Chapter 1054: Humiliation

As soon as I parked in the underground parking garage of LT Entertainment Headquarters and stepped out of the car, Secretary Choi Ill-Sung, who had been waiting for me, hurried over.

"The president arrived about five minutes ago and already went upstairs. Please follow me."

"Ah, yes."

Choi Ill-Sung, the head of Secretary Team 1 at LT Entertainment, was a talented man personally selected and groomed by President Shin Jong-Ki.

At thirty-five years old, he had been an unwaveringly loyal subordinate. Before my regression, when Shin Woo-Jin, the President of LT Hotel, became the chairman of the LT Inc., he resigned from LT Entertainment alongside Shin Jong-Ki.

I asked, "Where are President Son and Executive Committee Chairman Yoo Tae-Jong right now? Earlier, Ms. Lee said he was speaking with the two who arrived first."

"They're in the president's office now."

His crisp, efficient manner of speaking still showed no flaws. Just then, the elevator arrived.

"After you."

I followed him into the elevator. As I watched him press the button for the executive office floor, I carefully spoke up. There was something I needed to bring up regarding LT Entertainment's recent personnel changes.

"Mr. Choi. If I may, could I mention something?"

"Mr. Jung, you may speak freely about anything."

"Have you recently conducted an internal investigation into the staff?"

"Ever since Mr. Shin had a private dinner with the chairman, we've been doing them regularly. Since he's now considered the leading candidate to become the next successor, the other heirs are bound to see him as a threat."

"Then what about the investigation into the Team Lead who was recently promoted to Team 2?"

"Do you mean Team Lead Ju Kyung-Soo?"

"Yes."

Choi Ill-Sung's eyes sharpened. "Is there some kind of problem with Team Lead Ju?"

"The truth is, I've heard rumors that Team Lead Ju Kyung-Soo met with President Shin Woo-Jin's chief secretary at an alumni gathering, and the two had a very serious conversation."

Before my regression, Shin Jong-Ki of LT Entertainment had been pushed aside far too easily by his second older brother in the battle to determine the next successor. There had been two reasons for that.

The first was that Shin Jong-Ki had been less aggressive than expected in the struggle among the siblings. Because of that, he failed to secure proper support from the honorary chairman of the LT Inc.

The real danger, however, had come from the second reason—an enemy within. Shin Woo-Jin of LT Hotel had planted his own people inside his siblings' companies. At LT Entertainment, that person was Ju Kyung-Soo, the newly promoted Team 2 Lead.

"...Sigh. I'll have to report this to Mr. Shin"

"No. It's not certain yet. Gather evidence first, then tell him."

After a moment's thought, he nodded. "Understood."

Only then did I finally relax. I drew a quiet breath, preparing myself to deal with the next problem.

Ding.

The elevator arrived at the executive office floor.

***

When I opened the door and stepped inside, Shin Jong-Ki was talking with Son Hyung-Tae of CK Entertainment and Executive Committee Chairman Yoo Tae-Jong. The atmosphere, however, was as tense as the eve of a decisive battle.

"What are you looking around for now, President Son?"

"For someone who makes so much money, your taste is awful, President Shin. This interior design is way too old-fashioned."

"Don't you know classic style never goes out of fashion?"

"Classic, my ass... You think I don't know you're just too cheap to spend any money?"

"Hey. If you came all the way here just to pick a fight, why don't you get out?"

The two men glared at each other as though sparks were flying between their eyes.

Seeing that, Yoo Tae-Jong frowned and rebuked them both. "Come on now, what do you think you're doing? I arranged this meeting so the two of you could make peace!"

Son Hyung-Tae had originally been responsible for investing in and distributing Missing – The Lost Ones, yet he had pulled the funding midway through production and even blocked the film from being shown in theaters.

Now that the movie had become a massive success, however, he had brought along Yoo Tae-Jong to pressure LT Entertainment into handing over the film so it could be screened at CK Cinema.

The whole thing was so absurd that I had to suppress my irritation. I simply bowed politely.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman."

Yoo Tae-Jong glanced at me, ignored my greeting entirely, and turned to Shin Jong-Ki. "Mr. Shin. Why did you bring this young man here?"

Shin Jong-Ki answered, "Chief Jung is here as the representative of Director Ahn Jung-Hae and the production company Reverse Capital."

