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Chapter 142: There\'s No Such Thing As A Permanent Number One (3)

Lee Ji-Yeon smiled at my response. "I guess I\'ll have to change the production company because the thought of Yoo-Jin not appearing in my drama is scary."

"Is that the conclusion we\'re arriving at?" I replied teasingly.

"Stop being so cheeky. Anyway, I\'m tired of being in such an annoying place. Drop me off at home—Lawyer Kim is meeting me there."

"Yes, Ms. Lee."

After taking Lee Ji-Yeon home, I headed to Yoo-Jin\'s house. I arrived at Yoo-Jin\'s house at around 6 p.m.

After receiving Lee Ji-Yeon\'s warning, I also warned Yoo-Jin. "Don\'t answer any calls except mine in case President Lee contacts you. Okay?"

"Okay, oppa."

At that moment, Miso ran out the door as soon as she heard the sound of my car.

"Uncle Yoon-Ho~!"

Holding the landlord\'s hand, Miso ran toward the driver\'s seat and grabbed the side mirror tightly.

"I have something to show you! Come inside quickly!"

The landlord also invited me to come inside for a while. "Yes, come on in, Assistant Manager Jung. I understand you\'re a busy man, but at least have a meal before you go. Thanks to you, I got a job at this age. But don\'t you think the salary is too much?"

I shook my head and disagreed. "You deserve it for raising Miso. And please don\'t feel burdened since Yoo-Jin now earns lots of money."

Yoo-Jin smiled gently and linked arms with the landlord. "Think of it as your daughter giving you an allowance."

"Aw, Yoo-Jin..."

The landlord teared up with gratitude once more. Sniffling, the landlord hurried into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

"Uncle Yoon-Ho, let\'s go. Hurry~," urged Miso.

"Just a moment."

After parking, I let Miso drag me by the hand up to the second floor. Then Miso pointed to the highest shelf of a black four-tier bookcase in the living room.

"Look at that over there!"

Miso was pointing to a framed contract sitting on the shelf. Miso held her head high with a proud expression.

At that moment, I suddenly remembered what Sister Michaela had told me before—reactions were important when dealing with kids.

The frame was a bit messy with Powertuff Girls stickers all over it, but I waved my hands excitedly as if it was the coolest thing in the world.

"Wow! That frame looks amazing!" I exclaimed.

"He he, really?" Miso replied with a huge grin on her face.

"Yes!"

Miso puffed her chest out proudly at my exaggerated response. After showing off her frame, Miso seemed to remember something and asked, "But Uncle Yoon-Ho, when do I get to be on TV?"

"Well, we need to set up a plan with the broadcast station, so I don\'t know yet."

Miso asked cautiously, "Will it take a long time?"

\'Already rushing schedules? Seems like she has the makings of a successful celebrity.\'

"It depends on what you want to do, Miso. What kind of show do you want to be on?"

Miso tilted her head, deep in thought, before suddenly raising her right hand.

"I want to draw! I want to join the drawing segment in Round and Round Friends!" Miso shouted excitedly.

Round and Round Friends, hosted by EBC, was the most popular educational program for preschoolers. It seemed that Miso wanted to show off her drawing skills to her friends on the show.

Despite feeling a chill down my spine, I managed to smile and respond calmly.

"Aw, but Miso. It seems like there might not be any spots available in the drawing segment."

"Really...? Aw...but I really like Round and Round Friends."

The kids on Round and Round Friends were incredibly talented at drawing. Even though they were young, they effortlessly created watercolor, oil, and traditional Eastern paintings.

On the other hand, distinguishing a dog from a cat in Miso\'s drawings was a challenge—perhaps the only similarities between the two were four legs and a tail. Her work could rival Picasso\'s for those who appreciated Cubism, but I suspected it might not garner favorable reviews from the general public.

Looking at Miso\'s disappointed expression, Yoo-Jin chuckled. When I gave her a slight look, Yoo-Jin stopped laughing and comforted Miso with a hug.

"Miso, it\'s too bad there\'s no spot in Round and Round Friends, but let\'s try a different show. You like eating, right? How about joining a show where you get to eat?" Yoo-Jin suggested.

Miso\'s pout relaxed slightly. Seizing the moment, I supported Yoo-Jin\'s suggestion.

"Yes. I think it would be great for you to join a show where you eat delicious food, make friends, and introduce viewers to great places to eat."

After pondering for a while, Miso finally nodded. Then, with sparkles in her eyes, she asked, "So when do I start? Tomorrow? Or the day after?"

