Chapter 175
Chapter 175
Is there a problem?
Unable to refuse his grandfather’s nagging, Yu Yeon-seo finally left for the United States, where he received a lavish welcome the moment he stepped off the plane.
“This is unnecessarily conspicuous.”
He noticed people holding up their phones, watching from beyond the bodyguards surrounding him. I wonder if they recognize me and are taking pictures...
“Hello, Young Master.”
He stopped in front of a woman who had been waiting for him. Even in high heels, she was a handspan shorter than him.
“My name is Ina Yoon. I will be seeing to your needs during your stay.”
“I already have someone to assist me.”
“The Chairman said he would only be at ease if you had someone who knows the local situation.”
Ina Yoon glanced at Im Seung-hyeon, who was standing behind Yu Yeon-seo. Yeon-seo read several things in that look.
Well, it’s understandable his position would be precarious, seeing as the person he’s serving has been to the emergency room twice now. If the Chairman is willing to put his own grandson on a plane, he could replace an aide at any moment.
He was reminded of the moment he first woke up in this body.
‘This is why I resisted so much…’
If it came to that, he wouldn’t let it happen easily. Im Seung-hyeon was already playing a crucial role in finding the culprit. Replace him just like that? Unacceptable.
“Did my grandfather order you to do this? To watch me?”
“...No, sir.”
What do you mean, no? Of course, he did. Yu Yeon-seo smiled as if he couldn’t be helped. He just had to endure it until the film festival.
As he began to walk, the people following him remained on high alert, scanning their surroundings as they protected him.
“Fine, I understand for now.”
“Shall I take you to the hotel?”
“No, let’s go straight to the hospital.”
Might as well strike while the iron is hot. The sooner he was certified as being perfectly fine, the better.
The car carrying them arrived at a large American hospital. Yu Yeon-seo was escorted directly to the VIP ward without any delay. It was clear a hefty donation had been made in exchange for his treatment.
“Before we begin the consultation, I have a condition.”
But I can’t just let myself be pushed around. I refuse to be tied down here. As soon as he entered the consultation room, he leisurely crossed his legs and looked at the doctors.
“If you can’t determine the cause of my illness or give me an exact diagnosis within a month, I’ll consider myself fine and check out.”
“Young Master.”
Ina Yoon called out to him in alarm, but Yu Yeon-seo didn’t back down.
“Tell my grandfather this is something I cannot compromise on.”
He then smiled brightly at the doctor.
“In return, if you do figure it out, I’ll make a donation to the hospital myself.”
At that, the atmosphere among the medical staff shifted. In exchange for prioritizing Yu Yeon-seo’s treatment, Chairman Yu had made a massive lump-sum donation.
They had also heard that his grandson, Yu Yeon-seo, was a famous Korean actor and a media mogul. They could surely expect a substantial donation.
“Very well.”
The local medical team was that confident. Unlike in Korea, they had the latest equipment and numerous renowned professors.
“Then let’s begin the consultation. What are your symptoms?”
Before answering, Yu Yeon-seo stared intently at the people standing behind him. After a moment of hesitation, they followed Im Seung-hyeon’s gesture and stepped out into the hallway.
“Symptoms… well, for starters, I cough up blood.”
“Excuse me?”
The doctor looked at Yu Yeon-seo as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. The other doctor standing behind him had the same reaction.
“You cough up blood?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
Yu Yeon-seo shrugged nonchalantly. The doctor concealed his surprise and continued taking his medical history.
“Is that all? Just coughing up blood? Any other symptoms?”
“It felt like my insides were being torn apart. And I had chills that made my whole body shake.”
“Uh… how often? What are your other usual symptoms?”
“I sometimes get headaches so severe that I can’t function. Nosebleeds are a daily occurrence…”
Perhaps because the first symptom he mentioned was so potent, the others seemed relatively mild in comparison. But coughing up blood was a serious matter. Given the massive donation, it was unlikely he was lying… The doctors exchanged grave glances.
