Chapter 163: Kang Eun-Gi

In the meeting room of Hoop Entertainment, Kang Eun-Gi wanted to talk to me alone and blurted out some harsh words after failing to take Park Eun-Sung with him.

Because of this reason, the atmosphere in the meeting room became tense.

Others might not have known, but this was the real Kang Eun-Gi. He might appear as a neat office worker on the outside, but in reality, he was a short-tempered and ruthless gangster who was used to pulling people's teeth out with pliers and handling things his own way.

The enraged Kang Eun-Gi was now dealing with the situation in his usual manner.

Kang Eun-Gi's rude behavior nearly led to a fight. Fearing the situation might worsen, I quickly intervened.

"Mr. Gu, it seems like he wants to talk to me privately. Please go ahead first and I'll meet you outside later. We wouldn't want Mr. Park Eun-Sung's contract issue to get tangled up in this."

Gu Seong-Cheol looked at me while barely containing his anger. "Will you be okay on your own?"

"Of course. Don't worry," I assured him.

"Alright. I'll be outside."

Gu Seong-Cheol glared at Kang Eun-Gi for a moment before leaving with the others.

Now alone in the room, Kang Eun-Gi relaxed his expression and pulled out a vape.

"This is a non-smoking area," I said with a frown.

"Cut me some slack, will you? It's a vape. It doesn't smell at all," Kang Eun-Gi replied in an irritated tone.

"Still not allowed," I insisted.

Kang Eun-Gi grumbled and put the vape back in his pocket.

Then he said, "I used to think our world was brutal, but this field is just as cutthroat. Park Eun-Sung could easily rake in 5 billion won within a year. And you're just gonna swallow that up alone?"

"That's all you have to say after creating such a commotion and tense atmosphere? If you're done, you can leave," I replied.

Kang Eun-Gi chuckled at my blunt attitude. "I gave in this time, so it's your turn to back off next time."

Kang Eun-Gi was trying to imply that we should give up the next time there was any dispute over signing an entertainer.

"And if I don't?" I challenged him.

Kang Eun-Gi let out a threat, "Do you not realize I've been lenient with you all along because we're friends? Do you want me to handle it the Kanghan Inc. way instead? Getting your hands dirty won't do you any good either."

"I thought you washed your hands off gangster life?" I asked.

"I did. I'm a decent office worker now. But still. Habits die hard, don't they, friend?" Kang Eun-Gi replied with a sly smile.

I couldn't help but smirk at Kang Eun-Gi. "Were we ever friends? After what you did five years ago? A friend who stabs you in the back, what kind of damned friend is that?"

That's when Kang Eun-Gi's expression started to harden.

The moment I mentioned that fateful day five years ago when we parted ways, Kang Eun-Gi's expression twisted. After all, he had always thought I was unaware of that day's events.

In the fall of 2014, a girl confessed her feelings to me for the first time in my life.

-Oppa, I'm serious about this. Let's date. I'll be good to you.

It was Lee Yeon-Sil from the same orphanage who used to follow me around.

She used to playfully talk about marrying me since we were kids, but she was serious about it that day. She wanted me to see her as a woman, not a sister.

But at that time, I couldn't reciprocate her feelings because I was struggling just to make ends meet. I explained that I was grateful and flattered but I couldn't afford to date anyone.

Having left the orphanage, living day by day in a goshiwon was hard enough without the added burden of a relationship. Life was too hard to even consider romance.

Yet Lee Yeon-Sil said with a bitter smile that she would wait for me, hoping my feelings would change.

But in the summer of 2015, before even a year had passed, Kang Eun-Gi made a fortune through his gang activities and won over Lee Yeon-Sil with his persistent courtship as I tried to stand on my own feet juggling various jobs.

And in the end, she became Kang Eun-Gi's woman.

Losing Lee Yeon-Sil was painful enough, but what truly hurt me was being betrayed by Kang Eun-Gi, a friend and brother to me.

I would have understood if he had simply told me he liked Lee Yeon-Sil. Instead, Kang Eun-Gi tore apart what Lee Yeon-Sil and I had with a lie, claiming I was involved with another woman.

Considering how it had been 15 years, this memory had almost faded. However, the scar of losing my only friend remained.

"Yes, I know what happened...so let's just not see each other anymore and go our separate ways," I replied in a low tone.

Kang Eun-Gi erased the perplexed expression on his face, stared straight at me, and said, "That's going to be difficult."

"What do you mean it's going to be difficult?" I questioned.

"Yeon-Sil and I are getting married in two months. I'll send you an invitation, so you must come. Even if you don't want to see me, you should at least see Yeon-Sil."

