NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 146
“Besides that, Kang Hyung-man, the president of Brotherhood Planning, is under suspicion of assaulting a civilian. We at MS Planning learned about this ‘by chance’ and have already submitted a report to the police…”
As the press conference continued, An Representative kept targeting Brotherhood Planning.
‘Assaulting a civilian…? There’s no way the boss would do that…’
Kang Hyung-man was not the type to use violence against an ordinary person without any reason.
But then, something flashed in my mind.
‘Could it be…?’
“In response, we at MS Planning are considering supporting the victim’s lawsuit ‘on humanitarian grounds.’”
It was Namgung Soo-ho.
Kang Hyung-man had once turned Namgung Soo-ho’s face into a mush when he tried to lay hands on me.
Even if it was self-defense, it wouldn’t be easy to completely avoid charges if someone’s face was mangled like that…
And to make matters worse, there were no CCTV cameras in that alley, which meant it would surely be difficult to secure evidence that I had been stalked.
“Just don’t involve me…. Why… even the boss…”
An Representative continued to bring up various matters, exposing Kang Hyung-man in front of the entire nation.
“Kang Hyung-man of Brotherhood Planning has various charges against him, including illegal collection and threats, and we have confirmed that some of his subordinates have criminal records…”
“Ugh… Yes, that’s right. President Kang frequently trespassed into our home, which only has two women…”
With my dad and mom stepping in, shedding tears and piling on more accusations against Kang Hyung-man, he was morphing into more of a piece of human trash through An Representative and my parents’ words.
‘Stop… please, just stop…’
I couldn’t just stand by and watch my benefactor, Kang Hyung-man, being demeaned like this.
So I tried to plead with Director Jeong…
“…Director Jeong, our boss isn’t that kind of person… he really isn’t…”
“…But the public will believe it, right?”
“……!”
“The words from An Representative and Ye-rin’s parents aren’t entirely false, are they?… I’m sure the public will believe everything they say right now.”
“…Ah.”
Hearing that made my strength leave me, and my hands dropped to the floor.
‘Just insult me instead… just me…’
But as if Brotherhood Planning were the only target from the very beginning, An Representative and my parents ignored me and NAS Entertainment, solely assaulting Brotherhood Planning.
Initially, the staff hurriedly searched for ways to respond to MS Planning, but they just stared blankly at the screen as An Representative didn’t even mention NAS.
In fact, they looked like they were being swayed by An Representative and my parents’ speeches instead.
“Well then, we’ll conclude this press conference. If you have any last words for the public…”
Thus, An Representative spent thirty minutes tearing down Brotherhood Planning before wrapping up the press conference.
And finally…
“Please help us rescue our trainee from this unscrupulous company.”
He bowed his head, asking the public for help.
“Please…”
“Help us.”
My parents stood next to An Representative, bowing their heads too, and thus the press conference ended.
“……”
“……”
“……”
Once the conference ended, the meeting room was engulfed in silence.
The staff looked at each other with troubled expressions and shrugged.
They had gathered to respond to MS Planning, but since MS didn’t take any action against NAS Entertainment, their jobs had vanished.
In this place, I was the only one feeling anxious.
“Director Jeong… it’s not true… Brotherhood Planning isn’t that kind of company…. Please… please help us….”
“Ye-rin, please calm down…”
As I desperately clung to his sleeve to plead, Director Jeong looked a bit distressed as he replied.
“…MS hasn’t directly touched NAS Entertainment, so we need to wait and see. For now, contacting President Kang needs to be our priority.”
“But… the boss isn’t answering his phone…”
I stared at my silent phone, realizing that we couldn’t take a proper response without Kang Hyung-man showing up.
Just then…
Drrrrrr.
“……!”
Startled by the sudden vibration, I hurriedly checked my phone screen, thinking it might be the boss.
But it wasn’t my phone ringing.
“…We’ve got a call from Brotherhood Planning’s lawyer.”
“Lee Kim-jang, the lawyer…?”
Director Jeong briefly showed me the phone screen before answering.
