Chapter 665: Japan Business Trip (3)

Suzuki was the head of A1 Entertainment, a subsidiary of Hoop Entertainment, but her real job was managing Choi Eun-Tae's slush fund. In contrast, Choi Man-Sik was busy searching for Choi Eun-Tae's hidden slush fund in Japan, going through Hoop Entertainment's subsidiaries.

Yet, the two of them seemed way too friendly.

'

Did she really betray us?

'

Their close conversation sparked all kinds of thoughts, but I started thinking rationally. Just because they knew each other didn't prove Suzuki had betrayed us. I hesitated briefly but decided to confront her directly.

Then, the manager looked at Suzuki and said, "He's here."

Suzuki turned her head. At the same time, Choi Man-Sik and Tanaka stared at me with expressions like they wanted to rip me apart.

Ignoring their glares, I greeted Suzuki in slightly awkward Japanese. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Suzuki Moeka."

If she had betrayed me, she would respond with hostility. Otherwise, she would welcome me.

However, instead of either reaction, she asked flatly in Japanese, "Have you eaten yet?"

"No, not yet."

She pointed to the seat beside her. "Really? They serve food here, so come sit next to me."

I considered just blending in and observing the situation naturally. Yet, not knowing whether she had betrayed us could lead to bigger problems. So I decided to clarify that first.

"Mrs. Suzuki, may I have a moment? Mr. Kang Gam-Chan asked me to pass along a message."

I used Kang Gam-Chan's name instead of Choi Eun-Tae's, just in case she hadn't betrayed us and I needed to keep Choi Eun-Tae's name hidden.

I worried she might not follow me out, but fortunately, she nodded without hesitation. "Sure. Let's talk outside for a bit."

I felt slightly relieved.

But as she stood up, Choi Man-Sik scowled. "Chief Jung, what do you think you're doing? I don't know what this is about, but don't interfere. Just talk here."

"I can't deliver a message from the president in front of someone from another company, can I?"

"You little punk. I'm a shareholder of Hoop Entertainment!"

"As I said before, Mr. Choi, you're not an employee of Hoop Entertainment. And Mr. Tanaka is here too."

"You seriously want to do this?"

At that moment, Suzuki stepped in between us. "Oppa, I'll be right back." Suzuki calmed Choi Man-Sik, then turned to me. "And Mr. Jung, strictly speaking, you're right. But Mr. Choi Man-Sik is a shareholder. A shareholder is essentially an owner. I don't know what happened between you two, but you should apologize first."

Suzuki spoke kindly to Choi Man-Sik but reprimanded me.

Thinking it best to go along for now, I bowed to Choi Man-Sik. "I'm sorry. I'll be more careful moving forward."

"What the hell? Sorry? You?"

'

Not at all.

'

I was just following orders. But on the surface, I bowed politely like I was truly remorseful—without a shred of sincerity.

As she passed by me, Suzuki said, "Follow me."

I followed Suzuki outside the room.

***

Once we stepped outside, Suzuki spoke again. "This way, please."

Instead of heading back the way I had come, she walked toward the opposite end of the hallway.

Tap, tap.

When she reached the end, she turned left, and yet another narrow corridor appeared. Without a word, she walked all the way to the end.

Just before the very end, I saw a sign labeled Break Room. I thought she was going to speak there, but she passed the sign and walked right up to the dead end.

Only then did she stop abruptly and turned to look at me. Her eyes briefly flicked behind me, then she said, "Take one more step forward. You'll get hurt standing there."

'

Get hurt by what?

'

I didn't understand, but I took a step forward as she instructed. In that instant, she pressed her palm to the right wall.

Whoosh.

I felt a breeze behind me. When I turned around, a wall appeared behind my back.

"It's a camouflage wall," Suzuki explained.

It was designed to block the view from the break room so that no one could see us from there. However, that wasn't all.

Whirrr~

The dead-end wall of the corridor slowly slid to the left, and a hidden doorway appeared behind what had seemed like a solid wall.

"Go in first."

"Oh, sure."

When I passed her and stepped into the room, Suzuki took her hand off the wall and followed me inside.

Whirrr.

The wall slid back into place, closing like a door.

Click.

The wall formed a double-door structure, sealing us in. At that moment, the room lit up brightly. I couldn't help but be surprised. The hidden room was at least 130 square meters and arranged like an executive office.

'

This was under here?

'

On a luxurious wooden desk sat a phone and a laptop, and high-end Italian leather sofas were spread out. There was even a separate room with a bathroom, shower, and bed. One wall held a large LCD screen showing all the rooms and external areas at a glance.

Suddenly, Suzuki smiled brightly and spoke fluent Korean. "This is my real office."

Contrary to what had been known, Suzuki spoke perfect Korean.

I asked with widened eyes, "You speak Korean fluently."

"I'm known to only stammer a little, so please pretend you didn't know that outside."

She then began explaining about this secret office. The distance between the A1 Entertainment building and this one was about fifty meters. This place was located approximately in the middle, connected through an underground passage.

Everything was surprising, but that wasn't my focus right now.

