Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 278: Manshin Wol-Ah (4)

Click.

As we opened the car door, Yoo-Jin, Yang So-Ri, and Lee Si-Yeon, who were chatting and laughing, turned their attention to us.

Kim Sung-Woon asked in a cold tone, "Lee sunbae, what do you think you're doing right now?"

Kim Sung-Woon usually spoke respectfully to Lee Si-Yeon since she had joined the company before him. Despite his rapid promotion, he had always been courteous to sunbae colleagues in more junior positions.

As such, Lee Si-Yeon seemed taken aback by the abrupt shift to informal speech and looked perplexed. "What are you talking about?"

"Come out here for a moment."

"PD Kim, what's with you all of a sudden?"

Kim Sung-Woon exploded, "What's with me all of a sudden? Do you really not know? You lied to Team Lead Jung saying I was looking for him!"

Lee Si-Yeon bit her lip slightly. "Lied? People can make mistakes, you know. You're being too harsh on me. Remember, I'm still your sunbae!"

"Harsh? This is ridiculous."

Then, Kim Sung-Woon strode into the car and pushed Lee Si-Yeon aside and pulled out a tiny hidden camera from between the seats.

Kim Sung-Woon's face contorted with fury as he spoke. "And this isn’t harsh? Sunbae?"

Nevertheless, Lee Si-Yeon was not one to back down easily. "What... What is that? Why are you showing it to me?"

When Lee Si-Yeon feigned ignorance and pretended not to know anything, Kim Sung-Woon exploded. "Lee sunbae! No, Lee Si-Yeon! Are you really going to play dumb?"

Lee Si-Yeon shook her head. "I don’t know what you’re talking about! How can you accuse me without proof? I don't know anything about this!"

Not knowing how to respond to Lee Si-Yeon's lie, Kim Sung-Woon looked at me in desperation.

There was nothing good about being involved in a broadcasting station's employees' fight, but this was an exception. I had to maintain a good relationship with Kim Sung-Woon. Besides, having someone as dangerous as Lee Si-Yeon in the team might cause more trouble later.

I pulled out my phone and played the security camera footage of Lee Si-Yeon installing the hidden camera.

As the footage played, Lee Si-Yeon's face turned white beyond pale. "H-how...how did you..."

It was always the same—people remained bold until they were caught. Once caught, they crumbled immediately.

When Lee Si-Yeon shut her mouth, Kim Sung-Woon suppressed his rising anger and spoke. "This is just unbelievable. How did you stoop so low? You’ve been in contact with Kang Ill-Gu, that scumbag. Haven’t you?"

The moment Kim Sung-Woon mentioned Kang Ill-Gu’s name, Lee Si-Yeon’s eyes flared up.

Kim Sung-Woon added, "What? Is that scumbag offering you money or something?"

Lee Si-Yeon snapped, "Kim Sung-Woon...you better watch your mouth!"

She seemed more irritated by the insult to Kang Ill-Gu than anything else.

Kim Sung-Woon glared at Lee Si-Yeon for a moment before sighing deeply and shaking his head. "This isn't going to work. I can't talk to you anymore. Mr. Jung, you take over."

'I was waiting for this moment,' I thought.

I immediately called Kang Gam-Chan. "Mr, Kang, are you meeting with MBS executives today?"

-Yes. I just arrived at MBS and am heading to the president's office. What is it? Did something happen?

I reported what had happened on-site and mentioned that I had secured evidence. "AD Lee installed a hidden camera in our car to capture footage to send to Reporter Kang. Can we get the legal division involved and take this seriously?"

Realizing the severity of the situation, Lee Si-Yeon finally spoke up. "H-hey, Team Lead Jung. Wait a moment..."

I ignored Lee Si-Yeon's plea and continued my call. "Yoo-Jin's information was almost leaked, Mr. Kang!"

As my voice rose, Kang Gam-Chan let out a sigh.

-I'll discuss this matter with Mr. Choi as soon as I get to the president's office. Send the footage you just recorded to me and Team Lead Kwak. We might need to file a lawsuit.

"Yes, sir."

-You've done a great job, Yoon-Ho. Keep up the good work.

"I'm sorry for always causing you worry," I apologized.

