Gong Tae-Soo, the managing director, and Woo Sang-Woo, the legal director, became Kim Dong-Soo's close aides after he took over Ace Entertainment and became its president. They were quite opportunistic, but also competent in their own right. As soon as they had received word about what happened at SBC Broadcasting Station, they came straight to Sung Na-Ra's house and started making threats. Sung Na-Ra quickly left my side and ran to her pale-faced grandparents. "Grandpa, Grandma, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Her grandfather answered in a trembling voice. "We, we're okay. But Na-Ra, those people said if we want to terminate the contract with the company, we'll have to pay ten billion won in penalties. What should we do?" "Ten billion won...?" Sung Na-Ra's face turned ghostly pale. Having lost her parents in a car accident, Sung Na-Ra barely managed to get by with her grandparents' public work income. Even that wasn't enough, and I heard she used her parents' life insurance to help cover living expenses. Demanding ten billion won was essentially telling them to die. Sung Na-Ra looked at me with wide, frightened eyes. "Mr. Jung..." I nodded, reassuring her that she will be okay. "It's alright, Na-Ra. That won't happen." I calmed her down for now, but there was something I couldn't understand. I had clearly warned Sung Eun-Joo that if they didn't release Sung Na-Ra, I would report the footage of Five Angels' leader Lee Jin-Sil causing a scene. Nevertheless, they didn't seem afraid of that at all. I asked again, wondering if they might not have been informed. "Mr. Gong, didn't you hear what I said?" "I did. You're saying you've got footage of our Five Angels girls causing trouble, right?" "That's right. Then do you also know that the perpetrator is Lee Jin-Sil, the daughter of PD Ahn Mi-Hyun and leader of Angels?" "And you're still okay with that? If that video makes the news, Five Angels will be finished." "I don't care. If that happens, Sung Na-Ra's finished too." At that moment, I could see what these two were thinking—more precisely, what Kim Dong-Soo was thinking. He had sent them here with the full intention of abandoning Five Angels if things went south. Just to obstruct me, he didn't even care about Ahn Mi-Hyun's reaction. It was ridiculous, but I could believe it with how much hatred Kim Dong-Soo harbored toward me. "Look, don't try to outsmart us. Even if we're half-ruined, we're still Ace. Even if you post that video, we've got a truckload of people who'll say it's fake." Woo Sang-Woo said with a smug look on his face, "And on top of that, we'll sue you for defamation. Can you handle that?" Gong Tae-Soo nodded. "That's not all. If PD Ahn finds out you're the one who leaked the video, she'll go after you with everything she's got. You know what she's like." The two of them chuckled delightfully, saying I had dug my own grave. I had been patient, but this was absurd. Before I could take down Kim Dong-Soo, I had to deal with these two first. After all, that would make things easier. I decided to start with Gong Tae-Soo first. Before the regression, he worked under me at Top Entertainment. Even back then, he had a history of embezzling advertising fees from actors. And now, he was still at it. "Mr. Gong, does Mrs. Lee Jin-Ha know about the ad revenue skimming for the Healthy Love onion juice commercial she's the model for?" Lee Jin-Ha, a 50-year-old veteran actress, was the model for the vegetable juice Healthy Love produced by MO Health, a small business. That MO Health happened to be owned by someone Gong Tae-Soo knew well. Gong Tae-Soo was pocketing half the advertising fees from that company. His face hardened when I revealed what I had discovered during an internal audit back in our Top Entertainment days before the regression. I didn't stop there and turned my gaze to Woo Sang-Woo this time. "And Mr. Woo, you've been making a tidy profit by filing lawsuits against people who post malicious comments about celebrities. The celebrities get insulted, but you're the one making money. How does that work?" "We all know that you've been handing over Ace Entertainment celebrities' comment lawsuits to Rightful Law Firm, which is run by your cousin. And we know you're taking kickbacks from that too." "H-how did you find that out...?" The confidence drained from both of their faces. I looked at them as if they were pathetic and said, "Did you really think I was trying to pull Na-Ra out of your company with just one video of her being harassed? I'm disappointed. I didn't expect you to show up here so proudly, not after so many others who crossed me have vanished lately." Now that their corruption had been exposed, the two of them licked their dry lips nervously. Eventually, the two who had been floundering tried to propose a deal. "Chief Jung, how about this? The two of us will persuade President Kim to terminate Na-Ra's contract. It'll be good for us, and good for you too. Isn't that a win-win?" "Y-yeah. We didn't even make that much. And who benefits if all this gets dug up anyway?" If I hadn't returned in time and had no power, they never would have offered me this deal. They would have forced me to kneel, crushed me mentally and financially, and laughed while doing it. Knowing the two of them too well, I had never considered negotiating. I ignored their pleas and