Chapter 261: Chapter 255

Soyun entered the departure gate. Hyunwoo and Jinyoung Paek got out of the airport.

Kwon quickly checked out Soyun’s flight.

Her flight schedule was a bit unexpected. Yu Zuung, the main vocal Yirim and Jiah flew to Los Angeles, but Soyun alone headed for San Francisco.

After turning it over in his mind for a minute, Kwon curled his lips.

“Haha, you’re very meticulous! Don’t guess I can’t find you!”

Then he called an acquaintance of his in America. As he frequently visited America on a business trip, he had lots of acquaintances in Los Angeles and San Franciso.

“Hey, James. Do me a favor.”

“Which favor?”

“You know Sohyun of Hey, Girls, right? Soyun Han.”

“Of course, I do. She was really pretty.”

“She will be arriving at San Francisco Airport tomorrow morning. Just check out where she is moving. I appreciate if you can take pictures of her movement. I beg you!”

“Got it. Count on me.”

Kwon sent him photos of Soyun entering the gate. James could easily find her as she wouldn’t change her clothes, even if she hid her face with a mask and a cap.

***

After seeing Soyun off at the airport Hyunwoo went back to the KOVE DREAM office. He felt lighthearted, on the one hand, and thrilled, on the other. When he thought about Yu Zuung, he felt empty as if there was a huge void in his heart.

But his feelings like that were fleeting. The moment he entered the office he was swamped with lots of work.

These days he had to take care of lots of stuff related to searching for investment markets with the money that KOVE DREAM and Ani & Funny made.

There was a need for a good mix of Vietnamese companies and Korean technology for this. As long as he found companies with the two factors, Hyunwoo freely invested.

DF Technolgoy was a typical example. As soon as he discovered competent engineers specializing in LED, he invested 3 billion won.

Hyunwoo’s investment didn’t stop there. He continued to discover high-potential companies and connected them with relevant technical experts.

Recently, he helped a citric acid expert to move to China.

The expert’s name was Kyongsun Han. Though he was over 70, his passion for work and physical fitness surpassed even that of young men.

Hyunwoo invested as much as he wanted. He took over a factory worth 2 billion won, registered it as Sungsin Co. and then had Kyungsun run it. Kyungsun’s stake in the company was 10%.

China’s citric acid had a bitter and unpleasant finish, but Sungshin’s citric acid had no such taste. It just felt only sour and refreshing.

Chinese people expressed surprise at that. They even said it was a miracle.

But Kyungsun took it in stride. He even shook his head and said,

“This isn’t enough. I have to take my Korean equipment back here.”

Hyunwoo bought back the equipment Kyungsun had already sold and shipped it back to China.

As for DF Technology, Hyunwoo invested three billion won initially, and another two billion won later. He sent three Korean technicians there, found a total of four technicians in America and dispatched them to DF Technology.

But there was little progress with the passage of several months. It was such a contrast with Sungsin Co. from which Hyunwoo redeemed all his investments in just two months.

But he didn’t lose hope.

Hyunwoo called Sungjun Lim, who was a LED engineer and former owner of Hanbit Lighting Co. in Korea.

“Do you need my help?” asked Hyunwoo in a calm voice, holding back his frustration.

But Sungjun’s voice was bright this time.

“I think we have made it. We have succeeded!”

Hyunwoo’s eyes opened wide at his shouting for joy.

But Hyunwoo didn’t react quickly.

“What are you talking about?”

“We have the outcomes of the new product. We’ve obtained the best values in all the factors such as luminous efficiency, luminous flux, luminous flux maintenance, system efficiency, color temperature, and color rendering. They’re amazing values.”

Hyunwoo was bewildered for a moment. He couldn’t believe his wording ‘best values in all the factors.”

“Are you really sure you have enhanced the necessary technology?”

“It’s not just a matter of technology enhancement. Our product is superior to any other product in the world. Even I can’t believe this.”

Only then did Hyunwoo feel his expectation was growing.

