Because I Won't Be the One Educating Him

"Are you okay, Oppa? What happened?"

"It's pretty noisy outside. Should I call more security guards?"

As soon as Dojin stepped into the main building, Dohee and Seung-wan rushed out as if they had been waiting for him.

Seeing the two of them looking so genuinely worried about him helped ease Dojin's tense mind. He replied calmly.

"I'm fine. And there's no need for that, Seung-wan. I already spoke to Eun-seop on my way in, so by now..."

At Dojin's words, Seung-wan looked out the window and nodded.

She could see the security guards, who had been scattered across the school grounds, all heading toward the playground.

There were sixteen of them in total.

On top of that, the twenty guards who had been doing outdoor training in the hills would be coming down soon, so she didn't need to worry.

The filming crew, including the actors, numbered fewer than ten people.

The security team could easily handle them.

Just as she expected, it wasn't long before the crew members were seen being escorted out of Sekki House by the security guards.

Amusingly, the director was being carried out bodily by two guards.

Fuming with rage, he grabbed his megaphone and began to scream.

"Ah, they took it away. What a shame. It was getting fun, they should've just let him keep going," Dohee muttered, watching the scene from the office window.

Seung-wan shook her head at her and said, "Honestly, you're the most wicked one here."

"Huh? Why me?"

"The fact that you don't even realize it adds ten points to your devil meter."

"What?"

While Dohee wore a blank expression at her words, Seung-wan turned to Dojin.

"Anyway, are you going to be okay? I thought the assistant director was someone you knew."

"I thought so too, but I was wrong. They treated me like a pushover, and I couldn't just let that slide. Especially since I'm not alone anymore. Right, Ttorang-i?"

Woof!

"Good girl, you think so too? If I knew this would happen, I would never have agreed to sponsor the location. You guys had to stay cooped up in here for days just to avoid the crew. I'm sorry."

Ttorang-i panted happily, stepping off her cushion to lick Dojin's hand.

Watching the dog comfort Dojin, Seung-wan looked at him with wonder.

Does he actually have some kind of animal trainer license?

The animals at Sekki House were no ordinary pets.

The cats were a family of former strays, and the dog was a former stray abandoned by her owner.

Yet, for some reason, these animals that should have been wary of humans became as gentle as lambs whenever they were around Dojin.

It's not that they just naturally like people...

Even now, Ttorang-i refused to eat any treats unless they came from Dojin.

She would accept regular kibble from Seung-wan and Dohee only because Dojin had spent a lot of time socializing her to them, but she wouldn't let anyone else get close.

It was the same for Bo-ri's family.

They were slightly more social than Ttorang-i, but without Dojin around, they paid absolutely no attention to Seung-wan or Dohee.

No matter how she looked at it, Dojin was just special.

"Well, putting your acquaintance aside... what about the director?"

"What about him?"

"That guy is a third-generation chaebol. He was humiliated and kicked out, so I doubt he'll just let this go."

"A third-generation chaebol? Why is someone like that shooting independent films?"

"He's called a third-generation chaebol, but his family doesn't own a major conglomerate. They own an old, established mid-sized company, and he's the grandson. Apparently, rather than inheriting the family business, he wants to build his own career."

"But how do you know so much about him, Seung-wan? Is he an acquaintance of yours?" Dojin asked cautiously, realizing how he had kicked the director out.

If the director was someone Seung-wan knew, it could put her in a difficult position.

However, Seung-wan's answer was far from what he expected.

"I told you I used to work as a BJ's video editor, right? I also briefly worked as a channel manager back then, and that jerk was the 'chairman' of the channel."

"Chairman?"

"Not a real chairman. It's just an honorary title given to the person who donates the most money. Anyway, as soon as he got that title, he bragged about being a third-generation chaebol preparing to become a film director and asked me out for a meal. He claimed it was an audition for his next project."

"Ugh, gross! Just hearing that makes my skin crawl," Dohee said, pinching her nose as if she could smell something foul.

Seung-wan shrugged and continued.

"Of course, I strongly opposed it. I wasn't even sure if he was a real director, and directors don't cast people like that. But he must have heard about my reaction. He actually emailed his ID card to the BJ to prove he wasn't a weirdo. It was so ridiculous that I remembered his name and face..."

