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Chapter 352: Clue (3)

Across from Kim Dong-Soo was another untouched glass—evidence that someone else had been there until now. The set of chopsticks next to the glass further confirmed this.

\'Colonel Baek must have already left,\' I thought.

I described the scene inside so that Choi Yung-Ho listening in could understand. "It looks like someone was with you just now. There\'s leftover food and they left without drinking. Must have been in a hurry."

When I sat down across from Kim Dong-Soo, he clicked his tongue. "Tsk. You really came alone. You\'ve got guts, I\'ll give you that."

"You told me to come alone, didn\'t you? Anyway, what are you doing in a dump like this? Shouldn\'t you be at home reflecting if you\'re suspended?"

"Why should I reflect? Don\'t you know it was Team Lead Kang and Director Lee Gi-Cheol who got caught bribing Assemblyman Park? I\'m the victim here!"

"How many people at the company do you think believe that?"

"Who cares what the employees think? Once I\'m back, they\'ll all shut up anyway."

"Do you really think that? It seems like the Suhyaejong line has already sided with Mr. Bang under Mr. Choi Man-Sik\'s instruction."

Kim Dong-Soo smirked. "Whether it\'s President Choi Man-Sik or Director Bang Sang-Yung, I\'m still the top dog in the Suhyaejong line. Just wait and see. Once my suspension is lifted, they\'ll all line up under me!"

Kim Dong-Soo\'s confident attitude made it clear that he had indeed joined forces with Colonel Baek.

"But you\'ve never been one to frequent rundown places like this, have you?"

"Enough with the nonsense. Why did you want to see me?"

With everything outside handled by Choi Yung-Ho, I decided to ask Kim Dong-Soo what I\'d been wanting to know.

"There\'s something I really want to ask."

After a brief pause, Kim Dong-Soo spoke. "Go ahead. If it\'s worth answering, I\'ll answer."

"Why are you so desperate?"

Kim Dong-Soo was trying to climb higher by bribing politicians and offering celebrities favors.

I thought he might change a bit after being suspended, but he took this opportunity to team up with Jiang Wei and Colonel Baek to create the X-FILE.

Despite all the changes I had made after traveling back in time, he seemed to be moving according to fate as if predestined.

Kim Dong-Soo looked at me with a crooked smile. "You\'re seriously asking because you don\'t know?"

"Yes, I\'m asking because I don\'t know."

At that moment, Kim Dong-Soo suddenly downed a glass of baijiu and shouted. "Because I want to succeed! I want to rise to the top! How else can a guy with nothing make it? You have to catch the attention of the powerful to even have a chance! You still don\'t know that?"

That\'s when I finally realized why I kept myself around Kim Dong-Soo despite hating him so much in my past life.

\'We\'re the same,\' I silently reflected.

Kim Dong-Soo resembled me in my past life. He reminded me of my past self who would do just anything to succeed.

This meant there was only one ending for Kim Dong-Soo who was moving like an unstoppable train: he would feel an unquenchable thirst and try to get whatever he wanted at all cost.

I figured Kim Dong-Soo probably didn\'t even know how far he could go. After all, I had the same experience in my past life.

Kim Dong-Soo gritted his teeth and glared at me.

In my past life, his life was a stretch of highway with no obstacles. However, he found himself blocked at every turn now.

Just like how I was trying to view Ju Yung-In differently now, I tried to see the changed Kim Dong-Soo as a different person than the one I knew in my past life.

Unfortunately, Kim Dong-Soo was becoming an even worse person than before.

Kim Dong-Soo stared straight at me and said, "Then let me ask you something this time."

"What is it?"

Kim Dong-Soo glared at me and asked, "Why are you so obsessed with Hoop Entertainment? Is it because of Jung Yoo-Jin? Because of Miso? You could just take them and leave along with those who follow you!"

Without answering him, I poured the baijiu into an empty glass on the table. After filling the glass to the brim, I downed it in one gulp. The baijiu felt like it was burning my mouth and throat as it went down with the intense fruity aroma stinging my nose.

Wiping the baijiu from my lips, I shouted at Kim Dong-Soo. "As long as you\'re in this industry, it\'ll be the same no matter where I go."

Kim Dong-Soo blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Kim Dong-Soo. No matter where I am, you\'ll try to get rid of me and Yoo-Jin. People like you always eliminate anything that gets in their way. So rather than facing that outside, it\'s better to break your power here at Hoop Entertainment. Isn\'t that right?"

Kim Dong-Soo glared at me. "...How do you know me so well?"

\'Because I traveled back in time,\' I answered in my heart.

We exchanged a few more questions but only one thing became clear.

\'Fate doesn\'t change,\' I concluded.

