Charlie yanked off my glasses, thinking that my glasses had a hidden camera in the frames. Before the regression, I had been caught exactly the first time I was inspected by the head of security, Charlie. Whenever he suspected anything even slightly off, he would grab someone and search them head to toe like he was interrogating a prisoner of war. The first thing he always checked was the horn-rimmed glasses. "You little punk. Trying to play games with us?" As Charlie spoke triumphantly, the other three guards pinned me in place so I couldn't move an inch. In an instant, the once-festive atmosphere turned ice cold. "Charlie, what the hell are you doing?" When Vice President Richard Kane raised his voice, Charlie lifted my glasses up. "This bastard brought in a hidden camera." "Is there a camera installed in those glasses?" At that moment, I answered in a voice trembling like a nervous trainee waiter. My fabricated voice was higher than usual, and quivered thinly. "N-No! It's not a hidden camera! I swear! I just didn't bring my contact lenses today, so I'm wearing these glasses!" "Don't make me laugh." Charlie, looking completely sure of himself, snapped the glasses in half. As he broke the thick bridge of the horn-rimmed glasses, there was no micro-camera inside but only a white cross-section of plastic was exposed. "Huh? Why... isn't there anything?" Flustered, Charlie then broke both folding hinges of the glasses. Again, no tiny camera emerged. "What? What the hell? This can't be right..." Now looking uneasy, he grabbed my left wrist and pulled off my watch. Then he slammed it down on the table and smashed it with a solid bottle. The watch glass shattered with shards scattering everywhere. But of course, there was no sign of a camera. I had deliberately worn obvious horn-rimmed glasses and a chunky watch because I knew they would frisk me. 'When you hide a tree, you hide it in a forest.' In other words, this was a setup I had orchestrated from the start. And psychologically, once someone failed to find anything the first time, it became much harder to repeat the same search. At this point, there was no way they would check my belt, since asking me to remove it would practically mean ordering me to strip naked. Sure enough, the flustered Charlie couldn't bring himself to search me further as a psychological barrier had formed. To reinforce it even more, I seized the moment and shouted in a high-pitched voice full of injustice, "No, sirs... I told you... so many times already... it's not what you think..." For a moment, Charlie shouted back with an embarrassed look. "You idiot! Then why the hell were you darting your eyes around and wiggling your fingers, huh? Huh?" "I... I was nervous..." "What?" Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs noveⅼfire.net "I was fine in front of Mr. Kim, but once I came in alone, I got so nervous I couldn't help it. I've never gone into a VIP room alone before since I'm new..." At that moment, Richard Kane suddenly burst into giggles. "Hahaha! Looks like even Charlie can be wrong sometimes. He was just scared, so leave him alone." "I've never been wrong before... I'm sorry, Mr. Vice President." "No, no, it's fine. Thanks to you, I can party comfortably. Anyway, is the inspection over?" "Then let's get ready to greet our guests. It looks like they'll be arriving soon." "Understood." Charlie stepped outside the room with the other bodyguards and barked an order at me. "You, hurry up and finish cleaning, then get out!" Replying in a weak voice, I put on a gloomy face and began tidying up the table. It was time for me to leave anyway. I threw tissues and trash into the bin and loaded empty bottles onto the tray. Just as I was about to leave, Charlie's voice came from outside the door. -Boss! The guests have arrived. But then, the door opened and someone I recognized appeared. "How have you been, Mr. Richard?" "Haha. Come in, Chief Ryu." The man who stepped in with his bodyguards was none other than Ryu Shin from Hwayeon Media. 