Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 599: Moral Laws in Family Relationships (4)

The automatic door of Beautiful People Plastic Surgery slid open.

In the center of the clinic's lobby was an indoor fountain, surrounded by a circular set of luxury sofas.

About ten female clients sat reading magazines, and Reporter Jo Hee-Yung, who had been sent ahead, was seated among them. She briefly made eye contact with us but quickly turned her head, pretending not to recognize us.

At that moment, an employee with a name tag that read Coordinator Song In-Hye approached us with an enthusiastic smile. Our outfits were quite upscale, which probably explained the warm welcome.

I wore a premium suit with a cashmere coat. Kang In-Han had on a check-patterned suit and black coat, while Choi So-Hye wore a purple two-piece with a white coat.

"Welcome, customers. Are you three together?"

Choi So-Hye and Kang In-Han shook their heads.

"No, we just happened to take the elevator together."

"We're strangers."

Thanks to their convincingly shameless acting, the coordinator was completely fooled. "Oh, I see. Just a moment please."

Song In-Hye turned and called over another staff member. "Coordinator Choi, please assist the gentleman in the black coat here."

"Sure~"

Song In-Hye gave me a quick smile. "Sir, please wait just a moment."

"Of course."

Choi So-Hye and Kang In-Han were each led to separate consultation rooms by their respective coordinators. Seizing the moment, I walked over and sat next to Jo Hee-Yung on the sofa.

I picked up a copy of Woman's magazine featuring Yoo-Jin from the magazine rack in front of us and spoke quietly. "Ms. Jo. What about Park Yi-Joon?"

Jo Hee-Yung looked startled and asked, "Huh? Mr. Jung, what are you doing here?"

"I happen to know something about the director here. Anyway, where's Park Yi-Joon?"

"He changed clothes and went into the director's office a little while ago. He hasn't come out yet."

"Got it."

Just then, the atmosphere in the lobby began to stir.

Worried that Choi So-Hye might have caused a scene during her consultation, I turned my head. But instead, the female patients in the waiting room quickly lowered their heads into their magazines the moment our eyes met.

'What's going on?'

I asked Jo Hee-Yung sitting beside me, "Ms. Jo. Is there a celebrity here I might not recognize, wearing a mask or something?"

"No. Since you walked in, all the women here have been watching you."

"Me? Why?"

Jo Hee-Yung's cheeks turned slightly pink. "You're kind of famous."

"I'm just a talent agent. What's there to be famous about?"

"Oh come on~ You really don't know? Since the end of last year, you've been known as Lee Tae-Poong's handsome talent agent. And today, there was even an article about how you saved staff during a landslide on the Jiri Mountain set. You're probably more famous than most celebrities right now."

When an article related to Jiri Mountain had been published a few days ago, there was no mention of me. This was because I had specifically asked the staff not to notify the press.

But apparently, an article had come out today.

Jo Hee-Yung held out her phone. "Here, look."

Her phone case had large pink bunny ears sticking out. When I looked at it, her face turned bright red.

"T-This was just a last-minute buy, okay? For undercover purposes."

'No wonder the ears stood up so stiffly. Turns out it was a brand-new case.'

Anyway, as I looked at the phone screen Jo Hee-Yung handed me, I saw a new article from Star Exclusive.

[Jiri Mountain filming site. Talent agent J saves an intern's life.]

-Jiri Mountain filming site.

Star talent agent Mr. J spotted the intern in danger.

-(Photo: Scene of him embracing and rescuing the intern.)

Known as the talent agent of Lee Tae-Poong and Jung Yoo-Jin, he threw himself into danger to save a life.

The intern expressed eternal gratitude, calling him a lifelong savior.

...

(Star Exclusive: Reporter Choi So-Hye )

(Comments)

-They say he personally brought coffee to a junior intern worried he might be cold, and then threw himself into a landslide to save him. A friend of mine on set filmed it.

-This guy is unreal.

-So talent agents are shooting action films on Jiri Mountain now, huh?

-He might as well debut with Lee Tae-Poong.

-Good looks and great character, but there's one thing he doesn't have. Hmph.

-Whoever wrote that comment above, if you say 'me,' you're dead.

-Please spare me...

-Seriously, someone give him a medal or something from the police.

