Chapter 16: An Untouchable Name

Leehyun leaned back in his chair, having just finished the meeting.

Though he had every reason to be exhausted from the consecutive video conferences, his black eyes remained sharp and bright.

“Representative, the reaction to the news is quite…”

Seungho hesitated, unable to find the right words.

Leehyun snatched the tablet from him.

The real-time chat window was moving too fast to read.

“Everyone seems very interested in Gayun.”

Leehyun spoke indifferently, as if it were someone else’s business, and crossed his arms.

Seungho hurriedly set up the tablet in front of his desk.

On the screen, Oh Seokhun and Cha Ilyoung were in the middle of their conversation.

“It is just as you anticipated, sir. Especially since people in their twenties and thirties have recently taken an interest in stocks, the attention on Gayun has risen accordingly.”

Glancing down, the chat window was flooded with talk about Gayun Group stocks.

“But Representative, will Anchor Oh Seokhun really be alright?”

At Seungho’s words, Leehyun rubbed his right eyebrow.

Oh Seokhun.

The youngest anchor to land the nine o’clock news at the age of twenty-six.

He had launched Friday Night under his own name at thirty-two and proved his power by keeping it in the number one spot for ratings for forty-eight months.

Despite being only thirty-six, whenever 11 PM rolled around, he would expose the truth and facts in his own way, completely ignoring any external pressures, earning him the title ‘Emperor of 11 PM.’

Because his sharp-tongued wit was so relentless, rumors even circulated in the business world that he was the hidden, out-of-wedlock son of the HBN president.

Since he was such a difficult person to manage, Seungho couldn’t help but worry.

[From the perspective of the executives, they might naturally wonder how someone with absolutely no experience in Gayun could suddenly secure the position of President. May I ask what your thoughts are on this?]

Just looking at Oh Seokhun’s behavior just now proved it.

The script surely stated that the executives warmly welcomed Leehyun’s appointment, yet he was completely ignoring it.

Seungho subtly checked Leehyun’s reaction.

[Well, it is a rather sensitive matter, so……]

Cha Ilyoung trailed off.

[Saying he ‘suddenly secured the position of President’ seems like a highly problematic phrasing. After all, based on stock shares, he has emerged as the practical owner of Gayun Electronics.]

Cha Ilyoung spoke in a calm tone.

[I see. But isn’t his experience in managing Gayun Electronics practically non-existent? It’s only natural that opinions about his qualifications as an owner are divided.]

[If you put it that way, the very appearance of the eldest son of Gayun Group, who was rumored to be dead, is an unprecedented event in itself, is it not?]

At Cha Ilyoung’s somewhat direct remark, Oh Seokhun raised his eyebrows.

His expression was one of surprise.

[Are you sure you are alright with that last statement?]

Despite Oh Seokhun’s concerned remark, Cha Ilyoung did not stop.

[Representative Yoon Leehyun is evaluated to have dispelled the concerns of the management and the board of directors in one stroke.]

Cha Ilyoung added with a genial smile.

[It is an undeniable fact that Representative Yoon Leehyun’s appearance opened the doors to solving Gayun Group’s long-standing semiconductor issues. The rise in trust from both shareholders and the board of directors was a natural outcome.]

Cha Ilyoung spoke smoothly, as if this were his sole purpose for sitting at the desk.

The chat window became active once again.

Most of the comments hoped for Gayun’s stock to rise.

Leehyun stared at the conversation between Oh Seokhun and Cha Ilyoung without any reaction.

Oh Seokhun, glancing down at his script, grinned and faced Cha Ilyoung.

[Putting aside whether the marriage between Representative Yoon Leehyun and Ms. Jin Seohee of J International is an arranged marriage or not, there are still many rumors circulating. For example, that the two of them are legally—]

Just when it seemed risky, Oh Seokhun ultimately crossed the line.

As Leehyun rubbed his throat, Seungho quickly spoke into his ear-mic to give an order.

[Please refrain from speaking about the Representative’s private life.]

Cha Ilyoung warned him in a somewhat heavy tone.

At that, Oh Seokhun said, [Ah, of course. I was careless.] and scanned his next script.

[But about Representative Yoon Leehyun. When you think about it, he is an incredibly interesting figure in his own right.]

Oh Seokhun grinned and stared straight into the camera.

[There are so many wild rumors surrounding him—that he was kicked out because he wasn’t a blood relative of Gayun Group, that he was kidnapped, went missing, or was even sent into a modern-day exile.]

Before Oh Seokhun could even finish his sentence, the chat window exploded.

