Chapter 1033: Message 4949 (3)

After leaving the I.O.A members in Team Lead Baek Hee-Yung's care, I picked up the two paper bags and stepped out of the waiting room. When we reached the lounge at the end of the hallway where the reporter was supposedly being held, the two bodyguards standing outside spotted us and greeted us.

"The reporter's inside."

Click.

One of the bodyguards opened the door for us. After giving him a nod of thanks, I walked into the lounge.

A man in his thirties was being held by the shoulders by two of Wang Long's other bodyguards as he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Let me go, you bastards! You think you'll get away with tying up a reporter like this? Huh?"

The man yelling was Ahn Jong-Kyung, the thirty-two-year-old reporter from Entertainment Big News. Before the regression, he had been one of the people who partied and did drugs alongside Alex.

"So it was you, Mr. Ahn," I said.

The moment Ahn Jong-Kyung recognized me, he puffed himself up even more. "Chief Jung. You ordered this?"

"I did."

"You've made a huge mistake! Tell them to let me go right now!"

"I think you're the one who made the huge mistake."

"What mistake?"

Without another word, I placed the paper bags on the table.

Thud.

"You know what these are, don't you?"

"What the hell are those?"

"Oh, come on. You filmed me carrying these after Alex asked me to deliver them."

"What are you talking about? I just happened to see you walking by and took a few pictures."

"You can stop lying now. I know you filmed me carrying these cannabis cookies to the girls."

Apparently caught off guard, Ahn Jong-Kyung only raised his voice even louder. "C-Cannabis? You roll that stuff up and smoke it like cigarettes! What do you mean cookies?"

If he was going to deny everything to the bitter end, I had a plan.

I nodded. "Very well. Then I guess I'll have to report you as one of the drug suppliers too."

The punishment for using drugs and the punishment for importing and distributing them on a large scale were worlds apart. Simple possession or personal use carried relatively lighter penalties. Manufacturing and distribution, however, were treated as major felonies, with sentences that could be several times more severe.

"Me? A drug dealer? Chief Jung, have you lost your mind?"

"Someone tipped us off that you and Alex were getting high together at clubs. And you know a hair follicle test will show everything. So why keep pretending?"

Ahn Jong-Kyung's eyes began to show panic. Even so, he still refused to confess. So I pushed even harder.

"I came here to give you a chance. If this is how you're going to play it, there's nothing I can do for you. Fine. I'll report you as one of the suppliers too."

I raised my phone as if I were about to make the call immediately.

At that instant, Ahn Jong-Kyung sprang to his feet and reached for my clothes. "W-Wait! Chief Jung! Chief Jung!!"

Bang!

Before he could touch me, Wang Long's bodyguards twisted his arm behind his back and slammed his head onto the table.

"Ughhh..."

Ahn Jong-Kyung's cheek pressed against the tabletop as a pained groan escaped his lips.

I let the silence linger for a moment before giving a nod. "It's fine. Let him go."

The bodyguards released both his arm and his head.

Thump.

Wearing a thoroughly humbled expression, Ahn Jong-Kyung began to plead. "Chief Jung. Please, just let me off this once. I only took a few hits for fun. That's all."

"You can stop lying. We both know that's not true. But if you cooperate, I'll at least make sure you have the chance to turn yourself in."

"Is... is that really my only option?"

I answered with nothing more than a nod.

Realizing there was no way out, Ahn Jong-Kyung let out a long sigh. "What do you want me to do?"

I switched on the recording function on my smartwatch before replying, "First, tell me who ordered today's stunt. Start by confessing."

Ahn Jong-Kyung slowly opened his mouth. "Alex ordered it. He told me to frame one of the I.O.A members with drugs after sabotaging today's broadcast. I was only supposed to write the article. That was it!"

"So without verifying anything, you were willing to brand a bunch of girls in their late teens and early twenties as drug criminals?"

"I'm sorry. I... I wasn't in a position where I could refuse Alex..."

That was the last straw for Wang Long. Rolling up his sleeves, he exploded. "And that justifies secretly feeding drugs to those kids? You son of a bitch!"

I immediately stepped in front of Wang Long. "Hold it."

"Why? You said we were going to wipe them out."

"He still has a use."

At the moment, Alex Jang was distributing drugs imported from overseas throughout Gangnam clubs and the entertainment industry. Now that we had Ahn Jong-Kyung, we could use him as bait and round up everyone connected to the operation.

"Damn it..."

Turning away, Wang Long slammed his fist into the wall.

