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Chapter 333: Apology (2)

Son Yung-Im and Jo Jae-Kyung sat down reluctantly across from us.

At that moment, Son Hyung-Tae seized the opportunity to steer the conversation before they could even speak. "Alright, alright! It seems like there\'s been a bit of a misunderstanding here, so why don\'t we have Director Jo apologize quickly and sign the settlement? Team Lead Jung here is a busy man!"

Jo Jae-Kyung hesitated as Son Hyung-Tae pushed for an apology. Even in my past life, Jo Jae-Kyung had never apologized to anyone.

As I curiously waited to see how Jo Jae-Kyung might handle this, Son Yung-Im abruptly intervened with a burst of irritation. "President Son, before we talk about any apology from him, Director Jo needs to receive an apology first."

\'Wow. What audacity,\' I thought.

For a brief moment, the muscles in Son Hyung-Tae\'s forehead twitched at the sheer absurdity of her words.

"Mrs. Son, could you please step back a little here?" Son Hyung-Tae responded.

"President Son, do you have any idea how much we\'re losing because Director Jo\'s next project got scrapped? His reputation is in tatters and we\'re hemorrhaging money. No way can I have Director Jo apologize under these circumstances."

Son Hyung-Tae raised his voice and glared at Son Yung-Im. "It\'s not canceled but just delayed a little bit! Why don\'t you calm down a bit?"

Then, he turned back to Jo Jae-Kyung to pressure him again. "Hey, Director Jo! Team Lead Jung is willing to settle this as long as he gets an apology. So why did you have to drag Mrs. Son along and cause this mess?"

But of course, it wouldn\'t be Jo Jae-Kyung if he apologized so easily. Arms crossed, he spoke up with no intention of apologizing. "I came here today out of respect for you, uncle. But seeing that guy\'s face... I just can\'t apologize."

"What?"

"I swear, I didn\'t even hit that bastard! And do you know how many times I\'ve been interrogated by prosecutors already?"

Son Hyung-Tae barked back angrily. "Director Jo! Are you really going to do this?"

"Why are you yelling? You\'re going to burst my eardrums," Jo Jae-Kyung retorted.

Son Hyung-Tae was momentarily speechless at Jo Jae-Kyung\'s defiance.

At that moment, Son Yung-Im jumped to her son\'s defense. "That\'s right! Now that we\'re talking about it, it\'s all this man\'s fault that Director Jo is in this mess! We should be the ones demanding an apology first! And Hyung-Tae, are you even aware that this guy ratted on Jae-Kyung\'s stress-relief trips to the casino to the prosecutors?"

Son Hyung-Tae huffed in anger. "What are you talking about without any evidence?"

"Evidence? Can\'t you see it just by looking?"

Son Yung-Im continued to threaten me, demanding to know how I found out about her son\'s casino visits and warned that she wouldn\'t let it slide if I didn\'t explain.

Since I had already anticipated such a confrontation, I calmly delivered the response I had prepared. "Who told you I ratted him out to the prosecutors?"

"What?"

"I\'m an orphan who\'s never even been to America. How would I know if Mr. Jo was gambling or robbing banks halfway around the world?"

"W-well...that...that\'s..."

Only then did everyone in the room show signs of doubt.

"You hear all kinds of rumors when you work on set with actors. I just overheard something while passing by. But I thought I\'d throw a wild guess when Mr. Jo, whom I barely knew, was so dismissive of me."

Son Hyung-Tae nodded and agreed. "Yeah, I found that part a bit odd as well."

"Anyway, it\'s likely someone who knows Mr. Jo well enough and bears a grudge against him. Of course, it would be someone familiar with his trips to the casino and has been to the U.S. as well."

\'Just like the future me, though that version of me doesn\'t exist in this timeline,\' I remarked silently.

My brazen and unflappable response left Jo Jae-Kyung and Son Yung-Im visibly unsettled.

