The Uncrowned King of the Peninsula

Chapter 4 The Tiger Falls in Pingyang
Bae Yong-jun was not originally at Hangang Sports, nor was he a paparazzi, but a gold medal reporter for KBS.

He grew up in Busan. His family is of Chinese descent. However, he was separated from his parents at a young age. Fortunately, he was taken in by relatives on his mother's side and was able to grow up. With his talent and hard work, he was admitted to the Department of Journalism at Korea University. He can be said to have made his own way.

After graduating from university in 2012, he joined KBS as a reporter and quickly made a name for himself. Within two years, he even had his own independent program, becoming a rising star in the news industry.

Ryu Sung-soo and Cho Bong-joo were members of the program crew at that time.

However, just when everything was going well, an accident suddenly happened.

In 2015, before a program, the interviewee suddenly died in the lounge under mysterious circumstances. KBS executives intervened directly and hastily announced that he had died of illness, covering up all clues and evidence.

Bae Young-jun, who wanted to investigate the truth behind the death, was subjected to all kinds of difficulties. In the end, he was put on the receiving end of all the responsibility and was held accountable for the accident. He was declared to have caused a major interview accident, was seriously derelict in his duty, and was expelled from KBS.

Liu Chengzhu, Zhao Fengzhu and others were very dissatisfied and left angrily with him. However, the team, carrying the murder case, repeatedly ran into obstacles at major TV stations and newspapers.

Only Lim Byung-hun, the president of the entertainment tabloid Hangang Sports, extended an olive branch and specially established a second social news team. This is precisely why Park Ji-cheol and even the editor-in-chief Zhao Dongxu are hostile to him.

However, passion cannot defeat reality. The pressure of life and career will not disappear because of passion. There is a world of difference between being disliked by everyone and being a national reporter of KBS. The partners who followed Bae Young-jun also left one after another.

Some returned to KBS to admit their mistakes, while others sought other opportunities.

And tomorrow, I'm afraid that only Liu Chengzhu will be left.

"President Lin plans to merge Groups 20 and and lay off % of the staff. Perhaps Park Ji-cheol will be promoted to editor-in-chief of the New Society News Group. If you want to leave, I can also recommend other places for you."

A tiger in the plains, a dragon trapped in shallows.

Pei Yongjun actually didn't blame Zhao Fengzhu. He had been loyally following him for two years and had done his best. Besides, he was almost at the end of his rope here.

"Ah! What are you talking about! I, Liu Chengzhu, would never let my friends down!" Liu Chengzhu, who looked gentle and polite, had a very hot temper. "I won't leave even if you kill me!"

He grabbed his suit jacket and stormed out.

"Hey, come back!" Bae Yong-jun called out to Liu Chengzhu.

He opened the drawer, took out an envelope, and placed it on the table. "Here's this month's money."

"Mo?" Liu Chengzhu's expression froze. "Team Leader, hasn't the newspaper paid our team last month? We haven't received any advertising fees either."

"It hasn't been transferred yet, but you still have to pay the money back." Pei Yongjun stretched out his hand and pushed the envelope forward. "Here."

"...I'm sorry, it's my fault." The hot-tempered Liu Chengzhu lowered his head and took a long time to utter a word.

The situation at Han River Sports was getting tough. Ryu Sung-su heard that a tabloid was for sale and wanted to buy it, then give it to Bae Yong-jun to run so that they could escape the days of living under someone else's roof.

However, he did not expect that due to his lack of experience, he was cheated and not only lost his hard-earned savings, but also owed a large sum of money and even had to borrow high-interest loans.

In the end, it was Pei Yongjun who learned of his situation and came to his aid. He used his own house as collateral to help him pay back part of the debt, and the rest was paid off slowly on a monthly basis.

However, in the face of the fierce offensive of Agency D, the aging Hanjiang Sports went from bad to worse. Salaries, allowances and even the fees for informants were reduced and delayed again and again.

Not only is it becoming increasingly difficult to dig up valuable news, but this debt also seems so heavy.

"Anyway, it was my fault that I got you into trouble." Liu Chengzhu lowered his head, feeling ashamed to face Pei Yongjun. "I still have money, I will pay it back myself."

"How much money do you have left?" Bae Yong-jun asked Liu Chengzhu a question that stumped him.

There was silence.

Pei Yongjun looked at Liu Chengzhu who was silent and lowered his head, stood up with the envelope, and walked to his side. "If you are not stupid, why would you follow me here?"

"You finally got into a prestigious school, KBS, but you ignored my advice and left with me, becoming a paparazzi and losing all your money. Isn't that stupid?"

Bae Young-jun's words made Liu Chengzhu look up suddenly, "Team Leader! I never thought of it that way!" "I know," Bae Young-jun looked into Liu Chengzhu's eyes and said firmly, "but other people will think that way. How disappointed their parents, girlfriend, and other family members will be."

"Team leader, I..." The hot-tempered Liu Chengzhu's eyes suddenly turned red.

"Here," Bae Yong-jun stuffed the envelope into Liu Chengzhu's arms. "Don't let them down. Don't let others call you stupid. Do you understand?"

"...Thank you, Team Leader. Thank you." Liu Chengzhu's eyes gleamed with determination. "I will never leave! Absolutely!"

"Okay, I know. It's okay. Let's go home." Bae Yong-jun waved his hand and Liu Chengzhu left, leaving him alone in the office.

"Ah, a lonely man?" Park Ji-cheol poked his head in from the doorway, looked at the empty office area, and raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't look good, our great reporter."

"Hahahaha." He laughed and left.

Bae Yong-jun ignored him and thought while looking at the information of Choi Sulli and Goo Hara.

He was fired from KBS and resigned collectively with a group of people. Anyone could go back, but he didn't have the chance.

Other regular newspapers would not want a paparazzi with a history of interview accidents and dismissal.

His only place to stay, Hanjiang Sports, is not only in a precarious situation, but Zhao Dongxu and Park Zhiche are also colluding to use the opportunity of layoffs and mergers to exclude him.

Liu Chengzhu and I still have a huge debt to pay off. If we can't pay it back, our small house will be taken away.

Where should I go then?

"The world is so big, where can I find a place to stay..." Pei Yongjun sighed.

The setting sun shone through the window, stretching his sturdy figure into a long silhouette, looming over the doorway of the news crew behind him, making it impossible to see his expression.

Buzz!Buzz!
The phone on the table rang, and an unfamiliar number popped up on the screen.

"Hello, I'm Bae Yongjun from Hanjiang Sports." He picked up the phone.

"You bastard! The money is ready! How can I give it to you!" A familiar female voice cursed.

Pei Yongjun's expression remained unchanged. "See you tonight at 9 o'clock, in the private room 3 of Haedongjeong Japanese Restaurant in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam District."

"A total of 8 photos, 8000 million."

He hung up the phone, and Choi Sulli's determined tears appeared in his mind again.

"Fragments of truth..." He muttered to himself and continued to think.

What is going on in my mind?

This secret must be related to Choi Sulli.

And this secret may be the key to controlling your own destiny.

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①xi: An honorific in the Peninsular language, similar to "you".

　The new book has been released, please support it and read it, thank you all!!

　　Please look forward to the wonderful stories captured by Bae Young-joon's lens!!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)