Chapter 45 : Spark to Flame

“Well, the work is done… now shall we spark a fire?”

I contacted the broker, pretending I was referred by someone else, using the number I saw on Taehwan’s smartphone. 

The broker didn’t seem wary of me at all.

When I vaguely mentioned I was an aspiring celebrity, he was very kind and accommodating.

‘Even if it doesn’t work out, it’s no loss for them.’

After all, the number was likely a burner, and making such a call could be a weakness, so they wouldn’t mind if they could extort more through threats.

While pondering how to turn this spark into a bigger flame after gathering just the right amount of evidence, a person came to mind.

‘That police officer from back then.’

I could just report it to 112, but such reports often fizzle out and get buried, so I needed someone who could at least help get a few lines in the news, even if they couldn’t catch the broker outright.

‘Well… shall we give it a try?’

I didn’t fully trust him, but he didn’t seem like the type to take bribes and sweep things under the rug, so I decided to give it a shot. 

After making up my mind, I immediately called him.

Hello?

As soon as the phone rang once, a deep voice answered from the other side.

“Hello, I’m not sure if you remember me, but I got your contact regarding the fruit compensation issue in Sehari…”

Oh! The kid who was told to get bitten by a dog?

I was worried he might have forgotten me, but it seemed that day left an impression, as he remembered me right away.

What, they really didn’t compensate you? Those people are unbelievable…

“No, no! I got compensated. I’m calling about something else.”

Huh? To me?

He sounded surprised by my call. I never imagined I’d be contacting him for something like this either.

“I want to report a case.”

What, something serious?

His tone grew serious at the mention of a case, his voice lowering.

“I want to report about a military enlistment broker.”

What? A military enlistment broker?

“Yes.”

Haha, what, did you see a friend trying to dodge the army with some scam?

The officer didn’t take the mention of a military enlistment broker seriously.

“No, a professional broker targeting celebrities…”

Wait, hold on! STOP! What are you talking about?

The officer, who had been treating it like a lighthearted prank, suddenly spoke faster, his words clipped, clearly shocked by the mention of celebrities and a professional broker.

“I’m reporting it.”

Isn’t it only natural to report bad things to the police?

No, you’re misunderstanding something. If something like that exists, you should report it to 112, not me.

“I don’t trust other police officers.”

Why don’t you trust the police… I can’t even say that myself. But this isn’t the way to go. We have divisions of labor.

I knew the basics—that different departments handle different tasks. It’s just that I didn’t trust them.

“Military enlistment brokers are criminals too, aren’t they?”

They are. But I’m not on the team that catches those guys… I’ll give you the contact for that team… What are you doing?

In the middle of our conversation, it sounded like he was talking to someone else. Was someone nearby?

Don’t mind me, just keep talking.

Then, an unfamiliar voice came through the smartphone.

“Who’s there?”

If even one person overheard and spread the word, I’d be grateful, but I was curious who was trying to listen in on this call.

Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. Reporter Kim, are you seriously doing this?

‘Reporter’

This was like a stroke of luck rolling in on its own. The very person I wanted to know about had appeared.

“Alright. Send me the contact, and I’ll make the report. It’s related to celebrities, so I’m a bit nervous, but my personal safety will be protected, right?”

Hoping the reporter would bite, I deliberately used buzzwords like ‘celebrities’ and ‘personal safety’ that journalists love.

‘They probably can’t resist biting.’

Alright, I’ll let them know in advance. But you’re not joking, right?

“Absolutely not.”

After hanging up, I immediately reported it using the contact he sent. I prayed that the person called Reporter Kim, who was listening, wouldn’t miss this opportunity.

***

At the filming set of Today’s Fruit Store.

“Brother! Did you see this article that dropped yesterday?”

While waiting for the shoot, Jibin pointed at an article. The reporter had been much faster than I expected.

‘I absolutely love this!’

Not long after I made the report and the investigation began, an article titled [“Do as I say, and you’ll be exempt from the military”: Broker Connected to Top VIPs] was published.

I thought he was just a small fry, but reading the article, I realized he had his hands in a lot of things.

‘I didn’t know he was this kind of person.’

The article, released around 2 or 3 p.m. on a weekday when people were drowsy from post-lunch lethargy, quickly dominated the entertainment and social news sections.

With no other major issues recently, reporters jumped on it, publishing follow-up articles one after another, turning the small spark into a raging fire in no time.

“Did you see? That article was all over the place yesterday.”

“You saw it too, right?”

“Yeah, I saw it.”

“Aren’t you curious who the celebrity involved is?”

The biggest question surrounding the article was, of course, ‘who.’

[There’s a rumor that a celebrity is involved here.]  

Is it true?  

Is it the person I’m thinking of?  

I immediately thought of one person lolol.  

Stop speculating when you don’t even know for sure.  

Just go to the military, I went too.  

If they dig into this, a ton of high-profile people’s kids will come up lol.  

They’ll all slip away, and only the celebrities will get screwed.  

This needs to spread.  

Honestly, a lot of celebrities are getting public service exemptions these days. True?  

That’s true lolol. They all slip into public service without explaining why.  

