Before going to Cheon Jiyoung, I went to see Director Zhang Feng again.
Maybe because the gangsters had all been subdued, he had regained so stability.
That only ant he looked better than before—his face still clearly showed he was terrified.
“Director Zhang Feng.”
Zhang Feng, who had been drinking tea from a paper cup with trembling hands, lifted his head.
“Y-yes. And who are you? Things were so chaotic earlier that I couldn’t even speak properly.”
Zhang Feng put the paper cup down and stood up.
“I’m Actress Cheon Jiyoung's older brother.”
“Ah, you’re her older brother. But I thought Actress Cheon Jiyoung didn’t have an older brother...”
With suspicion all over his face, Zhang Feng asked.
“I’m her cousin. And that’s not what matters right now. Aren’t you the one responsible for this place?”
“Yes, I’m responsible.”
“But while the actors were being kidnapped by gangsters, you did nothing and only trembled. Is that sothing a person in charge should do? If I hadn’t co, you know very well what could’ve happened to Actress Cheon Jiyoung, who ca from Korea to film your drama.”
As I spoke sharply, Zhang Feng lowered his head. He couldn’t say a word and only trembled.
“Director Zhang Feng. Am I wrong? You’re the one who should be responsible for the actors’ safety. And you were hiding in a corner shaking?”
The triads were the triads, sure—but every staff mber here hadn’t done a thing either.
The ones who confronted the triad mbers holding hand axes and big knives were the bodyguards who had co to protect Cheon Jiyoung.
The rest did nothing—they simply gathered in the corner and watched.
If you put all the staff together, there were far more of them than the gangsters.
Even excluding those who couldn’t fight, that was still the case. Yet no one stepped in.
They didn’t try to stop the gangsters. They didn’t protect the actors.
“...If we resist them, we can’t survive in this industry. Do you understand that!”
Zhang Feng lifted his head and shouted. His eyes were burning.
“And you want us to risk our lives and resist them? What do you know about us!”
What the hell? How could he be this shaless?
A laugh escaped out of disbelief. I stared straight at him and spoke coldly.
“Hey. The triads are scary but I must look easy to you, huh? Can’t you see who made those gangsters you fear so much roll around on the ground? Want to make you roll around with them?”
“...”
Zhang Feng’s gaze shifted behind .
It passed Manager Ma and the employees and stopped at the triad mbers being dragged one by one into the trailer.
“Starting now, Actress Cheon Jiyoung is suspending all filming and will rest in Shenzhen. Until her safety is guaranteed, there will be no filming. Ah, and the director will need to be replaced too.”
“No, wait—”
“Don’t even think about holding her with so stupid contract or penalty clause. Paying the penalty is nothing. Or should I solve it in the way you all fear most? Engrave my warning in your heads and never appear in front of again. Next ti, it won’t end with just words.”
I looked at the staff standing behind Zhang Feng and warned them too.
“That goes for you guys as well. What did the actors do wrong to trust bastards like you and film here?”
The filming site beca dead silent. I shook my head and turned away.
“Let’s go. It’s embarrassing to breathe the sa air as people like this.”
I walked toward where Cheon Jiyoung was.
* * *
After finishing his call with Kim Muhyuk, Hao Xun imdiately called Hu Jintao.
The call didn’t connect right away. Hao Xun sighed and contacted the secretary.
A mont later, the phone rang.
After explaining everything, Hao Xun quietly waited for Hu Jintao’s response.
— Is that true? President Kim’s younger brother is in China right now? How could we not know that?
“Yes, Chairman. President Kim Muhyuk is furious right now. He looked ready to start a war. I told him I would handle it for now. And... I also didn’t know about the younger relative. That Cheon Jiyoung is President Kim’s cousin.”
Hu Jintao clicked his tongue and continued.
— ...Good grief. Still, it’s a relief it ended as an attempt. If the family of a man who must now work with us were hard in China... I don’t even want to imagine it. How do you plan to handle this, Hao?