The comment section was full of slightly embarrassing and cheesy praise. Now I finally understood why everyone had been whispering and staring at me.

"Ms. Choi wrote this article...?"

"Yes. She said she wanted to thank you, Mr. Jung."

Choi So-Hye, grateful for the exclusive stories I always shared with her, had rushed to publish it the moment she found out, so I could be nominated for something like a citizen's bravery award. I was thankful for her intention, but it had stirred up a bit of a scene.

At that moment, one of the nurses at the reception desk started glancing at me repeatedly. It seemed best to step outside just in case.

"Ms. Jo, I'll step out for a moment. Let me know when Ms. Choi and Mr. Kang begins their investigation. I'll come back in then."

"Oh, got it."

But just as I was about to head out, the door to the director's office opened.

Click.

A skinny man in a white coat emerged, wearing a name tag that read Park Yi-Joon. He walked over to the nurse at the reception desk, whispered something, and then headed to the restroom.

I had planned to leave, but I changed my mind. After all, the quickest way to bring Han Joon-Tae down was to get testimony from Park Yi-Joon.

"Ms. Jo. If Ms. Choi and Mr. Kang came out, just say I went to the restroom."

"Okay."

Immediately, I activated the voice recorder on my smartwatch and headed to the restroom.

***

Clunk.

I opened the door and stepped inside the restroom.

A soft pine-scented air freshener lingered in the air. Everything from the toilet to the sink was made of luxurious marble. Han Joon-Tae, who hadn't wanted to give a penny to his parents, had spared no expense when it came to his clinic.

I washed my hands at the sink and waited for Park Yi-Joon to finish his business. When he did, he stepped next to me to wash his hands.

Whoosh.

"Mr. Park Yi-Joon?"

I deliberately used a respectful title to start the conversation.

Park Yi-Joon turned his head to the side. "Oh, yes. How can I help you?"

"I hear this clinic is known for its excellent skills."

"Yes, sir. Including myself, the doctors here all have top-level expertise."

Smiling like a sales rep, Park Yi-Joon spoke as if he were a licensed doctor. Even though he was performing illegal medical procedures, he didn't seem to feel the slightest guilt.

Usually, sales reps forced into surrogate surgery did it under pressure from their companies. But for some reason, he actually looked like he was enjoying it. It reassured me that he hadn't been coerced into it. Human trash Han Joon-Tae had someone just like him by his side.

To leave Park Yi-Joon with no room for denial, I asked again, this time using the word "doctor."

"Good thing I came here. So, doctor, where do you think I should get work done?"

Park Yi-Joon looked at me for a moment. "Hmm. Your double eyelids are natural, and overall, you're quite a handsome man... but if I had to recommend something, maybe a bit of filler in your forehead. If you come in for a consultation later, I'll take a closer look. Botox would be good too."

"Could I request the procedure specifically from you, Mr. Park Yi-Joon, rather than someone else?"

"Of course~ I'm known as Golden Hands in this clinic."

That was it. I now had proof that he performed illegal medical procedures.

I immediately spoke to him. "Doctor—no, Mr. Park Yi-Joon. Isn't it shameless for a medical equipment rep to call himself a doctor and give consultations? You know this is a violation of medical law, right?"

Park Yi-Joon's face turned pale. "Damn it!"

At that moment, Park Yi-Joon suddenly spun around and tried to run. I reached out and grabbed the back of his white coat at the nape. His skinny body slipped right out of the coat. His flexibility was remarkable, at least.

Park Yi-Joon bolted out of the restroom, shouting. "Nurse Jung!!"

I followed behind slowly, holding the white coat that would serve as evidence.

"What's going on, Dr. Park?"

"That guy, he's...!"

Just then, Choi So-Hye and Kang In-Han emerged from their consultations.

I said, "Ms. Choi. I recorded his confession."

"Really?"

The two of them instantly dropped their facade as regular clients and became reporters.

Choi So-Hye raised her phone like a recorder and began the interview in a loud voice that could be heard across the waiting room.

"Mr. Park Yi-Joon, I'm Reporter Choi So-Hye from Star Exclusive. You're a rep for K Medical Devices, but you've performed surgeries at this clinic. Is that correct?"

