By Zephyria “Kwon Young-ho, that bastard.”
“…Ah.”
Kim Hui-won sighed softly. Kwon Young-ho, that man… he acted like a scoundrel, and he finally caused an accident.
Meanwhile, Kwon Young-je got up from his chair. He walked around the desk and sat on the edge of it. Before Hui-won knew it, they were face to face.
“Kwon Young-ho’s side is already a mess. The opponent he messed with this time isn’t easy to deal with. It seems they’re trying hard to cover it up.”
“Can they, when there are even rumors circulating?”
“They’re pouring money into it, so they might be able to resolve it somehow, but well. We’ll have to see. I don’t know if they can stop the rumors.”
“If it’s Director Kwon Young-ho’s pattern… he might try to frame Executive Director Kwon as the subject of the rumors.”
Kwon Young-je’s shirt was stretched taut near his chest as he braced his hands on the desk. He suddenly tilted his head back and let out a dry laugh.
“You know Kwon Young-ho pretty well now, don’t you?”
“I’ve had to deal with him so much.”
“Then you must also know that you have to strike first before getting hit.”
Hui-won stared straight into the eyes of the man in front of him. He couldn’t possibly grasp the grand scheme in Kwon Young-je’s head, but he knew one thing for sure.
“Are you going to get rid of Director Kwon Young-ho?”
The corners of Kwon Young-je’s lips curled up gently. That meant he was right.
Indeed, if the situation was handled well, Kwon Young-ho’s head could be chopped off this time. Since it was a sex crime, of all things, the social repercussions couldn’t be ignored.
It would tarnish the company’s name a bit, but Chairman Kwon wouldn’t stand for it. Or rather, the more the company’s name was mentioned, the higher the probability that Chairman Kwon would come down hard. He was a man with tremendous affection for the company, so he wouldn’t show leniency, not even to family or blood relatives.
While Hui-won was racking his brain, Kwon Young-je sat still and watched him. Like an Emperor trusting his strategist, waiting to see how much he could figure out. His expressionless face exuded an arrogant composure.
Hui-won mulled over his thoughts and cautiously suggested,
“How about leaking the source a little?”
“Those people Secretary Kim knows?”
Kim Hui-won had built a solid network of contacts in the media. Although he had worked at his previous company for less than half a year, he had left on good terms, so he maintained friendships with the people he had met there. And what about his university classmates and Seonbae? Now that they had gained experience, they all held significant positions. Moreover, they were active in the field. It was the perfect time to use them.
Hui-won had been in charge of official press releases, so he had people he contacted frequently.
Video rather than text, and preferably a terrestrial broadcasting station.
When a suitable person came to mind and Hui-won told Kwon Young-je, he smiled with his eyes.
“I really chose a good secretary.”
It was the most satisfied expression Kwon Young-je had shown so far.
* * *
“Yes, Hyung. I’m doing well. How’s Yoo-jung? Is she still making a fuss about playing soccer? Ah, ballet this time… Ballet is good. If kids learn it early, their bodies become flexible and their posture is corrected. What’s wrong with my voice? No, nothing’s wrong. I’m just tired. It’s not that I’m busy… it’s just that the company is so noisy these days.”
Hui-won rattled off lies without batting an eye. No, when you think about it, they weren’t lies. He was just putting on a show of being tired and troubled, but the words he was saying were all based on absolute facts.
He called a university Seonbae who worked as a PD for a major broadcasting company’s current affairs program to check in and subtly mentioned the Kwon Young-ho incident. As expected, the Seonbae eagerly took the bait and thrashed about. He asked Hui-won to confirm the facts two or three times and begged to take the source himself. He promised to keep the informant’s personal information strictly confidential.
“Ah, Hyung. I really shouldn’t… if the fact that I said this gets out, I’ll really get fired from the company.”
Hui-won refused a few times in a troubled tone, then reluctantly revealed more information. It didn’t prick his conscience, but his face stung. It was because Kwon Young-je had been standing with his arms crossed, staring at him as if he were looking at a strange object.
He deliberately turned his back to continue the call. He talked about Kwon Young-ho for a few more minutes, then ended the call with a meal appointment that was no different from a formality.
Hui-won let out a light sigh and turned around. Kwon Young-je was still standing there like a stone statue, watching him.
