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Chapter 261: A Harbinger of a Storm (3)

An elderly man in a traditional hanbok opened a large jar from one side of the wall.

"The sauce has aged well this year too," he said.

Behind him stood four people who smiled slightly.

The sturdy man at the front was Choi Yung-Ho, the president of Daeheung Savings Bank and the head of the Daeho faction.

"Sir, will you be sharing the sauce with us this year too?" Choi Yung-Ho asked.

The white-haired elderly man laughed heartily. "Of course. Who else would eat all this?"

The old man\'s name was Choi Eun-Tae. After checking the sauce, he received a handkerchief from his secretary and wiped his hands.

"So, how is my son\'s matter progressing?"

At that moment, Choi Yung-Ho glanced back and signaled.

Then Ju Jin-Ho, the second in command from the Daeho faction, and two others quickly stepped back to create distance.

Choi Eun-Tae clicked his tongue. "Yung-Ho, how about going a bit easy on your younger brothers now?"

"No, sir. If discipline breaks down, everything falls apart. I cannot allow that."

"You really are a stubborn one..."

Choi Yung-Ho gave another order, "Jin-Ho, take the others and wait in the guest room. Make sure no one contacts anyone on the outside."

"Yes, hyung-nim," replied Ju Jin-Ho as he quickly disappeared with the younger men.

Choi Eun-Tae and Choi Yung-Ho were now alone in the silent and wide courtyard of the hanok where no one could hear their conversation.

"So, have you found out anything?" Choi Eun-Tae asked.

"Here is the list," Choi Yung-Ho said as he politely handed over the first filtered list of candidates with both hands.

"My eyes are getting dim these days, perhaps because I\'m too old. Just tell me."

After withdrawing his hands, Choi Yung-Ho began his report.

"Currently, there are 22 candidates in Seoul and 15 in the provinces. I\'ve met all the ones in the provinces. And starting today, I plan to meet those in Seoul."

"You must have wandered all over the country. You\'ve worked hard," Choi Eun-Tae remarked.

"It\'s nothing, sir."

"I\'m sorry. You must be very busy managing the bank, yet I\'ve troubled you to search for my child who may not even be alive."

"If it\'s about your bloodline, it\'s only right that I take the lead. I hope to repay some of the kindness you\'ve shown me in raising me with this."

Choi Eun-Tae looked at Choi Yung-Ho with warm eyes and nodded. "Well, how will you ascertain if they are my son?"

"Jin-Ho has come up with a good method for that."

Choi Yung-Ho explained the plan to offer them low-interest government-supported credit loans considering that most of the orphans on the list were in difficult situations.

"What will you do after meeting them?"

"I plan to collect hair samples during the loan interviews. We can compare those with your DNA."

Choi Eun-Tae nodded at the mention that they had found a discreet DNA testing service. However, his happy expression soon changed into a frown.

"What about Man-Sik? He must have found out that I have a son by now."

"He hasn\'t made any direct moves yet."

Choi Eun-Tae spoke out of concern. "Keep in mind that he might be getting someone else to handle the investigation. Make sure to keep your eye on him."

Choi Yung-Ho nodded. "Yes, sir."

"And I heard Man-Sik has been hovering around the political circles lately. How is that going?"

Choi Yung-Ho frowned. "President Choi has been meeting with Assemblyman Park Sang-Gon from the ruling party frequently. There\'s even talk about an engagement with his daughter."

"Huh? What about Ji-Yung? That guy always coveted Ji-Yung."

"Well... after meeting Assemblyman Park\'s daughter, he immediately changed his mind."

"What? So he\'s completely given up on Ji-Yung?" Choi Eun-Tae responded with a frown.

"Not exactly. He is still pestering Miss Kang Ji-Yung. It seems like he wants to marry one and date the other."

Choi Eun-Tae pondered for a moment before asking, "Does he think Ji-Yung will easily accept that? Her personality is no joke."

"I\'m not quite sure about that."

"Tsk tsk. I must have been blind. To think I almost made that trash my son... Ha ha ha."

As Choi Eun-Tae laughed bitterly, a silence fell between them.

Choi Yung-Ho hesitated before speaking. "Uh... Sir."

"What is it? Do you have something more to say?"

"I wanted to be sure before mentioning it, but one of the candidates for your son is from Hoop Entertainment, where you are a major shareholder."

