《[Exclusive] EY Ent, Hundreds of Billions in Offshore Tax Evasion Detected》
PD U Hanseok’s eyes went enormously wide as he looked at the article title, his mouth slowly falling open. His expression was one of unmistakable shock. It was more than understandable. Hundreds of billions in offshore tax evasion?
He urgently asked Writer Kim Sehui, who had held out her phone.
“Wh-when did this go up?”
“I told you, it just went up!”
“It just went up?”
“Yes! It’s been three minutes, three minutes!”
PD U Hanseok lowered his gaze to the article on Writer Kim Sehui’s phone again.
“······”
He was openly flustered.
‘H-hundreds of billions in tax evasion? And offshore tax evasion at that?’
It wasn’t some moderate issue. It was an unimaginably massive case. U Hanseok checked the name of the media outlet and the reporter who had dropped the article. The outlet was one of the major domestic ones, and the reporter was someone U Hanseok knew by face.
‘···That bastard’s damn ruthless.’
After recognizing even the reporter, he carefully read through the article.
‘This isn’t some random rumor sheet they scattered around. The whole article feels certain—so they must have evidence, no question. To begin with, unless this media outlet had lost its mind, there’s no way they’d hit EY with mere rumors.’
Soon reaching the end of the article, PD U Hanseok muttered to himself.
“Just looking at this, I don’t think it’ll end with one shot.”
It was an extremely serious situation.
“If this is real, or if they can’t resolve it properly, EY might sink.”
The writers crowded around him and shouted.
“PD-nim, what do we do?!”
As if asking what there was to ask, U Hanseok reacted quickly.
“Call EY Ent right now!”
“Yes, yes!”
At the same time.
-♬♪
The phone on PD U Hanseok’s desk began to ring. The caller was the head of the variety division. Whether because he found it bothersome or because he wanted to put out the urgent fire first, U Hanseok ignored the director’s call.
“Are you getting through to EY?!”
Writer Kim Sehui answered with the phone pressed to her ear, shaking her head rapidly.
“No! This is already the third try, but it won’t connect at all!”
Letting out a long sigh, PD U Hanseok dragged both hands down his face.
“Ha—damn it, this just got messy.”
Still, as a veteran, U Hanseok had experienced this sort of thing from time to time. It had put him through hell each time, but because of that, he also knew very well how to deal with it.
“First, we cut off the tail.”
“The tail?”
“We cut it off so the fire doesn’t spread to us.”
EY Ent’s hundreds of billions in offshore tax evasion. When someone took a dump this big, it became a serious problem for the entire entertainment industry. EY Ent’s celebrities were scattered everywhere. Even if the celebrities hadn’t done anything wrong, their images would be muddied.
Of course, the same applied to “Geubaekpeu.”
“First, cut out every shot from the broadcasts that includes EY Ent.”
“R-right now?!”
“Then are you going to do it next year? Whether this tax evasion issue is real or not, cut it out immediately!”
“Ah, ah! Yes, yes!”
There were a few EY Ent scenes in the middle part of “Geubaekpeu,” and many in the later footage. When this was an issue involving hundreds of billions in tax evasion, airing them blatantly made no sense. Even if “Geubaekpeu” had already ended, there were reruns, YouTube, and it had even launched on domestic and Japanese Netflex. On Netflex, countless fans might still be pressing play right this moment.
So they had to erase EY Ent’s presence from the aired episodes as quickly as possible.
Whether it was true or not came later.
If they simply watched from the sidelines, the damage might spread to “Geubaekpeu” as well.
“Ah, damn—I thought I’d finally get some rest. Tsk! Hey, hey, run to the editing room!”
PD U Hanseok rapidly gave orders to the writers, who had grown frantic.
“Take down every YouTube video mixed with EY first! Put a stop on the reruns too!”
“What about Netflex?!”
“I’ll call them myself!”
“Yes!”
“PD-nim! I’ll start finding the EY Ent cuts in the broadcast footage!”
“Mark them! We can make the transitions natural later! Hurry!”
The various writers in the meeting room scrambled around as though their feet had caught fire. At that moment, Writer Kim Sehui, who had been continuously trying to call EY Ent, cautiously spoke to PD U Hanseok.
“PD-nim······it’ll be okay, right?”
After checking the missed calls on his phone, PD U Hanseok answered more calmly than expected.
“It’ll be fine. As long as we do what we have to do, it’ll be resolved. If we slip up here, some dirty water will splash on us. Just keep your head straight.”
“I-I’ve never dealt with something like this before, so I’m a little scared.”
