Chapter 60: One Day (2)
『Yoo-Jin and Miso, both having lost their parents, have now become a family.』
『The girl who became a mother at the age of 19, Yoo-Jin, is still diligently reading her scriptbook for Miso's sake.』
『Her decision to challenge 'acting,' something she had never done in her life, was solely for her daughter, Miso.』
『In return, her daughter gives her the support she needs. Despite wanting to play and be carefree, she patiently waits and supports Yoo-Jin.』
The narration for The Human Stories was usually done by a veteran actor named Choi Seung-Rak. But in this episode, it was the voice of Lee Sa-Rang, who played the role of Yoo-Jin's mother in Blue Sky.
"Is this... Lee Sa-Rang sunbae-nim's voice?"
"It seems so."
Yoo-Jin also looked surprised.
Lee Sa-Rang had always adored Yoo-Jin like her own daughter during script readings. But I never dreamt she'd participate in the narration for The Human Stories for Yoo-Jin.
‘Such a top-notch actress must be busy yet she made time to help Yoo-Jin. I should personally reach out and thank her.’
Then, the scene changed again.
This time, it showed Gu Seong-Cheol and me lamenting over the comments on social media and articles.
『Why do they write such hateful comments...』
Our concerned expressions in the video were followed by Lee Sa-Rang's trembling narration about how Yoo-Jin was suffering due to fabricated articles written by Reporter Ju Kang-Yong. She narrated how Yoo-Jin tried to overcome her painful past but was frustrated by the lies surrounding her.
The scene shifted again. The scene now was the day Yoo-Jin had acute gastritis. She sat on the sofa looking frail and sad with Miso in her arms.
Yoo-Jin was weakly slumped onto the couch and Miso was hugging her mother with tears welled up in her eyes.
『...So let's go to the hospital now, Yoo-Jin.』
『Okay, I understand. Oh, oppa, I have to go to the script reading later..』
『What are you talking about when you can't even stand up!』
『But I can't break a promise. I'll go to the hospital and then head straight there.』
As I helped Yoo-Jin stand up, Miso was on the other side, struggling to support her mother.
Lee Sa-Rang's narration continued in the background.
『Why does this young girl, who is trying to rise from her painful past, have to hear such cruel words?』
『I don't understand what these two, a mother and daughter left alone in the world, have done wrong.』
『Another day in the lives of this mother and daughter passes by.』
Lee Sa-Rang's voice faded, leaving a lingering impression.
The final part of the video showed Yoo-Jin being taken away by the ambulance, concluding the first part of The Human Stories. At the same time, ‘Island Baby’ started playing again in the background.
『When mother goes to the island's shadow~ to pick oysters~』
I thought viewers of the documentary might easily misinterpret Yoo-Jin's situation, thinking that she was grappling with a life-and-death struggle because of the negative comments. The editing surpassed my expectations, delivering a much more intense and impactful result than I had expected.
Just as Na Hoon-Seok confidently said in the beginning, he had indeed produced an extraordinary result.
As the broadcast ended, Yoo-Jin hugged Miso tightly. Even though it was their own life story, they looked as if they had watched a deeply sad drama with swollen eyes.
At that moment, my phone started ringing.
[Caller: Chief Gu Seong-Cheol]
I wiped away the tears that had trickled down my cheeks without realizing it and answered the phone.
-Hey, you... you...
"Huh? Mr. Gu, what's wrong?"
-It's just that...
"Are you crying right now, Mr. Gu?"
-No, no, it's not that. I meant to say... Kid, you did a great job!
Gu Seong-Cheol was crying. Overwhelmed with emotions, he momentarily forgot what he wanted to say but eventually asked me to express his gratitude to Yoo-Jin for persevering. He mentioned that his wife and daughters were also in tears and wanted to convey their support to Yoo-Jin as well.
He even said that his wife scolded him, questioning what the company had done while Yoo-Jin was suffering on her own so much.
And from that moment on, my phone started ringing non-stop. Calls from Kim Soll-Ip, Lee Ji-Yeon, Jung Sam-Ryong, and staff from Hoop Entertainment all came in, each conveying their support for Yoo-Jin.
It seemed like I spent a good ten minutes talking to each of them. After hearing from Kang Ji-Yung, I checked the portal.
The live search rankings and comments were filled with apologies from people who had been deceived by Ju Kang-Yong's articles.
