Chapter 105

Chapter 105

Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack.

Episode 105: Swordmaster’s Sense.

[Rescue Oh Yoori and Seo Eun-byeol, and crush Ban Seongcheol, who should have been beaten long ago, and show him some real pain! (Toy hammer is prohibited.)]

[Reward – Confirmed Buff Reward Selection]

Even without a quest, it was something I was going to do. But having a reward at stake wasn’t bad.

No, to be honest, it was really great. The reward offered could be considered top-tier.

As I stared at the quest window that popped up, Ban Seongcheol, who was looking at me blankly as if wondering, ‘Why is this guy here?’ raised the corners of his mouth and spoke.

“Well, Team Leader Seon, fancy seeing you here. The place makes it a bit embarrassing, but as a man, I understand. A little deviation from a boring life is necessary, right?”

What a load of crap.

“I apologize for causing a disturbance while you were enjoying yourself. I can offer as many apologies as you’d like, but it seems there’s a bit of a misunderstanding. This isn’t the strange situation you might think it is, Team Leader Seon.”

Ban Seongcheol glanced at the collapsed Oh Yoori, groaning in pain, with a look of pity. He was doomed.

“If you’ve seen the news, you’d know that our trainee at Flower Entertainment, Oh Yoori, sparked an unfounded controversy about Girl 100 and fled here without any consultation. This is part of our efforts to set things right. There was some rough handling, but it’s not what you think….”

“Cut the crap, Seongcheol. I already know everything.”

“…Ha, damn. This is twisted.”

Ban Seongcheol gave up pretending and provocatively spoke.

“But are you sure you’re okay being here? Weren’t you spending some quality time with Park Miso today?”

“Quality time?”

Ah, look at the way this bastard talks.

Ban Seongcheol had a knack for making every word he said utterly disgusting.

Honestly, I didn’t want to exchange words with such a lowlife.

I just wanted to ignore him, check if Oh Yoori was okay, and take her to the hospital.

But that bastard wouldn’t just let me do that. So, a bit of patience was necessary.

I didn’t come here alone without a plan. Knowing the gravity of the situation, I shared information and secured help from Cheon Aram, Seo Soo-yeon, and Jin Yeoreum, who was also a fellow regressor.

Their support would arrive soon. However, it would take time for the forces gathered by Cheon Aram and Jin Yeoreum through their connections to arrive.

Therefore, I had to hold out until then. Engaging in Ban Seongcheol’s chatter to stall for time was something I had to attempt.

In any case, it would buy time.

Of course, I had no intention of groveling politely to do that.

I didn’t regress to grovel to bastards like him.

“Thanks to you, I canceled and rushed over here. So, if you had any consideration, you should have kept quiet.”

Ban Seongcheol shook his head and said.

“No, that was actually my way of being considerate. It was out of consideration for you that I passed on someone like Oh Jinwoo, an A-list prospect, just to meet that dumb girl. I spun all sorts of stories to make you look like the most charming man in the world.”

…It was really this bastard’s fault that Park Miso thought our meeting was a date.

“It was you, Team Leader Seon, who ignored my consideration.”

“What kind of consideration is that, you bastard? I went out to scout, I told you.”

“That’s exactly why it was consideration. You, of all people, should know how important charm is when recruiting someone. You have the looks and the speaking skills, so it wouldn’t have been hard to captivate someone like Park Miso. I was just helping you out.”

Ban Seongcheol looked me up and down, as if intrigued, and spoke.

“You brought Han Gyeoul out to Girl 100 and made her yours in the same way, didn’t you? I highly respect that. It’s important to leave your mark.”

What a truly disgusting mindset.

“Now that we’re talking, I always thought you and I could have a great business relationship… Honestly, at first, I thought you were just another idiot abusing power in some random start-up agency. But the way you’ve shown yourself made me change my mind.”

“For someone with that mindset, you sure talk like a real jerk, Seongcheol.”

Ban Seongcheol shrugged his shoulders and said.

“I’ll apologize for that. I’ve got a bit of pride. It’s not often I meet someone worth talking to, and I didn’t want to lose face… But haven’t I shown respect? Like now, speaking politely. Sure, I’m doing it because I lost our bet, but it’s also my way of showing respect. I don’t do this for just anyone.”

Come to think of it, in the past, this bastard had always used informal speech with me, even in public settings.

He really was a filthy, underhanded scumbag.

I sighed softly and spoke.

“Alright, thanks for showing respect. Now, show it to me one more time.”

“How?”

“Oh Yoori and Seo Eun-byeol over there look like they’re in pain. Let me take them to the hospital.”

Ban Seongcheol smirked crookedly at my words and said.

“That’s difficult. It would be a problem if you didn’t understand the reason. Team Leader Seon, how do you see the situation right now?”

I calmly answered that question.

“You’re just causing a ruckus trying to expand your business, aren’t you?”

At my words, Ban Seongcheol wiped the smile off his face and spoke.

“…Please, continue.”

“You’ve been running your entertainment business for quite a while, haven’t you? Well, I guess it started with your parents, so it wouldn’t be wrong to call it a family business.”

The idea of inheriting a “room salon” business from generation to generation was a laughable joke.

The fact that such a disgusting joke was standing right in front of me made it even more ironic.

“You must’ve made a lot of money in the process. But that’s not your greatest asset, is it?”

“Then what is the real asset?”

“The real asset is the network of clients you’ve built over decades.”

More specifically, the records of that network were the real asset.