Before I could ask anything, Suzuki spoke first. "I'm sorry if it seemed suspicious. I was going to meet you at the airport, but President Choi Man-Sik suddenly showed up and I had no choice."

I had prepared questions, but now there was no need. "So that's why Chief Cha was the one who picked me up instead?"

"That's right. I was going to send another staffer, but President Choi insisted on sending Chief Cha. It was probably to have someone watch you. Did he cause any trouble?"

"I left him outside and came in. He insisted on following me in."

She nodded and smiled. "Then yes, he was definitely sent to watch you.

Oh

, and... I know chatting warmly with President Choi Man-Sik probably looked suspicious. It's just that we've known each other since we were kids."

"Is that so?"

"Well, I know saying this won't completely erase your doubts... so just call Uncle in Myeongdong. That phone over there is secure."

I couldn't help but be surprised again.

'

Choi Eun-Tae had a niece?

'

Suzuki smiled once more. "Looks like you misunderstood again. Actually, my mom used to be Mr. Choi Eun-Tae's first Japanese secretary. But since she and him were like siblings, he told me to call him Uncle. Even though there's an age gap, I got used to it. I've been calling Choi Man-Sik oppa since I was little, too."

"Then why didn't Mr. Chairman ever mention this to me?"

"He told me to explain it myself. But... as you can see, things got messy."

Most of my doubts about her vanished. Still, to be sure, I picked up the office phone.

Beep beep.

After two rings, I heard Choi Eun-Tae's urgent voice.

-Moeka? I got a text from Chief Jung saying he couldn't meet you. What's going on? I haven't heard from him. Go find him quickly!

"Mr. Chairman, this is Chief Jung. I just arrived at Mrs. Suzuki's secret office and am calling you now."

-

Oh

, really?

Hahaha

. I was startled when I saw the text. But if you're there, I guess nothing serious happened.

"I was surprised too. Mrs. Suzuki acted like she didn't know me."

-She ignored you? Why?

"She'll explain the details. I'll put you on speaker."

I switched to speakerphone so Suzuki could join the call. Suzuki explained that she couldn't go to the airport because Choi Man-Sik had shown up.

After hearing the whole story, Choi Eun-Tae spoke.

-I see. So, does that mean Man-Sik suspects you're managing my slush fund in Japan?

"No, not at all. He said he just stopped by while in Japan. But he did try to prod and see if I knew anything about your slush fund."

-And?

"I played dumb, said a young woman like me wouldn't know anything."

Considering she was only thirty-two-years-old, it was understandable Choi Man-Sik wouldn't believe she was handling over a billion dollars in slush funds.

-Good job.

Ah

, did you tell Chief Jung about our relationship?

"Yes, I just told him. We called now to put you at ease."

-I feel bad for placing such a heavy burden on you. I'll be in Japan in two months, let's meet in that office then.

Suzuki beamed with a smile so bright it was hard to believe she was the same person I saw back in the room.

"All right, Uncle. And Mom worries about you a lot, too. Let's all see each other then."

-Yes, let's do that. I can barely remember what you and your mom look like. It's been so long.

I figured managing the slush fund must have kept them from seeing each other.

-That bastard Man-Sik is suspicious by nature. If we talk too long, he'll get suspicious. Let's talk again later.

"Alrirght."

-And Chief Jung.

"Yes, sir."

-As Suzuki probably told you, please treat her well. She's like a real niece to me.

"Understood, Mr. Chairman."

-Good. Then take care.

Click.

After the call ended, Suzuki checked the security camera on the wall before walking toward the door.

"Just like Uncle said, let's talk more later. Man-Sik oppa is too suspicious, so we shouldn't stay here too long."

Now that I knew she hadn't betrayed us, I could finally breathe easy.

"Understood." I followed her to the door and asked, "But what were you talking about in there?"

Suzuki's hand paused against the wall. "CEO Tanaka said he'd pay five billion won a year if you would hand over the portrait rights of the singers and actors trying to enter the Japanese market."

So it had finally begun—the 'Mirhan Pachinko Portrait Rights' case Tanaka had tried to push through before the regression.

We already had internal evidence that someone was trying to trade our stars' portrait rights without permission. Today, Kang Gam-Chan was planning to use that to sever ties with Aris Production.

But one thing had changed since the regression. The annual portrait rights payment had jumped from one billion to five billion won.

"There's no way Aris Production would pay that kind of money. There must be another company buying the rights. Did he say who it was?" I asked, thinking of Mirhan.

Suzuki shook her head. "No. The conversation was cut off when you came in, so I didn't hear it."

There was no choice but to go back in and listen.

"Mrs. Suzuki, I'll go back in with you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. If it comes to it, I'm the best one to intervene. I'll be heading back to Korea after this anyway."

She nodded and said we should head back together. "Do you have any more questions?"

"Just one. How does this club have a hidden office that opens with your fingerprint?"

Suzuki Moeka gave a smile with her eyes. "I own this place."

"Pardon me?"

