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Chapter 364: A Ten-Million-Viewership Actor (4)

"Is this him?" Kang Sang-Soo asked.

Kang Gam-Chan introduced me, "Team Lead Jung, come and introduce yourself. This is Mr. Kang Sang-Soo from KOFIC, and this is Mr. Gu Jung-Moon."

"Nice to meet you. I\'m Jung Yoon-Ho."

However, neither of them bothered to acknowledge my greeting. They immediately began pressuring me. "There\'s no need for a long conversation. Go see Mr. Gong and apologize right now. And figure out how to convince Mr. Lee Tae-Poong to star in the movie."

Before I could respond, Kang Gam-Chan stepped in."As I\'ve already said before, that won\'t be possible."

Kang Sang-Soo chuckled condescendingly. "Hahaha. Mr. Kang, our chairman personally asked for this to be settled. Don\'t you understand what that means?"

I frowned. \'Personally asked? How ridiculous.\'

They were abusing their power within KOFIC to disguise a blatant threat as a favor.

Just as Kang Gam-Chan was about to object again, I spoke up. "Tae-Poong already has his next project lined up. It\'s called Jiri Mountain and..."

Gu Jung-Moon interrupted me with a sneer. "Isn\'t Jiri Mountain still just a script? You can push that back and shoot Mr. Gong\'s movie first."

Kang Sang-Soo also added another layer of pressure. "It\'d be best if you cooperate. I\'m tired today, so let\'s make this easy. Okay?"

The reason these people from KOFIC felt so emboldened to act this way was simple: they controlled access to funding.

Most Korean films relied on government funds during their early production stages through funds like the \'Film Account Sub-Fund\' and the \'Cultural Account Production Fund,\' all collected through government channels.

The organization with the most significant influence over this initial investment was none other than KOFIC.

Naturally, Jiri Mountain was set to receive government support during its early stages as well. So their threat was clear: if we didn\'t comply, they\'d pull the funding for Jiri Mountain.

However, their intimidation didn\'t faze me at all.

They would soon be taken down along with Gong Hak-Beom\'s corruption scandal anyway.

Nonetheless, since Bang Sang-Yung was present, I needed to make my refusal clear and explain why.

"Excuse me, but...haven\'t either of you seen the news about Mr. Gong\'s embezzlement?" I asked.

For the first time, a flicker of unease crossed their faces.

"Hey! Those are just malicious rumors spread by people jealous of Mr. Gong Hak-Beom! The reporters are simply printing nonsense!"

\'That\'s right. Exactly what I had expected,\' I thought.

"Is that so? Then what do you think of this?" I said as I played the recording I had from LT Entertainment.

-If you keep this up, we\'ll bury Lee Tae-Poong and anyone else. Do you have any idea how many people would jump to help Mr. Gong?

As Choi Jin-Sung\'s threatening words played out, the faces of Kang Sang-Soo and Gu Jung-Moon turned pale.

"So these people who would jump to help Mr. Gong... are they you, Mr. Kang Sang-Soo, and Mr. Gu Jung-Moon?" I questioned.

At that moment, both men shot up from their chairs with faces flushed with anger as if caught off guard.

"You are utterly disrespectful! How dare you accuse us of such nonsense?"

"You think you\'ll get away with this?"

Simultaneously, Kang Sang-Soo turned to Gu Jung-Moon and shouted. "Team Lead Gu! There\'s no point in talking any further. Let\'s go! We need to report this to the chairman right away."

"Yes, sir!"

As soon as Kang Sang-Soo and Gu Jung-Moon stormed out of the room, Bang Sang-Yung quickly followed them and called out in an attempt to smooth things over. "Mr. Kang! Mr. Gu! Please wait a moment! We can talk this over!"

I scoffed. \'Talk things over? What a joke. They are probably just gonna gather to discuss their next steps within the Suhyaejong line.\'

With the three of them gone, Kang Gam-Chan turned to me with a serious look on his face. "Yoon-Ho. Are you sure you can handle this with KOFIC involved?"

"I\'ve already passed everything I know to the reporters and the prosecutor. I didn\'t realize even Chairman Kim Heung-Bok was tied into this though."

Kang Gam-Chan shook his head, clearly astonished by the revelation.

I stood up to leave to rescue the arrested Choi So-Hye and proceed with my plan. "Well then, I\'ll head out to wrap things up."

Kang Gam-Chan nodded. "Good luck. Keep me updated with any changes."

"Understood, sir."

There was no time to waste. If I delayed even a little, Kim Heung-Bok and the Suhyaejong line could play a dirty trick.

Every minute mattered.

***

At the parking lot of the Seoul Jongro Police Station, I reported the latest developments to Seo Jae-Ill and filled him in on everything.

Seo Jae-Ill responded quickly, explaining that he had just finished a meeting with the chief prosecutor and was already on it.

That\'s when the glass doors of the police station swung open.

Kang In-Han and Choi So-Hye, looking exhausted but defiant, walked out. They were accompanied by a lawyer from Central Daily Newspaper.

