Chapter 279: Southeast Wind
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 279: Southeast Wind
“—This can be seen as a typical case of power-tripping by the chaebol elite!”
“Heh, it’s like this guy is stalking us.”
I let out an incredulous laugh while watching Fact Killer’s latest video. As usual, Choi Jin-ah, who was sitting on the sofa next to me, asked with a worried expression, “Are you sure you’re really okay with this?”
“Hmm? Well, even if I weren’t, what could I do? The lawsuits are already in motion, and we’ve already notified them that there will be no leniency.”
Fact Killer had already documented everything in his videos, after all.
“No, not him. I mean the Investigation Team Leader broadcast that’s about to start.”
Investigation Team Leader.
It was a current affairs exposé program on a major network, and they were airing a special episode today regarding this incident. They seemed thrilled with the ‘source’ we provided, saying it could completely flip public opinion.
“What about it? We gave them all the material, and they’ve been working at top speed to organize it, write the script, and edit it. It’s finally going live.”
From what I heard, they worked three days and nights straight, pulling all-nighters until this morning to finish the edit. They apparently called in every famous PD at the station and ground them down to the bone.
I suppose our story was just that appetizing from a broadcaster’s perspective. In the end, it wasn't even us asking them for a favor; they were the ones begging us not to give the story to anyone else, promising they’d get it on air this week no matter what.
“Sigh... but your personal life is going to be exposed to the whole country. Are you really okay with that?”
“To be honest, I’m not exactly thrilled about it.”
Having your private life broadcast to the entire nation is obviously not ideal.
“But more than that, when I think about how much those bastards are going to be shaking in their boots once this comes out, my heart actually flutters a bit.”
“Woo-jin, I think... you might have a bit of a mean streak.”
“You’re just realizing that? I’ve been swindling kids since elementary school. People don’t change.”
“I guess that’s true.”
“Anyway, let’s order food. Anything you want to eat?”
The staff had been sent home early today. I was thinking of ordering chicken, but Choi Jin-ah made a suggestion with a bright smile.
“Let’s get jokbal!”
“You realize that every time I ask what you want to eat lately, you only ever say jokbal?”
“Ahem, well, it was really good when I had it with Eun-byeol Unni.”
It seems she developed a taste for pig’s trotters after ordering them with my second sister-in-law.
“You’re not going to drink soju, right?”
“Oh, can I?”
“No.”
“...Then why did you even ask?”
She clearly said she was quitting alcohol after that whole ‘pork belly performance’ incident, but it seems she’s developed a taste for soju too. But wait, my sister-in-law is pregnant, so she couldn't have been drinking. Did Jin-ah drink with my little hyung?
Geez, what a great example to set in front of a pregnant woman.
It was a relief that my father was coming home late because the company was so busy on my account.
In the end, we ordered both chicken and jokbal. What’s the point of being rich if you can’t order two different delivery meals at once? That’s the true mark of wealth.
The chicken arrived first, and just as the jokbal followed, the show we had been waiting for, Investigation Team Leader, finally began.
—Hello, I’m Kim Ju-oh of Investigation Team Leader. Today, we will be discussing the man behind the recent hot topic, the Deungbaesan murder case, his daughter, and finally, the Uju Group.
“Heh, I never thought I’d hear my name coming out of that man’s mouth.”
I clicked my tongue. Even though this was the signal for our counterattack and a propaganda tool to reveal the truth to the public, it still didn't feel great.
“Wow, the ratings for Investigation Team Leader must be insane. Everyone is talking about it.”
Choi Jin-ah was busy checking news articles and online communities on her phone.
“What are they saying?”
“They’re saying it’s important to see whose side the show takes. If they side with Uju Group, they’ve been bribed. Others say they trust Kim Ju-oh to reveal the truth. It’s definitely heating up.”
“Good. As long as people are talking.”
On the screen, Kim Ju-oh continued the broadcast.
—The Deungbaesan murder case was a matter that was resolved cleanly, leaving no room for rumors.
—However, the issue that has recently come to light is the daughter of the killer Oh Cheong-min, Ms. Oh Yun-ji.
A photo of Yun-ji appeared, though her face was blurred. Yun-ji was probably watching this broadcast right now with Choi I-seo.
Ah, I wish she just wouldn't watch it.
I hoped she wouldn't see this. And the same went for Choi I-seo, Seo Ye-rin, and Yoo Ah-rin.
“Whoa, it’s on the Neutube live stream too! Someone posted the link saying Fact Killer is in the chat!”
“That attention-seeking brat.”
He really was desperate for the spotlight. Since he’d become a ‘righteous Neutuber’ through this recent incident, his subscriber count had been skyrocketing.
—It all started with a call-out video from a certain Neutuber.
“Let me see.”
