Chapter 119: Definition of Family (1)
The ballroom located on the first floor of the Samseong-dong Star Intercontinental Hotel was buzzing with people.
Murmur.
Choi Ji-Yung waited for the press conference to begin and clutched the hem of my jacket with a nervous expression.
"Do I look okay right now? I feel like my outfit is too plain."
Dressed in a black two-piece suit, the almost make-up-free Choi Ji-Yung stood upright, looking simple and neat.
"You're fine. It's better to go with a tidy look rather than something too flashy on an occasion like this."
Choi Ji-Yung nodded.
"Take a deep breath. It will help you feel much better."
After taking a few deep breaths, Choi Ji-Yung smiled lightly and seemed a bit more relaxed.
"By the way, thank you so much for being my talent agent for today."
"Don't mention it."
"Oh, don't be too modest. You've been a great help since dawn. And the money you put in the envelope the last time you visited really came in handy. I was able to pay off my overdue rent and had a proper meal for the first time in ages. I was on the brink of depression, you know."
She turned away with her cheeks flushed out of embarrassment.
"Um, could you... escort me up to the stage? It's totally okay if you can't."
I pointed to Park Woo-Min who was waiting at the entrance of the ballroom. "You should go with him from here on."
Choi Ji-Yung nodded. "Then please escort me at least up to there."
"Yes, of course.”
I stood by her side and extended my right arm.
"Please take my arm."
Choi Ji-Yung slid her left hand onto my right arm. But her nervousness was palpable with her hand trembling distinctly. As she hesitated to move forward and took deep breaths, I gently placed my hand on hers to assure her.
"It's going to be okay. Today marks the beginning of Actress Choi Ji-Yung's comeback."
My voice seemed to calm Choi Ji-Yung's trembling a bit.
"Hahaha. This is really nerve-wracking. I feel like a new bride."
"It's a new beginning for you, so you're not entirely wrong."
"Pfft. You're quite the smooth talker, aren't you? You're almost like a playboy."
"I'm too busy to even think about flirting. Actually, I don't even have time to date. So how could I possibly play around?"
"Always the right words, huh? Alright, let's go."
Only then did Choi Ji-Yung start to walk.
I handed her over to the robust-looking Park Woo-Min. Receiving Choi Ji-Yung's hand, Park Woo-Min offered me a handshake.
"You're Mr. Jung Yoon-Ho, right? I won't forget the favor you've done today in arranging this. Thank you so much."
"It's nothing, Mr. Park."
Park Woo-Min greeted me in a polite manner and turned to Choi Ji-Yung to encourage her to take a deep breath.
As they walked forward, the staff waiting by the door opened it for them.
Creak!
When the ballroom doors opened, flashes from the press section started to burst continuously.
It was the moment of Top Star Choi Ji-Yung's comeback.
***
[Top Star Choi Ji-Yung's Tearful Press Conference: "I was deceived by my ex-husband and Choi Jong-Hyuk."]
["Choi Jong-Hyuk is Untrustworthy. I'm not the only one who's been wronged."]
[Choi Jong-Hyuk. No Response!]
[TK Entertainment's Jang Ji-Cheol: My Ex-Wife is a Scammer. Plans to Counter-sue for Spreading False Information!]
[The Dating Rumors Between Jung Yoo-Jin and Choi Jong-Hyuk Were All Fabricated!]
Thanks to Choi Ji-Yung's tearful plea at the press conference, public opinion began to shift.
Choi Ji-Yung exposed what kind of people Choi Jong-Hyuk and Jang Ji-Cheol were, and how many others were harmed by them.
Admitting how naive she was in the past incidents, she talked about how Choi Jong-Hyuk approached her when she was distressed by her husband's frequent infidelities and how she lost consciousness after drinking with him. She also narrated the unfortunate night that unfolded, a memory that brought her pain just by revisiting it.
Choi Ji-Yung mentioned how she had no choice but to hand over all her assets to her husband without any conditions during a settlement orchestrated by him and his lawyer.
At that moment, a regretful murmur escaped from the reporters who were complicit in dragging her life to rock bottom by producing false articles in exchange for money given by TK Entertainment.
But Choi Ji-Yung didn't turn the reporters into her enemies. Instead, she focused her accusations on the main culprits: Jang Ji-Cheol and Choi Jong-Hyuk.
As a result, the fallen top star suddenly became the epitome of a tragic heroine.
Then the events began to unfold just as I had anticipated. When we stirred the guilt of the reporters and garnered public sympathy, the blame shifted from Choi Jong-Hyuk and Jang Ji-Cheol to TK Entertainment.
