Chapter 82
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Viral Smear Campaign Exposed
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[Haneul Clinic's Smear Campaign Against Seongsu Clinic.jpg]
The post neatly laid out just the facts, but people quickly pieced together the full picture.
Wow...... how can someone in the same industry stoop to such low-class tactics?
That's too much! I knew our cafe went viral a lot, but trashing the clinic next door like this is way over the line!
Oh my, forcing chuna treatments and pinning it on Seongsu Clinic? I tweaked my back and went there—it only got worse!
Exactly. I got treated there for a week with no results, switched to Seongsu Clinic, and was fixed in just two visits!
Wasn't that just buildup from prior treatments?
Yes, next up: Lee Hansol.
Lee Hansol director, what are you doing here? Even if patients are scarce, you can't act like this in a mom cafe~.
The reactions were fiercely intense.
Bad experiences at Haneul Clinic popped up minute by minute on that post. Whenever someone tried to defend them, it quickly got pinned on Lee Hansol.
Not only that—new threads cursing Haneul Clinic started appearing.
No, if posts praising Seongsu Clinic numbered one, those slamming Haneul Clinic hit ten.
— We agreed no negative campaigning!
Less than three hours after the post went up, Lee Hansol called Choo Miyoung.
"What? What are you talking about? I have no idea what you're referring to!"
Choo Miyoung flatly denied any involvement.
What kind of negative campaigning is this? It's just documenting what actually happened.
And a few days later.
I got another screenshot from my gaming buddy, Cheongpunggongja.
"......It's spread this far?"
The names of Seongsu Clinic and Haneul Clinic had even made it to the gaming community.
The speed of the scandal's spread exceeded my expectations, and that post had way more meat on it than Yoon Hanbyeol's from a few days earlier in the local cafe.
Having dug deep into four names and twelve IDs, they'd unearthed every post the couple had ever made across local cafes, communities, NewTube, and more.
It made sense when you thought about it—this couple's reign of terror wasn't new to Seongsu Clinic.
I mean, how do you suddenly conjure up donggulle tea-level villains?!
Turns out, until two years ago, there'd been another clinic in the alley across the street that shut down after similar turf bullying. On top of that, screenshots showed shady mentions of four other nearby clinics.
But the most striking bit...... was Hyun Jumi writing hate comments on YouTube the very next day after tagging Seongsu Clinic on Instagram.
[Daegu Area Clinic Director's Shady Deeds.jpg (photo)(photo)(photo)]
Lmao that director is a total psycho lol
Damn, that guy's lost it completely lol
A doctor leaving hate comments on someone who got panic attacks from hate comments? Shocking.
For real lol
They chant diet advice the second you walk into Haneul Clinic lol
Damn, PTSD hitting. Thought it was our chicken joint across the street.
Chicken place that bad?
Can't even describe—receipt reviews, maps, delivery apps, all trashed. Drove me insane.
The gaming community's language was far rougher than the local mom cafe.
In this world, do people really bully like that? Never imagined.
Can't the association step in and sanction this?
Bringing shame to all hanui-sa. Which school, what year?
Seongsu Clinic doing nothing? At least post a statement.
Lmao that model student who hid in the bathroom studying during group projects^^ Still grinding hard these days.
Even the hanui-sa community was buzzing with school days anecdotes.
How far had this post spread?
With Hyun Jumi's mention drawing eyes to the issue, their over-the-top turf war antics were laid bare. Local self-employed victims empathized, sparking nationwide outrage.
Haneul Clinic's network image plunged straight to rock bottom, even in unrelated corners of the internet.
Haneul Clinic Daegu branch.
The eye of the storm should be calm, but a desperate voice filled the clinic.
Unfortunately, not a patient craving treatment.
No patients in sight. At the desk, a reporter demanding an interview faced off against staff begging him to leave.
"Is Director Lee Hansol in? Just five minutes for an interview? I promise no bad spin!"
"Sorry. He's busy with patients."
"Really just a moment......"
"Sorry. Please leave!"
Forced to listen from the treatment room, Lee Hansol felt his sanity draining by the second.
How the hell did things spiral this far?
His offenses were minor, if any.
Seongsu Clinic opened in the next block over without a heads-up, right?
All his chuna patients flocked there—they must've badmouthed him nonstop.
So he warned them once and mirrored it online. That was it.
This much hate? What did I do that's so wrong!
Netizens latched on and tore into him like rabid dogs.
He felt deeply wronged.
Even in the hanui-sa community he posted in often, they ripped him for badmouthing Hyun Jumi—all he said was he hated her face. Hardly lawsuit material.
Local cafe promos? Sure, a tad aggressive, but doxxing worthy?
A few slip-ups, and patients dropped below one-tenth.
The internet-savvy crowd all saw the post; even clueless elders caught wind of rumors.
Ruined. Totally ruined!
