Chapter 418: Venue Booking

The COEX Convention Hall DX had been the venue for ballad singer Kim Gi-Tae's year-end concerts for the past five years under Ace Entertainment.

However, when they didn't book the reservation on the application day, we seized the opportunity and placed a deposit to make the reservation. We had planned to pay the balance today and finalize the remaining venue rental procedures.

However, upon hearing this news, Kim Gi-Tae insisted on holding his concert there right away.

As such, Team Lead Park Yeon-Soo, the rental manager, claimed there was a procedural issue and refunded our deposit to secure the venue for Kim Gi-Tae from Ace Entertainment.

This happened because Park Yeon-Soo was an ardent fan of Kim Gi-Tae. Nevertheless, I had a way to resolve this issue.

I knew a few things about Park Yeon-Soo's misconduct and what would soon happen to Kim Gi-Tae.

[Everyday V11]

[Date: November 23, 2020]

-09:00 p.m.: Kim Gi-Tae caught smuggling marijuana. Arrested.

-10:00 p.m.: General meeting (Agenda: Kim Gi-Tae's December year-end concert canceled. COEX Convention Hall DX reservation failure by Hoop Entertainment).

One week later, Kim Gi-Tae will be arrested based on testimony from his supplier and he naturally won't be able to hold his year-end concert.

In my past life, Hoop Entertainment had tried to secure the concert hall upon hearing the news but failed. This was because Ace Entertainment had already planned for another artist to perform in Kim Gi-Tae's place.

I decided to act immediately this time. I knew that if I waited without doing anything, Cherry Blossom's year-end joint concert would be ruined.

I quickly entrusted Sae-Ri to Lee Ju-Yung before heading to COEX.

***

In the hallway in front of the COEX management office, Do Ran-Hee was sitting on a chair with her face flushed.

"Mr. Jung!" she cried out as she sprang up from her seat and ran over with her coat flapping like a frill-necked lizard.

She frowned. "What took you so long?"

I struggled to hide my flustered expression and replied, "Traffic. Why are you out here?"

Do Ran-Hee lowered her head.

I asked, "Were you kicked out?"

"Yes..."

"You didn't throw a punch, did you?"

"I wanted to, but I held back when I heard you were coming. I just yelled a bit."

That's when I suddenly recalled how Do Ran-Hee had hit 115 decibels during a bet with a decibel meter in the basement recording studio. It sounded like a dinosaur roaring.

"You did well holding back. Do you have Team Lead Park Yeon-Soo's contact info?"

"Here it is."

The glass door of the management office was firmly shut, so I called the number on the business card.

Beep, beep, beep.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

[The call was not answered. Redirecting to voicemail...]

"As expected, no answer."

"Mr. Jung, shouldn't we contact Team Lead Park Yeon-Soo's superiors at this point?"

"No. The venue rental is entirely her responsibility. Even if we call, they'll just redirect us back to her."

Although she was troubled by the situation with Kim Gi-Tae, Park Yeon-Soo had always handled rental tasks until I traveled back in time.

Hence, it was safe to assume she wouldn't be replaced by someone else anytime soon.

At that moment, Lee Chan-Dong from Ace Entertainment stepped out of the elevator with ballad singer Kim Gi-Tae.

"Well, well. Who do we have here? Isn't it Team Lead Jung? What brings you here?" Lee Chan-Dong remarked.

"Don't act like you don't know," I replied coldly.

Lee Chan-Dong grinned slyly and replied, "Now that I think about it, I heard some folks were trying to snatch the year-end venue reservation. Could it have been you?"

Do Ran-Hee was about to explode in anger, but I calmed her down as there was no point in arguing with them. It wouldn't change the outcome.

Kim Gi-Tae, wearing a beige long coat, sunglasses, and pomade-styled hair, smirked. "So you're that famous Team Lead Jung everyone's talking about these days, huh?"

"Ah, yes."

"I'm sorry, but this venue has been mine for the past five years. It doesn't matter who comes. It's a no."

At just thirty-five years old, Kim Gi-Tae delivered his words arrogantly while looking down on us.

Then, the glass door of the management office opened. Park Yeon-Soo dressed sharply in a black suit and a pink blouse walked in. "Oh my, Mr. Gi-Tae, you're here!"

Park Yeon-Soo greeted Kim Gi-Tae with a radiant smile, but her expression soured when she saw Do Ran-Hee and me. "Ah, Mr. Jung, you're here... too."

"Ms. Park, can we talk for a moment?" I asked.

"I don't have much to say to you. Can you step aside?"

Pushing past me, Park Yeon-Soo led Lee Chan-Dong and Kim Gi-Tae into the office. At this point, I was left with no choice.

