Chapter 34: Time to Make a Decision (1)
-I heard a rumor that Mr. Choi Jun-Woo had been frequenting Club BLUE daily since the end of last year. So, I staked out. Now that the prosecutors have secured the CCTV footage, everything will soon come to light.
According to Jang Moon-Ki's words, there was a high possibility that Choi Jun-Woo would appear at Club BLUE today as well.
At that moment, Oh Duk-Gu, having exchanged greetings with the staff on-site, approached me as he buttoned up his coat.
"Brr, it's cold. What are you up to?"
"Oh, I'm pondering over the casting proposal for Lee Ji-Yeon's new drama."
"Is that so? Why not just ask a reporter on the scene for information on Choi Jun-Woo?"
"Because they won't give it to me."
"Hey, you know it could be just a rumor. Don't struggle for nothing and just go with Ms. Lee’s script. I've read it too and her script is excellent."
‘Of course, the script itself was great and had no problems.’
If I didn't know what was going to happen, I would have comfortably chosen Lee Ji-Yeon's script as well.
“Mr. Oh, could you please take Yoo-Jin with you to the wrap-up party tonight?"
"Are you planning to skip the party?"
"Yes."
After contemplating for a while, Oh Duk-Gu offered me a piece of advice.
"Be careful. Don't do anything that will get you into trouble. These days, there are a lot of people who are envious of you."
‘I know that better than anyone else.’
It was no surprise that the number of envious people would increase when a fresh newbie did well and earned the favor of the company’s president. What was surprising was the unwavering trust that Division 2’s sunbaes had in me.
"Thank you for your concern."
"Don’t mention it, I’m merely looking out for my team."
Oh Duk-Gu spoke as if it was only natural for him to take good care of me.
"But if no new information comes in today, let's follow the higher-ups' decision, Yoon-Ho. You've been doing well so far, so don't stumble over this trivial matter now. Okay?"
"I understand, sir."
Indeed, it was a stretch to try to convince someone using only words in the absence of any evidence.
"Cut~! Great work, everyone. It was perfect. Miss Eun-Yung, Miss Yoo-Jin."
Yoo-Jin had finally concluded her last shoot for her first drama.
"Great job, everyone."
"Miss Yoo-Jin, thank you for the hard work."
"Thank you."
The actors who had finished their shoots began receiving flower bouquets from the staff. Yoo-Jin, whose acting shone in the latter half of the drama, was being treated like a main lead.
I was overwhelmed and my heart swelled with emotions when I saw her smiling so brightly.
She had been destined to be fired by Lee Ji-Yeon right after her debut but she was now a significant supporting character for as many as six episodes until the extended 26th episode.
Moreover, she landed an advertisement deal and formed connections with A-list writers like Lee Ji-Yeon and Kim Soll-Ip.
Yoo-Jin's life, which could have been shadowed by darkness, was shining brightly.
‘Yes, watching this scene unfold before me was the reason I traveled back in time.’
But the real challenge had yet to begin. As fast as one rose to fame, one could also fall with just one blow in the entertainment industry.
That was why I couldn’t let Yoo-Jin get involved with Choi Jun-Woo.
At that moment, Yoo-Jin left behind the applause of the staff and walked towards us holding an armful of flowers.
"Oppa, how was my acting?"
‘What's there to say? Her acting was simply radiant.’
I took the bouquet from her and gave her a thumbs up.
"It was the best."
Yoo-Jin smiled broadly at my praise.
"Ah, and here's a gift."
"Huh? What is it?"
I pulled out two heart-shaped locket necklaces I bought on the day I received a bonus pay.
"Wow. It’s a pair."
"Yes. I got one for Miso and one for you. I thought it would be nice if you both put your pictures inside."
Inside each silver heart-shaped locket, there was a space just big enough for a thumbnail-sized photo of Yoo-Jin and Miso.
"It's pretty, but isn't this expensive?"
"No, it's cheap. Keep up the good work and I look forward to continuing working with you."
"Me too, oppa."
Yoo-Jin smiled brightly and nodded her head. Then I noticed there were tears welling up in her eyes.
It seemed like Yoo-Jin cried over everything. Yet I inexplicably felt emotional as well and turned away.
"Then Mr. Oh, please take good care of Yoo-Jin."
"Sure. Take care."
"Where are you going? Isn't there a dinner party soon?" Yoo-Jin asked.
"There's something urgent I need to settle."
"Then make sure to come to dinner even if it's late. We're having Hanwoo[1]today!"
‘Now that I think about it, it's been a while since I've had Hanwoo.’
Gulp.
I unknowingly gulped at the thought of having Hanwoo.
In my past life, I was lying in a hospital bed, unable to eat anything, and surviving only on IV drips.
