Chapter 713: Changed Status (1)

The show that made Ahn Chae-Hyung a star director was

Talk Show! Entertainment World.

Aired on Wednesday nights,

Talk Show! Entertainment World

was a popular program boasting an average viewer ratings of 15%. It covered entertainment news from the past week and featured the hottest actor and singer of the moment.

Simply appearing on the show earned one the title of a top celebrity, so agencies often tried to curry favor with Ahn Chae-Hyung. He enjoyed those favors without leaving much of a trace, which was how he had been able to maintain such a lifestyle.

However, I knew the traces Ahn Chae-Hyung had left behind. So I spoke directly to Ahn Chae-Hyung's phone, which was lying on the table.

"Mr. Han, this is Jung Yoon-Ho. I'm here too."

-What? You're there, Chief Jung? Since when?

"From the beginning."

-Hey! PD Ahn! Did you seriously talk about kicking him out right in front of Chief Jung? You bastard. You've got talent, but what the hell is wrong with your character?

Ahn Chae-Hyung grumbled like he didn't see the problem.

"It seems you've gotten soft with age, Mr. Han. Since when did this company start caring about what a talent agent thinks, huh?"

Han Seok-Yung let out a sigh and tried to calm me down.

-Chief Jung. PD Ahn's words might be harsh, but his intentions aren't...

Han Seok-Yung didn't know what had happened here yet, so I had to explain.

"Mr. Han. Do you know why Mr. Ahn is acting like this right now?"

-Huh? No. That's what I want to know. Why the hell is PD Ahn going off the rails like this? I still don't get it.

"I just stopped him from making Oh Sung-Yeon from TK Entertainment pour drinks."

I deliberately didn't mention MBS' Choi Seok-Hwan or Cheon Yi-Sang, who were also present. After all, the most important thing in a fight was to minimize the number of enemies.

From this point on, I would focus on one target.

-What... What did you say? Pouring drinks?

Ahn Chae-Hyung exploded.

"This bastard's spouting nonsense!"

He shamelessly shouted, then started lying to Han Seok-Yung .

"That never happened, so please don't believe him! I never made anyone pour drinks!"

I ignored Ahn Chae-Hyung and continued speaking.

"If I sent you a list of female celebrities who've poured drinks for Mr. Ahn, would you believe me then?"

Han Seok-Yung's voice dropped to a grave tone.

-So... this isn't the first time?

"Correct."

After a moment's hesitation, Han Seok-Yung asked me.

-Chief Jung. Forget the past... is there anyone who can testify about what happened today?

I turned my head and looked around.

There was Choi Seok-Hwan, staring as if to ask who would side with me against Ahn Chae-Hyung. There was Cheon Yi-Sang, watching as if hoping I would go down alone. Even Kang Hyee-Dong was clutching his swollen hands as if to say I deserved this.

I had no allies. That meant I had to return to the H2 Hotel lobby and pressure Assistant Manager Lee Sang-Moo to gather evidence. There must be security camera footage in the hotel lobby showing Oh Sung-Yeon being dragged away, and another clip of them entering the club. Plus, I had a recording on my smartwatch from when I came downstairs.

With those three pieces of evidence, I could prove my point.

"I can't offer a witness, but the evidence..."

Just then, a voice came from the corner.

"I'll testify about what happened today, Mr. Han."

Everyone in the room froze. It was Choi Dae-Gi, a rookie talent agent from TK Entertainment. A first-year agent had just risked everything to go up against a star PD.

Then Han Seok-Yung asked.

-And you are?

"I'm Choi Dae-Gi, Miss Oh Sung-Yeon's talent agent."

-You're Oh Sung-Yeon's talent agent?

"Yes, sir. Today, the PDs called Sung-Yeon down to the basement room. If we need to report this to the police, I'm willing to tell them everything I know."

It wasn't just Ahn Chae-Hyung, but Cheon Yi-Sang from TK Entertainment stiffened as well. After all, he was the one who had tried to arrange the lobbying tonight. He hadn't said anything yet, perhaps because the company name hadn't come up. However, both of his temples were bulging with veins about to burst.

Then Han Seok-Yung hurriedly spoke up.

-Hold on.

Ah

, turn off the speakerphone for now, Chief Jung. I'll call you back directly.

Click.

The call ended.

The visibly agitated Ahn Chae-Hyung turned to Choi Dae-Gi and growled in a low, threatening voice. "You little bastard. Are you trying to make sure you never work in this industry again?"