Beside her, Kang In-Han took a digital camera from his briefcase and began snapping photos.

Flash Flash.

The light burst in front of us as he captured Park Yi-Joon's face.

Park Yi-Joon covered his face with his hands, shaking his head. "N-No... no... I didn't do anything..."

The nurses came rushing over with their faces ashen. "P-Please stop this!"

The patients in the waiting room blinked in confusion. They didn't seem to understand what was happening. But soon, they began to grasp the situation and shouted.

"W-Wait, is this real?"

"Damn it... I got double eyelid surgery from that guy..."

"He's not... a doctor?"

The entire lobby fell silent in shock. Learning that the person they trusted wasn't even a doctor was beyond shocking was indeed terrifying.

Then, the door to the director's office burst open and Han Joon-Tae came out.

Bang.

"What's going on here, Nurse Jung?"

His voice was calm and quiet, unlike the chaos he caused at Han Yoo-Sik's house. Then Han Joon-Tae spotted me and his eyes widened.

"Huh? Chief Jung?"

I shrugged and replied. "Well, you came to me earlier, so I figured it was my turn to come to you."

'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.'

At that moment, Park Yi-Joon ran to Han Joon-Tae. "S-Sir! Please help me!"

"What's wrong, Dr. Park?"

"These people... they know everything!"

Han Joon-Tae's expression twisted. "Shut your mouth!"

I looked at Han Joon-Tae and said, "Surrogate surgery, huh? What were you thinking? How did you plan to deal with the aftermath?"

Beside me, Choi So-Hye waved her phone. "I asked to be treated by Mr. Park Yi-Joon during the consultation, and the coordinators even scheduled an appointment. They also told me the primary physician listed in the records would be the director, not Mr. Park. I recorded everything. Mr. Han, don't even think about wriggling out of this. Got it?"

Then Kang In-Han brought the camera right up to his face and shouted. "Alright~ Look at the camera and say cheese. Cheeeese~"

Flash.

As the flash popped once again, Han Joon-Tae covered his face with one hand and shouted. "Nurse Choi, what are you just standing there for?! Call the police immediately!!"

At that moment, Kang In-Han said, "This guy must've lost his mind. We're the ones who should be calling the police."

Kang In-Han took out his phone and contacted a detective he knew.

"Detective Park, it's me. I'm at Beautiful People Plastic Surgery in Gangnam, and they're doing surrogate surgery here. Come quick! The guy who did the surgery is still here."

Realizing that we had come fully prepared, Han Joon-Tae clenched his jaw and picked up his phone. "Damn it!"

He was clearly trying to call his younger brother, the lawyer Han Joon-Sik.

"Are you calling Lawyer Han Joon-Sik by any chance?"

"Yeah. Once my brother gets here, you're all going to jail. You know this is obstruction of business, right?"

Even after being exposed for surrogate surgery, Han Joon-Tae shamelessly tried to threaten us. Now was the time to hit him with his weak spot.

"You'll regret this."

"Talk all you want. Don't come begging for forgiveness once you're arrested!"

"You really think Han Joon-Sik is going to help you?"

"Of course he will. He's my brother."

"Even if he finds out that the land this building stands on and all the money that went into it didn't come from your wife but from Mrs. Lee Ah-Eun?"

The best way to stop Han Joon-Tae from pressing charges was the truth about the building's purchase.

While comforting Han Yoo-Sik and Lee Ah-Eun, I had learned from her that she had sold the land inherited from her father to fund the construction of this hospital building for her eldest son, Han Joon-Tae.

Since she feared jealousy from the two greedy younger children, they had agreed to say the funding came from Han Joon-Tae's wife's side of the family. But if that truth came out, the younger children wouldn't sit quietly.

"H-How did you... know that...?"

"What is it? You thought stuff like this wouldn't come out after abandoning your parents? They said it themselves that they don't consider you their child anymore. Oh, and once your lawyer brother hears this, do you think he'll just sit still? No. He'll probably sue you and try to claim his share."

Han Joon-Tae's hand trembled as he held his phone.

"So if you even think about suing these two reporters or trying to go after Mirinae's shares again, I'll tell your siblings everything about this land and the building. Still want to go ahead?"

Han Joon-Tae stared at me in silence, unable to speak.

