"We can release this to the public," Laohu said, causing Lin Zhi to smirk.
"Do you think this will be enough?" Lin Zhi asked.
"I believe so," Laohu said. "There is already proof that Choi Joon-ho was with Haruto the day he jumped off of the building. I also happened to find the footage from security cameras that day."
"Did Choi Joon-ho push him off?" Lin Zhi continued to inquire.
"No," Laohu responded. "He tried to stop him."
Lin Zhi frowned in confusion. "Isn't that a bad thing for us?"
"It can be," Laohu said. "However, we can always manipulate how other people think. People believe everything they see on the internet if it's even a little bit believable. That's how stupid the human brain is."
Lin Zhi smirked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Laohu swirled the whiskey glass in his hand and looked out of the tall, skyrise buildings in front of them.
"There are way too many stories in the world—one where people can't be bothered to know the real truth. So, they believe the most convenient piece of information."
"I'll help you," Lin Zhi said.
Laohu chuckled in amusement. "Of course, you would. You are the stepping stone of our plan. You will make the accusations, and I shall back it up with proof."
Lin Zhi nodded, determined to follow everything that Laohu would say.
"First, you have to claim that Choi Joon-ho isn't as innocent as he seems. He has been dodging the bullet since Rising Stars, but we have to show that he's no better than Alex and Hyunwoo, the two trainees from Phoenix who got kicked out of the show. In fact, we'll paint him to be much worse."
"You will release a statement that you are being bullied by June in the set of 'Untouched Souls.' During bullying scandals, people usually believe the victim. Once the statement is out, this video clip will circulate online."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Lin Zhi listened intently.
"Then, we'll give him a final blow," Laohu smirked. "One that he wouldn't be able to bounce back from."
Laohu placed some photos on the table—of someone who appeared very familiar and influential.
"CEO?" Lin Zhi asked, recognizing the current CEO of Phoenix Entertainment. It was photos of him in various places with the different women, causing Lin Zhi's smirk to widen.
"I've gathered these pieces of evidence so we can use it as leverage. Once the CEO claims that June is the same as the character we've painted him out to be, then his career is good as done."
"Then," Laohu smirked, downing the rest of his whiskey and leaning against his cheer. "Once that happens, we'll have June at the very bottom of the food chain—where he would have no choice but to tell us where the briefcase is."
"And when that happens," Laohu smiled. "We'll finally take over the Korean Entertainment Company as we know it."
Laohu chuckled loudly, and Lin Zhi followed not long after. The sound of laughter coming from two deranged men sent chills to the spines of those even absent in the room.
"However," Laohu quickly said, cutting his laughter short.
He pointed at Lin Zhi and looked him dead in the eyes.
"You must stay calm," he prefaced.
"No matter what happens. You have to act as if we're not planning a thing."
Lin Zhi's jaw clenched in determination as he nodded.
"Got it."
***
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})June paced back and forth in his room, sneezing as he felt an itchy sensation in his nose.
"Goodness," he muttered. "Is somebody talking about me?"
Then, he sat on his bed, bouncing his leg up and down since he was at a loss for what to do.
Even his acting performance was affected by Lin Zhi's words a while ago. As a result, their filming schedule was postponed, and they moved it to a weekend.
Just then, the door opened, revealing Casper with a bowl of pasta in his hands.
"Pasta?" he asked, looking at June with bright eyes as he showed him the colorless pasta.
June clicked his tongue. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, you didn't join us for dinner, so I decided to bring you some to your room," Casper innocently said.
June sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. Meanwhile, Casper watched him with a hesitant gaze.
"I know that you're working hard for the team," Casper said. "In fact, the team has been working non-stop since our debut, and it truly gets exhausting."
"However, I can't imagine how tired you truly are. For someone who has twice the amount of work we have, you're doing extremely well. So, I hope you won't be too hard on yourself and also rest from time to time."
June pursed his lips before standing from his bed, taking the colorless pasta from Casper's hand and shoving a forkful into his mouth.
Rest? Rest was a luxury for people like him.
Being an idol was already a very physically demanding job. However, he was also battling his past demons, which made him believe that he didn't have the luxury of rest.
Then, June patted his bed, signaling for Casper to sit next to him.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"Sit," June said.
Casper was surprised; however, he quickly complied, seeing it as an opportunity to speak with June for longer.
"I need your advice," June started off, making Casper even more surprised. Usually, the boys came to June to ask for advice. Moreover, Casper was the very last person that the members talked to for some rational advice.
His ideas were even more unhinged than Akira's!
June was well-aware of this fact, of course—which is why he decided to ask Casper for help in the first place.
He had been thinking rationally about how to get back at Lin Zhi. However, he believed that rational thinking wouldn't cut it this time.
"What would you do if you needed to destroy a person?" June vaguely asked.
"Destroy a person?" Casper asked with raised eyebrows.
June nodded. "The entirety of their being. Their reputation. Their life. Their conscience. Everything."
Casper scratched the back of his head.
"That would be hard to do, wouldn't it? Why would you want to destroy a person's life?"
June clicked his tongue. "Look at it this way. What if someone takes an important aspect of your life, and it still hasn't been given justice?"
Casper hummed and placed his hand under his chin.
"Hmm, I'll tell the authorities?" he asked.
June sighed in frustration. Casper was not getting his intention at all.
Then, it clicked to him—the most perfect question.
He turned to Casper and looked him in the eyes.
"What would you do if someone kills Luther, gets away with it, and is now living their best life under the spotlight?"
