Popular Psychopath [Novel] Chapter 35

Chapter 35: It Seems She Was Caught in a Very Bad Trap

The place Jang Sukhyun arrived at with Jung Seola was an exclusive, high-end bar in Gangnam named ‘Mirage’.

Operating strictly on a membership basis, it was impossible to enter without a prior reservation. Its absolute guarantee of confidentiality from all staff made it an incredibly popular destination for high-ranking officials and the wealthy elite.

As if they were expected, a waiter dressed in an impeccable suit guided them the moment they stepped inside.

“It is right here. Please enjoy your time.”

The waiter departed. Standing before the door to the private room, Jang Sukhyun took a deep breath and looked at Jung Seola.

“Phew… Seola, listen to me very carefully. The person inside is someone incredibly powerful, someone far beyond my control. Therefore, you must absolutely refrain from doing anything that might offend him. If you do, you need to consider both our careers in this industry completely finished. Do you understand what I am saying?”

“CEO, what on earth are you…?”

“Let’s just go inside.”

Click.

Upon entering the room, Kwon Hyungseok and Bang Wonwoo were already deeply engaged in conversation over glasses of premium whiskey. On either side of them, two women in revealing dresses were excessively flattering and fawning over them.

“Oh! You are here? Look, all of you, leave except for the Madam.”

Seeing Jang Sukhyun arrive, a delighted Kwon Hyungseok ordered the women in the room to leave.

“Here, here, Sukhyun, Miss Jung Seola, take a seat. You must have had a hard time getting here.”

Utterly unable to adapt to the situation, Jung Seola’s mind spun in chaos.

She had simply followed CEO Jang Sukhyun’s sudden instruction to come with him, only to find herself practically dragged to a Gangnam bar she had never set foot in, forced to sit next to an old man she had never seen before.

Finally grasping the nature of the gathering she had been brought to, Jung Seola’s expression froze over into absolute ice as she glared fiercely at Jang Sukhyun.

“Oh my, is this young lady the actress they call Jung Seola? I guess actors really are different. She is definitely much prettier than my girls.”

When Lee Mido, the Madam of ‘Mirage’ sitting next to Kwon Hyungseok, spoke, Bang Wonwoo immediately retorted.

“Ahem, Madam Lee. How dare you compare an actress to a bar girl? Of course they are different. Do you think just anyone can become an actress? Here, have a drink.”

He likely believed his words were defending Jung Seola, but her mood was rapidly plummeting to absolute rock bottom.

Looking at CEO Jang Sukhyun, who was pale with cold sweat and staring at her pleadingly, Jung Seola decided to play along for the time being.

“Yes. I was taught never to refuse the first drink offered by an ‘elder’, so I will accept this one. However, I am congenitally unable to handle alcohol, so I will have to decline any more after this.”

Watching Jung Seola speak with such razor-sharp clarity, Bang Wonwoo was momentarily stunned before bursting into a hearty laugh.

“Hahaha. Just like kids these days, you are delightfully sharp. You are right, alcohol should never be forced.”

Perhaps even more captivated by Jung Seola’s sharp, uncompromising demeanor, Bang Wonwoo continued to engage her in conversation with a satisfied smirk.

The core of Bang Wonwoo’s dialogue revolved entirely around flaunting his wealth and power.

“So, as the president of a media company, how could I just sit back and watch? I immediately ordered the reporters under me to blow the whole thing wide open. And that is exactly how I, the solitary ultimate victor, Bang Wonwoo, rounded them all up and threw them in.”

“Wow, you truly are incredible.”

“Oh my, President Bang, you are so cool.”

“That is why my nickname is the Grim Reaper, the Grim Reaper. Because once a name makes it onto my hit list, I eradicate them no matter what. Haha. Good grief.”

“Those bastards must have been terrified out of their minds, no?”

“Of course they were, how could they possibly hold out? They eventually came searching for me themselves, knelt down, and begged for forgiveness. It was hilarious seeing them desperately try to throw money at me afterward through commercials and whatever else.”

“Wow, then the reason President Bang Wonwoo wields such considerable influence in the entertainment industry is…?”

