Chapter 47 : The Fall of a Star

[(Breaking News) ‘Glory Day’ Star Han Jungwoo Caught in Contact with Military Service Broker]

What’s that?

Did I just read what I think I did?

No wonder he kept landing roles left and right—something always felt off.

Man, what a way to go down.

I heard he was a jerk off-screen too, and now this? What a fall.

Hold up, there’s no other article confirming this yet.

It’s just a “situation” for now—don’t jump the gun.

I’m staying neutral until an official report drops.

If Jungwoo was really involved, wouldn’t this have blown up sooner?

This timing feels fishy.

Yeah, something smells rotten here.

What’s with the stench?

LOL, his fans are out here shielding him like crazy.

I was enjoying White Tiger, but now this? What the hell…

A single article had turned every online community upside down.

The idea of the industry’s hottest celebrity caught in a military service scandal?

It was bound to cause a riot.

***

[Police: “Nothing confirmed yet, investigations to follow.”]

[IRON Named in ‘Military Service Scandal’ Allegations, Agency Yet to Respond]

[Rapper Tighter Under Investigation for Shoulder Dislocation Military Evasion]

[First Han Jungwoo, Now IRON—Are Celebrity Military Issues Out of Control?]

Jungwoo’s name exploded across headlines, dragging other celebrities into the mess alongside him.

What the hell?

IRON too?

I knew it was coming.

Honestly, I always thought IRON’s “free spirit” excuse was a cover for something shady.

LOL, calling his craziness “4D charm” was always a stretch.

My favorite actor just won an award today, and now this crap?

Congrats, man.

This is blowing up to gate-level proportions—nothing we can do about it.

I feel totally betrayed.

I knew it.

I’ve been on edge about him forever, and now it’s finally out.

I even looked the other way when he was flaunting his non-celebrity girlfriend, but this?

No way.

Politicians and the children of the ultra-wealthy got tangled up in the scandal too, their names surfacing one after another.

– Isn’t Jungwoo in White Tiger right now?

– Yup.

– I was worried he’d snag Best Actor, but thank God he didn’t.

– Let’s be real, Ryu Junhae carried that show. LOL.

– True, his acting was unreal.

– I was bummed he only got nominated for supporting actor.

– The show was good, not Jungwoo’s acting.

– I’m dying to see Jungwoo’s face right now.

– There’s no official statement yet, and they’re already crucifying him. What if it’s not true?

– Exactly. If it turns out to be false, they’ll just pretend they didn’t say anything.

“Alright, everyone, let’s get ready for the group photo. Award winners, please come up to the stage!”

Jungwoo’s face was a storm of barely concealed frustration.

An popularity award?

That’s it?

He’d been so sure he’d walk away with Best Actor that he hadn’t even bothered preparing a proper speech for the popularity award.

And now, to see the Best Actor trophy go to someone else?

“Congratulations!”

“Oh, thank you! Congrats to you too!”

With reporters and fans still watching, Jungwoo plastered on his brightest smile.

The popularity award stung his pride, but skipping the photo op wasn’t an option.

“Hyunjae hyung! Congrats on Best Actor!”

“Oh, thanks, kid.”

“I knew you’d win it, hyung.”

“Sunbae, congratulations!”

A swarm of celebrities crowded around Hyunjae, the Best Actor winner, showering him with praise.

Jungwoo scoffed inwardly. Same old predictable acting, and they call that award-worthy?

He couldn’t show his jealousy, though, so he stepped forward, extending his hand with a forced smile.

“Sunbae, congratulations.”

“Thanks, man.”

Hyunjae’s warm, genuine smile only made Jungwoo’s eyes drift to the gleaming Best Actor trophy in his hands.

That should’ve been mine.

“Okay, everyone, gather up! We’re taking the photo! One, two, three!”

The moment the cameras stopped flashing—destined to grace tomorrow’s front pages—Jungwoo’s manager came rushing over.

“Jungwoo, listen—”

“Why the hell are you up here? I’m pissed off, so don’t talk to me.”

Jungwoo covered his mouth with his hand, wary of anyone reading his lips.

“It’s not that, it’s—”

“What, they’re already dragging me for not winning Best Actor? Is that it?”

His manager hesitated, then handed over his smartphone.

“No, you need to see this.”

Jungwoo glanced at the screen and nearly screamed.

“What the hell is this?!”

“I don’t know how it leaked, but the company’s looking into it…”

Jungwoo shoved the bouquet of flowers into his manager’s arms and stormed toward the waiting room.

As he moved through the crowd, he could feel the shift in their gazes—whispers trailing him like shadows.

“That’s Han Jungwoo.”

“Didn’t peg him for that kind of guy.”

“There were always rumors about him.”

He shut his ears to the murmurs, quickening his pace.

The moment he flung open the waiting room door, the room fell deathly silent.

“What the hell! You said we had this under wraps!”

His rage zeroed in on the team leader who’d reassured him earlier.

“Calm down, Jungwoo.”

The team leader signaled for the staff to clear out.

Once the door clicked shut behind the last person, he spoke.

“I don’t know what’s going on either. There’s no solid evidence—”

“Are you screwing with me? Then why’s my name in there?!”

“We used Bellegram to make contact! You know they can’t trace it once the account’s deleted.”

They’d gone through every precaution—burner phones, untraceable apps.

It should’ve been foolproof.

“Then why the hell is my name out there?!”

“Relax. The police haven’t contacted us yet. You didn’t go to the military, so they’re probably just fishing.”

“Who’s bold enough to take a shot at me like this?!”

Fuming, Jungwoo scanned the article, his eyes landing on the reporter’s name: Kim Woodeuk.

“Argh!”

