Chapter 117: Winter After Spring? (6)
'Composite photo.'
Three years later, a 35-year-old A-grade actor named Yang Myung-Suk would brazenly harass actress Lee Eun-Jin, who was the girlfriend of Cheon Yi-Sang at the time, and get caught.
Cheon Yi-Sang pretended to forgive him boldly, but Yang Myung-Suk was exposed with a composite photo lying nude with another woman a month later.
In some ways, it was a much more dangerous tactic than what he had used before. To the public who were inclined to believe anything they saw with their eyes, photos were a bigger threat than audio recordings.
The situation could become extremely serious if a few tabloids started spreading fake photos. I had to buy time because launching a counterattack would take at least two days.
Pretending to be defeated, I let out a weak plea. "How can I make you stop here?"
Cheon Yi-Sang responded as if he had been waiting.
-I told you. Come to me. Then everything will stop here.
I remained silent for a moment because he would suspect me if I answered right away. Swallowing dryly, I counted to ten in my mind before replying, "Could you give me some time to think?"
-Time to think? Sure. I like careful people. How much time do you need?
Cheon Yi-Sang began to act leisurely. He seemed to think I had given up since all the media were headlining Yoo-Jin's dating rumors.
"Please give me three days."
-That's too long.
'I knew he'd say that.'
"Then please give me at least two days. I have things I need to sort out too!"
Cheon Yi-Sang burst into laughter.
-Got something to cover up, huh? Have you been up to something?
'People only see what they want to see.'
But thanks to that, I had a good excuse.
"Judge as you please."
-Hahaha. Alright, then I'll give you two days. Settle your matters within two days and contact me. Then I'll cover up this whole affair.
"Understood."
-Oh, and bring Jung Yoo-Jin too. I'll take responsibility and restore her image to its original state. Hahahaha."
Click.
The call was abruptly cut off with his laughter.
At that moment, Jung Sang-Bong, who was seated beside me, asked with a worried expression, "Mr. Jung. Y-you're not really going to move to TK Entertainment, are you?"
"Why would I leave my home? I was just buying time. Let's go. We need to hurry up! Today is going to be really busy."
"Yes, Mr. Jung."
Only then did Jung Sang-Bong's face brighten again.
The call with Cheon Yi-Sang had caused a slight delay. But thanks to that, I had bought time to detonate this ticking time bomb.
***
Kim Soll-Ip opened the door as I rang the doorbell. Seeing her hair carelessly tied with a rubber band, it seemed she was worried after seeing the articles about Yoo-Jin's dating scandal.
"I just received a call from the broadcast station. But that audio recording is fabricated, you say?"
"Yes. I was present during the filming of the kiss scene and where the audio recording was made. Yoo-Jin has never kissed or said she liked Choi Jong-Hyuk."
Kim Soll-Ip let out a sigh of relief. "Indeed, it's impossible for Miss Yoo-Jin to like Mr. Jong-Hyuk. I've heard things."
"Huh? What do you mean you heard things...?"
'What exactly had she heard from Yoo-Jin?'
But my thoughts were interrupted by Kim Soll-Ip's question.
"Oh, no. It's nothing. Anyway, what are you going to do now?"
"Ah, before that. There's something you need to hear."
I played the recording from my last meeting with Cheon Yi-Sang and the one automatically recorded during our recent call in sequence.
Listening quietly, Kim Soll-Ip's expression changed with every moment. "T-this... sounds like blackmail. Shouldn't you sue him?"
I shook my head after stopping the voice file playback.
"It would be difficult to sue him legally because there's no direct mention. Besides, a lawsuit wouldn't bother him in the slightest. He's a lawyer."
Then I calmly laid out the operation I was launching.
Hearing the plan, Kim Soll-Ip's face hardened.
"So Mr. Choi Jong-Hyuk will be kicked out from my drama... or are you planning to force him into retirement?"
"There's no other way. It's the only way to protect Yoo-Jin."
Kim Soll-Ip frowned and started typing on her laptop's keyboard.
Tap tap tap.
All the consonants and vowels were being separately typed into an empty file because she was typing without looking at the screen.
The reason I had come to the writer first amidst this chaos was to prepare for the aftermath. If Choi Jong-Hyuk was kicked out as a result, not only would the script need revisions but the already filmed content would have to be discarded.
