Chapter 990: She Has Appeared (4)
Still a member of Daechon Inc.'s Security Division 3, Chief Yoon Tae-Seok loaded Hong Ill-Sung into a car, blindfolded him, and drove several laps around UN Village.
Yet the place they arrived at ten minutes later was none other than the security annex building of former President Sung Hak-Soo, located within the same UN Village complex. Since it was close to the home of Chairman Kim Ae-Ryeon, they were able to summon Kim Ae-Ryeon and the security teams immediately and round everyone up.
"Chief Yoon Tae-Seok. Start talking. Tell us everything Sung Hak-Soo is planning!" Kim Ae-Ryeon shouted at the kneeling Yoon Tae-Seok with a fierce glare.
Yoon Tae-Seok simply closed his eyes. I immediately stepped in and calmed Kim Ae-Ryeon down. If I could bring Yoon Tae-Seok over to my side, he'd be a tremendous asset in taking down Sung Hak-Soo.
"Didn't you say you'd leave this matter to me, Mrs. Chairman?"
Kim Ae-Ryeon hesitated for a moment before stepping back. "Sigh... Fine. A promise is a promise."
Now that I had permission, I walked straight over to Yoon Tae-Seok. I crouched beside him and whispered quietly into his ear.
"Mr. Yoon Tae-Seok, do you want to take the fall for soliciting murder and spend the rest of your life in prison?"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" shouted Yoon Tae-Seok.
Before the regression, Yoon Tae-Seok had taken the blame for Sung Hak-Soo's corruption and embezzlement and gone to prison, yet he never once exposed the people above him. As a reward, he was released after only a year and eventually rose to become the president of one of the company's affiliates.
This time, however, the situation was completely different. Soliciting murder wasn't the kind of crime someone could casually take the fall for. It carried penalties ranging from life imprisonment to even the death penalty.
As expected, even the fiercely loyal Yoon Tae-Seok looked visibly shaken.
"Keep your voice down. You're far more screwed than you realize."
Yoon Tae-Seok lowered his voice.
"Soliciting murder? What are you talking about?"
"Team Lead Sa In-Gyu is still at Mr. Sung Hak-Soo's house right now, trying to kill someone."
I casually leaked part of Everyday's schedule entry.
"Kill someone? That bastard?"
"Well, I'm here, so the murder will ultimately be prevented. The problem is that a thug like Sa In-Gyu is definitely going to talk once he's caught. Unlike you, he'll give up the name of whoever's behind him. And when that happens, whose name do you think he'll mention? Sung Hak-Soo's? Or yours? Personally, I think it'll be yours, Yoon Tae-Seok."
Yoon Tae-Seok clenched his teeth. Only then did he fully grasp the position he was in.
"Damn it. This is one hell of a mess..."
He let out a long sigh and looked at me.
"So what do you want me to do?"
"I'll save you. Take my hand. Isn't it too unfair to spend the rest of your life rotting in prison for Sung Hak-Soo?"
After a brief moment of thought, Yoon Tae-Seok asked,
"But how am I supposed to trust you? If I take your side and you break your promise, I'll end up abandoned by both sides."
It seemed that betraying Sung Hak-Soo took more courage than he had expected. In that case, I needed to give him a little push.
I stood up, brushing off my knee, and spoke to him, no longer whispering. "I'm the one lowering the lifeline, yet you still have the luxury of weighing your options. Fine. Do whatever you want."
I turned away with an indifferent expression.
Yet before I had even taken three steps, Yoon Tae-Seok called out urgently, "Wait! Chief Jung, wait!"
I glanced back without changing my expression. "What is it?"
Yoon Tae-Seok clenched both fists tightly before answering, "What... do you need me to do?"
'Finally. I landed a big fish.'
***
I instructed Yoon Tae-Seok to return as if nothing had happened and act as a spy, recording everything Sa In-Gyu and Sung Hak-Soo said before passing it on to me.
Yoon Tae-Seok nodded. "Got it. I'll do that. And I'll tell them President Hong Ill-Sung is stashed away in a hospital."
"Yes. And contact me whenever you get the chance."
"All right."
