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Chapter 328: Damage (3)

Calming himself down, he asked, "So how is that bastard doing?"

"Fortunately, they found him quickly so he didn\'t die. But he\'s in a coma," Choi Yung-Ho replied.

Choi Eun-Tae let out a short sigh. "Sigh. What about a suicide note?"

"There was one."

"What did it say?"

"From what I gathered... it basically claimed he was responsible for everything and expressed apologies to Assemblyman Park and his family."

Choi Eun-Tae let out a bitter laugh. "Ha. I thought I\'d seen all the dirty things this world had to offer and that nothing could surprise me anymore, but this world is still beyond my comprehension."

His expression showed his disgust with the dirty deeds of politicians.

He continued to ask, "Is there any way to find evidence linking Assemblyman Park to this so-called suicide?"

"Yoo Sang-Gi has been Park Sang-Gon\'s closest aide for 20 years. I\'m sure he\'s covered his tracks well."

Choi Eun-Tae frowned and tapped the table absentmindedly as if trying to think of a solution. After letting out a deep sigh, he finally looked at me with an apologetic expression. "Team Lead Jung, it seems... this might take a bit longer than expected."

Kang Gam-Chan standing beside him patted me on the shoulder and forced a smile. "Let\'s not be too disheartened. The opportunity will come. No, it will definitely come."

Though I had somewhat expected this since the scheduled event in the planner didn\'t disappear, facing reality still felt a bit disappointing.

Nonetheless, I had no intention of giving up here. I had faced even worse situations in my past life and didn\'t back down.

"Since we\'ve created a crack this time, it\'ll be easier to take them down next time," I added.

Choi Eun-Tae cleared his throat and spoke. "Thanks to you, Team Lead Jung, we managed to get our hands on a remarkable card. But I feel truly ashamed by the result."

I shook my head. "Not at all. We\'re not gods, so how could anyone foresee everything?"

"So what will you do now?"

I straightened my shoulders and replied confidently, "I\'ll do what I\'ve always done."

"What\'s that?"

"Make more friends and crush my enemies."

With Kim Dong-Soo suspended for three months, my plan was to destabilize the talent agents and actors under him and pull them over to my side, ultimately delivering a critical blow to Kim Dong-Soo.

The same went for Chief Bang Sang-Yung, who had betrayed Kang Gam-Chan and was now promoted to the director position.

Choi Eun-Tae let out a chuckle. "Haha. I don\'t know about anything else, but I must have some luck in my later years. I found my son and he has such a reliable friend by his side."

Kang Gam-Chan nodded in agreement with Choi Eun-Tae\'s assessment. "It seems like it might be time for us to retire. Don\'t you think, Mr. Choi?"

"Indeed. Perhaps we\'re getting old. We feel disappointed and drained while this young man is brimming with energy and spirit."

Choi Eun-Tae and Kang Gam-Chan looked at me with proud expressions.

Then, Choi Eun-Tae added, "I\'ll find another way to deal with Assemblyman Park. It will take time, but I won\'t give up for my son\'s sake. So don\'t worry."

"Yes, Mr. Choi."

Choi Eun-Tae nodded and then glanced at Kang Gam-Chan. "Alright, then let\'s discuss our next move. Chief Bang, no, Director Bang. How do you think he\'ll act now?"

"Director Bang will..."

Kang Gam-Chan began to lay out the plans one by one for what would happen next and how he intended to bring down Bang Sang-Yung, strike a blow to Actor Division 3, and confront Choi Man-Sik\'s camp.

While it wasn\'t a complete victory, it was clear that the company\'s power dynamics had significantly shifted in favor of Kang Gam-Chan\'s line.

***

For the past two days, Hoop Entertainment had been in chaos as they were conducting an internal audit.

Such measures normally wouldn\'t have been possible due to resistance from the Suhyaejong line. However, with Kang Myung-Gil\'s misdeeds, no one dared to oppose the audit.

Moreover, rumors circulated that Kim Dong-Soo and Lee Gi-Cheol were also implicated, prompting the most intense audits the company had ever seen.