“Your acting… is quite something?”
“Thank you.”
He nonchalantly accepted the words that were unlikely to be a compliment. Hui-won cleared his throat softly and continued his report.
“Judging from the reaction, it seems they’ll start investigating right away.”
“You’re an expert in that area, so there won’t be any problems.”
Kwon Young-je tilted his chin slightly with his arms crossed. A glint of light flowed from his face as he looked down at Hui-won.
“Secretary Kim, don’t get involved in this matter any further. I’ll take care of monitoring Kwon Young-ho’s movements.”
“Yes, Executive Director.”
Kwon Young-je had already secretly attached a monitor. Judging by his actions and attitude, he was clearly in the position of a villain plotting a scheme, but his handsome features offset his sinister atmosphere.
Hui-won thought to himself. Executive Director Kwon was the guy who benefited the most from his face among the people he knew. And he should never cross Kwon Young-je.
After finishing their secret conversation, two hours had passed in a flash. The secretaries seemed curious about what they had talked about inside, but Hui-won silently returned to his seat and started working.
No one could know whether Kwon Young-ho’s head would be chopped off or not.
As soon as the investigative report began, Kwon Young-ho’s side was in a state of emergency.
He denied any involvement, but like a mole digging tunnels and popping up, his past actions were bursting out here and there.
He hadn’t done anything separately. It was all because Kwon Young-ho had done so many terrible things. There was a limit to the cover-ups, and despite the hard-won agreement with the victim, this incident was gradually coming to the surface.
He was investigated by the police, but a defense team with a brilliant track record protected him and the matter was glossed over. But the problem was the media.
Since it was a current affairs program famous for shaking out even the dust hidden in socks once it bit, Kwon Young-ho was also quite troubled. He tried to meet the PD and persuade him, and even threatened him, but nothing worked.
Thinking that he couldn’t die alone like this, he brought up the incident where Kwon Young-je had almost received a complaint from an employee in the past, but… evidence emerged that Kwon Young-ho had gaslighted the employee, which led to a self-defeating result.
“Did you foresee this?”
“What?”
“Researcher Kim Seon-yul. When did you prepare such evidence?”
Inside the moving car, Hui-won asked about the details. He had heard that he had paid the researcher 30 million won in settlement money last week. But it was the first time he had heard that he had also collected evidence linked to Kwon Young-ho.
Kwon Young-je, who was reading the news in the back seat, glanced sideways. As if asking why he was asking such a thing, he replied with a dry face.
“Isn’t that obvious? Did you think I would have given the settlement money without that much benefit?”
Emails, texts, and call recordings. Looking at the benefits he had reaped, the 30 million won was not wasted.
He was ruthless. Hui-won once again clicked his tongue at Kwon Young-je’s meticulousness. Before he knew it, the destination was starting to appear in front of him. Hui-won drove the car toward the apex headquarters, which boasted its majesty today as well.
An emergency board meeting was called due to the current affairs program that aired yesterday. Chairman Kwon, who was sitting at the head of the table, had a face that was boiling with anger, and Kwon Young-ho, who was sitting in the first seat diagonally, had a corpse-like complexion.
Kwon Young-je, who was sitting across from him, revealed a calm demeanor and drank the Yongjing tea prepared as refreshments. The tea, with its subtle sweetness, was truly outstanding.
“It’s one thing to smear dirt on the company’s name, but a sex crime of all things? A pharmaceutical company’s Executive Director using drugs?”
Chairman Kwon’s thunderous roar echoed loudly. Kwon Young-ho gradually shrank in the middle of the conference room, where there was nowhere to hide. His already sharp face had turned into a shriveled husk in the past few days.
“It was an attempt, Chairman. Fortunately, I’ve already reached an agreement with the victim, and the police investigation has already concluded with a decision not to forward the case….”
“Is it fortunate that your face has been sold to the entire nation? You wretched bastard, you still haven’t come to your senses!”
If there was an ashtray in front of him, he would have smashed Kwon Young-ho’s head with it. Chairman Kwon’s anger was beyond imagination, so there was no consideration for him as a director or anything else. As he was humiliated in front of numerous board members, Kwon Young-ho gritted his teeth and lowered his face, which was flushed red.