Choi Yoon did not answer. He just stared intently at Yoo Ji Ho.
Yoo Ji Ho roughly rubbed his forehead.
“Answer me. Did you receive it, the sponsorship?”
“Ji Ho. There is no part of me you don’t know.”
Yoo Ji Ho quietly looked this way. Choi Yoon did not avoid his gaze.
Soon, Yoo Ji Ho’s stiffly tensed shoulders slumped with a sigh. It was relief.
Yoo Ji Ho lifted the tablet he had been holding all along.
“There seems to be a side of elder brother we didn’t know about.”
It was a photo.
With the hotel entrance as the background, Choi Yoon himself and a familiar woman were walking out, talking closely together.
With his exceptional memory, Choi Yoon realized this photo was from after a certain luncheon 5 years ago, arranged by Lee Kang Woo. Though they had dined with several people at the time, somehow only the two of them were captured leaving. Or perhaps the paparazzi intended it that way.
Meals with politicians or business tycoons were routine, so there was nothing particularly memorable beyond that.
Yoo Ji Ho pointed with his fingertip at the middle-aged woman smiling brightly at Choi Yoon as they exited the hotel together.
“You know this woman. Joo Young Eun?”
“Of course I know her. She’s the director of the Moon Young Art Museum.”
Since that alone wouldn’t be enough to make Yoo Ji Ho look so serious, Choi Yoon searched his memory further. Then things started to fall into place. He muttered:
“She’s also in Jeon Min Seok’s circle.”
It was absurd.
“What are you trying to do now? Has a rumor spread that this woman is my sponsor? Me? I don’t even accept such things in the first place, and I have my own preferences you know.”
“You seem to have met quite a lot with someone not to your taste.”
“Let me see.”
Clicking his tongue, Choi Yoon took the tablet. He quickly flipped through the photos. At brand launching events, movie premieres, and even drama wrap parties with countless staff members, he could spot Joo Young Eun squeezed in there small.
“Is this a hidden picture game or what?”
The more photos he flipped through, the more his anger rose. Whoever had carefully selected only the photos where the two appeared in the same frame, their malicious intent was clear.
Yoo Ji Ho rubbed his forehead like a sigh.
“There are too many, way too many.”
“It only looks like a lot because they’re cherry-picked and collected like this. You know how packed my daily schedule is. Even half a day out results in dozens of these group photos.”
But even as he spoke, he knew. That they could fabricate anything if they wanted to connect the dots. Until now, Lee Kang Woo had been a solid shield, but the moment Choi Yoon took the microphone on stage, Lee Kang Woo said he would let go. Now Choi Yoon was alone.
As soon as he realized how things were about to unfold, he felt nauseous. He continued speaking roughly.
“Besides, Joo Young Eun is an investor in our Sun Entertainment. We’re bound to see each other often. Why are you suddenly bringing this up?”
“You know Jeon Min Seok is under investigation for bribery charges, right? Public opinion is not good.”
“I know. Isn’t that why I’ve been pushed to the back burner while they deal with it?”
Choi Yoon rubbed his face hard.
Yoo Ji Ho said:
“He plans to pin all the corruption he committed on Joo Young Eun, a mere party member, claiming she did it all without his knowledge. Then he’ll link her to you in an immoral relationship and take you both down in one shot.”
“Highly efficient. The old man must have really racked his brains for once.”
He sneered. Inwardly, his mind was racing nonstop. Truth is, he hadn’t even considered a situation like this. How could he overcome it?
His eyes felt like they would pop out.
“The situation is not good. There’s more evidence besides the photos.”
This he didn’t expect.
Yoo Ji Ho lowered his voice.
“You know how it was revealed that Muan Construction illegally funded Jeon Min Seok, right?”
“I know. It’s causing an uproar right n… Wait.”
“Yes. It seems Joo Young Eun pushed you to Muan Construction back then. That’s when you became the exclusive model for their apartments.”
“That wasn’t thanks to Joo Young Eun, our company fairly and squarely… Wait.”
That was also 5 years ago. When Choi Yoon couldn’t even speak up under Lee Kang Woo.
“…Did Lee Kang Woo use Joo Young Eun’s connections to get me that exclusive model contract?”