“Hyunwoo, I would like to have KOVE DREAM test our product right away. I want to sell our product under the name of KOVE DREAM as soon as possible,” said Sungjun.

Hyunwoo was of the same opinion. He would select the testing agency as soon as possible.

“Got it.”

Hyunwoo called Korea Quality Certification Association (KQCA) with respect to testing the new product of DF Technology.

KQCA quickly responded to his request.

Several days later, he heard that KQCA’s test team flew to Vietnam.

It would take at least 15 days to get the final results of the test. So, he didn’t need to be impatient until then.

In the meantime, there broke out embarrassing news. When Hyunwoo stopped by the Ani & Funny office and reviewed the business report, Kyungsu suddenly asked, “Hyunwoo. As for the last lady whose identity remains veiled, is her name Soyun of Hey Girls?”

Hyunwoo’s heart sank momentarily.

Anything about Soyun was top secret. None of the Ani & Funny staff was aware of her identity. Even Yu Zuung and Jiah, her fellow masked dancers, didn’t know her face.

How could Kyungsu get wind of it?

Hyunwoo denied it for now because Kyungsu might have asked it on a guess.

“What the heck are you talking about?”

Given Kyungsu’s explanation, Hyunwoo felt it was something he could paper over.

“There is a story about her on the internet. According to the story, it was 100% certain that the last masked dancer was Soyun Han. The story contained pictures of her leaving Incheon International Airport. I see a photo of you and Jinyoung, too.”

Hyunwoo’s jaw dropped at that.

“Let me take a look.”

He quickly came to Kyungsu’s desk and checked out the monitor.

The story was posted today. Exactly as Kyungsu explained to him. The photos showed Hyunwoo and Jinyoung seeing her off and Soyun, taking off her mask, going through the departure line.

He was put on the spot. The evidence was perfect. If he recklessly refuted the story, he would have to face the music when it proved to be true later.

But Kyungsu asked again without knowing the gravity of the situation.

“Looks like she is right, doesn’t it?”

Hyunwoo quickly raised his fingers and put them on his lips. Even though the story came out, he had to make sure the Ani & Funny staff just keep tight-lipped about it.

“Please gather all the staff here. Only the staff upstairs.”

The staff quickly moved at Hyunwoo’s direction.

“We should never reveal her identity until the time we have in mind. For it might put a woman’s life in jeopardy. So, please help her.”

Thanks to Hyunwoo’s quick warning, they listened with a serious look.

“She might be Soyun or not. Just say No Comment whenever you are asked.”

“Do you mean we have to say No Comment if someone asks me about it?” asked Kyungsu.

Hyunwoo just nodded.

“Don’t you think they are more curious if I answer that way? Even I can’t wait to find out…”

Hyunwoo’s eyes opened wider at that. He felt this story might generate more publicity effects than he expected.

“I don’t care. We just keep quiet about her until the time we decide to disclose her. Just help her. I beg for you!”

They nodded at his request.

“Got it.”

As expected, the news about Soyun spread quickly. Soyun was photographed at the airports in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Though she hid her face with a mask and a cap, she put on the same clothes she wore when she left Incheon Airport, which made her fans easily infer that she was Soyun.

The more the story spread, the more interested people got in her identity.

“Is it true she is Yuni of Hey Girls?”

“Wow, it’s the first time I see her in years! Time heals all wounds. I thought she was in hiding since her sex scandal broke, but now she is coming back.”

As they became increasingly interested in her, Ani & Funny got also busier. Reporters kept calling them and numerous fans demanded her identity be revealed.

Even Ani & Funny staff were pestered with such requests.

But their reaction was all the same.

“No Comment.”

It was neither Yes nor No.

That raised the people’s suspicion all the more. Some argued she must be Soyun, while others opined she might be a different woman, with each side never budging a bit.

Even entertainment experts were divided. An entertainment TV show even hosted a debate on the identity of the masked dancer.

But they could not make a final conclusion. Nobody was sure.

But there was one exception.

