Chapter 838: Beginning of Change (3)

"Chief Yoon knows every shady thing about us. That's why we can't leave him."

The moment Bok Seon-Ill let out that confessional line, everyone's expression turned grim. When entertainers and talent agents—or singers and producers—worked closely for a long time, they naturally came to know each other's secrets.

Bok Seon-Ill was now confessing that those secrets had turned into weaknesses.

"If those secrets come out now... our careers as entertainers are over. So please, Chief Jung, cut us some slack this time."

Bok Seon-Ill hadn't taken a hostile stance toward me because he disliked the solution I presented. He was afraid that unless he pressured me, Chief Yoon Dong-Gu might spill his secrets.

Before the regression, I had no idea Yoon Dong-Gu was capable of this. I guess that old saying about not knowing what's in a person's heart was true for a reason. Still, it didn't change anything. After all, I already knew the secrets of Bok Seon-Ill and the other celebrities from Singer Division 4 here. And those secrets were all things I could take care of.

I understood their shame and hesitance, so I decided to play dumb for now.

Starting with what Yoon Dong-Gu had done, I asked, "Did Chief Yoon threaten you before you came up here?"

"He said it was a request, but it was basically a threat. If we let go of his hand, he'd have no problem exposing our secrets."

Just then, Jeon Tae-Mi, who had been watching nervously, spoke in a trembling voice. "Sunbae... do you think Chief Yoon would really expose our secrets?"

"What is that question? You came along to pressure Chief Jung because you were worried about that too, didn't you?"

Jeon Tae-Mi nodded. "Chief Yoon said it was a favor, but it really felt like a threat. That man knows my secret.

Ugh

, seriously, I shouldn't have asked for his help in the first place..."

"

Tsk.

What can we do? Even I didn't realize until recently what kind of guy he really is."

At that, Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon tilted their heads in confusion. "So Chief Yoon isn't trying to help us with our secrets but he's holding them over us?"

"Wait, are you telling me you didn't even know that and came here to pressure Chief Jung?"

"We just came along because Chief Yoon asked us to help you sunbae-nims. He said he wouldn't forget the favor and would give us a good song."

"So you didn't tell him your weaknesses?"

Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon flinched. "No... we did."

"

Sigh

... you got played too." Bok Seon-Ill let out a deep sigh and said, "Hey, you all remember Kwak Hyo-Sang from our days at Gwanwoo Entertainment, right?"

"You mean the one who went down for allegedly molesting a minor?"

"Yeah. But that whole thing with the underage girl? That's total bullshit. Hyo-Sang would never do something like that. It was all fabricated."

"Fabricated?"

"Yeah. That scandal was orchestrated by Chief Yoon. Hyo-Sang tried to take him down from the inside and move to Ace Entertainment. Of course, Chief Yoon didn't do it himself. He used Managing Director Kim Jang-Bi to pull the strings."

It happened last summer, before Hoop Entertainment merged with Gwanwoo Entertainment.

Kwak Hyo-Sang, the solo artist who had been leading Gwanwoo Entertainment, was suddenly ruined by a scandal involving an underage girlfriend. He was thirty-two and dating a twenty-year-old, but the issue was that they had started seeing each other when she was still in her second year of high school.

When that article came out, Kwak Hyo-Sang was pulled from his radio show and dropped from every endorsement, effectively ending his career.

However, the truth wouldn't come to light until five years later. After marrying the woman from the scandal, Kwak Hyo-Sang appeared on a morning show and admitted that they had met when she was eighteen and a fan of his.

He claimed that due to her mature appearance, he hadn't realized she was underage. But once he found out, he immediately cut off all contact, even as a fan. Naturally, they weren't dating at the time.

But two years later, after becoming an adult, the girlfriend came back to him. Moved by her sincere feelings, Kwak Hyo-Sang finally opened his heart to her. Legally and ethically, he hadn't done anything wrong. When she was underage, they had merely been singer and fan.

Yoon Dong-Gu twisted that narrative and leaked it through tabloid rumors, just because Kwak Hyo-Sang tried to leave and sign with another agency. As a result, Kwak Hyo-Sang and his girlfriend were now working together at the galbi restaurant run by his single mother.

Jeon Tae-Mi, Oh Ji-Seon, and Sung Hee-Yeon, who had no idea Yoon Dong-Gu was this ruthless, were so parched with nerves that they chugged their drinks from the table.

Bok Seon-Ill let out a sigh as if he understood. "Since Chief Yoon's a star composer, no one thought he'd stoop to this. But when it comes to artists he covets, he has no hesitation doing things like this. Honestly, I'm grateful to him... but also scared of him."

Neither the other singers could shake their grave expressions.

Bok Seon-Ill sighed again and looked over at me. "So... Chief Jung, please be lenient with the disciplinary action on Chief Yoon. Pretend you don't know too much. Let us live, okay?"

While I was debating how to answer, President Kang Gam-Chan finally spoke up after silently listening the entire time. "I'll make sure the things you're worried about won't happen. Don't worry."

