Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 509: Downfall (1)

'A subpoena? What a joke.'

I wasn't afraid of threats from a company that would soon disappear.

"You should sue the reporter, not me."

"I know you gave him the scoop, punk!"

"Oh? And who told you that?"

"Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

"Yes please. That way, I can visit the reporter myself and have a chat. Don't you think so? Huh?"

The more brazen my responses, the more Im Sung-Hak trembled with rage. His anger reached its peak as he growled through gritted teeth. "Jung Yoon-Ho, are you really going to take this all the way to the end with me?"

It was hard to understand why he was yelling now when he was the one who started this war. However, I soon realized what he was thinking.

'So he's out of cards.'

Im Sung-Hak preferred using political connections and influential backers to untangle messy situations. For him to say this meant he had almost no moves left. This left only one option—violence.

But if that was enough to scare me, I wouldn't have started this at all.

I said, "Since you messed with the actors I care about, you should have been prepared to see this through to the end."

"So that's the choice you're making?"

Im Sung-Hak's gaze turned icy as he glared at me.

"Fine. From now on, I'll take down every single actor under your wing. I'll show them what it means to fail at everything they do. And when they've all hit rock bottom, I'll drag you down last!"

He planned to use powerful politicians and corrupt conglomerates to crush my actors. However, that only worked as long as his company still existed.

I looked him straight in the eye and replied, "Wow, that's quite the story. Why not post that novel on Cameo Pages? I bet it'd sell well."

My shameless tone made Im Sung-Hak tremble with rage. "You little..."

Seeing things about to get out of hand as Im Sung-Hak clenched his fists tightly, Lee Chan-Dong quickly pulled him back. "Mr. Im, let's go. Don't waste your time talking to this kind of guy..."

Im Sung-Hak tried to shake off the grip on his arm. "Let go of me!"

"Sir! It's time to go."

Dragged toward the car, Im Sung-Hak pointed a finger at me. "Just wait and see, Jung Yoon-Ho!"

His voice echoed through the parking lot as the car he boarded drove away.

Watching the Binz disappear, I slowly waved my hand instead of showing a fist. After all, he would soon be heading to the big house.

"Goodbye, Mr. Im."

***

Back at Hoop Entertainment, I headed straight to the president's office at 10:30 p.m.

Despite the late hour, Kang Gam-Chan, Kang Ji-Yung, and Jung Soo-Hyuk were huddled together in a meeting. They were discussing how to handle the article about Eun-Ah and deciding which network to partner with for the ten billion won global idol project proposed to the three major broadcasting stations.

As I entered, Kang Gam-Chan asked, "Yoon-Ho, what did PD Ji Yung-Sik say?"

I answered, "It turns out he's been considering resigning, so he said he could join right away regardless of which network we choose."

Kang Gam-Chan smirked. "KBC is a pretty frustrating place to work, huh? Alright then. So it's down to MBS or SBC, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. From here on, I'll decide which network we go with. I should at least earn my keep."

Signaling everyone to be quiet, Kang Gam-Chan resumed negotiations with the presidents of MBS and SBC. Both networks offered to schedule the show at the desired time slot and were willing to take only a 10% stake.

Nevertheless, there was one key difference. MBS insisted on using its own PD in exchange for additional production costs. Meanwhile, SBC readily agreed to accept Ji Yung-Sik, even though we hadn't mentioned his name to avoid interference from KBC's president.

In the end, the global idol project G was finalized with SBC.

After hanging up the phone, Kang Gam-Chan let out a deep sigh. Negotiating had left him sweating all over.

"Man, dealing with those network guys isn't easy."

"Thank you so much, sir."

"There's nothing to thank me for. Soon, let's head over to SBC with PD Ji to seal the deal."

"Yes, Mr. Kang."

I then reported the confrontation with Im Sung-Hak in the parking lot. Kang Gam-Chan became even angrier than I did, vowing not to let Im Sung-Hak off the hook.

Just as I was about to head home, my phone rang.

[Caller ID: Prosecutor Seo Jae-Ill]

It was Seo Jae-Ill, who was currently investigating the embezzlement case involving Ace Entertainment and its subsidiary, PMK.

"Mr. Kang, may I take this call? It's regarding Ace Entertainment."

"Go ahead."

With permission granted, I answered the call. As soon as I did, Seo Jae-Ill delivered unexpected good news.