"And that was the guy out there?"

"Yes. His face looks a bit different from the photo, probably because it was heavily photoshopped, but it's definitely him."

"..."

Dojin was left speechless by Seung-wan's words.

How much had Jang Beom-su bragged about his director when he came to rent the place?

"Our director is the best. He writes well, takes great care of the actors, and above all, his worldview on cinema is on another level. He's mostly doing indie films now, but I'm sure of it. The moment our director turns his eyes to commercial films, Korea will gain another director with a ten-million-viewer movie."

Dojin let out a dry chuckle.

Ten-million-viewer director, my foot. More like a ten-million-won scammer.

"Oppa? What is it?"

"Nothing. I just remembered some nonsense I heard before. Anyway, what happened after that? Did she get cast?"

"No. I fought tooth and nail against it, so the dinner plans fell through. Back then, I still had a lot of influence over the BJ. Once the dinner was canceled, the talk about casting vanished too. In the end, that was his only goal."

Dojin nodded in agreement. Recallling the director's behavior earlier, Seung-wan's story felt highly credible.

He didn't look like a passionate director searching for actors for his art; he looked like a playboy using the title of 'director' to live an easy life.

However, that playboy's influence was stronger than they anticipated.

They say trouble always strikes out of nowhere.

Dojin realized exactly why that saying existed.

"What... is all this?"

Unlike Dojin, who was shocked by the headlines, Seung-wan's voice was calm as she answered.

"These articles are spreading mainly through online tabloid sites. Most of them are trash media outlets that will publish anything if you pay them a hundred or two hundred thousand won. The problem is the sheer volume."

Seung-wan showed him the screenshots ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she had taken.

"As you can see, a total of twenty-three tabloid sites have published the exact same article so far. If we filter out the ones that have different names but are actually run by the same parent company... we're left with sixteen."

"How do you know all this so quickly, Seung-wan?"

Dojin had only just found out about the articles, yet Seung-wan had already categorized them by their parent companies. He couldn't help but be amazed.

"I told you, I know a thing or two about that director. Something similar happened before. When the dinner with the BJ fell through because of me, tabloid articles suddenly started attacking her character. When I called to complain, they just cut ties, claiming it was written by a freelance reporter and they knew nothing about it."

"So what did you do?" Dojin asked quickly, completely engrossed in her story.

However, Seung-wan's answer was not what he hoped to hear.

"We did nothing."

"...Nothing?"

"Yes. The BJ had only just started growing her channel back then. Obviously, she didn't have the money to buy counter-articles. So we had no choice but to take the hits and endure it, only denying the rumors occasionally during her live streams."

"Was that it? Did the articles stop just because you endured it?"

"No. The attacks only got worse because we endured. More tabloids started publishing articles. The director must have been furious that we weren't backing down."

"..."

"If the MeToo movement hadn't happened around that time, she would have either quit streaming or ended up meeting that director. The bastard kept messaging her every month, asking if she was ready to have dinner yet."

Dojin felt a wave of frustration. In the end, she had only escaped because a bigger scandal broke out. While it ended well for her, it wasn't a solution that helped Dojin right now.

Wait. Isn't my situation different from that BJ's?

Seung-wan had said the BJ lacked the fame and the money to fight back.

But what about Dojin?

His fame might be modest, but he certainly had the financial means.

Moreover, there was a clear difference between Dojin and that BJ.

"Can we commission articles too? Preferably through outlets other than the ones attacking us."

A thick smile spread across Seung-wan's face at Dojin's words.

Seeing that, Dojin realized she had already prepared for this.

"Of course we can. I still have the list of contacts I compiled back then. We can just use that."

Just as Dojin suspected, Seung-wan was fully prepared. However, Dojin realized from her tone that the scale of her preparation might be larger than he expected.

"You have a list?"

"Yes. I was so angry back then that I wanted to pay for articles out of my own pocket. But it's more expensive than you'd think. A single article doesn't cost much, but you need to get as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠many outlets as possible to publish at the same time, and you have to keep releasing follow-up articles. It was too much for an ordinary employee to afford."

"How much are we talking about?"

"You should expect to spend at least five million won for the first wave. And if we release second and third waves of follow-up articles, it'll cost about the same each time."

