Scandal Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Chairman Kwon Young-jin, who is Jiseop’s grandfather, initially distanced his youngest son, Kwon Gu-yong. He lacked business management skills, and he wanted to keep him away from the key affiliates that formed the backbone of the group.

However, Jiseop proved his ability and rose to this position without relying on his father’s influence.

His goal was clear.

To surpass his uncle’s children and take control of DK Group with his own talent.

The one who always obstructed this grand ambition was his own father, CEO Kwon Gu-yong.

> “Please ask him to come in.”

– Yes, Executive Director.

The door opened, and CEO Kwon Gu-yong entered the office with his secretary. The secretary guided him to the sofa, served tea and snacks, and left.

Jiseop, who had stood up from his seat, walked over to the sofa and sat down. He looked at his father with contempt and spoke.

“I told you, I don’t want to hire Lee Hee-won as an advertising model. Do you know how much the market capitalization dropped today? Why are you always blocking my future?”

Jiseop said to his father while rubbing his face.

Not only DK Electronics but also the numerous contracts for advertising models Lee Hee-won had signed caused a flood of calls to cancel them. CEO Kwon Gu-yong opened his mouth with a face that looked like he was dying.

“Jiseop, that’s a misunderstanding. The guy, I mean, he’s a host, but he was originally a trainee at our company, you know? They’re just friends, they’re not dating.”

Jiseop muttered in a low voice at his father’s nonsensical explanation.

“Do hosts ever date female clients? They’re probably just having a business relationship. Anyway, it’s true that Lee Hee-won met the host at night, isn’t it, Father?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“Enough. I’m not going to consider your situation anymore. From now on, I’ll handle it strictly by the book.”

“Jiseop, no. Please don’t cancel the contract…”

“You know how much the penalty is, right? This is something you can’t cover up. You signed the contract agreeing to pay a penalty twice the advertising fee if the model damages the company’s image. And we even paid the penalty for the Yurally incident.”

Jiseop was ruthless even toward his father.

The Yurally incident might have been brushed off as a joke, but the impact of the actress caught secretly dating a host would not disappear with time.

“Actually… Jiseop, I have a good idea.”

There had never been a time when CEO Kwon Gu-yong mentioned a “good idea.”

Jiseop had no expectations left for his father.

“Forget it.”

“Jiseop, listen to me.”

But CEO Kwon Gu-yong, with a look in his eyes as if he had come up with a great solution, stared at Jiseop earnestly.

“I don’t want to listen.”

“If things continue like this, DK Ent. will go bankrupt. You know that, right? DK has a 25 percent stake in the upcoming Uflex drama. If that drama fails, DK Ent. will be finished. If DK Ent. fails, do you think the chairman will have a good impression of you?”

“…..”

Jiseop bit his lip tightly.

His father was always like this.

Knowing full well Jiseop’s immense ambition to surpass his cousins and take over DK Group, his father constantly shook him.

He even used the same pattern so that he would select Lee Hee-won as the advertising model for DK Electronics’ mobile phone.

That damn DK Entertainment.

If DK Entertainment held Jiseop back, it was nearly impossible for him to solidify his position within the group.

“Jiseop, you need to do something about this scandal.”

What nonsense was this again?

How could a mere executive director of a company be expected to resolve a scandal? Even after hearing his father’s words, Jiseop couldn’t make sense of it.

“You know denying it won’t work, right? My connections with the press can’t handle this.”

“I’m not saying to use your press connections.”

“Then what? Please just get to the point and leave.”

Jiseop glanced at the watch on his wrist. He was already irritated, and having to deal with his father felt like a nightmare.

“Jiseop.”

“Yes.”

“…If you could just admit you’re dating Hee-won and stir up a bigger scandal, would that work?”

Jiseop tensed his forehead, making sure he had heard correctly.

At his father’s words, Jiseop felt like he had been hit hard on the back of the head. His head buzzed for a moment.

After regaining his senses, he asked his father again.

“What did you say?”

“Hee-won dating the host would never be believed if denied. But if you two are seen as dating and a counter-article is published, people might believe it. The idea of her dating you, the grandson of Chairman Kwon Young-jin, is much more believable than her dating a host.”

Jiseop laughed in disbelief.

Now, he was asking him to create a fake scandal with a celebrity.