This was true at least for Kim Dong-Soo, who was destined to live out the life I had experienced in my past life.

In that case, I had to stop him completely to protect my celebrities and to protect Hoop Entertainment.

I stood up while keeping my eyes fixed on Kim Dong-Soo\'s burning gaze. "We\'ve come up the same path anyway. So let\'s go all the way to the end. That\'s what you want too, Isn\'t it?"

Kim Dong-Soo chuckled. "Hahaha. You know, when I think about it, you\'re a lot like me. That\'s probably why I hated you but sometimes liked you too."

I wanted to say no, but the words didn\'t come out easily because I still had a part of me that was like him.

Kim Dong-Soo no longer looked at me and instead reached for the baijiu as if he wanted to drink alone all night.

I left him there chuckling to himself and slowly turned away, thinking that only one of us would be left standing in the end.

***

Click.

As I stepped out of Taesung Jjambbong, I walked into the alley outside where Choi Yung-Ho was waiting with a stern expression.

He had heard everything inside through the listening device.

Choi Yung-Ho looked at me and said, "Don\'t let it shake you. You\'re not the same as Kim Dong-Soo."

"..."

He continued, "He only thinks about himself. But what about you? You have friends and family you\'d risk your life to protect."

At that moment, I felt like my efforts to change after returning weren\'t in vain. At least I had changed enough to earn such an evaluation from others.

I gave a faint smile. "Thank you."

"There\'s no need to thank me. I\'m just stating the truth."

Just then, the walkie-talkie on Choi Yung-Ho\'s belt crackled.

-I\'m sorry, Yung-Ho hyung-nim. We found no traces of that man.

-Yung-Ho hyung-nim, no traces here either. There are no security cameras or car black boxes around, so tracking is difficult.

-Yung-Ho hyung-nim, we have no idea where he went.

They had searched every alley but still found no trace.

"Search again, thoroughly!" Choi Yung-Ho instructed them.

-Yes, sir!

Choi Yung-Ho finished giving the instruction and wore a troubled expression."We must have been too late."

At that moment, I mentioned that the place we had just been to wasn\'t somewhere Kim Dong-Soo frequented. "Chief Kim always hated shabby Chinese restaurants like this. It\'s strange that the place is completely empty too. Could this be a location where Colonel Baek meets people?"

Choi Yung-Ho\'s eyes lit up. "That makes sense. People like Colonel Baek who do such work tend to avoid unfamiliar places."

Then Choi Yung-Ho immediately picked up his walkie-talkie. "Sang-Sik, get me the contact information for the owner and the head chef of Taesung Jjambbong right away."

-Yes, sir.

\'Now that I think about it, there wasn\'t anyone in the kitchen earlier...\' I thought.

I also mentioned that Kim Dong-Soo was the only one there when I entered the restaurant.

Choi Yung-Ho acknowledged this and patted his chest, telling me to leave the rest to them. "We\'ll investigate the owner and see if they know anything about Colonel Baek. We\'ll find him one way or another, so don\'t worry."

"Thank you."

Even though it was a difficult task, I still made the request to stop Kim Dong-Soo and protect my celebrities.

To prevent anyone from getting hurt because of greedy people, and to make sure that scumbags like them don\'t take over the world I live in.

***

My daily life as a talent agent continued as usual after I met with Kim Dong-Soo.

Today was the last day of filming for In the Name of God. The grand finale of months of hard work was finally here.

Kim Sung-Woon announced the end of the long journey. "Cut! Good job, everyone."

Everyone from the actors to the staff began clapping and congratulating each other on completing the shoot.

"Well done, everyone."

After the lead actors were given bouquets, Cha Soo-Yeon personally handed one to Yoo-Jin. "Well done, Miss Yoo-Jin."

"Thank you."

When Yoo-Jin smiled as she received the flowers, Cha Soo-Yeon playfully added, "Ah, it\'s a shame that Manshin Wol-Ah couldn\'t be here."

Yoo-Jin played along. "Should I quickly put on the makeup and come back?"

"I\'m kidding, just kidding."

The staff continued to approach Yoo-Jin, shaking hands and expressing their desire to work with her again on future projects.

Seeing this made me feel as if I were being praised as well.

However, the expression on Lee Ji-Yeon\'s face, who had come to watch the final shoot, didn\'t seem relaxed.

Thinking it was perhaps due to the emptiness that comes after a project ends, I bowed my head deeply in sincere respect. "Thank you so much, Ms. Lee! Thanks to you, Yoo-Jin has become a lead actor!"

Lee Ji-Yeon shook her head, saying that wasn\'t the issue. "What else could matter when my actress wants to work with another writer now?"