After that, Yoon Tae-Seok left the basement, looking awkward as he carefully watched Kim Ae-Ryeon's reaction.
Kim Ae-Ryeon spoke with a dissatisfied expression. "What if he goes back and spills everything? Chief Yoon is Sung Hak-Soo's right-hand man."
I tapped the smartwatch on my left wrist. "My conversation with Chief Yoon is recorded in here. If he betrays me, I'll release that too."
Only then did Kim Ae-Ryeon smile. "I forgot how thorough you are, Chief Jung. My mistake."
"It's fine."
"So what are you going to do with him now?" Still smiling, Kim Ae-Ryeon pointed at Hong Ill-Sung, who was still kneeling on the floor.
I grinned and turned to Hong Ill-Sung. "You said you'd do anything I asked as long as I spared your life, right?"
Gulp.
Hong Ill-Sung nodded. "Y-Yeah."
"Then testify that Mr. Sung Hak-Soo ordered you to bring down Lee Tae-Poong."
Realizing I was speaking politely, Hong Ill-Sung cautiously studied my expression before replying. "That's all?"
"Yes. That's all."
Hong Ill-Sung let out a sigh of relief. "Phew... I thought you were going to ask for something else..."
"You seem fine with being indicted alongside him, though, considering you were targeting Lee Tae-Poong too."
Hong Ill-Sung's face stiffened. "Me too?"
"If we're going to put Mr. Sung Hak-Soo behind bars, you'll have to be prepared to bleed a little yourself."
Only then did Hong Ill-Sung realize the price of the favor I had done by saving him from Yoon Tae-Seok.
He urgently begged, "C-Chief Jung, wait! Can't you keep me out of prison? I'll return all the money I embezzled from the investors, and I'll tell you what Sa In-Gyu is planning too. Please?"
"I'm not a judge. How am I supposed to keep you from being arrested? I can help reduce your sentence, though. So let's hear what you have to say."
After some hesitation, Hong Ill-Sung began recounting what had happened at the scene earlier. Then he started describing the kind of man Sa In-Gyu was.
"That guy In-Gyu... back in the day, he once drugged a female celebrity with sleeping pills and locked her up because she wouldn't listen to him. I covered it up at the time, but I'm sure he's planning something with sleeping pills again."
The moment I heard that, it hit me. I instantly realized what Sa In-Gyu intended to do.
'A murder disguised as suicide.'
That was exactly what he was planning.
***
After hearing my advice to dump all the blame on Sung Hak-Soo, Hong Ill-Sung headed off to the safe house looking thoroughly satisfied.
Once everyone else had been dismissed, Kim Ae-Ryeon approached me and asked carefully, "Chief Jung. Shouldn't we move Tae-Poong overseas and keep him away from Team Lead Sa In-Gyu?"
I shook my head. "No. The person Team Lead Sa In-Gyu is targeting is Kim Eun-Yung."
"Who's Kim Eun-Yung?"
"She's Tae-Poong's ex-girlfriend. Team Lead Sa In-Gyu is her talent agent."
"Why would he target her?"
"Going directly after a top star like Tae-Poong isn't easy. He's planning to use Kim Eun-Yung instead. If he gives her sleeping pills and stages a suicide attempt with a note blaming Lee Tae-Poong, what do you think will happen?"
I couldn't tell her outright that someone would die in the future, so I only framed it as a possibility.
"Then what are we waiting for? We need to arrest Team Lead Sa In-Gyu right now and put both Kim Eun-Yung and Tae-Poong under protection!"
However, I shook my head. If we moved too hastily and Sa In-Gyu somehow got released, we would lose a golden opportunity to take down both him and Sung Hak-Soo at the same time. I couldn't afford to waste this chance now that Everyday had become involved.
"Please leave it to me, just as you promised."
Kim Ae-Ryeon thought it over for a long while before nodding. "All right. Do it your way, Chief Jung. Just keep me updated."
"Understood."
I had Kim Ae-Ryeon's approval.
***
Jung Yoon-Ho disappeared after insisting that everything be left in his hands. Once the cleanup was complete, Chief Secretary Yoo Ye-Sung approached Kim Ae-Ryeon.
