Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 803: LT Amusement Park (3)

The founder of LT Inc., Chairman Shin Heon-Jae, was already 94 years old and barely mobile. As a result, real control of the company had fallen to the eldest son, Vice Chairman Shin Tae-Ill, who was leading the group's operations.

However, because Shin Heon-Jae still held all the shares himself, Shin Tae-Ill's position was precarious. The share distribution between him and his younger siblings was nearly identical. On top of that, Shin Tae-Ill's health was failing, which would ultimately lead to a power struggle within the company.

One year from now, Shin Tae-Ill would be forced to take a six-month leave due to exhaustion, creating a vacuum at the top. Seizing that opportunity, Shin Woo-Jin—LT Hotel's president and the second son—would quietly recruit the company's key executives into his own camp. He would tell them that sticking with a sickly older brother wouldn't guarantee their future.

Bit by bit, Shin Woo-Jin would expand his influence. And five years later, the succession war would break out. By then, Shin Heon-Jae's health would be rapidly deteriorating, leaving him with no strength left to mediate between his children. As a result, Shin Woo-Jin would ruthlessly eliminate his brothers and seize control of the company.

In other words, the very man standing before me—Shin Woo-Jin—would become the future head of LT Inc.. Yet even though I knew all of this, I didn't respond to his offer to betray Shin Jong-Ki. After all, this man saw people as nothing more than tools.

I didn't want Yoo-Jin or Miso anywhere near this kind of person, so first, I decided to move us somewhere else.

"There are too many eyes here. Let's speak somewhere private."

Shin Woo-Jin misread my intent, thinking I wanted to discuss terms in private, and gave a sly grin. "Yeah? Then... follow me."

Shin Woo-Jin turned around with the people who came with him.

Taking the chance, I handed my soft serve and headband to Yoo-Jin. "Yoo-Jin. Stay here with Miso and Yung-In. I'll be back soon."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Yoo-Jin asked with concerned eyes.

"Yeah."

I gave a reassuring smile and turned to follow.

Just then, Shin In-Joon hurried over. "Chief Jung, I'm sorry. My cousin said he wanted to meet you, but I didn't think he'd come on this strong. I swear."

He put on an innocent face like he didn't know anything. However, I knew very well that Shin In-Joon was already part of Shin Woo-Jin's inner circle. That was why, once Shin Woo-Jin takes over as chairman, he'll pass LT Hotel's president role down to him.

Even knowing all this from my past life, I chose to pretend I didn't. Right now, handling the second son of LT Inc. and its direct heir was more important than lodging any complaints about being ambushed.

"Let's go."

***

We entered the administrative office set up on one side of LT Amusement Park. Shin Woo-Jin sat at the head seat, legs spread wide.

Then Kwak Sun-Jae, his head of security, spoke up. "Sir, let's collect Chief Jung's phone first."

Kwak Sun-Jae, who always stayed close to Shin Woo-Jin, was a former special forces and SWAT officer. Before the regression, he had also been the expert who shielded Shin Woo-Jin from all sorts of threats, so it made sense he was wary of me recording anything.

"Yeah."

With Shin Woo-Jin's permission, Kwak Sun-Jae approached and held out his hand to me. "Phone."

He was as arrogant as the man he served.

I nodded and handed him my phone. "Here you go."

He took my phone, checked it for recording, and placed it facedown on the table. "Take it back when we're done talking."

I didn't respond and just stared at Shin Woo-Jin.

Shin Woo-Jin stared right back and asked, "Alright. Then name your price. I'll give you whatever you ask."

His attitude showed that not for a second did he think I would refuse the offer. However, for someone who had returned from the future, money was just a means to an end.

"Are you even capable of paying my price?" I asked.

Shin Woo-Jin leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. His smile was wide and curiosity was glowing in his eyes.

"Go ahead and shoot. Let's see how bold you are."