Savoring the feeling of victory, I turned my head. "Ms. Choi, is this enough?"

"Yup. We even recorded the coordinators illegally offering consultations. Now we just need to get an interview at Park Yi-Joon's company."

Kang In-Han nodded as well. "Yeah. We're going after the medical device company next. I'll also interview the victims here."

Just then, the female patients sitting on the sofa all stood up at once. They marched straight toward Han Joon-Tae and Park Yi-Joon.

"Dr. Han, have you lost your mind?"

"You piece of trash!!"

"Hey! What are you going to do about my face?!"

Wham.

The women grabbed Han Joon-Tae by the hair with both hands.

"Ahhhh! My hair... my hair... let go. Let go of me..."

Then they grabbed Park Yi-Joon too.

"Aaaaah! I-I only did what I was told..."

As the women shook them violently, both men stumbled and collapsed onto the floor. A few of the patients climbed on top of them and began to beat them with their bags.

Thwack, thwack, thwack.

The nurses stood frozen in fear, unable to intervene. They knew they might be next.

Just then, the door opened and several men in leather jackets entered.

Kang In-Han shook his hand and said, "Detective Park, over here."

On the ground, Han Joon-Tae crawled toward the detectives and cried out desperately. "P-Please... save me..."

"Yeah, yeah. Got it."

The detectives moved to protect Han Joon-Tae and Park Yi-Joon, but they did it as slowly as they legally could.

***

Han Joon-Tae and Park Yi-Joon were arrested on the spot. And the victims agreed to be interviewed under the condition that their faces would be blurred.

After the police and victims left and even the nurses were taken to the station, Choi So-Hye finally let out a sigh and spoke.

"Thanks, Chief Jung. Looks like we'll get through this without any major problems."

"It was nothing."

Kang In-Han said he would head to the medical device company with Choi So-Hye as they needed to gather more evidence.

Just then, Jo Hee-Yung, who had to go back into the office alone, asked them a question. "By the way, what kind of estimates did you two get from your consultations? I'd like to include it in the article."

Kang In-Han turned and smirked at Choi So-Hye. "Yeah, Reporter Choi. How much was yours? We should include real numbers to make the article more believable."

"Why are you suddenly curious about that?"

"Just wondering how much this clinic was planning to rip people off."

Choi So-Hye frowned and replied. "1.2 million won. That's how much they said it would cost if I touched up my whole face."

Though Choi So-Hye had decent looks, they quoted her 1.2 million won for cosmetic work.

Kang In-Han teased with a grin. "Huh. That might be a fair price. Actually, maybe they gave you a discount."

Choi So-Hye narrowed her eyes and fired back. "What about you?"

"Me? Ahem. That's a secret."

"Tell. Me. Now."

Letting out a deep sigh, Kang In-Han reluctantly whispered. "Hahaha. It was... 3.2 million."

"What~~? 3.2 million won? Who did you ask them to make you look like?"

Kang In-Han scratched his head and muttered. "Lee Tae-Poong."

Since Kang In-Han had a rugged face, trying to become Lee Tae-Poong would have meant reconstructing his entire bone structure.

Choi So-Hye smirked and said, "Sounds like they gave you a Black Friday deal."

Kang In-Han shouted back. "Hey! Then who did you ask for?"

Choi So-Hye looked off into the distance and replied. "...Miss Yoo-Jin."

Kang In-Han snorted. "This clinic has more conscience than I thought."

"What did you just say?!"

Suddenly, the two glared at each other and bickered. I ended up having to step in like a babysitter to stop them.

A moment later, after grumbling, they stopped squabbling and said they would publish the article tonight before heading to the medical device company.

After seeing them off, I checked the Kk Talk message from Bank President Choi Yung-Ho again.

Han Joon-Hee was currently a regular panelist on MBS' Amazing Things All Around. And though she was a professor at H University, she was known to be quite obsessed with TV appearances.

Then I would try to persuade her by targeting her need for screen time, telling her to never approach her parents again or go after Mirinae's shares.

But honestly, I had little hope that she would listen. After all, someone who abandoned her parents wouldn't be one to reason with.

So I organized my strategy to deal with her and headed straight for MBS.

'Mrs. Han Joon-Hee, it's your turn now.'