Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 481: The Foodie Nomads (3)

Bae Yeon-Jin left the lounge with Miso, and Lee Tae-Poong also took Haru with him.

Thanks to this, only the mayor's group, Baek Hee-Tae, and a few members of the filming crew remained at the table filled with oysters.

Still being held by me, Lee Han-Jong shouted angrily, "Do you think you'll be fine after doing this? Agh! Let go of me now!"

Only then did I release Lee Han-Jong's arm.

"Ugh," he groaned as my strong grip had left red marks on his arm.

At that moment, Han Sang-Gyu put down the glass he was holding. His face was filled with rage. "Young man, you seem to have a knack for ruining the atmosphere, don't you?"

I glared at Han Sang-Gyu and retorted, "I don't plan to take comments like that from someone who orders an actress young enough to be his daughter to pour drinks."

Han Sang-Gyu's face trembled with anger. "What... What did you just say? How dare you...!"

However, I had no intention of showing respect to someone who had harassed Bae Yeon-Jin. I scoffed and looked at the cameras set up in the lounge.

At that moment, I noticed that the red REC lamp on one of the two cameras was on.

I asked, "Mr. Park, are you recording by any chance?"

Park Eung-Joon stammered, "Uh... uh... I did start it for a quick test."

"Then please send me the footage that was just recorded."

"What? The footage?"

"Yes."

The flustered Park Eung-Joon looked at Yoo Hyun-Ji. The footage contained every bit of the recent awkward situation.

Yoo Hyun-Ji readily gave the go-ahead. "Extract the footage and send it right away."

"But Ms. Yoo, what are you planning to do with it?"

"I'll take full responsibility. Just send it, okay?"

"...Understood."

Having heard rumors about the mayor's group being under investigation, Yoo Hyun-Ji no longer felt intimidated.

Park Eung-Joon stopped the recording and fiddled with the camera to prepare for transferring the footage.

At that moment, Lee Han-Jong clicked his tongue and spat out curses. "Damn it! Have you all gone crazy?"

Han Sang-Gyu wore a cold expression and issued threats. "It seems we need to take action. Mr. Lee, call Prosecutor Choi."

"Prosecutor Choi Dae-Joo, sir?"

"Yes. On my way here, I saw them filming and recklessly polluting the water with their filming equipment. As someone in charge of city affairs, I can't just stand by and watch these people destroy marine resources like oysters and seaweed, can I?"

Lee Han-Jong's face lit up with enthusiasm. "Oh, you're right. Yes, of course, Mr. Mayor!"

"Good. Have them all arrested. Summon the environmental and fisheries heads to confirm if there are any violations, and if there are, shut down the filming immediately. Sue the broadcasting station while you're at it!"

The two seemed delighted with their plotting as they played to each other's tune.

At that moment, Baek Hee-Tae, who had invested heavily in advertisement for the project, confronted Yoo Hyun-Ji. After all, he would bear the brunt of the losses if things went south. "Hey, PD Yoo! Why are you making such a big deal out of the mayor simply trying to set a good mood with a toast?"

Yoo Hyun-Ji sneered and asked back, "Setting a good mood by asking an actress to pour drinks?"

"And what's wrong with that?"

"You still don't get it, do you, Mr. Baek?"

"The one who doesn't get it is you. If you keep up this attitude, I'll file for damages for all the advertising costs I've provided! Are you okay with that?"

Yoo Hyun-Ji smirked. "Fuck this. Do whatever you want. I don't want to keep filming under these circumstances anyway."

When Yoo Hyun-Ji and I refused to back down, Lee Han-Jong finally picked up his phone. "Your name is Jung Yoon-Ho, right? Just wait. You're done for."

I shrugged and said, "Sure. Go ahead and make the call."

"You think I won't?"

Lee Han-Jong dialed a number, but the person on the other end didn't answer.

Beep. Beep.

No matter how many times he tried, the prosecutor wouldn't pick up.

Flustered, Lee Han-Jong turned his head. "Uh, Mr. Mayor."

"What is it?"

"Prosecutor Choi isn't answering."

"What? Hold on."

This time, Han Sang-Gyu tried calling from his own phone.

『Hurry up~ Listen up~』

At that moment, the ringtone of 'Hurry Up!' by Cherry Blossom echoed from outside the lounge. Moments later, the sound of numerous footsteps followed.

Thud. Thud.

At the same time, voices outside the lounge called out for Han Sang-Gyu.

-Mr. Mayor, where are you?

-Uh, excuse me!

Before those words were fully registered, the door burst open and men in suits stormed in.

"What are you standing around for? Take pictures!"

At the command of a prosecutor holding a phone, the investigators who followed him snapped photos in unison.

Han Sang-Gyu covered his face and shouted. "What is going on? Prosecutor Choi, what the hell are you doing?"

Choi Dae-Joo said, "Mr. Mayor, we've received a report about a violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. Please come with us."