That damn reporter again. It was always him, hounding Jungwoo like he had a personal vendetta.

If he were standing here now, Jungwoo would’ve torn him apart.

“Fix this. Do whatever it takes!”

“We’re already preparing a statement denying everything.”

“That’s obvious! What, were you planning to admit it without evidence? Are you insane?”

He had no intention of owning up to anything until ironclad proof surfaced.

“Sue that reporter. Say I know nothing about it.”

“Of course.”

“Good thing I didn’t win Best Actor, or this would’ve been a nightmare.”

“Huh?”

The manager blinked, dumbfounded that Jungwoo was worrying about an award he didn’t even win.

“What a shitty day.”

“What about the after-party?”

“Of course I’m going! You think I’d skip it and let people say I’m guilty? Think before you speak.”

Even with the scandal breaking, Jungwoo acted like it was someone else’s problem, banking on the lack of evidence.

“Put out a statement saying it’s baseless and that we’re suing for defamation. Make it clear we’re not letting this slide.”

“What if… something actually comes up?”

“What could come up? Even if it does, just say the company acted on my behalf.”

That had been his plan all along—let the company take the fall.

He was the cash cow, after all; they’d have to eat the loss.

“Stop wasting time and move. Don’t you see people are already tearing me apart?”

He refused to believe he’d actually been caught.

It was just some reporter with a grudge, poking around.

A defamation lawsuit and a show of innocence would shut it down.

But Jungwoo missed one critical detail.

[Military Service Agency: “We’ll Root Out Draft Dodgers”]

[Prosecutors Raid Military Agency Over ‘Epilepsy Draft Evasion’ Investigation]

[“No More Dodging with Tricks”—Several Celebrities Set to Enlist This Month]

The Military Service Agency, spurred by public outrage, was cracking down.

– About time they did something.

– The government’s finally working.

– Honestly, it’s hilarious how celebrities are fine for world tours and dramas but suddenly “sick” when it’s time to enlist.

– Just go already.

– Jungwoo’s finally getting shipped off? Congrats! LOL, get moving.

– Are you a hater? Why kick a guy when he’s down?

– He was supposed to go anyway. No need to act guilty.

– Read the articles, man. His agency already said it’s not true.

– Because of guys like him, my kid’s the one getting dragged off.

– Exactly, it’s infuriating.

“Argh!”

Not long after, Jungwoo received his enlistment notice.

Active duty, no less.

“What is this?!”

“We’re freaking out too. We’ve got ads, events, schedules all lined up…”

The team leader was reeling from the sudden notice, his mind racing.

He’d promised Jungwoo there’d be no military worries for the upcoming drama, but now what?

“Schedules? You’re worried about schedules? Why the hell is it active duty?!”

“Well, you were originally slated for public service, but the criteria got stricter, so…”

“Are you serious? Enlisting next month makes sense to you?!”

The notice gave him less than two weeks.

“Damn it!”

Jungwoo tore the enlistment notice to shreds, throwing it to the floor.

He thought dodging the broker issue would be enough, but now he was cornered into enlisting.

“Damn it! Damn it!”

As he hurled objects from the desk, a voice cut through the chaos.

“Han Jungwoo.”

The team leader looked at the man like he was a savior.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

The commanding voice stopped Jungwoo cold.

He turned to face the man.

“Hyung.”

“I told you not to call me that at the company.”

“…Representative.”

It was Taehwan.

“Go to the military.”

“Representative!”

Jungwoo raised his voice, incredulous, but Taehwan didn’t budge.

“The whole country’s watching to see if you’ll enlist. You want to end your career like this?”

“But this is—”

“Go. I’ll calm the public and shift attention elsewhere. When the time’s right, I’ll get you reassigned to public service.”

“…Really?”

The promise of public service softened Jungwoo’s resolve.

Right now, even that felt like a lifeline.

“Yeah, kid. Have I ever let you down?”

“No.”

Since Taehwan had flawlessly handled Jaehyun’s mess, he’d been a godlike figure to Jungwoo.

“Alright, then go like a man.”

Taehwan’s faint smile was paired with a firm grip on Jungwoo’s arm.

The pain signaled a warning, and Jungwoo nodded silently.

“…Yes.”

“Hmm~”

A hum escaped my lips, unbidden.

I’d tipped off the reporter about Han Jungwoo, and he’d run with it.

The investigation snowballed, pulling dozens into the net, and just as I’d predicted, the Military Service Agency sprang into action.

The result?

Jungwoo was now fated to enlist.

“What’s got you in such a good mood?”

“Haha, nothing. Isn’t the weather just perfect today?”

“Not at all.”

Taehwan, battling the biting wind messing up his hair, zipped up his jacket and shot me a look like I was unhinged.

“Yawn~ I’m exhausted. We’ve got a ton to shoot today—total disaster.”

“There’s a night scene too, so we’ll probably wrap around dawn.”

“Hey, want to grab late-night food later? There’s this chicken place nearby that fries it old-school. Supposedly amazing.”

“Count me in!”

A celebratory feast was in order.

I was practically buzzing at the thought of good food.

“Yo, what’s with all this prep?”

“I’m already hyped.”

“This is gonna be epic!”

As we planned our late-night meal, some staff approached, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

“What… are you talking about?”

“Isn’t that your doing out there?”

“Hyung, hold on.”

A chill ran through me.

I bolted outside the set, and there it was—a massive truck parked right in front, impossible to miss.

The scandal’s shockwaves rippled through Jungwoo’s world, exposing the fragility of his carefully curated image.

As the public’s judgment loomed and the military closed in, his defiance masked a growing dread.

Meanwhile, the mysterious truck outside hinted at a new twist, one that could unravel everything even further.