Chapter 97

< Block (1) >

Red alert. Fortunately, Wang Jin was quick.

“Squeak!!”

He pinched Hyun-a’s side subtly. Then, Jin calmly asked the startled Hyun-a.

“Why are you like this? Did you get a stomachache?”

“No, just a moment ago...”

The funny thing was that Hyun-a, who made eye contact with her brother, tightly shut her mouth. The reason was simple.

‘Wow- I might die if it gets any worse.’

She could feel the murderous intent in Wang Jin’s deep eyes. Fortunately, Chae Sung-geon only tilted his head slightly and didn’t notice.

“Hmm-”

He folded his arms and let out a small breath.

“Alright, I like it. It’s not a big problem even if the club president is your sister. But, this part should only be known by the three of us. Is there anyone else who knows?”

Hyun-a, slightly dejected, answered.

“Ah- the staff. That is, my three friends.”

“Make sure to emphasize this to them. Even if it leaks out, it won’t be a huge issue, but I’m worried about it affecting your sister or family. The media here is quite aggressive.”

“Okay, I will!”

“Additionally, I hope you’ll actively participate in the fan club activities. Don’t just do it half-heartedly because you’re family.”

“Understood!”

“Haha, you’re quite determined. Is it because your brother is so cold? You, on the other hand, are cheerful and spirited.”

“...What? Really? My brother is cold?”

The crisis returned. Thanks to this, Wang Jin stepped forward and spoke.

“President, I need to talk to my sister alone.”

“Huh? You want to? Then- let’s see. We’ll wrap this up in 10 minutes.”

“Yes.”

“Hyun-a? We’ll see each other next time.”

“Goodbye!”

Chae Sung-geon waved and left the waiting room. Immediately, Wang Jin locked the door, making Hyun-a flinch. Fearing the worst, she stammered.

“What... What what. Why why.”

“...”

Wang Jin, who had been staring at his sister, let out a small sigh and rubbed his face.

“- Forget it. Are you really going to do it? The fan club?”

“Yes, I will.”

“Why.”

“Well, just! It’s amazing that my brother is an actor, and I want to do it.”

“You’re not my fan. Just family.”

“Family can be fans too!”

“Barking.”

Wang Jin flicked Hyun-a’s forehead.

“Ah- really.”

Then, Wang Jin pulled out his wallet from his back pocket and took out a few 50,000 won bills, handing them to Hyun-a, who was rubbing her forehead.

“Take it, it’s pocket money. And if you’re going to do it, do it properly? Maintain a balance with your studies. If you can’t, pass it on to your friends.”

“Wow- I’m touched.”

“Shut up. If Mom hears that your studies are slipping, I’ll cut it off immediately.”

“Yes, yes!”

“And.”

Wang Jin paused and lowered his voice.

“Make sure to keep what the president said. Don’t go around telling people that you’re my sister. Especially, don’t mention anything about living with me or the past.”

“Am I crazy! Why would I say such things!”

“You’re already crazy for coming here.”

“Damn! That’s too much- I’m doing a great job promoting you as the president of your fan cafe!”

“Want another one?”

“...If you give it to me, I’ll take it gratefully.”

Wang Jin, who had been shaking his head, took out another 50,000 won bill. Hyun-a, bending over, accepted it. Then, she changed the subject.

“But, brother, is this ‘Sports Day’ or the cool image you’re projecting here just for show?”

Wang Jin’s answer was simple.

“Do you want to keep asking? Do you want to return all the pocket money you just received?”

Financial therapy. Or, financial gag.

“No, brother. I was wrong.”

“Think about it every time you have a question. My pocket money will decrease.”

“Yes. I’ve already forgotten.”

“Go, now. Go study.”

Following the order, Hyun-a took a step back and bowed to Wang Jin.

“I shall go.”

Immediately.

-Click.

Hyun-a left the waiting room. Soon, Wang Jin let out a long, tired sigh.

“Sigh- Well, at least one mountain is crossed.”

Late at night.

It was around 11 PM. With his long hair, Chae Sung-geon was finally in his personal car, heading somewhere. The fan signing event had ended successfully around 10 PM, and his next destination was not his home.

“Hmm- It should be around here.”

It was a bar near the company. Of course, he didn’t come here to sulk alone. He had someone to meet. After parking his car in the bar’s parking lot, he let out a small breath.

“Phew, I wonder what he has for me.”

He loosened his hair and tied it up again, then slowly walked into the bar.

-Swoosh.

The bar was underground. It was mostly a wooden-themed bar with an ambiguous lighting. Not too dark, not too bright. With soft music, it was a perfect place to enjoy a quiet drink. There weren’t many tables, about five.

It was a weekday, so there weren’t many customers.

Then, Chae Sung-geon.

“...”

He looked around the bar, searching for the person he was supposed to meet. Soon, he spotted a middle-aged man sitting at a corner table and walked over. The man, who had been sipping whiskey alone, looked up as Chae Sung-geon approached. The man had a buzz cut and a large nose.

