Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 740: Interruption (2)

Lee Myung-Taek swept his hand and flew into the air, then landed on his butt with a thud.

Thud.

"Aaaargh."

Lee Myung-Taek grabbed his tailbone and rolled on the floor with a loud scream. I had told Zhou Shishi to just hold him, but it looked like Lee Myung-Taek had crossed the line.

When Zhou Shishi met my eyes, she looked a little apologetic. "I'm sorry. I was trying to hold him, but that man tried to slap Ling Ling's cheek."

'Very well done.'

I had told them to stay still in case a prosecutor's investigator came, not to stand by and watch Ling Ling get hit. Anyway, I felt lucky she hadn't broken any bones.

"He'll be fine. That much was nothing." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

At that moment, Lee Myung-Taek came back to his senses. "Ugh. W-what? Chief Jung... What are you... How are you here?"

Because I had been on a broadcast, he recognized my face.

I shrugged and answered, "How else would I be here? I came because you were trying to swindle one of our agency's singers."

Lee Myung-Taek clutched his tailbone and looked at Ling Ling and Zhou Shishi. "What? A-agency? What do you mean? They're... Chinese."

"Yes. They're Chinese. They're signed to Hoop Entertainment. And more than that, they were the main acts on today's Project I.O.A. It's a program featuring Wang Lina and Minamoto Aoi. Ah, you know who those two are, right? They're the ones you sued."

The moment I said those two names, Lee Myung-Taek's expression shook. He tried hard to hide his feelings, but it was useless.

"Don't dodge the question since I came knowing everything. Who told you to do it?" I pushed further.

"W-what do you mean who told me? Those thief bastards—I sued them to teach them a lesson!"

At that moment, Zhou Shishi came up beside me. "Please leave it to me. Break a bone or two and he'll tell us everything he knows."

Zhou Shishi wore a grim expression and made a threatening sound with her fist.

Snap, snap.

Startled, Lee Myung-Taek took a step back, still holding his tailbone. "W-wait. I'll tell you. I'll tell you!"

He was terrified after flying through the air thanks to Zhou Shishi a moment ago.

I stopped Zhou Shishi, then looked at Lee Myung-Taek and asked, "Who told you to do it?"

Lee Myung-Taek glanced around nervously and answered, "If I tell you who it was, will you go easy on me?"

It seemed he still hadn't grasped the situation.

I looked at Zhou Shishi again, and she took a step forward. "I saw in Korean movies that when someone commits fraud they chop off hands. But since I can't use a knife here in Korea... How about breaking his right wrist? If I pulverize the bone, he won't be able to fix it even at the hospital."

Though she softened her words at my counsel, the content was murderous since Zhou Shishi had been a soldier.

In the end, fear overcame Lee Myung-Taek and he blurted out, "Wait, I'll tell you! Officer Lee Seon-Taek! My cousin! He asked me to do it."

Before the regression, I had guessed there might be a cooperating policeman when we arrested Lee Myung-Taek.

However, we couldn't find any accomplices because he had kept his mouth shut back then. Now he named his own cousin as the accomplice.

'Then I should ask Officer Lee Seon-Taek who the real mastermind is.'

Then, the guesthouse doorbell rang.

Ding.

Without even looking, Lee Myung-Taek shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hyung!"

'Huh? Could he really have called Officer Lee Seon-Taek because of Ling Ling and Zhou Shishi?'

I turned my head on high alert. Three people appeared at the entrance, two men and one woman, all wearing suits.

"We received a tip-off. I'm Investigator Ahn Cheol-Seung from the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office. You said you were scammed?"

Thankfully, they were people Seo Jae-Ill had sent.

I nodded. "Yes. I'm the one who reported it."

Lee Myung-Taek, who had clearly expected his cousin to show up, stood up clutching his butt. "Scam? What scam!? I'm the one who got scammed! Those bastards are all in it together! And that one twisted my arm and threw me into the air!"

Lee Myung-Taek pointed and screamed at Zhou Shishi, but the investigators weren't buying it. It was because Zhou Shishi looked slender and harmless.

"What are you talking about? She threw you? Are you on drugs or something?"