Son Yung-Im was momentarily speechless, but insisted that I was the one who tattled. "H-hey, don\'t think you can talk your way out of this! It was you, wasn\'t it!?"

Suddenly, Jo Jae-Kyung standing nearby also started siding with his mom.

However, Son Hyung-Tae took my side. "From what I\'m hearing, Team Lead Jung is making more sense. Anyway, you two—stop with this nonsense that\'s not helping anyone! Director Jo, just apologize first."

"Uncle, why are you always picking on me? If that jerk apologizes first, then I\'ll do it too!" Jo Jae-Kyung yelled.

Son Hyung-Tae shouted loudly, "Hey! Jo Jae-Kyung! Are you really going to act like this?"

I could see Son Hyung-Tae was starting to get really angry.

\'Alright, then it\'s time to put on a show,\' I thought.

I turned to Kwak Moo-Hyuk, who had come along with me. "Mr. Kwak, I don\'t think we can come to an agreement today. I don\'t understand why I have to put up with this kind of treatment here."

Kwak Moo-Hyuk nodded as if he had been waiting for this. "That\'s exactly what I\'m saying. We came here because Mr. Son promised to mediate, but... if it\'s gonna continue like this, we should just leave."

As we got up to leave, Son Hyung-Tae quickly stopped us. "Whoa, whoa! Where do you think you\'re going? I heard Mr. Tae-Poong\'s next project is set, right? We need to discuss that first before you leave! I\'m planning to promote it properly, so sit down! Come on!"

I promptly stopped in my tracks. \'He\'s going to promote Lee Tae-Poong\'s next project, Jiri Mountain? Now that\'s a different story.\'

At that moment, Jo Jae-Kyung burst out screaming and interrupted. "Ah! Mom! Stop Uncle! He\'s really gone mad! He says he\'ll promote that bastard\'s project, not mine!"

Son Yung-Im tried to intervene at Jo Jae-Kyung\'s whining.

But before she could, Son Hyung-Tae, who had been holding back, finally exploded. "Hey! Jo Jae-Kyung! Do you know what\'ll happen if you don\'t come to an agreement now? The government is gunning for you! You know that?"

\'The government is after him? So that was it,\' I realized.

Even though Lee Tae-Poong\'s Beyond the Boundary was doing well and gaining daily popularity, Son Hyung-Tae was the fifth son of the powerful CK Inc. and the president of CK Entertainment.

Now I could finally understand why he was trying so hard to mediate and adopt a humble posture toward me.

It was because the government was trying to shift the public\'s attention onto Jo Jae-Kyung who was caught up in the spoils of the rich scandal due to the incident involving Park Sang-Gon receiving bribes.

That meant I held all the cards right now in this place.

\'This is getting interesting,\' I thought.

Jo Jae-Kyung was embroiled in a scandal about the privileges of the wealthy, and Son Hyung-Tae needed to cover it up as soon as possible.

Realizing the situation, I glanced sideways. Kwak Moo-Hyuk was also nodding as if he had the same realization.

Thanks to Son Hyung-Tae stepping in, I no longer had to risk exposing the CK incident I knew about.

\'This is going to be resolved easily.\'

At that moment, Son Hyung-Tae took the initiative when Son Yung-Im tried to interrupt again. "Noona, if you interfere with this matter one more time, I\'ll cancel the contract with YM Distribution. So just stay quiet."

YM Distribution was Son Yung-Im\'s personal company which handled all the popcorn and beverage supplies for CK Entertainment.

Son Hyung-Tae was threatening to cancel the contract that accounted for 90% of the company\'s revenue.

Son Yung-Im exclaimed in shock, "H-Hyung-Tae!"

"I\'ve got approval from Father for this. So don\'t make me angrier and just keep your mouth shut!"

Son Yung-Im trembled at the mention of the approval of the honorary president of CK Inc.

