<[EXCLUSIVE] BS Securities Executive Director Do Beomwook — Classified U.S. Business Trip One Week Before His Wedding. Reports Suggest He Was Not Alone….>
<BS Securities’ Do Beomwook Confirms Unilateral Engagement Cancellation. Will the BS-Seosung Merger Fall Through?>
<BS’s Man, Do Beomwook — Affair Allegations Surface. What’s the Truth?>
“…He doesn’t know the meaning of restraint.”
Beomwook set the file down and spoke. It was something he’d anticipated to a certain degree, but the articles were barraging him like a bombardment — a flood of headlines carrying intentions too repulsive to even put into words.
“The Seosung Group… Would you like to reach out to them directly, sir.”
Myeongjin spoke with a conflicted expression. There was no doubt that it was Seo Ihyeon pulling the strings behind Gaeseon Ilbo. He had said the merger would proceed without a hitch — yet the reason he was waging this malicious media campaign against BS was obvious. His aim was to drive down BS Construction’s stock price and reap illicit profits from the fallout. After all, once the merger went through, the stock would rise again anyway.
Beomwook gave a stiff nod. There was no other way. He had done plenty himself, and it was Beomwook who had received it all back in kind. If the stock dropped now, Do Beomryeol — who held the position of President at BS Construction — would only grow more reckless in his tyranny. From the broken engagement to the falling stock price, none of these were situations Beomryeol could handle with a clear head.
The likelihood was high that he’d either beat someone half to death or cause some kind of incident with that wretched temper of his. For now, nothing could happen that would provoke Beomryeol any further. The opportunity to cut him down wasn’t limited to this moment alone. But at the very least, BS could not be allowed to dance in Seo Ihyeon’s palm — moving exactly as he wanted, exactly as he led.
It was then that Beomwook felt his phone vibrate in his hand. A call coming in at this hour, looking for him. Beomwook clenched his jaw. His heartbeat was quickening.
“Is something the matter, sir.”
Myeongjin seemed to sense something off — he stopped what he was doing and raised his head.
“…It’s Seo Ihyeon.”
Seo Ihyeon. Staring at the three characters floating on the lit screen, Beomwook gave Myeongjin a stiff nod. It was clear that Ihyeon had made the first move, already knowing that Beomwook would be reaching out to him over the Gaeseon Ilbo situation.
“Yes, this is Do Beomwook.”
Beomwook answered in a low voice. It was something that had to be done sooner or later anyway. Myeongjin, seated across from him, kept his eyes fixed on Beomwook with an equally hardened expression.
— Thought you wouldn’t pick up. You busy right now, Beomwook?
“Get to the point.”
— So prickly. I need to make sure I get what’s owed to me too, don’t I.
Just hearing his voice was enough to make nausea surge up his throat. What was this talk about getting what was owed to him. As Beomwook was taking a moment, searching for what to say —
— The Gaeseon articles. I’ll have them taken down.
“…….”
— In exchange, I’ll turn the coverage around to run merger-related pieces right away. …Isn’t that a pretty good deal?
What was he scheming. Beomwook continued calmly.
“What are the terms of the deal.”
— Call off the broken engagement.
Beomwook’s expression hardened in an instant. His brow furrowed deeply, and all Myeongjin could do was burn with anxiety on the inside. Swallowing the string of curses that had nearly burst out reflexively, Beomwook spoke.
“What do you mean by that.”
— Let’s just say the wedding was postponed. Our Chairman’s been throwing one hell of a fit, turns out. And of all times for Seo Hohyeon to suddenly start reaching out, when he couldn’t have cared less before.
“…….”
— …Why. Would you rather talk to Seo Hohyeon directly, Beomwook?
Bastard. Beomwook swallowed down the curse he couldn’t bring himself to say aloud. Seo Ihyeon seemed to be greatly enjoying himself, convinced he was kneading everything in his hands as he pleased — but even he would have to keep his fangs hidden until the Chairman died.
A broken engagement — and not just any broken engagement, but one that happened on the day of the wedding itself, inflicted upon the Seosung Group. The face of the Seosung Chairman, Seo Ihyeon’s father — a man Beomwook had known since childhood — came to him vividly, and he could perfectly imagine how furious the old man must be. “Throwing one hell of a fit” was putting it mildly. With a temper as blazing as the Chairman’s, it was entirely possible he’d go so far as to strip Beomwook of his Executive Director seat at Seosung Electronics.
It was also laughable that Ihyeon was bringing up Seo Hohyeon. Not that it changed the fact that Seo Ihyeon was a bastard — those were entirely separate matters.
“I’ll decline.”
Beomwook answered without a moment’s hesitation. Gaeseon Ilbo may have belonged personally to the Seosung Group, but if he could buy himself enough time, some degree of negotiation would be possible. He couldn’t bow his head to Seosung and Seo Ihyeon over something as trivial as this.
