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nHyunwoo was surprised by his sudden appearance. After the call yesterday, Hyunwoo felt Director Pae would be getting more and more nervous, but little did he think that Pae would come to see him so suddenly.

n“Oh, I see. Nice to see you,” said Hyunwoo, bowing to him before he knew.

nThough he didn’t want to abase himself before Pae, he wanted to be courteous to a senior like him.

nHyunwoo didn’t want to talk with him in Ani & Funny office.

n“There is a coffee shop nearby. Shall we move there?”

n“Sure.”

nHyunwoo walked ahead and led him to the coffee shop.

nThe light was dim inside, and there were no other customers there.

nA middle-aged hostess welcomed them with a bright voice.

n“Come on in, please.”

nThey ordered two cups of coffee and let her leave them alone.

n“Let’s have a heart-to-heart talk, Mr. Jang. What do you want?”

nWhat Hyunwoo wanted was just one thing: relieve Pae and Kwon of their current posts. Ideally they would quit, he hoped.

n“‘I don’t want anything,” said Hyunwoo.

n“Oh, Mr. Jang. Don’t be rough on me. Don’t you think it pays to be nice to each other? If you’re hard on me, what good does it do you?”

nBut Hyunwoo didn’t bat an eye, which pissed him off.

n“In fact, I didn’t want to say this, but I’m not on good ground in my company at the moment because of the Any & Funny issue. You must have heard that a rat in the corner could bite a cat, right?”

nHis conclusion was simple. If Hyunwoo didn’t make any concessions, he could attack Hyunwoo just like a rat in the corner biting a cat.

nHyunwoo was tight-lipped, though. He felt he wouldn’t get any good response even if he said something.

nPae now began to threaten him boldly.

n“I know your relationship with Yu Zuung already. I don’t think it will be good for you when that is divulged to the public…”

nHe looked at Hyunwoo as if to confirm Hyunwoo would have no other choice but to give in.

nOnly then did Hyunwoo open his mouth, “What about my relationship with her?”

n“You know better than me, hahaha.”

nHyunwoo frowned at that and said sternly, “So, the reason you came to see me today was to threaten me. If I don’t listen to you, you are going to make up a rumor about my relationship with Yu Zuung and disclose it to the world, aren’t you?”

n“Why are you just taking it negatively?”

nPae changed his attitude and tried to persuade him in a soothing voice.

nBut Hyunwoo wouldn’t budge a bit, “I have to take my leave for an appointment.”

n“Mr. Jang, are you really intent to go against me?” said Pae, raising his voice.

nIn fact, Hyunwoo felt a sting in the heart. If he didn’t knock down Pae this time, someday Pae would certainly retaliate against him.

nBut Hyunwoo could not succumb to his pressure.

nHe fell out with Pae already, and even if he tried to bow to him, it would be difficult for him to improve ties with Pae.

nHyunwoo reaffirmed his determination deep inside.

nThe fighting begun already. I have no other choice. I wish Song Lim and his colleagues could fight well in the days ahead.

nThat was not the type of fight Hyunwoo wanted. He was now relying on several producers with Seoul Broadcasting to win the fight. If they chickened out and took sides with Pae, Hyunwoo alone would be driven into a corner.

nBut he trusted them. He could clearly confirm their conscience and passion about their duty as reporters.

nHyunwoo left the coffee shop without responding to Pae’s challenge. That was his answer to Pae’s question.

nSeveral days later after his meeting with Pae, Hyunwoo noticed an article on the internet.

nIt was about a scandal involving Yu Zuung, the talk of the town.

nThe partner of her scandal was Hyunwoo Jang, the president of Ani & Funny that she was affiliated with. The article cited the photos of Hyunwoo’s frequent visits to her studio as the specific evidence of her scandal.

nThe source of the article was an unnamed magazine called Jin.

nNonetheless, Yu Zuung’s fans reacted very sensitively because the scandal involved none other than Yu Zuung. The article spread quickly through social media, and her fans were enraged.

n“Can this be true?”

n“It’s nonsense! How come she has a boyfriend?”

n“Did she become a star by selling her body to him?”

nHer fans bent over backwards to confirm the rumor by surfing the internet.

nBut there were no more updates. Given the explosive nature of the scandal, somebody might have posted more updates, but there was nothing except for the initial article on the internet.

nEven the magazine Jin didn’t make any more efforts to dig in the scandal.

nWhy was that? Actually, Hyunwoo quickly contacted Jaeyol Song with Korean Broadcasting and briefed him about the threat by the director of the cultural department of Seoul Broadcasting. Korean Broadcasting blocked any story on the scandal, of course.

nAs soon as it posted the scandal on its homepage, Jin was faced with pressure from someone with Korean Broadcasting.