“…Let’s start with a thorough examination.”
“Go ahead.”
It won’t show anything anyway. Yu Yeon-seo tapped his foot rhythmically, his legs still crossed.
“What are the results?”
“He’s clean. Aside from being slightly anemic.”
The doctors’ quest to diagnose Yu Yeon-seo continued. They ran tests using all sorts of advanced equipment, but to no avail.
“The scans don’t show any problems.”
“…Let’s try other tests.”
Yu Yeon-seo diligently complied with the tests, confident that they would find nothing.
“You should get some rest now.”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”
The VIP room, said to have hosted Middle Eastern royalty and heads of major corporations, was so luxurious that living there was no issue. Yu Yeon-seo threw himself onto the bed. It had been over a week since he’d arrived at the hospital, and undergoing tests was quite exhausting.
“Ah, wait a moment. Have you heard from our people?”
“They said they have Park Gyeong-won and have confined him to the location you specified.”
That was fast. Yu Yeon-seo lifted only his head to look at Im Seung-hyeon.
“It was Mr. Park Jeong-ho’s idea. He suggested it would be better to catch him quickly and make him ‘disappear’.”
The idea is to secure him before the ‘mastermind’ senses anything is wrong. Yu Yeon-seo nodded in satisfaction.
“So, for now, Detective Baek will be interrogating him about his accomplice… Young Master?”
“Cough…”
“I’ll call a doctor.”
As something red trickled from the corner of Yu Yeon-seo’s mouth, Im Seung-hyeon frantically pressed the button. The medical team rushed in immediately.
‘My God, it was real?’
‘What on earth is the cause?’
‘He was fine just a moment ago…’
The medical staff, who had started to think Yu Yeon-seo might have been lying after a week of finding nothing but clean results, were inwardly stunned.
“Ah, damn it…”
“Young Master, are you alright?”
Yu Yeon-seo waved his hand dismissively. It was trembling so badly that Im Seung-hyeon’s expression hardened.
The reason he had been relatively unfazed by the visions and auditory hallucinations of Lee Hui-seo was largely due to the influence of his soul. But with the foundation of that soul shaken by the soul manipulation, the aftereffects were hitting him hard again.
A sense of terror and self-blame seemed to crush his body.
‘Ah, I’m so sick of this…’
Tired of the shimmering images of those two brothers, Yu Yeon-seo closed his eyes. Just like that, another two weeks flew by.
- I live in the US and I saw Yu Yeon-seo
He was at a museum looking at art
└ Whoa, look at those bodyguardsㄷㄷ
└ Damn, he dresses so well T_T
└ Glad to see he’s doing okay T_T
└ But for real, a celebrity is a celebrity. His vibe is insane
Yu Yeon-seo, a Flower Boy Even in a Hospital Gown… Shares Update on Social Media
Yu Yeon-seo Spotted at US Tourist Hotspots, ‘Health Scare Rumors Unfounded?’
└ Is he even sick?
└ Things have been quiet lately, so I forgot how much of an attention-seeker Yu Yeon-seo is lol
└ I was rooting for him, but seeing him act like this, it must not have been serious lol
└ He can go sightseeing if he wants, what’s with the comment above?
└└ Right? If you’re sick, do you have to be stuck in bed all day?
While in the US, Yu Yeon-seo deliberately and consistently posted updates on social media. It was all intentional. By acting like an attention-seeker again, he knew the wave of public sympathy surrounding him would dissipate.
CEO Han, monitoring this from his office, pressed his temples firmly.
“Well, hello, President. It’s been a while.”
(CEO Han… Are you really doing this to me?)
“What did I do?”
He feigned ignorance, though he knew exactly why the man was calling. He could practically feel the steam coming out of the man’s nose through the receiver.
(You said he’d be active with drama promotions, so I scheduled a special after the finale and booked him through the end of the year…)
“The kid’s sick, what am I supposed to do? I did my best to protect my artist, didn’t I?”
