Sung Gyu-Hwan's voice trembled as he called. When he said it was serious, I deliberately spoke more calmly. "Mr. Gyu-Hwan, please calm down and tell me exactly what happened. Afterall, I'm Jung Yoon-Ho. Whatever the problem is, I can solve it." After a brief sound of him catching his breath, Sung Gyu-Hwan continued. -I don't know how they found out, but the company knows I met with you. They not only refuse to let me appear in Haze, but they're also threatening to sue me for 5 billion won and claiming intentional sabotage. The moment I heard that, I realized a TNT Entertainment's talent agent must have checked the black box in Sung Gyu-Hwan's car. Even before the regression, TNT Entertainment's agents were notorious for extracting black box data to track where their actors had been. "Then did you tell President Yoo that I ordered you to sabotage the project?" -No! Absolutely not. I didn't say anything when I was summoned a few days ago, and I didn't say anything today either. But today, they outright threatened me. So I called you right after hanging up. "They're just trying to scare you, so don't worry. Let's talk in person. Where are you now?" -Ah, I'm driving to Cheonho-dong right now. "Then park your car near a café and contact me from somewhere the black box won't record. I'll come get you." I ended the call, excused myself to Wang Long, Lily, and Yoo-Jin, and went to pick up Sung Gyu-Hwan. After picking up Sung Gyu-Hwan from an alley near a café in Cheonho-dong, I drove home. I dropped off Wang Long, Lily, and Yoo-Jin at the house in Cheonho-dong and then headed next door to the home of Han Yoo-Sik with Sung Gyu-Hwan. It was 1 a.m., but Han Yoo-Sik was still awake. His wife, Lee Ah-Eun, noticed that Sung Gyu-Hwan was agitated and offered him a warm cup of barley tea. "Have some of this to calm down." Sung Gyu-Hwan blew gently on the hot barley tea and took a sip. Though he had panicked at the threat of a 5-billion-won lawsuit, he began to calm down after seeing me and Han Yoo-Sik. I reassured him and said, "I'll make sure they can't file a lawsuit, so don't worry." "How will you do that?" "First, thoroughly deny having any connection to me." Unless Sung Gyu-Hwan confessed, there was no way for them to know I ordered the sabotage as I had been careful about that from the start. But since TNT Entertainment was playing dirty, I couldn't just leave Sung Gyu-Hwan alone. Then, as if pleading, Sung Gyu-Hwan spoke again. "Can't you use this chance to get me out of TNT Entertainment? If you hadn't warned me about the PJK Cosmetics deal two days ago, I would've been finished." When I met Sung Gyu-Hwan a few days ago, I had warned him not to sign with PJK Cosmetics even though the contract had been arranged. And just as I said, PJK went bankrupt. That incident gave Sung Gyu-Hwan a strong trust in me. However, I hesitated. Stopping a lawsuit was one thing, but extracting him from TNT was tantamount to declaring all-out war. At that moment, the nervous Sung Gyu-Hwan added something. "Ah, and President Yoo isn't just targeting me—he's targeting you too." I nodded. "I know. Since he made a threatening call to you, he'll probably call me soon as well." "No, it's not just that... When I was first called to the president's office a few days ago, he tried to persuade me. He said you would be ruined soon and so would Mirinae, so I shouldn't concern myself with you. At the time, I thought it was just talk, but now I see it wasn't." "Yes. I was with CP Na Tae-Hwan from KBC, and he was saying something about shares and that he'd make sure you couldn't be involved in Haze anymore. I'm sorry for telling you so late. At the time, I thought it was just idle talk. But when I just heard someone mention that you'd go down too, I realized what he said was real." At that moment, I snapped to full attention. CP Na Tae-Hwan was one of the Bong Sook-Hee's group members I had taken down. So I knew well that he must hold a grudge against me. But for him to mention Mirinae's shares and say I would be finished meant the fight Han Yoo-Sik's three children had with him over Mirinae's shares a few days ago had been instigated by Na Tae-Hwan and Yoo Kang-Seok. 'No wonder Han Yoo-Sik's children had shown up so quickly and prepared.' At that moment, Han Yoo-Sik standing nearby gave an incredulous look and asked Sung Gyu-Hwan, "Did CP Na and President Yoo... really say that?" Sung Gyu-Hwan nodded. "Yes. I didn't catch everything, but I definitely heard something about manipulating Mirinae's shares." Han Yoo-Sik's hands trembled. He too now realized that Yoo Kang-Seok and Na Tae-Hwan were behind the children's sudden appearance. It seemed like I couldn't just let it go. There was no choice but to go into full confrontation with Yoo Kang-Seok. "Understood. I'll help you terminate your contract, Mr. Gyu-Hwan." I had wanted to postpone clashing with Yoo Kang-Seok since I already had many enemies, but I couldn't stand it anymore. I would have to use Yoo Kang-Seok's weaknesses and go on the offensive. First, I needed to get Sung Gyu-Hwan out. At that, Sung Gyu-Hwan's face lit up. "Th-Then what should I do first?" "They likely found out you met with me by checking the black box. We need to look into that first. But before that, tell me—does your company have access to the keys of the car you drove to Cheonho-dong that day?" "I always leave my car key on the table, but I haven't given