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Chapter 72: Paparazzi

I caught Lee Beom-Jun before he could even escape five meters. Lee Beom-Jun was fast, but he couldn\'t escape from me, nicknamed \'Lightning.\' I pressed down hard on the fallen Lee Beom-Jun’s shoulder and warned him.

"Stay still if you don\'t want to get hurt. Your shoulder might dislocate."

"Agh! M-my arm! Who are you? Let me go! I\'ll sue you if you don’t let me go! Ahhh!"

The moment I twisted his arm a bit more, Lee Beom-Jun stopped struggling.

"Keugh, s-stop! Please...let me go..."

But Lee Beom-Jun\'s screams had already attracted the staff and reporters.

"Mr. Jung! Fighting on the set? Have you lost your mind?"

The gathered staff tried to pull me away from Lee Beom-Jun.

"Mr. Yang, please call the police. This man is the paparazzi who’s been taking videos of the actresses with a hidden camera."

My words made the approaching staff stop in their tracks.

"What? Hidden camera?"

"R-really?"

"Yes."

The staff began to cause a commotion.

"Hey! Call the police first! Police!"

Soon, the flashes from the cameras of the reporters who came to cover the shoot began to flicker incessantly.

At that moment, Lee Beom-Jun, who was held down by me, shouted.

"Hey! Do you have any proof? Prove it! Do you have any proof that I filmed the video with a hidden camera?"

Lee Beom-Jun struggled as he yelled, but I just smiled wryly.

Wee-oo wee-oo!

A little later, the familiar yet tacky siren of a police car could be heard. After arriving at the scene, the police quickly ran toward us.

"Huff, huff. You can let go of him now."

As I let go of Lee Beon-Jun’s arm, he sprang up and pointed his fingers at me accusingly. "You, you bastard! You\'re definitely going to jail! How could you just accuse an innocent person with no evidence? Officer! This guy, you see..."

The listening officer frowned. "Is this guy speaking the truth? Do you have no evidence?"

"Just a moment, please."

I headed toward the trailer where Lee Beom-Jun had thrown his phone.

"Hey. You, you..."

I heard Lee Beom-Jun\'s voice from behind, but I didn\'t bother looking back and just bent down to the gap under the trailer.

There it was—the phone Lee Beom-Jun had thrown was hanging precariously about 10 cm from the ditch at the edge of the trailer.

Wobble!

I tried to look cool and confidently present the evidence, but my hands were too shaky.

\'...I almost fell into the ditch. Wow...\'

I dusted my clothes and stood up, speaking to the police officer. "Underneath the trailer is the phone this man used for his secret filming. But it\'s hanging precariously over the ditch, so please be careful."

"Th-that\'s not mine!"

‘Not yours, my ass.’

"The phone should have his fingerprints on it. Please check for it."

Lee Beom-Jun\'s face turned white beyond pale.

‘He should have at least worn gloves if he wanted to lie.’

The officer agreed and fetched a tool resembling tongs from the trunk of the police car.

\'Wow, truly advanced policing.\'

The officer inserted the tool under the trailer to grab the handle and pulled out the phone. Wearing plastic gloves, he examined the phone and turned it over before placing it in a clear bag. A smile appeared on the police officer\'s face.

"The fingerprints are clearly visible. Officer Kim, take this man into custody as a suspect."

"L-let go of me! Ahhh! My arm, my arm!"

Having a glossy black back panel, Lee Beom-Jun’s phone was covered in fingerprints.

I followed the police to the station as I was the only witness to Lee Beom-Jun’s alleged crime.

***

At Hoop Entertainment, Kim Dong-Soo was in a meeting with the newly recruited top star, Cha Tae-Hoon, when he received a phone call.

"Mr. Cha, please excuse me for a moment. I need to take this call."

"Tsk! Take it later if it\'s not important."

"Well, it\'s a call I can\'t delay. Haha, I’m sorry for the inconvenience."

Despite being only a year older, the arrogant Cha Tae-Hoon treated Kim Dong-Soo almost like a subordinate.

Kim Dong-Soo tried his best to appease the top star and stepped out of the meeting room to take the call discreetly.

"Lee Beom-Jun. Why are you calling? Did you catch something new?"

Kim Dong-Soo and Lee Beom-Jun had been doing business for a long time. Whenever Lee Beom-Jun threatened the celebrities with the photos he took, Kim Dong-Soo would help by claiming that he made sure Lee Beom-Jun deleted the original photos. But in reality, Lee Beom-Jun had never deleted any of the original photos and kept them as a potential bargaining chip for the future.

While Kim Dong-Soo was expecting news about new photos of celebrities, he was shocked by what he heard instead.

