Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 83

83. The Greatest Scandal in Korean Entertainment History

The circumstances of the so-called Kim Do-ha scandal can be summarized as follows:

[Around 2 AM, a club employee, Mr. A, entered a room to clean and found a cell phone.
While trying to return it to its owner, he discovered unspeakable materials.
Later, through reporter B, who helped with the internal report, it was exposed online.]

Among them, the cell phone, known as the Kim Do-ha phone, became a hot topic. The VIVA X7 with a sports car logo engraved on the case was a threat that could shatter the brand’s image.

[Kim Do-ha Phone, Discontinued Rumors]

Contrary to its name, it wasn’t actually Kim Do-ha’s phone.

‘That looks like Kim Do-ha’s phone?’

A chill ran down Lee Min-ki’s spine.

Just in case, he replayed the memories in his mind several times, but it was definitely a familiar model with a familiar case.

To think that thing would be dropped here.

An item that could be considered a legend in the industry was lying in front of him like a cigarette butt on a back alley floor.

“……”

He should take it.

He didn’t know if it was password-protected or not, but he had to retrieve it first.

If he got caught, he could just say he was trying to return it to its owner.

‘But how?’

It wouldn’t be easy to pick up something from the floor with everyone’s attention focused on him.

He needed to divert their attention all at once.

Was there a good way?

…In a moment of contemplation, it came to him.

The method.

“By the way, come to think of it, today…”

The moment Lee Min-ki opened his mouth.

Thud.

The bottle of whiskey on the table next to him touched his elbow.

Crash!

It fell to the floor and shattered into glass shards.

“Ah!”

As the surroundings froze and surprised gazes focused on him, Lee Min-ki’s choice was simple.

“I’m so sorry, what should I do?”

As if he couldn’t bear the guilt, he started wiping the floor with a rag from the table.

Wiping the moisture off the floor.

And at the same time.

‘Now’s the time.’

He subtly picked up the phone with his fingertips and slipped it into his sock in one swift motion.

It took less than a second from the moment the whiskey bottle broke to the moment he grabbed the item.

A clean move that would impress even a passing thief.

“Min-ki, are you okay?”

“People need to be careful.”

“Haha, you make mistakes too. Isn’t that expensive liquor?”

Amid the outpouring of concerned voices, Lee Min-ki said as if he couldn’t bear the guilt.

“Ugh, my shoes are all wet. I’m sorry, but I’ll go to the restroom for a moment.”

That was it.

In the midst of the bewildered atmosphere, Lee Min-ki quickly got up and went to the restroom.

Immediately after returning to the room.

“I’m sorry, but my manager called me for a dinner appointment. I’m really sorry, but can I leave first? The whiskey bottle… I’ll compensate you next time.”

“No, it’s okay. Are you leaving already? Let’s talk more. What’s so important about that manager?”

“Senior, it’s a really important appointment. It’s a meeting I’ve been talking about since my debut, so I’ll treat you to a good time next time instead.”

Lee Min-ki exchanged a few words with Lee Heul and quickly left.

He got what he wanted.

‘Evidence secured successfully.’

He removed the SIM card in the restroom.

There was nothing more to see.

He just wanted to get out of this smelly place as soon as possible.

* * *

The next day.

CEO Hwang In-gu, who came to Daon, was in a very lighthearted mood.

“Really? You brought Lee Min-ki into the room?”

[Yes, we talked a bit together.]

“Good job. I’ll give you a nice gift next time I see you.”

[It’s nothing.]

“Don’t say that, you should know how to receive gifts from your elders.”

[Okay.]

“I’m busy. Bye.”

Click.

CEO Hwang In-gu, who had quickly wrapped up his business with Kim Do-ha, smiled slyly.

‘It’s over.’

He had been stressed because of Lee Min-ki, but that would end today.

He had done what he could.

‘Even if a fly escapes from a spider web, it’s still just a fly.’ [Meaning: Even if someone temporarily evades control, they are still vulnerable.]

He had failed when he tried to hire someone to take care of it a while ago.

Maybe that guy was incompetent.

He only cared about money and had no value.

But this time, he had involved Kim Do-ha and succeeded brilliantly.