Because of these scammers, people who genuinely need public service get treated like this.  

Are you in public service?  

[They’re already dropping initials elsewhere.]  

ㅤㅤㅤ

Where?

There was no mention of “Top Star A” or “Popular Idol B” like in typical articles, but people were busy listing celebrities nearing military age, speculating whether there was a ‘famous figure’ involved.

“There’s no mention of a celebrity, though.”

Taehwan said to Jibin, who was directly asking about celebrities.

“Come on, it’s obvious. There’s gotta be at least one not-so-famous celebrity caught up in this.”

Jibin confidently showed Taehwan his smartphone screen.

“Look, rumors are already floating around.”

Some random ‘gossip’ had surfaced from who-knows-where, complete with the initials of a celebrity allegedly involved. Did Jibin, a celebrity himself, really want to believe this?

“I heard from a friend of a friend that this guy was always asking how to avoid the military.”

Who wants to go to the military? 

That kind of talk could just be casual joking among friends, but in this situation, even that was enough to plant seeds of suspicion.

“Anyone could ask that.”

“No, that’s not the point… Ugh, this is top-secret, but come here, brother.”

Jibin called over Jeuk, who was reading a script nearby, and gathered them together.

“There’s a rumor that the government is trying to divert attention from something they want to hide politically by blowing this up.”

‘Since when was I the government?’

I barely held back a laugh at Jibin’s serious nonsense.

“What kind of ridiculous talk is that?”

“I didn’t know people actually believed that.”

Jeuk and Taehwan dismissed Jibin’s words as absurd, but Jibin stubbornly stuck to his opinion.

“I’m telling you, it’s true. Even celebrity dating scandals are all part of the government’s schemes…”

“Get off SNS, man. All I see on StarStar are your posts.”

“Yeah, I knew something was up when you started posting weird memes in the group chat.”

Not a single one of us took him seriously or even listened, and Jibin’s face turned red with frustration.

“Wow, it’s real… Just wait and see. Soon, a famous celebrity’s name will come up, and the government will launch a full investigation!”

His eyes blazed with confidence.

‘I really hope this is true.’

That was exactly what I wanted. For this to turn the country upside down and force Han Jungwoo to go to the military without an exemption.

“Famous celebrity? Nah, people with a lot to lose wouldn’t take that risk.”

Taehwan said firmly.

“Only a top star would understand a top star’s thinking, huh?”

“Yeah, that’s right, punk.”

I was a bit worried about what would happen if Taehwan found out Iron was involved in this.

“Aren’t you going to the film festival’s celebration stage today?”

Jeuk, who had been quiet, spoke up to Taehwan.

“Huh? You mean the White Tiger Film Festival?”

The White Tiger Film Festival, the most prestigious and renowned film awards ceremony in our country.

“How did you know, brother? It was supposed to be a secret.”

“I overheard your manager talking to the director.”

“Yeah, I’m going to sing the movie OST I did as a duet with a member. It did pretty well.”

I didn’t know which OST it was, but I nodded as if I did.

“Jealous. When will I get to go?”

“You’ve got plenty of time. That place is where you can barely make a name for yourself in your 30s.”

With the film industry still dominated by actors in their 40s and 50s, it was rare for a 20-something actor to be nominated for a leading role.

“That’s true. Best Actor is definitely going to Han Jungwoo, right? The movie passed 10 million viewers, so it’s a given. So jealous, getting Best Actor at that age.”

“Probably. The movie was a huge hit.”

Jibin predicted Han Jungwoo would win Best Actor, and Jeuk nodded in agreement.

“Best Actor at 30? There’s never been someone that young… Oh, wait, there is.”

“There is. Jung Jaehyun.”

When my owner’s name came out of Jeuk’s mouth, I instinctively clenched my fist.

“Yeah, who would’ve thought he’d become like that?”

“He ruined his own life.”

“There was a reason for his godlike acting…”

“Ah!”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I stood up abruptly, shouting as if something had just occurred to me.

“I just remembered something else I need to do.”

I didn’t want to hear it. 

People who didn’t even know him properly were talking about my owner so carelessly. 

He… he’s not someone who deserves this kind of talk.

“Huh? All of a sudden?”

Taehwan’s voice, asking if something was wrong, came as he noticed my stiff expression, but I didn’t look back and quickly walked toward the car.

“Haa…”

I was fuming by the time I reached the car, barely holding in my anger. 

If I’d stayed any longer, I might’ve thrown punches at those guys badmouthing my owner.

‘That bastard Han Jungwoo…’

As I was catching my breath in front of the car, Hayoon spotted me.

“Hyunjae?”

“Oh, Brother.”

“What’s wrong?”

Hayoon approached with a concerned look, noticing my hardened expression, which was unlike me.

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

“I was actually looking for you.”

“Why?”

“Someone’s been calling from an unknown number. It seems important.”

“A call?”

“Yeah.”

Who could be calling me?

“Check it.”

“Okay.”

When I opened my smartphone, there were nine missed calls and one message.

[Hello, this is Reporter Kim Woodeuk from The Fact. Please call me back when you see this message.]

Finally, the call I’d been waiting for had come.