[Assemblyman Lee Dae-Boong Found to Have Abused Authority in Ace Entertainment Investigation. Under Review by Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.] [Ace Entertainment Under Full Reinvestigation.] [Ace Entertainment Suspected of Operating on Lee Dae-Boong's Personal Funds After President Change. "Poison then cure?"] Lee Dae-Boong had previously used the National Tax Service and the prosecution to investigate Ace Entertainment because a woman from Ace, whom he had been seeing, was cheating on him. It was a clear case of abuse of power, but Prosecutor Seo Jae-Ill had apparently taken this long to secure the necessary evidence. The entertainment industry was already shaken by the recent TNT Entertainment clone-phone scandal. Now that a politician interfering with an entertainment company had hit the headlines, the industry was about to be rocked again. When a politician touched an entertainment company, it usually meant meddling with the celebrities too. However, this revelation would ultimately have a positive effect on the entertainment world. Even before my regression, a similar incident had made all the agencies tread more carefully afterward. At any rate, I immediately called Seo Jae-Ill. After a few rings, he answered. "Mr. Seo, I'm calling after reading the article." -So you saw it. Yes. But it's still just the beginning, so I can't relax just yet. Since Lee Dae-Boong was a sitting member of the National Assembly, he was protected by immunity during sessions. To arrest him, the Assembly had to approve a motion. -Also, if you have time, could we meet in person? Seo Jae-Ill said he wanted to get some advice on how slush funds are generated in the entertainment industry. He said he found many things hard to understand while tracing the funds flowing into Ace Entertainment. "Of course. Anytime is fine." If I could understand the cash flow in Ace Entertainment, Kim Dong-Soo's fall would be swift. -Alright then. I'll contact you after I return from Busan. Currently in Busan, a police officer had been arrested—the one who left his post just as an assassin stormed into the hospital where Kang Eun-Gi was admitted. "Busan... don't tell me that guy talked?" -Yes. He asked to see me. He said he has something to tell me face to face. The arrested officer suddenly asked to meet in person, saying he couldn't talk over the phone. -Yes. When I offered a reduced sentence for gambling in exchange for testifying about what happened at Kang Eun-Gi's hospital room, he seemed to waver. "Please contact me right after the meeting!" -Of course. I'll call you after I return from Busan. Kim Dong-Soo's Ace Entertainment was now under investigation, and even a police officer thought to be under Choi Man-Sik's influence was ready to open up. It finally felt like the tangled web was beginning to unravel. After hanging up, I checked Everyday. [Date: November 11, 2022] -1:00 p.m.: Top Entertainment Founding Ceremony. The schedule entry hadn't been erased yet. Kim Dong-Soo was clinging to life with the stubbornness of a moss piglet or an immortal jellyfish. Nevertheless, one thing was clear. The day that schedule entry would be wiped clean was fast approaching. After all, my influence in the industry was nearing what it had been before regression. 'Kim Dong-Soo, Choi Man-Sik. Go ahead and try whatever you want. Nothing will go the way you plan.' With that, I headed to SBC with Ling Ling and Zhou Shishi, waiting for the day I could finally settle everything with those two. After wrapping up the meeting at SBC about Project IOA, I returned to the company. There was an urgent team lead-level meeting, so I had no time to rest before joining in. When I entered the meeting room, everyone looked grim. Ace Entertainment facing yet another scandal was a problem, but more urgently, we needed to clarify our company's position on the recent clone-phone incident at TNT Entertainment. "As you all know, the clone-phone scandal at TNT Entertainment has thrown the entertainment industry into chaos. Our celebrities are also worried their phones might've been cloned. What do you all think we should do?" The first to speak was Baek Sang-Beom, the chief of Actor Division 5. "I don't think we need to make the first move. Our actors and singers worry about stuff all the time. If we act unnecessarily, we might stir up trouble." Everyone nodded in agreement. At that moment, Ju Ho-Sung, who was appointed as the chief of Actor Division 3 in place of Baek Sae-Gi by the shareholders, backed the opinion. He had once been Kim Dong-Soo's right-hand man but was now working under Choi Man-Sik. "Mr. Baek is right. Overreacting to these types of issues every time can make running the company harder. Let's just let this one go, Mr. Kang." Talent agents often thought they needed to control their celebrities, because incidents were practically a daily occurrence. That was why they were saying we should make sure our celebrities wouldn't even dare to suspect the company. However, I voiced the exact opposite opinion. "Mr. Kang, I think we should proactively encourage our celebrities to get their phones checked." Every talent agent in the room turned their eyes to me with the look saying, "You, again?" 