Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All - Chapter 260: A Harbinger of a Storm (2)

I arrived at the Reverse Entertainment Headquarters located in Sinsa-dong.

After Eun-Gi turned himself in, the remaining members leased the entire building of Kanghan Entertainment and established a new base near Sinsa-dong, saying that new wine should be put into new wineskins.

When I parked the car at the company entrance, former gangsters with neatly groomed hair ran out in somewhat talent agent-like attire.

“Good afternoon, hyung-nim!” They said with a bow.

“I told you not to act like gangsters but you’re doing this again?” I chided them.

Dressed in a suit, Lee Soo-Chan said with a smile, “Still, it’s your first visit and we need to greet you properly.”

When I waved my hand to have them stand up straight, they all smiled.

“Alright. By the way, where should I park?” I asked.

“Oh, you can give me the key. I’ll have the boys park it,” Lee Soo Chan gestured.

An employee soon ran over asking for my key. I could recognize him as soon as I saw his face. It was Kang Tae-Cheon, one of my hoobaes from Angel Orphanage. He was in sixth grade when I entered high school and now, we meet again.

“Long time no see, hyung.”

“What? Tae-Cheon, you work here too?”

“Yes, I came up to Seoul recently.”

Apparently, Kang Tae-Cheon had been working as a day laborer in Suwon and came to Seoul when he heard the news. He said he didn’t have time to hesitate because there were familiar sunbaes and accommodations provided.

“It won’t be the same as the construction site, but this place is also quite tough. If you ever have trouble handling things alone, contact me,” I said with a smile.

“Thank you, hyung.”

After exchanging greetings, I entered the building with Lee Soo-Chan and asked, “By the way, where is that guy Nalsae right now?”

“We’ve put him in Dong-Hyuk’s office for now and we’re keeping an eye on him.”

Since Nalsae arrived, Choi Dong-Hyuk, the operations director of Reverse Entertainment, had been monitoring him closely.

“But hyung-nim, there’s something you need to know before you meet Nalsae.”

“What is it?”

As we headed to the elevator, Lee Soo-Chan started explaining what he knew.

“Do you remember Daeheung Savings Bank, which visited the orphanage looking for you and Eun-Gi hyung-nim last time?”

“Yes. Of course I remember.”

“That place is just a renamed entity used to convert Daeho faction’s funds into legitimate ones.”

“Daeho faction?”

“Yes, it’s an organization under Mr. Choi Eun-Tae, the elder in Myeongdong.”

President Choi Eun-Tae—the major shareholder of Hoop Entertainment and the largest financier in Myeongdong had mobilized Daeheung Savings Bank to investigate the orphans.

“Wait…so President Choi was looking for his biological son?” I asked with a puzzled look.

Lee Soo-Chan nodded. “Yes, it seems so.”

Lee Soo-Chan continued after swallowing hard. “And Nalsae thinks that you and Eun-Gi hyung-nim are likely candidates to be President Cha Eun-Tae’s son…”

I furrowed my brows. “Me, a candidate? What do you mean by that?”

As we entered the elevator, Lee Soo-Chan pressed the top floor button.

“Well, Nalsae said he wouldn’t open his mouth unless either you or Eun-Gi hyung-nim were present.”

“Got it. I guess I’ll have to ask him directly in person.”

When we got out of the elevator, the executive floor with luxurious carpets appeared. The floor was covered with red carpet and various masterpieces were hanging on the walls.

As I walked while admiring the sophisticated interior, I saw two plaques for the president’s office.

“Soo-Chan, why are there two president’s offices?”

Lee Soo-Chan scratched his head awkwardly. “Oh, that? Well, it’s…um…”

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No problem, hyung-nim! You can ask anything you want. That…um, that room was made because Eun-Gi hyung-nim told us to prepare it.”

“Hmm? But why are you so nervous?”

Lee Soo-Chan hesitated and started to speak. “That’s your room, hyung-nim.”

“What?” I replied in shock.

Lee Soo-Chan looked at me.

“Me?”

“Yes. Eun-Gi hyung-nim said he wanted to run the company with you after he gets out of prison, so…”

I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

Then Lee Soo-Chan started to ask me with a serious expression, “Hyung-nim. Can’t you just come here and lead us? We’re living properly now and we’re not doing gangster stuff anymore.”

I looked at Lee Soo-Chan and carefully shook my head. After all, Hoop Entertainment was full of actors and singers who depended on me.

Lee Soo-Chan sighed deeply with a disappointed expression before adding, “…Still, please don’t forget that we are always waiting for you.”

Lee Soo-Chan’s words touched my heart.

