Chapter 860: Kim Cheong-Gi (2)

"Are you threatening to ruin our company's celebrities right now?" I asked.

Director Hong Ah-Yoon curled her lips into a smirk. "That's right. If Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon were seriously dating this trash with marriage in mind, then there must be some things they'd rather not have the public find out, right? So go ahead, upload Kim Cheong-Gi's trashy behavior online. Then I'll upload the photos of him with those bitches, and I'll make sure every gossip article spreads like wildfire."

At Hong Ah-Yoon's scorched-earth tactic, Kim Cheong-Gi, who had been holding his face in his hands, shouted in panic. "Wait, Ms. Hong! You're supposed to stop those pictures, not fight fire with fire!"

A security guard pressed down hard on Kim Cheong-Gi's shoulder. "Shut up. Ms. Hong's talking."

"

Ugh

..." Kim Cheong-Gi let out a groan and clamped his mouth shut.

Hong Ah-Yoon looked at him with disgust, then turned her gaze back to me. "Didn't you say you care about your celebrities, Chief Jung? But as you can see, I couldn't care less about Kim Cheong-Gi. So in this chicken game, doesn't that mean I automatically win?"

She had a point. I only pulled out the womanizing photos to get a confession from Kim Cheong-Gi as a way to protect Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon. However, Hong Ah-Yoon was threatening to destroy the public image of Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon, even if it meant throwing away Kim Cheong-Gi.

"So? What now, oh brilliant Chief Jung?"

Hong Ah-Yoon was even smiling now, confident she had seized the upper hand.

'

Not bad, Hong Ah-Yoon

.'

She was only twenty-nine, but she knew exactly how to wield power. And now, I could see why HK Inc. had planted her at HK Entertainment just to deal with me. She was a bitch, but a competent one.

Nevertheless, I was a regressor.

I took a deep breath, then fixed my gaze on Hong Ah-Yoon. "Do you know anyone who plays poker with just one card?"

"What are you talking about now?"

"I'm asking if you really thought Kim Cheong-Gi only had one weakness."

Hong Ah-Yoon's brow furrowed slightly. "Cut the crap. Bluffing won't save you now."

I let out a small laugh and pointed at Kim Cheong-Gi. "Then let's see if you can cover up the scam Kim Cheon-Gi's running with that gopchang[1] franchise. If that hits the news, it'll go straight to the economic section with HK's name attached. Even for a conglomerate, being linked to a fraud case could be a real problem, don't you think?"

Currently, Kim Cheong-Gi was co-running a gopchang restaurant in Guro with a washed-up comedian named Park Chang-Dong, also from TNT Entertainment. Park Chang-Dong had been using Kim Cheong-Gi's name to recruit franchise owners.

And a year from now, their franchise, Gopchang Nation—Meat Heaven, would be hit with lawsuits over substandard supplies, abusive training practices, and outright fraud. Back in my original timeline, one of the celebrities I managed invested in that franchise and got scammed. So I knew exactly what was coming.

At that moment, Hong Ah-Yoon suddenly snapped. For a chaebol heir, nothing was more horrifying than having their company name dragged through the mud in a scandal.

"Fraud? What kind of bullshit is that?"

"Why ask me? You should ask Mr. Kim Cheong-Gi. But wouldn't it make for a juicy headline? 'HK Entertainment brings on a franchise scammer'? I bet the reporters waiting to take down HK Inc. would have a field day with that."

Hong Ah-Yoon whipped her head toward Kim Cheong-Gi and glared. "Hey, Kim Cheong-Gi. Is this true?"

Kim Cheong-Gi looked completely bewildered. "Scam? What scam?"

"Damn it. So the gopchang place is real?"

"Yes. I'm co-running it with Chang-Dong in Guro."

"And you don't even know if it's a scam?"

"I gave him my seal[2] and told him to handle everything. I'm not really familiar with that stuff."

At that moment, Hong Ah-Yoon shot to her feet, trembling with rage. "Are you a goddamn moron? Who the hell hands over their seal to someone else?"

Kim Cheong-Gi flinched. "Excuse me?"