'Yes. It's me again.' Kang Gam-Chan looked intrigued and asked, "Why is that?" "We all know that the more cautious actors or singers will eventually take their phones to a professional to get them checked, right? Since they're going to do it anyway, wouldn't it be better if we made it clear we have nothing to hide?" Director Kim Jang-Bi frowned and replied, "Chief Jung. What if one of our own talent agents had secretly cloned a phone without the company's knowledge? Can you take responsibility for that?" I looked directly at Kim Jang-Bi and answered, "Why should I be responsible? The person who did it should take responsibility, obviously." Kim Jang-Bi stammered. "Hey, that's not what I meant. I'm saying we could end up like TNT!" I shook my head. "No. If we're proactive and sue anyone who committed such an act, and compensate the affected celebrities, we'll be fine." "Hah... easier said than done." That's when I pounced. "At Hoop Entertainment, our talent agents don't even touch the celebrities' phones in the first place, so there's no issue. But... What about you? Did the talent agents from Gwanwoo Entertainment mess with celebrities' phones?" Kim Jang-Bi flinched and waved his hands in panic. "N-no! What are you even saying? That's absurd!" However, I knew exactly why he was objecting. Talent agents from Gwanwoo Entertainment were known for being controlling. They didn't use clone phones, but they did install location-tracking apps. Kim Jang-Bi was afraid that might come to light, which was why he was against my suggestion. That was exactly why I pressed harder. I wanted to make things harder for talent agents from Gwanwoo when it came to overseeing their celebrities, so that I could poach them more easily later. 'Director Kim, do you really think I wouldn't see through your motives? Don't try bluffing in front of a regressor.' I held back a smirk and delivered the final blow. "Mr. Kim. Even if we set aside everything else, we must act now to prevent a bigger issue later." "And what issue is that?" "If a celebrity independently goes to some shady technician to check for cloning, they could end up leaking their data. Those people could clone the phone themselves. Why hasn't anyone considered that?" Everyone's faces in the room twisted in discomfort when I pointed out a critical problem they hadn't thought of. Kang Gam-Chan gave me an approving look, then addressed the room. "Chief Jung makes a strong argument. I agree with him. Is there anyone here opposed?" Everyone remained silent, wearing sour expressions. There was no flaw in my logic. "No objections, huh? Then let's go ahead and have all our celebrities' phones checked. Use this opportunity to gain their trust." But just then, Kim Jang-Bi, unwilling to give up, tried to pick on a final detail. "If... if we're going through with the phone inspections, how are we selecting the technician? What if, like Chief Jung said... we choose the wrong one and information leaks? Then what?" "That won't happen. I'll be asking Doo-Oh to do the job." "Yes. With Doo-Oh's skills, not only can he detect cloned phones, but he can also find and remove any tracking apps or malicious software that could leak information. On top of that, he'll explain every step of the process to the actors. If there are still doubts afterward, we'll inspect again whenever necessary." Kang Gam-Chan burst into laughter. "Hahaha, Doo-Oh? That guy's perfect for the job. Isn't he the one who helped you filter ticket sales for the Cherry Blossom concert?" "Yes, sir. Doo-Oh is practically part of our company already." Kang Gam-Chan looked over at Kim Jang-Bi with a sly grin. "Anything else to say?" Kim Jang-Bi trembled slightly and shook his head. "N-no... nothing." With Kang Gam-Chan's final word, the faces of the Gwanwoo Entertainment veteran talent agents all contorted. They could no longer monitor their celebrities with tracking apps. Meanwhile, Kang Gam-Chan smiled at me with his eyes. 'Good work, Yoon-Ho.' Step by step, the plan to weaken the Gwanwoo talent agents and solidify Hoop Entertainment was moving forward. After asking Lee Doo-Oh to begin phone inspections starting tomorrow, I headed to the Hwaranjeon filming site located in Gyeongju. Today would be Choi Ji-Yung's final shoot as her character would die from poisoning. But on the way there, a few annoying entertainment articles popped up. [Jung Yoo-Jin: "Where's the charisma she showed in In the Name of God?" (Reporter Baek Seok-Chan, Entertainment All Times)] [So Yi-Yung: "Radiates leading actress presence in Queen Jeong-Hee!" (Reporter Ahn Sung-Gyu, All Star Gossip)] While So Yi-Yung was praised for essentially carrying Queen Jeong-Hee alone, Hwaranjeon had a more ensemble-style setup, making it seem like the lead didn't stand out as much. 