"A representative?"

"Yes. And Chief Jung was, for all practical purposes, the producer of this film. He has every right to be here."

"A producer? He's just some fresh-faced talent agent. Since when has that ever happened?"

"Chief Jung is the exception."

Yoo Tae-Jong snorted in disbelief. "Fine, fine. Sit if you want, Chief Jung."

I bowed once more before taking the seat beside Lee Eun-Joo. That naturally placed me directly across from Son Hyung-Tae. Once, he had been one of my strongest allies. Now, he was a complete enemy.

At that moment, Yoo Tae-Jong spoke again. "All right, let's not drag this out. President Shin, don't keep the whole pie for yourself. Give CK Cinema the chance to screen the film as well."

Shin Jong-Ki answered with visible displeasure, "Mr. Chairman, CK Entertainment was the one that decided to reject this film and refused to put it on its screens. We took on all the risk ourselves and made it a success. Are you seriously asking us to let them profit from it for nothing?"

"Then what about the people living in areas without LT Cinema? They're citizens too. They have the right to watch it. No matter how obsessed you are with money, surely you understand that."

Because LT was a major conglomerate, being branded as unwilling to contribute to the public good could draw criticism not only from the government but also from the media, potentially affecting the selection of the next successor.

"Besides, senior government officials are also looking very unfavorably on LT Entertainment's selfish attempt to monopolize the profits."

"..."

"So accept the compromise while I'm offering it."

CK Entertainment had clearly been the one at fault. Yet Yoo Tae-Jong spoke as though LT Entertainment were the greedy villain trying to keep all the profits.

The sheer absurdity of it made me step in. "Mr. Shin isn't refusing to distribute the film. However, since CK Entertainment is solely responsible for what happened, they should at least apologize first. Once they do, we'll provide the film to CK Cinema."

Yoo Tae-Jong fixed me with a burning stare. "Did you just say... apologize?"

"Yes. An apology."

"Fine. That's hardly a difficult request." He immediately turned toward Son Hyung-Tae. "President Son. You made a mistake this time, so apologize—for my sake, if nothing else."

Son Hyung-Tae nodded. "Since it's your request, Mr. Chairman, I'd apologize a hundred times if I had to."

As if he had been waiting for the chance, Son Hyung-Tae extended his hand toward Shin Jong-Ki. "Mr. Shin, I made a mistake. Let's put this behind us and work together again."

'Are these people joking?'

They offered nothing more than empty words, while their attitude made a mockery of the apology itself.

I immediately raised my voice. "What kind of apology is that? You think a handshake is enough to make everything disappear? A real apology requires proper restitution."

Shin Jong-Ki nodded in agreement. "Chief Jung is right. We can't possibly accept an apology that's nothing but words."

"Then what exactly do you want?"

Shin Jong-Ki turned to me. "Chief Jung. What do you think?"

He had never told me what conditions he wanted for an apology. Even so, I boldly made my move.

I answered, "If LT Entertainment supplies the film to CK Entertainment, then hand over 10% of CK Cinema's theater share from Missing – The Lost Ones."

If a movie ticket costs ten thousand won, the theater generally keeps around 43% of the revenue. The remainder is divided among the Film Development Fund, the production company, and the distributor.

So what I demanded was simple. Out of the 43% that CK Cinema would receive as the theater's share, I wanted them to give up 10%.

Son Hyung-Tae immediately exploded. "Have you lost your mind? Hey! Do you think we stay in business by digging money out of the ground?"

Yoo Tae-Jong also pointed a finger at me as though I were some shameless villain. "You've gotten awfully greedy for someone so young!"

Anyone listening would think LT Entertainment was the one that had done something wrong. However, if anything, this made things easier. If they acted like this, I wouldn't feel the slightest hesitation about dealing with either of them.

"So in the end, you're only willing to offer empty words as an apology?"

Yoo Tae-Jong snapped irritably. "Of course. And stay out of this. I'll discuss it with President Shin."

'Now he's trying to shut me out of the conversation altogether? Not a chance.'

I immediately pulled out my phone.

"Who are you calling?"

"Just a moment."

At that moment, the other person answered.

"Have you arrived yet?"

-I'm actually right outside the president's office.

"Perfect timing. Please come in right away."

-Understood.

Then, the office door opened and a young man in a suit walked inside.

Click.