picked up my phone to make a call. "W-what are you doing?" The two of them panicked and tried to stop me. Ignoring them, I stepped away from them and made the call on speakerphone. Kim Dong-Soo's arrogant voice came through the speaker. -Well, well. Look who it is? Calling me now because you think you're screwed, Chief Jung? As soon as they heard Kim Dong-Soo's voice, Gong Tae-Soo and Woo Sang-Woo turned pale and collapsed onto the floor. Ignoring the two in front of me, I spoke to Kim Dong-Soo. "Mr. Kim—No, I should say Mr. President now, right?" -If you're trying to flatter me into negotiating, forget it. Even if we kick Na-Ra out of Five Angels, I have no intention of letting her go from the company. Before the regression, Sung Na-Ra was kicked out of both Five Angels and Ace Entertainment. But now, Kim Dong-Soo was determined to keep her, simply because he didn't like me. "You're really in no position to be saying that." -No position? If you release that video, you're... At that moment, I began to recount what Gong Tae-Soo and Woo Sang-Woo had done. Skimming actor's commercial fees and profiting off lawsuits from malicious comments were shocking enough to make Kim Dong-Soo's eyes pop. -Jung Yoon-Ho, you... you bastard... How dare you... "If you want to come at me, do it directly. Why stoop so low as to threaten a celebrity's family? Now that you're president, maybe you should try losing the thug attitude." "Oh, and one more thing. Say one more word, and I'll report everything I just said to the press right now." I was so worked up that my words came rushing out. Nevertheless, it had the desired effect. Kim Dong-Soo stopped cursing and began wheezing, trying to contain his rage. "I'll be expecting Na-Ra's contract termination by the end of today. Sign it and send it over. Otherwise, everything that happened today will be spread to the media." Kim Dong-Soo took a deep breath and responded. -Fine. But... you'll bury everything that happened today. Otherwise, I won't sit still either. Since I already had plenty of dirt on him, I readily agreed. -From the way your phone's echoing, it's on speaker, isn't it? Are Gong Tae-Soo and Woo Sang-Woo there with you? "Yes. It's on speakerphone." -You fucking bastards! Get to the office right now! If any of this leaks, you're dead! Gong Tae-Soo and Woo Sang-Woo answered in trembling voices. "M-Mr. Kim... It's not what you think..." -Shut up and get in here! Now! Behind Kim Dong-Soo stood Assemblyman Lee Dae-Boong. Since Lee Dae-Boong hadn't yet been summoned by Prosecutor Seo Jae-Ill, Kim Dong-Soo was still wielding that authority to boss around people older than him. After the call ended, Gong Tae-Soo and Woo Sang-Woo stared at me with faces full of hostility. "You bastard. We'll see you at the station, Jung Yoon-Ho!!" With that, the two stormed out the door. At that moment, Kim Chan-Sung came in and ran into the two men. When they ran off without even saying hello Kim Chan-Sung asked with a puzzled expression, "Who were those guys?" I explained what had just happened. "You just let people like that go? You should've charged them with blackmail at the very least!" "Freeing Na-Ra is more important than punishing those two." Right now, getting Sung Na-Ra out of there was my top priority. That way, I could get her on I.O.A. and prevent her death. "Then I'll focus on getting the exclusive contract terminated first. Is there any pushback from the Five Angels side?" "No. Apparently, they were planning to kick her out anyway." Kim Chan-Sung nodded at Sung Na-Ra. "You've been through a lot, Na-Ra. From now on, I will take care of all the legal issues. Don't worry about the money. Just leave everything to me. Lawyers actually do a lot of pro bono work." I told Kim Chan-Sung that I would pay for his services, no matter the cost. But after hearing Sung Na-Ra's situation, he gladly offered to represent her for free. Sung Na-Ra stood up from her grandmother's side and bowed her head. Now freed from her chains, her face was glowing. Seeing that smile, I checked Everyday. However, I was surprised by the unexpected result. [Date: December 12, 2022] -05:00 p.m.: Sung Na-Ra deceased, Funeral Room No. 2, Gangbuk Chilseong Hospital. (Note: Presumed suicide due to bullying by Leader Lee Jin-Sil and other members of FIVE Angels.) 'Why isn't it disappearing?' Kim Dong-Soo promised he would terminate the contract. While he might be arrogant, he wouldn't lie about something that affects his bottom line. 'Could it be that the schedule entry won't disappear until the termination document is signed?' I couldn't figure out why the event was still there, but there was no way to confirm it right now. The only choice was to finalize the contract termination as quickly as possible and check again. "Mr. Kim, please proceed with the termination right away." "Yes. As soon as I get the fax from their side, I'll have it ready for signing." Kim Chan-Sung was about to leave immediately to handle the termination. But then, Sung Na-Ra's grandmother approached us. She held our hands and spoke with difficulty. "My dear sirs, please have a meal before you go. Alright?" She said there was no way to repay us for saving her granddaughter, but she insisted we at least have a meal. Then Sung Na-Ra's grandfather also stopped us. "We were just about to have some seasoned vegetable bibimbap. Please come eat with us. My wife's cooking is excellent. We'll even pack some sikhye for you to take." They were much older than us, but both of them used polite speech. It became clear why Sung Na-Ra was so well-mannered. 