a copy to the company. Not even to my talent agent, Sang-Joon hyung." Then there was definitely a legal angle to pursue. "Got it. First, I want to check the black box. Is it a model that allows remote access?" "I'm not sure. I don't really know about that stuff." "Have you ever installed a black box app? Salespeople often recommend one when you buy the car." "Ah, yes. It was installed at the start, but I haven't used it." He said the salesperson installed it when he bought the car six months ago and handed me his phone. I took the phone and checked the app list. [Can See All Black Box LTE VER 5.0] It was a top-tier black box model with LTE connectivity and auto-upload to cloud storage. Because Sung Gyu-Hwan was a celebrity, they had installed the most expensive model on purpose. In a way, he had been ripped off. But thanks to that, we didn't need to check the memory card directly. "This model allows you to check data remotely once you create an account." "Yes. Let's create an account first. Then you can see who entered your car without needing to go there." I helped him register and selected the option to copy the data to the cloud. [Transferring data: Time remaining 1 minute] Sung Gyu-Hwan had said he never once checked the black box. Yet, the amount of data being transferred was far too small. It felt like someone had deleted it. I immediately accessed the app and checked the data for the day Sung Gyu-Hwan came to see me and Han Yoo-Sik. [No data available for that date] Just as I thought, the talent agent must have watched the footage and deleted it to erase their presence. Sung Gyu-Hwan tilted his head. "Hmm. Maybe it broke..." "Your talent agent probably checked the black box and deleted the footage." "What? Sang-Joon hyung... did that?" He looked shocked at the idea that his talent agent, Oh Sang-Joon, had searched his car and deleted the footage. 'Well, anyone would be shocked to learn that the person managing every aspect of their life was actually a company spy.' "Don't be too disheartened. This actually makes it easier for you to leave TNT Entertainment." Sung Gyu-Hwan, who had been stunned for a moment, slowly gathered himself. "What? How?" "If someone broke into your personal car and tampered with the data, you can sue both the talent agent and the company." If TNT Entertainment invaded an actor's privacy and went as far as deleting black box footage, it crossed into criminal territory. "Yes. So from now on, let's set the black box to automatically update to the server. That way, everything will be recorded the next time your agent enters the car." By linking it with the LTE service, the cloud copy would remain even if someone deletes the footage from the black box. After all, cloud-stored data can only be deleted by logging into the account. I activated several features right away. [Real-time Detection Alert: ON] Then I installed the app on my phone as well so I could monitor the footage myself. Now, as long as I logged in, I could see the inside of Sung Gyu-Hwan's car on my phone. I said, "Once all this is over, I'll help you change the account." Sung Gyu-Hwan asked, "That's not a concern for me. But more importantly, are you going to file a lawsuit right away?" "No. We should wait until we have solid footage as evidence before filing. I'll monitor the black box online, so once you return, tell them you visited Mr. Han Yoo-Sik. Say you apologized for being unable to appear in Haze. And... act a little while you're at it." "You want me to act?" "Yes. Pretend you're terrified, so they won't suspect anything. That way, they'll focus only on me." Actors like Sung Gyu-Hwan, who lacked experience, couldn't handle a seasoned entertainment company. So it was better for TNT to target only me. Sung Gyu-Hwan nodded. "Understood. Then I'll act like a frightened little mouse for a while." "It won't take long." Then, hesitating slightly, Sung Gyu-Hwan asked, "By the way, if I terminate my exclusive contract, do I go straight to Hoop Entertainment?" "No. If you do that, it could become a legal issue. You should first cancel your exclusive contract and become unaffiliated, then temporarily join another company." "Which company do you mean?" "The eldest daughter of Daechon Inc.'s vice president is about to launch an entertainment company. You should lie low there for a while." Although Lee Ha-Yoon said she would start from the bottom and build a company without using the Daechon name, things wouldn't go as she hoped. As soon as she launched the company, rumors would spread across the industry that a daughter of Daechon Inc. had arrived. So if Sung Gyu-Hwan moved there, even Yoo Kang-Seok of TNT would hesitate in front of Daechon Inc.'s reputation. But first and foremost, terminating his current contract was the priority. "Understood. Once that contract ends, I'll join Hoop Entertainment without fail, Mr. Jung." "Just a moment, then." It was late, so I left a message on Kk Talk just in case. But a call came right away. -Mr. Jung. What's going on? "Would you be interested in signing a new actor?" "Yes. He's a good actor, but he's having some trouble." -Hmm. Trouble meaning... issues with his current agency? Perhaps because she took after her grandfather and mother, her instincts were sharp. Thanks to that, I was able to explain Sung Gyu-Hwan's situation more comfortably. After hearing the story, Lee Ha-Yoon replied. -So we have to extract the