Chapter 68: Crank In
“What?”
Miso looked toward Yoo-Jin’s room, placing her index finger over her lips. “Shh!”
Then, she shook her head as she warned me that Yoo-Jin was angry. Miso explained that Yoo-Jin was upset that I didn’t visit them yesterday although I had promised to. She had even ordered a bunch of snacks to share with me. When I told her that I couldn’t visit them, Yoo-Jin grumbled that I was always too busy.
As a result, Miso was also unhappy since her mom became upset due to my actions.
But something was weird.
‘Yoo-Jin definitely told me that Miso was mad because I couldn’t come when she missed me.’
However, according to Miso, it was the opposite—Yoo-Jin got upset first, which caused Miso to also get upset.
Nevertheless, I thought I shouldn’t pry too much into it. After all, I was too tired yesterday and might have misunderstood the situation. I decided to calm Miso down first while I thought of how to appease Yoo-Jin.
"So do you still hate me, Miso? Even after I bought you a doll?"
Miso looked into the room and then back at me, wriggling her fingers and shaking her head. "No, it's not that... I can't just go back to liking you while Mom is still angry."
Miso pursed her lips with determination as she placed the PowerTuff Girl doll she was holding down.
‘She doesn’t hate me but can't like me either?’
Miso saying she doesn't like me somehow made my heart ache.
I made a pitiful face with my hands clasped. "I’m sorry, Miso. Can you please forgive me? I had a really hard time. I took care of the person who hurt you and your mom, and even saved someone who was about to die."
Miso looked perplexed for a moment before entering a thoughtful contemplation. She glanced back and forth at the room with a 'what should I do?' look.
"Uhh...I’m not supposed to let this go so easily..."
But then, Miso seemed to make up her mind and whispered in my ear. "Then it's a secret that I forgave you, Uncle Yoon-Ho. Okay?"
"Yes, it’s a secret."
Only then did Miso hug the PowerTuff Girl doll again.
At that moment, the closed door opened and Yoo-Jin came out of her room after finishing her makeup.
"You must be tired, oppa. Why did you come so early? You could have taken your time..."
‘That’s a lie.’
She was smiling with her mouth, but her eyes weren't.
I looked at Yoo-Jin and behaved just like I did with Miso, apologizing to her. I explained the circumstances of yesterday and how busy I was until late at night. Yoo-Jin's expression started to change as she listened to my story, asking questions with excitement and fascination.
"Wow, really? Mr. Seon-Woo is amazing."
Yoo-Jin was especially amazed by the story about Bang Seon-Woo. She said she'd never seen a 'genius' in her life.
‘That’s funny. There's a genius in the mirror she looks into.’
"Oppa, can you introduce him to me one day? I would love to meet him."
"Of course I can. You can do whatever you want."
Yoo-Jin glared and sulked. "Hmph... you’re always just words. You tell me I can’t eat whatever I want."
"Well, that's... not okay. You can do everything you want but eat."
"See? You changed your words again. I can't trust you anymore."
Yoo-Jin acted as if she was offended, just like Miso. I realized where Miso got her habit of pretending to be upset and being whiny—it was from Yoo-Jin.
"Fine. You can eat as much as you want until lunch today."
"Really? Promise me you won’t change your mind."
"I promise."
Yoo-Jin's face finally brightened up.
Then, I remembered that she had fried chicken yesterday.
‘No, I should just let it go this time.’
"Let's go home now. I heard the reporters have left."
As Yoo-Jin decided not to move to a new home, the company went ahead to install security systems in her house.
Yoo-Jin nodded and fiddled with Miso's clothes. "Miso, let's get you changed and get ready to go home now!"
"Okay, Mom!"
"And from now on, you can call me 'Mom' outside as well. Okay?"
Yoo-Jin's voice was louder than ever.
Miso replied loudly with a bright smile. "Okay, Mom!"
Holding Miso in her arms, Yoo-Jin turned to me and said, "Oppa, thank you so much. Thanks to you, Miso finally feels like my real daughter!"
"Uncle Yoon-Ho is the best!"
My heart swelled with emotions.
"There’s no need to thank me. I was just doing my job. Now, let's get going. The landlord must be waiting."
Having packed everything, we headed to the underground parking lot to greet the concierges. When I handed out the bonus envelopes given by Kang Gam-Chan, everyone greeted me with bright smiles.
Indeed, all effort should be rewarded. I was feeling that reward too.
[Assistant Manager Jung Seong-Ah: As per the President's instructions, a bonus of 5 million won has been deposited. Congratulations on your promotion, Assistant Manager Jung!]
A smile crept across my face. Hoop Entertainment was indeed worth working for.
***
After several days of chaos, it was finally February 7th—the delayed crank-in day for Blue Sky.