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nIn fact, Jin could not verify the story. It just relied on the relevant material sent by someone with Seoul Broadcasting, asking them to release it.

nJin could not ignore the pressure of Seoul Broadcasting, but more dreadful was that of Korean Broadcasting.

nJin immediately took down the story and posted a clarification statement as follows.

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nYu Zuung’s fans breathed a sigh of relief.

n“Now, I understand it. Isn’t it only natural that Ani & Funny takes special care of her as she came to a foreign country like Korea?”

n“Phew, how fortunate! I wish she didn’t have any scandals.”

nOf course, some of her fans were still suspicious.

n“Looks like the magazine must have received kickbacks from Ani & Funny.”

n“There must be some hidden story. Where there is smoke, there is fire.”

nBut there was no fuss about it on the internet. Though there came out hundreds of stories on Yu Zuung and Temptation, there was not a single one about the scandal.

nHyunwoo’s active efforts to contain damage played a crucial role, too. He visited Seoul Broadcasting, the source of the rumor.

nIts president canceled an existing appointment to meet Hyunwoo when he heard the latter came to see him.

n“In fact, I really wanted to meet you. My name is Yongjin Oh,” said the president, holding his hand.

nHe looked very old because of his grey hair. At a glance, he seemed to be 70 years old. But he was in his early 60s.

nHolding his hands with both hands, Hyunwoo bowed to him and said,

n“I’m Hyunwoo Jang. I wish I did not have to come to see you like this. Sorry.”

n“Oh, it’s me who has to say sorry. I hear you felt bad about our company.”

nIn fact, that’s why Hyunwoo came to see him.

n“Well, you meet lots of different employees while managing your organization. I know you didn’t give any direction on that.”

nSipping tea, Yongjin opened his mouth,

n“I think it is important how to wrap it up well. Let’s start by talking about bad things first and good stuff later. I think you might have a reason to come here…”

n“In fact, I want to ask a favor of you.”

n“Please go ahead.”

n“Recently a magazine called Jin broke a story about my relationship with Yu Zuung. And when I checked it out, the source of the story was the cultural department of Seoul Broadcasting.”

nOh made a frown at that. He was briefed about Producer Kwon’s threat to Hyunwoo, but his mention of Seoul Broadcasting with respect to the scandal story was news to him.

n“When you tell me about that, you must have specific evidence to verify that, right?” said Oh.

nOf course, Hyunwoo had plenty of evidence including the confession by the head of the magazine and the taped recording of his conversation with the director of the cultural department.

nThere was no lie in Hyunwoo’s remarks, which made Oh’s face red like a ripe persimmon.

nHyunwoo said, “What company would want to make an enemy of a giant broadcasting company like Seoul Broadcasting? I feel the same way. I would like to forge a good relationship with you. But I can’t succumb to you when I’m trampled on by your staff like this.”

nOh nodded his head and said, “Sorry. Let me apologize on behalf of our staff.”

n“I’m not here to protest, but I would like you to understand correctly…”

nOh cut off his words and said, “As it is the wrongdoing of our staff, I have to duly apologize to you. And I’ll take the necessary steps that you can accept. Let me take that action regardless of the Ani & Funny program.”

n“Thanks for understanding my position. And let me give my feature project on Ani & Funny to you.”

n“Okay, let’s stop there. What’s more important is how to manage our relations in the future, isn’t it?”

n“Of course.”

nOh asked him a variety of questions with a bright face. He was already well aware of not only Ani & Funny but also KOVE DREAM and Hyunwoo’s Mom.

nTheir conversation lasted about 30 minutes. Though Oh wanted to have more time, he had another appointment. In particular, he could not cancel it because he had to meet an influential politician.

n“Let’s talk more when we meet next time. Come and see me anytime whenever you’re free.”

n“Thanks. I’ll see you again.”

nHyunwoo came out of Seoul Broadcasting with a happy smile.

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