[Enter Chat: Discussion] REVE’s Kim Dobin – Is he a school bully too?
Anonymous ❘ 20xx.04.05 09:31
Views: 89,234 ❘ Likes: 123
(Photo of Jae-yoon from social media)
While digging through SNS posts related to Zynx’s Jae-yoon, who was recently accused of school bullying, I found this.
The photo features four boys, including Kim Dobin. The victim said they were bullied by a group of four, so it seems like Dobin was part of the bullying group too.
Even if he didn’t directly participate, at the very least, he’s a bystander. No rebuttals.
Comments (317):
● The only photo with Dobin is this one. Isn’t that too much of a leap?
└ Being in the group doesn’t erase a past as a bully.
● If Dobin had joined in, the victim would’ve explicitly called him out in their post.
└ Don’t you know that bystanding is also violence?
└ Don’t you know that accusing someone of being a bully with just one photo could be defamation?
● Wow… even as a bystander, it’s disappointing.
● Even if he wasn’t a bully, just being close to them says a lot…
└ Birds of a feather flock together, as they say.
● I knew it when he started showing off. Classic case… ahem.
● Kim Dobin switched majors from Breaking to Urban. He was in Breaking during his freshman year.
└ Didn’t the victim say the bullying started in their freshman year?
└ Busted lol.
(Click for more comments)
—
As always, while scouring the web, I came across a nightmare.
A post suggesting Kim Dobin was also a school bully—or at least a bystander—was gaining traction with countless comments, likes, and views.
The photo found on Jae-yoon’s un-deleted SNS post clearly included Dobin.
At first, I thought it might be photoshopped, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t.
My head throbbed. In the timeline before my regression, there had been no allegations of Kim Dobin being involved in bullying.
‘Makes sense. Back then, he wasn’t even known as an idol.’
Were there incidents like this before? I couldn’t recall every idol bullying scandal.
Regardless, if this wasn’t resolved, Kim Dobin would inevitably have to leave the group. Without the main dancer, the remaining four members would struggle to make it to the top tier.
And if that happened, I’d have to regress to debut again, repeating this cycle.
Even if I managed to come back to this point, failure to resolve this issue would trap me in an infinite loop.
Kim Dobin, always finding ways to make things harder for me.
As expected, Ryu Jae-hee, pale-faced, ran up to me after seeing the post.
“Hyung, Eden hyung…!”
“Shh.”
I silenced him with a finger to my lips, signaling him to calm down.
“Does Kim Dobin know about this?”
“Yes, he knows. I already confiscated his phone. Knowing his personality, he’d never recover if he had a mental breakdown.”
Ryu Jae-hee ran his hand roughly through his hair, letting out a heavy sigh.
“He hasn’t looked good ever since the allegations against Jae-yoon came out. When I asked him if he went to the same school, he dodged the question…”
The timing was terrible, coinciding with their promotions.
Right now, it was merely an allegation, but if the “Kim Dobin bullying rumors” became accepted as fact, continuing activities would be like pouring gasoline on a fire.
Even now, there were more comments attacking Dobin for being “associated with bullies” than defending him.
The priority was verifying the facts, so I decided to talk to Kim Dobin myself.
Ryu Jae-hee suggested leaving it to Gyeon Ha-jun, but I had a cheat item, so it had to be me.
Looking concerned, Ryu Jae-hee grabbed me and repeatedly urged me not to yell or pressure him.
“Hyung, I’m serious. No yelling, okay? Show some empathy. Got it?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Don’t just brush it off like that! That’s not empathy; it’s just dismissive.”
“Got it. I really do.”
“I really wonder if leaving this to you is a good idea…”
Muttering his doubts, Ryu Jae-hee reluctantly left.
I prepared a mug of chamomile tea, mixing in the Potion of Truth, and headed to the private room where Kim Dobin was staying.
“Can I just be alone, hyung?”
A muffled voice came from within a pile of blankets.
“No, you can’t. This is a time-sensitive issue. Every minute counts.”
[You have made a statement that could sow discord among members.]
[Initial intention -1]
I merely stated the truth. Why was I being penalized for causing discord?
[Try saying something more considerate to the other party.]
“You probably think I’m just a burden on the group, don’t you, hyung?”
Kim Dobin’s sharp tone came from under the blankets.
Sighing softly, I called his name as gently as I could.
“Dobin. Kim Dobin.”
His body flinched under the covers. First, I needed to get him to drink this potion if I wanted the truth.
“If you stay silent, no one will know the truth. Who else knows it but you? You need to speak up. We’ll believe you.”
