Chapter 33.2

Chapter 33.2

Lee Yi-taek had wanted to keep the incident quiet, so it was supposed to be buried without much fuss. If Park Jung-hoon hadn’t interfered, it wouldn’t have become public knowledge.

[Early this morning, around 1 am, a patient who was hospitalized at Seoul H Hospital was assaulted. The victim, Patient A (24), got into a physical altercation with Visitor B (32) after a verbal argument…. (omitted)… As a result, Patient A was seriously injured and underwent emergency surgery, and will require further treatment. The police are currently investigating the circumstances of the incident through CCTV footage and witness statements. The hospital said, “We prioritize the safety of our patients and will actively cooperate with the police to resolve the incident.”]

A single assault incident that occurred in the early morning hours was reported in the Sungjo Daily, a newspaper with over 100 years of history, and not just as an online rumor.

It’s not a simple matter to suddenly change the main article in a print newspaper without a special reason. It’s impossible without the influence of those in power.

“I’m worried about the future of Sungjo Daily, manipulating the media like this just to meet a woman.”

Park Jung-hoon was a bundle of inferiority complex. As a prince who had never been deprived of anything he wanted since birth, he was frustrated by being constantly surpassed and robbed by Kwon Jae-heon.

He had grabbed onto a big story, thinking he had finally caught a big fish, without considering the consequences.

“I just reported the facts. Is there anything wrong with the article?”

“Where do I even start…?”

Kwon Jae-heon paused for a moment.

“First of all, did the article say Lee Yoon-gun was the victim?”

“Ah, no?”

Kwon Jae-heon continued to speak shamelessly, and Park Jung-hoon glanced at Goyo.

As the two men started discussing the assault incident at the hospital, Goyo closed her mouth. Her face, which had been expressionless, was now noticeably red.

Kwon Jae-heon gritted his teeth and said, “You’ve made her face look like a rag.”

Anyone could see that Goyo was the real victim.

Kwon Jae-heon said, his teeth still clenched, “The hospital will refuse to release the CCTV footage, and there won’t be any police investigation.”

Lee Yi-taek and Lee Yoon-gun couldn’t press charges against Kwon Jae-heon.

“That’s ridiculous.”

“We’ll see about that.”

The reason Lee Yi-taek couldn’t make an issue out of this incident was that it wasn’t just a simple assault case.

His son, Lee Yoon-gun, had not only brought a woman into his hospital room and engaged in indecent behavior but also assaulted his foster sister. If the police investigation began, it would also be revealed that Lee Yoon-gun had been stalking and assaulting Goyo repeatedly.

This was a dirty and shameful family secret for Lee Yi-taek, and it could deal a fatal blow to his image as a just and compassionate person, which he needed to maintain as he aimed for the next presidential election.

“Kwon Jae-heon, the fact that you beat Lee Yoon-gun and injured him is a fact. Our newspaper didn’t do anything wrong. It’s your fault for hurting him!”

As Park Jung-hoon continued to be unreasonable, Kwon Jae-heon’s smile disappeared, and he glared at him with a fierce gaze.

“My mistake is just one thing. Not killing that bastard.”

That’s because Goyo didn’t want it to happen.

Lee Yoon-gun was a guy who had annoyed Kwon Jae-heon twice, and yet he was still alive. It was a surprisingly lenient treatment, uncharacteristic of Kwon Jae-heon.

“You, you’re saying you’re going to kill someone!”

Park Jung-hoon felt a chill run down his spine as Kwon Jae-heon’s aura became like that of a beast on the hunt.

“What’s the problem?”

Kwon Jae-heon sneered, curling up the corner of his lips.

“Of course.”

Park Jung-hoon closed his mouth.

The sudden change in the Sungjo Daily’s headline was an order Park Jung-hoon had given personally that morning. The content itself wasn’t a problem – it was a factual report of the incident, without any sensational or promotional language. However, there were several strange points.

The hospital’s refusal to release the CCTV footage was at Lee Yi-taek’s request. As the victim’s family, they hadn’t even mentioned pressing charges.

What had happened between Lee Yoon-gun, Kwon Jae-heon, and Goyo that made Kwon Jae-heon, the perpetrator of the violence, so confident? Why was Goyo protecting him? And most of all, why was Lee Yi-taek, known for being more relentless than a viper and more cunning than a fox, remaining silent?

Park Jung-hoon had ordered the article change without clearly confirming any of these points, without even considering the potential consequences.