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Her gaze out the window was devoid of energy. The coffee in the cup she held had gone cold. Sena let out a deep sigh.
It had been two days since the launch of the broadcasting station. The past two days had passed like the calm before a storm, with nothing happening at all.
Judging by how that reporter, Mr. Seo, had left the party venue, it was certain that some kind of story would break soon. But the silence was suffocating.
Seeing Joo-Hyuk acting as if nothing were wrong, just like usual, only made her more frustrated. How much pressure must he be feeling? It would be nice if they could hold hands and comfort each other.
Knock knock.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of knocking.
“Yes?”
When she turned around, Seolyoung was peeking in through the slightly opened door of the counseling room.
“What is it?”
“A visitor has come.”
“A visitor?”
“He said he’s a reporter from KMS, Seo Jong-Dae.”
“What?”
Sena was so startled that she almost dropped the cup she was holding.
Seo Jong-Dae, the reporter? Why would he suddenly come to see me?
“Do you want to see him? He says it’s urgent.”
Should I meet him? Or should I avoid him?
Sena realized she didn’t have time to contact Joo-Hyuk. She would have to decide on her own whether or not to meet Mr. Seo.
If she met him, she wouldn’t know what questions he might ask, but perhaps she could find out the direction of the article he wasn’t giving up on. And if she avoided him, wouldn’t it seem like there was something wrong that Joo-Hyuk had done?
“Tell him to come in.”
Sena made her decision.
Before he entered the counseling room, she went to her desk, took a deep breath, and sat down. She told herself to think of this person not as a reporter, but as a patient coming for counseling.
With that thought, her heart, which had been pounding with tension, slowly began to calm down.
When Mr. Seo walked in, he looked completely different from the drunken figure she’d seen at the party two days ago. Dressed neatly in a suit, with a briefcase slung over one shoulder, he came in with a bright smile and greeted her.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Choi. I’m Seo Jong-Dae, a reporter from KMS.”
“Welcome.”
Sena accepted the business card Mr. Seo handed her and stared at it for a moment. Instead of the company name KMS, it clearly read “Freelancer.”
But she didn’t question it and simply placed the card on the right side of her desk before looking back at him.
“Is there a reason you’ve come to see me?”
“Yes, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
“And what would that be?”
“Are you aware that your husband, KMS CEO Choi Joo-Hyuk, is involved with dirty money?”
“Dirty… money?”
What is he talking about?
Sena frowned.
“It’s said that during the early days of KMS’s founding, Chairman Choi Tae-Hyung provided funds without Joo-Hyuk’s knowledge, and when it seemed like it would come to light, the money was quickly returned.”
“That was something my father-in-law did without my husband’s knowledge, as far as I understand.”
“Oh, so you’re aware of this matter?”
Mr. Seo smirked and scribbled something in his notebook.
“How much do you trust your husband?”
“What?”
“You two dated for only about 100 days before getting married, and it’s only been ten days since the wedding. So how well do you really know CEO Choi?”
“…I’d say better than you, Mr. Seo.”
Without realizing it, Sena found herself speaking defensively.
“Oh, but living together as a married couple makes you closer than strangers, doesn’t it?”
“Mr. Seo, your words are a bit…”
“What if CEO Choi isn’t the person you think he is?”
“What?”
“What if CEO Choi already knew everything and deliberately used that money to grow KMS?”
“That’s quite an unfounded assumption.”
Each word from Mr. Seo made Sena tremble. Not knowing what he was imagining frightened her even more.
This wasn’t just a problem for KMS—it was something that could drag Joo-Hyuk into ruin.
“Do you think this is just speculation?”
“Of course! Joo-Hyuk, my husband, would never knowingly do something like that.”
“Really?”
“Of course!”
Soon, anger began to rise within her, overpowering her fear. She couldn’t forgive Mr. Seo for trying to write such a baseless article in this manner.
He looked at her with a curious gaze, as if she were some fascinating puzzle.
“You’re not seriously planning to write an article based on such absurd conjecture, are you?”
“Why not?”
“Aren’t reporters supposed to report facts?”
“I’ll only record the facts and provide direction. How people interpret it is up to them.”
“Isn’t failing to guide them in the right direction tantamount to lying?”
“Well? Raising suspicions is also part of a reporter’s job.”
Mr. Seo twisted his lips into a smirk and stood up.
“Thank you for your time.”
“Why did you come to see me?”
“Because even though you’re closest to CEO Choi, you haven’t known him for very long. I was curious about how you perceive him.”
“So, what’s your conclusion?”
“He’s quite cunning—more than I expected.”
Cunning?
The word didn’t suit Joo-Hyuk at all. After casually tossing out that inappropriate description, Mr. Seo left the counseling room with ease.
Sena was overwhelmed with shock and barely managed to cover her mouth with her hand to stifle a scream that threatened to escape.