We arrived at the filming location, Youth Street in Gyeonggi-do Namyangju. Contrary to its name, the area was filled with empty buildings due to the dead commercial district.
Thanks to this, the shooting team managed to rent two adjacent two-story buildings for the next six months. The props team had placed signs for Blue Seafood Restaurant and Sky Pork Ribs on the two buildings.
We started the ritual[1]for success in the shared parking lot in front of the two buildings. The chilly wind of February was blowing through the parking lot.
"Okay, let's place the offerings here. Actors, please come this way. Reporters, please keep a distance and take your photos. Yes, yes."
The SBC The Human Stories team, the behind-the-scenes team of Blue Sky, and reporters were all bustling around.
Then, I noticed everyone was talking about Yoo-Jin.
"Can we get some interviews with the cast?"
"Just a moment! We'll arrange interviews after the ritual. Please don't push in, just wait a little!"
"That’s a promise, okay? If I don't get an interview with Miss Jung Yoo-Jin today, I'll be fired from my company."
Cha Soo-Yeon, the production manager from Blue Dragon, was busy holding off the reporters.
Soon after, the ritual started.
Jung Sam-Ryong was the first to bow to the pig's head, contributing 300 thousand won. "May our Blue Sky be successful~."
"Wow, Mr. Jung is so generous."
"Hmm. I wanted to contribute more, but this is all I can afford on my salary. Now, it's time for Mr. Kang Soo-Hoon, Ms. Kim Soll-Ip, and Ms. Cha Soo-Yeon to bow."
After they bowed, all the rest of the staff began to bow to the pig’s head. Then, the actors stepped forward to bow and made their contributions.
Yoo-Jin completed her bow with Ju Yung-In, who played the role of Sky, and Park Jin-Hee, who played the role of Autumn. However, the bill Yoo-Jin took out had a different color than others.
Seeing the money in Yoo-Jin's hand, Cha Soo-Yeon's expression turned to shock. "1 million won? Miss Yoo-Jin, you don't have to give this much!"
Yoo-Jin's appearance fee for one episode was currently 1 million won. She donated her entire episode fee, causing a stir at the site.
"What, what's this?"
"1 million won for the ritual? Is Miss Yoo-Jin that rich?"
"Our drama is going to be a hit!"
The money pinned to the pig's head was to be used for a staff meal later in the afternoon. This made the staff's faces brighten and they cheered.
"There were a lot of issues regarding the drama because of me recently, causing the crank-in to be delayed... I'm really sorry for everything. That's why I wanted to make today's meal special."
As Yoo-Jin bowed, the staff erupted in cheers.
"Wow. Jung Yoo-Jin is amazing! So generous!"
"Thanks to Miss Yoo-Jin, we're going to have a lavish meal today. Let’s have ribs! Ribs!"
Since the contribution was meaningful, no one could accuse her of being reckless even though it was a large amount of money.
The actors also smiled brightly as they admired Yoo-Jin's action.
I couldn't stop my lips from curving upwards upon seeing the flashes of the reporters' cameras going off continuously as they observed the scene.
The headlines for today's articles popped up in my mind.
[Jung Yoo-Jin. Donates 1 Million Won to the Blue Sky Ritual!]
[Jung Yoo-Jin: "I really hope Blue Sky succeeds."]
Every move Yoo-Jin made seemed to instinctively position her as the center of attention. It was undeniably a trait of a star.
But among the actors, I noticed something odd. Ju Seong-Jin, the number one risk factor of this drama, was avoiding Yoo-Jin with an unpleasant expression. On the other hand, Choi Jong-Hyuk, known for being attracted to older women, looked at Yoo-Jin with a wolf-like gaze.
***
"Alright. Look this way, please. Yes, that's good."
"Mr. Kang, could you say a few words about the actors in this drama?"
"What's your target viewership rating?"
The production team and actors of Blue Sky continued with group photos and interviews with reporters on one side of the filming location. This was because there wasn’t enough time to hold a proper production presentation due to the tight drama schedule.
With the drama set in the years 1980 and 1999, the actors were dressed in styles that were popular back then. Looking at the actors' costumes, I felt as if I had time-traveled—although I had already gone back in time.
Meanwhile, the interviews concluded.
Kang Soo-Hoon bowed to the reporters. "Blue Sky will properly depict the lives, love, and success of ordinary people from that time. Please give us a lot of love and attention."
The reporters applauded Kang Soo-Hoon's declaration and cheered for the drama's success.
"That's all for today. We'll arrange another meeting with the reporters next time."
Cha Soo-Yeon announced the end of the interviews.
But then, Star Special’s Jang Moon-Ki urgently raised his hand.
"Ms. Cha! You promised to spare some time for Miss Jung Yoo-Jin!"
Jang Moon-Ki from Star Special, without caring about the displeased expressions of the surrounding actors, mentioned Jung Yoo-Jin's name.
