Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 594: Jinseong Hotel & Resort (1)

After meeting Jin Sung-Joon at Jinseong Foods, we headed to the headquarters building, which was attached right next to it.

When we entered the lobby, unlike before, about ten executives from the headquarters quickly approached and bowed their heads.

"We'll escort you."

Currently, the first son of Chairman Jin Dae-Woon, Vice President Jin Myung-Gyu, was suspended due to a scandal involving a woman. And the second child, President Jin Myung-Hee, had just caused a major incident by acquiring a failing resort.

In contrast, the third son, President Jin Sung-Joon, was thriving at Jinseong Foods, stabilizing the company rapidly.

So some of the more perceptive executives assumed that Jin Sung-Joon was the next candidate for chairman and began to align themselves accordingly.

However, Jin Sung-Joon looked at them coldly and said, "The entire company is in crisis, and you're coming here to greet me? Are you in your right minds? On a day like this, instead of trying to get on my good side, you should be focusing on resolving the situation!"

At that moment, the executives gathered in the lobby started sweating.

"We, we're sorry."

"We didn't consider that..."

Jin Sung-Joon raised his hand. "That's enough. If Mr. Chairman finds out, he'll be furious. Don't ever do something like this again."

After speaking sharply in a charismatic tone, Jin Sung-Joon strode toward the elevator. Some executives seemed ready to follow him, wiping away cold sweat.

But then Chief Secretary Yeo Jin-Soo turned his head and firmly instructed them not to follow. In the end, only the three of us headed toward the elevator.

While we waited, Jin Sung-Joon, wearing an embarrassed expression, apologized, saying he was ashamed to face me. "I showed you something you shouldn't have seen. I'm sorry."

Because of the acquisition of Sejin Resort, which had engaged in fraudulent accounting, the entire company was in chaos. Seeing the executives sucking up to the supposed next chairman despite the circumstances, Jin Sung-Joon seemed both angry and ashamed.

But in that moment, I saw in him a reflection of my past self when I was the Vice President of Top Entertainment before regression.

Back then, I despised people who played political games. No matter how competent they were, I detested flatterers and pushed them away. As a result, not a single person remained by my side.

Only after experiencing death and regressing did I understand that those executives who came and bowed their heads were able to do so because they set aside their pride for the sake of the families waiting for them at home. And bowing to someone more than ten years younger than themselves took far more courage than one might think.

So I began sharing the hard-earned insight I gained after returning with Jin Sung-Joon, who I had joined hands with.

"I'm fine. And I think those people came to greet you while bearing their own sense of shame. Perhaps you could accept it a bit more generously?"

Jin Sung-Joon stared at me silently. To someone like him, a Harbird graduate and top elite, it seemed like something he couldn't understand.

So I gave him one more practical reason.

"And if, by any chance, you don't accept them, they'll likely go back and cling to Vice President Jin Myung-Gyu. Isn't the first step in any war to reduce enemies and increase allies?"

At that, Jin Sung-Joon slowly nodded. "To be honest... I hadn't thought of it that way, but now that you say it, it makes sense. I suppose it's that kind of thinking that explains why you have so many people around you, unlike me."

After organizing his thoughts briefly, Jin Sung-Joon called for Yeo Jin-Soo. "Secretary Yeo."

"Yes, sir."

"Go see each of those executives who greeted me earlier and pass on a message. Tell them I reacted harshly because the situation was bad today. Thank them for welcoming me, and let them know I apologize."

"Understood."

It wasn't a perfect answer, but for someone as cold as Jin Sung-Joon, it was a significant step forward. After giving his instructions, Jin Sung-Joon relaxed his hard expression and smiled.

"Thanks to you, I'm learning a lot. Please keep sharing insights like this. I have no one around me to give honest advice."

Thankfully, he was taking my advice with good grace.

Ding~

That's when the elevator arrived at the first-floor lobby and the golden doors slowly slid open. Inside were only Jin Myung-Hee of Jinseong Hotel & Resort, her secretary, and a few executives. It seemed they had come up from the underground parking lot.

Jin Myung-Hee wore an unusually hysterical expression. Seeing her distorted face made the memories of what I had endured before my regression fade just a little.

At that moment, Jin Myung-Hee shouted sharply. "Hey, Jin Sung-Joon! The company's already in chaos, what are you doing here?"

Jin Myung-Hee's shrill voice echoed inside the elevator and spread outward. She didn't care whether other employees passing by in the lobby heard her or not.

