Chapter 254: Getting Rid of Potential Danger (1)

Chapter 254: Getting Rid of Potential Danger (1)

I arranged to meet Chief Secretary Ryu Shin alone at Evian, the most luxurious wine bar in Gangnam where I previously met Jiang Wei.

I informed Kang Ji-Yung of the meeting location, in case anything were to happen.

Screech.

I parked the car in an alley and checked my planner as I remembered there was an incident related to Hwayeon Media Inc. around this time in my past life.

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: August 18, 2020]

- 01:00 p.m. See off Team Lead Wang Rong of Shanghai New Media Inc. (SNMG). (Report: Broadcasting rights and publication rights dispute with Hwayeon Media Inc.)

Around this time in my past life, I had built a rapport with a team lead named Wang Rong from Shanghai New Media Inc. who was on a business trip to Korea.

Shanghai New Media Inc. was a huge player that dominated the Chinese entertainment market alongside Hwayeon Media Inc. Hence, I paid special attention to entertaining him.

Fortunately, Wang Rong and I became close quickly in a short time because we were both the same age.

Thanks to that, I was able to get a piece of information from him on the last day of his visit. He said there would be a major conflict between Shanghai New Media Inc. and Hwayeon Media Inc., and warned me to be careful if I planned to collaborate with Hwayeon Media Inc.

As Wang Rong was the son of a top-level official in the Chinese Communist Party, his information was quite reliable.

Upon receiving that information, I relayed it to Kim Dong-Soo who leveraged the conflict between the two corporations for the company's benefit and gained recognition from the management.

I guessed that the management of Hwayeon Media Inc. Group was likely in a very difficult position due to the dispute with Shanghai New Media Inc. at this time.

However, I still couldn't understand why the Chief Secretary of Jiang Wei was in Korea. Even if the major conflict was set to begin in mid-August, the preliminary signs should have already appeared.

"Well, I guess I'll find out when I meet him."

After confirming these details in my planner, I continued my drive to Evian.

Upon arriving at Evian, I was stopped by a few robust men. I recognized them as the same men who guarded the entrance of Evian when Jiang Wei visited.

As soon as they saw me, they extended their hands asking for the car key. "Go inside. Mr. Ryu is waiting for you."

I asked the guard who spoke clumsy Korean, "Is Mr. Jiang Wei here too?"

However, the guard remained silent, as if he had been told to.

I followed him to VIP Room 2 which was slightly smaller than the one where I met Jiang Wei previously.

"Please go in."

As the staff opened the door for me, I saw a familiar face at the end of the long table.

"You are..." I uttered.

Chief Secretary Ryu Shin was one of the four men who had accompanied Jiang Wei when I first met him. At that time, I had assumed he was a bodyguard because he had sharp eyes and a short crew cut.

"Everyone, wait at the entrance," Ryu Shin instructed the guards in Chinese.

I could understand what Ryu Shin was saying to the guards since I could speak some Chinese.

After the guards closed the door, Ryu Shin pointed to a seat. "It's been a long time. How have you been?"

"What's up with those goons?" I asked.

"Goons...? It seems you have a misunderstanding. They are just here for precaution," Ryu Shin replied.

"You speak Korean very well," I remarked.

"Yes. My mother was born and raised in Seoul."

I continued to keep my guard up as I took a seat.

Ryu Shin smiled and held out an empty whiskey glass. "Here. Have a drink."

In his hand was a bottle of Glenfiddich 40-year-old, the same kind Jiang Wei had poured an entire bottle of in one go.

I immediately declined, fearing he might pour all the alcohol again if I agreed. "Thank you for the offer, but I didn't come here to drink."

"You're a very cautious man, aren't you?"

Ryu Shin shrugged and poured whiskey into his own empty glass. Then he offered me ice and a can of cola.

"If you don't like alcohol, just tell me what you'd like to drink. The chef here is quite good," said Ryu Shin.

"I appreciate the hospitality, but I'd like to get straight to the point. Why did you ask me to come alone?" I questioned.

After the installation of THAAD in the U.S., the Chinese government banned the broadcast of content produced in South Korea or featuring Korean celebrities.

That restriction was still in place, but they were suggesting they could lift that ban just for me if I became the head of Hwayeon Media Inc.

