Chapter 1395. Being Hostile (5)

Kang Eun-Yeong spoke worriedly, “Mom, you should still eat something.”

Baek Hyeon-Jeong slowly shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

“But you’ll collapse at this rate, mom. If... If you don’t eat anything, I won’t, either.”

“You... I’m really not hungry, Eun-Yeong.”

“Seriously...?!”

Unable to hold it in anymore, Kang Eun-Yeong desperately yelled at her mother. “Mom! You need to get a hold of yourself in times like this, okay! If we’re all depressed and stuff, who’s gonna rescue my oppa?!”

Baek Hyeon-Jeong turned her head and stared lifelessly at her daughter. “I... Yes, I understand. I’ll eat something later. Promise.”

“Okay, you promised!”

“Yes, yes.”

Kang Eun-Yeong stared in dissatisfaction at Baek Hyeon-Jeong, but eventually relented and shook her head helplessly. Of course, she knew what her mother was going through right now. How could she not?

Chewing on rice must’ve felt like munching on grains of sand to her.

“Besides, stop watching TV, mom! Why do you even listen to these random strangers talking nonsense about things they have no clue about?!”

“But, Eun-Yeong... They all say Jin-Ho is a spy from North Korea. How is that even possible?”

“...”

“When I think about my son shivering away inside a cold prison cell, I just can’t...”

“No, mom. Don’t you know what type of guy your son is? Even if you drop him near the Arctic Circle buck-naked, he’d use the snow as a blanket and enjoy a comfy siesta instead. Have you ever seen my oppa catch a cold before?”

“You don’t know anything, Eun-Yeong. Your oppa used to be so frail and sickly when he was younger, okay?”

“Wha? That’s, like, twenty years ago, mom! Even a baby turtle will grow as big as an adult human in twenty years.”

Baek Hyeon-Jeong narrowed her eyes. “Are you testing my patience right now?”

“No...” Kang Eun-Yeong groaned softly. “Anyways... Where’s dad? Is he opening the cafe today as well?”

“Yes. He said a man must never forget his duties and obligations even when crises and tragedies try to tie him down.”

“Huh. Should I praise him for being an amazing person, or is he just being a dummy?”

Kang Eun-Yeong roughly scratched her head.

Kang Jin-Ho’s story was seemingly the only thing dominating every channel on TV for the past few days. Even if this was about someone breaking the National Security Act, Kang Eun-Yeong could swear she had never seen various news broadcasts focus only on one story like this.

With how obsessive and continuous the coverage was, even she began sensing some sort of hidden intention behind it all. An intention like... malice! An intention to bury Kang Jin-Ho so deep that he’d never recover for the rest of his life!

“Those... Those bastards.”

With the news frequently displaying Kang Jin-Ho’s silhouette and spitting out his personal details, Kang Eun-Yeong’s concerned acquaintances began contacting her one by one.

Since she had never publicized the fact that her older brother ran her talent agency, her acquaintances simply called her to comfort her in this moment of crisis. Unfortunately, even their kind gestures only worsened her stress level.

Kang Eun-Yeong opened the social media app on her phone and browsed through the latest comments. Sure enough, people online had begun complaining about getting confused and bored by the repeated news coverage of some random dude.

Yeah, that makes sense. I mean, what era are we even living in, anyway?

One could try to steer the public sentiment through traditional media, but in this day and age, the viewers at home could express their reactions in real time online.

Anyone with even a passing interest would soon realize something was abnormal about this coverage...

“...

Ehhh

?” Kang Eun-Yeong’s irises powerfully quaked just then. “Wha... What’s this?”

She could see the comments being updated in real time, and...

└My friend works at the prison, and he told me that Choi Yeon-Ha frequently applies to visit that young chairman dude in the news. Does that mean she’s related somehow?

└The talent agency boss is a spy, so of course the contracted talent should be a spy, too. Wait, isn’t Choi Yeon-Ha working mostly in China these days instead of in Korea? Wouldn’t it be easy to get in touch with your handlers from North Korea if you’re in China?

└Anyone who suspects Choi Yeon-Ha of being a spy, please go have your head examined right away, because I’d love to know what you’ve replaced your brain with. Think before you type nonsense. Why would someone like her do crap that none of you would do? Unless she’s also replaced her brain with udon noodles like you?

└Then why would MK’s boss do it? Sounds like he’s young, loaded to the gills, and even went to good schools, doesn’t it? I wish I could live like him for one day... He’s one lucky dude.