Miso\'s eagerness kicked in again as soon as we decided on joining the food exploration program.

Seeing her excited face, I inadvertently responded without realizing it.

"In two weeks. Or maybe one?"

"Yay! I\'ll brag about it tomorrow to Yung-Hee, Soon-ee, Chul-Soo, and..."

While Miso listed the friends she planned to boast to, I hurriedly sent messages to the producers of the food programs.

After all, I needed to make Miso\'s debut happen within a week and secure a permanent spot for her on the show.

***

Click!

The door to Lee Gi-Cheol\'s office opened abruptly as Kim Dong-Soo rushed in.

"Mr. Lee. President Lee from Red Moon wants to meet. He says he has a favor to ask."

"President Lee? When?"

"Tonight."

"Tsk. What\'s the rush?"

With over twelve actors from Actor Divisions 1 and 3 appearing in dramas produced by Red Moon, Red Moon was in a more advantageous position than Hoop Entertainment. In other words, it wasn\'t a situation where Red Moon\'s request could be easily refused.

Kim Dong-Soo relayed the favor that Lee Sang-Sik had mentioned.

"So...if we could arrange a casual meeting for him to have a drink with Yoo-Jin, he would pay us a great deal?" Lee Gi-Cheok asked.

"Yes, sir. A very important VIP from China is coming and he happens to be Yoo-Jin\'s fan. He said they would handle the rest if we just set up the meeting," Kim Dong-Soo replied.

"Who even is this important person?" Lee Gi-Cheok questioned.

"It\'s the president of Hwayeon Media Inc."

Lee Gi-Cheol tilted his head in confusion. "Hwayeon? You mean President Jiang Wei? Why would such a big shot come to Korea?"

"Apparently, he\'s considering expanding into Korea."

Lee Gi-Cheol leaned back on the sofa and looked surprised. "Wow. President Lee has quite the connections, hanging out with such big shots. But why did he contact us? Yoo-Jin is managed by Assistant Manager Jung."

"I asked the same, and it seems Assistant Manager Jung flatly refused."

Lee Gi-Cheol chuckled. "That guy really is out of his mind. A mere assistant manager refusing an offer from the president of Hwayeon? Is he fearless or clueless?"

After a moment of contemplation, Lee Gi-Cheol sipped his coffee and waved his hand dismissively. Messing with Jung Yoon-Ho who became a part of Kang Gam-Chan\'s line was no easy job, after all.

"Forget it. There\'s no way that crazy jerk would stay quiet if we arrange a meeting—unless we kidnap her or something."

Kim Dong-Soo looked at the passive Lee Gi-Cheol and spoke up cautiously. "Um, Mr. Lee?"

"What?"

"Now that Mr. Kang isn\'t around, aren\'t you the owner of the company? Maybe it\'s time to take a stronger stance."

"Take a stronger stance?"

"As the owner of the company, surely you can issue legitimate business directives. Right?"

Lee Gi-Cheol cleared his throat at Kim Dong-Soo\'s words.

"Ahem. Well, yes. That\'s true. But what if things escalate when Mr. Kang returns? And Kang Ji-Yung, that bitch is just waiting for me to slip up with fire in her eyes."

Lee Gi-Cheol was still concerned about Kang Gam-Chan, even though he was trying to seize opportunities by signing new celebrities. Despite being away on vacation, the shareholders still trusted Kang Gam-Chan more than Lee Gi-Cheol.

Hearing Lee Gi-Cheol\'s response, Kim Dong-Soo openly expressed his disappointment.

"It\'s because you always hesitate that\'s why the investors trust Mr. Kang more!"

"Hey! Kim Dong-Soo! What did you just say!?"

Being told he wasn\'t trusted by the investors was a taboo for Lee Gi-Cheol.

"I\'m sorry to say this, but this is advice for your own good. How long will you keep being scared and live under Mr. Kang\'s shadow?"

The fuming Lee Gi-Cheol finally slumped down. After all, there was some truth in Kim Dong-Soo\'s words.

"Ugh. So what do you suggest?" Lee Gi-Cheol asked reluctantly.

As Lee Gi-Cheol tried to calm his anger, Kim Dong-Soo shared what he had found out.

"Actually, Mr. Kang isn\'t on vacation."

"What are you talking about? He and his wife were supposed to be touring the US for a few months before heading to Europe."

