Chapter 178: The Hidden Truth

"Did you really think I wouldn't know that you and Director Lee Gi-Cheol were embezzling funds for independence? I heard you've been gathering people too."

Kim Dong-Soo swallowed dryly.

All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind. '

How did Choi Man-Sik find out? Which jerk leaked the information?

'

His head went blank, his pulse quickened, and his lips were parched. Thinking he had to deny everything, Kim Dong-Soo shouted, "N-no! That's not true, sir! How could I dare..."

"Stop the bullshit! I know everything, so stop making excuses. You should deceive only those you are capable of deceiving," yelled Choi Man-Sik.

Kim Dong-Soo's eyes began to move quickly. He had to do anything he could do to escape this situation. He couldn't let everything fall apart, not after how hard he had worked for the money.

But at that moment, Choi Man-Sik said something completely unexpected.

"I'm not blaming you, so lift your head. The higher-ups don't know about this, just me. And I'll help you from now on."

Kim Dong-Soo was confused by Choi Man-Sik's words. '

What? To forgive and even help someone who had misappropriated company resources?

'

This was nothing like the notorious and deadly Choi Man-Sik who was known as the viper of Myeong-dong.

"But why would you..." Kim Dong-Soo asked.

"As long as President Kang Kam-Chan is healthy, this company isn’t something I can control as I wish. And the higher-ups will likely continue to trust President Kang even if the company goes public," Choi Man-Sik interrupted.

"Then could it be..."

"Yes. I need my own company. I need a usable entertainment company."

To discern Choi Man-Sik's true intentions, Kim Dong-Soo quickly racked his brain.

Entertainment companies of a certain size could greatly assist business in Asia. Many rich people from various countries wished to associate with Korean celebrities, and entertainment companies could offer special lobbies that could buy favors that money cannot.

Choi Man-Sik made it clear he needed a company that could fulfill such a role.

"Then...what should I do now?" Kim Dong-Soo asked.

"Keep preparing to go independent as you have been. But let's plan the IPO of Hoop Entertainment and extract the investment money first," Choi Man-Sik said, signaling his intent to prepare as much money as possible.

But Kim Dong-Soo still couldn't understand. Although Choi Man-Sik was technically an adopted son, he was nevertheless the sole heir of major shareholder Choi Eun-Tae.

Kim Dong-Soo took a glance at Choi Man-Sik and cautiously asked a sensitive question. "But why would you defy the higher-ups' wills? Wouldn't all this eventually become yours if you just waited?"

Choi Man-Sik frowned and gulped down ice water on the table. Munching the ice, he glared at Kim Dong-Soo. "It turns out that the old man had spread his seeds."

Surprised, Kim Dong-Soo exclaimed loudly without realizing it. "Pardon!?"

Choi Man-Sik's adopted father and the major shareholder of Hoop Entertainment, Choi Eun-Tae was 75 this year. Because he had no children, he adopted the trusted subordinate Choi Man-Sik as his son.

'

But he has a hidden child?

' Kim Dong-Soo thought to himself.

The confused Kim Dong-Soo was engulfed in fear that his lifeline might snap.

"He has a child? What do you mean?" Kim Dong-Soo asked.

"I thought he was heartless...but it turns out he has a son he didn't know about. Recently, he's been frantically looking for his son," explained Choi Man-Sik

Kim Dong-Soo swallowed hard and thought, '

So that's why Choi Man-Sik is harboring other intentions.

'

Choi Eun-Tae of Myeong-dong was known to be a heavyweight in mobilizing cash in South Korea. Thinking that his throne might be taken away, Choi Man-Sik was looking for ways to secure his position on his own.

Only then did Kim Dong-Soo's heart start to settle. He realized that Choi Man-Sik was just as desperate, if not more.

"Then he’ll find his son soon. Isn't Mr. Choi the wealthiest in Korea?" Kim Dong-Soo asked.

Choi Man-Sik shook his head. "It won't be that easy."

"What do you mean?"

"He lost contact with the child’s mother twenty-seven years ago. Apparently, he didn't even know he had a child then."

Kim Dong-Soo couldn't understand. "Then how did he know about the son? Did the child’s mother contact him?"

Choi Man-Sik replied, "No. We have no idea whether the child’s mother is in heaven or buried underground as we can’t find any traces of her. She was an orphan with no family so there's no record."

"How did he find out then?"

