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Chapter 276: Manshin Wol-Ah (2)

When I changed lanes, the car behind did the same. Then, when I slowed down, it matched my speed.

I slowed down and checked the license plate through the rear camera.

"70O6387. Who could it be?" I muttered.

Even though I had traveled back in time, I could not remember every license plate from my past life. I slowed down even more to close the distance with the white van behind me to check the faces of the driver and passenger. However, both of them were wearing sunglasses and masks.

Nonetheless, I had a guess.

\'They are probably reporters from Star Patch as the planner had informed me,\' I thought.

As the chase ensued, Yoo-Jin couldn\'t even remove her makeup and fidgeted nervously. "Oppa, will we be okay?"

"Yes, as long as we don’t get caught when we get out of the car. Don\'t worry too much. I’ll raise the partition, so use the phone if you need to talk to me."

Fortunately, our car had an automatic partition separating the driver’s seat from the back seat.

Buzz!

When I pressed the button, a black partition rose to completely block the view between the back seat and the driver’s seat.

Now, Yoo-Jin wouldn’t be seen even if the car behind us moved in front.

\'The remaining problem is losing them. What to do...\' I thought hard.

Shaking off the white van was impossible as our Merciless Bends Springer was too big and had a speed limiter.

\'In that case, I’ll have to rely on the power of law enforcement,\' I decided.

I immediately called 112 using my Bluetooth headphones.

"Hello, is this 112?"

-Yes, please go ahead.

As soon as they answered, I told them that a crazy stalker was following us. I asked for their immediate help by adding that there was a celebrity in our car and it might make the news if we got into an accident.

-Where is your exact location right now?

"Highway 6. We just passed by Yangseo Elementary School."

-Understood. We will dispatch a unit right away.

About five minutes after hanging up the call, I looked at the rear camera and saw a police car with its siren on pulling over the white van.

\'It worked.\'

Relieved, I sped up and exited at the first intersection. After driving for about ten more minutes, I pulled over briefly to check the planner.

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: August 27, 2020]

-10:00 p.m. [NEW. Jung Yoo-Jin] Emergency meeting regarding the article <The True Identity of \'Manshin Wol-Ah\' is Jung Yoo-Jin> by Star Patch

. (Meeting content: Jung Yoo-Jin\'s makeup-free photo to be revealed.)

As expected, the schedule remained.

\'Of course. Star Patch wouldn’t stop at just this.\'

I needed to find another way.

***

I left Yoo-Jin with Jung Sang-Bong, who was waiting for us in a narrow alley near Achasan. It was a safe place surrounded by walls with no onlookers, which made it perfect for switching cars.

"Drive safely," I told Jung Sang-Bong.

"Yes, Mr. Jung."

Not long after, I received a call from Yoo-Jin saying she had arrived home.

-Oppa, I made it home safely.

"Good. I\'ll head to the company and investigate who was following us today."

-Okay, but please don\'t overexert yourself.

Though I spoke in a calm manner, this situation was honestly anything but easy.

Star Patch was a newspaper that boosted its views with sensational content, which meant the article about Yoo-Jin’s identity would probably not be favorable. There could even be a follow-up article like \'Jung Yoo-Jin Deceives Viewers!\' If that happened, all of Yoo-Jin\'s hard work could be in vain.

I had to stop it at all costs.

After hanging up the call with Yoo-Jin, I spat out a curse under my breath without realizing it. "Damn it, those sons of bitches..."

Cursing helped alleviate some of my stress.

"How the heck did they find out about this?" I muttered.

After thinking for a moment, I came to a simple conclusion.

Having leaked photos despite the tight security meant it was likely that it was someone who knew that Yoo-Jin was Manshin Wol-Ah that tipped off Star Patch.

I started thinking about who could have taken and sent the photos.

\'No one from Team Jung would send photos to reporter Kang Ill-Gu. It can\'t be Lee Ji-Yeon or Kim Soo-Hee either since everyone had been careful.\'

Next on the list were the broadcasting staff. The only two people at the broadcasting station who knew about this were PD Kim Sung-Woon and AD Lee Si-Yeon who was in charge of managing the schedule.

I quickly ruled out Kim Sung-Woon as he would have been determined to prove himself with this work after being fired from his first directing project previously.

Hence, the most suspicious person was Lee Si-Yeon, the only one who came into our car where we did the special makeup to manage the frequently changing schedule.

