At that moment, I saw Choi Jun-Woo's blue Ramborghini enter the parking lot of the Le Cœur Hotel.
"He's here."
I had worried about what to do if he didn't show up, but it turned out my worry was unfounded.
Flash!
The first thing I did was to snap a photo of him pulling into the parking lot. I thought about entering the club but changed my mind.
After all, there was someone better suited to handling these kinds of situations.
***
"Ah. Shit. Do they think news just comes out with no effort?"
Snap!
After being called to the editor-in-chief's office, Reporter Jang Moon-Ki couldn't contain his anger and threw his planner onto the desk.
"Reporter Jang. What happened?"
Fellow reporter, Yang Ju-Sung, asked as he pulled out a chair.
"Ah, I don't even know. Damn it. The chief keeps pestering me to bring back an interesting scoop and gives me crap. Since he's so frustrated, why doesn't he go out and come back with scoops himself? Ever since he was promoted to the editor's position, he's been hounding me at least every three days."
"They say the company's running at a loss lately. Maybe that's the reason. But hey, you're still better off than me. I get reprimanded every single day."
Even though they were both struggling, Jang Moon-Ki felt better upon hearing that his colleague was having a tougher time.
"Reporter Yang, do you have any sources by chance?"
"Hmm. Recently, there's been a lot of negative buzz about Park Eun-Bin from TK Entertainment and her terrible acting skills. Why don't you dig into that and make some pocket money? TK throws money around a lot, you know. Why don't you go get a meal out of it?" Yang Ju-Sung spoke as if he just remembered something.
"Ah, Come on. That's not a scoop. That's just taking money for writing an article."
"Hehe, just slap the word 'exclusive' on it and it will become a scoop. What's so special about a scoop anyway? Just write anything, man."
"You keep churning out those half-baked articles, buddy."
Jang Moon-Ki sighed and looked at Yang Ju-Sung with a pitiful expression.
"Reporter Yang. How about we go drink some soju? I'm feeling down today."
"Forget it. Do you think I'm as carefree as a single guy like you?"
"Geez. What happened to the heavyweight drinker Yang Ju-Sung? Is your wife that scary?"
"Get married yourself, then you'll understand,"
"I guess I'll just have to crack open a beer at the convenience store by myself. I'm out of here," muttered Jang Moon-Ki, a lifelong bachelor.
When Jang Moon-Ki was about to get up to go home, the common phone in the press department started to ring.
Ring Ring.
Park Bong-Du, the department head, called out to Jang Moon-Ki after picking up the call.
"Hey, Reporter Jang. Some informant with a weird voice is looking for you. Take it quickly."
"Me?"
"They say it's a big case. They absolutely won't talk to me about it."
"Don't hang up, please!"
Jang Moon-Ki hurriedly grabbed the intercom at his desk.
"Hello? Is this Reporter Jang Moon-Ki?"
True to Park Bong-Du's description, it sounded like the man on the call was speaking with a nasal voice as if he was deliberately pinching his nose.
It was very likely that it was a prank call, but Jang Moon-Ki's reporter instincts were telling him otherwise today. Seeing the man's effort to disguise his voice, Jang Moon-Ki thought he could be an informant who wanted to stay anonymous.
Jang Moon-Ki took the phone and gestured to Park Bong-Du to hang up. But Park Bong-Du ignored Jang Moon-Ki's signaling.
"Sir, one moment please. Is it okay if I record this phone call?"
"Hm. I don't know about that."
"Then I'll get ready to take some notes."
Jang Moon-Ki covered the phone and started glaring at Park Bong-Du with an angry look.
"Mr. Park. Put the intercom down, please."
But Park Bong-Du awkwardly cleared his throat and said.
"Hey, if it's supposed to be an exclusive scoop, let me in on it, too."
"That's not going to happen. I need to save up money if I want to get married."
"Damn it. What woman would want a jerk like you? Go ahead and indulge yourself then."
"Yes, that's the plan."
Click.
