99 Days With My Idol

** Episode 7 **

"What? Are you saying I should abandon my career, my life, everything I've worked for, all because of some false accusations? No, I can't do that! I won't!" Min-Jun protested, his voice trembling with emotion.

"Min-Jun," Manager Ma replied gently, "this is our only viable option. Unless you have another plan, which we both know won't be necessary."

"But Ma—Manager," he stuttered, struggling to find the right words and they stare bluntly waiting for him to finish while he had nothing to say.

"You have just one hour left. Your flight is leaving soon," Manager Ma urged, his tone firm yet compassionate.

Min-Jun felt the weight of the decision pressing down on him. He could either follow Manager Ma's advice or face the grim reality of prison and the uncertainty of a trial. It was a heartbreaking choice: sacrifice his dreams for the sake of his life. Reluctantly, he nodded in agreement.

He was instructed to drop his phone and change out of his clothes, slipping into a new outfit. With only a few essentials packed in a backpack, a new phone, and some cash, he prepared to leave.

As he entered the room where the other members were gathered, Ha-ri spotted him and rushed over, enveloping him in a tight hug. Tears soaked his shirt as she clung to him.

"I'll be fine, Ha-ri," he reassured her. "Si Woon will take care of you while I'm away. Remember to eat well so you don't lose weight. Be the good girl I know you are, okay?"

Ha-ri giggled through her tears. "You always know how to comfort me," she whispered, reaching into his bag. She discreetly pulled out an envelope and slipped it into Min-Jun's backpack.

He noticed but kept his composure. "Read it when you have the time and stop feeling guilty," she whispered in his ear.

"Thanks for believing in me, Ha-ri," he replied softly.

She pulled back slightly and took off her wristwatch, placing it in his hand. "Take this. Whenever you feel down, just look at it, and it'll remind you of me."

Min-Jun accepted the watch, forcing a smile. "Thank you, Ha-ri."

"Min-Jun, we need to go," Manager Ma said, prompting Ha-ri to give him one last tight hug.

With a wave to his friends, Min-Jun left with Manager Ma, slipping into the car as they sped off toward the train station, his heart heavy and hopeless for the future.

The Caribbean is definitely the safest for him at the moment. know one will definitely recognize him even if he walked around without covering his face. And he doesn't have to worry about social media seem there's none there, he thought.

But one thing was certain, It's definitely going to be the most tedious life experience ever, I might die just one days living there. Min-Jun thought.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the airport, just in time for Min-Jun to catch his flight. He quickly donned a mask and a cap that obscured half his face.

"I'll definitely come looking for you once I uncover the truth," Manager Ma said living Min-Jun stunned.

"Do you really believe I'm innocent?" Min-Jun asked, a reassuring smile appearing on his face.

"Of course," he continued. "The Min-Jun I know would plead with you not to hurt a cockroach."

Min-Jun felt a wave of relief wash over him; at least Ha-ri believed in his innocence, and now Manager Ma did too.

"Go on now, before someone sees you." Manager Ma urged, giving him a warm hug before he left.

***

At dawn, a shocking discovery was discovered. An artificial man that looked exactly like Min-Jun was found dead inside a car by a grandma in her seventies.

She immediately contacted the police and within minutes, officers, Detective Jun, journalists, and onlookers swarmed the scene. Detective Jun was taken aback; he hadn't been aware that Min-Jun had escaped from prison, a fact later confirmed by Officer Park.

Something felt off about the sudden accident, but his mind was racing with the question, "How did this happen?"

Soon, news of the incident spread across the news, magazines, and social media. The leader of of Nova X, Kim Min-Jun, who had been implicated in the murder of the popular actress Park A-yeong, had reportedly fled from prison last night and met with a tragic accident, resulting in his death.

Reactions were mixed; some felt sympathy for him, while many believed he got what he deserved.

While Detective Jun wanted to look further into the case that seem to difficult to believe but then, he was asked to close the case immediately when he got a called from the General Officer.

"Yes, Detective Jun. I heard you were looking for the CCTV footage from the accident site," the general asked.

"Yes, sir. I suspect something is amiss, and I want to investigate further. Perhaps I can uncover how it all happened," Detective Jun explained earnestly but the general didn't care, suspicious or not.

"Detective Jun, what do you plan to do with any evidence you might find? The victim is gone, and this case is closed. I advise you to stop any further investigation," the general stated firmly.

Taken aback by the general's response, Detective Jun nodded, accepting the directive. "Yes, sir. I understand," he replied, leaving the office with still waiting to know how it happened.

At the company, Du-ri shed tears of sympathy and mourning upon hearing the news. Gyeol did his best to console him, tears streaming down his own face as well. Si-woon sat quietly, feeling guilty over Min-Jun's death, but also a strange sense of relief.

It was actually all his doings but he didn't pictured him dieing, at least not this way. He'd always been so jealousy of Kim Min-Jun. His charm, the voice, his features, he was just too gifted. It deepens when he found out Ha-Ri he was secretly crushing on was insanely in love with Min-Jun.

The hatred grow every passing day that he wanted so bad to get him out of the picture and when he got the chance, he used it.

Director Chow, Manager Ma, and Secretary Young entered the room, prompting everyone to stand immediately.

"It isn't true, right?" Du-ri asked, already knowing the answer he dreaded.

"I'm sure you've all seen the news by now. He got what he deserved," Director Chow said, his voice forward and steady. "He was a hardworking and respected leader, but ultimately, he brought this fate upon himself."

Du-ri cried even harder as Director Chow's words falls and Gyeol, who had been trying to comfort him, joined in his grief while Si Woon bow his head feeling little guilt of remorse.

***

Kim Min-Jun's flight get to it destination. He stepped off, exhaling a long, heavy breath as he look around in his surroundings taking in an unfamiliar place.

The air felt different—crisp and filled with unfamiliar scents but it wasn't meeting with his expectation. He had imagined a vibrant scene of black-skinned people with funny hairstyle, funny attire and the rustic charm of the Afro-Caribbean, but what lay before him was far from his expectation.

Exhaling slowly again, he wandered through the bustling airport terminal, confident that no one would recognize him, after all, he was just an up and coming star in a Caribbean. The bright lights and the hum of conversations in a language quite familiar was getting him confused.

With each step, his uncertainty grew. He meandered through the crowd, glancing at the signs and the people around him, trying to find a hint of familiarity. Just as he reached the entrance of the airport, a large sign caught his eye. The characters were intricate and foreign, but the words were unmistakable: "Welcome to Fenghua Airport, China."