While Hoop Entertainment was dealing with its own turmoil, South Korea was in an uproar over the bribery allegations against Park Sang-Gon. This wasn\'t just about a low-ranking official: it involved the leader of the ruling party.

When I parked my car in the company\'s underground parking lot and clicked on the portal news app, the headlines were dominated by the scandal.

[Aide Yoo Sang-Gi Attempts Suicide: Still Unconscious.]

[Ruling Party Leader Park Sang-Gon Apologizes for Aide Yoo Sang-Gi\'s Personal Misconduct!]

[Aide Sells Out 20-Year Employer\'s Name to Fund Campaign.]

[Park Sang-Gon Holds Tearful Press Conference: "I Haven\'t Taken a Single Penny!"]

I clicked on the article with the highest views.

The video showed Park Sang-Gon on his knees while crying. With a large banner above his head proclaiming a public apology, he repeatedly bowed and blamed his own lack of virtue.

He even declared that he had no desire for money and planned to donate all his assets to society.

As if on cue, members of his party began to rally around him to defend him as an innocent man who only made the mistake of trusting his aide, and they questioned how wronged he must have felt to offer up all his wealth.

As a result, the public outcry for his resignation was gradually dying down.

"The ruling party leader really is something," I muttered.

Though it was a bit disappointing, there was some satisfaction in having paved a thorny path for the man most likely to be the next president.

"Mr. Park, you got lucky this time but it won\'t be the same next time," I remarked to myself.

I didn\'t have a concrete plan for dealing with him at the moment, but he was bound to make similar mistakes as long as he kept associating himself with Choi Man-Sik.

With that thought, I turned off the video of Park Sang-Gon\'s fake tearful performance and checked the KkTalk message from Lee Soo-Chan.

[Lee Soo-Chan: Hyung-nim. We\'ve secured five of the ten people whose hidden camera photos were leaked to Kim Dong-Soo. Should we start preparing for the lawsuit now?]

Even if victims of hidden cameras were promised protection, perhaps only one in a hundred would agree to testify. If the victims were celebrities, the number might drop to one in a thousand. Furthermore, even if they were active celebrities who hadn\'t yet been threatened by Kim Dong-Soo, there was no guarantee that any would testify, even if there were ten of them.

[Jung Yoon-Ho: No. We need as many as possible, so let\'s go for all ten. We\'ll settle the costs later.]

[Lee Soo-Chan: Don\'t worry about the money, hyung-nim.]

Knowing that I was targeting Kim Dong-Soo, Lee Soo-Chan said he would also move quickly.

I turned off the engine and got out of the car after finishing the conversation on KkTalk.

When I approached the elevator, the announcement of personnel changes was displayed on the LCD screen.

[Personnel Announcement]

1) Team Lead Kang Myung-Gil (Dismissed)

2) Director Lee Gi-Cheol (Dismissed)

3) Chief Kim Dong-Soo (Three-Month Suspension)

_______________________________________

4) Chief Bang Sang-Yung (Promoted to Director)

5) Team Lead Choi Eun-Seok (Promoted to Chief of Actor Division 1)

6) Assistant Manager Kang Do-Woon (Promoted to Team Lead)

7) Employee Lee Yung-Jin (Promoted to Assistant Manager)

8) Employee Do Ran-Hee (Promoted to Assistant Manager)

Bang Sang-Yung had precariously balanced between the two lines until Hoop Entertainment was split apart in my past life, but he made his move much earlier this time.

"Mr. Bang, why would you grab onto such a rotten lifeline? Seriously?" I remarked under my breath.

I thought to myself that I would have to deal with Bang Sang-Yung along with Kim Dong-Soo as I got on the elevator.

When I reached the office, Lee Yung-Jin greeted me with an awkward smile. "You\'re here, Mr. Jung."

I smiled. "Congratulations on your promotion. You saw the announcement, right?"

"Yes. It\'s all thanks to your efforts, Mr. Jung."