Five million won.

Back when he was working at the factory, that was an unimaginable sum to spend on a whim. Spending two months' ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worth of salary just to release some articles was unthinkable. And to do it multiple times?

Even if he was wronged and angry, he would have had no choice but to swallow his pride.

But things were different now.

"Let's commission all the outlets on that list. Tell them we didn't abuse our power, but rather that the other side broke the contract and tried to bully us. And attach the edited video footage with it."

"Video footage?"

As Seung-wan tilted her head, Dojin pointed to his action camera.

"We have clear evidence."

"Ah."

A satisfied smile spread across Seung-wan's face.

Aside from the chest cam Dojin always wore, there were plenty of cameras at Sekki House. There were the security CCTVs, and ever since the security guards started staying at the property, they had all been wearing chest cams as well.

"This is going to be fun."

Seung-wan's smile twisted into something dark and wicked. It was the most terrifying smile Dojin had seen on her since they met.

The time had finally come for her to settle an old score.

Seung-wan quickly copied the footage from Dojin's action cam, the CCTVs, and the security guards' cameras, and began editing.

Even after commissioning the articles, Dojin didn't expect much. He rarely read the news himself.

However, once the articles were published at the scheduled time, Dojin had to admit why people fought so hard over media play.

"The public opinion has completely flipped."

Before they released the counter-articles, the comment section had been filled with insults and criticism. Now, it was clean as if nothing had happened.

Of course, a few nasty comments still popped up here and there, but even those were quickly being drowned out and deleted over time.

"Right? People talk a lot, but in the end, they're easily swayed by the media," Seung-wan said with a satisfied smile as she checked the comments beside him.

"Wow, Seung-wan! You're amazing. Is this what professional experience looks like? I wish I could do something to help Oppa with his work instead of just handling customer service."

"What are you talking about, Dohee? You help me so much."

"...Really?"

"Of course. When we built the library and the theater, you practically directed the whole thing. Seung-wan and I don't know anything about that."

"He's right. If it weren't for you, we would have had to hire professionals, and you know how much interior designers rip people off. You saved Dojin a fortune," Seung-wan added quickly, noticing Dohee's mood dipping.

"Really? Hehe, that makes me feel better. I really have the best boyfriend and the best friend."

Sensing their sincerity, Dohee returned to her usual bright self.

As the three of them chatted and joked around as usual, Dojin's phone rang.

Ring~

"Oh, hold on. Let me take this."

Seeing that it was Yeong-jin calling, Dojin answered.

"Hello? Uncle, what's up?"

"What do you mean, what's up? I saw the news. It looked like you had some trouble, but it seems to be resolved now."

A bitter smile appeared on Dojin's face. He was embarrassed that Yeong-jin knew about it, since the articles had only been published in minor tabloids. He felt slightly guilty for showing a weak side to Yeong-jin, who always looked out for him.

"Ah, you saw that, Uncle. It was nothing. I just ran into a weird customer, that's all."

"Is that so? If you say so, then it must be."

"Yes. It's really nothing, so please keep it a secret from the director. I'm worried she'll get anxious over nothing."

"Don't worry about that. I'll handle it. Is there any other problem? Anything you need my help with?"

"No, not at all. You've already done so much for me. If I ever really need something, I'll let you know then."

"Well, alright. Since everything seems fine, I'll hang up now."

"Yes, take care."

After hanging up, Dojin stared at his phone for a moment. Yeong-jin's tone had been unusually gentle.

Come to think of it, why did Uncle call first?

Usually, he only called when the director had business with Dojin. But this time, he didn't even mention the director and only asked how Dojin was doing before hanging up. It was a bit strange.

However, Dojin didn't dwell on it for long.

"Oppa, who was that?"

"Oh, it was Uncle Yeong-jin. The director's secretary who visited the other day."

"Ah, that stern-looking mister? Why did he call?"

"He saw the articles. He called because he was worried."

"Oh! He's surprisingly sweet, unlike how he looks!"

With Dohee clinging to his side like Ttorang-i and Seung-wan chiming in with a smirk, the phone call was quickly forgotten.

"Haha, what did he say?"

"As expected, he said it was nothing."

"Haha, I knew Dojin would say that. And in reality, it probably is nothing to him."

