"Those bastards are real scum," Yun's manager growled as soon as he read the article.

And Jihong could not disagree with him. During his work in this industry, he saw a lot of dirty tricks, but such a blatant, thinly veiled unscrupulousness happened for the first time. The article announcing Jaekyung's retirement didn't put it in the spotlight at all. The headline sounded neutral: "Pan Pacific Swimming Championships: Will It Really Be the Best Competition in the Last 12 Years?", and initially it seemed that the material expressed general disappointment with the order. However, going deeper, it is not difficult to notice that more than half of the text is devoted to Jaekyung: namely, critical remarks. The author argued that all efforts were directed to the success of an outstanding swimmer for the sake of the Grand Slam, which is why others were in the background, and the championship itself was only a stepping stone to achieve the goal of a particular person. In addition to criticism of the organizing committee, arrows also flew at Jaekyung. The message was that he didn't even bother to come to the closing ceremony. Probably, they tried to shift all the blame on him.

At the end of this nasty essay, they deliberately inserted the following phrases: "And what is more depressing is the resignation of Kwon Jaekyung. Knowing about the desire of the people to see his triumph again, the Federation repeatedly urged the athlete to reconsider his decision. But in the end, he firmly left everyone behind, depriving them of the opportunity to raise the flag of their own country at the Olympics."

The article, published by a major newspaper and posted on the main page of the portal, caused an instant wave of outrage in online communities. "The end of Kwon Jaekyung's career" is now a top topic of search queries, which has led to an avalanche of such materials.

Since the original text was based on preliminary coverage of events without official statements, the arguments in subsequent articles were almost identical: <Kwon Jaekyung retired immediately after achieving the Grand Slam. The organizing committee and the Sports Council of Korea, responsible for the competition and obsessed with the success of their protégé, became the object of ridicule>.

Kwon Jae-kyung has been loved and respected ever since he made the national team as a young talent, but the arrogant behavior is a well-known fact. Rumors surfaced again that he did not want to train with other colleagues, refused to share a room with them, and other unfounded accusations.

Closer to lunchtime, one media company said that it had great difficulty getting a comment from the Federation. And the essence of this article can be summarized as follows: <Kwon Jaekyung put money over loyalty. As a result, he left the federation that supported him in every possible way and signed a contract with the agency. Although we did a lot for him. Kwon Jaekyung took all the subsidies intended for other athletes. thereby undermining the hope of the entire nation.>

And public opinion on online forums immediately changed. Until this morning, the main mood was, "What kind of crime did Kwon Jaekyung commit? He has already done enough. The second Olympics in a row is just people's greed, don't force him if he doesn't want to."

However, after the loud statement of the representatives of the Federation, the comments took on a harsh tone: "A deceitful bastard who quit sports. He spat in the face of everyone who believed in him."

Some people watching the heated debate tried to intervene by asking logical questions: "What did Kwon Jaekyung do? What kind of deception are we talking about? He honestly admitted that he no longer wanted to do sports. Doesn't he have the right to do what he wants?»

Unfortunately, in response, prickly and meaningless remarks flew in: "Oh, so you too, probably, feed at the expense of the state?", and then turned a tough holivar.

Now the end of his career itself is no longer the main topic. Everyone denounced Jae-kyung as an irresponsible athlete who was provided by the state, and he, in turn, selfishly gave up everything, including loyalty to the country.

«All beautiful athletes do this. Probably, he planned to earn fame points, and then move to show business" - such speculations were perceived as facts, and many willingly agreed with them. No one paid attention to the fact that Jaekyung did not give interviews or appear in videos until the last moment. A newly released advertisement, the first in his career, caused such a negative reaction that there were calls for a boycott of it. To make matters worse, Kava continued to publish articles about Han Yoosung, constantly linking him to Jaekyung. Of course, given that the name of the latter is now on everyone's lips, it could also be for the sake of clickbait. But the content has always remained the same, which is impossible to ignore. It evoked emotions: "Andbecause of Kwon Jaekyung's antics, other Korean athletes who continued to work hard are also suffering."

This was followed by the statement that "Han Yoosung, a medalist in the 800-meter freestyle, has outstanding skills, but his great achievement was overshadowed by Kwon Jaekyung." Further, the authors praised Han Yoosung, mentioning his confident desire to perform in the all-around swimming at the upcoming Olympics. And in the final part, it was openly expressed that Han Yoosung would try to fill the void left by Jaekyung, thus revealing the true purpose of this text.

"Who is he? Why is he constantly mentioned in articles about Kwon Jaekyung?" asked Manager Yoon, as if suspicious of something.

— He cooperates with Kava.

"Oh, you damn bastards. I immediately realized that the criticism of the organizing committee was only a pretense. They want to sink Kwon Jaekyung. This is their standard technique.

Mr. Yun was seething with anger. Jihong would have liked to join him, but he felt mentally exhausted, as if he had been stunned, leaving his mind empty and unable to reason clearly, "Haaaa... What's wrong with me?"

He chewed his own frustration and tried to pull himself together. Manager Yun, somehow catching his friend's condition, stopped being mad and said softly, "Everything will be fine. That too will pass someday."

But the words of support only increased despair. Is Jaekyung's situation so hopeless that he has to be content with such consolation? Yesterday, the whole country congratulated him and considered him pride.

But what the hell happened in just one day? Jihong didn't want to believe what was happening, everything seemed so unreal.

The two of them went up to the fifth floor and went straight to the CEO's office. When Manager Yun knocked on the door, Director Kang invited them in as if he was already waiting for them. And then, without much prelude, he asked the question: "What do you think will happen to Kwon Jaekyung now?"

"Well, if things continue like this... It's hard to predict for sure," Manager Yoon quickly reacted. "After the Federation expressed its position, the chances that everything would calm down by itself disappeared. Apparently, Kava are determined to ruin Kwon Jaekyung's reputation."

