Free Web NovelThe name that came out of Hong Sunghyuk’s mouth was an unexpected one.
“The head of production and distribution for this movie, Director Seo Hyeongjun of JC Entertainment, is backing Lee Songhee. The rumors are all over the industry. She stars in most of the films JC Entertainment invests in, and nearly all of her commercials are under JC affiliates.”
Seo Hyeongjun—he was part of JC Group’s collateral branch. As far as I knew, he was a young man who had just passed thirty.
And yet he was sponsoring Lee Songhee, who was past forty.
Even without Lee Songhee, he could easily have supported any other celebrity.
It didn’t make sense, so I had to ask again.
“Are you sure it’s Seo Hyeongjun backing Lee Songhee? What could he possibly gain from that?”
“I’m not sure if it’s sponsorship or some other connection, but it’s true that he personally handles her advertisements and roles. My guess is that there’s a politician involved behind the scenes.”
“Ah, that would make sense.”
If Seo Hyeongjun was backing Lee Songhee on someone else’s request, everything fit.
Being a third-generation chaebol from JC’s collateral line, he might have joined hands with a politician to secure his footing.
Having a politician involved made things messy—but not difficult.
“I understand. Give Jiyoung a ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) few days off from filming. Even if she insists on going, don’t let her. If she keeps pushing, tell her to call me. Then she’ll stop.”
“Understood.”
Hong Sunghyuk bowed again. He seemed relieved knowing I would handle it personally.
“Go ahead then, and make sure Jiyoung gets home safely.”
“Yes, I’ll do that.”
Hong Sunghyuk opened the passenger door and got into the car.
“Ha... this is ridiculous.”
No matter how I thought about it, it left a bad taste. All that harassment, just because she had a flimsy backer.
I was still thinking about how to remove Lee Songhee from the film when the window of the departing van rolled down.
“Oppa, don’t push yourself too hard! I’m sorry!”
Cheon Jiyoung leaned out the window and waved her hand apologetically.
I turned my head and waved back at her.
Soon the window closed and the van smoothly left the filming site.
“Let’s go too.”
We moved toward the open lot where my car was parked. There, waiting for me, was Lee Songhee.
The moment she saw me, she approached with a proud, deliberate stride.
“Hey, you.”
God, what a pain. I frowned, and Lee Songhee narrowed her eyes sharply, running her gaze up and down my body.
“I told you to send your lawyer the lawsuit papers. I’m not in the mood for this, so leave.”
“Well, I’ll handle that myself, so mind your own business. I just can’t shake the feeling that you’re not some ordinary relative. What kind of cousin does all this? What’s really between you two? Don’t worry, I’ll keep it a secret.”
“When it came to Jiyoung, you twisted every word to your liking, but now you can’t understand plain speech? Stop being a nuisance and get lost.”
Honestly, I didn’t even want to reply, but the image of how she had treated Cheon Jiyoung came to mind, so I deliberately mocked her.
When there were people around, she used to raise her voice for everyone to see. But now, she only bit her lip and swallowed her anger.
So she had some sense of self-preservation after all. Just as I was about to walk past her, a hand suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“I’m not done talking yet!”
I looked down at Lee Songhee, who had seized my arm, and spoke in a flat, cold tone.
“Miss Lee Songhee, don’t lay your hands on me again. This is your last warning.”
Perhaps startled by the chill in my voice, she released my wrist with a blank expression.
“I’m only holding back for Jiyoung’s sake. So disappear. Now.”
Ignoring her frozen expression, I headed toward my car.
She glared at me, eyes blazing with humiliation, as I passed by.
I left the set without another glance.
“By the time we arrive in Pyeongchang-dong, I want every detail on Lee Songhee. Family, friends, agency—everything connected to her. Find it all.”
I gave the order to Manager Ma and closed my eyes.
As soon as we reached Pyeongchang-dong, I went straight into my study.
A few minutes later, Manager Ma knocked and came in holding a thick stack of documents.
“Boss, here’s the information on Lee Songhee.”
“Faster than expected.”
Taking the rather hefty pile, I told him,
“Sit down. I’ll take a look.”
I opened the file and began reviewing it page by page.
There wasn’t enough time to dig deep, so it only contained basic information—but it was enough to get a grasp of her.
“Hmm... She spent years doing bit parts without recognition, then suddenly rose to fame. Been in the industry a long time too. If she were a little younger, she’d still be treated as a leading actress.”
In the entertainment world, even the most popular stars naturally drifted away from lead roles as they aged.
And for a minor actress with no name recognition to suddenly become this active—it couldn’t happen without connections.
“She’s appeared in almost every JC Entertainment production.”
From a certain point onward, nearly all her projects carried JC Entertainment’s label.
So it was certain that Seo Hyeongjun was backing her.
Even without reading further, I could see where this was going. I tossed the file onto the table.
“I’ll have to meet this Seo Hyeongjun tomorrow.”
“Yes, I’ll arrange it.”
“And check the basement—see if there’s any footage or records related to Assemblyman Jeong Chanseong in the ledgers.”
Separate from Jiyoung’s issue, I still needed to send a warning to Yoon Chang-ho.
If Jeong Chanseong and Lee Songhee were connected, I could deal with them both at once.
Manager Ma bowed and left the study to check the ledgers. I stood and turned on my computer.
I searched for articles about the Iraq War. The invasion hadn’t begun yet, but the atmosphere was practically war already.
Last time, Bush had launched the assault right after his declaration, but now that they had enough justification, they were taking their time.
‘Will they strike before the World Cup?’
I glanced through the articles, thinking of the upcoming Korea-Japan World Cup just around the corner.
