Love for Love’s Sake - Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Naturally, there was no response. If I could touch it, I would have grabbed, shaken, or ripped it apart.

After breaking up with Cha Yeowoon and returning home, I had made a conscious effort to find any clues related to senior.

I meticulously recorded the hints I had been given so far in my notebook, organized my chronicles from the age of twenty to twenty-nine, and went as far as watching instructional hypnosis videos so I could try self-hypnosis.

And just like a madman earlier, even yelled at the message window.

Nevertheless, there were no significant clues. It was daunting to try and track senior down, as all I had to go on was my uncertain memories.

But, there was one fortunate thing that had come out of this.

[ !Sub-Mission resumes. ]

After separating from Cha Yeowoon the system seemed to have started working properly again as expected.

The Sub-Mission that had been forcibly terminated due to an error a few days ago was restored once I ended my relationship with Cha Yeowoon and distanced myself from him.

[ Mission: Make Cha Yeowoon happy. ]

[ Penalty: Death ]

For reference, this part remained unchanged.

[ Favorability ¿¿¿ ]

But the problem was this.

“Did it break?”

There was no way to know since it didn’t show as a number. I didn’t even know what a reset entailed, so I was hoping that no news was good news.

“Haah…”

I took a deep breath, placing my hand under my chest. A sharp pain spread between my ribs.

My symptoms had been the same since that day.

Just thinking about Cha Yeowoon made my organs ache, reminiscent of the time when I had suffered from a fever.

Despite wrestling with my thoughts, the conclusion remained the same.

Indeed, the most crucial clue and lead was Cha Yeowoon.

Everything started because of him, and all the system messages were also related to him.

If I wanted more information, the most likely way was to stay close to him to obtain hints and mission rewards.

Up until now, I had obediently followed the reset or whatever it was, but now that the mission had resumed, it might not matter whether I was close to him. Especially considering that the main mission was still to make him happy.

[ Remaining time: 96 days ]

Wasting what little time I had remaining would be foolish. It was time I had earned just to be with Cha Yeowoon.

“I know it in my head, but…”

It wasn’t easy to brazenly appear in Cha Yeoowon’s life after I had made him cry his heart out.

Whatever the reason, I was the one who had abandoned him to fall and cry in the rain.

Despite being contacted by people I knew, there were no messages from Cha Yeowoon. I wondered what he was doing right now. Just imagining it made my chest tighten.

Wanting to distract myself, I touched the screen of my phone.

Was this why people would endlessly stare at their phones? To momentarily escape the swirling thoughts and worries.

Although I was looking at my phone screen absentmindedly, in fact, it was impossible to completely separate my thoughts from Cha Yeowoon. After watching duckling and cat videos for about ten minutes, I inevitably started searching for information on Cha Yeowoon.

[ Sub-Mission: Find 100,000 (90,000) fans for Cha Yeowoon. ]

This was on my mind.

If the number of followers on social media, which had stopped without any updates, had doubled, there was a high probability that something had happened.

Sure enough. I found the reason after scrolling through a few community posts that frequently mentioned Cha Yeowoon.

[ ㅊㅇㅇThe bastard who got sued seems like a real psycho. (57 replies) ]

[ 1. I heard he used to follow young athletes? And the trainees..

2. A youtuber even cried in their live broadcast yesterday;

3. He has a history of being insane; things nobody would do in their right mind.

4. Just causing trouble every day on online forums, it’s a hopeless life.

5. Ah…I’m so scared that he might appear in this post too;; ]

This was written just yesterday, and there were similar posts.

However, posts that seemed to have been written by the stalker were buried. Just by looking through the posts that were made before and after, I could guess the situation

After receiving a call from Cha Yeowoon’s side regarding a filed complaint, the stalker appeared to have lost their reasoning. They uploaded photos and recordings taken during a previous chase, along with comments similar to their previous accusations about Cha Yeowoon’s character, but more provocative and unspeakable

Then, when the stalker’s personal information was leaked, it became evident that they had a troubling and sinister past. At first, they mainly followed unsuccessful celebrities, trainees, and then amateur athletes, one of whom was Cha Yeowoon.

Moreover, one of the victims, who had given up on being a trainee as a result, had made a post.

They were now running a personal broadcasting channel with quite a few subscribers, so there were more comments related to their post than about Cha Yeowoon.

The post, which started with their struggles witnessing what was happening to Cha Yeowoon, was filled with shocking details. Well, it was quite shocking, considering what had happened to Cha Yeowoon.

“It’s beyond crazy.”

When I felt like my head was about to explode, the online world was ablaze in its own way.

Posts filled with provocative content spread rapidly. It was all the more so because it was a clear case of wrongdoing.

After the former trainee came forward, public opinion became more vocal in its guard against the so-called obsessive fans. In addition, the fact that the stalker mainly targeted minors and people without guardians who were unable to protect themselves also aroused anger.

In the midst of these events, the photos and recordings that the stalker had posted extensively became a subtle topic.