To be honest, Actress Jung Yoo-Jin was more of a topic than Blue Sky itself at this point.
Several leading actors openly showed their displeasure. I thought Ju Yung-In must be feeling especially terrible since her ego would be hurt to have the focus taken away by a supporting actress when she was the protagonist of the drama.
"Of course. Miss Yoo-Jin, could you come this way, please?"
Cha Soo-Yeon readily accepted Jang Moon-Ki's request. After all, even a small topic turning into an article was beneficial for the production company.
As Yoo-Jin followed Cha Soo-Yeon to a corner of the shooting location, over 80% of the reporters followed her.
I also stood by Yoo-Jin's side to assist her with the interview.
"Miss Jung Yoo-Jin, how did you decide to adopt your niece at such a young age?"
"Did the agency know from the beginning that Miso was your daughter?"
"Do you have a message for reporter Ju Kang-Yong?"
Flash! Flash!
The spotlight and camera flashes continuously focused on Yoo-Jin. It was as if she had become the main character before the drama even started, receiving a full camera spotlight.
"Okay, that's it for the interview! Thank you all for your hard work."
As Cha Soo-Yeon was about to lead the reporters away, my eyes met with Jang Moon-Ki who was staring at me.
"Mr. Jung. You know me, don’t you? Haven't we met in Cheonho-dong before?"
It was true I had gained the nickname 'Star Jung' and faced some awkward situations because of Jang Moon-Ki, but his help was significant during the Choi Jun-Woo incident.
While I was pondering what to do, the surrounding reporters started murmuring.
"Reporter Jang, are you trying to get an exclusive story?"
"Hey, don't be selfish. Let's share it."
Jang Moon-Ki ignored the questions from other reporters and kept winking at me, clearly wanting an exclusive story.
I had no choice. I owed him a favor, and I would need his help again in the future. I nodded slightly. Giving Jang Moon-Ki a scoop at this time meant he would write ‘positive’ articles about Yoo-Jin. He would ensure that Yoo-Jin received the spotlight with his 'specialty.'
I left a message to meet Jang Moon-Ki separately and headed toward the filming location.
***
Ju Seong-Jin, the male lead, sneaked a cigarette behind the temporary trailer used as a makeup studio.
His mood was off due to the crank-in being delayed a week which messed up his schedule.
Puff~
As he exhaled a long puff of smoke, he heard a rustling sound from behind.
The startled Ju Seong-Jin quickly tried to stub out the cigarette but relaxed when he saw who it was. It was Choi Jong-Hyuk, his co-star playing a brother in the drama.
"What are you doing here? I thought you said you don't smoke, hyung. Were you lying?"
"Damn, you scared me. I thought you were a reporter."
"The reporters are all busy taking photos of Jung Yoo-Jin. How does a supporting actress attract more cameras than the lead?"
"Damn those reportrash. Always sticking like barnacles whenever there's an issue..."
Jealousy among celebrities knew no gender bounds.
"Give me one too."
Ju Seong-Jin handed Choi Jong-Hyuk a cigarette.
"I need a lighter as well."
"Do I look like your talent agent?"
But despite his gruff words, Ju Seong-Jin lit the cigarette for him.
Puff.
For a moment, the two just smoked in silence before Ju Seong-Jin spoke again. "Hey. You now know Yoo-Jin has a daughter. Are you still going to approach her?"
"What about you?"
"I'm cutting ties. The moment I heard she has a daughter, my interest plummeted. It's too much of a burden even if it's an adoption."
Choi Jong-Hyuk smirked and took another drag of his cigarette. A cunning smile played on his lips.
"Wait. Are you...? Are you really..."
"Really what?"
"Really going to make a move?"
Choi Jong-Hyuk shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah. I'm really going to make a move.”
“But I thought you only chased after older women?"
"Having a daughter gives a different vibe. A woman with strong maternal instincts—that's attractive. For the first time in a while, I'm serious."
Ju Seong-Jin shook his head with a dumbfounded look. "You're crazier than I am."
Finishing his cigarette, Ju Seong-Jin disappeared toward the set.
Choi Jong-Hyuk watched Ju Seong-Jin leave and smirked. Previously, he was doing it solely because Ma Dong-Pal had asked him to. However, things were different now.
"Being known as Jung Yoo-Jin's man. That's a decent title, isn’t it?"
Just the thought of gaining popularity through his association with Jung Yoo-Jin made him smile. And thinking about Yoo-Jin's stunning figure only added to his grin.
"Well, I should head over too."
Choi Jong-Hyuk stubbed out his cigarette and walked toward the filming location with a smile.
1. Shamanistic ritual intended to prevent misfortune and bring good luck by placing the pig heads on the table along with many different kinds of dishes ?
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