"If that bastard uses your name to blow up this franchise scam and it collapses, what do you think happens next? You're not just an accomplice, but you'll be seen as the main culprit! And then people will say HK Entertainment scouted a con artist like you! Which means I'll be the one getting humiliated!"

"Chang-Dong's not that kind of guy..."

"Oh my God, I'm going to lose it. How are people this stupid even real?!"

Hong Ah-Yoon clutched her chest in exasperation, looking like she was going to explode.

'

Yeah, it gets to you, doesn't it

?'

I had felt the same way once. Yoo-Jin was smart, as she came into this industry after supporting herself with part-time jobs. So even as a celebrity, she would never make mistakes like this. On the other hand, those who had lived their whole lives as entertainers, pampered by their talent agents, grew up in a world detached from reality. They lacked basic common sense and were shockingly vulnerable to scams.

And this kind of behavior was completely incomprehensible to someone like Hong Ah-Yoon, who came from a corporate background. This exact disconnect would be what eventually led HK Entertainment to ruin.

Then, Hong Ah-Yoon suddenly flashed a smile as if something had just occurred to her. "Fine. We'll drop Kim Cheong-Gi from the recruitment list."

Kim Cheong-Gi shouted in panic, "Ms. Hong! Please. Please spare me! I'll do whatever you say, I swear!"

Hong Ah-Yoon scoffed. "After pulling crap like this, you still want to be scouted? You've got some nerve."

"M-Ms. Hong..."

"Shut it. Hey, can you sell me the material on Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon?"

"Pardon me?"

"If you get sued for fraud, your career's over. So hand over those photos and take the money while you still can."

The moment she decided she couldn't use Kim Cheong-Gi anymore, Hong Ah-Yoon immediately switched to Plan B.

Kim Cheong-Gi's face turned pale. "P-please, Ms. Hong... don't do this..."

"Look, once Chief Jung got his hooks in you, it was over. Just take the money and use it for legal fees or settlements."

Kim Cheong-Gi glanced at me, clearly considering whether to sell the photos of Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon.

'

She's really going this far

?'

I was stunned all over again by Hong Ah-Yoon's insanity. However, I didn't flinch. I rose from my seat and calmly walked over to her.

As she saw me approach, Hong Ah-Yoon snapped, "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

A security guard moved in, but I reached her side a beat faster. Leaning in close, I whispered in her ear.

"If you push it this far, I'll leak the fact that you're dating Mr. Baek Sung-Bin, the HK Department Store ad model."

Hong Ah-Yoon was currently enjoying a sponsor-backed relationship with Baek Sung-Bin, one of HK Department Store's promotional models. Despite his good looks, Baek Sung-Bin was a low-tier model by industry standards.

If a scandal broke, Chairman Hong Moon-Gyu—head of the pride-obsessed HK Inc.—would never let her off the hook. He would explode over how she had the audacity to tarnish HK's name by fooling around with someone like that.

At that moment, Hong Ah-Yoon held back her approaching security guard. Then she glared at me, eyes wide with fury.

"How... how did you know that?"

I shrugged. "It's a trade secret."

"Son of a bitch. So you're saying I should cut ties with that bastard completely?"

"Exactly. Stay out of other people's business and back off."

Hong Ah-Yoon glared at me, grinding her teeth. She was staring like she wanted to kill me, but there was nothing she could do. Right now, she had no idea how many cards I was still holding.

In the end, she clenched her fists and said through gritted teeth, "Fine! I'll back off. But if even a single line of that makes it into an article or you try to leak it, I'll bury Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon no matter what it takes. Got it?"

"I'm not looking to spill blood either."

Hong Ah-Yoon shot up from her seat and stormed toward the door. "Let's go!"

"Yes, Ms. Hong."

The security guard and secretary followed right behind.

Kim Cheong-Gi, suddenly left out in the cold, shouted in panic. "Ms. Hong! What about me? You're just leaving me here?"

"No idea, dipshit. Clean up your own mess!"

With a string of curses and her heels clacking furiously, Hong Ah-Yoon left the room.

Against a chaebol, it was a flawless victory for me—the regressor.

