Chapter 910: New Program (3)
"Are you crazy? What did you say to your superior? That I took money?" Kwak Hye-Jin, the Variety Department Director, snapped and raised her voice.
Beside her, Chae Jin-Sung, the Programming Director, lowered his tone as well. "PD Ban. The way you're talking today is a bit out of line."
Even as the two glared sharply at him, Ban Sung-Gyu didn't so much as blink as he faced them head-on.
"If that's not the case, then how does it make sense to cut a program that already has its production budget fully secured? On top of that, we brought in a top star and the entire budget ourselves, and you're saying it'll be replaced with MeTube content?"
Kwak Hye-Jin bristled as she shot back. "Hey, you think I'd say this for no reason? What if Chief Jung joins hands with them and CK retaliates by pulling their sponsorships? What are you going to do then? CK alone accounts for about fifteen percent of the sponsorships for the Variety Department. If that disappears, do you realize the whole department will start to collapse?"
After pushing Lee Tae-Poong out of their own cable channel, CK Entertainment's President Son Hyung-Tae was now exerting influence over terrestrial broadcasting as well.
Sparks practically flew between Ban Sung-Gyu and Kwak Hye-Jin. I thought it might be time for me to step in.
Just then, Ban Sung-Gyu stopped me and began pressing Kwak Hye-Jin even harder. "Then do you think everything will be fine if you cut out Chief Jung?"
"Why? Is Chief Jung going to pull the actors?"
"No. But the sponsors for our program are Jinseong Inc., Daecheon Inc., and LT Entertainment. If they hear the program got scrapped because of CK, do you think they'll just sit still? Their pride won't allow it. Of course they'll retaliate."
"Jinseong, Daecheon, and LT?"
"Yes. The three of them account for thirty-five percent of the sponsorship. And you're saying we should cut out Chief Jung? What are you going to do if all that sponsorship disappears?"
'Wow, Mr. Ban... not bad at all.'
I hadn't expected him to bluff using the names of companies known to be close to me and turn the pressure back on the two directors. However, I had the power to turn that bluff into reality.
So I immediately played along with Ban Sung-Gyu. "Yes. Mr. Ban is right. And if the program gets canceled for that reason, they definitely won't stay quiet. Not with their pride on the line."
At that moment, Chae Jin-Sung, the Programming Director who oversaw all KBC program scheduling, shifted his stance. "Chief Jung. Nothing's been decided yet, so don't jump to conclusions or start contacting anyone. Okay? Let's talk this through a bit more. Nicely, nicely."
At that, Kwak Hye-Jin shot him a sharp look. "Mr. Chae. What exactly are you doing right now?!"
"What do you mean what am I doing? I'm trying to make sure we don't lose sponsorship from either side. Besides, CK Entertainment is practically our enemy anyway. We just need to pretend to go along with them to some extent."
"I can't do that."
"Then what do you propose we do?"
Kwak Hye-Jin, clearly feeling the pressure, held it in and made a suggestion. "Chief Jung."
"Yes."
"Go to President Son and bow just once. If you do, I'll make sure this program goes through, and from now on I'll stay on your side. What do you think?"
Kwak Hye-Jin was telling me to bow just once. And in return, she would smooth everything over. However, there were things one must never bow for, not even once. This was one of those moments.
"I'm not sure whether I'm speaking with KBC's Variety Director or the Variety Director of CK Entertainment's cable channel," I said.
Kwak Hye-Jin's body trembled, her pride clearly wounded. "So... you're saying you won't listen to me?"
"I'm afraid so."
At that, Kwak Hye-Jin clapped her hands sharply. "Okay. Then it can't be helped. Get out."
With that, Kwak Hye-Jin openly ordered me to leave.
Chae Jin-Sung spoke up urgently. "Director Kwak. Why are you pushing things this far? Huh? And no matter how pissed you are, you can't just do whatever CK Entertainment tells you! You're the Variety Director of KBC!"
Kwak Hye-Jin's eyes flared with anger. "Who says I'm doing this because CK told me to? It's because Chief Jung is completely ignoring me—the head of KBC's Variety Department! And you expect a broadcasting station to bow its head to some mere talent agent? I have no intention of doing that, and I don't want to, so don't bother trying to persuade me!"
When things didn't go her way, she started talking about the authority of the broadcasting station. Then I had no choice but to use my last resort.
I pushed my chair back and stood up. "Understood."
"Hm? Understood what?"
"If KBC doesn't want it, then there's nothing we can do, is there?"
After saying that, I signaled Lee Tae-Poong and Lee Dae-Ho to get up. "Tae-Poong. Let's go."
