Chapter 443: Hwangryong Film Association Preparation (2)

After the meeting, Bang Sang-Yung and Ju Ho-Sung entered Bang Sang-Yung's room with grim expressions and sat on the sofa.

It was because things did not proceed as Bang Sang-Yung had planned.

At that moment, Ju Ho-Sung asked with a hardened expression, "What are you going to do now? Mr. Choi Man-Sik was adamant about this and he won't sit still after such a failure!"

"Just be quiet! Let me think!"

The plan was simple as they only needed to arrange a meeting between Jung Yoon-Ho and Han Jung-Joo. After that, a reporter would take a photograph, and the influential individuals from Choi Man-Sik and Suhyaejong line were supposed to handle the rest.

Unfortunately for them, what seemed like a simple task failed because of Jung Yoon-Ho's unpredictability. On top of that, he knew far too much about Han Jung-Joo's private relationships.

The more Bang Sang-Yung saw Jung Yoon-Ho, the more he realized he was no ordinary person.

'

Damn it. Why isn't he behaving like his usual self?

' the frustrated Bang Sang-Yung wondered

Bang Sang-Yung thought he could definitely bait Jung Yoon-Ho as the latter was always proactive, but it ended up in complete failure.

Bang Sang-Yung slammed the sofa's armrest in anger.

Bang!

Bang Sang-Yung cursed. "What the hell! He always meddles when told not to, but why is he acting like this today?"

Ju Ho-Sung sighed and asked, "Wouldn't it be better to contact Mr. Choi Man-Sik first for now?"

Bang Sang-Yung clutched his head in frustration for a while before finally speaking, "No. First, I'll meet Director Lee Dong-Gu to discuss this. Team Lead Ju, you find out exactly where Lee Tae-Poong is right now."

"He should be coming up from Jiri Mountain to Seoul."

"Don't just say that, get a specific update!"

"Why are you so adamant? Could you at least tell me why?"

"I need to pair an actress with Tae-Poong."

Since the original plan had failed, Bang Sang-Yung had no choice but to resort to a backup strategy he had prepared just in case.

The actress he intended to pair with Lee Tae-Poong was Choi Min-Hee, a rookie from Ace Entertainment. Bang Sang-Yung had met Choi Min-Hee through a broadcasting program and knew she was ambitious enough to do anything for success.

Ju Ho-Sung immediately grasped Bang Sang-Yung's intentions. "Would it be easy to take compromising photos?"

"Oh, don't be so naive. If someone as pretty as Min-Hee gets even halfway undressed and approaches, any man would fall for it. All we need is just one shot."

"True. If someone suddenly approaches like that, it's hard to think rationally. But do you have the paparazzi ready?"

"I've already prepared one."

Ju Ho-Sung looked at Bang Sang-Yung with a knowing gaze.

Bang Sang-Yung continued, "Anyway, I plan to use that photo to lure Jung Yoon-Ho to the designated location and also invite Chairperson Han there."

"And it would be game over if we could get a reporter to take a snap at the right moment."

"Exactly!"

Though risky, it wasn't the time to be picky about methods.

Ju Ho-Sung saluted and left the room again. "Well, as long as it gets the job done. I'll find out where Tae-Poong is within five minutes."

Bang Sang-Yung took a deep breath and called Choi Min-Hee from Ace Entertainment.

-Hello? Mr. Bang?

"Yeah, it's me. Send me a photo of you and Tae-Poong together tonight no matter what it takes. Use whatever means necessary and I'll make sure you get a big push in return. Just make sure it's as provocative as possible."

-You know it'll cost at least 20 million won and a guaranteed spot on a program for something like that, right?

"Of course."

-Okay, we have a deal! What about the photographer? My talent agent is too clueless for this.

"I'll attach a paparazzi to you, so don't worry. I'll also update you on Tae-Poong's location soon."

-Got it.

Bang Sang-Yung ended the call after giving her additional instructions. Next, he called Han Yeon-Hong, a reporter from Star Patch.

He had a hunch that only either Jung Yoon-Ho or him could survive after this incident.

"Hey, Reporter Han. It's me. Can you handle a job for me? Don't worry about the money. Yeah. Head out right away. I'll send you the location soon."

After finishing his call with the reporter, Bang Sang-Yung left the office and called Lee Dong-Gu who was collaborating with him on this matter. "Mr. Lee, let's meet tonight at 8 at VIP Club Lucy. There's something urgent I need to discuss with you."

Hearing Bang Sang-Yung's urgent tone, Lee Dong-Gu readily agreed.

***

After asking Jung Soo-Hyuk to follow Bang Sang-Yung's movements, I immediately tracked down Lee Tae-Poong's location.

Knowing Bang Sang-Yung wouldn't give up easily, I decided to personally protect Lee Tae-Poong until the Hwangryong Film Association awards ceremony.

When I called Lee Tae-Poong, he said he was at designer Jason Cho's studio for the final fitting of the tuxedo he would wear to the festival. Jason Cho was already a promising designer and would go on to win a major award at a New York fashion show five years later, becoming an internationally renowned figure.

