Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 480: The Foodie Nomads (2)

'Why would Han Sung-Gyu come here?'

Han Sung-Gyu, the nonpartisan mayor of Tongyeong, stepped out of the car. Sixty-years-old this year, he was beaming as if something great had happened.

Behind him, Lee Han-Jong, in his early 50s, followed. A group of secretaries exited the car after them.

With high-ranking Tongyeong city officials now present, it would be nearly impossible to openly refuse to eat raw oysters.

'They're definitely going to make us eat them.'

Politicians were the type to demand absurd things just to get a good photo for the newspapers.

'What should I do?'

At that moment, I remembered that Han Sung-Gyu and Lee Han-Jong were soon to be arrested. To confirm this, I quickly checked my planner.

[Everyday V12]

[Date: March 3, 2021]

-11:00 p.m: Singer Division 1 meeting. (Meeting Content: Cancellation of Namhae Love Oyster Festival. Tongyeong's mayor and deputy mayor arrested for accepting illegal funds from festival participants.)

'So it is them.'

Before the regression, these two had been arrested for extorting money from local businesses under the guise of a festival. As a result, Golden Road's festival schedule had been canceled at the time.

Now I understood why Tongyeong City specifically recommended this company when we were searching for an advertisement partner.

'They must have taken bribes from this company.'

Politicians never moved without votes or money. The fact that they came here directly could only mean money was involved.

In the meantime, Han Sung-Gyu and Lee Han-Jong surveyed the area.

Han Sung-Gyu said, "Wow~ I heard there were renovations and sure enough, the facilities look excellent."

Lee Han-Jong answered, "Yes, sir."

At that moment, Baek Hee-Tae, the president of Iman-ri Oyster Farm, pushed through the staff and approached them. "Oh my! Mr. Mayor, Mr. Deputy Mayor! You've come!"

Lee Han-Jong greeted him warmly. "Ha ha ha. Mr. Baek, how have you been?"

Baek Hee-Tae replied with a bright smile. "Thanks to your constant attention, I've been doing well."

"Ha ha. What have I even done?"

After exchanging pleasantries, Han Sung-Gyu walked straight toward us. Seeing the well-known actors among us, he decided to greet us first instead of the staff.

Approaching us with a delighted expression, Han Sung-Gyu shook Lee Tae-Poong's hand. "So you're the famous Mr. Lee Tae-Poong. People say you're really handsome, but you look even better in person than in pictures."

Lee Tae-Poong answered with a smile, "You're too kind."

At that moment, a camera clicked. The mayor's personal photographer was taking pictures. After turning to face the camera, Han Sung-Gyu greeted us again and posed for more photos.

It was a typical politician's act.

After greeting Haru and Miso as well, Han Sung-Gyu finally greeted Bae Yeon-Jin. But something was different in his gaze when he looked at her.

Unlike his one-handed greetings earlier, Han Sung-Gyu clasped both of Bae Yeon-Jin's hands and asked earnestly, "Wow~ And who might this be? Such a beauty!"

'Huh? Look at this guy.'

Feeling awkward, Bae Yeon-Jin responded hesitantly. "Oh, um... I'm Bae Yeon-Jin. I play the role of Miso's mother."

"Really? But I don't think I've seen you on The Master of Mukbang before."

Bae Yeon-Jin blushed and replied, "Well, I just had a small part in The Master of Mukbang. I've been cast as a supporting character this season."

"Oh, is that so? I must not have been paying close attention. My apologies."

Han Sung-Gyu kept holding Bae Yeon-Jin's hands—not just shaking them, but almost fondling them.

Unable to watch any longer, I stepped between them. "Mr. Mayor. I'm sorry, but we're busy preparing for filming, so we'll have to excuse ourselves."

Han Sung-Gyu's face briefly darkened as if displeased that I interrupted their little moment.

At that moment, Lee Han-Jong raised his voice. "Hey! Our mayor is here to express his gratitude and encouragement to the actors promoting Tongyeong, and you can't even spare a moment? Why are you so rigid, young man?"

As his voice rose, the surrounding staff gathered around.

Noticing the growing attention, Han Sung-Gyu let go of Bae Yeon-Jin's hands with a forced smile. "That's okay, Mr. Lee. It seems I've been keeping these busy actors from their work."

However, his glaring eyes betrayed his hidden hostility. It was infuriating to see a politician, old enough to be her father, hitting on an actress so much younger. I felt tempted to call him out for a moment, but the situation wasn't clear-cut enough to act on impulse.

Just then, Yoo Hyun-Ji approached. "Welcome Mr. Mayor.I'm Yoo Hyun-Ji in charge of this shoot. I'm not sure if you remember, we met previously."

