Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 696: Eun-Gi (3)
At the entrance to Sayuksin Park, the guys who got out of the four black vehicles began to panic when eleven more cars surrounded them from all directions.
"H-hyung-nim, we have to run right now!"
"You got wings or something? Where are we gonna run to?"
"Damn it... we were the ones being hunted?"
I got out of the car alone and said to the guys still holding baseball bats and sashimi knives, "Why don't you quietly put down the bats and knives unless you want to be buried next to the Sayuksin elders?"[1]
At that moment, a rough-looking man in his mid-40s, who seemed to be the leader, shouted with a sashimi knife in one hand. "Are you fucking kidding me? You think we're that easy? Let's die together today!"
Then, the doors of about half the sedans opened and Kang Eun-Gi's guys from Reverse Entertainment got out all at once. Led by Lee Soo-Chan, they were all wearing thick bomber jackets, padded pants, and work boots, with leather gloves on their hands. Each one held a long baseball bat, the handles taped for better grip.
And from another side, Choi Eun-Tae's bodyguards began to step out. They wore stab-proof vests with shields, armed with gas guns, expandable batons, and other more professional gear.
Our side had about forty people, while the other side had twelve. The difference in equipment was overwhelming, and our numbers were more than triple theirs.
I told our guys not to act rashly, then spoke to the attackers. "Tell me who's behind this. Then I'll persuade my guys to let you walk away unharmed."
Kang Eun-Gi had been taking care of the boys with nowhere to go after leaving the orphanage. Because the opponents had just tried to kill Kang Eun-Gi, Lee Soo-Chan and the others had a murderous glare in their eyes.
However, they managed to stay still since I had stepped forward first.
Then, a man in his early 40s with a short haircut, standing next to the leader, scoffed. "Kang Eun-Gi says he'll spare us? I've heard all kinds of crazy things, but this takes the cake. You know how ruthless that bastard is?"
I asked the man with the short hair, "If you attack, can you win?"
"Th-that's something you only know after fighting."
"Why don't you take a look at your friends shaking in their boots before you say that?"
The young men behind him had already lost their will to fight.
Then the leader stopped the man beside him and spoke to me. "So, you're saying... if we tell you who's behind this, you'll let us go?"
At least one of them was reasonable.
I nodded. "Yes. If you testify about who's backing you, I'll make sure no one gets hurt. And I'll arrange it so that even though you were hired for a hit, it'll be handled as if you couldn't go through with it and turn yourself in. How about it?"
The leader seemed to be hesitating, realizing there was a way out of this hopeless situation. At that moment, Choi Yung-Ho and Kang Eun-Gi got out of a car before standing behind me.
Kang Eun-Gi looked at me and said, "Negotiating, huh?"
"Why are you out here? Every one of them is after you."
Kang Eun-Gi smirked. "Well, it's too embarrassing to leave it all to a friend. Besides, I know who these people are."
"You... know them?"
"Yeah. They're sunbaes that Choi Kang-Han personally trained. The guy in his mid-40s is Director Ahn Tae-Gyun, and the one next to him is Chief So Min-Gu[2]. Back when I staged the internal coup, both of them were down in Suwon, so they couldn't get involved."
The Kanghan gang was the organization founded and built by Chairman Choi Kang-Han in Gyeonggi Province, and these guys were said to be the former combat unit managing Suwon's South Gate.
I said, "This kind of job is perfect for them. They could easily spin it as payback for old grudges from their gangster days."
"Yeah. If I'd been stabbed to death by them, they could've said they were waiting for me to get out and then killed me because of our old grudges."
After saying that, Kang Eun-Gi turned to Ahn Tae-Gyun, who was holding a knife.
"Mr. Ahn, I've cleaned up my act now. I've done my time and become a new man. Let's not do this."
Ahn Tae-Gyun burst out angrily upon seeing Kang Eun-Gi. "Fuck. You might have cleaned up your act, but we... didn't. Do you have any idea how much we suffered because of you?"
