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Chapter 265: Into the Storm (3)

I pointed to Go Ill-Joon\'s phone number and asked Lee Dae-Ho again, "Have you spoken to the person who called with this number?"

"Yes. Even though I politely declined, they kept contacting me. Do you know the caller?"

After a moment of hesitation, I revealed that the caller was a close associate of Kim Ae-Ja.

Lee Dae-Ho raised his brows. "Wait, isn\'t Vice President Kim Ae-Ja the woman who stormed into our place and caused a scene last time?"

Just hearing Kim Ae-Ja\'s name left Lee Dae-Ho shocked.

"Don\'t worry too much. We\'re well prepared to ensure it doesn\'t happen again," I reassured him.

Although I said that we were taking action against Kim Ae-Ja, Lee Dae-Ho still looked anxious.

"Will it be alright? You said that Kim Ae-Ja is a woman capable of controlling major media outlets," Lee Dae-Ho said with worry.

"Yes, but this time she won\'t be able to escape easily. We\'ve found a crucial weakness of hers."

Hope flickered across Lee Dae-Ho\'s face.

At that moment, Lee Tae-Poong\'s voice came from the physical therapy room. "Dae-Ho hyung~! The doctor wants you to come in."

"Go ahead. Tae-Poong is calling for you."

Lee Dae-Ho nodded. "Understood."

I followed behind Lee Dae-Ho who ran to the physical therapy room.

At that moment, I received a call from Choi So-Hye.

\'She must have finished making a deal with Kim Ae-Ryeon,\' I thought.

"How did it go, Ms. Choi?"

-Oh, it\'s frustrating. She said she won\'t decide without knowing who\'s backing me. It looks like you\'ll have to meet her yourself. Can you do that?

Kim Ae-Ryeon was as strong-willed as her sister, Kim Ae-Ja. But unlike her sister, her meticulous nature made her hesitant to make decisions.

I would have considered it more carefully under normal circumstances, but with Go Ill-Joon\'s persistent calls, I needed to act quickly. The enemy was likely to use dirty tactics so waiting around wasn\'t an option. I had to strike first.

Moreover, Park Hee-Tae and Choi Seong-Lak would end up joining Hoop Entertainment if I didn\'t take care of Kim Ae-Ja now.

I took a deep breath and replied to Choi So-Hye.

"Ms. Choi, please tell her we\'ll meet under strict security."

-Got it. Just give me a moment, I\'ll contact her right away.

Five minutes after hanging up, I received a message to meet the next day.

***

I arrived at H Hotel in Gangnam at 9:30 in the morning and parked in the underground lot.

As Kim Ae-Ryeon owned this hotel, she had cleared the entire 10th floor for our meeting.

When I called Choi So-Hye, she answered before the second ring.

-Tell the receptionist you\'re here to meet Ms. Irene at the lobby and they\'ll guide you.

I went up to the lobby on the first floor after hanging up.

I followed her instructions and was greeted by a male staff member at the lobby who guided me to the VIP elevator.

Upon arriving on the 10th floor, two men in black suits appeared in front of the elevator.

"Please wait... we need to check for any recording devices."

They used a metal detector to check me as soon as I stepped out of the elevator.

After handing over my phone and smartwatch to them, I headed to room 1004. When I opened the dark oak door and entered, I saw Vice President Kim Ae-Ryeon and Choi So-Hye drinking milk tea.

Although she looked like she was in her late 30s, Kim Ae-Ryeon was 48 years old this year and stood around 160 cm tall. She was the second daughter of Kim Bu-Ho, Daechon Inc.\'s honorary president.

"Team Lead Jung, say hello. This is Ms. Kim Ae-Ryeon."

Kim Ae-Ryeon stared at me and smiled. "What? Is this the person who wanted to meet me?"

Choi So-Hye nodded. "Yes. This is Team Lead Jung who planned everything."

Kim Ae-Ryeon smiled broadly. "You\'re young. I\'m Kim Ae-Ryeon."

"I\'m Team Lead Jung Yoon-Ho from Hoop Entertainment."

When we shook hands, I felt a strong grip which contrasted her soft hand. Her tight grip alone made it very clear she had confidence. She didn\'t seem like someone who had been pushed out of competition.