***

As the door to Room 3 closed, Lackey, who had been left behind, blinked at me in disbelief. After all, HK Inc.'s youngest daughter had walked away without getting anything she wanted.

"Mr. Jung... how did you..."

"You saw it all, didn't you? There's nothing much to explain. By the way, how's your chest?"

"

Oh

, I'm fine."

The disturbance had been unexpected, but now it was time to finish off the prey.

I called out, "Mr. Kim Cheong-Gi."

As our eyes met, Kim Cheong-Gi's face went pale.

Thud.

Then, Kim Cheong-Gi dropped to his knees and started begging, throwing away any shred of dignity as a famous celebrity.

"C-Chief Jung! I-I'll do whatever you want! But I swear, I really only put money into the gopchang place. I didn't know anything else! It's the truth!"

With his contract with HK Entertainment broken, he had no agency left to protect him. He was now rubbing his hands together and groveling at my feet.

To be fair, he wasn't the ringleader of the scam. But by this point, there were already a few victims.

"So, you'll really do anything I say?"

"Y-yes! Yes!"

"Good. Then turn yourself in and compensate the victims. If you do that, the court might show some leniency."

"Do I really have to go that far?"

"Otherwise, you can go to prison."

"

Ah

—no, no! I'll turn myself in! So,

um

, what about Ji-Seon and Hee-Yeon...?"

"Let's talk about that later. First, there's something we need to settle."

"Settle what?"

I looked down at Park Geon-Soo, who had regained consciousness a while ago. "Park Geon-Soo. I know you're awake. How long are you gonna keep pretending?"

Park Geon-Soo immediately opened his eyes and dropped to his knees next to Kim Cheong-Gi. "I-I just came to, sunbae-nim."

I scoffed and pointed toward Lackey. "I'm not your sunbae, so cut the crap and apologize to that waiter hyung-nim over there."

"What? To Lackey?"

"You forget you kicked him earlier? Apologize. Properly."

Park Geon-Soo looked around awkwardly, then staggered to his feet. But when it came time to bow his head, his pride seemed to get in the way. He hesitated.

'

Well then. I guess I have no choice.

'

"Want to get hit, or just do it?" I threatened.

"N-no, I'll do it. I'll apologize." Park Geon-Soo bowed at a perfect ninety degrees. "I'm sorry! Please be generous and forgive this thoughtless trash for his mistake."

Lackey looked at me, clearly confused and flustered. When I gave a small nod of approval, he turned back to Park Geon-Soo with a look of resolve.

"Sir... that's not how we do apologies here."

Park Geon-Soo lifted his head slightly. "Then how?"

Lackey rubbed his thumb against his index finger. "Around here, apologies come like this."

Just as Choi Go-Yoon had said, this guy finally revealed his true colors—money.

Park Geon-Soo flinched. "H-how much do you want?"

"Well... one thing's for sure. If you don't pay up, neither you nor your friend here will be leaving this club tonight. I already told the madam to call in the Gangnam Reconstruction crew who handle security for us."

Still kneeling, Kim Cheong-Gi flared up. "Hey! Why am I being lumped in?"

Lackey shot Kim Cheong-Gi a glare. "You were the one who gave the order to hit me, weren't you? And if your agency isn't backing you anymore, our boys won't go easy on you. Might even strip you naked, snap some photos, and post them online..."

Having heard the back-and-forth earlier, Lackey was now delivering perfectly calibrated threats.

Kim Cheong-Gi, finally realizing how serious things were, hesitated before answering. "How much...?"

Lackey grinned. "Your offer."

In item-trading lingo, the first offer was referred to when the buyer named their price, not the seller. In other words, he was telling Kim Cheong-Gi to state his own settlement amount.

Grimacing like he was chewing glass, Kim Cheong-Gi finally offered something. "One million won?"

Lackey shook his head. "Nope."

"Two?"

"Still nope."

"Three hundred?"

Lackey shook his head.

"Four?"

"No."

"Five?"

Only then did Lackey reluctantly nod as if he had finally been persuaded. "That sounds acceptable."

"H-Hey! Come on... seriously? That's way too much! You're not even that hurt!"