"Ms. Kim?"
"Ah. Yes. Yes."
Only after snapping back to reality did Kim Soll-Ip finally stop typing.
"Sigh. If things turn out that way, I'll have to cut half of the script I worked so hard on."
Kim Soll-Ip looked at me with a mixture of frustration and resentment.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Kim."
"No, it's not your fault, Mr. Jung. Don't worry about my grumbling. I don't really mean it but I just need somewhere to vent."
Beep, beep, beep!
At that moment, the door lock opened and Lee Ji-Yeon appeared. Dressed in a gray two-piece suit, Lee Ji-Yeon kicked off her high heels carelessly and strode in.
Then, Lee Ji-Yeon sat down in front of the table and immediately threw me a question.
"Yoon-Ho~ what's going on right now?"
I had previously scheduled a meeting with Lee Ji-Yeon to discuss the addition of a shaman character in In the Name of God.
But the situation had turned ridiculous.
As I explained the current predicament Yoo-Jin was in, Lee Ji-Yeon's expression contorted angrily.
"Cheon Yi-Sang? That weasel-like jerk is messing with my babies?"
'My babies? Ah, she's referring to Yoo-Jin and Kim Soll-Ip.'
Lee Ji-Yeon was known for building her dramas around actors she's previously worked with to the extent that the term "Lee Ji-Yeon's troupe" was commonly used. It seemed Yoo-Jin had also become part of Lee Ji-Yeon's inner circle without my knowledge.
The fuming Lee Ji-Yeon then reached for her phone with the intention of calling TK Entertainment.
"Ms. Lee, please hold on a moment."
"Soll-Ip! What do you mean hold on? If we let things be, you and Yoo-Jin will be made a laughing stock because of Cheon Yi-Sang. No, my reputation will be dragged through the mud..."
"Mr. Jung has a plan. But if you call TK Entertainment now, you'll ruin everything!"
"How would I ruin anything?"
Kim Soll-Ip handed Lee Ji-Yeon the coffee I had brought. "Anyway! Just have some coffee and calm down first!"
Lee Ji-Yeon hesitated before taking a sip. "Wait. Is this Yoon-Ho's coffee?"
"Yes."
"Fine. I'll listen for now, but you know what'll happen if I don't like it."
Lee Ji-Yeon sipped the coffee I had brought as she listened to the plan.
"Going on the offensive, huh?"
"Yes. So we ask for your discretion, Ms. Lee."
"Okay. Well, call me if you need my help anytime."
Once the situation had calmed down, Kim Soll-Ip finally noticed Jung Sang-Bong beside me and looked at him curiously.
"Hmm. I feel like I've seen this person somewhere before..."
"He's the Taekwondo gold medalist Jung Sang-Bong."
"Oh, right! The Headgear Destroyer! Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm actually a big fan of yours!"
"Hmm, hmm. Thank you."
Headgear Destroyer was the nickname of Jung Sang-Bong, known for knocking out opponents by removing their headgear with a reverse roundhouse kick.
Scenes of Jung Sang-Bong delivering fiery knockouts with his kicks were shown every time the national anthem played after regular broadcasts—making it impossible for South Koreans not to know him.
Visibly piqued by curiosity, Lee Ji-Yeon also joined the conversation.
"But how does a medalist end up working as a talent agent? This could be material for a drama."
"Well, that's because..."
Lee Ji-Yeon was deeply engaged in conversation with Jung Sang-Bong while Kim Soll-Ip took another sip of the coffee on the table.
"Ahh~ the coffee tastes a bit bitter today."
A hint of bitterness showed on Kim Soll-Ip's face as she licked her lips.
"I thought I had gotten used to the entertainment industry by following Ms. Lee around, but it seems I still have a long way to go."
Lee Ji-Yeon chuckled. "Already trying to match up with me, are you? Come back after you've hit 30% viewership ratings five times!"
But Lee Ji-Yeon couldn't hide her pride even as she playfully criticized Kim Soll-Ip. After all, her protégé was aiming for 20% viewership ratings with her debut work.
"Anyway, do as you see fit, Mr. Jung. It seems there's no other solution."
"Understood. Then I'll be taking my leave now."
I stood up with Jung Sang-Bong to leave. As we were about to exit through the front door, Lee Ji-Yeon stopped me.
