Chapter 77
Translator: uly
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Is the Author Omnipotent?
The JU Entertainment scandal rocked the nation.
Famous celebrities and associates linked to the sex bribery allegations emerged one after another, drawing massive public attention.
In particular, with the ledger handed over to the police, prosecutors, and even the Blue House simultaneously, summoning those involved became inevitable.
It had grown too big for any single organization to cover up.
In the end, it ballooned into the entertainment industry's biggest scandal, with the media pumping out related articles every day.
Though Tae-seong was the one who orchestrated the whole thing, he lost interest in the case.
His goal had been limited to recruiting Lee Ye-eun and ensuring the culprits faced legal punishment.
He had achieved everything he set out to do.
Any further attention would just be a waste of his time.
He had too much on his plate.
The busiest task by far was filming Otherworld Chef Season 2.
“Action!”
Tae-seong called out.
The actors moved in perfect sync, diving into their performances.
As they entered Season 2, there were many changes. One major one was the number of actors.
For Season 1, they had minimized the cast.
It was partly due to budgets, but also because more roles would complicate shooting logistics.
So, they focused more on the food than the story.
It was a polarizing style, but given the production constraints, it was unavoidable.
For Season 2, though, the shooting conditions had improved dramatically.
Gangwon Province had provided a full set, allowing for plenty of movement.
Tae-seong had overseen every detail, ensuring historical accuracy.
With a slew of new characters added, they scouted top-tier actors with proven skills.
He held auditions himself and unearthed hidden gems.
Among them, one shone brighter than the rest.
“Please call me Lena.”
Lee Ye-eun, playing the role of Lena.
She was a diamond among gems.
Not just her acting chops, but her ability to embody the character.
Through sheer effort, she had melted into the role.
But what amazed him most was her innate talent.
‘Every gesture carries elegance.’
True nobility is rare in modern society.
Even as a mixed-race individual raised mostly in Korea, she’d never had a chance to experience aristocratic life.
Yet her movements exuded grace.
‘That’s something you’re born with.’
Even Tae-seong hadn’t anticipated this gift of hers.
Her superior grasp of the role brought a smile to his lips.
“Okay! Cut!”
His call wrapped the scene.
* * *
Preparing for Season 2 had Tae-seong stretched thinner than ever.
He spent most of his time in Gangwon overseeing the shoot.
On rare days off, he raced back to Seoul.
The reason? OST production.
“Hyung! Long time no see?”
Lee Jun-seok of The Galaxy greeted him in his usual flashy attire.
“Yeah. Been slammed. Sorry for dropping in out of the blue to use your studio.”
“No way! My studio’s always open to you, hyung.”
Lee Jun-seok’s rhythmic, hip-hop flair drew a chuckle from Tae-seong.
It was just his style, so Tae-seong laughed it off and plopped into a chair.
“Working on a drama OST?”
“Yeah. Gonna focus for a bit.”
“Oh! Mind if I hang out?”
“Sure. Just don’t bug me.”
“Yessir!”
Lee Jun-seok settled into the studio sofa.
His eyes locked onto Tae-seong’s back.
‘How’s he gonna tackle it?’
The track he’d made, Breakup, was one he was damn proud of.
Among his recent ballads, it was top-tier.
But he’d overlooked something crucial.
He hadn’t considered the singer.
That was his mistake.
An even bigger one: handing it to Sia without properly checking her voice.
Breakup failed to connect with audiences and faded away.
It stung personally.
He’d thought it was a great song.
Then, suddenly, an arranged version dropped on NewTube and blew up.
Hearing it floored Lee Jun-seok.
‘I thought no composer in Korea could touch my work.’
It was confidence bordering on arrogance.
He was one of the country’s top composers for a reason.
His broad spectrum was his superpower—spanning genres, drawing endless gigs.
Then someone rearranged his track.
Perfectly.
He was dying to know.
How would this guy rework it?
‘Here we go.’
Tae-seong dove into the track.
Lee Jun-seok’s gear was all top-shelf imports.
Even pro composers sometimes fumbled with it.
But Tae-seong handled it like his own, smooth as silk.
‘Where’s he worked with this stuff before?’
The real shock unfolded over time.
‘What kind of focus is that…….’
Two hours passed, and Tae-seong hadn’t budged.
No water break, just locked in.
His hands flew; his eyes glued to the screen.
Watching him, Lee Jun-seok held his breath.
‘Is he even human?’
That was the natural question.
* * *
By the time Tae-seong finished, night had fallen.