As soon as the story about Soyun appeared, Taesu Ahn, the president of AT Entertainment, was convinced she was Soyun.

“Obviously, she is Soyun Han.”

——————————————————————————–

Chapter 262: Chapter 256

Taesu decided to use private detectives to find out Soyun’s whereabouts. And he confirmed through an acquaintance of his at the Justice Ministry that Soyun left for San Francisco.

It was the same plane mentioned in the article.

Taesu frowned again.

In fact, it didn’t matter that Soyun resumed her activities. The thing was that she joined hands with Hyunwoo Jang of Ani & Funny.

Ani & Funny stood in the way of AT Entertainment and Taesu in every way. Taesu always ended up being a loser when confronted with Ani & Funny. For example, he suffered a defeat in the case of Nami Yu and Angela, both affiliated with Ani & Funny.

And now Soyun bugged him.

Taesu heard that she was trapped in extreme fear of the camera since the sex video scandal broke. She was even afflicted with social phobia, he heard.

But now she stood before the camera proudly. Though she hid her face with a mask, her reappearance suggested that she had changed a lot since then.

Taesu was curious as to what had caused her to change like that. Obviously, Hyunwoo must be planning to do harm to him, Taesu thought.

“Is he targeting me again?’

Taesu thought it was a possibility.

Even without targeting him, Hyunwoo’s Ani & Funny already posed a big threat to him. Riding on the success of Jinhon and Angela, Any & Funny easily overcame the aftereffects of the sex video about Nami Yu.

Besides, Ani & Funny managed the team behind Temptation including Yu Zuung and continued to release the music videos for its new singers.

And now Soyun joined Ani & Funny. It was possible that Any & Funny could surpass AT Entertainment and emerge as the dominant player in the entertainment market.

Taesu could not sit idle.

“What should I do to get rid of them?”

Resting his chin on his hand, he pondered over it and thought of a trick without difficulty.

Curling his lips, he called somewhere.

“You have that sex videotape about Yuni of Hey Girls, right? Do you still have one with a sharp picture?”

***

Hyunwoo’s cell phone buzzed.

After confirming the caller, Hyunwoo’s face brightened. He was Sungjun, the chief engineer of DF Technology in Vietnam.

Sungjun said excitedly, “We’ve made it! We passed KOVE DREAM’s criteria on acquiring its membership. DF Technology is now a formal member.”

“Haha, congrats!” said Hyunwoo with a hearty laugh.

But Sungjun didn’t stop there. It looked as if he had more good news.

“The testers were surprised at the outcomes of the test. They couldn’t believe there was such an excellent LED factory in Vietnam equipped with such high-end technology.”

“Really?”

“I dare say our technology is the world’s best.”

“Wow, you’re great! How did you improve the technology so quickly? What’s the secret?”

“Recently, you dispatched a couple of American technicians here, right? They played a decisive role. If I had worked with them in Korea, I’m sure my factory would not have collapsed.”

Sungjun was excited while talking with Hyunwoo.

But Hyunwoo felt he should calm down.

“Congratulations! Now I think I can take follow-up measures on that.”

After the call, he headed for the KOVE DREAM office.

As soon as he entered the office, he looked for Songjong, the general manager.

“Add the products of DF Technology to the homepage of KOVE DREAM.”

“Oh my god! Did they finally pass?” she asked with a surprised look.

“Yea, I got a call today. Upload DF quickly.”

“You mean KOVE DREAM, not KOVE DREAM-Blue? I just can’t believe how enhanced their technology so quickly.”

She then called a company specializing in managing websites.

When she finished the call, Hyunwoo gave her another instruction.

“You remember I asked you to prepare a press release on DF Technology, right? Are you done?”

“Oh, I gave it to advisor Hwasik Kang.”

“Advisor Kang? How come you let him do it?”

“Well, I initially left it to Jisun Kim, but Kang took a look at it and said he would take care of it. He said he prepared lots of press releases when he worked at the customs office.”

Hyunwoo nodded at that.