-Mr. Jung, Ace Entertainment's lobbying attempt with Assemblyman Lee Dae-Boong has failed. It looks like the National Tax Service and the Southern District Prosecutors' Office will launch investigations into Ace Entertainment as early as tomorrow.

Apparently, the enraged Lee Dae-Boong completely ignored Ace Entertainment's lobbying attempt.

"That's faster than expected. So how will your investigation into Ace Entertainment's embezzlement proceed?"

-We've gathered some materials on PMK as well. Once the National Tax Service and the Southern District Prosecutors' Office move in, we'll jump in depending on the situation.

Lee Dae-Boong probably never intended to support Ace Entertainment until the end. He likely just wanted to flex his power and give Ace Entertainment a scare. Yet, with Seo Jae-Ill stepping in, Ace Entertainment now faced a completely different situation.

'There goes Im Sung-Hak.'

Just then, Seo Jae-Ill added another piece of news.

-Oh, and depending on the situation, Assemblyman Lee Dae-Boong might also be investigated.

Using government agencies like the National Tax Service and the prosecution for personal matters was illegal. Seo Jae-Ill said he intended to prosecute not only Lee Dae-Boong for abusing his power but also those involved.

Suppressing the laughter threatening to burst out, I responded feeling more satisfied than expected.

"That's great news. And thank you for your hard work."

-What hard work? I just took a bite of the meal you prepared, Mr. Jung.

Seo Jae-Ill always said that knowing where to start an investigation was half the battle.

"Then I'll be in touch again soon."

-Understood.

After hanging up, I opened my planner.

[Everyday V12.1]

[Date: December 24, 2022]

-10:00 p.m <Schedule Entry Deleted>

(Deleted Schedule Entry: Ace Entertainment Countermeasure Meeting, 5F Meeting Room (Report Items: Vice President Jang Sung-Min of Ace Entertainment, PMK CEO Park Min-Gu – Prosecutor Investigation. Allegations of Embezzlement and Accounting Fraud at Subsidiary PMK))

'It's done.'

The first event tied to Ace Entertainment's collapse had finally changed. And now, every schedule entry related to Ace Entertainment had vanished. Its downfall was all but guaranteed.

Suppressing my excitement, I relayed the information from Seo Jae-Ill to everyone.

Kang Gam-Chan looked at me with a proud expression. "Good work, Yoon-Ho."

"It's nothing, sir."

Smiling, Kang Gam-Chan turned to Kang Ji-Yung and gave instructions. "Director Kang, have all team leads stop their schedules and come in tomorrow morning. Don't tell them the reason."

"Understood."

It was now only a matter of hours before Ace Entertainment would collapse.

***

After meeting Jung Yoon-Ho, Im Sung-Hak had a sleepless night.

Last night, Assemblyman Cha Sang-Tae had met with Assemblyman Lee Dae-Boong to lobby on behalf of Ace Entertainment. And by the time the clock struck 7 a.m., Im Sung-Hak finally received a call from Cha Sang-Tae.

-Mr. Lee seems to have a very negative view of Ace Entertainment. You really should have managed the media better. How could you let an article about harassing Eun-Ah come out when she's at the peak of her career... Tsk, tsk.

The article about Ace Entertainment's attempt to crush Yoo Eun-Ah still dominated half the entertainment news section. Because of that, Lee Dae-Boong could no longer support Ace Entertainment, even if he wanted to.

Upon hearing that the lobbying had failed, Im Sung-Hak hurriedly spoke up.

"M-Mr. Cha! W-What are you talking about? You said I didn't need to worry!"

-That was before this mess blew up. Anyway, I've got constituency matters to attend to... Goodbye.

Click.

The call ended abruptly.

Panicked, Im Sung-Hak dialed Cha Sang-Tae again.

[The person you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone...]

"Damn it!"

Cha Sang-Tae was no longer answering his calls.

With the lobbying attempt with Lee Dae-Boong a complete failure, the shocked Im Sung-Hak turned to Jang Sung-Min.

"Vice President Jang! Y-You try calling him!"

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Jang Sung-Min quickly dialed, but Cha Sang-Tae still did not answer.

"He's... not picking up."

"Those bastards took my money and now they're ghosting me?!"

Ever since his run-in with Jung Yoon-Ho, nothing had gone right for Im Sung-Hak. Ironically, the more he tried to strike Jung Yoon-Ho down, the more damage he suffered himself. On top of that, Jung Yoon-Ho had a high-ranking Chinese official backing him and had secretly built connections strong enough to raise ten billion won without anyone in the industry noticing.

