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Chapter 152: If You Commit A Sin, You Should Be Punished (2)

I sat on the sofa and checked my planner while waiting for Cherry Blossom to finish their rehearsal.

As expected, the entry about the scandal remained unchanged which meant that Jang Eun-Yung hadn\'t deleted her secret account. I couldn\'t understand why she would cherish an account that could threaten her position so much.

At that moment, the waiting room door burst open with a loud noise.

Bang!

"Jung Yoon-Ho! Where are you?"

Chief Cha Sang-Jin from Singer Division 1 barged in looking for me, his face red with anger.

"You jerk! What did you do to Eun-Yung!?"

Han Myung-Ho stepped in front of me. "What are you doing?"

"Get out of my way! I\'m going to settle things with this bastard today!" Cha Sang-Jin yelled.

"You should just go back if this is about Eun-Yung. It\'s not like we\'re staying quiet because we have nothing to say."

"Hey! Team Lead Han. Didn\'t you hear that Eun-Yung was threatened by that jerk?"

"I did. So what?"

"What, what did you say? Have you all really lost your minds?"

Han Myung-Ho, who had always seemed lenient, surprisingly took a tough stance. He completely lost his cool upon hearing that the members of Cherry Blossom were being threatened, and this was only natural considering that he spent three years suffering for success with them.

Thanks to Han Myung-Ho\'s firm attitude, Cha Sang-Jin was left feeling perplexed.

"Th-that\'s enough. I have nothing to say to you, so move aside. I\'ll make sure Yoon-Ho pays for what he\'s done today."

Despite Cha Sang-Jin\'s rage, I responded in a calm voice, "Go ahead and report me."

"What?"

"I said you can report or sue me. Do whatever you want to do," I repeated.

"What did you just say?"

"But I\'ll blow the whistle on Eun-Yung\'s actions to Reporter Jang Moon-Ki in return. You seem unaware of what happened yesterday, but I guarantee that it\'ll make for an interesting story," I replied with a straight face.

Cha Sang-Jin\'s expression twisted as if he had bitten into a bitter fruit.

"Why, you...do you think you can get away with this just because Ms. Kang has been lenient with you?"

"Yes. I couldn\'t care less about anything else because of Eun-Yung\'s issue right now."

When I defiantly met his gaze, Cha Sang-Jin pointed at me with a look of disbelief.

"D-don\'t think this will just pass. I\'ll report everything to Mr. Lee, so just keep that in mind!"

\'What is he gonna do about it anyway? It\'s not like I did anything to Eun-Yung.\'

It would be a different story if Park Hyun-Woo had decided to sue, but Jang Eun-Yung couldn\'t possibly sue me for anything. I was so dumbfounded that I gave a hollow laugh.

As I stood my ground, Cha Sang-Jin eventually turned away as he was unable to do anything.

Thud!

The waiting room door closed with a loud noise, and Han Myung-Ho looked at me with a worried expression.

"But are you sure you\'ll be okay? What if Director Lee Gi-Cheol decides to fire you?"

I smiled and answered. "Let\'s see them try. If I get fired, I\'ll blow everything up and report it as unfair dismissal to the labor office. Then I\'ll also expose everything Golden Road has done without getting caught."

"That\'s your plan, huh? Then I should do the same," Han Myung-Ho joked and said he was on the same page.

Just then, Cherry Blossom returned from their rehearsal. But something seemed off with Woo Yeon-Hee.

"Yeon-Hee, what\'s wrong?"

Woo Yeon-Hee, supported by Lee Ju-Yung, limped in and sat down on a chair with one foot up.

"Oh, it\'s nothing. Really."

"It\'s not nothing. Let me see."

Although Woo Yeon-Hee tried to laugh it off and say she was fine, Sae-Ri tattled, "Yoon-Ho oppa! Yeon-Hee unnie fell during the rehearsal!"

"What?"

Woo Yeon-Hee scolded Sae-Ri for making it sound serious, but the incident was not something to overlook according to Lee Ju-Yung. Apparently, Woo Yeon-Hee twisted her ankle when the heel strap of her shoe broke while dancing on stage just moments ago.

\'Wait. The strap of the red enamel high heels broke? Those shoes are as tough as whale tendons and they shouldn\'t break that easily.\'

Puzzled, I asked, "Where are the shoes?"

Eun-Ah handed the shoes to me.

"Here."

Upon examining the shoes closely, I noticed the strap was cleanly split.