"Mr. Chairman, it's been a while."

The moment they saw his face, Son Hyung-Tae and Yoo Tae-Jong both froze. The man who walked in was Lee Chil-Sung, the senior aide to Minister Han Yung-Bok of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The Korean Film Council fell under that ministry.

Now that the right-hand man of the Minister himself had appeared, Yoo Tae-Jong's face drained of all color. Son Hyung-Tae looked no different.

***

A few days earlier, the moment I heard that Son Hyung-Tae was using the executive committee chairman to pressure us, I contacted Han Yung-Bok and explained the entire situation.

This wasn't merely a dispute between two companies. It was a case of improper pressure exerted through a government agency. On top of that, the Korean Film Council was an agency under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In other words, if the Film Council was in the wrong, the ministry responsible for overseeing it would inevitably share that responsibility.

Realizing the seriousness of the matter immediately, Han Yung-Bok asked how he could help. I asked only that he help keep the executive committee chairman from abusing his position. So when I called, he immediately sent Lee Chil-Sung.

Caught completely off guard, Yoo Tae-Jong awkwardly asked him, "Secretary Lee... what brings you here?"

Lee Chil-Sung answered, "What do you mean? Chief Jung wanted to resolve this distribution issue as smoothly as possible, so I came. Though judging by the fact that both you and President Son are here, I suppose you had the same idea."

"...I see."

"That's right. If the number one and number two companies in the industry keep fighting over distribution, it's the public that suffers in the end. As the supervising ministry, it's our responsibility to step in and mediate situations like this. That said, since the Korean Film Council has already moved so quickly on the matter, I'll simply observe."

Yoo Tae-Jong's face twisted. When Lee Chil-Sung said he would simply observe, everyone understood what he meant. He would watch everything that happened, hear everything that was said, and report it directly to the minister afterward.

Feeling the pressure, Yoo Tae-Jong immediately tried to back out. "Well... since Secretary Lee is here now, perhaps it'd be best if I excused myself..."

"No. Since you're already in the middle of mediating this matter, please continue."

"Well..."

It was obvious that Lee Chil-Sung had no intention of letting Yoo Tae-Jong off the hook.

Just then, a call came into Yoo Tae-Jong's phone.

Buzz.

"Hold on, Secretary Lee. I need to take this."

As though he found a savior, Yoo Tae-Jong quickly answered the call.

"Yeah. What is it?"

The panicked voice of one of his staff members came through the phone's speaker.

-Mr. Chairman, we've got a serious problem. The minister is coming here tonight.

Yoo Tae-Jong shot to his feet. "The minister? Why?"

-It looks like he's coming to inspect the preparations for this weekend's Busan Starlight Film Festival. We haven't been given any details yet—just the notice that he's on his way.

"Hey! I'm in Seoul right now! How am I supposed to get all the way to Busan in time?"

The Korean Film Council was headquartered in Busan. Even if he left Samsung Station immediately and encountered no traffic whatsoever, the trip would still take well over three hours.

"Damn it. All right. I'm leaving for Busan right now, so keep me updated."

-Yes, Mr. Chairman.

After hanging up, Yoo Tae-Jong turned to Lee Chil-Sung. "Do you happen to know why Mr. Minister is visiting the Film Council?"

"Secretary Kwak manages the Minister's schedule this week, so I'm not sure. It's not an official engagement. I think he's just stopping by to show his support."

Yoo Tae-Jong scratched his head furiously. "Then, Secretary Lee... could you make sure to tell him I was here trying to negotiate? I'd never forget a favor like that."

"You're leaving just like this?"

"Yeah. Now that someone as capable as you is here, I should get going. Besides, if Mr. Minister's visiting Busan and I'm not there, what do you think will happen?"

"I understand. Then I'll handle things here."

As though he intended to save only himself, Yoo Tae-Jong hurried away from the sofa.

Son Hyung-Tae trembled as he lunged forward and grabbed the leg of Yoo Tae-Jong's trousers. "Mr. Chairman! You can't just leave me here!"

Smack.

Yoo Tae-Jong shook him off and answered, "Secretary Lee will take care of the rest!"

With that, Yoo Tae-Jong hurried out of the president's office.

Bang.

The instant the door closed, Son Hyung-Tae found himself stranded alone in enemy territory.

Gulp.

