Did you really think I raised you out of pity?"
The manager roared, waving a stack of papers in the air.
"You worthless brat... You work so I can make money! You bow your head—nothing more!"
The young man stood frozen.
His eyes dropped to the floor, face pale, voice barely a whisper:
"I'm sorry, sir… I'll work harder next time..."
A moment of silence.
Then—
He slowly lifted his head.
There was something different in his eyes.
A spark.
"But, sir…"
His voice cracked… then sharpened.
"Do you really think I'm a machine?"
"I'm a human being… for f**k's sake!"
The manager didn't hesitate.
He grabbed a glass from the desk—
—and smashed it against the young man's head.
The glass shattered.
And something else… broke inside him, too.
> Abuse in the workplace is nothing new.
Some people learn to adapt—
chewing on humiliation every morning, swallowing their pride with every paycheck.
But when that abuse targets a celebrity…
An idol worshipped by millions?
The wounds don't stay under the skin.
They bleed—
in public.
Fame doesn't protect you from breaking.
Sometimes, it just makes the fall louder.
> The next morning, the headlines exploded.
Lee Gyum Ji hospitalized after training accident.
His innocent face flooded every screen.
"Nation's Idol."
"The Pure Voice of Korea."
"Symbol of Hope."
"The shining star of the National Stage."
But behind the white hospital doors, on a cold bed,
He lay in silence.
Eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling—
Like he was searching for a way out.
Then… a voice.
It crept into his mind like the first cold breeze of a storm.
> "You know…
You're not weak."
"I'm here, Gyum Ji…
You called for me."
The voice didn't sound like his.
It didn't even sound human.
But he wasn't afraid.
He'd been waiting for it.