The moment they stepped out, Kang In-Han and Choi So-Hye raised their fists toward the police station in protest.

"Can you believe they detained reporters? I\'m not letting this slide! Just watch!"

"Ugh! If only I were ten years younger!"

Worried they might get into more trouble, I honked the car horn to get their attention.

Honk!

Only then did the two look over and spot me. "Hey! Team Lead Jung!"

After saying goodbye to the lawyer, they hurried over and Choi So-Hye got into the passenger seat and asked, "How did you know we were here?"

"I heard from Reporter Lee Tae-Yoon that you were arrested while covering the story, so I reached out to Prosecutor Seo for help."

"Team Lead Jung, you\'re quite resourceful, aren\'t you?"

Kang In-Han chimed in from the backseat. "Now that I think about it, I haven\'t had a proper meal since I got thrown in the holding cell. Let\'s go get some soup! There\'s this amazing spot called Joseon Jumo Gukbap just around the corner..."

Both seemed hungry, but it wasn\'t the time for a leisurely meal now.

I quickly replied, "We\'ll have to eat later. I\'ve uncovered the real mastermind behind this corruption scandal."

At the mention of the real mastermind, their journalistic instincts kicked in and their expressions turned serious.

"Who is it?"

"Who are we talking about?"

I didn\'t beat around the bush and got straight to the point. "Chairman Kim Heung-Bok. You know him, right?"

Kim Heung-Bok had held his position as the head of KOFIC for 15 years and was a central figure in the Suhyaejong\'s film cartel.

At that moment, Kang In-Han ground his teeth in frustration. "Of course I know him! He\'s the one who reported us and had us thrown into the holding cell when we went to cover KOFIC!"

"Well, he\'s the one at the root of all of this."

The two of them exchanged a glance.

"Sunbae. Now that I think about it, hasn\'t Chairman Kim Heung-Bok always supported Director Gong\'s films no matter what?" Choi So-Hye asked.

"That explains everything. Let\'s go, Reporter Choi! I won\'t be able to eat until we take that man down!" Kang In-Han exclaimed.

"Got it, sunbae."

They asked me to drop them off at their office, saying they were going to rally other reporters and take KOFIC apart.

Judging by the fire in their eyes, it seemed like I wouldn\'t have to worry anymore.

"Shall we go, then?"

As I started the engine, I noticed something.

Finally, the scheduled event on my planner was disappearing.

[Everyday V11]

[Date: October 30, 2020]

-10:00 p.m. <Scheduled Event Deleted>

(Deleted Scheduled Event: [NEW. Lee Tae-Poong] Announcement of the delay in the Jiri Mountain production schedule.)

***

The next day at the LT Entertainment theater in Samseong-dong, the celebration for Beyond the Boundary reaching a ten-million viewership was in full swing.

In the middle of the event with fans, Lee Tae-Poong was being interviewed by reporters as Gong Hak-Beom and Choi Jin-Sung were being arrested at that very moment.

I was watching it all unfold on my phone.

-Mr. Gong! Is it true that you spent film production funds on personal entertainment?

-There\'s a rumor that the massive amount spent on your son\'s education abroad came from government funds—can you confirm this?

-Mr. Gong Hak-Beom! You\'re said to have a close relationship with the chairman of KOFIC. Are you admitting to this collusion?

The reporters bombarded them with sharp questions, but neither Gong Hak-Beom nor Choi Jin-Sung said a word as they boarded the police transport van.

The once-proud and confident director who always exuded authority in front of the cameras was now a shell of his former self.

As a criminal, he bowed his head to avoid the cameras that had once spotlighted him his entire life.

Click.

The door to the police van closed.

A reporter holding a microphone began explaining the details of the scandal to the public.

-Director Gong Hak-Beom, who squandered public funds meant for the arts on personal luxuries, has been exposed for his corrupt dealings with high-ranking officials including the chairman of KOFIC and other Suhyaejong alumni...

The reporter began naming all the accomplices including Kim Heung-Bok.

\'It\'s over,\' I thought.

This was the moment the Suhyaejong\'s hold over KOFIC and the film industry began to crumble.

At that moment, Choi Sung-Moon of Beyond the Boundary approached me. "Did you have anything to do with this, Team Lead Jung?"

I took my eyes off my phone and responded, "Not at all, Mr. Choi. It\'s just a coincidence."

I explained that I merely held my ground against Gong Hak-Beom\'s pressure and it was a pure chance that the scandal became public.

I had no intention of spreading rumors about my involvement, but Choi Sung-Moon smiled knowingly. "Well, it couldn\'t have been easy standing up to the king of the film world like that. Thanks to you, Tae-Poong and Director Park are both grateful. Of course, so am I."

Hearing such praise from someone as prominent as Choi Sung-Moon made me feel a bit emotional.

Just then, I sensed someone approaching.

Turning around, I saw Park Sun-Jae, who would be directing Jiri Mountain, standing hand-in-hand with his girlfriend, Ahn Yoo-Joo. "Thank you so much, Mr. Jung."

