Chapter 171:

Chapter 171:

"I need to take care of KL Entertainment."

Upon Jang Sunho's words, Go Seoyoung and Lee Gaji swallowed hard, staring at Jang Sunho with widened eyes.

‘This guy, Jang Sunho... Was he waiting for this moment all along?'

‘This is breaking news.'

However, both of them kept their thoughts to themselves, refraining from saying anything out loud.

At that moment, beyond the mobile phone, Jang Sunho's expression hardened as he listened to something from Oh Haneul.

"That should be fine. Yes, it could be burdensome if there's too much. Understood. I'll head there right away."

After a brief response, Jang Sunho stood up. Go Seoyoung looked at him and asked,

"Team Leader, you're going to give KL Entertainment a hard time. What did the President say?"

"It seems we need to discuss the details."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

When Jang Sunho replied calmly, Go Seoyoung tilted her head and asked,

"Then why did you have such a long conversation if that's it?"

"I took a while to choose from the options they offered for my late-night meal."

"···?"

Suddenly, a late-night meal?

Go Seoyoung's face showed a puzzled expression at the unexpected mention of late-night meal. However, it was only for a moment. After the initial surprise, Go Seoyoung blinked and said,

"Uh, if it's a late-night meal, are you saying we should meet now? At this hour?"

"Yes. The President asked me to come right away."

While Jang Sunho spoke calmly, Go Seoyoung and Lee Gaji, bewildered by the situation, blinked their eyes in confusion. Seeing them, Jang Sunho gestured for them to get up.

"Get your clothes and come. We need to leave now."

***

Jang Sunho, Go Seoyoung, and Lee Gaji arrived at Oh Haneul's house. Looking at the lavishly prepared food, Jang Sunho inwardly sighed.

‘I'm pretty sure I told him not to prepare too much.'

However, he couldn't blame the president. While Go Seoyoung and Lee Gaji refrained from touching the food, sitting still, Oh Haneul spoke.

"Eat before the dishes get cold. It's my homemade dishes."

Go Seoyoung and Lee Gaji cautiously picked up their food, glancing at each other. Observing them, Jang Sunho hesitated a bit. Oh Haneul smiled and said,

"Eat, Team Leader Jang. I purposely ordered pizza because I heard you like it."

"Ah... Yes. Thank you. By the way, Mr. Oh, before we eat, may I discuss the plans we couldn't talk about during our call?"

As Jang Sunho spoke with a serious tone, Oh Haneul, while munching on a chicken leg, casually replied,

"You don't have to talk about the plans if you don't want to. Just do whatever you want as the team leader. I'm sure you'll do better than my expectations."

"···."

“When we were talking earlier, I thought it might be good for the team leader to hear the story, but while cooking, I realized that it might not be my place to speak. With three professionals like you here, it seems even more absurd for me to step forward, don't you think?”

With a subtle smile, Oh Haneul spoke in a trusting tone.

While appreciating Oh Haneul's generous evaluation, a thought crossed Jang Sunho's mind.

‘But still, I have to share this story.’

After a moment of contemplation, Jang Sunho spoke to Oh Haneul, who had just finished devouring chicken.

‘It could shake the entire nation.’

“Don't worry about it too much. Whether it's for the better or the worse, the landscape within the company could change.”

The information Jang Sunho provided was a ‘Pandora's box.'

Similar to Jang Sunho's concerns, Jung Woncheol had similar worries. After pondering for a while, he asked Jang Sunho, "But where did you get this information?"

"I obtained some of it, and there are materials collected by reporters. Also..."

Jang Sunho hesitated to mention, "There is a collaborator within KL Entertainment."

"I see. Well, first of all, this is my personal opinion, but I want to do this. KL Entertainment might appear clean on the surface, but people in this industry know they are quite messy. I didn't know it was to this extent, though."

"Yes."

"But honestly, it's a bit intimidating. This is a very sensitive issue. Since politicians are involved, even if we focus on factual information and maintain a neutral approach, we might face criticism for being political. So, I'm a bit worried."

"I fully understand your concerns, CP."

"Thank you for understanding. But, is OS Entertainment okay with this? If we expose this, it will lead to a full-scale confrontation with KL Entertainment."

"It's fine. If you produce a broadcast with this content, KL Entertainment will become unsalvageable in no time."

Jung Woncheol nodded, "Well, that makes sense. It seems like there are many journalists sailing on the same boat as OS Entertainment. But supporting reporters could be serious business."

"Yes, everything is prepared. You just need to make the decision, CP."

After circling, it all came down to this. The decision was difficult, even though he was the one who had to make it.

‘What to do.’

Jung Woncheol thought for a while.

“Hoo... I'm sorry, Team Leader. I can't do this.”

He sighed, then continued, "What KL Entertainment is doing, especially to rookie actors or idol groups from small satellite agencies, I want to take a stand against it for justice. However, the risk is too high."

"Is it a legal risk you're concerned about?"

"Yes. In our country, even if there is evidence, unilaterally exposing it could be a problem. You know about ‘factual defamation,' right? If we get involved in that, it'll be a real headache."

Jung Woncheol seemed genuinely sorry, but Jang Sunho smiled subtly as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“You don't need to worry about that. The law is on our side.”

“The law is on our side... What do you mean?”

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“It seems she's here now. A bit late.”

Jang Sunho mentioned as if he had been waiting. However, Jung Woncheol, not knowing who had arrived, expressed confusion.

The door opened, and a woman entered the conference room. She was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit.

"Sorry for being late, Team Leader. I took a day off, but something urgent came up."

"No problem. Thank you for taking the time to come."

Jang Sunho stood up and greeted the woman. However, Jung Woncheol, still unaware of who she was, raised a questioning look.

As the door closed behind her, Jang Sunho introduced her.

“Let me introduce you.”

Jang Sunho gestured toward the woman and said, "This is Deputy Prosecutor Lee Minyoung from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office."

"...?"

"She will be assisting us."

Jung Woncheol was left in silent astonishment.