"Yes, hyung."
Lee Tae-Poong and Lee Dae-Ho pulled their chairs back to stand.
At that moment, Ban Sung-Gyu shouted urgently, "Ma'am, are you really okay with this?"
"Ugh, with what?"
"Do you not remember how, acting just like this, Project I.O.A ended up going to SBC?"
When Project I.O.A was being produced, they had shopped it around all three major broadcasters to spark competition. As a result, KBC lost the program to SBC. And that program had become a massive hit.
"If Chief Jung walks out of here, do you think he'll just give up? Absolutely not! He'll package it nicely like Project I.O.A and hand it off to another network. Can you handle that?"
Kwak Hye-Jin flinched for the first time."That's..."
"And I will report this matter to upper management no matter what. That the newly appointed Variety Director let her pride get in the way and failed to secure a program that already had full production funding, causing it to be taken by another network."
Kwak Hye-Jin's face flushed red. "PD Ban. You little—"
"So make your decision. Either approve it, or watch People Who Can Kick a Ball get made at another station. Oh, and for the record—if that happens, I'll be transferring stations too."
Kwak Hye-Jin clenched her teeth and glared at us. The way her cheeks trembled like she had some kind of massage patch stuck on them was oddly fascinating.
At that moment, Chae Jin-Sung finally took a clear side. "Director Kwak. I'm going to schedule this program. Normally, I'd only do it after you propose it, but this will be an exception. So think carefully. If you don't give the okay, I'll go straight to upper management right now and get final approval myself. What'll it be?"
"Do whatever you want! Schedule it or don't!"
With that, Kwak Hye-Jin stormed out of the meeting room.
Bang.
As the door slammed shut, Chae Jin-Sung clicked his tongue. "Tsk, seriously, that stubborn Director Kwak... being that rigid won't do her any good."
Now that Chae Jin-Sung had clearly taken our side, I finally bowed my head in apology.
"Sir. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. We were the ones who started with the threats anyway."
Ban Sung-Gyu also bowed deeply beside me. "Mr. Chae, I got carried away and crossed the line. Please forgive me!"
"Saying I took money, huh?"
Ban Sung-Gyu lifted his head slightly and grinned. "Come on, no way. You might accept drinks, but not money, right? And earlier, since Director Kwak was there, I just slipped it in casually as part of the package."
"Hah, you little punk!"
As Chae Jin-Sung raised his fist, Ban Sung-Gyu dodged playfully and rubbed his hands together.
"I'm sorry. So let's lock in the schedule already, okay?"
Only then did Chae Jin-Sung let out a disbelieving laugh. "Fine, let's lock it in! We'll lock it in! And I'll deal with you after!"
Only after Ban Sung-Gyu apologized again were we finally able to begin a proper planning meeting.
"But what's the program called?"
Before the regression, the show had been titled Our League. Now, Ban Sung-Gyu proposed a new name.
"The new variety show will be called People Who Can Kick a Ball."
"People Who Can Kick a Ball? Well, I guess that's what all the guys who play soccer say. Okay, I like it."
Chae Jin-Sung nodded, clearly pleased with the title. And I felt the same way. People Who Can Kick a Ball. That was how the name of KBC's soccer variety show was decided.
After that, Ban Sung-Gyu began explaining the program in detail.
"We'll form teams by company. Mostly celebrities will participate, but where we're short, talent agents will join as wildcards. For now, three companies—Hoop Entertainment, Reverse Entertainment, and SJ Entertainment—have agreed to form teams and appear..."
***
After the planning meeting ended, Chae Jin-Sung spoke.
"The schedule is tight, but since we've secured the most important things like funding and the three base teams, let's move forward aggressively. We'll set the first broadcast for three weeks from now, Friday at 8:30 p.m. Starting 20 minutes early will also cut into the viewership ratings of the competing program."
The competing program, TVM's God of Soccer, aired at 8:50 p.m. on Fridays. So by starting 20 minutes earlier, we could take a hit at its ratings.
Ban Sung-Gyu grinned. "You really are the best when it comes to strategy, Mr. Chae. See that, Chief Jung? That's what experience looks like!"
"Anyway, get going. I need to report to the president right away so Director Kwak can't cause trouble."
"Yes, sir!"
"Alright then. Good work, everyone!"
Chae Jin-Sung clenched his fist and left the meeting room first.
Thud.
The moment the door closed, Ban Sung-Gyu leaned back in his chair and gave me a thumbs-up.
"Chief Jung. You and I work pretty well together. Thanks to your perfect timing earlier, things went smoothly."
