Episode 50

“I will give it a try if a few conditions are met.”

“Thank you!”

I shook hands with him, and we had a brief discussion about the payment method, timing, guarantees, and other safeguards. The more I listened, the more I felt he was sincere.

As the warm atmosphere wrapped up and we were about to part ways, I spoke to Seok Hyun-woo.

“I have one last question.”

“Do you have more questions about the payment method?”

“No, it’s not that.”

My curiosity was about the fundamental nature of this situation.

“According to you, Jin Yeoreum’s refusal is a certainty.”

“That’s correct.”

“Then why do you want me to make the scouting offer?”

“…”

Why do you want a scouting offer that won’t be accepted?

“In the end, for a mere five-minute act of making a scouting offer, you, or rather Jinkang, are offering such a substantial amount and opportunity. Nothing else is achieved from it.”

What would be gained from this short act? Why was it the purpose of the deal?

“No matter how capital-rich and prestigious Jinkang is, I don’t see them as a group that would engage in a losing business. But this seems like a deal where Jinkang is taking a loss.”

As one of South Korea’s top merchants and a leading conglomerate, Jinkang would especially avoid losing deals. It was how they reached their position.

“What is the benefit for Jinkang or Jin Yeoreum in this deal?”

There must be a benefit. Something I wasn’t calculating.

Seok Hyun-woo hesitated to answer. It seemed like a confidential question.

I quickly gave up since it made him hesitate so much, knowing it could be poison.

“If it’s an uncomfortable topic, you don’t have to answer. I’ll make the scouting offer as promised.”

The opportunity to use regular people as advertising models was too valuable to pass up because of my curiosity.

Seok Hyun-woo slowly shook his head and said,

“…No, I’ll tell you. I think I should.”

Seok Hyun-woo looked at me straight on. Until now, his gaze seemed professional. But as he began to speak, there was a strand of emotion in his eyes that was hard to identify.

“What do you think about Jin Yeoreum’s doping controversy?”

Even after discussing it with Jin Yeoreum, my thoughts hadn’t changed. She probably dodged the law through connections. Of course, I couldn’t say that openly.

“I know she was acquitted. I have no other thoughts on the matter.”

He looked at Gyeoul and asked,

“And you, Gyeoul?”

“…I only play games and watch anime, so I haven’t seen the news. Honestly, I don’t know exactly what happened.”

Our innocent little nerd was truly pure.

“It would be nice if everyone thought like you two, but most people believe Jin Yeoreum committed illegal doping and covered it up. However, that’s not true.”

That’s what you’d say as a Jinkang employee.

“I’m not saying this because I’m a manager at Jinkang.”

…Do Jin Yeoreum and JinKang people learn mind reading or something?

“I’ll tell you with my eight years of experience assisting the Jinkang family. From the beginning, Jinkang, or rather the current chairman Jin Baek-ho, wasn’t happy about Jin Yeoreum doing rhythmic gymnastics.”

This was new information.

“Despite that, didn’t they actively promote Jin Yeoreum’s gymnastics for Jinkang’s image?”

I remember Jinkang aggressively sponsoring and filming commercials to boost their brand image. They practically made her the company’s mascot.

“That support came from the former chairman, Jin Woo-chul, Jin Yeoreum’s grandfather, and the PR strategy planning department. It was a corporate decision based on her beauty and talent in rhythmic gymnastics, not personal feelings.”

If I had a granddaughter who won gold medals since childhood and had an A+ potential in appearance, I wouldn’t leave her alone either.

“Unlike Jin Woo-chul’s judgment, Chairman Jin Baek-ho was uncomfortable with the excessive attention on 14-year-old Jin Yeoreum. He was concerned that the moment such attention was given to her, her freedom would disappear.”

It seemed like overprotection. But as someone who grew up as a second-generation Jinkang member, his concerns were understandable.

In hindsight, it was the right thought. The backlash left Jin Yeoreum living like this.

“He said, ‘The world will now see her as a national rhythmic gymnastics representative or the third generation of Jinkang.’ He always wanted Jin Yeoreum to live as ‘Jin Yeoreum,’ not burdened by heavy responsibilities.”

“Then why did he let her start rhythmic gymnastics?”

I understood he had good intentions, but if he knew that, shouldn’t he have stopped her? If he had persuaded her from the start, this wouldn’t have happened.

“Because Jin Yeoreum liked rhythmic gymnastics.”

“…Huh.”

“If it had been an indie band or painting instead of gymnastics, Chairman Jin Baek-ho would have still allowed it.”

There was no dramatic twist in his reason. It was just a doting father, unable to stop his child’s dream.

“After Jin Woo-chul’s tenure ended and Jin Baek-ho took over as chairman, the sponsorship policy of Jinkang became somewhat more lenient.”

