Blame

Melting Ice

“The CEO wants to see you.”

Those six words kept ringing in his head.

Slipping into a decent and appropriate attire, Myung Soo stepped out of his room. He then saw his other six members who were all seated in the living room. Sung Gyu had a serious expression on, Woo Hyun looked slightly worried but still smiled, Dong Woo had a frown on, Hoya was looking down, Sung Jong flashed L a reassuring smile, and Sung Yeol looked visibly worried.

“I am going off first.” L informed.

“Come back soon.” Sung Yeol sat up and said.

Myung Soo nodded slightly, acknowledging his reply before leaving. He knew better that his words simply meant good luck and hope you come back with good news. After putting on his shades, L slipped out of the back door and hurriedly hopped into his manager’s van.

“Look at what you have gotten yourself into.” His manager said in frustration as he steered the steering wheel.

“I am sorry.” L replied with a soft sigh.

The manager ruffled his hair in an irritated fashion as he swerved the van into the entertainment building’s car park. He couldn’t drop him off at the front door with all the reporters camping out there. Myung Soo inhaled deeply, bracing himself before getting off the van.

“L. Pick your words carefully before him.” His manager reminded.

With a weak smile and reassuring nod, L walked off in the direction of the lift. The atmosphere in the lift was suffocating and he could feel fear building within him. He wondered how the CEO would react, what he would say and what actions would be taken against him. After all, a relationship between idols is a big taboo and relatively a death threat to their careers. The fans' trust that was once broken is difficult to get back. Many fans would cry over their idols’ new relationship for the longest time and eventually leave the fandom. Sometimes, these scandals might even mark the end of their idol journey. It was that serious.

The door finally slid open and L stepped out of the lift carefully. Taking light steps slowly to his destination, Myung Soo finally found himself before the CEO’s office door.

“The CEO is ready to see you.” The secretary said.

“Thank you.” Myung Soo replied courteously.

He then knocked on the door and placed his hands back to his sides nervously.

“Enter.” He commanded.

Pushing open the door, L was ready to face him.

There was a deadly silence that enveloped the office. The CEO was seated at his office chair with a stern expression on. Myung Soo made his way till he stood before his table with his head hanging low. In a swift movement, he emptied the envelope lying on the table. Pictures of him and Jiyeon kissing spread out messily on the surface of the table. Myung Soo gulped down the ball of saliva which formed in his throat fearfully.

“Do you know how much money I spent on acquiring these pictures? Do you know how many Newspaper agencies received this already? Do you even know what the heck you were doing?!” The CEO shouted as he flung the envelope at Myung Soo’s face.

“I am sorry. I didn’t me-”

“Shut up. I am not interested in your useless explanation.” He ordered.

L kept quiet and looked down again like a child who was reprimanded sternly by his mother.

“You are withdrawn from INFINITE.” He finally said.

“Withdrawn from INFINITE?” Myung Soo looked up in horror as he repeated his words.

“You will be withdrawn from INFINITE temporarily. All your individual activities will cease and be suspended. You are to attend school and be off-screen until the public forgets about this scandal. Be a good student in school and establish your good image again. You understand me?” He instructed.

“But I-” Myung Soo tried to speak but was cut off.

“You have no right to say anything. My decision is final. I still have matters to attend to so you may get out now.” He said in a strict tone.

“I understand already. Thank you.” Myung Soo bowed down before leaving.

“Call themselves idols when they just are a bunch of idiots who bring stupid troubles to the company.” He remarked and shoved all the photographs into the waste paper bin.

“Shall just take this period as a rest break then.” Myung Soo thought as he tried to make himself feel better.

To: Jiyeon

I am really worried. Are you alright?
I am sorry for everything.

L

After putting on simple make-up, Jiyeon was ready to leave the room when she saw Myung Soo’s message alert . She opened the message and read it but did not reply him.

“Sorry? You ought to be.” She said in irritation before throwing her phone onto her bed and leaving.

Stepping out of the building, Jiyeon was instantly surrounded by reporters from all the different press agencies. She bit her lower lip and tears began to well up in her eyes. She was bombarded with many questions from her surroundings.

“Are you two dating?”

“How long has the relationship been ongoing?”

“Are you apologetic to all your fans?”

