[Date: March 7, 2023] -10:00 p.m.: Senior executive L from a global film production company was taken into custody for drunken misconduct at the J Hotel club. (Meeting Agenda: Consider ways to get Richard Kane out of the holding cell.) Before the regression, Richard Kane enjoyed partying with ordinary women at a club in the basement of his hotel whenever he visited Korea. However, since his security team was extremely thorough, his private life had never been exposed to the outside world. Yet two years from now, a rookie reporter who went undercover to investigate celebrities' hotel club activities would discover Richard Kane's private life. It happened because that day, he went down to the club alone without his security team. At that time, I received orders to clean up the aftermath because Kim Dong-Soo was entertaining Richard Kane. I had to use my connections with the police to get Richard Kane out of the holding cell. 'Thinking back, I really did all sorts of dirty work before the regression.' Anyway, Richard Kane ended up in a very difficult situation because of that incident. His wife Angelina, a Hollywood film producer as famous as her husband, saw the article from Korea and immediately filed for divorce with a massive alimony claim. Because of that, Richard Kane lost nearly a hundred billion won in alimony and couldn't show his face in the film industry for years when he returned to the U.S. I mentioned that fact to Shin Jong-Ki. "Whenever Vice President Richard comes to Korea, he rents a room in the hotel basement club and throws parties with women. So if we can get photos of that, we might be able to negotiate with Richard." "Wait. Richard likes to party? That's the first I've heard of it." Richard Kane always hung out only with ordinary people under the tight protection of his security guards. For this reason, people in the industry had no idea about this side of him. I myself wouldn't have known if Kim Dong-Soo hadn't ordered me to handle the aftermath that day. "I'm certain," I said firmly. Shin Jong-Ki shook his head. "Wow, you just never know what people are hiding in this industry, huh?" But now, even he started wondering how I got that information. Shin Jong-Ki asked, "But how did you find out? That kind of high-level info isn't easy to get." Anticipating this, I gave the answer I had prepared in advance. "I learned it thanks to Chief Kim Dong-Soo." "Yes. Early on, when I ran errands for Chief Kim Dong-Soo, he told me about Richard Kane's true nature." When I mentioned Kim Dong-Soo's name, Shin Jong-Ki nodded in understanding. "I see. By the way, wasn't President Kim from Ace Entertainment originally your boss?" "You must have had a tough time. He has a nasty personality." 'I sure did—both before and after the regression.' "Well, thanks to him, I learned a lot." "Right. Anyway, if that info came from Kim Dong-Soo, it's probably reliable. So first we need to find out where Richard is." At that moment, Jin Sung-Joon spoke. "Richard is staying at our Jinseong Hotel Samsung branch for the Asia Cinema Conference tomorrow." "Ah, is that so? Then there's a high chance he'll be in the basement club of that hotel." Jin Sung-Joon nodded. "I'll call my sister to check if he's gone to the club." Then Jin Sung-Joon immediately called Jin Ah-Ram. "Ah-Ram, can you check if Richard Kane is among the club's guests?" After asking me to wait a moment, Jin Ah-Ram quickly replied. -He's there. The desk confirmed he came in with his security team using the fake name Steve. By the way, why do you need to know? "Ah, it's for something Mr. Shin from LT and Chief Jung are working on." -Is that so? Then I'll tell the waiters to monitor the situation inside the room in real time. At that moment, I jumped into the conversation between the two. "Ms. Jin, this is Jung Yoon-Ho speaking." "Don't recklessly put people near him, and please just find out which room he's in. Those bodyguards aren't ordinary, so if you approach carelessly, it could end badly." -Mm-hmm, I understand. Then I'll just keep track of what's going on. "Thank you. I'll contact you again shortly." After I hung up, Shin Jong-Ki asked with a serious expression. "How skilled are those bodyguards?" "I heard they're veterans from a private military company, and their level is extremely high. Especially, they instantly sense when they're being watched." "Then is there no way to take photos of him partying in the room?" Normally, that would be the case. But now, I had the advantage of regression. Before the regression, I was always body-searched whenever I met Richard Kane. Thanks to the experience, I was the only one who could slip past his security. However, Shin Jong-Ki shook his head. "No. If they're that good, even you might not be able to manage. Besides, Richard Kane knows your face. What do you plan to do?" Since Yang So-Ri was here today for the actors' makeup, I was certain there would be no problem if she gave me special makeup. Westerners usually struggled to distinguish between Asian faces, after all. Shin Jong-Ki rubbed his brow. "Ugh... I feel uncomfortable relying on you for everything." I smiled and said, "Please don't. Just make sure to pay well for the photos." If I could make LT Entertainment owe me a definite favor and rescue the future hit director James King from Richard Kane's grasp through this opportunity, it would be a huge gain for me too. "Understood. I'll put that on