IH Ch 111

Chapter 111

It was Wednesday afternoon, the weather pleasant and the mood leisurely enough to make one drowsy. Sitting in a sunny spot, sipping coffee and fiddling with my phone, I let out a big yawn. My gaze briefly met that of a passerby, making the moment awkward, so I turned instead to look at the friend sitting across from me.

We had finally found time to meet, and after eating lunch and heading to a café, she hadn’t taken her hands off her phone even once.

“Hey, are you seriously going to be on your phone the whole time? If you were going to do this, why did we even meet?”

“What are you talking about? Don’t you remember how we talked nonstop for two hours while eating?”

“That was then. This is now. I’m sleepy. Did something interesting pop up or what?”

“Nothing popped up. I’m looking at workout clothes because I’m planning to start exercising again.”

“You’re not going to buy a bunch of gear and then quit after going three times again, are you? If you sell anything, tell me first this time.”

“You little—”

I wanted to retort, but with my record, I closed my mouth. Pilates, yoga, ballet—I had tried all kinds of things, yet never lasted even a month. Everything I bought beforehand, I later sold for half price. My friend knew this all too well. Pouting at her accurate jab, I went back to focusing on my phone.

This time, I needed to find something I could really stick with. Maybe I should switch sports entirely—tennis or badminton, maybe. But those required buying rackets, didn’t they? Wouldn’t the gyms let me borrow one? Because of past experience, I wasn’t planning to buy equipment blindly again. Yet my fingers were already searching for workout clothes. At that moment, an ad caught my eye.

“Oh, it looks like Chair is doing a major overhaul of their sports line.”

“Chair? Haven’t they fallen off lately?”

Chair was a sports brand that had surged in popularity ten years ago. As one of Haeseong’s fashion branches, it had enormous promotional backing and solid product quality. It had exploded in popularity from launch and sold steadily for seven years, but in the last two or three years, things had seemed shaky. Rumor said the CEO had changed. If that was the reason, then Haeseong’s related companies were all at fault.

“Even if they throw money at it, it’s pointless. I wish they’d just hurry up and appoint a proper chairman already.”

“Why? Your company’s doing fine, isn’t it?”

My friend, sighing heavily while holding her phone, worked at the Haeseong Group. It was a major conglomerate known to everyone, but she was effectively an entry-level employee. I didn’t know why she suddenly brought up the chairman.

“Don’t talk like you know anything. Ever since the chairman stepped back after losing his son, it’s been absolute chaos.”

“That was Chairman Ma Jungseok, right? I heard he was recuperating and would return soon.”

“When a tiger leaves its seat, all the hyenas crawl out. Haven’t you seen Haeseong’s stock creeping down these last few years?”

“Is it true his health got so bad that he might never come back?”

“I don’t know. But it looks like the major positions are already being taken over by other people.”

Those who had supported the original chairman were being pushed out one by one. While the chairman shut himself away in grief after losing his son, his relatives had begun taking over, and the way things were going, Haeseong was headed for disaster.

“Should I switch jobs before the stock drops more?”

Haeseong was still a major company—but if things got any worse, maybe it would be better to leave first. Not that switching jobs would be easy. Why couldn’t the higher-ups just handle things properly instead of causing problems? People like them could ruin entire departments and laugh about it, but if someone like us made a single mistake on a form, it was the end of the world. It was ridiculous. I lifted my head, shaking it, and then paused.

“Huh? Are they changing that?”

My friend turned around mid-sip.

At the Gangnam intersection, the best spot held a massive advertisement billboard. The cost was huge, and because of its exposure, it was always in demand—people couldn’t just buy their way in. Recently, it had been occupied by a four-member group whose overseas music performance was excellent, fueling national pride.

Their ad campaign had been scheduled to rotate different videos throughout the month. It had gone up around ten days ago… Had a whole month already passed?

Realizing this, my friend panicked.

“Wait—why are they taking my boys’ ad down!? It hasn’t been a month yet!”

“…You were a fan?”

While she was panicking about the early take-down, I casually sipped my drink and went back to looking at sportswear.