Fortunately, Team Jung's Assistant Manager Lee Mi-Ri and her husband Chae Sang-Woo were close to Jason Cho from their time living in New York. Despite being busy, Jason Cho had taken on the task of tailoring Lee Tae-Poong's outfit.

After calling Chae Sang-Woo in the office, I headed to JJ Studio in Cheongdam-dong with him.

On the way, Chae Sang-Woo sat in the passenger seat and gave me a heads-up. "Jason Cho's real name is Jo Chang-Sik. But he hates using his Korean name, so make sure to call him Jason or JJ."

Although I already knew this from our frequent encounters in my past life, I pretended not to know.

I asked, "Is there a reason he dislikes his name?"

"He used to be bullied as a child because he was small and frail. His real name reminds him of those memories and he hates it."

At thirty-two years old, Jason Cho was reportedly 163 cm tall and had endured bullying because of his height. Even his first love rejected him, saying they couldn't date because of his height.

Determined, he went to New York and achieved success in fashion before returning triumphant. To distance himself from his past, he began using a Westernized name.

I answered, "I'll keep that in mind."

In the meantime, we arrived at JJ Studio in Cheongdam-dong. JJ Studio was a seven story small building complete with a parking lot.

When I called Lee Tae-Poong after parking the car, Lee Dae-Ho answered instead.

-Mr. Jung, we're fitting on the fifth floor right now.

"Oh, I see. I'll head up right away."

As I stepped out of the car and was about to enter the studio, I noticed something.

At one corner of the parking lot, there was a woman sitting in the driver's seat of a black car and staring at the studio. Upon closer look, her face looked familiar.

It was Han Yeon-Hong, a reporter from Star Patch. At thirty years old, she would become the team lead of Star Patch's Team 3 in two years and overtake her seniors. She was also a paparazzi who would do anything for money.

'

Could she be targeting Tae-Poong?

' I wondered.

Considering Lee Tae-Poong was a strong candidate for the Best Actor Award at the Hwangryong Film Association, it made sense.

When our eyes met, she quickly lowered her hat and averted her gaze.

"Mr. Sang-Woo, please go upstairs first."

"I'm sorry?"

"It's nothing. I just need to make a quick call to the office."

"Oh, okay. Understood."

If I told Chae Sang-Woo what was going on, the news might reach Lee Tae-Poong. I couldn't burden him with this because he was already nervous about the awards ceremony.

After sending Chae Sang-Woo upstairs, I slowly approached the corner of the parking lot.

***

Knock, knock.

When I tapped on the car window, Han Yeon-Hong, who had been keeping her head down, cautiously raised her face. She had short hair, wore brown glasses, and had a round face.

I asked, "Can we talk for a moment, Ms. Han?"

Creak.

The frost-covered window slowly rolled down.

With an awkward smile, Han Yeon-Hong answered, "

Hahaha.

You're Mr. Jung from Hoop Entertainment, right? I've heard a lot about you from my sunbae-nims. I'm Han Yeon-Hong from Star Patch."

Pretending to be friendly, Han Yeon-Hong handed me her business card.

I took her business card nonchalantly. "Well, I guess I'll take it. What are you doing here anyway?"

"What else? JJ Studio is the hottest spot these days. Rumor has it that male actors are all getting their award ceremony outfits here, so I came to take pictures."

'

What nonsense. Does she really think I'll buy that?

'

Han Yeon-Hong was the type of reporter who fixated on a single target and stuck to them like glue.

"Don't lie to me. You're here following Tae-Poong, aren't you?"

Han Yeon-Hong forced an awkward smile. "Oh? Mr. Tae-Poong's here right now? I didn't know that. I'm actually here for someone else..."

"Who?"

"Boy group Raven's leader, Oh Tae-Hyuk. You know, the one who played the character Guk-Seon in

Hwaranjeon.

He's supposedly getting his outfit for the Hwangryong Film Association made here, so I'm waiting for him."

I scoffed and replied to Han Yeon-Hong's blatant lie. " "Oh Tae-Hyuk hasn't acted in any movies, so he wouldn't even be invited to the Hwangryong Film Association. And he gets all his outfits made at PNP Studio, not here. So why don't you be honest before you regret it?"

At that moment, Han Yeon-Hong clamped her mouth shut and crossed her arms. Her body language seemed to be saying "Do you really think you can make me talk?"

Nevertheless, I knew how to loosen her lips.

"Are you sure you won't regret this?" I questioned.

Han Yeon-Hong snorted instead of answering.

I shrugged. '

Looks like I have no choice.

'

I spoke up. "Ms. Han, you accepted 50 million won in hush money while investigating TNT Entertainment's actor Park Doo-Soo, right?"

Han Yeon-Hong's face instantly turned pale and her tightly shut mouth opened right away. "H-how do you know about that...?"

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"That's my trade secret, so I can't say. Anyway, you didn't share the money with your company, did you?"