Moreover, she had joined the company six months before Kim Sung-Woon and felt bitter about his quick promotion. She even ignored Kim Sung-Woon\'s instructions on set sometimes perhaps because of her grudge.

\'Could she be trying to mess with PD Kim?\' I wondered.

Nevertheless, I couldn\'t accuse Lee Si-Yeon without evidence even if she was suspicious. Afterall, she was still an employee of the broadcasting station.

"I need to go to the company first," I uttered under my breath.

Given the situation, I had to report this matter to the higher-ups.

***

When I arrived at the office, Gu Seong-Cheol was waiting and pacing about nervously after receiving my call.

"Are you sure it\'s Star Patch and not a stalker?" Gu Seong-Cheol asked me.

"Yes, there were two people with a large camera. They were wearing masks and sunglasses while following us. I\'m 100% sure they are reporters from Star Patch."

Gu Seong-Cheol grumbled. "Hah! Those leech-like bastards..."

After venting his anger for a moment, he finally managed to calm down and asked, "What are you going to do? You’re not just going to let this slide, are you?"

I shook my head. "No way."

"Then let\'s report this to the higher-ups first. With Star Patch on our tail, anything could happen at any time."

"Yes, we need to inform them indeed."

Gu Seong-Cheol and I quickly headed to the president\'s office where Kang Gam-Chan and Kang Ji-Yung were discussing industry matters.

Kang Gam-Chan looked at us and asked, "What\'s going on? Why do both of you look so serious?"

Gu Seong-Cheol and I revealed that Yoo-Jin was Manshin Wol-Ah. We explained the reason for hiding her identity, how we did the makeup, and how we managed to hide her identity on-site.

After a detailed explanation, Kang Gam-Chan and Kang Ji-Yung couldn\'t hide their astonishment.

"Sigh. How could such a thing happen..."

Gu Seong-Cheol and I bowed our heads in apology. "I\'m sorry. We had to keep this under wraps so we couldn\'t inform you beforehand."

Kang Gam-Chan laughed in disbelief. "Well, I\'ve entrusted Team Jung\'s operations to you, so I\'ll let that slide. But did something urgent come up? Judging by your actions, it seems like you were planning to keep this hidden until the end."

"Star Patch has latched onto us."

At that moment, Kang Gam-Chan\'s expression changed immediately. "This could escalate quickly if they\'re involved. So what\'s your plan? Do you have a strategy?"

After taking a deep breath, I explained my countermeasure. "I\'m planning to release an article before Star Patch does."

Kang Gam-Chan pondered for a moment before asking me to continue. "Go on."

"I have prepared materials for a reveal via a special program after the drama ends," I replied.

We had filmed every moment of Yoo-Jin transforming into Jin Yoo-Jung and Manshin Wol-Ah during the shoot—from the awkward beginning when she first wore the mask, to the scenes where she struggled because her hair didn\'t fit, and even to her intense acting where she sweated profusely under the mask.

"Releasing these videos will not only improve Yoo-Jin\'s image as planned but also boost rerun viewership ratings and overseas sales," I elaborated.

Kang Gam-Chan looked at me with a pleased expression and replied, "You\'ve grown a lot, Yoon-Ho."

The unexpected compliment made me feel a bit shy.

"Well, it seems you feel it\'s a bit unfortunate about revealing Yoo-Jin\'s identity earlier than planned," Kang Gam-Chan added.

I nodded. Rushing the program to reveal Manshin Wol-Ah\'s identity could result in a poorly structured broadcast.

Despite this, I wasn\'t going to let this opportunity slip away so easily.

Kang Gam-Chan smiled upon observing my changing expressions. "There\'s no need to be frustrated. Variables are bound to arise in any project. Anyway, let me help you a bit."

"I\'m sorry?"

"This plan started magnificently, so it should be concluded perfectly," said Kang Gam-Chan as he stood up energetically from the sofa.

He turned to the other two and said, "I\'ll handle this with Yoon-Ho for the time being. So Director Kang and Chief Gu—stay at the company and provide support."

Kang Ji-Yung and Gu Seong-Cheol nodded.

"Understood. We\'ll take care of things here."

"Got it. We\'ll handle the rest."

Kang Gam-Chan turned to look into my eyes. "Let\'s meet with Writer Lee and PD Kim first."

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

Perhaps because I hadn\'t worked on-site with Kang Gam-Chan in a long time, my heart started to race.