"Hey! Choi Dae-Joo! Are you trying to pick a fight with me or what?"

Choi Dae-Joo smirked and replied, "You must have thought I was a pushover because I bowed my head and catered to you all this time, huh?"

Sensing the escalating tension, Lee Han-Jong grabbed Choi Dae-Joo's arm and pleaded desperately. "Hey, Prosecutor Choi, why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Come on, let's talk over there for a moment, okay?"

However, Choi Dae-Joo shook off Lee Han-Jong's hand with a firm gesture. "What do you think you're doing, huh?"

"No, I just..."

"Fuck, don't you dare lay a hand on me! You think groveling to you crooks all this time made me one of you?"

Han Sang-Gyu and Lee Han-Jong's faces turned pale. "Then... all those times you came to our drinking parties were because..."

"Yes. I was collecting evidence."

Choi Dae-Joo was the hoobae introduced by Seo Jae-Ill, and he had been playing along all this time to dig into their corruption.

Realizing this, I decided to fully support Choi Dae-Joo's efforts. "Mr. Choi, I'm Team Lead Jung Yoon-Ho from Hoop Entertainment. I'd like to file additional charges against these two. Is that possible?"

Feigning ignorance because of the surrounding eyes, Choi Dae-Joo leaned slightly closer. "What do you have?"

I pulled out the video I had received from Park Eung-Joon. "Please take a look at this first."

It was the video of what had just transpired in the break room.

Choi Dae-Joo frowned and said, "Grabbing an actress's wrist, putting an arm around her shoulder, and even making her pour drinks? And in front of a kid? Damn... these guys are complete lunatics."

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

When Choi Dae-Joo showed the video to the investigators who had accompanied him, the investigators nodded. "Exactly, sir. This is more than enough to arrest them as flagrant offenders. This charge is much stronger than the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act violations."

"Right? Let's cuff them and take them in right now."

"Yes, sir."

When the investigators pulled out handcuffs, the startled Han Sang-Gyu and Lee Han-Jong shouted and resisted. Nevertheless, the investigators recited the Miranda rights and handcuffed the two men before pulling them out.

"Let go! Let go... Let me go!"

"Hey! You think you'll get away with this!?"

Han Sang-Gyu and Lee Han-Jong kept yelling but were dragged out in handcuffs.

At that moment, Baek Hee-Tae turned to Choi Dae-Joo and clasped his hands together in desperation, begging for mercy. "P-Prosecutor Choi, I had nothing to do with this! Really!"

"Are you seriously saying that with a whole table of oysters neatly set up? Don't you know the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act applies to the giver too?"

"No, this was just among ourselves. The mayor's party just stopped by and shared some with us. It's true!"

"You call that an excuse!?"

Choi Dae-Joo's anger was about to explode when Park Min-Sang timidly poked his head into the entrance of the break room. "Um..."

Choi Dae-Joo sharply turned his head. "And who might you be?"

Park Min-Sang replied hesitantly. "Ah, I just... have some business with Mr. Jung."

"Come in."

When Choi Dae-Joo stepped aside slightly, Park Min-Sang entered and declared, "It's been confirmed. It's norovirus."

The rapid test kit for norovirus displayed a positive result.

I handed the test kit to Yoo Hyun-Ji. "Ms. Yoo?"

Yoo Hyun-Ji grinned and turned to Baek Hee-Tae. "Mr. Baek, norovirus has been detected here. Looking at the state of the site, it's too filthy to proceed with the advertisement. We'll refund only 30% of the amount you paid us since site management is your responsibility."

"W-what? PD Yoo, that's extortion!"

"Well, you should've managed it properly in the first place."

At that moment, Choi Dae-Joo shouted toward the back. "Investigator Park! Round up everyone working at the oyster site and check everything. Make sure there aren't any minimum wage violations or undocumented workers! Oh, and contact the health department and conduct a full hygiene inspection."

"Yes, sir!"

Choi Dae-Joo was determined to leave no stone unturned at the oyster farm. Then, he shot a glare at Baek Hee-Tae. "Alright, let's take you in too, Mr. Baek. Or should I call you the sponsor of Mr. Han Sang-Gyu's committee?"

I finally understood why Choi Dae-Joo was being so thorough. It turned out Baek Hee-Tae was the sponsor who had recommended this location to Han Sang-Gyu.

The flustered Baek Hee-Tae stammered, "P-Prosecutor Choi, are you really going to do this to me? After everything between us?"

"What exactly do you mean when you say everything between us? I never drank even a drop of your booze. I made sure to split the bill evenly every time we ate, didn't I?"

"S-so that's why you insisted on paying for meals every time?"

"Of course."

Baek Hee-Tae clutched the back of his neck. His face was flushed red, likely from rising blood pressure.

At that moment, investigators grabbed Baek Hee-Tae and hoisted him up.

