66: Chapter 66 Does comforting someone require such a tight hug?

The Gulfstream G550 landed at Incheon International Airport at 6:40 AM. Dawn was just breaking, lead-gray clouds hung low, and the air held a damp, suffocating feeling of an impending storm. On the tarmac, besides ground service vehicles, there were several black vans parked, their windows tinted, low-key and silent.

Jang Se-hoon had arranged the pickup in advance, sending the members of Girls Generation and T-ara back to their respective dorms. Considering the public opinion storm, he did not let them return to the Sky Entertainment apartments but instead activated several more hidden backup residences.

Ham Eunjung was sent directly to a private hospital in Seoul for continued observation and treatment, accompanied by Park Ji-yeon and Lee Qri. Jeon Boram was also asked to go and rest; she looked mentally exhausted and needed someone to take care of her.

Song Tianhao, Park Hyomin, Park So-yeon, as well as the two leaders, Kim Taeyeon and Jessica Jung, were driven directly to the Sky Entertainment headquarters in Cheongdam-dong. The car traveled along the empty streets of early morning; no one spoke inside the vehicle, only the rustling sound of tires pressing against the road surface.

Park Hyomin leaned against the car window, watching the familiar city scenery flashing backward outside. Her face was expressionless, her fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the fixation brace on her leg.

Park So-yeon kept her head down, looking at her phone. The screen showed a photo of her mother sleeping peacefully in the hospital room, her expression calm. Kim Taeyeon and Jessica Jung sat in the back row, each looking out the window, not knowing what they were thinking.

Song Tianhao's phone vibrated in the quiet cabin. He took a look; it was a message from Jang Se-hoon, the content concise: "The press conference is arranged. 10:00 AM, the press conference hall on the first floor of the company."

"Forty-seven media outlets are invited, including the three major networks and major news agencies. CJ hasn't made any new moves for now, but the online trolls have started pushing the narrative of 'hidden rules' and 'CEO sexual harassment'."

Song Tianhao replied with an "Hmm" and put away his phone. The fatigue on his face was still obvious, but those eyes, in the dim light of dawn, were like quenched ice, calm to the point of being cold.

Below the Sky Entertainment headquarters, some reporters who had heard the news and photographers carrying professional camera equipment had already gathered. Although the number was not yet large, that restless and prying atmosphere had already permeated. The car drove directly into the underground garage entrance, avoiding the hustle and bustle on the first floor.

9:50 AM, Sky Entertainment first-floor press conference hall.

The hall, which could accommodate nearly a hundred people, was packed, and the aisles were also full of people. Reporters and photographers from various media outlets were squeezed together. The air was filled with the smell of sweat, the faint heat emitted by various electronic devices, and a near-tangible, predatory sense of excitement.

Flashbulbs went off occasionally, like eyes prying in the darkness. The lenses of the cameras were aimed at the empty podium in front, ready to go.

"I heard there's going to be a formal response today?"

"It must be an apology and clarification, right? What else could it be?"

"Sky is in big trouble this time. Both of their flagship girl groups are involved. That President Song looks young; I'm afraid he's going to fall this time."

"CJ released quite a bit of material. Although there's no smoking gun, the guidance is very strong."

"Let's see what they say. Tsk tsk, this kind of sex scandal combined with violent conflict is big news..."

Low discussions buzzed under the stage, like a group of restless flies.

In the backstage lounge, the atmosphere was equally tense.

Park Hyomin had changed out of yesterday's casual clothes and was wearing a well-tailored beige suit skirt. Her long hair was tied low behind her head, revealing a smooth forehead and graceful neck lines.

She still had a fixation brace on her leg, but she stood very straight. She held a simple speech outline in her hand, her fingertips trembling slightly from the force.

Park So-yeon stood beside her, wearing a light gray suit skirt of a similar style. Her makeup was light, and there was fatigue between her brows, but her eyes were firm. The two of them were the protagonists today.

Song Tianhao stood in front of them. He had changed into a pure black handmade suit, white shirt, no tie, the top two buttons undone, looking less rigid and more sharp.

He had just quickly reviewed the speech draft prepared by the PR department and then tossed it onto the sofa aside.

"No need to memorize the draft, just remember the core meaning."