Hearing the details of the call from Yeong-jin, Hye-seok couldn't stop smiling. She had been in this cheerful mood every day lately.

It must be because of Dojin.

It wasn't that Hye-seok never laughed, but as she grew older and her children caused trouble, she had rarely smiled. The person who brought the laughter back to her face was Dojin, ever since he contacted her.

Specifically, it started when Dojin found the slush fund her son had hidden in the principal's office and offered to return it.

"Why? Do you find it strange that I'm like this?"

"No, ma'am. I believe Dojin has fully earned it."

"Haha, indeed. Keeping one's principles in front of money is no easy task. Dojin managed to do what my own sons, who grew up wanting for nothing, could never do, even though he had nothing to his name."

It was obvious who she meant by 'those boys.'

Her own sons, who were born into wealth but ruined their lives out of greed. Two of them had lost their lives due to poor choices, and the only remaining son was serving a long sentence in prison.

"Dojin lent them the location because of that boy Beom-su, right?"

"Yes. They grew up in the same orphanage, and it seems Beom-su was very persistent with his request."

"Tsk, what a pathetic fool."

Hye-seok's expression, which had been warm when talking about Dojin, turned freezing cold at the mention of Beom-su. To her, Beom-su was that kind of child.

"How many times did we help that boy?"

"Four times in total. His rental deposit, college tuition, scholarships, and even a used car. I excluded the promise you made to invest in his film once he makes his debut."

Hye-seok never abandoned the children who graduated from the orphanage she managed. She consistently supported them until they could stand on their own in society.

This support was more than what average parents provided for their children. Yet, despite all this help, less than ten percent of the children who left the orphanage managed to live decent lives.

"It's strange. I made sure they wanted for nothing while they were at the orphanage. I took care of their food, clothes, shelter, and even supported their education if they wanted to study. So why do our children all carry such a deep victim mentality?"

They shrank back, blaming the fact that they were orphans and had no parents to help them. Few of them even managed to graduate from college, let alone find proper jobs.

Beom-su, who graduated and became an assistant director, and Dojin, who started working at a factory early on, were actually the exceptional cases.

But the two could not be compared.

Dojin had found a job at a factory immediately after graduation before Hye-seok could even offer support, while Beom-su had received all kinds of help only to become an adult who exploited others—specifically targeting those from the same orphanage.

"Withdraw all the support we gave to Beom-su. He is no longer one of my children."

"Yes, Chairman."

That single sentence was the end of it.

By exploiting his orphanage mates who were like brothers to him, Beom-su had let greed blind him and kicked away his own blessings—just like Hye-seok's sons.

"Should we redirect the support withdrawn from Beom-su to Dojin?" Yeong-jin asked cautiously.

He knew the Chairman's heart was set on Dojin, but he had to be careful with his words. She might misunderstand and think he was trying to read her mind.

However, the Chairman simply shook her head.

"Not... not yet."

"..."

"Chief Jo, you saw it too. Dojin is uncomfortable with us helping him. Even if we want to give him something, he won't accept it unless there's a proper justification, haha."

Though she spoke casually, a warm smile returned to Hye-seok's face. She was proud of Dojin for holding onto his philosophy and values far more strictly than her own children ever did.

Perhaps that was why she wanted to give him even more.

To her, Dojin was now more of a child to her than her own flesh and blood.

"Let's just wait and step in only when he faces something he can't handle on his own, like this time, hahaha."

At Hye-seok's words, Yeong-jin's gaze drifted to the table.

A business card for the chairman of Geumwon Construction lay there.

Dojin didn't know it, but the reason this incident had ended with just a few tabloid articles was because Hye-seok had personally put pressure on Chairman Ban Il-sik.

A sharp intake of breath could be heard over the phone.

Only then did Ban Il-sik realize why she had called.

It was a threat from the largest shareholder, who held a whopping twenty percent of his company's stock.

As she spoke, Dojin's face came to Hye-seok's mind.

She knew that if Dojin took a hit, he would surely return it in kind.

And just as she predicted, Dojin delivered a brilliant counterpunch.

A few days later, new articles began to appear in the news section. These were not from the tabloids Dojin or Ban Il-sik had paid, but from major media outlets.