[Anchor Oh Seokhun.]

Cha Ilyoung cleared his throat, subtly warning him, but Oh Seokhun did not listen.

[To speak of Gayun Group, the suspicions surrounding Representative Yoon Leehyun are crucial. You understand, don’t you?]

He even used a sly tone to block Cha Ilyoung from objecting.

[Well, looking into what lies behind all that might be beyond my capabilities, though.]

This time, the chat window was flooded with words like ‘Chairman Yoon Junghwan,’ ‘legal wife,’ and ‘first wife.’

[Since you were at MGL in the United States, I have a quick question. Ah, it’s not out of personal curiosity, but rather something I believe our viewers would be highly interested in.]

[What do you mean by that? What connection does my time at MGL have with Representative Yoon Leehyun?]

Cha Ilyoung tried to subtly redirect the conversation, but Oh Seokhun refused to back down, determined to press on.

[About Representative Yoon Leehyun. According to the official Gayun documents, the reason for his sudden appearance was that he had been residing in the United States. Do you happen to know about this?]

[What exactly are you referring to?]

[The rumors circulating about Representative Yoon’s past—that he was a lobbyist, a mercenary, or a killer. I assume those are entirely groundless, right?]

Oh Seokhun smiled brightly as if to lighten the mood.

While Cha Ilyoung stood frozen, unable to say a word, he smoothly transitioned into his closing remarks.

[Yes, that was Executive Vice President Cha Ilyoung of Gayun Group. Our viewers have so many questions regarding Gayun Group. If given the opportunity, we would love to prepare parts two and three. We look forward to our viewers’ enthusiastic responses.]

Leehyun, who was stroking his throat, tapped the tablet with his fingers, tap, tap.

In the meantime, the chat window scrolled up too fast to read.

“They said he doesn’t care about what the higher-ups think.”

His low voice drifted out chillingly.

“He is definitely not normal.”

‘He is completely out of his mind.’

“Representative. Are you really going to continue having the news proceed with Oh Seokhun?”

Seungho glanced down at the chat window; words that had been buried deep below the surface—Yoon Leehyun’s biological mother, Ha Yunmi, orphan, violinist, lobbyist, Yoon Leehyun’s nationality, Yoon Leehyun’s English name, killer, Yoon Junghwan’s romance of the century—were now floating everywhere.

“What about the ratings?”

“It is uncontested in first place.”

Of course it was.

Oh Seokhun’s Friday Night had always been second to none, but this time the topic was Gayun, South Korea’s leading conglomerate.

Rendering the title of ‘promoting Gayun Group’ practically meaningless, Oh Seokhun’s remarks had provoked the public by dredging up scandals and rumors of the Gayun family from thirty years ago.

“Chairman Yoon Junghwan, Ha Yunmi, and Song Yoosun. Is there any broadcasting station in South Korea that would dare air a show with names of this caliber?”

“That is true, but if the affair between Chairman Yoon Junghwan and Ha Yunmi resurfaces, Gayun’s stock price might waver.”

“I don’t care.”

Since he hadn’t returned to take Gayun.

It didn’t matter to Leehyun whether Gayun thrived or collapsed.

All he wanted was revenge against Song Yoosun.

Since she had shaken his entire life, shouldn’t Song Yoosun’s life oscillate between heaven and hell as well?

Leehyun simply thought so.

“Director Song Yoosun won’t just sit back and watch. But unless we blow open some concrete evidence, won’t it just generate gossip?”

“Seungho.”

When Leehyun called him in a heavy voice, Seungho bowed his head.

“Yes, Representative.”

“Gossip is what Song Yoosun fears the most.”

“That is how people with many sins on their hands are, after all.”

He would make her tremble with anxiety.

Making her experience hell whether she closed her eyes or opened them.

Ensuring she felt what it was like to have the entire world pointing fingers at her.

Forcing the tinnitus ringing in her ears to dominate her mind.

“Don’t schedule the second part yet.”

“Pardon?”

“Let the higher-ups give him a thorough dressing down.”

Whether they fear my eyes or fear Gayun, they won’t let it slide.

Even knowing that, Oh Seokhun will stubbornly continue to cause trouble.

“Don’t schedule it; let’s just hand Oh Seokhun exactly what he wants to blow open at the perfect moment.”

“I will do so.”

Rising to his feet and walking out with rapid strides, Leehyun suddenly stopped and spoke.

“There must not be a second mention of J International.”

Leehyun drew a firm line, as if that was the one thing he would absolutely never tolerate.

Seungho quickly pulled out his phone.

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