Chapter 80

Chapter 80

The moment I heard the words Triad, I wondered if I had heard correctly.

“T-Triad?”

Seeing my dumbfounded expression, Team Leader Kim Eun-kyung slightly raised the corner of her lips before continuing.

“From what I heard, he’s a member of 14K, one of the organizations under the Triads.”

Back then, Team Leader Kim Eun-kyung had only been a low-ranking employee, so she had never dealt directly with Edmund Chang. She also hadn't known much about the company’s internal affairs.

It was only after she resigned that she learned about all of this from her former coworkers.

“Anyway, that means most of Edmund Chang’s money comes from the Triads.”

Back when CEO Han Tae-sung had been looking for overseas investment, I had mentioned rumors about dirty money from groups like the Triads and the Yakuza flowing into Korea’s entertainment industry.

But I had thought they were nothing more than rumors.

Now that those same rumors were coming directly from Kim Eun-kyung’s mouth, I couldn't help feeling strangely unsettled.

“You said the company was called ‘Starlight,’ right? I don't know what Edmund is thinking by trying to invest in that company, but if it were me, I would refuse.”

According to Kim Eun-kyung, Dragon East hadn't even been founded by Edmund Chang in the first place.

Edmund had simply invested in shares of Dragon East, and eventually, he had practically swallowed the entire company.

Her words gave me a lot to think about.

Han Tae-sung looked at me before speaking.

“I agree with Team Leader Kim. We may not know what Edmund Chang’s intentions are, but whatever they may be, this is an industry where image is everything. Even a ridiculous rumor can shake both a person and an entire company. Wouldn't it be better to cut off that possibility before it ever begins?”

He was right.

If I hadn't known about it, that would have been one thing.

But now that I knew, there was no way I could accept the investment.

“Thank you. The two of you have really helped me a lot.”

“I'm glad we could help.”

Kim Eun-kyung smiled.

Han Tae-sung then changed the subject.

“By the way, I don't know if you've seen the news, but the Media Law was passed recently. It was rather rushed, though.”

Ah, was this around the time the Media Law was passed?

“Oh, really?”

For now, I pretended not to know.

“You didn't know? Well, I suppose it isn't easy to keep up with that kind of information while you're in the military.”

Han Tae-sung said that when he heard the news, he immediately remembered something I had told him before enlisting.

“You said this before, didn't you? Who knows? Maybe cable television will eventually have all kinds of channels that serve a similar role to terrestrial broadcasters...”

Instead of answering, I quietly nodded.

Han Tae-sung continued.

“Now that the Media Law has been revised, the foundation has practically been laid for exactly the kind of cable channels you talked about. In fact, I've even heard rumors that some of the major newspaper companies are already making moves.”

“Well, they certainly wouldn't want to miss an opportunity like this. Owning a newspaper and owning a broadcasting station are completely different things...”

Team Leader Kim Eun-kyung spoke up.

I simply nodded in agreement.

Han Tae-sung stared at me for a moment.

“But you know... your instincts are a little too accurate for me to call this simple foresight. Don't tell me you already knew something beforehand?”

Han Tae-sung's gaze felt as though it could see right through me.

I froze for a moment.

Han Tae-sung was extremely sharp and perceptive.

If I tried to cover things up with a clumsy lie, I might only make him even more suspicious.

My mind raced.

“Haha... I'm not some kind of shaman. How could I possibly have known something like that in advance...?”

Han Tae-sung's brows narrowed slightly.

It seemed that wasn't the answer he wanted.

“However...”

I paused for a moment, watching his expression before continuing.

“I did think it was possible that cable television would eventually create various channels that serve similar functions to terrestrial broadcasters.”

At the word think, Han Tae-sung looked at me in disbelief.

“Think? You're saying it was merely a prediction? No, never mind that. What exactly was the basis for such a prediction?”

“I'm more interested in politics than most people my age...”

“Politics? Then do you perhaps know someone in political circles? Did that person tell you something?”

Unable to contain her curiosity, Kim Eun-kyung suddenly jumped into our conversation.

“Ah, no. Nothing like that.”

I remained as calm as possible as I explained.

“I simply knew that the current President of South Korea has a strong interest in the media, so I made a prediction based on that.”

“So you're saying... you merely read the direction the political landscape was moving?”

“Yes. You could put it that way.”

Kim Eun-kyung immediately asked another question.

“But how did you know the President was interested enough in the media to rush through a revision of the Media Law?”

I answered calmly.

“The fact that the current President has a strong interest in the media isn't exactly difficult to see. When he was Mayor of Seoul, he pushed forward the Sangam Media City project and successfully established it.”

I continued.

“However, the biggest reason I predicted changes in cable television was the poor relationship between the current President and the three major terrestrial broadcasting networks. Anyone who follows the news even a little could notice that.”

After listening to my explanation, Han Tae-sung smiled slightly.

“That's true. The three terrestrial broadcasters certainly aren't very friendly toward the current administration...”

Then he looked at me.

“So you predicted that the government might make a move like this, even if only to create media outlets more favorable to its own side?”

“Well... something like that.”

“Ha... you really are...”

Han Tae-sung shook his head in disbelief.

“You always manage to go beyond my expectations.”

Looks like CEO Han Tae-sung bought my explanation for now...