(Who’s going to believe he’s sick? He looks perfectly fine from what he’s posting.)
“Ha… My friend, that’s harsh. You profited handsomely from ‘Snake’ doing so well, too.”
And why are you taking it out on me? But he couldn’t say what he was thinking, so he forced a smile.
“I’m only telling you this because it’s you…”
And though he was alone in his office, he whispered as if someone might overhear.
“Actually, it was Chairman Yu’s order.”
(R-Really? Chairman Yu of Juseong?)
“You know there was pressure on him back when he was an idol. Seems like it’s happening again. But he can’t shake that born attention-seeker personality.”
(Well, if it’s Chairman Yu… Nothing to be done, then.)
People should believe it when someone says they’re sick. It was awkward to question the truth of the matter because of ad revenue, but it was important to maintain a good relationship with the broadcast station. The mention of Chairman Yu made the station’s president end the call without further complaint.
“...Looks like he’s doing well.”
CEO Han tapped on Yu Yeon-seo’s latest social media post. It was a picture of him walking in sunglasses at a tourist spot in Baltimore, so well-shot it looked like a painting. And another of him visiting a stadium to watch a baseball game.
“Hey, Reporter Jeong!”
(CEO, is Yu Yeon-seo really sick? He’s posting like five times a day.)
“If he says he’s sick, he must be sick…”
CEO Han dragged out his words, feigning that there was more to the story. Reporter Jeong sensed a scoop.
(Aha, just like before? No wonder it’s been so quiet lately.)
“Right. This isn’t the first or second time he’s done this, is it? I’m exhausted trying to clean up after him.”
(You must have your hands full. So, should I just post the articles like before?)
“Don’t hit him too hard. Go easy on him.”
After hanging up, CEO Han let out a deep sigh. He had set the stage just as Yu Yeon-seo had wanted. It was the first time he’d ever received a request to tarnish an actor’s image because it had gotten too good.
‘But is this really okay?’
He had actually considered not doing it. A management agency actively trying to ruin its own actor’s image? That was something only a malicious agency would do. Naturally, as the CEO, he wanted his actors to have a good reputation.
[Please, CEO Han.]
But it was the second time he had heard such a sincere plea from Yu Yeon-seo. CEO Han couldn’t ignore it.
‘But why is he doing this himself?’
CEO Han slowly reread the articles from when Yu Yeon-seo was hospitalized. The one that stood out was Reporter Han Jin-seok’s article hypothesizing about psychological trauma. The online communities had been in an uproar over it, so he had read it once himself.
‘Could it be that he doesn’t want his weakness exposed?’
Come to think of it, he had suddenly asked him to investigate Lee Hui-seo… Could it be? No, that’s impossible. CEO Han closed his laptop.
‘This industry changes at the drop of a hat anyway…’
I’ll just have to figure out how to restore his image later.
“I see… so that’s what happened…”
Learning from Park Jeong-ho that the brothers had been investigating Lee Hui-seo’s death and had found a lead, Park Geum-ju squeezed her eyes shut.
“He said it was okay to tell me?”
“Yes. He said you helped them, so you deserved to know at least this much.”
She let out a sigh. She was the one who had pushed him away. She had resolved to gladly accept his resentment for the rest of her life, yet it was always her grandson who reached out first.
“So, is there any progress?”
“One of the culprits is dead, and the other is in custody. I was planning to go and see for myself.”
After a moment of thought, Park Geum-ju spoke.
“Do I have any business in the United States?”
“As it happens, you, Vice Chairman Choi, and the Young Master have been invited to a charity event.”
“Good. Schedule it.”
After Park Jeong-ho left the office, Park Geum-ju stood alone, gazing out the window.
Why hadn’t she thought of what her grandsons were doing? It was probably because she hadn’t been in her right mind back then. If she had held herself together, she might have been the one to catch the culprit, and her grandsons wouldn’t have had to suffer.
‘I won’t be late again…’
No matter who it was, she would not hide anymore.