When I glanced to the side, Do Ran-Hee who had also been promoted looked equally uncomfortable.

"Why the gloomy atmosphere when you\'ve been promoted?" I asked.

Lee Yung-Jin scratched his head and glanced around nervously.

With the prosecutors having recently shaken up the company, everyone seemed on edge.

Not wanting to see Team Jung\'s members looking so deflated, I immediately ordered everyone to gather in the meeting room. A short while later, the entire team gathered together, except for Lee Dae-Ho who was touring provincial stages with Lee Tae-Poong.

There were members handling actors and singers, Yang So-Ri in charge of make-up, stylists Lee Mi-Ri and her husband, and Kim Mi-Hye in charge of publicity.

Everyone looked anxious as they were unable to hide their concerns about the company\'s future.

I clapped my hands to gather their focus. "Attention, everyone."

The murmuring died down and all eyes turned to me.

"I know you\'re all worried. But if the company were truly in danger of going under, would they be issuing new appointments? Also, this matter has nothing to do with Mr. Kang, so there\'s no need for concern."

However, their expressions still didn\'t lighten. After a brief hesitation, I recalled what it was like when I was just a team member and added, "Let me make you a promise. If anything happens to Hoop Entertainment, I\'ll take responsibility for every member here. So don\'t worry."

Only then did some relief begin to show on their faces.

"Of course, that\'s assuming the worst-case scenario. Everything will return to normal as soon as the audit ends, so just focus on your work," I assured them.

Lee Yung-Jin scratched his head and responded, "I\'m sorry. It\'s just that the reporters have been heavily targeting entertainment companies. I guess I got a bit scared without realizing it."

Do Ran-Hee nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I usually don\'t get rattled by much, but... this time it really got to me."

"I didn\'t know Ran-Hee gets nervous too," I teased.

"What, am I not human?" she retorted.

"Well, I thought maybe not," I joked.

She glared at me. "What\'s that supposed to mean?"

I laughed off Do Ran-Hee\'s glare and suggested we have a meeting since we were all gathered. Returning to our desks wouldn\'t help anyone focus on their work right now anyway.

"Alright, then let\'s start the morning meeting right away."

First up was Lee Tae-Poong\'s matter.

The movie Beyond the Boundary starring Lee Tae-Poong was expected to surpass five million viewers by tomorrow.

"At this rate, we anticipate reaching ten million viewers by the end of the month."

"That\'s great. As for securing ads for Mr. Tae-Poong, we\'ll start that in earnest once we hit ten million viewers. Got it?"

"Understood. In the meantime, I\'ll set aside the most lucrative deals."

"Good. And how\'s it going with Haru\'s Table of Mukbang?"

Haru\'s show, Table of Mukbang, was about to enter the semifinals.

"The competition is tough, but the expectation on set is that he\'ll at least be the runner-up."

"Winning would be ideal. Promote it well and prepare accordingly. The finals will be live and viewer votes will count."

"Yes, Mr. Jung!"

After wrapping up the actor-related updates, we moved on to the singers\' briefing.

"It\'s been three weeks since Ha-Na\'s debut song was released, but the track is still climbing the charts. Following her appearance on a public broadcast, the subscriber count on Ha-Na\'s MeTube increased by over 20%."

Kang Ha-Na, who debuted on September 12, was holding the top spot for the third consecutive week and was projected to maintain it next week as well.

Her competitor, Eve One, had been trailing behind Kang Ha-Na and Kim Jong-Hoon, and was still stuck in third place, prompting rumors of an expedited launch in Japan.

Then Eun Ji-Yoo brought up Cherry Blossom. "Um, Mr. Lee Dong-Min suggested finalizing Cherry Blossom\'s comeback date."

Originally, Cherry Blossom was set to have their comeback in early October. However, with Kang Ha-Na\'s ongoing success, it was necessary to adjust the schedule to avoid overlap.

"I think it would be best to aim for mid-October around the 17th or 24th," I replied.

Since Kang Ha-Na primarily focused on the MeTube platform, she planned to conclude her activities after five weeks of holding first place. After all, she needed a break due to the demands of TV appearances and daily MeTube broadcasts.