I momentarily froze. SIBUYA55 was one of the most high-end clubs in Shibuya. Not to mention, the area itself was insanely expensive, around five billion won per 3.3 square meters.

'

And yet, this enormous club on such costly land belongs to her?

'

On top of that, it was connected via an underground passage to the A1 Entertainment building 50 meters away.

'

And local yakuza are protecting it.

'

"I'll explain more later."

"Understood..."

With a soft smile, Suzuki placed her hand on the wall.

Whirrr~

The door at the end of the corridor opened. I stepped out of the office first, and she followed, removing her hand from the wall inside.

Whirrr~

The hidden door closed again. When she placed her hand on the corridor wall, the wall in front of us disappeared instantly.

Whoosh.

As the wind swept through and the wall vanished, the break room entrance and its sign came into view.

"

Oh

, right. I'll say I've heard about Cherry Blossom and Hoop Entertainment's Japan expansion project."

Meticulous to the end, Suzuki even prepped what to say when we returned.

"Understood."

Just like that, the two of us headed back to the room we had come from.

***

As soon as she returned, Suzuki began speaking kindly to Choi Man-Sik and Tanaka. "Sorry for the delay. Chief Jung had an urgent matter to discuss."

Choi Man-Sik asked, "What kind of matter?"

"A private directive from Mr. Kang Gam-Chan."

Choi Man-Sik seemed ready to press further, but Suzuki swiftly shifted the conversation. "More importantly, let's pick up where we left off. You mentioned a company willing to pay five billion won annually for portrait rights before I left. Who was it?"

Tanaka glanced at me briefly, then replied, "Tokyo Yamazaki Construction. They want to use them for advertising."

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

It was absurd. This was a perfect setup. Tokyo Yamazaki Construction appeared to be a respectable mid-sized real estate firm headquartered in Shibuya. But in reality, it was owned by Mirhan, a pachinko company.

With Hoop Entertainment's growing stature, they were using another company as a front to create a deceptive contract. Once the contract was done, the portrait rights would inevitably be handed over to Mirhan.

Then Tanaka repeated how amazing the deal was. "Five billion a year is an exceptional deal for portrait rights. Plus, Yamazaki Construction is a major sponsor of broadcasting stations, so it's a great opportunity for Cherry Blossom and the other artists trying to enter the Japanese market."

He even raved that not just Golden Road, who were aiming for a comeback, but also the I.O.A members selected through

Project I.O.A

, would benefit.

"Well... I'm not familiar with the entertainment industry. Why don't you bring it up when Mr. Kang arrives later?" Suzuki suggested.

That's when Choi Man-Sik spoke up, calling Suzuki by name in a friendly tone. "Moeka, TK Entertainment's Petite More is going to fix up and they're heading to Japan. If we don't do this sponsorship deal, it'll go to them. So let's at least sign a letter of intent, yeah?"

Choi Man-Sik proposed a compromise—sign the letter of intent now and finalize the contract when Kang Gam-Chan arrived.

However, I knew just how sly Tanaka was. He would easily exploit a letter of intent.

'

You sneaky bastard

...'

If that letter was signed, Tanaka would inevitably start using it as leverage and threaten that he would leak misleading rumors if we didn't sign the contract.

He would take advantage of the fact that the public can't tell the difference between a letter of intent and a formal contract, claiming Cherry Blossom had broken a deal and painting them as an immoral group.

And once that image is stuck, we would have no choice but to sign the real contract because no Japanese network would welcome a group with a tarnished reputation.

It was no wonder Everday's schedule entry hadn't disappeared up until we got here. Now I knew why. It was all because of Tanaka's schemes. True to his past as a former yakuza, he was a master of threats, flattery, and deceit.

Usually, he wouldn't risk using a letter of intent for something like this, fearing the consequences if exposed. But this time, he was clearly determined.

Just then, Suzuki nodded after some hesitation. Subsidiaries often handled such things and signing a non-binding letter of intent wasn't unusual in Japan.

"All right. I'll read through the letter, and if there's no legal liability, I'll sign it. But the actual contract will be discussed tomorrow at lunch when Mr. Kang Gam-Chan arrives. That's acceptable, right?"

At that moment, both Choi Man-Sik and Tanaka's faces lit up.

Tanaka, especially, looked like he was about to start humming with glee. "

Haha,

a letter of intent isn't legally binding. There's no need to worry, CEO Suzuki."

With a sly grin, Tanaka pulled a document from his leather bag.

Originally, Kang Gam-Chan was supposed to be the one dealing with Tanaka. However, I couldn't sit back and watch any longer. Suzuki's real job was to protect Choi Eun-Tae's slush fund, so protecting my artists was my responsibility.

Whoosh!

I intercepted the letter before it reached Suzuki. Then without even reading it, I tore it cleanly in half.

In that instant, Tanaka shot me a deadly glare worthy of a former yakuza. "You! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

That stare would have made most people's knees buckle, but I didn't even blink.

"Are you trying to pull a scam here, Mr. Tanaka?!"

'

A terrifying ex-yakuza? So what? I'm the only one in this world who's come back from the future.

'