Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 739: Interruption (1)

[Everyday V13]

[Date: March 14, 2021] 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

-08:00 p.m. [NEW. Kim Sae-Ri]

Project I.O.A's first broadcast postponed to next week due to entry bans on Chinese and Japanese teams. (Emergency meeting: Chinese preliminary contestant Wang Lina listed on the Ministry of Justice's entry ban roster.)

-08:30 p.m. [NEW. Yoo Eun-Ah]

Preparing interviews with the three major broadcasting stations following Project I.O.A's cancellation. (Emergency meeting: Japanese preliminary contestant Minamoto Aoi also listed on the Ministry of Justice's entry ban roster. All others received entry approval except Wang Lina and Minamoto Aoi. A joint task force will be formed with the company's legal team and external counsel to respond alongside SBC.)

The schedule entry in Everyday was so absurd that I could hardly believe it. Because it was only belatedly confirmed that Wang Lina and Minamoto Aoi were on the Ministry of Justice's entry ban list, both chartered flights would be barred from entering the country until 8 p.m.

The first episode of Project I.O.A was scheduled to air tonight at 10 p.m. If the entry wasn't granted until 8, there would be no avoiding a cancellation. However, that wasn't even the biggest problem.

I had already completed background checks on all 33 Chinese and 33 Japanese contestants who passed the preliminaries for Project I.O.A. They all spoke Korean and visited often, so I wanted to make sure none had been involved in incidents or crimes during past trips. Just yesterday, I received confirmation from the Ministry of Justice that all 66 had cleared.

And yet, here I was faced with an entry ban on a Sunday.

At that moment, I became certain someone had deliberately tried to sabotage Project I.O.A. There was no way a civil servant would update the entry ban list on White Day and on a Sunday, without someone pulling strings.

On top of that, of all people, it had to be Wang Lina and Minamoto Aoi. They were the strongest candidates to debut. Targeting just those two made it painfully obvious this was calculated.

But with so little time, I couldn't waste energy figuring out who gave the order. Right now, lifting the ban was the priority.

The current time was 1:20 p.m. There were only two hours and ten minutes left until the chartered flights from China and Japan would land at 3:30.

-Mr. Jung. Are you listening?

Lost in thought, I realized I was still on a call with PD Ji Yung-Sik.

"Yes, I'm listening. You're saying the chartered flights were banned?"

-Yes. I was hoping you might have heard something. It's ridiculous—this isn't even about individuals. They've blocked the entire chartered flights.

"Yes, it's ridiculous and makes no sense. But I haven't heard anything yet. I'll look into it as fast as I can and call you back."

I considered mentioning the two who were on the list but decided against it. After all, sharing half-baked info when I didn't have any leads would only cause problems.

-All right. I'll count on you, Mr. Jung.

After hanging up, I put down my chopsticks and stood up.

Yoo-Jin stopped mid-bite and stared at me. "Oppa, what's wrong?"

"There's a bit of an issue with the Project I.O.A chartered flights that were supposed to arrive today."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll have to fix it now. I'm going to make a few calls, all right?"

"Oh, okay."

I told Cherry Blossom not to worry too much, then headed straight out of the wedding hall.

***

I stood in the hallway outside the wedding hall. I still didn't have enough leads. Wondering if there was anything else I could dig up, I pulled up the profiles of Wang Lina and Minamoto Aoi.

[China Preliminary Contestant #11: Wang Lina]

-Hometown: Beijing

-Age: 19

-Korean Proficiency: Advanced

-Notes: Attended an international elementary school in Korea for six years. Frequent traveler to Korea.

[Japan Preliminary Contestant #33: Minamoto Aoi]

-Hometown: Fukuoka

-Age: 19

-Korean Proficiency: Advanced

-Notes: Japanese father, Korean mother. Grew up speaking Korean. Often visited her maternal family in Busan. Speaks both standard Korean and Busan dialect. Frequent traveler to Korea.

There were generally two main reasons a foreigner might be banned from entering Korea. One was a history of illegal residence, and the other was a criminal record in Korea. However, the girls were only nineteen. Illegal residency was out of the question, so the only possibility was that they got involved in some kind of crime during one of their visits.

As I wracked my brain trying to guess what kind of crime it could've been, a sudden realization hit me like lightning.

'Why didn't I think of this sooner?'

If the two really had committed a crime, there was one person who could confirm it. I wasted no time calling Seo Jae-Ill. After a few rings, he picked up.

-Yes, Mr. Jung. What can I help you with today?

"I'm sorry to keep bothering you."

-Haha, no worries. We help each other out, right?

"Actually, I'm calling because two foreign trainees who are entering Korea today have apparently been banned from entry. They're both nineteen and flying in to participate in Project I.O.A."

-Entry ban... at nineteen?

"Yes."

-That's odd. Cases like that are extremely rare.

"That's what I thought too. Is there any way to find out what crime they might have committed?"