But Jin Sung-Joon, having dealt with far worse behavior, didn't even blink. "How could I not come when something this serious has happened to the company?"

"Whatever. Go back and focus on Jinseong Foods, the company you're in charge of. And a serious situation you say... What serious situation? We can get everything back once we catch those bastards!"

Jin Myung-Hee meant they could recover the money from Sejin Resort's owners. But that was nearly impossible, because they had deliberately committed accounting fraud and they had already transferred the money overseas.

Jin Sung-Joon stepped into the elevator, barely acknowledging Jin Myung-Hee's words.

Jin Myung-Hee snapped, "What, you're getting on this one? Take the next!"

"There's plenty of space. Let's just take it together."

"Hey. Do I look like a joke to you? I said take the next one!"

"I don't have time for that."

Jin Sung-Joon stepped inside, almost as if he wanted to provoke Jin Myung-Hee.

I got on the elevator along with Yeo Jin-Soo as well, and the elevator doors closed in the awkward atmosphere.

Ding~

The elevator began rising quickly toward the 5th floor, which was used by Jinseong Hotel & Resort.

***

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Jin Myung-Hee hurled verbal abuse at me. "What the hell is a lowlife who wipes entertainers' asses doing here?"

Her crude language hadn't changed a bit. But unlike before, I had no intention of holding back. Because today, I was determined to remove her from the presidency of Jinseong Hotel & Resort.

I looked her in the eye and spoke openly. "I came because I believe Miss Jin Ah-Ram will soon be leading Jinseong Hotel & Resort. I thought it would be a good opportunity to discuss a partnership."

When I said she would be fired today, Jin Myung-Hee's cheeks twitched. "What? You little bastard, do you think words are free or something...?"

The agitated Jin Myung-Hee raised her right hand. It looked like she was about to slap me.

I reached into my pocket, thinking of recording it to use as evidence. But before I could hit the record button, Jin Sung-Joon grabbed Jin Myung-Hee's wrist.

"What do you think you're doing to my guest?"

Jin Myung-Hee's face twisted as she shook her arm. "Hey, let go! Let go!"

"Mrs. Jin. You're the one who brought the company to this state. Shouldn't you be focusing on fixing things? What kind of disgraceful behavior is this?"

"You little bastard, how dare you say that to me!"

At that moment, the elevator doors opened.

Ding.

A group passing by turned their heads, and among them was Jin Dae-Woon.

The moment he saw Jin Myung-Hee with her hand raised, Jin Dae-Woon clicked his tongue. "How pathetic!"

"D-Dad!"

"Where do you see your dad here? And you're really raising your hand on a day like this? What on earth are you thinking!?"

Jin Dae-Woon's thunderous voice made Jin Myung-Hee's neck retract like a turtle's. She had already made a huge mistake, and now she had shown herself acting disgracefully. She no longer had any excuse.

"Everyone, follow me!"

With that, Jin Dae-Woon walked off.

Jin Sung-Joon let go of Jin Myung-Hee's hand with a sharp motion. "We'll step out first."

Our group exited the elevator before Jin Myung-Hee's party and followed behind Jin Dae-Woon.

***

In the large space used as the headquarters of the affiliate Jinseong Hotel & Resort, all the employees were sweating as they scrambled to contain the situation.

In the midst of it all, Director Jin Ah-Ram had her hair pinned up with a pen and was giving instructions. With her disheveled clothes and clearly exhausted expression, it looked like she had stayed up all night.

"Review the financial statements that came from Sejin Resort again. And bring in all the accounting firms and securities company executives who arranged the deal. Contact the legal team and check once more on the lawsuit preparations."

"Yes, Miss Jin!"

Then Jin Ah-Ram waved the documents in her right hand. "These documents are all a mess, so reprint them. And where are the executives from our IR department?"

The Investor Relations department handled communicating corporate information to the stock market. If news had already broken that the acquired company had major financial issues, they should have been at the office by now. Only then could they try to prevent the stock price from crashing when the market opened shortly.

When Jin Ah-Ram raised her voice, the head of the IR department looked troubled. "The IR executives... haven't arrived yet."

"Our company is on the verge of sinking, and they haven't come in? Executives, not even regular staff?"

"I-I'll contact them and tell them to come in immediately."

At that moment, Jin Ah-Ram spoke in a cold voice. "If they're not planning to be in the office by 8 a.m., just tell them to turn around and go home."

It was currently 7:30 a.m. The stock market would open at 9, but they needed to be assembled by 8 to prepare.

Just like that, Jin Ah-Ram was leading the situation as if she were the president—and this proactive behavior was exactly what I had advised her to show.

