Chapter 266: Into the Storm (4)

Two days after meeting with Kim Ae-Ryeon, I received a word from Choi So-Hye that the article would be published the next day.

Today was the day of the wrap party for

Beyond the Boundary

, held at TongTong DoyaJi, a charcoal-grilled pork belly restaurant near the set. We rented out the entire venue, which could accommodate 200 people, and it was completely packed with actors, crew members, and staff.

Since the party was hosted by Hoop Entertainment, cheers erupted from everywhere when Lee Tae-Poong, Lee Dae-Ho, and I entered the restaurant.

"Tae-Poong, thank you for the meal!"

"Thanks for today, Team Lead Jung!"

"Tae-Poong! Come over here! Come have a drink with me!"

Although Lee Tae-Poong wasn't properly regarded as the main lead at the start, no one doubted now that he was indeed a true actor.

I took a seat at an empty table while watching Lee Tae-Poong mingle with people with a bright smile.

At that moment, Choi Sung-Moon gestured for me to come over to his table. "Team Lead Jung, come over here for a second."

As I went over wondering what was up, he immediately grabbed my hand and gently patted it. "I heard the promotional budget increased significantly thanks to you. Sorry for the late thanks."

Watching Pyo Eun-Mi sitting beside Choi Sung-Moon wink at me, I figured she must have told him what happened when we visited the distributor.

Choi Sung-Moon continued to praise me before lowering his voice. "To be honest with you, I was a little bit skeptical when I first saw Tae-Poong at the audition."

"But you chose Tae-Poong in the end, didn't you?" I replied with a smile.

Choi Sung-Moon scratched his head. "I mean, not really. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't pushed so hard? Frankly, it's true that Cha Tae-Hoon, who was recommended by Chief Kim Dong-Soo, was the safer choice."

"Thank you again."

"No, I should be the one to thank you. I got to work with the best actor thanks to you pushing so hard back then."

In that moment, I felt a deep sense of gratitude, knowing that my efforts hadn't been in vain.

"Thank you, sir. I'm sure Tae-Poong will be happy to hear this."

"Oh, don't bother. I should be the one to tell him something like this."

Choi Sung-Moon told me not to relay his words to Tae-Poong as he had his own plans.

"Oh. And by the way..."

"Yes, Mr. Choi."

"I know it's too early to talk about the next project, but I'll take any actors you recommend without question from now on. You know what I mean?"

"Pardon me?"

"I trust that you'll pick someone suitable for the project and handle the promotion tirelessly."

"Well, that's true. But..."

In the film industry where tens or hundreds of billions were invested, the director alone couldn't choose the lead actor as there were influences from investors and producers among other variables.

However, there were exceptions.

Having repeatedly achieved blockbuster success, Choi Sung-Moon's words carried significant weight.

Seeing my stunned reaction to his generous offer, Choi Sung-Moon laughed playfully.

"What? You think the distributor or investors will oppose my decision? Are you underestimating me? Hey! I'm Choi Sung-Moon!"

"N-not at all, sir. I was just a bit taken aback," I stuttered.

"

Ha ha ha.

Alright. Let's work together on the next project too. I'm counting on you."

Then, I remembered Choi Sung-Moon's next project written in my planner— it was

Rage of God

which would draw 7.7 million viewers.

It was a spy thriller film, based on the premise that Korea had acquired nuclear weapons, and it was essentially a sequel to

Beyond the Boundary

.

I assumed that Choi Sung-Moon probably wanted me to find a main lead for that project, and I already knew the perfect candidate for the lead role in that film.

Actor Choi Do-Yung was a former soldier who bounced between part-time jobs before entering this industry and coincidentally turning his life around after being dishonorably discharged from the army.

Considering that he was cast as the main lead without an agency and suffered greatly in my past life, I planned to prepare him early this time.

While Choi Sung-Moon continued to praise me, he refilled his own glass and stood up.

