Chapter 675: Malicious Intention (4)

[(Exclusive) The Ugly Truth Behind

Hwaranjeon

's Supporting Actor Mr. H. The Black-Haired Foreigner. Shocking Report! (Weekly Star, Reporter Jang Moon-Ki)]

-During his middle school days, Mr. H committed school violence and allegedly chose to study abroad as an escape.

-It has also been confirmed that he acquired citizenship to avoid military service.

-Currently, he has undergone plastic surgery and is active as a celebrity...

-Once a school bully, his daily routine back then included violence and extortion, unlike his current gentle appearance.

-Shockingly, there are claims that he also assaulted and extorted a cast member who's now in the same drama.

(Attached Photo: Silhouette of Mr. H currently appearing in

Hwaranjeon

)

Jang Moon-Ki's article was packed with provocative language such as: Black-haired foreigner, fled overseas after school violence, and immigrated to avoid military duty. Every phrase was the kind of thing that would enrage any Korean.

Although I said first strike wins, this was more like launching a preemptive nuclear attack. Naturally, the comment section was exploding.

(Comments)

-Reporter Jang Moon-Ki must be high again today, lol

-He really lives life on his own terms. I'm kinda jealous.

-Wow, gotta love that rich parents card.

-Isn't this photo from episode 11 of

Hwaranjeon

during the ceremony with that hwarang?

-Make sure you choose your words carefully. You might get sued. Let's not name names.

-Didn't they say he's not Korean? Then can't we mention his real name?

-If he's a foreigner, it's fair game. It's that guy, Han Sun-Myung.

-A brave one has appeared.

Now I understood why Jang Moon-Ki told me to trust him. He really was the king of clickbait in Korea.

Just then, another article started to appear, a beat too late.

[(Exclusive) Rookie Actor Mr. C, Cast in

Hwaranjeon

, Faces School Violence Allegations and Past Ties to Pickpocket Gang! (Entertainment All Times Editorial Team)]

-Mr. C, who grew up under unfortunate circumstances...

-Began hanging around pickpocket gangs in front of Seoul Station, marking his entry into the world of crime...

-Mr. C's habitual violence against classmates has sparked character concerns.

(Attached Photo: Silhouette of Mr. C currently filming

Hwaranjeon

)

(Comments)

-Who's this one now?

-What's going on with

Hwaranjeon

?

-Wait, isn't this that rookie actor playing Kim Beop-Min? The one from Jung Yoo-Jin's Instargem post?

-Yeah, looks like him.

-He's filming with Yoo-Jin and their chemistry was so good, I was excited for the show.

-Pickpocket gang from Seoul Station? Do those even still exist?

Starting with Entertainment All Times, the entertainment news sections began flooding with articles. But while only Weekly Star covered the exposé on Han Sun-Myung, a whopping twenty outlets were spreading dirt on Deok-Bae.

'

It's 1 vs 20.

'

Yet, the impact of Weekly Star's article completely overshadowed the other twenty. Just in comment count, it was 2,353 versus 117, making our article comments dozens of times more than the combined total.

And in this case, the fact that Deok-Bae hadn't appeared on TV yet was working in his favor since people didn't know who he was. On the other hand, Han Sun-Myung, as one of the Hwarang F4, was drawing all the attention.

As the opposing articles from Weekly Star and Entertainment All Times started circulating, the shockwaves soon reached the filming site.

"Hey. What is this?"

"What's going on?"

"Quick, check the entertainment news alerts."

"What? Isn't Mr. H Han Sun-Myung?"

"Where's Reporter Jang!?"

"Why are you standing there stunned? Contact Entertainment All Times first! Tell them to take the article down!"

The set was thrown into panic. If episode 13 aired as planned tomorrow, it could have a massive negative impact on the viewership ratings.

That's when a sharp voice rang out from the monitor station. "Bring Chief Jung and Chief Yang here. Right now!"

It was Oh Bok-Hee.

"Yes, Mrs. Oh. I'm here."

I responded to Oh Bok-Hee and headed over.

On the way, a Kk Talk message came in from Reporter Oh Sun-Guk of Entertainment All Times. After reading his message saying he wasn't the one who wrote the article, I put my phone on silent.