“Where is he now?”

“He left the office early today.”

Hyunwoo looked at the wall clock, which was pointing to 3 pm. It was a bit early for him to leave the office, though Hyunwoo allowed him to work at flexible hours.

As if she read Hyunwoo’s mind, Songjong made up an excuse for Kang.

“I hear his son in the military came home on leave.”

“Oh, I see. I think I have to wait until tomorrow to check if he’s done already.”

“Let me call him now.”

Sonjong called Kang right away and heard that it was done already.

She turned on his computer, logged on with his password, and printed out the press release.

Reading it carefully, Hyunwoo expressed satisfaction.

“Wow, this is the power of his experience! Just fax it to the press room of the city hall. Let me send it out to broadcasting companies.”

When they received the press release about DF Technology, not only economic newspapers but also major daily newspapers highlighted the story. Korean Broadcasting and Seoul Broadcasting treated the story as a major news item.

Thanks to the heavy media coverage, the news about DF Technology was on the top of the list of real-time search words on the internet.

As soon as the media reported on DF’s remarkable enhanced technology, the company enjoyed its promotional effects immediately. It was flooded with orders placed through the homepage of KOVE DREAM.

As a result, there was an explosive growth in the sales of DF products in Vietnam. There came in so many orders that they could not process them all on time.

Hyunwoo felt the same thing would happen in America, Japan, and China sooner or later, so he decided to expand the facilities quickly.

He called the president of DF Technology.

“Let me invest 10 billion won more. You had better expand the existing facilities.”

But the president hesitated.

The reason was simple.

Hyunwoo made an initial investment with 3 billion won and invested a total of 5 billion on several occasions. As a result, his stake in the company was over 40%.

If he invested 10 billion won more, he would control 80% of the company’s equities, which meant he would be the controlling shareholder. From his point of view, it meant he would lose DF to Hyunwoo.

Hyunwoo promised, as if to allay his concern.

“I won’t participate in your management or challenge your authority over human resources. Let me write it in the contract.”

“Still, it bothers me to transfer the post of the largest shareholder to you…”

He still hesitated. He seemed to think he could expand the facilities later when DF was stabilized financially later.

But Hyunwoo disagreed.

The technology in this field was developing so quickly every day. Though it’s advanced right now, it could leg behind over time.

“When you have advanced technology, you should produce new products and sell as many as possible. Only then can your company grow fast with more profits, right?”

“You’re right, but…”

The president still had a lingering affection for his current position as a large shareholder.

After turning it over in his mind for a moment, Hyunwoo came up with a compromise.

“Let’s do it this way. When the company is financially stabilized, let me transfer my equities to you, so that my stake can never exceed 40%.”

Hyunwoo felt he could do it within two years.

“Could you insert that clause in the contract?” asked the president.

“Of course.”

Hyunwoo immediately drafted the contract and sent it to him. And he made sure that the president would expand the facilities with his investment of 10 billion won.

DF Technology was still on the top list of the most popular real-time search words on the internet. Lots of technicians contacted them to move into Vietnam.

That was what Hyunwoo hoped for exactly.

With a satisfied look, he checked out other popular real-time words on the internet.

He noticed Soyun Han was still in the list. When the story broke that the last masked dancer was Soyun, it became the most popular search word on the internet.

Initially, Hyunwoo was worried about it, but not now. Thanks to the speculative story the masked dancer gained more and more popularity.

But he also noticed another strange search word newly ranked on the top of the list.

<Soyun Han’s sex video>

Hyunwoo’s eyebrow quirked at that.

In fact, he predicted this kind of dirty thing would happen the moment the speculative story about Soyun broke.

Hyunwoo googled on the related search words.

There were lots of rumors about her getting around. And her sex video was circulating the web again, which gave her such a hard time.

Soyun, now in America, seemed to have already checked the news about herself.

He received a call from her late afternoon. It seemed she could not go to sleep because of her sex video.

Her voice trembled, and she was scared.

