Chapter 15 - Slanderous!

Shaking his head, he looked at his phone charging beside him.

*New Friend completed.* *Health 78%* *Stress 55%* *Fan Accumulated 1102/1,000,000* *Charisma 34%-> 37%* *Memory 29%-> 30%*

"What's a new friend? Wait… are you going to tell me now that it is completed?" Shun questioned grabbing his clothes and bag.

*New Friend completed. Check Weebo account.*

Doing as the witch said, he saw the amount of people following him and liking his 3 posts. That… wasn't so new anymore. However, there was one particular name that kept showing up in every post, every reply, and he clicked on the profile with a picture of… him.

'Weird…'

"Huh? Xiong Shun's official fanpage…" he read, "I have a fanpage now? Wow."

*New tasks available? Check all tasks?*

"Okay."

*Available tasks: 1. Added 23/100 pictures to Instame. 2. Write own song. 3. Dance battle. 4. Win competition.*

"Witch… I am starting to think you aren't too bad…" Shun left his apartment to his car, before remembering the threat.

"Never mind. You are terrible."

*…*

When he arrived at the studio, he saw everyone staring at him when he walked in. Confused, he looked over at Wen Dong who was frowning at his phone.

"Uh, what's going on?"

"Gege," Ping went to him and whispered, "People are saying… you and Ah Dong…"

The boy looked away and shook his head. Pulling out his phone, Ping showed him the picture of Wen Dong and him hugging at the park. There was a caption that said, 'Are they more than friends?' His eyes bulged out and he choked on air for a moment. Scrolling and reading the article, he found his face reddening.

'What slander!'

"This is all lies! They don't even know Ah Dong and me!" He cried out with dip brows, "This is slanderous! We must find this… this Allie person and bring her to the king and queen. Justice must be brought upon our names!"

"Gege," Ping stared at him with his big brown eyes, "You… You're talking weird…"

Handing the phone back to Ping, he headed to Wen Dong and touched his shoulder. He suddenly felt his head snapped to the side when his friend punched him. Shocked from the action, he looked at his friend with brows up to his hairline.

"Don't… Don't touch me…"

"Ah Dong-"

"Sorry, Shun… I just…"

"None of it is true! We should tell Manager Quang and Ling about-"

"It doesn't matter!" Wen Dong shouted, "Don't you get it? It is already out there, Shun. People talk like wildfire. Our careers are ruined!"

'No…' Shun felt his entire body cold, as if dunked into the Artic Ocean. He searched Wen Dong's face and saw the defeated look with angry eyes aimed at him. He looked over at his fellow trainees and they were staring at him with those looks… the ones he had seen given to the feminine men in the villages.

'No!'

He ran.

Just like before.

He ran to his car and drove. He had no idea where he was going, but he had to… He had to leave. This was happening all over again.

"Witch. Witch! WITCH! Why are you not listening?!" He screamed at his phone.

*Stress level 56%-> 89%* *Warning- 100% = death* *Fan Accumulated 634/1,000,000*

"Tell me how to fix this. Those points! Can't I use it to help me?"

*…*

"Hello! Witch?! I swear to the Heavens-"

*Ring, Ring*

He glanced at his phone to see the call was from the last person he wanted to talk to. He wanted to ignore it, but he also knew the man's time was limited. Pulling the car over, he wiped his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Hello."

"Shun."

"…"

"Hello? Shun?"

"Yeah."

"Come over. I made food."

His eyes widened and he found the corner of his lips quirking up.

"You made food?"

"Come tell me how bad it is."

He could hear the smile through the speaker and he closed his eyes for a moment. Maybe the man was just being nice to him before ripping him to shreds. He was going to fail and everyone was going to die, he was not returning home, and he was going to most likely be reborn as a dung beetle.

"Please Shun."

"Okay."

So driving to the nice home of Suu Jin, he sat in his car for a moment. Gathering himself together, he replayed what the idol told him before. Don't let anyone compromise his goals. He had to do it. For Xiong Shun. For…

'Ah Dong…'

Shaking his head, he walked up to the door and knocked. Suu Jin, in all his beauty, held the door opened for him. He offered a small smile and walked in. He followed the esteemed idol to the dining room table and sat in one of the chairs. A plate of meal was placed before him and he let out a soft laugh. The pinkette joined him with his own plate and smiled at him.

"You didn't cook this yourself."

"How can you tell?"

"I remember buying package meals before. I've had this meal."

Technically it wasn't him that had it, but the past of Xiong Shun eating microwavable meals were apparent in many of the memories.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Jin questioned amused as he ate the turkey.

"Yup," Shun grinned and winced, feeling the reminder of the punch from his friend. He touched his swollen cheek and saw the pinkette stood up. Jin grabbed an icepack from the freezer, and placed it against his cheek. Shun reached up to hold onto it, but Jin did not remove his hand. His hand was on top of the idol's and he stared at the perfect prince.

"Who hurt you?" Jin questioned and he shook his head, refusing to answer.

"Go on, Shun. Eat the food. I'll keep the icepack in place."

"You don't have to…"

"I want to."

Shun looked away and ate quietly. He inwardly nodded to himself. Suu Jin was a prince, a much better prince than he ever was. The idol was kind, he was handsome, he held himself so well, Shun was envious. Here, his life was becoming a mess once more. His friend hated him, punched him, and his dear little Ping was staring at him with those eyes.

'It's happening again… isn't it witch?'