Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 478: Hong Sung-Beom

I whispered, "Reverse Entertainment is backed by none other than Mr. Choi Eun-Tae."

Kim Seung-Moon's eyes widened in shock. "You mean... Chairman Choi Eun-Tae of Myeongdong?"

While Reverse Entertainment's president, Kang Eun-Gi, had no intention of seeking help from his father, Choi Eun-Tae himself wouldn't stand idly by if his son's company was attacked.

"Shh. Keep this a secret."

Kim Seung-Moon hurriedly closed his mouth and nodded.

I continued, "So there's no need to worry. And aside from that, I've prepared plenty of other measures."

While I mentioned Reverse Entertainment to ease Kim Seung-Moon's concerns, my real plan for taking down Hong Sung-Beom relied on the future events recorded in my planner.

[Everyday V12]

[Date: January 15, 2021]

-11:00 p.m: Highlight Daily reports HK Apparel accused of slashing subcontractor prices (Meeting Agenda: HK Apparel ad discussion about Park Seung-Joo halted.)

[Everyday V12]

[Date: May 15, 2021]

-11:00 p.m: Highlight Daily reports HK's Executive Director Hong Sung-Beom under investigation for inheritance tax evasion (Meeting Agenda: HK Apparel ad discussion about Jo Min-Sung halted.)

Before the regression, allegations of price-cutting against subcontractors and inheritance tax evasion surfaced once Hong Sung-Beom became the president of HK Apparel. The prosecution was eager to act and opened investigations based on whistleblower reports as if waiting.

However, those cases ended with mere fines and suspended sentences because the prosecutors assigned to the cases had already been bought off by HK Inc.

Each time, Hoop Entertainment's actors were caught in the fallout and halted advertising negotiations to avoid damaging their reputations. Those events had been recorded in my planner. And now, I intended to pass that information to Seo Jae-Ill, someone HK Inc couldn't manipulate.

I said, "From what I know, HK Apparel is currently involved in price-cutting schemes and inheritance tax evasion. Is that correct?"

Kim Seung-Moon blinked in disbelief. "How... how do you know that?"

"I've already handed the information over to a principled prosecutor who can't be influenced by HK Inc. I've set the wheels in motion, so all I need from you is a helping hand."

After a moment of contemplation, Kim Seung-Moon lowered his head slowly. "With everything you've done, how could I possibly refuse? I apologize for holding out for so long."

"It's understandable. You were worried about your family."

"I'll prepare the necessary materials as quickly as possible. And from now on, I'll rely on you to protect my family and me."

I smiled and raised Kim Seung-Moon's chin gently. "Of course."

Looking more assured, Kim Seung-Moon asked curiously, "I get Miss Yoo-Jin's case, but what's your connection to Miss An-Na? Why do you hate Director Hong so much on her behalf?"

"An-Na is no different from my family."

When I explained that we grew up together in the same orphanage, Kim Seung-Moon nodded in understanding. "I didn't realize... I'm sorry."

Having endured everything for his own family, Kim Seung-Moon could relate to my perspective. He firmly promised to share every detail he knew.

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I smiled and said, "Let's put the past behind us. It's not like you wanted to do any of this."

With that, I made a video call to Lee Soo-Chan.

"Mr. Kim has agreed to join. Please send over the legal team right away."

-I already did.

"Already?"

-Come on, hyung-nim. If you're the one stepping up, how can anyone resist your persuasion?

I had told Lee Soo-Chan to send the legal team over after I successfully persuaded Kim Seung-Moon, but he had sent them as soon as he got my call from the emergency room.

Just as Lee Soo-Chan finished his words, Reverse Entertainment's Legal Director Lim Hyung-Joo and lawyer Choi Dae-Gyu appeared in the emergency room.

"They just got here."

-That's great. You can talk things over with them

"Got it."

The two lawyers approached me and greeted me with utmost politeness, treating me as though I were Reverse Entertainment's honorary representative.

Lim Hyung-Joo asked, "We've been briefed by Mr. Lee and prepared a job transition contract. Shall we proceed?"

Kim Seung-Moon struggled to sit up. "I'll sign it right now."

