The C Company conference room was filled with suffocating tension.
The C Company executives sat at the head of the long table, while staff from the Contract Management and Legal teams sat on either side, staring straight ahead with sharp eyes.
Across the room, where their gazes were directed, the representatives from CS Design and Studio Yeon sat in heavy silence on either side of a giant projector screen.
Today was the final clarification presentation for the plagiarism dispute concerning the C Company rebranding project, which had become a massive issue.
“Thank you to the representatives of both companies for attending despite your busy schedules.”
Kim Minjun, the working-level manager from C Company, opened the presentation. His voice was stiffer and drier than usual.
“This meeting was arranged to hear each company’s position regarding the recent design plagiarism allegations and for C Company to make a final decision on whether to proceed with the project. To ensure fairness, each company will be given equal time for clarification, followed by a Q&A session. We will begin with the presentation from CS Design.”
As soon as Minjun finished, Han Jiwon stood up with a look of brimming confidence, as if he had been waiting.
He was dressed in a high-end suit, appearing perfectly put-together from head to toe, as if he had prepared flawlessly for today.
In his hands, he held a tablet PC containing a vast amount of data and a thick stack of printed documents.
“Hello, I am Han Jiwon, a designer at CS Design.”
He began his presentation with a clear, resonant voice.
“I am deeply regretful that such unsavory allegations have been raised against our design recently. We intend to clarify the entire truth at this meeting today.”
He connected his tablet to the large screen, and the screen displayed a neatly organized log of everything from the moment CS Design confirmed the C Company bid announcement—meeting minutes, idea sketches, design drafts, and even messenger conversations between team members, all stamped with dates and times. The sheer volume of data seemed to demonstrate how systematically they had prepared for this project from the very beginning.
“As you can see, we have thoroughly recorded and managed every idea conceptualization process and design result from the initial stages of the project.”
Jiwon explained calmly, pointing to the materials on the screen one by one.
“From the core themes of ‘Connection’ and ‘Expansion’ that we proposed, to the direction of our major color palettes and logotypes, all of this is pure creative work that our team members agonized over and debated day and night. I swear on my life that we did not reference or steal any external materials.”
His presentation was seamless, and the presented materials were so detailed and extensive that there seemed to be no room for rebuttal.
Even Seoyeon of Studio Yeon was left speechless by his meticulousness.
Yoonwoo also stared at the screen with a stiff expression.
A significant portion of those materials was chillingly similar to the content he had explained to Minjun.
Jiwon smiled to himself, feeling confident of his success.
‘I received materials from Kim Minjun and Lee Minjae in real-time to create those meeting minutes and design data on the spot, so how would you ever know?’
He anticipated a perfect victory and continued his presentation with even more passion.
Towards the end of the presentation, Jiwon looked at Yoonwoo with a face mixed with pity and sadness.
Tears quickly welled up in his eyes.
“Actually… I have personally respected Chief Designer Seo Yoonwoo very much. I have always wanted to learn from your outstanding talent and passion for design.”
His voice trembled pathetically.
“That is why this plagiarism dispute is even more painful. I can’t help but wonder… perhaps you felt impatient joining a new studio, and you made a wrong choice for a moment… As a fellow designer, I fully understand that feeling.”
He eventually let a single tear fall as he continued.
“We… hope that Designer Seo Yoonwoo’s reputation will not be further tarnished by this incident. If you reveal the truth honestly even now, we will not pursue further legal responsibility or blow this problem out of proportion.”
Jiwon’s acting was so sincere that some people in the conference room were already nodding in pity or whispering while glaring at Yoonwoo.
C Company staff also seemed swayed by Jiwon’s passionate performance, sending cold looks toward Yoonwoo.
After Jiwon’s presentation ended, Minjun announced the next sequence.
“Next, we will have the clarification presentation from Studio Yeon.”
All eyes were fixed on Yoonwoo. He stood up slowly.
His face was pale, but his eyes were shining intensely.
Without any materials, he stood before the podium empty-handed.
“This is Seo Yoonwoo from Studio Yeon.”
