Chapter 36. Article

He had thought that knowing what would happen meant he could prevent it. And just a minute ago, he still believed that.

“…Hrk, ngh.”

All that came out was a choked, terrified sound.

Chairman Kang had been helped to realize that his daughter, Joohee, had altered the immunosuppressant formula.

If it had been before, the focus of public opinion would’ve fallen on the incident at the mansion. But now, attention shifted to the decline in Tae-Kyung Group’s stock price.

Yet today, everything had gone smoothly. The product launch had ended without a hitch, and they had expected positive press coverage to follow.

“Call an ambulance.”

“But Executive Director, if we do that…”

The middle executive’s reluctance was understandable. But traffic was always congested in the area, so it would be difficult to reach the hospital quickly by private car.

Lee Jun slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again, signaling he wouldn’t change his decision.

At his order, Secretary Kim swiftly called the ambulance.

“Yooa.”

Lee Jun glanced hollowly at the reporters who were quickly getting into position to photograph Chairman Kang being loaded into the ambulance.

They would surely delete headlines like “Easy Family Trips in the New Camper” and replace them with clickbait like “Tae-Kyung Group—Crumbling?”

“Hold Grandpa’s hand. He must be so scared.”

When Lee Jun called her name, all eyes turned to Yooa, and murmurs spread through the crowd.

Reporters, thinking they had found another juicy story, frantically worked their cameras.

“Yes, I will.”

Yooa knew her photo would soon be everywhere—accompanied by headlines without any context. In just a few hours, or by tomorrow morning, her entire personal history might be exposed.

Even so, she walked toward him without hesitation, seeing his unwavering gaze. She removed the cardigan from her shoulders and placed it beneath Chairman Kang’s head.

“You! Why are you next to my father? Who do you think you are? Huh? Who gave you the right?!”

Joohee pushed Yooa’s shoulder roughly, tears streaming down her face. Several jackets had already been laid over Chairman Kang.

Yooa, feeling guilty for not preventing his collapse, couldn’t bring herself to look at his face.

“Stop it, Aunt. Grandpa might still be conscious.”

Though people tried to block the surroundings, they couldn’t stop the voices leaking over shoulders. Even when Lee Jun urged her to lower her voice, Joohee wailed loudly.

Yooa massaged Chairman Kang’s hand to keep it warm and answered softly.

“Grandfather will be okay.”

“What? What are you saying? Of course he has to be okay!”

“…”

“What, did you pray for his death or something? So you and Lee Jun can take over Tae-Kyung Group?”

Joohee’s reaction—accusing her of being too calm when someone had collapsed—made Yooa sigh. Her eyes met those of a woman helping Joohee stand.

That must be Sung Ji-hye, daughter of the Hanseo Daily newspaper.

Yooa recognized her instantly. Those cold, contemptuous eyes were not curious, but scornful.

***

As soon as the ambulance carrying Chairman Kang departed, the reporters began preparing to leave. The atmosphere had grown too heavy to remain, and people who had come just to make an appearance began trickling out.

Yooa walked over and gently took Lee Jun’s hand.

“Everything will be okay. And Grandfather will wake up soon.”

“It’s strange. When you say it, I really believe it will be.”

“Trust me. I mean it.”

“Alright.”

Lee Jun didn’t know how to face the employees of Grip Company, who had worked so hard for today. He figured it would be better to let everyone wrap up early and go home.

Just then—

“Huh? What is this? Executive Director, a video was just uploaded—you need to see this.”

“CS team, please pin the mom’s comment that was just posted. Sales Team Lead! Please confirm the camper height from floor to ceiling!”

Questions flooded in—about fridge capacity, if the camper included both an induction stove and a microwave.

Though confused, the staff were frantically answering phone calls and comments pouring in from everywhere.

“All the electrical appliances were tested to work fine. The roof has solar panels, which allow the system to run for three hours even if power supply is interrupted. Yes, we made sure to consider environmental impact. Would you like to place an order?”

They had hoped to take orders at the event, but thought it was all ruined. Then the CS team leader ran over to Lee Jun with a video.

“This video is spreading across online communities.”

“What is it?”

A child crying at a crosswalk. A woman collapsed. A young boy bleeding.

It was utter chaos. Even the cries of “What do we do?!” were drowned out by the child’s sobs.

The team leader explained it had happened a few hours ago.

“This is from CCTV. And this one seems to be taken with a phone camera.”

The woman in the video was Yooa.

***

Reporters who had started to leave returned and sat down again. They quickly began typing reactions to the video.

The staff could tell the reporters’ attitudes had changed. Their questions about the camper became much more specific.

People rushed around preparing drinks and snacks for the press. Lee Jun leaned against a pillar behind Yooa, and they silently looked at each other.

“A ‘minor accident’? That was minor?”

“I’m sorry.”

“You—!”

Seeing Yooa’s expression, which didn’t seem especially remorseful, Lee Jun raised his voice. Then, seeing her shoulders shrink a bit, he softened slightly.

“You could have gotten hurt.”

Yooa murmured, only now realizing just how dangerous it had been.

Haah. His sigh carried so much weight—it spoke of all he was holding back.

Lee Jun leaned his head back against the pillar and let out a second sigh.

“The mom pushing the stroller fell while crossing the road, and the boy who had crossed first turned back to help—right?”

“Yes. He ran diagonally, and the oncoming car couldn’t stop in time. I had just gotten out to help the mother, and I was closest to the boy.”

The surge of attention and people calling her a hero seemed to embarrass Yooa.

She pressed her flushed face with the back of her hand, saying anyone would’ve done the same in that situation.

“Not everyone could have done that. You ran and shielded the boy with your body, helped the mother up, and let her rest in the back seat.”

A screenshot of the mother’s post describing how Yooa gave up her seat, bought them drinks and water, and comforted them was spreading quickly.

“You did well, Yoon Yooa.”

Photos of her were now headlining online with titles like ‘Grip Company Executive Director Kang Lee Jun’s Secret Lover?’ or ‘Tae-Kyung Group’s New Lady of the House?’—and the boy’s mother now knew who she was.

The viral impact of social media was far beyond that of the reporters.

“You did well too, Lee Jun.”

The boy’s mother ran a popular camping community. The boy’s father was an influencer who vlogged solo camping trips. The boy himself was a well-known child model.

Together, they seemed determined to boost this camper’s popularity—and the promotional impact was massive.

“We’ve sold out the first batch!”

“Taking reservations for the second round!”

Touched by the heartwarming story that aired with the footage, even international buyers requested both standard and premium models.

“The event tents are completely sold out!”

The fired-up staff cheered and clapped, feeling their hard work was finally being rewarded.

It was a triumph that Lee Jun and Yooa had created together.