'This is unbelievable.' Yoo-Jin's acting was on par with S-class veterans like Song Ji-Hwan, Lee Tae-Yeon, Choi Ji-Yung, and Yoon Joo-Yeon. There was no reason to undermine her. Looking into the articles, I saw they came from outlets that were usually at odds with me, likely trying to steer public opinion. It wasn't critical yet, but if left alone, it could become a problem. I would need to act soon. While considering countermeasures, I arrived on set. After parking the car, I got out and noticed staff members whispering. "TNT Entertainment totally got nuked, huh?" "Should've expected it with a name like that." "Right... but what's with Ace Entertainment now?" "I heard Assemblyman Lee Dae-Boong tore them down just to take them for himself." "So that rumor about Oh Joo-Hyun from Ace being his mistress...Was it actually true?" Today's shoot was the turning point of the drama, featuring the poisoning scene on Choi Ji-Yung's character's birthday in episode 15. It was an emotional day, marking the departure of a core character. However, because of the TNT scandal and the Ace Entertainment reinvestigation, the atmosphere was unsettled. At that moment, Oh Bok-Hee appeared and shouted, "Staff, what if the actors hear you talking like that?" Only then did the whispers stop. "Get it together. The actors are already on edge and we can't afford any distractions right now." Hwaranjeon had just crossed 25% viewership ratings, an incredible success. It seemed like we could relax, but in truth, the real challenge was just beginning. KBC's Queen Jeong-Hee airing at the same time had also reached around 20% viewership ratings. It was becoming increasingly difficult for both shows to keep climbing. Worse still, articles praising So Yi-Yung's surging performance in Queen Jeong-Hee were beginning to gain traction. One slip-up now, and lost viewers could easily flip to the competitor to put our viewership ratings at risk. "Starting today, we'll be pulling all-nighters. So stay sharp!" After Oh Bok-Hee's stern lecture, the atmosphere on set finally began to calm. Soon, the actors started arriving one by one. Among them was Choi Ji-Yung, who would be leaving the drama after today's poisoning scene. But she looked very different from just a few days ago. Though dressed elegantly for the second queen's birthday celebration, her cheeks were sunken like she hadn't eaten in days. She was so low in energy that she staggered forward with the support of her talent agent and boyfriend, Park Woo-Min. Choi Ji-Yung gave me a weary smile when she reached me. "Why do you look like you're about to cry, Chief Jung?" "No, but... still. You've lost so much weight... What are you doing to yourself...?" Park Woo-Min, standing beside her, wore a bitter expression. "I knew she was stubborn, but I didn't think it would be this extreme." For the past three weeks, Choi Ji-Yung had gradually reduced her food intake. Starting a week ago, she replaced all her meals with rice gruel. For the last three days, she had only moistened her mouth with one small bowl a day. She wanted her body to reflect the dying second queen, who had given her life force to Princess Yu-Hwa. Choi Ji-Yung looked up at Park Woo-Min with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry, oppa. I just... I just wanted to make my exit the right way." "I know. That's why I'm letting you do this." "It's moments when I'm glad my talent agent is also my boyfriend. Right?" Park Woo-Min grumbled. "Not me. I hate having an actress for a girlfriend." "Sorry. But I promise, once today's shoot is over, I'll eat properly." Park Woo-Min understood the burdens of being a celebrity more than anyone. So he supported Choi Ji-Yung silently, even as it pained him. Sometimes I wondered—maybe celebrities and talent agents made the most fitting couples after all. Just then, I snapped out of it at the sound of Yoo-Jin's voice. Yoo-Jin stood frozen in a yellow dress with her expression stunned. Choi Ji-Yung gave a faint chuckle. "Same reaction as Chief Jung, huh? Yoo-Jin, you're just too kind-hearted for your own good." Yoo-Jin took her hands and was already on the verge of tears even before the shoot began. Choi Ji-Yung gently wiped Yoo-Jin's tears away. "Don't worry. I'm actually feeling really good today. But Yoo-Jin, you heard the talk about So Yi-Yung in Queen Jeong-Hee, right? How she's been killing it lately?" Yoo-Jin had clearly read the articles that came out today. "That's why... today's final lesson won't be easy. I'm going to show you what you're still missing." Ever since Hwaranjeon began, Choi Ji-Yung had been mentoring Miso and Yoo-Jin in acting. Yoo-Jin's talent was so advanced that most lessons involved watching her perform and offering fine-tuned corrections. But today, Choi Ji-Yung had insisted on leading one last session herself. After a deep breath, Choi Ji-Yung began to explain the one and only thing the acting genius Jung Yoo-Jin had yet to master.