[Nave Live Search Rankings]
1st Sorry, Yoo-Jin
2nd Jung Yoo-Jin, tabloid articles
3rd The Human Stories
(Live Comments)
-Unnie, I'm sorry. I didn't know about your situation and felt betrayed, so I lashed out without realizing it. Really, I'm sorry.
-Wow, really. They weren’t kidding when they called reporters reportrash. I can’t believe everything he published was a lie.
-Haters are still delusional and believe in their ridiculous fantasies. They are just insane.
-Innocent people got implicated because of a crazy reportrash like him. I feel so bad for Yoo-Jin.
-People who cursed her, how about we bang our heads hard right now?
-I knew her when she worked at a burger place in Cheonho-dong. Even then, she was known for her kindness. No matter how much I tried to tell the truth, people cursed at me and called me a company spy. Just for your information, I took screen captures of all the comments. Prepare to be sued.
-What about those who insulted her? I heard the company's suing.
-Haha, karma is indeed real. Get ready for lawsuits.
-I'm sorry. But at least I never cursed at her niece—I mean, daughter. Please give me a chance.
-I want to chop off my fingers. Really.
People who had thoughtlessly maligned Yoo-Jin were quickly turning around. Perhaps because of this, the top trending search term on the portal had become 'Sorry, Yoo-Jin.'
On the other hand, those who had believed in Yoo-Jin from the beginning were becoming passionate fans.
I hadn't expected such an explosive response, maybe because of something Kim Dong-Soo had said to me in my past life which was still lingering at the back of my mind.
-People are so dumb that they'll believe anything we show them. They're no different from dogs and pigs. So forget about the truth because it doesn’t even matter. Trust me.
But Kim Dong-Soo was wrong.
Simply by portraying Yoo-Jin's life authentically, brimming with love and care for those around her, Ju Kang-Yong's sensational and false articles lost all their power. While the public had been indifferent to the lives of others as they were tired of dealing with their own problems, they nevertheless did not overlook the truth.
At that moment, I realized my decision to support Yoo-Jin and some of the members of Faithful in this second life wasn't a mistake.
Then, my phone rang again. It was Na Hoon-Seok, the director of The Human Stories.
[Caller: PD Na Hoon-Seok]
When I answered the call, I heard Na Hoon-Seok's cheerful voice over the line.
-Mr. Jung! Have you seen the viewership ratings?
"The ratings?"
-Oh right, it's not up on the portals yet. But from the broadcasting station's preliminary checks, we hit 15% in live viewership ratings! We'll have to verify tomorrow to make sure, but it's record-breaking! I told you it would work, didn’t I? Hahaha!
‘What? 15%? Is that even possible for a documentary program?’
Such a rating for a show that isn't even a drama seemed unbelievable.
"R-really?"
-Yeah, it seems there's a backlash against the articles written by that bastard Ju Kang-Yong. I had my doubts at first, but Mr. Jung, you were right. Hahaha.
Na Hoon-Seok chattered away excitedly. My ears were hurting, but I decided to be generous today. Thanks to Na Hoon-Seok’s effort in producing this wonderful piece of work, everything we had planned to do next would be much easier.
"Thank you. It's all thanks to you, Mr. Na."
-No way, it's not me. It's all thanks to Miss Yoo-Jin having lived her life with love and care for others. When you think about it, Miss Yoo-Jin is certainly different from other celebrities. Who else would take on the responsibility of adopting and raising their sibling’s child in such times? Especially at such a young age.
Having filmed numerous celebrities and people, Na Hoon-Seok confessed that it was his first time being so immersed in a subject. When Na Hoon-Seok expressed the difficulty of articulating his emotions but simply described it as a great experience, I found myself nodding in agreement.
Watching Yoo-Jin live her life was often a heartwarming experience for me as well.
As I listened to Na Hoon-Seok, I realized it was time to get moving.
"Mr. Na. I’m sorry to ask, but can we start filming the second part of The Human Stories the day after tomorrow?"
-Hmm. Two days delay, huh? That's a bit tight, but why? Is something going on?
"Yes, I have something I need to take care of right now. Could you... help us out?"
After listening to my story for a while, Na Hoon-Seok agreed.
-Alright, let's do that. Then let's meet at SBC as soon as it's done.
"Okay, I'll contact you again."
After hanging up the phone, I nudged Yoo-Jin who was still lost in thought.
"Yoo-Jin."
"Yes?"
"Pack your things."
Yoo-Jin looked puzzled. "Why?"
"I'll explain later. Just pack for two or three days as if we are staying at a hotel. We need to leave quickly."
"Okay..."
