By Zephyria 
It was the sixth scandal. If he counted the ones stopped before they went public or things like tabloid rumors, he would have had to count on his fingers several times over, but setting those aside, it was exactly the sixth scandal to be fully publicized to the world.
In truth, Cha Se-jin didn’t think much of scandals. Since it was a scandal with someone he had met and slept with, but not dated, he had no particular thoughts or words to say.
There were people who wanted to hear his comments, so he considered saying something, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. If he were honest and said he just rolled around because he was horny, he would look too frivolous; and saying they had a good relationship but just didn’t develop into lovers would be too much of a lie.
Recalling his parents’ words that his charm shone brightest when he kept his mouth shut, he figured that if he just stayed quiet, it would soon disappear as if it had never happened. All he had to do was stay secluded and keep his mouth shut for about three days, along with the other party. Just as he had always done.
However, this time, things had escalated.
[Exclusive]
The chaebol male lead from the drama exists in reality.
* * *
The ‘just a’ fling of S Group’s second son, devoid of ‘love’ or ‘sincerity.’
* * *
2026.04.14 | Reporter Gu Rae-ah
“That chaebol male lead,” whose name is readable even when written in initials, has become a hot topic once again.
Two weeks ago, Actor A, who admitted to dating rumors after being spotted affectionately departing the country with Mr. C, started a live broadcast on the early morning of the 26th via a private SNS account (a secret personal account, not an official one).
During the live stream, Actor A spoke through tears, pouring out meaningful remarks such as, “He said he never liked me once,” “I didn’t know we were nothing,” “I’m the idiot for misunderstanding,” and “Bad bastard.”
The precarious live stream, conducted while Actor A was heavily intoxicated, was cut short when an acquaintance rushed to the house, but a short clip—seemingly recorded and leaked by someone—spread rapidly across social media.
S Group is distancing itself, stating it is “unaware of the matter,” but predictions are emerging that this controversy will have a significant impact on a large-scale project currently being pursued by S Group.
Netizens are reacting with increasing criticism toward Mr. C, with comments such as, “At this point, it’s a mental illness,” “The subject is completely exposed, why use initials?” and “There were only 8 followers on the private account, who leaked it? Cut ties with everyone.”
Cha Se-jin looked down at the tablet screen his father had turned toward him. From the headline to the content and the comments below, it was quite a spectacle.
Honestly, he found it absurd. The person who mistook sleeping together once or twice because they were both horny for the love of the century was the one at fault; why did he have to hear such nonsense? He couldn’t understand it.
But now was not the time to argue about whether he understood or not. Thanks to Han Se-rin delivering a performance for the ages—specifically while drunk, on a private account, and via a live stream—he had found himself in a very difficult situation.
“Cha Se-jin.”
His parents, who had let it slide as a matter of private life during the previous five scandals, were no longer smiling. His father had even added his surname before his name, something he rarely did. His face looked as though he had no intention of tolerating this any longer.
Cha Se-jin looked back and forth between his angry-looking mother and father and gave them a smiling gaze. Nine times out of ten, this was the cheat code to soothe his parents’ anger.
“Fix your attitude. Do we look like we’re joking right now?”
Having hit the one-out-of-ten failure rate, Cha Se-jin straightened his back. The content wasn’t much different from the previous five scandals, so he honestly didn’t understand why his parents were so much angrier this time.
“There’s a limit to how much we can understand and overlook as your private life. If your mother and I are trying to be understanding, you should at least pretend to exercise some restraint.”
“I’m sorry for making a scene. But I can’t love everyone I sleep with. We weren’t meeting because we liked each other in the first place.”
“They said they met you because they liked you.”
“That’s their business; I didn’t. Just because they like me doesn’t mean I have to like them back. They said it was fine to just meet without caring about that, but then the moment I said I had no intention of dating, they suddenly made me out to be trash. Isn’t that the weird part? I mean, Mom, Dad. What did I do so wrong?”
His parents sighed simultaneously as they looked at Cha Se-jin’s genuinely aggrieved expression. They wondered what on earth to do with the second child, who stood out so much among the three siblings. Neither the eldest nor the youngest lived such a promiscuous and frivolous life; they had no idea how he had ended up like this alone.
It wasn’t that he lacked education, nor was he the only one spoiled; they had made him do everything the others did and disciplined him strictly where necessary, yet he had brazenly crossed the line on his own.
“Still, this is too much. It’s not just once or twice; we’ve overlooked as much as we can. How long are you going to live like this?”
“Can’t I just live like this…?”
“What?”
“No, I mean, others say they start liking someone after sleeping with them a few times, but I’m not like that. I don’t. I just get bored and lose interest.”
“…Even when spoken to kindly, he just doesn’t get it.”
Hearing Cha Se-jin’s words, his father closed his eyes tightly and opened them as if there were no hope. He then continued in a sterner voice.
“If you’re going to keep living like that, go abroad and never come back. Don’t even contact us.”
Ah, Dad’s playing hardball. Cha Se-jin flinched slightly at the command to go abroad.
