“Filing a lawsuit for infringent of portrait rights will be difficult.”
That was what Da-eun heard when she consulted a lawyer.
A calm voice reached her as she looked puzzled.
This and that, more legal explanations followed, making Da-eun’s head spin.
“…So, you’re saying we can’t punish him based on just this post?”
Struggling amidst a flood of technical terms, Da-eun barely managed to lift her head above the surface.
The lawyer shrugged.
“He hasn’t profited financially, and it’s hard to claim the post defas your reputation. If there’s anything actionable, it’s the statent at the end—”
“But even that’s ambiguous for legal action, right?”
“Yes.”
“Ugh…”
The lawyer watched Da-eun, who had fallen deep in thought.
While it wasn’t impossible to prove the offense with ti and effort,
Doing so would be inefficient, or as the saying goes, “not worth the cost.”
If the goal was rely to inconvenience and ntally exhaust the other party, it would be a different story, but that didn’t seem to be Da-eun’s intention.
“So why not change your approach?”
“Change my approach?”
Da-eun’s face once again showed confusion.
As if she couldn’t understand what he ant.
“If the other party is treading a fine line, why not respond in kind?”
Knowing the law is necessary to use the law.
The sa applies when finding ways to avoid it.
“Wow…”
Da-eun let out a small exclamation.
“Is it okay for a lawyer to say sothing like that?”
“What does it matter? No one’s listening. Besides, that’s more… hmm, perhaps I shouldn’t say it.”
“What does it matter? No one’s listening.”
Da-eun echoed his words playfully.
She seed curious, but the lawyer shook his head.
Then, he shifted the topic.
“If the goal is to bury the post, there’s no need to turn it into a legal issue. Doing so might even draw more attention, just as you feared.”
“This feels more like talking to a detective than a lawyer.”
“They’re similar in what they do.”
“…Really?”
Da-eun tilted her head.
That didn’t seem right.
Though doubtful, she nodded in agreent.
Once he had her consent, the lawyer began to speak slowly.
“…Make them look like a liar.”
***
Nothing lasts forever.
Even the emperor who created seas and rivers of rcury and wielded absolute power couldn’t escape death.
Fires that seem eternal will one day burn out; the man knew this truth.
So, it was natural that the number of comnts on his post would gradually dwindle.
Natural, but still…
“…What the hell?”
His phone buzzed incessantly while he was imrsed in a ga.
At first, he ignored it.
But after the first, second, and then several more vibrations, he couldn’t help but get distracted.
“Ah.”
The mont he glanced at his phone, his in-ga character died, and the screen turned gray.
At the sa ti, chat ssages poured in.
Casual greetings asking how he was, heartwarming ssages wishing his parents well.
How touching they were.
“Damn it.”
Not one to just sit back, he politely returned the favor, wishing peace and harmony upon their families before picking up his phone.
What had caused such a flurry of well-wishing for his parents?
He sought an answer.
“What the hell?”
The culprit behind his buzzing phone and the flood of greetings was an app.
A community app that notified him whenever soone comnted on his post.
It had been relatively quiet for the past few days after buzzing non-stop.
So, what had caused it to start up again?
Curious yet vaguely hopeful, he clicked on the notification.
And was t with a flood of ridicule and mockery.
It was nothing he had expected.
“…?”
Staring blankly at the screen filled with words, the man froze.
He didn’t notice his ga screen returning to color.
Nor the ssages his teammates were sending to his immobile character.
“…What the hell is going on?”
His wandering mind returned to him.
The inactivity warning ssage on the ga screen now lood large.
He had been idle for quite a while, but he thought he could still turn things around if he refocused.
But instead of dismissing the warning and concentrating on the ga,
He opened his browser.
He had already lost interest in the ga.
“Why are they blaming for their ss?”
His character had more deaths than kills in the ga, but that was because of his teammates.
If they had played the way he intended, things wouldn’t have gone so poorly.
“You guys aren’t worth winning for.”
Even if he received a penalty for abandoning the ga, he didn’t care.
Unlike those who lived for the ga, he wouldn’t froth at the mouth over skipping a few matches.
