Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 307: Choi Eun-Tae (4)

In the master bedroom of the traditional house in Myeong-dong, Choi Eun-Tae dressed in traditional ramie clothes sat upright on a golden cushion.

Although average in build, his striking silver hair immediately caught my attention. Despite his advanced age, his sharp features hinted that he must have been quite handsome in his youth.

As I silently observed him, Choi Eun-Tae lifted his head to meet my gaze. Even amid the chaos involving Kang Eun-Gi's attack, his eyes remained steady and unwavering, stirring a storm of emotions within me.

Nonetheless, I managed to keep my feelings under control. Regardless of who he was to us, he was still the major shareholder of Hoop Entertainment.

At that moment, Kang Gam-Chan broke the tense silence. "Mr. Choi, aren't you going to ask us to sit?"

Choi Eun-Tae smiled faintly and gestured to the two cushions in front of us. "Please, have a seat."

"Thank you, Mr. Choi."

Kang Gam-Chan immediately sat down and I followed suit, taking my place on the cushion.

Silence fell over the room once again. As the chirping of sparrows outside echoed ten times over, Choi Eun-Tae and I simply faced each other without uttering a single word.

Sensing the continued tension, Kang Gam-Chan attempted to lighten the atmosphere by steering the conversation. "I didn't know you had a biological son, Mr. Choi."

"I didn't know either. That's why I've been in this predicament until now."

"I see. However, I don't think that statement can be an excuse for what Yoon-Ho and Eun-Gi went through today," said Kang Gam-Chan with a slight hint of emotion.

While his words could be seen as somewhat disrespectful, Choi Eun-Tae nodded in agreement. "I think so too. This situation doesn't seem like one that can be resolved with mere words."

"So, what do you plan to do now?"

"First, it's important to determine who my son is. We can talk about compensation later."

Kang Gam-Chan frowned. "That's rather selfish of you."

Someone's life was in danger, yet here he was—focused on finding his biological son and simply assuming monetary compensation would suffice.

His cold and heartless attitude proved why he was known as the most notorious moneylender in Myeong-dong.

Choi Eun-Tae let out a faint smile with the wrinkles on his forehead deepening into a single line. "Well, I'm not a hypocrite. Isn't it human nature to be a little bit selfish?"

Kang Gam-Chan gestured toward me and said, "There are altruistic people too. For instance, like this young man here."

I was about to disagree, but I realized that he wasn't entirely wrong upon reflection. 'I really have changed a lot.'

As Kang Gam-Chan pointed out, I had been living for people rather than money ever since I traveled back in time.

Choi Eun-Tae was left speechless and Kang Gam-Chan nudged me to speak. "Yoon-Ho, if you have something to say to Mr. Choi, now's the time."

Kang Gam-Chan's eyes conveyed a clear message that he was on my side no matter what happened.

With that reassurance, the nervous pounding in my chest that began ever since I walked into this room slowly subsided.

I faced Choi Eun-Tae and asked, "What is the real reason you're searching for your son?"

Choi Eun-Tae stared at me intently before letting out a sigh and beginning his story. "Sigh. It's because of that bastard Man-Sik, whom I adopted. You know him too, don't you?"

"I do."

"Yes. That bastard betrayed me and embezzled quite a bit of money. Not that it amounts to even a tenth of my wealth, but still... What a disgrace this is in my old age..."

People were likely starting to pay more attention to the young Choi Man-Sik than to the aging president. Although Choi Eun-Tae's influence was still strong, it wouldn't be long before he found himself inevitably pushed aside.

"Why did you adopt such a dangerous person and end up in this mess?" I asked.

"How was I supposed to know? I didn't even know I had a biological son. And back then, I was young too. Man-Sik reminded me of myself—he got results by any means necessary."

"So now that the dog you raised has bared its fangs, you're looking for a younger one to fight the betrayer in your place? Is that why you're searching for your son?" I replied straightforwardly.

My words seemed to hit a nerve as the wrinkles around Choi Eun-Tae's eyes deepened like a tremor.

'This is just ridiculous. Searching for his son with such ulterior motives! And because of this, Kang Eun-Gi nearly died!' I seethed with anger.

The image of Kang Eun-Gi handcuffed and struggling desperately was still vivid in my mind. Recalling that scene caused the calmness in my chest to give way to a rising tide of anger.

Choi Eun-Tae noted, "You're quite direct with your words."

"Maybe it's because I'm not a hypocrite like you, Mr. Choi," I retorted.

I tried to control my tone, but my words came out harsher than intended. This was the first time I had struggled so much with controlling my emotions since traveling back in time. The more I tried to calm down, the angrier I felt.