There were no security cameras in the guesthouse lobby, so there was no way to prove anything. Lee Myung-Taek had intentionally not installed any to avoid recording scenes of fraud and threats. However, he had essentially shot himself in the foot.

Then Lee Myung-Taek suddenly grinned as if he had remembered something. "Right. I've got this."

Lee Myung-Taek suddenly undid his waistband and turned his backside toward us.

"Kyaaah!" Ling Ling screamed and turned away.

In a flash, Ahn Cheol-Seung lost his temper and swept Lee Myung-Taek's legs out from under him.

Thud!

Lee Myung-Taek collapsed onto the floor.

"You psycho. Where do you think you are, dropping your pants? Are you some kind of pervert? You get excited and just feel like stripping?"

"N-no, that's not what I—"

"Shut it!" Ahn Cheol-Seung pinned Lee Myung-Taek down and cuffed him. "Lee Myung-Taek, you are under emergency arrest for fraud, intimidation, and public indecency."

Lee Myung-Taek screamed and struggled. "No, that's not it! Aaaagh! My tailbone! Don't press on my tailbone!"

With his expression unchanged, Ahn Cheol-Seung began reciting the Miranda rights. "You have the right to remain silent..."

"Aaagh! What the hell! Is this how the Republic of Korea treats its own citizens to protect some Chinese scum? With no evidence? Huh? I'm reporting all of this! Aaaagh! My tailbone..."

'No evidence? Who said there wasn't any evidence?'

"Ling Ling, you were recording, right?" I asked.

Ling Ling turned her head and let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, Mr. Jung!"

When Ling Ling pulled her phone from her pocket, the screen clearly showed it was still recording. She tapped stop and then played the beginning of the file.

At that very moment, Lee Myung-Taek's boisterous voice flowed from the phone.

-Oh~ yeah, of course. All the amenities are free, totally free. These are the same stuff they use at luxury hotels nearby—shampoo, conditioner, all of it. Go wild. Hahaha, yeah, yeah.

I could hear him mention the amenities were free during check-in. Ling Ling skipped ahead to the checkout moment.

Lee Myung-Taek's harsh voice rang out.

-Who said it was free? That stuff costs a hundred thousand won, you thief bastards. You know that's theft, right? I should report you to the police and get you banned from leaving the country.

On top of fraud, Lee Myung-Taek was committing blackmail.

-H-here. It's a hundred thousand won.

I could hear Ling Ling meekly handing over the money. Then came a segment where Lee Myung-Taek called someone to check the room and extorted more money.

-Wait. What did you say, Chief Kim? The electric kettle's not lighting up? Ah, those bitches broke it after just a few hours? Hey, add fifty thousand won for that kettle too.

And finally, I could hear him directly threatening Ling Ling.

-You little shits think you can act up like this? You got a death wish or something? Huh?!

-Kyaaaah!

This was more than enough evidence.

I turned to Ahn Cheol-Seung and asked, "Mr. Ahn, will this be sufficient?"

Ahn Cheol-Seung gave a sharp grin. "This is solid evidence."

Still pinned to the floor and cuffed, Lee Myung-Taek began his feeble excuses. "N-no, that's not me! That voice isn't mine!"

'Sure, maybe not to your ears.'

I ignored him and gave Ahn Cheol-Seung one more detail. "Also, this man says Officer Lee Seon-Taek is involved. He's his cousin and an accomplice. That's in the recording too, so please check it."

"Is that so?"

At that moment, someone entered the guesthouse lobby.

Clink.

"This is Officer Lee Seon-Taek. I'm responding to a report."

'To speak of the devil.'

Lee Seon-Taek, who looked to be in his mid-forties, strolled in casually. The moment he saw Lee Myung-Taek pinned to the floor, he shouted loudly. "What the hell? What the fuck do you think you're doing to him? Huh?!"

Ahn Cheol-Seung stood up. "I'm Investigator Ahn Cheol-Seung. Mr. Lee Seon-Taek, you'll need to come with us."

"I-investigator? Who the hell are you? Why should I come with you?"

"Mr. Lee Myung-Taek has identified you as an accomplice in his fraud case."

"Accomplice?" Lee Seon-Taek began backing away.

Ahn Cheol-Seung sighed. "Hey, grab him!"

Two prosecution investigators rushed forward and restrained him.