‘I think it would be good to frame him for something like sexual harassment.’

He had received the evidence.

A photo of Lee Min-ki clinging to a woman in the room.

What would happen if rumors of sexual harassment spread along with this photo of the actor known for his warm personality?

There was no need to say more.

His stock price would plummet.

This would be much stronger than any school bullying rumors.

The agency couldn’t control it.

Just like actors hide their computer usage history from their parents, they would try to hide it from their agency, so how could the agency deal with it?

‘I’ve got his lifeline.’

All that was left was to crush him with his fingers or use him as a toy.

‘It’s so easy. Why can’t the other agency CEOs do this? They’re so foolish.’

For example.

CEO Gu In-mo of JC, like that guy.

Actors don’t respond well to being treated too nicely.

They only listen when there is clear control.

That was the difference between the two.

Whether they see actors as collaborators or as subjects of control.

Of course, the latter was CEO Hwang In-gu.

‘You softie, I won again this time.’

When CEO Gu In-mo suddenly barged in a while ago, he really wondered if something had happened.

He was threatened.

CEO Hwang In-gu knows that he only pretends to be cool on the outside and is not willing to sacrifice his own flesh to get the bone. [Meaning: He’s unwilling to make personal sacrifices.]

‘He would give up his own flesh without hesitation.’

But what about someone else’s flesh?

It was obvious.

The Gu In-mo he knew was not the kind of person who could gamble with an actor’s life.

“Now, shall we have some fun?”

CEO Hwang In-gu decided to thoroughly exploit Lee Min-ki.

If he decided to do it, he would do it.

That was all.

‘I’ll squeeze him dry.’

Meanwhile, two days had passed since Lee Min-ki secured the phone.

But nothing special had happened in the meantime.

However.

He had definitely realized one thing.

“…Are these guys even human?”

The situation he was involved in was much bigger than he thought.

The conversation history inside the phone was a sight to behold.

[Me: {Video data}]

[Do-ha: ㅋㅋ Hyung, don’t upload stuff like that]

[Yoon Jae-woo: Why didn’t you call me?]

[Shabi: Let’s have fun together, why are you always alone?]

All sorts of materials that were too disgusting to describe were circulating.

‘These kinds of guys exist.’

He felt dizzy.

Stories about which female celebrity he touched and liked, and requests to share them.

Stories about which drugs were good and which were bad.

Numerous visual and video materials were naturally scattered around.

All kinds of materials that far exceeded the realm that ordinary people could imagine were circulating indiscriminately.

Moreover.

‘There are over 40 people participating in just this one room?’

On a scale far greater than he knew before.

“Ugh.”

While sorting the evidence, Lee Min-ki couldn’t stand the disgust and vomited slightly.

‘They’re not human. They’re demons. Demons crawled up from hell.’

He also knew.

It was widely known that people with good looks in this industry secretly created an animal kingdom. [Meaning: A hidden world of immoral behavior.]

But it didn’t matter.

What’s the big deal about young men and women enjoying pleasure with each other’s consent?

As long as they don’t shatter the public’s fantasy, it doesn’t matter what they do among themselves.

But these were different.

‘You trash. This is a crime.’

The problem was that they were clearly crossing the line into criminal territory.

For example.

[Me: I liked that stuff from before, do you have more?]

[Do-ha: I’ll talk to the chairman ㅎㅎ]

Drugs.

He could clearly see how Daon was involved here.

[Me: Do you still have what you got from Daon last time?]

Similarly, it was drugs.

Drugs.

Daon seemed to be a company that distributed drugs to them.

Probably on the largest scale in the country.

‘There are so many drug addicts.’

Especially the owner of the phone, Lee Heul, was a prime example.

Lee Min-ki took a deep breath.

‘I’m glad I backed it up quickly.’

As soon as he got home, thinking he might need it, he connected it to his laptop and backed up the data.

It was a good choice.

Because the messenger app was remotely initialized in just a few hours.

‘They must have noticed already.’

Fortunately, the phone didn’t have a password.

Maybe they were careless.

He was thinking of unlocking it through a professional if necessary, but he reduced the risk a bit.

“……”

At the point of checking the contents of the secured phone.