"Ah, Mr. Park and Ms. Ahn."

At that moment, Park Sun-Jae handed me a white envelope decorated with a ribbon.

"What is this?" I asked.

"It\'s a wedding invitation. Thanks to you, we\'re finally able to get married."

When I opened the invitation, I saw that the wedding was scheduled for October 29 adorned with a beautiful flower design drawn by Ahn Yoo-Joo herself.

I smiled. "So you\'re finally getting married."

For the past few days, Park Sun-Jae had been half out of his mind. After barely recovering from a clash with genius director Jo Jae-Kyung, he had to deal with master director Gong Hak Beom\'s attempts to block Jiri Mountain

from being released.

However, now that Gong Hak-Beom had been arrested, he could finally proceed with his wedding without any further delays.

Ahn Yoo-Joo, who had become Park Sun-Jae\'s lifelong production manager, also smiled brightly as she bowed her head in thanks. "Thanks to you, my fiancé was able to get through such a difficult time. We\'re truly grateful, Mr. Jung."

As I looked at the couple holding hands and bowing, all the stress from the past few days seemed to melt away.

What I had protected wasn\'t just Lee Tae-Poong\'s career, but the lives of these two people as well.

***

[Beyond the Boundary surpasses ten million viewers!]

[Beyond the Boundary sets box office records! No competition in sight.]

[\'Ten-million-viewership actor\' Lee Tae-Poong announces his next project: Jiri Mountain directed by rookie director Park Sun-Jae.]

During the ten-million-viewership celebratory event, Lee Tae-Poong publicly announced that his next project had been confirmed.

Thanks to that, Jiri Mountain was now trending alongside Beyond the Boundary as a related search term.

"What are you staring at so intensely, oppa?" Lee Yeon-Sil asked.

I was in a Merciless Springer van, traveling from Gwangju in Gyeonggi Province to our home in Cheonho-dong.

As Kang Eun-Gi\'s trial was the next day, I was taking Lee Yeon-Sil, who was 20 weeks pregnant, and my mother, Sister Michaela, to Seoul.

"I\'m just reading some news about Tae-Poong and other stuff."

"Is that so? Do you think I\'ll be able to meet Tae-Poong oppa when we get to your house?"

"Tae-Poong oppa? You\'re older than him, you know."

"Come on~ Someone like Lee Tae-Poong is automatically an \'oppa\' no matter what."

It seemed Lee Yeon-Sil was determined to call any celebrity she liked \'oppa,\' no matter their age difference.

\'She might even call Haru oppa,\' I remarked inwardly.

Fan dedication was truly something.

At that moment, my mom smiled warmly. "My son, you\'ve grown so much. Is it because you\'ve been recognized at work?"

To my mother, I had always been the dependable and admirable son.

"Maybe it\'s because I\'ve been eating well recently. And Mom, your face looks much healthier now."

After recovering from her stomach illness, my mom\'s face looked much better than before.

"Don\'t even get me started. Yeon-Sil has been hovering around me constantly to make sure I take care of myself. It\'s driving me crazy!"

Lee Yeon-Sil grumbled in response. "That\'s because you wouldn\'t eat properly, Mom!"

Watching the two of them bicker like a real mother and daughter brought a smile to my face.

In my past life, I lost both of them far too soon. However, now, they were alive and well before my eyes.

Though I wanted to continue enjoying this light conversation, there was something important we needed to discuss first. "Mom, Yeon-Sil... You\'ve heard that we found Eun-Gi\'s father, right?"

My mother gently held Lee Yeon-Sil\'s hand and Lee Yeon-Sil nodded. "Yes, I heard."

"So, I was thinking... What if you both met with President Choi Eun-Tae? Eun-Gi wants to meet his father, but he\'s struggling with his emotions and can\'t bring himself to agree."

Kang Eun-Gi had shown subtle signs of wanting to meet his father. However, earlier this morning, he still refused. This decision came shortly after hearing that Lee Yeon-Sil would be attending the trial.

-I can\'t accept a loan shark like President Choi Eun-Tae as my child\'s grandfather, Yoon-Ho.

At that moment, I had to accept that I was wrong.

The Kang Eun-Gi I knew in my past life no longer existed.

That was why I decided to ask my mother and Lee Yeon-Sil to act as intermediaries.

This was not for Choi Eun-Tae\'s sake but for my brother who was bottling up his emotions and suppressing his true desires.

That\'s when my mother spoke up. "How about I meet him first and decide afterward?"

My mom immediately understood that I wanted to help Kang Eun-Gi free himself from his emotional burden.

"When should we arrange the meeting?" I asked.

"Right now!" she replied.

True to her fiery nature unlike usual nuns, my mother declared that she would go see Choi Eun-Tae immediately to judge whether he was truly worthy of being Kang Eun-Gi\'s father.

Without hesitation, I turned the van around and headed for Choi Eun-Tae\'s residence located in Myeong-dong.