Son Hyung-Tae's Adam's apple bobbed repeatedly as he swallowed dryly. His already flushed face turned an even deeper shade of red.

Apparently realizing he had no other choice, Son Hyung-Tae turned pleadingly toward Lee Chil-Sung. "Um... Mr. Lee.."

Lee Chil-Sung cut him off without hesitation. "Mr. Son, what do you intend to do now?"

"Well, I..."

"You'll need to make your decision quickly. I have to report this to the minister."

Son Hyung-Tae shifted uneasily in his seat, as though he were sitting on a bed of thorns.

That was when I turned to Shin Jong-Ki. "Mr. Shin. Before anything else, please tell me your conditions."

"Wasn't this negotiation your idea? Then see it through for LT Entertainment."

I nodded. "Understood. Then please tell me when the film can be delivered."

"If we receive a proper apology, the film can be ready by Friday afternoon."

"Understood."

After confirming the basic terms with Shin Jong-Ki, I turned back to Son Hyung-Tae and began laying out our conditions. "We'll deliver the film by Friday, so as I said before, we want 10% of the theater's revenue share. That condition is non-negotiable."

Son Hyung-Tae cried, "Come on! Then what are we supposed to make?"

"Don't exaggerate. In the first place, CK Entertainment was the one that walked away from the deal, leaving LT to shoulder all the risk and pay the entire promotional budget. Now that the film will also be shown at CK Cinema, LT Cinema's expected earnings will naturally decrease. You should compensate us for that loss."

Having run out of options, Son Hyung-Tae turned to Lee Chil-Sung for help. "Mr. Lee... don't you think this is a bit excessive?"

Lee Chil-Sung, however, firmly shook his head. "If you want to offer sincere compensation for the damages, I'd say that's about right."

No matter how hard he tried, all he got were short, unwavering answers.

In the end, Son Hyung-Tae had no choice but to accept my terms. "...Fine. We'll accept them."

***

Son Hyung-Tae left in a hurry, having gained nothing.

Smiling with satisfaction, Shin Jong-Ki offered his hand to Lee Chil-Sung. "Out of the additional 10% we'll receive, we'll contribute 5% to the Film Development Fund. Since the Korean Film Council oversees that fund, I doubt they'll have any complaints."

Lee Chil-Sung's face immediately brightened. "Oh, if you're willing to do that, it'll certainly reflect well on us as the supervising ministry. Mr. Minister will be very pleased as well."

Just then, I cautiously asked, "By the way, is Mr. Minister really visiting the Korean Film Council in Busan? It's already Thursday evening."

With a playful grin, Lee Chil-Sung answered, "He is in Busan, that's true. But tonight he has a meeting scheduled with the Mayor of Busan."

"...I'm sorry?"

"To be honest, Secretary Kwak, who's accompanying Mr. Minister, and I simply pulled a little prank. If anyone asks later, we'll just say there was a scheduling mix-up."

Yoo Tae-Jong had been completely fooled and had rushed all the way to Busan for nothing.

"So Mr. Yoo is probably still hurrying there as we speak, all for nothing."

"Well... that's one way to put it. Still, since he's already going, he'll at least make sure the preparations for this weekend's film festival are in order."

Laughter broke out around the room.

Lee Chil-Sung laughed along before getting to his feet. "Well then, I'll be on my way."

"Thank you again for your help."

We all stood and ignored his insistence that there was no need to see him out, escorting him all the way to the elevators.

Ding.

The moment the elevator doors closed, Shin Jong-Ki turned to me with a broad grin. "You really have a talent for surprising people. You could've told me about this beforehand."

I shrugged. "I had his word, but I wasn't sure whether he'd actually come."

"Either way, you did well. Thanks to you, we knocked Son Hyung-Tae down a peg."

Lee Eun-Joo burst into laughter as well. "That was amazing. I don't think I've ever seen President Son sweat that much."

Shin Jong-Ki nodded before looking back at me. "Still, that man's not going to let this go. We'd better prepare ourselves."

I said, "That won't be necessary. President Son won't have the time to worry about us for a while."

"...What have you done this time?"

I simply smiled at Shin Jong-Ki.

The reason I had insisted on securing that extra 10% of the theater's revenue wasn't just to win the negotiation. It was to plant a time bomb that would drag Son Hyung-Tae even deeper into the mire.