Boom.

The solid concrete trembled from the impact. Ahn Jong-Kyung looked at me, fear written all over his face.

I calmly continued giving instructions. "Then contact Alex right now. Tell him to meet you at Club JJ in Gangnam at six this evening. Say you'll hand over the photos there."

The moment I instructed him to set the meeting roughly eight hours from now, Ahn Jong-Kyung looked at me. "Black Soul is one of HK Entertainment's prized groups. Are you really planning to go up against HK Entertainment too?"

"If anyone gets in my way, I'll wipe them out. I don't care who they are."

Ahn Jong-Kyung let out another heavy sigh. "Shit... I really stepped into it this time."

Breathing deeply several times, he held out his hand toward me. "Fine. Then give me my phone. I don't call Alex. We use coded messages on Telogram."

I immediately nodded to one of Wang Long's bodyguards. "Give him his phone."

Instead of obeying me immediately, the bodyguard looked toward Wang Long.

Taking a steadying breath, Wang Long asked, "You already unlocked it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then give it to him."

The bodyguard handed the phone back to Ahn Jong-Kyung. Taking it, Ahn Jong-Kyung opened Telogram, the Russian secure messaging app. I stood beside him, watching the chat window closely. Ahn Jong-Kyung's username was JK. Not long after he sent an invitation, someone with the username A-REX, who was almost certainly Alex, joined the chat.

[JK: Got the photos, Alex. Tonight at 6:00. Club JJ in Gangnam. We do the exchange then?]

[A-REX: You got good shots?]

[JK: They're solid. Just make sure the meal's ready.]

[A-REX: K. If the pics are good, the meal and cold drinks are on me tonight!]

Ahn Jong-Kyung's fingers moved quickly as he continued the conversation. Then, all of a sudden, he began typing another message.

That was when I snatched the phone out of his hand.

Thwack.

"What? Why?"

I held up the message Ahn Jong-Kyung hadn't managed to send and shoved it in front of his face.

[JK: And when I get there, I'll call you from 010-X123-4949... (typing) ]

"What's this message supposed to mean?" I asked.

Ahn Jong-Kyung flared up. "I have to give him the number for my burner phone. Otherwise, how's he supposed to know it's really me?"

Looking at the reporter shamelessly shouting back at me, I spoke in a calm, icy voice. "'Meal' means marijuana."

Ahn Jong-Kyung's face immediately stiffened.

"'Cold drinks' means crystal. In other words, meth."

"C-Chief Jung..."

"So tell me... do you really think I don't know what the 4949 in your so-called burner phone message means?"

That was the final blow. Ahn Jong-Kyung slid off his chair and dropped to his knees on the cold floor. "P-Please spare me, Chief Jung! I just lost my head for a second! When you said you were going after HK Entertainment and every supplier connected to them, I panicked because I knew this would blow up! I swear that's all it was!"

As Ahn Jong-Kyung desperately begged with his hands pressed together, Wang Long looked at me in confusion. "What does 4949 mean?"

"It's code for 'there's been an accident.'"

"An accident?"

"Back when people mainly used text messages, drug offenders used it to tell their associates they'd been arrested. If someone received a 4949 message, they'd immediately destroy every piece of evidence and disappear."

"Wait. So this bastard just tried to send an SOS right in front of us? Telling them to erase everything?"

"That's right. If there's no evidence left, even if they're caught, the sentence is lighter."

"You son of a..." Wang Long clenched his fist, looking as though he had reached the end of his patience. "Yoon-Ho. Don't stop me this time."

I shrugged. "I wasn't planning to. But before you go in, I'm changing this message."

Without hesitation, I erased what Ahn Jong-Kyung had typed and replaced it with my own.

[JK: Deal. Oh, and I'm bringing a few junkies with me, so have the meal ready in bulk. They're buying by the kilo. Even better if you've got plenty of cold drinks too. (Sent) ]

Still clenching his fists, Wang Long looked at the screen. "'Junkies'? 'Bulk'? What's that supposed to mean?"

"'Junkies' means addicts. 'Bulk' means kilograms. I'm telling them I'm bringing new addicts, so they should prepare a large shipment. If they're caught carrying a huge quantity at the scene, they'll be facing much heavier charges."

Wang Long gave me a worried look. "Hey... don't tell me..."

"Don't worry. I've never touched drugs in my life. I learned all this to protect the artists because there are so many dealers targeting celebrities."

In reality, I had learned it during the Black Soul case before the regression. I simply left that part out.

