The Scandal Queen

Year

ith the chime of cell phone

forget the hard feeling that formed in the pit of my stomach as I read the text and then the incre

ry social media site, my privacy and humiliation inst

e in the room, the staff, the managers, every single one of my peers, everyone heard the news. I witnessed their faces when they saw the pictures, caught the shocked and darting looks in

er breathing. At that point, I must've gone numb, blanked out in shock. I didn't hear her calling my name. When I blinked, Yunseo was steerin

lances back as she led me back to our dressing room. I didn't even realize the other four Hayze m

e police? That can

e, a hard look in her eyes as she grippe

ctures? Do you know who

, and I knew he had a motive to leak them. I just never would've believed he'd do it. That was foolish of me, I realize. You never really

making us all jump. In strode Manager Heo, and my stomach

l out, now," he gr

her credit, hesitated at the door, biting her lip and giving me an apologetic lo

Manager Heo began, "How could

focus on was the hollow feeling in my chest and the angry buzzing sound in my ears. I felt as

how massive this is? This isn't just

as normally a mild-manner

whole team. Tarnished the image of

ted to say, but didn't beca

. Not to mention the producers are already tal

t him. "They can't! I'll sit out. They

e a burdened look of disappointment that cut me

orner of my eye, I saw him run a

otice. Don't go out without a manager. I need to talk to the higher-ups and see w

things from the pile of our belongings, covering up my stage outfit and trying not to cry as

ld still hear the hushed whispers of everyone we passed as we left. Even if I couldn't see their faces, I could hear

station fade behind us, abandoning the weeks of hard work I'd put in with the girls prac

*

t, but I couldn't help it. It was all I could think about, the reality of it not really settling in yet. It was like I was watching the experience from out

ocked me from my

ON ISEUL NUDE P

TURES LEAKED TO MEDIA

RTAINMENT EXPECTED AFTER KWON

KNBC MUSIC CANCELLED

r again should have been enough, but in the way of a frog

s. Why would you take those kin

her career for sure. How can

to see her with clothes on now that they'

enge porn? That's a crim

an idol? Even normal people know not to tak

h the photos wer

he police haven't been contacted yet she pro

looks like she'

had been canceled. I caught a glimpse Jia and some of the others as they passed my room through the cracked door. They avoided my e

om before she came back from the shower. I needn't have bothered. I was awake when Nayoon came back, and she didn't even pause before crawling into her bed and turning off her own light. I wondered

onference room at the main office of High Tune entertainment, nervo

taking their seats around the table. They looked down their noses at me, all of them stone-faced and sile

folded his hands in front of him, starin

asked you here t

oks from the other board members. It wasn't polite, but I wanted to get my piece in

ched his brows together.

is and revenge porn is a crime. I'd like to press charges,

coughed. Beside me, Manager Heo was grinding his teeth.

at no legal action will be take

Mr. Hong, who spoke up. I gaped at him and then glanced

you mean?

decided that the best way to handle the situation is to let it quietly disapp

. Those were my pictures! It was my

make decisions and gives us legal clearance for any issue that may affec

ow. I understood, quite plainly, that I was being told

called you here to discuss your future with the group a

ose words was unmistakable. I knew what was comi

h Tune is to remove you from the group. To compensate you for your troubles, we will be rel

out of the room. No one breathed. Not a si

g dropped by the label?" I though

ing to soften the blow, and I almost laughed. If my earnings looked anything like last year's earnings

is face into something I'm sure he thought was sympathetic. "But

nd a sympathetic face anywhere in the room. When I looked Manager Heo's way, he simply looked dow

*

g Manager Heo and a hurried secretary from High Tune back to the dorms where I was s

ing room when I came out, dragging my bags a

ressions. Others still couldn't meet my eye. Only Yunseo met my gaze, her expression pinched with sympathy. She tried to flas

h the last couple hundred won I had in my pocket. I could hear someone fucking in the room next door. The wal

ng, since I hadn't heard from him in nearly a year. Someone must've told him the news back home. I'd been avoiding it for the

t seven years that I'd spent training, starving, practicing till my feet bled, working schedules till I had to hold my own eyes open, runnin

me. I'd just lost my career, my home, the only friends I had in this country. I had pennies to my name and nothing to show f

l valid for anything that happened before I'd been released. So, in short,

t. I had no doubt he would have covered his tracks. Used a different IP address or used some kind of hacker trick to make the source of the photos untraceable. The photos that had

but that didn't mean I had to sit here and be silent, to disappear like the industry wanted me to. The

ised. But I did it with this mantra on repeat: Fuc

my private moment, and if the world wanted to paint me as the whore, the sl

Group Memb

Pho

Just kidding. You have an image to uphold. Imagine how embarrassing it would be if everyone saw how terrible you are in bed. Why d

ver told the agency about the tape. I knew, of course, the reason the video hadn't been leaked was because he would have been identifiable. Even if he was able to censor his face out, someone would have recog