— Ah. You’re so cold, our Executive Director Do.
“The negotiation is off. I’ll be ending this call.”
— I’d like to stop making threats.
Seo Ihyeon cut him off and interjected — and a faint laugh carried through from the other end of the line. Without realizing it, Beomwook was gripping his phone hard enough to crush it. A dreadful premonition struck his entire body. And then — the face of Baek Yeonjun rose to mind. Beomwook adjusted his grip on the phone and slowly closed his eyes, then opened them.
— Is Baek Yeonjun tucked away safe in the hotel? Lover in the suite, and you down below on a lower floor. …What is this. Haha.
At the sound of Baek Yeonjun’s name leaving Seo Ihyeon’s mouth, Beomwook silently curled his fist shut — again and again. Crack. He’d gripped too hard — his fingers folded then spread, clicking out of alignment. How he’d found out didn’t matter. After all, weren’t the eyes of Seosung everywhere? It wasn’t something he hadn’t anticipated — yet his heart was more unsettled than he’d expected.
He had to protect Baek Yeonjun. Whatever Seo Ihyeon might do, Beomwook had to keep him safe. As if granting him the generosity of understanding his silence, Ihyeon too went quiet. If I refuse here — what will happen to Baek Yeonjun?
If the Seosung Chairman had used Seo Ihyeon’s Executive Director position at Seosung Electronics as leverage to threaten him — and had gone further to bring up his shareholding ratio — then Ihyeon would surely tear Baek Yeonjun apart out of sheer spite. It would be easier for him to go after Baek Yeonjun than to come at Beomwook directly. And above all, there is no emotion heavier than guilt.
His throat ran dry. Beomwook’s voice came out like something wrung from a cloth, a vein standing out at his temple, cutting through the air.
“The articles — …have them taken down.”
The moment he finished speaking, Beomwook ended the call and bit down hard on his lip. Eventually a faint metallic taste spread across his tongue. Myeongjin, who had already pieced together how things had unfolded, bowed his head low. “Fuck…. That bastard…” Into the unnatural silence, Myeongjin’s voice, unable to hold back his anger, slipped through.
“Let’s wrap up for today.”
Beomwook spoke to Myeongjin, who was readjusting his glasses. It was just past 2 in the morning.
After the call with Seo Ihyeon ended, the stream of Gaeseon Ilbo articles that had been pouring out in real time with every refresh came to a stop. And soon, at remarkable speed, articles about the Seosung-BS merger began to bury them. Articles on the positive research direction of Seosung Chemical — which had still been under embargo — surfaced alongside pieces on various volunteer activities under its social welfare programs, and a swift pivot in the coverage took shape.
Insufferable bastard. Beomwook bit his lip as he recalled Seo Ihyeon’s voice through the phone.
“You worked hard today as well, sir.”
Myeongjin gave a brief bow of his head, gathered his things quickly, and left. Only now did Beomwook sink back into the sofa as if to bury himself in it, shifting his gaze to the phone he’d kept on the table this whole time. He reached out for it in the end and slowly took it up. The battery had apparently died at some point — the darkened screen reflected his own face back at him.
Even in the dim reflection, it was a face soaked through with exhaustion — Beomwook clicked his tongue and turned away. Just as Myeongjin had said, far too much had happened. A fatigue that felt as though he could collapse and fall asleep at any moment pressed down on his entire body.
[Please contact me when you’ve finished up, sir.] 8:28 PM
With his arm draped over his closed eyes as he rested briefly, the afterimage of Yeonjun’s text floated through Beomwook’s mind like a lingering trace.
Right. We still need to talk about the compensation for the difference.
Beomwook got up and placed his phone on the wireless charging pad sitting on the table in front of the sofa. He needed to turn the dead phone back on and reach out to Yeonjun. The longer he put it off, the worse the outcome waiting for him would be. There was a good chance Yeonjun was already asleep by now — but once he’d made up his mind, Beomwook found himself wanting to check his phone quickly.
He needed to settle everything and make it so that he no longer had to face Baek Yeonjun again. Watching the phone power back on, Beomwook steadied himself.
It wasn’t because of Baek Yeonjun’s blinking eyes as he said he’d keep waiting. The white face that rose up like something inevitable — he could only hope he’d be able to ignore it.
…He told himself that once more.
“…I’ve lost my mind.”
Beomwook muttered with a self-deprecating sigh. Then, with a hardened expression, he looked left and right. It was the dead of night, and he knew perfectly well there was only one suite on the topmost floor — yet his nerves were on edge for no reason. After briefly dismissing the bodyguard who had been standing watch at the door, Beomwook stood before the door to the suite.