Both Han Sung-Gyu and Lee Han-Jong turned their attention to Yoo Hyun-Ji. "Of course, PD Yoo. By the way, I was hoping to watch the filming for a bit today. Would that be alright?"

Yoo Hyun-Ji reluctantly replied, "Of course, sir."

Lee Han-Jong chimed in with a suggestion. "PD Yoo. Since our mayor went to the trouble of coming all this way, how about a cameo appearance? Politicians appearing on variety shows is pretty common these days, isn't it?"

Yoo Hyun-Ji looked troubled. If she allowed this, it would set a precedent and other local politicians might start making similar demands. However, it wasn't easy to refuse someone of the mayor's status outright.

Eventually, Yoo Hyun-Ji gave in to reality. "As long as it's a very short appearance, that's fine."

Han Sung-Gyu cleared his throat. "Ha ha ha. Cameos are supposed to be short anyway, right?"

"Alright, we'll shoot a brief scene later."

Knowing Yoo Hyun-Ji's style, she would likely ensure the footage barely made it into the final cut.

However, unaware of this, Lee Han-Jong beamed with excitement. "Wow, PD Yoo. You're even more straightforward than most male PDs I know. Women really are more direct these days!"

Every other word from him seemed to include some patronizing comment about women. Yoo Hyun-Ji visibly struggled to suppress her anger.

Lee Han-Jong asked, "Anyway, can we film it right now?"

"Pardon? Right now?"

"Yes. The mayor has a packed schedule, so let's shoot that scene right away without delay."

It was clear they had planned this from the beginning. They were here to snap pictures of the mayor eating, mingle with the actors, and later uploading it all to social media.

Yoo Hyun-Ji answered hesitantly, "I'm sorry, but we can only shoot it after the scene on the barge is completed."

"PD Yoo, do you know how busy the mayor is? Can't we just film a quick scene of him tasting oysters with the actors at the factory over there?"

"But if we change the schedule arbitrarily..."

"Ugh. I thought you were straightforward, but now you're being so petty. Typical woman behavior, huh?"

"...Understood."

Grinding her teeth, Yoo Hyun-Ji shouted to the staff.

"Everyone, stop what you're doing! We're moving straight to Episode 2, Scene 20!"

Scene 20 of Episode 2 was the part where oysters were shucked and tasted in the break room.

Lee Han-Jong looked around and asked, "So, should we go with the actors now?"

Yoo Hyun-Ji nodded stiffly. "Yes, let's do that."

With the filming schedule completely disrupted, the staff members were visibly unhappy.

Meanwhile, Han Sung-Gyu turned to Baek Hee-Tae. "President Baek, I'll have to trouble you."

Baek Hee-Tae shook his head and replied, "What do you mean by trouble? I'll feel disappointed if you treat me like that Mr. Mayor. I've prepared a big spread of fresh oysters and lime juice, just the way you like it. Come this way, please."

"Ha ha ha, you didn't have to go to all that trouble. But well, if you insist..."

They were openly ignoring the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act as if it didn't exist.

"Come on, everyone. Let's head over there."

"Alright."

Following Baek Hee-Tae, Han Sung-Gyu, Lee Han-Jong, and their entourage of secretaries moved toward the break room.

I watched them go and checked my phone once more.

[Everyday V12]

[Date: December 10, 2020]

-03:00 p.m [NEW. Lee Tae-Poong] Visited Tongyeong A Hospital Emergency Room. Filming of The Foodie Nomads canceled.

-05:00 p.m [NEW. Jung Yoo-Jin] Gyeongju on-site filming canceled. Moved to Tongyeong A Hospital Emergency Room to check on Miso's condition.

The schedule entry still hadn't disappeared.

'Do I need to deal with those two to make it disappear?'

I didn't want to get involved with politicians, but I had no choice. Resolving to act, I called Seo Jae-Ill without hesitation.

"Mr. Seo, do you know anyone at the Tongyeong District Prosecutors' Office?"

-What's going on?

"Well, actually..."

After hearing the details, Seo Jae-Ill said he would urgently send a colleague he knew. Investigating the Namhae Love Oyster Festival might take time, but violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act could lead to immediate arrests on the spot.

-We can tie this up with Improper Solicitation and Graft Act violations while investigating. The colleague I'm sending is very passionate about Tongyeong, so he'll do a thorough job.

"Understood. I'll record a video of their meal for evidence."

After hearing that evidence would help, I hung up the phone and quickly checked my planner again.

[Everyday V12]

[Date: March 3, 2021]

-11:00 p.m <Schedule Entry Deleted>

(Deleted Schedule Entry: Singer Division 1 meeting. (Meeting Content: Cancellation of Namhae Love Oyster Festival. Tongyeong's mayor and deputy mayor arrested for accepting illegal funds from festival participants.))