Jang Ji-Cheol denied all allegations and argued none of what Choi Ji-Yung mentioned at the conference was true, but the public backlash against the two was intense.
Thanks to this incident, the rumors about Yoo-Jin's affair had completely dissipated. Spring seemed to be on the horizon for Yoo-Jin once again with fans apologizing and starting a "Watching Blue Sky Again" campaign.
Only after ensuring the situation had stabilized was I able to take some time off. I needed a break and wanted to give Yoo-Jin and Miso, who had been stressed over the past few days, some fresh air.
I drove my Merciless Bends E-Class, nicknamed "Cutie" by Miso, to Yoo-Jin's house to head over to the G Ski Resort in Gyeonggi-do with the landlord just like the previous time.
"Kimchi~ kimchi~! Good for your body and tasty too, kimchi~."
I hummed along to the kimchi song that Miso had been singing lately and tapped the steering wheel to the rhythm.
Thump thump thump thump.
Immersed in the kimchi song, I had arrived in front of Yoo-Jin's house before realizing it. But then, I noticed a black Merciless Bends S-Class parked in front of their house.
"Who could it be? I don't think we were expecting anyone's visit today."
Considering the car was an S-Class, it wasn't likely to be a reporter. It seemed to be an advertiser or someone of a managerial level, but I couldn't guess who it might be.
I parked the car and hurried up to the second floor.
Upon arriving, I could hear the unfamiliar voices of a middle-aged man and woman.
"How can you behave like this, causing such vulgar rumors to circulate?"
"We're too embarrassed to show our faces because of you."
"We can't let you raise Miso in such an environment. We'll take her, and you focus on your career."
'Are they Yoo-Jin's relatives? But who were they to speak to Yoo-Jin so rudely like this?'
"Uncle, Auntie, both of you weren't there for Miso when she really needed help. And now you suddenly want to take her with you? This is absurd."
'So they are her uncle and aunt.'
I turned on the recording feature of my smartwatch and burst through the door.
Soon, I was dumbfounded by the scene before me. Yoo-Jin was glaring at her uncle and aunt while the terrified Miso was clinging to Yoo-Jin's back and covering her ears. Yoo-Jin's left hand was wrapped tightly around Miso's back to protect her, but tears were welling up in Yoo-Jin's eyes.
I couldn't help but shout in a loud voice before I knew it. "What do you think you're doing right now!"
The couple harassing Yoo-Jin turned their heads to look at me. At the same time, relief flickered in Yoo-Jin's eyes.
"Oppa!"
"Are you okay?"
At that moment, Yoo-Jin's uncle and aunt glared at me with a snort and asked, "Who are you? One of her boy toys?"
"No, honey. He's her talent agent. The one we saw from the broadcasts."
Yoo-Jin's aunt approached me in quick steps. A sharp-faced woman who was not even 150cm tall came up to me and started to scream in a shrill voice.
"What is your company doing, letting such rumors about Yoo-Jin spread? How is Miso supposed to grow up well in an environment filled with such disgraceful rumors?"
Her piercing voice hurt my ears. But I ignored her and walked over to Yoo-Jin.
"Are you even listening to me? Hey! Stop right there!"
'I only listen to humans.'
Ever since I found out these relatives were the ones who wanted to leave Miso at an orphanage, I couldn't regard them as humans.
"Are you really okay?”
Yoo-Jin nodded.
"What about Miso?"
"She's a bit startled, but she's okay."
'Thank goodness.'
I stood in front of Yoo-Jin to protect her. Glaring at her uncle, I said, "If you have something to say to my actress, please say it to me."
Yoo-Jin's uncle looked at me with a frown.
"Mind your own business. This is a family matter. Who do you think you are to interfere like this?"
In the meantime, Yoo-Jin's aunt walked over to her husband's side and screeched at me.
"No wonder Yoo-Jin acts as she pleases with a talent agent like you! Miso, come here right now!"
Yoo-Jin tightly clutched the fabric of my suit with one hand.
"It's okay, Yoo-Jin. I understand the situation, so just stay put."
The situation was clear at one glance—they wanted to have custody of Miso so that they could use her as a cash cow.
Yoo-Jin's uncle glared at me. "You can leave now! Yoo-Jin will look for a new talent agent tomorrow!"
"Yes, dear. Let's take this opportunity to change Yoo-Jin's talent agent and make sure we take care of Miso!"
Greed was shining in Yoo-Jin's aunt's eyes.
"Why would you and Uncle raise Miso? She's my daughter."
I calmed Yoo-Jin down and warned them in a low voice. "If you don't leave this instant, I'll report you for trespassing."