Leaving the ga behind, he searched the internet for answers.
“And what the hell? Fabricated?”
The man couldn’t hide his disbelief.
The accusation of fabrication had been around before.
But it hadn’t gained traction, so he had brushed it off.
But why was it resurfacing now?
The flas that once roared had died down, and even the person who had lit the fire was searching for new kindling.
The cause was a post from a user.
A post that dissected every part of his original post and rebutted it, even claiming the photos he had taken were manipulated.
The post was so well-organized that for a mont, even the man thought, “Could it be?”
“…No way! What nonsense!”
The post claid there were deliberate blurs in the photo, that the background didn’t match.
The man frowned at the series of argunts presented as evidence of photo manipulation.
“If you take a photo in a rush, it can get blurry!”
What annoyed him more were the people agreeing with the post.
Despite the weak and flimsy evidence, they flocked to his post, tearing it apart with comnts.
Among them were a few usernas he recognized.
Just days ago, they had praised his dedication, but now they acted like they never had, shalessly erasing their tracks.
The man tried to turn the tide of public opinion.
But holding back a torrent with his bare hands was impossible, and he was swept away in the flood of comnts.
“These… these idiots…!”
A mix of disbelief, dismay, embarrassnt, and anger.
All kinds of emotions were packed into that one outburst.
But the man didn’t realize.
That the post criticizing him wasn’t so different from the ones he had written.
No, in terms of malicious intent, his posts were even worse.
Perhaps he knew but chose to ignore it.
…
The man steeled his resolve.
He picked up his phone and dialed soone.
Ring, ring…
The dull dial tone echoed as he waited for the other person to answer.
-Hello, what’s up?
He didn’t have to wait long before a familiar voice greeted him.
-I can’t play gas right now.
“I didn’t call to play gas.”
-What else would you call for? Or wait, is this about drinks tonight?
“…No, you idiot!”
-Then just say no without freaking out.
You cursed first.
The man swallowed back the words that rose to his throat.
“Anyway, you still have that cara, right? The one you bragged about finally buying?”
The man he called, his friend, loved photography.
When he had proudly announced that he’d saved up to buy the cara of his dreams, the man had clicked his tongue.
But who knew it would co in handy?
-…Yeah, I have it. Why?
The voice over the phone sounded apprehensive.
“Can I borrow it?”
-F**k off.
The response was imdiate and uncompromising.
-I’m hanging up.
“Hey, wait! Hold on!”
As the voice on the other end started to fade, sounding ready to hang up, the man hastily pleaded.
After several minutes of persuasion, explaining that he had his reasons and promising to return it in perfect condition, the friend’s tone softened.
-I don’t know what this is about, but you wouldn’t even know how to use it.
“All I need to do is press the shutter.”
-Then why not use your phone cara? If you’re asking for a high-end cara, there must be a reason.
“…”
-I won’t lend you the good one, but I’ll let you borrow sothing suitable. It’ll work better for simple shots.
“Oh, thank you!”
Just as he was about to be disappointed, the man’s face lit up.
-But this one’s expensive too, so if you break it, you’re dead.
“How expensive?”
-It’s worth more than you. Even though it’s a few years old, it’d still cost thousands today.
“Are you insane? How is it worth more than ?”
-Enough. Just buy drinks later.
“Alright. Thanks.”
The man put down the phone after the call ended.
The photos were blurry, so they claid they were doctored?
Fine. I’ll take proper photos and show them.
This ti, I’ll even capture their faces clearly so they can’t deny it.
When I do, they’ll stop criticizing and praise like they did before.
“No way.”
He anticipated this and had taken screenshots.
When the curtain falls, he would expose the masquerade of those who danced at the ball.
The act he was about to pull off would beco a legend, passed down for years.
“We’ll see whether you’re pathetic or I am. The results will speak for themselves.”
The man muttered a once-popular phrase.
The ga that had coined the phrase had spectacularly failed, but he believed his situation would be different.
Thinking this, the man closed his browser.
-You have been banned for 7 days due to leaving a ga.
The results screen of the ga he abandoned, along with the ban notice, greeted him.
—
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