“It seems so. Back then, securing the contract was what mattered. They didn’t know it would blow up as corruption like this.”
Choi Yoon lowered his gaze for a moment. Through gritted teeth, he asked:
“How much of this… is there?”
“For now, this is the only one I’ve found, but there could be more.”
Yoo Ji Ho is right. The situation is serious.
“You can picture exactly how the articles will come out, right? Joo Young Eun was seen leaving a hotel alone with you, and she’s been pushing her face into all sorts of events. As if desperate to catch your eye even once. She even went so far as to threaten Muan Construction. Around that time, you were selected as the high-end exclusive model for that apartment.”
“Easy on the connecting dots. What does Joo Young Eun say?”
“She’s making a fuss saying it’s unfair. She went to see Jeon Min Seok, but would he bother with a card he’s already discarding?”
“I knew nothing about this. There’s nothing between Joo Young Eun and me, nothing at all.”
“Who would believe that?”
“Just you and me, I guess.”
It’s ruined. That was his honest feeling.
“…There must be a way.”
“We’re trying our best to block it from going public for now, but I don’t know how long we can hold out.”
That’s when it happened.
Someone entered the stairwell. A few nurses passed by chattering loudly as they went down.
Choi Yoon kept his mouth shut for a moment, and only after the footsteps faded did he ask in a low voice:
“How far has it spread?”
“At least Lee Kang Woo knows. Because Lee Hoe Jang personally told me to go ask Choi Yoon’s opinion.”
“What opinion?”
“Lee Kang Woo made a proposal. If you drop everything now – Jang Cheon, the protests, all of it – and come back, he’ll clean this up neatly.”
What must Lee Kang Woo’s face have looked like saying such things? Even if outwardly expressionless as always, inwardly he must have been utterly delighted. At the thought of having me back in his grasp. Horrifyingly so.
“What do you think?”
“To be honest, you should take a step back.”
Yoo Ji Ho ran his hand carelessly through his hair. He looked troubled.
“Elder brother, give it up now. You’ve done enough. Even if you try to do more, there’s no support base left. All the real opinion leaders are standing on the opposite side from us. This is turning your back on the government and making an enemy of Hae Woo. Everything you’ve built up till now will turn to bubbles.”
Yoo Ji Ho is an excellent manager. He always makes accurate judgments and helps Choi Yoon make the best choices. He knows this.
“Are you okay with that? Are you okay with never being able to act again? I hate the thought of you bowing to Lee Kang Woo too. But there’s no other way. If we stay like this, you’ll be branded an adulterer and fall in an instant.”
Choi Yoon squeezed his eyes shut. In his blocked vision, Han Seo Jung’s pale face appeared. He thought of the unrestrained gun muzzle aimed at that face. As if aiming at prey it had no intention of actually hunting, just for fun.
How could such a thing happen?
If Han Seo Jung hadn’t been mixed-race, it wouldn’t have happened. In fact, Choi Yoon was there too. But not a single muzzle was aimed at Choi Yoon.
“Ji Ho.”
Choi Yoon raised his head.
“The police shot a student.”
Yoo Ji Ho, who had been roughly rubbing his forehead, stiffened his eyes in shock. He said in disbelief:
“No way. It must have been an accident.”
Choi Yoon shook his head. Yoo Ji Ho drew in a breath.
“How is that possible?”
“In a country where police shoot students, what meaning is there in me continuing to act?”
His insides were boiling. He muttered sharply:
“I absolutely won’t let this slide. I’ll make them pay for their crimes.”
If he couldn’t single out individuals, he would bring the group to its knees. To receive an apology, to ensure they never carelessly point guns at civilians again.
“Do you understand what I’m saying? That’s the position of mixed-race people in this country.”
“But there’s no way. How can we stop Jeon Min Seok?”
“We’ll make a way. We can do it. Let them try to trample me all they want.”
Yoo Ji Ho silently took off his outer coat. He came closer and draped the coat over Choi Yoon’s shoulders.
Only then did Choi Yoon realize how cold the surroundings were. He grabbed Yoo Ji Ho’s arm as he tried to step back. He whispered lowly:
“Go tell Lee Kang Woo to remove my name from Sun Entertainment.”