The expression on the director's face changed, and he lowered his voice and repeated, "Are you sure?"

Mr. Yun glanced at Jihon, indicating that he had to speak.

"There's a JFX company that's going to be acquired by Kava... It seems that they have signed a contract with a swimmer named Han Yoosung.

"Han Yoosung? A swimmer who won a medal at the Pan-Pacific Championships?" the man asked, widening his eyes.

"Yes, sir. They mention it in the same articles, but if you delve into the content... Everything falls into place," Manager Yoon conveyed Jihon's thoughts.

"Damn it..." curses poured from the CEO's mouth.

He slammed the armrest of the couch, trying to let off steam, and then concluded, "I see. If Kava are involved, then everything becomes logical. These bastards are not just trying to spoil and trample Kwon Jaekyung, they are planning to promote their athlete."

"In any case, they will destroy everything they can get their hands on. This must be their plan for today. They will use social media to get things done. This is their specialization...

— Yes, but we can also influence public opinion. There are companies that will help inflate the newsbreak. In any case, Kava cooperates with such offices.

"Do we have any aces up our sleeves?"

Manager Yun fell silent after the counter question.

"We don't have enough money to pay extra to journalists.

Sighing, Director Kang rubbed his forehead with his hand, looking exhausted. He then leaned forward, "What if we say that Jaekyung is thinking about ending his career due to his deteriorating health? But still forced yourself to fight for victory?"

"Sir, the whole country and even the whole world have witnessed him winning medals," Mr. Yun said sadly. "He didn't look sick at all. If he says now that he is unwell, it will discredit other athletes who performed worse than him."

Manager Yoon took a short breath and cleared his throat as he continued, "The best way out is to announce that Kwon Jaekyung will participate in the Olympics despite being tired. We must issue a rebuttal stating that he has no plans to retire at the moment and is looking forward to winning more gold medals. It must be emphasized how unfair and discouraging it is to criticize and blame a hard-working guy like him. In general, a powerful statement needs to be made. Then people themselves will begin to doubt: "Something dishonest is really happening here."

"The federation will not sit idly by.

"I understand, but what other options do we have?" A fierce battle is already underway, and if we want to quickly extinguish the fire, we must take a firm stand and act.

"If we take a risk and don't succeed, the consequences will be fatal.

— Well, it's too early to think about this. In any case, the qualifying tournament will take place in March next year. We need to buy time. No one can predict what will happen tomorrow.

This was Mr. Yun's proposal: to resolve problems in the course of the play. And the reason for somersaults is extremely prosaic - advertisers have already flooded them with requests and cancellations.

In addition, if the situation worsens, there is a high probability that all planned advertising contracts will be in jeopardy. And, from the agency's point of view, the main priority is to preserve budgets.

Jihon also understood this, but anger was eating up inside him. After all, everything that Jaekyung has achieved with such difficulty in ten years has gone to waste, and they are only worried about some unfortunate videos.

"What are your thoughts on this, Mr. Jeong?" asked Director Kang, but Kang only remained silent, suppressing his anger. After all, if he speaks, he will splash out aggression on an innocent colleague. Director Kang didn't know how to interpret this behavior, so he tried to smooth things over: "I understand everything, Mr. Jeong. You said earlier that you shouldn't force Kwon Jaekyung. But the situation has developed as it has developed, and we have no choice. All that is required of him is to publicly declare his intention to take part in the Olympics. We will help him jump out of the qualifying stage."

"Then it will really be the end for Jaekyung," Jihong replied curtly. Which made all those present shudder at this quiet voice. Especially Mr. Yun, who seemed to realize that he was overly focused on the interests of the company.

"Or, if Kwon Jae-kyung believes that he is able to withstand public pressure, then let him leave in English," Manager Yoon finally expressed the alternative, albeit belatedly. "Society is indignant now, but it will cool down in a few days. People will forget about everything one way or another. By then, if he appears in the commercial, everyone will think, "Oh, this is Kwon Jaekyung." Of course, there will be those who will burst out with unflattering comments: <So the federation turned out to be right. He quit sports to shoot in commercials>, but, at least, no one will take it so sharply..."

"That will never happen," Jihon interrupted. "Absolutely never."

Unable to suppress his emotions, he blurted out, "Erase Kwon Jaekyung's image as an athlete? Why the hell? And for what?"

He devoted the last ten years of his life to swimming. Jihong couldn't accept that everything Jaekyung had achieved in that time would be destroyed in an instant. He didn't want the guy to be perceived as a person who recklessly gave up everything. No one knew how hard he worked. No one understood what pain and sacrifices he endured. People often admired his natural talent and physical abilities, but these qualities paled in comparison with his efforts. That's how sincere Jaekyung is. The reason why he was able to achieve more than anyone else was because he worked harder than everyone else.

Jaekyung should have left to the sound of applause, and not cowardly leave his own throne. He deserved it.

"Do you have any other options in your arsenal, Mr. Jeong?" "If we are going to make an announcement, we need to publish everything before noon the next day."

He's damn right. In such situations, a quick reaction is necessary. The delay will only strengthen suspicion and hate.

"Mr. Kahn.

Finally, Jihon raised his head and looked directly at him.

"You're familiar with Chairman Shin of the Federation, aren't you?"

"Oh, yes. We met during the Pan Pacific Championship and had dinner together. He asked me to change Kwon Jaekyung's mind, and I assured him that we would do our best. But now, with the appearance of the article...

There was bitter regret in the man's eyes. After all, he had essentially lost face in front of such a high-ranking person.

However, Jihon had a different opinion. He believed that the director's openness was a positive factor.

"Then...

Jihong leaned closer and whispered, "Can you meet him later today?"