At that moment, Kang Gam-Chan sensed my change and placed his large hand on my knee. The moment I felt the warmth from his hand spread through my knee, my anger began to subside like magic.

Startled, I looked at Kang Gam-Chan who shook his head gently with a kind expression. For a brief moment, I found myself wishing he were my father.

Nodding, I took a deep breath and steadied myself before asking Choi Eun-Tae again. "Is that really all there is to it?"

Choi Eun-Tae let out a long sigh and shook his head. "The truth is, I'm not even sure myself..."

"Excuse me?"

"The reason? To be honest, it's less about getting back at Choi Man-Sik and more about wanting to see my son just once," Choi Eun-Tae muttered before letting out a deep sigh.

Then, he continued, "I don't know if I should hug him, apologize to him, praise him for growing up well, or beg for his forgiveness. There's so much I want to say that I don't even know where to start. Right now, my mind is filled with thoughts of what I'll do if I meet him. So don't bother asking about unimportant reasons."

Every word he spoke was heavy with regret, so much so that I couldn't understand why he had waited so long to seek his son.

Hearing this, Kang Gam-Chan responded, "Mr. Choi, if you're unsure, why not do all those things?"

"All of them?"

"He's been living alone for decades. You and I both know the pain of growing up without parents, don't we?" Kang Gam-Chan said with a tinge of emotion.

This was the first time I had heard that Kang Gam-Chan had also experienced a childhood without parents. I hadn't expected it at all.

Choi Eun-Tae nodded in agreement. "Perhaps you're right. If I find my son, I'll do as my heart tells me."

Kang Gam-Chan then turned to me. "Yoon-Ho, don't you think it's time to find out who Mr. Choi's real son is?"

I nodded and pulled out the paper envelope containing Kang Eun-Gi's hair.

Choi Eun-Tae's eyes flickered slightly. "What is that?"

"It's Eun-Gi's hair," I answered.

"Is that... so?"

There was a slight tremor in Choi Eun-Tae's voice as he looked at me and asked, "And... don't you have something of your own?"

With a brief sigh, I pulled out another paper envelope I had prepared in advance. "Here it is."

He took the envelope in silence and pressed the bell by the table. Less than three seconds later, Choi Yung-Ho rushed in.

"Mr. Choi, did you call?"

"Take these two hair samples to Dr. Kim."

Choi Yung-Ho's eyes widened as he received the envelopes. "Ah, yes, of course."

"How long will the results take?"

"I heard it takes about five hours with express processing."

"Tell them to run the tests immediately and to inform us as soon as the results are in. I don't care what it costs!"

For the first time, urgency cracked through Choi Eun-Tae's usually calm demeanor. Choi Yung-Ho respectfully took the envelopes and left the room.

The room was filled with sighs passing back and forth between us.

Then, Choi Eun-Tae looked at us and said, "While we wait for the results... Let's chat a bit about the world. Let's talk about what's going on."

Soon, we began to talk about the company matters while having the snacks Choi Eun-Tae's secretary brought.

***

Though I had hoped to hear more about Choi Eun-Tae's past, he remained silent about himself.

However, I was somewhat relieved that we only discussed Hoop Entertainment.

"So, you're curious about Choi Man-Sik?" Choi Eun-Tae asked.

"Yes. Why is it that the wealthiest man in Myeong-dong hasn't been able to get rid of Choi Man-Sik and instead seems to be losing ground? Is it because he's your adopted son and you can't bring yourself to act against him?"

"There was a time when that was the case. But not anymore."

"Then why haven't you set things right?"

Choi Eun-Tae let out a bitter laugh. "Haha. That snake is so cunning that it's not easy to catch. On top of that, the Future Imagination Savings Bank I owned has fallen into Man-Sik's hands, along with the 15% stake in Hoop Entertainment that the bank held."

Originally, Choi Eun-Tae held 30% of Hoop Entertainment while Kang Gam-Chan and Choi Man-Sik had 29% and 10% respectively. The remaining shares were held by Lee Gi-Cheol and other shareholders from the Suhyaejong line.

Choi Eun-Tae explained that he indirectly owned a portion of Hoop Entertainment's shares through two savings banks, but when one of those banks was taken over by Choi Man-Sik, half of his Hoop Entertainment shares went along with it.

"That bastard Man-Sik secretly acquired shares from the other Suhyaejong shareholders. So now he's most likely holding more than 30% of the shares."

In other words, Choi Man-Sik had become the largest shareholder of Hoop Entertainment. This was an unforeseen development.

Choi Eun-Tae continued, "They're wary of my remaining influence for now, but they'll surely stage a coup if they get the chance."

Kang Gam-Chan asked, "Given your financial power, isn't it possible to fight back?"