"Mrs. Chairman, we've sent all the bodyguards who came with President Hong and Chief Yoon to the safe house in Gangwon Province."
"Good work."
At that moment, Yoo Ye-Sung cautiously spoke up. "Mrs. Chairman, wouldn't it be better to send our own people to protect them, just in case?"
"Didn't you hear Chief Jung say he'd handle it?"
"I did. But if Chief Jung fails, the consequences will be severe."
Yoo Ye-Sung explained that many of Daechon Inc.'s directors and shareholders were unhappy about exchanging shares of the newly established Daechon Media for shares of Hoop Entertainment on a one-to-one basis.
"You think if Chief Jung fails to bring down Sung Hak-Soo, all those people will run right back to him?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Don't worry. Chief Jung won't fail."
Yoo Ye-Sung's doubtful expression remained, prompting Kim Ae-Ryeon to chuckle.
"I know. It sounds hard to believe. Still, it's the truth. Besides, the real reason we're leaving that matter to Chief Jung is because we have other work to do."
"What work?"
"We need to get rid of the inside directors who are backing Sung Hak-Soo. Isn't that obvious?"
Yoo Ye-Sung's eyes widened. "Don't tell me... you were planning to wipe out Sung Hak-Soo's entire faction with this opportunity?"
"Of course. Did you think I'd leave those parasites alone forever while they drained the company dry?"
Only then did Yoo Ye-Sung's face brighten. "My thinking was too narrow. Then we'll leave the rest to Chief Jung and begin preparations immediately."
"Good. Get to work."
Yoo Ye-Sung quickly turned and hurried away.
Watching him leave, Kim Ae-Ryeon smiled broadly. "My dear sister... What are you going to do now? Even if you get out on a special pardon, there won't be any family or directors left to welcome you."
Thanks to Jung Yoon-Ho, the succession process at Daechon Inc. could move forward much faster.
'Still... what should I give Chief Jung as a reward this time?'
***
After asking Kim Ae-Ryeon to handle the aftermath, I left the safe house.
Chief Choi Go-Yoon, who had been waiting in the Ventley, updated me with new information. "Sa In-Gyu has left Chairman Sung Hak-Soo's residence and is passing through Apgujeong. Kim Eun-Yung is currently at Club OHAMA in Nonhyeon-dong."
"Do you think they're planning to meet?" I asked.
"Judging by the direction his car is heading, there's a high chance of that."
If I called Kim Eun-Yung directly, there was a chance Sa In-Gyu would find out and ruin everything. In the end, I had no choice but to pull out my phone and make a call.
"Tae-Poong, where are you right now?"
***
With her debut having fallen apart, Kim Eun-Yung sat drinking whiskey with Song Yi-Jin, a former HONG Planning employee and video editor in VIP Room No.2 of Clube OHAMA. In less than thirty minutes, they had already finished an entire bottle.
"Damn it... why is alcohol... so bitter?"
Wearing a leather jacket, Song Yi-Jin crossed her legs and chewed on a piece of butter-grilled squid before answering, "Alcohol's always bitter. Life's even more bitter."
"Seriously, unnie. Can't you fix that cynical way of talking?"
"Nope. Can't."
Kim Eun-Yung barely managed to hold back her irritation. Annoyed as she was, Song Yi-Jin had still come out drinking with her today—even if Kim Eun-Yung was the one paying for everything.
At that moment, Song Yi-Jin took another bite of a butter-grilled squid leg and asked, "So when's Team Lead Sa supposed to get here?"
"He left Hannam-dong a little while ago, so maybe five minutes?"
"Make that guy pay for the drinks. Your debut just went up in smoke. The least he can do is cover the bill."
"Okay."
"And isn't President Hong coming?"
"No idea. Nobody said anything about that."
"Then squeeze as much money as you can out of him before he disappears too."
Kim Eun-Yung let out a small laugh. "That's surprisingly useful advice coming from you."
"Useful advice? I'm just trying to get my drinks paid for. Besides, you've always rushed into things whenever money's involved. Fix that habit. It'll get you into serious trouble someday."
"What am I, a kid? Mind your own business."
Just then, Kim Eun-Yung's phone started ringing.
Buzz.
[010-2XXX-0807]
'0807? That's my birthday. Wait... no way.'