Just the fact that they’d frequented this place made them, even in a small way, accomplices.

“It’s impossible for a place like yours to completely escape the eyes of the authorities. The government doesn’t play games. So what does it mean that your family has been able to operate normally for this long?”

“…It means the relevant agencies are turning a blind eye.”

“Exactly. The government officials overseeing this area won’t investigate or expose this place. Maybe they’ve got dirt on them, or maybe for other reasons, but the most logical explanation is that you’ve made them customers here. Or it could be all of the above.”

Ban Seongcheol shook his head.

“…Heh, keep going.”

“The important thing is that the people involved aren’t limited to government agencies. Influential figures in society must be entangled in it too.”

“You’re throwing around some dangerous words. Are you confident?”

“Why? Should we play a game of guessing who’s connected to whom behind the scenes? I’m feeling pretty confident.”

“……”

The assumption I spoke to Ban Seongcheol was based on the corruption data I had gathered about Flower Entertainment right before my regression and the current circumstances.

It wasn’t confirmed.

Even so, I spoke with confidence as if I knew everything. While I might not be able to provide definitive evidence, I had enough knowledge to pretend like I did in this moment.

Before I regressed, I had a track record of bringing Ban Seongcheol and Flower Entertainment to ruin. Even if I hadn’t known that Ban Seongcheol was the root of the sexual scandal tied to Flower Entertainment ten years later, it wouldn’t have been a problem to get rid of him.

After listening to my words in silence for a while, Ban Seongcheol’s lips quivered, and he clapped his hands, speaking.

“…Hahahahaha. You’re incredible. Really incredible. I don’t understand why someone like you is wasting time at some startup. In that sense, I consider myself lucky. To be able to meet Team Leader Seon before you rise to the top.”

While mockingly praising me, Ban Seongcheol spoke more seriously than ever.

“Team Leader Seon, I’m making a serious offer. How about working with me?”

What kind of nonsense is this?

“In my line of work, connecting people with people, you come to realize there’s demand. To satisfy those with real power and wealth, you need assets worthy of them. Yes, I’m talking about stars, shining like gems in the entertainment industry!”

“…Stars?”

“Yes, stars! Why hide it anymore? You seem to know everything already. You guessed correctly, Team Leader Seon. I see Flower Entertainment as a sort of bridgehead for my business. Otherwise, why would I waste time at such a crappy place?”

Ban Seongcheol couldn’t hide his excitement as he spoke, spitting as he did.

“I’ve already spoken with the higher-ups at Flower Entertainment. Not just them, I’ve also reached agreements with the big shots who want this supply. This business is going to succeed! I’m offering you a chance to be part of it, to get a piece of the action. I need someone like you, Team Leader Seon—someone with judgment, guts, and a brain that knows how to work.”

I looked at Ban Seongcheol and spoke.

“Seongcheol, let me ask you one thing.”

“Sure, speak freely. If it’s a matter of compensation, I’m confident.”

“So, what do you plan to do with Oh Yoori and Seo Eun-byeol, who just heard everything you said?”

At my words, Ban Seongcheol gave me his signature creepy smile and replied.

“Just like you said, the people in charge of this area’s agencies are customers here. Sure, if the media shines a light on us, they’ll have to act, but that means if the media doesn’t, most things get buried. What that means is, if no one’s gonna talk, there’s no reason for punishment. And there are no loose lips here. I didn’t set up shop way out here in the outskirts of Seoul for no reason.”

“……”

“So, if I wanted to, shutting up two women here is no big deal. It’s easy enough to create something to blackmail them with.”

Oh Yoori and Seo Eun-byeol were trembling, looking at me.

Their eyes were filled with despair and fear that didn’t suit their age.

“Ah, so you wanted to be part of this process too, Team Leader Seon? I’ll generously allow it as a gesture of brotherhood. You’ll have some fun.”

“Screw you.”

“What?”

I knew that dragging out time was the rational and smart thing to do. But I couldn’t tolerate that blabbering mouth any longer. And I couldn’t watch those kids being hurt by his words anymore.

So, I didn’t hold back and spoke with pure sincerity.

“Screw you, you piece of trash.”

Ban Seongcheol, caught off guard by my words, sneered and spoke.

“Well, that’s unfortunate. I was sincerely offering you a chance to join me. But Team Leader Seon, it seems you’re misunderstanding something. I wasn’t running my mouth just to recruit you. I was stalling for time to block your escape route. It’s troublesome if a strong adult male like you runs off, even if those girls over there wouldn’t be much of a problem.”

Then, Ban Seongcheol gestured toward my back.

“Looks like the time’s up.”

Before I knew it, tattooed men had gathered behind me.

I pointed at the bulky, tattooed men and spoke to Ban Seongcheol.

“Seongcheol. The reason you can still run your mouth right now is because of these guys, right?”

Ban Seongcheol sneered, as if he no longer needed to worry about me, and spoke in his usual rude manner.

“Well, yeah. Why? Think you can take them on? Looks like you’ve been hitting the gym, huh?”

As Ban Seongcheol burst out laughing, the thugs surrounding the narrow hallway also began to laugh.

He calmed them down and said.

“Guys, don’t be too hasty. Team Leader Seon looks fit, so if you spar one-on-one, you might lose. I’ll give him that. But, Seon, do you think you can take on this many guys? You’re dead.”

Ignoring Ban Seongcheol’s crude taunts, I opened my reward window and used the most valuable reward I had saved.

“Use.”

[‘Swordmaster’s Sense’ is being used.]