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Chapter 282: Jung Yoo-Jin\'s Showtime (4)

"Is that the right car?"

"It is!"

"Run!"

As soon as we entered the parking lot, the reporters swarmed toward us like a horde of zombies.

Screech!

I immediately hit the brakes.

"Miss Jung Yoo-Jin! Please give us an interview."

"Mrs. Jin Yoo-Jung, I mean, Miss Jung Yoo-Jin! Please give us a word about..."

"Miss Yoo-Jin! Open the door!"

The reporters were so densely packed that I couldn\'t move the car at all.

Not only was I worried someone might get hurt, but I also feared that if even one of them got hit by the car, there would be headlines like "Jung Yoo-Jin runs over reporter!"

When the car stopped, the reporters banged on the doors and begged for an interview.

Yoo-Jin blinked her eyes in surprise. "O-oppa. What is all this?"

"I told you it wouldn\'t be a joke."

Yoo-Jin still looked like she couldn\'t believe it.

Yang So-Ri and Lee Mi-Ri who were sitting in the backseat clutched their chests in excitement and shock.

When reporters rushed toward us with flashing eyes, Jung Sang-Bong who was in the passenger seat asked, "Mr. Jung, should I get out and ask them to move?"

"That\'s nonsense. That won\'t work."

Even though Jung Sang-Bong was a former national taekwondo athlete, he would be considered lucky if he didn\'t get trampled to death if he got out.

"Do you know the savanna?" I asked

"You mean like in Africa?" Jung Sang-Bong replied.

I nodded. "Yes. Think of us as newborn gazelles and the reporters out there as hyenas starved for a week. If you go out, you\'ll die."

No matter how much I thought about it, there was no way out of this situation.

Eventually, I had no choice but to call the staff. A short while later, Cha Soo-Yeon led a group of crew members rushing over. Thanks to them, we had enough space to drive through, albeit barely.

We could hear the loud protests of the reporters as we drove into the set with difficulty.

As soon as we stopped and got out, I saw Cha Soo-Yeon running over out of breath. "Huff huff huff..."

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, I\'m not okay."

When I handed Cha Soo-Yeon water, she gulped it down like a thirsty animal.

"Ugh... Is this a set or a battlefield?" Cha Soo-Yeon groaned.

"When did the reporters arrive?"

"Those folks have been camped out since dawn."

Cha Soo-Yeon took a moment to catch her breath, then looked at me expectantly.

Knowing exactly what she wanted, I said, "If you set aside some time, we\'ll do an interview."

Her face brightened in an instant. "Really?"

I nodded. "With that many reporters, they won\'t leave even if we tell them to."

Cha Soo-Yeon beamed with joy. "Can I go tell them now? Like right now?"

"Yes, Miss Cha."

With my permission, Cha Soo-Yeon started running back the way she came.

From now on, I couldn\'t avoid the media no matter how much I disliked them.

After all, celebrities need to take advantage of their opportunities to shine in the spotlight if they wanted to climb higher.

***

From the back seat where she was doing her makeup, Yoo-Jin asked, "Oppa, you were just talking about the savanna and hyenas. So why are we doing an interview now?"

"If we don\'t do it when they\'re swarming like that, they\'ll follow us home. It\'s better to just do it here."

Yoo-Jin nodded.

At that moment, Cha Soo-Yeon returned from talking to the reporters. Despite sweating profusely, she seemed quite pleased. "I\'ve scheduled the interview with the reporters for an hour from now."

"Understood."

"Oh, and the CP wants to see both of you. I forgot to tell you earlier because of the reporters."

"What\'s it about?" I asked.

"I heard there\'s a good offer. He was confident about casting Miss Yoo-Jin as the lead in a 30 billion won drama."

My eyes widened. \'Whoa, 30 billion won?\'

At that moment, a failed MBS drama from my past life which had a huge budget flashed through my mind.

"Is it by any chance Empress Myeongseong 2021...?" I asked cautiously.

"Oh, yes. Did you already talk to the CP?" Cha Soo-Yeon answered.

"No, it\'s just that the only project of that scale being made right now is Empress Myeongseong. So I just guessed."

"Ah, I see. Anyway, the drama department is in an uproar. The higher-ups have high expectations for it because of the big investment."

