CHAPTER 41: SLANDER

Two trainees were chatting casually in the restroom, showing no concern that anyone might overhear them. Their voices dripped with mockery and disdain, completely unrestrained.

Bang!

A deafening sound suddenly rang out as the stall door was kicked open with tremendous force. The two trainees standing by the sink flinched, instinctively turning around.

No way... someone caught them talking? That couldn’t be. Joshua and the others had still been practicing when they came in here.

They weren’t terrified of Joshua anyway. It was Henry who scared them.

But the person who appeared was someone they never would have expected.

Seeing the bright red hair before them, both trainees froze in shock. Their bodies tensed, and awkward, forced smiles crept onto their faces.

"Leonard... you’re... using the restroom too, huh..."

The words sounded utterly stupid, but it was all they could say at that moment—as if their brains had suddenly short-circuited.

Leonard had both hands in his pockets, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips. He took it out with one hand and glared coldly at them. "Why’d you stop talking?"

One of them let out a nervous laugh. "W-We didn’t even say anything about you, Leonard—"

Before he could finish, Leonard lunged forward. He kicked one trainee square in the chest, sending him crashing backward, then spun toward the other and slammed a fist into his stomach.

The trainee didn’t even have time to react before collapsing to the floor, clutching his stomach and writhing in pain, saliva spilling from his mouth.

Leonard grinned, clearly amused. "You didn’t talk about me—but I suddenly find you both annoying."

He stepped on the thigh of the trainee closest to him, grinding his heel down until the guy screamed in agony.

Leonard sneered. "Next time I hear you rerunning your mouths... it won’t end this easy."

He kicked the trainee aside and swaggered out of the restroom without a backward glance.

"Leonard, where did you go? Everyone’s waiting for you to come back and split the lines." On returning to the practice room, one of Leonard’s teammates hurried over to find him, looking uneasy.

Leonard glanced at him and waved a hand dismissively. "You know how it is—as long as I’m in the center."

The trainee didn’t even react to that, just nodded repeatedly. "That’s how we divided it, yeah. But... aren’t you going to practice with us?"

Leonard stopped, narrowing his eyes slightly, a faint smile on his lips.

He was clearly smiling, yet it made the trainee’s heart tighten with fear.

"I thought you knew already," Leonard said casually, as if stating a simple fact. "You guys are the ones who need practice. We weren’t born the same."

The trainee pressed his lips together, lowered his head, and murmured, "Sorry..."

Leonard looked down at him, still smiling. "Get lost."

The trainee looked relieved, almost grateful, as he turned and hurried back. Leonard stared at the panicked figure with a look of boredom. Just as he was about to leave, a voice suddenly called from behind him—

"Aren’t you going to prepare for the performance?"

For some reason, Leonard jumped slightly. He clutched his chest dramatically, turned around, and closed his eyes with an expression of mock weakness. "Joshua, how can you show up without making a sound like that? You nearly scared my heart out of my chest!"

Then he opened one eye and said softly, "So, how are you planning to make it up to me, huh?"

Joshua looked genuinely wronged. "You were clearly spacing out," he said, walking away.

Leonard chuckled and caught up to him. "Hey, Joshua," he said suddenly, "want to try something thrilling?"

Joshua blinked, looking at him in disbelief. "We’re idols, remember? Don’t go doing anything shady."

Leonard raised both hands in mock surrender, face full of innocence. "Hey, that’s slander. I didn’t do anything bad."

"Sorry," Joshua replied shortly.

Suddenly, he felt a light pinch on his cheek. Joshua frowned, brushing at his face in confusion. "What was that for?"

Leonard looked into Joshua’s clear eyes and said quietly, "I just stood up for you. Someone was talking trash about you."

Leonard felt childish—his behavior made it seem like he was trying to take credit for something.

Joshua nodded seriously. "Then thank you."

Leonard snorted. "Not sincere at all."

Joshua: "..." He honestly had no idea what Leonard was trying to get at.

Just then, he suddenly noticed someone. "Justin, where are you going?"

Justin’s steps were hurried. When he saw Joshua, he smiled lightly. "The director suddenly called me in. I’m not sure why... I’ll go first, okay?"

Joshua nodded, and Justin’s figure quickly disappeared down the hall. At that moment, Nine’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind: [There’s trouble online.]

Joshua frowned slightly. "Summarize it for me."

As Nine rattled off the details, Joshua’s expression didn’t change—but a heavy tension slowly settled in his chest.

John had just made a public post smearing Justin.

He claimed that he and Justin had been lovers, but after joining Shining Path, Justin had secretly cheated on him with Joshua, which was why they broke up. He went on to say how disappointed he was, even claiming that Justin used to be a delinquent and had only changed thanks to his encouragement. The post was accompanied by photos—some of Justin and Joshua eating together, and others of Justin from his past.

The issue wasn’t exactly explosive, but it wasn’t small either. The accusation of cheating was the key—whether it was true or not, both Joshua and Justin were current trainees under Shining Path, which would undoubtedly tarnish their image.

Nine sneered: [He probably thinks we have nothing on him. Besides, that post is stupid—so full of holes it’s almost funny. If Justin supported John for ten years, he could expose everything in a second.]

Joshua’s tone turned cold. "He’s gambling. Betting that Justin won’t fight back."

[Wanna bet? Justin won’t do anything—he’s such an idiot.]

Joshua corrected him calmly. "Don’t talk about him like that. And besides, I believe he’ll make his own choice."

He paused, then added, "Send the recording you got last night to Justin."

Nine made a mock-suffering noise: [Unbelievable, Joshua—you’re bossing me around for Justin now, huh?!]

Joshua replied without hesitation, "Justin’s my friend. You’re someone I trust. And you also really like that Aria keychain he gave me."

Nine burst out laughing, and another line appeared in N’s Note.

Leonard, meanwhile, had been scrolling through his phone for a while. Suddenly, he let out a sharp laugh—though his tone carried a hint of anger. "Joshua, look at this. Justin had a boyfriend, and now he’s supposedly cheating on him with you. Did you know that?"

He stepped directly in front of Joshua, blocking his way. Leaning down, their faces drew so close their noses nearly touched. "Tell me—do you actually like that dumb mutt?"

Joshua lifted his gaze, meeting Leonard’s eyes with a frown. "Don’t compare people to dogs."

Leonard couldn’t help laughing. "So you’re defending him, huh? That’s fine—I can pretend to be a dog too."

Then he suddenly leaned closer to Joshua’s ear and let out a soft, playful "woof."