“President Kwon is as quick-witted as always. You can safely assume that any major commercial, film, or drama investors are tied to me. Those bastards can’t even twitch without my say-so.”

Watching the two men exchange dialogue that felt entirely scripted, like a poorly rehearsed comedy sketch, Jung Seola let out a scoffing laugh.

However, catching her laugh from the corner of his eye, Bang Wonwoo seemingly interpreted it as a sign that his boasting was working and pressed forward.

“I shouldn’t really say this myself, but there are quite a few top actresses I propelled to stardom. You know Hong Mira, right?”

“Oh my, the Hong Mira who appeared in the drama ‘High Society’?”

“Right, that Hong Mira. I happened to share a few drinks with her once, and she was incredibly charming and agreeable. Being human myself, I ended up recommending her to the corporate presidents and big shots in the entertainment industry around me. Next thing you know, she is shooting commercials left and right and filming a ton of movies. Let’s see here. I suppose you could say her recent apartment commercial was entirely thanks to me?”

He shot a sly, calculating glance at Jung Seola. He clearly believed he had laid out all the bait he possibly could.

“Are you saying that if Miss Jung Seola here simply manages to catch President Bang’s eye, she could become a top star like Hong Mira?”

“Of course. If it is an actress with as much potential as Seola, I could push her even further! What do you think, Seola?”

Subtly sliding closer to Jung Seola, Bang Wonwoo attempted to wrap his arm around her shoulder. Jung Seola immediately dodged his arm and stood up.

“Huh? What is she doing? Look here, CEO Jang?”

Perhaps never anticipating Jung Seola would evade him, Bang Wonwoo glared at Jang Sukhyun, exerting a heavy, unspoken pressure.

“S-Seola, sit back down.”

“No. This doesn’t seem like the kind of place I belong in. You said you were President Bang Wonwoo, right? I appreciate you looking favorably upon me, but I have no desire to navigate my acting career relying on someone else’s help. Furthermore, there is a 28-year age gap between us. Do you look at your own daughter with those kinds of eyes? Then I will take my leave.”

Having said her piece, Jung Seola exited the room without a single backward glance.

A suffocating silence filled the room. Kwon Hyungseok and Jang Sukhyun frantically analyzed Bang Wonwoo’s reaction.

“That! That, that, ha! This is absolutely absurd. Hey, President Kwon, does a man of my stature really have to endure such indignity? Today has been highly unpleasant in many ways! Huh? Is this why you called me here today? I suppose I will have to reconsider the deal we discussed previously. To think you took me for such a fool… I am genuinely speechless.”

“President Bang! You already agreed to proceed with that deal. I am incredibly sorry. Hey! You son of a bitch. Hey! Jang Sukhyun, you bastard! What are you doing?”

“Excuse me?”

“What are you doing, you fucking bastard! Hurry up and go drag her back here!”

“Ah, yes! I will go after her immediately.”

Snapping back to his senses, Jang Sukhyun frantically grabbed his coat and bolted after Jung Seola.

“Hey, Seola! Jung Seola! Stop right there for a second!”

Since she hadn’t gotten far, Jung Seola was waiting for a taxi with her earphones plugged in.

“I am disappointed in you, CEO. I really thought you were different from those other agencies all this time…”

“I did this for you. We don’t live in an era where you can become a star purely through acting anymore. You need to know when to bend. Just what exactly are you trusting to act this stiff?”

With the situation spiraling completely out of control, Jang Sukhyun seemingly decided to reveal his true colors, aggressively cornering Jung Seola.

“Are those really the words an agency CEO should be saying to me?”

“Hah! All you had to do was cater to his ego a little bit. Was that really so difficult? Just catching that man’s eye could completely change your life. Other people desperately try to grab this chance and fail, so why are you kicking it away with your own two feet!”

“If that is the kind of opportunity it is, I don’t need it. Please never call me to a place like this ever again.”

“Phew… Fuck. Do you truly have no idea what will happen to us if you leave like this? For a man of his stature, burying both of us in this industry? It is absolutely nothing. He could do it as easily as a child’s game.”

