Chapter 74

"Look at this, it turns out you know so many girls, and you even put them online. Why didn't you tell Mom?" Jin Runshu was angry because of this. The real-time search term on the internet was "Lee Jeongmin and the CCM girls' untold story," and now everyone knew about it, but she, as a mother, still didn't know. "It's a good thing to know more girls; they are all so cute. Even if you can't marry them all, it's still..."

Before Lee Jeongmin could stop her, Jessica had already caught the meaning in Jin Runshu's words. Her lips twitched, and she really wanted to know what Lee Jeongmin usually learned at home and what it was about him knowing so many girls.

Lee Jeongmin himself didn't know what was going on, but from Jin Runshu's expression, he could tell that there must be some gossip about him online. There was no reason for this, as he hadn't received any news. If there were any rumors, Song Seokjae should have called him by now.

Song Seokjae had known about the online news for a while, but it wasn't even considered a real scandal. At most, it was just some idle gossip by bored netizens. LAD Entertainment had a dedicated internet department and a special task force to handle online emergencies. They followed the established procedures, so they didn't inform Lee Jeongmin. After all, he had been exhausted from the signing event today, and as the CEO, Song Seokjae was considerate of him.

Now, with both women looking at him with unfriendly eyes, Lee Jeongmin couldn't hold up. Forced into a corner, he used his "innocent emperor" expression. This expression was so convincing that even a judge with solid evidence wouldn't believe the child could do anything bad. Jin Runshu and Jessica immediately backed off, thinking that Lee Jeongmin must have some unspoken difficulties.

Lee Jeongmin wiped the non-existent cold sweat from his forehead. The unknown was the most terrifying. He didn't know what the online news was about, and he was particularly lacking in confidence, so he used the cute act. If he knew it was just baseless gossip, he would have waved it off. Jin Runshu, thinking about the three girls, muttered that she would check their backgrounds when she got home. Clearly, she had no intention of staying any longer. She gave Lee Jeongmin a flying kiss and left, leaving him and Jessica staring at each other.

"OPPA, take me home." Jessica didn't dare to go home alone. Although it wasn't too late, the security issues in Seoul were always a concern. Even if she thought the worst, the bad guys had ways to make her wish she were dead. Jessica usually went home on weekends. Her neighborhood wasn't as bustling as Apgujeong, where the company was located, and it felt safer. At night, not even a kitten would come out in her area, so how could she go home alone?

Lee Jeongmin naturally didn't refuse. He was happy to drive Jessica home because he was also worried about her going back alone so late. On the way, Jessica was lost in thought, and Lee Jeongmin was also preoccupied, so they were silent the whole time. These two could argue endlessly when they were in a mood, but they could also be completely silent, a kind of默契 (mutual understanding).

"Thanks for today, OPPA." Jessica hadn't noticed that as their relationship improved, she called Lee Jeongmin "Jamie" less and started calling him "OPPA."

Lee Jeongmin smiled and waved. "I should thank you. You wasted your time waiting for me. I really appreciate your support."

"Don't be so formal." Jessica muttered, waved, and turned to leave.

Lee Jeongmin was afraid of being scolded again, so he was polite to leave a good impression. After driving away and making sure Jessica couldn't see his car, he quickly took out his phone to search for his name. He was afraid he would get a call before he got back to LK.

After reading the post, Lee Jeongmin was speechless about the online gossips. What a mess. How did all these things get mixed up, and why did it seem so convincing? Now, not only did the netizens think he had something with CCM, but he himself was starting to believe it. Could he have gone to CCM in his sleep? As for the rumors about him and Jessica, it was understandable since they had eaten together, gone shopping, and even gone to a practice room. But Lee Jeongmin was puzzled. The three girls together hadn't spent as much time with him as Jessica, so how could they have such convincing rumors? However, this level of gossip wasn't a threat, so he felt much better.

Lee Jeongmin had just put away his phone and hadn't started the car when his phone started vibrating. He looked down and saw it was Jessica calling.