“I plan to take care of it myself. But Chairman... do you know about 14K?”
— How would I know those gangster bastards.
His displeasure was obvious in his voice. Hao Xun cautiously continued.
“They said the organization is protected by the Central Party. So I’m asking—are they unrelated to us?”
— Of course it’s not us. You know this. Aside from you, Hao, I have never sided with any triad.
Of course Hao Xun knew. He knew he was Hu Jintao’s personal bullet shield.
But he wondered if the overly cautious Hu Jintao might be hiding sothing.
“I know, Chairman. But if 14K is protected by the Shanghai faction, what should we do? I don’t think President Kim will overlook this unless it’s dealt with completely.”
— Hao, you’re right, but...
Hu Jintao sighed and trailed off. Hao Xun silently waited for the next instruction.
— Clashing with the Shanghai faction right now is not a good option. Isn’t there any way to resolve this through conversation?
“I also think that would be ideal, but judging from President Kim Muhyuk’s reaction, it won’t be possible. You also saw the reports on him, Chairman. He is fiercely attached to his family. And his cousin was almost kidnapped by the triads. If she had been taken... what would’ve happened—”
Hao Xun knew. He knew exactly how the Hong Kong-origin triads operated in the entertainnt industry.
They captured female celebrities by exploiting weaknesses and forced them to appear in whichever productions they wanted.
And to build connections with the high-ranking elite, they forced them into sex entertainnt as well.
If Cheon Jiyoung had been kidnapped, the sa thing could have happened.
And Kim Muhyuk knew that too—that’s why he was furious.
But Hao Xun couldn’t tell all of that to Hu Jintao.
— Hao? Why did you stop talking.
“It’s nothing. Anyway, it wouldn’t have ended well. I fully understand President Kim’s anger and want to support him as much as possible.”
— Are you saying we should handle it however President Kim wants, even if it ans fighting Jiang Zemin’s faction?
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying.”
— ...Is that for my sake, or for President Kim’s sake?
Hu Jintao asked coldly.
For a mont, Hao Xun was speechless, then hurriedly answered.
“No, Chairman. Everything I say is for your sake. President Kim has influence not only in Russia but also in the United States. He has money, but more importantly, a wide network. For the future, being with him will benefit you as well.”
— ...
“You know my loyalty to you, Chairman. To , you are the sky and my parent.”
— Yes, I know your heart. No need to defend yourself so seriously. So, that’s what you think... Then what do we do now.
Hu Jintao hesitated. From experience, Hao Xun knew pushing further would bring nothing good.
He waited quietly. Soon, Hu Jintao spoke again.
— So you still don’t know for sure whether they’re connected to the Shanghai faction, correct? Then handle it yourself. If they are connected, don’t interfere—just hand it over to President Kim.
“But if we handle this well, our relationship with him will beco even stronger.”
— But we can’t go to war with Jiang Zemin’s faction right now. I haven’t even taken over the Chairmanship of the Central Military Commission yet. So just do as I said.
Hu Jintao spoke firmly. ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ Hao Xun sighed inwardly and answered.
“Understood. I will handle it as instructed.”
— If they’re not connected to the Shanghai faction, erase them completely. Make sure they never pull sothing like this again. And then you take over their operations. It was Guangzhou, right?
“Yes. From Guangzhou, with influence over Hong Kong and Macau.”
— That region is firmly under the Shanghai faction... but you can take it, right? I’ll notify the public security bureau there.
Greed over scraps instead of the actual rice cake. Distasteful, but unavoidable.
Once again, Hao Xun answered obediently.
“I’ll do my best.”
— Good. Once everything is wrapped up, contact . And rember—if the Shanghai faction is involved, hand it over to President Kim. That is his business.
“Yes, Chairman.”
After the call, Hao Xun let out a deep sigh.
He wasn’t always like this.
Hu Jintao, who once claid to work only for the people and for China, had changed at so point.
Now his own safety and desires ca first.
But it was too late to separate from him.