“What should I do? I just have no idea how to cope with it…”

“Don’t worry. You and I anticipated this kind of stuff would happen. I have prepared a plan already.”

Hyunwoo tried to set her at ease.

After talking with him for some time, Soyun calmed down a bit.

“You have come too far to go back. So, you have to hang in there. Just count on me and wait a little more.”

“Yes, will do. Hope I’m in good hands.”

After the call, he contacted Jaeyol Song with Korean Broadcasting.

“Brother, remember what I told you before. I meant a special program about Soyun’s sex video.”

“Oh, I know that. Sorry, I reported it to my boss, but he rejected it. He said it’s not appropriate to broadcast.”

—————————————————————————–

Chapter 263: Chapter 257

Hyunwoo scratched his head to hear that.

But he could not give in.

“Can I see your boss? Please arrange a meeting with him.”

“Not a problem. You can come here anytime.”

Hyunwoo checked the time. It was only 5 pm.

“Is your boss available in the evening? I would like to have dinner with him if he doesn’t have an appointment…”

“Let me check his schedule and get back to you.”

A little later, he called Hyunwoo. Fortunately, his boss had no appointments.

They met a quiet Korean restaurant near Korean Broadcasting.

Jaeyol’s boss, the director of the newsroom, was a broad-minded man. He made Hyunwoo comfortable even though it was the first time he met Hyunwoo. Though he was 20 years older than Hyunwoo, he even told Hyunwoo that he could call him brother.

At the same time, he drew a distinct line between public and private matters.

“I heard from Jaeyol about the sex video.program. I think it’s a good program, but we have scheduled all the programs for this month already. I can’t cancel one of them to insert your program. I really can’t report it to the president.”

After all, the issue was the timing of broadcasting, not the contents of the sex video program itself.

“I beg for your help! Can you find any way to air it?”

“Even if I report it to the president, he will reject it anyway.”

Hyunwoo suddenly hit upon an idea.

“How about a give-and-take idea?” asked Hyunwoo.

“Give and take? Which one?”

“Please secure one broadcasting slot within a week. Then, let me disclose the faces of all the masked dancers through Korean Broadcasting. Of course, we can discuss the timing of the disclosure.”

Hyunwoo saw the director frowning a bit.

But the director didn’t answer easily. For it was the president who could make the final decision.

“Okay. Let me propose it to the president.”

Hyunwoo could not trust him. He felt he needed to press him more strongly.

“You don’t have to feel burdened because of this. Seoul Broadcasting or Segye Broadcasting might be interested in my proposal, too. If I ask around, I think I can find a broadcasting company taking my proposal.”

The director’s face hardened further.

“Let me report it to the president tomorrow and let you know immediately.”

The next morning Jaeyol called Hyunwoo to tell him the good news.

“Done. Broadcasting time was set for your program.”

“Great. How come you found the slot?”

“The timing couldn’t be better. One entertainment program due on air three days later was canceled.”

Hyunwoo barely held back laughing at that. He was not sure whether the Korean Broadcasting management canceled it or not, but he got what he wanted anyway.

“From now on, we are going to keep announcing the pre-notice on it. When are you going to disclose their faces anyway? I think we need to know the date.”

That was not something Hyunwoo could decide.

“Let me consult with the dancer first and get back to you. By the way, the program will be on the air, regardless of this, right?”

“Of course.”

After the call, he checked the time. It’s still early in the morning. But it’s late afternoon in Los Angeles. She might be having dinner now.

Hyunwoo called her.

As soon as it rang, Hyunwoo heard her voice on the other end right away. Obviously, she picked it up when she confirmed his name on the phone.

He briefed her about the sex video program involving her.

She let out a sigh of relief and said,

“Phew. It’s fortunate that the matter didn’t go any further.”

“By the way, how about disclosing your face a bit early?”

“Why?” she asked in a scared voice.

“I think it would be more effective if the disclosure were timed with the special program. Don’t you think it’s most effective to time it with the program as you have to do it anyway?”

