Scandal Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Though Kwon Jiseop was not to her liking, Heewon was in no position to be picky.

Heewon, who had barely gotten by each day, couldn’t afford to let it all end like this.

“I didn’t come here to hear you say yes. You have no choice but to do it.”

“No choice?”

“Exactly! If you had been careful from the start, none of this would have happened!”

“How was I supposed to know that Dongwon was a host? Honestly, it’s partly your responsibility too, CEO. You kicked Dongwon out and he became a host.”

“Responsibility, my foot! From now on, don’t meet any men! You never know what kind of guy your friends are.”

Dongwon was more of a friend than a man, but it was futile to realize that even their last bit of friendship had shattered. She resented him for choosing such a profession.

It was disappointing to Heewon that Kim Dongwon, who could have worked hard to rebuild himself, had instead become a host, leeching off women’s backs.

“Okay…”

“I’m meeting with Executive Director Kwon for lunch tomorrow to sort things out, so you should know that.”

“Understood, CEO.”

“And listen.”

“Yes?”

“Executive Director Kwon’s personality… Well, you saw it last time, right?”

“Yes.”

“No matter how much of a big star you are, right now we’re in the subordinate position. Even if Executive Director Kwon gets nasty, you have to control your temper. You can’t act like you normally do!”

“What do you mean…?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t understand?”

“Got it… I’ll pretend to be nice.”

She couldn’t quite bring herself to say that she would actually pretend to be nice.

But pretending to be nice was better than nothing.

“Good. Now, eat something. You’re too skinny.”

“CEO?”

“Yeah, our Heewon!”

“…Can I eat tteokbokki instead of a proper meal?”

At Heewon’s question, Kwon Gu-yong shook his head.

“Haa… Just do whatever you want.”

Normally, Kwon Gu-yong would have thrown a fit at the thought of carbs, but for some reason, he didn’t say anything more and left.

Although solving the problem didn’t instantly bring her appetite back, the thought of tteokbokki, which she hadn’t had in two years, made her mouth water.

Heewon installed a delivery app, which wasn’t even on her phone’s app list, and was about to order the tteokbokki when her hand paused.

If Heewon ordered delivery, she would have to receive the food through the security guard. But with the whole world pointing fingers at her, no matter how badly she wanted tteokbokki, she wasn’t thick-skinned enough to do that.

“Haa… What does tteokbokki even mean in my life right now?”

Heewon collapsed back onto the sofa like a bug. But as soon as she thought that life wasn’t over, a flicker of hope sparked within her, and she almost burst into tears.

✶ ✶ ✶

The next day, Heewon set out for the parking lot early in the morning. Wearing a mask and dark clothes, she had a black cap pulled low over her head.

Her manager, Kang Ho-young, was waiting for her in the parking lot. To avoid being recognized, Heewon got into Kang Ho-young’s personal car instead of the van she usually drove.

“Are you here?”

“Yeah. Let’s go quickly.”

It had been a while since she went out without makeup.

Moreover, with her mask, dark clothes, and dark cap, anyone would have assumed she was going off to do something shady.

But despite being fully covered, Heewon’s beauty couldn’t be hidden.

Her small face gave her an unmatched figure, and the hair she maintained daily at the salon shimmered with a natural gloss even without any product.

Ho-young, worried about reporters possibly following them, quickly pressed the gas pedal.

Heewon, like a meerkat, kept glancing around, worried that someone might recognize her from the weakly tinted windows.

Before long, the car arrived at the “apartment” in Seongsu-dong.

They had made it here without a hitch, but now the problem was sneaking into Kwon Jiseop’s house without being spotted by the residents.

Her fully covered body seemed to raise suspicion, as the apartment residents glanced at her as she passed.

Feeling like a criminal, Heewon hunched her body as she entered the elevator.

Kang Ho-young used his large frame to shield her, allowing Heewon to enter Kwon Jiseop’s house undetected by the residents.

“Hello, it’s Heewon.”

As Heewon greeted and entered the door, Kwon Jiseop frowned immediately.

“Quiet. Why are you saying your name at the entrance? What if the neighbors hear you?”

“…”

Heewon clenched her teeth as she saw Kwon Jiseop already in a bad mood as soon as she walked in.

 

‘No matter how much of a big star you are, right now we’re in the subordinate position. Even if Executive Director Kwon gets nasty, you have to control your temper. You can’t act like you normally do!’

 

Heewon recalled the repeated advice from CEO Kwon Gu-yong and decided to “pretend to be nice.”

After all, she couldn’t deny the fact that Kwon Jiseop was the one who had saved her from the hell she was in.

Although Heewon wasn’t known for being the “good girl,” Kwon Jiseop was worse. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth and good looks, he probably thought the world revolved around him.

On the other hand, Heewon was born with nothing. As she rose to stardom, she had become a little tarnished in her humanity. 

