Chapter 1060.2: Needing Miso (3)

I began squeezing Talk & Joy from every direction.

Starting from Chairman Kim Ae-Ryeon of Daechon Inc., I contacted LM Clothing, L.M.L, and Yetterang. One after another, I contacted companies I had close relationships with and explained what had happened.

The moment they heard Talk & Joy had attacked Miso, every single one of them immediately terminated their social media advertising contracts. Talk & Joy had dramatically increased these companies' sales through social media marketing, yet not one of them hesitated before cutting ties at my request.

-Compared to what Chief Jung has done for us, you're less than a drop in the bucket—not even a drop, you're a single platelet inside one drop of blood! So what the hell are you talking about? And you targeted Miso? Have you lost your damn mind? Do you have a death wish?

The last call ended with Lee Yung-Ah, the President of L.M.L, unleashing that furious tirade.

Choi Chang-Soo turned deathly pale and cried out, "Mr. Kim! We've already lost 30% of our revenue! At this rate, we're really finished!"

"I... I..."

Kim Do-Kyung looked completely overwhelmed. He had never imagined that every one of those companies would side with me without hesitation. Even so, something was clearly holding him back.

I shrugged. "Well, if you're still determined to stay loyal, there's nothing more I can do. I'll just inform every MeTuber at DCM_TV that Talk & Joy was behind today's attack on Miso. After that, I'll proceed with the lawsuit."

The color drained completely from both of their faces. DCM_TV was an influencer management company under Daechon Media. Its MeTubers held enormous influence over teenagers and people in their twenties—the exact audience Talk & Joy depended on for its advertising business. If those creators learned what had happened today, Talk & Joy really would be forced to shut its doors.

Phone in hand, I started calling DCM_TV's president.

At that moment, Kim Do-Kyung suddenly seized my wrist.

Grab.

Sweat poured down his face as he pleaded desperately. "W-Wait, Chief Jung. I'll talk. I'll tell you everything. Just... promise me something first. Promise you won't sue us. Please?"

I pulled my wrist free from his grasp. "I'm not going to sue you. So tell me who's behind this."

Kim Do-Kyung bit down hard on his lip before answering, "TK Entertainment."

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Yeah. There. That's what you wanted, right? Now keep your promise."

"Understood. As promised, I'll stop the contract cancellations and won't file a lawsuit. However..."

"However, what?"

"You'll have to compensate Miso for the psychological harm you've caused."

There was no way I was letting this go after everything Miso had been through.

Gulp.

"...How much?"

"Two billion won."

"Two billion?"

"Miso collapsed and is currently hospitalized. We haven't released the photos yet. Would you like me to? Oh, and just so you know, when we release them, Yoo-Jin will personally appear on television. Do you really want everyone hearing from her own mouth that Talk & Joy was responsible?"

Talk & Joy's annual revenue was less than one billion won. Now I was demanding the equivalent of two years' worth of revenue in one shot, and Kim Do-Kyung had no idea what to do.

After agonizing over it, he finally spoke. "If we pay all that at once, we'll go bankrupt immediately. Cut us some slack. Half... just half."

So they had one billion won available right now. That made things simple.

"So you're saying you can pay half?"

"...Yeah."

I grinned and offered a practical solution.

"Installment payments are acceptable."

***

'One billion won by tomorrow, and the remaining one billion a year later.'

In exchange for a signed agreement promising total damages of two billion won, I agreed not to hold Talk & Joy legally responsible. With tears practically streaming from their eyes, both men signed the contract.

Only then did I call each company back and ask them to cancel the contract terminations. None of them were happy about it, but once they heard I already made a promise, they readily agreed to let things return to normal. Finally, Kim Do-Kyung finally let out a sigh of relief.

Afterward, Lee Doo-Oh and I left the building. Carrying his laptop bag over one shoulder, he looked at me.

"Hyung, wasn't that punishment too light? You got their contracts restored and didn't even sue them."

"It doesn't matter. That company's going under in a little over a year anyway. This is more than enough."

"...What?"

"Jinseong and the others restored their contracts because they were doing me a favor. But none of them will renew once those contracts expire."

The real reason was that I already knew the future, but I gave him a more believable explanation instead.

"I see."

"They're finished now that they've been blacklisted. And as for not suing them, they'd just throw a few employees under the bus and walk away. I'd rather take the two billion won. Besides, I don't think TK Entertainment is the real mastermind either. This isn't how TK operates."

President Kim Tae-Kwon of TK Entertainment was a smart man, but he wasn't the type to trust social media marketing agencies. He preferred traditional advertising—television and newspapers—over companies like Talk & Joy.