At that, Kim Dobin hesitantly pulled the blanket away, finally revealing his face.
I half-expected tears, but his expression was just sullen, not tear-streaked.
“Here, drink this and calm down.”
“I’m not even upset…”
Grumbling, he still took the mug without protest.
Once he finished the tea, I sat on the edge of his bed and looked at him.
“Start by telling me about your relationship with Jae-yoon, the guy in the bullying allegations.”
“We… we were in the same group during our first year. But I was the one they picked on. I left because I couldn’t stand it anymore. I even switched majors because of them…”
Ah. Now it made sense.
Kim Dobin had the position of being the “easygoing and mild guy” in the group—someone you could mess with and bully, knowing he wouldn’t react aggressively.
His so-called friends had likely crossed the line while pretending to be friendly, eventually leading to the relationship souring.
“So, the photo was taken back then?”
“Yes, I didn’t realize that guy still hadn’t deleted it…”
“It’s from an old account he forgot to wipe before debuting.”
“You know a lot…”
“It was in the comments. The account’s been taken down now, but the photo of you was already leaked, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Are there a lot of comments criticizing me?”
“Why are you even curious about that? Don’t bother, man.”
I lightly tapped the top of his head, and Dobin lowered his gaze.
“Second question. When you were in that group, did they bully the victim the way it’s described in the exposé?”
After a moment of hesitation, Dobin nodded heavily.
“But it wasn’t as bad as the exposé says when I was still there. I think it’s because they had someone else to target back then.”
This part was a little ambiguous, but it could still be framed as Dobin being bullied himself at the time.
“It happened after I left the group. That’s when the ankle incident and choreography plagiarism mentioned in the exposé happened—I only heard about those things second-hand.”
“So, the claim that there were four bullies in the group?”
“After I left, someone else joined their group. That’s probably who they’re talking about, not me.”
Hearing this gave me some relief.
Now, I had to find a way to fully extinguish this rumor of Dobin being a bully or a bystander to bullying, leaving no room for doubt.
“In that case, we need to prove you left the group before the bullying escalated—and also that you were being bullied. Do you have any evidence left? Like group chats or something?”
“I left the chat as soon as I cut ties with them. And now Jae-yoon will probably try to drag me down with him, saying I was involved too. That’s just the kind of person he is.”
“What about classmates who can testify that you cut ties with them?”
“Would you remember the exact timing of when two classmates fought and stopped hanging out? Especially something that happened two years ago?”
Fair point. Most people wouldn’t remember such details. And without solid evidence, there will always be skeptics.
“Alright, there’s only one way to do this.”
There was one surefire way to kill these baseless rumors and prevent further accusations.
“Can you get the victim’s contact info? You went to the same school, right?”
“I can, yeah.”
“Reach out and ask them to clear things up.”
Dobin, who had been rolling his eyes like a guilty puppy, replied cautiously, “But would they? From their perspective, wouldn’t I just be one of the same crowd? After all, I was hanging out with Jaeyoon’s group…”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the phrase “one of the same crowd.”
“Here’s my guess: those guys didn’t just mess with you in private. I bet they treated you like that in front of other people too. Am I wrong?”
“Whoa… yeah, you’re right.”
Dobin looked at me wide-eyed, as if wondering how I knew.
It was obvious. The group likely flaunted their treatment of him in public to assert dominance. When they were alone, it was habitual; in front of others, it was for show.
“Then trust me—people noticed. No one’s going to think you were on equal footing with them. Just reach out to the victim.”
To bystanders, the dynamic wouldn’t have looked like a group of equals, but rather bullies and their target.
Dobin cutting ties with the group would have only reinforced this impression.
And the fact that the victim didn’t name Dobin in their exposé gave me hope. If they’d harbored ill feelings toward him, they likely would have mentioned him.
Even if they didn’t before, Dobin’s rising fame now gave them the perfect chance to call him out. The fact they didn’t might indicate there wasn’t any bad blood.
We’d have to stay on edge until the victim posted a statement, but at least I felt slightly reassured for now.
Suddenly, Dobin began crying, tears streaming down his face.
“I’m sorry, hyung.”
Startled by the unexpected tears and apology, I froze. He didn’t need to apologize for something beyond his control…
Before I could awkwardly wave it off, Dobin blurted out the reason for his apology.
“I… actually didn’t like you much, hyung.”
Wow. What a confession. Yeah, I know, man. With a score of just 48%, you’re not exactly subtle.
***
If you want to support the translation and the translator, please buy a coffee 🤍
Thanks Manal for the coffee! 🥰
awww dobin :(( thank you for the chapter!!
what a confession i cackled lol