Chapter 113
KL Entertainment's 4th and 5th floor managers, and the thug who received orders from them, Yoo Joseok.
He was a muscular brute with a history of disgrace near the pub of Seoguk University, where he had been humiliated by Jinseok in the past.
Yoo Joseok sharpened his gaze at Jinseok, who was reading the script in a corner of the film set.
"I thought I'd seen him somewhere before As expected, it was that bastard."
The incident where he was helpless and humiliated by Jinseok without using his strength properly was a significant shame for Yoo Joseok.
Yoo Joseok, loosening his knuckles, quietly spoke to his henchmen beside him.
"I'll take the lead this time, so follow right behind. We've got plenty of money, so let's do the job properly."
"Yes, hyungnim. But what if the police show up?"
"What can we do? Everyone has to handle it on their own."
Yoo Joseok surveyed the surroundings. Perhaps because the filming hadn't started yet, the area was noisy.
Expressions of admiration for Kang Jinseok's good looks echoed from various corners.
"Yeah. Take a good look now. You won't see that handsome face again in the future."
At that moment,
"It's 10 minutes before shooting!"
From somewhere, a staff member shouted. The surroundings became even noisier at the announcement, and everyone gradually approached the direction of the filming site.
Yoo Joseok spoke to his henchmen.
"Let's get started."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yoo Joseok grabbed the shoulder of the man in front of him. The man was quite bulky, and Yoo Joseok thought he could easily push him aside with his own strength.
However, the man didn't flinch. Instead, as if anticipating Yoo Joseok's actions, he turned around with a casual gesture.
"Hey, Yoo Joseok. Long time no see."
The man chuckled, revealing all his teeth. Then, he grabbed Yoo Joseok's arm, mentioning Yoo Joseok's name. Yoo Joseok looked at the man with a bewildered expression in a situation he hadn't anticipated at all.
"This, this guy, can it be!"
Yoo Joseok quickly figured out the man's identity.
"Ba, Park Chunsam?"
"Yeah, it's me. Long time no see, huh?"
""
"But seriously, you're a man of few words, huh? Tsk, if this guy had seen the person you owe your existence to, you should show some respect."
As if he had witnessed a colossal trauma, Yoo Joseok hurriedly stepped back. His henchman blinked, seemingly unsure of what was happening.
"Hyungnim, do you know this person?"
One of the henchmen asked Yoo Joseok, but Yoo Joseok couldn't reply.
"Why, why on earth is this guy here"
The relationship between Park Chunsam and Yoo Joseok was so dreadful that one could say they were a married couple in their past life.
The first person Yoo Joseok ever subdued in his thug days was Park Chunsam. Even after that, he had been caught by Park Chunsam several times.
Having such a person in front of him, it was not strange for Yoo Joseok to be flustered.
"Hold on. Come to think of it Did this guy quit his annoying job?"
As that thought crossed his mind, a faint smile appeared on Yoo Joseok's lips. If Park Chunsam wasn't a cop, there was no need to be afraid.
Approaching Park Chunsam with shaky steps, Yoo Joseok spoke.
"Hey, Park Chunsam. You're not a cop anymore, huh?"
""
"And even if you were a cop, so what? I haven't done anything yet, what's it to you? Huh?!"
Yoo Joseok intentionally raised his voice, creating a menacing atmosphere.
As he wished, the tension in the air eased a bit, and an atmosphere that something big could happen at any moment formed instantly.
People around looked at Yoo Joseok and Park Chunsam. This, too, was what Yoo Joseok desired.
Park Chunsam remained silent, just staring at Yoo Joseok.
Empowered by Park Chunsam's passive stance, Yoo Joseok was about to raise his voice again.
"Hey, Yoo Joseok."
Park Chunsam approached the confident Yoo Joseok and spoke in a low, ominous voice directly into his ear.
"Aren't you supposed to be more afraid that I'm not a cop? The police have the weakness that they shouldn't engage in excessive force,' but the current me doesn't have such constraints."
""
"Don't understand what I'm saying? I'm telling you, you might die by my hands today."
"Pft, boasting! You'd kill someone like me who hasn't done anything wrong?"
"Yeah, as you say, not yet.' But did you come here to ruin this shoot?"
"H-How did you?"
"I probably don't need to explain that part. Anyway, that person over there filming is my very close younger sibling. But if you mess up the shoot and make things difficult for my sibling I won't be pleased. And you, who knows me well, should be aware that doing such foolish things wouldn't be a good idea, right?"
""
"Also, think carefully about whose side the law will be on when a former detective and a four-time offender clash."
Pressured by Park Chunsam's demeanor, Yoo Joseok stepped back a few paces. Memories of how reckless and skilled in combat Park Chunsam was, earned through several beatings, contributed to his decision.
"Come to think of it, this guy quitting the police was because of excessive force, huh?"
Having been a thug who experienced excessive force himself, Yoo Joseok was well aware of Park Chunsam's intimidation.
"That guy still can't even eat alone"
There was no law stating that he had to be like him.