'Why the hell is he here?' Before the regression, Hwayeon Media and 21st Century Wolf only started collaborating years after Hwayeon Media Korea was established. The fact that Ryu Shin showed up here now meant he already had a personal relationship with Richard Kane. Considering Richard Kane's tendency to keep his partying private, their relationship might be far closer than I had expected. Ryu Shin entered the room with his bodyguards. Immediately, Charlie and Richard's bodyguards blocked Ryu Shin's guards from coming in. "This is as far as you go." Charlie drew a line to protect Richard Kane, and Ryu Shin's bodyguards frowned. As the atmosphere turned tense, Ryu Shin raised his hand to stop them. "It's fine. Don't ruin the mood. Just wait outside." Once the standoff eased, Ryu Shin walked alone toward the table. That's when Ryu Shin looked at my face and tilted his head suspiciously. 'Did he recognize me?' Richard Kane couldn't tell Asian faces apart, but Ryu Shin, being Asian himself, had a much higher chance of seeing through my disguise. "Hmm... your face looks really familiar for some reason." I quickly responded in a trembling, high-pitched voice. "I-I get that a lot, sir. People always say I have a common face." As I stared up at him with fearful eyes and trembled, Ryu Shin slowly dropped his suspicion. "Was I wrong? Damn it, making me second-guess myself." "I-I'm so sorry, sir!" Though he had thought he recognized my face, my convincing act of fear made him quickly dismiss it. The Jung Yoon-Ho he knew would have thrown a punch in a situation , not cowered. 'What, you think I'm an idiot?' Right now, there were eight burly men near the entrance. Four of them were Richard Kane's bodyguards, all special forces veterans with real combat experience. Fighting them in a cramped room would be suicide. At that moment, Richard Kane burst into chuckles. "Hehehe. That poor waiter's having a rough night—first with Charlie, now with Ryu Shin." Ryu Shin finally looked away from me and sat down. I had been planning to leave, but now I wanted to hear what these two would say. So I started cleaning the trash can unnecessarily to buy time. Then, Ryu Shin shoved one of the women aside and moved in close next to Richard Kane. He began speaking in English. "I heard you were humiliated today by LT and Lee Tae-Poong?" "Word travels fast. I heard you're well-connected in Korea, but you're even quicker than I thought." "I've got my radar up for some punks I want to take care of." "Right, I remember you've got some history with them too. Ha! We've got a lot in common." "The enemy of my enemy is a friend, right? How about we join forces going forward?" "First, we need to break President Shin's pride. Once President Shin is on his knees, the actors and talent agents will fall in line on their own." 'How dare you target me and my precious actor?' Besides wanting to help Shin Jong-Ki, I now had another reason to send Richard Kane straight to hell. Just then, Ryu Shin made an unexpected suggestion. "Oh, and there's someone next door I'd like to introduce you to. Would you like to meet them?" Richard Kane's face twisted with annoyance. "Ryu Shin. You know I don't take introductions when I'm partying. How can I trust who they are? This is enough. If you're going to talk about that, you can leave right now!" "Mr. Vice President, he's a tight-lipped guy. He's the president of a pretty big entertainment company in Korea, and he brought a good proposal. Wouldn't it be worth meeting him?" "I said enough! Didn't you hear me say get out?" 'A president of a big entertainment company? Who could that be?' I had someone in mind, but I wanted to be sure, so I listened carefully. At that moment, Charlie grabbed my shoulder. "Hey, why the hell are you still here?" I had stayed too long trying to gather more valuable information. Once again, everyone's suspicion focused squarely on me. As tension heavier than before settled over the room, I put strength into my voice for the first time. "I... I didn't get my tip yet..." Everyone in the room froze with stunned expressions. Then, Richard Kane burst into raucous laughter. "Hahaha! That's right. I should give you a tip. Now that I think about it, Charlie smashed your glasses and watch, didn't he?" The broken watch was still lying on the table in pieces, and the shattered glasses were scattered around. Leaving them there while tidying up earlier just in case had been a perfect excuse. As the bodyguards awkwardly relaxed, Richard Kane pulled out ten bills from the stacks on the table. Since they were all hundreds, that made a thousand dollars. 