That\'s when I noticed.

\'Who would do such a thing...?\'

The strap looked as though it had been cut by something sharp with faint traces of transparent wood glue visible. It was clear someone had deliberately cut it and then glued it back together.

At that moment, I turned my gaze to the two stylists standing nearby. Feeling my intense stare, both Park Yi-Yoon and Lee Eun-Hyang immediately apologized.

"Assistant Manager Jung, I\'m sorry. I should have checked properly before accepting the sponsorship."

"I\'m so sorry, Mr. Jung!"

I wanted to press them for answers right away to figure out the culprit, but checking on Yeon-Hee\'s condition was the priority.

Without responding to Park Yi-Yoon and Lee Eun-Hyang\'s apologies, I approached Woo Yeon-Hee who was sitting on a chair.

"Yeon-Hee, let\'s go to the sofa to check your leg."

"Ah, okay."

I stopped Woo Yeon-Hee as she tried to get up.

"Stay still. I\'ll carry you, so just hold onto my neck."

"I can walk."

"Just listen to me—you might make it worse. Ready? I\'m going to lift you now."

The moment Woo Yeon-Hee\'s hands gripped my neck, I lifted her in a princess carry.

"Ahh!"

Woo Yeon-Hee\'s body was alarmingly light due to the tight schedules over the past 8 weeks. After setting Woo Yeon-Hee down on the sofa, I reached for her sprained ankle.

"O-oppa. I\'ll...I\'ll take off my socks on my own."

The embarrassed Woo Yeon-Hee covered her sprained ankle with her hand.

"It might worsen if you do it. I\'ll take it off, so just stay still."

"Okay..."

I carefully removed her sock and examined her foot. Thankfully, it didn\'t seem to be a severe sprain.

"It doesn\'t seem to be a bone injury. I\'m going to massage it now. Tell me if it hurts too much, okay?"

"O-okay."

With Woo Yeon-Hee\'s permission, I gently massaged the area around her ankle bone. Her previously pained expression gradually began to ease.

In the meantime, Lee Ju-Yung and Han Myung-Ho went out to get some ice while I made a makeshift ice pack with a towel.

Woo Yeon-Hee\'s face relaxed a bit when the cold ice pack was applied to her ankle.

Han Myung-Ho asked with a concerned expression, "Should we cancel the performance and head to the hospital now?"

"No. It\'d be better if I massage it for now. It could get worse while going to and coming back from the hospital," I replied while still massaging her ankle gently.

Lee Ju-Yung, who had a background in athletics, agreed with me.

"Assistant Manager Jung is right. Hot compresses and sports massages are the best for sprains."

"Sigh. But can she even stand on stage today?" Han Myung-Ho asked with a concerned look.

The typical recovery time for an ankle sprain injury was around two weeks. However, with the prospect of an 9th consecutive week at number one ahead of us.

Eventually, I brought up a temporary solution.

"We could tape her ankle for now and send her out on stage. It should allow her to perform, albeit forcefully."

Everyone sighed in relief.

"We\'ll take her to a hospital immediately after the performance to get it checked. I know a place that\'s good with these kinds of injuries," added Lee Ju-Yung.

Having no other better option, Han Myung-Ho agreed. "Alright then. Let\'s do that."

I alternated between applying a hot compress and massaging her ankle to reduce the swelling as much as possible. After about 30 minutes had passed, it was time for Cherry Blossom to go on stage.

I asked Lee Ju-Yung to fetch the tape and scissors from my bag. Idols who performed intense dances were as prone to injuries as athletes, which was why I always carried with me sports tape and medicated gel. I got the tape from Lee Ju-Yung and taped Yeon-Hee\'s ankle to support it.

"Yeon-Hee, can you try rotating your ankle?"

Woo Yeon-Hee moved her ankle slightly with a flushed face.

"Huh?"

"How is it? It doesn\'t hurt anymore, does it?" I asked with a smile.

Woo Yeon-Hee immediately nodded her head and asked, "Wow, this is amazing. But how come it doesn\'t hurt at all?"

"The tape acts like a support muscle. But remember to be careful because it\'s not actually healed."

"Got it."

As Woo Yeon-Hee attempted to stand up, Lee Ju-Yung offered her back.

"Ride on my back. Don\'t use your leg until you\'re on stage."

"I\'m sorry, unnie."

"Sorry for what?"

Lee Ju-Yung promised to carry her back after the performance as well.