I looked him straight in the eye with an unimpressed expression and said, "All of LT Hotel's shares."

At that moment, Shin Woo-Jin's face twisted instantly. LT Hotel was the core of his influence in LT Inc., and giving it up would destroy his succession ambitions.

As expected, Shin Woo-Jin's voice began to tremble. "You... are you messing with me right now?"

"Messing with you? Not at all. You asked my price, and I answered."

"So you're saying your value is equal to mine?"

"Think whatever helps you sleep at night."

Then, Shin Woo-Jin's expression turned murderous. "Hah... Unbelievable. I thought you had guts, but you're just a lunatic. Anyone else would've been taught a lesson on the spot, but I'll give you one more chance. Cut the nonsense and name a proper price."

"Even if you ask again, my answer won't change."

Shin Woo-Jin's cheek twitched with anger. "Fine. Some people really do need a beating to come to their senses."

'So now he wants to hit me after demanding a price and getting one.'

It was absurd, but now I was curious what exactly he thought he would do to me.

Then he looked over at Shin In-Joon, who had come with me. "In-Joon."

Startled by his icy tone, Shin In-Joon snapped to attention. "Ah, yes, hyung-nim."

"Shut it down."

"...Pardon? Shut down what"

"The amusement park."

LT Amusement Park had significant investment from LT Hotel, so Shin Woo-Jin had direct power over its operations. Even his cousin Shin In-Joon's position as the president was within his control. And now he was wielding that power to shut the park down while eight thousand fans were outside, laughing, playing, and having the time of their lives.

'So this was the plan? To take hostages if I didn't play along?'

Now it made sense why the second son of LT Inc. would come here himself past midnight.

Shin In-Joon immediately tried to stop Shin Woo-Jin. "H-hyung-nim, if we shut everything down now, it'll be chaos. We have reporters inside. If they all write bad press at once, what then?"

Nevertheless, Shin Woo-Jin didn't blink. "Tell them there was a power issue or something!"

Shin In-Joon looked helpless, panicking.

I took that moment to speak to Shin Woo-Jin. "You'll regret this, sir."

Shin Woo-Jin let out a scoff. "Regret? Please. You're expecting the reporters to write something, huh? Wake up. Not one of them isn't taking money from LT Inc."

Articles about chaebols flowed constantly, but anything about the royal family—the founding family—was taboo for reporters. Unlike company-level issues, writing about the direct lineage could bankrupt a media company from legal retaliation.

Yet I had anticipated that much.

"I never planned to rely on reporters in the first place."

"What? Then what are you..."

Just then, Shin In-Joon cut in urgently and began to explain. "Hyung-nim. If the celebrities that Chief Jung manages so much as posted one thing on social media, our amusement park's reputation is ruined. And the damage to you will be far worse. LT Inc.'s entire image could tank."

"They're just some celebrities..."

"They're not just celebrities. Take a look at this!"

Shin In-Joon scrambled to pull out his phone in a panic. He quickly pulled up the Instargem accounts of Cherry Blossom, Yoo-Jin, and Ju Yung-In, showing the views on the posts they had just made at the amusement park.

"They're already at over a hundred thousand views. If stars with this much influence post even one message saying we kicked out eight thousand fans, there's no way to contain the damage. They're not like reporters we can pay off to shut up."

"Then bring those celebrities here and tell them to keep quiet!"

"That won't work. They only listen to Chief Jung!"

"What the hell are those people?"

Shin In-Joon's voice trembled as he continued. "More importantly, this is a by-election season. If this gets painted as a chaebol abusing power to evict eight thousand fans, even you won't be able to withstand the fallout."

Just then, Shin Woo-Jin burst out in irritation and barked another order. "Then kick them out and hand them free tickets right after. Tell them this mess happened because Chief Jung screwed up the planning. Who do you think those beggars out there will blame? Him, obviously!"

'Did he just say beggars?'