***

By the time I reached the monitor, Yang Sung-Taek arrived almost simultaneously.

With fire in her eyes, Oh Bok-Hee threw sharp questions at us. "Mr. Jung. You met with a reporter from Entertainment All Times earlier, right?"

"Yes, I did."

"Did you say anything you shouldn't have?"

I shrugged, playing innocent. "Why would I leak anything that disses my own actor? I even begged him to write something nice."

'

Well, I did beg with my fists to make sure we keep it civil.

'

That was the reason Oh Sun-Guk sent me a Kk Talk message just a moment ago.

[Reporter Oh Sun-Guk: Chief Jung. I had nothing to do with it. For real. It was written by our desk! Please don't misunderstand!]

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

I could have shown the message to clear things up, but I didn't. Still, my claim that no talent agent would sabotage their own actor seemed to work, because Oh Bok-Hee nodded.

"Right. If it was from Entertainment All Times, they wouldn't have published articles attacking Deok-Bae."

Then her eyes turned to Yang Sung-Taek.

"Then did you release the Entertainment All Times article, Mr. Yang? I've been hearing from staff lately that Sun-Myung's been wary of Deok-Bae."

'Even with his rising popularity, Han Sun-Myung was feeling threatened by Deok-Bae?

'

Apparently, despite being called one of the Hwarang F4 and riding high, Han Sun-Myung started getting jealous once Deok-Bae received praise on set. If it turned out he tried to falsely accuse a fellow actor, the damage to his reputation would be massive.

Now it all made sense.

'

Jealousy had clouded his judgment

.'

Yang Sung-Taek waved his hands, looking wronged. "No, absolutely not. Why would Sun-Myung say anything like that? He's not the type to smear fellow actors!"

"So you're both saying it wasn't you?"

"No way!"

Oh Bok-Hee gave us a few more questions, then let out a long sigh. "Well then. If we later find out who's behind this, we'll hold them fully accountable. Got it?"

"Yes, Mrs. Oh!"

Yang Sung-Taek and I answered in unison. I was confident my name wouldn't come up, since Jang Moon-Ki was known for fiercely protecting his sources.

Oh Bok-Hee massaged her temples and waved us off. "You can go. And both of you, have your companies handle this. If we don't shut it down properly, it's over."

"Will do."

I bowed my head and walked away from Oh Bok-Hee.

Just then, as we walked off together, Yang Sung-Taek growled at me. "Hey. Chief Jung. That article attacking Sun-Myung—you leaked it, didn't you?"

"What are you talking about? Everyone knows it was your side that leaked the article attacking Deok-Bae."

"Shit, stop talking nonsense. I told you that we don't know anything about it."

I ignored Yang Sung-Taek and went on my way. The fight had already begun, and there was no time to argue over words.

Just then, my phone buzzed again. I thought it might be Everyday, so I checked. However, it was a call from a restricted number.

[Caller ID Hidden]

I usually didn't answer anonymous calls, but I decided to pick up this time because something felt off. A stiff, middle-aged man's voice came through.

-What do you think you're doing?

The icy voice dripped with malice. The person across the phone sounded like he was in his fifties. At that age, there was only one person who would call me like this.

"Are you Mr. Han Ji-Cheol, father of Mr. Han Sun-Myung?"

-How'd you know?

"In this situation, you're the only one who'd call and be angry at me."

-You're quick witted. Alright, let me get to the point. How do you plan to bury this?

'

So they try to strike first, fail, and now they want to negotiate?

'

Despite his words, his tone was basically a threat.

"I didn't do anything."

-I already know everything, so drop the act. If you don't bury this by tonight, do you think I'll just sit still? Do it now!

He was demanding I bury the issue while acting like he held the power.

'

Fine. If that's how he wants it, let's take it all the way.

'

"The side that's desperate should be the one to clean it up. I don't know anything."

I kept denying it in case the call was being recorded.

-Then...

At that moment, a notification popped up.

Ding.

"Hold on."

I paused the call and checked my screen.

-You punk, I'm talking to you-

Han Ji-Cheol's angry voice came through the phone, but I ignored it and checked the alert. It was the second article from Reporter Ahn Tae-Baek, who had come with Jang Moon-Ki.

