Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Hello, Mother
“Did you finish up your business okay?”
“Yes.”
Yu Yeon-seo looked at Im Seung-hyeon, who was now standing behind him. When he’d been threatening Oh Beom-su, his gaze had been sharp and quite menacing, but now he just looked like a respectable company employee.
I didn’t take Mr. Im for such an intimidating person. It was reassuring to have someone like him on my side.
“Young Master, are you really going to the Chairman’s house today? As far as I know...”
“It’s tomorrow.”
Yu Yeon-seo let out a soft laugh. He’d actually said it for Oh Beom-su to hear. He’d felt it for a while now, but the name Juseong—and especially Chairman Yu Chang-ho—carried immense weight. Piecing together the rumors, it felt like, with a little exaggeration, he was even more powerful than the president.
“It’s amusing, isn’t it?”
Yu Yeon-seo gestured with his head. At the other end of his gaze, Oh Beom-su was anxiously messaging someone. He was probably scared out of his wits, thinking that if he didn’t return the embezzled money before Yu Yeon-seo tattled to his grandfather, he’d end up just like Entertainment Jump.
Im Seung-hyeon also smiled at the pathetic sight.
“It seems I interfered unnecessarily.”
“It was satisfying, so it’s fine.”
Satisfying... Had he been holding it in? Im Seung-hyeon looked at Yu Yeon-seo in a new light.
Even for a chaebol, who wasn’t a philanthropist, would anyone really spend that much money on a hopeless idol group? For a connection that lasted only a year and four months? Contrary to the rumors of him being a scoundrel, wasn’t he actually quite... loyal?
“May I ask why you did it?”
“Well... I don’t remember anything.”
“Ah.”
Realizing Yu Yeon-seo had amnesia, Im Seung-hyeon fell silent.
‘Still, he tried to take responsibility for leaving the group in his own way...’
Why was his relationship with One Seven so bad? Why hadn’t he revealed his investment? The original personality he knew would have bragged, saying, “I invested this much, so you better do well.”
‘Because he was happy during his time with One Seven?’
Just for that feeling? The more his memories synchronized, the more questions he had.
Yu Yeon-seo sighed and glanced at his phone for no particular reason. He suddenly remembered the call from Yu Eun-ho.
[Mother is back in the country. Make sure you come this time.]
The phrase “this time” made it clear that the original Yu Yeon-seo hadn’t been attending family gatherings properly. In any case, he had to be as cooperative as possible with family matters so his grandfather wouldn’t tell him to quit acting. He would go, but...
‘Mother...’
This person, his mother, was still an unknown figure. How should he act...?
Yu Yeon-seo searched his own name. The names of his family members were all in blue text, meaning they were registered public figures.
Choi Yu-jin, Vice Chairman of JSENM.
She was the eldest daughter of the head of Ajin Daily, which owned a newspaper and a cable broadcasting company. She married into the Juseong family, shouldering the burden of her family’s struggling business, which had faltered after reckless expansion.
After Lee Hui-seo’s death, Yu Geon-min had remained single for several years. Following his arranged marriage to Choi Yu-jin, Ajin Daily and Juseong’s media division merged to create JSENM.
JSENM showed terrifying growth, becoming one of South Korea’s leading media conglomerates.
She was influential enough to be featured in Time magazine. She consistently ranked first among female entrepreneurs in South Korea, and it was said that her father, Chairman Choi Du-cheol, was chairman in name only—the real power lay with Vice Chairman Choi Yu-jin.
‘What an incredible person...’
Even with Juseong’s help, to have grown a company so rapidly meant that Choi Yu-jin’s own abilities were outstanding.
Choi Yu-jin and Yu Geon-min seemed to have a good relationship, often appearing together at official events and actively participating in each other’s family functions.
“Mr. Im, do you know anything about my mother?”
“It would be faster to ask the Managing Director.”
“Not that kind of thing... you know. Rumors and such.”
