Chapter 127: The Temptation From Ace Entertainment
The suggestion I gave was to keep the identity of the actress playing Manshin Wol-Ah a secret until the right moment.
Lee Ji-Yeon laughed heartily. "Ha ha. Yoon-Ho, your ideas are always so ingenious. This is going to be fun. I might need to make some more adjustments to the script, though."
As expected, Lee Ji-Yeon was all for it.
But Yoo-Jin still looked worried. "Oppa, I understand that Mrs. Kim Soo-Hee will help me out, but can we really make my face look old?"
I smirked and replied, "Don't worry. We can leave it to Assistant Manager Yang So-Ri."
"So-Ri unnie?"
Based on my knowledge of the future, the makeup artist for Actor Division 2, Yang So-Ri would soon leave Hoop Entertainment to work with a film company's makeup team. If she could make a normal person look like an alien, aging makeup should be a piece of cake.
With Kim Soo-Hee's coaching and Yang So-Ri's special makeup, Yoo-Jin's transformation into Manshin Wol-Ah would be complete—then all that would remain is maintaining secrecy.
'And that's my area of expertise.'
As I continued to explain, a hint of anticipation began to appear on Yoo-Jin's face and she spoke, "Then..."
"Yoo-Jin, let's give it a try. What do you say?" I asked.
"Yes, Yoo-Jin~. It's going to be fun," echoed Lee Ji-Yeon.
Yoo-Jin nodded as she looked at Lee Ji-Yeon and me.
"Okay! Let's give it a shot. It's all or nothing!” Yoo-Jin exclaimed excitedly.
Just like that, we began our operation to keep the identity of Manshin Wol-Ah hidden.
***
During the filming of Blue Sky on set, I received a call from Im Sung-Hak, the president of Ace Entertainment, asking to meet up.
-Do you remember I mentioned through Yung-In last time that we should meet? How about today? Let's have dinner together.
Since I had no schedule for the evening, we agreed to meet at 7 p.m.
After wrapping up the shoot, I arrived 10 minutes early at Hansol Korean Cuisine near Gangnam Station.
A dedicated attendant greeted me as soon as I entered.
I returned the greeting and asked, "Hi, I heard Mr. Im Sung-Hak reserved a table?"
"Ah, you must be Mr. Jung Yoon-Ho. This way, please. Follow me."
Following the path beside the desk, I found a trail with round pebbles strewn across it. Tall bamboo trees stood on either side of the path, their leaves rustling in the breeze that swept in from the entrance, creating a serene ambiance.
Soon, a room labeled 'VVIP Room' appeared about 20 meters down the enchanting path.
"This is your room, sir."
Inside the room were pre-dinner tea and appetizers prepared.
"We'll serve the meal once Mr. Im arrives. And please let us know if you find the appetizers lacking. Our seaweed crisps are quite popular."
"Ah, thank you so much."
While waiting for Im Sung-Hak, I started checking the news on my phone where the articles summarized the events of the past few days.
[(Breaking) Top Star Jang Ji-Cheol Arrested]
[(Breaking) Choi Jong-Hyuk, central to the controversy, attempted to flee to the USA but was urgently arrested at Incheon Airport after the first investigation!]
[(Exclusive) Choi Ji-Yung confesses her sad divorce story. Cast in TBC's morning drama!]
[(Exclusive) Director Choi Sung-Moon's surprising choice for his next film Beyond the Boundary. The lead is Lee Tae-Poong!]
While the news was filled with pleasing updates, it sadly wasn't enough to bring down TK Entertainment's Cheon Yi-Sang. After all, Cheon Yi-Sang had managed to escape by sending one director as a scapegoat to jail.
"They operate just like the mafia."
In big companies, it was quite common for the higher-ups to cause trouble while the underlings were sent to jail—it was best to avoid entanglement with them as much as possible.
At that moment, a notification sound rang and I received a KkTalk message.
[Bonus Deposit: 10,000,000 Won]
[Total Balance: 66,384,382 Won]
A net of 10 million won was deposited in my account as a bonus for securing the lead role for Lee Tae-Poong. The money in my account was steadily increasing, but it was still far from enough to get involved in a stock war.
Considering the real estate market was expected to decline, I thought about investing in entertainment, cosmetics, and fashion stocks to grow my funds since I was aware of which companies in the same industry were on the rise.
Creak.
That's when the sliding door opened and a robust man walked in while glancing at his gleaming gold Rulelex watch.