“Do you two always hold secret dates in school?”

“What do you have to say about this scandal?”

Jiyeon took a deep breath and opened to speak which made all the reporters stop posing questions. They hurriedly shoved their microphones closer to record what she has got to say. The cameramen adjusted their lenses to capture a clearer view.

“I don’t know how to say this but I…I am really sorry to all my fans, T-ara members, the company and everyone. Standing here, I would like to clarify that Myung Soo and I are not dating. I see him as a friend and only a friend. It was all his wishful thinking that I can’t and will never reciprocate. With regards to the kiss, it’s not what it seems to be in the photograph. I… I didn’t expect him to… and I swear I actually pushed him away. You could see from the photo that I am definitely not a willing party then. I am not an easy person and this is all I can say. I hope you would trust and understand I am the innocent party here. Thank you so much for your concern. Once again, I am sorry. Really sorry.” She said her piece and wiped off those tears that had flowed down effortlessly.

As she ended her speech, the reporters started to snap pictures and flashes were seen everywhere.

Jiyeon cried harder and her manager supported her back into the dorm. After the dorm door closed, the reporters dispersed right away to look for Myung Soo.

 “You did a great job in settling the matter. Now the arrow heads are diverted to L and we are safe.” The manager said with a heave of relief as he saw the reporters drive off through the windows.

Jiyeon flashed a weak smile and nodded her head.

“I am sorry, L.” She thought in her mind.

“What the hell is going on now?!” Woo Hyun shouted at the television screen as Jiyeon’s interview was broadcasted.

“Did Jiyeon just…” Hoya paused.

“Yes. She just pushed all the blame to Myung Soo.” Sung Gyu stated in disbelief.

“Screw this .” Sung Yeol mumbled as he scratched his head in irritation.

The door opened, revealing Myung Soo who plastered a smile on his face. He didn’t want them to worry about him and he wanted to show them that he was fine.

“I am back.” He said.

“Myung Soo, look at the news.” Sung Gyu said as the television replayed the interview for the second time.

“I don’t know how to say this but I…I am really sorry to all my fans, T-ara members, the company and everyone. Standing here, I would like to clarify that Myung Soo and I are not dating. I see him as a friend and only a friend. It was all his wishful thinking that I can’t and will never reciprocate…”

 

Author's Note:
YAY!!! I have updated all my fics after coming back ~ :D
Thank you so much for waiting and hope you liked this update^^
Please do comment and motivate me... <3
Thank you so much for reading 'Melting Ice' (:!
 

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Author's Thoughts
watermelon
Thank you for your patient wait. 'Melting Ice' is currently off hiatus and hope you'll enjoy reading. ^^ I will work harder. :')
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Rini6189 #1
Chapter 17: Hoya's got a point about this being Jiyeon's battle and that it's not Myungsoo's place to get involved. After getting his heart broken by her, it's baffling that he still deeply cares for her to the point of wanting to help her. This doesn't seem to be a good time for Myungsoo to be with her when she needs to be alone to process her feelings. When the actual perpetrator turns out to be the one close to her, it's heartrendingly painful. It's sad that those whom she considers family have all turned their backs on her. In her state of emotional instability, it seems possible that Jiyeon would reveal the truth with the evidence if it comes to that. When overwhelmed by emotions, one can do unpredictable things that lack rationale. Since returning to T-ara's dorm is out of the question, Jiyeon would need somewhere to stay for the night. She'd be fortunate if someone who only sees her as a person (not as an idol) would offer her a place to rest. It's a wonder what Myungsoo meant by them not being allowed to expose the real culprit to prove Sohyun's innocence. The exposure leading up to conflict for T-ara's management agency is a possibility.

It's JR who had volunteered to help Hoya with the investigation in proving Sohyun's innocence, so he should've been the one to message him. Inputting JB's name instead of JR's must be a mistake. JB doesn't know about Hoya partaking in an investigation.

