Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Is the Writer Omnipotent?
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Seo Jae-yoon kept biting his nails.
It was a habit that emerged whenever he felt anxious.
In front of him, a man was tapping away at the keyboard of his laptop.
The man appeared to be in his early twenties.
He was checking the security network.
Tap-tap-tap—!
The lively sound came to a stop.
Then the man turned his head and looked at Seo Jae-yoon.
“Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“What?”
“There’s no issue with the network’s security system.”
“No, then how did the files disappear?!”
“Who knows.”
“Who knows?! Do you have any idea how much money I’ve paid you guys? And that’s all you’ve got for me? ‘Who knows’?!”
“For starters, there’s no trace of any external intrusion. Meaning our security system wasn’t breached. You saw the contract, right? We’re not liable if it’s not our problem.”
“What the...!”
Seo Jae-yoon stopped mid-sentence.
Then he gathered his thoughts.
The man had clearly said there was no trace of external intrusion.
And that it wasn’t their problem.
That meant it was an inside job.
“Well, looks like you’re catching on. Anyway, this isn’t on us. We’ll pass on any compensation.”
With that, the man left the office.
Left alone, Seo Jae-yoon’s face twisted into something like a snarling goblin.
‘Only a handful of people can access the security network, starting with me...’
It was the ledger of sexual favors.
If it leaked externally, the company going under would be the least of his worries—his entire life would be at stake.
That’s why he’d been extra meticulous about security.
Naturally, access to the security network was limited to a tiny few.
Including himself, just two people.
‘There’s a traitor.’
Suspicion began to bloom deep within Seo Jae-yoon.
* * *
“Sexual favors, huh...”
Tae-seong was reviewing the ledger he’d pulled from JU Entertainment’s security network.
The ledger was incredibly detailed.
It recorded exactly who met whom, when, and where.
Even the frequency and the payoffs for the sexual favors were noted.
Just the affiliated actors mobilized for it numbered over a hundred.
‘A bunch of trash.’
Having lived many lives, he’d seen all sorts of people.
Among them, Seo Jae-yoon was trash through and through.
For the secret to be kept despite mobilizing so many affiliated actors for these favors...
It was impossible through normal means.
That meant even more illegal activities were happening off the books.
For someone like Lee Ye-eun, being left to rot was probably the mildest punishment.
If they kept refusing, or if an actor who’d done the deed tried to blackmail them or disobey, they’d resort to far worse threats.
‘Everything’s going according to plan.’
There was no reason to go easy on them.
Bzzz—!
That’s when it happened.
Tae-seong’s smartphone buzzed.
It wasn’t his usual phone.
It was the one he’d prepared for this job.
Fully laundered, untraceable by any means.
And he’d embedded a few special features.
Before answering,
Tae-seong sent a text from another phone.
Once he confirmed it was sent, he picked up the call.
* * *
[You’re late in calling.]
Seo Jae-yoon scowled at the voice coming through the phone.
It was distorted, sounding like a robotic machine voice.
‘Damn, no clues from the voice like this.’
His first attempt to glean a lead during the call had failed.
But there were other ways to get clues.
He’d already commissioned a firm to trace the number.
“You took my ledger. What’s your goal?”
[Money, of course.]
Just as expected.
The guy’s after money.
That, he could somehow handle.
“How much do you want?”
[50 billion.]
“W-what?!”
[Once this ledger goes public, JU Entertainment is done for. 20 billion isn’t that much, is it?]
He had a point.
Compared to the company’s value, 20 billion wasn’t a huge sum.
[I’ll give you a week. Get the money ready and I’ll contact you again.]
“W-wait! How am I supposed to scrape together that kind of cash in a week? At least a month...!”
Beep—!
The call cut off before Seo Jae-yoon could finish.
“Damn it!!”
He nearly hurled the phone but stopped himself.
Instead, he grabbed the ashtray nearby and threw it.
Crash!
The room echoed with the racket.
“Whoever you are, if I catch you...”
Grinding his teeth in rage, he slumped back into his chair.
Then he manipulated his computer to access the company’s internal security cameras.
‘Only two people can access the network besides me.’
Those two were currently in the office.
He’d personally ordered a meeting soon.
‘Their offices are open-plan. If they wanted to take my call, they’d have had to step out.’
There could be colleagues around.
The person he spoke to might not even be one of those two with network access.
But this was just in case.
Seo Jae-yoon checked the saved security footage.
“You bastard...”
And he spotted one man who’d stepped out.
“Lee Myung-jun...”
His right-hand man, Director Lee Myung-jun, was away from his desk.
He had access privileges to the security network.
And he’d been gone during the exact time of the call with the culprit.
It was a reasonable cause for suspicion.
‘Can’t say for sure it’s him yet. Need more intel.’
The firm he’d hired would call soon with the trace results.
He could decide after that.
Seo Jae-yoon waited, eyes gleaming with murderous intent as he stared at Lee Myung-jun on the monitor.