Choi Dae-Gi snapped back. "If this is the kind of place where I have to coerce a woman who just became an adult into pouring drinks to survive, then I don't want to work here anyway."

"You son of a bitch! I swear!" Ahn Chae-Hyung lunged for a beer bottle in a rage.

At that moment, I barked a warning. "If you so much as raise that bottle, I don't care if you're a PD or not—I'll make sure you regret it. Put it down. Now."

When drunk, Ahn Chae-Hyung had a habit of swinging beer bottles. It had never become a serious issue before because he only hit people's arms or shoulders, and people let it slide since he was a PD.

However, I wasn't about to let that happen again. Before my regression, I had been hit in the shoulder by one of his bottles. The shame and humiliation afterward nearly made me quit the industry.

So I glared at him like I would rip him apart the moment the bottle left the table. Ahn Chae-Hyung trembled, unable to lift the bottle.

Just then, a call came in.

Buzz~

[Caller ID: Department Head Han Seok-Yung]

When I immediately picked up, Han Seok-Yung spoke in a hushed tone.

-You're not on speaker, right?

"Right."

-Chief Jung. I hate to ask this, but... could you maybe not go to the police about this? I'll make it worth your while.

I had suspected as much, since loyalty ran deep. Since Ahn Chae-Hyung was the face of MBS' variety programming, Han Seok-Yung was trying to sweep this under the rug.

'

Of course that's how you'd play it

.'

But there was one secret Han Seok-Yung didn't know about

Talk Show! Entertainment World.

Ahn Chae-Hyung's assistant director, Jung Min-Joo, had been the actual showrunner for the past six months.

Ahn Chae-Hyung still handled the casting, mainly so he could accept favors from agencies, but all other responsibilities had been handled by Jung Min-Joo. She was too kind and timid to demand credit, so most people didn't know. That meant the viewership ratings wouldn't take a hit even if Ahn Chae-Hyung was removed.

As for the casting, I could handle that. I was no longer the powerless rookie talent agent I used to be.

'

Mr. Han. Let me make this easy for you

.'

With that thought, I spoke into the phone.

"Sir, is this about the viewership ratings for

Talk Show! Entertainment World

?"

-Exactly. If PD Ahn's out, the entire variety lineup could collapse. I'll make sure Deok-Bae gets his segment on

The Omniscient Viewpoint

this week, so please. Just let this go for now just until we find a replacement for PD Ahn. I'll deal with him myself...

"Mr. Han. Did you know that AD Jung Min-Joo has been running

Talk Show! Entertainment World

for quite a while now?"

-What?

"It's been about six months. Mr. Ahn here just handles casting, and we can replace that with our actors. I can cover things for the next two, no, even three months. Would that be enough?"

Han Seok-Yung's voice lifted with relief.

-Seriously?

"Yes."

-Alright then. I'll double-check and I'll fly to Jeju tomorrow morning. Let's meet and talk in person. There's no need to involve the police just yet. Since the victims you mentioned are all in the industry, there's nothing good would come from making this public. Let's see if we can resolve this ourselves.

Since Han Seok-Yung was willing to take action, I decided to take a step back. I could gather evidence and testimonies, but if this went to the police, Choi Dae-Gi could end up implicated too.

"Understood. I'll hold off until you arrive, Mr. Han."

-Thank you, Chief Jung. I'll have a word with PD Ahn now.

"Yes, sir."

Han Seok-Yung hung up and immediately called Ahn Chae-Hyung. The moment he answered, Ahn Chae-Hyung started yelling.

"What the hell! I told you it wasn't me! So you're saying you trust Chief Jung over me? I swear I'll move to TVM! Damn it! Fine! Guess I'll use this as fuel and make a takedown show instead! Whatever. Believe what you want!"

Ahn Chae-Hyung's shouting grew louder and louder before he abruptly hung up. Then he shot up from his seat and glared at me.

"You people... just wait."

With that, Ahn Chae-Hyung stormed out, throwing the door open. Choi Seok-Hwan scrambled to follow him.

Thud.

The door shut behind them. Now that Ahn Chae-Hyung was out of the picture, it was time to tackle the next problem.

I turned to Cheon Yi-Sang. "Mr. Cheon. I would like to have a word with you please."

Cheon Yi-Sang glared at me. "What about? Are you trying to drag us into this too?"