With his sister silenced, Son Hyung-Tae then glared at Jo Jae-Kyung. "This is your last warning. Jae-Kyung, do you want to go to jail or apologize?"

Only then did Jo Jae-Kyung realize the seriousness of the situation. "Uncle! You can\'t mean jail... just for this?"

"Still can\'t see what\'s going on, huh? You think I don\'t know you\'ve been wasting your time fooling around with women under the excuse of making movies?"

"Uncle..."

"Hey, idiot. Watch the news once in a while! The government and the ruling party are trying to shift all the attention from Assemblyman Park onto you! You clueless fool!"

Jo Jae-Kyung\'s face turned pale as Son Hyung-Tae\'s tirade poured out. Having always looked down on others and solving everything with money, Jo Jae-Kyung couldn\'t accept that there was an even stronger force—power.

Son Hyung-Tae spoke as if he was looking at a bug. "I\'m the one who puts your movies in theaters and I\'m the one who produces them, Jo Jae-Kyung! You really think you\'re the one in charge just because I\'ve spoiled you?"

Jo Jae-Kyung was trembling upon experiencing mistreatment he had never faced in his life.

Son Hyung-Tae continued, "Aren\'t you going to answer me? What are you going to do, huh? Are you going to apologize? Or are you going to jail?"

Jo Jae-Kyung barely managed to slowly speak up. "Fine... I\'ll agree."

"Apologize first before anything else!" yelled Son Hyung-Tae.

Jo Jae-Kyung trembled and glared at me. It was clear he didn\'t want to apologize, but he reluctantly gave a slight bow.

"You little punk...you better apologize properly!" said Son Hyung-Tae as he grabbed Jo Jae-Kyung by the back of the neck and forced him down.

Bang!

The moment Jo Jae-Kyung\'s forehead hit the table, there was a dull thud.

Son Yung-Im screamed in shock as her son\'s head slammed into the table. "Hey! Son Hyung-Tae! What do you think you\'re doing right now!?"

Son Hyung-Tae gritted his teeth and glared at his sister. "Noona, didn\'t I tell you not to interfere? Fine then. As of now, YM Distribution\'s supply contract is terminated, so keep that in mind!"

"N-No, Hyung-Tae, wait..." Son Yung-Im pleaded.

Son Hyung-Tae shouted, "Don\'t make me angrier and stay quiet! Next, I\'ll cut off business with your husband too!"

Son Yung-Im\'s husband was the president of Yecheon Construction, and CK Inc. had been giving significant construction orders to Yecheon Construction as well.

Fearing the end of that business, Son Yung-Im finally fell silent.

Son Hyung-Tae then turned back to Jo Jae-Kyung once again. "Dear nephew, I didn\'t quite catch that. Say it again, louder this time. What. Did. You. Say?"

Jo Jae-Kyung trembled, then slowly began to speak. "I-I\'m sorry... I apologize, M-Mr. Jung. I did you wrong."

It was the first time I had heard Jo Jae-Kyung say he was wrong. Maybe that was why I felt a strange sensation wash over me.

"Team Lead Jung. You heard that clearly, right?" Son Hyung-Tae asked as he stared at me.

Seeing the furious look in Son Hyung-Tae\'s eyes, I realized it was time to be cautious. If I complicated things now, that anger would spill over onto me too.

I calmly took a deep breath and replied, "Yes, Mr. Son. I accept the apology. And as I mentioned earlier, I don\'t intend to ask for any settlement money."

Finally, the anger on Son Hyung-Tae\'s face began to subside. "You don\'t need settlement money? Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, sir."

Son Hyung-Tae looked at me up and down with an intrigued expression. "I thought you were just saying you wouldn\'t take the money. But you really meant it, huh?"

"Yes, Mr. Son. But perhaps you should let go of Mr. Jo first..."

Only then did Son Hyung-Tae release Jo Jae-Kyung\'s neck.