In my past life, Empress Myeongseong 2021 fell apart due to issues with investors and the writer.

I thought for a second and spoke. "But isn\'t there a rumor that the production was delayed because the investor couldn\'t provide the money?"

"Oh, that? MBS decided to guarantee the funds."

What happened in my past life was happening again.

"Then are there any rumors about the writer?"

"Hmm. Rumors? I haven\'t heard any. Are there bad rumors?"

I shook my head. "No, it\'s nothing."

It seemed like Cha Soo-Yeon knew nothing about Oh Sang-Jong, the writer of Empress Myeongseong 2021.

I asked Cha Soo-Yeon to wait a moment and checked my planner.

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: February 12, 2021]

-11:00 p.m. <Empress Myeongseong 2021> meeting about writer Oh Sang-Jong\'s sexual scandal (Report: Collective lawsuit by students during his professorship. Legal Division\'s team lead in attendance).

After Empress Myeongseong 2021 aired, Oh Sang-Jong would face collective lawsuits from graduate students for misconduct during his professorship.

In my past life, the sexual scandal of a well-known professor, successful drama writer, and author of best-selling books had enough social impact to make the 9 o\'clock news.

Consequently, Empress Myeongseong 2021 faced intense backlash from netizens and was canceled early with the worst viewership ratings in history.

The lead actress back then was Yeo Eun-Sil from Actor Division 3. She had been thrilled to finally land a good role after a tough audition, but ended her acting career due to this scandal.

\'Casting Yoo-Jin in such a drama? Not a chance,\' I remarked inwardly.

Still, I had to see Kim Myung-Hak as he called for us.

I put my phone away and instructed Yoo-Jin and the staff of Team Jung to prepare for the shoot. "Sang-Bong, go check with the production team for any schedule changes today. Mrs. Lee, please check Yoo-Jin\'s costume."

With the instructions given, I headed to look for Kim Myung-Hak with Cha Soo-Yeon.

***

In the monitoring area, Kim Myung-Hak and Kim Sung-Woon were having a meeting about today\'s shoot.

"Mr. Kim, I\'ve brought Team Lead Jung," announced Cha Soo-Yeon.

"Come in and have a seat. But where\'s Miss Yoo-Jin?" asked Kim Myung-Hak as he looked around after greeting me.

"Oh, she\'s having her makeup done."

Kim Myung-Hak showed some disappointment but quickly got to the point. "The drama department is planning a big investment in Empress Myeongseong 2021, and there\'s a strong opinion from the higher-ups that Miss Yoo-Jin should be the lead. What do you think, Team Lead Jung?"

"I heard that the roles are being decided through auditions. Is that not the case?"

Currently, Empress Myeongseong 2021 was in the script distribution stage with auditions for the lead actress scheduled for early next month.

Kim Myung-Hak lowered his voice, sounding troubled. "Actually, our president is very insistent on casting Miss Yoo-Jin. So I\'m in a bit of a difficult situation myself."

The most crucial factor in producing a drama with hundreds of billions invested was the casting. Hence, they were aiming to secure the hottest star, Yoo-Jin.

Noticing my expression, Kim Myung-Hak broached a sensitive topic first. "I heard from PD Kim that you don\'t like the project. However, I think you\'ll change your mind when you hear the pay, Team Lead Jung."

"Well, it\'s not about the pay but..."

Kim Myung-Hak interrupted me before I could finish. "We can offer 100 million won per episode! No other network can match that. You know that 100 million is top-tier treatment."

Currently, Yoo-Jin\'s pay was 10 million won per episode, meaning they were offering a tenfold increase. This was a far superior offer compared to what KBC and SBC proposed this morning.

Moreover, it had a long run of 50 episodes being a special drama. They were tempting me with a 5 billion won deal within reach.

However, the misdeeds of Oh Sang-Jong weren\'t something that could be overlooked. He was a notorious criminal with numerous victims.

I conveyed my polite refusal to Kim Myung-Hak with a regretful expression. "I\'m sorry, Mr. Kim. I truly appreciate the generous offer, but I must decline."

Kim Myung-Hak looked puzzled. "Is there another project you\'re eyeing? From where? KBC? SBC? Netflux?"

