abcnovels
Chapter 170:
Chapter 170:
Chapter 170:
While Jinseok was deeply engrossed in the filming,
One of the reporters commissioned by Go Seoyoung, a certain Lee Gija, sighed as he spoke.
"Hmm… Something decisive isn't coming out, is it?"
Collaborating with other reporters, Lee Gija identified people who had encountered Jinseok during his school days, as well as those who had conflicts with him. Until that moment, he had thought that, given the reasons Jinseok fought more easily than one might think and why KL Entertainment still hadn't disclosed anything about ‘Kang Jinseok's school violence,' he could easily find out.
However,
"They all refuse interviews."
As if they had made a pact, those associated with ‘Kang Jinseok's school violence' did not utter a single word. Not even the teachers from that time.
Even for the seasoned reporter, it was an unprecedented situation. Not one or two but nearly ten people not saying a single word.
"Sigh… The more you dig, the more futile it seems."
"The problem is, there's no way to find out what it is."
Lee Gaji had already handed out his business card to the people he had found until now, along with a request to contact him anytime if they felt like talking.
Nevertheless, Lee Gaji didn't hold high expectations. People who hadn't spoken once tended not to say anything until the end.
"Hmm… This is annoying."
As Lee Gaji sighed, pondering the situation,
"Hey, you, this reporter."
The editor-in-chief called him.
"Why?"
"Why? Are you not working? While everyone else is burning their keyboards writing articles, you're here idly twiddling your thumbs?"
"Twiddling my thumbs? I'm deep in thought right now."
"Deep in thought? If you're wandering around claiming to be on assignment for days and haven't brought back a single story, you, my friend, who bragged about questioning the CEO about a few exclusive reports before, if you keep this up…"
As the editor-in-chief began his lecture, the reporter turned his gaze towards the monitor. Thanks to years of enduring such lectures, the reporter had reached a point where he listened with one ear and let it flow out the other.
"If only something decisive would come out, it would come together like unraveling a skein of yarn…"
At that moment,
"Woo-woo-woo-."
The journalist's work phone rang. Checking, it was an unfamiliar number. Since calls to his work phone from unknown numbers usually meant a tip, Lee Gaji promptly answered.
"Yes, I've answered the phone."
[Um… Hello. Is this Reporter Lee Gaji's phone… Am I right?]
The voice on the other end was that of a man, with the distinctive worries and concerns typical of a tipster.
"Could it be that I'm one of the people who you asked for a call?"
In anticipation, the journalist corrected his mobile phone and responded immediately.
"Yes, this is me. How can I help you?"
[Yes, um… I'm Park Jihoon. I heard you've been looking into matters related to the actor Kang Jinseok lately.]
‘If he's saying he's been approached here and there about Kang Jinseok the actor…'
Listening to his words, it didn't seem like the person the journalist had met so far.
‘Where did he hear that I'm covering Kang Jinseok the actor?'
Curious, the journalist didn't ask Park Jihoon. Instead, he skillfully continued the conversation to allow Park Jihoon to keep talking.
"Oh, I see. So, did you call because of that?"
[Yes, that's right. I've been really worried, and it seems like I shouldn't remain silent about what happened with Jinseok.]
"Shouldn't remain silent as much as you, Jihoon? What do you mean by that?"
There was a brief silence in response to Lee Gaji's question.
Then, a firm voice came through from the other end of the mobile phone.
[When Jinseok was in high school, he got into a fight while helping my younger brother. It ended up causing trouble with others.]
"…!"
As soon as Lee Gaji heard this, his eyes widened.
It was the answer to the questions he had been searching for in the past few sleepless nights.
But then,
What followed surprised Lee Gaji even more.
[And about a month ago, someone started looking for me. A person who said they would pay me if I said that Jinseok, during his school days, randomly bullied other students.]
"…?"
[And they threatened that if I didn't comply, it would become difficult for me to work in the future. I've been pressured at work as well.]
The once bright expression on Lee Gaji's face instantly turned serious. Thinking that this wasn't a conversation suitable for a phone call, Lee Gaji spoke with a composed voice.
"Mr. Jihoon. May I inquire about your current residence? Would it be permissible for me to meet you in person and hear your story?"
***
Late at night, in the OS Entertainment Kang Jinseok team office.
With most employees having left for the day, Jang Sunho, Go Seoyoung, and Lee Gaji sat facing each other, listening to a recorded interview.
The recording was an interview conducted by Lee Gaji with Park Jihoon.
——
"Reporter, this story might take a while. Are you okay with that?"
"Of course."
"Then, let me start with the story of my younger sister. She is my twin, and she has a congenital disability. It's not severe enough for her to attend a special school, but since she went to a regular school, she didn't have many friends until middle school."
"Yes."
"However, when she entered high school, she finally made a somewhat close friend. It was a friend assigned to the seat next to her in the first semester, and that friend happened to be Jinseok. Jinseok was very popular, so he was friendly with everyone, including my sister."
"…"
"But because of that popularity, there were also kids who didn't like Jinseok and picked on him, especially some nasty ones. I don't know what they call them these days, but back then, they were known as the ‘Iljin,' and they disliked Jinseok. He excelled in academics, and sports, and even looked good, so he rubbed them the wrong way in many aspects."
"Did Jinseok, the actor, fight with those students?"