“Regardless, I have absolutely no intention of going that far, so I will be leaving now.”

Right on cue, the taxi she had hailed arrived. Jung Seola climbed in and left without another word.

“Haa… We are truly fucked.”

Jang Sukhyun trudged back to ‘Mirage’ with lifeless steps. Bang Wonwoo had already departed. Kwon Hyungseok was alone, fuming and downing whiskey, while the Madam sat beside him, trembling in anxiety.

The moment Kwon Hyungseok saw Jang Sukhyun, he violently hurled his glass.

CRASH!

“Kyaak!”

The glass shattered against the wall right beside Jang Sukhyun’s face. Perhaps grazed by a shard, a thin line of blood trickled down his cheek.

“You fucking son of a bitch. Is this how you handle things? You should have dragged that bitch back here no matter what it took. Do you have any idea what kind of humiliation I just suffered because of you, you bastard?! Huh? Have you completely forgotten my temper, you punk? Should I tear you apart properly like I used to? Huh!!?”

“I-I am sorry, Hyungnim.”

“Fuck you and your ‘Hyungnim.’ Both of us are completely fucked now. Do you have any idea how petty and relentless that bastard Bang Wonwoo is? You will probably feel it firsthand starting tomorrow. You need to break the spirit of that unnecessarily arrogant Jung Seola bitch, no matter what. Understood? The only way you survive this is by offering that bitch up to Bang Wonwoo on a silver platter.”

“Yes, I understand what you are saying, Hyungnim.”

“Then get the fuck out of my sight immediately.”

Jang Sukhyun headed straight to his empty office. He turned on a single small desk lamp and chain-smoked in the suffocating darkness.

“Hah… This fucking life is truly dog shit.”

Jang Sukhyun agonized alone in the dark office, ultimately staying up the entire night.

Bang Wonwoo’s retaliation struck BT Stars the very next day.

“Excuse me? You are canceling it? How can you possibly do this? Hello? Hello!”

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

“Yes, this is BT Stars. Excuse me? We may not have signed the contract, but everything was already finalized verbally! What are you saying? It is invalid because the contract wasn’t signed? A verbal agreement is still an agreement, sir!”

The commercial contracts Jung Seola had recently secured began to be canceled one after another. Furthermore, he even received notice that the lead actress for her upcoming drama had been replaced.

“Look here, Director. What do you mean by a sudden cancellation? Don’t you remember we already published the official casting confirmation articles?”

“I am sorry to you, CEO Jang. But what else can I do? The investors threatened to pull their funding if we cast Jung Seola. Do you really think I have the power to withstand that?”

“……”

The things Bang Wonwoo had bragged about at the bar weren’t mere bluffs. In reality, backed by the immense influence of his father, the owner of a major media company, Bang Wonwoo had cultivated a vast network of connections across the political and business spheres. With a single word, crushing a powerless entertainment agency was truly nothing to him.

“Excuse me? The female commercial model was replaced? Suddenly?”

Team Leader Han Junghee was flustered when the marketing team leader of the beer company called first thing in the morning to abruptly announce the replacement of the female model.

Standing nearby, Kyuha asked what had happened.

“Look at this, you remember that beer commercial you and Miss Jung Seola were supposed to shoot together, right? I just heard Miss Jung Seola was dropped and another female model is taking her place. I wonder what happened.”

“Is that so? That is strange. She was genuinely incredibly happy about shooting a beer commercial with me.”

“Alcohol commercials are something countless celebrities desperately want to shoot. They usually go out of their way to accommodate schedules… I wonder what happened? Please give me a moment.”

Team Leader Han Junghee made a call and stepped outside briefly, returning roughly 20 minutes later.

Unlike when she left, her expression was now incredibly heavy.

“What should we do? It seems Miss Jung Seola was caught in a very bad trap.”

“Seola? Why?”

“I asked around through my connections, and apparently, every single project coming into BT Stars, Miss Jung Seola’s agency, is being slashed. And this is exactly the kind of thing that happens when you get on the bad side of someone with serious power.”

“Will Miss Jung Seola be alright…?”