"I have no such intention. But I do have a condition."

There was a reason I had targeted only Ahn Chae-Hyung up to this point—It was so I could negotiate now.

Sensing trouble, Cheon Yi-Sang asked, "What condition?"

"Hand over Mr. Choi Dae-Gi and Miss Oh Sung-Yeon to me."

In exchange for not reporting TK Entertainment or dragging them into today's incident, I wanted both of them.

Cheon Yi-Sang let out a scoffing laugh of disbelief. "So that's why you didn't mention me at all, huh?"

"Of course. Why else do you think I focused only on PD Ahn?"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "What if those PDs mention my name? Then your silence doesn't mean a thing."

"That's your problem to manage, isn't it? Or do you want me to handle that too? In that case, maybe I'll need a third person..."

"Forget it, you bastard! I'll take care of it!" Fuming, Cheon Yi-Sang stared daggers at me. "You sneaky little shit."

I took the insult in stride. "Thanks for the compliment."

Clearly fed up, Cheon Yi-Sang turned his head away. "Hey, Choi Dae-Gi."

Choi Dae-Gi swallowed hard. "Yes, sir?"

"Are you planning to go with Chief Jung?"

Choi Dae-Gi nodded calmly. "If he'll take me, yes."

"

Sigh

...Fine. Go. But you two...I'll be watching to see how long that lasts!" As Cheon Yi-Sang stormed out, he paused at the door and turned to me again. "I'll send over the contract tomorrow morning."

"Understood."

Cheon Yi-Sang left the room with Kang Hyee-Dong, whose swollen hands still looked painful.

Thud.

The door closed again. Not only had I neutralized Ahn Chae-Hyung, I had also managed to get Oh Sung-Yeon and Choi Dae-Gi out of TK Entertainment. I let out a long breath of relief.

Then my eyes fell on Choi Dae-Gi across the room. He was smaller than me and not athletic in the slightest. But today, he had protected his actor with nothing but sheer courage. If I had even a fraction of that bravery back when I was a first-year agent before the regression things might have turned out very differently.

'

Choi Dae-Gi, you were pretty damn cool today

.'

In my past life, he was just a subordinate and an awkward colleague. But now, I wanted to be his friend.

"Mr. Dae-Gi. Or should I say... Dae-Gi."

Choi Dae-Gi stiffened at the sudden familiarity. "Y-Yes, Mr. Jung."

"Let's be friends."

He hesitated, then answered stiffly. "I appreciate the sentiment, sir, but... I don't think I'm ready yet. Still, in my heart, I'll think of you as a friend."

For someone as stiff and by-the-book as Choi Dae-Gi, that was about as bold a reply as he could muster.

'

Yeah, let's start there, Choi Dae-Gi.

'

Just like that, I had gained another friend—and a colleague.

***

Ahn Chae-Hyung and Choi Seok-Hwan had returned to the room of a shabby pension near the maritime set of

Hwaranjeon

in Jeju Island they had booked. The boiler was broken, and the room was freezing cold. After yelling at the owner for a while, they stormed back inside.

Chattering from the cold, Ahn Chae-Hyung muttered through clenched teeth, seething with rage. "I'm gonna destroy that bastard Jung Yoon-Ho."

Choi Seok-Hwan, who had escaped Jung Yoon-Ho's direct scrutiny over his show

The Infinite Job Hunt Era,

asked hesitantly. "And... how exactly?"

"How else? I'll get all the reporters I know to bury him. I'll pressure the TK folks too. I'm going to tell them to help me unless they want to go down with me."

After all, tonight's lobbying had been arranged by TK Entertainment. There was no way Ahn Chae-Hyung intended to take the fall alone.

Choi Seok-Hwan, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to cut ties with Ahn Chae-Hyung. Unlike variety PD Ahn Chae-Hyung, he worked in dramas and knew all too well what kind of reputation Jung Yoon-Ho held in the industry.

"Hey, Chief Jung said he had evidence. Do you know how many people got wrecked after messing with him? Just drop it."

"What, you scared?"

"Yeah, man. I didn't say anything earlier cause I was embarrassed, but I've heard rumors. That guy? Word is Jung Yoon-Ho's tight with executive-level people these days. There's even talk that he brought down CEO Park Chan-Sik at KBC."

"You think that makes sense? How would a talent agent have that kind of power?"

"I'm telling you the truth. So maybe we should just make a deal and..."

