Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Answer in Crisis
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[Sudden Quest: ‘Answer in Crisis’]
A meticulously planned malicious article, which twists your and Answer's achievements against you, is causing Answer's reputation to plummet. Overcome this crisis.
Objective: Deletion of the malicious article and the wide publication of an apology written by the reporter himself.
Reward: 5 distributable points, 1 S-Rank Random Draw
Failure Penalty: Change of ownership of JD Enter
The highest level of reward I’d ever received for completing a quest. It must mean this quest is just as difficult.
Usually, when you requested a correction for a false article, the reporter or media outlet would respond immediately.
This time, however, they had cut off all contact, seemingly determined. Gyeon Sang-jin must have paid a hefty price.
And the penalty for failure—a change of ownership—was weighing heavily on my mind.
I left the planning office and reached the main office.
The few employees fielding calls and responding to the rumors, along with Choi Yoo-jun, wore extremely grave expressions.
[Ro-si's self-esteem is falling]
The system notification confirmed that the members of Answer had seen the article.
The truth didn't matter. There were countless cases where celebrities and their companies were ruined because falsehoods were perceived as facts.
If this continued, we would be heading down an irreversible path. A tarnished image can never be fully restored.
-Wow, that's so cheap. So they pinned it on the other girls?
-Whoa, no wonder it felt like the Answer girls already knew all the missions beforehand.
-Seriously got chills. That explains why they did so well even on the blind missions.
-Maybe that emergency situation was staged too? Otherwise, it’s weird that Answer’s leader was the one giving first aid when the production crew is full of guys.
-Wow… they must have been playing the long game. It all fits together perfectly.
-What are you talking about? Daepyo-nim Park Jae-yong doesn't have that kind of power. How could a failing agency pull that off?
-They say a rich family’s fortune lasts three generations. And even if they were short on money, would they be short on connections? The combined network of Park Jae-yong, Lee Sun, and Kim Sung-hoon is nothing to scoff at.
-I just got chills again. Wasn't there that assault incident at a club a while back?
-The club rumor is a stretch. Savage Girls are famous for being fighters.
-You guys are going too far. Why are you piecing together unconfirmed stories like they're facts!
-This might be fun for you, but the victims are shedding tears of blood.
It seemed Answer and Choi Yoo-jun were frantically typing away to refute the claims, but the fan cafe’s membership was dropping noticeably.
They had taken a fatal blow before their showcase, before they could even hold a fan club inauguration ceremony.
*Bzzz.*
[Total Scumbag]
010-93XX-35XX
“…Is he insane?”
A hollow laugh escaped me at the call from Gyeon Sang-jin. I pressed the record button.
“…”
-Hey. If you're going to pick up, say something, you punk.
“You've got some nerve.”
-What's this bastard talking about?
“The malicious article about Answer. Are you going to childishly claim it wasn't you?”
-Pahaha, I have no idea what you're talking about.
Sly bastard. He's not taking the bait.
-Heard you're doing well these days. The talk of the industry, huh?
“If you have nothing to say, I'm hanging up.”
-Hey, hey, Min-jun, why are you being like that? The chairman of a major agency is trying to scout a talented guy like you.
Chairman, my ass. He's pulling this crap when his company isn't even publicly traded yet.
But the more he talks, the more likely he is to slip up. I'll listen a little longer.
-How much do you make at JD?
“A lot.”
-Ah, you punk. I'll double it.
“Double what?”
-What do you think, asshole? Your salary. I'll double what you get after taxes. Come on over. Let's work together.
Gyeon Sang-jin spoke casually, as if he knew I couldn't refuse. I could only scoff at his confidence, thinking he could sway me with a figure like double my salary.
Is there a way to use this against him? Even if there isn't, I should at least pretend to be swayed, just to mess with him.
-Answer seems pretty screwed anyway, so think carefully, kid. You're close with the Fire Emblem guys, too.
Idiot. Don't you think being close to Fire Emblem would make it *more* awkward to be their manager?
I let Gyeon Sang-jin's rambling go in one ear and out the other.