'Not bad. He's pretty generous.' I put on a bright smile and took the money from his hand. "Thank you so much, sir!" Richard Kane flashed a snake-like grin and spoke in English. "Then make sure you get some girls to join us before the night is over. Got it?" As not to raise suspicion, I replied in clumsy English and mixed in hand gestures. "Girls? Okay okay! No problem! Trust me! I have a plan! I am your Cupid!" Richard Kane roared with laughter again. "Hahaha! That's what I like—people work best when they get paid. Alright, you're my Cupid tonight." Everyone in the room broke into smiles, including Richard Kane, who, finding my words amusing, hugged one of the women next to him and started kissing her cheek. At that moment, I boldly tapped my belt to trigger the hidden camera. It was a perfect angle with perfect lighting. I had captured the perfect photo. I stuffed the thousand dollars Richard Kane had given me into my pocket and answered briskly. "Enjoy your evening!" I carried the trash can and tray out of the room, bowing deeply at the entrance. The bodyguards shut the door behind me. Leaning against the hallway wall, I let out a long, deep sigh. These people were so suspicious by nature that even the smallest things drained my mental energy. If anyone else had gone in, they would have been caught and things would have blown up for sure. Just then, Kim Tae-Bong, who had been waiting at the end of the hall, hurried over. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine. And until we're out, please drop the polite speech. Someone might overhear." Taking the trash can from me, Kim Tae-Bong replied, "Got it. Let's get out of here. Everyone's waiting in the penthouse." "I want to check who's in room 2 next door. They mentioned an entertainment company president. It'd be good to know who it is." Kim Tae-Bong grabbed my arm and shook his head. "There's no need. I already know who's in there." "Kim Dong-Soo; the president of Ace Entertainment, and Yoo Kang-Seok; the president of TNT Entertainment. They're in there together." 'What? Kim Dong-Soo and Yoo Kang-Seok?' Ace Entertainment was on the verge of collapse from a prosecution investigation, and TNT Entertainment was desperately looking for someone to buy them out due to the fallout from the cloned phone scandal. Yet here they were, trying to use Ryu Shin to build a connection with Richard Kane. If things went their way, they could boast to the media about securing ties with a Hollywood heavyweight, spinning their stories to reverse their companies' bad situations. In other words, Kim Dong-Soo and Yoo Kang-Seok could actually make a comeback. And on top of that, Ryu Shin might speed up his plans to establish Hwayeon Media Korea. 'You think I'll just let that happen?' I now had yet another reason to take Richard Kane down. Kim Tae-Bong led me to the penthouse, where Jin Sung-Joon, Jin Ah-Ram, and Shin Jong-Ki were waiting. After handing over the thousand dollars I had gotten from Richard Kane, I was treated like royalty. Just then, the hoteliers in front of the penthouse opened the door. As I stepped inside, Jin Sung-Joon and Jin Ah-Ram, who were sitting on the sofa, stood up at the same time and asked if I was okay. "Mr. Jung, are you alright?" Behind them, Shin Jong-Ki let out a big laugh. "Well, well. Looks like these two really care about Chief Jung. So, was there any trouble?" "No, everything's fine. And I even got some unexpected information." After reassuring everyone, I sat down on the sofa and loosened my belt. I immediately plugged the jack from the hidden camera into the laptop and checked the photos. The images captured everything Richard Kane had done in the room. As he looked through the photos, Shin Jong-Ki grinned. "These are perfect shots." "Yes. But there's something even more important than these photos." I quickly flipped through the images. Photos showing Ryu Shin and Richard Kane together came up. "So that's Chief Ryu. He's connected with Richard too, huh?" "Yes. And they were even plotting together to attack me, Lee Tae-Poong, and LT Entertainment." Shin Jong-Ki's face hardened with determination to take out not just Richard Kane but Ryu Shin as