His voice was low and calm, yet firm enough to resonate through the entire conference room.
“From my college days when I first started designing to this moment as a working designer, I have devoted nearly 10 years to design. On this path to which I have dedicated the most important time of my life, I have never once deceived my conscience or coveted what belonged to another.”
He slowly looked around at everyone gathered in the room and continued.
“I swear on my entire career and my pride as a designer. I have not committed any act of plagiarism related to this C Company project.”
The room fell silent for a moment at his firm declaration.
He looked straight at Jiwon. His eyes no longer held anger or sadness, but a deep pity and a certain warning.
“Han Jiwon. I still want to give you a chance. If you tell the truth even now, I can forgive you. But if you miss this opportunity…”
“What are you saying right now!”
Jiwon sneered inwardly at Yoonwoo’s words but feigned shock on the outside, cutting Yoonwoo off.
“Are you saying I committed plagiarism? How can you tell such a shameless lie…! I didn’t know you would go this far until the end… I am disappointed in you, Designer!”
Jiwon acted as if he were unable to continue because of his tears.
It was a perfect performance, making anyone believe Jiwon was the innocent victim.
Yoonwoo wore a bitter expression as he watched Jiwon.
“…The time for confession is over. I have no choice now, either.”
He said in a low voice, took a phone out of his pocket, and sent a short message to someone.
[Come in.]
As soon as his message was sent, the door at the back of the conference room opened, and a man walked in. It was Dojin.
He was holding a laptop.
Without a word, he walked to the side of the podium and, following Yoonwoo’s gesture, connected the laptop to the projector screen.
A moment later, dense text appeared on the screen.
It was none other than the list of messenger conversations and emails exchanged between Lee Minjae and Han Jiwon.
It contained detailed instructions from Jiwon to Minjae to leak internal information about the C Company project, instructions to steal Yoonwoo’s ideas, and even a concrete plan on how to manipulate public opinion and create fake evidence when a plagiarism dispute arose.
“Th-that…!”
Lee Minjae jumped up from his seat with a deathly pale face.
“I clearly left the chat room and deleted everything…!”
He blurted out the truth without realizing it and quickly covered his mouth.
But it was already water under the bridge.
Jiwon felt the atmosphere in the room turn cold in an instant and felt the gazes pouring down on him; terrified, he stood up in a hurry.
“N-no! That’s all fabricated! I don’t know anything about that! Can’t you just make up any messenger conversation or email like that?!”
He shouted in a panic. Dojin spoke to Jiwon in a calm but firm voice.
“I expected Han Jiwon to claim that.”
Standing next to Yoonwoo, he took out another laptop he had prepared in advance and connected it to the projector.
Jiwon’s face turned pale as he recognized the laptop in Dojin’s hand.
“That is why we secured the same chat records and files directly from the work laptop Han Jiwon uses at the company. Every process of fabricating evidence by manipulating the dates of files received from Lee Minjae as if they were CS Design’s initial plans, and meticulously piecing the content together, remains right here.”
The contents Dojin mentioned began to unfold on the screen one by one.
The file creation logs, modification logs, and comparative analysis of the original and fabricated files from Han Jiwon’s laptop.
It was irrefutable evidence from which there was no escape.
The process of how the materials Jiwon had submitted earlier as evidence were hastily fabricated based on Yoonwoo’s ideas was laid bare.
All the blood drained from Jiwon’s face.
He looked back and forth between Dojin and the screen with eyes filled with disbelief and extreme terror.
“How do you have my laptop…!”
He started to argue in the heat of the moment but quickly stopped himself.
Then, instinctively, he turned his head toward Joowon, who was sitting silently on one side of the conference room.
His eyes were filled with betrayal and resentment.
“Don’t tell me… Brother…!”
All eyes turned to Joowon.
Joowon stared at Jiwon for a long time without a word.
No emotion could be read on his face.
Finally, he opened his mouth slowly and heavily.
“It’s not Han Jiwon’s laptop; it’s the company’s laptop. Our bylaws state that company records can be viewed for investigation purposes in the event of a problem, Jiwon.”