It was the exact same number Lee Tae-Poong had used years ago.
'Tae-Poong oppa still hasn't forgotten me!'
Heart racing, Kim Eun-Yung quickly answered. "Hello?"
-Is this Eun-Yung's phone?
The moment she heard Lee Tae-Poong's gentle voice, her own began to tremble.
"Oppa... is that you?"
-Yeah. I heard you came to the set earlier. I was wondering if we could meet for a bit today. Just the two of us, without any talent agents around.
"Ah, well... I'm drinking right now..."
-Where are you? I'll come over.
"Here? Okay. I'm in VIP Room 2 at OHAMA. Oh, but my talent agent's about to arrive, so don't come to this room. Get another room instead. I'll call you."
-All right. Contact me when you're done.
Click.
The moment the call ended, Kim Eun-Yung's heart started pounding.
Song Yi-Jin looked over. "Who was that?"
"Tae-Poong oppa."
"What? Is he threatening to sue you over that video you uploaded earlier? You already took it down."
"No. It wasn't that kind of tone. It sounded like he wanted to see me."
"That's weird."
"What's weird about it? Oppa didn't even delete my number. He couldn't forget me either."
Crunch.
Song Yi-Jin spoke bluntly. "Sure. He probably couldn't forget you. Not because he liked you, because he hated you."
"Seriously, unnie! Watch what you're saying! You need to fix that!"
"I told you. Can't."
"Ugh! You're so annoying!"
At this point, even the suction cups on the squid legs disappearing into Song Yi-Jin's mouth felt like a waste.
At that moment, the door swung open and Sa In-Gyu walked in carrying a backpack.
Bang.
"Hey. I could hear you yelling all the way outside. Something wrong?"
Kim Eun-Yung quickly hid her surprise. "No. What's in the bag, though?"
A grin spread across Sa In-Gyu's face as he replied, "I'm glad you asked. It's your lifeline. And you just got another shot at debuting."
"Really?"
"Yeah. As long as you do exactly what I say."
At Sa In-Gyu's grin, Song Yi-Jin spoke in a cold tone. "What about Mr. Hong?"
"Don't even mention that guy. He's turned into a scared old man hiding in the back room, too terrified to do anything."
Song Yi-Jin narrowed her eyes. "That's suspicious..."
Sa In-Gyu immediately snapped at Song Yi-Jin. "Hey. I need to talk to her alone, so get out."
Song Yi-Jin stood up, grabbing the remaining butter-grilled squid. "I can take this with me, right?"
"Take it. It's just squid!"
After carefully collecting even the last remaining squid leg, Song Yi-Jin gave Kim Eun-Yung one final warning. "Hey. Whatever it is, think twice before you decide."
Swish.
With those words, Song Yi-Jin left the room.
Thunk.
The moment the door to VIP Room 2 closed, Sa In-Gyu opened his backpack.
Riiip.
Bundles of fifty-thousand-won bills were stacked inside.
"Here's one hundred million won. If you go along with my plan, I'll hand this over right now as a signing bonus."
The moment she saw the cash, Kim Eun-Yung forgot Song Yi-Jin's advice about being careful and replied with greedy eyes.
"Tell me. I'll do anything."
A broad smile spread across Sa In-Gyu's face. "It's not that difficult. Oh, by the way, do you like orange juice?"
"I do."
"Really?"
"What, you think I'm just saying that?"
Kim Eun-Yung picked up the orange juice on the table and drained it in one gulp.
Clack.
Setting down the glass, Kim Eun-Yung wiped her mouth with her sleeve.
"There. Happy?"
"Yeah."
At that moment, Sa In-Gyu curled his lips into a smile and began explaining his plan.
***
I knew Lee Tae-Poong had never thrown away his old phone, so I used his former number to arrange a meeting with Kim Eun-Yung. Together with Lee Tae-Poong and Lee Dae-Ho, I arrived at Club OHAMA.
After hearing from Hammer, a waiter who worked as one of Choi Go-Yoon's informants, that Sa In-Gyu was already there, we settled into VIP Room 3.