Time to start the real act.
“…JD gives a 15% incentive.”
-Puhuhuhahaha!
It was the sound of someone laughing their head off in triumph. He'd clearly let his guard down.
-Your voice sounds a lot different from before. Weren't you just calling me shameless?
“…”
-Just kidding. I'll give you double the base salary and a 20% incentive. But you'll have to sign an NDA saying you'll never mention it. Can't give special treatment to every employee, you know.
“…Separate from my scouting, I'd appreciate it if you'd just leave Answer alone.”
-What are you talking about? Are you implying I put out a malicious article about Answer?
Slippery snake. He's not falling for it.
“I'll think about it.”
-Don't take too long. Our company doesn't run by the seat of its pants like JD.
“…”
-If I don't hear from you by tomorrow, I'll take it as a no. Think carefully. Double the base pay and a 20% incentive. That's top-tier treatment in this industry.
Gyeon Sang-jin hung up, his voice full of confidence, as if he believed I couldn't possibly refuse.
If he knew how much money I had to my name, he wouldn't be talking like that.
As if waiting for my call to end, Choi Yoo-jun immediately spoke up.
“Who was that? And what was that about an incentive….”
Choi Yoo-jun said with a worried face.
“Don't worry, I'm not leaving you behind.”
I took the stairs instead of the elevator.
Think. There has to be a way.
As I paced near the trainees' practice rooms, focusing my thoughts, the trait ‘Sixth Sense’ activated.
A faint line of light began to lead out of the building. I followed the line outside.
Si-ah and her father were talking to someone from the security team, holding a white cake box and a luxury brand shopping bag.
“Ah! Timjang-nim, hellooo!”
“We're so late in greeting you.”
“Hello. I heard the news about your father. I'm so glad to hear he's made a full recovery.”
I nodded to Si-ah and bowed politely to her father.
“Seol-ah unni seems busy these days, so we wanted to show our gratitude first.”
“It's not much. We will repay this kindness for a long time to come.”
Si-ah offered the cake, and her father held out the shopping bag.
It was a bittersweet situation. A cake, used for celebrations, during a desperate crisis where Answer and JD Enter were plummeting by the second.
“…You really don't have to do this.”
“Oh, not at all. This gift is too humble compared to the kindness we received; we feel nothing but apologetic. We received a miracle from you two that money could never buy. Thank you again.”
“That's right. My dad's not sick anymore. It's so amazing.”
“I'm truly glad. It seems your good energy was passed on to your father, Si-ah.”
“This is all we can do for now, but I'll succeed no matter what and give you and Unni a huge gift!”
Contrary to my own dire situation, a light of success was beginning to shine from Si-ah.
When the time comes, Si-ah, I'll push you onto the path of success too.
“Then I'll accept it gratefully.”
The moment I took the gifts, something struck my mind.
The reward item I got for reviving Si-ah's father. Why had I forgotten about it!
I quickly searched my item list.
Secret Stratagem Pouch (S)
Description: Allows you to overcome a moment of crisis.
Use it or lose it. I'll use it now.
“Normally, I'd invite you inside, but Answer and our company are in an emergency situation right now, so I can't. I'm sorry.”
“Oh! Is something wrong?”
Si-ah and her father looked worried.
“A malicious rumor about Answer has spread, and it's difficult to contain.”
“Oh dear, it seems we've come at a bad time.”
“No. Sir, you've actually been a huge help. Thanks to you, I've thought of a hint.”
“Huh? What could we possibly have done…?”
“Seol-ah and I will visit you and your father soon. This is a real emergency, so I have to go back inside.”
I sent the bewildered pair on their way and hurried back into the company building.
[Use item Secret Stratagem Pouch (S)?]
Without hesitation.
[Yes]
A flash of light sparked in my third eye, and Chinese characters appeared.
[The Probing Stratagem: Secretly assess the opponent's situation and strike.]
“Hm?”
Suddenly, my blocked-up mind began to whirl, as if a dam had burst.