Lackey gave a dry chuckle, voice laced with mockery. "If you don't like it, we can bring the boys in and talk it over. Once they start swinging, the hospital bills alone will be double that."

Kim Cheong-Gi had no choice but to grit his teeth and agree. Five million won wasn't pocket change, but it wasn't beyond his means either.

"Fine! I'll pay!"

At that moment, Lackey's lips curled into a slow, sinister grin. "Per head."

"What!?"

Per head meant five million won each. In other words, if it was both Kim Cheong-Gi and Park Geon-Soo, they would need to pay ten million.

'

My guy. Not bad at all

.'

I looked at the stunned Kim Cheong-Gi and said, "Well then. Now that we've wrapped up that beautiful little negotiation, it's time for you and me to finish ours."

It was time to clean up the mess left by his lies about marrying Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon.

Kim Cheong-Gi's face drained of color once again.

***

I recorded a full confession from Kim Cheong-Gi, including his agreement to turn himself in and compensate the victims. Then I left the cleanup to Lackey and Choi Go-Yoon before exiting the club.

I immediately called both Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon and told them to meet me at Ji-Seon's place.

A little while later, in Oh Ji-Seon's living room, I placed a phone between the two women—who were sitting back-to-back—and played the audio of Kim Cheong-Gi's confession.

-Ji-Seon, Hee-Yeon... I've committed an unforgivable sin. I lied to both of you about wanting to get married. You bought me a car, got me an officetel... and I just went along with it...

As the details of Kim Cheong-Gi's confession played, both women turned toward the phone with shocked expressions. He explained why he approached them both and why he played them against each other. It was because they were a duet, and he figured if he stirred up a rivalry, they would spend more money on him.

And in that moment, the wall between Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon built over the past year crumbled in an instant. Together, they unleashed a torrent of rage.

"What kind of goddamn human being does that?!"

"What kind of lunatic pulls this crap? I can't believe we both fell for someone like him!"

Their curses didn't stop for a second as the recording continued to play. Eventually, the audio ended.

"Kim Cheong-Gi has agreed to return all the cash and gifts he received from both of you by the end of the month. Also, I brought his phone."

I pulled a phone out of a small bag, which held all the photos he had taken with the two of them.

"This is his phone?"

"Yes. And I brought one more thing." From the bag, I pulled out two rubber mallets. "These are my first gifts."

For the first time since the whole Kim Cheong-Gi mess had exploded, Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon locked eyes.

"Together?"

"Together."

Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon each grabbed a mallet in one hand. Wrapping the phone in a towel, they stepped out onto the villa's terrace. They set the towel-covered phone on the ground and began smashing it with all their might.

Smack. Crack.

As if venting all the frustration they had endured until now, the two hammered away relentlessly.

Thud.

Oh Ji-Seon collapsed onto the floor. "

Huff, huff.

.. That's enough for me."

Sung Hee-Yeon also collapsed. "Same here...

Huff, huff

. I'm done..."

Ten minutes of non-stop pounding left them both gasping for air.

Thump.

They sat down on the floor, sweat pouring down their faces.

I handed them towels and water and said, "Besides this, Kim Cheong-Gi is also involved in a fraud case. I know you probably want to confront him face-to-face, but it's better not to get involved any further. He's finished anyway."

The two of them let out a long sigh and looked at me.

"Alright. We'll do as you say."

"Same here. I'm sick of that guy."

Then, Oh Ji-Seon spoke up as if suddenly remembering. "And... thank you, Mr. Jung."

Sung Hee-Yeon nodded at me as well. "Thank you very much. I mean... I was hopeful, but I didn't expect you to handle it this cleanly."

"Seriously. I'll never forget what you did for us today."

Tears, or maybe sweat, glistened at the corners of their eyes as they repeatedly thanked me.

I smiled. "There's no need for thanks. But I do have one last gift."

"Another one?"

I reached into my inner pocket and pulled out a magic little gift. It was something that would help them make peace.

"This is my second present."

1.

Gopchang

: beef intestines ☜

2.

Seal

: This is a legally registered seal/stamp that's used in place of a signature when signing important documents ☜