Chapter 205

July 1, 2025, noon.

In a corner of Seoul, inside a dilapidated rental house, the fan of an old laptop was making a dull buzzing sound.

A woman sat in front of the computer, her fingers tapping the keyboard stiffly. On the desktop was a part-time resume written halfway, and the browser was piled with useless information popped up by job search websites.

Her name is Liu Yina, 28 years old, a former trainee.

Now, she is an "unemployed youth."

Or more accurately: poor, annoyed, penniless.

The bank card balance only had a few digits, the phone bill was owed, and even the half bag of kimchi left in the refrigerator had already started to turn sour.

Outside, the sun was scorching, roasting the tin roof. She sat in front of the fan, but still felt like she was trapped in a steam room, sweaty and sticky.

She moved the mouse to another page on the browser, originally just wanting to see if there were any "bounty tasks" to earn some pocket money, even if it was running errands, dancing, or even delivering food.

As a result, she accidentally clicked into an anonymous bounty post that hadn't been updated for almost a month.

The title was simple, but the tone was aggressive:

"Bounty for real-name evidence, regarding the solid evidence clues of Kim Soo-hyun sexually assaulting young girls other than Kim Sae-ron. Once the clues are verified, a heavy reward of 20 million will be given directly."

Liu Yina just scanned it casually at first, but when the three words "Kim Soo-hyun" caught her eye, her fingers paused immediately.

She was all too familiar with that name.

She was once one of the many fans of the other party.

Later, by chance, she was selected into the entertainment company where Kim Soo-hyun was and became a trainee.

And that "Oppa" who was always gentlemanly and gentle in front of the camera was the first "senior" she came into contact with when she first entered the company.

And that was also the first time Liu Yina's dream shattered.

It was a late night more than ten years ago, after the company finished an internal dinner, Kim Soo-hyun proposed to send her back to the dormitory.

In the car, the other party asked her softly while drunk: "Do you want to come over to my place and sit for a while?"

Liu Yina hesitated, but because it was the idol she liked, she nodded.

Then, it was a trap wrapped in the gentle disguise of "senior caring for junior."

Afterwards, the other party even said some things: "Don't overthink it, Yina, I like you so much…… balabalabala"

Liu Yina, who was coaxed at that moment, was happy, mistakenly thinking she had become the idol's "special existence," and therefore tacitly agreed to become the other party's underground girlfriend.

Until one time, she accidentally heard another trainee showing off to a friend, and the content the girl said was almost exactly the same as her experience.

At that moment, Liu Yina finally saw the truth behind that gentle disguise.

Still rational, she gritted her teeth and left the company, returned to her family, and tried to draw a line with the past.

And regarding this situation, during the "Kim Sae-ron incident" not long ago, Liu Yina also had the idea of standing up to say something.

But when she saw that the reporter who allegedly tried to break the news died "accidentally," her heart went cold.

She didn't dare to move.

Didn't dare to think, didn't dare to ask, and even more didn't dare to look.

She forced herself to press the memories of that night into the depths of her memory, like burying a corpse, covering it layer by layer.

But the reality was that over the years, no matter where she was or what her state of mind was.

Whenever she closed her eyes late at night, those whispers, that smiling face, that twisted night, would come uninvited and surge in the depths of her mind.

Liu Yina never mentioned it to anyone, and didn't dare to mention it.

Until this moment, the 【Heavy reward of 20 million】 on the computer screen was like a loud slap, fiercely tearing apart her silence of many years.

That was a sum of money that was almost astronomical for her current situation.

Three years ago, after a change in Liu Yina's family, she also thought about finding Kim Soo-hyun to ask for an explanation, or even asking for a hush money.

But as soon as she heard that the other party was preparing to sue her for "extortion," she backed down.

From then on, she stopped and didn't dare to make any more moves.

This time, Liu Yina hesitated for a long time again, sitting on a dilapidated chair with her arms crossed, a small old fan propped on her knees, sweat dripping from her chin onto her collarbone, sticky and scorching.

Then she closed her eyes, and that familiar yet disgusting smiling face appeared in her mind.

Then she opened her eyes, glanced at the electricity bill notice in the corner that was about to be cut off, and the debt collection message on her phone.

Her fingers trembling, she entered a line of text at the "anonymous comment" entrance of that bounty post:

"The thing you want, I might have. But I want to know if you are serious, and I want to know what can count as evidence?"

She, who still had a way out before, had always remained silent.

Until now, she, who was really at the end of her rope, finally had to speak out.

……

At the same time, inside the villa in 2025.

The sun spilled in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, and the light outlined a gentle light and dark boundary on the floor.

What spilled in was not just sunshine, but the breath of time.

After Lin Xiuyuan and Krystal finished watching Sulli's first script reading meeting in the 13-year apartment, they finally hung up the video call and came to the villa in 25.