"Let go! Do you even know who I am?"

Lee Seon-Taek raged, but he couldn't overpower the two of them.

Smack.

His face slammed into the wall. In the end, Lee Seon-Taek was cuffed.

I turned to Ahn Cheol-Seung with a request.

"Mr. Ahn, could you give me a moment to speak with him privately?"

Ahn Cheol-Seung nodded. "Sure."

I stepped closer to Lee Seon-Taek and asked, "Mr. Lee. If you name the person backing you, I'll let you settle. Same goes for your cousin."

"..."

"But if you don't, your name will go nationwide during today's broadcast of Project I.O.A. Are you okay with that?"

Lee Seon-Taek gritted his teeth. "Damn it. Fine. I'll talk. Just drop the fraud charges in return."

"Of course. You were just following orders, weren't you?"

Even without me, there were plenty of people who could press fraud charges against these two. Wang Lina and Minamoto Aoi could sue as soon as they set foot in Korea. Besides, fraud wasn't a non-prosecutable offense without a complaint, so settling didn't erase punishment entirely.

Perhaps because of that reason, Lee Seon-Taek finally gave in. "President Yoo Kang-Seok from TNT Entertainment asked me."

'What? How could that guy make a move from jail?'

"How?" I asked.

"His lawyer contacted me, so I met with him briefly."

I tried to press for more, but Lee Seon-Taek claimed he just took the money and didn't know anything else.

'Well, it's not like small-time scammers would be in the know anyway.'

Then Ahn Cheol-Seung said, "Alright, then. We'll take these two into custody."

"Yes. I'll be in touch later."

The prosecution investigators led Lee Myung-Taek and Lee Seon-Taek away. I then left the guesthouse with Ling Ling and Zhou Shishi.

Standing by the parking lot, I immediately called Seo Jae-Ill. "Mr. Seo, both men have been taken in. But the investigator said he's from the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office. Can I trust him?"

-You can. He works under my girlfriend.

Apparently, Seo Jae-Ill's girlfriend was also a prosecutor. Which meant I had gotten a prosecutor couple to work on White Day. Cold sweat trickled down my back.

"I-I'm sorry. Especially on a day like this..."

-Hahaha. It's fine. We were going to meet later tonight anyway.

I would definitely need to get them a gift.

"Oh, and it turns out the one behind today's scheme was TNT Entertainment's President Yoo Kang-Seok. But I suspect there's someone higher up. You'd need the Ministry of Justice involved to get someone placed under an exit ban, right?"

-That's what I think too. I'll look into everyone who pulled strings today. And now that Lee Myung-Taek is in custody, I'll get the exit ban lifted soon.

"Thank you."

After hanging up, I immediately checked Everyday.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: March 14, 2021]

-08:00 p.m. <Schedule Entry Deleted>

(Deleted Schedule Entry: [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. <Schedule Entry Deleted>

(Deleted Schedule Entry: [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.))

At last, the cancellation notice was gone.

Despite what Lee Seon-Taek had said, I didn't believe for a second that Yoo Kang-Seok had pulled all this off by himself from behind bars. However, there was no time to investigate that now. I had to head straight to Incheon Airport to prepare for the premiere of Project I.O.A.

"Ling Ling. Shishi. Good work. Let's go, quickly."

"Yes, sir!"

"Got it!"

We hurried into the car and drove toward Incheon Airport.

***

Bang Sang-Yung sat in the executive chair inside the president's office at TNT Entertainment with a stern expression.

"I need to clean house."

The flashy but impractical décor Yoo Kang-Seok had chosen wasn't his style at all.

Just then, his phone rang. It was Woo Min-Sang, TNT Entertainment's legal team lead, whom he had sent to visit Yoo Kang-Seok in prison.

-Sir. It's a call from Mr. Yoo. What should I do?

"Put him through."

-Yes, sir.

The line connected, and Yoo Kang-Seok's coarse voice exploded through the speaker.

-Bang Sang-Yung! You crazy bastard! Why are you throwing my name around?! Who the hell is Lee Myung-Taek, and who the fuck is Lee Seon-Taek?!

"Lower your voice. And from now on, just testify exactly as Team Lead Woo tells you. Do that, and I'll get you out of prison fast."