I looked at the real-time chat on Choi Jin-ah’s phone to gauge the public mood.
↳ Fact Killer made it onto the broadcast lol.
↳ LMAO, to the moon! Gazua!
↳ I still watch that video once a day.
↳ This is what justice looks like, you judges.
“I shouldn't have looked.”
Investigation Team Leader was showing a short clip of Fact Killer’s video.
—And finally, you. Ha, I usually don't mention real names, but I’m going to speak my mind today.
—Oh Yun-ji! Are you really that shameless? Do you really want to live like that on the money your killer father, Oh Cheong-min, swindled from people?
↳ Crazy bitch.
↳ She’s just a legendary psycho.
↳ In this country, you’re the loser if you live honestly lol.
↳ I don't think I could live like that. Even if I lived in luxury, I’d be shivering at night;
—Now, after this video was released by the Neutuber, our production team had a question.
—Oh Cheong-min was a killer, but he was also a victim of the Garam Investment Fraud. What exactly did he mean by ‘swindled money’?
Surprisingly, if there was one thing Fact Killer had actually gotten right...
It was that Oh Cheong-min was a swindler.
He had probably just called him a swindler for the sake of clout and image-making, but in reality, Oh Cheong-min was indeed involved in investment fraud in addition to being a serial killer.
—Surprisingly, the answer to that was provided to us by the Uju Group.
“Ah, that’s the part I got.”
The information I had obtained through Jin Mi-ae began to play out. The show explained that indictments had already been made and that Uju Group was resolving the matter internally, but...
↳ Fact Killer is the GOAT!
↳ I worship you!
↳ Pure light! The justice of South Korea!
↳ Wow, so Fact Killer already knew before Uju even stepped in?
↳ This is insane; honestly, if you look into Fact Killer’s past, is he going to turn out to be ex-NIS or something?
People were worshipping Fact Killer, thinking he had pinpointed a detail everyone else had missed.
“Go ahead, worship him all you want.”
“Hey! Why are you eating both drumsticks by yourself?!”
“Have some jokbal.”
But man, they really made this interesting. They said they were talented, and even with just the raw sources I gave them, they crafted something clean and captivating.
—Surprisingly, Jin Mi-ae betrayed Oh Cheong-min and squandered all that money. It was the typical end for a jackpot-seeker intoxicated by men, alcohol, and luxury goods.
↳ LOL
↳ They’re just tearing each other apart lmao.
↳ This is why you need to study.
↳ You guys are the GOATs of self-inflicted justice.
↳ ? Then where did Oh Yun-ji’s money come from?
Exactly. That’s the question you should be asking.
If Jin Mi-ae spent all the money, then where on earth did Oh Yun-ji get the funds to establish a new MCN?
↳ Kim Un? I heard the second son of Uju Group is her secret lover.
↳ Ugh, what a creep.
↳ What about our Eun-byeol? She’s even pregnant, I feel so bad for her. She picked the wrong man.
Naturally, the target began to shift toward us, but as if they had anticipated this, the narrative took a different turn.
—Now, everyone. Let’s shift the topic for a moment.
A reenactment featuring actors began to play. When did they even film this?
“They must have worked hard.”
“I even performed the background music for this part separately.”
“You did?”
“Yes. Oh! It’s coming up. The important scene.”
This was essentially the highlight.
—These two first met in college.
A man and a woman encountered each other in what looked like a college lecture hall. The woman even had red hair, just like Yun-ji.
—At first, they bickered, but that gradually turned into feelings for one another.
↳ What’s this all of a sudden?
↳ I thought I changed the channel.
↳ What is this?
—And so, during the first semester of their freshman year—quite early on—they began dating.
↳ They were a campus couple?
↳ LMAO, why is this more interesting?
↳ This is hilarious lol. A freshman first-semester CC? That’s hell.
↳ But what does this have to do with anything?
—As time passed, they became indispensable to each other. The man had fled from a patriarchal household, and the woman’s father was in prison for murder. They had no choice but to lean on each other.
—Then, during the summer break of their freshman year, the woman suddenly left the man.
—Because the man was, in fact, the son of one of the country’s leading conglomerates... and the woman was the daughter of a killer.
—Now, here is a letter our production team obtained with great difficulty. It is what the woman left behind for the man when she departed.
My phone was already vibrating. I intentionally ignored it.
“It’s a relief. Your father’s secretary didn't throw the letter away back then.”
“Sigh, Oh Yun-ji probably wished he had.”
It was all in the past, but I was glad the secretary had kept it just in case. On the TV, a woman’s voice began to read the contents of the letter.
—My dear X.
—I’m sorry for leaving so suddenly without a word. But I hope you know it’s so that we can love each other for a long time.
—Your father sent someone. I guess he didn't like us dating because my father is a violent criminal.