"Yes. I won't lose if it comes down to a financial battle. Once the company goes public, I can buy up shares with money."

"Then why haven't you taken action yet?"

"Politics!"

With that one word, everything made sense.

I asked Choi Eun-Tae, "Are you saying Choi Man-Sik has connections in the political sphere?"

Choi Eun-Tae nodded. "That's right. He's about to get engaged to the daughter of Park Sang-Gon, the ruling party's candidate for party leader. He'll soon have the next ruling party leader as his father-in-law. Possibly a future president of the country, you know."

I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh. The man who had been targeting Kang Ji-Yung was suddenly getting engaged to the daughter of the ruling party's candidate.

Then, something clicked.

'Wait a minute... Park Sang-Gon?' I pondered.

I paused the conversation and quickly checked my planner. Sure enough, there was still an entry related to Park Sang-Gon.

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: September 30, 2020]

-11:30 p.m.: Seoul Naksan Park parking lot. (Report: Instructions passed to Team Lead Kang Myung-Gil.)

In my past life, I had received instructions from Kim Dong-Soo to meet someone at the Naksan Park parking lot.

However, I relayed the instructions to Kang Myung-Gil as I had something else to attend to.

Later, Kang Myung-Gil bragged about meeting an aide to Assemblyman P after the meeting. When I asked who it was, he wouldn't say. About a month later, he revealed while drunk that Assemblyman P was Park Sang-Gon and that he had handed over a bag of money to his aide.

As I recalled these past memories, Choi Eun-Tae asked, "Did... something else happen to Eun-Gi?"

He must have misunderstood because I had been staring intently at my phone.

"No, it's nothing, Mr. Choi."

"That's a relief..."

Then I followed up with a question. "So, do you plan to deal with Choi Man-Sik?"

Choi Eun-Tae looked at me with interest. "Are you planning to take on Man-Sik? It won't be easy."

"It surely won't be easy alone. But things might be different with others, don't you think?"

Choi Eun-Tae glanced at Kang Gam-Chan. "This young man is more daring than I expected. Yet it doesn't sound like empty bravado."

Kang Gam-Chan smiled broadly. "It's like seeing a younger version of you, Mr. Choi."

"Ahem! I wasn't this reckless!" denied Choi Eun-Tae.

"Well, when the young shoeshine boy Choi Eun-Tae said he would become the cash king of Myeong-dong, everyone probably thought he was crazier than this," Kang Gam-Chan said jokingly.

Choi Eun-Tae shook his head. "Let's leave that story aside. You asked what I plan to do about Choi Man-Sik... I'll tell you."

Choi Eun-Tae began speaking calmly, "I intend to destroy everything that bastard stole from me! I'll make sure I return him to the days when he was just a beggar on the streets of Myeong-dong!"

Though his expression and tone were composed, the resolve in his words was chilling—so much so that I thought it might have been less unsettling if he had simply expressed his anger openly.

His words sent a shiver down my spine.

After finishing, Choi Eun-Tae sighed. "Is that answer sufficient?"

I nodded and replied, "Yes. If that's your plan, then I'll bring you information about Representative Park Sang-Gon."

Choi Eun-Tae's eyes flashed with sharp interest. "Do you have something on Representative Park?"

"I can get you photos of him receiving bribes. To be precise, it'll be photos of his secretary receiving bribes. But the evidence will implicate him."

Choi Eun-Tae grinned. "I won't ask how you'll get it. Just bring it to me. Once Representative Park is dealt with, I'll take care of Choi Man-Sik next."

"Understood."

Though Kang Gam-Chan looked curious, I kept silent as I couldn't explain it anyway.

Just as our patience was starting to wear thin, we heard someone running across the wooden floor of the veranda. The door swung open, and Choi Yung-Ho stood in the doorway with a yellow envelope in his hand, his face flushed with tension. "Mr. Choi! The results are here!"

"H-hurry. Bring it here."

There was a sense of urgency in Choi Eun-Tae's expression as he extended his hand to grab the envelope. When Choi Yung-Ho handed over the envelope, Choi Eun-Tae's hands trembled as he opened it.

With a rustling sound, two crisp white A4 sheets emerged from the envelope.

The moment Choi Eun-Tae read the words on the paper, tears began to stream down his face.

It was astonishing to witness Myeong-dong's most ruthless, tearless moneylender crying.

"M-Mr. Choi!" Choi Yung-Ho called out.

Choi Eun-Tae waved him off and indicated that he was fine. "I'm okay..."

With trembling hands, Choi Eun-Tae turned the paper toward me. "Take a look... at this."

On the test report beneath the title "Client K," the words "99.9994% paternity probability" were printed in bold letters.