└Hang on, wasn’t MK set up with North Korea’s money? The news said nobody knows how they make money and stuff. If what they say is true, then North Korea now has a big ass skyscraper in the middle of Gangnam, right? Now there’s the irrefutable proof of North and South coming together. Kim Il-Sung must be whooping and hollering from his grave.[1]

└An actress going to see her agency’s boss in prison four times in a week doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, though? Especially when the public image is so important to an actress. It’s getting pretty obvious that those two are in

that

kind of relationship.

└A new power couple confirmed?

└Is this an episode of

Crash Landing On You

coming to life?

“

Huh

...?”

Kang Eun-Yeong’s jaw fell on its own, prompting her to hurriedly cover it up with her free hand.

“This is, like, super bad...?”

This crisis seemed to be getting more complicated with every passing day.

***

Han Eun-Sol glanced into the rearview mirror from his driver’s seat. “Noona... Don’t you think we’re visiting Mister Jin-Ho way too often?”

Choi Yeon-Ha in the backseat gruffly replied. “I have nothing on my schedule, so it’s fine.”

“No, hang on... You know that’s not the issue here.”

“You just focus on getting us there in one piece, okay?”

“Noona...!”

Choi Yeon-Ha cocked her brow. “I’m already pissed off as it is, so you wanna keep pushing your luck? Is that it?”

“...”

“Listen here, okay! I might not be the most virtuous, devoted woman out there, but don’t forget that my boyfriend is rotting away in prison for something he didn’t do! The least I can do is show my face, no?! Isn’t that the minimum-least courtesy toward your boyfriend?!”

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“But, noona! What if unsavory rumors spread around...!”

“Stop jinxing it and drive the car, okay? Besides, I’m MK Entertainment’s director, aren’t I?! So what’s wrong with me trying to speak to my boss?”

Han Eun-Sol groaned deeply. Yes, nothing was wrong with what Choi Yeon-Ha was doing.

Unfortunately, that was not how the world operated. Whenever the media and the internet latched onto even a hint of weakness or a fault, they would voraciously rip into their poor victim until they saw the proverbial death and destruction.

However, Han Eun-Sol knew he couldn’t talk Choi Yeon-Ha out of this one.

Choi Yeon-Ha returned from China with only a

little

bit of weight gain, but in just over a week, she lost all that weight and had gotten even thinner than when she got ready to leave South Korea. The stress visible on her face was so much that Han Eun-Sol was sneakily worried about her developing a female pattern baldness!

Worse still, she didn’t even voice her irritation like her usual self, either.

This even helped Han Eun-Sol relearn that Choi Yeon-Ha under tremendous stress wouldn’t even bother to torture the people around her. A case like this only happened once before, back when she had to go to rural China to film that historical drama.

She was on the brink of malnutrition back then. Using that as an example, it was easy enough to see how much stress she was under right now.

Knowing all this, Han Eun-Sol just couldn’t bring himself to tell her to stay home and not bother with visiting Kang Jin-Ho.

Yeah, at least seeing Mister Jin-Ho’s face is better than nothing.

Han Eun-Sol sighed deeply while parking their vehicle.

“We’ve arrived, noona.”

“Got it. I’ll be back soon, so get some rest in the meantime.”

“Nah, it’ll be fine, noona. I’ll just wait for you here. Those bastards don’t even let you stay there for long, anyway.”

“Okay. I’m off.”

Choi Yeon-Ha put on a hat before covering her face with a surgical mask. She scanned the vicinity carefully, then quickly climbed outside the vehicle.

Han Eun-Sol remained in the car and watched her rush toward the prison’s visitor entrance.

He muttered quietly, “

Hah

. What a turbulent life this is. So turbulent, I say.”

Choi Yeon-Ha’s life had been rather eventful even before she hooked up with Kang Jin-Ho. But now, it surpassed the level of eventful and straight into the realm of big-budget spectacles.

How many top stars would have experienced going to a prison to visit their boyfriend? Not many, that much was for...

“...? What the hell?!”

Before Han Eun-Sol could finish his train of thoughts, his body involuntarily jumped up in the driver’s seat, and he slammed the top of his head against the ceiling.

“Ouch?!”

He hurriedly shielded his head with both hands, but his shocked eyes remained glued to the scenery outside.

“

Hiii-eeeek

?!”

Just where were they hiding until now? Just as Choi Yeon-Ha got close to the prison entrance, dozens of people suddenly rushed out of seemingly nowhere. Han Eun-Sol’s face was drained of all color when he noticed mics and cameras in those people’s hands.

Oh, f*ck! Reporters!

How did they even get the whiff of this story?

Judging from the sheer number of reporters camping out there, they must've known about Choi Yeon-Ha coming to visit Kang Jin-Ho. Which meant they should know about her coming here frequently in the past week, too!