Then, after collapsing into the sofa with a relaxed body, they casually ordered a lunch delivery, preparing to lie down for a while to relax their spirits.

"After this, I feel like I'm going to have a bit of jet lag."

Krystal, while drinking ice water, leaned on Lin Xiuyuan's shoulder and complained softly, "Obviously the time on both sides is the same, why is it raining there, but it's sunny here? It's really disjointed."

Lin Xiuyuan laughed, "Are you blaming the weather system for not being unified? I really can't answer this kind of question."

He said, lowering his head to pick up his phone, and simply flipped through a few messages sent by Lin Yun'er and others.

Then, as usual, he casually opened a few familiar websites, intending to see if there were any updates on gossip.

However, when his fingertips slid to the account background, the screen suddenly flashed, and a red "new comment reminder" popped out.

"Huh??"

Lin Xiuyuan's gaze froze, he immediately sat up straight, and clicked on the notification quickly.

The next second, the moment he saw the content of the comment, he bounced up, as if hit by an electric current, instantly waking up.

"Holy crap, it's here, it's really here."

Krystal was startled by his sudden movement, and the phone in her hand almost hit her face, "What's wrong, Xiuyuan~ are you crazy?"

Lin Xiuyuan's speaking speed was fast, excited to the point of being almost incoherent, "The bounty post I posted earlier about Kim Soo-hyun's sexual assault evidence, someone commented, it's an anonymous account, saying he might have clues."

As soon as the words fell, he quickly called up the comment IP and preliminary registration information, light emerging in his eyes, his whole face full of excitement and focus.

Krystal saw this and also put down her phone, her eyes narrowing, "Is the other party specific? Is there evidence?"

"Not sure yet."

Lin Xiuyuan took a deep breath, but his expression calmed down, as if a hunter had finally smelled the prey's scent.

"But this time…… we might have really found a breakthrough."

Then Lin Xiuyuan quickly ran to the computer room on the second floor, opened the computer, and the nickname "E. N. A" of the comment account on the screen was still jumping, indicating that the other party was online.

Then he sent an encrypted contact request without hesitation.

Within three minutes, the other party passed it.

Soon, a concise, calm, yet meaningful message jumped out: 【You said you are the bounty party, then I ask you: is the evidence really worth 20 million?】

Lin Xiuyuan stared at the screen, the corners of his mouth curling up slowly, but his eyes were as cold as a knife.

He replied quickly: 【If it's true, then it's worth it. I have prepared encrypted payment, you only need to confirm the content you hold.】

The other party was silent for more than ten seconds, and the screen was silent.

It was a breathtaking silence, as if some emotion was weighing, and as if a wound sealed for many years was slowly opening in the air.

Then, a long message slowly popped out——

【Ten years ago, probably early 2013, when I was still a trainee at his company, I was coaxed by him to that apartment next to the dormitory building.

Some things happened that night, and later we had contact on and off.

I was young at the time and thought I was 'the special one,' so I secretly recorded a few short videos.

I haven't dared to post these for all these years, so I hid them in the draft box of my social account.

Besides that, there are a few recordings, a few chat screenshots…… and the diagnosis report left when I went to see a psychologist later.】

After reading the information, Lin Xiuyuan's heart trembled, and he immediately typed a reply: 【Can you still log in to that account now?】

The other party sent a smiley face, but it carried a trace of fatigue and sarcasm.

【Of course, although I haven't used that account for a long time, I still remember the password. I just logged in to check, and the things are still there. If you want money, you have to have chips, right?】

Immediately, a group of screenshots were sent one after another.

Draft box interface, account platform homepage, and several draft records marked "March 2013" and "May 2013."

Lin Xiuyuan immediately enlarged the screenshots, his eyes freezing.

Time points, environmental details, the placement of items in the picture, all matched the announcements and private life itinerary of Kim Soo-hyun during that period of time in the AI search bar.

"This evidence…… is explosive."

After comparing the evidence, Lin Xiuyuan turned his head and said in a low voice to Krystal standing behind him.

Krystal also nodded lightly, then looked at the information on the screen seriously again.

And Lin Xiuyuan took a deep breath and continued to ask: 【I must ask one thing, if these evidences from back then were really exposed, would there be any risk to you at that time?】

The reply from there was unusually crisp:

【Not at all, I have US citizenship. I came here to be a trainee chasing stars back then, and I only signed a trial contract.

Then I quit in mid-2013 and went straight back to the US to study.

If it had been exposed back then, at most my family would have picked me up……

It's just that I was too young at the time and didn't dare.】

Lin Xiuyuan saw this and asked again: 【What about now?】

【My family had a change, I need money. It's that simple.】

Lin Xiuyuan almost couldn't help but pat the table and shout, "Perfect."

Incident in early 2013, left in mid-2013.

Clean and neat, no official debut record, no entertainment industry resume.

This timeline is perfect.