Jo Jae-Kyung gasped for air and clutched his throat. "Cough, cough!"

Looking worried, Son Yung-Im examined her son\'s neck anxiously.

Son Hyung-Tae watched with a disgusted expression before catching his breath. "Now that the apology is done, everyone except Team Lead Jung please step out."

\'What? A sudden private meeting? What exactly did he want to talk about?\' I wondered.

***

Jo Jae-Kyung glared at me as he left the president\'s office with Son Yung-Im.

Even Kwak Moo-Hyuk stepped out, leaving only Son Hyung-Tae and me.

Son Hyung-Tae cleared his throat and spoke. "I\'ve shown you quite an embarrassing sight."

"It\'s nothing, sir."

"That brat grew up spoiled and turned into a bastard. I hope you understand, Team Lead Jung."

His tone suggested he wanted me to agree, but I couldn\'t respond. If I agreed, I would be admitting that Jo Jae-Kyung was a brat myself.

Although he had harshly treated both Jo Jae-Kyung and his sister earlier, Son Hyung-Tae was very close to his sister based on my past memory.

Hence, I couldn\'t get involved carelessly.

To avoid getting drawn into his narrative, I quickly changed the subject. "More importantly, why did you ask to meet me alone?"

"Hmm. First, I\'d like you to keep what you heard earlier a secret."

He was asking me to keep quiet about the government\'s plan to use Jo Jae-Kyung as a scapegoat and direct the heat toward CK Entertainment.

I feigned ignorance. "What are you talking about? I didn\'t hear anything."

"Wow. Team Lead Jung, you really have a knack for this."

I responded with a slight smile.

"And there\'s one more thing..."

Now, the real deal was about to begin. Son Hyung-Tae leaned in slightly toward me.

"I heard you are quite close with President Shin of LT Entertainment. How about becoming closer with me from now on?"

"Pardon me?"

"To put it simply, I\'m saying you should ditch President Shin and start working with me. What do you think?"

His tone was incredibly soft, completely different from when he was dealing with his nephew.

"You mean you want to work with me?"

"Yes. If you could pick and recommend some projects to me, it would make my job a lot easier."

Son Hyung-Tae acknowledged that I played a significant role in the success of Beyond the Boundary. Moreover, he had also reviewed the draft script of Jiri Mountain which was being kept at CK Entertainment.

"The project Jiri Mountain—though it\'s just a draft, was still quite impressive. From that alone, I can tell how exceptional your eye for selecting projects and actors is. That\'s why I want to work with you, Team Lead Jung."

I was in disbelief. \'He needs me? No way...\'

At that moment, the events I had sorted through regarding CK Inc. last night flashed through my mind.

One year from now when the current president of CK Inc., Son Myung-Woo, gets investigated and detained by the prosecution, a power struggle among the remaining siblings would ensue.

This conflict would arise because Son Dae-In, the honorary president and former leader of CK Inc., distributed his shares evenly among all his children.

In the end, the current president Son Myung-Woo would quell the rebellious younger brothers after being released from custody and consolidate his position as president by acquiring their shares.

However, that was a future only I knew.

Unaware of this, Son Hyung-Tae seemed to be preparing for the inevitable succession battle within CK Inc.

For now, what he needed was someone who could bring him a golden pot of honey. In other words, he wanted someone who could pick successful projects and deliver solid results.

\'This is huge,\' I thought.

I had already changed the future heir of Daechon Inc. with my own hands, and now I found myself getting involved in the succession plan of CK Inc. when it hadn\'t been long since I had shaken the leash of the ruling party leader in South Korea.

Fortunately, I didn\'t need to actively involve myself in any disputes this time, unlike with Daechon Inc.

However, there was still something that needed to be addressed first.

"But what about Mr. Jo and Mrs. Son? Surely they\'re not just going to stay quiet?" I remarked.

At that moment, Son Hyung-Tae gave a sly smile and responded with an unexpected answer.