The heat from the TV crew’s cameraman’s white lights was getting to him. After dark, the gazebo in the rooftop garden, was generally a pleasant and solitary space for Choi Young Do on the rare days when he ventured up there, so high above the street level that the noises faded and the air seemed cooler. Now it was overrun with frantic crew members of the popular Han Media Group, who had turned up for a ‘surprise’ interview with the up and coming businessman, one of the most eligible bachelors in town. But they didn’t have to breach any security cordon a la paparazzi because it was a part of the ‘deal’ wrangled by Zeus group’s PR team. However, that didn’t mean that the random questions were acceptable or they were given a free hand to conduct the interview as they pleased. The pretty woman, immaculately dressed in a short but decent length skirt suit, was a senior journalist, who had won a few awards in the recent years. In her early thirties, she was ambitious, qualified and single.  So she was miffed to find out that she was to tow a certain line of questioning, furnished by the PR team from Zeus and all her questions were edited and preapproved. She maintained her polite ways but her mind was busy finding a way to circumvent the restrictions that any journalist worth his or her salt would object to. She wanted to make a good impression on Director Choi but not at the cost of her professionalism. Choi Young Do didn’t miss the measured glances that she directed his way from where she sat, being dolled up by a team of three makeup artists. Even Choi Young Do was urged to sit for some ‘touch-up’s by the PR team but he had politely declined. He had a lot on his mind. He was focused on achieving just the right effect with his words and body language, striking the perfect balance between confidence and humility. He had had to make sure that he said everything right. Because she was such an awful liar!  

It was a no-brainer. The ‘deal’ worked out in the dead of that night was that the Han Group’s newspaper would drop any follow up articles containing speculations as to the nature of relationship between the 3 public figures, provided they were given an exclusive one on one interview with the rising star of the Korean business scene. Though a lot of articles were written about him and his company, the jet-setting young businessman always kept a very low profile in public. He didn’t talk to journalists other than at a few press conferences and those were exclusively about the business. He almost always appeared as the largely silent shadow of his father, by his side, often staying a step behind, just beyond the arc lights that were trained on his father. Unmissable, due to his stature and the imposing figure that he cut but he was more of an observant than a participant at such public appearances. So, this interview was to reveal the man himself to the world. Plus, though not traditionally good looking, the tall, rich and single young man would have made a fantastic cover model. The interview was slated for the weekly glossy magazine as well as a segment on a televised version of the same. The Han group had even managed to get approval for a series of glamor shots to accompany the article in the printed version. Choi Young Do had reluctantly agreed. Anything within reason to shield her from the public scrutiny that she dreaded.

The interview went well. It covered a little bit about everything. The man, his motives, his management style to the meals that he liked and the mangas that he had read as a teenager! The host tried her best to get Choi Young Do to step outside the set questionnaire but he smiled politely and remained tight lipped. He was charming and deflective at the same time. When asked about the recent article which had speculated about his romantic entanglements, Choi Young Do smiled serenely and put it on record that he was catching up with old school friends at a mutual friend’s wedding. There was no romance in the air. Right then the interviewer pulled out an ace.

She commented that his friends are really lucky to have his friendship for he had been seen stepping in to take care of the child who was to be the future of Jeguk family fortune in his mother’s absence. Stunned for a moment, Choi Young Do casually but emphatically explained that he had been a close friend of Kim Tan, the child’s late father and by that relation (and yes…only by that relation), he felt duty bound to help out his widow. In a flash of sheer genius, he quoted Sunny without naming him directly, “Because that’s what friends do.”

Unimpressed but still insistent, the host pressed him, “So, you have no other interest in the workings of the Jeguk group?”

Choi Young Do smiled but his eyes iced over ever so slightly as he shrugged his shoulders, “My father is a shareholder in Jeguk group. But that was never an issue when Kim Tan and I were friends. We were just two boys, growing up together, studying together and playing together. Just like normal teenage boys in any school in this city. Very ordinary lives of two very ordinary young men.”

The host smiled perfunctorily and took a last stab, “So, we are not about to see the merger of two of the biggest business houses? One way or the other?”

Choi Young Do controlled his swelling irritation and sharp tongue before answering, taking the moral higher ground, “I have no interest in expanding my business by using personal relations. Friends are very dear to me and I try to lend a hand whenever I can….to any friend… male or female. But I do not expect any advantages or profit in return. Friends are precious and their well wishes is all that I require for living a meaningful life.”

The interview left him stewing in anger and unease. He hated being put under a microscope. He was man unto himself. He did what he saw fit. His world and his way! He bristled from the way he had to put on an act to appear socially acceptable. Why could the world not leave him to his devices? He worked hard and he wanted nothing but to be left alone to tend to his own life. And sometimes…just sometimes…to tend to somebody else’s. Though lately, he had been doing that a lot more than he had ever imagined. And in moments of cold introspection, he didn’t quite know why he did that. Like that night when Kim Won had returned to deliver the verdict from the hush-hush meeting between Jeguk and Han groups’ executives. That girl had sat there chewing her lips when Kim Won had revealed that the Han group had demanded an in-person interview with both of them in return for dropping the follow up articles. She had looked stricken but like the life-long martyr that she was, she had answered first with a shaky voice.