“Well... it’s difficult for me to say, given my position...”
“It’s fine, say whatever. I don’t remember anything anyway.”
Im Seung-hyeon hesitated before speaking.
“They say Vice Chairman Choi refused marriage proposals from other corporations and held out, even when she reached marriageable age.”
“Is that so?”
“The rumor is that she was secretly in love with Vice Chairman Yu...”
“Ah... you don’t have to say any more.”
For some reason, Yu Yeon-seo felt a chill run down his spine. If he had to describe the feeling, it was like witnessing your parents’ public display of affection.
Im Seung-hyeon chuckled softly. He had started with a strong rumor to preemptively shut down any more difficult questions. He couldn’t carelessly spread rumors as a junior employee, especially if they weren’t confirmed facts.
“And... I heard she’s quite fond of you and the Managing Director.”
“Me and my brother?”
“Yes.”
That was a bit surprising... Fond of her stepchildren, who shared no blood with her? Yu Yeon-seo found it hard to believe.
If Yu Geon-min and Choi Yu-jin had a child of their own, he might have spun a more dramatic, soap-opera-like fantasy.
[Do you really think Mom committed suicide?]
‘Stop.’
Yu Yeon-seo shook his head forcefully to dispel the creeping suspicion. He could think about it after his memories had synchronized further.
“...He’s really good.”
To clear his head, he focused on Park Min-woo’s acting. It was the awakening scene of the once-timid navy sailor, Park Ji-won.
Yu Yeon-seo had also created a memorable scene, but it was less acting and more a reality brought on by memory synchronization. He couldn’t hope for such a fluke next time.
‘Should I ask them to find me another acting coach?’
Park Hyeon-jeong was a good teacher, but she was so popular that he had very little time to learn from her. Just as Park Min-woo had saved a recording of his performance, Yu Yeon-seo burned Park Min-woo’s acting into his memory.
“...But who are those people?”
“They don’t seem to be staff, at least.”
One Seven was a group that had gone from obscurity to stardom with a single viral hit. The small handful of original, die-hard fans and the new fans who had joined after their rise hadn’t integrated smoothly and were now in a power struggle.
On top of that, Lee Han-gyeol had gained a positive reception from a one-act play, attracting drama fans and throwing the fandom’s atmosphere into utter chaos.
“Are we allowed to come in like this? I was curious about the filming...”
“Why not? We have to take proof shots and leave reviews. When I was a fan before, no one said anything about coming in like this.”
“These days, the agencies handle everything for you.”
The fan leaders, who had come to the set for a buffet support event, were loitering at the entrance.
Normally, the agency would have put a stop to it, or at the very least, a manager would have stepped in to ensure they didn’t interfere with filming. But Oh Beom-su was preoccupied with what had happened with Im Seung-hyeon, and the staff were all busy with their own tasks.
“Gasp! It’s Han-gyeol!”
Fans who spotted Lee Han-gyeol began to wave. Startled, Lee Han-gyeol didn’t know what to do but approached them to quiet the commotion. Yu Yeon-seo watched the scene with a dry laugh.
“Lee Tae-gyeom, is that normal?”
“No? Even if they’re here for support, that could cause big trouble. What is their manager doing?”
Proving that he hadn’t been slacking off during his training with Manager Park, Lee Tae-gyeom frowned and looked for One Seven’s manager. A leak from the set could be disastrous.
“Um... you’re not supposed to come in here...”
“Oh? Goodness, I didn’t know. Let’s go outside and talk. What a coincidence to run into you like this!”
“Well... I have to shoot the next scene.”
Lee Han-gyeol was already troubled by what he had witnessed earlier. He was struggling, unable to flatly reject these precious fans he had gained after their long-awaited success.
Yu Yeon-seo watched with his arms crossed, as if it had nothing to do with him. Park Min-woo was giving his all in front of the camera. He didn’t want to break that concentration.
‘He looks pretty troubled...’
This is a job for the scoundrel.
