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Chapter 14: Unchanging Viewership Ratings (2)

‘Wow. Both the talent agent and the celebrity are rude. What a perfect match.’

“Ah, come on. What do you mean she’s got a decent look? You’ve been in the industry for years and you still can’t recognize plastic surgery?” Park Eun-Bin said.

‘Plastic surgery, my ass. She’s the one who’s had more than a couple of surgeries thanks to skilled doctors in Apgujeong.’

Since we were speaking in hushed voices, anyone nearby would assume we were engaged in casual conversation and exchanging pleasantries.

‘Reacting angrily here could lead to misunderstandings.’

Moreover, there was a possibility that they were intentionally trying to paint Yoo-Jin as a disrespectful rookie who didn’t know her place.

I gently tapped Yoo-Jin on the shoulder, who was stunned upon hearing Park Eun-Bin and Ma Dong-Pal’s hostile words.

‘It’s okay, Yoo-Jin. Just smile.’

Yoo-Jin saw my bright smile and also gave a bright smile. Then we greeted Ma Dong-Pal and Park Eun-Bin once again in a loud voice that everyone on set could hear.

“Thank you for your kind words. My name is Jung Yoo-Jin and I am honored to meet you.”

“Thank you so much, we will do our best.”

Upon seeing that Yoo-Jin and I weren’t fazed at all by their harsh words, Park Eun-Bin and Ma Dong-Pal’s faces appeared shocked.

“Hah. She’s got a good mental fortitude for an actress. The talent agent has got quite the gut as well. Alright. Let’s greet each other properly, shall we?”

I reached out my hand for a handshake at Ma Dong-Pal’s words.

However, Ma Dong-Pal started to do something petty—his bulky right hand firmly grasped mine.

Crack!

A loud noise burst out from the joints of my fingers. Thick beads of sweat began to form on my forehead as I held back a groan.

‘This jerk...’

I responded with a tight grip as well.

In the meantime, Park Eun-Bin was picking a verbal fight with Yoo-Jin. However, Yoo-Jin simply kept smiling innocently as if she were a part-time employee dealing with an unreasonable customer.

In the end, the impatient Park Eun-Bin snapped first.

“Hey, dough face. What are you laughing at? What’s so funny, huh? Just wait and see. I’ll make you pay for stealing my lines.”

But I already knew there wouldn’t be much to watch out for. After all, Park Eun-Bin would plummet into obscurity in two years due to a massive scandal.

“You’ve got quite a grip.”

As Petite Angels began to murmur here and there, Ma Dong-Pal quietly let go of my hand and urged Park Eun-Bin.

“Eun-Bin, we don’t have much time. Let’s go greet PD Park.”

The two brushed past us after picking a petty fight, and the Petite Angels followed behind.

Watching Park Eun-Bin walk away, Yoo-Jin clicked her tongue in disbelief.

“Oppa. Has the entertainment industry always been like this? Even the worst customers aren’t as aggressive as Park Eun-Bin. What’s wrong with her? It was hard to hold myself back from teaching her a lesson.”

Yoo-Jin dropped her smile and began to express her frustration as she rolled her sleeves up angrily.

“Just treat that as a form of greeting. Trust me, there are more people like her.”

“Oh my goodness. Seriously? This is considered a greeting?”

“Yes. And remember—holding back in front of the camera means winning. If you don’t want to hold back, gain popularity. Once you become popular enough, someone like Park Eun-Bin won’t dare to trash talk you.”

“Sigh. Seriously. I almost pulled all her hair out...wait, nobody’s around here now, right?”

Yoo-Jin stopped talking and looked around carefully.

‘Good thinking, Jung Yoo-Jin.’

Seeing that there was no one nearby, the relieved Yoo-Jin pointed at my hand.

“What’s wrong with your hand, oppa?”

My entire hand was swollen and red, and the area where Ma Dong-Pal had gripped turned to a shade of blue.

“Are you okay?”

“Y, yes. I’m fine.”

I quickly hid my hand, which had lost sensation due to lack of blood flow, behind my back.

‘I take back what I said about dealing with them nonchalantly.’

I swore to myself that I would get back at Ma Dong-Pal one day for this.

I checked my planner once again after tidying up the surroundings. As expected, the viewership ratings had not changed.

Meanwhile, Ma Dong-Pal was having a lengthy conversation with Park Doo-Shik. I knew from my experience that it wasn\'t just a simple chat.

Eventually, I came to the conclusion that the reason Yoo-Jin’s footage might not make it to the broadcast was because of Ma Dong-Pal.

***

Scene 272 was where Park Eun-Bin and Choi Eun-Yung would continue their conversation about taking revenge on her boyfriend. Yoo-Jin was supposed to appear in the next scene, so she had already gone to the second floor of the set to wait.

But just before the shoot began, I heard some murmurs from where the Petite Angels had gathered. They were growing rowdy while waiting for Park Eun-Bin to start acting.

