NOVEL NEXT Chapter 52
From that day on, Aiver was turned completely upside down. It wasn’t just because the second most powerful person in the company — or, in reality, the most powerful person — had stepped in directly.
The situation was serious enough that a police investigation had started, and the Management Department’s records were being thoroughly examined, creating a tense atmosphere as if everyone were walking on thin ice.
Later, the details of the incident that came to light were not just ridiculous—they were downright infuriating.
“Hey, did you hear? Team Leader Yang did all that just to silence a streamer he doesn’t like!”
“Who wouldn’t? Thanks to that, even his girlfriend got dragged in for questioning.”
“Isn’t he insane? At his age, he has nothing better to do? How could he carelessly ruin a young person’s bright future….”
Once the rumors spread throughout the company, especially among the employees in the Management Department who worked in the same team, they busied themselves gossiping about Team Leader Yang Jae-min whenever they had the chance.
All this madness over some jealousy towards a streamer! At nearly 40, you’d think he’d have better sense!
“Furthermore, I heard later that the streamer came to the company to protest, but that lunatic sent him away.”
“What? Seriously?”
“Yeah, he said he was innocent and even brought proof, but when he handed it over to the responsible person, he just ignored it.”
“What a complete nutjob.”
As the layers of this onion were peeled away, exposing the full extent of the situation, the executives gathered in the conference room and were staring at the same scene as before.
“…Therefore, based on Team Leader Yang Jae-min’s neglect of duty, abuse of power, and other serious damage to the company’s reputation, we will undergo dismissal procedures and pursue legal sanctions through a criminal lawsuit.”
As the person leading the meeting wrapped up their remarks while pointing at various data on the large monitor, the executives buzzed with surprise.
In truth, hardly anyone in the company hadn’t heard of Yang Jae-min. After all, he was the nephew of one of the principal figures, Director Baek Jin-seung, and his work ethic was so infamous that everyone knew his name.
However, they were shocked to realize he was such a reckless individual and equally surprised to see the company imposing such strict measures.
Still, it was curious that Baek Jin-seung, who was known for fiercely protecting his own, accepted all this punishment.
One would have been inclined to speculate that he might impose at least a pay cut or a temporary suspension and then bring him back once things calmed down. Yet here they were facing dismissal followed by legal action—harsher than expected.
After all, they were still unaware that the person leading this investigation was none other than Seo-ha.
“…I truly have nothing to say about this, Director Ryu. I’ll take full responsibility for my incompetent nephew’s actions and ensure he faces severe punishment.”
Meanwhile, during the meeting, Baek Jin-seung stepped out into the hallway to request a private discussion with Seo-ha, bowing his heavy head respectfully and apologizing profusely.
Whether it was sincere or not remains a mystery known only to God and him, but Seo-ha, at least, was satisfied that he didn’t stubbornly resist her this time and agreed to accept his apology.
“It’s okay, Director Baek. If you had clung to your nephew, trying to save him until the end, I would have been angry too.”
With a bone-chilling expression and narrowed eyes, Seo-ha gazed at him, making Jin-seung shiver and shrink back, forgetting she was the age of his daughter.
If the woman in front of him had wanted, she could have kicked him into the depths of hell along with his nephew to suffer together.
Jin-seung’s instinct to step back was, in his view, a life-saving action. After all, nowhere does one lose their acumen when climbing up the corporate ladder.
“Thank you for your generous understanding.”
“Right. By the way, since we’re on the topic of your nephew…”
“About my nephew…?”
Not wanting to discuss anything good, Jin-seung almost stopped speaking at this point but was thrown off by the way she suddenly opened her mouth, signaling that she had something to say.
“……!”
In that moment, he met her intense gaze and felt his breath hitch.
“If you’re considering using any connections to place your nephew somewhere else, you might as well give up. I don’t have a personality that allows such leniency.”
“…….”
It’s indirect, but the message was clear: at least here in South Korea, he should abandon any hope of living freely.
In this country, there’s hardly anywhere the tentacles of power don’t reach. And it’d be unreasonable to think he’d be able to hide even overseas, given their immense influence.
He knew this all too well, which was why it was risky to say something like this.
Yet still, Jin-seung felt an odd curiosity.
“Director, if you don’t mind, may I ask one thing?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Why go this far? It seems a bit excessive just for tarnishing the company’s reputation…”
“A bit strict.” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the thought, leaving his question open-ended.
Seo-ha recognized that his inquiry wasn’t meant to challenge or refute her actions; rather, it stemmed from genuine curiosity, so she nodded slightly.
“Well, alright. I’ll share with you, Director Baek. But I have a condition. Is that acceptable?”
“Yes, of course. Please, tell me.”
In such a situation, there was no choice but to accept whatever terms she proposed, even if they seemed unfair.
Nodding along casually, he felt this was a trivial price to pay for quenching his curiosity. So she began to lay out her conditions.
“Actually, I’m planning to establish an MCN under Aiver’s name. At the next staff meeting, you’ll need to propose this, Director Baek.”
“Wow, that’s an unexpected condition,” he said.
An MCN, simply put, is like an agency for internet broadcasters.