“What do you mean by ‘more lenient’?”

“They stopped demanding performance results.”

“…Wow.”

A sponsor not demanding results from an athlete?

“Did the company allow that?”

“It was Chairman Jin Baek-ho’s unilateral decision. Of course, there was opposition. But he pushed it through and made it happen.”

He created family dinner appointments with the time freed from making a chairman. At this point, ‘great’ would be a fitting term for this doting father.

“As a result, Jin Yeoreum’s schedule was adjusted, and the number of competitions she participated in was reduced. This is a fact recorded at the time. I can show you the related documents if you want.”

“No, that’s not necessary. I’ll take your word for it.”

“Thank you.”

Listening to Seok Hyun-woo’s story, I could predict what he was trying to say. I bowed my head slightly and spoke to him.

“I understand what you’re trying to say. It’s the same as the defense team argued in court.”

“That’s correct. The public saw it as a pretext to cover up the crime, but it was the unembellished truth.”

The emotion in Seok Hyun-woo’s eyes flared up.

“The doctor who received the bribe frequently recommended medications, which made Jin Yeoreum uncomfortable and consider changing doctors. The personal doctor, fearing for his position, plotted this. He intended to use it for blackmail, but Jin Yeoreum unexpectedly took a doping test, and the rest is history. The media had already spread that she was caught by the medical team for illegal doping before Jinkang could bury or stop the doctor… It was all because of that foolish and greedy person.”

He almost shouted.

“Common sense says that someone who doped wouldn’t take a medical test! She wouldn’t need such drugs! Jin Yeoreum was only 14 years old at the time; there’s no way she committed such an act! It’s certainly not even negligence!”

The flaring emotion was a mix of frustration, regret, and affection. It seemed Seok Hyun-woo didn’t view Jin Yeoreum just through his professional duties.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions, and apologized.

“…I apologize. I let my emotions show inappropriately.”

“No, there’s no need to apologize. I liked seeing that side of you, Mr. Seok.”

This was purely my personal preference. I liked people who didn’t seem like they’d stab you in the back. Unlike people like Ban Seongcheol, who smile while calculating betrayal.

“The doctor later stated in court that even if the blackmail failed, he wanted to increase her dependency.”

“What a despicable person.”

“…Haha, indeed.”

I don’t know why there are so many crazy people in the world.

“I understand now that, contrary to public belief, Jin Yeoreum is an innocent victim.”

It was hard not to believe him after everything he said. Besides, Seok Hyun-woo had nothing to gain from deceiving me.

But my question wasn’t fully answered.

“Then how does this connect to me making a scouting offer?”

Seok Hyun-woo, who had been speaking in a calm tone, now spoke with a voice full of regret.

“…Jin Yeoreum needs encouragement.”

Encouragement?

“Can you explain a bit more?”

“This volunteering is happening despite strong opposition from Chairman Jin Baek-ho. Not going to school and volunteering here is purely Jin Yeoreum’s decision.”

No parent would be happy about their child not going to school and only volunteering. If it was her decision, it made more sense.

“Jin Yeoreum feels great guilt for tarnishing the Jinkang name and burdening her family. She has always been looking for a way to make amends.”

“Is that why she volunteers?”

“That’s correct.”

The intention was good, but I doubted its effectiveness.

“You can take this as an outsider’s light comment, but as an agency employee who manages images, I want to say something.”

I understood her situation and that she was a victim. But the public still saw her as a doping criminal. I still didn’t want to get involved with her.

Still, it seemed like a waste for her to spend her youth on something so unproductive and hopeless. That’s why I decided to speak up, despite knowing it might be intrusive.

“It will be very difficult. Even if she volunteers diligently for 2-3 years, people will see it as a political show.”

Even if they heard she was repenting and volunteering, people would react coldly. They’d say things like, “Avoid disgusting posts”, or, “Only bring us news of her death.” They would poison her heart without a second thought.

These weren’t extreme expressions. They were actual community reactions when I worked on improving a singer’s image.

“It’s not just 2-3 years. Jin Yeoreum is looking at a minimum of 10 years for her image to change.”

“It still might not be enough. That’s how public opinion is.”

At my assertion, Seok Hyun-woo shook his head and said,

“I think I misspoke. That’s the minimum period.”

He spoke plainly, as if stating a fact without any bias.

“Jin Yeoreum has already resolved to live her entire life volunteering. For 50 years or 100 years, whatever it takes.”

“…”

I remembered what Jin Yeoreum said to me just before leaving.

“I’ll always be here. But I won’t expect much.”

It wasn’t just an empty phrase.

I felt chills. The resolve and determination of a 16-year-old girl genuinely gave me goosebumps.