Chapter 972: Jealousy (2)
I quickly followed Seo Yeon-Woo into the waiting room.
Inside, Woo Yeon-Hee was glaring at Min Jung-Hyuk, the leader of the boy group Janus.
The Cherry Blossom members and their talent agents stood at Woo Yeon-Hee's side, while Janus and Oh Tae-Gu, the president of their agency, stood behind Min Jung-Hyuk, staring back just as fiercely. And Seo Yeon-Woo, who had entered ahead of me, was already standing beside Woo Yeon-Hee, pressing Min Jung-Hyuk for an answer.
"Jung-Hyuk sunbae, you should apologize for what you just said."
At Seo Yeon-Woo's angry demand, the blond-haired Min Jung-Hyuk flashed his trademark smug grin and tried to smooth things over. "Come on, why are both you and Yeon-Hee getting so worked up over something so small? Let it go. You're scaring me."
Janus had originally belonged to TNT Entertainment. However, when TNT Entertainment went under and was acquired by HK Entertainment, Janus's talent agent, Oh Tae-Gu, established Taegu Entertainment and transferred the group there. According to the story made public, Oh Tae-Gu had poured his entire fortune into starting the company because he couldn't bear to see a promising idol group disappear.
That, however, wasn't true. Oh Tae-Gu of Taegu Entertainment was nothing more than a figurehead. The real owner was none other than Min Jung-Hyuk, who looked like nothing more than a spoiled idol with no common sense.
And the reason that was possible was simple—Min Jung-Hyuk's father was Min Tae-Hyun, president of Buguk Bank, the fourth-largest financial institution in Korea. Thanks to that powerful backing, Janus had managed to push their new song, 'Bad Boy,' to the number-one spot the previous week.
At that moment, I became certain that the incident warned about in Everyday involved Min Jung-Hyuk. He was the type who absolutely hated having anyone above him. In other words, the moment he achieved his first-ever number-one ranking with 'Bad Boy,' he had decided to crush Cherry Blossom and Seo Yeon-Woo for becoming contenders for the top spot. I figured there had definitely been another motive behind his proposal about appearing in a music video.
Just then, Woo Yeon-Hee spotted me and called out brightly, "Oppa!"
Even though I had my suspicions, understanding the situation came first. I turned to Woo Yeon-Hee and asked what had happened.
"So, what's going on here?"
"Min Jung-Hyuk sunbae said he enjoyed watching me in Yeon-Woo oppa's music video and asked me to appear in Janus's next music video."
"Their next music video?"
"Yes. He offered me a hundred million won for it, but I told him it wasn't about the money and that I didn't want to because they're from another company. Then he started saying I was acting ridiculously expensive and talking down to me!"
At that moment, Sae-Ri peeked out from behind Woo Yeon-Hee and eagerly chimed in. "That's right! Min Jung-Hyuk sunbae was acting super arrogant! He was all like, 'Hey, I'm offering you money, aren't I?'"
Sae-Ri puffed out her lips and mimicked Min Jung-Hyuk's obnoxious expression. The moment Min Jung-Hyuk slightly furrowed his brow, Sae-Ri jumped and disappeared right back behind Woo Yeon-Hee.
'Seriously, chihuahua syndrome in action again.'
In any case, I understood why Woo Yeon-Hee was angry. It wasn't because a hundred million won was too little. It was because of Min Jung-Hyuk's attitude that seemed to say, Doesn't money solve everything?
I nodded. "Got it. I'll handle this. Yeon-Hee, step back for a moment."
"Okay, oppa."
Then I turned to Seo Yeon-Woo, the very person who was supposedly going to be booked for assault today. "You too, Yeon-Woo. Step back."
"But, hyung..."
"Now."
Seo Yeon-Woo reluctantly retreated.
At the same time, I addressed Min Jung-Hyuk. "Mr. Min Jung-Hyuk. You should start by apologizing for talking as if money can buy anything."
