MHD - 36

Chapter 36: Unconfirmed Scandal

Between meetings, Jae-hyuk briefly sat down at his desk and picked up his phone. 

The video Dong-hwan had sent was still in his message inbox. Pressing play, Baek Dong-hwan’s trembling voice filled the air. 

[“I was wrong. I promise this won’t happen again. I won’t call you out with bad intentions anymore, nor will I humiliate you…”] 

In the video, Dong-hwan was kneeling, his face lifted toward the camera. His eyes glistened, as though he had been crying while being filmed. 

[“Please, that’s enough…”] 

Another voice overlapped Dong-hwan’s. Jae-hyuk’s finger hesitated as he was about to pause the video midway. 

[“You can get up now.”] 

His finger moved on its own, rewinding the video to the point where Hee-soo’s voice emerged. Jae-hyuk stared intently at the phone screen, unmoving, as if waiting for the owner of the voice to appear momentarily. Beneath his furrowed brow, his cold eyes bore into the screen. 

After replaying the same segment two or three times, Jae-hyuk suddenly turned off the video and tossed the phone onto the desk. 

“Haa…” 

He had handed over the research institute to Chairman Baek in exchange for acquiring another business venture. It could have ended there, but he had gone so far as to drag Baek Dong-hwan into it, forcing him to kneel. 

It wasn’t something he would normally do. 

When Jae-hyuk told Chairman Baek to send Dong-hwan, the latter had agreed with a faint laugh in his tone. “This young man has quite the childish streak,” he had muttered under his breath, the sound grating on Jae-hyuk’s nerves. 

Jae-hyuk had spent years dealing with chairmen of conglomerates—men old enough to be his father—on relatively equal footing. They acknowledged him as someone worth speaking to. 

But now, after behaving so childishly by ordering around a friend, perhaps he had lost a bit of face. 

Even if someone had looked down on him that day for being immature, you must have felt some satisfaction afterward, right? 

Staring at the phone on his desk, Jae-hyuk played the video once more. 

[“I understand, so please stop…”] 

Hee-soo’s voice flowed out again. 

“Right.” 

Jae-hyuk let out a bitter laugh. 

A long time ago, something similar had happened. Back then, he had recorded a similar video. 

When Hee-soo was part of the youth ballet troupe, she frequently injured her ankles. Occasionally, she had scrapes on her arms or calves as well. 

“It’s normal to hurt your ankle while practicing ballet. It’s fine.” 

At some point, Jae-hyuk stopped believing her when she kept saying she was fine. He rearranged his tightly packed tutoring schedule and secretly investigated the ballet troupe behind her back. 

It wasn’t particularly difficult. 

Many people came and went from the troupe—janitors, physical therapists, and more. For the right price, plenty were willing to talk about what went on inside. 

Most of the information came from his mother’s chauffeur, who frequently visited the foundation. 

Some of the ballet members were daughters of wealthy families. The chauffeurs overheard their careless chatter as they got into their cars. Through them, Jae-hyuk learned that Hee-soo had been subjected to group bullying for years under their leadership. 

Initially, Jae-hyuk reported this to Yoon Ji-sun. But Ji-sun pretended not to hear him. 

At the time, Ji-sun had been anxiously trying to prevent Lee Jung-chul from shutting down the cultural foundation. It was a precarious period where even the slightest issue could spell disaster, so ignoring Jae-hyuk’s report was an inevitable outcome. 

So Jae-hyuk took matters into his own hands. One by one, he meticulously dismantled the bullies. He dug into their backgrounds, uncovering weaknesses, and used every method possible to drive them out of the ballet troupe. 

Once he found a weak point, they crumbled like sandcastles hit by waves. 

Among them was an especially malicious girl whom he couldn’t let off easily. 

Jae-hyuk discovered that their parents were arranging illegal private tutoring and tipped off the education office. The girl, who had received leaked exam questions from a teacher, faced utter ruin as a result. 

He thought it was karma. 

Their parents complained to Yoon Ji-sun, who then relayed the matter to Lee Jung-chul. On the day Jung-chul learned everything, he beat his son nearly to death. 

That too was karma. 

Even as Jae-hyuk was beaten within an inch of his life with a golf club, he couldn’t help but smirk. From the start, he had been prepared to accept whatever punishment came his way for doing what he believed was right. 

“This crazy kid is laughing?” 

“Dear, stop! Are you trying to kill him?” 

As Jung-chul raged and Ji-sun sobbed while trying to intervene, Jae-hyuk watched them emotionlessly. 

He didn’t feel a single ounce of pain. Protecting Hee-soo was something he had to do, and he wanted to make it clear that harming Seo Hee-soo was akin to attacking him. 

Back then, and even now. 

He had lived through this long history of being her guardian without ever drawing a line. 

To this day, he still lived like a dog protecting Seo Hee-soo. If anyone dared to harm her, he instinctively prepared to leap out and tear them apart.

Even as I swore to myself over and over to rip you out of my life, here I am. 

If I’m a fool, then what are you? What’s going through your mind? 

Jae-hyuk flipped the phone over and pushed it to the far side of his desk. It was time to get back to work. 

Knock, knock. 

After the sound of knocking, Team Leader Cho and Director Oh entered the office. 

“President, we’ve come to report on the premium brand launch.” 

“Come in.” 