—I understand. If you married a woman like me, the corporate image would take a huge hit. He wouldn't want to create a weakness on purpose.
—But your father made me a promise. If I become someone who can take responsibility for you... he’ll give us another chance.
—So, I’m going to try to make money.
—I’m going to start a company. It’ll start small, but I’ll work hard. I’ll become a woman who is worthy of you.
—I’m sorry, X. I’m so sorry for leaving you like this.
—But...
—I’ll definitely come back.
—Without fail.
—I’ll come back to you.
—Wait for me, my husband?
“Ha... damn. They made it too well.”
My eyes actually grew a bit misty. Choi Jin-ah was also staring intensely at the screen, completely immersed. Other people were probably reacting the same way.
The screen cut back to the host, Kim Ju-oh.
—As you may have guessed, this is a letter between Ms. Oh Yun-ji and the youngest son of the Uju Group.
—While strange rumors about the second son of Uju Group and Ms. Oh Yun-ji have been circulating, they were not true.
↳ Wow.
↳ Ah, I’m actually tearing up;
↳ This is true devotion.
↳ Why isn't there anyone like that for me?
↳ Fact Killer better get a rebuttal video ready.
↳ So Fact Killer was the one who spread the rumors about the affair.
—Now, how do you see Ms. Oh Yun-ji?
—To me... she looks like a woman who simply loved one man so fiercely that she wanted to become someone worthy of him.
—Finally.
—I will play the video we showed at the beginning once more.
—It is the same content, but you will find it feels strikingly different.
After that, Fact Killer’s video played again.
—Hello? Who is this?
—You’re Mr. Shin Min-bae, right? You run the ‘Fact Killer’ channel on Neutube.
—Oh, are you calling about an ad inquiry? Or a tip? I have a separate email for—
—I’m Yun-ji’s ex-boyfriend.
Yes. The video of my first contact with him. The one he used to claim Uju Group was threatening to bury a small Neutuber.
—Hmm? Do you have a tip for me?
—It’s not a tip. I’m calling to ask you to take the video down. Everything in it is a lie.
—Ha, haha. Who put you up to this? Did you get paid?
—I’m saying this for your own sake. Take the video down immediately. We want to settle this with words if possible.
—‘We’? Did you say ‘we’? Are you with Star Studio? Or are you from Uju Group?
—...Yes, that’s right. So stop. We don't want this to go as far as a legal battle.
—Hahaha! Are you threatening a mere Neutuber?!
—It’s not a threat. I sincerely hope you stop here and apologize.
—Apologize? For what! Shouldn't you be apologizing for the current situation where Uju Group is deceiving people by defending a killer’s daughter?
—...We kept giving you chances.
Click.
The video cut off, and Kim Ju-oh reappeared. He gave the viewers a bittersweet smile.
—How was it?
—The lines that initially sounded like chaebol power-tripping, an abuse of authority, or a kind of threat...
—Don't they now look like a man’s effort to protect the woman who has already left him?
—Don't they sound like the pleas of a man trying to hide the flaws of the woman he loved, using the name of the Uju Group?
“Wow, they just aired the whole thing.”
“Woo-jin... I’m really glad you’re not my enemy.”
To Jin-ah’s question of whether I had planned this whole picture since the moment I made that call, I simply responded with a grin.
—In the end, the two were unable to be together for certain reasons. That is the end of the story.
—Now, the judgment is up to all of you.
—This has been Kim Ju-oh of Investigation Team Leader.
The broadcast ended, and when I checked the live chat, the expected reactions were pouring out.
“They’re having a grand old time fighting.”
But what can you do? This is only the beginning.
They weren't wrong. Oh Yun-ji’s innocence hadn't been proven yet. But that would happen soon enough.
It’s not over yet.
I still had the biggest blow in reserve. Public opinion would flip in an instant. Still, Yun-ji’s image would start to change from today. For now, that was enough.
“Wow, they really did a good job, didn't they? It was so dramatic. I should treat them to a meal later.”
“...Woo-jin, everything in there is true, right?”
I nodded awkwardly at Choi Jin-ah’s question, as she was still deeply immersed in the story.
“Of course. If I mixed in lies, how would I be any different from Fact Killer?”
The reason I could be so confident was that it was all the truth.
“And a man like that is now with three women—”
“Ahem! Let’s look toward a productive future! Let’s not dig up the past!”
“Sigh, fine. But is this okay? Did Yun-ji and your other girlfriends agree to you sending this kind of content?”
“Haha...”
I felt a cold sweat running down my back.
“There’s no way they agreed.”
Vrrr! Vrrr! Vrrr! Vrrr! Vrrr! Vrrr!
[ Oh Yun-ji ]
My phone had been ringing non-stop for a while now.