Episode 28: I Gave Up My Ankles, but It Went According to Plan
There was no room for a cliché mix-up where I chase someone with similar clothing only to find it’s the wrong person.
It’s definitely him.
“What’s up? You know him?”
“Yeah.”
Too focused to elaborate, I dragged a confused Jun-ho and followed the potential terrorist.
The guy stopped in front of the guideline with a clear view of the fan signing stage.
His back radiated the wistful vibe of someone lingering outside an ex’s house, unable to let go.
He took photos with his phone—empty tables on the stage, the banner behind, and the backs of fans seated in order, brimming with anticipation.
I watched from about 10 meters away.
“That guy with the green backpack?”
“Yeah.”
“Who is he?”
“Jun-ho, whatever you’re imagining, it’s gonna be bigger than that.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“We can’t lose him.”
“Is he a GraceOne sasaeng?”
“Worse than that—a total scumbag.”
I mixed a little lie with the truth for Jun-ho.
“That guy’s got acid in his bag. He’s gonna throw it at the members from the second floor.”
“What? How do you know that?”
“He posted about it online.”
“Could just be a prank.”
“No, he’s for real.”
“Then why’s he walking around like that? Wouldn’t the police have been tipped off?”
“I’m the only one who knows.”
“What are you even saying? Call the cops, you lunatic!”
“I’m gonna catch him myself.”
“What?”
“I’ll stop him before he does it. You just film it.”
“Is this a joke or real?”
“No joke. I ditched work for this.”
“What if you’re wrong?”
“You’ll see if I’m right.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
The guy, done scoping the scene, glanced up at the second-floor U-shaped railing above the stage.
He scanned it from left to right, then headed for the escalator.
“He’s moving.”
On the second floor, he stood at the center of the glass railing, peering down.
According to his police statement, his original target was Team Leader Lee Sook-young and the staff.
But the height between the first and second floors made aiming tricky, even to me, which is probably why the members got hit too.
“He’s really about to do it, huh?”
Jun-ho, seeing the guy act suspiciously as I’d predicted, finally believed me.
“If there’s really acid in his bag, shouldn’t we just call the police? He posted online, and if he’s got acid, it’s a slam dunk.”
“I’m catching him. You film and edit.”
“So we’re making the news tomorrow?”
“With all the reporters down there, we might even get interviews.”
“Damn, I dressed like crap today.”
The guy stayed glued to the railing’s center like a ghost, motionless for nearly ten minutes. Jun-ho and I sat on a bench a bit away, keeping watch.
Soon, murmurs from the first floor and an announcement signaled the fan signing’s start.
The members would now come on stage one by one, introduce themselves, and take their seats for signing.
According to the future video, the attack would happen after all 11 members were seated. Assuming one minute per member for intros and photos, that gave me about 10 minutes.
Cheers erupted as the members took the stage.
“Hello, we’re GraceOne! Thank you all for coming today!”
That was leader Davi’s voice.
“Who should we introduce first? Starting from the left, Izumi?”
“Yes!”
“Wooo!”
This was the fan signing I’d dreamed of, but I couldn’t watch.
No regrets or disappointment, though—just a steely resolve to stop the attack.
“Start filming now.”
“Okay.”
Jun-ho and I positioned ourselves behind the guy.
Even fans who didn’t get into the signing came to catch a glimpse of GraceOne from afar, but they mostly stayed outside the first-floor guideline, leaving the second floor quiet.
Only a random couple passing by had paused briefly.
Even with Jun-ho and me filming five meters behind, Mr. Kim didn’t notice, leaning on the railing, fixated on the scene below, waiting for his moment.
As the signal came that all GraceOne members had finished their intros, he finally lowered one strap of his backpack and fiddled with the zipper.
From the future video, I knew the acid was in a small bottle, about the size of a Bacchus energy drink.
For dramatic flair, tackling him when he held the bottle would be ideal, but for safety, I had to act now, as he opened his bag.
“Now.”
Muttering like I was casting a skill, I closed the distance to him in a single stride.
To draw attention, I shouted as loud as I could.
“Hey!”
The guy, reaching into his bag, spun around, startled.
The couple nearby flinched too.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“What’s in your bag?”
“What?”
“What are you up to?”
“I’m not doing anything.”
Pointing to the man in the couple, I urgently said, “Please call the police. This guy’s about to throw acid down there!”
