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Psst! We're moving!
Dojun stopped himself from making a call and started walking. Jinhan watched him nervously, seeing that he had come alone without Chief Secretary Song. He wondered how long it would take before he could comfortably face that person’s expression.
“What brings you here so early in the morning?”
“You wouldn’t be asking if you didn’t know.”
“...Come in first.”
As it was the weekend, the building was empty inside. Only the media response team, summoned by Jinhan, was busy. Jinhan opened the office door, ventilated the room, and then began brewing coffee.
“I’ll have cold brew.”
“Drink what you’re given.”
“With lots of ice.”
Dojun’s order was fussy. Jinhan, feeling annoyed without realizing it, glared at him, who was sitting in the best seat on the sofa.
“Don’t speak so casually. Let’s maintain proper manners, especially at times like this.”
“Nah.”
It was a request that would never be honored from the start. Resigned, Jinhan brewed coffee and turned on his phone. He checked Dojun’s profile online and his eyelids widened.
“You’re a year older than me.”
There might be a variable if he checked their birthdays, but he let it pass. Jinhan poured the undiluted coffee into a glass filled with ice, just as Dojun wanted. He also grabbed some snacks and went to the sofa, when Dojun’s long arm reached out. He only took his own coffee and sipped it leisurely.
“Next time, have cold brew ready too.”
Jinhan frowned. Ignoring him, Dojun gulped down his coffee and then put the ice in his mouth.
“If you’re here because of the post about GN last night, it wasn’t me.”
“I know.”
Dojun’s answer came carelessly. Jinhan, chewing on the complicated situation, swallowed the bitter taste of coffee lingering in his mouth.
“It wouldn’t be Haejoo either, and CEO Park Dojun...”
“It would have been better if it was me.”
At least it was revealed that the parties involved in this matter weren’t the perpetrators. If so, it could only be those who had been watching closely.
“Who do you think it is?”
“Director Yoo Jinhan seems to have someone in mind already.”
“It’s not hard if you look for someone whose back was broken in a whale fight.”
“Pretend you don’t know.”
“We should call them and talk at least once.”
“It’s better to do it without anyone knowing. To confuse everyone.”
Jinhan pressed his temples.
“What are you thinking?”
“We need to pull this situation as much in our favor as possible.”
“Did you deliberately wait for this?”
“Of course not.”
Dojun, skilled in strategy, did not prefer to stab his opponents in the back. With this post, Chairman Yoo was highly likely to stir up innocent people.
“There’s something Director Yoo Jinhan needs to do.”
“What is it?”
“Make it seem like I’m the one who wrote that post.”
“To your father?”
“Yes.”
Dojun’s gaze, which had been off-kilter, now focused directly ahead. Unlike his calm exterior, his eyes were sharp, like thinly formed ice.
“Why do I have to do that?”
“If you don’t, Chairman Yoo will only try to target Haejoo.”
“...”
Chairman Yoo, likely shocked, wouldn’t make a rational judgment. He would somehow find someone to blame, and there was a high possibility he would lash out. Coincidentally, Haejoo was highly likely to be that target.
“Especially since Han Jintae will be grinding his teeth behind the scenes.”
“I understand what you mean.”
“Again, make a choice for Haejoo. That’s how you protect this company.”
At that moment, Jinhan felt a heavy sense of responsibility.
“I think it would be better if I told my father I wrote it.”
“Why?”
“At least he won’t kill me, his son.”
“Suit yourself.”
Dojun got the answer he wanted. If it was impossible to unspill spilled water, he at least hoped Jinhan would take the blame. He stood up and turned around. After raising a hand to Jinhan, who was left alone, he returned to his car. He started the car and called Haejoo.
“Are you awake?”
-Yes, Dojun, where are you?
“I just stepped out for some fresh air and I’m on my way back. I’ll get some sandwiches.”
-Come quickly.
Haejoo’s voice, still half-asleep, was pleasant to hear. Dojun stopped by a sandwich shop, ordered his menu, and waited. He used the short break to contact Hyunseong. Soon, a hoarse voice answered.
-Yes, CEO.
Dojun took a deep breath. Then, in a stern voice, he asked accusingly.
“Why did you do that?”
The real culprit, who had caused such a mess, was now terrified.
