The Trashy Pd Has To Survive As an Idol: 문찐 [139+]

Chapter 58: Chapter 216



[Title: Is Kang Ichae's song plagiarized?]

The melody is exactly the same as a b-side track from rookie idol group Rikoon.

Kang Ichae's fan song video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThEDa1wN_oRB1T

Rikoon's b-side track video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1kUN=Ne?W

ㅋㅋㅋ (LOL in Korean) Rikoon's track was released on July 29, and Kang Ichae's fan song on September 19.

Make your own judgment.

The controversy arose a little later since the group involved was a rookie with low recognition, and the song was just an album track with no promotional activity.

Similar chord progressions, similar progression, similar melody.

It was so alike that anyone who listened would immediately think of plagiarism.

[Wowㅋㅋㅋㅋ this is seriously identical. No way Kang Ichae can talk himself out of this one. What will his fans—who kept calling him a genius—do nowㅠ]

[Fuckㅋㅋㅋㅋ We loved that fan song so much and now it's plagiarized? Gross 🤮]

[Kang Ichae kept pushing this "genius" persona and now he's ruinedㅜㅜ]

Comments exploded under the post.

And the impact was huge.

[What?? Kang Ichae plagiarized?]

[Is this for real? I thought he was a genius?]

This was especially serious since The Dawn was on a sharp upward trend and most of their songs had Kang Ichae's involvement.

The fact that he had been framed as a "genius" only made it worse.

[Pfftㅋㅋㅋㅋ This isn't going anywhere. Goodbye.]

**[Shouldn't we stay neutral for now?

└What neutral gear? This is undeniableㅋㅋㅋㅋ Are you a Dawn fan?

└Ugh, it wouldn't feel right if no one came in defending neutralityㅋㅋㅋㅋ]**

Like dry firewood, the plagiarism controversy caught fire and spread endlessly on YouTube and social media.

[Famous idol plagiarism scandal! What's the truth?]

YouTube channels that thrive on dragging celebrities with speculative commentary, and freshly created SNS accounts trying to ride the wave, all latched onto Kang Ichae like a feast.

[Now that I think about it, even that piano performance is suspiciousㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Wasn't that just a marketing ploy? I don't think he really played it. It feels a bit too much.]

[Yeah, and he never played it againㅇㅇㅋㅋㅋ Also, his past is way too tightly hidden. Trying to be all mysterious when no idols these days are like thatㅋㅋㅋ]

**[Wait, if he's being mysterious, does that mean the overseas study thing is fake too?

└Nah, more like he has a shady pastㅎㅎ

└└Yeahㅋㅋ That actually sounds more plausibleㅜ So disappointing.]**

And the controversy even reached my ears—despite my sleep schedule being a mess from adjusting post-Europe and running around non-stop.

A beat too late.

"What?"

My schedule was already packed: regular training, previously scheduled interviews, and the newly acquired Riel interview. I was barely surviving on short naps. That morning, I had briefly stopped by to toss a gift I bought in Europe to Seo Hojin—and then I heard this crap.

"Kang Ichae got called into the company."

I heard Kim Seonghyeon's words while still standing at the entrance, not even having taken my shoes off.

"Why the fuck didn't they call me?"

"I already met the CEO with him, but he said he wanted to talk to management alone… Hey, hey!"

I cut Seonghyeon off, jumped up, and dashed out of the dorm. I waved him off when he tried to follow and rushed to the agency.

Pressing on my throbbing temple, I played both Kang Ichae's song and the other one from the community posts.

'...Yeah, that's clearly it.'

They were definitely very similar.

But something bugged me.

'It feels... familiar.'

Not because I practiced and recorded that fan song myself, but because even from the beginning—it had felt oddly déjà vu.

I arrived at the company, passed through the lobby, and got to the meeting room floor.

When I opened the door wide, the first thing I saw was Kang Ichae looking startled, standing awkwardly with his arms half-crossed.

"Hyung?"

"…Huh? Hoyun-ssi."

"Hello."

Maybe the manager had been called to see the CEO again, because in the meeting room, it was just two management staff and Kang Ichae.

I greeted them and plopped down next to Ichae. I could feel him glancing at me, but I ignored it for now and scanned the situation.

The staff member to my right spoke carefully but firmly.

"Um, Hoyun-ssi, I think it's better if we speak with just Kang Ichae right now."

