K-Singer-Songwriter
I bent over and caught my breath, my lungs burning from the run here.
When I finally lifted my head and swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth, I saw Director Park Jun-seo and Team Leader Choi staring at me with obvious surprise.
Well, I couldn’t blame them. From their point of view, it had to look absurd: the manager who had just left had suddenly come rushing back in and, out of nowhere, was telling them to change the release date.
In a way, it might even have been a little overstepping. Still, fortunately, Director Park didn’t look all that displeased.
"Team Leader Kwon, shall we sit down first?"
Director Park offered me a seat cautiously. I didn’t refuse and sat down. In the meantime, Team Leader Choi handed me a glass of water. I bowed my head slightly in thanks and gulped it down.
The water seemed to settle the chaos in my head a little. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve and got straight to the point.
"Director Park, let’s go with a May release instead of August."
At that, Director Park asked with a mildly puzzled expression, "Hmm... did something suddenly change your mind?"
Because I’d seen the future that needed changing.
But I had no confidence I could explain that. So I started with the most reasonable explanation I could manage.
"We moved from a May release to August because of the Apocalypse series, didn’t we?"
"Right. If there’s a big anticipated release like that, avoiding it is the sensible choice."
I took out an article I had searched up earlier. It was in English, but I had run it through an AI translator, so there was no problem reading it.
As Director Park slowly read through it, his eyes widened a little.
"Huh? There’s been some internal trouble on the Apocalypse side?"
I nodded.
"Yes. I just checked it myself, and it looks like the writer and director had a clash over creative differences."
"Hmm... so the film is wobbling."
"Exactly. And take a look at this too."
Director Park’s gaze fell back to my smartphone.
"These are leaked internal materials about Twin Ghosts from Reddit."
For major Hollywood films, insider leaks were pretty common. What I was showing him was a patchwork compilation of those leaks.
"Usually leaks like this skew negative, but the leaked material about Twin Ghosts is getting a lot of praise, isn’t it?"
Director Park studied my screen carefully, then gave a slow nod.
"It does seem that way. Maybe the script turned out well on that side."
"Exactly. So if we’re going to go up against another big anticipated release either way, wouldn’t Apocalypse be the more favorable opponent since there are already rumors of conflict? Besides, May is Family Month, so it should be easier to draw audiences in. We can also expect the domestic-film premium effect to work in our favor."
Director Park folded his arms. Team Leader Choi, who had been listening beside him, tilted his head too.
"Hmm, I can’t say it doesn’t make sense, but Team Leader Kwon?"
"Yes, Director Park."
"With just what you’ve said, isn’t pushing for a May release still far too risky?"
At his words, I forced down the groan trying to escape me.
Damn. If I hadn’t received the Future Text Messages, I’d probably be thinking this was complete nonsense too.
But I had seen a future that hadn’t happened yet.
Two Future Text Messages I received the moment I left Blue Pine Production.
"[One-Line Column] Two Hollywood blockbusters with sharply diverging fates! Apocalypse became a catastrophic flop, while Twin Ghosts scored a record-breaking hit!"
Just thinking about it still gave me chills.
If we had gone ahead and released in August without knowing anything, we would have been forced into fierce competition with a horror series that turned out to be a massive hit.
Fortunately, the Future Text Messages gave me the result seven months ahead of time, so we’d avoided the absolute worst-case scenario... still, well.
The situation was hardly optimistic.
From the current perspective alone, the Apocalypse series was the more anticipated release.
In this situation, if I changed the release date because the horror series looked scary, what director could possibly accept that?
So, while I sat there unable to settle down and kept looking at Director Park, his expression turned strange.
"Hmm. I think this is the first time I’ve seen Team Leader Kwon in such a hurry."
"..."
"That makes me a little curious. Did you perhaps get some kind of feeling?"
My eyes widened slightly.
"A feeling, you say..."
"Team Leader Choi just asked whether you’d been divinely possessed, didn’t he? Something like that?"
