Chapter 245
Chapter 245
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 245
Chapter Title: Things a CEO Shouldn't Do
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What are some things a company president shouldn't do?
Embezzlement, incompetence, shortsighted management chasing immediate gains—plenty come to mind.
But as of today, No Se-hee had one more to add.
"Don't become the decisive witness in a front-page incident...!"
Thinking back to last night's chaos brought tears to her eyes unbidden. No Se-hee managed one more sip of coffee as she surveyed the disastrous scene.
"How's the public reacting?"
Jo Yi-ruk spoke up first. No Se-hee rubbed her crusty eyes and replied.
"I passed out monitoring until dawn. So far, it's mostly positive."
A huge relief for the company.
"It's fundamentally a righteous act. The 'anonymous tipster's' moves were already a big issue even before their identity came out. They must've built up some goodwill already."
If it'd been revealed from the start that it was Song Woo-yeon who'd done it, suspicious glares would've been unavoidable.
Like sparking debates such as "What was he doing there?" They couldn't have escaped that. People might've even suspected if Song Woo-yeon had been enjoying himself in such a place.
In that sense, starting out as 'anonymous' had actually made it easier to win the public over.
"Now that it's out, it'd be awkward for them to flip their stance. Especially since he didn't reveal himself on purpose—the internet eyewitness accounts started it all."
This sealed off suspicions like "He's just cozying up to Hyunmu, squeezing them dry, then backstabbing for his image."
"And... not sure if this counts as fortunate, but you got seriously hurt."
That was the clincher.
Photos of Song Woo-yeon being loaded into the ambulance were now known to everyone.
Even harsh critics couldn't throw stones at him in such a situation.
"Not zero negative reactions, but the vast majority are positive for sure."
"I see."
Jo Yi-ruk nodded in agreement.
"Releasing the official statement as fast as possible to protect the brand image... that should help too."
While the internet was buzzing over whether it was really Song Woo-yeon or not.
To handle the emergency, Jo Yi-ruk had formed a crisis management task force on his own.
Slapped together at dawn, but still.
"I moved on my own, so I hope it's okay."
"No choice. Song CEO was in surgery, and Team Leader Baek could barely string a sentence together when we finally got through."
They needed the full story to respond properly, but circumstances weren't cooperating.
All signs pointed to Song Woo-yeon indeed getting stabbed and collapsing in court, so Jo Yi-ruk had to decide fast.
Hush it up and stay silent, or admit he was the 'anonymous tipster' and face the chaos head-on to calm things down.
With Song Woo-yeon absent, as The Song's de facto number two, the weight fell on Jo Yi-ruk.
Jo Yi-ruk muttered through his exhaustion.
"...Acting as CEO even briefly made me swear one thing."
"What?"
"That I'll never climb to this position."
Pfft!
No Se-hee burst into a small laugh.
"I'm not joking."
"That's why it cracked me up."
Still smiling, No Se-hee continued.
"The CEO seat isn't easy. No one tells you what's right—do it this way or that. And the consequences are all on you..."
That's what it means to captain the company ship.
"You handled it brilliantly anyway. Looks like you've got the chops."
Jo Yi-ruk had griped like that but still executed everything methodically.
He'd issued a clear statement on the incident, praised Song CEO's courage and public service while drawing a line that it was his personal affair, unrelated to the company.
He'd communicated the company's stance to reassure jittery franchise owners and partners, and run the task force to field every worried call flooding in overnight.
"Even if what CEO did serves the public good, it's not exactly welcome for The Song to be tangled in scandals like this."
The online sentiment hadn't tanked as feared—in fact, it leaned toward Song Woo-yeon's side, which was lucky.
But you always have to prepare for the worst.
No Se-hee stared at Jo Yi-ruk teasingly.
"You're not thinking of going from crewman to captain, are you?"
"Don't say creepy stuff like that."
Jo Yi-ruk recoiled in horror, making No Se-hee laugh brightly again.
"Why not? You seem like you'd be great at it. Sure, stressful."
"Not my league."
Jo Yi-ruk murmured, looking pale.
"I just... wondered what Song CEO would do and acted on it."
"Right. If it were the CEO... surely..."
"..."
A brief silence fell.
They'd been too busy to think about it, but now their situation hit home again.