Min Jung-Hyuk looked at me as though I was making a big deal out of nothing. "Come on, is that really such a problem? Wow, hyung, you're really uptight."
Min Jung-Hyuk, twenty-four years old this year, continued swaggering around without offering anything close to a proper apology. At first glance, he looked like the perfect example of a rich, entitled idol. However, I knew who Min Jung-Hyuk really was. The man was a born businessman.
He had the decisiveness to establish his own company the moment TNT Entertainment began to wobble, the meticulousness to recruit an experienced talent agent like Oh Tae-Gu and install him as a figurehead in order to conceal his identity, the wisdom to make full use of the wealth that came with being the son of the president of Buguk Bank, and the ruthless competitive streak that drove him to drag down anyone above him and trample anyone beneath him proved it all. And above all, he had the acting ability to hide his true nature behind a completely different persona.
But no matter how well he hid it, it was meaningless in front of a regressor like me. After all, before my regression, I had seen his true face—the face of the man who, after ending his idol career, renamed Taegu Entertainment to MJ Entertainment and expanded his empire by swallowing up countless entertainment companies.
That was why, no matter how he acted, I viewed him as nothing less than a businessman to the core.
More importantly, there was no way I would let my guard down when one of the prime suspects capable of setting up Seo Yeon-Woo's assault case was standing right in front of me.
"Are you going to apologize or not, Mr. Min Jung-Hyuk?" I asked.
Min Jung-Hyuk casually patted my shoulder as if we were close friends. "Aw, come on, hyung. Why so scary~?"
However, I grabbed his right hand firmly and shot back, "Let's not go around putting our hands on people we barely know."
The moment I released him, Min Jung-Hyuk frowned and stepped back. Yet he quickly recovered and plastered on a relaxed smile.
"Wow, hyung. You've got some serious presence. Sorry, sorry. Got it. I won't touch you."
Even that alone proved he wasn't ordinary. Yet while he apologized to me, he still didn't apologize to Woo Yeon-Hee. Instead, he glanced toward Oh Tae-Gu.
Taking the cue, Oh Tae-Gu stepped forward. At over six feet tall and with the build of someone who had spent years exercising and lifting weights, he looked imposing as he threw back his broad shoulders.
"Chief Jung. Jung-Hyuk can come off the wrong way because he's a bit too casual, but he's not a bad kid. He made the offer with good intentions, so please be understanding. I'll apologize on his behalf. All right?"
Thirty-five-year-old Oh Tae-Gu had started working as a talent agent at twenty-two. That gave him thirteen years of experience in the industry. As expected of a veteran, he was trying to smooth things over with a charming smile and move on.
However, he didn't stand a chance against me.
I scoffed and said, "Did someone sew his mouth shut with gold? Why are you apologizing for him?"
"Hey, if the president apologizes, that's the end of it, isn't it? Why are you making such a big deal out of this? And even if Jung-Hyuk's words came out wrong, he was making a perfectly good offer. Why are you being so uptight? I heard Cherry Blossom had a good reputation, but was that all nonsense?"
I laughed in disbelief and revealed one of Min Jung-Hyuk's secrets, partly because I wanted to make one thing very clear. If they messed with my artists, I would expose whatever secrets they were trying to hide.
"Mr. Oh Tae-Gu. What percentage of the company do you actually own?"
"...Why are you asking that?"
"Because I already know who the real owner is. Mr. Min Jung-Hyuk owns the company. So the figurehead can stay out of this."
Oh Tae-Gu froze and turned toward Min Jung-Hyuk. Min Jung-Hyuk immediately shot him a look that practically screamed, Why are you looking at me?
Realizing his mistake, Oh Tae-Gu hurriedly turned back to me. "Our company is Taegu Entertainment! Taegu Entertainment! I'm Oh Tae-Gu!"
"So how much of it do you own?"
"Well..."
