Chapter 74
From the recorder came the heavily drunken voice of Hwang Myeong-ho, followed by reporter Go Chang-sik.
“That damn bitch. My company went under because of her, and what? She’s making a comeback? She dares to come back?! After everything I did to raise her... Ungrateful bitch! She doesn’t know how to repay kindness!”
“Come on, Uncle. Even if your mouth is crooked, you should still speak straight. It’s not like you went bankrupt because of Gil Bo-young.”
“What did you say?! You bastard?!”
“Ah, sorry. As a reporter, I was just fact-checking... Ahem...”
“I can’t stand seeing that bitch Gil Bo-young come back and run around doing movies and dramas like nothing happened!”
Completely drunk, CEO Hwang Myeong-ho complained that his life had been ruined because of Gil Bo-young.
Meanwhile, seeing her return to the industry and succeed again was making him furious enough to lose his mind.
“Seriously, Uncle, do you have no conscience? Even if it was to attract investment, taking a first-year high school girl to places like those entertainment bars was your fault. That’s why Gil Bo-young announced an indefinite retirement and ran away from you.”
“Hey! Whose side are you on?! You’re the only blood relative I have, and instead of taking your uncle’s side... And what did I even do?! I only told her to pour a drink for an investor! What was so difficult about that?!”
“Fine, fine. Stop shouting. So what exactly do you want me to do?”
After that, the recording continued with Go Chang-sik saying that he would publish an article claiming Gil Bo-young had visited adult entertainment establishments.
Those fucking bastards...
Just as a harsh curse was about to escape my mouth...
“Those fucking bastards!”
Ma Sang-hee beat me to it.
“Whoa. CEO Ma, you’ve got quite the temper. Haha.”
She glared at Gu Yang-mo suspiciously.
“But did you really steal this recording? How did you even know a recording like this existed?”
Gu Yang-mo smirked at her.
“Do you know what people like Go Chang-sik have in common? Bastards who trust nobody always prepare evidence in case the other person betrays them someday. Like insurance.”
Gu Yang-mo explained that Go Chang-sik had been recording conversations with people ever since he had learned the business under him.
“But this time, I wasn’t completely sure either. They’re relatives, after all. I thought, surely he wouldn’t record his own uncle...”
Still, Gu Yang-mo had decided to secretly check the recordings Go Chang-sik had collected over the years.
And sure enough, the conversation between the two of them was there.
“Looks like family means nothing to that bastard Chang-sik. Hahaha. So? What do you think? We could release the transcript exactly as it is today.”
Gu Yang-mo licked his lips eagerly.
“Not yet. First, we officially report the case to the police. Then you can publish the article. The statute of limitations under the Youth Protection Act lasts until ten years after the victim becomes an adult, so it hasn’t expired yet.”
“Does this really fall under the Youth Protection Act?”
“Of course. I’ll make sure Go Chang-sik is charged for things like defamation through disclosure of facts, and Hwang Myeong-ho for violating child and youth protection laws. I intend to see them serve prison time!”
At my firm declaration, Gu Yang-mo instinctively shrank his shoulders.
“Whoa. Producer Min is scary. Guess I’d better be careful around you from now on. Haha.”
A few days later, Ma Sang-hee formally requested a police investigation under the name of Gil Bo-young’s agency, Starlight.
At the same time, Gu Yang-mo released the transcript and published an article.
Reporter Go Chang-sik was summoned by the police.
Soon afterward, Hwang Myeong-ho, whose whereabouts had been unclear, voluntarily appeared before the police as well.
In the end, both of them paid for what they had done.
For a while, the negative public opinion surrounding Gil Bo-young seemed to calm down.
However, there were still some thoughtless people who attacked her simply because she had visited adult entertainment establishments while she was a minor.
They even made disgusting comments asking whether she had really only poured drinks.
It was blatant secondary victimization.
In response, Gil Bo-young’s agency, Starlight, formed a separate legal team specifically for the case.
They took a hard-line approach, filing criminal complaints against commenters who spread false information or engaged in secondary harassment.
Several celebrities with common sense also spoke out.
Some defended Gil Bo-young through their social media accounts, while others criticized the public’s secondary victimization during television appearances.
As a result, the Gil Bo-young controversy gradually sank beneath the surface.
And among all those who defended her, the person who stood out the most was none other than Han Hye-joo.
I had been so busy dealing with the sudden Gil Bo-young incident that I barely noticed the end of the year pass.
Before I knew it, Lunar New Year was approaching.
Family Scandal, which had been released shortly before the holiday, dominated theaters just as expected and became an enormous box-office success.
Meanwhile, the script for Timeless underwent two or three more revisions under Director Song Jae-hyeon and writer Jo A-ram.
At last, it was ready for final review by investors.
“You want me to lead the investment negotiations?”
Kim Eun-kyung smiled at my surprised reaction.
“That’s right. The CEO specifically instructed that you must personally take the lead on this investment.”
At that moment, I suddenly remembered my conversation with CEO Han Tae-seong not long ago.
“Looks like we’ll soon find out whether all the effort I put into raising your profile was worth it. Haha.”
Wait... Did Han Tae-seong have this in mind from the beginning?
I had known that he must have had some kind of plan when he promoted me in front of everyone.
But I had never imagined this was what he was aiming for.
Once again, I found myself impressed by him.
It was the same in almost every kind of business.
The side holding the money, meaning the investor, normally held the stronger position.
And dealing with someone in that position was always difficult.
However, as with all business relationships, the positions of the stronger and weaker parties were never absolute.
Capital was power.
But the person capable of creating profitable opportunities also held tremendous value.
If investors became convinced that someone could reliably fill their pockets, they would willingly lower themselves and become the weaker party.
Seen from that perspective, the reason Han Tae-seong had elevated my reputation in front of the investors that day was obvious.
He wanted them to see me as someone who could reliably make money for them.
That way, when the time came for me to seek investment like now, I would be able to negotiate from a stronger position.
If that truly was Han Tae-seong’s intention...
Then I sincerely hoped his plan had worked.
A few days later, Team Leader Kim Eun-kyung and I met with the person in charge of investments at C Entertainment to secure funding for Timeless.
“Ah, so this is the project Producer Min developed this time.”
