly wiping her tears. "Can I send the video to my manager and Lee soo-man seonsaengnim. As one of the favorite artists of SM, she had the contract number of Lee soo-man. Seo-jun nodded. All he wanted was to end this right now.
Sulli sent the video to them. Just seconds later, messages kept coming. Both of them asked her her location and not do anything stupid on her own. Lee soo-man himself was coming here. Thinking of this, Seo-jun slowly dialed Jin-young's phone number and explained the whole situation. He also spoke about Nichkun and not to let him know because he himself might be a part of this crime. Hearing him, Jin-young also said he was coming in this bar.
Just as he hung up and turned to Sulli's side. He saw Sulli rushing out of the room. "This idiotic girl." Seo-jun exclaimed and followed her.
Sulli's state was extremely unstable at the moment. If she did something rash and something unexpected happened, both SM and JYP will be at problem. He couldn't help but curse Nichkun. Why the fuck does he move around with these people?
Sulli's face was gloomy. She took a deep breath, and pushed open the door of her private room near the stairs. Choi Jae-ho hurriedly stood up, his face marked with a fake smile, and waved as he said, "Sulli! Where have you been? You were gone for so long, and you didn't answer my calls. I specially changed the wine to a sweet fruit wine for you. I guarantee you'll like it."
She stared at the drink and was sure, this was drugged. "Oppa, I don't like fruit wine. However, I don't want to waste the wine, so please drink this glass for me." Jae-ho panicked, something was wrong with her. Is this girl mental and had her personality changed?
"What are you saying? I specifically made this for you. Come on drink!"
Sulli pulled out her phone and in front of the eyes of Tiffany and Hyoyeon, she played the video not before saying," Is this because it's drugged?"
As the video played and the malicious lines were spoken, the room was silent. Nichkhun, Tiffany, and Hyoyeon's expressions changed instantly, and they subconsciously looked at the wine glasses in their hands.
Sulli stepped forward and slapped Jae-ho hard across the face.
"You beast! I already called SM. See how they deal with you. You Bastard!"
Choi Jae-ho who got slapped, felt his face burn with pain. He got angry and slapped her in return. Watching him slap Sulli, Hyoyeon and Tiffany threw two wine bottles at him. Nichkun drank a lot and couln't believe what the fuck was happening. Jae-ho dodged the bottles and threw the remaining bottles at Tiffany and Hyoyeon. The glass bottles when hit can shatter and cause not just concussions but also slightly lacerations on their arm. They were idols obviously these might have impact. Upon seeing them threw glass bottles and injuring themselves, Nichkun came to his senses. But he didn't know if he should intervene. An idol's face or body was too much important. They need to be perfect. Having a bruise and cut can damage his reputation.
Tiffany anxiously shouted, "Hey, Nichkhun, what are you standing there for?" Hearing that, Nichkun came to his sense and was about to rush at Jae-ho. Just as he was about to reach Jae-ho, Jae-ho grabbed Sulli and held her throat with a broken glass.
"I'm already exposed. If I'm going to get destroyed, I'll take someone with me."
Eyes of Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Nichkun popped open. They couldn't believe someone could be this much treacherous. Sulli couldn't believe this was the Oppa she used to hang out with and talk with. Hyoyeon was regretting because she arranged this event.
Just as Jae-ho was about to threaten them further to delete the video, Seo-jun slowly entered into the room with a flower vase in his hand. Thankfully, the door was slightly open and no sound of opening the door was made. In front of the astonished eye of others, he bashed the flower vase hard against Jae-ho, making him unconscious.
'Did I kill him? If he dies, what about my career? Did I just ruin everything today?' That's what was going on his mind. But when he saw the tears in Sulli's eyes, he knew he did the right thing. "Are you brainless? Both officials from SM and JYP are coming here. You should have waited, you idiot."
Sulli looked up at Song Zhao, her eyes blurry with tears. At that moment, Seo-jun seemed to radiate light in her eyes, bringing her a sense of peace. She sobbed uncontrollably, "Waaaaah, I'm sorry, I... Waaaaah... I caused so much trouble."
Seo-jun walked forward and grabbed Jae-ho's phone. He opened the gallery and saw several videos of unconscious girls getting violated. Everyone present in the room had their eyes widen seeing this.
"Disgusting"
"Piece of trash"
"With these, he probably will be in jail for a long time. The media hopefully covers it fully." Seo-jun stated calmly to the others.
All eyes were on him.