The moment Oh Tae-Gu started stumbling over his words again, Min Jung-Hyuk jumped in. "Ah, hyung. Fine. I'm sorry. Sorry, okay? I lose. I give up! Jung Yoon-Ho wins. Happy? I'll apologize. And I don't know where you heard that nonsense, but Taegu Entertainment belongs to Tae-Gu hyung. If rumors start spreading that it's my company, my dad will literally kill me. So cut me some slack, okay?"
If Taegu Entertainment wasn't really Oh Tae-Gu's company, it would mean Buguk Bank was secretly backing it with full support. Perhaps because of that, Min Jung-Hyuk even clasped his hands together and put on a pitiful expression.
I didn't even blink and said, "Apologize first."
"Got it, hyung." Min Jung-Hyuk looked toward Woo Yeon-Hee and spoke with an exaggeratedly miserable face. "I'm sorry, Yeon-Hee. I didn't mean anything by it. I was just talking to myself. My mouth's a little... cheap. I upset you, so how about being a kind hoobae and forgiving me, hmm?"
Woo Yeon-Hee let out a sharp snort. "Whether you meant it or not, don't ever come near us again."
"Aw, that's a little difficult. We're bound to run into each other here and there... haha..."
"You're joking at a time like this?"
"Sorry, sorry. I'm just kind of an idiot. Then let's pretend the offer never happened and I'll get out of here, okay?"
Min Jung-Hyuk proceeded to apologize to Seo Yeon-Woo as well before leaving the waiting room. Members of Janus and Oh Tae-Gu quickly followed behind him.
Thunk.
The moment the door closed, I checked Everyday. I had already warned him that I knew the truth about his company, so I wondered whether the schedule might have disappeared.
However, the schedule entry was still there.
[Everyday V13]
[Date: May 8, 2021]
-06:30 p.m.: [NEW. Seo Yeon-Woo]
Booked on assault charges. All activities suspended indefinitely. (Additional note: Woo Yeon-Hee was present at the scene and was questioned as a witness.)
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed I was going to have a real showdown with that man today.
At that moment, Team Lead Eun Ji-Yoo asked, "Mr. Jung, are you saying that idiot Min Jung-Hyuk is the real owner of Taegu Entertainment?"
I nodded. "He's deliberately acting like a handsome fool, so don't let your guard down. He's the son of Bank President Min Tae-Hyun. It's all an act. His whole life is one giant performance."
I made sure everyone understood who Min Jung-Hyuk really was and began preparing to stop whatever he was planning. And I was confident I could stop him.
After all, I hadn't spent the day preparing for this with only one or two contingencies in mind.
***
Out in the waiting-room hallway, Min Jung-Hyuk frowned.
The other three members of Janus quickly spoke up. "Hyung, we'll head back first."
The Janus members knew very well that while Min Jung-Hyuk usually looked carefree and smiled all the time, he became genuinely frightening when he was angry. The moment they sensed his mood, they practically fled toward their waiting room.
As soon as everyone else was gone, Min Jung-Hyuk's expression turned icy. "Hyung. Were you the one who told him?"
Oh Tae-Gu had a habit of becoming loose-lipped whenever he drank, but he frantically shook his head. "Absolutely not! Believe me!"
"Tae-Gu hyung, you've been attending a lot more drinking parties since becoming a company president. You sure you didn't slip up there? Or maybe you're unhappy because you didn't get the shares you wanted?"
"N-No, Jung-Hyuk. You've already made me president. Why would I do that? Honestly... the salary and corporate card are more than enough for me."
Watching the increasingly nervous Oh Tae-Gu, Min Jung-Hyuk chuckled. "That's true. Our kind... and loyal... Tae-Gu hyung would never do that. Fine. And don't feel too hurt that I doubted you for a second, okay?"
"Of course not."
Back when they were still at TNT Entertainment, Oh Tae-Gu had once tried to discipline Min Jung-Hyuk, relying on his size and strength. However, after being thoroughly put in his place by one of Min Jung-Hyuk's bodyguards, he had never raised his voice at him again.