"The way you spun that story with such conviction wasn't exactly ordinary either."
"What choice did I have? But can all three companies really sponsor us?"
"Don't worry. It's possible."
"Heh. Just like the rumors say. I'm counting on you, Chief Jung."
"Yes, sir."
Then Ban Sung-Gyu asked, testing the waters. "But hey... when you said you'd go to another station if this didn't work out—that was a bluff, right?"
I smiled brightly and answered, "No. I meant it."
"What? You were serious?"
I nodded, smiling at his startled expression. "But if that happened, I was planning to bring you with me, Mr. Ban."
"What? Take me with you? Pfft, pfft...hahaha!" After laughing for a while, he suddenly stopped and spoke. "I guess I can't bluff in front of you anymore. I might end up actually switching companies whether I want to or not."
"Well, if things don't work out, you could just come over to Mirinae and handle outsourced variety shows."
"Hey, don't say things like that so casually. It sounds way too real, and that's scary!"
"Haha. Is that so?"
"Yeah."
I scratched my head awkwardly and continued. "Anyway, now that the scheduling is confirmed, how about we grab lunch together later? It's on me."
"Hm? It's only 11 right now. Where are we supposed to wait?"
"Well... we're planning to head to a nearby grass field to film Tae-Poong taking some shots and upload it to Instargem. I think we'll be around here until lunchtime."
"Shoot footage?"
Lee Tae-Poong made an awkward expression beside me. "Some rumor sites posted today, and people started leaving hate comments calling me 'all hype,' so we're going to film a clarification video."
At that, Ban Sung-Gyu suddenly sprang to his feet. "What kind of bastard calls Tae-Poong—one of today's MVPs—all hype? No, Tae-Poong. I'll handle the crosses. Let's go."
"Excuse me?"
"I know every soccer field around here like the back of my hand, so just follow me. I'll keep sending in crosses until we get the perfect shot today!"
"Thank you, Mr. Ban!"
As Lee Tae-Poong stood up, the two of them slung their arms around each other's shoulders and started walking out.
'...Aren't you going to work?'
After already finishing an early morning amateur soccer match, he was going back to the field again. There was yet another person here who was crazier about soccer than work.
Just then, Ban Sung-Gyu, who had been walking ahead, suddenly turned his head. "Chief Jung. You're not coming?"
"I'll send Director Kwak a Kk Talk message first."
"Ah, just leave her alone. You'll only get cursed at if you message her anyway."
Instead of answering, I started typing out the message. Kwak Hye-Jin might be a problematic person, but at the very least, she knew which side to take to survive.
***
Kwak Hye-Jin stormed back into her office. Sitting down on the sofa, she immediately called Son Hyung-Tae, the President of CK Entertainment.
After a few rings, he picked up.
-Director Kwak. So, did it go well?
"I'm sorry, but I didn't have any justification to reject Chief Jung's proposal. They brought in investors, a production team, and even external sponsorships—all of it. I'm sorry."
Just as Ban Sung-Gyu had said, when Kwak Hye-Jin was promoted to director, she had received money and luxury goods from the CK Inc. It was customary at the executive level in broadcasting, and since the amount wasn't excessive, she hadn't thought much of it at the time.
Still, feeling indebted, she had intended to honor Son Hyung-Tae's request to block anything Jung Yoon-Ho tried to do. Since she had failed, she offered an apology.
Then, Son Hyung-Tae's voice dropped into a low growl at the news that things had gone wrong.
-When you were taking my money, you swallowed it down just fine, didn't you? And now that I'm asking you to do your part, you're acting all righteous? Is that really how this works?
"Are you threatening me right now, Mr. Son?"
-It's not a threat. I'm just stating facts.
Only then did Kwak Hye-Jin realize that accepting those gifts so casually had been a mistake. However, she was the variety director of KBC.
Wiping away the last trace of guilt in her heart, she responded in a sharp, ringing voice.
"Try whatever you want. You think I'll go down alone? And by the way, I just recorded this call. I'll make sure to warn the other directors to be careful of you too, so do as you please."
-You really want to go up against me?
"Yes. Go ahead and try."
Just then, a Kk Talk message came in.
Buzz.
She was about to ignore it since she was in the middle of an argument, but seeing that it was from Jung Yoon-Ho, she grew curious. She briefly pulled the phone away from her ear and checked the message.
[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: I unintentionally showed you disrespect earlier. Please forgive me generously. I'll make sure to plan a music variety show that you like and present it to you as a gift. And this is a small apology gift.]
