Ann gasped loudly, standing from her seat and pointing at Director Bong with wide eyes.
The people turned to her in surprise. Meanwhile, June stayed still, his smirk widening.
"Great timing, Ann," June muttered, having already informed her of what to do when the time came for Minjun to post the issue on Director Bong.
It was a perfect plan.
June even sent the files to Director Jam through Jisung's number when he was fast asleep. He was unsure if the director would be able to see it. Still, it seemed like he did, considering he knew the issue earlier than everybody else.
The other actors and employees opened their phones and clicked on the link that Ann had sent in their professional group chat.
Hana frowned as she clicked on the link and read through its contents.
It was once again posted by MinMin, one of the most trusted news sources in the Korean media at the moment. He didn't post a lot, but when he did, it was a juicy, exclusive story that many people tuned into.
'Director Bong is a Big Old Ding-A-Long: From Blockbuster to Blockhead"
Hana couldn't help but chuckle as she read the title. Another trademark of his was his silly little titles. However, she knew that he always wrote quality articles, so she wasn't fooled by the title.
'In a plot twist worthy of his own movies, acclaimed director Bong Gwan finds himself starring in a real-life drama of tax evasion and bribery. Known for cinematic wastes like 'My Wife is My Daughter,' 'My Brother, My Lover,' and the eyebrow-raising 'Assman,' Bong's latest role is the leading man in a scandalous tale of financial misdeeds.'
'According to a tax report, Bong has been moonlighting as a master of evasion, dodging taxes for a staggering eight years. With a tab exceeding 8 million dollars, it seems Bong's creativity extends beyond the screen and into his accounting practices. This must be where his big house came from!'
'But wait, there's more! Bong's director's cut of corruption includes a subplot involving bribes from eager companies vying to cast their preferred actors in his productions. With names like Phoenix, Pear, and Fireball popping up in his statement account faster than a high-speed chase scene, it seems Bong was casting roles based on money more than talent.'
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Lin Zhi froze as soon as he saw 'Phoenix' being mentioned in the article. Then, he bit his lips in nervousness. He wasn't mentioned in the article, was he?
'One small actor, left out in the cold thanks to Bong's shady dealings, came forward with a testimony. Denied a role because of a competitor backed by big bucks, it seems Bong's casting couch was more about cold hard cash than casting calls.'
'Amidst whispers of his involvement in the highly anticipated 'Untouched Souls,' a historical-magic fusion film that's been the talk of the town, one can't help but wonder: Did some of the cast pay their way in?'
Director Bong also read the article on his phone, the color draining from his face as all of his past and current wrongdoings came to bite him in the ass.
From outside of the filming site, Jay greeted the police officers that June told him to call.
"Is Director Bong inside already?" the handsome police officer asked.
Jay enthusiastically nodded. "Yeah, he just made his way in."
The police officers nodded in gratitude before going inside the site.
Jay's heart beat faster in excitement as he snapped pictures of the scene before sending them to his group chat of managers whose passion was gossip just like him.
"This can't be," Director Bong said.
He had been hiding under the money he had received for all these years, but with one anonymous post, his career was going down the drain?
The door opened, revealing the police officers. The others gasped at how fast the situation was escalating.
The police officers showed a warrant of arrest and stated the Miranda Rights before apprehending Director Bong and escorting him out of the room.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Lin Zhi's face was pale and nervous as he watched the powerful director being dragged away by the authorities.
June, on the other hand, knew better. With the money that he has, he could probably pay his way out of jail.
However, June knew that the public was sometimes fairer than the law. So, although the law might let him go, the public will never forget what he had done.
He wouldn't be able to produce any films anymore, and he was practically shunned from the job that he once loved.
Director Jam pursed his lips as the situation finally calmed down.
"I hope this serves to be a lesson for all of you," he said.
"I will not hesitate to remove you from the production no matter who you are. If Director Bong can go, then anyone can go,"he firmly said.
Lin Zhi's hands began to shake. He was confident he was going to stay in the production no matter what happened because he had Director Bong backing him up.
Who would have thought that he would go even before Lin Zhi?
"And you," Director Jam said, pointing at June.
"Try not to cause any trouble from now on."
June nodded, although he still believed that it wasn't his fault why all of this happened.
Hana excitedly patted his shoulder.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"You're still part of the production," she excitedly whispered.
With that, the meeting came to an end, with June's plan being executed well.
Haruki's post even added to its perfection, so he sent him a quick text to show his gratitude.
June: Thanks.
Then, the people started vacating the room, most of them casting apologetic looks at June for acting hostile when they learned about his 'supposed' relationship.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhi was still stuck in his seat, causing June to smirk.
June stayed back and continued observing him.
Hana turned around when she didn't feel June's presence beside her.
"You coming?" she asked.
"I'll follow," June said.
With that, only Lin Zhi and him were left in the room. However, the former still seemed unaware of his presence.
June smirked and decided to tease the cocky man even further.
He walked over to where he was and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, causing Lin Zhi to freeze.
"You're next," June said in a deep voice before standing and leaving the room.