I was about to refuse, but Kang Eun-Gi added, "Also, my boss wanted to bring you in but I stopped him. You owe me one, so at least show your face at the wedding."

Kang Eun-Gi headed toward the door after finishing his piece.

'

Debt, huh.

' I thought to myself.

I was reminded that there was indeed a real debt I owed him. Though he betrayed me, the fact that he saved my life at the creek remained unchanged.

Because of this reason, I decided to warn him about his future.

"Hey, Kang Eun-Gi."

Kang Eun-Gi stopped and turned around. "What?"

"You better straighten out your gang life. If not, you'll be in big trouble within three months, man."

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

"You know they call me the Fortune Teller Star Jung in the industry, right? I see you running into big trouble in three months."

In a month's time, Kang Eun-Gi would be killed in a revenge attack due to grievances from his gangster days.

Back then, I saw Lee Yeon-Sil wearing a black suit crying at the funeral filled with burly men with buzz cuts from a distance, and I left without saying anything.

I gave him a hint about the future event, but Kang Eun-Gi fumed and shouted with a frown, "You bastard. Don't you know I hate that kind of talk?"

Kang Eun-Gi had always resented his shaman mother for abandoning him after receiving her spiritual calling, and that was why he particularly detested conversations of this nature.

Kang Eun-Gi wore an uneasy expression and glared at me for a while, then roughly opened the door and left.

Bang!

"He's really got a temper. He's going to break the door," I muttered to myself.

Watching Kang Eun-Gi leave, I opened my planner to check the date of his demise.

[Everyday V10]

[Date: July 17, 2020]

-08:00 AM Kang Eun-Gi's funeral procession at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital.

"He doesn't believe me. That fool."

My fist clenched tightly without realizing it.

I began to wonder whether I should prevent his death or let it happen.

***

Kim Dong-Soo was waiting in the underground parking lot for Kang Eun-Gi to come down.

But the first to appear was Lee Yung-Cheol of Blue Entertainment, trembling as if shaking from the cold. Kim Dong-Soo asked him what happened, but couldn't get a straight answer out of him.

"That, that's...it's just..." Lee Yung-Cheol stuttered.

"What happened? What occurred upstairs to make you like this?" Kim Dong-Soo asked.

"

Ah, ah

...I'm finished."

Lee Yung-Cheol trembled and grabbed his head with a devastated look. Then, he suddenly grabbed Kim Dong-Soo's arm and shook it.

"H-hey, Mr. Kim. Please give Park Eun-Sung back to us. I'll do whatever you ask," Lee Yung-Cheol pleaded.

"Park Eun-Sung?" Kim Dong-soo asked with a curious expression/

Lee Yung-Cheol explained, "Yes. Your company's Actor Division 2 took him. So please..."

"I'll look into it. But first, tell me what happened in the meeting room."

"Well, what happened was..."

Lee Yung-Cheol began to recount what had transpired before he came down.

"Is that so?"

The corners of Kim Dong-Soo's mouth lifted slightly.

'

Nal-Sae was right. Those two are now enemies, huh?

'

Ding!

That's when the elevator opened and a man with a cold expression stepped out.

Realizing it was Kang Eun-Gi, Kim Dong-Soo left the trembling Lee Yung-Cheol aside and hurriedly greeted him.

"Hello. I'm Kim Dong-Soo from Hoop Entertainment."

Kang Eun-Gi didn't shake Kim Dong-Soo's hand but only looked at him intently.

"Kim Dong-Soo?"

"Yes, I'm the Chief of Actor Division 3."

"I see. Nice to meet you. I'm Kang Eun-Gi from Kanghan Entertainment. However, I'd like to postpone any discussions to a later time. I have urgent matters to attend to."

Kang Eun-Gi fiddled with his watch and shifted his gaze to Lee Yung-Cheol who was standing behind Kim Dong-Soo.

Although the timing was off, Kim Dong-Soo couldn't back down now. With Choi Man-Sik backing him and showing interest in Jung Yoon-Ho, Kim Dong-Soo's anxiety was peaking.

"I need to talk to you about Jung Yoon-Ho," Kim Dong-Soo quickly added.

Kang Eun-Gi was about to walk past but stopped in his tracks at the mention of Jung Yoon-Ho's name. However, his expression was now even more murderous than before.

The undeterred Kim Dong-Soo continued. "I'd like to apologize on behalf of Yoon-Ho for his rude behavior."

"Who told you that?

Ah

, that guy...

Tsk.

"

When Kang Eun-Gi glared at Lee Yung-Cheol who was standing behind Kim Dong-Soo, the startled Lee Yung-Cheol collapsed right on the spot.