Kang Eun-Gi let out a small sigh. "I'm sorry I couldn't prepare your retirement funds back then. As you know, things were chaotic because Kang-Han hyung-nim suddenly tried to take me down."
Ahn Tae-Gyun had no response.
Kang Eun-Gi continued, "From now on, I'll take good care of you. So let's all walk away from this. You're older now. How long are you going to keep being tools for those in power?"
At Kang Eun-Gi's words, Ahn Tae-Gyun's face twisted. "Damn it! You think I want to live like this?"
"Then just tell me who's backing you. Once your prison time is over, I'll give you a good position. So Mr. Ahn, and you too, Twin Blades, let's stop here. There's no need for bloodshed, is there?"
So Min-Gu, standing beside Ahn Tae-Gyun, was only holding one sashimi knife. I had no idea why he was called Twin Blades.
Then Ahn Tae-Gyun let out a sigh and stepped back. "Goddamn it... fine. I lost. But keep your promise."
"Hyung-nim, it's me, Eun-Gi. You know I'm not the kind of guy to go back on my word."
At that moment, Ahn Tae-Gyun lowered his knife and began to spill the name. "Choi Man-Sik."
'Finally!'
The name was out. This was as good as an attempted murder contract, meaning Choi Man-Sik was practically guaranteed a one-way trip to prison the moment he set foot in Korea.
However, there was still one more step.
"Can you testify?"
"Yeah. But make sure you send plenty of money into my commissary. And I'll take all the blame with Chief So, so just pretend you don't know anything about the others."
"Yes. Like Yoon-Ho said, we'll handle it as if you turned yourself in. And when you get out, I'll make sure you're treated well."
"Damn it. This is humiliating. Anyway, take good care of me from now on..."
With that, Ahn Tae-Gyun tossed his knife to the ground.
Clang.
Ahn Tae-Gyun then looked back and shouted, "What are you idiots doing? Drop your knives and bats!"
"Yes, sir."
Clang.
Clang, clang.
Knives and baseball bats hit the ground, making noise. At that moment, even our people at the scene let out a light sigh. No matter how well-prepared we were, a fight would still mean injuries.
Then Kang Eun-Gi turned to me. "Yoon-Ho, it looks like it's over... Can you get in touch with Prosecutor Seo Jae-Ill?"
Before that, I had something to check first.
"Wait a second."
I glanced at my phone, only the top of the screen visible.
[Everyday V12.2]
[Date: March 1, 2021]
[Fortune of the Day: A great danger ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■]
'The fortune isn't disappearing?'
If the great danger was gone, the fortune should have been deleted and updated. The fact that it wasn't gone could only mean one thing.
'We are still in danger!'
I immediately turned my head.
At that moment, So Min-Gu, whom Kang Eun-Gi had just called Twin Blades, was pulling something from his clothes.
'A knife!'
I clenched my left fist, the one not holding my phone, and slammed it toward So Min-Gu's jaw just as he was drawing the blade.
Thud!
With the knife halfway out, So Min-Gu was lifted off the ground and landed in the arms of the guys behind him.
'So that's why they call him Twin Blades.'
In that instant, Ahn Tae-Gyun, who had been standing with him earlier, began cursing out the unconscious So Min-Gu. "You crazy bastard! If you want to die, die alone! Why are you trying to get me killed too!"
Having just finished negotiations before this stunt, the furious Ahn Tae-Gyun stomped toward the back and began stomping on the fallen So Min-Gu.
Thud, thud, thud.
"If you want to die, die alone! Why! You bastard! Why!!"
Unconscious, So Min-Gu's body jerked each time Ahn Tae-Gyun's boot landed.
"Calm down, hyung-nim!"
"Let go, damn it! We almost all died because of this bastard!"
Ahn Tae-Gyun kicked even harder to prove his innocence, but the people around him restrained him until he finally stopped.
Then my phone buzzed in my hand.
[Fortune of the Day has been updated.]