Baek Hee-Tae resisted, "Let go of me, you punks! Do you know who I am? When I get out, you're all finished!"

'If he's this lively, he probably won't die so easily.'

With that, the situation was resolved. I quickly checked my planner for confirmation.

[Everyday V12]

[Date: December 10, 2020]

-03:00 p.m <Schedule Entry Deleted>

(Deleted Schedule Entry: [NEW. Lee Tae-Poong] Visited Tongyeong A Hospital Emergency Room. Filming of The Foodie Nomads canceled.)

-05:00 p.m <Schedule Entry Deleted>

(Deleted Schedule Entry: [NEW. Jung Yoo-Jin] Gyeongju on-site filming canceled. Moved to Tongyeong A Hospital Emergency Room to check on Miso's condition.)

All schedule entries disrupted by the norovirus incident were finally erased.

***

After everything had settled, Choi Dae-Joo called me aside. "Sunbae keeps praising you, saying there's no one as resourceful. Now I see why. Thank you so much for your cooperation, Mr. Jung."

He explained that approaching a sitting mayor was difficult, but thanks to the opening I created, it became much easier to dig into the corruption surrounding the Namhae Love Oyster Festival.

I smiled and said, "It's nothing."

Just then, I recalled that Choi Dae-Joo was from Tongyeong. "Mr. Choi, do you know any trustworthy oyster farms around here?"

Choi Dae-Joo's chest puffed with pride in his hometown as he answered, "Of course. I'm from Tongyeong, after all! There's a place about ten minutes from here in Baekseong-ri. My friend runs an oyster farm there. Go check it out and you'll get to taste real, authentic Tongyeong oysters."

"Your friend?"

"Yes, his name is Han In-Sung. He's got great character. His family's been running this oyster farm for thirty years, and it's so well-maintained that they've never had a single accident."

"Is that so? We will definitely go check it out. Thank you."

"I should be thanking you. Thanks to you, Tongyeong has become a cleaner city. No more norovirus or Han Sang-Gyu."

In an instant, Han Sang-Gyu had been reduced to the equivalent of a norovirus.

"Well then, I'll see you in Seoul sometime."

With that, Choi Dae-Joo smiled and left with his investigators.

***

We arrived at In-Sung Oyster Farm located in Baekseong-ri.

The size of the oyster farm floating on the sea and the prefab building used as the processing site were less than half the size of the earlier Iman-ri Oyster Farm. However, the environment was remarkably clean as Choi Dae-Joo had said.

As soon as we parked and stepped out, a man in a clean work uniform came running toward us. "Welcome! I'm Han In-Sung, the operator of this farm."

"Hello, Mr. Han."

Han In-Sung, thirty-one years old, said he had already heard about us from Choi Dae-Joo and welcomed us warmly.

Yoo Hyun-Ji bowed deeply. "We're sorry for showing up unannounced when you must be busy. Would it be okay if we relied on your hospitality for a few days?"

"Feel free to stay as long as you need."

"Really...?"

"Of course. It's not a big deal."

Han In-Sung smiled broadly, assuring us not to worry. He mentioned that their operations weren't particularly busy anyway.

At that moment, Yoo Hyun-Ji asked about the location filming costs. Since this wasn't one of the originally sponsored sites, the broadcasting station would have to pay for it. "How much should we pay for three days of filming on location?"

"Why would I take money from someone introduced by a friend? It's fine."

"But still, filming might disrupt your business..."

"Don't worry about it. Just focus on your filming. However, it's too late for the barge today. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to use it."

Since it was already past 5 p.m, going out to sea would be dangerous.

Yoo Hyun-Ji asked, "Then could we perhaps film one scene at the processing site today?"

Han In-Sung scratched his head with a troubled expression. "The workers at the site have already gone home, so no one's around. Hm, what should we do..."

At that moment, an idea flashed through my mind: one of the scenes from the storyboard.

I suggested, "In that case, do you have any leftover oysters? We'd like to film a scene where we cook and eat them."

In Scene 45, the characters would get some oysters and cook them in their camper after finishing work at the oyster farm.

Han In-Sung nodded. "That wouldn't be a problem, but my mother is already preparing dinner for you all since she heard we'd be having guests. What should we do about that?"

In that case, there was another option. Scene 25 involved finishing up work and being treated to a meal.

"Ms. Yoo, it seems like we'll have to start with Scene 25."

Looking a bit embarrassed, Yoo Hyun-Ji bowed to Han In-Sung. "Sorry to trouble you unintentionally. Please bear with us, Mr. Han."

Han In-Sung smiled brightly and gestured toward the building. "Come on, let's head that way."

Though it was still early evening, everyone moved quickly since they hadn't had a proper lunch.

The moment we opened the door to the dining room next to the processing site, everyone couldn't help but gasp in awe.

"Wow~ This is amazing...!"