Chapter 68

The best way to treat overthinking is to wake up. Not by getting beaten or anything, but by finding a way to calm down.

After slapping himself hard, Yoon Hyun successfully expelled all the complaints, self-pity, self-deprecation, and anger from his mind, and focused on driving to the hospital.

One should still concentrate while driving...

"Yoon Hyun-ssi, you're here!" Jung Joon-ho's manager was waiting at the hospital entrance. As soon as he saw Yoon Hyun get out of the car, he immediately approached.

"Hello! What exactly happened?" Yoon Hyun followed him into the hospital, asking in a low voice. There were many reporters outside the hospital, indicating that the situation was indeed very serious.

"Roh Hong-cheol was attacked by an anti-fan at the bottom of his apartment building. He's in surgery now."

"Surgery? That serious?" Yoon Hyun was shocked.

"Ask Yoo Jae-suk and the others for the details later. I'm not very clear on it myself." Jung Joon-ho's manager closed his mouth when he saw the reporters trying to eavesdrop.

Yoon Hyun also noticed and nodded silently.

The two entered the hospital. In the waiting area outside the operating room, Yoon Hyun saw many of Roh Hong-cheol's friends, as well as a worried Yoo Jae-suk, Park Myung-soo, and Jung Joon-ho.

The five old friends, who had been working together for two years, exchanged glances but said nothing.

"Why?" Yoon Hyun finally spoke after a long pause.

"According to the police, the anti-fan seems to have a mental illness. He felt that Hong-cheol insulted his parents on a show, found Hong-cheol's address through the broadcast, and then the attack happened," Yoo Jae-suk explained.

"Mental illness? Does that mean the attacker won't be punished?" Yoon Hyun was indignant.

"Roh Hong-cheol himself doesn't want to pursue the matter further, so the situation is under control now," Yoo Jae-suk nodded, his expressionless face revealing nothing.

The other few people, however, lowered their heads, silently expressing their dissatisfaction.

Not far away, Roh Hong-cheol's family saw Yoon Hyun and came up to greet him, trying to hide their worry and sadness.

Yoon Hyun comforted Roh Hong-cheol's mother, who had been crying, and he himself was also on the verge of tears.

After a while, the doctor came out of the operating room.

"How is he?" As the senior figure present, Yoo Jae-suk stepped forward and asked.

"There's no major issue. His ear was stitched with three stitches, and his ribs are just cracked. He'll need about three to four weeks to recover," the doctor explained in a calm tone, also comforting Roh Hong-cheol's family.

Soon, Roh Hong-cheol was wheeled out of the operating room on a hospital bed.

Seeing Roh Hong-cheol, pale and still managing a weak smile, comforting those who were concerned about him, Yoon Hyun felt the frustration he had been holding in all day reaching its peak.

Why? Why should artists have to be so magnanimous? Why should they smile and do things they don't like on TV? Yes, the foundation of an artist's existence is their fans, and an actor without an audience is nothing. But I just want to quietly be a singer, an actor, or even a lowly comedian, doing what I love and bringing joy to those who like me. Why is that so hard?

Why should disliking someone be a reason to act so self-righteously? Why should your preferences force someone to fulfill them? A small stage can't contain big dreams, so why can't people's hearts?

Why is it so hard to take a step back, be free, and be yourself? To live the life you want, to strive for your dreams, to endure hardships, to be happy, to perform for those who appreciate you—what's wrong with that?

Why should I exhaust myself on TV shows, making people laugh, even getting hurt, just to be ignored and left alone in a corner?

Yoon Hyun felt his emotions getting out of control.

"Yoon Hyun-ssi, don't be too angry. I'm fine," Roh Hong-cheol, seeing Yoon Hyun's silence, thought he was worried and tried to comfort him.

Yoon Hyun nodded but said nothing.

Since Roh Hong-cheol needed to rest, everyone left after confirming he was okay.

"Want to have a drink?" Yoo Jae-suk said as he walked beside Yoon Hyun.

"I have a late-night appearance, and I'm already late. I need to go now," Jung Joon-ho said.

Jung Hae-dong also said he had a show and needed to leave immediately.

"I'm not in the mood for drinking. My child is just two months old, and it's a busy time, so I'll go home," Park Myung-soo, who had changed since having a child, said.

Yoo Jae-suk and Yoon Hyun silently saw the other three off. Then the two of them drove to Kang Ho-dong's barbecue restaurant.