There were family members here whom I had forgotten about in my past life. They had once gone astray but could now live decent lives with a little help.

We arrived in front of Choi Dong-Hyuk’s office.

I asked Lee Soo-Chan before we entered, “By the way, did you threaten him or something?”

“Not at all. But he still thinks we’re gangsters and got scared.”

“Okay. Let’s go in.”

When I opened the door to Choi Dong-Hyuk’s office, Choi Dong-Hyuk and Nalsae were waiting for me.

Nalsae had dark circles down to his nose and his hair was greasy as if he hadn’t slept in days.

Choi Dong-Hyuk stood up with a bright expression. “Oh, hyung-nim. You’re here.”

“Yes, it’s nice to see you. Let’s save the greetings for later. Can you leave us alone for a bit so I can talk to him?”

As soon as the two left, I sat down across from Nalsae. Nalsae looked at me nervously and apologized first.

“I’m really sorry about what happened before. If I had known you were their hyung-nim, I wouldn’t have done that.”

I raised my hand to stop him from talking. “Let’s talk about that later. Tell me about finding President Choi Eun-Tae’s son.”

Nalsae swallowed hard. “First, I want you to ensure my safety…”

“You have my word as long as you’re not lying.”

After a moment of silence, Nalsae began to confess. He started with how he was ordered by Kim Dong-Soo to investigate me, and how he was subsequently instructed to find Choi Eun-Tae’s lost son.

He had focused intensely on me because my age matched that of the lost son. Unsurprisingly, Kang Eun-Gi and I were the top candidates.

“What evidence do you have?” I questioned.

“Well, it’s not concrete evidence. It’s more like intuition…or inference. In simple terms, a hunch.”

My expectations quickly faded at the mention of a lack of circumstantial evidence.

‘What were you expecting, Jung Yoon-Ho?‘ I thought.

My parents were always a source of anger for me. Nonetheless, I must have had a tiny bit of hope deep down. I let go of my attachment and started to think logically.

The situation boiled down to three main points. First, there was a high possibility that either Kang Eun-Gi or I was Choi Eun-Tae’s son. Second, if Kim Dong-Soo found out about this, our lives could be in danger as Choi Eun-Tae’s heir, President Choi Man-Sik, might try to eliminate us. Third, if Choi Eun-Tae found out about this, he would surely try to oust Choi Man-Sik.

In that case, people on Choi Man-Sik’s side would also be in danger.

“In summary, you don’t want to be involved in hurting people or getting hurt yourself. Is that right?”

Nalsae responded enthusiastically. “That’s exactly it! That’s why I hid information about you and President Kang Eun-Gi when I reported my progress to Kim Dong-Soo!”

He was clearly worried that he might be implicated as an accomplice if something happened to us. Even a scumbag who filmed female celebrities using hidden cameras seemed to value his own life.

“Hm, but that’s not enough to help you…”

Nalsae frowned. “Are you trying to take this valuable information for free?”

“I already knew most of it,” I replied with a stoic expression.

At that moment, Nalsae’s eyes trembled rapidly and he dropped to his knees under the sofa.

“Wait a moment! Team Lead Jung! Please spare me!”

“Why are you doing this?”

“If President Choi Man-Sik finds out, President Kang Eun-Gi, you, and I… we could all die because of this.”

I didn’t know what kind of threat he had received, but Nalsae was terribly frightened. As I pondered what to do, an idea flashed through my mind on how to use Nalsae.

The reason Choi Man-Sik was investigating this through Kim Dong-Soo was that he couldn’t reveal himself openly as he was wary of his adoptive father, Choi Eun-Tae.

Although he was worried that his position would be threatened if the biological son appeared, he was not confident enough to confront Choi Eun-Tae directly.

So if Nalsae could distort some evidence or information, he could hinder Choi Man-Sik’s actions for a while. In the meantime, I could figure out how to handle the situation.

I spoke to Nalsae who was desperately begging. “Alright. Then we need to divert Kim Dong-Soo’s attention from now on. Help us out.”

Nalsae was sweating profusely. “S-so you want me to go back to Kim Dong-Soo and follow his orders?”

“You’re quick-witted.”

Nalsae’s face turned pale. “Are you asking me to die? If I go back there, they’re going to…”

“Don’t worry. Eun-Gi’s people will protect you. Just buy us some time in return.”

After some hesitation, Nalsae nodded reluctantly. “I can last a month, but no more than that.”

“I don’t expect much from you anyway.”

First, I had to find out Choi Eun-Tae’s intentions for looking for his son. Then I needed to confirm whether Kang Eun-Gi or I was his son.

Finding Choi Eun-Tae’s lost son was now inexplicably linked to the future of Hoop Entertainment.