“OK. I will do it. I just…need some time to prepare. I have never done….this…before. I just need to figure out what…. how… I am going to handle this.” She had swallowed hard and had gripped the armrests tighter, trying to sound confident, “Don’t worry, hyung. It is my mess and I will fix this. I will do whatever it takes to save the honor of my family.”

Choi Young Do had watched her defiant speech with skeptical eyes, only to blurt out dismissively when she had finished, “Drop it!”

Both Kim Won and Cha Eung Snag had turned sharply to look at him at his less than courteous remark. He had continued in a droll voice, addressing Kim Won and pointedly ignoring her, “She can’t lie to save her life! Yet she wants to appear for an interview by a sharp shooter journalist! It will be a disaster! They will reduce her to tears in no time.” He had waved his hand to emphasize his words.

Cha Eun Sang, who was a nervous wreck at the very prospect, had argued fiercely, “And how would you know that? Do you really think you know what I am capable of?”

Choi Young Do had calmly answered, seemingly unaffected by her flushed face and the teary eyes that had blazed with indignation, “I knew that you were lying the day you were running away from Seoul, leaving your school behind, up-rooting yourself and your mother. I called you out on your plan. I knew when you lied to my face, standing on the beach, trying to make me believe that you would come back to Seoul. I knew that you wouldn’t….at least not on my say so. I knew when you cried, even when you said you didn’t. I always knew. Make no mistake, I always knew!”

He had turned to face Kim Won and had said evenly, “Hyung, I will do it. Tell them they will get an exclusive interview with me. Tell them to write a detailed summary of what they want. I will consider all their demands. Let’s do it as soon as possible.”

Kim Won had watched the little exchange thoughtfully and had made important mental notes. But the combative duo had totally missed his keen eyes. He had looked at Choi Young Do with relieved eyes and had nodded in agreement, “Fine. I will let them know”, he had softened his voice and had added kindly, “Thank you, Choi Young Do. You have been a very good friend. You are a good man, indeed.”

Choi Young Do had stood up suddenly, somehow unable to bear the sincere and simple compliments from a man that he respected. Uncomfortable and uneasy, he had awkwardly responded, “I will call it a night, hyung. It has been a……” he looked for a safe word to describe the tumultuous day, “…very interesting day. I will be available to speak to your PR Director. Let me know what you want from me. I will try to do my best.”

Kim Won had looked up at the proud face that showed very subtle signs of strain and exhaustion despite his efforts to project nonchalance. He knew it well for he had often stood alone in his bathroom, looking at his own face after a harrowing day, when he had won against the world but had lost his peace of mind. He wanted to reach out to him in empathy. But he desisted and merely said, “Don’t forget to have dinner. And get some sleep.”

Choi Young Do had looked startled at the kind words and had merely bowed stiffly in return before turning and walking towards the door, pointedly ignoring the contemplative and silent Cha Eun Snag,  who had acknowledged neither his words nor his departure. Kim Won had transferred his gaze from the retreating figure of Choi Young Do to the girl who sat in front him. As he had tidied up his desk in preparation to finally depart from his office, he had said under his breath, “Poor man! He tries so hard and yet succeeds to do just the opposite.”

Cha Eun Sang had looked up quizzically at Kim Won, to which he had replied, “To do the right thing” he had paused to add, “Don’t you think so?”

It was a Friday evening when the segment was televised and the article was published the following day. Choi Young Do was in Japan but was alerted by a cryptic message from his own PR team. They sent him a link to the web version of the article. They requested him to let them know what was to be the company’s position on the ‘issue’. Choi Young Do cursed under his breath that the stupid ‘thing’ refused to go away, no matter what he did. Nevertheless, he reluctantly read the article to see if they had misquoted him or had added any unsavory inferences etc. He could find no major bone of contention. He replied to his PR Director rather tersely that he couldn’t find anything objectionable in the article and thought that was to be the end of it. Much to his chagrin, he received an immediate reply, “Director Choi, Please read the comments underneath the article.” And that’s when he scrolled down and found those.

“Ha! Ha! This is the funniest interview I have seen in a while. Choi Young Do is nobody’s friend! He is a cruel, calculating man and a spoilt brat. He had made his schoolmates’ life a living hell.”

“Choi Young Do has no shame! He had lusted after his ‘friend’ Kim Tan’s girlfriend. He had made her life a living hell when she had turned him down. The school had become a battleground as two rich kids had fought over a beautiful girl and the whole school had watched with silent amusement. It was disgusting!”

“Looks like Choi Young Do is up to his old tricks again. A leopard doesn’t change his spots. He is trying to lure Cha Eun Sang into his bed again.”