Once just a somewhat noticeable figure, Jung Yoon-Ho had now become an untouchable powerhouse beyond his grasp.

Unable to accept the absurdity of the situation, Im Sung-Hak stood frozen in a daze. "Jung Yoon-Ho... Just what the hell are you...?"

Just then, Jang Sung-Min carefully asked, "Mr. Im... Is there anyone else you can reach out to?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Im Sung-Hak clenched his teeth and turned his head. With even Cha Sang-Tae refusing to answer, there was no one else he could call.

"If there was, do you think I'd be standing here like this? Huh?!"

At that moment, the door burst open and the pale-faced Lee Chan-Dong rushed inside.

Bang!

"W-We are in big trouble!"

"What is it?"

"T-The National Tax Service's Investigation Bureau 4 has raided the lobby. And investigators from the Southern District Prosecutors' Office are here too."

"What? Both at the same time?"

The Seoul Regional Tax Office's Investigation Bureau 4 was a powerful team responsible for special tax investigations. And now, the Southern District Prosecutors' Office had also joined them.

Face turning white, Im Sung-Hak shot up from his seat. "Chief Lee! Erase all the computer hard drives right now!"

"U-Understood!"

"Vice President! Burn any remaining documents. Chief Lee, have the staff block them from coming upstairs! And get the lobbying ledgers transferred to PMK!"

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone moved swiftly, but they could not stop the investigators from both agencies.

Bang!

The door to the president's office swung open as men in suits entered.

"Mr. Im Sung-Hak, we're from Investigation Bureau 4."

"Mr. Im Sung-Hak, we're from the Southern District Prosecutors' Office."

Im Sung-Hak's mind went blank as if everything around him was crumbling. His body lost all strength and he collapsed into his chair.

One of the prosecutors displayed a search and seizure warrant. "Starting now, we will conduct a search and seizure of Ace Entertainment."

But Im Sung-Hak, half out of his mind, could no longer register what was happening.

***

A team leads' meeting was held first thing in the morning.

As I entered the meeting room, Kang Gam-Chan explained the situation with a stern expression. "As of now, Ace Entertainment is undergoing simultaneous raids by the National Tax Service and the prosecutors' office. I called you all in because it seems Ace Entertainment won't survive this storm."

The chiefs and team leads began murmuring among themselves. When Kang Gam-Chan said they wouldn't survive the storm, it meant Ace Entertainment was headed for bankruptcy.

"With the industry's top company collapsing, filming sites will be chaotic for a while. Stay sharp and stay focused."

As Kang Gam-Chan continued giving instructions, I kept an eye on Baek Sae-Gi. His expression showed disbelief that the company he once worked for was falling apart.

Just then, Promotions Team Lead Sung Min-Suk called out, "Mr. Kang! The articles are out!"

Sung Min-Suk pulled up the articles on the large LCD screen in the meeting room.

[(Breaking): Top Entertainment Company Ace Entertainment Under Emergency Search and Seizure]

[(Breaking): Large-Scale Tax Evasion—President Im Sung-Hak Arrested]

[(Breaking): Ace Entertainment and Subsidiary PMK Involved in Embezzlement Scandal!]

[(Breaking): Massive Embezzlement—President Im Sung-Hak Arrested!]

[(Breaking): Ace Entertainment's Systematic Crimes Using Subsidiaries!]

...

'It's over.'

Alongside images of Im Sung-Hak being arrested, information about PMK, investigated by Seo Jae-Ill, also appeared.

Kang Gam-Chan turned and stared at Baek Sae-Gi, who looked stunned. "Team Lead Baek, what do you think you should do now?"

Snapping out of it, Baek Sae-Gi quickly tried to sound calm as if nothing had happened. "It's still too early to assume Ace Entertainment has... collapsed. There have been cases like this before where they hired a big law firm and got out of it..."

Baek Sae-Gi spoke as if this was just a passing storm, but I cut him off. "Mr. Baek, you sound like you're hoping Ace Entertainment won't collapse."

Baek Sae-Gi glared at me, eyes blazing with anger. "W-What kind of thing is that to say, Team Lead Jung? I'm a team lead at Hoop Entertainment now!"

"Is that so?"

"Of course!"

Locking eyes with the agitated Baek Sae-Gi, I slowly began to say the words I had been holding back ever since my battle with Ace Entertainment began.