"So, how did a talent agent from Hoop Entertainment find out about our company\'s internal matters? Outsiders would have thought I was entirely out of the succession race," Kim Ae-Ryeon remarked.

I was worried that she might be displeased but relieved to see she found it amusing.

"I understand that your father, Honorary President Mr. Kim Bu-Ho, still holds some company shares. So the succession isn\'t finalized yet, is it?" I asked.

"Did you bet on my resilience simply based on that?" Kim Ae-Ryeon questioned.

Kim Ae-Ryeon was a person who clearly defined her friends and enemies. Hence, it seemed she wanted to know whose side I was on.

"I was half sure before coming here, but now I\'m 100% certain. So let\'s get straight to the point. If the photo of Kim Ae-Ja reaches your father, it would be game over," I replied in a straightforward manner.

After a moment of contemplation, Kim Ae-Ryeon nodded. "Well, it\'s not that easy, but yes. If my dad sees that photo, he\'ll be furious and likely ban my sister from management for a while."

"Then is there further confirmation you need? If not, please assist Ms. Choi in reporting the story."

"Wait a moment. Before that..." Kim Ae-Ryeon muttered as she looked behind her.

There stood a man in a suit, about 190 cm tall, standing upright.

"Secretary Yoon, bring it here," Kim Ae-Ryeon instructed the man.

"Yes, ma\'am."

The man in the suit bowed and retrieved a black case from a small room. Then he placed the 007-style briefcase on the table.

Click!

The briefcase was filled with bundles of crisp 50 thousand won bills.

"Take it," Kim Ae-Ryeon said to me.

I turned down her offer. "I don\'t need such a reward."

"Did you just say you don\'t need it? Do you know how much that photo is worth?"

"I understand that Daechon Inc.\'s market capitalization is about 5 trillion won. I\'m assuming that photo should be worth that much, right?"

Considering that photo was a weapon to bring down her rival sister and take over the group, its value was beyond imagination.

Kim Ae-Ryeon\'s expression changed in an instant. "You\'re a sharp young man. But why not take the money? Is the reward insufficient?"

"I said I don\'t need the money."

"Well, I get very uneasy if my counterpart doesn\'t take my money. Those who don\'t take the money always end up betraying their allies. So tell me, you must want something else, right?"

She was indeed a person full of suspicions.

I thought for a bit and spoke up. "If you can\'t trust me, shall I tell you why I\'m targeting Vice President Kim Ae-Ja?"

Kim Ae-Ryeon\'s eyes gleamed momentarily.

"Alright, explain it in a way I can understand. What\'s your relationship with my sister that you\'re doing this dangerous thing? Why are you using me to go against her?"

I explained it so Kim Ae-Ryeon could understand.

"A few months ago, I had a conflict with Mrs. Kim Ae-Ja. As a result, I dug into her weaknesses and obtained the information I shared with you."

Kim Ae-Ryeon tilted her head. "Conflict?"

I explained Kim Ae-Ja\'s collection of handsome celebrities and Kim Ae-Ryeon frowned when she quickly understood the situation.

"She\'s been obsessed with men since she was young. She should be setting a good example as the eldest child instead of bringing shame to the family."

"Also, Ms. Kim Ae-Ja is targeting my actor, Lee Tae-Poong," I added.

At that moment, Kim Ae-Ryeon burst into laughter.

"What? So you\'re trying to take down the Vice President of the 17th largest conglomerate just because she\'s targeting your actor? Wow, you\'re scarier than I thought."

Kim Ae-Ryeon clapped her hands in amusement. "Did you hear that, Secretary Yoon?"

The man in the suit, who had been standing like a statue, nodded. "This young man is quite something."

"Right?"

Kim Ae-Ryeon looked at me with a bright expression.

"Okay. My father will be greatly disappointed, but I\'ll have to let him know. It will all be solved within three days."

"Please let me know the outcome," I said.

"Trust me. I want this even more than you do, Team Lead Jung. My sister has taken everything from me since we were kids. This time, it\'s my turn!" Kim Ae-Ryeon exclaimed.

Her eyes gleamed as she trembled, as if her sister was a lifelong enemy.

As far as I remembered from my past life, the relationship between the two sisters, who fought over shares, would never improve in the future. After all, they continued to fight up to the day I died.

I decided it was best not to get involved with Daechon Inc. at all.