They probably felt it was a sensitive issue. If the plagiarism claim turned out true, it could create internal problems among the members, so they wanted to talk to him alone.

But whether they labeled me a nuisance or kicked me out—I had no intention of leaving.

"Is that so?"

"…It's not just 'is that so.' Ichae also said earlier that—"

I shrugged without budging, and then Kang Ichae leaned forward with a bright smile.

"It's fine. Really."

"…Huh? But you said earlier—"

"I don't mind talking with Hyung here. Honestly, I was kind of wishing one of the members would stay with me."

The manager looked a bit baffled and frowned slightly, but Ichae just tilted his head innocently.

Then he glanced at me and added,

"Where were we? Oh right—you asked me to be honest, didn't you?"

"…Yes. The fan song does sound very similar to the other track, so…"

"Hmm." Ichae made a thoughtful sound and tapped the table a few times with his fingers.

"Do you watch all of The Dawn's live performances?"

"…Excuse me?"

"You could've coordinated with the A&R team first before calling me in, you know."

The management staff blinked, unable to grasp what Kang Ichae was talking about.

But I finally realized what that sense of déjà vu was.

'That's it.'

I'd been wondering where I'd heard it before.

'It's one of Kang Ichae's unreleased songs.'

Kang Ichae searched something on his phone and pulled up a live performance video.

> [Shouldn't we let our Noeuls hear this at least once?]

On screen, Kang Ichae wore a mischievous smile, clearly in a great mood.

Then he started humming a melody while playing the guitar—a melody that was very familiar.

"…It's identical."

It was the same melody as the fan song.

One of the staff asked, flustered,

"W-When was this?"

"I don't know the exact date, but the video was uploaded to YouTube four months ago. I think it was during that period right after Shining Star ended and I was working nonstop."

"So… around May? That's even earlier than both songs involved in the controversy!"

The management team rushed to confirm the date on a company tablet.

Sure enough, the live took place before Orbit.

"I tend to stash away songs that don't quite satisfy me, and later I'll reuse parts I like to compose something new.

I didn't think it'd ever be an issue like this, though."

"Then… does that mean Kang Ichae didn't plagiarize—he was plagiarized?"

Ichae didn't say anything. He just smiled sweetly.

The previously tense staff members finally sighed in relief.

"Phew… what a relief…"

"Haha, did you all seriously think I plagiarized?"

In other words, a song Kang Ichae had shared in a live back in May had been floating around on YouTube all this time.

And now, someone else had used it to compose a song that sounded nearly identical.

It was so similar, it felt like someone had possessed Kang Ichae's body, copied it, and made a song.

But since this was such a sensitive matter, we couldn't jump to conclusions.

What was clear was that Kang Ichae wasn't at fault.

'As if Kang Ichae would plagiarize.'

Not because I trusted his morals, but because I trusted his pride.

As I listened silently, I kept noticing Ichae glancing at me.

I raised an eyebrow to meet his eyes.

He quickly turned his head like it was nothing.

"In that case, Mr. Kang Ichae."

A staff member, who had been typing up a summary of the situation on the tablet, spoke up.

"We should release a statement as soon as possible. It's too unfair to let this slide."

Just as we were finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel—

"Ah… but the problem is…"

Ichae rolled his eyes and muttered to himself.

"…What should we do…"

Everyone immediately understood what he meant.

The song hadn't been registered for copyright.

"…Ah…"

The sigh that followed was filled with frustration.

It was the kind of sigh that said I smell overtime and this is going to get way more complicated.

Even if the song had been revealed in a live and was still on YouTube, without official copyright registration, there was no legal weight to it.

As I looked around at the stunned, silent staff, I let out a sigh and tried to bring things back into focus.

"Either way, we need to announce this fast. The longer we drag this out, the more it'll damage his image."

"Right, of course…"

"At this point, maybe fans already remember the live performance.

Still, we should put out a statement—even if it's just for appearances."

I exchanged words with the staff while subtly glancing at Ichae to see if he was uncomfortable.

But he seemed completely unfazed.

'What's up with him?'

Come to think of it, from the moment I got here until now, everyone had been freaking out except for the actual person at the center of it all.

"Thank you for your hard work. I'll leave it to you."

"Yes, we'll be in touch again."

As the emergency meeting ended and we walked out, Ichae trailed behind me with a smirk.