“I agree, but…” she said hesitantly.

But her agony didn’t last long. It seemed she gained lots of confidence while she resumed activities.

“Got it. Just go ahead.”

Hyunwoo brightened his face and said, “Okay, then. Let me schedule your disclosuree one week after the special program broadcast.”

“Sure, it’s up to you now.”

Hyunwoo called Jaeyol again.

“Brother, I’ve decided when to disclose the dancer’s face.”

Three days later, Korean Broadcasting aired a special program about the sex video scandal. Hyunwoo and his staff gathered to watch it.

As the program was produced by Kwangsu Han, owner of Real Film, in accordance with Hyunwoo’s intention, its contents was satisfactory.

But the general public’s reaction was icy. Despite its frequent pre-notice announcement on the program, its ratings was less than 2%. Though they were less interested in the program itself, they rather enjoyed popular soap operas in the same time frame.

But there was some hot reaction on the internet.

“I knew it. There was no reason for Yuni of Hey Girls to film a sex video. I didn’t believe it from the start.”

“I feel so sorry for her. Without the sex video she could have been a top star by now.”

“Who the hell spread such a false rumor? Why can’t the police catch suspects?”

As he promised, Hyunwoo disclosed the two masked dancers during their performances in New York one week later. And he released Korean Broadcasting’s prerecorded interview with Soyun through its entertainment program on that evening.

Soyun was now confident. Though she hadn’t yet overcome her fear of Taesu Ahn of AT Entertainment, she didn’t show any sign of that during the interview.

“I won’t live in hiding anymore because of the sex scandal that I wasn’t involved with. I’m honorable and proud, no matter what anyone says.”

The disclosure of Soyun’s face drew as much explosive response as that of Yu Zuung. People’s attention was more intense because of the fact that she was the last masked dancer whose face was unveiled.

Thanks to her disclosure, Korean Broadcasting’s special program about the sex video was also in great demand. Even though its replay service was not free, thousands of people clicked it.

The beauty of Yu Zuung and Soyun already appealed to the US market. The popularity of Temptation moved up to the top 20 songs of BIllboard chart.

But its upward trend stopped there. Huyunwoo wished strongly that it could get to the top like Jinhon’s Duckling Fly, but moved to the 19th rank and then went down.

But Hyunwoo didn’t feel sad. It was already a remarkable event for Temptation to get ranked inside the top 20 in the Billboard chart. Besides, it stayed there for almost a month.

Hyunwoo, Jinyoung and Soyun were all satisfied with the outcomes.

Jinhon and Angela’s new song I’m Not Lonely got ranked in the Billboard chart as soon as it was released, gaining popularity quickly and ranked 20th in the chart, surpassing Temptation ranked below the top 30.

In the US market, Temptation was already forgotten. And the team of Temptation had to end their brief activities in America and return to Korea.

But their activities were not over yet. Though their popularity waned in America, they enjoyed great popularity in Asia, especially China and Vietnam.

They were on a tight schedule in China for one month, and there was a tremendous request for their appearance in Vietnam.

And they were swamped with requests for appearances on TV shows in Korea and Japan.

Thanks to such tremendous response from their fans, Yu Zuung and Soyun were all happy, though they were physically exhausted.

But there were people who were not happy at all.

Taesu of AT Entertainment was one of them.

“Look at this! Soyun has come back!”

Whenever he watched her performing proudly on TV shows, he felt she could not be more mean and nasty.

What was more disgusting to him was Hyunwoo. It seemed as if Hyunwoo disturbed whatever he was doing.

Soyun’s surprise comeback did harm to Taesu. He also felt his pride was offended.

So, he wanted to take revenge on her again.

But this was not the right timing. She was too popular for him to go after now. Though she was not as popular as Yu Zuung, she was still being closely watched by many fans around the world. If AT Entertainment recklessly touched her, it would bring a fatal blow to itself.

Huh! That popularity of hers! It will go down just like it has gone up. Let me surely take revenge on you then.