Everything I had seen and heard since starting this life again converged, forming branches of hypotheses.
The branches interconnected, applying reality to them and inferring the next phenomena, and the empty pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place one by one.
To exaggerate a little, it felt like my brain had gone from a home computer capable of simple document processing to a quantum computer.
I wondered if this was how the sages who understood the principles of the universe felt.
Time was of the essence.
The longer the article remained up, the more severe the damage to Answer would become.
I called our ally, reporter Shin Dong-min.
“Reporter-nim, I have a difficult request, but would it be possible to find out some personal information about reporter Do Chang-ryeol? For example, the names of his parents, wife, or children—things like that.”
-…That's a difficult request.
“I'll make sure no harm comes to you.”
-Understood. I'll look into it.
After hanging up with reporter Shin Dong-min, I looked up articles about Hey Girl, the group Choi Yoo-jun's older sister, Choi Yoo-kyung, had debuted in.
Just as Yoo-jun had said, there were almost no records left of the group, but I was able to find a few photos from their debut and some sexy photoshoots.
And the reporter who had written those articles was Do Chang-ryeol.
The thread began to unravel.
I called Choi Yoo-kyung.
-…Ahem! …Ahem! Hello?
The sun had been up for a while, but I could hear Choi Yoo-kyung clearing her throat as if she had just woken up.
“Hello. Yoo-kyung… Noo-nim.”
Even in this situation, I briefly debated whether to call her Yoo-kyung-ssi or Noo-nim.
-Oh... Timjang-nim, not again. Just call me Yoo-kyung-ssi. It sounds weird.
Choi Yoo-kyung said, her voice still slightly swollen with sleep.
“Yes, understood.”
-So, what's this about?
I briefly explained the current situation to Choi Yoo-kyung.
-Wow, what total trash.
“So, I was wondering if you might know anything about reporter Do Chang-ryeol, no matter how small.”
-…*Grit*.
A faint sound of grinding teeth was followed by Choi Yoo-kyung's breathing growing ragged.
She definitely knew Do Chang-ryeol.
-…*Hooooo*.
“Yoo-jun and I, Answer, the company—everything is on the line. This includes getting revenge on Gyeon Sang-jin. Please.”
-…Of course, I'll help. I know someone who can be of more help than me. I'll make a few calls and text you right away.
“Thank you.”
-For what? We're on the same team.
Choi Yoo-kyung's voice was bittersweet, yet bright.
I couldn't just wait around for Choi Yoo-kyung's text.
A reckless attempt that could be his last as a reporter wouldn't have been made without some kind of compensation.
And there must be a reason why SJ Enter, which had already become a huge agency thanks to Fire Emblem, was delaying its IPO.
It must be a ploy to manipulate things as much as possible before going public. It would be much harder to pull stunts after being listed on the Korean stock market.
Hypothesis.
1. Do Chang-ryeol received a large enough stake in SJ Enter from Gyeon Sang-jin to be able to quit his job as a reporter.
2. Do Chang-ryeol wants to increase the value of his SJ Enter shares.
3. SJ's current biggest cash cow is Fire Emblem, and their next project is the girl group Your Girl, which doesn't overlap with the boy group market.
4. To raise Your Girl's value, they need to eliminate their rivals.
5. Answer is Your Girl's biggest rival.
6. He's willing to risk his career as a reporter to drag Answer down and promote Your Girl.
7. Who needs to be a reporter when you're rich? Happy ending.
This was my hypothesis.
To confirm it, I needed to check SJ Enter's shareholder list. But how?
In my rapidly spinning mind, the deliberation was momentary.
I called Isa-nim Lee Sun.
-Where are you? You just stormed out.
“At the company.”
-I thought you'd gone far. Do you really have a plan?
“Yes, I do. Isa-nim, could you give me the contact information for our company's judicial scrivener?”
-A judicial scrivener, not a lawyer?
“Yes.”
-…They don't do consultations for unfamiliar numbers.
“Then I'll head up right now.”
If my hypothesis is correct, I have a way to turn this situation around in an instant.