"Mr. Jung, what should we do now?" Do Ran-Hee asked anxiously.

"There's no other choice."

I immediately pulled out my phone and called Choi So-Hye. "Ms. Choi, do you have a contact at the Seocho Police Station?"

-Yes, I do. Why?

"I have a tip regarding singer Kim Gi-Tae."

When she heard that the supplier who provided marijuana to Kim Gi-Tae had been arrested, Choi So-Hye let out a cheer.

-Okay! If this is legit, I'll give you a kiss today!

"No thanks, absolutely not."

I quickly hung up the call.

***

Do Ran-Hee and I sat on a hallway bench for about 30 minutes, watching people walk by.

However, the scheduled event in my planner remained unchanged.

Unable to hold back any longer, Do Ran-Hee asked, "Mr. Jung, are you sure Kim Gi-Tae really did drugs?"

"Yeah, he's a habitual user."

"Then how has he avoided getting caught until now?"

"His supplier has been extremely cautious. But the supplier is already in police custody this time, so he won't get away with it."

"Will the supplier testify?"

"The most unreliable people in the world are drug suppliers. Don't worry. They'll spill everything they know and more."

Just then, the center's glass door opened.

Lee Chan-Dong stepped out with a grin. "Team Lead Jung. Since it's all over, how about grabbing dinner with us?"

"I'll pass."

Lee Chan-Dong smirked and nodded. "You're always so prickly. Oh, by the way. My president wants to discuss Ju Yung-In's case with you. Can you spare some time?"

It felt unsettling, but I couldn't refuse as handling Ju Yung-In's earnings was a necessary matter.

"All right. Let's do that."

"Then we'll be off. Take care."

With smug smiles of victory, the two disappeared.

'

Let's see if they'll still be smiling at our next meeting,

' I remarked inwardly.

At that moment, Park Yeon-Soo peeked out and looked at us. "What's this? You're still here?"

"Yes. I'd like a moment of your time."

Park Yeon-Soo reluctantly turned her head. "Fine. Come in and have a cup of tea before you leave."

She seemed at ease, probably confident after securing the venue rental. Her steps were light as she headed to the office.

At that moment, a KkTalk message arrived.

[Reporter Choi So-Hye: Tyty. You were right, Team Lead Jung. The article will go live tonight. Just wait for it!]

Unlike other reporters, Choi So-Hye used her extensive network from working as a culture desk team lead at Central Daily News to obtain quick information.

I immediately checked my planner.

[Everyday V11]

[Date: November 23, 2020]

-09:00 p.m.: Kim Gi-Tae caught smuggling marijuana. Arrested.

-10:00 p.m.: General meeting (Agenda: Kim Gi-Tae's December year-end concert canceled. COEX Convention Hall DX reservation failure by Hoop Entertainment).

'

What's this? Why hasn't it disappeared?'

I wondered.

Although I couldn't understand why, my priority was following Park Yeon-Soo.

I turned to Do Ran-Hee and said, "Ran-Hee, let's go in."

At that moment, Do Ran-Hee grabbed my arm. "Mr. Jung, if you handle this well, I'll treat you to beef today! The Cherry Blossom members have been working so hard for this."

I looked at her intently and declared, "Deal!"

***

When we entered the office, Park Yeon-Soo led us to a meeting room and served us black Americano with no sugar.

It felt like she wanted us to taste the bitterness of life.

She picked up her Americano and replied, "The year-end stage has been confirmed for Mr. Gi-Tae, so what more is there to discuss?"

Sip.

Park Yeon-Soo took a sip of her Americano and her face glowed with a smile. She must have added sugar to hers.

I whispered, ensuring my voice wouldn't carry outside the room. "Are you aware Mr. Kim Gi-Tae is about to be embroiled in a marijuana scandal?"

Park Yeon-Soo's expression froze in an instant. "L-listen, Mr. Jung. Where are you getting this slanderous information? Do you realize it could be grounds for a lawsuit if this reaches Mr. Gi-Tae?"

"An article will be published tonight."

I casually showed her the summary of the article that Choi So-Hye had sent me. Seeing the preview, Park Yeon-Soo's entire body trembled.

It was the moment a devoted fan had to confront reality.

Then, as if unable to sit still, Park Yeon-Soo suddenly grabbed her phone and stood up.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"The restroom. I'll be right back."

Sensing something odd, I checked my planner again.

[Everyday V11]

[Date: November 23, 2020]

-09:00 p.m.:

(Deleted Scheduled Event: Kim Gi-Tae caught smuggling marijuana. Arrested.)