"I apologize. I'm a bit late."
"Not at all, Mr. Im."
But then Ju Yung-In, dressed in a school uniform, hurried in behind him.
"Huh? Why is Miss Yung-In here?"
"I was headed home after the shoot and Mr. Im suggested we come together."
When I questioned her presence with an awkward expression, Ju Yung-In glared at me with salty eyes.
"Why? Don't you like me coming along? Should I leave?"
"No, it's not like that," I replied.
"Hey, Yung-In," warned Im Sung-Hak.
"Ugh, fine. I was just joking because I was happy to see you after a long time," Ju Yung-In remarked.
Ju Yung-In quieted down at Im Sung-Hak's cautionary tone.
"Do you drink?" asked Im Sung-Hak.
'What? Alcohol on a first meeting?'
Unlike many actors, singers, or talent agents in this industry who were heavy drinkers, I always had a low tolerance for alcohol.
"I don't drink very often, sir," I replied.
"Is that so? Then let's have a good drink but just a little."
Im Sung-Hak ordered Andong soju, which cost over 200 thousand won per bottle.
A sweet taste filled my mouth along with a subtle fragrance as I took a sip of the soju poured into a ceramic cup. The taste was strong yet smooth, naturally eliciting admiration.
"Pretty good, isn't it?” Im Sung-Hak asked.
"Ah, yes. It really is," I responded while savoring the soju.
"Let's have some side dishes too. The liquor is sweet but strong."
While enjoying perilla oil-seasoned bitter greens as a palate cleanser, Im Sung-Hak filled a second glass and broached the main topic.
"I wanted to meet today because I have a proposal for you."
"Please go ahead."
After downing the rest of his drink and setting his glass down on the table with a thud, Im Sung-Hak shared his proposal with me.
"I'm offering to set up an independent company for you with an initial capital of 2 billion won. You'll have the management rights, but we'll split the equity and profits 50:50. Distribution will be entirely handled by Ace Entertainment. You'll also have full authority over company operations and artist recruitment. You just need to stay by my side as the head of this subsidiary."
I was initially confident that his proposal would not cause me to bat an eyelid as I had expected to be offered merely a team lead position which wouldn't satisfy me. But I was wrong. I had never received such a generous offer before, nor did I ever expect to receive one now.
The alcohol in my system started to react with excitement. But at the same time, I felt there had to be a catch to this unbelievable offer.
"Your expression doesn't seem too pleased. But my offer isn't that meager, is it?"
I rubbed my throbbing head and responded to Im Sung-Hak. "It's not that it's meager but it's just too grand. I need some time to think. Excuse me, may I use the restroom?"
Im Sung-Hak granted permission with a hearty laugh, almost as if he was watching a checkmate unfold while waiting for me to concede defeat.
"Of course. Take your time."
As I stepped out, the sparkling VVIP restroom caught my eye. I let out a deep sigh upon entering and opened my planner.
"What is he relying on to make such a grand offer...?"
I intended to decline the proposal without hesitation. But I needed to find out the reason the president of the industry's leading company would make such an offer. After all, I didn't know how my decision would affect the future.
Flipping through the planner quickly, I checked for any entries related to Im Sung-Hak and Ace Entertainment.
Fortunately, I was able to find one useful piece of information.
[Everyday V10]
[Date: December 24th, 2022]
-10:00 PM Ace Entertainment Strategy Meeting, 5F Meeting Room (Report: Ace Entertainment's Vice President Jang Sung-Min, PMK CEO Park Min-Gu—under investigation by the prosecution. Suspicions related to embezzlement and accounting fraud in subsidiary PMK)
This was known as the PMK embezzlement case. One of the subsidiaries operated by Im Sung-Hak's Ace Entertainment had been skimming money by overbilling the expenses of its affiliated actors. As a result, the CEO of PMK was arrested and Im Sung-Hak was also eventually imprisoned.
'Which means...'
I figured that Im Sung-Hak's proposal must be a scheme where he would give me the management rights but send down a finance director to siphon off money secretly. It was a perfect trap for talent agents who only knew the entertainment industry and had no clue about business management.
"Tsk. Many must have fallen for this."
Only then could I understand why Ace Entertainment had so many subsidiaries. Im Sung-Hak's offer was a grand proposal that would have dazzled anyone, especially ordinary talent agents unaware of the circumstances. Im Sung-Hak had been rising to the top as the 'big brother of the industry' with such generous offers.