“Is our Heewon here?”

Kwon Gu-yong, who had arrived earlier and was sitting in the living room, greeted Heewon with a soft voice.

Heewon took off her cap and mask and bowed her head slightly to Kwon Gu-yong.

Her silk-like hair cascaded down smoothly.

For a brief moment, Kwon Jiseop’s eyes lingered on Heewon’s sparkling eyes before quickly shifting away.

“CEO, you arrived early?”

“Right. I was excited,” Kwon Gu-young said with a cheerful tone. “Heewon, please, sit down here.”

Heewon sat down on the sofa, escorted by Kwon Gu-yong’s attentive care.

Kwon Jiseop looked at the scene with an expression that suggested some confusion, as if wondering why all the extra attention was necessary. 

This was the same Kwon Gu-yong, notorious for his arrogance, who had ruled over the trainees like a king. His treatment of Heewon, however, was reserved solely for her, given her vital role in keeping DK Entertainment afloat.

“Alright, I’ve briefed both of you, so you probably have a good understanding. Now, let’s discuss how to kick off this scandal,” Kwon Gu-young said, a businesslike tone now in his voice.

Kwon Jiseop, seemingly already prepared, answered smoothly, as if he had been planning this for some time.

“As for the host, whether or not he’s one, or whether you two are dating, that’s beyond my concern. However, you were once friends under DK Entertainment, and you were at that party with other people. Hence, we need to issue a rebuttal statement about that. Also, emphasize that Heewon didn’t know he was a host. Having someone who was at the gathering testify would be helpful.”

Heewon bristled at his words. 

It was as if Kwon Jiseop was assuming she frequently visited host bars, and that idea infuriated her.

“Executive Director Kwon,” Heewon interrupted sharply. 

“One moment, please. What you just said is a bit too much. Do you seriously think I’m the kind of woman who goes to host bars?”

“You don’t need to explain this to me. I already said it’s not my concern,” he replied dismissively.

“No, Executive Director! Don’t you recognize me? I’m Heewon! Do you have any idea how many men are after me? Even actor Cha Min-seong confessed to me, and Eun Dong-jun cried over me. I get DMs from idols all the time! What makes you think I’d be dating a host?”

“I’m not judging. There are people who prefer hosts over relationships,” he said coldly.

“No! That’s not true!” 

Heewon raised her voice in frustration, and Kwon Gu-yong immediately waved his hands in the air to calm her down.

“Heewon? I told you—calm down. Calm down!” he said, trying to defuse the situation.

Right. Pretend to be calm.

Heewon immediately realized her mistake and, remembering the advice she had been given, spoke more carefully and softly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to raise my voice. I’m not that kind of woman… I’m just too busy to even go to places like that, and even if I had time, I wouldn’t go.”

“Understood,” Kwon Jiseop sighed, as though he wasn’t particularly interested in the conversation anymore.

Heewon felt a wave of irritation wash over her at his dismissive attitude.

Was that all it took to get away with everything? Just wealth and power?

Were all rich people like this? 

Well, whatever.

In front of Kwon Jiseop, she had to keep pretending to be nice!

“I’m sorry. I think there’s been a misunderstanding, and I got a little excited.”

“Let’s stop with the unnecessary words,” Kwon Jiseop cut in, sounding uninterested.

“…Yes.”

Heewon’s response came out subdued. 

To be honest, this was the first time she’d ever been treated like this by a man.

Whether it was malicious intent or just simple interest, it was a strange feeling. 

Usually, no matter their age or status, men would at least treat her with some level of respect. But with Kwon Jiseop, she felt dismissed—like she was nothing more than an object in his world.

What’s going on? This arrogant chaebol didn’t even spare a proper glance at her.

If that bothered her a little, would it be an exaggeration?

It felt strange to see a man who wasn’t interested in her.

Well, if it’s someone like Kwon Ji-seop, there must be other great actresses, besides Hee-won, who would line up to get involved with him.

No, it’s not just actresses; even the daughters of chaebol families would be clamoring to meet him.

It seemed like Hee-won had overestimated herself, intoxicated by her own arrogance, and had underestimated Kwon Ji-seop.

“To sum it up, actress Lee Hee-won has someone else she’s seeing, and the previous article was false. Also, it’s important to note that the person who was with Lee Hee-won that day was not the host, but me. The newspaper that published the article should be sued, and we are preparing legal actions against anyone who continues to post speculative malicious comments.”

It was almost astonishing how quickly he had organized his thoughts.

Unlike Kwon Gu-yong, who seemed somewhat lacking, his son truly seemed like a sharp individual.

While DK Entertainment had failed to respond adequately, to the point where fans were frustrated, Ji-seop had made all the plans in just one day.

“We’ve been dating for a year and are seeing each other with marriage in mind.”

And then, Kwon Ji-seop’s words made Hee-won’s eyes grow twice as big.