episode_0081

#81

“Ah… Fuck. Those goddamn punks.”

Executive Director Jo couldn’t close his mouth after hearing my solo report.

I told him everything—things I hadn’t shared with other employees or members… even the fact that Se-ah had been gang-raped.

“Manager Jeon. Is what you just said true? Huh? I can’t even believe it, so I’m asking.”

“If Se-ah’s words aren’t wrong… then yes, it’s true.”

“Ah… Shit. What do we do? Huh? With the CEO gone, if this happens…”

Executive Director Jo kept fidgeting nervously.

This guy doesn’t know much about the entertainment industry… and he’s definitely not the kind of person who can take charge and lead in a situation like this.

But with the CEO absent, he had no choice but to report the matter first.

“Manager Jeon. I’ve never even heard of something like this, so I don’t know what to do. Should we report it to the police? That’s the right move, right?”

“Well…”

If we report it, the media will definitely dig into it.

Then, no matter how much it wasn’t Se-ah’s fault… she won’t be able to escape the image of being gang-raped.

Her mental state is already completely shattered today—if something like that happens on top of it, Se-ah will…

“For now, I think it’s better to resolve the blackmail video issue first and then raise the matter with .”

“You think so? That’s better, right? Huh? Ah… but it’s . So, that means Representative Do Jin-wook, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Ugh… Shit. That guy’s terrifying.”

He *is* terrifying.

The head of one of the top three entertainment agencies.

Decades of experience in the industry, with all kinds of connections.

You could say he’s practically a heavyweight who shakes up the entertainment world in this country.

Frankly, even in a situation like this… he’d find a way to twist it in his favor.

Especially since there’s no definitive evidence for the gang rape…

“Sigh… If only the CEO were here, damn it. I bet he’d grab Do Jin-wook by the collar.”

Our CEO is on the same level as Do Jin-wook in terms of seniority.

But the CEO still hasn’t been reachable.

Where the hell is he right now, and what’s he doing…?

“Where exactly is the CEO?”

“He didn’t tell me either, but it seems like he left somewhere since morning. Probably because of the shares.”

“Ah… The shares, you mean.”

That thing Han Myung-soo mentioned.

“Manager Jeon… You know everything, don’t you? How the situation is.”

“Not exactly.”

“The acquisition… It’s practically at the final stage.”

If it goes through, the CEO will change.

No, the entire company might change.

Whoever becomes the new owner of this company…

’s fate will also be in their hands.

“Sigh… If only I hadn’t sold those shares.”

“……You sold yours, Executive Director?”

I remember this guy had a small stake too.

“No… The stock price has been skyrocketing lately… Someone offered me more than the market price, so I just…”

Executive Director Jo clutched his head and let out a sigh.

This guy is purely just the CEO’s acquaintance… If the CEO changes, he’ll be the first to get axed.

He basically strangled himself with his own hands. Though he probably made some money off it.

“Sorry, Manager Jeon. I’d like to help resolve this, but… you know me. I’m no good with these complicated things… And I might get fired tomorrow, so… Huh?”

“……….”

In other words.

He’s saying he’ll use getting fired as an excuse to wash his hands of this mess.

I don’t know how much he sold, but he must’ve made at least a few hundred million.

“You’ll have to handle this one, Manager Jeon…”

“Yes. I’ll take care of it.”

Now, I have no choice but to step up.

Whether it’s meeting Representative Do Jin-wook again or finding another way.

*Bzzzt. Bzzzt.*

Right on cue, my phone rings.

The caller ID shows another unknown number, different from before.

“Answer it. I’ll… go ahead and leave.”

Executive Director Jo is desperately trying to bail.

Not like he’d be any help anyway.

“Yes.”

As soon as I answered, Executive Director Jo fled the room like he was running away.

Alone in the meeting room, I took a deep breath and picked up the call.

“Hello.”

“Two, three. We’re ! You’re sunbaenim’s manager, right?”

“……!”

I’ve heard this voice before.

During music show rehearsals, I heard the same voice.

This bastard…

’s Geo.

I quickly started recording the call.

“……What’s this about?”

I played dumb for now.

“Yep! We called to greet our beloved sunbaenim’s manager-nim!”

Laughter echoed from the other end of the line.

There were definitely a few more guys around him.

Geo’s voice, too, sounded like he was holding back laughter.

These bastards were openly mocking me.

“…Greetings could’ve been exchanged at the broadcasting station.”

“I really wanted to meet you, Manager-nim, so I reached out in a hurry!”

“……Why?”

“Well… We have a very important matter to decide. …You probably know what it is, right?”

It must be related to what happened yesterday.

But why… are these bastards calling *me* first?

I couldn’t understand what Geo was thinking.

Common sense would say they should be avoiding me, no?

But… I couldn’t let this chance slip.

To resolve the gang rape case, the most important thing was to trap these bastards.

Evidence.

If I could just get them to admit what they did…

“……When and where should we meet?”

“If you’re not busy, even right now would be fine. I really want to meet you as soon as possible.”

“The café in front of YBC Broadcasting Station. Let’s meet at 10.”

“Understoo…!”

*Click.*

I hung up.

My hand holding the phone trembled violently.

These bastards who gang-raped Se-ah…

I don’t know what makes them so bold as to openly come out to meet me.

But I absolutely couldn’t let this opportunity slip.

For Se-ah’s sake.

“Team Leader Kim. Team Leader Kim?”

I left the meeting room and headed to the office.

Some employees were working overtime, but Team Leader Kim was nowhere in sight.

“Ah… Manager.”

“Where’s Team Leader Kim?”

“He left early. Said he had urgent business at home…”

…The head of PR leaves at a time like this?

I wanted to call him back immediately, but I didn’t have time.

I turned to the new employee bowing nervously in front of me.

“Intern Kang. There’s somewhere I need to go. Come with me.”

“……Huh?”

This might actually work out.

Intern Kang was someone who used to handle cameras at broadcasting stations before.

***

YBC’s 24-hour unmanned café.

Since it’s tucked away from the main street, it’s not very noticeable, making it a frequent spot for celebrities.

Going up to the second floor, I saw someone who was clearly a celebrity, wearing sunglasses in a corner seat.

Recognizing me, he waved.

I expected the whole of or at least a few members to show up, but only one person had come.

As I sat down, he bowed politely.

“Hello. ’s Manager-nim. I’m ’s Geo.”

He bent at a full 90-degree angle.

Even at a glance, he was noticeably taller than me. Despite the sunglasses, his good looks were undeniable. Guess that’s what makes an idol.

“……Yes. I’m Jeon Ho-gu, in charge of .”

I didn’t even want to speak, but I forced out the formalities.

There weren’t many people on the second floor, but there were still eyes watching.

More importantly, I was conscious of the recorder hidden inside my jacket.

A man carrying a tray came up the stairs.

Intern Kang.

He glanced around subtly before taking a seat diagonally across from us.

He set down the bag on his back and adjusted his position slightly.

The camera inside would already be filming us.

“……What’s this about?”

Geo in front of me took a leisurely sip of coffee before answering.

“Nothing much. Didn’t you visit our company earlier today?”

I did.

“Cut to the chase. Let’s talk about the video.”

“The video… you mean?”

“Come on, don’t play dumb. ‘That video,’ you know? ‘That one.’”

If he heard about the video at the company, he must be referring to the blackmail video.

“Ah… ‘That one’?”

“Yes. ‘That one.’”

His tone made it clear he wouldn’t specify the video’s contents.

But even so… I needed this bastard to say, “We raped Se-ah.”

Yet this bastard…

Why did he even come to meet me?

If it’s about the video, must’ve already prepared countermeasures.

“……I assume already has a plan in place.”

“That’s something our company is good at. I’m not here to talk about countermeasures—I came because I had another question.”

“……?”

“From my perspective, the timing is suspicious.”

“What do you mean?”

“How is it that right when ’s member got involved, this video suddenly appears? And how did you, ’s manager, show up at our company at the exact same time?”

…What the hell is this bastard saying?

“The timing is too suspicious to ignore.”

Though his eyes were hidden behind sunglasses,

Geo was glaring at me intensely.

So… this bastard is saying…

“……Are you accusing *me* of being the culprit?”

“I never said that. Just that it’s suspicious.”

He pointed at me casually, as if it were nothing.

You fucking bastard.

A rapist, daring to act like *I’m* the suspect?

Se-ah’s face flashed through my mind.

Rage began to consume my entire body.