The manager returned and delivered predictable but goal-striking news.

"...He tried to report it to the police?"

"Yeah. I was sweating so much... while wondering in what way this was an assault, seriously."

The first manager wiped away the cold sweat, saying that there were almost going to be strange articles coming out before the comeback because of this, and grumbled.

"Just why did he have to contact them... Tsk."

He directed that at the second manager who was not present.

For your information, Lee Sejin was absent because he was accompanying the company to talk at a meeting.

"That person, how did he get into the lobby?"

"At that time when they were on their way back from the hospital, Smaller Sejin said he wanted to stop by the practice room so they came to the company. The guards remembered him as a member's parent and let him in."

"Aha~"

Keun Sejin exclaimed but didn't look very relieved.

'Is it because this is a problem that can't be blocked at its source?'

Family gossip could continue to happen even if the person in question severed ties with the family.

Besides, the person wasn't in their right mind enough to cause a disturbance in the lobby, so there was plenty of potential for trouble later on.

"...Anyway, Smaller Sejin must have been very surprised so you guys, be nice to him when he's back."

"Of course."

"I understand."

From an ankle injury to family problems, this would certainly be mentally difficult for him.

The members nodded their heads politely but seemed to be worrying about the situation in their own way.

And shortly afterwards, Lee Sejin returned to the dorm in the half-cast.

The situation was similar to a few days ago, but the difference wasn't because there was no companion with him.

Lee Sejin had a resolute expression.

"...?"

The members hesitantly started talking as they noticed his expression.

"Sejin-ah, Uhm... did the talking end well?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. ...I'm very fine."

Lee Sejin said as if he was determined, and then he steadfastly walked through the front door and headed for the kitchen.

And he drank a glass of water all at once.

Gulp gulp.

Lee Sejin put the glass down on the table and spoke after taking a deep breath.

"Tomorrow... I'm going to apply for a restraining order."

"Ah, against you father?"

"What father. He divorced when I was young so he doesn't have any custody...!"

Some of the members were taken aback when they heard Lee Sejin curse at someone for the first time.

"...Do you have any evidence?"

"I'm not applying for myself... I'll do it for my mom."

"...!"

"...Huu."

Lee Sejin sighed and explained the situation roughly.

"...That person, it seems that he has been contacting my mother and extorting money ever since I gained some recognition as a child actor."

However, apparently, his mother did not want to reveal the situation to the young Lee Sejin. He also just found out about it recently while talking about it.

"It's been a while since I took a break from child acting activities... but he started contacting me again after I appeared on ."

Lee Sejin swallowed and continued to speak in a slightly trembling voice.

"I... I just thought that they separated because their personalities didn't match. He said he was having difficulties, so I sent the money..."

He said that the amount of money demanded gradually increased, accompanied by subtle verbal abuse and intimidation.

"Because the program was doing so well, this happened almost every day from the middle to the latter half of the show."

Lee Sejin's face turned pale as he recalled what happened at that time.

'...Is that why he became especially sensitive from the third round onwards?'

He was already in a state of a mental breakdown at that time.

"...Then, on the last break, I found out about it while talking openly with my mom."

From the beginning, the divorce was because of his habit of taking money for gambling, and his father continuously threatened them financially.

"..."

There was a moment of worrying silence.

"...Then why were you still in contact with him until now...?"

"...If, if I hastily took action, I could become a nuisance to my mom or the group again. There was... already the problem with the agency last time."

Lee Sejin gritted his teeth and vigorously wiped his eyes.

"Since I decided not to run away, I thought... that I'd handle this somehow. ...Although it didn't go well."

"..."

"I apologize in advance. If I'm applying for a restraining order... there might be articles about it coming out. But the company said they would try to block it as much as possible..."

Lee Sejin lowered his head.

"If, by any chance, it becomes a problem again... I'm sorry."

"...!"

"Sejin-ah, there is no need to apologize for this."

"I-it's really fine...!"

Among the members who were in a state of confusion, Keun Sejin opened his mouth with a kind expression as if feeling apologetic.

"Uhm... Hyung-nim, I'm really sorry about what happened. I don't think this will end just by applying for a restraining order, so shouldn't we also think of another method?"

"...I'm also aware."

Lee Sejin swallowed.

"That's why... I found out where he gambles."

"-!! Uh, how?"

"...Does that matter? Anyway, I'm going to report that to the police."

"Gasp!"

"Then he'll go to prison. In the meantime, I can get the settlement and send my mom to a place with better security."

"Ooh!"

Among the admiring youngest ones, I thought to myself.

'Isn't illegal gambling usually punishable by a fine?'

Even if you get a sentence, I think I had only seen cases that usually end with probation.

In addition, it was a question of whether the police who received the report would trust it so obediently and go to the scene.

"...Wouldn't it just end with a suspended sentence?"

"It won't. He used to gamble fraudulently while working at the gambling house."

"...!"

"I recorded everything he said to scare me. Even if he's a gangster or whatever, I can send it anonymously to the police if need be."

I thought he was just a gambling addict since the gambling problem was mentioned but he turned out to be a full-fledged criminal.

Well, I understood Lee Sejin's desire to settle this and the big picture. However, in this case, the situation may become more dangerous.

'It will hurt more if the criminal refers to himself as Lee Sejin's dad.'