Song Woo-yeon had been attacked and rushed into emergency surgery.
They didn't say it, but both sank into deep thought. Jo Yi-ruk felt a heavy pressure on his chest, choking him.
"What if... just what if something happens to CEO..."
An unthinkable thought. But if the worst came...
What then?
Jo Yi-ruk felt like a lost child on a dark road. He'd finally found his guiding lighthouse, only to blink and find himself alone in the shadows again.
A chill ran down his spine.
Right then—
Clap clap clap!
Applause echoed from behind. Jo Yi-ruk and No Se-hee whipped around.
"Oh no."
Someone who shouldn't be there was sitting right there. Not standing—sitting.
"Got so moved listening in that I couldn't help it."
The smiling face was familiar. Would've been more so without the large gauze on one cheek.
Maybe because he hadn't expected to see him so soon. Jo Yi-ruk's mind went blank.
Was he still half-asleep, hallucinating?
No Se-hee seemed the same. They both stood frozen in stunned silence for a while.
Song Woo-yeon.
It was Song Woo-yeon.
Draped in a light jacket over his hospital gown, sitting in a wheelchair.
"...Oops. Too shameless?"
Misreading their silence, Song Woo-yeon grinned sheepishly.
Creak.
He wheeled himself in alone, then paused at the team members sprawled on the floor.
"...CEO."
Jo Yi-ruk moved first. He rushed over and knelt before Song Woo-yeon.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah, yeah. Surgery went well—just gotta wait for it to heal. Called but no one picked up, so I checked out for a bit and came."
Damn.
Jo Yi-ruk inwardly clicked his tongue. Since the incident, calls had poured in from everywhere; he'd barely glanced at his personal phone.
"Was that your call ringing earlier...? Sorry, CEO. Thought it was an alarm in my sleep and silenced it..."
No Se-hee apologized hurriedly, but Song Woo-yeon waved it off.
"Haha, no. Looking at this mess, I get it. Wasn't blaming you."
Song Woo-yeon carried on the conversation like always. It felt utterly surreal.
Even if the photo was blurry and out of focus, they'd clearly seen him loaded into the ambulance.
Blood streaming down everywhere.
"How's your body? Really okay?"
Jo Yi-ruk pressed urgently.
"Told you, I'm fine. Just torn muscles—no other injuries. Lucky the major blood vessels were missed."
Song Woo-yeon joked about his luck. Jo Yi-ruk finally exhaled in relief.
The tension that had gripped his heart since hearing the news of the attack eased at last.
"Haa..."
All strength drained from his body. Kneeling, Jo Yi-ruk swayed for a moment.
If he'd been standing, his legs would've buckled. He realized he'd been more on edge than he thought.
Pushing himself harder than usual to fill Song Woo-yeon's absence.
"Team Leader Jo? You okay?"
"Yeah. Just... dizzy for a sec."
As Jo Yi-ruk struggled to stand, strong hands hauled him up.
"Here. Lean on the desk."
Dazed, he followed the voice, gripping the desk. It helped a lot.
"Jae-ha!"
"CEO, I said wait—I'd grab a blanket. How could you come up alone?"
"Sorry. Got impatient."
"Cover up with this blanket."
Jo Yi-ruk stared blankly at Baek Jae-ha.
Last they'd talked, he'd been on the verge of tears, out of it. Now he was acting all composed, like nothing happened.
"Now happy? You insisted on seeing with your own eyes, dragging us here."
"Doctors said no big strain, it's fine. That's why the wheelchair."
"Still, a patient coming all this way?"
Baek Jae-ha scolded Song Woo-yeon.
"Fine, fine."
Song Woo-yeon sighed deeply, shaking his head, then looked at Jo Yi-ruk.
"Team Leader Jo."
"Yes?"
"You worked hard last night. Must've been shocked because of me. But The Song handled it well."
"...!"
Recognition of his efforts swelled pride in his chest.
"As you see, just my leg's messed up—the rest is fine. Contact me for anything urgent."
"Yes. Got it."
"It'll be noisy for a bit, but we'll sort it out ASAP..."
Right then—
Bzzz!
The cellphone on Song Woo-yeon's lap started vibrating.
And the name on the screen was one Jo Yi-ruk knew well.
「Director Je Yoon-jae」
JC's heir, Je Yoon-jae.