-I can't just pull criminal records on my own... but could you have your legal team file an official request? Just like you did for the contestant background checks. It'll be the same form, but addressed to me directly instead of the Ministry of Justice.

"I'll send it right away."

I hung up and immediately called Kang Gam-Chan. His voice was already tense.

-Yoon-Ho, did you hear about it?

"Yes, sir."

-Sigh...I honestly don't know what's going on here.

At that, I shared what I knew so far.

"One of the kids on the flight was on the entry ban list, which I think is why the entire chartered plane got blocked."

-That's absurd. Even if that's the case, they should've just banned the individual!

"I agree. But first we need to figure out why they were banned. Please have the Project I.O.A criminal background request form faxed to Mr. Seo Jae-Ill."

-Got it. Team Lead Kwak is right here. I'll have him send it right now.

"Thanks."

A short while later, I got a call from Seo Jae-Ill.

-I got the request and checked the file... Looks like both of them were indeed involved in a crime.

Reaching out to Seo Jae-Ill had been the right move. Still, I couldn't make sense of it.

"They're only nineteen. What kind of crime could they have committed?"

-Apparently, it's theft.

"Theft?"

-Yes. Both were sued by the owner of a guesthouse near Incheon Airport. The owner claimed they owed her fifty thousand won and a hundred thousand won respectively.

"What? It's not like they couldn't afford it. What is this about?"

-Well, they took some high-end bath amenities like the fancy toiletries you get at upscale hotels.

"You're telling me they were sued over that? And even got banned from entering the country?"

-Yes. Even though the amounts were small, the report was filed officially with the police. Still... it's rare for something like this to trigger an actual entry ban... and for it to happen today, of all days...

I knew it—this had been a targeted move.

"Could you tell me the exact name of the guesthouse near Incheon Airport?"

-It's called Incheon Airport K-POP Guesthouse.

The name jogged my memory.

"K-POP Guesthouse? Was the complaint filed by someone named Lee Myung-Taek?"

-Do you know him?

"Of course I do."

Back in my Top Entertainment days before the regression, plenty of overseas fans who came to see our idols got scammed by that guy. He was even arrested back then.

'So he's the one who reported those two?'

Lee Myung-Taek, owner of the K-POP Guesthouse, ran the place targeting K-POP fans visiting Korea from abroad. It was in an ideal location since it was four minutes away from Terminal 1, and fifteen minutes away from Terminal 2. Naturally, tourists flocked there.

However, Lee Myung-Taek took advantage of that prime spot.

He would greet guests with a friendly smile at first, then just before checkout, he would slap on ridiculous charges to extort more money. He would leave a broken coffee pot in the room and claim it was their fault, demanding an extra hundred thousand won. Sometimes, he would say they broke a toilet handle.

At check-in, he would lay out luxury soaps and shampoos like the kind used in five-star hotels, claiming they were free. Then at checkout, he would change his story and charge for them. Most guests were foreign women heading out on their last night in Korea, so they would pay and leave without much fuss.

Yet Wang Lina had lived in Korea, and Aoi had a Korean mother. I was sure they didn't back down. This meant Lee Myung-Taek hadn't been able to scam them. And the fact that he filed a report today meant someone had told him to.

That made Lee Myung-Taek my first target.

"That man, Lee Myung-Taek, is a scam artist who preys on K-POP fans visiting Korea."

I told Seo Jae-Ill everything I knew about Lee Myung-Taek's methods.

-What a disgrace. Scamming foreign fans who come all the way here just because they love our artists is just shameful.

"Is there any way we can stop him?"

-I'll look into it, but it may take some time. Since the case is already with the police, I can't just take it over on my own.

"If we find new evidence, would you be able to take the case?"

-Yes, if a new victim comes forward, I can.

"Then I'll give you another report soon."

-What do you have in mind?

"Could you send over a few investigators? I'll take care of the rest."

Seo Jae-Ill caught on that I was setting bait.

-All right. Just give me the report and I'll take him down. Then I can solve your entry ban issue in one shot.

"Thank you."

I hung up and immediately called the person who would play the bait.

***

Because of the urgent situation, I had no choice but to leave the wedding hall without properly saying goodbye to Haru's family. With Team Lead Baek Hee-Yung, I headed to Incheon Airport with Cherry Blossom in tow.

As we merged onto the Incheon Bridge, Baek Hee-Yung asked, "You wanted to be dropped off at a guesthouse near the airport, right?"

I nodded. "Yes. I'm meeting Ling Ling and Zhou Shishi there."

Ling Ling, who was about to debut through Project I.O.A, and her bodyguard Zhou Shishi had volunteered to act as bait for the plan. On their way from the airport, they had already stopped by the K-POP Guesthouse and checked in.

Baek Hee-Yung looked worried. "Will they be okay?"