Since it's been so long that you haven't updated this fic, you may have lost interest or the inspiration for it. It's understandable when your main priorities occupy much of your time for you to have difficulty continuing it.
Rini6189 #2
Chapter 16: <span class='smalltext text--lighter'>Comment on <a href='/story/view/161224/16'>Unveiled</a></span>
Having the harsh truth confirmed to him by Jiyeon is the reality check that Myungsoo needs. Living a lie is what'll make him miserable in the long run when he doesn't move on to grow and become a better person. It's plainly obvious that Jiyeon will never love him the way he does towards her. Since the Myungyeon thing is just a publicity stunt to raise her popularity and appeal to the fans, there's no realism to it. Because he's been such a jerk to Sohyun, I find it hard to feel sorry for him when he got his heart broken by Jiyeon. It's like he deserved it as karma for the terrible way he'd treated Sohyun and ignored her when she was being badly bullied. The scene with Hoya and the editor's daughter is sweet when he's able to make her smile. It's a nice reward from the editor in return for his service of keeping her company while he's busy. A good deed is its own reward for there to be a positive change made in an individual and help one find happiness.



Keeping the real culprit a mystery from the readers is a good setup to get others hooked in anticipation of further reading. It keeps things interesting for the perpetrator to not be discovered easily when there's vagueness or lack of clues. The suspense is good for keeping the readers on edge.
Rini6189 #3
Chapter 15: <span class='smalltext text--lighter'>Comment on <a href='/story/view/161224/15'>Worried</a></span>

Myungsoo silently condoning their bullying of Sohyun is very despicable of him. To see her idol regard her this coldly, it’d be reason enough to convince one to stop being his fan. Letting him go is the way to move on so that she wouldn’t have to bear the burden of yearning for him to take notice and care about her. Such cruelty makes him an indecent human being. If Sohyun become suicidal because of their consistent bullying, it’d make them criminals for encouraging her potential death. These vicious Inspirits would’ve been arrested if bullying was named a crime in the law. Although not much came of their visit to the news agency that published the scandalous article, at least it gave Hoya and JR a bit of a lead in their investigation for proving Sohyun’s innocence. It’s not much of a stretch that Hoya’s developing feelings for Sohyun to let himself be so occupied by her.