Jessica had been thinking all the way home but couldn't figure it out. She talked to Lee Jeongmin every day and was quite familiar with his schedule. She called him to chat about her practice life or other interesting stories, which she learned from magazines. To enter a man's life, the first step was to maintain your presence, and calling was one of the convenient ways. In Jessica's understanding, Lee Jeongmin was a complete homebody who didn't like going out recently. Could he be lying to her? Jessica was about to check online when she saw her sister, Krystal, acting strangely.

When Jessica came back, Krystal peeked out of her room, making sure their mother wasn't nearby, and then quietly came in. She didn't say anything but looked at Jessica with a strange expression. Jessica looked at her quirky sister, wondering what was up, but after a few glances, she ignored the little girl and turned on her computer. She didn't even need to search; the post about Lee Jeongmin was right there on the homepage.

After reading it, Jessica started breathing heavily, her cheeks puffing up. Whether others believed it or not, she did.

"Did my future brother-in-law fly away again?" Krystal finally spoke, but if Lee Jeongmin heard her, he would have complained. Krystal wasn't talking about a brother-in-law; she was talking about her free beef coupons being blown away by the wind.

"Look at you, always with a cold face and not talking much. It's not the Korean era anymore; no man would like you like this." Krystal continued to pour oil on the fire. "No wonder OPPA Lee Jeongmin is having a scandal with other women."

Jessica wasn't the type to hold back. She gave Krystal a dirty look. "Hey, what's it to you how I am? And what does his scandal have to do with me?"

"How is it not related? Didn't you confess to him? Panieuni said OPPA Lee Jeongmin didn't refuse." Krystal blinked and suddenly covered her mouth, realizing she had said something she shouldn't.

"Panieuni, that big mouth!" Jessica was so angry she could grind her teeth. How could she say everything? Actually, Tiffany only told Krystal because she was her sister. That day, Krystal, not seeing Jessica, asked others about her whereabouts and learned from Seohyun that Jessica had gone to a big meal with Lee Jeongmin without her. The next day, Krystal found Tiffany to ask about the details, mainly to find out what they had eaten, but she unexpectedly got a big scoop.

"It wasn't Panieuni; I heard it from somewhere else." Krystal made a last effort, but she was already mourning for Tiffany in her heart.

That day, besides Jessica, only Kim Taeyeon and Tiffany were there. Kim Taeyeon was sometimes absent-minded but usually spoke less than a monk. So, the only truth was that Tiffany had betrayed her. After scolding Tiffany, who was watching a soap opera, she called Lee Jeongmin to find out what was going on.

"Ah, it's just a publicity stunt for the new album." Lee Jeongmin, a master of lies, blurted out, "Isn't it always said that I'm mysterious? This is to maintain attention."

"Oh, I see." Jessica immediately believed him. Compared to the online rumors, she trusted Lee Jeongmin more. S.M. was famous for its scandal marketing, and Jessica, being part of it, naturally believed it. Actually, such easily debunked rumors were just for entertainment. If LAD Entertainment and CCM Entertainment issued a joint statement, the rumors would cool down quickly. However, the publicity effect of this post was good, so LAD Entertainment didn't take any action. CCM was the same. With this scandal, three of their trainees appeared on the top search term, which was a huge benefit for their future debut, as many artists who had been in the industry for years hadn't even made it to the top search term.

The scandal itself was problematic. Although it seemed logical at first glance, it was full of holes upon closer inspection. First, the examples listed were all online, and they were openly displayed, not hidden. This alone suggested that Lee Jeongmin didn't have anything real with these three. Second, the three were trainees at the same company. If Lee Jeongmin had intimate relationships with all three, it would be too much, and they would surely know about each other. Finally, this seemingly explosive scandal had no substantial content. There were no private photos, no hand-holding or shopping photos, and the only hug photo was a fan appreciation hug. So, the conclusion was that Lee Jeongmin just had a good relationship with CCM, and LAD Entertainment and CCM might be "strategic partners" promoting each other.

Although everyone understood it was just a scandal, the big shots had already written fan fiction, and the love and hate stories between Lee Jeongmin and the women were dramatic and intense. In recent times, the phrase "Lee Jeongmin and the CCM women" had been played with by netizens, and any male and female artists in the entertainment industry who had been involved in scandals couldn't escape the netizens' mockery.