***

“When you hear anything from Kim Dong-Soo or President Choi Man-Sik, even the smallest clue, report it to the people at Reverse Entertainment,” I instructed Nalsae.

“Okay…”

“And let’s finish our earlier conversation. Reveal all the hidden cameras too.”

It seemed like dealing with Nalsae’s matters which I planned to take care of after he got out of prison would be easier than expected.

“No, really, there’s nothing like that anymore. The police confiscated everything last time. I’m innocent.”

I scoffed and mentioned the location of his hideout which had been raided by the prosecutors in my past life.

“I’m not talking about your house. If I find even one hidden camera at the secret locations in Yeongdeungpo and Guro, I’ll turn this place upside down. So, is there really nothing?”

At that moment, Nalsae’s face turned pale. “H-how did you know…”

“Quit playing games with me. Go with these guys and turn everything over.”

Lee Soo-Chan and Choi Dong-Hyuk frowned nearby.

“You’re hiding stuff even in this situation? Wow, what a despicable guy you are.”

“Indeed, you’re too much.”

Although the two were only grumbling, Nalsae was already shaking with fear. “I’ll-I’ll delete everything!”

“Good decision.”

“But what should we do about the hidden photos I already gave to Kim Dong-Soo?” Nalsae asked with his head down.

My eyes widened. “You traded hidden camera photos with Kim Dong-Soo?”

“W-well, yes. It was about two years ago,” he stuttered.

For a moment, I wondered if this could help catch Kim Dong-Soo.

“Do you have any transaction records?”

Nalsae shook his head. “No, I’m against making such records…so there’s none.”

It was unfortunate but it couldn’t be helped.

“Then give me the list of people whose photos you gave to Kim Dong-Soo.”

Nalsae glanced at me and began writing on the paper on the table. He listed about ten people.

‘That’s a relief…‘ I thought.

None of the hidden camera photos of those people on the list had been publicly in my past life. Although somewhat reassured, I had no intention of just sitting back and doing nothing. If the hidden camera photos were released, actresses could suffer from severe malicious comments and even choose suicide.

With that said, I had to prioritize my own matters first.

Choi Dong-Hyuk spoke to Nalsae. “Get up. We need to stop by your house again and then go to the hideout.”

“A-Alright.”

As Choi Dong-Hyuk took Nalsae out, Lee Soo-Chan asked with a worried expression, “Hyung-nim, can we really trust that guy?”

“Don’t trust him, he’s a thug. But he won’t act recklessly since his own life is at stake.”

“Understood.”

Then I added, “And find out why President Choi Eun-Tae is looking for his lost son. I can guess Choi Man-Sik’s intentions, but I don’t know about Choi Eun-Tae.”

Lee Soo-Chan nodded. “I’ll find out somehow.”

“Be careful. If it seems dangerous, stop all investigations immediately.”

Lee Soo-Chan glanced at me cautiously. “But what if he is the father of one of you two hyung-nims…”

I looked at Lee Soo-Chan and spoke clearly. “That’s enough. Whether it’s Eun-Gi or me, we both hate our fathers. I’m only doing this to prepare for Choi Man-Sik’s attack, not because I want to find my parents. Anyway, your safety is more important than finding my parents. Got it?”

Hearing that the family who grew up together in the orphanage was more important than my biological family, Lee Soo-Chan held my hand tightly and looked touched. “Hyung-nim…”

“There’s no need to get emotional.”

I tried to pull my hand away feeling a bit embarrassed, but Lee Soo-Chan awkwardly laughed and held my hand tighter.

“What are you doing right now?” I asked with a flustered look.

“I’m grateful and thankful. But since you’re here anyway, please pick some promising talents from our company.”

I smiled slightly at his words telling me to earn my keep. “Alright, bring the list.”

“Yes, hyung-nim!”

Lee Soo-Chan opened his tablet and started showing me the actors affiliated with Reverse Entertainment.

“Not this one… this one is bound to cause trouble soon… and this one is a ticking time bomb.”

After we finished talking, Lee Soo-Chan grinned. “Oh, and we will recruit and protect the ten hidden camera victims you mentioned earlier.”

“What?”

“Hyung-nim, you wouldn’t just leave those actresses alone knowing your personality, would you?”

“Look at you. You can read my mind now?” I replied with a smile.

Thanks to Lee Soo-Chan, I had one less thing to worry about.

Then I began planning a critical hit against Kim Dong-Soo who had been investigating me behind my back.

Ristretto’s Thoughts

Okay but likeeee Choi Eun-Tae’s super rich. Can they just act like they like their fathers and betray him at the end after taking his money?