Since it was a digital board, I figured they only needed to switch the video. But this time they seemed to be doing more. They covered the enormous screen with a transparent sheet, and workers on a lift moved busily. Because the billboard always drew attention, passersby all stopped to look. Curious about whose face would appear next, I watched as the thin cloth was pulled away.

The lift descended. The screen went dark—then filled with red. The red was so sharp it made my eye sting, and I blinked.

“What the… so flashy—”

The words died in my throat.

Because the man filling the entire screen was someone every Korean would recognize.

“…….”

I dropped the straw I’d been holding and unknowingly grabbed my friend’s arm, shaking her. She frowned, annoyed I was interrupting her research.

“What? You were on your phone too! I’m doing something really important right n—”

“L-look behind you.”

“What? Did my boys come back?”

Still holding her phone, she turned—and froze.

I understood why. Mouth half open, I stared again and again at the person now dominating the billboard.

Even more striking than the vivid red background were the sharp features and radiant blond hair. Despite being so massively enlarged, his features had not a single flaw.

It was Hwang Jae-i.

Starting with the intersection billboard, Hwang Jae-i appeared everywhere.

Every premium location—every spot known to be expensive—was filled with him. At first, people simply admired his face. Then, gradually, they began noticing more.

He was wearing sportswear in each photo—standing straight, leaning slightly, facing forward. That alone was enough.

At first, people speculated that the photos were just copied poses with swapped outfits. That he had posed a few times and they had edited different clothes onto him. Right as public opinion began muttering that he was making easy money, another set of photos was released.

In those, Hwang Jae-i had one hand wrapped lightly around his neck. Another showed him lying down somewhere. Another, sitting loosely in a chair, or leaning back. Soon the products were revealed: watches, perfumes, shoes, furniture.

The poses were varied, the atmosphere natural, and the earlier rumors of poorly edited photos vanished. Still, his sudden media presence was astonishing.

Online chatter burst open:

[All the ads featuring Guildmaster Hwang Jae-i so far.

All Haeseong-related sports lines, running shoes. Furniture, diffusers, perfumes. Suits and dress shoes. Laundry detergent and deodorizer lines. There are rumors car and housing ads will drop today. All from Haeseong or related affiliates.]

└ These are the big ones; while writing this, a supermarket ad just dropped. Also Haeseong-affiliated.

└ What is this? Did Guildmaster Hwang Jae-i become Haeseong’s next chairman?

└ Who says shooting a few ads means becoming chairman?

└ No but seriously, it’s weird. He used to cause chaos over a single newspaper photo. Now he’s everywhere in two days. I saw him on a bus route map. I see Hwang Jae-i more than my mom lately.

└ It’s hilarious but I’m not laughing lmao

└ I wondered why the media stopped talking about him lately. Makes sense now.

└ Why?

└ Haeseong controls the media. That’s why there hasn’t been a single “crisis” article even though their performance has been trash.

└ Haeseong is in danger? Should I sell my stock???

└ Why sell when Hwang Jae-i is singlehandedly propping up all the affiliated brands? Never invest again, please.

[Why is Hwang Jae-i doing Haeseong ads? Is the chairman changing?

My brother works at Haeseong—he said during the chairman’s recuperation, the higher-ups have been a total mess. The relatives were trying to take major positions. Said if this continues, even if the chairman returns, everything will be eaten from the inside.]

└ Even though everyone kept quiet, rumors spread since last year. They said all the previous chairman’s people would be purged by the end of this year. But the ones trying to snatch the seats? All screwed. Staff hotline got an alert last night. Chairman Ma Jungseok is back.

└ Really?? I heard he was mentally unstable after losing his son.

└ Some people know, huh. I heard that too—but he’s fine. Actually scarier now.

└ Fresh photo from this morning. Let the world know our chairman is healthy.

└ (Photo: Chairman Ma Jungseok holding a meeting with all executives.)

└ (Photo: Displaced executives kneeling at the doorway or being dragged out.)

[Check this out.]

└ (Photo: Chairman Ma Jungseok taking the entire executive board out for a meal.)

└ (Photo: At his side, seated beside him—Guildmaster Hwang Jae-i.)