Kim Dong-Soo explained, "He only told me because I was asked. Anyway, I have a proposition that could benefit us both."

"What is it?"

"It seems like Jung Yoon-Ho is our common enemy. So...what do you think?" Kim Dong-Soo asked.

Kang Eun-Gi smirked and stepped closer to Kim Dong-Soo. "So, you want me to share information on Yoon-Ho with you?"

Kim Dong-Soo nodded. "Yes."

"And what's in it for me?"

"We'll return Park Eun-Sung to you. And if you partner with me, we could step on Jung Yoon-Ho together in the future..."

At that moment, Kang Eun-Gi threw his fist which stopped right at Kim Dong-Soo's temple. The swift motion created a breeze that lightly tousled Kim Dong-Soo's hair.

Kim Dong-Soo swallowed hard in shock.

"I'll let it slide just this once. Don't get between Yoon-Ho and me. Whether it's about killing or saving him, it's none of your business. Got it?" Kang Eun-Gi let out a warning.

Kim Dong-Soo clenched his teeth. He had made a wrong judgment but he didn't want to be intimidated by someone younger.

Kang Eun-Gi laughed at Kim Dong-Soo's reaction. "Wow, you've got some nerve. I may not know much about this industry, but I know people. And you can't handle Yoon-Ho."

Kim Dong-Soo's face contorted in anger. "Me...? Can't handle Jung Yoon-Ho?"

Kang Eun-Gi chuckled and patted Kim Dong-Soo on the shoulder. "So if you're going to make a move, you better make it count. If you mess with Jung Yoon-Ho half-heartedly, he'll come back at you tenfold."

With that, Kang Eun-Gi walked past Kim Dong-Soo. He then forcibly put the kneeling Lee Yung-Cheol into a car.

Vroom.

As the black Merciless S-Class left the parking lot, Kim Dong-Soo finally snapped out of his daze.

"Wh-what? Make a move? Does he think I'm some gangster? That bastard!" Kim Dong-Soo yelled angrily.

Without knowing the complex story between Jung Yoon-Ho and Kang Eun-Gi, Kim Dong-Soo was left feeling confused and frustrated.

Kim Dong-Soo stared at the now-empty entrance of the underground parking lot and began to throw meaningless punches in the air out of frustration.

***

[Park Eun-Sung recovers. 'Coma was false reporting.']

[Park Eun-Sung transfers to Hoop Entertainment!]

After successfully recruiting Park Eun-Sung, another round of exclusive articles was published.

Although it took me much effort to recruit Park Eun-Sung, I handed him over to Oh Duk-Gu. After all, I knew Park Eun-Sung was a high maintenance actor who required undivided attention.

Oh Duk-Gu was thrilled and said a well-raised hoobae is better than ten sons, but I could only offer a silent apology in my heart.

Also, I received a bonus for the successful recruitment of Park Eun-Sung.

[Deposit: 10,000,000 KRW]

[Balance: 85,382,300 KRW]

As I smiled contentedly at my phone, Yoo-Jin peeked out from the back seat. "Oppa, what are you looking at?"

"The bonus just came in."

"How much did you get?"

When I showed her the amount, she was as happy as if she had received the bonus herself.

"Wow, that's awesome~."

Yoo-Jin seemed even happier than when she received her own settlements worth hundreds of millions.

Currently, we were in the parking lot of Blue Dragon where auditions for

In the Name of God

were taking place.

We stayed in the car, watching child actors and their parents enter the audition venue.

Apart from the role of young Cheongmyung that Miso would portray, there were still three other child roles that had to be cast.

About fifty child actors had gathered for these three minor roles. There were about a hundred people, including their parents, entering the audition venue which was as busy as a marketplace.

Miso didn't need to be here since Lee Ji-Yeon had chosen her to play young Cheongmyung herself. However, Yoo-Jin suggested showing off Miso's acting in front of the staff to avoid any talk of nepotism.

Therefore we agreed to showcase Miso's acting to the staff at the very end after all the auditions had concluded.

A little while later, the parents and child actors had all entered the venue.

"Looks like most people have gone in. Let's head inside now."

"Okay~!"

It was time to see Miso's acting, which even I hadn't seen yet.

But at that moment, a Merciless S-Class entered the parking lot belatedly just before we headed to the audition venue. The occupants parked hastily and rushed out as if they were aware they were late as well.

However, the two people who got out of the car were familiar faces to me.

They were Jin So-Mi and Jin Gong-Ju.

'

What the heck are they doing here?

' I wondered to myself.