As expected, it might be better to cut off the relationship with Lee Sejin visibly... Hmm. There was one thing that came to my mind.

'I'm not sure if he'll be okay with it.'

Let's bring it up for now.

"I think we should stop people with such criminal records from borrowing hyung's name and saying useless things later on. He could come out of prison calling himself your father and commit investment fraud."

"...!!"

"How about drawing a line at this point?"

"H-how...?"

I twirled my finger.

"Hyung changing your last name to your mother's last name."

"...! Cough."

"It's to completely erase the connection to your father."

Was the suggestion too unconventional?

I heard Lee Sejin almost choking.

"Take it easy."

Lee Sejin got another glass of water to the glass he used earlier. He drank it all at once, then muttered with a bewildered face.

"That... that suggestion... I didn't think of that."

"Me neither."

"M-me too."

Cha Yujin and Seon Ahyun blankly agreed.

Keun Sejin seemed to quickly search it up on his smartphone, then nodded his head.

"Oh~ Unless you're a minor, you don't have to ask for permission from your father. Still, it is said that something like an opinion hearing is sent, but this is perfect for when you report the gambling place and have him distracted! I think you should do it."

Lee Sejin had a subtle expression.

"...Then it will take a long time, and changing it in the middle of our comeback activities is also a little..."

Well, that was a meaningless worry.

"You can just use it as your stage name right away."

"...!!"

"Oh, I see. Once you change your activity name, you can change your name naturally!"

Kim Raebin was amazed. And Lee Sejin still had a bewildered face.

"Well, suddenly changing your family name would be a difficult thought."

It was kind of funny to think about this since both my last name and my first name had changed.

Anyway, he had built his career under that name since he was a child actor, so it was reasonable to be reluctant to change it.

'He might as well refuse.'

Right after thinking that, Lee Sejin resolutely nodded.

"...Fine! My last name doesn't matter."

His eyes were blazing.

'...These are the same eyes he had when he looked at the smartphone a few days ago.'

Perhaps it was the desire to make the situation better.

Anyway, the members applauded Lee Sejin's bold declaration of the name change.

"Oooh!"

Lee Sejin turned his head shyly.

'That's a conclusion.'

I immediately made an additional request.

"Make sure to tell the company to print the article with the nuance that the reason for divorce was because of your father. Don't make it obvious but just at a level that it can be guessed from between the lines."

Meaning, don't give any room for the internet aggro to get drawn into this.

Of course, the company would take care of that but there was no harm in getting it straight.

Lee Sejin looked like he was recalling something.

"...I also thought about this last time but you... forget it."

"...? You can talk."

"I said it's nothing."

Well, if that's the case then.

Ryu Chungwoo joined the conversation with a slightly awkward smile.

"I actually think that besides the goals that were mentioned... this decision is good enough. The last name of your mother who loves you is much better than having the last name of someone like that."

"...That's right."

"Anyway, thank you for making a tough decision, Sejin-ah."

"...It wasn't hard."

Lee Sejin must have used up half a year's worth of social skills, and returned to his usual blunt tone.

"Ah, anyway. Then I'll just call the company."

"Yes!"

"I'm glad a good conclusion came up."

"...Thanks."

"Hihi."

"You have worked hard~"

Keun Sejin smiled and gave a word of encouragement.

This guy still didn't seem to have much affection for Lee Sejin, but at least he didn't seem annoyed at this time.

It seemed that Lee Sejin didn't have time to feel uncomfortable with Keun Sejin since he was absorbed in his duties.

'That's good.'

As long as you don't put it on top of this, then it's fine.

In that friendly atmosphere, I threw a question that came to my mind.

"Come to think of it, what's your mother's last name?"

Then, Lee Sejin's ears blushed bright red.

What was it?

"...Bae."

"What?"

"It's Bae!"

"...!!"

...Turning it around like that, Lee Sejin, a former child actor, really became Bae Sejin.

//TN: Actor is 'baewoo' in Korean

This time it was not because of an abbreviation of the word 'actor' (baewoo) but a surname taken from his mother, so it was fortunate that Bae Sejin himself seemed to be satisfied with it.

It was the same name, but it was a bit theoretically interesting that such a different result came out just with the recognition of the accepting side.

But the most surprising part of the case wasn't that.

It appeared in an internet article that Bae Sejin came to a few days later.

"This is it!"

Bae Sejin pointed his smartphone at me with an uncharacteristically excited face.

"...?"

I read the article.

"...!!"

"What do you think? I don't think I'll have to worry about this for a few years!"

"...Yes."

There was really no need to worry about this anymore.

It was the day the Schrödinger's drug dealer got caught on his hind feet.

* * *

And a few days later, around the time Bae Sejin removed the half-cast and changed to a lighter brace.

'The music video teaser is coming out at midnight today.'

It was like a flare signal that the activities were going to be full-scale.

And now, the day has come when I had to make a choice I had been putting off.

It was point distribution.

'Status window.'

The points that can be used are 3. I planned to use 2 points without question, leaving 1 point for emergencies.

The question was where to use the points.

"Hmm."

Without thinking long, I decided where to distribute the points.

And before actually raising the stats, I decided to do what I had to do first.

"Hyung."

"Huh?"

"What do you think about changing salons?"

It was a more extensive version of what I did during .