However, Bok Seon-Ill shook his head. "It's not that I don't trust you, sir... but secrets, once they leak, there's no taking them back. If Chief Yoon lets ours out, that's the end for us."

Secrets were irretrievable like spilled water. Once a secret escaped, there was no stuffing it back in.

Even Kang Gam-Chan fell silent, his face steeped in concern.

Then, I looked the singers in the eye and spoke right away. "Mr. Bok Seon-Ill, are you planning to live your whole life with a leash around your neck?"

"Wh-what? You think I want to? But what choice do I have? I hate living like this too!"

"In that case, let me resolve those unspeakable secrets for you. If I can do that, will you cut ties with Chief Yoon?"

"Chief Jung, our secrets aren't so simple."

At that moment, I took out four sticky notes from the table and began scribbling with a pencil. Then I folded them up and handed them to each of the four.

"If what I wrote matches the secret you told Chief Yoon, just nod. If those are the ones, I can take care of them."

Bok Seon-Ill sighed deeply as he accepted the note. "This is starting to feel like a kid's game..."

That's when Jeon Tae-Mi hurriedly checked the sticky note in front of her.

"Huh? This..."

Immediately, Jeon Tae-Mi began trembling.

'

So it was correct.

'

Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon looked at their notes, glanced at each other, then tore theirs up and stuffed them in their mouths in shock. They quickly spat them out into the trash.

"

Ptooey.

"

'

Well, that confirmed theirs too

.'

Watching their reactions, Bok Seon-Ill tilted his head and opened his note. In that instant, Bok Seon-Ill's face went pale.

"Wait, how did Chief Jung know this...?"

Thankfully, I had gotten them all right.

Recalling the secrets they held before the regression, I had written [illegitimate child] for Bok Seon-Ill, [assault] for Jeon Tae-Mi, and [two-timing]—the same word—for both Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon.

Now that the test was over, it was time to offer solutions. I had to help them escape Yoon Dong-Gu's clutches. And I had to ensure that Singer Division 4 could break free from Yoon Dong-Gu's influence and belong wholly to Hoop Entertainment.

***

To the public, a celebrity's private life was just juicy gossip—something to chew on and enjoy. That was why entertainers created secrets to protect themselves and their loved ones. It was just like how Yoo-Jin hid her daughter Miso for a time.

These four were no different. Among them, Bok Seon-Ill's secret was an illegitimate child.

At the age of twenty-five, he had a child with his first love without getting married. But as a nameless singer with a meager income, he struggled. Unable to endure the hardship, his first love walked out, leaving the newborn behind. There hadn't even been any birth registration.

At the time, Bok Seon-Ill wasn't even legally allowed to register his own child as an unmarried father, so he had no choice but to add his daughter to his parents' family registry. And so, Bok Seon-Ill's daughter had grown up believing she was his much-younger sister. His current wife knew the truth, but their two sons had no idea. Even now, Bok Seon-Ill couldn't bring himself to tell his "sister" that she was actually his daughter.

Jeon Tae-Mi's secret was assault. She was known as the perfect couple alongside actor Baek Hong-Gyun, who had a gentlemanly image. Yet in reality, Jeon Tae-Mi was a victim of domestic violence, abused by her husband behind closed doors.

Lastly, the secret shared by Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon was two-timing. Both women were dating the same popular singer, Kim Cheong-Gi, with marriage in mind.

Kim Cheong-Gi, a notorious playboy, had deliberately started an affair with both of them at the same time. Now the two women were fighting, each accusing the other of seducing the man she planned to marry.

I knew all of this because these secrets would become public a year from now. So I knew better than anyone what they were about to face.

Which is why I said with confidence, "I can cleanly take care of all your secrets."

Bok Seon-Ill swallowed hard and asked, "H-How did you even know?"

"Rather than asking how I know, shouldn't we focus on how we'll fix this from now on?"

"Fair enough. What matters is fixing it. But Chief Jung... could you resolve it without hurting the people involved?"

He was clearly worried about emotionally scarring his eldest daughter.

"That's actually the most important part to me."

Bok Seon-Ill's face lit up with relief. "Great. If you can handle that, I'll do whatever you ask. Even if it comes to firing Chief Yoon, I won't object."

"Understood. But for now, resolving Mrs. Jeon Tae-Mi's issue is more urgent. Can we push yours until after that? It won't take more than a week."

"Got it."

Now that Bok Seon-Ill was on board, it was Jeon Tae-Mi's turn. "I'll take care of your issue before the day is over."

Jeon Tae-Mi looked at me, her hand trembling. "Are you serious? You're really going to fix this today?"

"Yes. But I'll need your help with a few things."

Her husband, Baek Hong-Gyun, was attending an audition today for a supporting male role in

She Was Beautiful

. So I planned to go to the audition venue shortly and resolve Jeon Tae-Mi's problem there and then.

Big tears began to roll down Jeon Tae-Mi's cheeks. I immediately handed her a handkerchief.

After wiping her face, Jeon Tae-Mi spoke in a tearful voice. "Then... I have just one more favor. Please make sure this doesn't end up in the news. Okay?"

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it quietly."

