Chapter 203

Side Story Chapter 3

Reporter Goo Yangmo had left Hanju Daily three years ago, during the COVID era, and become a Nutuber who dug into everything from politics and society to culture and celebrity scandals.

There really was no one better suited for this kind of work than Goo Yangmo.

Ah, but before that, I should probably make contact with Baek Ina first.

And to get Baek Ina out of JNC Entertainment, I needed another ally.

I took out my phone and called Director Song Jaehyun.

“My goodness, what brings Vice President Min to call me personally? Hahaha.”

Song Jaehyun’s playful voice came through the phone.

“Director, what do you think about casting Baek Ina as the male lead in your next film?”

For a moment, the other end went silent.

Then Song Jaehyun’s joking tone disappeared completely.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? My next film?”

“It’s about time you started writing your next one.”

“That’s not the point.”

His voice was filled with confusion.

“You’re talking about casting someone in a movie I haven’t even written yet, and Baek Ina of all people?”

“There are plenty of writers and directors who write with a particular actor in mind these days.”

“It can help bring the character to life.”

At my slightly forced answer, Song Jaehyun finally seemed to sense that something was off.

“You... something’s going on, isn’t it?”

“Director, are you free this evening?”

“How about a beer? It’s been a while.”

That evening, at a craft beer pub in Itaewon.

Since it was a weekday, the place was fairly quiet.

Song Jaehyun and I sat across from each other in a secluded corner, drinking beer.

The same month I married Gil Boyoung, Song Jaehyun had released Dirty Man, the final film in his Contradiction Trilogy.

And once again, it surpassed ten million admissions within a month.

That meant three of the four films he had made had now crossed the ten-million mark, firmly establishing him as a master filmmaker.

After spending a busy stretch promoting Dirty Man and attending overseas film festivals, Song Jaehyun had recently entered a period of rest.

A plate of fries sat almost untouched on the table between us.

“So?”

Song Jaehyun took a sip of beer and spoke first.

“What exactly did you mean when you suddenly called and asked what I thought of Baek Ina for my next film?”

“I meant exactly what I said.”

“There are plenty of people who write while picturing a particular actor these days.”

“It can help the character feel more alive.”

“You want to play word games with me?”

Song Jaehyun frowned.

“Writing with a vague image of an actor in mind and actually casting them are two different things.”

“And this kind of approach isn’t like you.”

He was right.

Normally, I would never push an actor before the script was even complete.

It was only natural that Song Jaehyun would react like this.

“Director.”

I set down my beer and looked him directly in the eyes.

“I’ll be honest with you.”

“I need a legitimate reason to approach Baek Ina right now.”

“Approach him?”

Song Jaehyun tilted his head.

“What is this, some kind of spy movie?”

“You’re not talking about casting him. You’re talking about approaching him?”

I paused for a moment, organizing how much I could tell him.

Then I slowly spoke.

“Director, I can’t explain everything in detail right now.”

“But please think of it as helping someone who’s in danger.”

“No.”

“Saving them.”

“Saving someone in danger?”

Song Jaehyun stared at me suspiciously, clearly unable to understand.

Then he asked,

“So the person in danger is Baek Ina?”

I neither confirmed nor denied it.

I simply took a drink.

Song Jaehyun sat in thought for a moment.

Then, surprisingly, he answered casually.

“All right.”

“You’re not the type to start some weird scheme for no reason.”

“Do you just need to borrow my name?”

“Or do I actually need to meet him?”

“You need to meet him like you’re seriously considering casting him.”

“Hmm....”

Song Jaehyun rubbed the rough stubble on his chin.

“I know that might feel burdensome for you.”

“I’m not actually asking you to cast Baek Ina in your next movie.”

“No.”

“I’ve always liked Baek Ina’s acting.”

“I might as well take a serious look at him while I’m at it.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“Thank you, Director.”

Song Jaehyun gave me a probing look.

“This thing you’re talking about, saving someone in danger.”

“It’s not actually dangerous, right?”

Instead of answering, I smiled and clinked my glass against his.

The next morning, after parting with Song Jaehyun.

All right.

Time to prepare the next step too.

I called Goo Yangmo.

“Hello?”

His voice sounded like he had just woken up.

“What time do you think it is? You’re still sleeping?”

“This is the privilege of being a freelancer.”

“If you’re jealous, resign as vice president and quit your company.”

“Anyway, why are you calling first thing in the morning?”

Goo Yangmo skipped any greeting and went straight to asking what I wanted.

“This isn’t something to talk about over the phone.”

“When are you free?”

“Is it a tip?”

“You could call it that.”

“If you dig into it properly, I think it could cause quite a stir.”

“Then I’m in.”

His sleepy voice immediately came alive.

“When do you want to meet?”

“How about breakfast tomorrow?”

“Breakfast?”

Goo Yangmo sighed.

“Guess you really hated hearing about the privileges of freelancers.”

“Fine.”

“Tomorrow.”

The next morning, at a Korean restaurant inside a hotel in Jongno.