At last, Everyday had been updated.
[Everyday V12.2]
[Date: March 1, 2021]
[Fortune of the Day: Narrow escape from death ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■]
'A narrow escape.'
That meant it was truly all over now.
I let out a sigh of relief and answered Kang Eun-Gi's earlier question. "Yeah... I think it's finally over."
Everyone including Kang Eun-Gi was just staring at me with their mouths open. After all, I had stepped in twice today and stopped Kang Eun-Gi from being killed.
It seemed like the nickname Star Jung the Fortune Teller was going to stick with me for life.
***
When I told Seo Jae-Ill what had happened today, he replied that he would bring investigators to the scene immediately.
While we waited for him, we began cleaning up the place. In the end, only Lee Soo-Chan and a few of the guys stayed behind while the rest left the scene. Even Choi Yung-Ho said he would head to Myeong-dong first and disappeared. Not long after, Seo Jae-Ill arrived and arrested Ahn Tae-Gyun and So Min-Gu.
With his hair slightly disheveled, Seo Jae-Ill looked at me and said, "Mr. Jung, you shouldn't be a talent agent. You belong in law enforcement."
"I think being a talent agent is my true calling."
Seo Jae-Ill gave a short laugh. "Well, judging from how you were on TV the other day, I suppose that's not entirely wrong either. Anyway, now that we have testimony naming Choi Man-Sik as the mastermind, we'll move straight to arrest him."
I suddenly asked, just in case. "By any chance, Mr. Seo, do you know that President Choi Man-Sik is in Japan?"
"Yes, I'm aware. Given what happened today, we plan to request his extradition from Japan."
"Then... would it be possible to delay bringing him back as much as possible?"
"You don't want him brought back right away?"
"Honestly... I know it's a big ask, but the later President Choi Man-Sik comes back to Korea, the better. We're in the middle of taking our company public."
Seo Jae-Ill instantly understood and smiled knowingly. "Hmm... I doubt anyone will complain if we delay the extradition for a while."
Thanks to Seo Jae-Ill's willingness to help, Hoop Entertainment's stock listing situation had suddenly shifted in our favor.
"Then I'll be in touch later."
"Alright."
With that, Seo Jae-Ill left with Ahn Tae-Gyun and So Min-Gu in custody.
Afterward, we all headed to Reverse Entertainment together.
***
In the president's office of Reverse Entertainment, my mother and Lee Yeon-Sil were anxiously waiting for us. They had thought Kang Eun-Gi's release time was 10 a.m., so they only learned about everything that had happened after it was over.
When Kang Eun-Gi saw them, he simply smiled and went straight to hug Lee Yeon-Sil, who was pregnant with twins.
"I'm... home," Kang Eun-Gi spoke as if nothing had happened.
Lee Yeon-Sil held her swollen belly with one hand and tapped his chest lightly with the other. "Welcome home."
Lee Yeon-Sil burst into tears like a waterfall, relieved to see her husband safe and sound. My mother also began crying.
As the president's office turned into a scene of sobbing, Lee Ho-Jae glanced around and walked in with a brand-new phone. "Hyung-nim, you can use this one."
"Oh, thanks."
Apparently, the company had a Galactica Note 20 ready in case Kang Eun-Gi needed it after he got back. As soon as I received the phone, I started transferring data from my old phone to the new one.
[Copying app data...]
A moment later, a few messages popped up.
[All files and settings have been copied.]
[App data transfer complete.]
[Would you like to download the backup file (March 1, 2021, 5:50 a.m.)?]
The moment I tapped yes, a string of messages appeared.
[Everyday V12.2]
[Restoring backup file...]
[It will be automatically saved in the second planner folder.]
...
[Save complete.]
As soon as Everyday was newly restored, another message popped up.
[Notification: Everyday V12.2 works on only one device.]
[Notification: To use Everyday V12.2, please insert your SIM card and activate the network.]
I followed the instructions and moved my SIM card, then checked the screen.