“Man, I hogged your studio too long. Sorry.”
“No worries. Watching you work was a masterclass. But hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“How do you concentrate like that?”
Lee Jun-seok’s question left Tae-seong speechless for a beat.
Live 999 lives. Then you’ll focus like me.
He couldn’t say that.
Tae-seong brushed it off vaguely and headed to his car.
“How do these days even happen? Next time, dinner’s on me.”
“Yessir! Drive safe.”
Waving off Lee Jun-seok, Tae-seong hit the road.
* * *
The next day, Tae-seong met with Netflix’s Team Leader Lee Ji-yeon.
“You must be swamped.”
Her first words after their greeting carried genuine concern.
She knew his schedule all too well.
“Got a lot of irons in the fire, yeah.”
“Take care of your health. People would faint hearing your lineup.”
“Thanks for worrying.”
“Won’t keep a busy man long—straight to business?”
Her lighthearted tone earned a nod.
“Otherworld Chef Season 1’s overseas release is locked in.”
She slid over a document.
It outlined the schedule.
“Japan first, huh.”
“Yeah. Given your name recognition, Japan should react strongest, so we prioritized it. Then China, the US, and UK back-to-back.”
Solid plan.
“Translations good?”
“Yup. Internal review says perfect. Localized with local branches’ help—top-notch final product.”
“Great.”
“China was blown away, by the way. Asked if a native translated it.”
Baek Eun-ha had handled the Chinese.
No surprise there; he knew her skills.
“Thanks for the great translator hookup.”
“No problem. Oh, we’re starting to plan Season 2’s release too.”
“Already?”
“Yeah. At this pace, it’ll be upload-ready in a month.”
“Damn, you guys move fast.”
“Good staff makes it easy.”
“Then we’ll set Season 2’s rollout. Can you share the final cut?”
“Of course. Post-edit, it’s yours.”
“Thanks. We’ll jump on translations.”
“Sure.”
Otherworld Chef’s global push was set.
“And take care of your health.”
“Thanks.”
Tae-seong bowed once more at her parting concern.
* * *
Tae-seong visited the office after ages.
“Representative-nim, you’re back?”
Han Seong-ho’s sturdy frame greeted him.
“Yeah. Seong-ho, how about a meeting in 20?”
“Perfect.”
“20 minutes, then. Round up all the team leaders.”
“Got it.”
Han Seong-ho nodded.
In his office, Tae-seong sank into his chair, lost in thought.
‘Health…….’
Lee Ji-yeon’s words from yesterday lingered.
Health advice felt foreign to him.
Across his lives, illness was rare.
Injuries in battle, sure—but diseases? Barely, after the early ones.
One reason: mana and internal energy training.
But no such powers here.
Just physical conditioning.
Even he knew its limits.
No issues now, but years of this grind? Couldn’t guarantee.
‘Time to delegate for real.’
He’d handled everything solo till now.
Inefficient.
More works ahead, all OSMU-bound.
Micromanaging would bottleneck time.
And if something happened to him? Total halt.
Worst-case.
Life’s unpredictable.
Prep now.
‘Split current projects by division…….’
First: novels.
His alone.
Personal experiences turned stories—no one else.
Second: webtoons.
Running smooth without him.
Han Seong-ho led; team leaders meshed well.
Four teams: [SSS-Class Hunter’s Return], [Otherworld Chef], [Reincarnation as a Divine Physician], [Black Knight’s Her].
4-5 members each, cranking out work.
‘Webtoons are fine. Drama’s the issue.’
Third: dramas.
Time sink lately.
Directing plus OST ate hours.
Plus meetings galore.
‘Delegate here. For future works, scout better directors than me.’
He planned to adapt everything to video.
Couldn’t direct it all.
Need new talent.
‘And someone for marketing and sales.’
He had a candidate.
‘OSTs…….’
Lee Jun-seok’s face came to mind.
Brilliant composer.
Breakup showed it—even raw.
One flaw: overconfidence, ignoring the singer.
‘His recent stuff fixed that.’
Synergy with singers now; tailored quality.
He’d grown.
But hurdle: poaching him costs big.
Money, maybe more—he’s loaded.
‘Gotta ask.’
Best fit for now.
‘And finally…….’
Merch division.
Only [SSS-Class Hunter’s Return] and [Black Knight’s Her] so far.
More coming—restructure needed.
‘Need to mull this.’
Knock knock!
Door rap.
“Representative-nim, meeting’s ready.”
“Coming now.”
Tae-seong rose at Han Seong-ho’s voice.