“Hello? Yes, this is Director Jeong.”
And then…
“……Yes?”
The usually calm and composed figure of his suddenly grimaced at the call.
“Yes… yes.”
“……”
“…Yes, I understand.”
Kang Hyung-man and Older Brother Sang-gu weren’t picking up their phones.
Then, suddenly getting a call from Lee Kim-jang and seeing Director Jeong’s frown only heightened my anxiety.
Finally hanging up, Director Jeong spoke to me with a heavy expression.
“Ye-rin… um…”
“…Yes, what did the lawyer say…?”
I was anxious, but I had faith.
I believed Kang Hyung-man would reach out to me if I was trembling in fear.
If I were in danger, he would rush over to save me right away.
He had always been that way for me.
He was not only my benefactor but also my savior.
But my benefactor and savior, Kang Hyung-man…
“President Kang… is currently at the police station.”
He was suffering just for trying to extend a hand to help me.
“……”
As soon as I heard Director Jeong’s words, I froze.
It felt like not just my body but my entire being was frozen, unable to move.
‘It’s because of me that the boss is…’
Kang Hyung-man was the person who had rescued me from my miserable life of exploitation by my parents.
He was the one who presented the dream of becoming an idol to me.
He had spared no support to help me achieve that dream.
He was the one who saved me just before that stalker attempted something horrible.
Above all, he had…
‘Always trusted you.’
He had believed in me more than anyone else…
And now, because of me… because of me…
Thud, thud.
My heart shattered, and my body felt heavy like a drenched cotton ball.
“First, the charges… they might… be released…”
In front of me, Director Jeong kept talking, but I could barely hear his words.
It felt like I was slowly sinking into a dark, deep sea.
In reality, I couldn’t breathe properly anymore.
My chest tightened, and it became agonizing.
“…Ye-rin?! …Ye-rin…!!”
Director Jeong’s surprised voice called out to me, but soon, my vision faded to black, and I couldn’t see anything.
‘It hurts…’
I simply wanted to be loved.
In this incredibly lonely world, all I wanted was to be held by someone.
But was that too much to ask for?
“…Ye-rin! Stay…!”
“…Call the ambulance quickly.”
I might be receiving punishment for desiring love that was beyond my station.
I lost consciousness right there.
It was a perfect blackout.
At that time, at the police station.
Creek.
Kang Hyung-man, sitting in the police interrogation room, looked up as Lee Kim-jang entered.
“Lawyer Lee, what happened?”
“Yes, fortunately, Director Sang-gu was able to get the victim to sign a settlement agreement again. With this, the assault charge is completely over.”
I never thought MS Planning would bring up the assault on Namgung Soo-ho.
But thankfully…
Heeek…! I’ll… I’ll give you any settlement or whatever…! Please… forgive me!
Thanks to Namgung Soo-ho, who was already fed up with Brotherhood Planning, agreeing to settle again, the assault charge was about to be lifted immediately.
“What about the others?”
“Threats, trespassing, illegal collection… well, to be honest, there’s just suspicion, without any solid evidence. It should conclude as insufficient evidence pretty quickly.”
“I see.”
Kang Hyung-man nodded calmly, and Lee Kim-jang sighed as he spoke.
“I wouldn’t call it fortunate just yet. Because of the press conference earlier today, public sentiment against Brotherhood Planning is at an all-time low.”
“……”
“You have to seek vengeance, right?”
In fact, since the last hint he had received, Kang Hyung-man had gathered a lot of weaknesses against MS Planning, including the malicious slave contracts and An Representative’s scandalous private life.
Moreover, Kang Hyung-man also held evidence of Ye-rin’s parents borrowing money and engaging in gambling, enjoying a debauched lifestyle.
If he wanted, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to expose this, leading to An Representative and Ye-rin’s parents being wiped off entirely.
But…
“Is Ye-rin doing well?”
“……”
Lee Kim-jang could see straight away.
Kang Hyung-man was hesitating to counterattack.
“Ye-rin is being taken care of at NAS Entertainment.”