"Alright, then I\'ll inform Singer Division 2 of the updated timeline."

"I\'ll visit Mr. Lee later to discuss the details, so let him know we\'ll finalize things then."

As the meeting neared its end, I gave the team a final directive. "And after lunch today, Team Jung will all be out on fieldwork. Make sure to report that."

"Pardon??"

"Well, with the tense atmosphere in the office due to the audit, let\'s just spend the afternoon out on site after lunch."

As soon as I suggested using fieldwork as an excuse for an early finish, everyone caught on. Smiles naturally appeared on my team members\' faces.

I smiled. "And the lunch is on me today. Meet me in front of Hanwoo Myungga."

The moment I mentioned treating them to Hanwoo for lunch, their faces instantly lit up with joy.

After the meeting ended, the employees started returning to their desks one by one. When I was left alone to tidy up the meeting room, I was overwhelmed by a strange feeling.

I hadn\'t expected my team to prefer hearing that I would take responsibility over the company taking responsibility.

In my past life, I used to think that bearing the responsibility for someone else\'s life was burdensome. However, I now felt like I had become a stronger person the moment I said I\'d take that responsibility.

***

After a belly-filling lunch at Hanwoo Myungga, I told my team members to go on their "fieldwork" as planned.

Do Ran-Hee patted her full stomach and asked, "Mr. Jung. You\'re not just going back to the office, are you?"

"Of course not. I\'m on fieldwork today too."

"Where are you going?"

"Cheonho-dong. Today\'s the day Yeon-Woo moves in right across from my place."

Do Ran-Hee smacked her forehead, realizing she had forgotten. "Oh, right! Then I\'ll come with you, Mr. Jung."

"No, take a break today. I\'ve already arranged for people to help."

Vocal trainer Seo Yeon-Woo\'s grandmother had seen improvements in her condition ever since she started her medication. Recently, her condition had stabilized to the point where there was almost no difference from before the dementia set in, allowing them to finally attempt the move.

If they had moved when she was still confused, she might not have adapted and could have tried to return to their old home.

I waved goodbye to my team. "Alright then. Everyone, enjoy your fieldwork and I\'ll see you all tomorrow."

After firmly declining my team members\' offers to tag along, I headed to Cheonho-dong.

The house Seo Yeon-Woo was moving into was a two-story house directly across from Yoo-Jin\'s place.

The elderly couple who had lived there previously had moved in with their son, so the house was available for rent at a cheap price.

It was the same price as a three-room apartment elsewhere, and the landlord\'s son had already remodeled the house once for his mother which made it perfect for Seo Yeon-Woo and his grandmother.

Moreover, the security guards stationed in front of Yoo-Jin\'s house were in a good position to keep an eye on things in case of any incidents.

I parked my car at home and headed straight across the street.

The moving boxes had already been dropped off, and Yoo-Jin and Miso were helping to organize the items with their hair tied back.

Yoo-Jin spotted me. "Oh, oppa!"

Miso smiled and called out excitedly, "Uncle Yoon-Ho! Look at my new clothes!"

"Wow~ Miso, you look so pretty!" I complimented her.

Yoo-Jin and Miso were sporting pink headscarves and dress-style aprons that they had somehow gotten their hands on.

Seo Yeon-Woo, who was also busy unpacking, greeted me with a bright face. "Hyung, you\'re here!"

"Yeon-Woo, where\'s your grandmother?" I asked.

"Oh, she\'s in the master bedroom organizing the bedding."

"Hold on, let me say hello to her first."

Leaving the three of them in the kitchen, I headed to the master bedroom.

Knock, knock.

"Come on in."

A peculiar tremble started within me as soon as I heard the low and gentle voice. There was strength in her voice now unlike before.

"Hyung, go ahead. She\'s been wanting to see you since this morning," Seo Yeon-Woo urged.

This was the first time I\'d be meeting her again since our initial introduction.

With a heart full of anticipation, I slowly opened the door.