Chapter 126 – Ordinarily – Part 6

Chapter 126 – Ordinarily – Part 6

Lee Hyerim blinked once and asked.

“A gift?”

Woojin, who had been looking at his wristwatch, lowered his arm and said,

“Yes, Young Lady, it’s not something material. I don’t know if you’ll like it.”

“Not material?”

“That’s right.”

Lee Hyerim tilted her head and thought quietly.

He said it’s not something material like food, furniture, a watch, or clothes.

No matter how much she thought, nothing came to mind.

“What is it?”

“You’ll find out in two hours.”

Lee Hyerim tapped her chest as if frustrated.

But she quickly let out a chuckle.

“Mr. Shin Woojin, you know that when you say that, expectations just keep rising, right?”

“There’s a high chance you’ll like it.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

As Lee Hyerim smiled and led the way, Woojin, holding the shopping bag, followed behind her.

She didn’t stand next to him, but stood a little behind him, just like an Executive Assistant.

The place they arrived at was a luxury perfume store.

Lee Hyerim, who had scanned the displayed perfumes, looked at Woojin and spoke to the Staff Member.

“Please recommend a perfume that is neither too heavy nor too light.”

“Young Lady, I don’t wear perfume…”

“Didn’t you hear me before we came? Don’t contradict me.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Lee Hyerim turned away from Woojin and covered her mouth with her hand to hide her wide smile.

“How about this scent?”

At the Staff Member’s words, Woojin briefly recalled old memories.

When he was trapped in the warehouse and returned home and first smelled food, he thought it was ‘perfume’.

Because the smell was so good.

“It’s good.”

“We also have this scent.”

“It’s good.”

At Woojin’s parrot-like responses, Lee Hyerim eventually chose a perfume for him.

“I’ll take this one. It seems to suit Mr. Woojin.”

It was a subtly spreading scent.

It was reminiscent of a sunny spring day and seemed to suit Woojin.

“Thank you.”

Lee Hyerim’s gifts weren’t just that.

Even a tie and a pin.

She completely styled Woojin to her taste, a full set.

Lee Hyerim looked Woojin up and down.

If he put down the shopping bag he was holding, he would look like a wealthy Young Master.

Perhaps it was also because of his face, but he looked perfectly fine no matter where he was placed.

Of course, she usually thought of Woojin that way, but today he looked especially more… that way.

Just then, Woojin looked at his wristwatch.

“It’s one minute before.”

At that time.

Choi Gibae, sitting in front of the PC, was scrolling down with the mouse.

He was looking at an article,

[Large Corporation Mr. L and Actor Mr. M were at the same hotel…]

The person who posted the article with the photo was not Choi Gibae, but another reporter named Kim Miyeong.

Choi Gibae chuckled and muttered.

“I’m a bastard, too, but what you guys are doing is just the same.”

Shinhwa Group had countless incidents covered up with money.

Suddenly, Woojin, whom he had seen at the Billiards Hall, came to mind.

‘Choose. You won’t be able to get money from Assistant Manager Cha Juhyeok. Instead, they’ll frame Reporter Choi as the perpetrator. And Reporter Choi actually blackmailed them. However, there’s a way to get money. Hand it over to another reporter. I’ll give you the 20 million won I mentioned earlier. And all you have to do is pretend to apologize to Assistant Manager Cha Juhyeok. You’ll know if my words are false or true when Assistant Manager Cha Juhyeok arrives.’

Choi Gibae couldn’t refuse Woojin’s offer.

It was because he had started watching Lee Yohwan due to money.

He started for money, and even though he caught something, he couldn’t get the money he wanted, so Shin Woojin’s words were incredibly sweet.

Since he secretly received money from Shin Woojin, and never from Cha Juhyeok, it would be difficult to establish guilt.

This is how Woojin used Choi Gibae’s desire.

“By the way…”

Choi Gibae fixed his gaze on the article and muttered.

“Is chaos already breaking out in Shinhwa Group? This, this… Is it a team kill?”

***

Lee Hyerim looked at Woojin with a puzzled expression and spoke.

“One minute?”

Woojin searched for an article on his cellphone and handed it to Lee Hyerim.

“Ah…”

Lee Hyerim’s gaze, which had been on the article, turned to Woojin.

“Did you…?”

Woojin’s lips seemed to curl up slightly.

“Young Lady, this is my gift.”

Lee Hyerim’s chin seemed to tremble.

Her mouth closed as if trying to hold something back.

She had this vague feeling that Woojin might, just might, cause some trouble.

It was like…

He was punishing someone on her behalf.

Her family history from when she was little flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern.

‘Dad, my sister pushed me.’

‘Get along.’

‘My brother cut my hair.’

‘Get along.’

‘Dad, today at school… ‘

‘Don’t be a crybaby.’

Lee Hyerim forcibly held back the tears that strangely wanted to come out and looked at Woojin with reddened eyes.

His subtly smiling face seemed to be saying this:

‘I’ll punish them.’

Lee Hyerim sighed and wiped her eyes.

“I really can’t live because of you.”

“Happy birthday, Young Lady.”

“…You knew?”

Tears streamed down her face.

She didn’t even know why she was crying.

Suddenly, her emotions overwhelmed her.

Woojin touched her shoulder.

“There are a lot of people here. If the Shinhwa Group people see the Young Lady crying in front of me, I might get fired.”

Lee Hyerim, who had been covering her face with one hand, quickly looked up.

