Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 078

In a spacious apartment spanning 100 square meters, the living room was adorned with pretty flower vases, and beyond the kitchen island table, in the high-ceilinged lounge, elegant furniture formed a beautiful harmony. The picturesque night view of the city visible from the cozy sofa in the lounge added an extra touch of elegance to the interior decor.
However, despite residing in an apartment worth billions, the relationship between the couple didn’t seem all that great.
“Are you even our child’s father, acting like this?!”
“No… It might become a problem later. You know. I have a political career, too. You can tell just by looking at me. That Hero, Yeo Jin-soo, doesn’t seem like such a violent kid.”
“Or, or! What’s the difference anyway, whether it was a mistake or not, when Hyo-beom ended up with his arm all messed up? And who’s happy for us to stop here? Don’t you know the game being played here? Father allowed it. Please pay attention.”
“No… I just got worried, that’s all. Okay, okay. I’ll do as my wife says.”
The husband forced a smile while stroking his wife’s head with a strained expression. The wife, still not over her anger, grumbled stubbornly.
“And aren’t those people disgusting? Acting like they know everything and painting us as villains? The investigation was closed early, and we’re innocent! Yet they completely ignore the court’s decision and label us as murderers. It’s so unfair…!”
“That’s true. It’s because the S-class hero held out that we had to endure it. Otherwise, we would have sued them early on.”
“They say the public is like a herd of pigs, but that’s a hundred percent true. Those sentimental fools! Even though all the facts have been revealed, they stubbornly turn a blind eye. Isn’t it just a society of capitalism, huh? What’s wrong with rich people fighting over money? That’s the world we live in. But what’s this? Assassination request? Even if we wait, we’ll win in the end, so why would we take such a gamble? Hahaha!”
“Honey, please calm down for now. I’m scared myself.”
The husband hurriedly brought cold water for his wife. After gulping down the refreshing water, the wife wiped the water off her mouth and vented her pent-up anger.
“Do you know what’s even more disgusting? Acting like the apostles of justice while their own hero managed things so poorly. I hate those who pretend to be good. It’s all hypocrisy. Huh? You’re the same. Pretending to be for the citizens. Pretending to work hard. You’ve been elected three times already just by pretending so well.”
“No… Why is the arrow pointed at me? Calm down, calm down. Hmm?”
“Anyway, let’s just see how they handle the bullying issue at the disciplinary committee the day after tomorrow. Show them your political prowess.”
“Haha, just hold onto your worries. Hyo-beom got hurt, the perpetrator is their hero, and he attacked our son with a knife, so he should definitely be disciplined.”
“He must be expelled. Got it?”
“Believe me. Since we’ve already won over all the parents, with the father-in-law supporting us from behind, what can they do if he’s an S-class hero himself? It’s even better if they come out with force from their side, right? We just need to counter them on a larger scale in the public opinion battle.”
“Got it. Hurry and get ready.”
“Hehe, yes, madam.”
The husband kissed his wife’s cheek and chuckled before heading into the bathroom.
Door closes
“A department head calling.”
While the wife calmed her breathing and settled her mind, her smartphone rang.
– Ringtone. –
“…!”
However, as she read through the message, her face paled more and more. Trembling, she quickly sat on the edge of the bed, grabbing some nerve-calming pills and hastily swallowing them.
After steadying her breath, she made a call to someone.
“Hello, Department Head Han. It’s me…”
In an ambitious night.
The voice of Mrs. Han Hee-su, who had been raging like a fire, trembled with fear.
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***
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The disciplinary committee to determine Jin-soo’s punishment for the school violence was just a day away. Judging by the swift scheduling, it seemed that Seonhwa Group had exerted considerable influence.
‘I wonder how this will turn out.’
I received the data from the hacker about her hanging out with her secret lover at the hotel. Threats were made. Naturally, I created a virtual account and sent it to them, using the absurd pretext of being ‘Yeo Jin-soo’s fan’.
‘They must have noticed our involvement.’
I had set up a character, a crazed fan, to prevent them from messing with Jin-soo’s life. But on their side, there must be at least one savvy strategist who would have already realized our involvement.
‘But the longer these drags on, the more we lose.’
From the beginning, it was an unfavorable fight. With them pushing the narrative of ‘a hero assaulting our child’, which was provocative yet not entirely false, it wouldn’t be easy to reverse the public opinion.
Not to mention, the repercussions were already spreading everywhere.
“While we’re still cautious around each other, we’ve received a message from the Interval. If the situation worsens, they’ll demand compensation equivalent to 1.5 times the modeling fees for the four models.”
“What? Why bundle the four of them together? Only Jin-soo is the one in question.”
“Hero Yeo Jin-soo, appeared in two video ads along with Seo Eun-ha, Hwang Man-deuk, and Gil-seong. There were also many individual shoots, but let’s assume it’s like that for now. You can think of it as similar to a content verification.”
“But did you just accept that? You should have expressed discomfort since explanations haven’t even started!”
“…Ha. Do you know about the advertising side?”
As these gentlemen urgently convened, they sat down to argue again. How did the management team leader and the PR team leader end up growling at each other? They seemed to have inherent conflicting tendencies, despite having resolved everything during company dinner.
“Hoho, Interval is a global sports brand, after all. They likely responded calmly from a business standpoint. But more importantly, since the director is also here, let’s all join forces to overcome this crisis, shall we?”
At times like this, the gentle charisma of the finance team leader was subtly helpful. Laughing softly, they played the role of a cushion well.
“What’s the public response?”
“Oh! Yes. These are the ones that have been prominently featured in the news comment section.”
The PR team leader aimed the remote at the hologram screen. Knowing that I wanted the raw data, once again, they brought some dismal comments.