'As the saying goes, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.' Though I was in a hurry, I could stay for a quick meal. "Thank you, ma'am. Then we'll accept your hospitality." "Alright~ our dear Chief." Sung Na-Ra also bowed her head with tears in her eyes. "Thank you... Mr. Jung." I handed her a handkerchief and told her to stay strong. "Na-Ra. Once you become a free agent, you'll have a chance to audition for I.O.A. You might get hateful comments since you've already debuted, but can you handle that?" Sung Na-Ra answered bravely. "Yes. I can do it." She clenched her fist, saying she had endured that group for a year. Yet, she was still wounded inside. So I couldn't take her words at face value. That was the reason I kept telling her I would be her support. When someone wants to die, having just one person to lean on might be enough to get through it. "Alright. Trust me, and you'll do great. And I'll make sure you debut as an idol, no matter what. Just trust me." "Thank... you, Mr. Jung." And so, we sat down with Sung Na-Ra and her grandparents and finished the neatly prepared seasoned vegetable bibimbap. After that, we greeted Sung Na-Ra's younger siblings and told her not to answer any calls from Lee Jin-Sil before we left her home. The next night at 9 p.m., I received a message from Kim Chan-Sung saying he had obtained the contract termination. -All that's left is to get Na-Ra's signature. "Got it. Then shall we meet near Na-Ra's house?" -I can go get the signature myself. "Oh, it's not that. I'm just worried." Lee Jin-Sil and the rest of Five Angels attended the same specialized arts high school as Sung Na-Ra. Thinking they might show up today because of what happened yesterday, I planned to check on her again. The schedule entry in my planner still hadn't disappeared, after all. -But isn't it winter break? "Exactly. That makes it easier for them to come by her house." In my experience, bullying and school violence never ended easily. So from the very start of this, I had firmly resolved to see it through to the end. Just then, I got a call. [Caller ID: Sung Na-Ra] I had told her to call for even the smallest thing, so I quickly answered. "Hey, Na-Ra. What's wrong?" -M-Mr. Jung... Jin-Sil... she said... she wants to see me. -She's on her way to our house right now... Sung Na-Ra's voice was trembling. It sounded like the trauma from everything she had endured was coming back. No wonder the event hadn't disappeared—not because we didn't have the termination papers, but because Lee Jin-Sil hadn't given up. I quickly replied to Sung Na-Ra. "Na-Ra, do not go outside. I'm coming right now. The lawyer's coming too, so just wait." I hung up and rushed to Sung Na-Ra's house right away. I arrived at a two-story standalone house in Seongsu-dong, barely managing to park in a narrow alley, I tried calling again on the way, but Sung Na-Ra didn't pick up. It was already 10 p.m. and the alley was dimly lit, making me feel even more uneasy. When I rang the bell, Sung Woon-Sang, Sung Na-Ra's youngest brother in 6th grade, appeared. "Ah? Uncle! Hello!" I had briefly met Sung Woon-Sang yesterday, and he gave me a deep bow. "Hey, Woon-Sang. Where's your sister? Is she inside?" "My sister? She went to the playground nearby to see her friends." I had told her not to go out under any circumstances, but she had. I asked, "Do you know where the playground is?" Sung Woon-Sang pointed down the right alley. "Over there. Do you want me to come with you?" "No. Go back inside and lock the door. When the lawyer uncle gets here, tell him I went to the playground." I sent Sung Woon-Sang back inside, then sprinted toward the playground. Just as he said, there was a sandy playground nestled among the nearby houses. Only one old street lamp dimly lit the area, and I couldn't see any security cameras no matter how hard I looked. Then I saw it—in one corner of the playground, four girls and three boys were cornering another girl. The girl with her head down was none other than Sung Na-Ra. One of the girls, wearing a long padded coat and a hat, shouted, "You crazy bitch! You brought another company's talent agent to threaten us?" Sung Na-Ra clenched her teeth and shook her head. "I-I'm not going to be with you guys anymore. I'm ending my contract with the company today too." "That's hilarious. Says who? You think you can backstab us like that? You can leave the group, but don't even think about leaving the company." Everyone had their backs turned, so I couldn't see their faces except for Sung Na-Ra's. Regardless, there was no mistaking Lee Jin-Sil's voice. At that moment, Lee Jin-Sil said to the boy next to her, "Jong-Seo, can you make sure she doesn't talk back? There's no security cameras here, so it's fine." The boy replied, "Hehehe. Damn, you're thorough. You even checked that?" "This isn't our first time doing this, you know?" The boy in the hoodie clenched his fists and walked slowly toward Sung Na-Ra. She backed away in fear. That was when I ran. If there were no security cameras, then there would be no one to stop me from giving these brats what they deserved. 'You bastards are so screwed.'