Scandal Chapter 2

Chapter 2

✶ ✶ ✶

Ding dong, ding dong!

The doorbell rang loudly from early in the morning.

“Ah, why is it so noisy…?”

Hee-won, who had only slept for 3 hours, stretched wearily and got out of bed.

“Ah, right! I have a schedule!”

Hee-won’s eyes widened. She quickly shoved the dildo and vibrator, which were lying on the floor, into the nightstand. It felt uncomfortable to put the unwashed sex toys into the nightstand, but for now, hiding them was the priority.

If she didn’t open the door, her manager, Kang Ho-young, might open the door lock with the password and barge into her home.

Hurriedly tidying up the bedroom, Hee-won threw on a nightgown over her sleepwear, and headed for the front door.

When she opened the door, Kang Ho-young was standing there, looking at Hee-won with a worried expression.

“Today is the day you’re meeting with the advertiser. You need to hurry up and wash. We’re going to be late at this rate.”

“Yeah… advertiser? You mean the DK Electronics cellphone advertiser, right?”

“Yes, why didn’t you answer the phone? I was worried.”

“I fell into a deep sleep for the first time in a while, so I didn’t even notice the phone ringing.”

“I’m sorry. Did I wake you up?”

“I was going to wake up anyway, so it’s fine.”

“I thought you might be having a panic attack like last time, so I was going to open the door and come in.”

“No, I’m okay these days.”

Kang Ho-young scratched his head and said.

“You need to head to the salon, so please come out quickly.”

“Wait for me in the living room. I need to shower and get dressed. What about Unnie¹ Eunsil?”

“Eunsil is organizing your clothes in the car. I’ll tell her to come up quickly.”

“Okay.”

Ho-young sent a message to Hee-won’s stylist, Eunsil, telling her to come upstairs.

Meanwhile, Hee-won went to the bathroom and started her shower.

She was still feeling exhausted.

The fatigue from finishing the filming for the streaming service, Uflex², just a few days ago still weighed heavily on her.

After finishing her shower under the hot water, Hee-won quickly put on some clothes and came out into the living room. There, stylist Hwang Eunsil had spread out about a dozen outfits on the floor and was waiting for her.

“Unnie, why are there so many clothes today? If someone saw this, they’d think I’m going to a ceremony.”

When Hee-won saw the larger-than-usual pile of clothes, she asked Eunsil.

“It’s the day you’re meeting Mr. Kwon Ji-seop, the executive director of DK Electronics. You need to look good.”

“Why all this fuss just because of the advertiser? It’s not even a day for shooting an ad. I can just wear whatever clothes I have.”

“No, the CEO said you need to dress properly.”

The commotion from early in the morning was due to the instructions from Hee-won’s entertainment agency CEO, Kwon Gu-yong.

Reluctantly, Hee-won began trying on the luxury clothes Eunsil handed her.

“As expected of Lee Hee-won. Is there any outfit that doesn’t suit you?”

Stylist Hwang Eunsil wasn’t the type to flatter with empty words, even if her life depended on it.

If something didn’t suit, she would skillfully point it out, leaving no room for argument. But it was an undeniable fact that no matter what she wore, the clothes always seemed to suit Hee-won perfectly.

“Let’s go with this one. It’s the prettiest.”

Eunsil said as she watched Hee-won hold up the new outfit from “Yurally.”

“Isn’t this a ‘Yurally’ outfit?”

“Yeah, it’s a new release. It’s well-made, right? It suits you.”

“Unnie, are you crazy? I’m not wearing this. I told you not to even go near ‘Yurally,’ why did you bring it?!”

Hee-won raised her voice at Eunsil, who was caught in the crossfire.

And it was understandable. For three years since her debut, Hee-won had firmly held her position as the Asia regional model for ‘Yurally.’ But just recently, she lost her spot to a K-pop idol.

The reason was simple.

It all started with a careless remark Hee-won made, which caused the French CEO of ‘Yurally’ to become angry with her.

 

‘Yurally’s bold new design once again proves that we’re a luxury brand. The daring spirit of Yurally’s founder and designer, Madame Yurally, who was once a Soviet spy, has carried through to this day.’

 

Hee-won’s thoughtless comment about the founder of ‘Yurally,’ who had been a spy during World War II, had brought up a dark chapter of the company’s history. It led to a commotion in France, and once again, Hee-won’s entertainment agency CEO, Kwon Gu-yong, had to issue a gag order to her.

“Hee-won, you need to be more careful with your words.”

“Why is this my fault?! Did I say something that wasn’t true? The Yurally lady was dating a French officer while passing on confidential information to the Soviet army! I even saw it on NetTube on my way to my schedule!”

“Anyway, I get it, so don’t be mad. Just wear this.”

“Unnie, no matter how dumb I might seem, I still have some pride.”

“Who cares what anyone says, you are the human ‘Yurally.’”

“I won’t wear it, even if a knife is put to my neck. If you keep doing this, I’ll cry.”

Feeling deeply insulted, Hee-won grabbed a luxury outfit from ‘Dellanua’ and threw it on before storming out of the house.

Unable to break the stubbornness of the top star, Eunsil reluctantly started tidying up the clothes and followed her.

