Saebyeol Media
When Yeon-woo dialed the number written on the back of the business card, the secretary's office answered and said they would send a car to his current location.
The background investigation into Chairman Seo Tae-gwang had been proceeding steadily and discreetly ever since their first meeting.
During the additional shoot for the Patriots and Veterans Month commemorative commercial last time, he had ascertained that there was a certain degree of friction with some military generals over defense industry corruption issues.
After that, he and Han Hae-un had dug quite deeply, but they learned that Ihan Group not only had no connection to Baeksol—they were, in fact, quite at odds with them.
A pot that leaks on the inside can hardly be intact on the outside.
The generals who had been taking bribes from Baeksol were hardly the sort to turn down a juicy cut of meat labeled "defense industry corruption." Those same generals, continuously fed bribes by Baeksol in its bid to control the military clique, had become the ringleaders of the defense corruption case—and so they had naturally ended up at odds with Ihan Group, which had suffered the damage.
Chairman Seo Tae-gwang doesn't strike me as a man who would say one thing and mean another…
Even if the request were refused, it would pose no problem for the operation. And since they stood on opposite sides of a military-related issue, at the very least there was no chance of information leaking toward Baeksol.
After a short wait, the car sent to pick Yeon-woo up arrived.
The vehicle Chairman Seo had dispatched carried Yeon-woo a long way before finally arriving at a luxurious private villa near Seongsan.
When Yeon-woo stepped out of the car, the bodyguard he had met last time approached.
"Hello. You're the gentleman I saw last time."
"It's been a while, Actor. The Chairman is waiting for you."
"Yes. Shall we?"
Yeon-woo followed the bodyguard into the villa.
Past the inner gate, a living room appeared—surprisingly, decorated with the exact same interior as the house in Pyeongchang-dong.
Sensing the shift in Yeon-woo's expression, the bodyguard spoke quietly as they walked.
"The Chairman wants to feel as if he's at home no matter where he is, so the layout is identical."
"I see."
Unlike the house in Pyeongchang-dong, however, the view beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows was not a lawn but the sea.
Arriving at a door that appeared to lead to a study, the bodyguard knocked.
Knock, knock.
"Chairman. Your guest has arrived."
He carefully opened the door and indicated the interior with both hands in a polite gesture.
"Please go in."
Yeon-woo gave a light nod and stepped inside.
The room held antique bookshelves and a desk, a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, and two rocking chairs set in the middle of the room facing the sea.
Chairman Seo Tae-gwang, who had been seated at the study desk, rose with a smile and approached.
"It's been a while."
Seeing Chairman Seo extend his hand, Yeon-woo smiled.
"I hope you've been well, sir."
"What can an old man do but find each passing year a little harder? Haha."
After shaking hands, Seo Tae-gwang gestured toward the rocking chairs and offered a seat.
"Sit down."
"Yes, sir."
Settling into the rocking chair that faced the sea, Chairman Seo looked at Yeon-woo and continued.
"That chair used to be my granddaughter's."
"I sensed it last time as well—you must be very close with your granddaughter."
"Close? Once she got married she vanished without a trace. Tch, it's awfully lonely."
He gazed out at the sea for a moment before speaking again.
"I thought you'd traded my business card for a piece of candy. You remembered it, did you?"
"It was a precious opportunity. I couldn't very well use it carelessly, could I?"
At Yeon-woo's answer, Chairman Seo laughed heartily.
"You don't particularly need my help anymore, do you? Last time I saw you, you still looked every bit the boy. Now you've become a proper young man."
He was not speaking of outward appearance.
Reading the intent behind Chairman Seo's words about the growth of actor Ryu Yeon-woo, Yeon-woo shook his head.
"I was fortunate enough to reap a handful of results, but I regard it as a stroke of luck that won't last."
"Haha. A young fellow putting on airs of humility. So, what is it you want to ask of me?"
Yeon-woo looked at Chairman Seo Tae-gwang.
"It concerns LN Entertainment."
"Hmm, LN Entertainment… I heard the man who scouted you stepped down from the representative position."
At the unexpected remark, Yeon-woo tilted his head.
LN Entertainment might carry considerable weight in the entertainment industry, but from Ihan Group's perspective it was a company so small it barely registered. That the Chairman knew its internal affairs was surprising.
"Have you always taken an interest in our company, sir?"
Seo Tae-gwang shook his head.
"I'm not that old man Kwon of CT Group. What interest would I have in a company that makes movies? It's not your company I'm interested in—it's you. You're our group's model, after all."
He was referring to Chairman Kwon Jin-seop of CT Group.
Unlike CT Group, which had thrown itself fully into the culture industry, Ihan Group had no connection to it whatsoever.
Ever since Ryu Yeon-woo had become their advertising model, Ihan Group's image had genuinely improved a great deal, and that was the sole reason for the interest.
Chairman Seo had taken an interest in Ryu Yeon-woo even before the young man had risen this far, and the fact that he had spotted that potential made him feel as though he possessed a certain foresight—drawing him even closer to the youth named Ryu Yeon-woo.
Chairman Seo continued.
"A request related to the company… It won't be asking me to reinstate him as representative. What is the request? Don't drag it out—speak."
"I would like Ihan Group to show just a brief movement as if it intends to acquire LN Entertainment."
At the unexpected words, Chairman Seo looked at Yeon-woo.
"A movement as if intending to acquire LN Entertainment… You mean you just want public opinion stirred for a short while."
As expected, the Chairman understood Yeon-woo's words at once.
Yeon-woo nodded and was about to offer additional explanation when Chairman Seo spoke first.
"Is that all?"
Without even asking the reason for the request, Chairman Seo looked at Yeon-woo.
