Chapter 562: Preliminary Call (3)

A so-called culture reporter from KBC trespassing illegally into an elementary school alone was a serious crime.

But this man even snatched off Eun-Byul's hat—something she wore to hide the hair loss from leukemia treatment—and took photos. A person like that wasn't a reporter. He was what people call a reportrash, a disgrace to reporters.

I spoke to Yoo-Jin, who was still confronting Hyun Sang-Beom. "Yoo-Jin, don't waste your breath on this reportrash. Take the kids back to the classroom. I'll handle the rest."

I didn't want Miso or Eun-Byul to see me angry.

Yoo-Jin nodded and gently took the hands of Miso and Eun-Byul, who were clinging to Yeon So-Hee. "Alright, oppa. Miso, Eun-Byul, let's go."

"Okay..."

The two girls disappeared around the corner, holding Yoo-Jin's hands. Meanwhile, Yeon So-Hee subtly stepped back and began recording the scene with her arms crossed, phone camera rolling.

Then, Hyun Sang-Beom suddenly flared up and came at me. Calling a reporter a reportrash was one of the deepest insults in their world.

"What did you just say?! You called me a reportrash?!"

Being from KBC, not some gossip rag, Hyun Sang-Beom took even more offense.

I shrugged and retorted, "Then what else would you call a man who illegally enters a school and takes unauthorized photos of children? A voyeur? A paparazzo? Honestly, reportrash fits you perfectly."

Hyun Sang-Beom huffed angrily. "You little punk, you think reporters are a joke... Fine! Today, I'm going to ruin both Jung Yoo-Jin and you!"

'

Classic reportrash behavior.

'

Instead of taking responsibility, they always flexed their media power and resorted to threats.

I walked up to Hyun Sang-Beom until we were nearly nose to nose and whispered, keeping my voice low so it wouldn't be recorded by Yeon So-Hee's phone behind me. "Go ahead."

"What?"

"Do whatever you want. It's funny how guys like you never follow through."

"You...You punk! You're at least ten years younger than me, and you dare talk down to me?!"

"Yeah, I did. So what?"

There were no security cameras in this hallway. The only footage of what had happened so far was on his camera. That meant we needed evidence of our own.

I smirked and egged him on, as I knew exactly the kind of person Hyun Sang-Beom was—impulsive, rough, with dirty hands.

Just as I expected, Hyun Sang-Beom started losing control. "You little piece of shit. Do you have a death wish?!"

"No, that'd be you. You're not even human, you damn reportrash."

"

Aaargh!

You keep calling me reportrash, reportrash, reportrash!!"

Blinded by rage, Hyun Sang-Beom finally swung at me with the hand holding his camera.

Whoosh!

The camera came speeding toward my chest.

'

Now.

'

I quickly stepped back and used my right hand to redirect his swing along its own momentum, which added extra speed to his arm.

"What...?"

The camera zoomed past me and slammed into a shelf down the hall.

Crash!

Part of the shelf splintered from the impact. At the same time, a flowerpot sitting on top wobbled and then crashed to the ground.

Thud!

The flowerpot shattered, spilling soil in every direction. Hyun Sang-Beom had tried to strike me but ended up breaking both the shelf and the pot.

'And there's another crime to add to the list.

'

At this point, Hyun Sang-Beom had already committed multiple offenses. First, trespassing into an elementary school, which was criminal trespass. Second, forcibly pulling off Eun-Byul's hat, which was assault. Third, smashing school property, which was property damage.

That was three charges right off the bat. He wasn't just finished as a reporter, but his whole life was about to go down the drain.

Having gotten what I needed, I didn't waste another second. I pulled out my phone.

"Hello? Is this the Cheonho Police Station? Yes. There's someone here at Cheonho Best Elementary School who illegally entered school grounds and assaulted a child. He's also damaging property and causing a disturbance. Yes, yes. We've detained him, so please come quickly. It's at Cheonho Best Elementary, near the principal's office."

Hyun Sang-Beom clenched his teeth and shouted, "You bastard! What the hell did you just do?!"

I gave him a mock-innocent look. "I'm sorry, what do you mean?"

"You pushed me!"

"Don't frame me. You tried to hit me with your camera and I dodged. What, more lies? That's so typical of a reportrash."

Realizing he was cornered, he switched to threats. "Call the cops back and tell them it was a misunderstanding. Otherwise, you'll see headlines tonight that read 'Jung Yoo-Jin assaults KBC's reporter at school.' Want to find out how scary a reporter's pen can be?"

I scoffed. "What era do you think this is? Haven't you heard there's something stronger than a pen these days?"

"What?"

I turned toward Yeon So-Hee. She uncrossed her arms and waved her phone. Only then did Hyun Sang-Beom realize she'd been filming the entire time.

"You... You tricked me?!"

Hyun Sang-Beom finally realized I had been baiting him. "Damn it!"

At that moment, he turned to run, planning to get out and lawyer up at the KBC station.

'

Oh no, you don't.