As I pulled out my phone, Yoo-Jin's uncle shouted. "This guy's got some nerve, huh!? Try us!"
"Do people these days think the police are magicians? Hey, the chief of the Cheonho-dong police station is my friend's husband!"
I was dumbfounded by Yoo-Jin's aunt's absurd words.
'Her friend's husband is the chief of Cheonho-dong police station? Does she really think threatening such connections would scare us? How naive.'
If this recording were to be made public, that chief would definitely be the first to cut ties with them.
"Hey! Jung Yoo-Jin. Are you really going to do this? Are you going to listen to this nobody instead of your family? Are you really going to report your uncle and aunt to the police, huh!?"
Yoo-Jin stepped out beside me and faced the two upon hearing her uncle's roar. Determination was etched on Yoo-Jin's face.
"My only family is... Miso."
Yoo-Jin's uncle and aunt's faces contorted in anger.
"Wh-what did you just say? You, you bitch!"
"Hey! Don't you remember what we've done for you? Such an ungrateful brat!"
No longer willing to listen to their nonsense, Yoo-Jin urged me to take action. "Oppa, please report them to the police right now. Miso is very scared."
"What? Report us to the police? Jung Yoo-Jin, have you actually lost your mind?"
I nodded and was about to call the police.
At that moment, Yoo-Jin's uncle suddenly tried to snatch my phone away and reached out swiftly.
But I easily dodged his attempt simply by pushing his arm away.
"Were you trying to hit me just now?"
"Th-this guy, how is he so quick?"
The flustered Yoo-Jin's uncle tried to reach out again. But he instantly stopped at my next words.
"If you raise your hand again and touch me, I'll report you for assault as well."
"Are you threatening me right now?"
"No, I'm just stating a fact."
Since I was already recording everything, I had ample evidence for a potential report.
"Do you want to go home, or shall we go to the police station? If you really want, we can go to the Cheonho-dong police station where your friend's husband works. Or should I just call them here now?"
Realizing he had no control over the situation, Yoo-Jin's uncle's expression twisted in frustration.
That's when Yoo-Jin's aunt grabbed her husband's arm and urged him to leave. "Let's go, dear. We'll come back later."
Yoo-Jin's uncle shot me a glare before turning away sharply. As they were about to close the door behind them, Yoo-Jin's aunt shot a warning look back at Yoo-Jin.
"Jung Yoo-Jin, you better have everything sorted out by the time I return. We'll be taking Miso."
"Still not gone, lady?" shot back Yoo-Jin.
At that moment, Yoo-Jin's aunt turned red and trembled with rage. Then the front door closed with a loud bang.
Simultaneously, tears began to stream down Yoo-Jin's face.
Drip, drip, drip.
Tears dripped down her cheeks and fell to the floor. But she didn't look scared—these were tears of anger and frustration.
I wanted to know the whole story, but taking care of Miso was the priority at the moment.
Yoo-Jin turned and crouched down in front of her. When she gently removed Miso's hands from her ears, Miso's eyes widened.
"Miso, it's okay. Uncle and Auntie have left."
"They left?"
"Yes."
"Miso, you must have been scared. I'm sorry."
Miso shook her head. "No, I'm okay. I wasn't scared at all!"
I couldn't help but smile at Miso's brave response as she was puffing out her chest to relieve Yoo-Jin.
That's when she noticed me.
"Oh? It's Uncle Yoon-Ho! When did you get here?"
Miso ran toward me.
"I just got here, Miso."
As Miso hugged me, I could feel her trembling. I patted her back to calm her down.
"You were very brave, Miso."
"Yes! I'm brave!"
Miso proudly showed off the PowerTuff Girl watch I had given her as a gift.
"Then you deserve a reward. Up we go!"
Miso started giggling as I lifted her up. Only then did Yoo-Jin finally seem relieved.
"Yoo-Jin, where's the landlord?"
"She went to the market. She said the food at the resort is too expensive."
'That explains it.'
If the landlord had been here, she would have immediately stepped in to protect Yoo-Jin.
Holding Miso in my arms, I asked Yoo-Jin, "What's this about them taking Miso away?"
"Oh...that? I didn't know until now, but apparently, there's a will left by my deceased brother-in-law. It says that Miso should be entrusted to my uncle and aunt in case of any incident."
'Huh? A will left by Miso's dad?'
"What are you talking about? What will? Why would they bring this up all of a sudden?”
At that moment, Yoo-Jin began to reluctantly share the story she had heard.
The sourc𝗲 of this content is free(w)ebnov(𝒆)l