Indeed, “Melting Ice” has developed into a drama with the lead character having to experience so much angst and misery. Such emotional content helps the readers connect with the characters and identify with them to some extent.
Rini6189 #4
Chapter 14: That's a shocking revelation for JB to reveal himself to Jiyeon. She's bright to not easily believe the rumor about a fangirl (Sohyun) sending in those scandalous photos to the news outlets. That's a good deduction upon realizing that she wouldn't have such good connections with the Press or the paparazzi. It's one-sided on Myungsoo's part when Jiyeon doesn't reciprocate his feelings, so that means Myungsoo doesn't have a chance with her. That is vengeful when his intent is for her to be hurt after the pain he'd experienced from getting dumped by her. Seeing Sohyun getting badly bullied by the manic Inspirits is really disheartening. Repulsive stans like them give the Infinite fandom a bad name. It'd be good if Infinite could use their platform to address the injustice of bullying. This should be the wakeup call for Sohyun to accept that Yoori is no longer her friend by just letting her suffer at their hands and joining them. Even though she couldn't tell others about it due to being threatened into silence, it's good that Hoya and JR are perceptive to pick up on that from analysis. It's a blessing that JR happened to be nearby to catch sight of Sohyun in a wet mess and come to her aid. With JR joining them on the investigation, it'd help with covering more ground to get closer to the truth.
Rini6189 #5
Chapter 13: This is quite an intriguing chapter to get some background on Jiyeon regarding her connection with JB, which was subtly implied previously. Jiyeon must be hiding her true feelings in order to not appear vulnerable in his presence. Due to their past history together, it's troubling for Jiyeon to be seeing JB in person. In decision-making, having to make a sacrifice in order to gain something is a cruel twist of fate when it comes at a price of one's true happiness (which is love in her case). The dating ban in the idol's contract makes chasing fame a miserable pursuit when one doesn't get to enjoy a private personal life--like their lives are in the entertainment entities' control. JB must still have strong feelings for Jiyeon to be emotionally distraught over her being linked to Myungsoo.
Rini6189 #6
Chapter 12: It's nice of Hoya to watch out for Sohyun by keeping a close eye on things...even going far to prove her innocence in seeking the actual culprit. His meticulousness in observation is useful behind the scenes for investigation. Yoori seems to have malicious intent toward Sohyun to be heavily considered as a suspect, so it's plausible that she'd go out of her way to make life miserable for her. She is distorted to believe that Sohyun took something from her when Hoya isn't an object in her possession. It's not true love she has for Hoya when she's obsessing over him. For emboldening the manic Inspirits' bullying towards Sohyun, that makes Myungsoo just as cruel in a passive-aggressive way. Hoya's right to call him out on it. Jiyeon's encounter at the end leaves for a cliffhanger in anticipation of what's to come.
Rini6189 #7
Chapter 11: Although being on suspension from idol activities troubles him, it's for the best to be away from the limelight till the scandal gossip dies down. It's a wonder if Myungsoo and JB have a rivalry between them based on their brief, nonverbal exchange. Myungsoo can come off as intimidating for others to see that he's not one to be messed with/pushed over. If only Sohyun can have that kind of strength in herself, bullies would know to back off and leave her alone. Why is it that Sohyun just accepts it and let herself be a pushover? It's not surprising if Yoori's the one who encouraged this torment towards Sohyun as though she's set this up all along. It'd be great if Sohyun could make new friends that'd care enough to support her and encourage her to find the strength and courage within herself. Those that inspire confidence in others have a positive impact on people's lives for growth. It's good that JR stepped in to her aid when he saw her being bullied.
Rini6189 #8
Chapter 10: The bullying that Sohyun had experienced is something to explore for some background into her character and what makes her a susceptible target for others. She could've at least reported it to the teachers or the principal for help in dealing with this matter. Yoori isn't worthy of being her friend when she can just easily leave her for the other Inspirits in a situation that becomes favorable to her. True friends stay for the long haul through thick and thin. It makes me wonder if Yoori is a fake friend all along and just sticks around when it makes herself feel good...or if she's just a totally selfish person who doesn't care about anyone but herself. Hoya telling Yoori to her face that she'd never like a girl as cruel/wicked as her would be a real slap in the face for a rude awakening. It'd be even more sweet if Hoya and Sohyun end up closer together because of her when her plan backfires on her. Jiyeon seems unimpressed with JB's fan service to his adoring fangirls when it's just an act for his public image. It's not surprising if Jiyeon has a thing a thing for JB to be affected by it and not want to see it.
Rini6189 #9
Chapter 9: Even if the anti-fan act was Yoori's idea to help Sohyun get noticed by Myungsoo, it backfired when he saw through it. The "hideous smile" on Yoori's face speaks volumes of her true intention. It seems that Yoori isn't a true friend for leaving Sohyun when it turns unfavorably and believe it to be of inconvenience/trouble to her. At this point, Sohyun must've realized that she was the one who submitted those scandalous photos as much as she doesn't want to believe it. For Yoori to suddenly show her face after Joo Hee and her gang walk away, it seems suspicious like she'd been following her around. It appears to be a setup planned by Yoori to make her suffer, which she seems to delight in watching. At least having Hoya's support is something good that came out of this. He must be the type to pay close attention to his surroundings to have better awareness of others, namely Sohyun.
Rini6189 #10
Chapter 8: That's really cold of Myungsoo when Sohyun intervened to help get them off his trail. Even though he doesn't trust her, he should've at least been a little grateful that his hide got saved because of her. His emotional distress and anger has clouded his mind that he's not thinking clearly. Still, it's not much of a difference to his usual Ice Prince persona. It's apparent that Myungsoo keeps up his cold-looking demeanor to prevent other girls, except Jiyeon, from getting close to him. One person who'd be malicious and devious enough to frame Sohyun is Yoori. Yoori is spitefully jealous of Sohyun for having Hoya's attention that she'd likely go that far to ruin her or make her seem like the bad guy. It's like she's putting effort into ensuring that Yoori gets no chance to be close to her idol, Myungsoo, when she doesn't have a chance with Hoya. This seems so calculated for Sohyun to suffer. I feel bad for Sohyun to end up in this predicament.

I'd heard of that rumor regarding T-ara being bullies toward Hwayoung when she used to be part of their group. Hearing such news is upsetting. That's pretty much speculation. Since they're allegations without confirmed evidence/proof, it's likely false, which was later revealed to be the case. Since it's intended for Jiyeon to be portrayed negatively/unfavorably in this fic, this bullying controversy must be where you're getting inspired.
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