"Alright! I would like to say thank you to all the actors and staff who followed the ridiculously tough schedule so well. So, once again... to achieving ten million audience!"

The staff cheered enthusiastically and made a toast to Choi Sung-Moon's words. "To ten million!"

***

Gathered around the table in the CEO's office in Daeheung Savings Bank's headquarters located in Myeongdong were the bank president, Choi Yung-Ho, Ju Jin-Ho, Park Jung-Ho, and Jang Ki-Ho.

They usually discussed the direction of the bank's operations, government policies, and the flow of funds in Myeongdong, but today the topic was about finding Choi Eun-Tae's son.

Park Jung-Ho, who turned 35 years old this year, started his report to Choi Yung-Ho, his boss.

"We've secured DNA samples from about half of them."

Following Ju Jin-Ho's strategy, most of the orphans eagerly signed the low-interest loan documents. Though some were skeptical, everyone took up the government support program and the extraordinary offer of 90% indemnity in case of an emergency.

In the meantime, Daeheung Savings Bank employees had collected hair, cigarette butts, gum, chopsticks, and used cups of the candidates to gather DNA samples.

"What are the test results?" Choi Yung-Ho asked.

Park Jung-Ho replied, "There are no matches so far."

"Nice work. Let's speed up the process to test the remaining people quickly."

As Park Jung-Ho bowed and finished his report, the youngest Jang Ki-Ho asked, "Yung-Ho hyung-nim, what are we going to do about the loan amounts? Are we really not going to collect them?"

"Just leave it. If others find out we're trying to collect that money, it'll become a headache," Choi Yung-Ho answered.

"Understood."

Then Choi Yung-Ho turned back to Park Jung-Ho and asked, "How are things going with Jung Yoon-Ho and Kang Eun-Gi?"

Park Jung-Ho let out a deep sigh. "We haven't made any progress so far."

"Why not?"

"Kang Eun-Gi is in detention which makes visits and contact difficult. And Jung Yoon-Ho shows no interest at all."

Choi Yung-Ho cleared his throat and asked again, "Jung Yoon-Ho, that guy. I heard he's doing well at Hoop Entertainment. Does he not need money?"

"That seems to be the case."

Ju Jin-Ho interjected. "Then contact him offering a home loan service. Tempt him by suggesting he buy a nice house with the 'free money'."

Park Jung-Ho sighed deeply. "I thought of that too and already tried sending someone, but they couldn't enter because there were guards."

"He has guards at his home? Is Jung Yoon-Ho making that much money?"

"He's earning well, but he also shares a building with other actors from his company..."

At that moment, Ju Jin-Ho devised another plan.

"Hyung-nim, how about we offer car wash services to Team Lead Jung?"

The idea was to collect Jung Yoon-Ho's fallen hairs while washing the car. All they needed was just one strand of hair with a 99% match to confirm Jung Yoon-Ho's parentage.

Choi Yung-Ho laughed heartily. "

Ha ha ha.

That's a good idea. Then get a mobile car wash service card and leave it on the window."

"Yes, understood. As for Kang Eun-Gi, I'll try to recruit a detention center employee."

"Alright. And make sure to be careful and keep this from Choi Man-Sik. You know how important that is, right?"

"Of course, hyung-nim. Who do you think I am?"

Choi Yung-Ho then turned to Ju Jin-Ho. "By the way, what's the update on Choi Man-Sik?"

"That guy has been very active lately. He's been meeting frequently with ruling party lawmakers."

"Finding Mr. Choi's son is important, but the speed at which Choi Man-Sik is reaching into politics is alarming. Continue to keep a close watch."

Everyone bowed their heads. "Yes, hyung-nim!"

The search for Choi Eun-Tae's lost son was accelerating.

***

It had been three days after my meeting with Kim Ae-Ryeon, but no articles about Vice President Kim Ae-Ja, Park Hee-Tae, or Choi Seong-Lak had been published yet.