I arrived ten minutes early and looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the morning cityscape below.

Then Goo Yangmo entered the private room, guided by an employee.

He wore a baseball cap pulled low, a hoodie, and jeans.

At first glance, he looked almost homeless.

“Wow.”

“So this is where executives from major conglomerates eat breakfast.”

“No.”

“Usually I eat at home.”

I smirked.

“But what’s with that outfit?”

“For a second, I thought you were homeless.”

“I checked on the way here, and your subscriber count has gone up a lot.”

“With 2.3 million subscribers, you must be getting plenty of under-the-table money... I mean, advertising deals, right?”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Goo Yangmo shook his clothes indignantly.

“What’s the point of making money when I spend just as much?”

“And since you clearly know nothing about fashion, let me educate you.”

“These are all luxury brands.”

“This hoodie alone costs hundreds of thousands of won.”

“Ah.”

I nodded solemnly.

“Once again, I’m reminded that the finishing touch in fashion isn’t the clothes.”

“It’s the face.”

While we traded jokes, the food I had ordered in advance arrived.

Once we began eating, the conversation turned serious.

“So what’s this source that could cause such a big stir?”

“JNC Entertainment.”

Goo Yangmo’s eyes immediately sharpened.

“Did you just say JNC Entertainment?”

For starters, I tossed out the information I had heard from Moon Changsoo as bait.

“Someone I know happened to see a JNC Entertainment manager taking one of their actresses into a bar.”

“And there was a National Assembly member inside.”

“Ha....”

Goo Yangmo looked at me.

“So that rumor made it all the way to Vice President Min?”

“What?”

“You already knew?”

“Actually, I’ve suspected for a while that something stinks around JNC.”

According to Goo Yangmo, around the time he left Hanju Daily, he had heard rumors that JNC Entertainment regularly took its actresses to suspicious entertainment gatherings.

But in the entertainment industry, agencies often arranged drinking occasions with broadcasting officials or advertisers to promote actors they were trying to push.

So at the time, he had dismissed it.

“But last year, a junior reporter I know was preparing an investigation into JNC Entertainment.”

“And then he got fired.”

“Fired?”

“Well, technically, he wasn’t fired because of that investigation.”

Goo Yangmo explained that when his junior began looking into JNC Entertainment, his superiors never explicitly ordered him to stop.

But they had subtly pressured him not to continue.

“That kid was hungry for a scoop, though.”

“So he kept investigating JNC on his own.”

“And?”

“At first, nothing happened.”

“But less than ten days later, he was reported to the police for accepting money, and the company fired him.”

“Accepting money?”

I tilted my head.

“Yeah.”

“They claimed one of his old articles had actually been paid promotional coverage.”

“He says he was framed.”

“Either way, the timing lined up too perfectly with his JNC investigation, so it always bothered me.”

“And lately I’ve been keeping an eye on JNC too.”

“That company has more questions surrounding it than I expected.”

“Ah....”

While I thought over his words, Goo Yangmo continued.

“But why are you suddenly interested in JNC Entertainment?”

“They don’t have anything to do with Hanshin Media or Big Picture.”

I looked at him with a perfectly serious expression.

“For the realization of a just society.”

Goo Yangmo stared at me blankly, as if I had just said something completely ridiculous.

I smirked.

“What kind of era are we living in?”

“How can an agency use its actresses for political lobbying like that?”

“One rotten fish muddies the whole pond.”

“I can’t just sit back and watch companies like JNC poison the industry.”

“Is that a good enough reason?”

“Ha....”

Goo Yangmo gave me a half-joking, half-serious smile.

“The status of Hanshin Media’s vice president really is impressive.”

“Now you’re even worrying about maintaining order in the entire industry.”

I continued.

“If you covered this on Nutube, wouldn’t the views be insane?”

Goo Yangmo clicked his tongue at my probing tone.

“Tch.”

“At least attach some advertising money before asking me to do something.”

“Huh?”

“This isn’t a request.”

“It’s a tip.”

“If anything, shouldn’t you be thanking me and buying me a meal as the source?”

“Wow.”

“So that’s why you dragged me to a hotel restaurant first thing in the morning.”

“You wanted me to pay for breakfast?”

Goo Yangmo grumbled at my shamelessness.

Then he quickly fell into thought.

I could practically hear the calculator running in his head.

Soon, he seemed to reach a conclusion.

“All right.”

“Fine.”

“Let’s dig into it.”

As expected.

“I’ll help as much as I can.”

“But investigate it thoroughly.”

“And be careful.”

“Don’t worry.”

“This isn’t my first time doing something like this.”

“But remember what you said.”

“You’ll help as much as you can.”

Goo Yangmo smiled confidently.

After parting with him, I organized the next steps in my mind.

For now, while Goo Yangmo searched for physical evidence of JNC Entertainment’s wrongdoing, I needed to check on Baek Ina’s condition myself.

Then I suppose it’s time to knock on JNC Entertainment’s door.