"Phew..." Ethan, in the body of Min-Jae's younger self exhaled. He was already an adult, but a slightly younger version than the one on the interview.
"That should be all, right? What about my rewards?"
[Woah! Hold your horses, cowboy, we just started this round! We still have to see how Ji-Eun reacts to this.]
Min-Jae clicked his tongue. "Alright, I'm ready. Take me back."
The screen blurred, the holographic interface faded, and Min-Jae's vision returned to the bustling studio. He was back in the hot seat, under the unforgiving glare of the studio lights, facing the menacing gaze of the reporter.
The woman's eyes locked on him, as if he were a target, and she was a weapon of mass destruction, ready to unleash her arsenal of questions. But Min-Jae spoke first.
"So..." he leaned back against the leather coach. He took a deep breath and exhaled, as if he were about to reveal some big secret.
"Not many of you may know," he said, looking at the camera, "but, my grandpa has been documenting most of my life. That means I have proof to refute some of the accusations against me."
He smiled at the camera and the woman's eyes widened. This was a scoop, a big one. This could either solidify his image or break him completely. "So, you're saying that you have a diary of your life? This could be enough evidence to get you out of this mess, but how do we know you aren't just making it up?" she questioned, her eyes fixed on him.
"Well... there's some video evidence. The rest is on a journal."
"That could be easily forged. Actor Min-Jae, are you certain about this evidence?"
Min-Jae simply smiled. Of course, mere writing could be easily dismissed as fabricated evidence, unless the person who wrote it was trustworthy.
"My grandfather wrote most of it. Are you saying, Kang Ho-Sun, founder and Chairman of the Jasung Group is a liar?"
Min-Jae flashed a wicked smirk at the woman whose face had turned ugly. It was only for a fraction of a second and she quickly composed herself, but Min-Jae didn't miss it.
"Of course not, heh..." the reporter stammered, ending with an awkward chuckle.
"Why don't we see this evidence, first?"
[Nice save.]
Min-Jae chuckled at the system's commentary. He turned back and looked at a staff member.
"Can you bring my bag?"
The staff member nodded and rushed outside. He returned, quicker than a rabbit, with a large, luxurious bag. Min-Jae opened the bag, revealing a small, leathery journal.
"Here it is, but before we begin, might reminding me of how it all started? Apparently, Ji-Eun has been displeased with me since our childhood."
The woman smiled, but it was not a normal smile. Rather, she was baring her fangs at the prey before her. Her eyes held Min-Jae whole.
The woman was satisfied with the direction the interview was taking. She rummaged through her bag; and when she saw the notebook and imagined the program's ratings, her spirit was in a high flutter.
She held the notebook to her eyes and began, "Min-Jae has always been cold and calculating. He has a way of making you feel small, of twisting whatever you say into some tale that makes him the hero. When we were children in second grade, he had convinced everyone in our classroom to isolate me, to ignore me, all because I accidentally spilled my juice on his new shirt."
The interviewer smiled, but her smile did not reach her eyes. Min-Jae thought she was truly ruthless, perfectly suited to this job. But he had to stop her.
"Stop. Let's address this issue, first."
***
Meanwhile, at Heavenly Entertainment, three women in office suits discussed the live interview.
"He seems confident."
"Do you think he really has proof?"
"No way. Everyone hates this man."
A fourth girl who had been silent until now, glanced sideways. Her eyes settled on a woman with a sad face. There was something poetic about the woman's sad face, and it had an allure that men who saw her could never forget. It was none other than Ji-Eun.
The fourth girl, also known as a manager Song, had an incurably mischievous expression, anyone who saw her would know she was up to something. She stood next to Ji-Eun before lashing out her words.
"What do you think, Ji-Eun? Does he have proof?"
But Ji-Eun simply snorted. She was used to the girl's antics and knew Min-Jae very well.
"There's nothing. He's always been a scoundrel. I'm glad he's finally getting what he deserves."
"He might be on his way there," Song said. "They say his father has already disowned him. He would be on the streets if it weren't for his grandfather. They also took his name from all the companies that he had a stake in, but that's a different story altogether. I'm surprised he's still breathing." Ji-Eun smirked.
"Are you proud, Ji-Eun? Are you happy that your archnemesis is getting what he deserves? Or are you perhaps sad that you might've ruined an innocent person's life?"
Ji-Eun simply shook her head. There was no need to bother with this woman or Min-Jae, she knew how things were.
What she didn't know was things were about to get very confusing for her.
***
Meanwhile, at the studio, Min-Jae held his journal at eye level and began to speak with a self-assured tone.
"Today, the Young Master met his with his classmates..."