"Mr. Jung, shall we start the car wash?"

I snapped out of my thoughts at Lee Yung-Jin's voice.

"Let's get rid of the smell first before we start washing," I replied.

Today, we were preparing to wash the newly assigned Merciless Bends Springer and a large domestic van. We opened all the doors of the Springer and the van in the spacious yard to air them out.

At that moment, Miso came out to the yard while exclaiming, "Wow! A new car! Uncle Yoon-Ho, can I take off the stickers?"

Miso's eyes sparkled as she pointed to the edge of the vinyl tape on the door.

"Of course~ you can take off anything you can."

Miso cheered and ran over to the car. "Yay~!"

Meanwhile, I instructed Lee Yung-Jin and Jung Sang-Bong to change their clothes.

As they went into the landlord's house on the first floor, Yoo-Jin brought out drinks on a tray.

"You'll get tanned, Yoo-Jin. Stay inside."

"Oh, come on. It's fine."

"No, come here."

I took the tray from Yoo-Jin and headed to the shaded area in front of the entrance.

"But why are you washing cars at home, oppa? Don't tell me the company is cutting car wash expenses?"

I sighed and explained, "Actually, there was an incident where an employee installed a hidden camera while cleaning the car at the carwash. So I never let anyone else wash the car."

It was a hassle, but I didn't want to risk such dangers ever again.

Yoo-Jin nodded slowly. "Oh, so that's why you always washed the car yourself."

Then, I asked Yoo-Jin about the current situation on set as I hadn't been able to accompany Yoo-Jin there recently.

"How's it going these days? Are you managing?"

"Everything's great except for the heat. I've gotten close to sunbae-nims and the staff. Also, I think I'm fully used to my character Cheongmyung now."

Currently, Cheongmyung's actions and lines were becoming memes on the internet.

-There is no lowliness in occupations!

-You people are worse than ghosts!

-Hey, you wretched spirit!

-I swear, I'm going to exorcize you!

Cheongmyung was a shaman tainted by capitalism, but her weakness was children, dogs, and cats. Despite being boastful, she couldn't help but assist people and spirits with sad stories and often claimed that her eyes were teary because something was stuck inside.

"Then what about playing the role of Manshin Wol-Ah? Isn't it tough?"

"I gotta admit it's a bit tough...but imagining what I might be like in 40 years helps."

Yoo-Jin had adapted to her character much faster than I expected. Thankfully, she was still putting her all into her acting without losing her initial passion. Moreover, she still showed the same kindness, even bringing drinks for her talent agent.

Then, Yoo-Jin suddenly looked worried and asked, "But, oppa. When will you reveal Manshin Wol-Ah's identity?"

"I'm waiting for the right timing," I replied.

Originally, I planned to reveal Manshin Wol-Ah's identity after the drama ended. However, with viewership ratings nearing 20% despite only having aired the early episodes, it seemed difficult to keep it a secret until the end.

After all, more and more people were becoming curious about who Manshin Wol-Ah was.

Yoo-Jin nodded. "Got it."

In the meantime, Miso came running with stickers in both hands. "Uncle Yoon-Ho! I took off all the stickers!"

I praised her. "Good job!"

Seeing Miso's happy face made me forget the complicated current situations for a moment.

I turned to Yoo-Jin and said, "I'm going to help with the car wash. I have to return the old vehicle today, so I'm a bit busy."

"Alright. Have fun!" Yoo-Jin replied cheerfully.

I drank the beverage Yoo-Jin gave me, and started washing the car without a break.

After thoroughly washing and waxing the cars for three hours, I returned to my room.

I let out a happy sigh. "

Ah!

It's nice and cool here!"

Enjoying the cold air from the air conditioner, I checked the internet and saw that the long-awaited articles had finally started to appear.

[Celebrity C and Celebrity P caught in a marijuana party at Gangnam club! Urgent arrest! (Central Daily Newspaper)]

(Comments)

-LOL, the mosaic is so obvious. Can't they make it less recognizable? Isn't C CSL?