***

On the way to Lee Ji-Yeon\'s house, I shared the stories of what had happened at the company while Kang Gam-Chan was away. I recounted my reunion with Kang Eun-Gi, the conflict with Chief Ryu Shin from China, and my involvement in the succession fight between Vice President Kim Ae-Ja and Executive Director Kim Ae-Ryeon. I even shared the proposal from Bang Sang-Yung of Actor Division 1.

Kang Gam-Chan laughed heartily at the stories of everyone trying to scout me. "Ha ha ha. Yoon-Ho, you\'re quite popular. But I\'m sorry, I can\'t go that far. There\'s something called fairness, you know."

I responded to Kang Gam-Chan\'s honest confession with a laugh. "Ha ha. It\'s okay. I plan to devote my life to Hoop Entertainment anyway."

Kang Gam-Chan responded with a satisfied expression. "Then I can\'t just settle with words. When Hoop Entertainment goes public, I’ll make sure you get plenty of stock options even if it’s not as much as the offers you’ve received."

Contrary to Kang Gam-Chan\'s thoughts, money wasn\'t my top priority. I knew that if I were to make Hoop Entertainment the top in the industry and keep getting promoted, the money would follow naturally. But above all, his effort to keep me in the company touched my heart.

Soon after, we arrived in front of Lee Ji-Yeon\'s house.

While waiting for the automatic garage door to open, I received a call from Lee Soo-Chan at Reverse Entertainment.

"Hey, Soo-Chan."

-Hyung-nim, I found what you wanted.

Before leaving the company, I had given Lee Soo-Chan the license plate number of the car that followed us and asked him to find the owner for a fee. I also mentioned the name of the most suspicious person: Team Lead Kang Ill-Gu of Star Patch, also known as \'Leech.\'

Just as expected, my suspicion was correct.

-As you suspected, it\'s indeed Kang Ill-Gu\'s car.

Knowing exactly who was tailing me made it easier to prepare for a countermeasure.

"Great job. I\'ll treat you later. Bill me for the costs separately."

-There\'s no need for that. It wasn\'t that difficult thanks to your tip.

"We need to keep things professional. Besides, keep tracking him for the next three days."

-Don\'t worry. We\'ll have a team continuously follow Kang Ill-Gu to track his movements.

Then Kang Gam-Chan, who had been silently watching, suddenly held out his hand.

“Oh, yes, Mr. Kang.”

He took my phone and switched to speakerphone.

"This is Kang Gam-Chan from Hoop Entertainment."

-Oh, hello, Mr. Kang. I\'ve heard a lot about you from Yoon-Ho hyung-nim.

"Yes, I’ve heard about you from Team Lead Jung as well. You\'ve decided to focus entirely on this business, I heard?"

-Yes. That\'s correct, sir.

After the introductions, Kang Gam-Chan asked, "So, how many people are you planning to assign to follow Reporter Kang Ill-Gu?"

-We\'re planning to have two teams working in shifts.

"How about assigning four teams with two people each so there\'s no gap in surveillance? I\'ll cover all the necessary expenses."

I thought this seemed excessive, but Lee Soo-Chan went even further.

-That sounds good, Mr Kang. I think I might have been too complacent. We\'ll follow your suggestions, Mr. Kang. Don\'t worry about the costs. We\'ll cover anything related to Yoon-Ho hyung-nim.

However, Kang Gam-Chan replied in a firm manner. "That\'s not possible. Team Lead Jung is part of Hoop Entertainment!"

Amusingly, a battle of pride over who would cover the expenses ensued with each trying to assert their claim over me.

Ultimately, I had no choice but to intervene. "Soo-Chan. I appreciate it, but let\'s leave it at that. Hoop Entertainment will cover the costs, so please just do as you\'re asked."

Lee Soo-Chan reluctantly agreed and stepped back.

-Understood. If you insist, hyung-nim...

After ending the call with Lee Soo-Chan, Kang Gam-Chan smiled playfully. "You\'ve got a lot of people trying to steal you away. We need to be careful about that."

As I scratched my head with an awkward expression, the garage door opened. We drove into Lee Ji-Yeon\'s home garage and got out of the car. Crossing the yard to her house, I discreetly checked the planner.

The schedule remained unchanged which meant that publishing an article first to break the news wouldn\'t be enough.

I needed to find a way to tie both Kang Ill-Gu and Lee Si-Yeon together in this.