The fact that this schedule entry disappeared meant their arrest was imminent. However, the schedule entries related to the emergency room visit were still intact. It seemed both politicians needed to leave the scene for those entries to disappear.

I had to take drastic measures.

***

The staff were hauling equipment into the prefabricated building where Han Sung-Gyu, Lee Han-Jong, and Baek Hee-Tae had gone.

Due to the schedule change, Yoo Hyun-Ji was visibly furious as she breathed heavily. "Damn it. I'm so done with this nonsense..."

I approached the fuming Yoo Hyun-Ji. "Ms. Yoo?"

"Yes, Mr. Jung?"

"Don't be alarmed, but the prosecution is investigating those two."

"Really?" Yoo Hyun-Ji's face immediately brighten at this half-truth.

"Yes. And what they're doing here clearly violates the Solicitation and Graft Act. I heard prosecutors from the Tongyeong District are already on their way."

Relief washed over Yoo Hyun-Ji's expression. "Wait. Did you have something to do with this, Mr. Jung?"

"Shh!"

Delighted, Yoo Hyun-Ji quickly zipped her lips.

Just then, a CK Foods inspector's car pulled up at the scene.

The inspector spotted me and hurried over. "Hello, I'm Park Min-Sang. I've brought testing kits under the Director's orders."

"I'm sorry to trouble you."

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"It's no trouble. If there's norovirus, we need to confirm it quickly."

"Understood. Then let's head in together."

"Got it."

Exchanging a glance with Yoo Hyun-Ji, I led the inspector into the Iman-ri Oyster Factory.

***

Countless oysters were piled high on wide tables inside the oyster factory. In front of the tables, many workers wearing aprons were busy shucking oysters.

Clink, clink.

The act of removing oyster shells was called bakshin, which was why this place was also referred to as the Bakshin Plant.

'But why does this place look so messy?'

Contrary to the luxurious exterior, the interior was a disaster. Typically, workers who shucked oysters at a Bakshin Plant were seasoned professionals. However, the workers here were all foreigners, seemingly inexperienced, as their movements were slow and clumsy.

'They spent a fortune on the facilities but skimped on labor costs.'

The floor was filthy and the walls were stained with grime. Though the exterior was flashy, the inside was in complete disarray.

'It's a perfect breeding ground for norovirus.'

As expected, Park Min-Sang from CK Foods grimaced. "This place is dangerous. Honestly, we don't even need to run tests to know."

I insisted, "Please do it anyway to confirm."

"Alright. It'll take about fifteen minutes for the results."

Glancing around, Park Min-Sang picked up a few oysters from the table and took them to a corner before placing them into the testing machine he had brought.

Yoo Hyun-Ji bit her lip and looked at me. "Let's head over there."

Together, we made our way to the break room where a lavish spread of oysters was supposedly prepared. I turned on the video recording function on my phone as I opened the door, determined to expose Han Sung-Gyu and Lee Han-Jong.

Click.

As I pushed the door open, the table inside was loaded with fresh oysters, meat, and alcohol.

However, the scene unfolding inside the break room was absurd.

***

Inside the break room, where a feast of oysters had been laid out, Lee Han-Jong was gripping Bae Yeon-Jin's wrist and forcing her to pour a drink. "Why ruin the mood, huh? Ms. Yeon-Jin, how about pouring a drink for our mayor to lighten things up?"

Meanwhile, Han Sung-Gyu shamelessly leaned back in his chair and held a soju glass, waiting to be served.

Watching this, Lee Tae-Poong and Haru were visibly grinding their teeth in frustration. However, Miso blinked in confusion as she clearly did not understand the situation.

I had planned to wait for the prosecutors to arrive, but I couldn't stand it anymore.

I shouted, "What do you think you're doing!?"

My voice rang out loudly and drew the attention of Lee Han-Jong, who still had Bae Yeon-Jin's wrist in his grip.

"And who the hell do you think you are, barging in here?" Lee Han-Jong spat, his words quickly turning vulgar with few people around to witness.

I strode over to him without hesitation and grabbed his thin wrist firmly. "Take your hand off Ms. Yeon-Jin!"

Lee Han-Jong yelped in pain. "Aaargh! My arm, my arm! Let go... let go of me!"

Only then did Lee Han-Jong release Bae Yeon-Jin's wrist. Freed at last, Bae Yeon-Jin pushed her chair back and quickly moved away.

Turning to my actors, I barked, "All of you, get out!"

It had been a long time since I felt this level of rage boiling over.