Chapter 83: Backstab
In Yoo-Jin's hands was a deep black wooden case, carefully wrapped with a blue ribbon.
"What's this?"
"It’s chocolate. I meant to give it to you yesterday, but I forgot with all the excitement."
"Right, we were pretty crazy yesterday."
We both had lost our senses in the thrill of sledding and Yoo-Jin had completely forgotten about the gift. She playfully stuck out her tongue.
Yoo-Jin bowed her head and then rushed into the house. "Thanks to you, Miso and I had so much fun. Thank you."
"Be careful, you might get hurt running like that."
"Okay~."
I watched Yoo-Jin wave goodbye and disappear, then slowly unwrapped the ribbon. Inside the smoothly opened box were four bite-sized chocolates and a note.
[FROM Yoo-Jin]
Oppa,
I really appreciate everything you do for me.
I hope you continue to be my talent agent.
PS. I made these myself.
I smiled as I read the note.
"Yes, that's the reason why I had traveled back in time anyway."
I tasted a piece of chocolate. It must have been high-quality chocolate as it melted smoothly in my mouth. I was about to end the day on a high note and drive home when an unexpected call came through.
[Caller: Kim Dong-Soo]
"Why is he calling now...?"
***
On the fifth floor of the MBS Drama Department, CP Kim Myung-Hak—the second-in-command at the department—had called all the key staff of Moonlight Starpour who were on a shoot in Busan back to Seoul.
This included PD Kim Sung-Woon, the assistant director, cinematographer, and sound director. Everyone was waiting for Choi Sung-Eun, the original novelist and scriptwriter for this drama.
"She's late again."
The shoot for Moonlight Starpour had been rushed as it went into production two months ahead of schedule. A week had passed since filming began, but only the script for the first episode was completed. As a result, the staff were all waiting for the rest of the script because they were unable to proceed with the shoot without it.
When thirty minutes had passed after the agreed time, Kim Myung-Hak grew impatient and gestured to Assistant Director Jang Sung-Tae.
"Sung-Tae, who's currently assigned to Ms. Choi?"
"It’s the junior writer from the script team, Han Song-Yi."
"Call Song-Yi first."
“Yes, sir.”
Just as Jang Sung-Tae made the call, the bell outside the conference room rang.
"She must be here. You can hang up."
Click.
The door to the meeting room opened and Choi Sung-Eun appeared, followed by Assistant Writer Han Song-Yi who entered with her head bowed.
Choi Sung-Eun made a brief nod before sitting down in the chair Han Song-Yi had pulled out for her.
"I'm swamped with script revisions right now. Why did you call me here?"
Kim Myung-Hak suppressed his rising frustration and forced a smile. "Ms. Choi, I've told you several times. We're on a tight schedule so we need you to hurry."
"Hey, a quality script takes time okay? What else do you expect me to do? Just give a shabby script? This isn’t my fault!"
Choi Sung-Eun's sharp attitude caused Kim Myung-Hak to sigh. "We have a hundred staff waiting for the script to come out. How do you expect us to proceed with such delays? Huh?"
"Is that my fault? It's the drama department's fault for changing the schedule in the first place."
Everyone in broadcasting knew that drama writers could be capricious, but Choi Sung-Eun was particularly notorious.
After all, she was a renowned writer who made billions of wons in her mid-20s with a single novel.
However, the staff couldn't just wait indefinitely for a delayed script because every day of extension meant more money spent.
Kim Myung-Hak, trying to suppress his anger, pointed to three writers gathered in the meeting room.
"I thought you might need some help, Ms. Choi. These are the members of the script team and they are all experienced in drama writing. We need the script to be released more promptly than it is currently, so I thought we'd increase manpower. How does that sound?"
When Kim Myung-Hak signaled, the three assistant writers stood up and bowed at 90 degrees.
But Choi Sung-Eun only scoffed at the suggestion. "Are you seriously assigning me these losers who haven't even made their debut as writers? You think that will help?"
The faces of the three assistant writers, who had been in the industry for at least three to ten years, turned red. They had endured all these years with the dream of one day producing their own work, only to be abruptly labeled as losers. Their expressions seemed like a mix of frustration and embarrassment.