-Um, Chief Kim.

"Hurry up, I\'m busy right now."

-I got caught.

"What?"

-I\'m at Namyangju Police Station right now. Can you send me a lawyer if you know any?

"You idiot. What have you done?"

Realizing Lee Beom-Jun was threatening him, Kim Dong-Soo cursed out loud. If he didn\'t help, Lee Beom-Jun might just expose him.

"What were you thinking when you decided to call me from there? What if they trace the call!?"

-I\'m sorry about that. But come to think of it, you\'re the only one who can help me out.

Kim Dong-Soo gritted his teeth and replied.

"I\'ll...send someone. Keep your mouth shut until then."

-Ke ke ke. Thanks. I\'ll keep quiet until the lawyer arrives.

"You better not mention my name."

-Why would I? You\'re my only lifeline.

The angry Kim Dong-Soo took a deep breath to calm down. After all, \'Night Owl\' was still a useful card for him.

"You owe me big time."

-If you get me out... I\'ll do anything for you.

"From now on, you\'re my dog."

-Woof woof. Is this good enough for you?

"Stop the bullshit and hang up."

-Haha. I\'ll be loyal. Don\'t worry.

After ending the call, Kim Dong-Soo cursed under his breath. After taking a deep breath, Kim Dong-Soo immediately called someone to handle the situation. There was one person who would be willing to get involved in such a dirty job.

Click.

A young woman\'s voice came from the other end.

-What\'s up? I haven\'t heard from you in months.

"Stop being so sassy. I need you to do me a favor."

-Wow. Chief Kim needs my help?

"Don\'t be sarcastic, Jin So-Mi. You\'re still working, right?"

-Why do you ask?

"I need to get a peeping Tom out of the police station right now. He was caught red-handed. Can you do it?"

-I was about to quit this life, but I can\'t because of you, Chief Kim.

"You? Quit this life? Hah, my ass."

-Wow, look at your language. So elegant. Fine, I\'ll do it. But you know the price, right?

"One middle-sized bill?"

-Oh, come on~. The minimum wage has gone up, you know. That was two years ago. Now it\'s two bills.

Kim Dong-Soo frowned. He was annoyed, but there was no one, apart from Jin So-Mi, who could handle such a filthy case. Jin So-Mi was known as the ‘poisonous spider’ and a famous legal broker. She was not only close with the prosecutor and judge, but even the police. Jin So-Mi\'s network in the legal field was deep and widespread.

-If you don\'t like it, just say no~.

"Sigh. Alright, two bills. It’s a deal."

-You know I don\'t take checks, right?

"I know. Send a lawyer first and we\'ll meet tonight."

Jin So-Mi agreed to meet up.

That was when it struck Kim Dong-Soo. Before he was about to end the call, he asked a question out of curiosity.

"But why did you disappear and stop working for a while?"

A sigh came from the other end of the phone.

-It’s because of my daughter. I tried to earn an honest living. But no, it just doesn\'t work. The world doesn\'t help me to live that way. Trying to live among those who have nothing felt too pathetic.

"You\'re joking, right? You? Living without money? The great Jin So-Mi?"

-Exactly. Leaving Gangnam, the neighborhood\'s just not the same~. People are so vulgar. So I\'m going back to my old ways. Time to go back and play big.

Kim Dong-Soo laughed out loud and welcomed her back.

"Then I’ll ask for your help more often from now on."

-Ha ha ha. Why is that? Is there something interesting going on these days?

Kim Dong-Soo replied with a big smile on his face.

"I might be quite busy for a while. There\'s a lot to handle with this and that guy everywhere."

-I\'ll treat you like a VIP, Mr. Kim.

Kim Dong-Soo reminisced about their first meeting and smiled slyly. Jin So-Mi\'s VIP treatment was still unforgettable even after years.

***

With the help of Team Lead Kwak Moo-Hyuk from the Legal Division, I finished signing the statement and left the station.

Lee Beom-Jun tried to involve me in assault charges, but the evidence was too clear. His fingerprints were all over the phone case, and the phone itself contained videos of the actresses changing.

"You are always so busy, huh?"

When Kwak Moo-Hyuk teased me, I quickly bowed apologetically.

"I apologize for the trouble, Mr. Kwak."

"Don\'t worry about it. This is what I do for a living. I was just joking."

But with his stern expression, it was hard to tell if he was serious or joking.

Kwak Moo-Hyuk patted my shoulder and spoke in a subtle voice. "If it weren’t for you, Ju Yung-In would have been in big trouble. You did well."