The 9 p.m. scheduled event had disappeared. However, the note about Hoop Entertainment's reservation failure at 10 p.m. remained unchanged.

[Everyday V11]

[Date: November 23, 2020]

-10:00 p.m.: General meeting (Agenda: Kim Gi-Tae's December year-end concert canceled. COEX Convention Hall DX reservation failure by Hoop Entertainment).

That meant the venue rental would fail again just like in my past life if Park Yeon-Soo went out of this room to contact Ace Entertainment.

I couldn't let that happen.

As Park Yeon-Soo grabbed the meeting room doorknob, I quickly addressed her, "By the way, Ms. Park, how many tickets did you receive this time?"

Park Yeon-Soo immediately understood my implication and froze in her tracks. "H-How many tickets? What are you talking about?"

"Why pretend not to know? I'm aware you received tickets for the year-end concert. And not just complimentary ones, but general tickets that can be sold."

Typically, when a venue was rented, complimentary invitations were provided to the manager as a form of courtesy. Park Yeon-Soo usually distributed these invitations for free to her superiors.

However, Kim Gi-Tae provided general tickets that could be sold, not complimentary ones. Each ticket was worth 100 thousand won, and receiving a hundred tickets was equivalent to receiving 1 million won in cash.

'

Who knows how much more she might have received in a situation like this?

' I thought.

Park Yeon-Soo turned around to protest. "Stop accusing an innocent person! When did I ever receive general tickets? If you keep this up without evidence, I'll sue you!"

"Go ahead. Then the police can thoroughly investigate whether you received invitations or general tickets and how many."

Park Yeon-Soo nervously rolled her eyes.

Sensing the moment, Do Ran-Hee jumped into the conversation. "Ms. Park. Mr. Jung always follows through. You don't have to go down with Kim Gi-Tae just because you're a fan, right?"

Park Yeon-Soo opened her mouth as if to argue but slumped into an empty chair instead. After a long and silent pause, she finally made a proposal. "The balance payment from Mr. Gi-Tae's side hasn't been deposited yet... If you can transfer the payment immediately, I'll restore the venue rental to your team."

Do Ran-Hee's face brightened and she looked at me with a hopeful expression. "Mr. Jung~ There's no need for lawsuits or conflicts, right? And Ms. Park surely wouldn't have exchanged those tickets for money, would she?"

I feigned hesitation before nodding. After all, Cherry Blossom's stage was more important than exposing Park Yeon-Soo's corruption.

"Fine. I'll transfer the payment now. But if you revert the decision again, I won't stand for it."

"Got it. Please follow me."

As Park Yeon-Soo gestured for us to follow her, I checked my planner once more.

[Everyday V11]

[Date: November 23, 2020]

-10:00 p.m.:

(Deleted Scheduled Event: General meeting (Agenda: Kim Gi-Tae's December year-end concert cancelled. COEX Convention Hall DX reservation failure by Hoop Entertainment)).

The scheduled event had finally been erased.

'

Thank you, Everyday V11.

'

Thanks to the planner, everything had been resolved smoothly.

***

After canceling Kim Gi-Tae's venue rental and paying the balance for Hoop Entertainment, the rental agreement was finalized. With notarization in place, it couldn't be reversed anymore.

As Do Ran-Hee and I left the management center, news articles began to surface.

[Ace Entertainment's Kim Gi-Tae, a habitual marijuana user!]

[15-year veteran ballad singer Kim Gi-Tae accused of smuggling large quantities of marijuana!]

Shortly after, Ace Entertainment released a statement.

[Ace Entertainment: "Baseless accusations. We will prove his innocence in court."]

"This is ridiculous," I muttered.

The moment I was relieved that it was all over, my phone rang.

[Caller ID: Chief Lee Chan-Dong]

It was the same Lee Chan-Dong I had met earlier, but I ignored the call.

Do Ran-Hee grinned. "Mr. Jung, aren't you going to answer?"

"No. He's just going to swear at me, so why should I?"

"Fair enough."

"By the way, Ran-Hee. Why is your voice trembling like someone's about to eat you alive?"

"M-Me? My voice?" Do Ran-Hee stuttered.

"Yeah. Yours."

Do Ran-Hee let out a deep sigh and replied, "Fine. Let's go! Today's my treat—Hanwoo beef!"

"Should we invite Yung-Jin as well?"

Do Ran-Hee glared at me.

I quickly averted my gaze and replied, "Never mind. Yung-Jin doesn't like Hanwoo anyway. Let's just enjoy it ourselves."

"Deal!"

That night, I ignored the rice and side dishes entirely, savoring only the Hanwoo beef. I had a modest three servings.

After all, beef paid for by someone else always tasted the best in the world.