Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Meeting Kim PD
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Tall stature, a black shadow looming over his head. His frizzy, semi-curly hair, who knows when it was last tended to, stuck out in all directions.
On top of that, with pitch-black sunglasses hiding his eyes completely, he exuded the vibe of a straight-out-of-a-fairy-tale "villain."
Any little kid who saw him would burst into tears.
I froze without realizing it. Then, lips slathered thick with lipstick parted, and a single line popped out.
"Kang Reporter, you wanna die on me?"
What?
For a split second, the temperature around us seemed to drop about 10 degrees. I could feel people nearby whispering and staring our way.
"Hahaha. Why's our Kim PD acting up like this?"
Kang Yoo-ha let out a soulless laugh and continued.
"Our Owner Song got startled. Don't misunderstand, Owner. Kim PD's just thrilled, that's all."
That?
The woman called Kim PD stood there radiating an icy gale-force chill.
Standing with her legs cocked to one side, arms crossed, looking down at me.
"Owner, this is the Kim Seol PD I told you about. PD, this is the Owner of that Bingwa I mentioned on the phone."
"Pleased to meet you."
"......"
Kim Seol stared blankly at the hand I extended, then scanned me up and down.
What.
Even I, who doesn't flinch at much, felt a jolt. PD? She had the aura of some mob boss's only daughter.
"Ahaha. Ahahaha. Our Kim PD's in rare form today. What's with this? In front of a guest I brought. Did something bad happen or what?"
I could see Kang Yoo-ha awkwardly laughing, trying to lighten the mood.
Would that work?
If anything, those words seemed to irk her more— one of Kim Seol's eyebrows twitched upward.
"What nonsense is that, Kang Reporter."
See?
"I'm smiling wide open right now, can't you see?"
Pardon?
Before I could even voice my bewilderment, Kang Yoo-ha flashed a big grin and chimed in.
"Right? Whew, it's been a while since I last saw you, so I blanked for a sec."
Then he whispered to me.
"She's always a bit like that."
"Ah, got it."
"But her skills are the real deal. Every show she produces hits big. She just moved from variety to documentary for the first time, dead set on beating variety in ratings with her passion..."
Kang Yoo-ha shook his head side to side.
"Kang Reporter. I've asked you dozens of times. No one who fits our show?"
"You did. You called me at dawn every day, and I lost like 3 kilos."
"But you're messing with me?"
Her gaze shot over like a whip, and I flinched despite myself. Why, what?
"Someone like this..."
Hm.
Is it too soon for TV? Maybe I was hoping for too much off a bit of recent buzz.
She produces hits every time, and this show's slated for a smash too, so she's a star PD in her own right.
No wonder she's baffled—I dragged in a total rookie businessman with zero variety creds.
'Stuck in the middle, this is awkward.'
As I gave an awkward smile, Kang Yoo-ha hurriedly jumped in.
"Why? It's a great story. Businessman rises from plagiarism scandal, unleashes unique creativity to surprise among pro chefs... How's that? I can already see the headline."
No skin off my back.
I'm no pro chef, just a restaurant management specialist. Sure, I've studied cooking a ton.
In a one-on-one, any chef facing me wins and breaks even; loses and it's humiliating. Talk about embarrassment.
One upset win, and they've got plenty of drama.
'And I've got some confidence.'
I'm no chef, but I bet I nail the guests' tastes better.
Mass appeal with no haters. That's my edge.
'Just wonder if she gets that.'
Kim Seol eyed me and Kang Yoo-ha alternately with calm eyes. As a stranger, knowing me only as Bingwa's owner. She probably had no clue.
'How to convince her...'
As that thought raced through my head.
Kim Seol spoke up in a snappy tone.
"You knew someone like this and never breathed a word to me till now?"
Huh? Not the reaction I expected.
I blinked wide at Kim Seol, and the rest followed.
"Good visuals, solid hook. Fresh character. Barely any image baggage with the public yet. But high interest. Perfect."
Kim Seol's gaze locked straight on mine.
Beyond the dark sunglasses, chestnut-brown eyes gleamed sharp.
I could almost see the blazing passion roaring inside. Or like a predator spotting prey.
"Exactly the type I've been hunting for!"