-That's nonsense. Let's talk again after this is over.

After I ended the call with Kang Gam-Chan, Lee Si-Yeon grabbed my hand and pleaded. "Wait, wait. Let's talk this out. We can discuss this."

"Now you want to talk?" I replied coldly.

"Please, don't be so harsh..."

My anger burned within me. 'If she was willing to make others cry, she should be prepared for the same.'

After acting nonchalant, Lee Si-Yeon finally began to beg. I hated people like her more than anyone else. However, it was true that I needed her help to catch Kang Ill-Gu.

"Do you want us to show you mercy?" I asked.

Lee Si-Yeon's eyes wavered.

I continued. "If you do, don't say a word about this incident to anyone. Do you understand?"

Lee Si-Yeon hesitated to answer.

I raised my voice. "Do you understand?!"

"Y-yes. Okay."

Then I began to press Lee Si-Yeon even further. "Where did you get this hidden camera?"

"...From Ill-Gu."

"Does it transmit files remotely?"

Lee Si-Yeon shook her head. "N-no, it's too small...so it has to be retrieved manually."

Then, Kim Sung-Woon spoke up. "Sunbae. If you want to avoid jail, you better spill everything. I'm sure you know how many people have been ruined simply by messing with Team Lead Jung. Do you really think your case might be different?"

Lee Si-Yeon hesitated, but Kim Sung-Woon's pressure finally made her cave. She confessed that she was in a relationship with Kang Ill-Gu and they were planning to marry. She explained that she couldn't refuse his persistent requests.

After her confession, Lee Si-Yeon started begging desperately. "Team Lead Jung! Please, forgive me just this once! My mom will kill me if she finds out!"

However, this was beyond my control.

With Kang Gam-Chan meeting MBS' president, she would, at the very least, face a demotion.

I shook my head as I thought, 'She should be worried about going to jail rather than her mom finding out.'

I stared at her and said, "Violation of the Sexual Violence Crime Punishment Act, Article 14. Installing hidden cameras carry a sentence of up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won. The evidence is solid, so you won't be able to escape this."

Lee Si-Yeon's face immediately turned pale. "J-jail?"

"But if you testify about what you just told us, I'll help you avoid imprisonment."

"T-testify about what? About Ill-Gu making me do this?"

"If you don't want to, you can take the fall alone and experience jail time for yourself."

Lee Si-Yeon's eyes quivered with conflict. It seemed like exposing Kang Ill-Gu was a hard decision for her considering that they were planning to get married.

'Well, in that case...time for the final blow,' I thought.

"More than that, how strange...I heard Mr. Kang Ill-Gu is dating Miss Lee Seon-Ah from the recently disbanded School Party. How does he plan to marry you?"

"What? No, no way. Stop lying, Team Lead Jung!" Lee Si-Yeon screamed.

However, it was true that Kang Ill-Gu would marry Lee Seon-Ah a year later and become the envy of entertainment reporters.

"If you don't believe me, you can ask the former talent agent of School Party."

Lee Si-Yeon's hands trembled in shock. "I...I'll testify if what you said is true. Give me that talent agent's number now."

Lee Si-Yeon made a call to the number I gave her. Soon, she ended the call with a shout.

School Party members were notorious for mistreating their talent agents. Hence it was only natural that their former talent spilled the beans on Kang Ill-Gu's relationship with Lee Seon-Ah.

Tears streamed down Lee Si-Yeon's face as she gritted her teeth after ending the call. "I'll testify... I'll ruin that son of a bitch with my own hands!"

With this, I finally had a card to use against Kang Ill-Gu in my hand.

"I'll contact you the day after tomorrow. Just come and testify then. Don't make it harder than it needs to be."

Lee Si-Yeon nodded with her eyes brimming with tears.

At that moment, her phone rang. As soon as Lee Si-Yeon answered, a piercing shout came through.

-Hey, you crazy bitch! What kind of assistant director sets up hidden cameras in an actress' car? Are you out of your mind? Or were you trying to screw me over? The president says he's going to kill me because of you! Get your ass back here right now!

It was MBS' Drama Department Director Kim Gyuk-Shik.

