Chapter 546: Trap

A deep, low voice came through the phone. The caller said it had been a while, but at first, I didn't recognize who he was.

"Who is this?"

-That's disappointing. You even came all the way to Myeong-dong looking for me. But hey~ you can't just spread the material I made like that. Do you even know how much that's worth?

"Colonel Baek?"

-Thank goodness. I was worried you wouldn't recognize me.

Colonel Baek was the head of the intelligence team assisting in the creation of Kim Dong-Soo's X-FILE.

Choi Yung-Ho, the bank president and right-hand man of Choi Eun-Tae, was currently tracking him, but still hadn't pinpointed Colonel Baek's location.

Because of that reason, I had set a trap to find Colonel Baek. Unexpectedly, Colonel Baek called sooner than I thought he would. However, judging by his tone, he still hadn't realized the trap was closing in.

"So you're calling now to ask for money?"

-Well, something like that. Let's see~ Since this is technically a resale, I'll give you a discount. Just pay me a hundred million won.

Colonel Baek had already sold the information to Kim Dong-Soo, and now he was demanding money from me too. Even while being chased by Choi Yung-Ho, he had the audacity to ask me for money. He was clearly no ordinary person.

"But why are you asking me for the money? The article was published by Seven Star Electronics."

-Come on~ why are you playing this game? I asked Kim Dong-Soo, and he said you're the one who leaked it. And didn't you visit President Sung Yoon-Jae's house last night? Then it must've come from you, Chief Jung.

He must have heard it from Gu Jin-Oh or Yang Gyu-Dong, who were kicked out of Sung Yoon-Jae's house last night. Still, I had no intention of admitting to anything.

"Cut the crap and turn yourself in to the police."

-Turn myself in? Don't make me laugh. I guess I need to show you I'm serious. Fine. Until you pay up, I'll reveal your entertainers' weaknesses to the public one by one. So? Feeling more inclined to pay now?

'

Of course. That's how someone like him would operate...All a guy who digs into others can do is blackmail.

'

Yet, he had overlooked one thing. Unlike before the regression, none of my celebrities had any weaknesses. I felt grateful once again to be working with people of good character.

"Do as you please."

-Alright then. I'll start digging into the ones you're managing.

"Well, do you even have the time for that? You might want to start watching your back."

At that moment, Colonel Baek's once-confident voice wavered with suspicion.

-What kind of bullshit are you pulling?

"You deal with information, right? Figure it out yourself. See what's going on around you."

-What do you mean what's going on?

To shake him, I chuckled and hung up the phone.

Click.

Once the call ended, I felt a boost of confidence. Colonel Baek had always gotten intel one step ahead of me, but this time, he hadn't even sensed the trap. For the first time, I was one step ahead of him.

Now, all I had to do was wait. Soon, Colonel Baek would be hunted by the powerful figures' dogs. And eventually, he would come looking for me.

'

See you soon, Colonel Baek.

'

Buzz. Buzz.

Calls kept coming in from a restricted number, but I didn't answer. Just knowing Colonel Baek's intelligence network had limits was a big enough gain.

"I'd better contact Mr. Choi too."

I called Choi Yung-Ho right away. When he picked up the call, I could hear the wind through the phone. I figured he must be outside.

-What's up?

"I just got a call from Colonel Baek. Where are you right now?"

-I'm on my way to Sokcho. I got word that there's an organization there that bought information from that guy.

"You can probably stop chasing Colonel Baek now."

-What do you mean?

"I laid a trap."

-A trap?

"Yes. I informed Assemblyman Lee Dae-Boong about Colonel Baek. I told him that Colonel Baek was the one who took the photos of Oh Joo-Hyun. I also hinted that Colonel Baek might be holding some dirt on him. If it's Lee Dae-Boong, he'll do whatever it takes to track him down. And if he's not enough, I plan to inform other powerful people as well."

Before the regression, Kim Dong-Soo and I had used the X-FILE solely against celebrities. We pretended not to see anything when it came to powerful figures, because if those people ever found out we knew their secrets, they might have buried us in the mountains without a second thought.

However, through this experience, I came up with a brilliant way to reverse the use of the X-FILE. If we let the powerful know that Colonel Baek was digging into their secrets, they would take it upon themselves to hunt him down. In other words, I had laid the trap using the ancient strategy of "using another's knife to kill."

At that moment, Choi Yung-Ho burst out laughing through the phone.

-

Hahaha

. So you plan to make every power player in Korea go after Colonel Baek?

"Yes. Starting with Assemblyman Lee Dae-Boong, that's exactly what I intend to do."

-Right. They've all got skeletons in their closets, so they'll want to bury him for sure.

After a good laugh, Choi Yung-Ho responded.

-Then I'd better head back to Seoul and stay on standby. If Colonel Baek shows up, it'll be near either Kim Dong-Soo or you.

"I'll be counting on you."

-Don't worry. We'll take full responsibility for monitoring Kim Dong-Soo and protecting you.

"Thank you."

Click.

I ended the call with a faint smile.

"Let's see you stop this one, Colonel Baek. The blades of the powerful won't be as easy to avoid."