It was only a suspicion for now, but someone else had to be standing behind TK Entertainment. Someone other than Yang Ji-Hoon.

"So what do we do now? Just let it end here?"

"No. Whether someone else is behind this or not, TK Entertainment was definitely involved. They came at us with rumors, so we'll hit them back the same way. It's time we dropped one hell of a bomb ourselves."

After everything Miso had suffered, there was no way I was letting them walk away unscathed. Taking down a company the size of TK Entertainment, however, required a little preparation.

"Timing is everything. Wait a day or two until I give the word."

"Got it. I'll get everything ready and move as soon as you give the signal."

"Good. We've crushed Talk & Joy and found out who was behind it. Let's head back to the office. Mr. Kwak has already gathered the contact information for a whole bunch of the social media accounts that posted malicious comments."

"Yes. Let's go."

TK Entertainment wasn't the only problem. The people posting hateful comments from their personal accounts also needed to face the consequences.

***

Back at the office, I contacted the owners of the social media accounts that had posted malicious comments. I told them that if they posted a public apology on the front page of their accounts and pinned it there for one week, I would consider showing leniency.

I wanted them to spend a nerve-racking week wondering whether they would truly be forgiven. Desperate for mercy, every one of them immediately posted an apology.

After capturing screenshots of them all, I returned to Guro Hope Hospital. When I entered Lee Sa-Yeon's hospital room, Lee Sa-Yeon, Park Sang-Gyu, and Yoo-Jin were sitting beside Miso, who still had an IV drip in her arm. Miso had woken up in the meantime and looked much brighter.

I immediately held out my phone to her. "Miso, take a look at this."

[@ANI_MISO]

-I'm deeply sorry for making baseless accusations. I sincerely apologize and will reflect on my actions.

Miso, please forgive me.

[@MIMI_YO]

-I sincerely apologize to Miso for hurting her with my thoughtless post.

Miso, I'm sorry for insulting you. I'm the one who's trash.

[@BABODURI]

-Miso, I won't ever do it again. I got chewed out by my boss and took it out on you. I must've been out of my mind.

As Miso read the endless stream of apologies, her expression gradually brightened.

"Miso, what do you want to do? To be honest, I don't really want to forgive them..."

Miso shook her head. "If they apologize... you have to forgive them."

"You want to forgive them?"

"Yes. If you don't accept someone's apology, that makes you a bad person."

Even after collapsing from the shock of those hateful comments, Miso still wanted to forgive them. Dumbfounded, I glanced at Yoo-Jin. She simply nodded, telling me with her eyes to honor Miso's wishes.

In the end, I had no choice but to agree. "All right. Then we'll forgive them. But if they post hateful comments again after this, I'm allowed to punish them, okay?"

Miso beamed and threw her arms tightly around me. "Yes, Uncle Yoon-Ho. And thank you so, so much. You're the best!"

"No, thank you for recovering so quickly."

As I gently patted her back, I thought to myself.

'Yeah, Miso. I'll let them stew in regret for a couple of days before forgiving them. As for TK Entertainment... they never apologized, so I don't have to forgive them, right?'

Just then, after letting go of the hug, Miso looked up at my face and tilted her head. "Huh? Uncle Yoon-Ho, you're making a funny face!"

"Uh... um..."

I was scrambling for an answer when, fortunately, Park Sang-Gyu spoke first. "Yoon-Ho, what are we going to do about all those articles saying Miso's retiring?"

After Team Lead Kim Mi-Hye had leaked the rumor, every news outlet had jumped on the story. Even now, reporters were crowding the first floor of the hospital. And they were still publishing articles claiming Jung Miso was suspending her entertainment career.

The number one trending article on the portal currently read: [Jung Miso Hospitalized After Collapsing from Shock Over Malicious Comments During Filming of Land of Happiness. All Schedules Canceled. Is This Only a Temporary Hiatus... or Retirement?]

Using rumors and news coverage like this just to respond to online hate was something only a mediocre talent agent would do. A truly top-tier talent agent knew how to turn even bad publicity into an opportunity to raise an actor's profile.

The current time was 7:20 p.m., and Episode 16 of Land of Happiness was about to air.

I looked around at Park Sang-Gyu and everyone else before answering, "Once tonight's episode finishes airing, you'll all see exactly how I'm going to turn this situation around."

This was my chance to give TK Entertainment a taste of its own medicine, and make sure the name Jung Miso was etched into the minds of the entire nation once again.