Chapter 298: Meeting Golden Generation (9)
[We need to talk.]
[Now.]
Instead of the usual blue color, a bright red transparent screen filled Ari’s vision with the text flashing an obnoxious yellow color.
I’m trying my best here to leave, but clearly it’s not working.
After struggling futilely like a bull in a rodeo, Ari let out a sigh and lay limply on the ground while staring at the two people who were cosplaying as a weighted blanket.
"Let me up."
"No."
"Fine."
With renewed strength, Ari began struggling to get up once more, but the two people holding him down refused to move.
"Bruv, no matter how angry you are and how messed up his actions are, you can’t go beat up the PD. That’s a crime. You will go to jail." Benjamin struggled to hold down the two slim legs that fought back with a surprising amount of strength while trying to talk some sense into Ari.
After watching the episode, Benjamin thought that it was a perfectly valid reaction for Ari to be angry, but he couldn’t let Ari act rashly in this situation.
That was probably what the production team wanted by editing the episode the way that they did, and all things considered, he really liked Ari and wanted to debut with him.
However, it was clear that Ari wouldn’t listen.
"Jamie, say something to him."
"You can’t go beat up William! Even if you’re angry and he deserves it, if you go beat him up, they might actually kick you out!" Jamie added while dropping his entire weight on Ari’s arms, which were tensed as he slowly pushed up from the floor while laughing like a maniac.
Thankfully, after several seconds of exertion, he quit and just lay on the floor for several seconds before responding in a cold voice.
"I’m not angry."
"Nobody here believes that. Do you know how scary your laugh sounded just now? Don’t do anything you’ll regret later! Deep breath and count to 10, yeah?" Benjamin continued trying to persuade him while looking around at the boys, who were staring at Ari with a mix of pity, since they all knew the truth of the situation, and relief that it wasn’t them being harassed by the production team.
If they were Ari, they would be seeing red right now because of how the production team portrayed the incident while knowing the truth of the matter.
It was frightening because such a situation could happen to any of them, and even so, there was really no way to fight back.
They just had to survive as best they could, hoping to achieve their dream.
Which meant swallowing disrespect that was dished out time and time again by people who were really like gods.
"Yeah, are you okay, Ari?"
"Take a deep breath and calm down. You know how the production team is. Maybe they’ll clear things up next episode?"
"Please don’t go fight the PD. My heart and blood pressure can’t take it." Mathew added while clutching his chest.
Ari: ಠ_ಠ
Meeting the eyes of the people who surrounded him, Ari couldn’t help but stare at them as if they were crazy.
What did they think he was, a rabid dog who went around fighting people just because he was angry?
He really wasn’t trying to hear this right now, and while he appreciated the sentiment, they were wasting his time.
What he needed was space to think, plan, and talk to NOVA. He also wanted to speak with Daniel, but that would have to wait since NOVA came first.
Which meant-
"Seriously, get off me. I don’t have any plans to speak with either of them right now; I’m not crazy."
"Somehow, I don’t believe you."
"Whether you believe me or not is not important. Both of you. Off. Now."
At his cold voice, everyone in the room froze.
After several seconds, when he felt the weight come off his body, Ari got up to a barrage of questions.
"Are you okay?"
"Where are you going?"
"Then who did you want to talk to?
"I’m fine. Out. Don’t worry about it. "
"What about practice?" Justin asked with a worried expression.
"Practice without me today. I’ll see you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?! Should I come with you-"
"No thanks. I really need to be alone right now. I’ll see you later, Jamie. Thanks."
Gently shutting the door without waiting for a response, Ari walked out of the practice room into the hallway.
Mentally, his brain was working overtime, and he really needed a quiet space with no cameras to have a much-needed conversation, especially with NOVA filling his vision with red screens despite him batting them away.
As he walked back to his assigned room to grab his backpack and change, he saw William standing there as if he had been waiting for him.
"I told you that you should have handed over what I wanted. If you don’t want this kind of treatment to continue, you’d better listen. I’ve told my uncle to continue, and he has so much more in store for you-"
As William continued talking in a smug tone, Ari tuned him out as he briefly imagined himself leaping into the air and Falcon punching William in the face before body slamming him into the ground and then beating him up with a sack of onions until he ugly cried.
Unfortunately, his mid-conversation daydream was broken by an annoying voice.
"Are you even listening, you crazy punk?"
Rather than answer, Ari walked up to William until they were face to face before asking in a soft voice.
"If I start beating you up right now, do you think that the production team will pull me off you immediately, or do you think they’d let me go for a couple of minutes so they can get the perfect recording for whatever agenda you want to push? I think it’s the latter, and with how angry I am, I can definitely do some damage before they come. Wanna try?"
At the crazed look in Ari’s eyes, William couldn’t help but stutter as he tried to back away.
"You-you think you can fight me? You wouldn’t dare!"
"Why wouldn’t I? Do you think I have anything to lose? I have no family and no attachments to anyone, and due to you, my public image is currently in the gutter. Even if I clear this situation, with how the internet loves fake news, the accusations will still remain on the internet forever, so why not get some exercise and beat some sense into you to relieve my frustrations? Even if I lose the fight, I’ll make sure I smash your face in again. Your nose already looks a bit crooked, so I’ll straighten it out this time around."
