Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Executive Director Joo's Cheers
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I rolled my shoulders. My waist was fine, but my arms felt a bit sore.
“Let's head back to the set. I should say something to the staff around too.”
“Yeah. But with Jeong Ji-seok like that, what happens to the movie schedule?”
“It'll get pushed back?”
“Probably.”
On our way to the car, I spotted a family rushing by in a panic. The woman hurrying along looked just like Jeong Ji-seok, which brought a wry smile to my face.
‘The son’s nowhere in sight.’
Of course.
I leaned back against the cushion and gazed out the window. The street that had been such chaos on the way here now felt perfectly normal.
“Manager, does Jeong Ji-seok have a son?”
“Well... Ah, the kid died when he was young.”
“How old was he?”
“I think he was in middle school? Ah, I remember now. It was the novel flu. It even made the news on TV.”
I see.
I rubbed my forehead.
“Why?”
“No, it's nothing. Jeong Ji-seok mistook me for his son for a moment.”
“Oh, really.”
I let out a heavy breath.
“Must've been tough. I know as a father with kids of my own. Damn, my nose is stinging.”
A bitter taste lingered on my tongue. I kept staring out the window.
“I never really understood what it's like for parents who lose a child, but now I get it a little. He misses him so much.”
Is my mom like that too?
‘Mom would just shake off her hands and say you kids handle the living world on your own before heading to the afterlife.’
The fiercest shaman in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Yeonhwa Bosal, seemed like the type who would.
“Of course. Damn, just imagining my daughter going to heaven makes tears stream down my face!”
He's so sensitive.
“I see. Still, don't cry.”
“Tears don't work that way!”
“Well, then cry in moderation.”
I leaned back against the cushion.
“Ah, I'm gonna catch a quick nap. My head's all over the place.”
“Yeah. You must be tired. Sleep.”
Even with my eyes closed, sleep wouldn't come. But I didn't open them.
The car glided smoothly onward. I let out a small sigh.
***
‘Zenith Makes 200 Kimbaps’ had been quite effective. Executive Director Joo cheered as she checked the view counts on the video site.
“Wow!”
In the video, Zenith was struggling away at making kimbap. Executive Director Joo jumped up from her seat and clapped her hands.
Clap clap clap—
The comments were going wild too. English, Spanish, Arabic. Comments poured in real-time in every language.
“The best part is this, of course.”
Executive Director Joo clicked on her favorite section. It was Cha Dowon, headscarf on, slicing kimbap like an octopus with its tentacles.
“Holding kitchen knives in both hands and cutting kimbap at the same time...”
Cha Dowon moved like a machine. He'd take one step to the right, slice the kimbap with the knives in both hands, then return to position and repeat.
People around the world were raving over this bizarre act from a current top idol.
‘Man, a ton of foreign kids are watching.’
Friends had raised all their kids targeting the Asian market. But now, things looked different. Was it the video site? Reactions were coming first from North America rather than Asia.
‘We know we need to break into the North American market.’
It was tough because it was.
Easier said than done. No one knew how or in what way to pioneer it.
Executive Director Joo spun once in her swivel chair.
‘If Minje's historical drama style works, we might need to rethink things properly.’
She stopped, propping her chin, when suddenly the door burst open roughly.
“Director Joo, did you see?”
Executive Director Joo shot to her feet. This didn't feel good at all.
“W-what? Did someone cause trouble? What is it? Dating scandal? Drunk driving? Don't tell me it's worse than that?”
“C-Cha Dowon.”
The plump president uttered one word and panted on the floor. Rather than wait for her brother-in-law's next words, it was faster to search the portal. Executive Director Joo immediately searched SNS.
“What the...”
The video was shaky, like it was secretly filmed. But it was clear enough.
“Why is our Dowon carrying a man?”
The rising idol star Cha Dowon was sprinting along holding a middle-aged male actor princess-style. The location was unmistakably a hospital, and Cha Dowon was in his shooting costume.
“W-what happened? Who’s the middle-aged guy?”
“Jeong Ji-seok.”
“Huh? Why did Jeong Ji-seok go to the ER?”
The president started coughing instead of answering. Frustrated, Executive Director Joo handed him some water.
“H-heart attack.”
“Oh no. Is he okay? Wait, did he even survive?”
“Dowon carried him like that, so no threat to his life.”
Executive Director Joo breathed a sigh of relief. Good thing. Even if the industry was a jungle, dead people were best avoided.
“Ah, this isn't trouble.”
“Cough! Yeah. It's actually great. I checked with the manager just now—Dowon stubbornly dragged Jeong Ji-seok, who was being stubborn, to the ER.”
Executive Director Joo shook out her tension. Her body was startled; the back of her neck felt stiff.
“Really? We should praise him.”
“Give him an award? Hosted by Friends Entertainment.”
Executive Director Joo rubbed her neck as she spoke.
“Dowon would love that. He'd toss a trophy straight in the trash. Or complain about wasting paper.”
“Our Dowon has such a sharp personality.”
“Exactly. Our Dowon is straightforward like that. Anyway, how's the reaction? No, brother-in-law, I'll check myself.”
Executive Director Joo scrolled down SNS.
“As expected. Good job. Did a great thing. Fans see him as a hero. Our Dowon carrying male actors now too? Is your back okay? Stuff like that.”
“Haters will hate no matter what, but even they hate on this?”
“They trashed it at first but backed off after counter-comments.”
“You saw that too?”
“You know me. It's my hobby.”
Come to think of it, her brother-in-law's hobby was internet surfing.