my tab. And just in case, I'll have bodyguards ready outside the club." Jin Sung-Joon added the same. "I'll also station bodyguards." I thanked them both and said, "Then please have them wear plain clothes and make sure they don't gather in groups of two or more. Also, let them know in advance that they'll be up against veteran bodyguards with overseas combat experience." After a few more requests, I set about planning my secret entry and photo shoot. At that moment, Go Jae-Soo, who had just finished reading his script in the corner of the waiting room, stood up. "Mr. Jung, I've memorized the entire script." While Go Jae-Soo was reading, Yang So-Ri had finished his makeup. "Mr. Jung, I'm done too." As expected, Yang So-Ri's skills were exceptional. The neat Go Jae-Soo had disappeared, and now stood Lieutenant Choi Ill-Seon, worn out from a week-long trench battle. Since we were short on time, I had only asked her to capture the mood. Nevertheless, the detail was impressive enough to leave me speechless. However, the outfit he wore looked far too clean compared to the makeup. I made a request to Shin Jong-Ki. "Mr. Shin. If the company has any shabby janitor uniforms or something similar, please give me one." "There are some old plain military fatigues in the company storage." Shin Jong-Ki wasted no time promptly contacting Lee Eun-Joo. Before long, Lee Eun-Joo appeared with a shabby, olive-colored outfit. The plain military uniform was crumpled and dirty. Lee Eun-Joo handed me the uniform and said, "It's a bit filthy. Will this be okay, Mr. Jung?" "It's even better this way." Go Jae-Soo also looked satisfied as he took off his jacket. He quickly changed clothes, then slowly immersed himself in his role and gave an okay sign. "I'm ready, Mr. Jung." I took a deep breath and started filming right away. "Forgotten War scene 23. Let's go. Ready... action!" Go Jae-Soo took a moment to steady his breathing, then began performing with the incredible skill I'd expected. Even though it was a cramped waiting room, the intense performance of Go Jae-Soo, a true professional who always gave his best, wasn't hindered at all. Having successfully finished filming the audition video, Go Jae-Soo and Lee Tae-Poong headed to a cinema in Gangnam as they had stage greetings to do at midnight screenings. After that, I received makeup from Yang So-Ri. Time was short, but she did her best to transform me into someone else. Every time something happened, she looked like a magician to me. "It's done. We're short on time, so let's stop here and get going." In the blink of an eye, I had finished my special effects makeup. And together with Jin Sung-Joon and Shin Jong-Ki, I moved to Jinseong Hotel Samsung branch. The current time was 1:10 a.m. When we arrived at the underground parking lot, Jin Ah-Ram was waiting for us, wearing a hat pulled low and a mask covering her face. Standing beside her was an employee dressed as a waiter. As soon as I got out of the car, Jin Ah-Ram asked Jin Sung-Joon, "Oppa, where's Mr. Jung?" Jin Sung-Joon pointed at me. "He's right here." Jin Ah-Ram's eyes grew wide. "Mr. Jung?" Right now, I had darkened skin, a blunt nose, and a short buzz-cut wig. At a glance, there wasn't a trace of my original appearance. "Wow, this is unbelievable. I really wouldn't have recognized you. But you also look a bit shorter somehow." "Ah, that's because I'm keeping my posture low. More importantly, which room is Richard in?" "He's in VIP room 1. But like you said, there are four bodyguards standing at the entrance." "Then let's get ready to go in." At that moment, Jin Ah-Ram turned to the side. "Mr Kim, please hand over the prepared items." Among the club waiters, Senior Manager Kim Tae-Bong handed me a waiter uniform, thick horn-rimmed glasses, and a wristwatch. On the waiter uniform, just as I had asked, a name tag reading "Schnoz" was attached. "You probably don't have any waiter experience, so just do as I say." I shook my head. "I actually worked as a waiter for about six months. I lived and worked in a club, so don't worry." When I first came up to Seoul with no connections, I worked at a club that offered room and board. I was the youngest back then, so I was treated kindly and lived fairly comfortably. But one day, I punched four troublesome customers who were harassing one of the women working at the club. Even though there were four of them, I overpowered them so completely that word spread about how good I was with my fists. I even got a scouting offer from the gangsters who managed the club. Yet, since I had no intention of getting involved with gangsters—that was why I left the orphanage early—I quit working as a waiter that very day. "You... worked as a waiter?" He looked like he couldn't believe it, so I mixed in some club slang from my waiter days. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novelꞁire.net "You don't put bba-shi in the VIP room, do you?" Bba-shi was slang among waiters for liquor made by pouring leftover liquor into empty bottles. "Hearing that slang, it looks like you really did work as a waiter." "Understood. Then from now on, I'll call you by your nickname. Schnoz, the guest in VIP room 1 is Top S-class. So don't cut corners. Give them plenty of service and booking, got it?" I immediately snapped to attention and bowed 90 degrees. "Yes, sir!" Waiters always bowed 90 degrees to match the customers' moods. At the same time, they must never make direct eye contact with customers. Some people would throw ashtrays just because they thought you were being arrogant by meeting their eyes. "Then hurry up and get changed so we can go in." I took the waiter uniform, thick horn-rimmed glasses, and chunky watch, and headed for the backseat of the car. In the car, I changed into the waiter uniform and put on the belt-shaped hidden camera. This hidden camera was something I had asked Shin Jong-Ki for, and LT Entertainment's information team had prepared it. The hidden camera automatically took photos every time the belt was touched, and since it was such a rare device, most people wouldn't recognize it. After finishing with the glasses and watch, I sprayed myself with a different cologne than usual before stepping out of the car. Shin Jong-Ki looked at me worriedly. "If it feels dangerous, come out right away. Understood?" I took a deep breath and pushed my thick glasses up. "Yes, Mr. Shin." Then I headed down to basement level 2 with Kim Tae-Bong, all to capture photos of Richard Kane partying with women. As soon as I entered the club, the heavy beat pounded in my ears. On the floor and around the tables, many people were swaying their bodies, lost in excitement. Then, Kim Tae-Bong took the lead and headed for the kitchen. "We'll go in saying we're bringing expensive service. I'll carry the service liquor at the front, so you follow me with a tray of fruit snacks. We can't risk getting caught, so don't stay inside for more than one minute. Take the photos in that time. Got it?" I replied in the high-pitched voice I had switched to the moment I entered the club. "Yes, hyung-nim." One minute was given. By the time I cleared the table and set up the drinks and snacks, I would have less than ten seconds to actually take photos. I would have to act boldly the moment I stepped in. I followed Kim Tae-Bong's lead and headed to the kitchen. From the kitchen, they handed me a bottle of liquor and a large tray piled high with neatly cut fruit. Expensive mangosteen, freshly flown-in star apples, watermelon, apples, and pears were generously arranged. "Be careful. Our fruit platters are especially heavy." "This is nothing for me." Kim Tae-Bong gave a nod and started walking ahead, carrying the service liquor. As we entered the area where the VIP rooms were located, it grew quieter compared to earlier. Since VIP room 1 was at the very end of the hallway, we avoided the wandering drunks and headed straight for the end. Just as I expected, four burly bodyguards were blocking the entrance at the end of the hallway—the same ones I had seen before the regression. One Korean-American and three white men, all boasting massive muscles, glared at us. They were the same ones I had seen in my past life. Then the Korean-American named Charlie spoke fluent Korean. "Only one of you goes in." This guy was the head of the security team, and by far the pickiest one. Caught off guard, Kim Tae-Bong tried to speak. "The guy behind me is new, so he doesn't know what to do yet. We need to go in together." However, Charlie shook his head. "Then you can just go in alone." I knew right then that it was time for me to step up. After all, the only thing I needed Kim Tae-Bong for was getting me to the door. "M-Mr. Kim, I'll just go in, set up, and come right back out." Kim Tae-Bong hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside. "Alright. Just don't upset the guests and come out quickly. Got it?" I took the liquor bottle from him and headed to the door of VIP room 1. "Excuse me, coming through." The four bodyguards stepped aside. As I passed between them, they looked me up and down from head to toe, so I deliberately acted scared. Once I made it through them and stood before room 1, Charlie opened the door for me. I took a short, deep breath and stepped into the room. "Here's your service~" As the door opened, the exact scene I had expected unfolded before me. 'Nothing's changed about this guy, huh?' Around Richard Kane, four women in their early to mid-twenties were laughing and chatting. The completely drunken Richard Kane had his arms around them. Then he shouted, "Alright! Drink! Drink! The fastest one gets a thousand dollars!" I had already known he partied , but seeing it up close was utterly disgusting. On the table littered with empty bottles, stacks of hundred-dollar bills were piled up. I bent down and approached the table. Without glancing at Richard or the women, I began placing the liquor and fruit platter on the table. Like a seasoned pro, I tapped my belt casually as I moved, triggering the hidden camera. As I quickly cleaned the table and got close to Richard Kane, I subtly wiggled my pinky finger. At that moment, Charlie, the head bodyguard behind me, suddenly grabbed my wrist. A sharp pain shot through me under his crushing grip. I swallowed dryly and looked up with a terrified expression. "W-What are you doing?" "You little bastard. Playing dumb, huh? Think I don't know what you're up to?" Charlie sneered as he tightened his grip on my shoulder. He was clearly trying to keep me from bolting. Meanwhile, the other bodyguards slipped into the room and quickly surrounded me. Just as I had expected, they were making their move. However, I wasn't worried at all. After all, everything was going exactly as I had planned. 'Come on, come on...' Feigning terror, I braced myself for what was coming next.