“Hey, who’s this? Isn’t this President Chae, who caught a big fish?”

The man with the large nose greeted him, and Chae Sung-geon smiled and pulled out a chair.

“Drop the act. Did you come early?”

“Haha, I was craving whiskey and if you called, I had to come quickly.”

The man, still smiling, shook his whiskey glass.

“Can I drink comfortably?”

“Have you ever not? I’ll pay, so drink until you drop.”

“Haha, that’s why I’m a journalist.”

Indeed, the man was a journalist. His name was Kim Hak-hyun, the head of the entertainment department at a major domestic media company, and his status was close to that of a deputy editor. Chae Sung-geon and he had a long-standing relationship, knowing each other for over 10 years, and their relationship was a clear give-and-take, disguised as friendship.

Chae Sung-geon, who was well-connected in the entertainment industry, had many such connections.

“Journalist my ass. Kim, you don’t go to the field anymore, so you’re just an old man in the back room.”

“Hey, even as a desk editor, I occasionally go to the field. I’m not that old yet. So? Why did you suddenly call me? You’re busy with Kang Woo-jin and Hong Hye-yeon, right?”

“Nothing much. Just thought we should take good care of our media friends, especially in times like these.”

“Haha, so you just wanted to do some maintenance? Well, a nail needs a gap to be hammered in. In this industry, if you lay the cement well, it will stick.”

“Scary, scary.”

“Of course. But you already know. By the way, I’ve heard some rumors about Kang Woo-jin. There are already some tabloids.”

For the next few minutes, they chatted about various small topics, as friends and as a company representative and a journalist. Meanwhile, Chae Sung-geon.

“Another round?”

“Going strong, huh?”

He tried to get the man drunk. It wasn’t necessary to get him completely drunk, but a slight buzz was good. Real information only comes out when defenses are down.

‘A bit more, and it’ll work.’

Chae Sung-geon had been investigating the story about Seo Chae-eun for a few days after hearing it from Wang Jin. However, he couldn’t make it too obvious. He had to focus on the journalists he usually managed. But the limited scope of his investigation wasn’t yielding much, and the fact that Seo Chae-eun was a top actress made it even harder.

‘If this doesn’t work, I’ll have to go around a few more times with the journalists. Should I look into the entertainment companies too?’

He had done as much research as possible, and if nothing came up, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. It would just mean that Wang Jin was being overly sensitive, and that would be the end of it.

‘No matter how good his instincts are, Wang Jin is still human, after all.’

Another few minutes passed. Kim Hak-hyun’s face was slightly flushed, but Chae Sung-geon was doing fine. At this point, Chae Sung-geon casually dropped a hint.

“Headache, headache.”

“Looks like a waterfall. What headache? Just row the boat.”

“Kang Woo-jin is getting too much hype for ‘Island of the Missing.’ All sorts of ridiculous tabloids are circulating. Something about Kang Woo-jin being related to Kwon Gi-taek, or that I put in the money.”

“Haha, this industry is one-day, two-day. By the way, since we’re talking about ‘Island of the Missing,’ why haven’t you mentioned the other actors? You know, right?”

“Of course.”

“Give me a hint. Just one.”

Kim Hak-hyun, smiling slyly, received a calm response from Chae Sung-geon.

“Why don’t you spill the beans. If I tell you now, you’ll break the story in an hour. The media has its own rumors, right?”

“There are. Is it true that Hong Hye-yeon is joining? Since she’s doing two projects with Kang Woo-jin, is she joining this one too?”

“That’s nonsense.”

“Hmm- Then, Seo Chae-eun? I heard she met Director Kwon Gi-taek recently.”

The flow was good. Chae Sung-geon, refilling Kim Hak-hyun’s whiskey glass, calmly countered.

“Seo Chae-eun? I’m surprised she’s still a top actress with that personality.”

He subtly changed the subject.

“It’s strange. The media has been digging into Seo Chae-eun every year, but nothing significant has come up.”

“Haha, is she a counter to Hong Hye-yeon?”

“Counter my ass. Still, in terms of brand value, our Hye-yeon is higher.”

“True, but it’s neck and neck.”

They talked about Seo Chae-eun for about 20 minutes, but no useful information stuck, even though Kim Hak-hyun was somewhat tipsy. Checking the time, Chae Sung-geon clicked his tongue.

‘Tsk. Was this a waste?’

Judging it a waste of time, Chae Sung-geon was about to wrap things up when...

“Last month, I heard ‘Power Patch’ was on Seo Chae-eun, so we looked into it, but it was clean.”

“...‘Power Patch’?”

“Yeah. But they’re the type to move on rumors, so it was probably a false alarm.”

“That’s true. Out of ten, maybe one will break.”

Chae Sung-geon’s expression turned serious for a moment before returning to normal.

‘They were on her?’

It was a piece of information that smelled.

An hour later, in Chae Sung-geon’s car.

Chae Sung-geon was sitting in the back seat of his car, which was being driven by a chauffeur. Looking out the window, he checked the time.