He'd overordered kyokgo, patches, fry pans for an event already.
Hoped to recoup after ousting Seongsu, but...... no chance now.
Bet or no bet, current numbers couldn't sustain.
How, how to salvage this......!
No ideas surfaced as he tore at his hair.
Then—
— Director Lee Hansol, are you at the clinic right now?
Call from Haneul Clinic's promo manager.
"Y-yes! I am!"
His eyes lit up at the stiff male voice.
Right—this wasn't just him; it was the whole chain.
Promo department had to make a move.
"Lawsuit in the works? I'll cooperate fully!"
— Lawsuit, well......
Ambiguous response.
A pause, no yes or no, then off-topic.
— Talk to the CEO first. Director Choi Eunhui will arrive in Daegu soon.
Words barely out, someone entered the clinic.
Couldn't see who from the treatment room, but chills ran down his spine instinctively.
"Director Choi Eunhui is coming personally?"
Lee Hansol bolted up and flung open the door.
Nonstop treatments flew by—a month gone in a flash.
Right at lunchtime, Choo Miyoung and I stormed Haneul Clinic. No other time to catch Lee Hansol.
"Gasp, Ms. Han Yeowon and Ms. Choo Miyoung? Interview possible? Planning to sue Lee Hansol for malicious defamation......?"
A reporter loitered at the entrance.
Choo Miyoung's face was all over Instagram, and Park Seseon's recent photo with me helped him ID us.
"Sorry. Can't discuss details."
I shooed him out.
Betting sales wasn't exactly classy gossip fodder.
"Understood......"
He backed off, cowed by my vibe.
Inside, Lee Hansol and his two sub-directors waited outside the rooms.
Why's that guy cowering?
His pre-bet antics were lame, but he'd confronted Choo Miyoung cockily at first. Not spineless......
Step.
He flinched with every step I took.
"Director Lee Hansol."
"......Who?"
"Han Yeowon, chief director of Seongsu Clinic Busan."
"......Ah."
My intro snapped him alert.
Face now screamed 'I'm mocking you.'
"Well, well. Working right next door without even a hello."
Offered a handshake. I took it casually.
Then he cranked it—late power play grip.
Pathetic, cornered to arm-wrestling.
I could snap his hand bones if I wanted. Laughable.
Plenty other ways to crush him besides strength—and I'd already done so.
I matched his grip briefly, then released.
"Month's up. Time to check last month's sales—who won?"
Handed over pre-printed monthly summary.
"Or log into the charts? Yours first, Director."
Even accounting for recent crash, his sales were triple-digits crushed.
We had tons of patients.
Clinic-level numbers like that? Unreal.
"Ha......"
Sure enough, Lee Hansol couldn't face the sales figures.
"Winning with sneaky tricks like this—hardly skill. I don't accept it!"
Sneaky? Who? The exposure? Self-inflicted karma.
Celebs are deus ex machina...... so what?
Blame your poor prep for no ace up sleeve.
"What skill? Should've built a network instead of silly posts and tossing meds."
I fiddled with the giant roulette in the corner, smirking.
Saw fry pans stacked behind the desk too.
Tsk tsk, saddled with inventory.
"Network CEO poaching patients by treating personally? And Choo Miyoung started at Haneul! Stealing her to open next door—against business ethics! How are you so brazen?"
What the hell is he on about?
"Director Lee Hansol, that's low. You jumped on the bet—hell, counter-proposed—when you thought you'd win. Now results are in, you tuck tail?"
Choo Miyoung stepped forward from behind me.
"You dare lecture business ethics? Obey the law! Want to go full lawsuit for business interference? Jealous of our director? Summon your Choi Eunhui then!"
With me backing her, she was bold as brass.
Spot on.
Summoned the donggulle tea villain, then ethics talk? Overreach.
I came, so if you're mad, call your boss. With Choi Eunhui, might've been a fight......
"You called for me?"
Right on cue, the door swung open.
Not a patient. Not the reporter.
"Gulp."
The real Choi Eunhui.
......Speak of the devil.
Lee Hansol snapped to attention at her entrance.
The two sub-directors—who'd stayed mum during our spat—awkwardly clasped hands in bow.
Poor guys, wrong boss? Mid-20s at least, yet trashing others' clinics? No judgment?
"Ha...... hello."
Overwhelmed by her presence, even Choo Miyoung reflexively bowed.
She'd run a Haneul branch, knew her face. Quit remotely, but face-to-face? Awkward.
"Director, hello? Didn't expect to see you here."
I flashed Choi Eunhui a bright smile and greeting.
Unlike screw-up Lee Hansol or awkward Choo Miyoung, I had zero baggage.
"Oh, Ms. Han Yeowon. Haneul alum."
Choi Eunhui, stone-faced till now, beamed at me.
Slight pang inside.
Never thought I'd meet her like this.