Choi Man-Sik grimaced. "About a month ago, a midwife who received the old man’s child came to his house. Turns out she and the old man were from the same hometown. They knew each other in the past."

"T-then why did she wait till only now to visit him?"

"As they're nearing death, she felt pity for the old man. She was worried he might die without knowing he has blood relatives," Choi Man-Sik added.

"I thought this kind of thing only happened in dramas..." Kim Dong-Soo remarked.

"Right? Anyway, knowing a young pregnant woman escaped from her elderly husband, the midwife figured she must have a tough story to tell. After giving birth, she recovered and then vanished," Choi Man-Sik continued.

The only clue now was that the midwife had lived in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do, where the mother’s trail went cold.

"So now the old man is combing through Gyeonggi-do Gwangju...but it hasn't been easy. Besides, there's no guarantee she lived there even after giving birth."

Kim Dong-Soo cautiously asked, "Is Mr. Choi certain it's his son?"

"The dates of the mother's disappearance and childbirth are close. And you know what technology these days is capable of doing. We just need to bring him in for a DNA test. Everything will be a piece of cake as long as we find the son."

Kim Dong-Soo swallowed hard. "How many people know about this?"

"Maybe five, now six with you. Why?" Choi Man-Sik looked at Kim Dong-Soo and asked.

Kim Dong-Soo’s palms were sweating as he gripped them tightly. "If that's the case, wouldn’t it be better for you to find the son first? We could use him or send him overseas to keep him out of the old man’s sight..."

But Choi Man-Sik raised his hand to stop Kim Dong-Soo. "What if we get caught? Do you want to die early?"

As expected, Choi Man-Sik was cautious.

At that moment, Kim Dong-Soo saw a chance to demonstrate his loyalty. "Maybe...I could try to find him?"

Choi Man-Sik seemed intrigued. "Do you have a way?"

Kim Dong-Soo nodded. "I have someone suitable for finding people. His name is Nalsae."

Choi Man-Sik spoke again after thinking it through. "And if the old man finds out?"

Kim Dong-Soo carefully chose his words, knowing his answer could change his fate.

Looking Choi Man-Sik in the eye, he responded firmly, "I will take full responsibility. I can just say I stumbled upon this information while digging into the shareholders’ backgrounds."

A deep smile crossed Choi Man-Sik’s face. He looked Kim Dong-Soo up and down and replied with satisfaction, "You really are someone worth working with."

Choi Man-Sik's words sent a chill down Kim Dong-Soo's spine as he realized that Choi Man-Sik had led him to say these things on his own.

As Choi Man-Sik stood up, he said with a look of satisfaction. "Don’t tell Director Lee Gi-Cheol about this. Got it?"

Kim Dong-Soo assured him, "Of course not. Director Lee Gi-Cheol doesn’t even know who Nalsae is."

Choi Man-Sik patted Kim Dong-Soo’s shoulder as if he was impressed. "You are truly a capable man as expected. By the way, how’s Ho Sung doing?"

"Team Lead Ju whom you have sent has been a great help," Kim Dong-Soo replied.

"Good. Keep him managed. Ho-Sung may be greedy, but we need such people to keep people like Team Lead Jung in check," Choi Man-Sik said.

Kim Dong-Soo bowed deeply. "Thank you for your consideration, sir."

"Don't mention it. Just find the old man’s son quickly. He should be about twenty-seven by now."

Kim Dong-Soo nodded. "Understood. Twenty-seven years old. I will definitely find him!"

Kim Dong-Soo now had another task in addition to taking control of Hoop Entertainment, but he was more than satisfied.

After all, Choi Man-Sik had promised to support him more than ever before.

***

[Ju Yung-In was cast as the female lead in SBC's new drama

In the Name of God

after beating out 2,500 competitors with a stunning ratio of 2,500 to 1!]

[The production announcement of

In the Name of God

written by Lee Ji-Yeon from SBC will take place on June 23rd.]

"Looks like we’re gonna clash with Ju Yung-In again," I said after reading the news.

I recalled Ju Yung-In insisting on joining only the work I chose. Despite the formidable competitors hoping to join Lee Ji-Yeon's work, Ju Yung-In ultimately succeeded.

Yoo-Jin and Miso were extremely busy with the shooting schedule drawing near.

But I had to leave the two of them with Jung Sang-Bong today and meet with Lee Tae-Poong, because it had been too long since I last visited the set.