At his words, I spent a moment choosing my reply.
Divine possession.
Well, I had been possessed by something, hadn’t I? This Future Text Messages business was, in a way, a supernatural phenomenon.
And judging by Director Park’s face, he seemed to want me to have received some sort of supernatural revelation like that.
For a second, I remembered how strangely common cults and quasi-religious nonsense were in the entertainment industry. Nobody could ever be certain what would become a hit.
People in the business exploited that anxiety, and plenty of them believed in superstition and things like it.
Director Park had never seemed like the cult type, but the hopeful look on his face made it clear he wanted to hear that I’d received a revelation of some kind.
After a moment’s thought, I squeezed my eyes shut and decided to meet that expectation.
"It’s not divine possession, exactly, but I did get a feeling."
Yes.
For the sake of a work, what wouldn’t I do?
Who cared if it was a cult or divine revelation?
I could do it all.
"You know better than anyone, Director Park, that my instincts have been dead-on lately, don’t you? Wouldn’t it be worth trusting that instinct one more time?"
At my confident suggestion, the corners of Director Park’s mouth slowly lifted.
***
After that, I held a few more meetings with Director Park. In the end, we decided to delay the final decision on the release date for Black Bride a little longer.
"We still have some time, so let’s think it through slowly."
That meant we’d avoided locking in August, but I still wasn’t at ease. I absolutely had to persuade Director Park and get him to choose May.
If not, at the very least, I need to avoid August.
Now that I had seen the Future Text Messages, I was starting to think that August might be the only variable capable of dragging Black Bride’s box office performance down.
I have to convince Director Park somehow before time runs out.
Fortunately, the expression on his face at the end hadn’t been hopeless. Director Park had a weird sort of trust in me, so I decided to work on his mind little by little.
Once I’d wrapped up things with Director Park to a manageable degree, I turned to the other Future Text Message I still had in mind.
"So that’s how the plagiarism happened?"
A thin, cold smile touched my lips.
With the full support of the Baekhak publicity team, which was currently regarded as the strongest lineup in the industry and the best promotional unit around, this first-quarter anticipated program, K-Singer-Songwriter, had been put together with great effort.
And in that competition show, I had found out how K-1, the plagiarism criminal who was being touted as the strongest candidate for victory, stole Ga-eul’s song.
The plagiarism criminal and the victim of that plagiarism were about to be caught in a dating rumor.
***
In the middle of January, K-1 arrived at the TAN variety-show studio in Sangam, pulling his coat closed against the winter wind and rubbing the sleep from his face.
"Man, it’s cold. Noona, I want a warm latte."
As if she’d been waiting for him, SAG Team Leader Kim Su-ji handed him a coffee. A smile spread over K-1’s face.
"Oh, perfect timing. I knew I could count on you, noona."
"Don’t drink too much coffee. What are you going to do if you have it on an empty stomach and your voice doesn’t come out?"
"You’d be so much better if you cut back on the nagging, noona."
With a playful grin, K-1 slung an arm around Team Leader Kim Su-ji’s shoulders. Kim Su-ji promptly shook off his hand and frowned.
"I told you not to do that in public."
"It’s affection. What’s the problem?"
"Who shows that kind of affection to their manager? What would people think if fans saw this?"
Laughing, K-1 said, "They’d think I’m a singer who gets along well with his manager?"
Kim Su-ji let out a sigh.
"Let’s go greet the writer and the PD."
"Come on, can’t I rest for a bit?"
"Greet them, then rest. You need to make your face known ahead of time so you can get at least one more scene of screentime."
Team Leader Kim Su-ji dragged the complaining K-1 into the studio.
Among the many staff members bustling around in preparation for filming, she spotted Producer Hwang right away and headed straight for him.
"Producer Hwang."
"Ah, Team Leader Kim Su-ji."
"Goodness, you’re in short sleeves. Aren’t you cold? The weather’s quite chilly."