A moment later, Oh Tae-Gu cautiously asked, "So what now? The plan to spread rumors under the pretense of getting Woo Yeon-Hee into the music video completely failed."
"That was always going to fail. Ah-Yoon noona told me they wouldn't be easy to deal with."
"Really? Then why bother going?"
"To see how quickly they'd react."
"Then..."
"Don't worry. The real move is something else."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Anyway, today's first-place trophy belongs to me, so make sure everything's ready."
"Ah, okay."
"Then let's get back to it..." With that, Min Jung-Hyuk once again transformed into the clueless blond idol everyone thought he was. "Tae-Gu hyung. Buy me some tteokbokki~ Please?"
Min Jung-Hyuk said it playfully, and Oh Tae-Gu awkwardly forced a smile. "Y-Yeah. Let's go."
Wiping cold sweat from his brow, Oh Tae-Gu led Min Jung-Hyuk back toward their waiting room.
He kept to himself the thought that maybe they shouldn't be provoking Jung Yoon-Ho, someone who somehow knew the company's closely guarded ownership structure.
***
"Everyone, let's start making our waiting-room rounds."
At Eun Ji-Yoo's words, Cherry Blossom and Seo Yeon-Woo rose from their seats. Because of what had happened earlier, Seo Yeon-Woo would be sticking with Cherry Blossom and me for the rest of the day.
Just then, Sae-Ri scampered over to my side. Maybe it was because she loved the pretty L.M.L dress embroidered with cherry blossom patterns, but she looked especially cheerful today.
"Yoon-Ho oppa, when we go around greeting everyone, wanna do the Shalala dance with us?"
"...Keep dreaming. Do I look like a rookie?"
"Tch. It'd look super pretty if we all did the Shalala dance together~"
The official name of the signature choreography for their current song was the Blossom Dance, a movement meant to resemble cherry blossoms in full bloom. Nevertheless, Sae-Ri insisted on calling it the Shalala Dance.
"And what do you mean Shalala? It's called the Blossom Dance."
Spreading all ten fingers beside her face, Sae-Ri exclaimed, "Nope. Look. Shalala~ See? That's exactly what it is."
'Yeah, you win.'
"Fine, fine. Call it whatever you want."
"Yay~"
"Oh, and wear this," I handed her a light pink crossbody bag decorated with cherry blossom patterns.
"Just me?"
"Yep. Just you."
After slinging the surprisingly heavy bag over her shoulder, Sae-Ri immediately ran off to show it to the other members. "Unnies! Yoon-Ho oppa bought me a present!"
"Must be nice, Sae-Ri."
"Yeah. But it's heavy. Maybe I should open it and see what's inside—"
At that moment, Eun Ji-Yoo cut in. "Sae-Ri. You can do that later. Let's finish greeting the other waiting rooms first."
"Okaaay!" Sae-Ri reluctantly withdrew her hand from the bag and followed along.
"All right. Let's go."
We all followed behind Eun Ji-Yoo and began making the rounds.
***
Eun Ji-Yoo stopped in front of Waiting Room No. 5 and went over the ground rules one last time.
"Mr. Lee Jung-Nam, who's making his comeback today, isn't difficult to deal with. So as long as you're polite, you'll be fine. And since he's a little sensitive about his thinning hair, absolutely no laughing or teasing."
Lee Jung-Nam, fifty-five years old this year, was known for having a wonderful personality as long as the topic of his hair didn't come up.
Just then, the door opened and Lee Jung-Nam's talent agent, President Yoon Jung-Hyun, stepped outside.
Click.
"Here to say hello?"
"Hello."
Yoon Jung-Hyun greeted us with a warm smile. "Good. Go on in."
"Yes, sir."
Cherry Blossom and Seo Yeon-Woo, each carrying carnations for Parents' Day, nodded and prepared to enter.