His voice was calm, his gaze sweeping over their faces. "Hyomin, what you need to express is 'personal emotion.' The focus is on 'gratitude,' 'admiration,' and 'dependence in a special environment.' Stick to the point that it is one-sided, and there has been no response yet. Do not mention any specific details."

"Soyeon, your core is 'gratitude.' Because of your mother's situation, you feel grateful to me and the company, so you are close, but it stops at the level of concern between a superior and subordinate. Understand?"

Park Hyomin and Park So-yeon nodded simultaneously.

"It might be very sharp, it might be very unpleasant." Song Tianhao looked at them and added, "No matter what they ask, stay calm and answer the core points we prepared. If you don't know what to say, look at me and Sehun."

"Yes, CEO Oppa." The two said in unison.

Kim Taeyeon and Jessica Jung also stood by. Kim Taeyeon was leaning on crutches, her face showing undisguised worry. "Oppa, be careful."

Jessica Jung pursed her lips and finally just said one sentence: "Fighting."

The time pointed to exactly 10:00.

The side door in front of the press conference hall opened. Song Tianhao walked out first, followed closely by Jang Se-hoon, then Park Hyomin and Park So-yeon. Park Hyomin had difficulty walking and moved very slowly, but every step was steady. Park So-yeon walked beside her, half a step behind Song Tianhao.

"Click! Click! Click—!"

Instantly, as if a switch had been pressed, the entire press hall was submerged in blinding flashes. The white, intense light merged, almost making it impossible to open one's eyes. The sound of shutters erupted like popping beans, mixed with the muffled exclamations of reporters and the rustling of adjusting camera positions.

Song Tianhao's expression did not change as he walked to the center of the podium and stood still. Jang Se-hoon stood behind him on his left, and Park Hyomin and Park So-yeon stood on his right. The four of them stood side by side, facing the dark crowd below and countless flashing lenses.

Song Tianhao did not speak immediately. He even raised his hand and gently pressed it downward. This gesture was small, but it carried a strange, commanding aura that controlled the entire venue. A few seconds later, the blinding flashes and noisy shutter sounds actually calmed down, leaving only a suppressed, expectant silence.

Countless eyes stared at the stage, waiting for the expected apology, clarification, defense, or... collapse.

Song Tianhao leaned forward slightly, closer to the microphone on the podium. His voice was transmitted through the speakers throughout the hall, clear, steady, without any emotional fluctuation, yet carrying a heavy weight.

"Thank you to all media friends for coming today. Regarding the recent false rumors and maliciously edited photos circulating online about myself and Sky Entertainment artists Park Hyomin xi, Park So-yeon xi, and others, I, on behalf of Sky Entertainment, hereby make a formal response."

He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping across the audience. Where it passed, even some senior reporters felt an invisible pressure.

"First of all, the photos are real."

The audience was instantly in an uproar! The reporters looked at each other, almost unable to believe their ears.

Song Tianhao admitted it directly? What kind of tactic was this? Even their hands prepared to record stopped.

Song Tianhao waited for the commotion to subside slightly before continuing: "But the scenes and content presented in the photos were maliciously intercepted, taken out of context, and distorted with leading text."

"The truth is, at that time, Jeju Island was hit by a super typhoon. The Villa area where we were located lost power. Member Park Hyomin xi was immobile due to a leg injury and felt uneasy, and member Park So-yeon xi was anxious due to her mother's emergency surgery. As the CEO, I was there to provide comfort and care, which is the most normal concern between colleagues and superiors/subordinates."

"There were other staff members present, not the 'lonely man and woman' or 'spending the night together' as rumored. This point can be testified to by other members and staff who were in the Villa at that time."

His explanation was reasonable. Typhoon night, power outage, injured person, family member critical... Anyone with basic logic would feel that a CEO comforting his artists is human nature.

But the reporters didn't want "human nature," they wanted a "scoop."

A reporter immediately asked loudly: "President Song, as far as we know, there were only you and the six members of T-ara, as well as the nine members of Girls Generation in the Villa, and no other male staff! With fifteen young women and you, a male CEO, in the same room, isn't this suspicious? Did the comfort need to be that tight?" The question was sharp, pointing straight to the core.

Everyone's eyes focused on Song Tianhao again.