Lee Si-Yeon apologized repeatedly, trying to appease him.

Now, only Kang Ill-Gu remained.

Once Yoo-Jin's live broadcast tomorrow was safely over, I planned to make Kang Ill-Gu pay for using his looks to manipulate others.

***

The MBS' This Morning! crew arrived at the filming site on August 26th at 7:30 in the morning.

Led by PD Lee Heon-Jae, the crew, which consisted of a camera director, reporter, and writers, began coordinating the scenes to be shot live with the staff from In the Name of God.

After I parked my car, I left Yoo-Jin disguised as Jin Yoo-Jung inside and stepped out. Kang Gam-Chan also parked next to me and stretched as he walked over.

"It's starting," Kang Gam-Chan remarked.

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

Kang Gam-Chan looked pale, likely from the stress from the past few days.

"How's your health?" I asked with concern.

"Don't worry about that. More than that, how's Yoo-Jin doing?" Kang Gam-Chan replied.

"She's ready and on standby."

"Good."

My worries vanished upon seeing Kang Gam-Chan's reassuring presence.

At the set, Lee Heon-Jae was already interviewing the main actors.

There were ten minutes left until the 8:30 a.m. live broadcast.

At that moment, Kang Gam-Chan glanced at his watch and chuckled softly. "Ha ha. It's about time it comes out..."

I wondered what he meant when suddenly my phone started ringing with notifications.

Ding-ding!

[(Breaking) In the Name of God's 'Manshin Wol-Ah'. A dual role?]

[(Breaking) An overwhelming performance deceiving the world. Her true identity is...]

[(Breaking) The identity of 'Manshin Wol-Ah'. Revealed live on MBS' This Morning!!]

Although there were still ten minutes until the live broadcast, articles about Manshin Wol-Ah playing a dual role began popping up.

The buzz quickly spread across the set. As the crew started to panic, Kang Gam-Chan gave me a reassuring wink. "Don't you worry. We didn't mention any names or initials."

"Is this really okay?" I asked.

"Of course it is. You need to throw out a teaser to capture public interest."

In less than five minutes, Manshin Wol-Ah topped the portal site's real-time search rankings.

The amount of money Kang Gam-Chan spent on this media play had far exceeded my expectations.

***

The teaser released ten minutes ago had stirred up the set of MBS' In the Name of God.

The sudden news had the staff looking around in confusion.

"Who could it be?"

"Who’s playing a dual role...?"

With Kim Soo-Hee not present on the set, some even speculated that it was her.

"Could it be Mrs. Kim?"

"Do you really think that makes sense? Did you forget the scene where she was acting alongside Manshin Wol-Ah during the last shoot?"

"Oh, right... that happened."

The atmosphere on set was getting chaotic with everyone bewildered. Some staff members approached me with questioning looks.

"Team Lead Jung, who is it?"

"Is it one of the supporting actors?"

They bombarded me with questions, not suspecting Yoo-Jin at all.

I maintained a calm smile while ignoring all the questions and threats.

At that moment, Kim Sung-Woon looked around and called out. "Alright, everyone. We’re about to start shooting, so let’s focus! It's getting too noisy in here~."

Kim Sung-Woon urged the crew to get ready and maintained a composed demeanor.

When the staff took their positions with puzzled expressions, the crew from MBS' This Morning! also finished their preparations.

"Alright. We’re going live now, so everyone stay sharp," said Lee Heon-Jae.

Lee Heon-Jae from This Morning! had been informed of the identity of Manshin Wol-Ah, and it was evident that keeping it a secret was a challenge for him.

With everyone still unaware of Manshin Wol-Ah's identity, Kim Sung-Woon wore a satisfied expression. "Team Lead Jung, call out Mrs. Jin."

"Yes, Mr. Kim."

Today’s scene 111 involved Manshin Wol-Ah meeting her daughter Cheongmyung.

Kim Sung-Woon first called for Jin Yoo-Jung who was playing the role of Manshin Wol-Ah.

I answered and opened the sliding door of the Merciless Bends Springer.

Click.

As the door opened, the recording lights on the cameras of MBS' This Morning! turned on.

'Let the live broadcast begin,' I remarked inwardly with a smile.