Yoo Ji Ho spoke as if soothing him:
“Elder brother, for now it’s better not to provoke Lee Hoe Jang too much…”
“There was never any contract to begin with anyway.”
“Just rest for now. I’ll talk to Lee Kang Woo and try to buy some time.”
“Jeon Min Seok isn’t the only one who can use his head. Right? That bastard probably thought he’d get rid of me by tying me to Joo Young Eun, but I’ll be the one to tie up Jeon Min Seok, Hae Woo, and all of them like dried fish and send them packing in one go. When we clash like that…”
A strange vitality coursed through his whole body.
“…Let’s see whose side people will take.”
Han Seo Jung’s surgery ended safely. The muscle torn by the grazing bullet was, as Kim Tae Rin said, a place that had been injured once before.
Though the situations differed, they were the same in that the perpetrator acted with intent.
Kim Tae Rin stood rigidly as she listened to the doctor say they would need to monitor the progress for at least a month of hospitalization.
But as soon as the doctor turned away, she collapsed. After helping Kim Tae Rin, who was catching her breath leaning against the wall, sit down on a hallway chair, Choi Yoon went down to the counter to pay.
He requested a private VIP room and prepaid all necessary costs.
It was when he came back up. By the vending machine, several doctors in gowns were tiredly drinking beverages they had just bought. Among them was a familiar face. It was the attending physician who had participated in Han Seo Jung’s surgery.
As he tried to quickly pass by, their conversation caught his ear.
“See that? Over there.”
“Yeah, can’t help but notice even if I try not to.”
“I told you. You’d be surprised.”
Even as they chatted, the gazes of four or five were fixed on one spot. As Choi Yoon unconsciously followed their line of sight, he stopped in his tracks.
Amidst the people coming and going, Kim Tae Rin sat alone on a hallway chair in the distance. Clearly exhausted, she was tilted to the side as if about to collapse at any moment, motionless. It seemed she had fallen asleep now that the tension had eased.
One doctor elbowed the attending physician. Gesturing with his chin towards Kim Tae Rin, he asked:
“She didn’t come because she’s sick herself, right?”
“No. She came as the guarantor for my patient. The patient is mixed-race.”
“She’s guaranteeing for a mixed-race person? There are still people who do that? Did she get paid?”
The attending physician frowned slightly. He tossed the can he had been drinking into the trash and said:
“What’s wrong with that? It’s admirable. The very act of doing something most people won’t do. There’s probably no benefit to her at all.”
At the end of his words, the attending physician’s face was soft as he gazed at Kim Tae Rin again. Another colleague crushed his empty can and said:
“Anyway, she’s not a guardian then. Not the kid’s mother?”
Another doctor let out a snort of laughter.
“She looks like she just graduated college, what kid?”
The attending physician replied without taking his eyes off Kim Tae Rin:
“Just an unrelated third party, I guess. Not even a school teacher. Apparently she’s just from the same neighborhood, and since the kid doesn’t have proper parents, she came along to give consent for the surgery.”
“Ah, that gunshot patient?”
The attending physician’s face scrunched up. He tensed up and whispered in a serious tone:
“Quiet. I told you not to talk about it.”
The doctors exchanged glances with an “Ah.” One of them abruptly asked:
“Then that woman, she’ll be sticking around the hospital for a while?”
__________
Male Lead, The Black-Hearted Lotus (Female-dominant)
Short intro by Yuushi L:
At first, the male lead despised the female lead. Later, he misunderstood that she liked him, so he condescendingly and reluctantly reciprocated her feelings.
Then, he suddenly discovered that she was kind to everyone in the same way, and there was already someone she cherished in her heart, and that person was not him.
The male lead couldn’t believe it, he became angry and crazy. He was determined to capture her body and heart by any means necessary.
Synopsis:
Want to see how a green tea bitch male lead falls in love with the female lead?
Want to see how he flirtatiously pursues the female lead?
Want to see how he gets slapped in the face repeatedly?
The male lead is a green tea bitch, a poisonous lotus, jealous, ruthless, unscrupulous, with a venomous heart, and he’s also a delusional maniac.
The female lead is righteous, positive energy-filled, kind, a holy mother.
Let’s see how two people with extreme personalities come together~