"You are very astute as expected. That's right. If the content and celebrities belong to a Chinese company, exceptions can be made depending on the relationship with the Party. Mr. Jiang's relationship with the Party needs no further explanation," Ryu Shin explained.

Ryu Shin took another sip of whiskey from the table and added, "And Mr. Jiang believes that no one manages risks in the entertainment industry better than you, Mr. Jung."

At that moment, I realized the exact reason why Hwayeon Media Inc. used Han Se-Hwa to attack Yoo-Jin.

'Was it a test?' I wondered.

Thinking back, Hwayeon Media Inc.'s actions in my past life were far more extreme than this incident. After all, they were a behemoth backed by the Communist Party and allied with the Triad.

The missing puzzle pieces were finally falling into place one by one.

Ryu Shin had orchestrated this "scandal incident" to test whether I could lead Hwayeon Media Inc.'s Korean operations.

But that was simply Ryu Shin's perspective. To me, this entire incident was just infuriating because Yoo-Jin's career almost ended and my position as a talent agent could have been jeopardized.

"I don't work with people who play above others' heads," I said curtly.

"Please don't be too angry. While you might be upset, we are prepared to compensate you greatly. This money is just the beginning."

"What if I still refuse?"

Ryu Shin sighed and took another shot of strong whiskey without ice. "You're playing hard to get."

He stared at me, now with a predatory gaze. "In that case... bad things will happen to you, Mr. Jung, simply because you rejected our offer."

As expected, he resorted to threats upon refusal.

Both in my past life and now, those in power always seemed to resort to threats and violence when they were faced with rejection.

"Do you plan to target the celebrities under my management?" I questioned.

"Ha ha ha. It's convenient not having to say it twice."

I suppressed my rising anger and spoke. "Do you think I will just sit back and do nothing?"

"Mr. Jiang told me to use any means necessary to secure you, Mr. Jung. And using any means necessary is my specialty."

Ryu Shin discarded his mask and revealed his true self as if he had wanted to approach it this way from the start.

But I knew exactly how to remove Ryu Shin from Korea.

It was time to show my power as someone who traveled back in time.

I looked at Ryu Shin and said, "Let me ask one thing first."

"Sure, ask me anything you want."

"If you are truly the power behind Hwayeon Media Inc., you wouldn't have time to be in Korea. Establishing a Korean branch while the conflict with Shanghai New Media Inc. is intensifying...? That doesn't make sense."

Ryu Shin, who had been smiling confidently, tilted his head in curiosity. "Shanghai New Media Inc.? What are you talking about?"

"You don't know about that? Are you really the chief secretary?"

As the chief secretary of the president, he should be at the core of the group's power. The fact that such a high-ranking official was in Korea during the height of the conflict with Shanghai New Media Inc. was strange.

This was indirect evidence that Ryu Shin had either been pushed out of the power center or someone was withholding information from him.

At that moment, Ryu Shin's face twisted. "If you're trying to shake me with baseless claims, you'll regret it greatly later."

"Check with your colleagues at headquarters to see if the claims are baseless," I replied nonchalantly.

Ryu Shin's eyes blazed at the insinuation that he wasn't in the know about significant matters despite being the chief secretary. He looked as if he couldn't believe his position was being questioned.

Seeing Ryu Shin emotionally shaken, I delivered the final blow.

"And let me give you one piece of advice, Mr. Ryu Shin. Secure your own position before trying to get me."

Ryu Shin looked at me in disbelief with a dumbfounded expression. "What are you trying to say now..."

"Do you not know that Team Lead Maroon is aiming for your position at your company? I heard he's calling you an idiot for leaving the company during such a crucial time."

In my past life, the chief secretary who accompanied Jiang Wei was not Ryu Shin but Maroon. I had often met with him as a business associate and played golf as he had a particular fondness for golf.

Once when Maroon was drunk, he boasted about how he had pushed out his predecessor and seized the position for himself. He explained that he had taken advantage of a careless idiot named Ryu Shin and claimed the spot for himself.

As I relayed Maroon's words, the self-assured expression on Ryu Shin's face began to distort.

"Shen me?" Ryu Shin's face started to turn red as he shouted the Chinese word for "What?"