‘Hobby my foot—it's internet addiction.’
Executive Director Joo shook her head. No wonder his sister nagged him daily.
“Brace yourself.”
“Brace for wha—ah!”
Executive Director Joo jumped up from her seat. Sure enough, a staffer from PR arrived just then.
“Director Joo! Big names are suddenly wanting Cha Dowon!”
“Oh my, we already have so many CFs whose contracts haven't ended!”
“Even government offices reached out!”
“Oh my!”
Executive Director Joo let out a cheer of delight. The Friends Entertainment president winked one eye and whispered.
“You've gotta brace for good things too.”
The Friends Entertainment president whistled as he swiped his smartphone screen. Kimbap video goes up and boom, hero status. If Cha Dowon were here, he'd scoop him up and spin him around.
“Hold~ still~ a sec~ I'll go~ to PR~ myself~”
Executive Director Joo sang out in excitement. Seeing his cheerful sister-in-law perked him up too. The president stood and did three cheers.
“Didn't know he was like this when we first brought him! Hooray! Thought he was just a crazy maknae! Hooray! Now he's a total lucky charm! Lucky charm! Hooray!”
Even a normal movie shoot turns into an incident—our Dowon! Keep it up like this!
“No, maybe not keep it up like this?”
Where there's light, there's shadow. Too many incidents attract too many enemies.
‘Speaking of enemies...’
The president paused his cheers, thinking of Sa Hyeok.
‘He's been quiet lately...’
Still, word was he kept steadily targeting Zenith. He'd blocked minor stuff with his own power, but he couldn't let his guard down.
‘Hope nothing big happens.’
Honestly, nothing big was likely. The Zenith members barely had time to go out. At most, like Kang Minje at a cafe.
‘Gotta defend more thoroughly.’
To protect the rising star Cha Dowon.
The president went for another hooray but realized his sister-in-law, who he'd expected to join, was already gone to PR.
“Tch!”
Still, the Friends Entertainment president steadfastly continued his cheers. Truly, long live Korean independence.
***
Filming resumed two weeks later. I put on the same costume from the ER trip and sat in the chair. The crew, seeing me after so long, welcomed me warmly.
“Whoa, hero!”
I shook my head right away.
“Hero? No way.”
“Our Dowon, you saved Jeong Ji-seok and stayed busy, huh?”
“Yeah. Offers poured in like they were waiting.”
I counted on my fingers the ones I'd gotten.
‘Three video ads, one government promo, plus magazine shoots—it's a lot.’
Executive Director Joo had snapped up the work like she was waiting.
The director patted my shoulder.
“Our Dowon must've made bank.”
“Don't know the final payout yet. But more money's good.”
“Our Dowon’s still a minor, right? Parents handle the money?”
It was a tricky question. No parents to begin with.
“I got real medical insurance at least.”
“Good call. It's cheap when you're young.”
“Might add more health coverage.”
“Yeah, you're on top of it. Parents approved?”
Uncle, not parents, but I didn't want to get into it. I flashed a big smile and changed the subject.
“Ah, how’s Jeong Ji-seok?”
“Huh? Oh! That guy's fine. Here he comes!”
Jeong Ji-seok walked over slowly. I bowed wordlessly.
‘Looks perfectly fine.’
He survived after all. This guy.
“Go on, talk. I'm out!”
“Three’s fine too, Director.”
“No, no, no! I'm busy. See ya!”
What was that.
Jeong Ji-seok glared at me with his usual intense eyes. What a temper on this uncle. I smiled brightly.
“Glad you look okay.”
“Yeah.”
What was there to talk about? I turned.
“Then I'll get to my other stuff...”
I started to walk, but couldn't. I glanced back slightly.
‘Damn.’
Jeong Ji-seok was grabbing my clothes.
“Hey!”
“What?”
“What do you want?”
What’s he on about?
“Back then, you said if you hit me, you'd do whatever I say.”
I furrowed my brow, recalling.
“Ah, when you were being stubborn as hell?”
He remembers that.
“What do you want? I'll do anything.”
I chuckled and shook my head.
“If I said leave the movie, you would?”
“Yeah.”
Wow.
‘Looks like he really wants to be the magpie repaying a favor.’
What to do.
“Don't leave the movie for now. As for what I want... Hmm.”
I scanned Jeong Ji-seok up and down.
‘Write his name with his butt or something?’
Only elementary-level pranks came to mind.
I looked away from the stubborn uncle. Honestly, I hadn't sent him to the ER expecting that.
‘Nothing really...’
Just sent him.
‘I’m pretty decent.’
Karma points incoming.
I gave a short laugh.
“Nothing.”
“What?”
“Really nothing. Won't think of anything later either. Consider it never happened.”
Jeong Ji-seok bit his lip.
“And stop being so stubborn. What if I asked you to vouch for me over something like this?”
“I'd gladly do it.”
“A family man vouching? You're dangerous. Prefer dying over living hard? Never vouch for anything, no matter the reason.”
Jeong Ji-seok couldn't tear his eyes from me. His gaze was so wistful it annoyed me.
“Enough. I want nothing.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Want proof in writing?”
Maybe a contract to believe.
“No, no need. Just...”
Jeong Ji-seok's lips trembled for a long time.
“You know.”
Why drag it out.
“Yeah, what.”
“I don't say this lightly. Never have before. You're the first.”
Sounded like a drama love confession. Not some chaebol heir slapped by a commoner heroine. What’s this uncle up to?
The middle-aged actor leaned in close and whispered.
“Call me Uncle. Let's get close.”