A few days had passed since Yoonwoo was falsely accused of being a plagiarizing designer at the C Company bid announcement.
The situation at Studio Yeon grew worse by the day.
The plagiarism controversy, which had set various online communities ablaze for days, showed no signs of cooling down, and the studio’s phones rang incessantly with protests and inquiries about contract cancellations.
The reputation that Studio Yeon had painstakingly built as a new firm was on the brink of crashing to rock bottom overnight.
Yoonwoo desperately clung to the faith left behind by Joowon—who was the only one who claimed to believe in his innocence—and tried to work as if nothing were wrong.
However, a broken heart is not easily mended.
One afternoon, Yoonwoo received a call from Assistant Manager Kim Minjun of C Company.
He requested to meet separately at a cafe near the studio, saying there was something to discuss regarding the plagiarism case.
Although Yoonwoo was suspicious of his motives, he could not refuse a client representative.
Furthermore, he had questions of his own for Minjun, so he headed to the meeting place with heavy steps.
Minjun, who arrived at the cafe first and was waiting, looked like a completely different person than he had during the previous meeting.
Instead of the bright, likable smile he once wore, his face held a dry, professional, and even slightly arrogant expression.
“Please, take a seat, Designer Seo Yoonwoo.”
He gestured to a chair. Though he used honorifics, his tone was stiff and distant.
Yoonwoo sat across from him, waiting for him to get to the point with a nervous heart.
Minjun toyed with the cup on the table for a moment before looking directly at Yoonwoo and opening his mouth. His voice was cold and devoid of emotion.
“I will be honest with you, Designer. The current industry opinion and the internal atmosphere at C Company are turning very unfavorable for Studio Yeon. The evidence provided by CS Design is very concrete, and with internal whistleblowing, everyone is leaning toward the plagiarism side rather than believing in your innocence…”
“…….”
Yoonwoo stared at his face without saying a word.
“Of course, as a long-time fan of yours, I personally find this very unfortunate.”
Minjun said it as if he were doing him a favor.
“However, as your point of contact, if I were to give you realistic advice… if things continue this way, not only will your individual career suffer, but it could leave a fatal stain on Studio Yeon as well. In the worst-case scenario, it could even lead to legal action.”
He continued, pretending to be worried about Yoonwoo’s future.
“So, here is my thought—and this is just my personal opinion—why don’t you wrap this up by admitting to a certain degree of responsibility? You could say that Studio Yeon intended to only use the other design as a reference, but somehow ended up following the same direction. If you do that, our side can stop escalating the issue and resolve the situation as quietly as possible. I will try to coordinate everything in the middle. Of course, it would be difficult to win future projects from our company, but the public opinion would settle much faster that way than if you just keep holding out.”
He lowered his voice as if making a secret proposal.
Yoonwoo was stunned as he listened.
It was just a polite way of saying he should admit to plagiarism.
The man who once claimed to respect him was now coaxing him into making a false confession.
Upon hearing that, Yoonwoo’s suspicion about how the detailed conversations he had shared with Minjun could have ended up in Jiwoon’s presentation turned into certainty.
“…Representative.”
Yoonwoo’s voice turned ice-cold.
“The contents of the meeting we had back then… did you leak them to CS? Is that why they were able to use my ideas as their own?”
At his sharp question, Minjun’s face turned red with momentary embarrassment, then hardened with anger.
He stood up abruptly and shouted.
“What are you talking about?! Why would I do such a thing! I’m giving you realistic advice out of concern for you, and to be accused with such preposterous suspicion… I’m truly disappointed!”
Feeling guilty, he went on the offensive and raised his voice.
“Do you have proof that I did that? I don’t even remember the details of the meeting I had with you back then! How could you be so insulting….”
Yoonwoo was dumbfounded listening to him.
His shamelessness and hypocrisy made his stomach turn.
“Assistant Manager Kim.”
Yoonwoo interrupted him in a cold voice.
“I cannot take responsibility for something I did not do. And I have no shame regarding my design. I believe the truth will be revealed eventually.”
Yoonwoo’s gaze was firm.
Minjun frowned for a moment, appearing rattled by Yoonwoo’s firm refusal, but he soon sneered at him coldly.