Han Eun-Sol jumped out of the vehicle. Regardless of what or how it happened, it was his job to do something about this crisis.

He rushed there at his full speed, where Choi Yeon-Ha was being surrounded by the voracious reporters.

“N-no! Hold on! Wait! Get out of the way!”

Unfortunately for Han Eun-Sol, however, he simply wasn’t strong enough to push aside dozens of reporters to reach his talent. The wall of humans now surrounded Choi Yeon-Ha.

“Miss Choi! Are you here to visit MK’s chairman incarcerated in this prison?”

“We know you’ve come here several times to speak to Mister K! What kind of relationship do you have with him? Are you two merely work colleagues and nothing else?”

“MK is rumored to have received funds from North Korea! Doesn’t that mean MK Entertainment also received the same backing? Please give us your answer as the director of MK Entertainment!”

“Miss Choi! Please look this way! We all know it’s you, so please take off your mask!”

“You! Stop pushing! There ain’t no more room to push, you dumbass!”

“Hey, you bastard! Which newspaper do you work for?!”

“Miss Choi! Miss Choi! We already know everything, so be honest with us and make things easier for everyone! What is your relationship with Mister Kang Jin-Ho?!”

A flood of questions slammed into Choi Yeon-Ha. Even as she got driven toward the prison wall, however, she didn’t display any reaction and quietly listened to the outpouring of questions.

“Miss Choi! Please say something!”

“Your fans are greatly disappointed in you! Do you have anything to say to them?”

“Mister K is accused of breaking the National Security Act! Didn’t you sense anything was amiss while working with him? It should have been easy enough to notice something!”

Han Eun-Sol gritted his teeth while yanking and shoving the reporters aside. “Get out of my way! Move! Goddamn it!”

He pushed, pulled and even kicked at the human wall, but the reporters stood their ground with nary a sign of giving way. Instead, they began shouting back at him.

“What the f*ck are you doing, you brat?!”

“I’m Miss Choi’s manager! Who gave you permission to ambush us like this?!”

“Why would we need permission from you to interview her?! Get the f*ck out of the way!”

“You wanna die?! Is that it?!” Han Eun-Sol roared, but it was no use.

While the reporters at the back of the wall kept blocking Han Eun-Sol, the barrage of questions continued to hit Choi Yeon-Ha relentlessly.

“Miss Choi! Give us your statement! Do you or do you not have that kind of relationship with Mister Kang?”

“If you’re not in a relationship with Mister K, why have you visited him several times already? Isn’t it too frequent to be work-related?”

“The public has the right to know, Mister Choi! Give us your statement!”

Han Eun-Sol could only cry out in his head just then.

Noona! Deny everything!

There was the public image Choi Yeon-Ha had built up until now to consider.

Her fans would’ve rallied around her and come to her defense as long as she denied everything with a tearful face. And that story would’ve been true even in a situation far worse than this one.

Unless irrefutable evidence was in play, the core fanbase would never betray their star. Since that was the case, she could talk her way out of this if she tried.

That was why she must...

That was when Han Eun-Sol saw Choi Yeon-Ha raise her head.

“

Ah

...!”

An unstoppable gasp leaked out of his mouth just then. Other people might not know this, but Han Eun-Sol certainly did as her manager. He could see all the venom and rage filling up Choi Yeon-Ha’s face just then.

When he saw those burning eyes, a deathly chill ran down his entire body.

Oh, no! This is bad!

Definitely bad!

“N-noona! Please calm down! Noona! Nooooona!”

Choi Yeon-Ha snatched her mask off, then yanked her hat away next. Her long hair danced and fell like a scene from a movie. And there was no sign of her usual business smile when confronted by cameras in public.

Her cheeks were ominously twitching, while she was biting on her lips.

The enraged queen slowly chewed her words out.

“What did you say?”

That was the moment when Han Eun-Sol squeezed his eyes shut. Because he knew it was all over.

Choi Yeon-Ha yelled in a shrill voice filled with venom. “What was that? Who the hell do you think you are to block me when I’m here to meet my boyfriend?! You have a problem with that?!

Ah

?!”

Like fireworks going off to signal the start of a festival, camera flashes went off dizzyingly all around her.

This was the moment of Choi Yeon-Ha making a public declaration which was evaluated as the most

passionate

confession in the history of this country’s entertainment industry.

1. Kim Il-Sung was the founder of North Korea and led it as its first supreme leader from 1948 until his death in 1994. He was succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-Il. He made it known that one of his wishes was to unify the two Koreas. ☜