Lee Ji-Yeon was reluctant to let go of Yoo-Jin whom she had enjoyed working with so much.

"Is this what it feels like when your man runs off with another woman? Ah, seriously. What do I do with this feeling?" she mumbled.

I hurriedly tried to soothe Lee Ji-Yeon as her muttering grew louder. "Ms. Lee, this is just a temporary detour while you prepare your next project."

Lee Ji-Yeon glared at me. "Yoon-Ho~ You know that\'s exactly what a cheating man would say, right?"

I scratched my head. "I-is that so?"

At that moment, Lee Ji-Yeon let out a small laugh. "Haha. Alright, fine. I\'ll let it go this time because you\'ve helped me so much. You revived this project, supported me, and guided me all the way. It\'s all thanks to you, Yoon-Ho."

Lee Ji-Yeon\'s frustration at parting with the project was showing in her playful demeanor. "But Yoon-Ho~ I want to give you a gift. Is there anything you want? Should I get you a new car?"

There was only one thing a talent agent could wish for from a writer.

"After Hwaranjeon

ends, I\'d like to ask for a drama with Yoo-Jin as the lead," I answered.

Lee Ji-Yeon burst out laughing and clicked her tongue.

"Hahaha, you win. You want a project for your actor as a gift? Pfft, Yoon-Ho, you\'re truly a talent agent through and through~"

Lee Ji-Yeon agreed and quietly watched the set where filming had just wrapped up without complaining further.

Having finished greeting the staff, Yoo-Jin holding her bouquet approached. "Ma\'am! When did you get here?"

"I came while you were filming your last scene."

Yoo-Jin asked with a warm smile. "How did I do?"

"Are you really asking that?"

As Yoo-Jin received recognition from Lee Ji-Yeon, tears began to fall from her eyes.

Lee Ji-Yeon smiled warmly and wiped away her tears. "Why are you crying?"

"Because I\'m happy..."

"If you\'re happy, you should be smiling, not crying!"

Lee Ji-Yeon scolded Yoo-Jin in a sharp tone, but she couldn\'t stop the tears welling up in her own eyes as well.

At that moment, Ju Yung-In, who had been hesitating in the distance, bit her lip and approached. "Ms. Lee, thank you for your hard work!"

Lee Ji-Yeon turned her head. "Yes, thank you for working hard too, Yung-In."

Ju Yung-In hesitated for a moment at Lee Ji-Yeon\'s tone, which was completely different from when she spoke to Yoo-Jin, but she soon smiled and replied. "I don\'t think I was able to satisfy you with this project. Next time, I promise I\'ll do better!"

"Alright. You\'re not a hopeless actress, so I\'ll be looking forward to it."

Then, Ju Yung-In extended her hand to Yoo-Jin. "Let\'s keep doing well together, Jung Yoo-Jin."

Now a leading actress, Yoo-Jin shook Ju Yung-In\'s hand.

The two held onto each other\'s hands tightly and wrapped up the drama they had worked on together, acknowledging once again how their positions had completely reversed.

"Alright, Ju Yung-In."

***

It was October 15th, the day of the final broadcast of episode 24 of In the Name of God, and the first offline meeting of Yoo-Jin and Miso\'s fan club, You & Me.

I arrived at the office early in the morning to prepare to welcome the You & Me fan club members attending today\'s event.

"Make sure you share the list of minors and give me a copy too."

Today, the talent agents were each assigned a minor to be responsible for.

"Are you taking on some too, Mr. Jung?"

"Yes. Sang-Bong went to pick up Yoo-Jin and Miso. I\'ll cover for him until they arrive."

"Understood."

Lee Yung-Jin sent me the names of three You & Me fan club members who were minors.

"Kim Yoo-Yeon, Lee Sang-Eun... and Cha Eun-Sol?"

The name looked familiar.

I quickly checked the KkTalk message Lee Yung-Jin sent.

[Lee Yung-Jin: 1. Cha Eun-Sol (Yesung High School 3rd Year, Cheongju) Contact: 010-2345-XXXX, Mother\'s Contact: 010-2346-XXXX, ...]

"Yes, it\'s Cha Eun-Sol!"

Three years from now, Cha Eun-Sol would become one of the top \'homema\' in the industry and her photos alone would garner hundreds of thousands of views on average.

\'Homema\' was short for \'homepage master,\' referring to someone who posted photos and videos of celebrities on their personal website.

Recruiting her would be equivalent to having the best publicity team in the industry.

However, I had failed to recruit her in my past life for various reasons.

\'I won\'t miss this chance this time!\' I thought.

Unlike in my past life, I had no intention of letting this golden opportunity slip through my fingers now.