“Ha… you still don’t get it, do you? How frustrating.”
It was the moment his mask completely fell off.
“Seo Yoonwoo, do you think the world is that easy? No matter how much you claim your innocence, people believe the evidence and the rumors. You’re already finished. Once you’re branded as a plagiarizing designer in this industry, your career ends here.”
He said mockingly.
“Don’t you think you climbed too high for a Beta? You should know your place.”
At his blatant insults and ridicule, Yoonwoo could no longer hold back and stood up from his seat.
“Are you done talking?”
His voice trembled slightly with anger.
“Yes, I’m done.”
Minjun replied casually, shrugging his shoulders.
“Think carefully about my proposal. This might be the last chance you have to survive.”
He walked out of the cafe, continuing to mock Yoonwoo until the very end.
Left alone, Yoonwoo gripped the table with trembling hands.
His blood felt like it was rushing backward due to anger and humiliation.
He realized once again that the world—that people—could be this cruel.
While Yoonwoo was struggling in the depths of despair, the atmosphere at Studio Yeon remained like walking on thin ice.
All the staff members were struggling to somehow save the dying company.
The person who had changed most noticeably in the midst of this was Kim Dojin.
He looked busier than ever before, to a degree incomparable to the past.
He was frequently out of the office for all sorts of reasons—client meetings, research, discussions with external partners—and spent more time out than in.
Even when he was at his desk, the time he spent talking on the phone increased significantly, and he would often be lost in deep thought or constantly searching for something on his laptop.
And strangely, he spent more time with Lee Minjae.
Of course, they weren’t openly close, but they were often seen talking in the breakroom or Dojin would walk over to Minjae’s desk to ask something.
There were even a few times they were seen leaving for and returning from meetings together.
Yoonwoo, who was already drowning in despair, began to harbor many dark thoughts while watching these changes in Dojin.
‘Is he avoiding me because of the plagiarism controversy? Or… does he really think I’m a plagiarizing designer, and he’s disappointed in me? Is even Dojin about to abandon me?’
The faint ember of trust left by Joowon seemed to be fading and dimming even further.
‘No, Dojin isn’t that kind of person,’ he tried to convince himself, but a deep sense of despair was already blooming in the corner of his heart.
Then one day, Yoonwoo had an exceptionally difficult day.
A malicious, derogatory call related to the plagiarism controversy came into the studio, and it just so happened that Yoonwoo was the one to answer it.
Facing the unspeakable profanity and personal attacks, he barely managed to maintain his composure before hanging up, but his mental state was shattered.
All the strength drained from his body, and his fingertips were trembling coldly.
He suddenly felt a desperate need for the warm comfort of Autumn and the gentle solace of Dojin.
He thought he should definitely meet them today to heal.
He also wanted to ask Dojin if he was disappointed in him and why he had been avoiding him lately.
As soon as work hours ended, he approached Dojin, who was still absorbed in something at his desk.
“Dojin… this evening, would you like to…”
It was the very moment Yoonwoo gathered the courage to speak.
“Dojin! Shall we go now?”
Before he knew where he came from, Minjae interrupted abruptly.
He linked his arm with Dojin’s very naturally and said in a charming, sweet voice.
“I’m hungry! Let’s go quickly! I made a reservation at a fancy restaurant!”
There was a clear sense of mockery and gloating in Minjae’s eyes directed at the stunned Yoonwoo.
Dojin seemed greatly startled by Minjae’s sudden behavior and Yoonwoo’s words.
He looked between Yoonwoo and Minjae, not knowing what to do.
“Ah… well, Team Leader… that is…”
Dojin stammered as if to make an excuse, but Minjae cut him off.
“Oh, come on, Dojin! You were the one who suggested it to me first! That we should eat together tonight!”
Minjae pouted playfully and pulled Dojin’s arm hard.
In the end, Dojin let out a deep sigh as if giving up and turned his head to Yoonwoo.
His face was a mixture of complex emotions—apology, regret, and something that looked like a firm decision.
“…Team Leader, I am truly sorry. I… I have a prior engagement this evening.”
He said this without being able to look Yoonwoo properly in the eyes.
Then, led by Minjae, he turned his back on Yoonwoo and walked out of the office.