Though he was barely coherent, he seemed to realize this might be his only chance.

Kim Seung-Moon signed the contract with a shaky hand, officially marking the beginning of his transition to Reverse Entertainment. Now, it was time to shift focus to dismantling Hong Sung-Beom.

"Mr. Kim, how much evidence do you have?"

"There should be plenty if I search through my files. I'll document everything I can recall as soon as I recover."

Just then, commotion erupted at the emergency room entrance and four men in black suits entered. I could tell they were from HK Security Systems at a glance.

HK Security Systems was a private security firm used by HK Inc to handle matters quietly. It was obvious that Hong Sung-Beom had sent them to retrieve Kim Seung-Moon.

'What a cowardly bastard.'

The men in suits scanned the room until their eyes landed on us, then they began walking in our direction upon finding Kim Seung-Moon.

Before they could get far, the hospital's security guards intercepted them. "What do you think you're doing here?"

One of the HK Security men replied coldly, "We're here to transfer Mr. Kim Seung-Moon to a hospital we manage."

"I'm afraid you cannot do that."

The security guards and doctors blocked the HK Security men's path.

Taking advantage of the standoff, I quickly called Seo Jae-Ill.

"Mr. Seo. Hong Sung-Beom has sent HK Security Systems to Yonseo University Hospital's emergency room. Could you send the police over right now?"

-I'm nearby. I'll be there shortly.

Instead of dispatching officers, Seo Jae-Ill claimed he was coming himself.

In the meantime, two of the HK Security men restrained the hospital guards while the remaining two approached us.

The apparent leader of the group addressed Kim Seung-Moon in a low voice. "Mr. Kim, we're here to escort you."

Before I could respond, Lim Hyung-Joo stepped forward. "You can't cause such a disturbance in a hospital. Let's discuss this elsewhere."

The HK Security leader slapped Lim Hyung-Joo's hand away and sneered. "Move aside. We have no business with you!"

But Lim Hyung-Joo didn't back down. "Attempted murder, aggravated assault, conspiracy to kidnap—are you prepared for all of these charges to land on Director Hong Sung-Beom?"

"Who the hell are you?"

Lim Hyung-Joo pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it over. "I'm Lim Hyung-Joo, Legal Director of Reverse Entertainment."

The HK Security leader glanced at the card and scoffed. "Take that up with our HK Inc legal team."

For a moment, I considered whether I would have to intervene physically until Seo Jae-Ill arrived. But before it came to that, a new group entered the emergency room.

"Arrest them all!"

Leading the charge was Seo Jae-Ill, flanked by investigators from the prosecution. The investigators surrounded the HK Security men, who froze as they realized they were outnumbered.

"What is this? Let go of me!"

"W-we were just following orders!"

"Sir...!"

Unlike their confident demeanor when they first entered, they were clearly overwhelmed and anxious.

Seo Jae-Ill turned around and ordered, "Mr. Choi, take them all out of here."

"Yes, sir!"

With that, the four men were escorted out without a chance to fight back.

I turned to Seo Jae-Ill. "I didn't expect you to come in person. Thank you."

Seo Jae-Ill patted his chest confidently. "I was nearby wrapping up another case, so I figured I'd handle this myself. Leave the rest to me."

While Seo Jae-Ill spoke with Kim Seung-Moon, I stepped outside and called Choi So-Hye.

At that moment, I noticed the entries tied to Hong Sung-Beom's future in the planner disappeared.

[Everyday V12]

[Date: January 15, 2021]

-11:00 p.m <Schedule Deleted>

(Deleted Schedule: Highlight Daily reports HK Apparel accused of slashing subcontractor prices (Meeting Agenda: HK Apparel ad discussion about Park Seung-Joo halted.))

[Everyday V12]

[Date: May 15, 2021]

-11:00 p.m <Schedule Deleted>

(Deleted Schedule: Highlight Daily reports HK's Executive Director Hong Sung-Beom under investigation for inheritance tax evasion (Meeting Agenda: HK Apparel ad discussion about Jo Min-Sung halted.))

***

Hong Sung-Beom hurled his phone at the wall after receiving a call from HK Security Systems.