It was a long-awaited festival, breathing life back into a Korea still scarred by the IMF crisis.
Hopefully it wouldn’t be overshadowed by the war.
I continued browsing the news until Manager Ma returned.
He’d taken a while—probably searching for both the ledgers and the tapes.
“Found anything?”
“Yes. Both the ledger and the video exist.”
“Oh? Really?”
This was going smoother than expected. I took the ledger he handed over.
“If there’s drug involvement too, that would be perfect.”
The amount listed was around five hundred million won.
If it were from a company, that wasn’t much—but as a bribe from the Chinese underworld, it was a significant sum.
Enough to turn into a serious scandal.
“Let’s check the video.”
I closed the ledger and moved to the sofa.
Manager Ma inserted the tape into the player and pressed play.
The familiar face that appeared on-screen made me nod.
“This should be enough to tie the bribery charge and take Jeong Chanseong down at once.”
“Yes, Boss. Once a politician gets caught in a sex scandal, it’s over.”
But then, another figure appeared on the screen.
The moment I saw the woman standing beside Jeong Chanseong, the words slipped out of my mouth.
“Why is that woman here?”
The next day.
I arrived at JC Entertainment’s headquarters.
Seo Hyeongjun was waiting by the entrance. He smiled warmly and called out first.
“Mr. Kim Muhyuk?”
“Yes, that’s me. You must be Mr. Seo Hyeongjun? Nice to meet you.”
We shook hands lightly.
“An honor to finally meet the man I’ve heard so much about, haha.”
For a chaebol heir, he was surprisingly sociable.
“Let’s head to my office—too many eyes here.”
Following his lead, Manager Ma and I entered his office.
It was unexpectedly modest. For a third-generation chaebol, I had expected something more extravagant.
“What would you like to drink?”
“Coffee, please.”
“Secretary Hong, two coffees.”
When Seo pressed the button on his desk, Manager Ma spoke curtly.
“I’ll pass.”
He stayed standing behind me, silent and alert.
Noticing him, Seo told the secretary to bring just two cups and sat down across from me.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Kim. I was surprised when you suddenly asked to meet.”
“Oh? I assumed you already knew why I wanted to see you.”
“Ah, about Miss Lee Songhee?”
As expected, he already knew. Seo shrugged and laughed lightly.
“That woman doesn’t even know who you are. How could she?”
A knock came, and the secretary entered with the coffee.
After placing the cups before us, she bowed and left the room.
“Let’s talk over some coffee.”
Seo seemed relaxed.
I decided to play along for now and lifted my cup.
“I’d appreciate it if you could just let this matter go. Please send Miss Cheon Jiyoung back to the set. The schedule’s already off track. If this drags on, reporters might catch wind of it. You know how gossip works—if Miss Cheon wants a long career, she can’t afford that kind of attention.”
I paused mid-sip and looked at him.
“There’s nothing to gain from escalating this. If someone important to Lee Songhee steps in, things could get messy.”
“You mean Assemblyman Jeong Chanseong?”
For the first time, Seo’s smile faded.
“You knew?”
“I found out while looking into Lee Songhee.”
“Hmm... Not many people know that.”
“There’s no such thing as a secret in this world.”
Seo set down his cup with a curious expression.
“That makes this conversation easier. Yesterday, Lee Songhee called Assemblyman Jeong Chanseong. Asked him to drive Cheon Jiyoung out of the industry. He contacted me directly, ordering me to terminate her contract.”
“If it’s too much of a burden, go ahead and do it.”
“Come now, why would I want to make an enemy of you, Mr. Kim? Lee Songhee isn’t my person anyway. If both sides want peace, I can mediate. Wouldn’t that be better? Besides, the assemblyman doesn’t even know you were at the set yesterday.”
If Jeong Chanseong had known about my connection to Jiyoung, would he have acted that way?
No—no matter how obsessed with a woman he might be, he wouldn’t risk crossing me.
But knowing that didn’t mean I would let it slide.
I pretended to consider it, and Seo continued with a troubled smile.
“Honestly, I’m in a tough spot. If I side with Miss Cheon, I’ll face the assemblyman’s wrath. But if I side with Lee Songhee, I’ll face yours. So please, spare me.”
Despite his words, there was not a trace of fear on his face.
‘So the Seo family had someone like this, huh?’
He was essentially saying, “You handle her, and I’ll pretend I saw nothing.”
Barely past thirty, yet cunning like an old fox.
“Tell me something. Why are you so submissive to Assemblyman Jeong? I can’t wrap my head around it.”
“When a chaebol heir and a politician join hands, it’s always for mutual benefit.”
“Mutual benefit, huh.”
Too predictable—but that made him even easier to use.
As I stared at him in silence, he mistook it for another meaning and shrugged.
“You know how it is. If Assemblyman Jeong sends a tax investigation our way, we’re doomed. The entertainment business is... flexible, depending on how they look at it.”
“Hmm... Did you tell him about me?”
Seo shook his head.
“No reason to. I doubt even Lee Songhee mentioned you to him. She probably only told him what worked in her favor—‘Cheon Jiyoung disrespected me. I can’t film with her!’”
He even mimicked her tone. He must have suffered plenty under her whims.
“Still, he’s a former prosecutor and a three-term lawmaker. It’s not wise to pick a fight with someone like that. So let me mediate.”
I smiled faintly. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
“No need. They’ll both fall on their own. Ah, though that might cause issues for the production. Let me make you an offer. I’ll cover the entire production budget for this movie. So step back.”
At my words, Seo Hyeongjun’s expression turned puzzled.