As soon as Hammer left after receiving his tip, I apologized to Lee Tae-Poong first. "Tae-Poong, I'm sorry. If possible, I didn't want to drag you into this. But given the situation, I didn't have another choice."
Lee Tae-Poong shook his head. "No, it's okay. You did the right thing. No matter how bad things are between Eun-Yung and me, I couldn't just sit back if she's in danger. And I couldn't let things go the way Team Lead Sa wanted, either."
Since I had already explained on the way here that Sa In-Gyu intended to harm Kim Eun-Yung, Lee Tae-Poong was actually trying to reassure me. He even said it was a good opportunity to pay Sa In-Gyu back for everything he had suffered because of him.
"Thanks for seeing it that way."
We had just taken a moment to catch our breath when Lee Tae-Poong's phone rang.
[Caller ID: 010-37XX-0807]
Lee Tae-Poong answered, "Yeah, it's me. I'm in VIP Room 3."
-Okay, oppa. I'll be there.
A short while after he hung up, the door opened and Kim Eun-Yung stepped inside.
"Oppa... you tricked me?"
Kim Eun-Yung's brow furrowed when she saw me and Lee Dae-Ho sitting beside him.
"Then if we're not talking alone... I'm leaving. See you."
As Kim Eun-Yung turned to go, Lee Tae-Poong shot to his feet. "Kim Eun-Yung. If you walk out that door, you're going to die."
She froze. Kim Eun-Yung stopped in her tracks and glared at Lee Tae-Poong.
"Oppa, are you threatening me right now? Because I sold those old photos? I've already apologized for that so many times! Back then, my situation was—"
Lee Tae-Poong cut Kim Eun-Yung off. "If I wanted to punish you, I would've gone on the nine o'clock news tonight and talked about our past. If I had, you wouldn't be able to step outside your house anywhere there are Koreans."
The confidence of a top star radiated from him in a way it never had before.
After a moment of hesitation, Kim Eun-Yung dropped back into her seat. "Damn it. Fine. Talk. Why exactly am I supposed to die?"
"You were with Team Lead Sa just now, right?"
"Yeah. He left a little while ago. So what?"
"That Team Lead Sa... he's going to hurt you."
Kim Eun-Yung looked startled for a moment before scoffing. "He just gave me a hundred million won as a signing bonus. Why would he hurt me? That doesn't even make sense."
"How many times have I told you there's no such thing as a free lunch? Besides, he'd probably get something much bigger in return if you disappeared."
Kim Eun-Yung's eyes wavered. "And I'm supposed to believe that?"
"When have you ever seen me lie?"
Lee Tae-Poong hated lying more than anything. No one knew that better than Kim Eun-Yung. She couldn't answer.
With a pained expression, Lee Tae-Poong tried once more. "Eun-Yung. Whatever happened between us, it's over. But you were still my girlfriend once... and I don't want to see you get hurt."
Even now, Lee Tae-Poong was worrying about her. Kim Eun-Yung's eyes trembled. But in the end, she gritted her teeth and stood up.
"Even so... I can't help it... I... I can't let things end like this."
It was a little disappointing, but we had managed to shake Kim Eun-Yung's resolve. From here on, it was my turn.
"Did Team Lead Sa happen to tell you to take sleeping pills and put on some kind of suicide act?" I asked.
Kim Eun-Yung immediately flared up. "N-No! He never said anything like that! And why would I take sleeping pills?"
The way she trembled told me everything. I was right. I was about to press harder when I noticed something—the lace around her wrist had faint yellow stains on it.
The sight sent a chill down my spine. If he had already had her test the orange juice, that meant Sa In-Gyu had already begun setting things up.
"You drank orange juice a little while ago, didn't you? Team Lead Sa offered it to you. Right?"
"Huh? Yeah, I drank some, but why?"
"Hey. I don't care what kind of plan Team Lead Sa In-Gyu told you about, but don't drink any more orange juice! If you do, you could actually die."
Kim Eun-Yung blinked in confusion. "What's wrong with orange juice?"
I silently vowed that I would personally make sure Sa In-Gyu ended up behind bars. Then I explained why she absolutely could not drink the orange juice.
The moment she heard the reason, the color drained from Kim Eun-Yung's face.
"That's impossible..."