Chapter 122
Then why is Bongsim’s character drawn here?
The webtoon Can You Hear My Heart? had begun serialization in the spring of 2019, before COVID.
At the time, I was working as a producer at a film company where Kang Jooyoung was the planning team leader.
I used to read Can You Hear My Heart? on my commute, packed into crowded subway trains.
Anyway, the webtoon artist Gold Stick had appeared like a comet in 2019 with Can You Hear My Heart?
After that, he released Ask the Stars and All Kinds of Stories, and all three works received enormous love from the public.
The adaptation rights to all three were sold to famous production companies.
Among them, the rights to Can You Hear My Heart? were sold to Hollywood, and it was scheduled to be made into an original series for the OTT platform Network Flex in 2025.
Of course, I regressed before that happened, so I never got to see it.
Wait.
Then could Noh Geumbong actually be the webtoon artist Gold Stick?!
Come to think of it... Geumbong. Gold Stick.
Ha... what kind of naming sense is that?
Compared with the art style from his prime, it was still a little rough and unrefined.
But there was no mistake.
This was definitely the drawing style of webtoon artist Gold Stick.
Now that I think about it, Gold Stick debuted as a webtoon artist right after Chopung was exposed through MeToo and pushed out of the industry.
Then could it be...
Was he unable to debut all this time because of Chopung?
Yes.
If Chopung had held a grudge over this incident and deliberately blocked Noh Geumbong, or rather Gold Stick, from debuting, then the timing of his eventual debut made perfect sense.
The moment that thought occurred to me, I became even more determined.
I absolutely had to get Noh Geumbong and Woo Seungcheol out of the police station safely.
And now that I knew this...
There was no way I could simply leave Chopung alone.
Just then, Do Kijeong held up one of the drawing books.
“Kibaek, could this be it?!”
On one side of a drawing Noh Geumbong had made, there was a phone number written beside the name Im Seulgi.
“You said you couldn’t remember her name, right?”
Do Kijeong pointed at it.
“I think Im Seulgi might be the female assistant.”
Im Seulgi?
I remembered the details of the scandal fairly clearly.
But I couldn’t remember the name of the woman who had exposed Chopung through MeToo.
Then again, it had happened a long time ago.
“Let’s call her first and see if she’s the right person.”
After several rings, a woman answered.
“Hello?”
“Hello. Is this Ms. Im Seulgi’s phone?”
“Yes. This is Im Seulgi. Who is this?”
“Ah, I’m sorry to contact you out of nowhere, but did you once work as an assistant under Writer Chopung?”
The line immediately went silent.
“Hello?”
“Hello?”
For a moment, I wondered if she had hung up.
Then finally, her voice returned.
“Yes... I did.”
Her tone had become cautious.
“Why are you asking?”
“Actually, the assistant who worked under Writer Chopung after you, Noh Geumbong, is a junior I’m close with.”
“There’s been a problem between him and Writer Chopung, and he’s currently at the police station.”
“The police station?”
Im Seulgi’s voice trembled in surprise.
“Yes.”
“He’s in a very unfair situation right now.”
I explained that Noh Geumbong had worked for Chopung without properly receiving his wages.
A conflict had broken out because of it, and now he was giving a statement to the police.
There was even a chance he might end up going to prison.
“And that’s not all.”
I continued.
“Writer Chopung is openly threatening to make sure Geumbong never works in this industry again.”
Silence fell over the line.
I swallowed dryly.
For a moment, I worried that even after hearing all this, Im Seulgi might refuse to get involved.
Then, after a long pause, her voice came through.
“What... do you want me to do?”
Yes.
I almost cheered out loud.
I quickly continued.
“Well, because of the situation, we thought it would be helpful to meet people who used to work under Writer Chopung.”
“We want to ask whether he also exploited other assistants’ labor or verbally abused them the way he did Geumbong...”
“A petition?”
Im Seulgi interrupted.
“Are you asking me to write something like a petition?”
A petition?
That wasn’t actually what I wanted.
But right now, the important thing was meeting Im Seulgi in person.
So I went along with it.
“Yes. Something like that.”
Silence returned.
This time, it didn’t last long.
“If it’s something like that, I’ll help.”
“Really?”
I immediately sat up.
“Thank you. Seriously, thank you.”
“When would be convenient for you?”
“Would today work?”
I immediately realized I sounded too desperate.
“Ah, sorry. I’m just in a hurry.”
“Tell me a time and place, and we’ll come to you.”
I hurried to arrange the meeting before she could change her mind.
“Then... tomorrow at seven in the evening.”
“Understood.”
“Thank you. Really.”
“We’ll come to you at seven.”
I ended the call.
Do Kijeong, who had been holding his breath and listening beside me, finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Kibaek, you’re seriously amazing.”
He gave me a thumbs-up.
“I didn’t even think about getting a petition from her.”
He clearly believed I wanted to meet Im Seulgi simply to obtain a petition.
I thought for a moment before answering.
“Hyung.”
“If we’re already using a petition, that means Seungcheol and Geumbong have reached the point of going to trial.”
Only then did Do Kijeong seem to realize something.
“Ah.”
“You’re right.”