William’s mouth could only open and close in shock.
In his 19, almost 20 years of living, nobody had ever spoken to him this way.
"...Crazy bastard."
Still retreating, William’s eyes looked around nervously for someone, anyone to walk by, and seeing it, Ari just laughed.
"Scared? Gonna go tell the PD? Do it. Run."
"You’re freaking crazy!"
"I’m not crazy, I’m rabid, and I plan on showing both you and the PD that I’m not the one to mess with. By the time I’m done with both of you, you’ll learn to focus on yourselves and leave me the hell alone. Goodbye."
Ignoring the sputtering behind him, Ari locked the room door, changing out of the Otterly Adorable tracksuit that he always wore into some shorts and a sweater set from the clothes he had received from the photo shoot with Martin.
And rather than covering his face with a hat and mask, he left them off since he wanted people to take photos of him.
You release an episode to show people that I’m violent. You should have edited it better so the bruises on my legs didn’t show.
Believing that Grace would begin handling things on her side, Ari grabbed everything he would need to handle his before he started heading out the front door.
Since he had no intention of following the rules from now on, he might as well be confident when leaving, but surprisingly, standing there was PD Ji-ho with an expectant smile on his face.
"Contestant Ariel. Fancy seeing you here. Where are you going?"
"Out," Ari replied.
There was not a single ounce of respect in his voice, but having become accustomed to such reactions from contestants on different variety shows, PD Ji-ho wasn’t fazed.
This was the best way to make them fall in line, and sooner rather than later, the contestants would figure out who was the God of the show and move the way he wanted them to.
"You know you have to be back by 10 pm tonight, correct? You’ll be meeting the Golden Generation members first thing in the morning, and you need to look and act your best."
"Can you give me that in writing, please? As well as any other rules you have and the consequences for breaking them, my memory is bad, and I want to make sure I remember."
"I’ll have a staff member deliver it to your room."
"Thanks."
As he prepared to push past the PD, a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Do you have anything to say to me? You’re not planning on quitting the show, are you?"
"I’m not quitting. I’m just curious if this is the direction you plan on pushing the episodes in the future? Being biased toward one person while distorting the truth?"
"I don’t know what you mean."
"Of course not. Then...if I asked who paid you off for the slander toward me today, would you answer?" Ari asked curiously.
He really wanted to know if the PD would openly say it.
As PD Ji-ho’s brow furrowed angrily, Ari let out a small laugh.
"Ohh? You were actually paid off? I thought so. Well, just remember that you went too far first. Vive la Révolution."
As Ari was about to walk off, the PD squeezed his shoulders even harder.
"You know that you can’t do any interviews. I’ve let it slide with you appearing on the local news back in LA and Quiz on the Block, but no more. If you leak to anyone about what goes on within the show, or appear in another show or interview, or say anything outside of the confines of the show, you’ll be eliminated."
"That’s not a problem. Anything else? Or am I being held hostage? I have things to do."
Although PD Ji-ho looked pointedly at Ari’s exposed legs, which were currently an ugly patchwork quilt of pale skin dotted with large, purple, tennis ball-sized bruises, he didn’t mention it.
"...no."
"Cool."
Not saying anything else to the PD, Ari left and went to the usual karaoke place where he, Jamie, and Levi had been going.
Booking his usual room, after locking the door, Ari stared up at the red screen that had been flashing constantly in his vision.
"You wanted to talk? Let’s talk, and hopefully this time it’s about something meaningful, rather than just you blaming me because I’m tired of this program, the production team, William, and everybody else getting mixed up in it. Ever since I came on this stupid show that you recommended, there has always been something happening to me, and I’m tired of dealing with it!" Ari yelled before snapping his mouth shut.
He was truly sick of this whole experience from beginning to end and had begun to wonder if he was truly cursed.
Otherwise, why was it that when things were going decently well, a curveball came out of nowhere and hit him in the back?
What was the point of his tolerating getting hit in the face and not pursuing legal trouble when the PDs were going to violate his agreement with PD Emily and edit him in a horrible way?
He was sick and tired of this whole thing.
[While your mouth, general carelessness, and impulsiveness when dealing with the blonde one are half the reason you’re in this situation, it’s not entirely your fault.]
[Lines that should never be crossed have been crossed, and the people on the other side have shown that they have not a single gram of integrity in their bones.]
[Nothing you’ve done warrants what the production team portrayed and insinuated today.]
[Nothing.]
[They’ve gone too far this time around.]
"Wait, you’re actually on my side? Why?"
[Have you checked online?]
"No? I was about to." Ari replied honestly.
Even if he rarely did so, it would be beneficial to see what the general online trend was about.
He was sure he was being bashed, but who knew to what extent.
[Don’t check it.]
"But-"
[Do not check it.]
"You can’t tell me what to do. I already know it’s bad. But I need to understand the direction of what people are saying to figure out what to try and clear up first."
Ari brought out his phone to take a look anyway, but before he could open anything up,
Red windows aggressively filled his vision.
[Ding!]
[Surprise Mission: Enough is Enough. Information walks. Misinformation flies. The Truth Will Be a Bomb That Takes Your Enemies Out While Making Them Regret Their Actions.]