"Anyway, I\'ll handle the matter with the editor-in-chief of the Central Daily News," said Kim Ae-Ryeon.

Kim Ae-Ryeon expressed her intention to publish the article.

At that moment, I decided to further implicate Kim Ae-Ja and mentioned another name. "Do you know about Yuseong Foods by chance?"

"Yes, that\'s my sister\'s subsidiary. Why?"

"Director Go Ill-Joon who works there is the link between Vice President Kim Ae-Ja and all the celebrities."

Kim Ae-Ryeon looked surprised. "Is that true?"

"Why would I lie? If you investigate him, you\'ll find out which celebrities Vice President Kim Ae-Ja has been meeting."

At that moment, Kim Ae-Ryeon hastily turned around and gave orders.

"Secretary Yoon, investigate Yuseong Foods immediately! And thoroughly check those who\'ve been managing Yuseong Foods! They might have taken bribes from my sister!"

Secretary Yoon immediately entered a small room and made a phone call.

After giving her orders, Kim Ae-Ryeon turned to me. At that moment, she made an unexpected proposal with a greedy look on her face.

"Team Lead Jung, how about quitting your job as a talent agent and coming to work for me?"

***

Kim Ae-Ryeon, the formidable woman who would fight a fierce battle for control of Daechon Inc. in the future, wanted me.

Nevertheless, no matter how much power she held, she was just someone I didn\'t want to deal with.

"I believe being a talent agent is my true calling," I answered.

Kim Ae-Ryeon laughed as if she couldn\'t believe it.

"A calling? Maybe you don\'t understand because you\'re still young. Managing celebrities and being on the fringe of the entertainment industry makes you feel like you own the world, doesn\'t it? But the reality is not like that. Come work for me. I\'ll show you a much bigger world."

Kim Ae-Ryeon couldn\'t hide her excitement after hearing about her sister\'s hidden weakness.

She immediately offered double the money on the table, 1 billion won, plus an annual salary of 1 billion won and also a position as the promotion director of Daechon Construction.

Kim Ae-Ryeon also suggested I help the celebrities under my management at Hoop Entertainment by hiring them as models for her company\'s advertisements.

At that moment, Choi So-Hye intervened. "Ms. Kim! What are you doing? Why are you trying to recruit Team Lead Jung?"

"Reporter Choi, can you keep quiet for a moment?"

Kim Ae-Ryeon silenced Choi So-Hye in a firm attitude and continued.

"Even if my sister falls, she might return anytime as long as my father is alive. I need a talent like you to help me."

She was preparing for the possible return of Kim Ae-Ja, but that could be avoided by making sure she couldn\'t return.

"Then why don\'t you make sure Vice President Kim Ae-Ja can\'t come back? Crush her completely this time," I suggested.

"What?" Kim Ae-Ryeon replied, surprised by my bold suggestion.

"H-how?" She asked.

"You already know how, don\'t you? What you lack now is determination, Ms. Kim. If you\'re serious about taking over Daechon Inc., now is the perfect opportunity. I repeat, crush her completely while you can. You don\'t want to regret it later."

Kim Ae-Ryeon looked me up and down in disbelief. "Are you sure you don\'t want to join me and do it yourself? I\'ll give you a reward far greater than what I just offered."

I made it clear I wasn\'t interested and nor tempted by money.

Kim Ae-Ryeon stared directly into my eyes. "I\'m usually good at reading people, but I can\'t figure you out at all. Are you from another world or something?"

Instead of coming from a different world, I had returned from the future. However, that wasn\'t something I could tell her.

Kim Ae-Ryeon raised both her hands in surrender. "Okay. But let\'s keep cooperating in the future. How about it?"

"I thought we were allies," I replied.

"That\'s true. Alright then, you may leave now. I\'ll contact you after the article is published."

Choi So-Hye said she had nothing more to discuss, having finished her business before I arrived.

I turned to Choi So-Hye and said, "Ms. Choi, let\'s get going then."

"Y-yeah."

Choi So-Hye, who stood up following me, had an expression on her face as if she had been possessed by a ghost.

As we descended to the underground parking lot, I provided Choi So-Hye with some additional useful information.

Now, there were only three days left until the article would be published.

Kim Ae-Ja, Park Hee-Tae, and Choi Seong-Lak had only that much time left to enjoy their freedom.