Yoo Joseok looked at Park Chunsam with fearful eyes. Somehow, he mustered the courage to clench his fist.
He had received too much money to retreat from the situation right now.
"And No matter how much he's Park Chunsam, he can't take on all five of us alone. It's better this way. I'll deal with this guy and even Kang Jinseok at once."
Having finished his thoughts, Yoo Joseok forced a confident smile. Then, he approached Park Chunsam again and spoke.
"I don't know why you're making a fuss, but it doesn't matter. There are five of us. No matter how much you"
While Yoo Joseok was speaking, Park Chunsam interrupted.
"I understand."
Park Chunsam grinned, revealing even more of his teeth than before.
"But what now? We're 40."
As Park Chunsam finished speaking, it felt like a wall had been erected around them.
"Are you guys the ones trying to ruin Jinseok's shoot?"
"Yeah, take a good look. Your face looks really healthy, huh?"
"What's with this guy, drawing tattoos like that on his body? Tigers, dragons, bears, there are so many. Is it a zoo? Hey, you! Body art Anyway, don't you know? Don't mess with your body given by your parents."
"Do some exercise. Your body's all flabby."
People, even larger than Park Chunsam, surrounded them, speaking menacingly.
"What the hell are these guys?"
If Yoo Joseok's crew were thugs, these were like an army. It was unclear what kind of gang they were, but they wore red gloves, perhaps symbolizing the blood of a rival organization.
As Yoo Joseok and his crew nervously assessed the situation, Park Chunsam spoke quietly.
"What are you going to do?"
"Sorry, we'll just leave."
"Yeah, you made the right choice. Oh, by the way, your place is quite far from here, isn't it? You came a long way, so have some potato stew before you go. It's famous around here."
Park Chunsam might have said it without much thought, but Yoo Joseok, hearing this, felt intimidated by Park Chunsam once again.
"Did he figure out where my house is?"
If so, he didn't know when and how he might be targeted. Park Chunsam patted Yoo Joseok's trembling shoulders.
"Let's make sure we don't run into these kinds of situations again."
Swallowing hard, Yoo Joseok nodded in agreement.
"Yes, yes. Of course."
***
"Going into the shoot!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, we ask for your cooperation! Please follow the instructions of the staff!"
"Taking photos is fine, but please refrain from video recording!"
The shoot began with the staff's announcements. Jang Sunho looked around the filming site in silence.
"It calmed down quickly Looks like they really handled it well."
However, Jang Sunho couldn't fully relax yet. This scene might not involve Jinseok; it could be where the thugs hide, waiting.
As he glanced around once more, a thought crossed Jang Sunho's mind about the "Manager of Room 1," who had tipped him off about KL's manipulation.
"Come to think of it Why would the Manager of Room 1 at KL Entertainment be trying to help actor Kang Jinseok?"
From what Jang Sunho had investigated, the Manager of Room 1 was the person most trusted by the CEO of KL Entertainment.
It didn't make sense to him that someone with such trust would "warn" him about the schemes of other managers in the same agency.
From KL Entertainment's perspective, Jinseok might be a thorn in their side, even if they managed to deceive him.
"Is it an internal issue?"
Jang Sunho took out his phone and called the Manager of Room 1. If it had been Jinseok's shoot, he wouldn't have had the luxury to make a call, busy monitoring. But at this moment, he had a little time for a brief conversation.
[Manager of Room 1 here.]
The voice was as calm as the first time they spoke. Jang Sunho matched that tone and spoke calmly.
"I'm Kang Jinseok's manager, Jang Sunho. Thanks to the information you provided, we've taken measures to ensure there are no issues during the shoot. First, I want to express my gratitude."
[You don't need to thank me. But about this incident You probably used the Seongsu Warehouse employees to resolve it, am I right?]
"How did you know that?"
[It would have been the most efficient way. Even if I were Manager Jang Sunho, I would have handled it the same way. Anyway, I'm glad it's resolved.]
The Manager of Room 1 spoke in a passing tone, but for Jang Sunho, it held significant meaning.
"If I were in your shoes, I would have handled it the same way"
It sounded like they were alike.
Though it might be unpleasant to be told that he resembled the leadership of KL Entertainment, whom he considered an enemy,' Jang Sunho found himself oddly accepting it.
"I've never actually met the Manager of Room 1 in person, but through our few conversations, I've felt that our thought processes are similar."
"If I can answer, anything."
"Why are you helping actor Kang Jinseok? Honestly, I don't quite understand. Even if I expose this incident to the media, KL Entertainment won't easily get away with it."
"Any information you have won't have any effect. It's fizzled out, and with just suspicions, not a single article would come out."
It was a valid point. Attacking without concrete evidence would likely result in a counterattack.
Nodding slightly, Jang Sunho accepted the Manager of Room 1's words.
[And the reason I'm helping actor Kang Jinseok I can't tell you yet.]
[But I'm always on Kang Jinseok's side. I need an actor like Kang Jinseok' too.]