Any artist that got a chance to appear on Go Show was popular, capable, and received positive feedback from industry professionals. It's a risqué Korean talk show that tackles the ins and outs of dating, relationships, family, and past life. The program is really a break from tradition because such topics are not typically openly discussed in Korean culture. But viewers, especially those in their 20s and 30s, have positively supported the show, the hosts of which have to carefully maintain the balance between being interesting and not being vulgar.
As for Jooeun, she was, after all, a vicious person, in all aspects. Most importantly, her invite came directly from the organizers of the program because she had more talking points than some of the top actors and actresses.
Even though the predicted recovery time for Jooeun's hip injury was at least 10 days, the interview would not require her to partake in any strenuous activity, so it wasn't much of a burden for her.
2 days later, Jooeun barely just managed to get out of bed. As she sat in the living room watching the TV, an interesting news story popped up.
"Yesterday morning, one of our reporters received news that the once-famous model Irene Kim was spotted heading to a hotel room with a 'famous director', merely 3 days after announcing her retreat. Afterward, a sex tape was circulated online and the 'famous director' was investigated. It turns out the 'famous director' was actually a scam artist, making the once-famous model no different to a wh*re with a miserable fate."
"After the incident, our reporter confirmed with the hospital that Irene Kim had made a failed attempt at suicide and is currently making a recovery. Photos obtained from the hospital show a huge change in Irene Kim's appearance with her body looking shockingly withered."
"She deserves it!" Minjung exclaimed at the TV as she sat beside Jooeun. "However, her reaction was too extreme. After all, she was the one that went seeking trouble!"
Jooeun leaned back on the cushion behind her with a mysterious expression. It was hard to guess what was on her mind as her face remained unusually calm. She didn't say anything, but it didn't mean the netizens wouldn't make their own assumptions.
"I heard from friends in the industry that this was GK's ruthless attempt at pushing Irene Kim into a dead end."
"I don't think GK did anything wrong. By announcing her retreat from the industry, Irene Kim suggested she was the instigator behind Cha Jooeun's injury. The stage was so high. For her to fall off, it was lucky she didn't lose her life. With the way that GK usually handles matters, there was no way they'd let her off. It's not like Irene Kim stepped out to apologize for what she's done."
"That's right! GK was ruthless, but they didn't force Irene Kim to climb into someone's bed. If she wanted to retreat, she should have retreated cleanly. No one would have bothered to do anything to her."
"Regardless, this is proof that the people at GK should not be offended. From now on, everyone needs to be wary of them."
"Especially if one comes across Cha Jooeun, they should quickly avoid her. Her manager is too powerful. Even as an outsider of the industry, I am afraid."
"From now on, who would dare to have their way with Cha Jooeun?"
Minjung browsed through the comments online and glanced at Jooeun. She could roughly guess what had happened with Irene Kim. "Jooeun, since someone sought trouble with you as soon as Boss announced he was your manager, he had no choice but to handle things this way to deter any future troublemakers. Above all, he didn't force Irene Kim to do what she did."
"Did you think I'm a prude?" Jooeun suddenly laughed. "Of course I'm aware of Hwan's motive."
"I almost forgot, when it comes to being vicious, it's a tough competition between the two of you!" Minjung realized her worries were pointless. How could she be worried that Jooeun would feel Jeonghwan's actions were ruthless? Simply looking at the netizens' discussions, it was obvious. Irene Kim met with this fate completely because of her own doing.
Would Jooeun feel pity towards someone that had no self-respect? One must face the consequences of their actions. Even if they managed to avoid the consequences now, retribution will eventually catch up to them. They shouldn't think that they've escaped retribution – their time simply hasn't come.
"Let's move away from this unhappy topic, it's all in the past. You should start preparing for your appearance on Go Show."
"There's nothing to prepare." Jooeun smiled. "It's obvious they want to find out about mine and Jeonghwan's relationship and want to dig up some big news."
"This news is the biggest selling point everywhere. Who told you to have such an amazing manager?" Minjung burst out laughing before looking at the watch on her wrist. "I will be having dinner with Taejoo, are you okay to return to the bedroom on your own?"
"I'll wait for Jeonghwan to come home." Jooeun nodded.
Ever since being in a relationship, Minjung appeared full of energy. It was impossible to tell that she was almost 30- years old. But Jooeun was curious how Minjung and Taejoo interacted with each other.
7 PM.
Jeonghwan returned home from GK. Upon seeing Jooeun lying on the sofa under the yellow lighting, he carefully approached her and leaned over to kiss her forehead. Jooeun opened her eyes. As soon as she saw his attractive face, she smiled gently and sat up. "You're home."
"Why aren't you sleeping in the bedroom? The living room is cold."
"I was getting bored just lying there all day." Jooeun replied helplessly.
Jeonghwan nodded his head and pulled out a list of topics Jooeun would need to discuss at Go Show. After seeing the list, Jooeun's expression changed slightly.
For the interview, she would need to discuss her youth and her family background.
Jeonghwan noticed the abnormality in Jooeun's expression. He retrieved the list from her hands. "If you don't want to talk about it, I'll tell the producer to change it."
Jooeun contemplated for a moment before grabbing hold of Jeonghwan's hand and looking into his eyes. "We definitely can't discuss it on the program. The Cha family doesn't like the entertainment industry. They think it's degrading."
"If you say we can't, then we won't."
"But I want to tell you about it." Jooeun swung Jeonghwan's hand. She felt it was time to tell him about the situation at home.
Jeonghwan could tell it was going to be a long story, so he wrapped his arm around Jooeun gesturing for her to take her time.
"It's true that I am a member of the Cha family. However, to them, I am like a clown. My mother is the second wife to my father and started off as a mistress. Before my mother, my father's first wife had 3 children. Ever since I was small, they had always seen me as the demon that took away everything from them. However, my grandfather had high hopes for me. I felt guilty, so I decided not to go in the running to become an heir to the Cha and instead, chose the path of a model. This broke my grandfather's heart."
"At first, my grandfather was simply disgusted by me. But after I started dating Jung Yonghwa, he directly kicked me out of the household. He felt I was insulting the family name."
After hearing these words from Jooeun, Jeonghwan tightened his embrace around her. The Cha Family was legendary in the perfume world. But just like every other family, they could not avoid internal fighting.
"As a result, I am a person that has been abandoned by her family."
"How are you abandoned? You still have me." Jeonghwan's heart ached. Jooeun debuted before she even turned 18. All these years, she had struggled on her own and even came across a jerk like Jung Yonghwa. Her 9 years of youth were wasted just like that.
"We won't do the segment about the Cha Family. We won't even mention them."
"It's been quite a few years since I've seen my mother." Jooeun mumbled. "At times, I quite detest her. Because of her greed, she made me feel ashamed. That's why, after facing the affair between Jung Yonghwa and Park Shinhye, I suddenly became so ruthless."