Cha Yeowoon, who expressed irritation in the randomly taken photos, seemed to have a certain charm. Furthermore, with his good looks, somehow even his voice seemed captivating.

The recordings themselves were an invasion of privacy, but among the deleted posts, there was even a morning call pieced together with Cha Yeowoon’s angered voice, which had clearly crossed the line.

This was how the number of followers had crossed 90,000. While Cha Yeowoon remained quiet, the world around him was anxious for him.

“Isn’t this really charisma…”

Even in the novel, he was only dumped by the person he liked. Now it seemed like there were many people who supported him.

After roughly grasping the situation, I put down my phone. Looking at the clock, several hours had already passed.

Why did time fly by so quickly these days? Feeling stiff, I adjusted my posture.

“Haah…”

I sighed, not even knowing how many times I had done so already. I was worried.

Even if a complaint had been filed, it would take some time for the stalker to be summoned and investigated. There was no way this much evidence was enough for them to be detained. While punishment was one thing, the thought of Cha Yeowoon being alone bothered me.

No matter how physically fit he was, he was still a high school student. And wasn’t the other person someone with a track record of not just approaching but even pushing someone onto the road? It was scary not knowing what an unreasonable person might do.

I engaged in a staring contest with my phone, which had been completely turned off…I should contact him.

Taking a deep breath, I turned my phone back on.

* * *

“I’m sorry for being late. I just came from work.”

Choi Jinseo sat across from me. She seemed hurried, as if she was in a rush.

“No. Thank you for taking the time despite your busy schedule.”

Choi Jinseo smiled briefly at the polite greeting before checking the menu. As the server took the menu and left, there was a strong curiosity in her gaze directed at me.

“Why did you contact me?”

This was a French restaurant near the headquarters of the sports brand where Team Leader Choi Jinseo worked.

When I asked if we could meet briefly, she mentioned being too busy to schedule another time today, so we decided to have lunch together here.

“To talk about Cha Yeowoon.”

Naturally, it was because of Cha Yeowoon.

I had hesitated while looking at his number on my phone. All I had to do was press the call button, but I couldn’t do that and could only contact Choi Jinseo.

“Ehm, what about Mister Yeowoon?”

“Fi-Filing charges…I heard Team Leader is helping him.”

There was something I wanted to say to Choi Jinseo.

“That’s right. My younger sibling is a lawyer.”

So, the introduced lawyer was a family member. As I read through the posts, it appeared that the lawyer had been quick to apply pressure as soon as the complaint was filed. I was surprised that Choi Jinseo would go to such lengths to help a minor who hadn’t even signed a contract with her company yet.

Anyway, it seemed like she wanted things to go well for Cha Yeowoon. That was why I had come to consult with her today. Cha Yeowoon didn’t have many adults he could rely on.

I had also considered going to Cha Yeowoon’s coach as well, but judging from what Cha Yeowoon usually says about him, I wasn’t sure if he would go out of his way to help.

“This is the information I’ve gathered and the details reported to the police. I thought it might help.”

“Report?”

“There was an incident.”

I briefly explained what had happened that day in the streets. Excluding the part where Cha Yeowoon had almost punched the stalker out of anger.

“…So. I’m just worried.”

“Hmm.”

Fortunately, Choi Jinseo took it seriously.

“Did you talk to Mister Yeowoon about this?”

“No, not yet.”

When I denied it, Choi Jinseo raised her eyebrows.

“Why not?”

“Lately, Cha Yeowoon and I haven’t been talking much.”

“Did you two have a fight?”

Could we call it a fight?

“Well, well. Sort of.”

In the end, I said vaguely. Choi Jinseo seemed to realize something and nodded slowly.

“So, that’s why Mister Yeowoon has been like that.”

It was a meaningful remark. Had Choi Jinseo seen Cha Yeowoon after we had broken up?

I wondered how he was doing now. A corner of my napkin, torn by my fingernails during our conversation, was frayed.

“How is he?”

I couldn’t help but ask. Choi Jinseo seemed to be carefully choosing her words. My stomach twisted nervously when I thought about what answer I would hear.

“I don’t think it’s my place to say. Wouldn’t it be better to go and check yourself rather than hear it from me?”

“…Right.”

I became deflated. I knew it wasn’t something I could avoid forever and knew it was best for me to check myself.

“It looks like the fight was more serious than I thought.”

“…”

“Anyway, if Mister Yeowoon doesn’t know about the situation, it’ll be tricky to bring it up. Even if I offer to help first, I don’t know if he’ll allow it.”

“I understand. I’ll try talking to him.”

The problem was whether Cha Yeowoon would welcome my help or not. Rather, it might be better for Choi Jinseo to take the initiative in speaking for the time being.

I didn’t know what state he was in, so it was hard to guess.

If he hated me, it might be better. I was afraid that he might be blaming himself.

I had regretted it the moment I saw him crying by the river. I shouldn’t have asked him not to hate me no matter what.

“Mister Myeongha, I’ve never seen you like this.”

“Huh?”