Choi Eun-Tae\'s eyes widened. "At Hoop Entertainment?"

"Yes. It\'s a guy named Jung Yoon-Ho who just became a team lead in his second year."

"Is that so?"

"Another strong candidate, Kang Eun-Gi, is from the same orphanage as Jung Yoon-Ho."

Choi Eun-Tae asked excitedly, "Investigate those two carefully. Make sure Man-Sik doesn\'t find out."

"Yes, sir."

Choi Eun-Tae started to feel anxious. He knew his adopted son, Choi Man-Sik, had a ruthless nature and would certainly take action should he be the first to find his son.

If Choi Man-Sik got engaged to Assemblyman Park\'s daughter, Choi Eun-Tae would be powerless against him even with all his wealth. At that moment, he began to worry whether he could fully protect his son if he found him.

\'I raised a viper...\' Choi Eun-Tae reflected bitterly.

Choi Eun-Tae spoke again with concern. "I\'ll meet the leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties soon, so schedule a meeting for me. We must protect our own. Make sure to act without alerting Man-Sik."

Choi Yung-Ho asked cautiously, "Will that be alright? You always disliked politicians, saying they were bigger crooks than us."

"Can anyone live exactly as they wish? Man-Sik holds the card of being the next ruling party leader, so I must find a card to match it."

Choi Eun-Tae realized it was time for a change both for himself and his family—and also for the son who might be out there somewhere.

"Understood. Then I will prepare as instructed."

Choi Eun-Tae patted Choi Yung-Ho\'s shoulder. "Thank you always, Yung-Ho."

"It\'s nothing, sir."

Choi Yung-Ho resolved once again to do his best to find Choi Eun-Tae\'s son as a form of gratitude to Choi Eun-Tae who had given him a new life by taking him in.

***

After going through the list of celebrities to recruit at Reverse Entertainment, I went down to the underground parking lot.

Lee Soo-Chan saw me off and said, "Hyung-nim, please take care of us in the future."

"Take care of you guys? You seem to be doing well on your own."

Lee Soo-Chan was only 26 years old. Compared to my younger self in my past life, he was doing exceptionally well though he didn\'t seem to realize it.

"Not at all. I\'m just muddling through every day."

"You\'re doing good enough from what I see. Despite Eun-Gi\'s absence, there haven\'t been any major incidents and the staff\'s bright faces suggest the company is well managed."

Lee Soo-Chan bowed his head with a grateful expression. "Hearing praise from you sure gives me a boost."

"Oh, don\'t exaggerate. And keep an eye on Nalsae."

"Got it. Also, hyung-nim, we have connections with many detective agencies. So feel free to ask us if you need any information."

At that moment, I remembered the name of the actress whom the despicable reporter Ju Kang-Yong had threatened Kim Dong-Soo with.

"Do you know Choi Sung-Ae by chance?" I asked.

"Choi Sung-Ae? Hmm, I don\'t think so. It\'s my first time hearing that name..."

Seeing that Lee Soo-Chan didn\'t know, I started telling him about the works Choi Sung-Ae had appeared in.

"Oh, her? Yes, I remember her face."

"I heard she went to the US after finishing her project. Do you think you can find her?" I continued.

"Don\'t worry. I know plenty of people who are good at finding others."

Lee Soo-Chan reassured me, telling me to trust him.

I nodded. "If you find her, just let me know her location. I\'ll handle the rest."

"Okay, hyung-nim."

At that moment, I received an unexpected call.

[Caller ID: Daeheung Savings Bank]

Daeheung Savings Bank was owned by Choi Eun-Tae. It was a bit amusing that they were calling me at this time.

When I hung up without answering, Lee Soo-Chan asked, "Hyung-nim, do you need money?"

"Why? Will you lend me some if I do?"

"Yes. We also run a loan business."

"I was just joking. I have a lot of money. I just don\'t have cash on hand right now, but I\'ll get hundreds of million won in bonuses by the end of the year."

Lee Soo-Chan scratched his head. "I see, you\'re doing well as expected."

"Let\'s stop with the embarrassing compliments."

Then, my phone rang again.

[Caller ID: Daeheung Savings Bank]

\'Block.\'

Soon, the phone rang three more times from different numbers.

"Wow, they\'re persistent... How many numbers do they even have?"

When I blocked it again, a text message arrived this time.