Crash!

The phone shattered upon impact.

"Shit..."

After returning to the office earlier, Hong Sung-Beom had ordered the security team to locate Kim Seung-Moon. It wasn't long before they reported his location at Yonseo University Hospital and had been deployed to retrieve him, planning to silence him.

But the plan failed spectacularly. Not only did they fail to retrieve Kim Seung-Moon but every member of the security team had been arrested by Seo Jae-Ill.

"Fuck! Fuck! What do I do now?!"

After a brief frenzy, Hong Sung-Beom reached a conclusion.

"I have no choice but to tell Father."

Hong Seong-Beom convinced himself that his father, Chairman Hong Moon-Gyu of the HK Inc, could cover everything up.

Just as he steeled himself to make the call, the door to his office swung open.

Bang!

Standing in the doorway were none other than Hong Moon-Gyu and HK Apparel's president Gu Wang-Soo.

At seventy-years-old, Hong Moon-Gyu was an imposing figure standing tall at 180cm with a straight posture and thick eyebrows that exuded authority.

"Father..."

Hong Sung-Beom prepared to plead for help, as his father had always taken his side no matter what trouble he caused.

But before he could get another word out, Hong Moon-Gyu stormed over and slapped him across the face.

Smack!

"Ugh!"

Hong Sung-Beom staggered and clutched his cheek. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected his father to hit him. After all, this was the man who had always cleaned up his messes without so much as lifting a finger against him.

Hong Moon-Gyu roared, "You fool! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

Still holding his stinging cheek, Hong Sung-Beom muttered, "This... this is nothing..."

But before he could finish, Hong Moon-Gyu picked up a long nameplate from the desk and swung it at Hong Sung-Beom's head.

Thwack!

Hong Sung-Beom screamed and clutched his head in pain. "Aghhh!"

"Pathetic idiot! The prosecution is moving against us because of you!"

"Ugh... W-what?"

"They've found evidence of price-cutting at Apparel and are using it to launch a full-scale investigation into the group!"

"T-then just use the legal team to suppress it! What about our prosecutors? Can't we ask them to take care of it...?"

"That won't work. The lead prosecutor is Seo Jae-Ill, the rising star of the judiciary. The media's already involved!"

Clutching his head, Hong Sung-Beom stammered, "But Father...with your influence, you can still fix this, right?"

Hong Moon-Gyu's eyes burned with fury as he snapped, "Why should I?"

"P-pardon?"

"I have four sons and one daughter. I'm not about to let the entire family fall apart just to save you!"

The implication was clear: If necessary, he wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice his own son.

The stunned Hong Sung-Beom fell to his knees upon seeing his father's demeanor completely different from before. "Father, please! Help me!"

Hong Moon-Gyu grinded his teeth and growled, "Kneeling won't fix this!"

"Th-then what?"

"You'll take the fall alone. Don't let this spread any further."

"P-please, Father! I'm sorry! I don't want to go to prison!"

Hong Moon-Gyu furrowed his brows as he was conflicted. Despite every trouble he had caused until now, Hong Sung-Beom had always been his favored son. For a brief moment, he contemplated whether or not he should save Hong Sung-Beom.

But at that moment, the door to the executive office burst open and a secretary from the office entered with an alarmed expression.

The secretary froze upon seeing Hong Moon-Gyu and bowed deeply. "M-Mr. Hong! There's a major problem and...Oh, Mr. Chairman!"

Hong Moon-Gyu demanded. "What major problem?"

The secretary hesitated before cautiously continuing. "Articles targeting Mr. Hong Sung-Beom are flooding in across multiple outlets."

"What? Show me!"

The secretary handed over a tablet, which displayed headlines marked with breaking news banners.

Security camera footage showed Hong Sung-Beom viciously kicking someone. The later footage revealed the person being kicked to be Kim Seung-Moon, who appeared to clutch his chest as if dying. The video also included the shocking scene of Hong Sung-Beom fleeing without attempting CPR.

[(Breaking News) HK Apparel's Executive Director Hong Sung-Beom fled as an employee suffered a heart attack!]