“If you have ‘friends’ like Choi Young Do, you don’t need enemies. I know it well for he was my school ‘friend’ too. I barely got away by keeping quiet and staying away out of his way.”

“This sickens me. Choi Young Do, the gangster, playing the role of a caring man. Scratch the surface and he is still the violent school boy that he was. His vocabulary has improved. When I knew him, he spoke with his fists and kicks a lot more than words. He had ‘spoken’ to me in school. Ouch!”

“This man is the worst kind of boss. He is the owner so he gets the big fat profit but he wrings the last ounce of talent and hard work from his employees, whom he pays pittance.”

“I have it on good authority that he toys with women and considers them good for only one thing. He treats girls like es. Once and done! I am sure he will treat Cha Eun Sang the same way. I feel badly for the poor child.”

“Run Cha Eun Sang! Have you forgotten how he picked on the welfare students of Jeguk High? I am sure he still thinks that you are a girl from the slums. You have a good life now. Stay away from him.”

“My father was practically sacked by this horrible man. He worked at Jeguk for 30 years as a restaurant manager. Lately he suffers from back pain. He has difficulty walking and staying on his feet for long hours. Choi Young Do called him to office and told him to retire or he would sack him. My father protested that he couldn’t retire because his younger child was still in college. Director Choi told him he had no use for a man who couldn’t do his job. My father was forced to retire. He has been depressed ever since.”

“Choi Young Do was my ‘friend’ in Jeguk High. He ran that school like an African warlord. The only man who stood up to him was Kim Tan. What friends? They were always at each other’s throat. The only people who were safe from his physical and mental torture were his hangers on. If he didn’t belong to a rich and powerful family, his stupid would be rotting in some jail for what he had done to his schoolmates.”

“This guy is the worst kind of cold hearted bastard. He is like a hyena, who knows instinctively who is weak and vulnerable. He doesn’t stop till he has run that person out of the organization.”

“This scumbag thinks that he is God’s gift to mankind. He is arrogant and a slave driver. Just because he doesn’t have a family, he thinks nobody else should have one either. Everybody should be at his beck and call. The rich know nothing about true friendship or love. Everything is a deal to them.”

There were many, many more. All generic or pseudo names to shield themselves from possible reprisals. Internet anonymity emboldened the nameless, faceless voices to come out swinging at a man who had practically set himself up as a target. The photographs showed a suave, aristocratic man, who seemed confident and capable. His words were as faultless as the carefully manicured grass on the backdrop garden and were considered alike……just as artificial. Choi Young Do read the comments with an expressionless face. Only somebody who stood really close could have discerned the red tint that crept up his neck and ears, the tightening of his jaws and the way his fingers tightened on his phone. He tried to rationalize the words that pierced him. His mind raced to get ahead of the body blow that each comment dealt to his ego and self-respect. He tried to seek solace in analyzing the possible commenter behind the hateful words.

Old students of Jeguk High, still smarting from the agony of teenage years, disgruntled employees of Zeus group and one night stands that he did not care to remember the names of……..all spewing their grudge and hatred towards a man, who had scarred their lives one way or the other. And didn’t even look back. He had committed the ultimate sin. He had dared to forget those, who hadn’t forgotten him. He had apparently walked away from their encounter, unscathed and intact, while those he had left behind had been left their wounds. And the injured party is seldom forgiving. Choi Young Do smirked but anyone watching him could have told him that he looked more like a caricature.

Soon, it was more than just an issue of a few hundred people who had personal interaction with him. It turned into a one sided public trial on every microblogging site and snowballed into people’s rage against the rich and the privileged in the country. Suddenly, Choi Young Do was a poster child of what the rich people get away with in a country that is mostly run by business empires, even if covertly. Internet memes were created and circulated, the glamor shots were manipulated to show him as a predator, a dictator and a remorseless womanizer. Some blurry images were dredged up by someone, which showed Choi Young Do at a night club with two women practically draped across him, while the caption read “Friends are very dear to me and I try to lend a hand whenever I can, to any friend”. The image was immensely popular on all microblogging sites.

When Choi Young Do landed back in Korea, the corporate jet was met by a posse of people from Jeguk. They bustled around him like a herd of mother goose. He was whisked away in a limousine with tinted windows, flanked by his father’s ‘generals’, while David drove Choi Young Do’s empty vehicle, at the tail end of the caravan of cars. The meeting with his father didn’t help either. President Choi was brusque as usual but at least he was restrained in the presence of other senior executives of the company. It was decided that Choi Young Do was to keep a low profile and desist from being seen in the company of any woman for the time being. However, it was imperative that he not be seen with anyone from Jeguk Group of companies at all. President Choi looked meaningfully at his son and added, “Till further notice.” Choi Young Do played along and kept his mouth shut. He was a little surprised that he didn’t get told off in sterner terms by his father. In fact, President Choi seemed totally unfazed by the negative publicity surrounding his son. Could it be that he was secretly thrilled to learn that his son was ultimately a chip of the ol’ block, in terms of physical aggression and womanizing? The very thought repulsed Choi Young D