As Hee-won got into the van, Kang Ho-young, who had been waiting in the driver’s seat, pressed the accelerator. Despite not being an advertising shoot, Hee-won was already exhausted from her manager and stylist’s unusually nervous actions early in the morning.

✶ ✶ ✶

“Hee-won, just try to keep quiet today and don’t say much.”

Kwon Gu-yong, the CEO of DK Entertainment, looked at Hee-won with affectionate eyes.

It was understandable. Slowly struggling, DK Entertainment had regained its position as the top entertainment company in South Korea after three years, thanks to Hee-won.

DK Entertainment, a subsidiary of DK Group, focused on film investment, distribution, idol training, and cultivating movie actors. However, the company had been operating at a loss due to the CEO Kwon Gu-yong’s lax management.

Meanwhile, Hee-won, who had been street-cast as an idol trainee at the age of sixteen, was already famous as the “Goddess of Ansan” since her middle school days.

Seeing Hee-won’s potential, the company offered her full support in exchange for a 10-year long-term contract.

However, no matter how much she practiced, Hee-won’s singing and dancing skills never improved.

The pretty goddess would just flounder like a squid in the practice room and only move her lips like a goldfish. Hence, debut seemed to be a distant dream. Despite enduring the grueling practice, she couldn’t even manage to lip-sync properly.

As CEO Kwon Gu-yong’s concerns grew deeper, Hee-won’s beauty became even more dazzling as she got older.

Eventually, CEO Kwon decided to shift Hee-won’s career from being an idol to becoming an actress.

As soon as she turned twenty, Hee-won debuted in the entertainment industry instead of pursuing university.

She struck it big with every film and drama she did, becoming a treasure trove of advertising deals.

Hee-won’s image was enigmatic. When she stayed still, she was pure, when she smiled, she was cute, and when she changed her gaze, she became sexy.

She was born to be an actress.

DK Entertainment was able to regain its former glory thanks to Lee Hee-won.

Whenever Hee-won earned money, CEO Kwon used the profits to invest in films and train idols, but there were no significant returns beyond that.

However, Hee-won had her own problems. Perhaps it was because she started as a trainee at such a young age.

Her brain wasn’t as innocent as her pure face.

With all the attention on her, Hee-won became a target for ridicule on the internet if she spoke without a filter. 

The public loved Hee-won, but at the same time, they hated her. 

It was for these reasons that Hee-won developed panic disorder.

“…Yes, CEO.”

At first, Hee-won felt hurt watching CEO Kwon Gu-yong telling her to keep quiet. But as she saw the hateful comments on the internet, she became more and more discouraged.

Admitting to herself that she was foolish was not an easy thing for Hee-won, but she knew it now.

She knew that whenever she opened her mouth, people would mock her.

There had been times when she was humiliated on a variety show for not being able to quickly recite multiplication tables, and there had been other times when she embarrassed herself in an interview by confusing Austria with Australia, revealing her ignorance to the world.

After that, Hee-won tried to maintain an air of mystery, but even that wasn’t easy.

The most beautiful actress in South Korea had self-esteem. Although she had a strong desire to learn, with her grueling schedule, it was hard to even read a book.

Was it a matter of realizing her situation?

In the end, Hee-won accepted her ignorance and made an effort to keep quiet in public settings as much as possible.

“Do you know how much DK Electronics spent to make you an advertising model?”

“Yes.”

“DK also covered the penalty for the Yurally model contract breach.”

“You’ve mentioned that a hundred times.”

“Make sure to thank Mr. Kwon Ji-seop later.”

“You told me not to say anything.”

“You have to express your gratitude!”

“Yes, CEO…” 

Hee-won replied with a downcast expression, and even that exuded a strange charm that invoked a sense of sadness.

CEO Kwon Gu-yong scolded her, yet he couldn’t help but smile contentedly as he looked at his actress’ beautiful face.

And how much time had passed?

The door to the DK Electronics reception room finally opened, a full 30 minutes after the scheduled time.

Being late was typically a rudeness reserved for top actors, but who could make a star like Lee Hee-won wait and still show up late? From the very first meeting, he had rubbed her the wrong way.

“Oh, you’re here?”

At the sound of CEO Kwon’s voice, Hee-won turned her head toward the door.

In the doorway stood a tall man, almost like a movie star, nodding his head slightly as he entered.

For a brief moment, Hee-won instinctively held her breath.

Though she was surrounded by some of the most handsome actors in South Korea every day, the man standing before her—Kwon Ji-seop—was beyond comparison.

Deep, captivating eyes, a nose chiselled like a sculpture, sharp jawlines, and an intelligent, confident expression.

A tall, well-built figure over 190 cm, with a suit that fit him perfectly.

He was so perfect that Hee-won couldn’t even think of any actors to compare him to.

Despite seeing handsome faces every day, she was taken aback by how striking he was.

“Father. Why did you call me, you know I’m busy.”

“Ji-seop, why else would I call you? I just wanted to ask you to take good care of our Hee-won.”

Father?

Was it correct that the handsome man just now had called CEO Kwon Gu-yong “Father”?