Kim Myung-Hak was about to explode at Choi Sung-Eun for crossing the line, but Kim Sung-Woon intervened first.
"Ms. Choi, that's a bit harsh."
"Me?"
"Yes. There’s not a single person here less capable than you in drama writing."
Choi Sung-Eun stood up abruptly. "W-what did you say?"
Kim Myung-Hak tried to stop Kim Sung-Woon, but he went on. "These people can produce an episode in two days if needed. You're talking about delays for quality, but what quality is there in a script that never comes out?"
"Mr. Kim! You're really crossing the line!"
"I’m not done yet. With this pace, we're 100% heading for a bust. The title 'writer' is reserved for those who deliver scripts, not for those who don’t. Why do you expect to be treated as a writer when you aren’t doing your job?"
Choi Sung-Eun was shaking with rage and pointed her finger at Kim Sung-Woon. “How dare you...”
"And stop using informal language. There's no one younger than you here. These writers have contributed a lot to our drama department, so please show some respect."
Choi Sung-Eun had turned 26 this year, but she had become accustomed to being treated with deference after her first success. Both publishers and broadcasters had vied for her work, causing her ego to be bigger than anyone else.
The offended Choi Sung-Eun stood up to leave and approached the door. However, she stopped at the doorknob after Kim Sung-Woon's final warning.
"Oh, by the way, If you leave like this, we’ll cancel the schedule and bill you for all costs incurred so far—staff, lead actors' fees, and even compensation to advertisers. That's about 50 billion won as of today."
Choi Sung-Eun turned back at Kim Sung-Woon’s mention of 50 billion won.
"50 billion won? Are you joking with me?"
"Check with a lawyer if you doubt it."
The standoff between the two over such a terrifying amount brought a chill to the room.
That's when Kim Myung-Hak intervened. "PD Kim, that's enough. And Ms. Choi, please sit back down for now. Let’s calm down and talk this out."
Both sat down but continued to glare at each other.
"Seriously! Do you both want me to explode or what!?"
Kim Myung-Hak's stern words made Kim Sung-Woon sigh and apologize first.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kim."
Choi Sung-Eun, still holding back her anger, turned her head in the other direction.
"Hmph!"
Kim Myung-Hak then offered a compromise. "Let’s settle this. Ms. Choi, you’ll accept the help of these three writers here. There’s no way you can complete the scripts on time at this rate."
"..."
"Are you not going to answer?"
Reluctantly agreeing to Kim Myung-Hak's proposal, Choi Sung-Eun retorted, "Ugh. Fine, I will!"
"And PD Kim, you owe Ms. Choi an apology. She's just trying to do her best, isn't she?"
Kim Myung-Hak winked and gave him a nudge. Realizing his intention, Kim Sung-Woon stood up and bowed his head in a polite manner as he feigned ignorance.
"I apologize, Ms. Choi. I was too hasty because I was getting nervous thinking that we might not be able to finish the shoot in time."
Choi Sung-Eun also bowed her head slightly for now. "I'm sorry too. I didn't realize my tone was getting harsh due to the stress of writing. You know what I mean, right?"
Kim Sung-Woon thought to himself about the so-called 'writing stress' that writers always talk about. No job was without stress anyway.
Thanks to the dramatic reconciliation, the meeting could continue.
Choi Sung-Eun didn’t seem to pay attention at all. Then, saying she was busy, she told the three assistant writers to follow her.
"Come with me! You know where I live, right?"
"Yes, Ms. Choi."
The assistant writers swallowed their pride and followed the writer who was around five to ten years younger than them.
Thud.
As the meeting room door closed, Kim Myung-Hak let out a deep sigh. "I haven’t seen a single writer with a decent personality, but this one is exceptionally difficult."
"Well, that's true."
"I heard the shoot for Blue Sky is going really well. Are we really going to be okay?"
Kim Sung-Woon nodded with a heavy expression. "I hope so. We've overcome a major hurdle, so it should be fine. To be honest, I don't like Choi Sung-Eun's attitude but her writing is excellent. If we can just manage to launch it properly, we'll definitely win."
"R-really? Do you think so? But I heard that Writer Kim Soll-Ip's script is also great."