I gave a confident nod. Lee Myung-Taek might be a 100-kilogram brute, but next to Zhou Shishi, he was a kitten. Zhou Shishi was ex-special forces and nearly matched me in combat skills.

"Of course they will be okay. There's absolutely nothing to worry about."

Baek Hee-Yung let out a sigh of relief. "Then we'll drop you off first and head over to get the filming ready, Mr. Jung."

"Yes. Tell Mr. Ji Yung-Sik not to stress and to focus on prep."

Ji Yung-Sik at Incheon Airport and the SBC legal team were still struggling to piece things together without any leads. Nevertheless, I couldn't tell them anything yet. First, I had to catch Lee Myung-Taek. Then I could start tracing who was behind him.

Just then, my phone rang.

[Caller ID: Wang Long]

It was Wang Long calling from one of the chartered flights.

"Hey, Wang Long."

-I just heard from Zhou Shishi. Both our chartered planes are banned from entering, is that right?

"Yeah."

Wang Long's voice turned icy.

-Who's behind it this time?

Wang Long knew well how many enemies I had in Korea.

"I don't know yet. But I think I can fix it."

-Yoon-Ho. Should I just contact Beijing and turn this into an international incident?

This was exactly why I had waited to tell Wang Long. With his father's political power, Wang Long sometimes acted in ways I couldn't predict.

I quickly cut in. "No, don't. If this explodes at the start, the whole program could go down with it. Just leave it to me. By the time your flight lands in Korea, it'll all be over. Don't worry."

-All right. I'll hold back for now. But I'm trusting you.

I could hear his teeth grinding over the line. Whoever caused this mess, I needed to bring them straight to Wang Long so he could chew them to pieces himself.

"Oh, and tell the Japanese chartered flight they can come in without worry."

-Got it. I'll let the captain know. Even if we're delayed, we'll just land and wait at the airport. Don't rush.

"Okay."

Click.

The call ended just as a small, seven-story building came into view. It had a sign reading "K-POP Guesthouse," but it was more like a business hotel. The rooms were larger than others nearby, and the place was spotless. There was no wonder female tourists felt safe staying there, only to be scammed.

"We're here, Mr. Jung."

"Thank you."

Baek Hee-Yung pulled up in front of the guesthouse. As I stepped out from the passenger side, I heard the back door slide open.

Sae-Ri, sitting in the backseat, saluted me with exaggerated formality. "Yoon-Ho oppa! Thank you for your service!"

"Yeah, go get some rest~"

Woo Yeon-Hee looked worried as she spoke. "Oppa, don't get hurt."

"Yeah, don't worry."

Eun-Ah clenched her fists with resolve. "Oppa, you got this!"

"Thanks!"

Lastly, Yang Eun-Bi shut the van door and said, "Instead of worrying about Yoon-Ho oppa, let's worry about filming. Oppa, we'll go on ahead and wait for you~"

'Eun-Bi... Would it kill you to show just a little concern?'

Yang Eun-Bi shook her head. 'Nope. Not happening,' was the vibe. Yet I knew the truth. When it really came down to it, Yang Eun-Bi was the one who would look out for me more than anyone. So I waved and smiled.

Yang Eun-Bi gave a grin and shut the door. "Let's move!"

At Yang Eun-Bi's command, the van carrying Cherry Blossom drove off.

Vroom~

I immediately called Zhou Shishi.

"I'm out front. You two should come down now. Bring the bath products with you. He's going to pick a fight, so stick to the plan."

-Got it. I'll come down with Ling Ling.

"Oh, and just so you know, there's no security camera in the lobby. Be ready."

-Understood. Don't worry.

Zhou Shishi left the call open so I could listen in as they stepped out. Soon, I heard voices shouting in the lobby. Ling Ling and Zhou Shishi were already in a scuffle with Lee Myung-Taek.

-Are you fucking kidding me? Who said those were free?!

-You did. When we checked in.

-Yeah, you said this soap and shampoo were a gift.

-Oh, wow! Are you seriously lying like that? Forget it. I'm charging you both with theft. I'm calling the cops!

'Just as expected.'

That was my cue. I ended the call and rang up Seo Jae-Ill.

"Mr. Seo, please send in the investigators. We've got our evidence!"

-Understood. I told them to stand nearby. They'll be there within two minutes.

"Great. Then I'll head to the lobby now."

I hung up and moved quickly toward the guesthouse lobby. I wasn't worried about Ling Ling or Zhou Shishi, but I was worried about Lee Myung-Taek.

'Lee Myung-Taek. Don't you dare lay a finger on Zhou Shishi. If you do, you're dead.'

Starting now, I was going to drag the truth out of Lee Myung-Taek to figure out why he did what he did, and who told him to.

Ding.

The bell chimed as I opened the guesthouse door. At that moment, my jaw dropped upon seeing exactly something I was concerned about.

Thud!

Right in front of my eyes, the 100-kilogram mass that was Lee Myung-Taek went flying through the air.