Around this time before the regression, Jin Ah-Ram had the capability but had merely watched Jin Myung-Hee mishandle the situation. She assumed that once her half-sister fell, the opportunity would naturally come to her.

But Jin Dae-Woon had been even more disappointed in Jin Ah-Ram for standing by while the company was in serious trouble. So Jin Myung-Hee ended up continuing to lead Jinseong Hotel & Resort.

To stop that, I had repeatedly told her never to miss a chance to show leadership in such a moment. As a result, Jin Ah-Ram was now showing impressive leadership.

Jin Dae-Woon, who had been watching Jin Ah-Ram work for a while, now turned his gaze to Jin Myung-Hee.

"Who is the president of Jinseong Hotel & Resort?"

At the sudden question, Jin Myung-Hee hesitated before answering. "It's me, Mr. Chairman."

Jin Dae-Woon's eyebrows lifted slightly. "I'll ask again... Who is the president of Jinseong Hotel & Resort?"

Jin Myung-Hee stammered as she replied. "I... I am..."

Jin Dae-Woon gave a cold smile. "What nonsense! Are your eyes made of fish eyes? Who do you think everyone on this floor is following right now?"

At the moment, it was obvious to anyone that Jin Ah-Ram, standing at the center, running in all directions and giving orders, looked more like the president. More importantly, the employees were following her without any resistance.

As I had hoped, Jin Dae-Woon was recognizing Jin Ah-Ram as the leader and true president here since she had stepped up in a time of crisis. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Jin Myung-Hee trembled, unable to say anything more.

At that moment, Jin Ah-Ram hurried over upon seeing her father raise his voice.

"You're here, Mr. Chairman."

Immediately, the working employees shouted in unison. "Good morning, Mr. Chairman!"

Jin Dae-Woon raised his hand. "Everyone, thank you for your hard work. It looks like you all stayed up all night because of the mistakes of some pathetic executives. But what can we do now? For the time being, let's endure it together. The company will provide full support, and I won't forget today's hard work!"

At Jin Dae-Woon's words, everyone let out a cheer. When this was over, generous bonuses and chances for promotion could follow.

After boosting the morale of the employees, Jin Dae-Woon ignored the current president Jin Myung-Hee and began receiving a briefing directly from Jin Ah-Ram.

"So. What's the current situation?"

Jin Ah-Ram sighed and began her report. "From what we've assessed so far, it looks like Sejin and the accounting firm that mediated the deal were all in on the deception from the start."

"And? What's the plan?"

"We're sending in the legal team to dig everything up. And we've placed a travel ban on the owners of Sejin Resort. Even if they've hidden the money, if we keep digging, we'll find it. You know that, don't you?"

Jin Dae-Woon nodded in satisfaction. "What about traitors inside the company? Someone on our side must've played dirty too, right?"

At that moment, Jin Ah-Ram and I made eye contact. I nodded. This was the perfect time to use the information I had given her.

"I wasn't in charge of this merger and acquisition, so I don't have solid evidence... but there is someone I suspect."

"Who is it?"

"Executive Director Kwak Sang-Hyo from accounting, who hasn't shown up for work yet."

Kwak Sang-Hyo had long served as Jin Myung-Hee's right-hand man, managing her slush funds. He appeared loyal on the surface, but he was especially skilled at pocketing under-the-table money. During this merger, he had even taken a bribe from Park Eun-Soo, the president of Sejin Resort.

Because the highest-ranking accounting executive turned a blind eye to the other company's problems, things ended up this way.

Upon hearing this, Jin Dae-Woon's face flushed red. "What? Director Kwak?"

"Yes. We don't yet have conclusive evidence beyond testimonies from the accounting staff involved in the deal. But someone claims to have that evidence."

At that moment, Jin Myung-Hee exploded from the back. "Hey! Jin Ah-Ram. Are you insane? How dare you accuse Director Kwak like that!"

Since Kwak Sang-Hyo also handled her slush funds, Jin Myung-Hee screamed as if she were having a fit.

Jin Dae-Woon turned a cold gaze toward her. "Be quiet, Jin Myung-Hee."

"But Dad!"

"Didn't you hear me say shut up!?"

Only then did Jin Myung-Hee finally close her mouth.

Jin Dae-Woon turned to Jin Ah-Ram. "Go on. Who's the person with the evidence?"

At that moment, Jin Ah-Ram pointed at me. "He's right here."

All eyes turned to me in that instant.

At last, it was my time to step forward.