The two stood side by side and began providing additional explanations about the report they had sent Jae-hyuk a few hours earlier. 

The gist was that there had been delays in the production schedule tied to the planned second-half launch. 

After listening to their report, Jae-hyuk offered his thoughts. 

“Hmm. Since we didn’t make much of an impression at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in January, how about postponing it until next year? At this rate, it’ll just look like we’re repackaging existing products with different colors.” 

The idea was to showcase a premium home appliance system equipped with AI, but factory operations were delayed. Joon-ah wasn’t satisfied, there was no clear alternative, and Seo Hee-soo… 

“Haa…” 

Jae-hyuk let out a deep sigh, barely managing to stop his thoughts from funneling toward Hee-soo once again. 

“I’m sorry. I should have checked more thoroughly…” 

Director Oh bowed his head deeply. As the head of the Strategic Planning Office, he seemed to feel a heavy sense of responsibility for the disruption of the ambitious schedule he had prepared. 

“I agree with Vice President Jae-hyuk’s opinion. We’ll adjust the detailed schedule according to the launch timeline. And…” 

Team Leader Cho cautiously spoke up. 

“We’ve identified a potential risk regarding Seo Hee-soo that requires verification. We’re still investigating, but I wanted to inform you beforehand.” 

“What is it?” 

“Well, it’s an unconfirmed scandal. There’s a rumor circulating among reporters recently that she was pregnant in the past. I apologize for not catching this before adding her to the list.” 

“Pregnant?” 

At the unexpected word, Jae-hyuk’s face hardened instantly. 

“Yes. She’s always been known for her impeccable private life, so we missed it. She’s also an actress who has rarely been involved in dating rumors.” 

“Who’s the other party?” 

“It seems someone deliberately spread the rumor, given how quickly it’s circulating among reporters. I’ll investigate further and update you.” 

“If it’s already spreading, isn’t it practically a foregone conclusion that it’ll be reported?” 

His questions grew sharper. Though he knew pressing Team Leader Cho wouldn’t help, his tone became increasingly aggressive. The voice of Team Leader Cho, who had strongly recommended Hee-soo, grew quieter. 

“…There’s no concrete evidence yet.” 

The weak response only deepened Jae-hyuk’s irritation. 

“Do we really need to cling to Seo Hee-soo this much? Didn’t I say this last time too?” 

As soon as the words left his mouth, they felt like a question directed at himself. Why was he so fixated on Seo Hee-soo? It was the same question Baek Dong-hwan had asked him. 

“Ah… What should we do?” 

Without hesitation, Jae-hyuk answered the question. 

“Remove Seo Hee-soo from the list until we can fully verify her background, and look for another option.” 

“Understood.” 

Perhaps sensing Jae-hyuk’s dissatisfaction with Hee-soo, Team Leader Cho didn’t push back as he had last time. 

“Then you may leave.” 

“Yes, Vice President. See you at the meeting.” 

As Team Leader Cho and Director Oh turned to leave after bowing, Jae-hyuk called Director Oh back. 

“Director Oh, please investigate Seo Hee-soo separately.” 

“Me?” 

“Yes. If Seo Hee-soo is a strong candidate, I think it’s necessary to investigate her differently from Team Leader Cho.” 

Emphasizing the phrase “differently,” Jae-hyuk watched as Director Oh nodded in understanding. It meant using unofficial channels—being more persistent and thorough in digging deeper. 

“Understood.” 

Once Director Oh left the office, Jae-hyuk loosened his tie with a tug. 

“Haa.” 

Based on Director Oh’s investigation, it was certain that Hee-soo had no children. But pregnancy? What kind of life had she lived during the time he hadn’t seen her? 

The memory of their reunion flashed in Jae-hyuk’s mind. He recalled Hee-soo sitting beside Dong-hwan, her head bowed. 

If he hadn’t recognized her that day, he probably would’ve remembered her as just another woman he’d encountered in such a setting. 

And that day… perhaps in the end, she had fallen into Baek Dong-hwan’s hands… 

“Haa.”

As dirty thoughts threatened to cloud his mind, Jae-hyuk gritted his teeth and glared into the void. The sharp taste of blood filled his mouth as he bit down hard on his lip. 

Was this what she had tried to hide, brushing it off as something from the past when asked why she hadn’t contacted him—or why she hadn’t answered his calls? Even though he knew it was premature, unpleasant suspicions overwhelmed his rationality. 

Why had he never once considered that Seo Hee-soo might have fallen for someone else? Why had he only looked for reasons for their breakup outside of her? 

There could have been a simple, obvious explanation: a change of heart. 

Yes. Perhaps it was as straightforward as her feelings changing. Maybe she had grown tired of waiting for me, found someone else, and started a relationship. 

Ah, Seo Hee-soo. Seo Hee-soo. 

Would there ever come a day when hearing her name stirred no emotion in him? 

Even while working, Jae-hyuk struggled to maintain a neutral expression whenever her name came up in conversation. Each time he heard it—or said it himself—his insides churned, though he hid it well on the surface. 

Fine. If I can’t pretend not to know you, then the only option is to dig up every single thing you’ve hidden. 

Whether you carried another man’s child or lost it. Whatever reason you had for rejecting me, I’ll uncover everything and see this unpleasantness through to its bitter end. 

In that case, I’ll have to make you speak up yourself. 

Heh heh. Smiling bitterly, Jae-hyuk leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment.