Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 962: Long Ways to find the Older Sister (3)

Director Choi Yi-Jin came running down the hallway clutching a thick file binder, desperately trying to hide the excitement on her face.

"Mr. Han collapsed?"

Honestly, it was unsettling seeing her look pleased that the man she was effectively married to had collapsed, but I kept up the act to lure her into the office.

I nodded. "Yes. I guess the amount of money was such a shock that he suddenly screamed and passed out."

"Oh dear~" Choi Yi-Jin hurried even faster before rushing into the office.

The moment she entered, I shut the office door behind her.

Slide.

The instant Choi Yi-Jin saw Former Director Han Myung-Sung sprawled limply across the sofa, she froze.

"What is this? He didn't collapse. You people knocked him out!" Her face twisted with shock and anger as she whipped her head toward me. "Jung Yoon-Ho, you think you'll get away with this? I'll make sure you end up eating prison food!"

At that moment, Victoria pressed the button on the stun gun she had taken back from Lee Doo-Oh and shouted, "You're the one who's about to eat prison food, so how dare you say that to Mr. Jung? Want to lie down right next to your husband?"

Spark!

The moment she saw the blue sparks crackling from the stun gun, Choi Yi-Jin flinched.

"That's enough, Victoria," I said.

"Okay."

I waved Victoria down and pulled out my phone. Then I played the recording of Han Myung-Sung confessing everything. Choi Yi-Jin's face steadily turned pale.

"Listen, Director Choi. It's over. So talk. Unless you want to rot in prison beside your husband for the rest of your life."

Choi Yi-Jin slowly lowered her head. "I'll... talk."

***

The moment Choi Yi-Jin realized we already had the recording, she started confessing everything.

First, she admitted that unlike the officially reported fifty children, Hansomang Orphanage actually only had twenty-two residents. She also confessed that paid overseas adoptions had recently been happening only about once a year.

"I-I only did what I was told. I just followed what that man ordered me to do."

'What kind of bullshit is that coming from an accomplice?'

Still, there was something I needed to find out, so I held back my anger and asked, "Are the old resident records stored in the basement archives?"

"Well..."

Choi Yi-Jin glanced sideways at Han Myung-Sung, who was unconscious against the sofa. Seeing Han Myung-Sung twitch slightly, it seemed he was actually awake, but I pretended not to notice and continued.

"Stop looking at him and answer me while looking at me. The reason I came here was to find the records of the children sent overseas through adoption."

After hesitating for a moment, Choi Yi-Jin continued. "They're probably there. But they'd be inside a small room within the archives that only Mr. Han can enter."

If I called Prosecutor Seo Jae-Ill without asking first, this could have become a huge problem.

Just then, Han Myung-Sung started slowly stirring. "Uuugh..."

It seemed like I would have to question him directly for the rest.

Blinking repeatedly as he regained consciousness, Han Myung-Sung pointed at us with a trembling hand. "Y-you people... think you'll get away with this?"

"Yeah. Probably."

I normally didn't speak casually to just anyone. However, there was no way polite speech would come out when talking to a human trafficker who barely qualified as human.

At that moment, Han Myung-Sung grabbed his phone. "How funny. You idiots picked the wrong person to mess with!"

Han Myung-Sung dialed someone with trembling hands. For a brief moment, I considered stopping him, but decided against it. Finding Yoon Na-Ra using records from forty years ago was important, but learning who was backing Han Myung-Sung was just as important.

'I'll destroy every last one of them while I'm at it.'

Completely unaware of what I was thinking, Han Myung-Sung spoke proudly into the phone. "Hey, it's me, your brother Han Myung-Sung."

-Oh my, what's the matter, Mr. Han?

The voice on the other end boomed loudly through the speakerphone. And somehow, it sounded familiar.

While I was trying to place it, Han Myung-Sung shouted, "You know Chief Jung Yoon-Ho, right? That bastard who's been all over TV lately. He came barging into my office threatening me with ridiculous accusations and causing a scene. I need you to grab these bastards and teach them a lesson. I'll make sure you get a solid cut."

At that moment, a startled voice came through the phone.

-Did you just say... Jung Yoon-Ho?

'This is...'

It was no wonder the voice sounded familiar. It was President Jang Jong-Gu of Oasis Entertainment.

Jang Jong-Gu was a former gangster turned entertainment executive who used to be a wrestler, currently running Oasis Entertainment, a company created with investments from the Busan Ohsung Gang.

I had met him during the Busan regional auditions for Project I.O.A, and at the time, I rescued Sae-Ri's friends from them by exploiting the fact that he was sleeping with the Ohsung Gang boss's mistress. And that weakness still existed.

I asked, "Mr. Jang. Are you close enough with Director Han to call each other brothers while he's running a human trafficking operation?"

Jang Jong-Gu's voice started trembling violently.

-Ch-Chief Jung... were you there as well? Wait, did you just say human trafficking?

"Yes. And I also asked whether the Ohsung Gang has been protecting this man."

Jang Jong-Gu hurriedly shouted back.

-Human trafficking? Us? All we've done is manage some studio apartments he owns and oversee his car wash business!

"You really didn't know?"

-I'm serious. We have nothing to do with that crazy bastard.

After hearing himself cursed out, Han Myung-Sung exploded in anger. "Jong-Gu! What the hell are you saying right now? After taking money from me, you're going to wipe your mouth clean and pretend none of it happened?"

A vicious stream of curses burst out from fifty-five-year-old Jang Jong-Gu.

-Old man! Shut your damn mouth right now! When the hell did we ever take money to protect something like that? You insane bastard trying to get yourself killed.

"Hey! What did you just say to me?"

-What? Didn't hear me? You rotten piece of trash bastard!

His sharp voice was so loud the phone speaker crackled.

"Hey, Jang Jong-Gu, you son of a bitch. You think I won't do anything if you act like this?"

-So what if you do?

"Do you know how close I am with Chief Jang at Seogu Police Station and the prosecutors at the Busan District Prosecutors' Office?"

-I don't give a damn about any of that. Just remember one thing. If my name or the Ohsung Gang's name comes up even once during questioning, then that very day, not only you but your entire family line will end up smelling incense behind a folding screen[1]. And I'm not joking. Remember that well.

Click.

Jang Jong-Gu hung up.

Han Myung-Sung Myung-Sung stared at me blankly. "What in the world is this..."

Of course he was dumbfounded. A former gangster from the Ohsung Gang was terrified of some ordinary talent agent. But unfortunately for him, I wasn't an ordinary talent agent. I was the world's only regressed talent agent.

At that moment, my phone started ringing.

[Caller ID: President Jang Jong-Gu]

I had no idea why Jang Jong-Gu was calling me directly. Nevertheless, I decided to answer because I was curious what he was going to say.

The moment the call connected, Jang Jong-Gu began speaking in a voice that sounded almost desperate.

-Chief Jung, I'll cooperate no matter what, so just don't drag us into this for no reason. Okay? I'm begging you. If you want Han Myung-Sung beaten to a pulp, I'll even do that for you. Alright?

Human trafficking was an extremely serious crime that could result in massive prison sentences. However, the even bigger problem was that once an organization got branded as a human trafficking ring, the entire group could be wiped out in one sweep. Jang Jong-Gu was desperately trying to prevent that.

"Really?"

-Yeah, really! I swear! Want me to grab that bastard and smash him right now?

The Ohsung Gang might have been gangsters, but from what I experienced before the regression, I knew they had never crossed the line into human trafficking. So I settled things at an appropriate level.

"What do you take me for, some gangster? Instead, later on, please testify to the prosecutor about this man's crimes. If you do that, I won't feel the need to mention the Ohsung Gang either."

-Y-Yeah. Alright.

One more witness was secured.

Click.

After ending the call, I looked at Han Myung-Sung, who now looked half out of his mind. "Alright then. My turn now."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You used your connections, so now it's my turn to use mine."

At the same time, I called Seo Jae-Ill. "Prosecutor Seo, it's Jung Yoon-Ho."

I had lowered my call volume enough that the other side couldn't be heard. But the moment I mentioned a prosecutor, Han Myung-Sung started trembling.

-Hahaha. Mr. Jung, honestly, if you're trying to boost someone's performance record, you should call Prosecutor Park instead.

"I need someone with authority."

Seo Jae-Ill held a higher position than Prosecutor Park Jung-Jik. There had to be countless people involved for Han Myung-Sung to have carried on these crimes for decades. And now that the Busan District Prosecutors' Office and Chief Jang of Seogu Police Station had both been mentioned, an ordinary prosecutor wouldn't be enough.

-...This sounds serious.

"Yes. I'm currently at Hansomang Orphanage in Busan, and I've uncovered evidence suggesting they've been committing human trafficking here for decades."

A restrained anger came through the line.

-If it's that serious, then the evidence needs to be airtight. Did you secure the evidence properly?

Originally, I had planned to simply tell Seo Jae-Ill where the basement archives were once he sent people over. But they said only Han Myung-Sung could access the inner room down there. This meant I needed to secure a little more evidence first.

After deciding to trick Han Myung-Sung, I deliberately raised my voice angrily while speaking to Seo Jae-Ill.

"What kind of nonsense is that? Are you saying we should ask for cooperation because anything too old will get dismissed for lack of evidence anyway? Does it make sense that his sentence would be reduced just because he's old?"

The moment I suddenly exploded in anger, Seo Jae-Ill lowered his voice further.

-Are you trying to deceive the suspect?

He immediately realized I was doing this to secure more evidence.

"Yes!"

-Then should we hold off on dispatching the police for now?

"Yes. Please do."

-Ten minutes. If I don't receive another call within that time, I'll dispatch them no matter what. Is that acceptable?

"That's more than enough."

-I'll start the timer.

Click.

The moment the call ended, I calmly began lying to Han Myung-Sung. "Just wait a little longer. A prosecutor from Seoul is coming to sweep this whole place clean. Once that happens, the prosecutors in Busan you've been relying on won't be able to do a thing."

That was when Han Myung-Sung slowly curled his lips into a grin. "Hmm. From what I overheard, cooperating reduces the sentence, doesn't it? Especially since I'm old and all?"

"Don't be ridiculous! What do you mean reduced sentence?!"

The moment I exploded in anger, Han Myung-Sung curled his lips upward and spoke. "Come on, Chief Jung. I was listening with my eyes closed earlier. And from what I heard, you're doing all this because you're looking for someone, right? Then why don't we settle this nicely?"

The bastard had taken the bait, but I deliberately trembled as though I were furious. "I can find them after throwing you in prison!"

"Ehh, you'll never find them."

I intentionally gritted my teeth harder and shouted as though even more enraged. "So what are you trying to say?"

"I'll give you the records you want. So pretend you didn't see anything. Deal?"

The moment I gave him false hope, he willingly offered the records himself. Everything was going exactly as I had planned. Still, I pretended to hesitate before cautiously speaking.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course. Follow me!"

Han Myung-Sung stood up and staggered out of the office, still affected by the stun gun. However, I would never trust a cunning bastard like him. Still, I had to follow him to confirm whether the hidden room actually existed. Because aside from Yoon Na-Ra, there would probably be records of other overseas adoptees there as well.

At that moment, something caught my attention. Ever since the conversation about prosecutors came up, Choi Yi-Jin had been nervously glancing around.

'This could work. I might be able to drive a wedge between the two of them.'

Thinking that, I turned toward Victoria. "Victoria. Come out here for a moment."

"Yes."

Victoria followed me out of the office.

***

Outside the director's office, Han Myung-Sung, who had gone ahead first, shouted impatiently from the far end of the hallway. "Hey! Aren't you coming?"

"Wait a second." I shouted back loudly before speaking to Victoria. "Victoria. Stay here and try persuading Director Choi Yi-Jin."

"Persuade her?"

"Yeah. When Han Myung-Sung collapsed earlier, her first reaction was practically happiness. Their relationship clearly isn't that good, so try convincing her. Tell her we'll leave her one billion won if she cooperates and testifies."

According to what Victoria and Lee Doo-Oh had figured out, Han Myung-Sung's assets, excluding the orphanage itself, were worth around ten billion won. I was offering her even a tenth of that amount in exchange for testifying about Han Myung-Sung's crimes, so that the bastard could spend the rest of his life rotting in prison.

"But tell her that if she refuses to cooperate, we'll treat her as an accomplice too and make sure she stays locked up for a very long time. And tell her we'll drain every remaining cent from her bank accounts as well."

"Hmm. Got it. I'll tell her I'll use hackers to wipe her out until she doesn't have a single penny left."

"Good. Since the old man's getting life imprisonment anyway, tell her she should at least save herself. And since they were basically common-law spouses, say her sentence could be reduced too."

Victoria's eyes flashed as she nodded. "Yes, Mr. Jung."

After giving Victoria detailed instructions, I headed toward Han Myung-Sung, who was waiting in the distance, to confirm the location of the hidden room and to find the photo of Writer Lee Ji-Yeon's older sister.

***

I opened the basement archive room door and followed behind Han Myung-Sung down the stairs. A stale musty smell rose from the thick layers of dust covering the archive shelves.

Han Myung-Sung led me through rows upon rows of shelves packed tightly with documents until we reached the very back. Against the farthest wall stood a bookshelf packed full of books.

"The hidden room entrance is behind this shelf. Help me push it."

The fact that he was revealing it so willingly made me suspicious, but I pretended not to doubt him and followed his instructions.

Creeeak.

The bookshelf, which clearly hadn't been moved in a very long time, slowly slid along rails embedded in the floor.

Thunk.

After moving the bookshelf aside, there was no visible door behind it. There was only a wall.

"What kind of hidden room is this?" I asked.

"That's why it's hidden."

Han Myung-Sung pulled a key from his pocket and started feeling around the wall before scraping at the wallpaper with his fingernail.

Rrrrip.

Beneath the torn wallpaper, a small keyhole appeared. Han Myung-Sung inserted the key into the hole and turned it.

Clunk.

Rumble rumble.

Part of the wall slid inward, tearing through the wallpaper as the hidden room revealed itself. The room was around ten pyeong in size, with about five long shelves lined up in rows. Every shelf was stacked full of document binders.

If I had called Seo Jae-Ill first, we definitely never would have found this place.

"The records for the children sent overseas are all gathered at the far end. I'll wait here, so go check."

'Who does he think he's fooling? What if he shuts the door from outside while I'm inside?'

"You go in first," I said.

"Tch. Young people these days are way too suspicious."

Grumbling to himself, Han Myung-Sung stepped into the hidden room. Only then did I follow after him.

Walking all the way down the narrow passage between the shelves, I spotted black binders stacked on the very last shelf.

[Overseas Adoption Registry for Residents - 1st Week of May 1981]

[Overseas Adoption Registry for Residents - 2nd Week of May 1981]

...

[Overseas Adoption Registry for Residents - 1st Week of August 1981]

...

There were far more overseas adoption records than I had expected.

"Why are there so many?"

"There were too many children back then."

My fists clenched on their own, but I forced myself to endure it so I wouldn't ruin everything now that we were this close.

"Is this all of them?"

"Yeah. Anyway, if there was a woman named Yoon Na-Ra, she'd be somewhere in those files. Look for yourself."

I nodded before walking past him and pulling one of the binders from the shelf.

[Overseas Adoption Registry - 2nd Week of August 1981]

Lee Ok-Ja from Wangcho Noodles had said she had seen Lee Ji-Yeon's older sister around mid-August, so I started with the second week of August.

I slowly flipped through the faded binder. Several photos of each child remained inside, all smiling brightly without knowing what kind of future awaited them. The pain they must have suffered made emotions surge inside me. Still, I forcibly suppressed those feelings and searched through the alphabetically organized files for Yoon Na-Ra.

At that moment, one photograph stood out. There was only one child who wasn't smiling.

[Yoon Na-Ra: Adopted to the United States. (American name: Olivia White) Adoptive Parent: Scott White.]

'So this is finally our first meeting, Mrs. Yoon Na-Ra.'

Just realizing I had finally found Lee Ji-Yeon's older sister made my chest tighten with emotion. I pulled out my phone and photographed Yoon Na-Ra's picture.

Click.

Click.

However, while taking the pictures, I suddenly realized something strange. Her face looked incredibly familiar. At first, I thought it was simply because she resembled Lee Ji-Yeon. But the longer I stared, the more it felt like I already knew her somehow.

'Where have I seen her before?'

I kept thinking and thinking. And then, my phone vibrated.

Buzz.

[Notification: 'Fortune of the Day' has been updated.]

At a time like this, I wondered what kind of notification it could possibly be, but given the situation, I had no choice but to check it.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: May 3, 2021]

[Fortune of the Day: No matter what happens around you, now is the time to value yourself above all else.]

'Value myself?'

The moment a thought flashed through my mind, I switched my phone camera from photo mode to selfie mode. The camera reflected the movement behind me. Han Myung-Sung was quietly reaching toward one of the shelves. I wondered what he was doing, but instead of reacting immediately, I waited and started recording.

[Video recording started.]

That was when Han Myung-Sung silently pulled a black object off the shelf. I looked closer, and it was a hammer.

'Right. A bastard involved in human trafficking would never cooperate so easily.'

It looked like he planned to get rid of me to keep this hidden room secret. Though honestly, I was curious how he intended to cover up the new crime that would create.

'Then again...Why else would criminals be criminals?'

It was because they committed crimes without thinking about the consequences afterward.

[Video recording ended.]

I immediately stopped recording and whipped around to destroy one piece of human garbage.

'Han Myung-Sung. Today, you're dead, you worthless piece of trash!'

1. This is part of the Korean traditional memorial ceremony where the living members light incense for their ancestors ☜