"Oooour Hoyun-ssi~"

I was already annoyed.

He swept his bangs to the side and tilted his head playfully.

"Thought you were going to visit your brother~ But did you come running for me instead~?"

"I came here in a damn taxi, comfortably."

I ignored most of his teasing while sorting my thoughts.

'Where do I even start?'

The most important thing was the public opinion.

No matter how innocent Ichae was, once people's perception tilted one way, it was hard to bring it back.

'We need early damage control… but is it too late?'

"What are you thinking about~?"

"Mm…"

'Judging by how playful he's being, Kang Ichae's mental state is perfectly fine.'

"Nothing reall—"

I looked up and locked eyes with him—and hesitated.

There was something strange in his gaze.

Before I could even figure out what it meant, Ichae smiled again and softened his expression.

"I'm fine, hyung. Don't worry too much."

"You're fine?"

"Why? If I'm not, are you gonna fix it for me?"

"…"

"Do you even have a plan?"

I had a few ideas in mind—but was there any need to tell Kang Ichae about them?

'Do I really need to tell him?'

The hesitation didn't last long.

"Nah? What could I even do?"

Kang Ichae's mouth twitched as he was tracing circles with his foot.

When I shamelessly played dumb with a blank expression, he just nodded.

"Yeah, true. Let's just head to our schedule."

He talked as if this scandal would die out in no time—but I knew better.

The fall of a genius.

There's no way people would let go of something this juicy and provocative that easily.

---

"Mr. Kang Ichae, um—"

And my prediction proved right not long after we arrived at the scheduled interview location.

"There's been a lot of talk surrounding the fan song 'Orbit.' Would it be alright if we asked your opinion on the matter?"

See? They pounce right away.

"…Excuse me? That—!"

It wasn't Kang Ichae who reacted, but Jeong Dajun, who jumped to his feet, visibly upset.

"Ahaha."

Just as the youngest was about to defend him, Kang Ichae pulled him back into his seat with a laugh.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't flustered at all—but part of me is curious, too."

"…Pardon?"

"About how things will unfold from here."

Everyone—interviewer, members, staff—widened their eyes in disbelief.

'What the hell is this guy doing??'

"Excuse me, hold on a moment!"

Before Ichae could say another word, the managers rushed over in a panic.

'What's going on?'

Normally, Kang Ichae would've skillfully dodged the question or blamed the company.

He might seem like he does whatever he wants, but in truth, he always knew what to say and when to step in or step back.

So was he just... not in his right mind?

"This question wasn't part of the pre-approved list!"

"We told you we may add discretionary questions!"

Voices rose, and the filming location became chaotic.

Yet through it all, Kang Ichae remained calm and collected.

The pre-interview research showed that things weren't looking great for us.

Even when fans presented the live performance video as proof, public opinion remained unmoved.

That's probably proof that Kang Ichae was pretty popular—people wanted to tear him down that badly.

'Then there's only one way.'

Create a bigger distraction to redirect the public's attention.

---

"Thank you for your time."

"Yes, thank you!"

Eventually, a tense compromise was reached between the journalist and our managers, and the interview continued with only the pre-approved questions. We managed to wrap it up without further issue.

Afterwards, Kang Ichae clung to the youngest member and whined like a kid.

"Dajun-ah, hyung is suffering so much~"

"R-Really?! What can I do to help?!"

Even though he tried to act nonchalant, it was obviously getting to him.

Despite being professional and sharp, he was still just a 22-year-old kid.

It would be weirder not to be shaken, when he was being condemned for something he didn't do—and might even have had his own song stolen.

Kang Ichae wiped the corners of his dry eyes and let out a fake sob.

"Tell me I'm the best."

"You're super cool and the best, hyung!!"

"Say I'm the most handsome person ever and that you treasure me."

"…That's a bit…"

"Hey."

'…Is he actually okay?'

In any case, I had no intention of letting this situation end in such a half-baked way while The Dawn's image was at rock bottom.

After briefly borrowing my runaway conscience and thinking things through, I pulled out my phone as soon as I got into the van.

I found a certain number and sent a message.

[Me: Do you have time?]

He usually would've hated me contacting him, but this time he responded like he'd been waiting for it.

[Im Hyunsoo: Why the f*ck are you only messaging me now, you asshole.]

Truly, the woman who knows this game better than anyone.

[Im Hyunsoo: Get your ass over here. Now.]


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