Currently, the filming of

Beyond the Boundary

starring Lee Tae-Poong as the main lead was progressing smoothly. Thanks to the solid preparations, significant progress had been made three weeks into filming which began at the start of June. There were even rumors that the release could be moved up from November to the end of September.

After checking the rest of the articles, I started the Merciless Bends I had received as a gift for saving Jang Jun-Hyuk.

"Tae-Poong, I'm coming~" I muttered under my breath.

Having received permission to treat all staff to a meal to boost Tae-Poong's spirit, I happily hummed to myself.

It took about an hour and a half to reach Choi Sung-Moon Film located in Paju. After parking, I entered the main building and went up to the office on the second floor, where Pyo Eun-Mi was waiting to welcome me.

"Team Lead Jung, I might forget your face if you don’t visit more often," Pyo Eun-Mi teased me.

When she glared at me in a playful manner, I presented her with a gift. "I've been so busy lately dealing with some issues. Please accept this as an apology..."

Pyo Eun-Mi, a planning director who played a crucial role in casting Lee Tae-Poong as the lead in

Beyond the Boundary

, was also appointed as the production manager. In other words, she had practically gained power equivalent to the president despite holding the position of director.

Meanwhile, Production Manager Ga Eun-Soo was demoted for accepting money to eliminate Lee Tae-Poong. Unfortunately, I couldn’t implicate Kim Dong-Soo without evidence of his involvement.

Pyo Eun-Mi gladly accepted the two golden paper bags I handed her. "What’s this? You shouldn’t have."

"I know everyone’s been tired. I prepared red ginseng for you all. One's for you and the other for Mr. Choi," I said with a smile.

"

Ha ha

. How did you know I like red ginseng? Thank you. I’ll enjoy it," Pyo Eun-Mi said with a grin.

"There will be more delivered here for the rest of the staff too. There were too many to carry myself," I added.

Just then, the office staff began to cheer.

"Wow~. See? I told you. Hoop Entertainment is different."

"It's not Hoop Entertainment that's different but it’s Mr. Jung. Congratulations on your promotion, Mr. Jung!"

The usual bribes—I mean, gifts—varied depending on one's position: wild ginseng for the president, red ginseng for executives, and bellflower roots for the staff.

But I distributed 100 thousand won worth of red ginseng gift sets equally to all employees. After all, managing the schedules, location shoots, and the actors' conditions wouldn't be possible without the cooperation of the general staff.

Pyo Eun-Mi smiled and nudged the staff. "Mr. Ji-Sung, pay more attention to the promotional materials for Mr. Tae-Poong."

"Yes, Ms. Pyo!"

The effects were immediately noticeable.

After giving the instructions, Pyo Eun-Mi seemed to remember something belatedly. "I heard you got promoted to Team Lead."

I nodded. "I did."

"Congratulations. You are really doing well these days, Team Lead Jung." Pyo Eun-Mi congratulated me.

"Not at all. It’s just the beginning," I responded humbly.

"

Ah

, I feel so bad. I haven’t even given you a gift for your promotion."

"Don’t worry about it. As a gift, please keep a fond eye on Tae-Poong."

"That's easy. In fact, I don't even need to try. He already does well on his own...Oh, you’ll watch Mr. Tae-Poong's filming, right?"

I nodded as if I had been waiting for the question.

***

I had to board a golf cart to move from the main building to the set because the sets at Choi Sung-Moon Film covered a vast 300,000 pyeong.

After about a five-minute ride, a sharp smell of gunpowder wafted over from a distance, making my nose sting and my eyes tear up.

"Wow, the smell of gunpowder is no joke," I commented.

"You know how Mr. Choi is like when it comes to special effects. He’s been setting off explosions for days now.

Sigh,

but it’s all money..." said Pyo Eun-Mi as she covered her nose with a handkerchief.

Then, she stopped the cart to check her watch and said, "They should be shooting the mountain chase scene by now. It’s that way."

Pyo Eun-Mi started driving the cart again. Following the winding path, I could see the actors and staff filming on a roughly 300-meter-high mountain.

Choi Sung-Moon was halfway up the mountain and directing from a makeshift tent with monitors where the mountain was surrounded by lights and camera booms.

To avoid disturbing the filming, we parked the cart at a distance.

Pyo Eun-Mi pointed to the distance. "There he is."

I could see Lee Tae-Poong at the end of Pyo Eun-Mi's finger.

But an unbelievable scene was unfolding.

'

What the heck is going on?

' I thought to myself.