Hearing him call the eight thousand BLOOMING members beggars made my blood boil.

I spoke in a cold voice. "Go ahead. Try it."

"What?"

"The moment our fan club members leave, I'll escort them to a better place. They won't be cursing me but they'll be cursing LT Amusement Park."

"You little shit. It's past midnight. Where the hell do you think they can go now?"

"May I use my phone for a moment?"

"What, you gonna call the cops?"

"No. Even if we go somewhere, it's polite to let the place know we're coming, don't you think?"

Shin Woo-Jin sneered and gestured with his chin. "Pfft. Do whatever you want."

Kwak Seon-Jae picked up my phone and held it out to me. "Give me the number. I'll dial it for you."

I locked eyes with him and said, "010-1234-......."

Moments later, the bright voice of Acting President Jin Ah-Ram came through the speaker.

-Mr. Jung~ I heard you're having a late-night bash at LT Amusement Park? Why didn't I get an invite?

"Sorry. It's a BLOOMING-only event."

-Psh. I'm BLOOMING too!

"Better luck on the lottery next time~"

-Haha, fine. So, what's up? Calling past midnight like this?

Jin Ah-Ramn sounded cheerful, maybe even a little hopeful. But the situation was too serious, so I got straight to the point.

"Can Jinseong Resort in Yeongjong-do accommodate eight thousand people right now?"

-R-Right now?

"Yes. If you help us this time, I'll make it worth your while."

Jinseong Resort was mostly empty. And being a mega-resort, it had plenty of attractions like pools. If LT Amusement Park really shut down, I was planning to move everyone to Incheon immediately.

-You calling me at this hour is unusual... It sounds like something urgent happened at LT. Hm. eight thousand people, you said? If Yeongjong's full, I'll mobilize all Jinseong Hotels in Seoul to make it happen. But what's going on?

Startled by the unexpected turnout of events, Shin Woo-Jin exploded. "Hey, Jin Ah-Ram! What's your relationship with Chief Jung?!"

-What? Who are you?

"You don't know my voice? LT Hotel. Shin. Woo. Jin!"

-Oh~ It's you, Mr. Shin. It's been a while.

"I've got no time for pleasantries. Let me warn you. If you get involved, it's gonna be a problem. Watch yourself."

Shin Woo-Jin made a rude threat directly, but Jin Ah-Ram answered calmly.

-It's gonna be a problem? Sure, let it be. That's fine with me.

"What... Did you just say?"

-You told me to watch myself, right? That's what I'm doing, giving you exactly what you asked for. Oh, and you do remember what happened to my half-brother and sister after they messed with Chief Jung, right? If I report this to Mr. Chairman, he'll probably step in too.

For the first time, Shin Woo-Jin's arrogant expression faltered. He had finally realized that Jinseong Inc. was behind me.

"What the hell is this guy, that Jinseong's backing him?"

Jin Ah-Ram's voice answered calmly.

-Mr. Jung is my partner and my benefactor. So from now on, touching him means you're attacking both me and Jinseong. You'd do well to remember that. Mr. Chairman will certainly see it that way too.

Shin Woo-Jin gritted his teeth and glared at me. His lips trembled in silence for a long moment before he finally spoke. "Goddamn it..."

As someone who wasn't yet the official successor, Shin Woo-Jin couldn't afford a direct war with Jinseong.

-Well? What now? You still gonna kick everyone out of LT Amusement Park? Should I get the cars ready?

"There's no need to prepare anything!" Shin Woo-Jin fumed.

-Tch. This was the perfect chance to trash LT Amusement Park as outdated and unfit for big events, and promote our hotels instead... What a waste.

Every word was designed to dig into Shin Woo-Jin.

"We're hanging up."

Click.

Kwak Seon-Jae ended the call without permission. "It's done."

Shin Woo-Jin stood up abruptly and stared at me with rage burning in his eyes. "You... I'll make sure you regret today. Count on it."