[(Digging to the End! – Episode 1) Actor Mr. H from

Hwaranjeon

Revealed to Be a Former School Bully! (Weekly Star, Reporter Ahn Tae-Baek)]

-Mr. C, the actor accused of school violence in today's reports, is actually believed to be a victim of Mr. H and the delinquent group he led.

-We are starting a new series, Digging to the End,' from today.

-The shocking truth of a reversed victim-perpetrator story. Episode 2 coming soon.

-We are looking for classmates or sources from that time for more details.

Ahn Tae-Baek the bulldog had kicked off his signature series, 'Digging to the End!' Before the regression, it was the series that boosted Weekly Star's sales.

Unlike Jang Moon-Ki's clickbait-heavy headlines, Ahn Tae-Baek's articles were based on real interviews and investigation, giving them high credibility. That was the reason there was a saying that Weekly Star thrived off the synergy between clickbait master Jang Moon-Ki and facts-driven Ahn Tae-Baek.

Suppressing a satisfied smile, I spoke to Han Ji-Cheol, still on the line.

"

Oh

, and you've misunderstood something. I'm the one showing mercy, not you. So if you want to bring your son and apologize sincerely, then maybe, just maybe, I'll consider forgiving you."

The public never showed mercy when it came to school violence. Han Ji-Cheol knew that, which was why he hid his son, had him get plastic surgery, and even changed his nationality. All of that had gone to waste, but there was no way he would admit it. After all, people like him always tried to smother everything with money.

Sure enough, Han Ji-Cheol came back with even more aggression.

-If that's how you want to play it, fine. Prepare yourself!

Click.

He hung up.

'

Prepare myself? Fine. Then I have no choice either. If that's what he wants, I'll see this through to the very end.

'

Just then, Deok-Bae, Yoo-Jin, and Team Lead Yeon So-Hee came rushing over from one corner of the set. It was clear they saw the articles as they all looked shocked.

However, I gave them a calm smile. No matter how tough things got, when a talent agent looked confident, the stars felt reassured.

"Oppa, did you see the article?"

"Hyung. The article..."

I answered with a calm smile. "Don't worry. It's almost over."

Yoo-Jin tilted her head. "Almost over? But their articles are everywhere. Eight of the top ten entertainment articles are theirs."

"True. But our articles are ranked number one and two in the entertainment section. And we have overwhelmingly more comments. Weekly Star is purposely keeping the article count low and only posting the strong ones."

Yoo-Jin let out a sigh of relief. Then, as if something came to mind, she suddenly clapped her hands. "Oppa, should I post something on Instargem supporting Deok-Bae? And..."

Yoo-Jin's Instargem had over five hundred thousand followers, so it had considerable influence. But just as Everyday warned, it could trigger a risky situation.

"No. Han Sun-Myung's fans are over three hundred thousand, and they're pretty strong. Don't post anything. His fans might flood your Instargem comments."

Given who we were dealing with, both Yoo-Jin and other celebrities under Division Jung had to stay out of this.

Yoo-Jin puffed her cheeks in frustration. "

Ugh

... okay. But if you need anything, please tell me."

Yoo-Jin couldn't bear watching Deok-Bae being attacked and kept offering her help.

"Alright."

I nodded, then checked the Everyday's schedule entry again. However, Yoo-Jin's schedule entry was still there.

[Everyday V12.2]

[Date: March 4, 2021]

-07:00 a.m. [NEW. Jung Yoo-Jin]

Entertainment All Times, "Popular star Jung Yoo-Jin accused of defending a school bully." (Meeting Note: Episode 15 viewership ratings of

Hwaranjeon

dropped from 26% to 21%.

Queen Jeong-Hee

overtook in viewership ratings. MBS demands Choi Deok-Bae's removal. Jung Yoo-Jin told to retract her statement of support.)

A war had begun, yet this schedule entry hadn't changed. That could mean only one thing: We would lose the public opinion battle, and Deok-Bae would be branded a school violence perpetrator.

In that case, I had no choice but to use the guaranteed-win card. I immediately called Lee Soo-Chan for help.

***

It was 7 a.m. the next morning.

Overnight, reporters from Entertainment All Times, Ace Entertainment, and HANS Law Firm kept replacing low-traffic articles with slightly reworded new ones.