Kim Dong-Soo shook his head and said, "I was a bit suspicious, so I did some digging. Right now, Kang Gam-Chan is at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He\'s recovering from brain surgery."

"What...brain surgery?"

"Yes, sir. The surgery went well and he\'s recovering. But considering the area he operated on, it\'s unlikely he\'ll return before August. And his return might be delayed even further with rehabilitation."

"His return might be difficult if it\'s brain surgery, right?" Lee Gi-Cheol asked as he fell into deep thought.

If this information were accurate, now was the perfect time to showcase his capabilities to the shareholders of Hoop Entertainment.

"I\'ll handle the shareholders, so it\'s time for you to think big and make a move. President Jiang Wei is willing to invest 10 billion won in Red Moon as a condition for this meeting." Kim Dong-Soo added.

"10 billion just to meet a woman? Just for a drink?" Lee Gi-Cheol responded with a surprised expression.

Kim Dong-Soo smirked and replied, "He he. There\'s no way it\'s gonna be just one meeting. He\'s confident that he\'ll be able to win her over as long as the meeting happens."

"Alright. Then what do I need to do?" asked Lee Gi-Cheol.

Kim Dong-Soo answered, "Just arrange the meeting as President Lee requested and we\'ll just pick up the crumbs."

"Arranging a meeting could be feasible. Meeting President Jiang Wei would be beneficial for us one way or another."

"Yes, Mr. President," teased Kim Dong-Soo with a smirk on his face.

"Hey! Not yet," Lee Gi-Cheol responded.

"He he, you\'ll be promoted soon enough."

Kim Dong-Soo\'s flattery made Lee Gi-Cheol\'s face flush with excitement.

***

The time was already 10 p.m. as we watched dramas and chatted. Noticing Miso\'s eyelids starting to droop, I got up from my seat.

"Miso, sleep well and I\'ll see you tomorrow."

Cradled in Yoo-Jin\'s arms and nodding off, Miso grabbed my pants with her tiny hand.

"I\'m...I\'m not sleepy, Uncle Yoon-Ho.."

Miso insisted she wasn\'t sleepy even though she could barely keep her left eye open.

Yoo-Jin tried to dissuade her. "No, Miso. Uncle Yoon-Ho has to go."

Miso shook her head.

"You don\'t want me to go?" I asked.

"No!" Miso exclaimed.

It was flattering how she always hated to part ways with me, but it also warmed my heart to think that I had someone who always missed me.

"Miso, I\'ll come again tomorrow. I\'ll be right here when you wake up," I promised.

"Really?"

"Really!"

"Okay. Bye, Uncle Yoon-Ho~."

Miso waved her hand lazily, before resting her head in Yoo-Jin\'s arms with a longing look. Soon, her eyes were fully closed and she fell asleep in Yoo-Jin\'s embrace.

"Yoo-Jin, I\'ll look into the nursing home volunteer work Mrs. Kim Soo-Hee mentioned and get back to you. It might take three to four days."

"Okay, oppa. Thank you."

Yoo-Jin followed me to the door to see me off.

At that moment, I received a phone call from Lee Gi-Cheol.

-Assistant Manager Jung, what are you up to right now?

"I\'m about to head home after Yoo-Jin\'s schedule has ended."

When I gave a vague answer, Lee Gi-Cheol sounded relieved but said in an urgent voice.

-That\'s good. Bring Yoo-Jin and come to Evian in Gangnam.

Evian was a high-end bar with private rooms.

\'But why at this late hour?\'

"Mr. Lee, it\'s already past 10 p.m."

-Hey, you know there\'s no day or night in our line of work. It\'s urgent, so come right now. I\'ll send you the address.

Lee Gi-Cheol hung up without further explanation.

Work wasn\'t confined to the office in the entertainment industry, making it hard to outright ignore a directive from Lee Gi-Cheol. Especially since Lee Gi-Cheol was the de facto decision-maker in the absence of Kang Gam-Chan.

Yoo-Jin cradled the sleeping Miso against her shoulder and asked with a worried voice, "Oppa, do I need to go right now?"

"No. You just stay home."

"But he said to bring me along."

I shook my head. I couldn\'t bring Yoo-Jin along with me without knowing what this was about.

"It\'s okay. Just trust me and turn off your phone. I\'ll say you\'re too tired to come so just go along with it. If it\'s urgent, I\'ll contact you through Miso\'s phone."

"Understood."

"Alright. Then I\'m off. See you tomorrow."

I headed to the place Lee Gi-Cheol mentioned alone, unsure what awaited me.