“Tell everyone to gather in Guangzhou. This is a war, so tell them to prepare thoroughly.”
“Yes!”
Hao Xun slowly stood up.
All he could do was pray this incident had nothing to do with the Shanghai faction.
* * *
When I knocked, the door of the bus carrying the Myeongdong Hotel chefs opened.
As soon as I climbed the steps into the bus, I looked for Cheon Jiyoung.
She was drinking steaming herbal tea and looked much calr than before.
The handprint on her face had disappeared, replaced by a bruise.
To think soone did that to an actress’s face. Did I kill that bastard too easily?
The head chef recognized and tried to stand up.
I shook my head and gestured for him to sit.
“Jiyoung.”
Cheon Jiyoung lifted her head and looked up at . When she saw my face, her eyes welled with tears.
“Muhyuk oppa! What about Manager oppa...?”
Sweet, innocent Cheon Jiyoung—she never worried about herself, only about others.
I smiled and sat beside her. I wiped her tears with a handkerchief and spoke.
“He didn’t die. I sent him to the nearest hospital, so we’ll get a call.”
“He won’t be seriously hurt, right?”
“Don’t worry. Our employees went with him. So let’s trust them and wait.”
I deliberately used a softer voice so she wouldn’t worry.
Even though the nearest big hospital was more than two hours away, I didn’t say it.
No need to confuse soone who was already shaken.
“Is your body okay? The swelling won’t go down for a few days. You’re an actress—look at your face.”
She’s probably never been hit by anyone before.
Noticing how upset I was, Cheon Jiyoung smiled faintly and answered.
“I’m okay. It’ll disappear in a few days.”
“I stopped the filming for now. There won’t be any filming until your safety is guaranteed.”
“But my contract period hasn’t ended yet...”
“The contract ans nothing to . Your safety is more important.”
When I spoke firmly, she nodded.
She knew very well I wouldn’t bend when I talked like this.
“Okay. I’m sorry. And... thank you.”
“As long as you know. I ca just to cook you a al, and ended up seeing disgusting things. Still, it’s a relief.”
“Yeah. If you hadn’t co... really... But why did you suddenly show up without calling?”
Manager Ma handed a cold wet towel. I placed it gently on her cheek.
“A new Chairman was inaugurated. I attended the inauguration ceremony, then checked on so companies I invested in. I had ti left, so I ca to see your filming. And since I was coming, I thought I’d feed you a al, so I asked Myeongdong Hotel to send a few chefs. Then the head chef ca himself. He said he’d personally cook for you. Make sure you thank him later.”
“Ah... I was surprised when I saw Minwoo ajusshi too. So how long are you staying?”
“I originally planned to leave China the day after tomorrow. But I’ll stay until this matter is completely settled.”
To , nothing is more important than my family and my people.
That’s why I crave power.
“I’m sorry...”
“No, it’s fine. Since I’m here, I’ll look at your face a bit more before I leave. By the way, why did you suddenly co for a Chinese location shoot? I heard you were filming a drama.”
Of course, I could guess the reason. After Cheon Suhan’s death, she probably wanted to leave Korea for a bit and sort out her thoughts.
“I just... wanted to. It’s sothing I’d thought about for a long ti.”
“Right. If it’s sothing you want to do, you should. You lived in that trailer earlier, right? That trailer is getting scrapped.”
“Huh? Why? Do you know how hard I worked to get that?”
She looked visibly disappointed, but in my eyes that trailer was pathetic.
“I’ll get you a better one. Want the kind Hollywood actors use? A trailer van. I’ll bring several—use them comfortably.”
Only after talking for a long while did I notice Zhao Mi.
“Are you all right?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. I’m fine. But how do you plan to handle the aftermath?”
Since Zhao Mi was also a Chinese actress, she seed to know the situation. A faint anxiety appeared on her face.
“They won’t give up easily. They might even co to Korea and cause trouble.”
I lifted one corner of my mouth and said:
“I’ll take care of it. Within a few days, the na ‘14K’ will disappear from China.”
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