________________________________________
Around 7 AM, Chairman Yoo, having stayed up all night, couldn’t fight off his exhaustion and stood up. His head spun, and he swayed unconsciously. Han Jintae, who had been busy running around until dawn, supported him.
“I need to rest now.”
“I’ll escort you home.”
“Chief Secretary Han, stay behind and distribute the press release. Tell them we’ll take strong legal action.”
“Understood.”
Chairman Yoo continued to breathe heavily. With Han Jintae’s support, he barely made it down to his car.
“You still don’t know who posted that message, do you?”
“No, Chairman.”
“That’s outrageous.”
“But there are plenty of people we can push the blame onto.”
“I’ll think more about that.”
Currently, Chairman Yoo was not thinking clearly. He got into the car and gave a barely audible command to his driver.
“Stop by a pharmacy on the way.”
On his way home, Chairman Yoo had the driver buy him some headache medicine. He swallowed the medicine in the car, gasping for breath. Soon after, he arrived home and lay down immediately. He fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes and woke up past two in the afternoon.
“Chairman, are you feeling a bit better?”
“What happened?”
An IV needle was in Chairman Yoo’s hand, and the director of Daehan Hospital checked his complexion. Beside him, Hwang Gyeong-ok watched with a troubled expression.
“Your wife called and said you weren’t feeling well.”
“Hmm.”
“Your blood pressure is still high, should we go to the hospital?”
“I just overdid it.”
“If you still feel dizzy or uncomfortable after this IV, you should come to the hospital.”
“Alright, you can go now.”
Hwang Gyeong-ok saw off the departing director of Daehan Hospital. Meanwhile, Chairman Yoo called Han Jintae.
“Come home.”
Even after sleeping, his body felt heavy. While he was weakly leaning against the bed frame, Han Jintae arrived. He bowed respectfully and closed the door so no sound would leak out.
“What happened?”
“We distributed the press release and were monitoring the situation.”
“Things have gotten complicated.”
Chairman Yoo took the water glass from the table and drank from it. He continued to speak while still gasping for air.
“Release the movies that had their premieres postponed in theaters.”
“Understood.”
“And cut ties with the outsourced directors.”
“Then Director Kwak’s movie...”
“The movie isn’t the problem right now. If things continue like this, the company will falter.”
The anonymous poster claimed to have evidence. He wondered if it was true, but a sense of indignation also took root in a corner of his mind.
“What exactly is the evidence that the person who posted it mentioned?”
“It could be a bluff.”
“No. He must have a reason to act like this against me.”
“Do you have anyone in mind?”
“Who else but Jinhan!”
Chairman Yoo, enraged, gulped down the remaining water. He tilted his head back, trying to suppress his anger, but it didn’t improve.
“I spoke with Director Yoo last night, and he said it wasn’t him.”
“If it wasn’t him, where would the evidence come from? At most, it would be the office CCTV.”
“...”
“Didn’t I tell you? This Jinhan has a subtle punch.”
Chairman Yoo groaned. It burst his gut that it could turn into a father-son fight.
“Even if Director Yoo did it, there has to be a separate culprit.”
“A culprit?”
“The culprit who posted the message. If there isn’t one, shouldn’t we create one and make them take responsibility?”
“...Bring me my phone.”
Chairman Yoo called Jinhan. As he glared at the ticking second hand of the clock, the call connected.
“It’s me.”
-Yes, Father.
“You know what I’m going to ask.”
• ... “Tell me honestly, even now.”
Jinhan’s broken breaths could be heard continuously over the phone. The more he heard it, the more prominent the blue veins became on Chairman Yoo’s fist.
-Yes, I did it.
“Is that true?”
-Yes.
“You’re not just making excuses?”
Chairman Yoo wished it wasn’t Jinhan. No matter what, for a son to do this to his father...
-I’ll send you a video, please watch it.
During the call, Jinhan sent a video file, and Han Jintae, standing nearby, took the phone. Chairman Yoo’s pupils dilated as he confirmed the content of the video.
“How is this not deleted and with you!”
-Consider it the price for trying to cover the sky with your hand.
“You scoundrel!”
The video Jinhan sent was the CCTV footage from the waiting room on the day of Haejoo’s press conference. He had naturally assumed it was deleted after ordering Han Jintae to do it, but it wasn’t.
-Father, please admit your mistake and apologize now.