Just then, a reply arrived from Alex Jang.

[A-REX: Damn, hyung-nim. Now you're even bringing customers on your own. Nice. I'll give you a 10% cut. Let's make some real money tonight!]

I showed the message to Wang Long. "It's done. Let's finish filming Part Two, then head to Club JJ together."

"Okay."

"Good. I'll handle setting up Alex's arrest. Just don't touch his face. We'll need to take him with us later."

Cracking his knuckles, Wang Long flashed a vicious smile. "Don't worry. There won't be a single mark on his face."

Ahn Jong-Kyung desperately reached toward me. "Chief Jung! Chief Jung! I know I was wrong, so please..."

His pleading voice echoed behind me, but I didn't look back. Sasuke and I simply walked out.

Bang.

The moment I stepped into the hallway and pulled out my phone to call Prosecutor Seo Jae-Ill, dull thuds began echoing from inside the lounge.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

***

It was currently 4:30 p.m, and the filming for Part Two of Project I.O.A – Moments from a Difficult Journey finally came to an end.

Once the members had loosened up near the end of Part One, they began sharing behind-the-scenes stories from the tense moments they had experienced during the twelve-week competition. Their emotions poured out raw and unfiltered, but that only made for even more compelling footage.

As a result, the smile never left CP Kang Dae-Woong's face. "Wow... Two episodes won't be enough for all this, Chief Jung."

I smiled and said, "We can cover the rest during I.O.A Debut D-30."

After Project I.O.A – Moments from a Difficult Journey aired over the next two weeks at 10:00 p.m., it would be followed by a variety show documenting I.O.A's preparations leading up to their debut.

Kang Dae-Woong nodded. "You're right. We'll save the rest for then. Great work today, everyone!"

Standing shoulder to shoulder with the I.O.A members, I bowed deeply to the entire staff. "Thank you for your hard work!"

The staff responded with applause and cheers.

Now, it was time to head to Club JJ.

Just then, I noticed Chairman Kim Ae-Ryeon of Daechon Inc. and President Kim Gab-Soo of SBC standing beneath the stage, watching us. I immediately left the I.O.A members with the talent agents and hurried down from the stage.

After giving them a respectful bow, Kim Ae-Ryeon smiled warmly. "I heard you had quite a time dealing with PD Yoo and Director Hong today."

"Mr. Lee Gi-Do helped out a great deal, so it wasn't too difficult."

"That's good. I came prepared to give them a piece of my mind if they were still causing trouble."

"I'm sorry for making you worry."

"Worry? Don't be silly. Oh, and you should know that Daechon Media has agreed to purchase a 7% stake in SBC."

"7%?"

"That's right. I heard my partner was being looked down on at SBC, so I decided to make sure nothing like that ever happens again."

Shares in a terrestrial broadcaster like SBC weren't something you could simply buy with money. That meant this deal would have been impossible without approval from the controlling owner.

Kim Gab-Soo answered the question before I could ask it. "The controlling shareholders know very well that Project I.O.A achieved the highest viewership ratings ever for an audition program, and that Land of Happiness brought our daily drama slot back to life. Chairman Tae Sung-Nam himself repeatedly stressed that strengthening our relationship with you should be our highest priority."

SBC's controlling owner was TSN Inc. Apparently, the instruction had come directly from Chairman Tae Sung-Nam himself.

"Because of me?" I asked.

Kim Gab-Soo nodded. "That's right. We originally planned to sell 5%, but they decided to add another 2%. Which reminds me... would you be willing to have dinner with the Chairman sometime?"

I had no idea why Tae Sung-Nam wanted to meet me. Still, this wasn't the kind of goodwill I could politely refuse.

I answered, "I'd be honored."

"Then why wait? How about tonight?"

"I'm sorry, but tonight we're holding a farewell dinner for the I.O.A members and our Japanese and Chinese staff."

The farewell dinner was only part of the reason. Tonight, I also had to deal with Alex Jang.

"That's a shame. Then let's arrange something soon."

"Yes, sir."

After complimenting me on my hard work today, Kim Gab-Soo turned to leave.

At that moment, Kim Ae-Ryeon flashed a broad grin. "You've done well today, Chief Jung."

Since I intended to crush Black Soul, I decided to give her a quiet warning. "Mrs. Chairman, there's a chance this could turn into a major conflict with HK Entertainment."

Kim Ae-Ryeon chuckled. "When has there ever not been conflict? Don't worry. Daechon will be standing behind you."

Her answer was as bold as ever. No matter what happened, she intended to back me.