Without hesitation, the man pulled out his phone. I swiftly grabbed the arm the guy had in his bag.
“What the hell!”
As he irritably shook me off, the bottle he was holding slipped and shattered on the floor between us.
Crash!
Thanks to the glass railing, the contents didn’t splash to the first floor.
But—
“Ah…!”
A few drops of acid, mixed with glass shards, hit my bare ankle, exposed under my cropped pants.
Ignoring the stinging pain, too caught up in my heroics, I grabbed his bag and collar, shoving him toward the floor where Jun-ho stood.
“Hold him so he can’t run!” I shouted to Jun-ho.
Jun-ho, filming the whole thing, tucked his phone in his mouth and pinned the guy down.
The man from the couple was already reporting to the police.
“Yeah, it looks like acid, but it broke on the floor. Yes, Starfield, second floor in front of Zara. Please hurry.”
Even amid the chaos, I was hyper-aware of the first floor.
The fan signing had just started, with GraceOne seated, the atmosphere quiet without cheers or applause.
Some people were noticing the commotion upstairs. Seizing the moment, I leaned over the railing and shouted toward the press section below.
“Up here! Acid terrorist! Come quick!”
Even I cringed at how cheesy it sounded, but I couldn’t think of anything better.
How often do you get to yell lines like this?
It’s like shouting “Fire!” during a blaze—awkward and embarrassing.
Thanks to mental rehearsals, I mustered the courage to keep going.
I hadn’t said “acid” this much since chemistry class.
“Tell GraceOne to take cover! Acid! Acid attack! Acid! Ac iiiid!”
[Breaking News] Girl Group GraceOne Targeted in Acid Attack at Fan Signing
—Nonodongin: What the hell is going on?!
—Kkamubidang: Anyone at the fan signing, explain please ㅜㅜ
—Theblue007: What what what what?!
—Mincha: They threw acid??
—ShiningDeath: I’m at Starfield now. GraceOne is safe.
—1204kevin: What happened?
—ShiningDeath: Some crazy guy was about to throw acid from the second floor but got caught by a VIP staff.
—WhiteFeather: The girls are okay, right? ã…œ
—ShiningDeath: Yep, not a single one hurt. No worries.
—xogh5009: Saw police cars and an ambulance outside Starfield—guess this was it. Shocking.
—Paragon: It was a VIP staff, but I overheard the head manager say it wasn’t a GraceOne manager—it was Free Sense’s.
—stephanosr: A sister group saving the day.
—JoinedUp: Gotta call him a hero.
—Siiyo: Video’s up on Twitter.
Entertainment News: At around 2 p.m. today, a man in his 30s attempted an acid attack at GraceOne’s fan signing but was stopped. According to their agency, a staff member intervened in time. The staff sustained burns to their ankle and is receiving treatment.
The fan signing was canceled immediately. I was taken to the hospital with second-degree burns.
The pain was intense, but thankfully, only a few drops hit me, so it wasn’t too severe—comparable to a blister from touching a hot pot.
Had that acid hit GraceOne’s heads, they’d have been sidelined for months.
For me, the injury felt like a badge of honor, and it raised the company’s perception of the incident’s gravity.
My post-treatment interview made it onto mainstream entertainment news.
My face was everywhere.
I got an insane amount of calls from family, friends, and acquaintances.
GraceOne-related search terms dominated trends, and the next two days passed in a blur.
I had to head to the company office without even seeing the Free Sense members.
“It was so vivid in my dream—I couldn’t just sit still.”
“What is this guy…”
As planned, I explained to Team Leader Jeon and the company with the unrealistic excuse of a prophetic dream.
I could’ve said I saw it on an online post, as I told Jun-ho, but that would’ve raised questions about why I didn’t report it earlier, complicating things. So I stuck to my original story.
The outcome was so good that neither Jeon nor anyone else pressed or scolded me.
Naturally, I was rewarded for my achievement.
“You’re being contracted as a full-time employee starting today.”
GraceOne left for Japan for their next schedule right after the cancellation, and I was hospitalized, so my long-awaited in-person meeting with them was postponed.
Still, knowing they’re aware of my existence is more than enough.
And then—
“Hey, welcome! You’re Hyun-jong, right?”
“Yes.”
I finally met the final boss, CEO Kim Yong.