Lee Min-ki’s thoughts at this point were like this.

‘How did they hide this?’

The people involved in the [Kim Do-ha Scandal] that he remembered were not that many.

About 10 to 20 people centered around Kim Do-ha.

The rest were his customers, and their specific identities were not revealed.

But what he saw here was at least two or three times that.

It didn’t seem like there were many companies that weren’t involved at all.

‘So they tried so hard to stop it.’

They blocked it and blocked it again, so that this kingdom of crime could be fully preserved and passed down to future generations.

‘Disgusting bastards.’

He should expose it.

But the problem was the timing.

When and how to expose it.

He needed to think carefully about this one thing, no matter what.

‘Seeing how hard they tried to block it, there must be more than one or two powerful people involved. It’s right to assume that the media is also in on it.’

There are media outlets that receive anonymous tips, but how can he trust them?

Then should he create an anonymous account via overseas and expose it in a direction that is difficult to investigate?

‘No. There are also many victims.’

If he releases the data, it could conversely lead to reopening the wounds of the victims.

He had to choose the method carefully.

In the end.

The choice Lee Min-ki made was one.

‘Let’s watch a little longer.’

It’s difficult to report it right away anyway.

Since it was only recently that he obtained the phone from the club, he could be immediately suspected.

It would be right to avoid dangerous choices as much as possible.

If he had to reveal it, he should at least give it time until the suspicion moves away from him.

‘Yes, just a little bit.’

The time will come soon.

He probably won’t be able to endure this disgust for long anyway.

“Hoo.”

Lee Min-ki thought so and put the phone in the drawer.

And started sorting the data again.

Data that would bring the perpetrators under the judgment of society, someday.

Meanwhile, at the same time.

There was a person who was driven to the brink of madness.

‘Damn it, damn it, damn it!’

A person walking down the hallway with bloodshot eyes.

‘Where is it? Where did it go?’

It was Kim Do-ha.

Thud.

A club employee who bumped into his shoulder while walking nodded with an embarrassed expression.

“Ah, excuse me.”

It was that moment.

Slap!

With a sharp cracking sound, the employee’s head turned sharply.

Kim Do-ha shouted at him, whose eyes were filled with embarrassment, as if spitting out rough metal powder.

“Where are you looking, you bastard? Can’t you keep your head straight?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

The employee flinched at his behavior, which was unlike his usual kind image.

He knew.

It wasn’t a rational action.

It’s natural for resentment to spring up when a usually gentle person suddenly acts crazy.

But he couldn’t bear it, not now.

Because.

‘Lee Heul, that idiot, finally!’

The phone had leaked.

Lee Heul had lost his phone somewhere.

‘I told him several times to take good care of his phone, why doesn’t he listen? He should have dug up another one and used it anonymously.’

It contained a vast amount of data.

If it leaks out even a little.

“……!”

He didn’t even want to imagine it.

He couldn’t even report it to the police for fear that the data might be leaked.

He had set up remote data deletion, but what if he had backed up the data before that?

‘I’m done for.’

Kim Do-ha trembled at the feeling that the guillotine’s blade was approaching right in front of his Adam’s apple.

There were more than one or two people involved.

If it ever broke out, would there be only one or two people who would hold him responsible for being the middle manager in all of this?

No, before he could survive privately, it was already a legal problem.

It wouldn’t be strange if he rotted in prison for the rest of his life.

Even if there were no legal problems, he would be socially ruined.

No, before that, he should worry about getting stabbed in the stomach.

‘Damn it, damn it.’

But there was nothing he could do.

Someone else was holding his leash, but all he could do was chew his fingernails.

‘This is so frustrating.’

That powerlessness made Kim Do-ha’s impatience even more intense.

It was the very powerlessness that Kim Do-ha had used so generously when he dominated others.

The business that had started three years ago had become a three-year-old original sin, tightening his breath.

“Aaaaaaah!!”

Clang!

Kim Do-ha, unable to withstand his bursting heart, threw an innocent glass on the floor.

Meanwhile.

[60 Second Acting]

The broadcast featuring him and Lee Min-ki was achieving a level of success that was unimaginable for a mini-interview on an internet platform.