[To think he break the arm of a classmate with that innocent and cute face… There’s nothing trustworthy in this world.]
[How did such an impulsive kid become a hero? This reflects poorly on the association that issued the license and the agency that debuted him.]
[He’s just a middle schooler now, so he can fight, sure, but his life as a hero is over. He should retire and live a good life in another field.]
“Hoho… Quite spicy, isn’t it?”
“Since a lot of likes are given to stimulating comments, there are many fans shielding in the replies. It seems to have backfired, but…”
Roughly speaking, amidst the shield that ‘Jin-soo has become a civilian, so this is covering up.’, which hadn’t yet been properly revealed, and the counter-opinion, there would have been a tug-of-war.
“Still, there’s no substantial impact yet. The members have made impressive contributions so far, and doesn’t the whole nation know that the director purified the Aqua Shaper? Even if Hero Yeo Jin-soo is disciplined at the academy’s violence committee, the association won’t move.”
“I agree with that statement, but we need to turn public opinion around as soon as possible. Isn’t the director expecting Jin-soo’s performance at the year-end hero competition? We shouldn’t be held back by this incident.”
The management team leader hit the nail on the head. While Seonhwa Group would continue to try to bury Jin-soo, we had to turn the tables on them and prove his innocence. For that, he either shouldn’t receive any punishment at tomorrow’s violence committee or, if he does, it should be a verbal warning or a light punishment like volunteering. That way, even if he made a mistake, the severity of the crime would be lessened, and we could attempt to restore his image on the pretext of ‘Even if he did something wrong, the offense is minor.’
I suppose I’ll have to step up, even if it means facing controversy.
“I’ll go to the violence committee tomorrow.”
“What?! You, Director?”
“I… I can go, Director. I’ve prepared all the documents.”
Having the director, especially an S-class hero, personally attend the school violence committee might be an excessive response. Even if he were to receive no punishment at the violence committee, there would likely be talk of ‘an S-class hero using his power to cover up.’
‘Still, there’s more to gain.’
People still don’t know how I truly feel about the members. Even the staff simply perceive them as ‘members the director cherishes’. After all, I’ve staked my future on these kids.
‘S-class heroes are sacred.’
No matter how much societal injustice or wrongdoing they commit, the government or association cannot punish S-class heroes arbitrarily. Look at Electric Guy, for example. Despite all the things he did to grow his clan, he’s been resilient so far. S-class heroes are a symbol of ‘national power’ in themselves. Even if their hero qualifications are revoked, they’d be welcomed with open arms in neighboring countries.
If I openly support Jin-soo, I might receive criticism, but it would also bring positive effects like ‘Isaac nurturing a hero, let’s not interfere.’ I pondered for a few days before reaching a conclusion.
“I’ll go with Lawyer Han Gil-tae. Management team leader, quickly contact students in Jin-soo class. We need eyewitnesses. Assure them that as long as they’re under our protection, nothing will happen.”
“Ah, yes, I’ll do that.”
“Don’t let any information leak. There’s no reason to give them a chance to respond. Keep an eye on our mouths.”
Let’s create a pretext for legitimacy. It would be nice if the opponent responded strongly.
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***
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Evening had arrived, nearing the end of working hours. Yeo Jin-soo, the young hero who should have been resting at the dormitory, knocked on the door of the director’s office. The boy entered the director’s office, and shortly after, the door opened again.
Having concluded a brief consultation, Yeo Jin-soo’s face seemed to show a complex array of emotions. Nevertheless, despite the apparent lightening of his heart, his demeanor, which had been listless, seemed to have improved following his consultation with Isaac. The young hero, who had clenched his fists and bled, soon left the office with a lighter step.
Pantheon Academy, boasting a long history and tradition. The conference room of the prestigious school, which had produced numerous professional heroes over the past decades, had transformed into a special venue.
Normally used for school administration, on this day, it was chosen as the venue for the middle school violence prevention committee.
One side of the conference room was occupied by rows of chairs for the audience, already filled with many students and parents bustling about. And at the back, a few journalists permitted to observe were busy setting up their cameras.
Inside the conference room, which had transformed into what seemed like a courtroom, there was a palpable tension in the air, contrasting with the lively atmosphere of the academy.
The majority of the committee members were composed of parents, with a stern middle-aged individual seated at the center in the position of the chairman. The gaze of this middle-aged person was deeply set, exuding a resolute determination to preside over the committee with utmost seriousness.
“What’s with this atmosphere? It feels just like a real court.”
“Well, it seems both the parents of the victim and the agency representing the perpetrator have agreed to a public proceeding. See that handsome gentleman in the chairman’s seat? He’s also a parent here but is actually a current judge. It’s not just the atmosphere; they’ve even got all the formalities down.”
The parents and students in the audience whispered quietly about the background of the school violence committee. The Seonhwa Group was a major corporation that annually bestowed significant sponsorship funds upon Pantheon Academy. Naturally, with parents also having ties to Han Hee-su, the chairman of S Corporation, the committee members couldn’t help but be favorable towards her.
Given that Han Hee-su’s only son, Lee Hyo-beom, had been assaulted by a fellow student in the same class, and moreover, a pro hero, it was obvious that the perpetrator would receive a severe punishment.
– Ding. Ding. –
Right at that moment, the victim, Lee Hyo-beom, along with his parents, entered the conference room. Lee Sung-hoon, a member of the National Assembly, exchanged greetings with the parents with a smiling face, while Han Hee-su bowed her head, displaying her acquaintance with the familiar faces.
Especially towards the chairman who would decide on the disciplinary ruling, they went as far as shaking hands directly, expressing their trust and requesting his favor. Some of the observing students furrowed their brows at the sight.