He spun around and stormed toward the office door.

Kwak Seon-Jae quickly tossed my phone back to me and rushed after him. "Sir!"

Thud.

Clutching my phone tightly, I thought to myself that he would be the one who will regret today.

Bang.

With that, Shin Woo-Jin stormed out with his security chief and secretary chief. Left behind, Shin In-Joon looked at me with an awkward expression. Clearly, he hadn't expected my connections to reach this far.

"C-Chief Jung... well, that ended okay, right?"

'Okay? Not for you.'

Just a moment ago, Shin Woo-Jin had tried to pressure me into betraying Shin Jong-Ki. When I refused, he nearly had all the celebrities and fans kicked out of the amusement park. There was no way I could just let this slide.

Without acknowledging Shin In-Joon's comment, I immediately called Shin Jong-Ki.

***

Shin Jong-Ki rushed to the LT Amusement Park office, saying he was nearby when he picked up my call. As soon as he saw Shin In-Joon, he launched into him.

"I thought you were on my side, but you're holding Woo-Jin's hand like it's your lifeline, huh?" Shin Jong-Ki's voice was cold despite the smile.

Sure enough, Shin In-Joon trembled as he tried to explain. "N-No, hyung-nim. It's not like that. Woo-Jin hyung-nim just showed up and demanded to meet Chief Jung... you know how stubborn he is. I couldn't exactly say no, could I?"

Shin In-Joon looked to me for help, but I stayed silent. After all, nearly eight thousand people could have been thrown out, their night ruined.

Then Shin Jong-Ki leaned in with a sharp glare. "Why're you looking at Chief Jung when I'm the one talking to you?"

"H-Hyung-nim..."

"Forget it. Tell your two sons working at my company they don't need to show up for work starting tomorrow."

Shin In-Joon's two sons were currently undergoing management training at LT Entertainment, where Shin Jong-Ki was in charge. Both had majored in film and media, but thanks to their father's screw-up, they were about to be kicked out overnight.

"P-please, hyung-nim. Leave them out of this. You know how much they love films."

"I do. That's why I gave them so many chances. But now it seems you were grooming them to take my seat."

"N-No, it's not like that! It's not like that at all!"

"Forget it. Don't talk to me again. And don't even think about relying on me in future family meetings."

In LT Inc., family meetings held significant power over key decisions. Losing the support of a direct heir like Shin Jong-Ki meant Shin In-Joon's influence would plummet.

"P-Please, just not that... hyung-nim..."

Shin Jong-Ki turned away without another word. "Chief Jung. Let's go."

"Yes, sir."

I followed him out of the office, hearing Shin In-Joon collapse into a chair behind us.

***

"Kyaaaaaah~!"

From the ride "Sinbad's Adventure" in LT Amusement Park, the screams of Yoo-Jin, Miso, and Ju Yung-In echoed across the park.

Watching the scene, Shin Jong-Ki let out an awkward laugh and turned to me. "I'm sorry, Chief Jung. I didn't mean to throw you into all that."

"Please don't apologize. It wasn't your fault, sir."

Shin Jong-Ki chuckled and joked, "I guess that's what happens when you're too good at your job. You're making other people greedy."

"Haha. You might be right."

Shin Jong-Ki sighed and seemed to come to a decision, then looked me straight in the eye. "Chief Jung. I hate to ask, but... could you help me? After what happened today, I've got no choice but to officially join the succession race."

As the third son of LT Inc., Shin Jong-Ki had never been a real contender. His rank was low, and entertainment wasn't one of the company's core businesses. In contrast, Shin Tae-Ill and Shin Woo-Jin held enormous power through their subsidiaries. This was like trying to break a boulder with an egg.

I hesitated for a moment, then opened my mouth to reply. "I..."

"Kyaaaaah!"

"Moooommyyy~!"

However, my answer was completely drowned out by the screaming from the ride.