At that moment Ahn Chae-Hyung's eyes flared with fury. "Choi Seok-Hwan. So now you wanna bail? After following me around all this time, now you're backing out? You think Jung Yoon-Ho's gonna spare you or something?"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Like hell it's not! You think I'm going down alone? If I fall, you're coming with me..."

Thwack.

That's when Choi Seok-Hwan's punch landed squarely on Ahn Chae-Hyung's face, knocking him to the cold floor.

Pain and humiliation crashed over Ahn Chae-Hyung like a wave. "D-did you just hit me?"

"Yeah, you fucking bastard! I hit you! Most of the shit we did—who dragged us into it? You did! You kept pressuring me, saying it was no big deal!"

Ahn Chae-Hyung's mind blanked with rage. Then he grabbed a soju bottle and began swinging it wildly. "You followed me every damn time, you bastard!"

He hadn't caught a single fish earlier, and now the night's lobbying plans had gone up in smoke. The humiliation from Jung Yoon-Ho burned in his skull. For such reasons, Ahn Chae-Hyung gripped the bottle tighter than usual without realizing it.

At that moment, there was a sickening thump as the bottle in Ahn Chae-Hyung's hand struck Choi Seok-Hwan, who collapsed to the ground.

Thud.

The stunned Ahn Chae-Hyung froze and dropped the bottle.

Clatter.

The soju bottle shattered, and shards embedded themselves in Ahn Chae-Hyung's right leg.

"

Arghh

..."

His clouded mind suddenly snapped back into focus. "What... what have I done?"

Choi Seok-Hwan lay limp and unmoving. Panicking, Ahn Chae-Hyung staggered over and placed a hand under his nose to check he was still breathing.

Just then, the door opened.

Creak.

"I've cranked the boiler, so the room should warm up soon. I also brought you some citron tea—wha... what the hell?"

The pension owner froze in the doorway, tray in hand. Seeing the chaos inside, he trembled as he pulled out his phone.

"H-hello? Is this the police?"

Ahn Chae-Hyung could feel everything crashing down. Now he finally understood what Choi Seok-Hwan meant when he said that many had been ruined after crossing Jung Yoon-Ho.

***

Tweet, tweet, tweet.

I sat up in bed in the top-floor suite of the H2 Hotel. Between the luxurious mattress and the chirping of birds, I felt completely refreshed from head to toe.

Last night after I informed CEO Park Tae-Seok of what the Assistant Manager Lee Sang-Moo had done, he sent over the general manager and upgraded all of us to the top-floor suite. He also dispatched a team to apprehend the assistant manager and promised to press charges after completing an internal investigation.

Thanks to this, I got to enjoy the hotel's finest amenities for free while the filming in Jeju continued. Humming a tune, I slipped out from under the blankets.

At that moment, my phone rang.

[Caller ID: Department Head Han Seok-Yung]

It was Han Seok-Yung, who was supposed to fly down to Jeju this morning. When I answered, I was met with a flustered voice.

-Chief Jung. Can we push our meeting back to later this afternoon?

"What's going on?"

-Both PD Ahn Chae-Hyung and PD Choi Seok-Hwan got arrested. Choi Seok-Hwan's in the hospital with a concussion. They beat each other up last night. It was mutual assault, and it doesn't look like they'll settle. It's a total trainwreck.

Ahn Chae-Hyung and Choi Seok-Hwan may have looked like buddies, but they weren't actually close to begin with. Now they were both hellbent on dragging the other down.

-And turns out you were right, Chief Jung. Those guys really were out lobbying. So MBS is planning to fire them both and file civil and criminal charges. Just hang tight a little longer.

MBS was promising to go all-in on the disciplinary action. That was more than enough for me. The phrase 'you reap what you sow' crossed my mind.

"Understood, sir."

-Alright, see you later.

Click.

"People really should just live decent lives~"

With everything now wrapped up, I hummed a tune and hopped into the shower. I finished quickly and got dressed for today's shoot.

Right then, someone knocked on the door.

Knock knock.

Wondering who it could be, I stepped out to find the general manager of the hotel standing there.

"

Ah

, good morning, sir."

He gave me a wide grin. "Our CEO and his wife came all the way to Jeju this morning to meet you, Mr. Jung. They asked that you come down—if you could, please."

We had already wrapped things up over the phone last night, but apparently, the CEO couple had decided to come down personally.

And with them, they had brought a surprise I hadn't expected.