"Haha..."
Kang Yoo-ha let out a small chuckle. Clear he'd been on pins and needles and finally exhaled in relief.
"Kim PD. I keep telling you to fix that mouth of yours... I thought my heart was gonna drop out!"
"Huh? What'd I do?"
As Kang Yoo-ha buried his face in his hands and wailed, Kim Seol just cocked her head like what was the problem.
She really has no idea how she comes off to people.
"No, but why you gotta be so tall today, and what's with the hair?"
"Oh, wore heels today. Had a meeting elsewhere. Hair's just what happens when I let it down from a bun."
"And the sunglasses?"
"These?"
Kim Seol flicked the sunglasses up.
"Ah."
I let out an involuntary gasp.
"Got bruised."
One eye was puffy and swollen.
"Oh my god. What happened to your eye? Who'd you fight? Knew it. I knew you'd get into some mess someday, Kim PD."
"Fight? Drunk and headbutted a pole. Shit."
As the talk flowed, it became clear most of my first impressions were misconceptions.
"Ah, sorry. Must've startled you. I've been pulling all-nighters for a week straight booking talent."
Kim Seol slid her sunglasses back down and spoke in a weary voice.
"If Kang Reporter had told me about Owner Song sooner, I wouldn't have suffered like this."
Her glare zapped sharp. Kang Yoo-ha made a wronged pouty face. Ignoring him, Kim Seol handed me her business card first.
"That's me. You probably got the gist from Kang Reporter."
"Ah, yes. Here's mine too."
We swapped cards with pretty professional flair. She seemed like a free spirit, but damn if she didn't nail the corporate polish.
"I'll take off now. You two talk it out~."
"Yes, take care."
"Thanks, Kang Reporter. Next time, lunch's on me."
Kang Yoo-ha bowed and left.
Then Kim Seol promptly slid into his seat across from me.
Her sparkling gaze made my face tingle.
"You probably got the rundown on the show. Want me to go over it again?"
No. I knew the program inside out. What I wanted to ask was...
"All the other chefs are already booked, right? Not me."
At my question, Kim Seol flinched briefly.
"Yes, that's right."
"All top-tier resumes, I assume."
"Yes. It's a cooking showdown, after all."
Kim Seol replied firmly. There were side elements, but the core was "cooking."
"For variety flair, some have broadcast experience. But plenty like you, Song Woo-yeon, total newbies, so it won't be hard to adjust."
"Strictly speaking, I'm hardly a chef. Worried I might tarnish the 'cooking show' image."
"No need to worry. We planned to slot in one total wildcard from the start."
Someone else in my past life. This time, I'm in the running.
"I get your concerns. We've met tons of civilian contestants with similar worries. So we do constant monitoring and..."
When it came to work, Kim Seol ditched the snappy jabs for a crisp, tidy tone.
Voice steady, eyes brimming with passion.
Good PD. The thought crossed my mind naturally. That intense first impression had already faded.
People passionate about their work shine bright, whatever the field.
"...we'll keep at it. Feel free to request a check-in anytime if you want..."
"I'll do it."
I'd decided before even coming here.
Kim Seol shut her mouth for a beat. I nailed it down.
"I want in. If you're okay with it, PD."
"...Of course I'm thrilled!!"
Whoa, she lunged into a hug, and I stiffened up. Then dampness soaked my shoulder, flooding me with shock.
Crying?
"P-PD?"
"Waaah! Finally found youuu. The promising ones hate broadcasting and bail, and the eager beavers all come with ulterior motives to shill their shops!"
She must've been stressed hard. Tsk tsk. Age aside from my body's, she looked way too young for this grind. Felt bad for her.
I patted her back, and her sobs ramped up.
Yeah, cry it out. Cry...
Half-resigned, I let her soak my jacket.
'Most bewildering thing lately, hands down.'
Even the plagiarism mess wasn't this flustering. That was more "fix it fast."
'Life's full of surprises. Me, on TV and all.'
The thought made me chuckle softly.
Yeah.
That's what I thought. Right up until the first recording.
"The world's gotten way too easy."
Never dreamed I'd hear that spat right in my face.
"Selling gukbap and snacks makes you a chef now."
...Oh ho.
Bring it on, huh?