Reading that gaze, Yeon-woo nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"Very well. I'll do that. Then that will count as using your business card."
"Of course."
Chairman Seo's eyes curved into crescents once more as he smiled.
"Have you eaten?"
"I came on an empty stomach on purpose, knowing you would treat me to something delicious like last time."
At Yeon-woo's answer, Chairman Seo laughed heartily.
"This young fellow is truly entertaining."
Chairman Seo pressed the bell on the table and spoke.
"Bring in the meal that's been prepared. We'll eat looking at the sea with this friend."
The study door opened and the staff entered.
They brought a table and chairs over in front of the glass windows overlooking the sea and began setting out the food.
"Come, let's eat."
"Yes, sir."
Once they were seated, there was samgyetang—ginseng chicken soup—just as he had been treated to last time.
"You must have been born under a lucky star for food. Our chef happened to be planning chicken dishes today, and when your call came I told him to stew it."
In an age when Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurants were steadily increasing, samgyetang was no longer such a rare dish—but Yeon-woo smiled, understanding Chairman Seo's desire to treat his guest well.
In their culture, after all, slaughtering a prized hen for an honored guest had always been the highest form of hospitality.
"I'll eat well."
While dining with Chairman Seo, they spoke no further of LN Entertainment, conversing mainly about the Berlin Film Festival and the experiences Yeon-woo had had in LA.
Chairman Seo nodded and smiled as if listening to a grandson's stories.
Then he looked at Yeon-woo and asked,
"Do you know why I help you?"
At first Yeon-woo had thought it was repayment for the boost to the corporate image.
Since the Chairman had said he would help once if anyone brought his business card, no matter the matter, a man of Seo Tae-gwang's stature could not go back on his word—and Yeon-woo had also considered that he was simply keeping that promise.
But after today's conversation, it seemed that was not all.
After thinking carefully, Yeon-woo shook his head.
"I don't know."
"It's the eyes. When I look at you, I see myself. Ah—of course I'm not talking about that handsome face of yours."
Chairman Seo laughed once, then gazed quietly at Yeon-woo's face before continuing.
"My father, who farmed his whole life in the countryside, was swindled by some scoundrel and lost every last pyeong of the rice paddies that had been his entire fortune. But I was glad. It meant I no longer had to live simply following my father and farming in the countryside—I had to go out into the wider world and earn money."
"That was when you came up to the capital and started your business."
At Yeon-woo's words, Chairman Seo nodded quietly.
"When I look into your eyes, I see the me of that time. Eyes that regard crisis as opportunity and take joy in it. I don't know what your request of me is for, but it felt like you were trying to turn a crisis into an opportunity—so I said yes."
Yeon-woo looked at Chairman Seo, then bowed his head deeply.
"Thank you, sir."
Seeing that, Chairman Seo gave a short laugh.
"Well, now you know. Pick up your spoon again."
Meanwhile, Representative Kim Ju-seong clutched his head at the doorbell that kept ringing without pause.
"Honestly, why don't those agents outside stop this sort of thing?"
Holding his throbbing head, he headed for the front door.
Ding-dong—
When he opened the door, a man immediately launched into a complaint.
"Ah, Representative! Why wouldn't you open the door?"
"Team Leader Jeong. I'm not the representative anymore."
The one who had been ringing Kim Ju-seong's doorbell was Team Leader Jeong Hyeok.
Jeong Hyeok smiled brightly in turn.
"Yes. I'm not a team leader anymore either. I submitted my resignation."
At Jeong Hyeok's words, Kim Ju-seong stared at him blankly.
"Why?"
"Just because."
Kim Ju-seong scratched his head, then swung the door wide open.
As he did, his eyes met those of operative Lee Gyu-jin, who was peeking out from the emergency stairwell behind Jeong Hyeok.
When Kim Ju-seong nodded to indicate it was fine, Lee Gyu-jin withdrew back into the stairwell.
Stepping aside, Kim Ju-seong spoke to Jeong Hyeok.
"Come in for now."
"Yes, sir!"
As Jeong Hyeok entered the house, Kim Ju-seong walked over to the sofa and dropped heavily onto it.
"How can you just resign without a plan, Hyeok?"
Hearing Kim Ju-seong call him by name rather than "Team Leader Jeong" felt awkward, and Jeong Hyeok grinned.
"…Would it be all right if I called you hyung-nim as well?"
"No."
At the knife-sharp refusal, Jeong Hyeok laughed for a moment, then pulled an envelope from his coat.
"What's this?"
"Yeon-woo asked me to deliver it to you, Representative."
"…Actor Ryu?"
At the unexpected news, Kim Ju-seong took the envelope and opened it.
Inside was a sheet of letter paper.
As he read the contents, Kim Ju-seong frowned, scratched his head, read with a solemn expression, and then finally let out a short laugh.
"What's in it? I was going crazy with curiosity."
At Jeong Hyeok's words, Kim Ju-seong looked at him.
"You didn't read what was inside?"
"It was sent to you, Representative. Why would I read it?"
Kim Ju-seong nodded.
Jeong Hyeok was that kind of person.
Always unchangingly steadfast and honest—the man he had kept by his side for so long as his right hand.
Staring at the letter for a long while in thought, Kim Ju-seong finally heaved a deep sigh and looked at Jeong Hyeok.
"Hyeok."
"Yes."
"Want to try being a representative? Representative of a new company."
"…Pardon?"
The letter Yeon-woo had sent contained a proposal for the founding of a new company.
A form in which Ryu Yeon-woo and Kim Ju-seong would co-invest, and Jeong Hyeok would be hired as the professional manager.
Looking at the company name written at the bottom of the letter, Kim Ju-seong gave a short laugh.
"Hmm, Saebyeol Media… It seems a bit rustic somehow, but it's not bad either."