Without further questions, Yoo-Jin headed to her small room to grab her suitcase.
"Uncle, Uncle! What about me? What should I do?"
Startled by her mom's sudden activity, Miso looked at me with excited eyes.
"Why don't you pack your picture books and crayons, Miso?"
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Okay! But are we going somewhere fun?"
"We are going to a hotel~."
"Wow! Really? Isn't that place really expensive?"
"Not really. And we'll eat lots of good food there. But we need to leave quickly, Miso. Do you need help packing?"
"No, I can pack my bag by myself!"
Miso declared she could do it alone and began to carefully put her picture books into her bag with her small hands.
In the meantime, I relayed some instructions to the landlady who was still wiping her tears.
"Ma'am, if reporters come looking for Yoo-Jin, please tell them the company took her. You can tell them she went on a shoot for about a month."
The landlady looked anxious. "Don’t worry, you can trust me. But you're not planning to move elsewhere permanently, are you?"
"Of course not. Where would Yoo-Jin and Miso go without you?"
“Thank goodness. I’d be so lonely without Yoo-Jin and Miso.”
For the landlady, who had lost her husband and had her son's family move away to Suwon, Yoo-Jin and Miso had filled the lonely gap in her life. For Yoo-Jin and Miso, the landlady Jung In-Ji had been both a mother and a grandmother. The three of them were no different than a family.
Yoo-Jin and Miso assured the landlady they wouldn't leave home.
"Don't worry, we're not going anywhere!"
"Grandma, I'll just be gone for one night!"
"Alright, I’m not worried! I'll be waiting for you guys."
When the landlady nodded with tears in her eyes, Yoo-Jin and Miso hugged her tightly, promising to see each other again soon.
After packing, we immediately got in the car and left Yoo-Jin's house. But as we were leaving the neighborhood, reporters who had heard the news were already swarming in.
“Mr. Kang, I'm taking Yoo-Jin to the hotel now."
-Is that so? Well done. That’s good quick thinking. Take her to the Blitz-Carlson near our company if you can. It's where we accommodate our international guests. I'll send you the contact of Team Lead Park Sang-Jin in the hotel reception team via KkTalk, so do call him. Don't worry about the cost.
"Thank you, sir."
-And after you drop off Yoo-Jin, come straight to the company. We need to wrap this up completely.
"I understand."
There was one day left before we commenced our plan. Now, it was time to put Ju Kang-Yong in his rightful place.
***
After dropping Yoo-Jin off at the hotel, I returned to the company. Upon entering the president’s office, I was met with a hug from Kang Gam-Chan.
"You've done a good job."
His strong arms enveloped me, bringing an unexpected warmth to my heart. His praise felt a few times more rewarding than any bonus.
"It's nothing, sir. We just got lucky."
He chuckled and patted my shoulder as he released me from his embrace. "Still talking about luck, huh? Hahaha."
Then, I noticed that only Gu Seong-Cheol was in the office while Kang Ji-Yung was nowhere to be seen.
"How's Yoo-Jin doing right now?"
"As you instructed, she's in a suite at the Blitz-Carlson. Mr. Park Sang-Jin even assigned her a dedicated concierge."
I reported that Yoo-Jin entered the hotel unnoticed by anyone, thanks to the VIP elevator from the underground parking.
"You handle things on your own very well, even without my instructions."
My experience with top stars in my past life made this task seem trivial. Kang Gam-Chan looked quite pleased with my clean handling of the situation.
After expressing my gratitude for the compliment, I asked about Ju Kang-Yong.
"That jerk Ju Kang-Yong will soon be in for a shock."
Kang Gam-Chan explained that Kang Ji-Yung was currently meeting with Choi So-Hye to coordinate the exposé on Ju Kang-Yong. Meanwhile, Kwak Moo-Hyuk from the legal division was finalizing the statements from the victims for the lawsuit.
"Everything should be wrapped up in an hour or two. You can sit back and relax now."
Our proactive approach from the start had rendered Ju Kang-Yong's articles powerless. With the help of Hoop Entertainment, The Human Stories, Yoo-Jin’s fan club, and Choi So-Hye, we were on the verge of victory.
Then, Kang Gam-Chan rose from his seat as he buttoned up his coat. "Now, shall we move on to the next task?"
"Next task, sir? Is there something more we need to do regarding Ju Kang-Yong's lawsuit?"
Kang Gam-Chan grinned. "Let's go to SBC. Follow me."
‘But it’s already past 10 PM. We’re heading to SBC at this hour? What could be happening there?’
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