After the auction ended, Valentin went to get the items he bid on. The entire Choi family came to greet him.
"Mr. Vronsky, thank you for coming and for your support. If it wasn't for you, we would've been in a tight situation. We appreciate it," Mr. Choi thanked as he shook hands with Valentin.
Yongjae and Seojin also followed behind. Seojin looked at Valentin admirably. He also wanted to become someone who could help his close ones.
"Here are your items, the contract for the mansion and shall we discuss the arranged marriage?" Mr. Choi asked hesitantly.
In his eyes, his daughter was the best, but he wasn't sure if Valentin was interested in Ji-a.
"Don't worry, I'm not interested in marriage, and it seems like Ms. Ji-a already has someone she likes. I only helped because I wanted to, and she's Seojin's close friend. Please continue to take care of Seojin in the future, too," he said to Ji-a.
"Thank you very much, my friend. If you have anything in the future, the Choi family would be eager to help you," Mr. Choi cried, shaking his hands even harder.
"I heard about Mr. Leo's scandal. What are you planning to do?" Valentin asked.
"We can't do anything about the video that has already spread. The company sided with Leo. I'm sure that kid was framed, knowing him, he would never do something like that. Besides, people only believe what they want to believe," Mr. Choi sighed.
[Congratulations! You have saved Ji-a and Yongjae from their horrible fates!
Reward: Video of Leo protecting a kid from the bullies (original video)]
[Your next mission has arrived!
Mission: The rising young actor Leo Kim has been framed! Prove his innocence!]
Valentin signalled to Seojin that they were heading home. Seojin patted Ji-a's hand, relieved that nothing had happened to her. The boy waved goodbye to the Choi family and Yongjae from the car.
"Hyung, are you going to help the actor?" Seojin asked excitedly.
Valentin laughed and stared at the rearview mirror. It was nice to see the male lead acting brightly. Well, that's how he was before his parents' death.
"How did you know?" Valentin asked while smiling.
"Just a feeling. Thank you also for helping Ji-a," Seojin thanked while keeping his head low. He couldn't imagine what he would've done if Valentin weren't here. He could only imagine a bloodbath. It would be him with a knife and the fat man's dead body. After his parents' death, he had an impulse to think about killing, as if it could solve anything. But he knew that murder wasn't the right thing to do. If Valentin hadn't taken care of him and sent the assassins to prison, he might have become a murderer.
That night, Valentin watched the viral video of the actor's scandal. The video had high quality, and it didn't look like it was faked. It depicted Leo when he was still a student. He was beating up a group of kids until they all fell on the ground. It seemed like the fighting took place near an alley, where people would avoid passing by because it would be the perfect turf for bullies.
The original version of the video even had a comment attached to it, written by the sender of the video. The person declared that Leo went to the same high school as him and was known to be a bully. The video was proof that Leo was bullying other students. Even after graduating, the person was scared to report this incident to the police because Leo would know who he is. That's why he sent it on the internet, to report Leo, so that other people could see the true colours of the rising actor.
Valentin watched the second video, the one the system sent him. A young small boy was in the center of the video, kneeling on the ground with his hands protecting his head. The kid trembled as a group of students walked closer to him. It was the same group of kids who were mercilessly beaten up by Leo.
They held a cigarette close to their mouths and puffed out the smoke. They laughed loudly as the boy shivered. Some of them started kicking the kid and punching him until he lay unconscious on the ground.
The boy who seemed to be the leader of the gang kicked the boy violently on the stomach, making the kid gasp out the saliva in his mouth.
"Get up, bastard. Stop being such a wimp," the leader threatened while his friends laughed.
The cigarette the leader was holding pushed against the kid's white uniform, leaving a burnt mark. The kid tried to get up on his legs, but he was cruelly kicked to the ground.
"What are you doing?" Leo's figure appeared in the video. He helped the bullied kid get up again and asked if he was alright.
The bully spat on the ground and warned, "You should go back to class, Mr. Class President. This is not somewhere you should be."
Leo told the boy to get back to class and assured him that he was going to take care of everything.
"Stop playing the hero. Can't you see you are outnumbered?" The bullies put their hands inside their pockets and chose an intimidating pose.
"I won't know until I try," Leo smirked and rushed towards the bullies.
After a long, violent fight, Leo was victorious.
After finishing watching the videos, Valentin also read the comments on the viral video. Almost all of them were cursing Leo for being a bully and human trash. However, a few loyal fans said that they will wait for Leo's explanation. A lot of them also said that it was a shame that such a good actor had a dark past.
The next morning, Valentin ate breakfast with Seojin and headed outside. On the weekends, he hired some private tutors for Seojin. The kid didn't need it, but it was always good to receive feedback and their experience.
Since Valentin couldn't reach Leo on the phone, he drove to his apartment. After the scandal, the actor moved to a small apartment to stay away from the reporters. Arriving on his doorstep, the man pressed the doorbell and waited patiently. He could hear an impatient grumble inside the apartment.
"Who is it?" the voice inside asked.
"Good morning, Mr. Leo, I'm Valentin Vronsky. May I talk to you for a few minutes?" Valentin asked.
The door opened up a little as a pair of eyes scanned outside, afraid to see other people accompanying him. He knew who Valentin was. He was the famous judge everyone was talking about.
"Are you here to drag me to court?" the actor asked nervously.
"Of course not. I came here hoping to clear your name. I have proof that you did not participate in school bullying," Valentin replied.
Hearing that the judge had evidence, Leo opened the door widely. His messy, dark hair hasn't been cut in a long time. His eye bags had a scary, dark shade. Even if he was in his worst condition, he was still handsome if you looked closely.
As they entered the apartment, a repugnant smell attacked Valentin's nose. He clenched his nose and tried to scatter the stinky smell with his hands. Seeing all the garbage on the ground, he politely smiled and tossed the trash aside with his foot.
Leo told him to sit on the table and smiled awkwardly as he remembered all the cups of ramen piled on the table. Valentin sat on the chair and handed his phone with the piece of evidence. Leo watched the video closely and saw hope. Even if he was framed and accused, he still wanted to be an actor.
"Is this video enough?" Leo asked worriedly.
"People's opinions can change faster than you think. If you don't think that is enough, I can help you get a lawsuit for defamation. It was one of he bullies in the video that spread the video," Valentin replied.
Leo agreed to spread the video. He wasn't sure if it was going to work, but he wanted to hold on to that hope. Before leaving, Valentin suggested he wash up and clean up, because he was going to get back to work soon.