“Do you think you’ll be safe after doing this?”
-Then kill me.
Unable to contain his anger, Chairman Yoo finally hung up the phone. He threw the phone he was holding, and it hit Han Jintae on the head.
“You can’t even handle one task properly, what are you doing!”
“I apologize.”
“At least Jinhan has this video.”
Chairman Yoo felt as if heaven had helped him. A moment later, Han Jintae, bowing low, spoke.
“Director Yoo might not have been the first person to get this video.”
“What?”
“At that time, Director Yoo probably didn’t even know you were there, Chairman.”
“That’s right. Then who...”
“It’s definitely Lee Haejoo.”
“But that child was sick, wasn’t she?”
“She must have ordered her manager. At that time, the only person who could have moved faster than me was Lee Haejoo’s manager.”
Han Jintae’s opinion made sense point by point. Chairman Yoo, gradually convinced, leaned back against the bed frame. The corners of his eyes, filled with fierce light, were swollen red. Staring into the distant empty space, he muttered to himself.
“Yes. Lee Haejoo is the culprit.”
“It’s also presumed that Lee Haejoo’s manager posted this article under her instructions.”
“Indeed, this Jinhan isn’t tough enough.”
“It’s highly probable that Director Yoo lied to protect Lee Haejoo.”
The Jinhan that Han Jintae had spoken to early that morning was sincere. But now, his calm tone, as if he had resolved himself, was even more suspicious.
“Would Lee Haejoo have done that even with Park Dojun right next to her?”
“She might have thought that filmmakers were suffering because of her.”
“That’s the problem with uselessly kind people.”
“What do we do now?”
Chairman Yoo closed his eyes. He barely suppressed his dizzying emotions and came up with a solution.
“Create a bigger incident to cover this one.”
“Understood.”
That day, GN released a series of press releases. They threatened to find the author of the post that appeared in the early morning, claiming it was false. But once an image was ruined, it was hard to reverse. In the midst of this, a media outlet reported that Hwang Gyeong-ok was preparing for a divorce lawsuit.
________________________________________
It was Sunday morning. Haejoo confirmed the empty spot beside her and sat up. Just then, Dojun called. At his words that he would buy sandwiches, she got up and washed her face.
“Hyunseong hasn’t contacted me once today.”
Usually, if there was such an incident, Hyunseong would be the first to inform her. But for some reason, today was quiet. Haejoo wondered if he was having a hard time with Youngjae’s matter and sent him a message.
[How’s your neck? If it hurts a lot, definitely go to the hospital.]
For some reason, Hyunseong didn’t reply. Thinking he might be asleep, she put down her phone and paced in the garden. A short while later, Dojun entered the living room with a paper bag of sandwiches.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah, were you hungry?”
Dojun was diligent in taking care of pregnant Haejoo. He didn’t mind the trouble of even blending fresh fruit for her drinks.
“Have this with the sandwich.”
“Dojun, were you always this kind?”
“You know I’m not. I’m a rude, foolish guy who only uses his fists.”
“If you’re doing this to have a second child, you can give up now.”
“Let’s have one first and raise it.”
“You’re so stubborn.”
While eating her sandwich, Haejoo frequently checked her phone. Seeing this, Dojun asked.
“Are you waiting for a call?”
“Hyunseong. He would usually call by now to ask how I am, but it’s quiet.”
“I... told him to stay quiet.”
“What?”
Haejoo, who had been chewing on her last piece of sandwich, swallowed it with a gulp.
“Did you scold Hyunseong?”
“Yes.”
“No, why? He’s already having a hard time with Manager Youngjae’s matter.”
Dojun placed a hand on the table and tapped it with his index finger. Haejoo tensed at his changed expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“That post that went up last night.”
“Yes.”
“Hyunseong wrote it.”
Haejoo’s heart dropped with a thud. A gasp, which she couldn’t swallow, escaped her strengthless, open mouth.
“Really?”
“Yes. He won’t be able to come to work for a while.”
Haejoo squeezed her eyes shut. Dojun put his arm around her shoulder as she sighed with clasped hands.
“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”
Haejoo tried her best to regain her composure. At times like this, she had to stay sharp, so she slapped her cheeks with her hand.
“Whatever it is, let’s see it through to the end. You and I... let’s go together.”
It was Dojun’s comfort and his resolve.
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