Ever since I traveled back in time, the only meat I'd eaten was canned braised beef from Yoo-Jin's home and beef soup.
Nonetheless, I forced myself to turn away and head towards Club BLUE where Choi Jun-Woo might appear.
Ugh!
‘I'll make Choi Jun-Woo pay for making me miss out on Hanwoo.’
***
I arrived in front of Club BLUE, which was located in the basement of the Le C?ur Hotel in Gangnam.
"Ah, seriously! Stop pushing."
"Are you sure the ZIZAK oppas are coming today?"
"They're already here and have booked a room. SingSing oppa sent me a photo. Look."
A group of young women dressed in miniskirts and long coats seemed excited about the arrival of the idol group ZIZAK.
Another group of young men looked excited about having a birthday party.
"Don’t you think our style is on point today?"
"Absolutely, sir."
"Hey, watch your language! Do you want to out yourself as a soldier?"
"I-I'm sorry, Sergeant Choi, I mean, hyung."
‘What a pity.’
Anyone could tell they were soldiers from their crew cuts and the way they talked, which meant they would probably be turned away at the entrance.
I moved my car away from the bustling entrance of Club BLUE to a side street near the entrance of the Le C?ur Hotel parking lot.
‘A famous guest like Choi Jun-Woo would probably take the VIP elevator in the hotel to go down to the club.’
Screech.
I parked the car where I could see the hotel parking lot entrance. Then, I turned off the engine and waited patiently for Choi Jun-Woo.
One hour passed, then two.
Screech.
At that moment, I saw Choi Jun-Woo's blue Ramborghini enter the parking lot of the Le C?ur Hotel.
"He's here."
I had worried about what to do if he didn't show up, but it turned out my worry was unfounded.
Flash!
The first thing I did was to snap a photo of him pulling into the parking lot. I thought about entering the club but changed my mind.
After all, there was someone better suited to handling these kinds of situations.
***
"Ah. Shit. Do they think news just comes out with no effort?"
Snap!
After being called to the editor-in-chief's office, Reporter Jang Moon-Ki couldn't contain his anger and threw his planner onto the desk.
"Reporter Jang. What happened?"
Fellow reporter, Yang Ju-Sung, asked as he pulled out a chair.
"Ah, I don't even know. Damn it. The chief keeps pestering me to bring back an interesting scoop and gives me crap. Since he's so frustrated, why doesn't he go out and come back with scoops himself? Ever since he was promoted to the editor’s position, he's been hounding me at least every three days."
"They say the company's running at a loss lately. Maybe that’s the reason. But hey, you're still better off than me. I get reprimanded every single day."
Even though they were both struggling, Jang Moon-Ki felt better upon hearing that his colleague was having a tougher time.
"Reporter Yang, do you have any sources by chance?"
"Hmm. Recently, there's been a lot of negative buzz about Park Eun-Bin from TK Entertainment and her terrible acting skills. Why don't you dig into that and make some pocket money? TK throws money around a lot, you know. Why don’t you go get a meal out of it?” Yang Ju-Sung spoke as if he just remembered something.
"Ah, Come on. That's not a scoop. That's just taking money for writing an article."
"Hehe, just slap the word 'exclusive' on it and it will become a scoop. What's so special about a scoop anyway? Just write anything, man."
"You keep churning out those half-baked articles, buddy."
Jang Moon-Ki sighed and looked at Yang Ju-Sung with a pitiful expression.
"Reporter Yang. How about we go drink some soju? I'm feeling down today."
"Forget it. Do you think I'm as carefree as a single guy like you?"
"Geez. What happened to the heavyweight drinker Yang Ju-Sung? Is your wife that scary?"
"Get married yourself, then you'll understand,"
"I guess I’ll just have to crack open a beer at the convenience store by myself. I'm out of here," muttered Jang Moon-Ki, a lifelong bachelor.
When Jang Moon-Ki was about to get up to go home, the common phone in the press department started to ring.
Ring Ring.
Park Bong-Du, the department head, called out to Jang Moon-Ki after picking up the call.
"Hey, Reporter Jang. Some informant with a weird voice is looking for you. Take it quickly."
"Me?"
"They say it's a big case. They absolutely won't talk to me about it."
"Don't hang up, please!"
Jang Moon-Ki hurriedly grabbed the intercom at his desk.
“Hello? Is this Reporter Jang Moon-Ki?”
True to Park Bong-Du’s description, it sounded like the man on the call was speaking with a nasal voice as if he was deliberately pinching his nose.
It was very likely that it was a prank call, but Jang Moon-Ki’s reporter instincts were telling him otherwise today. Seeing the man’s effort to disguise his voice, Jang Moon-Ki thought he could be an informant who wanted to stay anonymous.
Jang Moon-Ki took the phone and gestured to Park Bong-Du to hang up. But Park Bong-Du ignored Jang Moon-Ki's signaling.