From now on, my trap would tighten around his neck. All I had to do was sit back and watch. Of course, until then, I had to move carefully. I had to protect my actors until Colonel Baek, driven by pressure, tried to make contact.

Now fully awake, I stretched and got out of bed. Then I started reviewing the article on Oh Joo-Hyun, preparing for anything that might come next.

***

Enraged by the article about Oh Joo-Hyun, Lee Dae-Boong was wildly swinging a golf club in a fit of fury in his mansion.

Crash!

The sturdy golf club shattered a flower pot on the table into pieces and soil from the pot scattered everywhere. Two people kneeling in front of the table were now covered in dirt.

The two kneeling were Kim Dong-Soo and Oh Joo-Hyun.

Lee Dae-Boong couldn't contain his anger and roared, "

Argh!

How dare you deceive me?"

An article published early that morning had exposed photos of Oh Joo-Hyun hanging out with men.

As her sponsor, Lee Dae-Boong was blinded by jealousy and screamed, "Hey! Oh Joo-Hyun! What the hell are these pictures?"

Still kneeling, Oh Joo-Hyun begged desperately with her hands clasped. "M-Mr. Lee! Please, have mercy! This... this was something I did back when I was young and foolish!"

"Ah, I swear—!"

"

Eek!

"

When Lee Dae-Boong raised the golf club above his head, Oh Joo-Hyun shrieked and burst into tears. But perhaps out of lingering affection, Lee Dae-Boong barely managed to lower the golf club.

"Fine. Let's say you did that because you're stupid. Kim Dong-Soo, you explain. Tell me exactly how this happened."

Still on his knees, Kim Dong-Soo responded instead. "Last night, our attempt to get Miss Joo-Hyun into a Seven Star Electronics commercial failed and backfired."

"Backfired?"

"Yes. We tried to secure her the Galactica ad, but Director Kim Cheon-Seok and Chief Jung Yoon-Ho figured out our setup. So..."

"How pathetic! You should've called me immediately!"

Lee Dae-Boong, who had strictly warned never to contact him in the early morning, was now shouting. Kim Dong-Soo wanted to argue that he had no choice, but he held it in. If he wasn't careful, Lee Dae-Boong might just split his head open with that golf club.

Breathing heavily, Lee Dae-Boong glared at Kim Dong-Soo and asked, "So it's Jung Yoon-Ho again, huh?"

Kim Dong-Soo shut his eyes tightly. "Yes, sir."

"That bastard. He's involved in everything. Now he's tied to Seven Star Electronics too? What the hell is that punk doing?"

Trembling with fury, Lee Dae-Boong looked over at his secretary, Han Gyu-Taek. "Secretary Han. First, contact the Gyeonggi Provincial Council and suspend the approval for Seven Star's new development site. How dare they screw me over? Huh?"

"Understood, sir."

But then, something caught Lee Dae-Boong's eye—a yellow envelope Han Gyu-Taek had been holding.

"What's that?"

Han Gyu-Taek finally handed over the envelope. "It was delivered early this morning by courier. The sender said it contains information that could help you."

"To me?"

"Yes."

"Open it."

Han Gyu-Taek opened the yellow envelope. Inside was a plain white envelope.

"What is that?"

Han Gyu-Taek tilted his head. "I'm not sure either, but they said it would be helpful, so I brought it. Should I open it?"

"Open it."

Concerned it might contain something dangerous, Lee Dae-Boong had Han Gyu-Taek open it first. As Han Gyu-Taek opened the white envelope, a sheet of letter paper came into view.

But its content was completely unexpected.

[The one who took photos of Oh Joo-Hyun is an information broker known as Colonel Baek. If you don't catch him quickly, the next person exposed may not be Oh Joo-Hyun, but it might be you.

-From a supporter who respects you.]

Behind the letter were several attached photos. They were even more incriminating images from Oh Joo-Hyun's past than the ones revealed earlier today.

Lee Dae-Boong felt his rage rising again, but when he saw the next photo, a chill ran down his spine. A single photo fell to the floor, one taken with a different camera than the others.

It showed Lee Dae-Boong drinking with an actress at a bar.

"Colonel Baek... that son of a bitch..."

At that moment, Kim Dong-Soo's face went pale. He hadn't imagined Colonel Baek's name would come out of Lee Dae-Boong's mouth.

'

Who the hell wrote that letter with Colonel Baek's name in it?

'

Kim Dong-Soo's thoughts spiraled into chaos. If the name of his informant got exposed, it could be catastrophic.

Then came Lee Dae-Boong's question. "Dong-Soo, have you ever heard the name Colonel Baek before?"

Kim Dong-Soo's mind raced. He didn't know exactly what was in the letter, but one thing was clear—it didn't include much detailed information on Colonel Baek.

Kim Dong-Soo decided to take a gamble. "This is the first time I've heard the name."

"Really?"

"Yes! Who is this Colonel Baek, anyway? Why are you so shocked?"

Putting every ounce of sincerity into his act, Kim Dong-Soo managed to fool Lee Dae-Boong.