When Park Doo-Shik frowned, Park Eun-Bin hurried over to the Petite Angels.

“Guys, shh! I don’t want to look bad in front of Mr. Park.”

When Park Eun-Bin asked them to quiet down, the two Petite Angels at the front with distinctive hairstyles nodded their heads.

“Don’t worry, unnie. We’ll just watch quietly.”

“Hey, if you guys open your mouths while Miss Eun-Bin is acting, I will kill you all. Okay?”

The president of the Petite Angels, Kim Seung-Ae with an afro hairstyle, and the vice president Lee Jin-Ah with weird bangs, looked back and snapped.

At that moment, all the Petite Angels closed their mouths as if they had zipped them shut.

Park Eun-Bin smiled at Park Doo-Shik and opened her mouth.

“Let’s start, Mr. Park.”

“I’ve made an exception for your fans to come to the set today. Please continue to manage them so they don’t interrupt the shoot. Okay?”

“Of course, Mr. Park.”

Park Doo-Shik grabbed the loudspeaker and called for the shoot of Scene 272 to commence.

“Okay. Let’s begin once the cameras are ready. Revised script, Scene 272. Ready~ Action!”

The shoot began following Park Doo-Shik’s cue.

The lead actress Choi Eun-Yung started off the scene with her acting. Thirty year old Choi Eun-Yung had originally been an actress who wasn’t under much spotlight, switching between minor and supporting roles for three years.

However, the current Choi Eun-Yung exuded the full presence of an amazing actress, demonstrating the power of a lead actress who carried the drama up to its 21st episode.

Park Doo-Shik watched Park Eun-Bin and Choi Eun-Yung’s acting through the monitor with a tense expression on his face.

The viewership rating of the recently aired 20th episode was 19.1% and was only one step away from 20%. In other words, the drama was just about to hit the jackpot.

MBS hadn’t been doing great in terms of viewership rating ever since the launch of cable broadcasting. Hence, considering the relative success of Morning Takes Off, Park Doo-Shik was pressured to make everything perfect.

However, Park Eun-Bin’s acting soon began to ruin the scene as the shoot progressed. Though her role was merely to secure the viewership ratings with her popularity, her acting was painful to watch.

“What’s up with Park Eun-Bin’s acting? She is neither crying nor laughing. What the heck?”

“What do you expect from an idol?”

“Still, isn’t that a bit too much?”

The staff on set whispered amongst themselves with a frown while watching Park Eun-Bin’s pathetic acting, reminiscent of a kindergarten play. Such acting was intolerable in a scene where chemistry between actors was crucial.

Sensing that the shoot couldn’t go on like this, Park Doo-Shik hastily grabbed the loudspeaker.

“Cut~~!”

Park Doo-Shik called Park Eun-Bin over with a troubled expression.

“Um...Miss Eun-Bin. You did well, but can you put a bit more feeling into your acting? Be subtle but bright—just as written in the script. You don’t need to over do it.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Park. I must have been too nervous.”

“No worries, it happens. Relax a bit. You’ll do better this time, right?”

The way he treated Park Eun-Bin was completely different from how he treated Yoo-Jin. I understood it was only natural for him to treat the two differently given that TK Entertainment had invested a significant amount of money in the drama production.

But this was too much.

Encouraged by Park Doo-Shik, Park Eun-Bin bowed her head and also apologized to Choi Eun-Yung.

But the real problem arose when an additional ten bloopers occurred afterward.

***

“Ugh, I can’t stand it anymore! Hey, Park Eun-Bin. Yes, you! You better start acting properly. Are you messing up on purpose to fuck me over?”

Choi Eun-Yung’s sharp voice echoed throughout the set, startling the staff to the point where they stopped their work.

Given how awkward Park Eun-Bin’s acting was, Choi Eun-Yung couldn’t hold back anymore and exploded in frustration.

From the second floor of the set where she had been waiting for her turn to shoot, Yoo-Jin poked her head out of the window like a mole. After assessing the situation, Yoo-Jin gestured toward me to ask when it was her turn to start acting. She also placed both hands on her cheeks to tell me she might fall asleep because the waiting time was too long.

When I formed an X with my index fingers, Yoo-Jin curiously tilted her head. What I meant to tell her was that she might not be able to shoot today, but it didn’t seem like she understood what my gesture meant.

In 2029, talent agents and actors could easily communicate on set through wireless microphones and in-ear headphones. But it was still 2019 here.

‘What a shame that they lack technology.’

At that moment, the atmosphere of the set suddenly changed when Park Eun-Bin retorted with irritation.

“I did make a few mistakes in the beginning, but I did it right this time.”

The atmosphere on set turned tense with Park Eun-Bin’s remark.

Despite having a five-year career as an idol, Park Eun-Bin was only ten months into her acting career. Yet, she was leveraging her popularity as a girl group idol to confront her senior who was a far more experienced lead actress.