At that moment, Yoon Jung-Hyun walked over to me. "Chief Jung. Hold on a second. I need to talk to you."
"Right now?"
"Yeah."
I gave Seo Yeon-Woo another look that clearly said be careful, then remained outside the waiting room and replied, "Let's talk out here."
"Sure."
Click.
The kids entered, and the door closed behind them.
Only then did Yoon Jung-Hyun begin speaking with an uncomfortable expression. "Chief Jung. Is Hoop Entertainment interested in acquiring companies? Things have gotten rough lately. Jung-Nam hyung's event bookings have dropped off a cliff... Honestly, it's getting hard for a one-man agency like ours to stay afloat."
For a while, Yoon Jung-Hyun explained the company's situation. Lee Jung-Nam had once been a handsome ballad singer with tremendous popularity, but he hadn't had a successful song in nearly five years. As a result, the endorsement deals had dried up, and these days his income came almost entirely from performing old hit songs at local government events.
Still, I had no intention of acquiring his company. Because Lee Jung-Nam himself was the problem.
"I'm sorry."
Even at his age, Lee Jung-Nam still had a loyal fanbase, so a comeback wasn't impossible if he received a good song. The problem was that he still relied on the talent he had in his youth, made little effort to improve himself, and continued to live as though he were still in his twenties, spending his time drinking and partying. I had no interest in managing someone like that.
Instead, I offered another solution. "Acquiring the company would be difficult, but I can talk with Seon-Woo about giving him a song."
"Really?"
"And if you're tired of running the company yourself, why not shut it down entirely and come work for us?"
I only brought it up because Yoon Jung-Hyun was well-respected and had a good reputation.
However, he politely declined. "I appreciate you thinking highly of me, but... I'm still a talent agent. How could I abandon my artist and come alone? Still, hearing that from the famous Chief Jung feels pretty good."
Just then, a loud thud echoed through the closed waiting-room door.
Crash!
Something had clearly fallen over.
'Don't tell me it's already happened?'
It was only nine in the morning, far too early compared to the time listed in Everyday. Still, the schedule entry said Seo Yeon-Woo would be booked, not arrested. I thought maybe the investigation would happen now, and the actual arrest would come after the music-show performance.
I immediately threw open the door. And thenm, Seo Yeon-Woo stood there with his head lowered, tears streaming down his face. Lee Jung-Nam was sitting on the floor, having fallen on his backside, breathing heavily in outrage. Everyone else stood frozen in shock.
Then Lee Jung-Nam looked toward Yoon Jung-Hyun and shouted, "Hey, Jung-Hyun! Call the police! Call the police!"
"Hyung, what happened—"
"Can't you see? That bastard hit me!"
"Wait! Hyung! Calm down. If we call the police, this'll become a huge mess. Let me handle it. We'll work it out ourselves. Just between us," Because he knew everyone involved, Yoon Jung-Hyun desperately tried to calm the situation.
Lee Jung-Nam pulled out his phone. "You bastard, do what you're told! Forget it. I'll do it myself!"
That was when it hit me. This whole thing had been set up by Min Jung-Hyuk. Even before my regression, one of his favorite methods had been using sunbae artists to crush peers and hoobaes on his behalf.
Just then, Woo Yeon-Hee looked at me with wide eyes. "Yoon-Ho oppa... well..."
"It's okay. It's okay. Just trust me."
"Huh? No, but you should at least hear what happened first—"
That was when I looked at Sae-Ri, who was standing right beside Woo Yeon-Hee, and answered, "Seeing is believing. No... in this case, hearing is believing."
"Sae-Ri. Can you open that crossbody bag?"
Sae-Ri pointed at herself. "Huh? This one?"
"Yeah. That one. Take out what's inside."
"Okay."
Ziiip.
Sae-Ri opened the crossbody bag. Then she pulled out the item inside. On the glowing white screen of my phone, a familiar message was displayed.
[Recording in Progress...]