"Oh, right. Assistant Manager Jung, I added another shaman role while revising the script for Yoo-Jin. So don't be surprised when you see the script."
'The additional shaman role of 'Manshin Wol-Ah' mentioned by Kim Sung-Woon was created for Yoo-Jin? What does this mean? If there are two shamans instead of one, wouldn't that naturally diminish the importance of each role?'
But there was no time to delve further into the conversation. It was going to be a long night.
"Yes, I understand. I'll check the script and visit you once this situation is resolved."
"Alright. Take care."
***
Screech.
I parked the car in front of the HS row houses in Cheongdam-dong. I grabbed the gift I had prepared in advance and headed to the modest villa on the fourth floor which had no elevator.
Jung Sang-Bong, who was following behind me, looked puzzled and asked, "Mr. Jung, why are we here?"
"You know Choi Ji-Yung, right? She was quite a star about three years ago."
"Of course. She was the lead actress in The Sound of the Wind."
"She lives here."
"Pardon? A top star like her is living in such a shabby building?"
Choi Ji-Yung had become penniless after divorcing her husband, actor Jang Ji-Cheol. She was not financially savvy as she had focused solely on acting as a celebrity, which led to her losing all her savings as alimony.
Stars who had their talent agents take care of everything from a young age like Choi Ji-Yung often couldn't handle even simple contracts. They struggled with using banking apps or became flustered at the thought of taking public transport.
Choi Ji-Yung was one such star.
Now that she had lost everything and was living in this desolate row house, she was occasionally taking small jobs from cable channels to get by.
"There's no limit once celebrities hit rock bottom. You'd be surprised how many washed-up actors live in a goshiwon[1]."
As we continued the conversation, we arrived at Choi Ji-Yung's place. I pressed the doorbell of villa 402.
Ding-dong.
After a brief silence, a voice came through.
-I'll pay all the overdue rent along with next month's in one go, okay? I'm Choi Ji-Yung. Don't you recognize me?
Her clear voice was slightly trembling.
'Good, we're at the right place.'
I spoke into the intercom.
"Hello. We're from Hoop Entertainment, Ms. Choi Ji-Yung."
-Hoop Entertainment?
"Yes."
-J-just a moment, please!
At that moment, the intercom went silent. No response came back for a full minute, making Jung Sang-Bong tilt his head in curiosity.
"Should we ring the bell again?"
"Let's wait patiently. She's probably getting ready and putting on her makeup."
The door opened exactly ten minutes later.
Click.
As the door opened, Choi Ji-Yung dressed in a radiant evening gown greeted us with her freshly done makeup.
"Hahaha. Welcome. I've been so busy lately that I haven't been home much, so it's a bit messy here."
"Yes, Ms. Choi. I understand."
I responded calmly to her remarks and headed inside. The table was tidy, but the door to the room was closed.It seemed she had cleared all the clutter into the room.
Choi Ji-Yung fanned herself with her hand and laughed awkwardly. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead, but I pretended not to notice and sat down in the living room.
"I'd offer you a drink, but as I mentioned, I haven't been home much."
It was her pride as an actress not to admit she couldn't even afford beverages to offer her guests.
I played along and simply nodded. "That's alright. We've brought a gift with us. You can enjoy that instead."
I presented the prepared gift while sitting down.
"Oh my. These are half-dried persimmons. How did you know I liked them?"
She had revealed her fondness for half-dried persimmons on a morning show in my past life.
Choi Ji-Yung's face lit up as she took a bite of the half-dried persimmon.
"I'm glad it suits your taste. Sang-Bong, bring out the coffee too."
"Ah, yes."
This time, it wasn't the coffee I made but a Dolce Latte from Astrobucks nearby which I offered in a tumbler.
Choi Ji-Yung looked touched. "Wow, a Dolce Latte. These have been quite popular lately, haven't they?"
"To be honest, I haven't tried it myself because it's expensive. Hahaha."
Choi Ji-Yung covered her mouth and laughed, seemingly trying to hide the fact that she too hadn't tried it.
Choi Ji-Yung asked with a hint of anticipation in her voice, "But what brings you to see me today?"
However, Choi Ji-Yung's voice turned edgy as soon as I started to explain our purpose for the visit.
1. A very small room that can range from 26 to 39 feet along, which sometimes includes the bathroom ☜
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