"Sir, one moment please. Is it okay if I record this phone call?"
“Hm. I don’t know about that.”
"Then I'll get ready to take some notes."
Jang Moon-Ki covered the phone and started glaring at Park Bong-Du with an angry look.
"Mr. Park. Put the intercom down, please."
But Park Bong-Du awkwardly cleared his throat and said.
"Hey, if it’s supposed to be an exclusive scoop, let me in on it, too."
"That's not going to happen. I need to save up money if I want to get married."
"Damn it. What woman would want a jerk like you? Go ahead and indulge yourself then."
"Yes, that's the plan."
Click.
As soon as Park Bong-Du put down the intercom, Jang Moon-Ki composed himself and went back to the call.
"Go ahead, sir"
Not expecting much, Jang Moon-Ki was utterly surprised when the man with the nasal voice actually provided him with a major exclusive.
'This is huge!'
Jang Moon-Ki's heart raced with excitement. But as a reporter, his skepticism kicked in at the same time.
"But I heard that Gentleman Choi Jun-Woo doesn’t drink or go to clubs. Is there any evidence that..."
“I just sent you a photo, check it now~.”
Ding.
At that moment, a photo was sent to Jang Moon-Ki’s phone. It was a picture of Choi Jun-Woo taking an elevator up to Club BLUE in Gangnam.
Knowing that Club BLUE in Gangnam had been the subject of bad rumors recently, Jang Moon-Ki wanted much more direct and explicit evidence.
"That is indeed Mr. Choi Jun-Woo. But unfortunately, this isn't enough. He could just be meeting a friend there. It’s difficult to report on this with just this much..."
“Really? Okay~. Then I’ll call Reporter Ju Kang-Yong at Celebrity Big News instead~.”
Upon hearing an unexpected response, Jang Moon-Ki cried out in desperation, not wanting to lose the scoop.
"Wait. Just a moment! Not Ju Kang-Yong! That guy's terrible! Everything will be ruined if it gets to him! I'm heading out right now. Yes! Of course! I will expose this for the sake of justice, if nothing else. Such scum shouldn't exist on this planet. I can dig out everything down to the color of his underwear. Oh, yes. Yes. But what was your name again...? A prophet from the future? Why, you insane little... No, no, I'm not talking about you. Hello? Hello......."
Click.
The call was disconnected.
"Ah, this blabbermouth of mine!"
Jang Moon-Ki regretted carelessly upsetting the informant. But he quickly grabbed his essential belongings and hurried outside.
His heart raced with the fear that the informant might contact another reporter instead of him. After all, Reporter Ju Kang-Yong from Celebrity Big News and Jang Moon-Ki were arch-enemies.
Jang Moon-Ki was given a 30-minute deadline. Since the informant said he would call Ju Kang-Yong if Jang Moon-Ki didn't show up within that time, he couldn't waste a second.
"Reporter Jang, where are you going?" Park Bong-Du asked.
"I'm on a scoop!" Jang Moon-Ki turned around without looking back.
Upon hearing the news of top star Choi Jun-Woo using drugs, there was nothing holding him back. If he could capture just one picture, a promotion and a bonus would be guaranteed.
***
"This guy really talks too much. And what's wrong with calling myself a prophet from the future?"
Since Jang Moon-Ki didn't do his own reporting and tried to extract more information from me, I dropped the name of Reporter Ju Kang-Yong from Celebrity Big News.
Reporter Ju Kang-Yong was a scoundrel, just like Jang Moon-Ki. He was known for being unethical as long as he could get profitable news.
Since I had tipped off Jang Moon-Ki, all I had to do now was wait. After all, he would naturally produce sensational stories and complicate the issue upon arriving at the scene.
Although Jang Moon-Ki was typically the nemesis of any entertainment company, he was undeniably the best expert in digging up scandals in this industry.
Jang Moon-Ki arrived shortly, before even 20 minutes had passed. Getting out of his car, he looked around and then approached the valet parking attendant. He then pulled something white out from his pocket and started talking to the attendant after handing it to him.
"That little runt. He didn't give out gift vouchers again, did he?"
But as Jang Moon-Ki continued his conversation with the valet attendant, his face lit up.
"It looks like he's dug up something useful."
It was impossible to get information through the police because Club BLUE had police who conveniently turned a blind eye.
At that moment, the sound of an engine could be heard from the parking lot.
Vroom!
It had been less than 30 minutes, but Choi Jun-Woo's car was already coming out of the parking lot. Then, I noticed a woman who appeared to be unconscious in the passenger seat next to Choi Jun-Woo.
"What? What the heck is that bastard doing? Is he seriously taking a drunk woman home?"
1. breed of small cattle native to Korea ?
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