"I've read both, and our only problem is the writer—not the work."
"Hahaha, that's good news."
"And you managed to secure Han Go-Eun and Han Su-Ho as the main leads on top of that. If we lose in ratings, you can take my head."
Kim Sung-Woon's gesture of extending his neck made Kim Myung-Hak chuckle.
"Hahaha, why would I take your head? You're the only one who can handle Choi Sung-Eun anyway. Let's go eat, it’s on me today."
The staff's tense faces relaxed a bit, but Kim Sung-Woon still looked serious.
"What's wrong? Is there any problem?"
Kim Sung-Woon replied to Kim Myung-Hak’s words with a strange expression. "There's something I just don’t understand."
"What is it?"
"It's about Miss Jung Yoo-Jin. The drama she's in hasn't even started yet, but it's already creating a buzz. And yesterday, her advertisement was a big hit."
Kim Myung-Hak started nodding. "Yeah, that’s true. She's strangely got good luck. How does everything she does turn out so well all the time?"
"Please keep an eye on her, Mr. Kim. I'm not worried about Ju Yung-In, the female lead of Blue Sky, but it bothers me how the focus keeps shifting to Miss Yoo-Jin."
"Alright. I’ll do that."
However, there was another concern in Kim Sung-Woon's mind that he couldn't express—the presence of Jung Yoon-Ho, the first year talent agent who managed everything related to the rookie actress Jung Yoo-Jin.
***
I felt so sore after sledding to my heart's content that I wanted to take a leave of absence. But I couldn't delay going to work because there were advertising contracts for Yoo-Jin waiting. On top of that, I had also been summoned by Kim Dong-Soo.
I headed straight to Actor Division 3 as soon as I got to work.
"What brings you to Division 3, Yoon-Ho?"
"Hey, aren't you going to treat us to celebrate your promotion?"
The eyes of Actor Division 3's staff were filled with wariness and envy. It seemed that my rapid promotion had rubbed them the wrong way. However, I just smiled broadly despite their hostile gazes. Most of Actor Division 3 would transfer to Top Entertainment, but some were the ones I needed to bring along.
"I'll arrange a get-together soon. Please make sure to come."
I bowed and then knocked on the door of Kim Dong-Soo's office at the end of the hallway.
Knock, knock.
A low voice invited me in.
"Come on in."
When I opened the door, I found Kim Dong-Soo leaning back in a luxurious black leather chair.
"Good morning, sir."
Kim Dong-Soo stood up and gestured toward a sofa in his office. "Sit over there."
As soon as I sat down, Kim Dong-Soo offered me hot honey tea, saying it was what he was drinking.
'Could it be poisoned?'
I couldn't help but let my imagination run wild from watching too many dramas.
"What's wrong? Aren’t you going to drink it? Why? You think it might be poisoned or something?"
"Of course not..."
He read my mind like a ghost.
‘How did he know what I was thinking?’
I shrugged off the thought and took a sip. While I sipped the honey tea, Kim Dong-Soo casually started talking about life at the company. He spoke passionately about his affection for the company and his desire for all the actors' management divisions to do well. Although it was a moving speech, knowing how he would end up betraying the company in the future made it hard for me to be impressed.
"...That being said, I want you to manage Yung-In for just one month."
‘What? What's this about? Does he think Gu Seong-Cheol and Lee Dong-Min would allow that?’
I was essential to Yoo-Jin whose career had just taken off and to Cherry Blossom who was working hard for their next album.
I immediately rejected his proposal.
"Mr. Kim, I have Yoo-Jin and Cherry Blossom to manage, and also the newly recruited Mr. Lee Tae-Poong. Taking on more work would be difficult..."
But Kim Dong-Soo sighed deeply and interrupted before I could finish my sentence.
"Yung-In is threatening to leave the company if you don't take care of her."
"Pardon me?"
"It's not a permanent arrangement but just for a month. Just manage her for one month."
I remembered that Ju Yung-In's contract only had six months left.
Kim Dong-Soo sighed and opened his mouth again.
"Also, Mr. Lee Gi-Cheol has already issued your transfer."
Thud!
The news hit me like a sudden storm, leaving me stunned and overwhelmed.
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