Beside Bang Sang-Yung, Woo Min-Sang whispered something.

-You insane son of a bitch. You're saying I should confess that I instructed a false accusation on your behalf?

"Yes."

-You filthy piece of shit! How dare you!?

Even as curses flew from the other end, Bang Sang-Yung didn't blink. He just answered crisply.

"One month."

-What?

"Do what I tell you, and I'll have you out on probation within a month. KJ Law Firm—Korea's number one—will handle your defense. So quit whining and do what I say. Otherwise, enjoy five or six years behind bars."

-Fuck... you... What the hell are you plotting?

"You don't need to know that. All you need to understand is that I'm going after Jung Yoon-Ho. You failed, so now I'm stepping in."

-Fuck you! Fuck! Fuck!

Yoo Kang-Seok screamed curses. However, the string of curses gradually died down.

-...You really think you can get Jung Yoon-Ho?

"If you just play your part, yes. Oh, and if you do this, I'll triple the payout for the shares you're selling to Vice Chairman Jin Myung-Gyu. How does that sound?"

At the mention of big money, Yoo Kang-Seok grew more cooperative.

-You'll really triple it?

"Yes."

Yoo Kang-Seok contemplated for a moment.

-And how can I trust you?

"Don't trust me. Trust the contract. The KJ Law Firm lawyer brought the documents."

-Fine. I'll sign the contract, then confess.

"Once you're out, get in touch. I'll secure the Vice President position at TNT Entertainment for you."

-You son of a bitch!

Click.

Bang Sang-Yung hung up, his eyes gleaming coldly.

'Jung Yoon-Ho. This is just the beginning.'

***

The moment we arrived at Incheon Airport, the entry ban on the two chartered flights was lifted.

Inside the VIP lounge, Cherry Blossom, Chief Lee Dong-Min, and the members of Singer Division 2 were all gathered, visibly relieved. With filming barely salvaged, the SBC variety team was scrambling to prepare with sweat running down their backs.

That's when PD Ji Yung-Sik spotted me and shouted, "Huh? Mr. Jung!!"

Ji Yung-Sik's voice sparked a cheer from the rest of the crew.

"Wow! Mr. Jung, how did you pull it off?"

"We heard you're the one who cleared the entry issue!"

"You really saved us."

The staff, who had been on edge worrying the premiere might collapse, now tried to hoist me up in celebration.

"Hold on! The plane's arriving!"

Through the glass outside the VIP lounge, we saw the charter flight from China carrying Wang Long approaching. Using a Boeing 737 as a business jet, Shanghai New Media Inc. had even wrapped the plane with a massive Project I.O.A promotional graphic.

"Alright, everyone to the private arrival gate."

We stepped out of the VIP lounge and into the exclusive arrivals hall. With help from airport staff, the crew quickly set up cameras in front of the private gate. Having done a dry run an hour earlier, they had everything ready in seconds.

Cherry Blossom, Ling Ling, and Lee Dong-Min lined up in front of the gate.

Lee Dong-Min said, "Let's get ready. Grab the flower baskets."

"Yes, Mr. Lee."

Onboard the charter flight were 33 contestants from the Chinese preliminaries, along with Wang Long, Lily, and staff from Shanghai New Media Inc. Today's shoot would begin with welcoming them and handing out flower baskets.

"As soon as the jet bridge connects to the aircraft door and it opens, we start filming. Final checks, everyone. Remember, this is going on air. Keep your expressions sharp."

"Yes, sir!"

Moments later, the jet bridge connected to the aircraft's front door at the VIP terminal with a dull sound.

Thud.

Once the door opened, 33 Chinese prelim winners were scheduled to disembark.

"We roll the moment the door opens. Everyone, make sure to put your phones on silent."

Right then, the screen of my phone flashed even though I had silenced it.

[Caller ID: Wang Long]

'Why is Wang Long calling now?'

I hesitated, unsure whether to answer.

Then Ji Yung-Sik muttered, "Huh? Why isn't the door opening? Did something happen?"

Murmurs rippled through the crew. A sense of unease crept in, and I quietly stepped back to take the call. However, Ji Yung-Sik's words had turned prophetic.

-Yoon-Ho... the girls are fighting. They won't get off the plane.

Something absurd was happening onboard.