It was not unusual for reporters to accept hush money to bury a scandal. However, the hush money was typically split with the company. In this case, Han Yeon-Hong pocketed it all herself.

I knew this for sure because she drunkenly confessed it to me during a drinking session in my past life.

"If your sunbae-nims or the executives at Star Patch found out about this, don't you think they'd be thrilled? Imagine how they'd react to hearing that you didn't share the money with the company. Lawsuits would be the least of your worries. You wouldn't be able to work in this industry anymore..."

Han Yeon-Hong spoke hurriedly in a panicked tone, "W-wait! Please, don't tell them!"

"Then tell me who you're here for."

Only then did Han Yeon-Hong finally admit it. "Fine! I'm here for Lee Tae-Poong!"

'

As expected.

'

I pushed her a little further. "Did your team lead send you, or are you working alone?"

Depending on whether the orders came from above, the number of people targeting Lee Tae-Poong could vary.

That's when Han Yeon-Hong said something unexpected. "I'm working alone. But for this job, your company's Director Bang personally requested it!"

'

Bang Sang-Yung? So this was the best plan he could come up with?

'

"Is that all? Did he just tell you to follow him?"

"That's it. He said to tail Mr. Lee Tae-Poong and wait for further instructions. I haven't received any yet."

Though I could guess what Bang Sang-Yung had in mind, it was something I could easily thwart. More importantly, I decided to turn this situation against him using Han Yeon-Hong.

Judging from the situation, it was clear that Bang Sang-Yung held hands with Suhyaejong alumni judges to push for Oh Ji-Seok.

I said, "If you follow my instructions from now on, I'll keep this to myself."

"Anything you say. Just tell me what to do."

Han Yeon-Hong was surprisingly cooperative.

I smirked and began laying out a plan to deal a fatal blow to Bang Sang-Yung. "From now on, follow Oh Ji-Seok."

Han Yeon-Hong tilted her head in confusion. "Oh Ji-Seok? But people say he's squeaky clean."

"Do you trust the person who told you that?"

Han Yeon-Hong furrowed her brow. "

Ugh

, that damn Team Lead Park! He lied to me again, didn't he?"

It seemed the false information had come from her superior.

I continued, "So just tail Oh Ji-Seok from now on. That guy regularly loses his temper and abuses his talent agents, so you'll find plenty of dirt."

"Really?"

"Yes. And with the stress from the Hwangryong Film Association, he's bound to cause trouble soon."

Oh Ji-Seok was an actor from Ace Entertainment competing with Lee Tae-Poong for the Best Actor Award.

While his public image was that of an all-rounded sportsman who loved fitness, that persona was entirely fabricated by Ace Entertainment. In reality, Oh Ji-Seok was a habitual abuser of his talent agents.

He would punch or kick the talent agents over trivial matters—sometimes just because he was annoyed, or because he didn't like the taste of his lunchbox. Incidents like this were a dime a dozen in the entertainment industry and Oh Ji-Seok frequently crossed the line among them.

If I could dig up even one piece of dirt on Oh Ji-Seok, it would be enough to deal a fatal blow not just to him but also to Bang Sang-Yung and the Suhyaejong judges backing him.

At that moment, Han Yeon-Hong spoke up. "In return, I have a condition too."

"What is it?"

"I need material to fool Director Bang Sang-Yung. I agreed to send him pictures of Mr. Lee Tae-Poong every three hours."

"Don't worry about that. I'll take the photos and give them to you."

I tilted my phone and shook it lightly, causing Han Yeon-Hong to smirk.

"Okay. Then I'll start digging into Oh Ji-Seok."

"Good. Off you go."

However, Han Yeon-Hong removed her hands from the steering wheel and crossed her arms instead of leaving. "Go? Where would I go? Oh Ji-Seok is already here."

"Pardon me?"

"He went into the studio about ten minutes before you arrived. See that black Explorer van? That's the car he came in."

"So...Tae-Poong and Oh Ji-Seok are inside together?"

"Yep."

The situation was concerning considering they were competitors for the Hwangryong Film Association's Best Actor Award. With Oh Ji-Seok so desperate for the award, there was no telling what might happen with him and Lee Tae-Poong in the same place.

"I'll contact you later."

"Sure~"

Leaving Han Yeon-Hong in the parking lot, I hurried to JJ Studio.

The moment I entered the elevator, I pressed the button for the fifth floor and closed the door. The elevator rose quickly and stopped with a ding on the fifth floor.

When the doors opened, I saw a modern fitting area decorated in black and white. One side of the space was a dressing room while the other was set up like a lounge.

In the middle of it all, an unbelievable scene was unfolding.

"You little punk, how dare you grab your sunbae by the collar? Let go of me!"

"Not until you apologize first."

Oh Ji-Seok and Lee Tae-Poong were grabbing each other by the collar.

Meanwhile, the small and frail Jason Cho was sitting on the floor with his face pale as a sheet.

'

What on earth is going on here now?

'