Chapter 162: Park Eun-Sung (2)

Chapter 162: Park Eun-Sung (2)

The next morning after sleeping at the hotel, Park Eun-Sung followed me to my place because he felt uneasy about going back alone and eventually gave in.

"I have to head over to the site now. I hope your agency's re-signing issue gets resolved well. See you next time," I said while getting ready to leave the apartment.

The moment I showed him out, Park Eun-Sung grabbed my arm. "Wait, just a moment. Just a moment! Don't do this and let's talk!"

He was finally starting to come around as he had a schedule to attend today and there was no one to rely on.

Among those who became celebrities at a young age, there were those so socially awkward they couldn't even take the subway alone or buy something in a store. And Park Eun-Sung was exactly that type.

Having been cared for by his mother when he was young and by his talent agent when he was older, it was only natural that he felt utterly lost when left to his own devices.

But here, I had to push him away one more time.

I replied politely, "The people chasing after you yesterday looked like gangsters to me. I'd rather not get further involved in such matters, Mr. Park Eun-Sung."

Park Eun-Sung exclaimed, "Assistant Manager Jung! I want to sign a contract with you. Whatever the conditions are, I'll agree to them. I'm not the type to ask for such favors, but please. Consider it saving a life and help me out!"

The pride of a top star was completely broken. Now was the time to accept his plea. If I were to hurt his pride any further, he might just leave and let things fall where they may.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked.

Park Eun-Sung nodded. "Of course."

"I hope you won't change your mind."

"Never! I will never change my mind. I'll even sign a document stating I insisted on this contract if you want. Please... just get me out of Blue Entertainment!"

It was a success.

With a reluctant expression, I gave the instructions I had already planned in advance.

"Alright. Then let's cancel all of your schedules today."

"Cancel them all?"

Park Eun-Sung had never canceled his schedule even once ever since his debut. He was understandably taken aback by how the first request from the new company he was about to sign with was to cancel all his schedules.

"Oh, that's a bit...I mean, there's a contract at stake..." Park Eun-Sung stuttered. Get the latest novels on novelbin(.)c/om

"You agreed to listen to everything I say, didn't you?" I replied.

"But, but what about the penalty for breach of contract?"

"I will take care of that issue cleanly."

After a moment of hesitation, Park Eun-Sung finally nodded as he had no one else to trust but Hoop Entertainment now.

I reassured Park Eun-Sung and immediately called the company.

It was time to reel in the big fish.

***

[(Breaking News) Popular star Park Eun-Sung attacked by thugs!]

[(Exclusive) Park Eun-Sung admitted to Kangbuk Samsung Hospital! Currently unconscious!]

While selecting a new drama for Woo Sung-Chan, a rookie actor in Actor Division 3, Kim Dong-Soo saw the entertainment news flash and burst into laughter.

"There's never a dull moment in this industry, huh?"

Ju Ho-Sung, who was seated next to Kim Dong-Soo, chuckled and nodded. "Never. But isn't that what makes this job interesting?"

At that moment, Kim Dong-Soo received a call from Nal-Sae whom he had sent to dig up information on Jung Yoon-Ho.

Kim Dong-Soo quickly answered the call. "Did you find something?"

-That guy was once scouted by a gang called Kanghan Inc. back in his high school days.

"Are you sure?"

-I'll send you a photo, take a look.

A photo was sent to Kim Dong-Soo's phone. In the photo, the frowning Jung Yoon-Ho was seen among many other gangsters in a barbeque restaurant.

-It's a photo from Kanghan Inc.'s bonding event. You can see Jung Yoon-Ho on the right side, see?

"Is this supposed to be proof of membership?"

-No, it was his acquaintance who joined, not him.

Knowing Jung Yoon-Ho was from an orphanage, Kim Dong-Soo thought he must have caused trouble at some point. And if any misdeeds were uncovered, he planned to use them as a pretext to fire him.

However, reports from Nal-Sae indicated that Jung Yoon-Ho was an elite athlete who dreamt of being a national representative and led a dull life focused solely on sports. He even ran out after just taking a photo at a dinner with a subsidiary organization of gangsters.

"Then why did you send this photo? You wouldn't have sent it without a reason, right?"

Nal-Sae's laughter could be heard over the phone.

But I turned my back on Kang Eun-Gi and left.

As soon as I graduated from high school, I headed to Seoul. It was time to leave the orphanage anyway, and I felt that staying there would eventually drag me into that world.

Kang Eun-Gi visited me occasionally after that and even stayed over at my dormitory. On the surface, our friendship remained unchanged, but I no longer considered him a friend after that day five years ago.