"Dammit... who the hell is this bastard?"

In the end, Lee Dae-Boong turned to his secretary and gave an order.

"Secretary Han. Track down and capture this so-called Colonel Baek. I'll make sure he learns just how insane it is to photograph a politician like this in Korea."

Kim Dong-Soo's heart sank. If someone as powerful as Lee Dae-Boong started digging into Colonel Baek, it was only a matter of time before he was found. Kim Dong-Soo realized he had to get out of there as quickly as possible to warn Colonel Baek.

Just then, Lee Dae-Boong looked at him. Kim Dong-Soo swallowed hard, waiting for the next words. But what came was unexpected.

"Oh, and Dong-Soo."

"Yes, sir?"

"I'll prepare as much money as you need, so hurry up and wrap up the acquisition of Ace Entertainment. How long are you going to keep getting outplayed by Jung Yoon-Ho?"

Kim Dong-Soo exhaled in relief and replied, "Leave it to me. I'll take over Ace quickly and deal with that bastard Jung Yoon-Ho right after."

"Make sure it's handled."

At that moment, Oh Joo-Hyun, still kneeling nearby, urgently spoke up. "M-Mr. Lee, what about me? What am I supposed to do now?"

Although the photos in the rising flood of articles were blurred, no one failed to recognize her.

Lee Dae-Boong let out a long sigh as he looked at her face. "You...Why don't you retire and take this as a chance to rest? I'll buy you a mansion in the U.S. Just relax and go shopping there. I'll drop by from time to time."

Oh Joo-Hyun screamed, "Retire?! Mr. Lee, I can't go down like this!"

Lee Dae-Boong glared at her fiercely. "If you don't walk away now, you might end up under prosecution. Are you going to keep this up until you're utterly humiliated?"

When his voice boomed throughout the room, the startled Oh Joo-Hyun began hiccuping.

As if he had a headache, Lee Dae-Boong turned to Kim Dong-Soo. "Anyway, handle this incident as quickly as possible before it grows any bigger!"

"Understood, sir."

With that, Kim Dong-Soo bowed and left the mansion with Oh Joo-Hyun. He handed her off to another talent agent to send her home, then called Colonel Baek.

And at that moment, he realized that Jung Yoon-Ho had set a trap for Colonel Baek.

"Jung Yoon-Ho has laid a trap for you. Even if you've stayed undetected until now, this time you'll need to be careful. Assemblyman Lee Dae-Boong is incredibly persistent."

-Jung Yoon-Ho, that son of a bitch thinks he can screw with me? Fucking bastard!!

After huffing and puffing in anger, Colonel Baek calmed himself and replied.

-Fine. And from now on, let's share information about Jung Yoon-Ho for free.

After Colonel Baek hung up, Kim Dong-Soo muttered to himself, "Jung Yoon-Ho... just what kind of person are you?"

Every time he thought he had Jung Yoon-Ho figured out, the guy pulled a move he couldn't predict. Though he didn't want to admit it, Kim Dong-Soo had no choice but to accept it now.

'

Jung Yoon-Ho is better than me.

'

But he couldn't give up now. He had put too much effort into success to back down now.

'

Yeah. The one who survives is the strongest!

'

Throughout history, the final winner was always the one who endured.

Right then, Kim Dong-Soo vowed to build an entertainment empire so massive, not even Jung Yoon-Ho could touch it.

***

At 10 a.m., I visited the Seven Star Electronics headquarters in Suwon with Kang Gam-Chan, Kwak Moo-Hyuk, and Yoo-Jin.

Once Yoo-Jin signed the contract for the Galactica ad worth one billion won per year, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Sung Yoon-Jae, sitting across from us, smiled as he spoke. "Miss Yoo-Jin, you always manage your image so well. I don't care about anything else, just keep delivering great performances."

"Yes, sir. I'll do my best in my acting and make sure I never tarnish Seven Star's image."

"I'm sure you will. Anyway, today's a bit tight on time. Let's set up another meeting next time."

"Yes, sir."

Then Kim Cheon-Seok looked at me. "Mr. Jung, we'll handle the Oh Joo-Hyun matter. You can count on us."

Currently, entertainment reporters were swarming outside Oh Joo-Hyun's home.

I nodded. "Understood. Thank you."

"We'll also take care of Vice President Gu and Director Yang, so you don't need to worry."

I had already heard that Gu Jin-Oh and Yang Gyu-Dong were going to be charged by Seven Star for embezzlement and breach of trust. All I had to do was wait for them to fall.

"Yes, I'm counting on you."

With that, I left the company feeling lighthearted. Then I turned to Kang Gam-Chan. "Sir, please take good care of Yoo-Jin."

"Are you not going to grab lunch with us?"

"I'm planning to have lunch with an actor I've got my eye on. I want to recruit him."

"Who?"

"His name is Park Sang-Gyu."

Park Sang-Gyu was the last member of Faithful. Before the regression, he cared for me like a little brother. It was finally time to bring him on board.

However, recruiting him wouldn't be easy as a difficult obstacle lay ahead.