As soon as Park Bong-Du put down the intercom, Jang Moon-Ki composed himself and went back to the call.
"Go ahead, sir"
Not expecting much, Jang Moon-Ki was utterly surprised when the man with the nasal voice actually provided him with a major exclusive.
'This is huge!'
Jang Moon-Ki's heart raced with excitement. But as a reporter, his skepticism kicked in at the same time.
"But I heard that Gentleman Choi Jun-Woo doesn't drink or go to clubs. Is there any evidence that..."
"I just sent you a photo, check it now~."
Ding.
At that moment, a photo was sent to Jang Moon-Ki's phone. It was a picture of Choi Jun-Woo taking an elevator up to Club BLUE in Gangnam.
Knowing that Club BLUE in Gangnam had been the subject of bad rumors recently, Jang Moon-Ki wanted much more direct and explicit evidence.
"That is indeed Mr. Choi Jun-Woo. But unfortunately, this isn't enough. He could just be meeting a friend there. It's difficult to report on this with just this much..."
"Really? Okay~. Then I'll call Reporter Ju Kang-Yong at Celebrity Big News instead~."
Upon hearing an unexpected response, Jang Moon-Ki cried out in desperation, not wanting to lose the scoop.
"Wait. Just a moment! Not Ju Kang-Yong! That guy's terrible! Everything will be ruined if it gets to him! I'm heading out right now. Yes! Of course! I will expose this for the sake of justice, if nothing else. Such scum shouldn't exist on this planet. I can dig out everything down to the color of his underwear. Oh, yes. Yes. But what was your name again...? A prophet from the future? Why, you insane little... No, no, I'm not talking about you. Hello? Hello...."
Click.
The call was disconnected.
"Ah, this blabbermouth of mine!"
Jang Moon-Ki regretted carelessly upsetting the informant. But he quickly grabbed his essential belongings and hurried outside.
His heart raced with the fear that the informant might contact another reporter instead of him. After all, Reporter Ju Kang-Yong from Celebrity Big News and Jang Moon-Ki were arch-enemies.
Jang Moon-Ki was given a 30-minute deadline. Since the informant said he would call Ju Kang-Yong if Jang Moon-Ki didn't show up within that time, he couldn't waste a second.
"Reporter Jang, where are you going?" Park Bong-Du asked.
"I'm on a scoop!" Jang Moon-Ki turned around without looking back.
Upon hearing the news of top star Choi Jun-Woo using drugs, there was nothing holding him back. If he could capture just one picture, a promotion and a bonus would be guaranteed.
***
"This guy really talks too much. And what's wrong with calling myself a prophet from the future?"
Since Jang Moon-Ki didn't do his own reporting and tried to extract more information from me, I dropped the name of Reporter Ju Kang-Yong from Celebrity Big News.
Reporter Ju Kang-Yong was a scoundrel, just like Jang Moon-Ki. He was known for being unethical as long as he could get profitable news.
Since I had tipped off Jang Moon-Ki, all I had to do now was wait. After all, he would naturally produce sensational stories and complicate the issue upon arriving at the scene.
Although Jang Moon-Ki was typically the nemesis of any entertainment company, he was undeniably the best expert in digging up scandals in this industry.
Jang Moon-Ki arrived shortly, before even 20 minutes had passed. Getting out of his car, he looked around and then approached the valet parking attendant. He then pulled something white out from his pocket and started talking to the attendant after handing it to him.
"That little runt. He didn't give out gift vouchers again, did he?"
But as Jang Moon-Ki continued his conversation with the valet attendant, his face lit up.
"It looks like he's dug up something useful."
It was impossible to get information through the police because Club BLUE had police who conveniently turned a blind eye.
At that moment, the sound of an engine could be heard from the parking lot.
Vroom!
It had been less than 30 minutes, but Choi Jun-Woo's car was already coming out of the parking lot. Then, I noticed a woman who appeared to be unconscious in the passenger seat next to Choi Jun-Woo.
"What? What the heck is that bastard doing? Is he seriously taking a drunk woman home?"