‘12 AM-’

It was already past midnight, a questionable time to make calls. He decided to untie his hair and organize his thoughts.

‘In the end, all I got from Kim Hak-hyun was the ‘Power Patch’ information, and even that was just a passing comment.’

Normally, it would be something to ignore. But Chae Sung-geon, retieing his hair, couldn’t stop thinking about ‘Power Patch.’ Why? Because Wang Jin’s crazy instincts and timing matched perfectly.

‘Why was ‘Power Patch’ on her? If there’s been no news so far, was it a false alarm? Or are they suppressing it?’

In fact, Chae Sung-geon was the type to only bet on sure things. But this time, there was nothing concrete. If anything, it was Wang Jin’s divine intuition. Of course, with his extensive network, he could find clues if he investigated.

The problem was:

“Time is short.”

It would take at least two weeks to get solid leads.

‘Two weeks is too late.’

The best scenario would be if there was nothing wrong with Seo Chae-eun and everything went smoothly.

‘But if she did something that could send her to the bottom, and it breaks after we hype her joining ‘Island of the Missing,’ it would be a disaster.’

The publicity for ‘Island of the Missing’ had only involved Kang Woo-jin and Ryu Jeong-min so far. Thanks to the issues with Wang Jin, the stock was at its peak. Adding top actors like Seo Chae-eun would only make it higher.

But if a scandal broke out, the project would suffer.

The film industry is like a candle in the wind. Even a small issue can affect box office numbers, and production cancellations are not uncommon. This would be a best-case scenario. If a scandal broke out after Seo Chae-eun had participated in a script reading or even started filming, it would be a disaster.

Fortunately, Wang Jin had preemptively blocked it.

‘If he hadn’t told me, Seo Chae-eun would have smoothly moved into filming.’

Director Oh Hyun-gu had disappeared without a trace. If a scandal of that magnitude broke out for Seo Chae-eun, even a Kwon Gi-taek film could be canceled.

So, how should he handle this situation?

He needed to minimize his movements, save time, and get the picture he wanted. And he had to do it alone.

‘If things go wrong, I’ll have to take all the blame.’

He had at most a day or two. But the information he had was thin. Soon, Chae Sung-geon put his brain into overdrive. He thought and thought. Then,

“This can only be done individually.”

Chae Sung-geon picked up his phone. Among the vast network of contacts, he chose:

- Kim, the editor of ‘Power Patch’.

The editor of the media company ‘Power Patch’. Chae Sung-geon sent a message to the editor.

- How are you? I think it’s time we meet. Please let me know if you’re available. We can have lunch together.

According to Chae Sung-geon’s plan, he only needed to drop a hint and a little encouragement to the editor of ‘Power Patch’.

‘If there’s something, ‘Power Patch’ will move on its own.’

Next was ‘Island of the Missing’. That is, Director Kwon Gi-taek. He needed to delay the ongoing publicity and production for a few days.

‘I need to set up a safety net. It’s best to be straightforward with this. Fortunately, my credibility is not low.’

His individual battle had officially begun.

The next morning, the 27th, it was around 8 AM. It was a weekend, but the roads in Seoul were as packed as usual. Among the congested roads, Director Kwon Gi-taek’s minivan was stuck.

-♬♪

Inside the car, soft classical music was playing.

“...”

Director Kwon Gi-taek, with his gray hair, calmly waited for the traffic to clear. Then, the phone connected via Bluetooth rang through the speakers. The caller was from the distribution company of ‘Island of the Missing’.

“Yeah, I’m on my way. Is it urgent?”

“Ah! Is that so? No, it’s not urgent! I’m just confirming. I wanted to remind you about the articles for the remaining actors, as you mentioned, in an hour.”

“Hmm. Starting with Chae-eun?”

“Yes! That’s right. We’ll open with Seo Chae-eun in the morning and follow up with Jeon Hoo-chang in the afternoon. Tomorrow, we’ll do Kim Eui-won, and then mix the rest.”

“Alright, we’ll talk more when I get there.”

“Be careful on your way!”

The call ended. Interestingly, as soon as it ended, the phone rang again. This time, the caller was a bit unexpected.

“President Chae?”

It was Chae Sung-geon. This made Kwon Gi-taek, who was slightly puzzled, press the button on the steering wheel, and Chae Sung-geon’s voice quickly came through the speaker.

“Director, I’m sorry to call you so early. I have something to say.”

“No, it’s fine. If President Chae is calling this early, it must be urgent. What is it?”

“Straight to the point, I’d like you to pause the publicity and production of the film and the actors for a while.”

“...Hmm?”

“Details will follow when I meet you shortly.”

Normally, this would be absurd, but Director Kwon Gi-taek remained calm. He tilted his head slightly and asked.

“The publicity for the actors is set to start in an hour- I don’t understand. Of course, if it’s President Chae, I assume there’s a serious issue. Can you give me a brief idea before we meet?”

There was a moment of silence, then Chae Sung-geon’s voice came through the speaker again.

“Seo Chae-eun is about to have a major scandal.”

< Block (1) > End