In response, Hoop Entertainment's PR team moved swiftly. Even Kang Gam-Chan, who had arrived early for the shareholder meeting, was personally calling media outlets. It had turned into a full-blown war.

By dawn, just as Han Ji-Cheol had warned, attacks via online communities and social media had begun.

[@tong01]

-Wow. Finally, there's an article about him. So many people suffered because of Deok-Bae. Most of our school got extorted by him and the gangsters in that goshiwon neighborhood.

[@yanado]

-Deok-Bae was a monster even as a kid. Even older students in second and third year couldn't touch him. There were rumors he had ties to gangs.

[@nalnal00]

-I know the real story. Sun-Myung didn't run away. He always dreamed of going to Hollywood, so he studied English abroad early. The reporter is being malicious.

...

Dozens of social media posts claiming to be friends of Han Sun-Myung were going up, and those posts were rapidly spreading across communities. When I asked Deok-Bae who they were, he said those guys were also part of the same bully group as Han Sun-Myung.

Yet since Deok-Bae had hardly any friends back then, there was no one to support or defend him. Sister Francesca, who knew the situation better than anyone, had already passed away, so there was no one to testify. Thanks to that, although the public opinion was initially in our favor, it was now hanging in delicate balance.

Meanwhile, entertainment reporters started flocking to the set of

Hwaranjeon.

"Chief Jung! Can we get a quick interview?"

"You can't just hide forever. Give us something!"

Listening to the reporters' shouting echoing over the set, Oh Bok-Hee let out a long sigh. "

Ugh

~ My head hurts. Eun-Dong, go out there and shoo those reporters away."

Geum Eun-Dong also sighed. "Just wait a bit. The security team is coming down to the site."

Then the clearly overwhelmed Oh Bok-Hee turned to me. "Mr. Jung. Do you think you can turn this around?"

MBS already knew internally that Han Sun-Myung was the actual perpetrator. Kang Gam-Chan had gathered evidence with the help of Jung Soo-Hyuk from the internal intel team and personally handed it over to the MBS' president.

However, this morning, MBS gave an official response saying they would rather try to cover it up officially. Because the character Taecheong-Rang, played by Han Sun-Myung, had already become quite popular, it made it hard to remove him. In other words, if we couldn't shift public opinion decisively, Deok-Bae might end up taking the fall and getting cut.

Still, Oh Bok-Hee, who was responsible for the set, was trying to side with the victim. In the end, she put her hope in my promise and made a proposal. What I had prepared wasn't perfect, but I had to countermeasure the situation with what I had.

"I'll completely turn the situation around. But if I do, it'll be difficult for Han Sun-Myung to stay on this project. Are you okay with that?" I asked.

"Either way, one of them has to go. The MBS executives would probably prefer a quick conclusion. And... honestly, I hope your side wins."

"Understood."

Just as I was turning to leave after bowing, Oh Bok-Hee spoke again. "Win. If you do, I'll grant anything you ask."

I smiled confidently and headed straight to our company's waiting area. Standing next to Deok-Bae was Han-Ul, who had come down to Gyeongju early that morning dressed neatly.

Honestly, I didn't want to put young Han-Ul in front of reporters. But last night, he called me and said he had something he really wanted to say to the reporters. So I had no choice but to ask Team Lead Nam Pan-Gyu to bring him here.

Deok-Bae, feeling the same as I did, looked worriedly at Han-Ul. "Han-Ul, you don't need to go out in front of the reporters because of me."

Han-Ul shook his head with a bright smile. "No, hyung. You protected me. So now it's my turn to protect you."

Despite his young age, Han-Ul's face showed a firm resolve. Then he looked at me. "Uncle Yoon-Ho. I'm ready."

"

Sigh

~ Alright. Shall we go? Are you ready to protect Deok-Bae?"

"Yes!"

Han-Ul grabbed my hand. Then with his other hand, he reached out and grabbed Deok-Bae's.

"Let's go! Hyung!"

"Okay..."

With his lips pressed tightly together, Han-Ul led us both outside the set.

The murmuring reporters all turned to us at once and raised their cameras.

"They're coming out!"

Just then, a van pulled into the parking lot behind the crowd of reporters. The guaranteed-win card I had prepared was finally arriving.

'

What perfect timing!

'