Before Song Tianhao could speak, Park Hyomin, who was standing on his right, suddenly took a small step forward. This action attracted everyone's attention.

She raised her head, facing the countless prying, questioning, and even malicious gazes below, and took a deep breath. Her face was still pale, but her eyes were clear and firm, carrying a kind of calm as if burning the bridges behind her.

She took the other microphone handed by the staff nearby. Her voice came through the speakers, slightly tight, but clear enough.

"Regarding the hug..." She began, her voice not loud, but the whole venue fell silent instantly, "It was I who initiated the hug."

There was another low gasp from the audience.

Park Hyomin's fingers gripping the microphone tightened, her knuckles trembling slightly, but she didn't back down. She looked bravely at the questioning reporter and slowly swept across the audience.

"When the power went out during the typhoon, the room was very dark. Since I was little... I have been especially afraid of the dark."

She paused, as if recalling the fear at that time. Her voice carried a trace of trembling, which made her words sound more credible. "And my leg was hurting a lot, I couldn't move. The sound of the wind and rain outside was very loud. I felt like I had been abandoned by the whole world. I was very scared, scared to the point of trembling."

As she spoke, her gaze drifted unconsciously to Song Tianhao beside her. In that instant, the dependence and gratitude revealed in her eyes were so real that no one could doubt it.

"It was CEO Oppa... It was he who discovered I was scared. He walked over, didn't say too much, just patted my shoulder and told me 'Don't be afraid, I'm here.' Then, it was me... It was me who couldn't hold back, grabbed his sleeve, and later... later I hugged him."

Park Hyomin's voice lowered, carrying a girl's shyness and honesty. "I know, this is very embarrassing. But at that time, he was the only light I could grab."

She raised her head again, her eyes slightly red, but her gaze was unusually bright, even carrying a bit of stubbornness.

"So, yes, I have feelings for the CEO. Because he is the person who gave me light in the darkness. But this feeling is more about respect, gratitude, the dependence of grabbing a life-saving straw in despair, and the most normal emotion a girl has for a man who gives her a sense of security."

Her voice gradually rose, carrying a kind of desperate courage. "I don't think this is anything unspeakable, nor do I think this should be distorted into a dirty transaction. If I have to be scolded for this, then I accept it. But I must say, CEO Oppa, he is not that kind of person. Sky Entertainment is not that kind of company either."

After speaking, she bowed slightly, handed the microphone back, and stood there with her back straight, like a bamboo that, although slender, refused to break in the storm.

The whole venue was silent for a full three or four seconds.

Then, applause rang out from a corner in the back, sparse at first, then quickly becoming enthusiastic. Not all reporters were bought, and not everyone was willing to go against their conscience.

A young girl, under the fear of a leg injury and a typhoon power outage, grabbed the only person who could provide comfort, and then admitted this feeling so bravely and openly afterward—this reality and courage touched many people.

Of course, there were those who were unmoved. A reporter immediately asked again, turning the target to Park So-yeon: "Park So-yeon xi, as far as we know, your mother was undergoing surgery in Seoul at the time, yet you were 'intimately' with the CEO on Jeju Island. Is this somewhat inappropriate? Also, there are reports that your mother's surgery used very scarce Rh-negative blood, and President Song happens to have the same blood type. This is too coincidental, isn't it? Is it as rumored, a kind of... transaction?"

This question was even more vicious, directly twisting gratitude into a physical transaction.

Park So-yeon's face paled, but she didn't look at the reporter who asked the question. Instead, she turned to Song Tianhao in the center of the podium, and then, facing the camera, she bowed deeply and standardly, ninety degrees, lasting for five seconds.

She straightened up, took the microphone, and her voice was a bit hoarse when she spoke, carrying an obvious choking sound, but every word was articulated clearly.

"First of all, I want to apologize to my mother. Because of my work, I couldn't be by her side at the most dangerous moment of her life. This is my unfilial act."

Her tears swirled in her eyes, but she held them back from falling. "But I want to thank the CEO, thank the company. If it weren't for the CEO using all resources to contact the hospital and bring in the life-saving blood as soon as he learned of the situation, I might... I might have already lost my mother."

Her voice choked up, and she had to stop, take a few deep breaths, before continuing. The tears finally slipped, but she didn't wipe them.