While he had no clue why she wanted to do it under Aiver’s name, it wasn’t a difficult proposition for Baek Jin-seung, so he nodded in agreement.
With his consent, Seo-ha’s lips parted and she continued.
“Ah, I see. So that was it.”
Now he finally understood why she had shown such enthusiasm and what her final condition meant, which made him chuckle heartily.
Given such reasoning, it was hardly surprising.
*
It had now been about a week since I had been suspended indefinitely.
No matter how many times I contacted Aiver, I received no responses; even when I personally visited the headquarters to submit evidence, I was told it would be passed to the responsible party, and that was that.
I did post a notice on YouTube to explain myself, but I found that there were more people distrustful of me than supportive. As expected, it was disappointing, yet I couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter.
“Uju! Over here!”
“Oh, noona.”
After a week of truly living like a hermit at home, I finally stepped outside thanks to Seo-ha’s urging that I needed to get some fresh air and eat something good to lift my spirits.
“Your face is completely wrecked. How much mental anguish have you been through…?”
As soon as we sat down at the pre-reserved Korean restaurant, Seo-ha immediately began fretting over my cheeks as if she were genuinely concerned about me.
If this had happened in the past, I would have flinched at her sudden display of affection and pulled back, but nowadays, I hardly had the time to let such things bother me, so I responded in a nonchalant manner.
“Well, I haven’t had much of an appetite lately, can you tell?”
“Of course. That’s why I asked you to meet today.”
“Wow, you’re like a ghost!”
Trying to lift the mood with a joke, Seo-ha continued to lazily cradle her chin and pet my cheeks with one hand.
As my mind started to clear a bit, I began to feel an awkward embarrassment rising, but whenever I met her kind gaze, I felt compelled to hold my tongue.
“By the way, Noona, you seem to be in a good mood today?”
“Really? Maybe it’s because I got to meet you, Uju.”
“Ah…”
I regretted asking that question.
Noona’s constant flattery had become so routine that I ought to be used to it by now, but I still felt a ticklish sensation in my chest every time I heard it.
How could the person saying such things do it with a straight face? It’s remarkable.
♪~
As we placed our orders and waited for the food to arrive, my phone rang suddenly with an incoming call.
I had forgotten to put it on silent. What do you know, it’s Assistant Kim? Why are they calling me suddenly?
“Ah, sorry Noona. Can I take this call?”
“Go ahead, you can take it here. It’s a hassle to go outside anyway.”
“Then I’ll excuse myself for a moment.”
Considering the unusual caller, I had a feeling it could be something important, so I sought permission to step away, but Seo-ha urged me to stay seated as if she was eager to eavesdrop.
Since it was indeed inconvenient to step out, I answered the call, and a booming voice filled the other end.
– Mr. Cosmo! Apologies, are you free to talk right now!?
“Yes? Ah, yes. I can talk… May I ask why you’re calling?”
Usually, people send a message first before making an urgent call, so I wondered how pressing this matter could be.
– Actually, regarding your indefinite suspension, the internal investigation has found the viewbot usage to be unfounded. We sincerely apologize for disappointing you due to our company’s mistake.
“Wait, what? Unfounded…?”
As Assistant Kim continued, I momentarily failed to process their words, stuttering on the phrase “unfounded ban” over and over.
– Yes, your indefinite suspension will be lifted today. Additionally, we have prepared compensation from the company to discuss further details, so we would appreciate it if you could drop by the office…
Assistant Kim’s lengthy explanation trailed off, but it no longer registered in my ears.
“AAAAAH!”
Overcome with joy and relief that everything was back to how it was supposed to be, I completely forgot I was in a restaurant and yelled with all my might.
“Noona! They resolved the indefinite suspension! The company investigated and confirmed I was wrongfully suspended…!”
Leaping from my seat, I excitedly recounted the details of the call to Seo-ha.
“Really? That’s a relief. I had a feeling something good was about to happen, which is why I wanted to meet with you today—it turns out my intuition was spot on!”
Seo-ha’s reaction was surprisingly calm considering this was good news, which was a bit unexpected, but I didn’t mind at all. The important thing was that everything had returned to normal.
“Lunch and coffee are on me today! Just say what you want, Noona.”
“Hmm, I didn’t do anything much. Still, seeing you happy makes me happy too.”
Given her understanding of the situation, Noona must truly be the goddess of fortune, right?
As I expressed my determination to treat her well today, she smiled with her usual calm demeanor and extended her hand beside her face.
“Then shall we do a high-five to celebrate your return to streaming?”
“Sure!”
Feeling ecstatic, I prepared to clap hands with her, but for some reason, she spread her hands wider and entwined her fingers with mine instead.
“Noona?!”
“What? Is that a problem?”
“Um, no, not at all but….”
Caught off guard by the unexpected physical contact, I hesitantly called her name again, yet she didn’t seem ready to let go, only tightening her grip.
– Uh…Mr. Cosmo?
“Ah, yes, Assistant Kim! Sorry, I’m just…”
Consequently, I could only continue the call with my right hand firmly caught until the food arrived.
Heh.
Every time our eyes met, her eyes crinkled into a smile, and I found myself distracted enough that I missed what Assistant Kim was saying on the other end.