-P must be PHT. Those guys often go to Gangnam Flexis.

-Those two are famous among clubbers. They are notorious for their bad behavior.

-Who's the person in the middle of the blurred photo? There are three of them.

-They must have been partying with a girl.

Photos that appeared to be of Park Hee-Tae and Choi Seong-Lak were circulating as breaking news. However, the image of Kim Ae-Ja sitting between them was heavily pixelated, making her unrecognizable.

Just as I wondered if this would be the end of tying Kim Ae-Ja to the scandal, a video began playing on TV.

[Breaking News: Daechon Inc.'s Vice President Kim Ae-Ja under urgent investigation by prosecutors for embezzlement and breach of trust.]

The TV showed Kim Ae-Ja's car entering the prosecutor's office along with the caption, and the news anchors reported that Vice President Kim Ae-Ja of Daechon Inc. had created slush funds through several subsidiaries. Among the mentioned subsidiaries was Yuseong Foods, which I had informed Kim Ae-Ryeon about.

That's when my phone began to ring.

It was Choi So-Hye.

-Team Lead Jung, have you seen the article yet?

"Yes I've just seen it."

-I'm sorry if it's disappointing, but this was the best I could do. Our department felt it was too risky to tie Vice President Kim Ae-Ja to the celebrities directly, so we separated the stories and handed them over to the social affairs department.

Nonetheless, Choi So-Hye explained that Kim Ae-Ja will go to jail and have a hard time seeing the outside world for a while thanks to the information provided by Kim Ae-Ryeon.

"Thank you for your hard work."

-Don't mention it. You're the one who did all the hard work. Thanks to you, the president of my company called me in and praised me, saying I'm better than the editor-in-chief.

"Will there be additional reports?"

-Yes, we'll keep digging until she's completely done for. So don't you worry. You can relax now.

The excited Choi So-Hye hung up, saying she would treat me to a nice meal soon.

Lee Yung-Jin beside me asked, "Is it over? Those two?"

"Yes, it's over. Let's head back to the office. It seems like we'll have a lot to do today."

Having dealt with Park Hee-Tae and Choi Seong-Lak , it was now time to prepare for Sung Ho-Jun's arrival.

Just then, another call came in.

'

What a busy day...

' I thought.

This time, the call was from Kim Ae-Ryeon.

"Yes, Ms. Kim."

-Team Lead Jung, did you see the article?

Kim Ae-Ryeon's voice was filled with laughter.

"I did."

-The information about Yuseong Foods you provided was a goldmine. Unfortunately, my father intervened, so we couldn't bring it all the way down. He said it would be a disgrace to the family if she went to jail because of her ties to celebrities. I hope you understand.

"Well, it's fine as long as my actors are protected."

-At least my sister won't be able to see the outside world for a long time. I'll make sure of that!

Kim Ae-Ryeon spoke with determination before adding in a playful tone.

-Oh. By the way, my father wants to meet you soon.

I was shocked. '

What? The Honorary President of Daechon Inc. wants to meet me? He wants to meet the person who helped incarcerate his daughter?

'

"B-but why would he have a reason to meet me..."

Kim Ae-Ryeon burst into a hearty laughter.

-Why? Are you scared?

"It's not that, it's just that it would be uncomfortable for both of us in this situation."

-Don't worry. I didn't mention that you were the source of the information. Instead, I told him there's someone I'm keeping an eye on. That's why he wants to meet you.

"I'll think about it."

-Think carefully. My father isn't used to being rejected.

Kim Ae-Ryeon hung up the call with that.

Just as I was clenching my fist in joy, a KkTalk message arrived.

Ding!

[Director Lee Gi-Cheol: All team leads, please attend the meeting in an hour. Attendance is highly recommended!]

Finally, the moment I had been waiting for had arrived.