'

I shouted toward Yeon So-Hee. "You can stop filming now!"

Yeon So-Hee lowered her phone and stopped recording. "Yes, sir."

At that exact moment, I launched forward and grabbed Hyun Sang-Beom by the collar as he tried to escape. "If you commit a crime, you take the consequences, you damn reportrash!"

Then, using a judo move I learned from MeTube, I swept his legs. Hyun Sang-Beom spun midair and crashed onto the floor.

Thud!

Flat on his back, Hyun Sang-Beom screamed, "

Argh!

"

I rolled him over and mounted his back. He flailed beneath me, but I twisted his arm and pinned him down.

'

That's for Eun-Byul, you bastard.

'

Just then, the principal came running with the gym teacher, who was also the vice principal. Perhaps Yoo-Jin must have alerted them.

"Mr. Jung!"

***

Hyun Sang-Beom was dragged to the principal's office. Thankfully, since it had happened away from the classroom, none of the parents or other students saw what went down.

Next, I called Hoop Entertainment to report what had happened. Kwak Moo-Hyeok answered and said he would head straight to the police station.

-I'm leaving now.

"Yes, sir."

I hung up and finally exhaled deeply, standing beside Yeon So-Hee as we waited for the police.

That's when the furious Chae Sang-Woo came running toward us like a wild beast unleashed. "

Huff, huff

... Mr. Jung. Where's the bastard who made Eun-Byul cry?"

Chae Sang-Woo looked like he could snap Hyun Sang-Beom in half if he saw him.

I raised my hands and tried to calm him down. Even though we were the clear victims here, the moment he laid a hand on Hyun Sang-Beom, the law would treat it as mutual assault.

"Mr. Chae, please leave this to me. I promise I'll handle that man."

Chae Sang-Woo clenched his jaw, then grabbed my arm and pleaded. After almost losing Eun-Byul to leukemia, she was especially precious to them.

"Mr. Jung... Because it's you, I'll trust you. But please, make that bastard pay."

"I've already promised Eun-Byul too. I won't let him off."

He knew I wasn't someone who made empty promises. Slowly, he released my arm. "Alright..."

"I'll go to the station with the police. Please calm Eun-Byul down. Also, since Team Lead Yeon has to go too, can I ask you to take Yoo-Jin, Deok-Bae, and the kids home? The TOP security team will accompany you."

Chae Sang-Woo nodded. "Got it."

Just then, two officers came walking down the hallway. "Is the person who made the report here?"

"Yes, over here. We've detained the suspect in the principal's office."

"Where's the office?"

"Follow me."

After letting the others know I'd be in touch later, I guided the officers to the office with Yeon So-Hee.

On the way, I showed them the video Yeon So-Hee had recorded. She also explained what had happened.

"What the hell kind of person is this guy?" one officer asked.

"A reportrash," I replied.

"

Ah.

Say no more."

Once they saw the footage, the officers began walking faster.

***

We opened the door to the principal's office to find Hyun Sang-Beom yelling from the couch.

"You people are gonna regret this! I might just let it go if you stop now, so let me out!"

As Hyun Sang-Beom ranted, the officers stepped forward with cold expressions on their faces. "Please stay still."

"What is this? You're actually arresting me? Hey, you damn rookies! You think a Korean reporter is a joke? Which station are you from, huh? This is Cheonho, so you're from Cheonho precinct, right? I've had drinks with your chief, you know that?!"

The officer scowled and pulled out his cuffs. "Our chief doesn't drink. And even if he did, he wouldn't waste his time on the likes of you."

Then he twisted Hyun Sang-Beom's arm harshly.

"Mr. Hyun Sang-Beom, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent..."

As the Miranda Rights were read, Hyun Sang-Beom screamed. "

Ouch!

My arm! My arm!"

While watching him squirm in pain, I checked Everyday again. However, the schedule entry still hadn't changed.

[Everyday V12.2]

[Date: January 13, 2021]

-10:00 p.m. [NEW. Jung Yoo-Jin] Entertainment Everywhere: "Lead actress J from a fusion historical drama assaults a KBC reporter during school coverage!" (Meeting agenda: File a protest with KBC. Respond aggressively to false reports about Jung Yoo-Jin.)

'

He's still going to publish that article?

'

I turned to the officer arresting Hyun Sang-Beom. "Officer, could we possibly confiscate his camera? He took unauthorized photos of the children and we want to prevent any distribution."

The older officer scratched his head. "We can temporarily seize it, but... if he contests it legally, we may have to return it. We don't have a formal warrant right now."

"Even so, please take it for now. Our lawyer will be at the station to press charges. It should be okay."

"Understood."

Just then, Hyun Sang-Beom tried to threaten the officers. "You guys are making a huge mistake. You think KBC is just going to sit back and watch? We could have your entire precinct wiped out with one call."

He was clearly guilty and clearly getting arrested. Yet, he was still that confident. On top of that, Everyday's warning still hadn't cleared.