* * *
After hanging up, Tae-seong confirmed Seo Jae-yoon was watching the security camera feeds.
In hacking the security network for the ledger, he’d hacked Seo Jae-yoon’s computer entirely.
Now he could monitor whatever the man was doing, anytime, anywhere.
No expert would ever detect the breach.
‘Suspicion will crack even the tightest organization.’
While hacking the network, Tae-seong had checked who had access.
He’d noted one was Director Lee Myung-jun.
Gathering dirt on Director Lee Myung-jun wasn’t hard.
He handled a key pillar of JU Entertainment and had been in cahoots with Seo Jae-yoon for years.
With the seed of doubt planted, infighting at JU Entertainment was imminent.
If that happened, they’d likely crumble from within.
At first, he’d planned to just extract Lee Ye-eun.
But seeing the ledger changed his mind.
He had no intention of letting the bastards who’d made countless people weep slide.
* * *
Conference room.
Seo Jae-yoon sat face-to-face with Seong Seung-won, who handled the sexual favors operation.
“The ledger’s been stolen.”
Seong Seung-won’s eyes widened at Seo Jae-yoon’s words.
“Impossible! It’s on the security network, isn’t it? The security firm said no external access possible.”
“Right. And they double-checked the network. No external intrusion traces.”
Seong Seung-won’s mind raced.
He managed the sexual favors, but Lee Myung-jun was deeply involved too.
Yet he hadn’t been called here.
That meant one thing.
“You think Myung-jun stole it?”
“Still at the suspicion stage. But I confirmed he stepped out right when I was talking to the guy who took it.”
“Hmm...”
“Above all, only three people can access the network. Of those three, who’d take the least hit if the ledger leaked?”
“That’d be... Director Lee Myung-jun, obviously.”
Lee Myung-jun didn’t get directly involved in the favors.
He just reported what the company needed.
So, of the three, he’d suffer the least from a leak.
“It’s gotta be him. The issue is how to nab evidence.”
“Should we just beat it out of him? If we ask Hyeong-beom, he’ll have him spilling in a day.”
Choi Hyeong-beom.
The gangster boss who ruled Gangnam.
JU Entertainment had a tight partnership with him.
Seo Jae-yoon shook his head at Seong Seung-won’s suggestion.
“The problem is he might have accomplices. We need solid proof.”
“Got something in mind?”
“They’re demanding 20 billion for the ledger.”
“20 billion?”
“Yeah. Said to have it ready in a week.”
“A week... That’s tight, isn’t it?”
Embezzling company funds took time.
Multiple steps were needed; a week was too short.
Meaning they needed another way.
“How much can we scrape together right now?”
“About 13 billion. Anything more needs time.”
“13 billion...”
They needed around 7 billion more.
Then an idea flashed in Seo Jae-yoon’s mind.
“Lee Ye-eun.”
“What? Ye-eun? The one who refused the favor last time?”
“Yeah. Choi Woo-jong demanded her.”
“Choi Woo-jong? The traitor who took Park Eun-bi? He asked for Ye-eun?”
“Yeah. Spouted nonsense about taking responsibility since he cast her.”
“Ha! The guy’s nuts. Actors are disposable in this industry. What responsibility?”
“He doesn’t get how this business works yet. Anyway, he said he’d pay the penalty to take her.”
“Penalty...”
Seong Seung-won calculated in an instant.
“Oho! That’ll cover it.”
“Right? Question is how to siphon it.”
“Hmm... Might need to cut a deal with Choi Woo-jong. Discount the penalty a bit, terminate from our side, and we can pocket plenty.”
“Good. Let’s move on it.”
“Yes! By the way, bro, your brain’s still as sharp as ever. How’d you think of that?”
“Heh, this is basic.”
“As expected from a business genius. Bro!”
“Kuahaha! Naturally.”
The two flattered each other shamelessly.
* * *
A few days later.
Choi Woo-jong visited Tae-seong.
“I signed the official contract with Ye-eun yesterday.”
“Already?”
“Yes. JU Entertainment pushed to wrap it up fast, so I handled it quickly. Ye-eun needs proper care ASAP.”
“I see. Then you’ll need to sign with me too.”
As if prepared, Tae-seong pulled out a document.
“It’s the contract for Lee Ye-eun’s appearance in Otherworld Chef Season 2.”
“You had it ready?”
“I’d already earmarked her for Lena. Plus, I figured you’d take good care of her, Director.”
“Haha, thanks for saying so. I’ll discuss with Ye-eun and sign.”
“Sure. And here’s the shooting schedule.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“Must’ve been a big loss for you this time.”
“No, no. I see it as an investment for a great actor. Considering Ye-eun’s potential, I got her cheap.”
“I agree.”
Tae-seong nodded.
Lee Ye-eun would surely become a fine actor.
With proper support, that is.
‘Time to wrap this up.’
Tae-seong resolved to finish off JU Entertainment.