Power & Sex, and... 16
He headed down to the underground parking lot and stepped out of the hotel. Suji gazed at him with her usual bright, beaming smile. When he told her to grab breakfast and head to work, she pushed back, insisting that eating here and then driving from Gangnam to Yeouido would hit rush-hour traffic. Unable to break her stubbornness, he dropped her off in front of her agency and made his way to the National Assembly Members' Office Building. Even in the clear morning light, she fearlessly planted a kiss on his cheek before hopping out of the car and skipping into the agency building with her fluttering steps.
The top priority in handling Suji's situation was securing her safety—not physical safety, but protecting her reputation. Of course, he couldn't deal with it personally, so he needed someone familiar with the entertainment industry's underbelly. He decided to consult Do Cheol-rak first, calling to set up a meeting in Busan over the weekend.
"Hey, Cheol-rak, you doin' alright?"
"Assemblyman, callin' me yourself and all."
"Aigoo, cut that out. First you make me all awkward callin' you 'hyungnim,' now this."
"Then what, I shouldn't call you Assemblyman?"
"Brother sounds way better. Hell, just call me your little bro."
"Don't say ridiculous stuff. What's up?"
"Got a favor to ask, so make some time this weekend."
"If you're busy, I'll head up today to see you."
"Nah, I'm headin' to Busan this weekend anyway. See you then."
"Got it. Waitin' for your call, Assemblyman."
If Hwang Bo-jun was using videos of his agency's idols for blackmail—filming and storing them—those files were likely on his computer, probably locked down tight. He'd need a pro to crack it.
Punishing Hwang Bo-jun and making him pay for his crimes could be left to the prosecutors and police. But once a full investigation kicked off, he'd surely leak those porn videos out of spite, no matter the channel.
If the goal was just to take him down, it was simple: hint to the targets already being blackmailed—or ripe for it—that videos existed of them receiving sexual favors from SJ idols. But he had to protect Suji and the other victims from her agency, so that wasn't viable.
First, secure those videos Hwang was wielding as weapons. Then punish him.
The plan: find and seize the porn videos stashed in his office, agency, or home. Blur the girls' faces, then hand them over to the police chief, senior prosecutors, and assemblymen he'd been blackmailing—their Achilles' heel. Leave the hunt to experts.
Once they had the videos and felt safe, those so-called social leaders—fuming from years of forced silence—would unleash their rage on Hwang. No lifeline left for him. Hell, they'd lead the charge to bury him, since he'd had them by the nose. Maru wouldn't even need to lift a finger.
Separate from punishing Hwang, when SJ Entertainment collapsed, he'd need a new agency to take in Suji and the others. Suji only had a month left on her contract, no big issue. But the rest, with years remaining, would be shackled by it long-term. That needed fixing too.
He parked at the Members' Office Building and headed up to his office.
"Assemblyman, that's huge!"
"Aigoo, 'huge' what? One slip and it's all gone."
As he opened the office door, one of his aides greeted him excitedly with "huge" instead of hello—probably about last night's party board fiasco. The office phones were ringing off the hook. The grade-9 female secretary was bowing nonstop, repeating "Thank you" to every caller, too swamped for other work.
"You gotta buy that intern from Park Seong-hwan's office a meal."
"Already set lunch with Assemblyman Park. Wanna join, Chief Kim?"
"Nah, take Seok-jun. Anyway, know any good hackers?"
"Dong-hyun'd know, right?"
He called Dong-hyun, who'd managed his homepage since the Hwang days. Hearing the guy could hack just about anything, he asked him to swing by the office when free and hung up.
That covered Suji's fix, roughly. Now, when Hwang faced justice and SJ shut down, he'd worry about Suji and the other idols' futures. First, consult Daesan Group's PR team. He called the PR chief, set an afternoon meeting, then headed to Park Seong-hwan's office.
"Assemblyman, come on in."
"Hey everyone. Hard work."
Park's aides stood to greet him as he entered. He bowed back, then followed the chief aide inside.
"Come in."
"Hope I'm not interrupting."
"Aigoo, if our party-duty Park Assemblyman has time to visit me, what excuse does a first-termer like me have?"
"Aigoo yourself. Anyway, thanks a ton. Let's grab lunch."
"Sure."
"Why not bring all your aides too? No point leavin' the intern out."
"That'd run up your bill."
"Don't worry—bring 'em if you can. I'll call my crew too."
"Deal. Good chance for our teams to get faces memorized."
Park agreed readily, so Maru called Chief Kim, booked a spot across from the Assembly Hall, and asked him to bring everyone.
Being an assemblyman was lonely. Everyone out for themselves, no one tolerates superiors. Friendships? Rare. Either go solo like bibimbap, or bow to a boss and play by their faction's rules. No other options. Sure, he'd formed the National Assembly Reform Alliance with first-termers, but banking on it lasting? That'd make him naive fool.
So using this favor to build personal ties? In cutthroat Yeouido, it meant a back-to-watch friend. Worth way more than lunch.
Lunch with Park's aides and his own crew was lively, almost like a party. Aides often clashed over chief aide spots, but when bosses were tight, hierarchy was secure—and they could swap legislative help. Closer than same-office colleagues, even.
After lunch, he headed to Daesan Group HQ.
He sat with the PR chief, getting the rundown on entertainment agencies. Disappointing verdict: if Hwang folded now, Suji's group—peaking and sliding—wouldn't get hot offers for re-signing.
Visiting the company, skipping Chairman Lee felt rude. He called the chairman's office, confirmed he was in, and went up.
"Busy, and you come all this way—what's up?"
"Yeah, Father-in-law. Needed PR chief's advice, so I dropped by."
"What for?"
"About Suji, the girl who visited with me last time."
"What about her?"
"Her agency CEO seems shady. Gotta help her switch companies."
He laid out Suji's story—minus his involvement and the sex-for-favors details—just the coercion. The chairman blew up, summoning the PR chief back.
"Chief Heo. Calculate costs and manpower for starting an entertainment agency. Report it."
"Pardon?"
"Research what Daesan needs to launch one."
"Chairman, that's..."
"You wanna be chairman? If not, figure break-even, immediate needs, and report."
Chief Heo, dazed, just jotted notes mumbling "Yes," and left.
"Hand it to Eun-mi, right?"
"Your call, Father-in-law. But if it loses money?"
"Business flops? Shut it. But look at current agencies—they're cash cows. Sure, big-conglom gripes, but time fixes that."
The chairman was decisive. True to his rep: not just holding the fort as second-gen, but expanding and strengthening beyond the founder's days. Bold and driven. Suji's path was set. Just solve issues one by one now.