Chapter 58: Puppet Master

What he had built in the industry was the network of connections and trust earned through long years of hardship.

There was no reason for them to suddenly change their attitudes all at once.

Lee Hye-won had overcome difficult and trying times and was just about to spread her wings.

The fact that Park Hae Jin, as her manager, could do nothing for her weighed heavily on his heart.

He ran desperately from one broadcasting station to another.

Sometimes, from early morning until late at night, he never left the broadcasting stations.

Hoping for a text message or a single phone call, or just to catch a glimpse of her face, he waited recklessly, adjusting to the hectic schedules of those around him.

But the results remained the same.

No one called for Lee Hye-won.

The buzz created by Yoon Hana’s YouTube channel appearance would fade as time passed, and at this rate, Hye-won’s song might be buried without ever seeing the light.

“No way!”

Park Hae Jin slammed his fist down on the desk.

His knuckles hit the surface so hard that pens scattered across the desk.

This new song was something Lee Hye-won had accomplished entirely on her own.

She had composed the music, written the lyrics, and produced it all with her own hands.

She even collaborated with her son, drawing the public’s attention.

Despite all this thorough preparation, the manager couldn’t do a thing…

Park Hae Jin’s pride shattered into pieces.

He absolutely could not give up like this.

But reality was ruthless.

No matter how hard he tried, no one came forward to call Lee Hye-won.

It was as if an enormous invisible wall blocked their path.

Though it was broad daylight, Park Hae Jin sat alone in an empty office.

There were several empty soju bottles, tipped over and left carelessly on the desk, as if he had been drinking since morning.

He clutched his tangled hair, lost in deep agony as if he could not find even the slightest thread of a solution.

Despair and exhaustion cast heavy shadows across his face.

Then, on one rainy night, his phone buzzed with a cold vibration.

The moment he saw the name on the screen, the color drained from Park Hae Jin’s face.

It was the former company president of JK Entertainment, Kang Ju-ho.

His finger hesitated above the call button.

Kang Ju-ho.

The very name ignited a burning rage inside him, his fist clenched tightly.

Yet, some inner voice whispered that this call might be connected to the desperate situation they were facing now.

Finally, he answered.

“What is it?”

His voice was cold and sharp like an ice blade.

Kang Ju-ho was not just any former president.

He was a shameless man who, abusing his power, had not only harassed Lee Hye-won but had also tried to block her path.

He had brazenly denied his wrongdoings until the end and had cringed shamefully when faced with evidence—an utterly disgusting human being.

“Still don’t know your place, huh?”

Kang Ju-ho’s voice came through arrogantly, like a rude fart.

“Your voice sounds quite healthy.”

Park Hae Jin tightened his grip on the phone.

He gritted his teeth, suppressing the rising fury within.

“That’s not something you should be saying, President. If you’re going to waste time with useless talk, I’m hanging up.”

Just as Park Hae Jin was about to end the call, Kang Ju-ho said something that froze his blood.

“Isn’t it hard to get work these days?”

That single sentence struck Park Hae Jin like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky.

“H-what? Did you say something…?”

His voice trembled faintly.

His hand holding the receiver went cold.

Only then did Park Hae Jin feel all the pieces fall into place.

It was as if a sudden light had switched on in the darkness, clarifying everything.

That cunning and vicious bastard was still grabbing at their ankles from behind.

“Could it be… that you’re the one blocking Hye-won’s appearances?”

Park Hae Jin’s voice shook violently with rage.

Kang Ju-ho smirked nonchalantly.

“You’re making a big fuss over nothing. I just heard a rumor and called.”

Once again, he left no evidence behind.

He dodged all responsibility, shifting blame perfectly.

But the more he did so, the more Park Hae Jin’s suspicion turned into certainty.

Even from the sound of Kang Ju-ho’s sly laughter, everything became crystal clear.

“So, then,”

Kang Ju-ho continued in a leisurely tone.

“Why don’t you give up the struggle and come back? After hearing this new song, it’s pretty good. I’ll even promote you a rank up.”

Park Hae Jin forced a bitter smile.

Of course Kang Ju-ho must have listened to Lee Hye-won’s new song.

He had surely snooped around thoroughly—from the music video to Yoon Hana’s YouTube channel.

Greed was dripping from his voice.

He clearly thought that if the song were released through his company, it would surely gain popularity.

At the same time, there was likely a nasty urge to teach a lesson to those arrogant people who had rebelled against him.

“How shameless you are.”

A cold laugh escaped from Park Hae Jin’s lips.

His gaze sharpened like a blade.

“Do you even realize who is responsible for the hardships Hye-won and I are going through right now? President, it seems you still haven’t come to your senses.”

“What nonsense are you spouting? That’s all in the past, isn’t it?”

Kang Ju-ho spoke with a casual tone as if dismissing a trivial misunderstanding.

“The past?”