I followed behind the officers escorting Hyun Sang-Beom to the station, accompanied by Yeon So-Hee, still unsure why Everyday's alert hadn't cleared.

But once we got there, I understood exactly why.

***

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

When we arrived at the Cheonho Police Station, three KBC legal reps and a mob of about ten reporters stormed in out of nowhere..

"Did the police actually arrest a reporter?"

"Do you even know what kind of political climate this is? Arresting reporters? What is this, media suppression?"

"Let's start digging into this precinct's internal corruption, huh?"

"Captain, how about we just let Reporter Hyun go for now? He can come back later for questioning, no harm done, right?"

I couldn't even tell if these were reporters or gangsters with press badges. It was obvious that they planned to bust Hyun Sang-Beom out and sweep this whole thing under the rug. That's why the Everyday schedule entry wasn't clearing.

They wanted to walk out of here like nothing happened. But if that was the case, then I knew exactly what I had to do.

'

Just wait. I'll make sure every one of you goes down too.

'

KBC's culture desk head, Lee Gyu-Jin, casually strolled up to me. At 47, he was in charge of all cultural content including entertainment.

"Chief Jung. Do we really have to take it this far? We're in the same industry, you know."

Culture desk reporters usually handled the entertainment beat, so we bumped into each other often. Nevertheless, I didn't blink.

"There's a limit to turning a blind eye. We even gave you official press photos of Miso, but breaking into an elementary school? That's too far, don't you think?"

"Well, that's..."

"And Eun-Byul isn't just some kid in a hat. She's sick. She's recovering from leukemia. You think it's okay to snatch her hat and take pictures? Would you stay quiet if it were your own daughter?"

When I firmly refused to back down, Lee Gyu-Jin exhaled and pulled me aside. "Alright, Chief Jung. Let's step outside and talk privately."

I already knew what this would be about. But I needed time anyway, since Kwak Moo-Hyuk was still on his way.

I nodded. "Alright."

Before leaving, I turned to the cops as they were clearly overwhelmed by this situation.

"Our lawyers are on their way. If Hyun Sang-Beom walks out of here while I'm gone, I'll be on the phone with Internal Affairs before you can blink."

The officers flinched. "N-No, sir. We'll follow the protocol to the letter."

Then I turned to Yeon So-Hee. "If it even looks like they're letting him go, scream. Yell. Do whatever you have to and I'll come running."

With a stone-cold expression, Yeon So-Hee nodded. "Don't worry. If anything happens, I'll scream like a banshee or a mandragora."

With that, I finally followed Lee Gyu-Jin outside.

***

At the Station Parking Lot, Lee Gyu-Jin sighed and tried to talk me into a settlement.

"Chief Jung. We'll pay damages. Let's not escalate this."

"This isn't about money."

"I know it isn't. We'll issue a formal apology for what happened at the school. Reporter Hyun Sang-Beom will be suspended. But you know how messy these things get."

"I don't care if it gets messy. I've got stamina to spare."

Lee Gyu-Jin sighed again. "You still don't get it, huh? Reporter Hyun Sang-Beom was following orders. He screwed up trying to chase a story assigned from the top."

'

From the top?

'

"Are you saying the desk directly ordered him to do this?"

"I... I can't say."

"You should. Because if not, I'll have no choice but to assume you were involved."

Lee Gyu-Jin finally gave in and muttered, "It came from the very top. If this thing explodes, you and Hoop Entertainment won't be able to contain the fallout. Just let it go, okay? Let's not make this worse."

And with that, I finally understood who was pulling the strings behind Hyun Sang-Beom.

"President Park ordered this?"

Lee Gyu-Jin grimaced and gave a reluctant nod. "I didn't want to say it because, frankly, it's embarrassing... but yeah. Our president told us to dig up anything that could put a scratch on

Hwaranjeon.

He told us to get anything we could, no matter what. Sure, Hyun Sang-Beom went overboard, but..."

He admitted that under direct orders from President Park Chan-Sik, they started digging into Yoo-Jin and Miso. However, when they came up empty, Hyun Sang-Beom took it further and invaded the school to snap photos.

"So that bastard pulled off Eun-Byul's hat on purpose to make Yoo-Jin or Miso lose it... and then catch the reaction on camera?"

Lee Gyu-Jin coughed awkwardly, clearly ashamed. "

Ahem

... I mean, the pieces fit, don't they?"

I was speechless.

'

What would he do that for? Viewership ratings? For another term in his cushy seat as network president? They were willing to traumatize a sick child just for that?

'

"Yeah, it's messed up, I know. But what can we do? Going up against a network president isn't going to end well for you. Best to settle now, don't you think?"

Lee Gyu-Jin tried to smooth it over and coaxed me to let things go, because Park Chan-Sik was involved. But inside, I was already sharpening the blade. If Park Chan-Sik was willing to go this far, then there was no way he would stop here.

And there was no way I was letting him walk away clean.

I answered firmly, "

I can't do that.

"