"Thank you."

Next, I turned to Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon. "Before we address your issue, there's a condition."

"What is it?"

"For just three days, cut off all contact with him. And both of you, don't call each other either. Hold off for just three days."

They were currently fighting on the phone every day, fighting with Kim Cheong-Gi too, making up, then fighting again. They looked unsure, struggling with the decision. Nevertheless, I didn't give them time to hesitate. I pushed them hard.

"If either of you breaks the condition, I'll side with the one who didn't. And if both of you break it, then I won't help either of you. No matter how capable I am, I can't help an entertainer who doesn't trust me."

Knowing they were both short-tempered, I had to be firm. If I didn't handle it this way, they would end up going back to Kim Cheong-Gi and making everything worse.

They glared at each other, then turned to me. "As long as we don't break the promise, that's all?"

"Yes. If both of you keep your word, I'll resolve this completely."

They each knew, at least vaguely, that Kim Cheong-Gi was the real problem. However, their pride and lingering emotions were keeping them from backing down.

In the end, they both nodded and agreed to my terms. "Alright. I'll let him know I won't be in touch for the next three days."

"Good. Do that."

They both nodded and reached for their phones.

With the priorities settled, Kang Gam-Chan, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke. "I'd like to help, but... you're planning to handle this on your own, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's probably best for keeping things discreet. But if you ever need support from the company, just say the word."

"Thank you."

"There's just one thing I'm curious about. What do we do about Chief Yoon's disciplinary action? It's hard to punish him when he's holding the singers' secrets over them."

"For now... let's say you're backing off because of the singers' plea. I'll take care of everything before the disciplinary committee meeting next week."

Until I resolved all four secrets, we had to act like Yoon Dong-Gu's threats through the singers had actually worked.

"Got it. Then I'll let it slip that the punishment for Chief Yoon will be less severe."

Kang Gam-Chan instructed everyone present to act as if the singers from Singer Division 4 had succeeded in pressuring the company. And for the next week, once I resolved all their issues, we would hold the real disciplinary committee meeting.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Finally, Kang Gam-Chan spoke again, barely suppressing his anger. "Take care of their problems, Chief Jung. I'll make sure Chief Yoon's case is dealt with properly."

From the fierce glint in his eyes, it was clear Kang Gam-Chan intended to cut Yoon Dong-Gu loose for good.

"Understood."

I gave a short bow and rose from my seat.

***

To deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your own side.

Back on the fourth floor, I spread a false story with a crestfallen face—telling people that Yoon Dong-Gu's disciplinary action would be significantly reduced. Chief Gu Sung-Cheol and the others fumed, but in the end, they comforted me. They said I had made the right choice for the company and that I should just let this one go.

I felt guilty for having to deceive them for a whole week, but it was necessary if I wanted to take full control of Singer Division 4.

After that, I headed to the meeting room for our next meeting. The issues with the singers weren't the only thing on the agenda, but there were also tasks I needed to take care of today as well.

The talent agents from Division Jung' must have heard about the supposed capitulation to Singer Division 4, because they were all trying to lift my spirits from Team Lead Park In-Ki of Division 1, to Team Leads Yeon So-Hee and Baek Hee-Yung, along with Lee Yung-Jin, Do Ran-Hee, Choi Dae-Gi, to even the new recruit, Yang Dong-Jin.

Their kindness made the corners of my mouth twitch upward, but I forced it down into a bitter smile.

"Alright. What's done is done. Let's go over today's schedule."

Right then, veteran Park In-Ki stepped up to lighten the mood. "

Ah,

come to think of it, there's been a big spike in advertisers interested in Deok-Bae. Let's start with the CF offers!"

Thanks to the success of

Hwaranjeon

and

The Omniscient Viewpoint

, along with the Real Ramen ad campaign, Deok-Bae's value had skyrocketed.

I nodded. "Alright, let's start with the CFs. What was Spedic Water's offer again?"

"They offered five hundred million won per year."

"Hold on, five hundred million? That's pretty high. Deok-Bae's not quite at that tier yet. How'd they come up with that number?"

Spedic Water was a sports drink recently launched with an aggressive marketing push by LT Beverage.

I wondered if President Shin Jong-Ki had anything to do with it, but Park In-Ki shook his head. "It's not that. They're betting on Deok-Bae's growth potential. They want to lock him into a three-year contract. From their perspective, it's a safe investment."

'

So they actually have an eye for talent, huh?

'

"I should meet with their head of PR sometime."

"Shall we move forward with the deal?"

"It sounds promising, but let's wait until Deok-Bae gets here and talk it over."

"Understood."

It was about time for Deok-Bae to arrive, so I glanced at my phone.

Then, there was a knock on the meeting room door.

Knock knock.

"Come in."

The door opened and in walked Deok-Bae, accompanied by Chief Nam Pan-Gyu.

"Hey, Deok-Bae. You're here."

But then, as soon as he saw me, Deok-Bae scratched his head with a sheepish look. "Hyung... I messed up."

'

Deok-Bae? The most well-behaved guy of them all? What the hell does that mean?

'