well. "We can't waste any time. Leave Richard Kane and Ryu Shin to me. I have a plan." "And tomorrow morning, let's make sure we get Director James out at the conference." Shin Jong-Ki left the penthouse immediately after giving his orders. Just as I was about to follow him out, Jin Ah-Ram stopped me. "Mr. Jung, the penthouse is empty tonight. Why don't you rest here before you leave?" Since she was the acting president of Jinseong Hotel & Resort, she could offer a room without hesitation. However, I smiled and shook my head. "I should sleep at home." I told them I would see them in the morning and left the penthouse without looking back. After all, the place where I could rest most comfortably was the home I shared with Yoo-Jin and Miso. The next morning, I woke up at 8 a.m., took a quick shower, and got ready to head to the conference at 9. However, I felt guilty because I had promised Miso I wouldn't do anything today. On top of that, her graduation ceremony was at 10. In the end, I headed up to the second floor. Miso, excited for her graduation, greeted me with a bright smile. "Uncle Yoon-Ho~~! Did you sleep well?" As always, Miso's energetic greeting lifted my spirits. Then I carefully explained my situation. "Miso, you see... I need to step out for a bit. I have to help Uncle Tae-Poong and someone else too... Could you understand, just this once? I promise I'll make it to your graduation at 10, okay?" Miso looked up at me with wide eyes. "It's not something dangerous, is it?" "No, not at all. I promise. It's neither hard nor dangerous." Miso nodded. "Mm~Hm... okay. But promise me you won't do anything tough today!" Thankfully, Miso gave her permission. "I promise. And no matter what, I will definitely be there for your graduation!" Before the regression, I had wanted so badly to attend Miso's graduation but couldn't. I wasn't going to miss it this time for anything. With Miso's permission easing my mind, I headed to Samseong-dong. When I arrived at Jinseong Hotel Samsung branch, a large banner reading "Asia Cinema Conference" was hanging at the main entrance. I parked my car at the front, handed it to the valet, and headed for the grand ballroom. As I walked along the path, I checked today's news articles on my phone. [Jiri Mountain Weekend Shows Sold Out! Estimated Weekend Attendance: 1.7 Million!] [Jiri Mountain Expands to 1,500 Screens!] [Lee Tae-Poong and Go Jae-Soo. Opening a New Chapter in Korean Thrillers.] [Jiri Mountain. "A Must-See on the Big Screen. Unmatched Sense of Urgency."] [Chungmuro's Rising Star, Director Park Sun-Jae. A Shocking Direction That Makes History in Korean Cinema.] The official weekend tally wouldn't come out until Monday, but since all the screenings were sold out, the count was essentially already confirmed—1.7 million viewers over the two weekend days. With more theaters adding screenings, I was excited to see just how far Jiri Mountain's final performance would go. But the good news didn't end there. [THE Best Launches to Explosive Sales! THE Pure & Best Factory Running 24 Hours Straight!] Thanks to Jiri Mountain's success, THE Best—which featured Lee Tae-Poong as its advertising model—sold an astonishing three hundred million won's worth in a single day. Since 1.2% of the revenue was my cut, I earned 3.6 million won just yesterday alone. 'Earning 3.6 million won in a single day is insane!' No matter how many times I thought about it, it felt like a dream. Lately, there have been countless things to spend money on. But thanks to THE Best, those worries could finally be laid to rest. I looked up at the sound of Jin Ah-Ram's voice calling to me. She was waving as she approached. Today, she was overseeing the operations for the Asia Cinema Conference and was personally guiding the VIPs. She came up to me and let me know where I would be sitting. "Your seat is A7. We made sure you'd sit with Mr. Shin and Director James." "What about Vice President Richard Kane?" "He's been assigned to a separate table with the other producers, so don't worry about him." I thanked Jin Ah-Ram for her thoughtfulness and headed toward table A7. As I entered the conference hall, I saw James already seated at table A7. But next to him sat someone whose face I knew all too well. 'Why is that bastard here?'