"Yes, that's correct. However, it wasn't just a simple fight."
"If it wasn't just a fight, then?"
"Well, to be honest, the Iljin kids had been bothering Jinseok for a while. They deliberately bumped shoulders with him whenever they passed by, and picked fights for no reason. But Jinseok just laughed it off. Looking back, it seems like Jinseok was mature."
"So why did they end up fighting?"
"Because Jinseok didn't react, those guys started bothering Jinseok's friends."
"…"
"As far as I remember, Jinseok was the class president back then, so he talked to the teacher about it. But among the Iljin kids, there were some who even the teacher couldn't touch. Kids from well-off families, and there was even one whose father was a member of the parliament."
"I see."
"They were nasty. They went as far as gaslighting the kids who were being bullied, saying, ‘We're doing this to you because of Kang Jinseok.'"
"…"
"In the end, they even targeted my younger sister. But you know, my sister has a disability. She couldn't judge situations like other kids, and she was fearless. So, she stood up to them."
"If she stood up to them, did she fight back?"
"Yes. But, you know, a girl with a disability standing up to them—especially at that time when high school students can be quite intimidating. It was harsh. Slapped in the face, hair set on fire with a cigarette… and all of this during lunchtime."
"…"
"Jinseok couldn't stand it anymore. I heard from other students because we were in different classes. Our school didn't have a cafeteria, so students ate in their classrooms. One day, while they were eating, Jinseok flipped the tables and fought those guys."
"…"
"Then there was a massive fight with other Iljin kids, and even the ones who had been victimized by them joined in. It turned into a brawl. I went to see it around that time when I heard that Jinseok was fighting. It was fierce. I vividly remember that Jinseok had no hesitation in beating those guys."
"So what happened next?"
"The PE teachers rushed in to break it up. One of the kids was the son of a member of parliament, so they didn't want the fight video to spread. Teachers confiscated all the students' phones to erase the videos. The police came in large numbers."
"…"
"The official announcement to the whole school was something like ‘There was a dispute and a fight involving Kang Jinseok and some students.' They left out all the details of what those guys had done before. After that, not long after, Jinseok withdrew from school… and then rumors started spreading that Jinseok was the one in the wrong."
"Why did the rumors turn out that way? There must have been students who were victimized by the Iljin kids."
"The students who were victimized back then all kept quiet once Jinseok withdrew. After that incident, the Iljin kids didn't bother other students, and bringing up that story wouldn't have been beneficial for anyone. It might have been embarrassing for the victims. Many students also transferred to other schools."
"…"
"The students who were bullied at that time and the Iljin kids know exactly what happened. My sister knows it too. But, as I mentioned during the call, threats and persuasion are circulating among the victims now. They are being pressured to provide unfavorable testimony regarding Jinseok. It happened to my sister and me. I felt that it was not right, so I contacted you."
"Thank you for your courage. So… is this the first time you've shared this story?"
"Yes. Actually… there was a time when the team leader from Jinseok's agency came to see me, but at that time, I was going through some internal conflicts, so I couldn't speak up."
—
Beep!
As the recording flowed up to this point, Lee Gaji turned off the mobile recording device.
"First of all, this is the interview content. And I've also received a business card from the person Park Jihoon mentioned, the one involved in threats."
Lee Gaji calmly spoke and placed a business card on the table. The card read ‘Hyunmil Unemployment, Manager Kim Hyungjong.'
When Jang Sunho received the business card, he murmured in a subdued voice.
"Hyunmil Unemployment… I've never heard of that company before."
"I briefly looked into it before coming here, and it seems like it's similar to Paper Company. There's almost no information available."
"It doesn't matter. Since it's likely a company related to KL Entertainment or its affiliates."
Jang Sunho continued to speak in a calm tone. However, considering the time he had spent working together with Go Seoyoung, she could sense that Jang Sunho was quite angry.
Tap, tap.
Jang Sunho held the business card with one hand and, with the other, tapped it while contemplating. Then, he sighed and spoke.
"Hmm… First of all, if KL Entertainment is bringing out such a phantom company, it's clear that this matter will eventually explode. And once it does, it will undoubtedly cause significant damage to Actor Kang Jinseok. Regardless of the full story of the incident, the fact remains that he was involved in a physical altercation, doesn't it, Manager Go Seoyoung?"
"Well… yes. And I've prepared quite thoroughly to expose it."
"Exactly. So… In my style, I would press them with various means to silence them before they can expose this, but doing that wouldn't be fun."
The word ‘fun' made Go Seoyoung and Lee Gaji raise their eyebrows. It wasn't the appropriate term for the situation.
However, Jang Sunho's expression was more serious than ever, and they could sense that he had something on his mind.
As Go Seoyoung and Lee Gaji stared at Jang Sunho, he took out his mobile phone from his pocket. Then, with a familiar gesture, he started making a call somewhere.
After a moment, the call connected.
"President. I'm sorry for calling at this late hour. I contacted you because there's an urgent matter."
…!
…?
At the word ‘President,' both Go Seoyoung and Lee Gaji flinched again. The only person Jang Sunho would refer to as ‘President' was Oh Haneul.
Ignoring their reactions, Jang Sunho continued the call with a serious tone. After a while, the call connected.
"President. Last week, I mentioned that if KL Entertainment kept bothering us, they should properly deal with it. It seems like that time has come… May I proceed?"