I quietly let out a breath.

It seemed all the attention I had paid to current affairs before my regression hadn't been for nothing.

“Anyway, it seems the time I've spent staying in contact with people in the drama industry won't go to waste.”

A satisfied smile appeared on Han Tae-sung's face.

“If things go the way you predicted, the drama industry is definitely going to become much bigger.”

“The Triads?!”

“Holy crap. What is this, some kind of Hong Kong noir movie...?”

Ma Sang-hee and Moon Chang-soo stared at me in shock after hearing that Edmund Chang was a member of the Triads.

“Exactly. Still, we're lucky Team Leader Kim Eun-kyung from Big Picture happened to know about Edmund Chang.”

I shook my head.

“Otherwise, we might have ended up getting dragged into something we never wanted to be involved in.”

In any case, the plan to accept investment from Edmund Chang was completely abandoned.

Fortunately, not long afterward, one of the investment companies Ma Sang-hee had sent our proposal to contacted us and expressed interest in investing.

With that, the situation was resolved.

More time passed.

Eventually, I became a sergeant.

During that period, Director Song Jae-hyun established a film production company called Midas.

I invested every bit of money I owned into Director Song Jae-hyun's company.

In return, I obtained one-third of the total shares.

And the military life that I had once wondered how I would ever survive finally came to an end.

One day before Christmas Eve, I was finally discharged and returned to civilian life.

It was late in the evening.

A freezing wind cut through the forest of tall buildings, but the streets were filled with the warm and excited atmosphere unique to Christmas.

Ha... how long has it been since I've gone to a late-night movie...?

I hadn't seen Boyoung noona even once since enlisting.

Still, we had continued exchanging letters, keeping each other updated about our lives.

And in the final letter I received from Gil Boyoung before my discharge, she had written that we should watch a late-night movie together to celebrate my release from the military on Christmas Eve.

Somehow, Gil Boyoung even knew that the day after my discharge was Christmas Eve.

Seriously, noona... This isn't the Joseon Dynasty. She could've just sent me a text.

What would she have done if the letter hadn't reached me properly...?

Apparently, Gil Boyoung thought something like this counted as a surprise event.

Either way, it would be my first time seeing her since I enlisted, so I hurried toward the theater.

Perhaps because it was Christmas Eve, the crosswalk in front of the theater was packed with people heading inside.

While waiting for the signal among the crowd, I checked my appearance one last time using my phone screen.

A beanie was pulled down awkwardly over my unfashionably short military haircut.

Ha... Something about this makes me look like a monk...

I kept taking the hat off and putting it back on for no reason.

Then the traffic light changed from red to green.

In the end, I pulled the beanie firmly over my head again and began crossing the street with the crowd.

That was when I saw her.

On the opposite side of the road, at the top of the stairs leading to the theater entrance, stood a woman wearing a long gray coat.

A thick sky-blue muffler covered half of her face.

The instant I saw her, my eyes widened.

Huh? That's Boyoung noona!

Even though her face was hidden behind the muffler and hat, I recognized Gil Boyoung at once.

I raised my hand high and waved toward her.

Soon, Gil Boyoung seemed to notice me as well.

Her gaze turned toward me.

And then...

It all happened in an instant.

Gil Boyoung practically flew toward me before throwing herself into my arms.

“I missed you, Gibaek. I really, really missed you...”

For a moment, I froze in surprise at her sudden action.

But somehow...

I didn't dislike it.

The two arms that had been awkwardly hovering in the air slowly lowered.

I wrapped them around Gil Boyoung and held her close.

“I missed you too, noona.”

That evening, we finally watched a late-night movie together.

Afterward, breathing in the sharp, cold air of the city at dawn, we walked together.

And walked.

And kept walking for a very long time.

The office looked completely different after so long.

Even its overall layout had changed.

In the past, it had been an open-plan office where the different areas were separated only by low partitions.

Now, large glass walls divided the office into three separate sections.

There was the Finance and Accounting Team, Planning Team 1, and Planning Team 2.

Meanwhile, the office where my Planning Team had previously been located had once again been converted into a large conference room.

In other words, the spaces that had once belonged to Production Team 1 and Production Team 2 had disappeared entirely.

I had vaguely heard from Team Leader Kim Eun-kyung over the phone that there had been some internal restructuring.

Still, I hadn't expected the office to change this much.

I couldn't help feeling a little confused.

That was when...

“Oh, Gibaek! Wow~ It's been such a long time.”

Joo Han-young happened to be coming out of the break room with a cup of coffee when he noticed me looking around the office.

He approached me happily and greeted me.

I quickly wiped the confused expression from my face.

“Ah, have you been doing well?”

“I heard you'd been discharged. Are you officially returning to work starting today?”

“Yes. The office has changed quite a bit.”

“Didn't you hear? There was some internal restructuring.”

“I heard something about it, but I didn't know the exact situation.”

I glanced around again.

“But I don't see the Production Team anywhere.”

“Oh, the Production Team moved to the ninth floor...”

Joo Han-young was just about to continue when Kim Eun-kyung arrived at work and entered the office.

Joo Han-young glanced toward her.

“Oh, the Executive Director is here.”

Executive Director?

I blinked.

What is this now...?

Don't tell me... Team Leader Kim Eun-kyung became an Executive Director?