“Hey.”
As Yu Yeon-seo tapped Lee Han-gyeol on the back, the fans began to whisper, “Oh, it’s Yu Yeon-seo.”
“Oh, uh.”
His usual calm demeanor was gone, replaced by a flustered look, as if he’d just heard something shocking.
I’ve seen all sorts of things today. Yu Yeon-seo let out a small sigh and stared at Lee Han-gyeol’s fans.
“What do you think you’re doing? Can’t you see we’re filming? If you want to ruin Lee Han-gyeol’s career, then by all means, keep going.”
He bluntly shot at them, then called over a nearby staff member. The staffer led Lee Han-gyeol’s fans outside.
“Wow, what a jerk.”
“His personality is the worst.”
“But they seem to be on good terms, don’t they?”
“Nah, no way.”
I can hear everything. Yu Yeon-seo smirked. His reputation was already shot, so he decided to live as he pleased. They weren’t his fans anyway. All that mattered was being good to the people he worked with.
Lee Han-gyeol, who had been standing there blankly, moved up close behind Yu Yeon-seo.
“Why did you do that?”
He’s like this even after I helped him out of a tight spot. Yu Yeon-seo frowned.
“Do I need a reason?”
You were interrupting the shoot.
Yu Yeon-seo spoke curtly and walked over to Park Min-woo’s side, intending to learn from him.
Left behind, Lee Han-gyeol rubbed his face dryly.
The next day, after finishing his scenes, Yu Yeon-seo changed into a neat set of clothes and left the set for a family dinner.
“Yeon-seo.”
“Huh?”
He’d wondered why it was so noisy. Yu Eun-ho was leaning against a car, waiting for him, completely unfazed by the stares from those around them.
Despite being a non-celebrity, he had his own fansite managers and fan cafes. His background as a young executive at a major corporation and his resemblance to their mother, Lee Hui-seo, had earned him a fandom of his own.
“What? Are you here to drag me somewhere again?”
“It’s not like that. Mr. Im, you may go home for the day.”
But Im Seung-hyeon remained standing still. What, is he waiting for my permission? Yu Yeon-seo looked back and said.
“You can go home.”
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Young Master.”
As soon as Yu Yeon-seo gave his permission, he spoke quickly and headed to the van with Lee Tae-gyeom.
Although he worked under Yu Yeon-seo, Im Seung-hyeon was part of Juseong Group’s Strategic Planning Division, and his actions could have been seen as disrespectful to a superior. But Yu Eun-ho seemed to be in a good mood.
“How is Mr. Im?”
There was even a hint of laughter in his voice. Yu Yeon-seo, now in the passenger seat, replied.
“Oh, he’s great. He takes care of everything.”
“He does?”
He was magnificent when he threatened Oh Beom-su. Yu Yeon-seo swallowed those words and smiled.
Yu Eun-ho glanced at Yu Yeon-seo for a moment before starting the car. Seeing his younger brother in a good mood, he thought he had picked the right person.
“Mother also knows you have memory problems because of the accident. So don’t worry about it and just eat comfortably.”
“Really?”
“...She’ll like you the way you are now.”
Does that mean she didn’t like me before? Yu Yeon-seo shook his head at the sudden thought.
His body had recovered to a certain extent; it was about time he started the memory synchronization again. He hoped those memories held some important information...
And when they arrived at his grandfather’s house, Yu Yeon-seo finally understood what Yu Eun-ho had meant.
“Yeon-seo, it’s been a while. I saw you when you were in the ICU... Are you feeling okay?”
“Hello, Mother. I’m feeling much better.”
Choi Yu-jin’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes sparkled as if she were welling up with tears.
What? What’s with this reaction?
“Wow... honey, did you hear that? He called me Mother.”
“Yes.”
“My goodness, ‘Mother’... You must have been really hurt. Oh, what should we do...”
What is this, Yu Geon-min version 2?
‘This isn’t what I expected.’