, she's really l

tting kicked out of Hayze are true. There'

she's seriously

is kind of a pow

s fighting back

I kind of love h

ot ashamed of it, I actua

no joke. Korea's never see

er of hours, my mentions were flooded with reactions-some su

down, portraying the clean idol image they wanted. By airing my dirty laundry so publicly, I'd essentially torched any remaining bridges with the agency an

Haein's call as I was packing up the last of my belongings and preparing

kay? What the hell w

said simply. "You wouldn't happen to know any

Haein replied, "Why don'

nd sucked in a b

kick you out onto the street. Your stupid label should be supporting you instead of tu

ce. "That would be ... amazing. Ser

ime," Haein laughed, "So

over in

*

I was relieved to see the looks of concern, not judgment, o

been depleted to get myself set up with what little I did have, so I took a job teaching dance cl

vicious but vague kiss-off to my shitty ex and the label that had turned its back on me. The lyrics were pointed e

ics were on the page, I looked down at it and marveled. I really had s

thought about it, the more it ate at me. I couldn't just let the song languish li

I might've known som

impatiently on my thigh as it rang. He picke

, it's me

sitting upright. "Is

. nearl

surprised you're calling

like, could be a huge hit if done r

. "You're serious? After

ically hear the gears turning in his head. Seungmin had been there through all my Hayze days, had seen me pouring

"Alright, I'm listeni

ibe I was going for-dark and smoldering, with just a hint of that playful, in-your

onna help me

nt to burn it

ready bombed my chances of signing with

Let's do it. I've got some studio time booked f

r me. "Seriously?

can't have you dragging my ass into anot

back. "But thanks, Seu

ion at this point. Just

now I

s my face. This was really happening. I

e game

ith Seungmin, working together to m

ped over my ears as I watched Seungmin tinker with the mix

a few knobs. The speakers blasted the line back at us w

. That's t

irst scribbling down the lyrics. Every word was a strike back at the people who did me dirty-a big 'fuck you' t

g back control of

ut each heated verse with a sneer. By the time we g

gifts and scream your name knew

e my name and say

d they turn their backs or wou

ven realize you woul

d a thumbs-up from behind the

cks, me alternating between recording scorching verses and guiding his production with

first rays of dawn were peeking through the st

not fucking a

said with a half-shrug

r with a groan. "We should probably take a bre

finishing, I could taste it. But I can also taste how dry

ew hours to recharge, then we'r

ing an arm around my shoulders as we headed out. "But I

that. Damn

ous bass-line shook the room, punctuating each of my biting lyrics with seismic force. A wry smile tugged at

with an expectant look. He pulled off his h

ead in disbelief. "You went ful

I couldn't hide my own sense of satisfa

tually naming names?" Seungmin let out an imp

or in painstakingly crafted verses. But I'd been careful to never explicitly name him or give obvious details that

d with a sly wink. "But it's not my fa

mixing board. "You're too much, you know that? This

p hair, suddenly aware of how utterly drained I felt

shining with professional respect. "This is a straight-up maste

Not Me, It's You" was ready to detonate across the internet. Seungmin had handled uploadi

fications flooded in-new followers, comments, shares. I smirked, open

d to the top of the charts, displacing even the biggest idol groups. The video's dislike bar

lling in thick and fast. Everybody was desperate to figure ou

st explicit enough to stoke rampant speculation. Fans pored over every line, eve

of mine-an idol from one of the biggest boy groups in the game. As the penny dro

icious memes, and exposes digging into his rumored infidelity and lies.

t uttered a single syllable confirming his identity, but it wa

he numbers didn't lie-"It's Not Me, It's You" was an unstoppab

s and comment sections, showering praise on the track's razor-sharp lyrics and undeniable catchi

nd hot takes scrutinizing the song's subtle disses and veiled allegations started hitting the net by the

bulldozed its way into the upper echelons of the charts, leaving a trail of smashed records in its wake.

ames. A single post-just a snippet of lyrics and a devil emoji-made my message

ted up overnight in a grassroots wave of solidarity. For every critic trying to tear me down as

to support me, while others did their best to distance themselves. But one thing was undenia