"While you\'re at it, Mr. Han can help you as well. We need to keep Yeon-Hee\'s ankle away from moving as much as possible."

Han Myung-Ho nodded. "Understood."

However, I had another reason for asking both of them to leave.

After all, only after they were gone could I look for the person who tampered with the shoe.

***

I wrapped all the Cherry Blossom members\' shoes with Scotch tape to prevent any potential accidents before they went on stage. Lee Ju-Yung carried Woo Yeon-Hee on her back, and Han Myung-Ho led the rest of the members out of the waiting room.

"We\'ll be back!"

"Okay. Take care."

The two remaining stylists looked at me nervously. Park Yi-Yoon, who had been in the field for four years, was in charge of Golden Road until recently, and Lee Eun-Hyang was just a three-month intern.

This made Park Yi-Yoon appear even more nervous.

"Why did you do it?"

My question immediately distorted their expressions.

"Assistant Manager Jung. Are you suspecting us right now?"

As expected, Park Yi-Yoon, who had been in charge of Golden Road until a month ago, was the first to react. But the one I suspected was Lee Eun-Hyang.

In my past life, Lee Eun-Hyang was a key figure in Kim Dong-Soo\'s line at Top Entertainment and oversaw all stylists. She was popular among celebrities for her good relationships with designers, proficiency in English, and quick reflexes in capturing fashion at international shows.

Though not from Suhyaejong, Kim Dong-Soo\'s inclination to actively support talented individuals had propelled her to a considerable position.

Given Lee Eun-Hyang\'s willingness to engage in unscrupulous acts for her advancement, I thought she might try to shift the blame onto Park Yi-Yoon—the person in charge.

Unaware of the situation, Park Yi-Yoon protested with an expression of injustice.

"Assistant Manager Jung, are you really suspecting us right now? It pains me too that Yeon-Hee got hurt. Sometimes the sponsored products have defects that can cause such issues."

I lifted Woo Yeon-Hee\'s cut shoe, showing Park Yi-Yoon the high-heel strap that had been cut and then reattached.

"Does this look like a defect to you, Park sunbae?"

Park Yi-Yoon\'s face turned pale when saw the sharply cut area on the strap.

"N-no way. This is..."

Clearly, Park Yi-Yoon wasn\'t the culprit. After all, she wasn\'t the type who was good at hiding her true feelings.

I continued with my questions.

"Did you bring in this shoe, Park sunbae?"

"N-no! I came in late today, so Eun-Hyang here took care of it! Wait, you don\'t mean...?"

At that moment, Park Yi-Yoon\'s gaze suddenly shifted to Lee Eun-Hyang.

Lee Eun-Hyang feigned shock and shook her hands frantically.

"No, no. It\'s not me! How could an intern like me do something like that?"

Her trembling act was almost nauseating.

"Miss Lee Eun-Hyang. If you have something to say, say it now. Otherwise, I\'m going straight to the police with this."

Lee Eun-Hyang stammered in panic. "No, it\'s not like that... I..."

She probably didn\'t expect to be pointed out directly as an intern. Had I traveled in time, I wouldn\'t have suspected her either because interns in this industry typically didn\'t have the audacity for such actions.

"Everything will be revealed if we check the security camera. Speak now, or I\'m calling the police right now."

I pulled out my phone and dialed 112, showing her I was ready to press the call button if needed.

Lee Eun-Hyang\'s gaze began to waver. "Well...that is..."

\'Just a bit more pressure and she\'ll crack.\'

Compared to the Lee Eun-Hyang from my past life who was notorious for her malice, the current Lee Eun-Hyang seemed far too easy to handle.

That\'s when it happened.

Slap!

Park Yi-Yoon, holding the shoe in her left hand, slapped Lee Eun-Hyang across the face with all her might.

"Ahhhh!"

The furious Park Yi-Yoon towered over Lee Eun-Hyang who had fallen to the floor.

"How dare you tamper with a sponsored shoe? What kind of lunatic does that!?"

Amidst the relentless barrage of curses, Lee Eun-Hyang knelt and desperately begged with her hands clasped.

"S-sunbae, I\'m sorry. I made a mistake. Please forgive me."

"If you\'re sorry, then confess everything right now! If Assistant Manager Jung doesn\'t report you, I\'ll take you to the police myself!"

Frightened by Park Yi-Yoon\'s fierce warning, Lee Eun-Hyang began to confess to her deeds with tears streaming down her face.