[(Breaking News) Late-night visit to a run-down villa: What was Executive Director Hong Sung-Beom doing there?]

[(Breaking News) HK Apparel accused of subcontractor price-cutting, causing Company A to go bankrupt.]

[(Breaking News) HK Apparel's Executive Director Hong Sung-Beom implicated in illegal succession allegations.]

.....

As Hong Moon-Gyu scrolled through the unrelenting wave of articles, he made up his previously wavering mind. "President Gu, summon the head of the legal department right now. Tell him to prepare to turn this fool in!"

Gu Wang-Soo pulled out his phone and answered in a calm demeanor, "Yes, sir."

The desperate Hong Sung-Beom clung to his father's hand. "Father! Please! Help me! I'll do anything! Please, I'm begging you!"

"You damn idiot! Do you still not understand what's going on?"

Unable to contain his rage, Hong Moon-Gyu swung his fist at Hong Sung-Beom again.

Thwack!

Hong Sung-Beom screamed as the blow landed. "Aghhh!"

For the first time, he began to think that his father might actually beat him to death before he even made it to prison.

***

Kim Seung-Moon's room was now under constant police surveillance, thanks to Seo Jae-Ill.

Meanwhile, Go An-Na and Go Yoo-Na moved into a studio apartment that Lee Soo-Chan had arranged for them. Their belongings would be moved later.

After giving Seo Jae-Ill additional information about HK Inc, I finally headed home.

I was so exhausted that I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

When I opened my eyes, it was already 7 a.m. Though still groggy, I forced myself out of bed as I had a packed schedule for the day.

As I turned on the TV to wake myself up, breaking news from the previous day filled the screen.

[(Breaking News) HK Inc's 4th Son, Executive Director Hong Sung-Beom Turns Himself In.]

Footage showed Hong Sung-Beom in front of the HK Apparel building, surrounded by reporters as he covered his face with a long coat.

-Mr. Hong, what happened?

-Why did you flee without performing CPR?

-Did you really send people to threaten the victim?

-What were you doing at that villa in the first place?

The reporters bombarded Hong Sung-Beom with questions and shoved their microphones toward him.

Police officers escorting Hong Sung-Beom pushed the reporters aside.

-Please step back!

But as they moved forward, a bold reporter grabbed the coat covering Hong Sung-Beom's head and yanked it off.

-Ahhh!

Hong Sung-Beom screamed as his face was revealed to the cameras.

In an instant, his disheveled and pale face was broadcast across the nation. Clearly, Hong Moon-Gyu had vented his frustration on his unruly son before forcing him to turn himself in.

As I watched the broadcast, I couldn't help but smirk. Hong Sung-Beom's humiliation was now complete.

'Goodbye, Hong Sung-Beom.'

With Seo Jae-Ill involved, it was obvious that Hong Sung-Beom wouldn't be able to escape this time.

Finally satisfied, I headed to the bathroom to take a refreshing shower. A little while later, I noticed a Kk Talk notification from Miso as I stepped out of the shower.

[Miso Angel❤: Uncle Yoon-Ho, when are you coming down? (Attachment: Gyeongju_Temple_Food_Bibimbap.JPEG)]

[Miso Angel❤: Come quickly so we can eat together!]

Currently, Miso was filming the TVM's The Foodie Nomads alongside Haru and Lee Tae-Poong. For the first episode, they were featuring 'Temple Food in Gyeongju.' Always eager to see me, Miso had sent a picture of herself eating temple-style bibimbap with her mouth open wide.

"Wow. I didn't realize how big Miso's mouth was."

I was about to send a message to let her know I will visit the The Foodie Nomads set in Gyeongju later that evening, but my phone suddenly pinged with back-to-back notifications.

Ding!

[Notification: A new schedule for 'Lee Tae-Poong' has been added on December 10, 2020.]

Ding!

[Notification: A new schedule for 'Jung Yoo-Jin' has been added on December 10, 2020.]

Today was December 9th, and both new schedules were set for tomorrow. But what caught my attention was that they both indicated that something serious was going to happen at the The Foodie Nomads filming site.

'What's this about?'