Yet it seemed Kang Eun-Gi still thought of me as a friend.

"It's been a long time, Yoon-Ho." Kang Eun-Gi greeted me.

Our group was puzzled and surprised when Kang Eun-Gi greeted me.

"Team Lead Jung. Do you know Mr. Kang?" Gu Seong-Cheol asked.

It was Kang Eun-Gi who answered Gu Seong-Cheol's question instead of me.

"We've been close since we were kids," Kang Eun-Gi replied.

But I immediately countered Kang Eun-Gi's words. "We're not friends. I'd rather not see him if possible."

"Look at you get all prickly and stuff. But I didn't know you were involved in this until I came. I wouldn't have come here like this if I had known," Kang Eun-Gi replied.

"What do you mean I'm involved?" I asked.

"Why are you playing dumb? The Merciless Bends that day. That was you," Kang Eun-Gi retorted.

I feigned ignorance. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kang Eun-Gi sighed deeply. "I understand that you want Park Eun-Sung in your company. But it's not honorable to poach such a prized asset like that, is it?"

'A thug, and not just any thug but one who rose to be a close aide to a gang leader in Gyeonggi, talking about honor. What kind of world am I living in?' I remarked inwardly.

"Anyway, I don't want to fight with you, Yoon-Ho. So back off now. I'll make sure you're well compensated," Kang Eun-Gi added.

But that wasn't an option. At my signal, Gu Seong-Cheol handed over a document.

"Before you talk about honor or compensation, please take a look at this."

[Request for Termination of Exclusive Contract]

Kang Eun-Gi's eyes widened as he saw the document, and Gu Seong-Cheol began to reveal information we had dug up.

Through a private security camera, it was revealed that those who followed Park Eun-Sung were employees of Kanghan Entertainment. Our information team also found evidence that Kanghan Entertainment owned shares in Blue Entertainment.

The photos of the men who had followed Park Eun-Sung were also part of the evidence.

With each piece of evidence presented, Lee Yung-Cheol of Blue Entertainment shouted, "This, this is a fraud! It's a breach of contract!"

"Is that so? Do you think such excuses will work even if it's revealed that Kanghan Entertainment and Blue Entertainment were behind the attempted abduction of Park Eun-Sung?" Gu Seong-Cheol questioned.

Lee Yung-Cheol was left speechless.

Kwak Moo-Hyuk presented another document and said, "Mr. Park Eun-Sung has expressed his intention to sue all related parties if Blue Entertainment does not comply with the termination of his contract. The lawsuit is right here."

Kang Eun-Gi sighed and turned to Lee Yung-Cheol. "President Lee. Is this document legitimate?"

"Ah, that's...well..." Lee Yung-Cheol stuttered, unable to give a reply.

"Judging by how you can't give a clear answer, I guess I know enough. Please see yourself out first," Kang Eun-Gi replied coldly.

"W-wait, Mr. Kang! Let me talk about this before..." Lee Yung-Seok pleaded.

Barely able to contain his anger, Kang Eun-Gi replied, "There's no need to. It's all over. Go back to the office and wait. We'll talk later."

Kang Eun-Gi's eyes flashed like those of a wolf. The twitching of the scar above his right eyebrow indicated he was extremely angry.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Kang Eun-Gi spoke again.

"Let's not drag this out and make it messy. Let's wrap it up cleanly."

"What do you propose?" I asked.

"We'll hand over Park Eun-Sung. But in return, take down all the articles by tomorrow. And make sure our company's name is never mentioned again," Kang Eun-Gi replied.

As expected, Kang Eun-Gi and Kanghan Entertainment were extremely wary of media exposure.

Only a few people knew that Kanghan Entertainment was a company founded on the backbone of a major organized crime group. Having been established to launder the dirty money of Kanghan Inc., its parent organization, Kanghan Entertainment needed to avoid media attention.

Knowing this, I had deliberately left room for negotiation by publishing the articles by not informing the reporters that the newly established Kanghan Entertainment was behind this incident.

"Understood. As a gesture of goodwill for stepping back gracefully, we'll transfer the profits corresponding to the remaining three months of the contract period to your company. We'll send over the documents, so please have your lawyer review them and get back to us." I replied.

Kang Eun-Gi nodded. "Okay. Let's do that."

Then, he turned to those around him and said, "Could everyone please leave the room? I need to have a word with my friend."

There was a moment of murmuring, but no one left.

At that moment, Kang Eun-Gi frowned and said sharply, "Take the hint and leave. Otherwise, forget about the contract and I'll turn everything upside down."

The atmosphere began to tense up at Kang Eun-Gi's sudden outburst.