I felt the strong urge to sell the video being filmed right now to Jang Moon Ki, the reporter of Weekly Stars.

‘Oh man. This is huge.’

“Miss Eun-Yung, stop it.”

“Gosh, many people are watching. Hey, AD Jung, stop them!”

“Miss Eun-Bin, please don’t do this. Your fans are watching...”

The staff tried to intervene in their argument, but Choi Eun-Yung didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down.

“This is ridiculous. Who said you can act all high and mighty on set, huh? Does this script look like a joke to you, huh?”

As Choi Eun-Yung shook the script and glared, Park Eun-Bin opened the script and read her lines out loud.

Indeed, she was no easy opponent. She simply recited her lines without apologizing.

“...See? I did it right.”

Choi Eun-Yung was shocked.

“Seriously? That’s how you interpreted this line?”

“Yes. This is how I interpreted it.”

“Unbelievable. If you suck at acting, at least be humble. And how dare you talk back to your sunbae like that?”

As their argument went on, Park Doo-Shik intervened as if he couldn’t bear watching the fight anymore.

“Miss Eun-Yung, Miss Eun-Bin. What are the two of you doing right now? There are many people watching!”

At that moment, Park Eun-Bin started shedding tears as if she had been waiting for Park Doo-Shik to say so.

‘Being able to cry when things are going against you is a talent.’

I couldn’t understand why she was so bad at acting out the script when she had the ability to shed crocodile tears whenever she wanted.

‘Can’t she act out her role properly since she is so good at being fake in real life?’

“I’m sorry, Mr. Park. I just can’t do it right since the script suddenly changed. Sob.”

Tears fell like a waterfall from Park Eun-Bin’s eyes and ruined her makeup.

Park Doo-Shik was perplexed, Choi Eun-Yung frowned, Petite Angels murmured in the back, and chaos filled the set.

‘Yep. I’m certainly back.’

Looking at the chaos, it felt like I had really returned to the entertainment industry. If I hadn’t been worried about the issue of the viewership rating not changing in the planner, this would be an entertaining situation to watch with some popcorn.

Staff members intervened, and Choi Eun-Yung decided to take a short break and left the set.

In the meantime, instead of consoling Park Eun-Bin, Ma Dong-Pal approached Park Doo-Shik and started a serious conversation. The moment I saw him talking to Park Doo-Shik, it became evident to me why the planner hadn’t changed—they were trying to revert the script.

Ma Dong-Pal was undoubtedly trying to persuade Park Doo-Shik to change the script back to the original version. The excuse Park Eun-Bin gave, saying she couldn’t act because the script had changed, was just a ploy to change the script back to the original version.

‘So this was it?’

Thanks to Lee Ji-Yeon’s script revision, it seemed like a protest was unfolding on the set. The expressions on Ma Dong-Pal and Park Doo-Shik’s faces became brighter as their conversation continued. Their camaraderie made it seem as though they were close childhood friends who had grown up together.

But even if they reverted the script to the original version, there was no reason for me to be scared. This was because I had already sent the video recording of the entire situation via KkTalk.

‘Ma Dong-Pal and Park Eun-Bin. Do you really think things will go your way?’

“Let’s see how this turns out, Ma Dong-Pal and Park Eun-Bin. Park Doo-Shik, you too.”

***

“So please, Mr. Park. I’m begging you. I’ll triple the compensation that we promised.”

Park Doo-Shik’s eyes widened at Ma Dong-Pal’s offer to triple the under-the-table money for featuring Park Eun-Bin.

Tripling the amount would be sufficient to take on any risk.

“But opposing Lee Ji-Yeon isn’t easy...”

“Oh, come on. Why is everyone so scared of that writer? I told you. My company will take care of her. Since when did the great producer Park Doo-Shik become such a coward?”

Park Doo-Shik frowned at Ma Dong-Pal’s words. He knew better than anyone that Lee Ji-Yeon wasn’t the type to be swayed by others. But because of his pride as a producer, he couldn’t bring himself to admit it.

“Hey, that’s rude.”

“Sorry. Anyway, let’s cancel the new script sent by Lee Ji-Yeon and use the original version. You know Eun-Bin’s acting skills, don’t you? It’s obvious she can’t handle the changed script with her level of acting. Do you really want to proceed and watch her ruin everything?”

“If you knew how terrible her acting is, you should have made her practice before letting her on set. Why would you...no, nevermind. Let’s not talk about it.”

Seeing Ma Dong-Pal frown, Park Doo-Shik quickly shut his mouth.

“Alright, Mr. Ma. I’ll handle it, so you can go now.”

“Thank you so much. And tonight...let’s have a drink at Rose Blanc. I’ll prepare the full course.”

“Well, there’s no need for that. But if you insist...I guess it would be rude of me to decline.”

Unaware of what was soon to come, Park Doo-Shik’s face lit up at the invitation to an extravagant time at Rose Blanc, a hostess bar for the top 1%.