Park Hae Jin’s voice dropped dangerously low.

The phone trembled in his hand as if about to shatter with rage.

“How can you casually dismiss the things you did to Hye-won and the times you oppressed us as ‘the past’? And even now, you’re blocking our path from behind!”

“I never did any such thing. Got any proof?”

Kang Ju-ho’s voice oozed with sly confidence.

This time, he was thoroughly covering his tracks.

“No doubt there’s no proof.”

Park Hae Jin gritted his teeth.

“No fool would leave evidence this time.”

A moment of silence passed.

Through the phone, Kang Ju-ho’s thin breath could be heard.

“But you won’t be fooled by the president’s dirty tricks anymore. Hye-won and I will overcome this on our own.”

There was unwavering determination in Park Hae Jin’s voice.

“Let’s not make this harder than it has to be. I’m giving you another chance.”

Kang Ju-ho’s voice was as sweet as a wicked temptation.

“I don’t need any chance.”

Park Hae Jin said firmly.

“There’s no way I’m working under you again. Rather, I’ll make sure you regret everything you did to us. I’m hanging up.”

“You insolent bastard…!”

Kang Ju-ho’s words were cut off.

Without hesitation, Park Hae Jin ended the call.

Kang Ju-ho had intended to break and mock Park Hae Jin with that call, but the situation had turned completely upside down.

***

Not long after, an unbelievable series of ‘nuclear bombs’ exploded at Jk Entertainment.

The 700 million won cosmetics commercial contract they were about to finalize was suddenly canceled.

“What? They’re refusing to sign a contract with Harami?!”

Kang Ju-ho yelled at the marketing team leader.

“What? Did Harami do something wrong?!”

“No, sir.”

The team leader shook his hands vehemently, insisting it wasn’t true.

“Then why?”

“Well… we don’t know either. We were just told by the person in charge that there was an order from above to replace the model.”

“What?! And you just accepted that without asking why?!”

Kang Ju-ho’s voice was fierce.

“I’m frustrated too, sir! Of course, I asked! But the person in charge said they didn’t know any details. It was such a sudden decision…”

The marketing team leader couldn’t raise his head, though it wasn’t his fault.

“You idiot! So you’re just going to let this contract slip away?! If that’s the case, why are you even there?! It’s your job to find out the reason and solve this! This isn’t just about money—what will Harami say when he finds out? The renewal’s coming up soon! Are you just going to let it fall apart like this?! Go back right now, grab the person in charge by the collar, and find out the reason! If possible, push hard to keep Harami as the model! If you don’t handle this properly, be ready for the consequences!”

“Y-yes…”

The marketing team leader had no choice but to lower his head under Kang Ju-ho’s fierce glare.

But this was only the beginning.

Companies that had signed contracts suddenly and almost in unison announced they would not renew.

Not only that, movies and dramas Hye-won was scheduled to appear in were also suddenly canceled one after another.

As the situation escalated to this point, Kang Ju-ho felt a chill down his spine.

This was undoubtedly a powerful force targeting him.

The reason he could grasp the situation so quickly was that he himself had used the same kind of ‘invisible hand’ obstruction tactics many times before.

He had been the puppet master behind blocking Lee Hye-won’s appearances this time as well.

He quietly reached out to influential people within each broadcasting station.

“Lately, this singer named Lee Hye-won… she’s been a bit of a concern.”

“That kind of rumor is not a good thing.”

Instead of directly telling them to block Lee Hye-won’s appearances, he used vague and negative innuendo.

This kind of ‘upper-level troublesome talk’ trickled down with unclear but strong instructions.

The broadcasting stations calculated that Lee Hye-won was still not a widely recognized singer and that it wouldn’t be beneficial to feature someone the higher-ups were wary of.

In the end, without any clear rejection reason, Lee Hye-won’s appearances naturally fell through.

Under the judgment that it was better not to cause problems, they excluded Lee Hye-won from the list of potential guests.

Kang Ju-ho realized he was now on the receiving end of the very cunning and underhanded tactics he once used.

What confused him even more was that, despite his efforts to block her appearances, Lee Hye-won suddenly started showing remarkable activity, appearing on radio and broadcasts, steadily gaining public recognition.

He had definitely blocked her from broadcasting, so how could she be so active?

Unable to quell his curiosity, he called his close contact at a broadcasting station.

“CP Park, it’s Kang Ju-ho.”

“President Kang! What have you done?!”

The moment he called, CP Park shouted urgently.

“Hey, Park? What’s wrong? What happened?”

Kang Ju-ho was stunned.

“You’ve completely screwed me over! How are you going to take responsibility for this?”

“What are you talking about? Calm down and explain.”

“You didn’t tell me there was Taeseong Group behind Lee Hye-won?!”

“Taeseong Group? Don’t be ridiculous! Why would Taeseong Group be behind Lee Hye-won?!”

Kang Ju-ho fell into shock and confusion.