“What did the reporter want?”
Seolyoung opened the door and entered, asking curiously. But Sena couldn’t respond.
All she could do now was hold back from screaming—and one other thing.
“Are you okay?”
“I think I need to make a call.”
“Huh? Oh, sure.”
Though puzzled, Seolyoung quietly excused herself.
Sena hurriedly picked up her phone and dialed Joo-Hyuk. He answered after just a few rings.
[Hello.]
“Joo-Hyuk!”
[Hm? Is something wrong?]
His voice sounded concerned, perhaps because her breathing was uneven.
“Seo Jong-Dae, the reporter, just visited.”
[Mr. Seo came to the center?]
“Yes. I wanted to let you know, but there wasn’t any time.”
[Did you meet him?]
“I thought it would look suspicious if I didn’t, so I met him.”
[Hmm. What did he say?]
Sena recounted in detail her conversation with Mr. Seo. Between her words, she could hear Joo-Hyuk let out deep sighs.
“The situation is definitely taking a strange turn, right?”
[Yes, it is.]
“What should we do? His eyes were filled with malice…”
She couldn’t shake off the memory of Mr. Seo’s piercing gaze, and her body trembled.
[Don’t worry too much. Now that we know what he’s thinking, we can prepare a response.]
“Really?”
[These media battles are always like this. Anyway, thank you.]
“Huh?”
[For being on my side.]
“It’s only natural.”
Even though they were talking over the phone, Sena felt her face flush red.
[Still… Even if the whole world stops believing in me, knowing that you’ll believe in me gives me peace of mind.]
“Well…”
“It’s only natural. I’m your wife, and I love you.”
Unable to bring herself to say those words, Sena bit down hard on her lip.
[Anyway, thank you. It was helpful.]
“Yes.”
[See you at home.]
“Yes.”
Sena ended the call, still blushing. But hearing Joo-Hyuk tell her not to worry too much gave her some reassurance.
As he had said, media battles were an area she didn’t fully understand, so she trusted that he, who knew more about it, would handle it well. She suddenly thought it wasn’t strange that Mr. Seo found their situation intriguing. How could a couple who had only been together for just over 100 days claim to know each other so well and trust each other so deeply?
Moreover, Sena had never heavily relied on anyone, not even her aunt’s family, throughout her life. So why did she trust Joo-Hyuk so completely?
The fleeting thought of “love” as a simple answer made her shake her head vigorously.
---
“I’m sure I said I’d contact you.”
“You did.”
With a casual attitude, Mr. Seo sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, leaning slightly as he looked at Joo-Hyuk.
“Oh, I’ll have an iced Americano with plenty of ice, please.”
Not only that, but after glancing at the instant coffee the secretary had brought in, he went ahead and placed a separate order. The secretary didn’t leave immediately and instead looked at Joo-Hyuk for further instructions.
“Go ahead and get it.”
“Yes, CEO.”
After the secretary bowed and left the room, Mr. Seo raised the corners of his mouth in a smirk.
“I didn’t think you’d wait just two or three days before contacting me.”
“I thought you’d reach out the very next day.”
“So, you went to see my wife?”
“As I told your wife, she holds a unique position, and I simply wanted to hear her thoughts.”
Joo-Hyuk felt a headache coming on as he listened to Mr. Seo’s sharp responses without missing a beat.
“Alright, what did you want to see me about?”
“I’m here to offer a corresponding scoop under the condition that the related article isn’t published during the first year while the broadcasting station establishes itself.”
“A corresponding scoop, you say… What exactly is it?”
Seeing Joo-Hyuk’s apparent interest, he felt a sense of relief.
“A scandal involving a famous politician.”
“Oh ho?”
Mr. Seo straightened up, clearly intrigued.
“Who is it?”
“Let’s clarify something first.”
“What?”
“This article you’re pursuing—you’re giving it up.”
“What do you mean?”
“As I mentioned earlier, the story you brought regarding KMS will remain buried for a year while the broadcasting station settles in.”
Joo-Hyuk didn’t miss the slight twitch at the corner of Mr. Seo’s lips, suppressing a smile.
“Bury it for a year?”
“I’d like to avoid having KMS Broadcasting tarnished with a bad image right after its launch.”
“So, you want me to bury it?”
“That’s correct.”
“And in return, you’ll hand over this political scandal to me?”
Facing Mr. Seo’s gleaming eyes, Joo-Hyuk slowly nodded.
“These scandals have been sitting in my desk drawer for years. I personally investigated and verified them.”
“Why haven’t you reported them until now?”
“In my opinion, reporting them wouldn’t have changed anything.”
“Hmm…”
Mr. Seo stroked his chin, deep in thought. The ticking of the clock filled the CEO’s office.
“I’ll deliver the materials related to the scandal within a week. If you accept this proposal, you’ll walk away with two stories in your hands.”
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