"Actually, Mr. Yang Jun-Seok from KBC and Mr. Jung Sang-Ryong from SBC came to my house with offers this morning."

Having competitors approach was a sign of Yoo-Jin\'s rising status and worked to my advantage.

Kim Myung-Hak looked taken aback by the unexpected news. "I-is that so? How much did they offer? They can\'t possibly match us."

"That\'s true. But..."

"Hah! Stop being so frustrating! Just tell me what you need and I\'ll meet any request of yours!"

After a brief hesitation, I decided to reveal what I knew. "The truth is, Writer Oh Sang-Jong..."

I cautiously explained what Oh Sang-Jong had done during his tenure as a university professor.

Kim Myung-Hak\'s face turned pale. "Is that really true? You know the consequences of making baseless accusations, right? Professor Oh is a very strict person when it comes to his private life. Do you have any proof?"

With a 30 billion won investment on the line, Kim Myung-Hak was extremely sensitive to the scandal involving Oh Sang-Jong. He asked multiple times if I was sure, and I quietly nodded.

After all, the schedule in my planner was bound to happen in reality.

The crucial issue now was not about casting Yoo-Jin as the female lead, but whether the 30 billion won investment would go down the drain.

That\'s when Kim Sung-Woon, who had been deep in thought, offered his opinion. "Mr. Kim, we need to contact the president immediately. I heard Professor Oh received a huge advance..."

"That\'s right!"

It was revealed that 800 million won, equivalent to ten episodes\' worth of fees, had already been paid as an advance to the writer.

"Please wait a moment. I\'ll call the president."

Kim Myung-Hak dialed the phone right there to call the president.

Ring ring ring.

Click.

Soon, Choi Sang-Byung\'s voice came through.

-Yes, it\'s me. Did you secure Jung Yoo-Jin?

"Mr. Choi! This isn\'t the time to secure the main lead! We\'re about to face a disaster."

-What? Why would we face a disaster?

As soon as Kim Myung-Hak relayed what I had told him, Choi Sang-Byung\'s voice grew louder.

-Have you confirmed it?

"Well... We\'re in the process of verifying it. Team Lead Jung brought this information."

-Is he with you right now? Put Team Lead Jung on the phone.

Kim Myung-Hak handed me the phone. When I took over the call, Choi Sang-Byung\'s sharp voice came through.

-Let\'s not beat around the bush and just get straight to the point. Is this certain?

"The victims are preparing to file lawsuits. The university will deny it, but if you cross-check with the graduate students, you\'ll find out the truth quickly," I answered.

There was a moment of silence before Choi Sang-Byung spoke.

-Come to the office today. We need to discuss this in person.

I was being summoned by the president of MBS. In that case, I couldn\'t go alone.

"Then I\'ll come with our president," I added.

-Okay!

Click.

After finishing the call with Choi Sang-Byung, I immediately called Kang Gam-Chan who agreed to go with me.

-If it\'s something like that, of course I need to go with you."

Once I hung up, Kim Myung-Hak was sweating profusely while Kim Sung-Woon sighed in relief. "Thank goodness for Team Lead Jung."

Kim Myung-Hak looked bewildered. "Wow. To think Oh Sang-Jong seemed like such a gentleman on the outside..."

He mentioned that since Oh Sang-Jong was often seen on TV, it was hard to believe he had done such misdeeds.

"That\'s what makes him scarier," I remarked.

"It seems like there\'s no one in this world we can trust."

Given the trust we had built, neither of them seemed to doubt me. Despite the headache caused by Empress Myeongseong 2021, it was reassuring to confirm one thing: MBS had valued Yoo-Jin as an S Class star, offering 100 million won per episode.

Kim Myung-Hak let out a sigh and said he needed to return to the company and headed quickly to the parking lot.

Kim Sung-Woon expressed his gratitude as he watched Kim Myung-Hak leave. "We avoided a disaster thanks to you, Mr. Jung."

But then something unexpected happened.

A pristine white Merciless Bends S650 drove into the parking lot and a model-like actress in expensive-looking clothes stepped out.

It was someone I knew.

I wondered, \'Wait, isn\'t that...\'

It was Hong Hyun-Joo, the second daughter of HK Textiles, who had once asked me to buy her a drink at a club.

She stepped out of the car with a haughty expression.