[Notification: Recognized user Jung Yoon-Ho for Everyday V12.2.]
I had done this before, but even so, reading the confirmation message made me breathe a little easier. Right then, I checked Fortune of the Day again to finally see the part that had been hidden behind the ■ symbols earlier.
'Let's see what it really said...'
[Everyday V12.2]
[Date: March 1, 2021]
[Fortune of the Day: Narrow escape from death. Misfortune for both you and your acquaintance has been completely lifted, and great fortune will follow.
(Deleted fortune: The great danger is not yet over. Don't let your guard down. If you don't want regrets, stay alert.)]
As expected, the blacked-out part was all about staying cautious. Honestly, I wanted to pat myself on the back for making the right calls all day today.
And then my phone buzzed again.
Buzz~
'What now?'
[Notification: The user's important fate has changed. A turning point in life has occurred. Everyday will be updated.]
[Notification: Would you like to update Everyday? YES / NO]
'So saving Kang Eun-Gi made a major change in my fate? Well, thinking about it, that makes sense.'
If Kang Eun-Gi had died, my mother, Lee Yeon-Sil, and countless others under Reverse Entertainment's care would have been affected. On top of that, I had secured a key witness to take down Choi Man-Sik, changing his fate as well.
Feeling satisfied with the good news, I hit the update button.
'YES!'
A moment later, the update was finally completed.
[Update complete.]
I immediately checked Everyday's version. It seemed the change was major, as the version had jumped to 13. To see what was new, I opened the description.
[Everyday V13]
[Description]
-A turning point in life has occurred.
-Due to the turning point, 70% of the entire planner schedule entry has been changed.
-The schedule entries you have altered so far have had a major impact on the future.
[Patch Notes]
1. New schedule entries for all celebrities managed by Jung Yoon-Ho have been added.
The patch notes were short, but the meaning was huge. Until now, Everyday had only shown schedule entries for Yoo-Jin and the other members of the former Faithful members from my past life. But now, I could also see new schedule entries for other celebrities under my management.
There had been times I felt uneasy when there were no schedule entries for Haru or Miso—now I wouldn't have to worry about that.
'Yes!'
I wanted to roar in celebration, but with my mother, Lee Yeon-Sil, Kang Eun-Gi, Lee Soo-Chan, and Lee Ho-Jae all watching, I kept it to myself.
At that moment, Kang Eun-Gi, who had just shared an emotional reunion with my mother and Lee Yeon-Sil, looked at me. "Yoon-Ho, thank you."
"Hey, you know there's no need for thanks between us."
Kang Eun-Gi stared at me for a moment, then nodded. "Then let's go to Myeong-dong now. I need to keep the promise I made to you."
He said it with the look of someone ready to finally clear overdue business. It wouldn't be easy to settle all old grudges in one meeting, but the important thing was to bring them together first.
After all, a journey of a thousand miles began with a single step.
At that moment, my phone vibrated.
Buzz~
[Notification: Fortune of the Day has been updated.]
[Notification: A new schedule entry for Jung Miso has been registered.]
[Notification: A new schedule entry for Haru has been registered.]
...
Not only had Fortune of the Day been updated, but new schedule entries were appearing all at once. And all of them pointed to a single event.
[Everyday V13]
[Date: March 1, 2021]
[Fortune of the Day: You will welcome a new family member.]
...
Lee Yeon-Sil was currently thirty five weeks pregnant, so it was still a few weeks earlier than the expected due date. However, I couldn't ignore Everyday's schedule entry.
So I grabbed Kang Eun-Gi's shoulder just as he was about to head off to meet Choi Eun-Tae. "Eun-Gi, wait. I don't think today's the day."
"What do you mean, not the day?"
Just then, Lee Yeon-Sil clutched her belly and began to groan in pain.
"Ughhh..."
1. Sayuksin elders ☜
2. Korean gangs typically go with corporate sounding titles because they want to pretend they're legit ☜