“It’s not something that happens often. I’ve only seen it a few times myself. And especially not with an agency on EY’s level.”
“Still, I don’t think it’s the worst-case scenario.”
“Why?”
“No, think about it. If Rojun had chosen EY Ent at the end······phew—we’re really unbelievably lucky.”
In an instant, PD U Hanseok’s brow furrowed sharply.
“Shit, if Rojun had picked EY—we’d have to redo all the final shoots from scratch. And if EY had rushed to sign contracts with the members from the day they were chosen···damn, I get dizzy just thinking about it.”
The reputation “Geubaekpeu” had built up until now might have collapsed in an instant. If contracts had been involved, it would have become even more complicated. Soon, PD U Hanseok recalled the insanely good-looking face of Gang Rojun.
“It may be pure luck······but even this kind of fortune follows that kid.”
About 30 minutes later.
The article about EY’s tax evasion, suddenly thrown into the world, spread at a jaw-dropping speed.
《[Breaking] EY Ent Hit with Allegations of Hundreds of Billions in Offshore Tax Evasion》
《Hundreds of Billions in Offshore Tax Evasion? ‘EY Entertainment’ Cannot Be Reached / Photos》
《EY Entertainment Suspected of Offshore Tax Evasion》
It was EY Ent, one of the Big Three, the largest entertainment companies in Korea, and among them, a massive agency recently regarded as number one. Naturally, countless media outlets latched on.
《EY Ent’s Sudden Tax Evasion Scandal Puts Entertainment Industry on Emergency Alert》
《[Stock Talk] Offshore Tax Evasion Allegations: Will ‘EY Ent’ Stock Hit Rock Bottom?》
Most domestic entertainment companies struck up the celebratory music.
“EY Ent finally blew up properly!”
“Offshore tax evasion? And hundreds of billions at that! This one’s huge, isn’t it?”
“Right. They won’t be able to slip out easily like last time.”
“Hahaha! I thought they’d gained momentum from ‘Geubaekpeu’—but they’re going straight to hell!”
“But if this happens, does GN rise sharply?”
Regardless, with one major incident exploding, other media outlets dragged out EY Ent’s past tax evasion issues as though they’d been waiting.
《‘EY Ent’ Had Tax Evasion Issues in the Past as Well》
《Tax Evasion Allegations Surrounding ‘EY Ent’ Were Controversial Several Years Ago Too》
Was that all? Whether they had kept them in reserve or not, small issues related to EY Ent continued to be added one after another. EY Ent, carpet-bombed in an instant, remained silent.
《Despite Allegations of Hundreds of Billions in Offshore Tax Evasion, ‘EY Ent’ Gives No Response》
There was a reason people said an issue was buried by another issue. The noise over “Geubaekpeu” and “Rental Lover” was plastered over in an instant with EY Ent.
Even in the midst of it, Rojun and the members’ names frequently appeared.
《[Big Issue] Rojun, Sihu, Gangmin, and Dokyeong Were Right to Choose GN Ent···Not Choosing EY Ent Was a Divine Move》
Questions such as why they had chosen GN were nowhere to be seen. Like this, the news of EY Ent’s tax evasion spread through not only the media but the entire entertainment industry in the blink of an eye. Following U Hanseok, Jeong Suryeong and many others, people from the broadcasting world and numerous entertainment companies checked the news.
And at this time.
“Whoa—”
Gang Rojun, who was on the “Geubaekpeu” campus, was also looking at the article.
“Hundreds of billions in tax evasion? They’re insane.”
Then he recalled “AI Simulation” and “AI Automation.”
“Is this why EY was 3 points? Ugh—wait, I’ve got chills.”
Gang Rojun once again let out an exclamation at the power of “AI Simulation.” His trust in it had already been deep, but now it rose several times higher.
‘Imagine if I’d chosen without running “AI Automation.” I really would’ve been screwed, wouldn’t I?’
He even praised himself for running “AI Automation” out of curiosity.
Soon, Gang Rojun browsed through the comments on the article and various communities to check the public’s reaction.
-Hul....wtf
-Did you see the EY tax evasion news?? It’s insane
-Yep, they’re saying hundreds of billions in offshore tax evasion. EY’s probably done for at this rate
-Wait didn’t EY have tax evasion talk going around last year or the year before too??
-LOLOLOLOL wait, then Rojun’s pick was crazy good??
-Lmaoooooo for realㅋㅋㅋㅋ people were bitching about why he didn’t go to EYㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Rojun picking GN had insane timing....
-Wow...you’re right?? If the kids had picked EY....they could’ve been totally ruined???