[(You've got a gift!) A chocolate cake has arrived from Chief Jung Yoon-Ho. (Original price: 49,900 won)]
Even though they had argued the moment they met, Jung Yoon-Ho had apologized first. And on top of that, he had sent a gift that didn't cross the line. A cake she liked, no less.
For a moment, Kwak Hye-Jin felt embarrassed, and without realizing it, she muttered to herself.
"Hah... seriously. The difference in class is obvious."
She said "difference in class," but the meaning behind it was the exact opposite. Compared to Son Hyung-Tae, who used a bag and some cash as leverage to threaten her, Jung Yoon-Ho's way of handling things was beyond reproach.
Just then, Son Hyung-Tae's grating voice came through the phone.
-What did you just say?
At that moment, Kwak Hye-Jin made her choice. She decided to choose not the petty Son Hyung-Tae, but the bold Jung Yoon-Ho.
"If you can't even handle a single talent agent and have to resort to threats, then I can already see how your future's going to turn out, Mr. Son."
Then the other side dropped all pretense and spoke casually.
-What? What did you just say?
Fury surged up, and Kwak Hye-Jin ground her teeth as she replied. "I'm going to voluntarily report the bag and congratulatory money I received from you to the company and request disciplinary action. So that means there's nothing left between us anymore. Understood?"
Realizing he had made a mistake, Son Hyung-Tae hurriedly softened his tone.
-W-wait a moment, Director Kwak. I got a bit carried away and misspoke. I'm sorry—
"You don't need to apologize. And you'd better brace yourself. The hottest show on TVM right now is God of Soccer, right? I'm going to team up with Chief Jung and make a new soccer variety show. And we're going to crush that program piece by piece."
-Director Kwak! That's not what I meant—
"I'm hanging up!"
Click.
After ending the call, Kwak Hye-Jin fumed for a moment before immediately calling Ban Sung-Gyu.
-Hello...?
At his uneasy tone, Kwak Hye-Jin spoke with a hint of apology. "Sung-Gyu. I'm sorry about earlier. From now on, I'll fully back People Who Can Kick a Ball, so go all out and make it properly. Since Chief Jung's side is covering the production costs, we'll match it as well. But you have to beat TVM's God of Soccer in ratings. You must win. And if you lose, you're dead."
-Pardon me?
"Did you understand me?"
-Ah, yes... yes. I understand.
"Good. Then get to work."
After hanging up, Kwak Hye-Jin immediately called Jung Yoon-Ho as well.
"Chief Jung. The chocolate cake you sent is my favorite brand. I'll enjoy it."
-I'm glad to hear that. And I look forward to working with you going forward.
Jung Yoon-Ho answered in a calm, easygoing voice that didn't make her feel uncomfortable. Because of that, Kwak Hye-Jin felt both apologetic and strangely indebted at the same time. And yet, she couldn't help but feel puzzled.
'But how is someone that young this polished?'
***
We arrived at the synthetic turf soccer field near KBC.
Bang!
From the penalty arc just outside the goal area, Lee Tae-Poong launched a powerful bicycle kick that tore into the net.
Swish!
After confirming the ball had slammed into the corner of the goal, Lee Tae-Poong clenched both fists.
"Yes!"
I had been playing goalkeeper and leapt with everything I had, stretching my hand through the air. However, the shot traced such a perfect trajectory that there was no stopping it.
Struggling to get back up, I asked, "Is that good enough? Huff, huff..."
"Yes! Phew, I almost died. But hyung, how are you blocking everything like that?"
"You told me to take it seriously."
At first, I had planned to let a few goals in and only make a half-hearted effort. After all, this wasn't about winning but it was about capturing a cool goal scene for Lee Tae-Poong. Yet, with a dissatisfied look, Lee Tae-Poong had asked me to give it my all, just like during our amateur league matches.
In the end, I went all in and ended up awakening the spirit of the "Punching King" inside me again. Because of that, it took a while before Lee Tae-Poong could finally score a properly stylish goal.
"But we got about four really great shots, so let's upload the video now."
It had been a bit of a struggle thanks to Lee Tae-Poong's stubbornness, but we got some great footage out of it. So it would definitely help with promotion.
Lee Tae-Poong nodded with a bright smile. "Okay!"
Just then, Lee Dae-Ho, who had been filming us near the goalpost, walked over. However, there was a troubled look on his face.
"Mr. Jung. Before we upload Tae-Poong's video, you should take a look at this."
As I wondered what it could be, Lee Dae-Ho held out his phone in front of me. The moment I saw it, I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh. My name was sitting right at the top of the best posts on a massive online community.
'What... is this?'