I didn’t expect Ju Yung-In to be in that changing room as well. For this reason, it seemed that I inadvertently earned Kwak Moo-Hyuk’s favor.

"Even though Actor Division 2 and 3 don\'t get along, we should help each other in such situations. Anyway, leave the rest to me and enjoy dinner tonight."

"Thank you for your hard work, sir."

"You too. Take care~."

After saying goodbye to Kwak Moo-Hyuk, I went back to the filming location with Yoo-Jin.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

As I arrived, a round of applause broke out.

"Mr. Jung, you were awesome earlier!"

"Yay, Mr. Jung!"

"You really worked hard today."

I was greeted like a returning hero—especially by the female actresses and their talent agents who separately came to thank me for catching the paparazzi. Then, I started helping the staff set up for the dinner.

Because the set, Sky Pork Ribs, was already decorated like a barbecue restaurant, the entire set immediately turned into our dinner place. The art team set up the tables while the props, who could always create something out of nothing, prepared the grills and charcoal. The production company generously supplied the needed meats and drinks.

Amidst the red-hot charcoal and rising smoke, sashimi glistening with oil brought over from the Blue Seafood Restaurant next door was served.

At that moment, Kang Soo-Hoon suddenly stood up in surprise and spoke with his voice trembling. "S-Soo-Min, please don\'t tell me... that sashimi... it’s not from the fish tank, is it? The live fish in the fish tank are really expensive! Tell me it\'s not true! Quick!"

Jang Soo-Min responded with a look of disbelief. "I bought the cheapest flatfish from a nearby place, Mr. Kang!"

Only then did Kang Soo-Hoon slump back into his chair. "Phew. I thought you had sliced up the live fish."

The staff began to protest playfully.

"Ugh. Look at him trying to save money again. Wow~."

"Right? We are always stuck with flatfish and pork ribs. How about some sea bream or... what\'s it called, amberjack? Something like that?"

"Exactly!"

"Miss Soo-Min, please bring two rockfish from the fish tank where the sashimi is kept! I can slice one up really well."

"Should I really?"

Just as Assistant Director Jang Soo-Min was about to turn around, Kang Soo-Hoon grabbed her arm and exclaimed, "Hey! Soo-Min, where are you going? I’m telling you—this whole situation is all because of Chief Cha, you know? Always about the money, money!"

Cha Soo-Yeon stood up with a soju bottle in her hand. "Have you got a death wish?"

"Ah, Miss Cha. Let\'s talk without the soju bottle, shall we? I mean, it\'s just a figure of speech!"

The staff began to laugh and chuckle. After the shot glasses were set, Kang Soo-Hoon stood up, holding a soju bottle with a spoon stuck in it like a makeshift microphone.

"Alright, alright. We did have some trouble, but isn’t it true that dramas destined for great success experience such things once in a while?"

The staff agreed.

"Totally!"

"Hey, I\'ve seen worse back in my time! And dramas with such happenings always become a big hit! It\'s all part of the history, isn\'t it?"

"Now that the culprit is caught, everything is good. We shook off bad luck. What could be better?"

The staff were laughing as they saw the earlier incident as a sign of the drama\'s impending success.

Kang Soo-Hoon also nodded continuously and then suddenly pointed at me. "So, let\'s hear a word from today\'s hero, Mr. Jung Yoon-Ho from Hoop Entertainment."

Suddenly, about a hundred staff, actors, and talent agents all turned to look at me. I scratched my head and waved my hand to decline, but the staff pushed me up to speak.

"Just like Mr. Kang mentioned, we’ve really shaken off the bad luck. So all that\'s left is to achieve a 20%, no, 25% viewership rating. I hope this drama will be a huge hit. Let’s all work hard! We’ve got this!"

Whistle, whistle.

The sound of the lighting team leader\'s whistles, mixed with the staff\'s clapping in appreciation, echoed.

"Jung Yoon-Ho, you\'re awesome~!"

Then, Kang Soo-Hoon calmed the atmosphere and raised his glass high. "Now, let me lead the toast. To the great success of Blue Sky~"

"For the success of Blue Sky~."

The staff and actors echoed and then began to laugh as they passed glasses around, toasting each other.

When the toast was repeated about two times, I heard a woman’s voice calling me.

"Mr. Jung."

The moment I turned my head to the voice, I saw Ju Yung-In approaching me with her cheeks slightly flushed. She seemed a bit shaken earlier by the incident of the hidden camera, but now she looked okay. However, the look in her eyes as she gazed at me was a bit strange.

‘Is it curiosity? Wonder? Or maybe interest?’

Then suddenly, Ju Yung-In sat down next to me and held out an empty glass.

"Could you... pour me a drink?"