"Thank you, Mrs. Chairman."

"All right. I'll be going now."

I bowed once more as I saw the chairman of Daechon Inc. off.

Now, it was time to go catch Alex Jang. First, I had to bring along Ahn Jong-Kyung, who was still being held by Wang Long's bodyguards after getting thoroughly beaten black and blue.

***

I arrived at the side street with a clear view of Club JJ's entrance. Inside the rear compartment of two Merciless Binz Springer vans parked facing one another, Seo Jae-Ill sat across from Ahn Jong-Kyung. Across from them, I had just finished greeting Prosecutor Yoon Doo-Cheol, a muscular, 185-centimeter-tall narcotics prosecutor, and took my seat opposite him.

Just then, Seo Jae-Ill smiled and pointed at Ahn Jong-Kyung beside him. "Chief Jung, looks like you've gotten pretty good at beating people without leaving obvious marks."

Because of our long acquaintance and because he was the sunbae of my brother-in-law, Prosecutor Park Jung-Jik, we spoke comfortably with each other now.

"I never laid a hand on him."

"Really?"

At that moment, Ahn Jong-Kyung hurriedly waved his hands. "That's right! I... I just fell down the stairs by myself!"

"Hmm. Sure looks like you took quite a beating..."

Seo Jae-Ill shot me a teasing glance, but I simply kept a straight face. After all, I really hadn't touched him.

Just then, a Kk Talk notification popped up on my phone.

Buzz.

[Lackey Hyung-nim: Chief Jung. Everything's set.]

The reason we had arranged to meet at Club JJ at six o'clock was because preparations had to be made first. And now I had just received confirmation that everything was ready.

"They're all set."

At that moment, Seo Jae-Ill, who stood nearly one hundred ninety centimeters tall with the build of a national-level judoka, casually draped an arm around Ahn Jong-Kyung's shoulders and spoke in a low voice.

"Don't get any clever ideas. Just go in there and record exactly what you're told. If you try anything funny, you'll only make your sentence longer. Understood?"

Beside me, Yoon Doo-Cheol flexed his arms and flashed a grin. His expression practically said he wouldn't mind if Ahn Jong-Kyung tried something.

Ahn Jong-Kyung's face had gone completely pale. "I-I'll do exactly as I'm told."

"Good. Then get moving."

Ahn Jong-Kyung hesitated before looking at me. "Chief Jung... what about the junkies?"

He meant the two addicts he would supposedly be bringing along.

I answered, "They're already waiting inside one of the private rooms. Follow Lackey hyung-nim's directions and go in with them."

The two addicts were actually Wang Long's bodyguards, who had already gone inside and taken their positions.

"...Got it."

Letting out a long sigh, Ahn Jong-Kyung climbed out of the Springer first. After cautiously looking around, he headed into Club JJ.

I waited a moment before speaking to Seo Jae-Ill. "Then I'll head in too."

"All right. Good luck."

After giving him a quick bow, I made my way toward Club JJ.

***

As Jung Yoon-Ho disappeared into the club, Yoon Doo-Cheol turned to Seo Jae-Ill with obvious dissatisfaction.

"Sunbae, are you really okay with this?"

"With what?"

"Even if entertainment industry drug users are easier to deal with than most, we're leaving everything to a talent agent. What if he lets them slip away? We should send our own people in now."

Yoon Doo-Cheol wasn't comfortable letting a civilian take the lead.

However, Seo Jae-Ill only chuckled. "What's there to worry about? Club JJ itself is one enormous trap."

Yoon Doo-Cheol asked with a confused expression, "A trap?"

"The hundred customers who entered that club several hours ago? They're all extras hired by Chief Jung. So all we have to do is sit back, wait for the signal, and then move in."

Yoon Doo-Cheol's mouth fell open. Hiring one hundred extras just to catch Black Soul would have cost an enormous amount of money. Even more astonishing than the expense was the fact that someone had thought to build such an elaborate trap in the first place.

"...What kind of talent agent spends his own money to set up something like this?"

Seo Jae-Ill nodded, as though he understood exactly how Yoon Doo-Cheol felt. "That's just the kind of person Chief Jung is. He doesn't think like the rest of us. Maybe it's because he's rich, but everything he does is on a completely different scale. So just watch. I think you're about to see something interesting."

"...Just what is he planning?"

At that moment, Seo Jae-Ill lowered his voice. "They're here. Heads down."

Screech.

The vehicle carrying Black Soul rolled up to the entrance of Club JJ.