“…I also haven’t been able to contact Ye-rin because Sang-gu and I have been busy. She’s probably quite worried, so if you could call her, lawyer…”
“Is it the right moment to worry about Ye-rin! President Kang is being slandered nationally! So when are we going to release our evidence??”
“……”
With Lee Kim-jang’s frustration, Kang Hyung-man stared into space for a moment before continuing.
“If we flip public sentiment, not only MS Planning but also Ye-rin’s parents will become targets… Ye-rin still likes her parents. If we expose our evidence, she will probably be very hurt.”
“What do you mean…?”
Lee Kim-jang couldn’t comprehend what Kang Hyung-man was saying, feeling exasperated.
“…Wait, what are you saying? You’re saying we will do nothing just because Ye-rin might get hurt? What does Ye-rin think of you, President Kang?”
“……”
At those words, Kang Hyung-man briefly fell into recollection.
The first time he met Ha Ye-rin was at her first birthday party.
He had attended out of courtesy, as the granddaughter of his benefactor was having a party, and he was taken aback.
“This one-year-old baby was so adorable that I thought about having a child myself, despite not being married.”
The next meeting was when Ye-rin was five, and her dad first hadn’t returned the money he borrowed.
“That girl had grown so much that seeing a face so much like her grandfather’s fascinated me.”
Then came elementary school entrance, third grade, sixth grade.
Middle school entrance, third grade, and now high school.
“She was so small, doing housework and earning living expenses… she was so capable yet pitiful. My initial feelings were probably sympathy.”
First year of high school, second year, and now…
“I continued to give my heart and recently realized that I had unknowingly seen Ye-rin as my daughter.”
Whenever Ye-rin was sad, he wanted to help her.
When she smiled, his heart smiled too.
When that stalker attempted to harm her, his blood boiled.
When she took the stage and showed her dreams…
‘Ah.’
He felt a sense of pride and fulfillment.
She might not be his biological daughter, but…
He felt profound fatherly love for Ha Ye-rin.
Hearing all this, Lee Kim-jang shook his head and muttered.
“Seriously, you haven’t even married yet, and now you’re talking about daughters…”
“So I said I’ve been ‘internally’ thinking of her as my daughter. …For the record, keep this conversation a secret from Ye-rin. If she finds out I think of her as my daughter, she’ll probably feel burdened given her personality.”
“…Yes, that’s a good point. But then, does that mean we’re really doing nothing?”
“……”
With Lee Kim-jang questioning again, Kang Hyung-man nodded resolutely.
“Brotherhood Planning will wait for Ye-rin’s choice. And… no matter what choice she makes, we will support her from behind.”
“What if Ye-rin chooses her parents over Brotherhood Planning?”
“Then there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Ha.”
Frustrated, Lee Kim-jang clicked his tongue.
Here was a clear opportunity for revenge against an opponent that struck first, and he was just going to let it go.
Furthermore, he realized there was a possibility that Ha Ye-rin might side with her parents instead of Brotherhood Planning.
‘This isn’t a rational decision, no matter how you look at it…’
With that in mind, Lee Kim-jang finally attempted to change Kang Hyung-man’s heart.
“What about your organization members, then?”
“……”
“If Ye-rin is your daughter, then the organization members are like your brothers, right? If Brotherhood Planning suffers, the organization members will face problems, too!”
At that, Kang Hyung-man chuckled and replied.
“Don’t worry, lawyer Lee.”
What was on Kang Hyung-man’s face was…
“If things go wrong, I will shoulder all the blame.”
There was no hesitation in his voice.
“Ha.”
Saying he would take all the blame meant…
In other words, if Ye-rin chose her parents over Brotherhood Planning…
He was willing to take on every crime—including the threats, assaults, and illegal collection that Ye-rin’s parents had accused Brotherhood Planning of, alongside all the negative public sentiment directed toward Brotherhood Planning.
“Crazy, just crazy.”
Then the advantage of the situation lay with Ha Ye-rin.
And Kang Hyung-man was willing to let Ha Ye-rin strike him, bearing no regrets…
He wore an expression devoid of any remorse.