He was disgusted, and he didn’t want to talk to his father anymore.

“Forget it. If you’re going to talk nonsense like that, leave immediately.”

“Jiseop, we need to stop DK Entertainment’s stock from hitting the limit. Don’t you think so?”

“……”

Jiseop clenched his eyes shut and then opened them.

The stocks for today weren’t the issue.

If the movie being released by Uplex failed, DK Entertainment’s stock would surely become worthless.

“Jiseop, I’m not saying this out of selfishness. I’m saying this for your future. We need to save DK Entertainment first. Then you can have influence in the group.”

“…Please leave.”

Suppressing his boiling anger, Jiseop spoke in a calm voice to his father.

“Jiseop!”

“Leave!”

Only after Jiseop raised his voice did CEO Kwon Gu-yong leave the executive director’s office.

Fuming with rage, Jiseop tugged at his hair.

His father’s trashy suggestion frustrated him. Rather than supporting him, he was someone who was of no help in life.

Standing up from his seat, Jiseop sat at his desk and checked the stock prices.

Looking at DK Entertainment’s stock, which was plummeting, his mood felt like shit.

He had already indefinitely suspended the new DK mobile phone ad, but the ripple effect would soon affect DK Electronics’ stock. If that’s the case, all the responsibility would fall on Jiseop.

✶ ✶ ✶

Hee-won, lying on the bed without even washing up, burst into tears as she heard the door open.

How could someone with such messy hair still be so beautiful?

Hee-won’s flawless skin, as smooth as an egg, even seemed to glow. It felt as though only her surroundings were illuminated.

Whether she was in pain, sadness, happiness, or anger, Hee-won was always beautiful.

Hee-won stared at CEO Kwon Gu-yong with bloodshot eyes.

Her heart raced with the hope that he might have found a solution to the situation.

“Hee-won, sit over there.”

“CEO, what happened? Was the issue resolved?”

Hee-won sat down on the sofa.

But she didn’t even need to hear CEO Kwon Gu-yong’s words to know the answer.

His face, already pale, looked like it had been smeared with soot.

Even in this condition, the buttons of his shirt strained as his belly growled loudly.

“…You know that when an advertising model causes social controversy, the actress has to pay the penalty herself, right?”

Her heart sank.

Instead of saying he had solved the problem, CEO Kwon Gu-yong was telling Hee-won that she needed to pay the penalty herself.

“CEO…?”

“If you sell the building in Cheongdam-dong, you should be able to cover the DK penalty.”

At his words, Hee-won raised her voice.

“Penalty? So, things haven’t been resolved properly?”

“Well, that’s how it turned out. I’m sorry. You should have been more careful.”

“CEO! Even if I sell the building to pay the penalty, it’s not something that can be sold overnight!”

“You’d have to sell it at a fire sale price.”

“And I bought it with a lot of loans, so there’s not much profit for me.”

“You took out a lot of loans?”

“You know it. You were the one who introduced me to the bank for the loan.”

“Oh, I forgot. It’s not my building, though…”

Even the rental income from the building was all being given to her family, who drained the life out of her. Hence, she had no cash in hand.

No matter how big a star Hee-won was, she couldn’t possibly pay back the penalties from so many advertisers overnight.

She had been working tirelessly for three years since debuting at the age of twenty, barely sleeping. Now she had no cash to pay off the penalties.

Hee-won, who had suffered from insomnia in order to work, had gotten so used to taking sleeping pills that her virgin body, which had never even experienced sex, was worn out.

The money she had earned seemed like it was about to vanish into thin air. It felt like the sky was falling.

Hee-won felt completely empty just thinking about it.

“DK won’t demand the money right away. Let’s start by sorting out the buildings and paying slowly.”

“CEO, then what about me…?”

“Ha…”

Kwon Gu-yong let out a heavy sigh.

Hee-won’s career as an actress is now finished.

And Kwon Gu-yong’s life was also over. DK Entertainment, which had failed in every investment so far, was now facing its end due to Lee Hee-won’s risk.

“I’ve already put out a statement from the agency.”

“I’ll put out a rebuttal! Dongwon was just a trainee, and we’re just friends…”

“Don’t you know that every time you post something online, you just make things worse? If you say you’re friends with a host, do you really think people will side with you?”