He had plenty of money, was well-educated, spoke the languages, and knew from experience that his handsome face and superior physique were welcomed anywhere in the world, so it wouldn’t be a difficult task. However, there was a complete difference between going because he wanted to and being kicked out.
“Or, settle down by getting married, like Jae-hyeok.”
The word ‘marriage’ struck his mind, which had been racing to figure out how to persuade and soothe his parents. Cha Se-jin lifted his gaze from the tablet and looked back and forth between his father and mother.
“Jae-hyeok? Gi Jae-hyeok?”
“Yes. When I was invited to Chairman Gi’s house for dinner the day before yesterday, I saw that Jae-hyeok had changed beyond recognition. The boy who was exactly like you before marriage has become very steady and reliable.”
Cha Se-jin suppressed a surge of nausea as he pictured the Gi Jae-hyeok his father was describing. That bastard, who had played around far filthier than he ever had, suddenly pretended to have come to his senses after an arranged marriage. He had spent the last year acting like a sweet husband and a father who had never played around, lecturing him so much that Se-jin had cut ties with him a year ago.
Contrary to Se-jin’s belief that the playboy streak would resurface within a month, Gi Jae-hyeok hadn’t shown up at a single drinking party for an entire year. Even when they happened to meet at official social gatherings, he looked at Se-jin and his friends with eyes that seemed to ask if they still lived like that, which was incredibly annoying.
“Choose.”
Seeing his parents’ faces, which showed they had absolutely no intention of letting this slide, Cha Se-jin shrugged his shoulders lightly, as if the choice weren’t difficult at all.
“I’ll get married.”
It was the parents who were flustered by that light and easy answer. They had suggested such an extreme method thinking he would at least pretend to behave to avoid it, but for him to agree to marry without a single moment of hesitation… they couldn’t help but be shocked.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while.”
“Thinking about what? Marriage?”
“Yes. It’s like… destiny, isn’t it? Arranged marriages in chaebol families. Seeing Hyung do it, I knew a time like this would come for me eventually.”
“Se-jin, we aren’t joking. And your case is different from your brother’s. Your brother chose it himself because he needed it.”
“I’m not joking either, Mom. I don’t care who I marry. It’s not like I’ll ever marry someone because I’ve fallen for them anyway. If that’s the case, it’s better to be of help to the company.”
In the first place, they had no intention of forcing him into a loveless marriage. Although arranged marriages were common in chaebol families, they weren’t mandatory. However, the eldest had chosen his own partner, claiming an arranged marriage was necessary to achieve his goals and do the work he wanted. Now, seeing the second child—who was beyond free to the point of excess—casually rambling about getting an arranged marriage, they were speechless. The two were so different, yet how could they reach the exact same conclusion?
They wanted to scold him sharply, telling him that arranged marriages aren’t for just anyone, that the more political the marriage, the more criteria are considered and the more important the conditions are, and asking who would marry someone with a reputation as dirty as his—that marriage isn’t something to be brought up so lightly. But if they did that, they would just be back at square one.
Seventh, eighth… tenth, twentieth… Thinking of the scandals that would continue, they felt they couldn’t leave their son alone, who was so frivolous about everything that he even held such a light view of ‘marriage.’
They had no choice but to let him learn how terrifying a carelessly spoken word could be and how much immense responsibility it entailed.
“Fine. Then I’ll look for a partner. No taking it back later.”
“Okay. Oh, but Mom.”
Right, of course. There was no way he could decide something as important as ‘marriage’ so easily, like a joke. Just as his parents waited, thinking their son would finally show a normal reaction, Cha Se-jin beamed.
“I care a lot about looks. If they’re ugly, I’m not marrying.”
At those incredibly light words, delivered with that pretty smile that always melted their hearts no matter what trouble he caused, Cha Se-jin’s parents were finally left speechless.
He was their son, but really… he was hopeless.
[Exclusive]
The chaebol male lead from the drama exists in reality.
* * *
The ‘just a’ fling of S Group’s second son, devoid of ‘love’ or ‘sincerity.’
* * *
2026.04.14 | Reporter Gu Rae-ah
“That chaebol male lead,” whose name is readable even when written in initials, has become a hot topic once again.
Two weeks ago, Actor A, who admitted to dating rumors after being spotted affectionately departing the country with Mr. C, started a live broadcast on the early morning of the 26th via a private SNS account (a secret personal account, not an official one).
During the live stream, Actor A spoke through tears, pouring out meaningful remarks such as, “He said he never liked me once,” “I didn’t know we were nothing,” “I’m the idiot for misunderstanding,” and “Bad bastard.”
The precarious live stream, conducted while Actor A was heavily intoxicated, was cut short when an acquaintance rushed to the house, but a short clip—seemingly recorded and leaked by someone—spread rapidly across social media.
S Group is distancing itself, stating it is “unaware of the matter,” but predictions are emerging that this controversy will have a significant impact on a large-scale project currently being pursued by S Group.
Netizens are reacting with increasing criticism toward Mr. C, with comments such as, “At this point, it’s a mental illness,” “The subject is completely exposed, why use initials?” and “There were only 8 followers on the private account, who leaked it? Cut ties with everyone.”