actor without getting hit with interference claims. Got it. I'll send over a lawyer from Daechon Inc. We'll make the actor a free agent, and later I'll sign him after I establish the company. Her grandfather had told her she could handle everything herself, except she must use the lawyer he picked. He said the lawyer, a skilled Daechon Inc. alumnus, should later serve as the vice president of the entertainment company. Lee Ha-Yoon said this lawyer had already left Daechon and founded a law firm, and that she would send him to help terminate the exclusive contract. "His name is Sung Gyu-Hwan. He's about to become the male lead in Haze." -Wow~~ Mr. Gyu-Hwan? The one from Professor Society, right? Lee Ha-Yoon's voice brightened with excitement. She said she had fallen for Sung Gyu-Hwan's charismatic role in Professor Society and sounded a bit giddy. "Yes, that's him. He's right here—why don't you speak with him?" Sung Gyu-Hwan began the conversation, sounding happy. A moment later, Lee Ha-Yoon ended the conversation with Sung Gyu-Hwan. -Then I'll send a lawyer to Mr. Gyu-Hwan first thing tomorrow. Sung Gyu-Hwan nodded and replied. "Thank you, Miss Ha-Yoon." Just as Lee Ha-Yoon was about to hang up, she suddenly asked in a friendly tone. -By the way, Mr. Jung. I did lose our bet... don't you want anything in return? I did make a bet with Lee Ha-Yoon, but I hadn't thought about any kind of reward. It was just like grabbing an extra life item in a shooting game, nothing more. Lee Ha-Yoon sounded slightly disappointed. -Really? Hmm... okay. But if something comes to mind, let me know ahead of time. I'll need to prepare, too. -Then good luck with everything. I couldn't help but notice how Lee Ha-Yoon seemed to be trying to get closer to me. But since I had seen her elitist true nature before the regression, I didn't feel any fondness no matter how friendly she acted. Besides, all that occupied my mind now was the success of Faithful members, protecting Hoop Entertainment, and getting some sleep. "Should I just ask her to let me sleep more next time? Or build me a hyperbolic time chamber or something..." Lately, I hadn't been sleeping due to how busy things were, so absurd thoughts kept popping into my head. I shook my head to erase any thoughts about Lee Ha-Yoon and began a strategy meeting with Sung Gyu-Hwan. Then I had a security guard see him off and began monitoring EveryDay to prepare for the confrontation with Yoo Kang-Seok. When I opened my eyes the next day, it was 8 a.m. I pulled myself together and headed downstairs to have breakfast with Wang Long, Lily, and Lingling. But then, my phone suddenly vibrated. [Can See All Alert: Movement detected inside the vehicle.] The motion sensor on the black box had detected an intruder. When I tapped 'View in real-time', I saw a man in a thick black jumper touching the black box. It was Sung Gyu-Hwan's talent agent, Oh Sang-Joon. I thought it would take at least a day or two for him to make a move on the car, but he was acting quickly and deliberately. Thanks to that, I was able to get evidence sooner than expected. At this point, the game was already half won. At that moment, Oh Sang-Joon was seen making a call. And just as he ended the call, absurdly enough, my phone started ringing. [Caller ID: Yoo Kang-Seok] It seemed Oh Sang-Joon had just called TNT Entertainment's Yoo Kang-Seok. I had no intention of dodging it, so I answered right away. Immediately, a furious voice exploded from the other side. -Hey! Jung Yoon-Ho! You think you can steal my actor and get away with it? Get to our office now! That was exactly what I had been waiting for. "I'll head there right now." I ended the call. Then I told Wang Long and Haru in the living room that I would eat later, and called Han Yoo-Sik. Together with Han Yoo-Sik, I headed straight to TNT Entertainment. I sat side-by-side with Han Yoo-Sik in TNT Entertainment's meeting room. Soon after, Choi Woon-Jae, the head attorney from Law Firm Changseong, entered the room. He had been sent by Lee Ha-Yoon and would later become the vice president of Hayoon Entertainment. He sat beside us with a partner from the law firm. Moments later, Yoo Kang-Seok stormed in with his eyes blazing, accompanied by Hwang In-Joon, the head of TNT Entertainment's legal team. Following behind them, Sung Gyu-Hwan entered with the talent agent who had been spying on him. As he walked into the meeting room, Sung Gyu-Hwan's expression was deeply furrowed and he let out heavy sighs. He looked like a man who had already given up on everything, his shoulders slumped as he trudged in. I had asked him to pretend to be scared and defeated. He was going all in, giving the performance of a lifetime. Thanks to that, Yoo Kang-Seok seemed to think he only needed to destroy me. He was wearing a smug and confident look. Once Sung Gyu-Hwan and his talent agent took their seats, Yoo Kang-Seok jabbed a finger at me and shouted, "Jung Yoon-Ho! You dare poach my actor and instruct him to sabotage a project? You know this is interference with business, right? We're filing a 5 billion won lawsuit, so you better get ready!" Yoo Kang-Seok looked like he was ready to devour me on the spot. However, the one getting chewed up wouldn't be me—I had EveryDay, where his future was written out. 'President Yoo. You messed with the wrong person.' From this point on, I was going to crush Yoo Kang-Seok slowly and thoroughly.