“Who? As long as I’m here, no one can touch you. No one.”

“Your grace is boundless.”

At Woojin’s words, Lee Hyerim chuckled.

Woojin pulled something out of his pocket and held it out.

It was a USB Drive.

“The original photo from the article. There are no copies. It should be fine to take this to Father. Of course, the article will be taken down as soon as you, Hyerim, meet Father.”

Lee Hyerim shook her head.

“You don’t have to do this. Stop now.”

“As I said, it’s a birthday present. If you, Hyerim, refuse, my efforts will be in vain.”

“If you say it like that, it’s hard to refuse.”

Woojin formed another faint smile.

“Young Lady, now is the time.”

* * *

Assistant Manager Cha Juhyeok, standing in front of the Chief, couldn’t hide his troubled expression.

“What happened?”

“It seems there was another Reporter. It’s different from the photos Reporter Choi Gibae took.”

That was obvious.

Because Choi Gibae had moved around and taken photos from various angles.

The Chief rubbed his forehead with his index and middle fingers, as if he had a headache.

“That Kim Mi-yeong, ugh… I promised not to swear. Where is her company?”

“It’s called Bright World. It’s quite small, with only three reporters.”

“What’s the situation?”

“They’re posting counter-articles and responding with celebrity news, but the person Young Master Lee Yohwan met happens to be quite well-known…”

“He should have just played around with her appropriately. Contact that actor quickly. It’s possible she intentionally had reporters waiting and told them when he’d leave the hotel to catch Young Master Lee Yohwan. Also contact the portals…”

Just then, the door opened and someone entered.

It was Lee Hye-rim.

Cha Ju-hyeok quickly bowed, and the Chief, who had stood up, also bowed respectfully.

The Chief then looked up and said,

“Young Lady, what brings you here…?”

“It sounds like you’re implying I shouldn’t be here, am I right?”

“No, not at all. Please, have a seat here.”

As the Chief gestured to the sofa, Lee Hye-rim placed a USB drive on the table instead of sitting down.

“These are the original photos from the article. The article has also been taken down.”

The Chief’s eyes widened slightly, and he gestured to Cha Ju-hyeok.

Cha Ju-hyeok, who immediately searched on his smartphone, said,

“The article has been taken down. I will instruct them to remove the counter-article right away.”

With Lee Yohwan’s article taken down and the counter-article removed, it would naturally disappear from the real-time search rankings.

This was because there was no gossip or information for people to talk about.

Instead, other celebrity incidents instructed by SH Strategy would rise in the real-time search rankings.

After Cha Ju-hyeok left, the Chief cautiously began to speak.

“Young Lady, but how did you…?”

“How isn’t important. We’re family. That explains it, right? Then, you’re dismissed.”

Lee Hye-rim left the Chief’s office without looking back.

***

Father’s gaze, which had been on the PC, loosely settled on Lee Yohwan.

“The Hyerim you dislike stopped it. And you’re bringing such shame upon your father.”

Lee Yohwan’s eyes, which had been looking around the floor, widened slightly.

And he spoke quickly.

“Father, we just ran into each other. It’s definitely not that kind of relationship.”

Father stood up and tossed his jacket onto the table.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of relationship you have with that entertainer. What matters is that I’ve been shamed. What do you think your Grandfather and my siblings will think of me? Don’t you know that if your father does well, your future path will be prosperous?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Your Chief, your right-hand man, has also been thrown into the detention center.”

“I am ashamed. Father, I will do better from now on. I’m sorry.”

Due to the Mirae Industry incident, his loyal subordinate, Lee Yohwan, took the fall for everything and was imprisoned.

Thud.

Father, having removed his watch, approached Lee Yohwan.

His voice seemed devoid of any emotion.

“You shouldn’t have caused a situation to be sorry for.”

Smack!

Lee Yohwan’s head snapped violently to the side.

His lip was split, and blood streamed down.

Just then, the Secretary knocked and entered.

“Young Lady has arrived.”

Lee Yohwan wiped his lip, and Lee Hyerim stood next to him.

“You called for me.”

“Yes.”

Father returned to the CEO’s chair and sat down.

And he spoke to Lee Yohwan.

Don’t you have something to say to Hyerim?

Lee Yohwan, who had been frowning, finally spoke.

Thank you.

Lee Hyerim responded dryly to Lee Yohwan’s completely emotionless tone.

What are you thanking me for? We’re family.

After that, there was a brief silence.

Father, who had been looking back and forth between Lee Hyerim and Lee Yohwan, finally spoke.

Yohwan, you’re going to Thailand this month. You’ll oversee the resort business and report back.

Father!

It was no different than being exiled.

Just because I was photographed with a celebrity once…

Seeing Father’s eyebrows furrow, Lee Yohwan could not continue his sentence.

You had many chances. You threw them away and acted like a delinquent. And when you return, you’ll have another chance. You’ll have to think carefully about what kind of person you can become while you’re there.

Lee Yohwan gritted his teeth, and Father’s gaze returned to Lee Hyerim.

Hyerim, you did well. I’d like you to fill the void while your brother is gone. What do you think?

Meanwhile, Woojin was talking on the phone with Prosecutor Kim Cheolung, looking at the setting sun.

We’re going to throw a party. Young Master Lee Yohwan is under a lot of stress right now. Today is D-Day. The iron is hot, Prosecutor.

He won’t miss it.