If the explosion point of the incident is set in 2013, it can not only ensure the logical closed loop of all evidence but also almost not cause any impact on the parties involved at the reality level.

Now just "return" to 2013, chat with the other party at that time on the internet for a few more words, as long as they are willing to cooperate, then this loophole can be perfectly filled.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuyuan forced himself to calm down, but asked a seemingly strange question.

【If I can help you hide your identity and let the information be exposed at that time point in 2013…… would you be willing to cooperate at that time?

I mean appearing in an anonymous way, or assisting in verifying the timeline.】

【Although I don't understand why you insist on emphasizing 2013, as long as the money is enough, I should have been willing at that time.】

A short sentence, both realistic and direct.

Immediately after, she sent an old video saved in the draft box.

Although the picture was blurry, the figures and dialogue could be distinguished.

Followed by a series of chat screenshots from back then, which were some text messages Kim Soo-hyun sent her.

The words were ambiguous, with temptation and guidance, and the lines revealed a clear sense of power control and manipulation tendency.

After reading everything, Lin Xiuyuan immediately transferred virtual currency equivalent to 2 million won from the encrypted wallet as a deposit, and the other party confirmed the receipt within a few minutes.

After doing all this, Lin Xiuyuan casually unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, took a big sip, and began to record quickly.

"March 2013, the girl lived in a practice center in Gangnam for a short time as a trainee. Kim Soo-hyun had no dramas to film at the time and appeared frequently in that area…… time and space overlap, it matches."

After muttering a paragraph, Lin Xiuyuan asked the other party on the screen: 【You said you are not the only victim, then do you know if others can still be contacted?】

The reply from there paused for a few minutes: 【The other girls who trained together also encountered similar situations. But later they all left the entertainment industry, some went back to their hometowns, some changed their numbers, I can't contact them.】

Lin Xiuyuan didn't ask again.

He understood that this piece of evidence alone was enough to detonate the first bomb.

Krystal, who had been sitting quietly observing, finally spoke at this moment.

"It's enough, Xiuyuan."

She, whose tone was gentle, carried a decisiveness after judgment, "The entertainment industry is not a court, it doesn't need a trial process with ironclad evidence. As long as there is a real chain of evidence, other gossip will automatically be filled in by the internet.

And once the story takes shape, it will spread on its own."

Speaking of this, her expression was calm, and her eyes were bright, "This society cannot be in a hurry to protect a male star who was once placed on the altar, especially when he is about to collapse. It's not just netizens waiting to fall into the well, but also a bunch of substitute male stars and the capital behind them."

Lin Xiuyuan nodded, his gaze firm, turning back to the screen to continue checking details with the person on the computer.

He asked a lot about the content of that period: the specific location of the incident, the process, time nodes, whether there were witnesses, clothing details of the two, interaction methods, language wording……

The reply from there initially appeared slightly uncomfortable, but for the sake of the remaining 18 million bounty, she still pieced together the whole picture of those days word by word.

Even the other party took the initiative to draw pictures, reproducing several impressive scene movements back then, just to assist Lin Xiuyuan here in identifying the "inductive rhetoric" Kim Soo-hyun was accustomed to using.

That familiar pattern, plus the evidence exposed by Kim Sae-ron's family earlier, allowed Lin Xiuyuan to almost conclude.

This kind of deception method, Kim Soo-hyun definitely wasn't using it for the first time, and definitely hadn't used it only once.

Then he frowned and cursed, "This dog thing really deserves to die."

At the same time, Krystal's little hand resting on Lin Xiuyuan's shoulder also tightened, and it could be seen that her mood was not very good.

Video clips, text message records, screenshots, psychological diagnosis reports, social drafts, time and location stamps……

As all clues converged into a net, Lin Xiuyuan here finally established a complete chain of evidence regarding the "Kim Soo-hyun sexual assault incident" outside of "Kim Sae-ron."

Then staring at the computer screen, his heartbeat accelerated slightly, but his eyes were unusually calm.

"Alright."

Lin Xiuyuan said slowly to Krystal, "Now just need a delivery point, a pusher, this time bomb…… will blow a hole in the entire entertainment industry of 2013."

Krystal looked at him and smiled gently, "It's time to let that 'forever clean Kim Soo-hyun' of 2013 never go back. This can also be considered as winning back a little justice for many girls, Xiuyuan~ you have immeasurable merit."

Then, Lin Xiuyuan didn't hesitate anymore and transferred the remaining 18 million won bounty to the other party's account in one go.

If he could pull Kim Soo-hyun, this "dog thing," into the water in 2013, spending this little money was simply too worth it.

And in order to "buy a horse bone with a thousand gold," he also took the initiative to update the transfer screenshot to the bottom of the post.

He didn't just want this one bomb; he needed more evidence.

The more the better, the more ruthless the better.

July just arrived, and what was approaching with the typhoon warning was not just meteorological changes, but a huge storm quietly brewing in the dark.

(End of chapter)