-Our Rojun can see the future.....
The public opinion that, until recently, had been full of questions and, in severe cases, insults toward Rojun, flipped at once. No, it would be more accurate to say that those forces vanished.
-Where did all the people who cursed Rojun for not picking EY go???
-They all ran away in their underwear, huh?
-Waaahㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ chillsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ It’s like even heaven is protecting Rojun, Sihu, Gangmin, and Dokyeongㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Protect our Rojun at all costs!!!
-From now on, whatever Rojun chooses will have crazy persuasive powerㅋㅋㅋㅋ He just has to bring up EY
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Around the time Gang Rojun was busily scanning the comments, the three members who had left the campus were also startled out of their wits.
Sihu, who was at a barbecue restaurant with his parents.
“······Huh??”
“Sihu, why are you looking at your phone in the middle of eating? Hurry and eat.”
“No···wow—Mom, I almost died.”
“What?? What are you suddenly talking about?”
Or Gangmin.
“Oh!! Is this for real?? This is insane. Did Rojun hyung know about this when he said that?”
Even Dokyeong.
“Hul—God Rojun.”
Gang Rojun, who had roughly expected the members’ reactions, murmured.
“Let’s see, EY was 3 points. Was Big Star 28 points?”
Even as he lowered his phone, he thought of another matter.
“What kind of problem is going to blow up at Big Star?”
Meanwhile, at the same time.
Around the time the nuclear bomb related to EY Ent exploded in the world, there was also a place that continued working without paying it much mind. The location was a medium-sized meeting room at “Culture Drawer.” Inside were a familiar woman from Management Team 1 and her team members.
It was Team Leader Ryu Jeonghwa.
The person seated across from her was not unfamiliar either.
It was Chief Jang Hakseon of BG Pictures, a top-tier domestic film company. This was the pleasant-looking man’s second visit to “Culture Warehouse.” Last time, he had come with the master-class Director Yu Jiheon. However, Director Yu Jiheon was nowhere to be seen today, and a rather serious conversation was currently being exchanged between the two sides.
What else could it be? It was about the movie screenplay contract for Rojun, whom Director Yu Jiheon desperately coveted.
Soon, Team Leader Ryu Jeonghwa recited with a faint smile.
“I see. A signing fee of 100 million won. Hm—Chief, how about adding a 50-won running guarantee to the 100 million signing fee?”
“A 50-won running guarantee—”
The running she mentioned referred to a running guarantee. It was only 50 won in words, but by no means was it a small figure. For example, if a film’s break-even point (BEP) was 2 million admissions and the total audience was 7 million, then roughly 5 million admissions would count toward earnings. Of course, calculating the exact profit was complicated, but simply put, one only had to multiply 50 won by 5 million admissions.
That made 250 million won.
Combined with the 100 million signing fee, that was 350 million won. Of course, if the film completely flopped, it would end with only the signing fee and no running guarantee. Especially with the film market in a slump these days, a film was considered decent if it merely passed the break-even point.
Because of that, Chief Jang Hakseon hesitated slightly, but he thought it wasn’t bad.
‘It’s rare to give a running guarantee to a screenwriter···but Writer Rojun is special.’
On top of that, there was Director Yu Jiheon’s royal command. Roughly, “Whatever conditions they propose, accept them as long as they aren’t outrageous.”
In truth, it was safe to say that rookie screenwriters received nothing besides a signing fee. Rojun’s debut work as a writer, “Rental Lover,” had become a huge hit, but film was another story. A signing fee of 100 million was already high. Normally, even a well-paid rookie screenwriter received 30 million at best. However, the set 100 million had been calculated based on Gang Rojun’s market value.
At this point, Team Leader Ryu Jeonghwa delivered the finishing blow.
“It’s rare for a screenwriter to have ticket power, isn’t it?”
Chief Jang Hakseon, whose face had been stiff, relaxed considerably.
“It’s not rare. There’s no such case.”
When it came to a film’s ticket power, the first priority was always the actor, followed by the director. That was why the market value of S-class actors was astronomical. But original authors or screenwriters rarely surfaced into the spotlight.
However, Gang Rojun was different.
‘If anything—he might become an even bigger issue than the actors or the director.’
The movie screenplay matter had not yet been revealed to the outside. If a movie written by that Rojun were released, just how curious would the public be?
‘There’ll be a spillover effect from “Rental Lover” too.’
Soon, Chief Jang Hakseon extended his hand to Ryu Jeonghwa.
“Understood. Let’s sign the contract under those conditions.”
It was the moment Rojun’s side-career filmography gained another entry.