[02-08XX-7979]

["Daeheung Savings Bank" is always with you, bringing hope! Prosper, Korea! Prosper, dear customers! We contacted you regarding a government-guaranteed loan product for vulnerable groups. You can get a low-interest (2%-5%) credit loan of up to 50 million won. Feel free to call anytime for kind and accurate consultation! Same-day approval! Immediate deposit!]

I burst out laughing in disbelief.

"Do they think I\'m a fool? Offering 2% interest on a 50 million won loan? They should scam within limits..."

I blocked that number too.

"Hyung-nim, could it be that they recognized you and are approaching you like this?" Lee Soo-Chan asked.

"No way. If that were the case, why would they call from a company number that might get blocked as spam?"

"Oh, I guess that\'s true."

After asking Lee Soo-Chan to find Natalia, Haru\'s mother, I left Reverse Entertainment.

***

The fact that Choi Eun-Tae might be my father affected my daily life quite a bit.

I would get angry simply at the thought of why he was looking for me so belatedly, but then calm down, thinking he couldn\'t possibly be my father.

I tried to forget all these to manage my fluctuating emotions,

"If Eun-Gi found out about this, he\'d try to escape from prison..." I muttered.

The news must have reached Kang Eun-Gi in the detention center by now. Knowing Kang Eun-Gi, he would be even more furious than me. After all, he had suffered so much living with just his mother that he even hated the father he couldn\'t remember.

In any case, I tried to focus on the immediate tasks until a conclusion was reached.

The most important task now was to stop Kim Dong-Soo from growing Actor Division 3.

Hence, I had informed Reporter Choi So-Hye that Park Hee-Tae and Choi Seong-Lak, whom Kim Dong-Soo was trying to recruit, habitually smoked marijuana.

About three days later, Choi So-Hye contacted me urgently for a meeting.

Now, I was waiting for her in Room 2 of Han-Oreum, a Korean restaurant in Gangnam.

"Why isn\'t this noo-nim here yet..." I muttered to myself.

As Choi So-Hye was late, I passed the time by reading entertainment news.

Currently, 40% of the entertainment news page was about In the Name of God and Master of Mukbang. Below that, articles about Lee Tae-Poong\'s Beyond the Boundary were starting to appear.

[Director Choi Sung-Moon\'s Beyond the Boundary to be released next month! (September 25th)]

[Director Choi Sung-Moon explains why he cast Lee Tae-Poong despite the controversy over his acting skills.]

[Beyond the Boundary: The confidence conveyed by the on-site staff!]

[Lee Tae-Poong: Surviving a week on just water and salt to overcome acting criticism and build determination!]

The social media\'s reaction was lukewarm since they hadn\'t seen Lee Tae-Poong\'s acting yet.

\'I\'m sure they\'ll be surprised when they see Tae-Poong\'s acting,\' I remarked inwardly.

At that moment, the door to the room I was in opened with a creaking sound.

"Team Lead Jung, sorry I\'m late."

"It\'s fine, I haven\'t waited long. Is something wrong?"

"Oh, I\'m pissed! I was late because I had a fight with the editor-in-chief, that old geezer," Choi So-Hye grumbled and gulped down cold water as soon as she sat down.

"Did something go wrong with exposing Park Hee-Tae and Choi Seong-Lak \'s marijuana case? I even told you the witnesses\' names, their regular meeting places, and their meeting timings."

Choi So-Hye slammed her cup down on the table. "You sure did. I managed to cover it, but they won\'t approve the report."

"Did the political circles tell you to hold onto it?"

Sometimes, newspapers would hold onto major celebrity scandals without publishing them because politicians found them useful cards for trade when they faced big issues.

"No, it\'s not the political circles."

Then there was only one possibility left.

"Could it be that Park Hee-Tae and Choi Seong-Lak are entangled with some third-generation chaebols...?" I asked.

As expected, Choi So-Hye let out a deep sigh.

"Yes. In fact, they weren\'t just hanging out with third-generation chaebols. It was an active chaebol member. How utterly disgraceful."

"What? An active chaebol? Who?" I asked with surprise.

"Vice President Kim Ae-Ja of Daechon Inc. was caught hanging out with Park Hee-Tae and Choi Seong-Lak, so the report was blocked."

The same Kim Ae-Ja who had offered sponsorship to Lee Tae-Poong had been caught by the radar of Central Daily Newspaper.

I raised my eyebrows. "Vice President Kim Ae-Ja?"