"Big brother of the industry, my foot. More like the industry's big scammer."
I took a deep breath and splashed my face with cold water. It seemed like I had become somewhat complacent after a series of successes.
"Actually...I should be thankful to you, Im Sung-Hak."
Feeling refreshed, I returned to my seat.
Im Sung-Hak, who was sipping his drink alone, asked with a pleasant expression, "Have you made your decision?"
"Yes, sir."
My confident demeanor led Im Sung-Hak to prematurely reach into his brown Hermos briefcase with the assumption that I'd accept his offer.
"I've prepared the documents in advance..."
Before Im Sung-Hak could take out the documents, I shook my head firmly and said, "Thank you for the offer, but I'll pretend I never heard of it."
Im Sung-Hak flinched and paused before asking, "Is there a problem with the conditions I've offered?"
"No, there isn't. But even if you offered better terms, I have no intention of leaving Hoop Entertainment."
At that moment, Ju Yung-In, who was seated next to Im Sung-Hak, suddenly shouted, "Mr. Jung! Are you out of your mind? You could go independent, take Yoo-Jin, whom you like so much, with you and even bring others too! You could become the president!"
Im Sung-Hak raised his hand to silence Ju Yung-In. "Yung-In, step outside for a bit."
"But Mr. Im!"
"Hush."
At Im Sung-Hak's low voice, Ju Yung-In rose from her seat with a frustrated expression and left.
Creak.
Bang!
The sliding door opened and closed roughly.
Then Im Sung-Hak started looking at me with a curious expression and questioned, "Are you trying to play hard to get with me?"
"Not at all, sir."
"Then what's the real reason for turning down the offer?"
But I didn't respond to Im Sung-Hak's question. As the silent standoff dragged on, Im Sung-Hak was the first to give up.
"Tsk. What am I even doing? Yung-In wanted to work with you, so I made this special offer. Everyone's so spoiled these days. I must have misjudged you."
Im Sung-Hak stood up with a displeased expression and said to me dismissively, "I've already paid for the meal, so enjoy your dinner. I have to leave early—my stomach isn't feeling well."
Im Sung-Hak turned swiftly and closed the sliding door behind him before leaving. I chuckled to myself and mumbled, "Such a waste of money, leaving after ordering food in such an expensive place..."
I would have refused to eat the leftover meal alone out of pride in the past, but I've become more easy going after traveling back in time.
"I'll have to share this with Yoo-Jin and Miso~."
I pressed the bell on the table to ask for the leftovers to be packed. Before ten seconds passed, the sliding door opened again.
But it wasn't the staff who entered—it was Ju Yung-In who was standing there with a frown.
"Why did you come back?" I asked.
"Are you out of your mind?" Ju Yung-In yelled in a sharp voice which filled the room.
"What do you mean am I out of my mind?" I responded.
"Why the heck did you reject Mr. Im's offer? Don't you realize you won't get such terms anywhere else? Are you an idiot?" Ju Yung-In continued berating me.
Her relentless barrage left me laughing in disbelief with a dumbfounded expression, almost as if my wife from my past life was standing before me.
"After all the effort I put into talking nicely to Mr. Im Sung-Hak! Do you dislike working with me so much that you'd turn down such a great offer?”
Having always lived her life getting what she wanted, my firm refusal to comply seemed to have infuriated her.
Ju Yung-In pushed her phone toward my face. "Call him back right now and apologize!"
"No. I won't do it."
"No? What do you mean you won't!? Just do it! If you accept Mr. Im's offer, you can freely support any actor or singer you want!"
Her barrage of words continued non-stop for a while and her face grew redder as she fumed. Back when she used to be my wife in my past life, Ju Yung-In would raise her voice like this whenever she was angry and would not stop until her anger subsided.
Despite my attempts to act as if I didn't know her, this familiar situation that I was in made me feel uneasy and frustrated. Every time such situations occurred, it felt as if the distance between us was rapidly closing.
I averted my eyes from hers and tried to erase the memory of her from my mind.
After all, the current Ju Yung-In was no longer my wife but someone who tormented and bullied Yoo-Jin and me.
When I closed my eyes tightly and remained silent, Ju Yung-In's voice eventually quieted down.
That's when it happened.
"Yoon-Ho oppa."
Extremely startled by the unexpected address, I quickly opened my eyes and looked up.
Tears were welling up in Ju Yung-In's eyes, who had been angrily berating me until just now.
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