Since Yoo Jae-suk and Kang Ho-dong had been friends for over a decade and Yoo Jae-suk often visited the restaurant, when Yoon Hyun and Yoo Jae-suk arrived, they were immediately led to a private room.

"I called Ho-dong and Ji-dong. They'll be here soon," Yoo Jae-suk said.

Hearing that two national-level figures were coming, Yoon Hyun became a bit uneasy.

"Don't worry. Ho-dong will probably bring Lee Seung-gi, and Ji-dong said that Lee Hyori is with him, so she'll probably come too," Yoo Jae-suk, noticing Yoon Hyun's unease, explained.

Hearing that Lee Hyori would be there, Yoon Hyun felt a bit more at ease.

Soon, Kang Ho-dong and Lee Seung-gi arrived. Yoon Hyun and Lee Seung-gi were of the same generation, with Lee Seung-gi being a month older and having debuted earlier. Compared to Yoon Hyun, Lee Seung-gi was a model of diligence, constantly appearing in dramas and variety shows, maintaining high popularity.

This was Yoon Hyun's first meeting with Lee Seung-gi, so as a junior, he was very polite. He was more familiar with Kang Ho-dong, having gone out for drinks a few times after the "Knee High Shaman" recording, where Kang Ho-dong was always outdrunk by Yoon Hyun, leading to a decent friendship.

Just as Kang Ho-dong and Lee Seung-gi were settling in, Kim Ji-dong and Lee Hyori arrived.

There was the usual round of greetings and pleasantries.

But as everyone sat down, the room's atmosphere suddenly became very heavy.

Everyone was silent.

Only Lee Seung-gi, trying to lighten the mood, kept giving Yoon Hyun signals, but Yoon Hyun, still affected by the incident with Roh Hong-cheol, just shook his head, indicating that it was better to stay quiet.

It wasn't until the meat and drinks were served, and everyone was half-drunk, that the conversation started to flow.

Yoon Hyun then understood why these three pillars of Korean variety shows, who had been together since "X-Man," were gathered here.

Yoo Jae-suk was in a legal battle with his management company. The conflict had been ongoing for over a year, with the company owing him over 50 billion won in unpaid wages and commissions. If not for being forced, Yoo Jae-suk wouldn't have taken this step. Combined with the incident with Roh Hong-cheol, his mood was extremely heavy.

Kim Ji-dong, due to political issues, had all his variety shows canceled, and the once towering figure in Korean variety shows was now facing unemployment due to factors beyond his control...

Kang Ho-dong was in even more trouble, embroiled in a tax evasion scandal...

Even the usually cheerful Lee Hyori seemed a bit off today.

So, soon, everyone except Yoon Hyun and Lee Seung-gi was drunk.

Unlike Yoon Hyun, the others had managers with them, so after arranging for the managers to take their artists home, Lee Seung-gi and Yoon Hyun, who had become good friends over drinks, hugged and went their separate ways.

Without a manager and having had a few drinks, Yoon Hyun was now worried about his car. Leaving it there wasn't an option, but he didn't have the nerve to drive drunk, so...

"Big sister, what are you doing?"

"Me? I'm at the company. Why are you calling me? What's up?"

"Well, I was drinking at Ho-dong's place, and I'm a bit drunk. I need to get home, but my car..."

"Hey! I knew you'd only call me for something bad! Why didn't you think of me when you were drinking?"

"I was just with Yoo Jae-suk, Kang Ho-dong, and Kim Ji-dong..."

"...Alright... I'll come get you." Hearing the names Yoon Hyun mentioned, Yoon Ji-hye immediately lost her temper.

So, Yoon Hyun stood by his car for half an hour before Yoon Ji-hye arrived in a hurry.

Naturally, he received a scolding from his sister.

But she still kindly drove him home.

In a slightly tipsy state, seeing his sister's concerned face and her angry or happy expressions, Yoon Hyun's pent-up frustration seemed to gradually calm down.

Then, he found a direction to vent.

Write it down, express it. Yoon Hyun hadn't felt the urge to write a song to express his feelings in a long time.

Or maybe never.

So, as soon as he got home, without even changing his clothes, Yoon Hyun went to the recording studio at the company.

That night, the seventh song on Yoon Hyun's album was born.

"You're Not Truly Happy."

It was during the writing of this song that Yoon Hyun made up his mind. No matter what, he wouldn't let himself be wronged in the entertainment industry again.

Be yourself.

After completing the recording, Yoon Hyun burned the songs he had brought from his previous life.

Let's start from here.