"Haha, a little cold is good for your health, so I wear short sleeves inside the studio."
Kim Su-ji handed Producer Hwang the coffee she had prepared.
"Oh, I’ll enjoy it. And K-1, you’re handsome as ever today too?"
"Thank you, PD."
"Please do your best today."
"I’ll work hard."
At K-1’s smooth reply, Producer Hwang smiled with satisfaction. Team Leader Kim Su-ji, watching from the side, also smiled pleasantly.
After greeting Producer Hwang, then the assistant directors and the writers in turn, K-1 entered the waiting room and collapsed into a chair.
"Ugh, I’m exhausted. Noona, filming starts in an hour, right?"
"Yeah. If you’re tired, sleep a little."
"That’s exactly what I was planning. Ah, I want a Starbucks salad for breakfast."
Kim Su-ji nodded.
"The yogurt salad, right? I’ll buy it while you sleep."
"Okay, then I can trust you and sleep... wait a second."
K-1 shot to his feet. The sleepy haze in his eyes vanished all at once.
"Whoa, doesn’t she have an insane vibe?"
At K-1’s words, Team Leader Kim Su-ji turned her head. She saw To.Any’s leader, Park Ga-eul, greeting people with a bright smile. Her eyes widened.
"You... you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You didn’t do anything like ask for her number, did you?"
K-1 gave a dry laugh.
"What do you take me for, noona? I’m not doing anything like that, so relax."
"...Absolutely not. I’m serious."
"I know. Ah, she’s looking over here."
K-1 lifted the corners of his mouth and smiled brightly. Park Ga-eul, who had accidentally looked this way, stared at the smile for a moment before turning away and resuming her conversation with an assistant director.
Watching that, K-1 let out a snicker.
"You saw that, right, noona? Wow... she looked away the second our eyes met. She really is pretty enough to pull it off."
Kim Su-ji grew uneasy at his attitude and dropped into the seat beside him.
"You really can’t. You already spent months dealing with that girlfriend mess, and now you want to start up again?"
"I haven’t done anything, noona. So stop nagging."
K-1’s voice rose slightly. Kim Su-ji knew she should stop talking now, but she couldn’t easily shake off the worry.
Damn, but his expression is already...
He had the look of a man completely smitten with that girl-group leader.
A foul, creeping sensation, like some insect crawling over her skin, rose along Team Leader Kim Su-ji’s forearm.
But K-1, already focused entirely on Park Ga-eul, didn’t notice her discomfort and muttered, "Huh, she just smiled. What was she looking at?"
He leaned forward. Park Ga-eul, who had just been coldly ignoring him a moment ago, was suddenly smiling brightly.
What on earth had made her laugh? Slowly turning his head, K-1’s gaze came to rest on one man.
Who the hell is that guy?
A man with a cold expression.
With his tall frame, he looked even more cynical than he already was, and Park Ga-eul was smiling warmly at him.
Is he a cast member? A staffer? Who is he?
K-1 had tried all sorts of ways to get close to Park Ga-eul, but nothing had worked. So how was that man already this close to her?
Just as K-1 narrowed his eyes and watched the man closely, the other man suddenly looked this way. K-1 jerked, his shoulders flinching, and then the man, after their eyes met, let a thin, cruel smile spread across his lips.
Startled by that mockery, K-1 muttered, "...What the hell is wrong with this guy?"
He wasn’t a psychopath or a killer, so why did his smile feel so chilling?
***
As soon as I finished checking in for work, I headed out to the TAN variety-show studio and immediately swapped shifts with Lee Ye-ji.
"What is Ga-eul doing right now, Ye-ji?"
"She’s probably greeting the writers and PDs, Team Leader!"
"Thanks for handling Ga-eul’s pickup. Leave work early today."
"Yes, understood, Team Leader!"
After handing over the details to Lee Ye-ji, I went straight into the TAN variety-show studio. I was turning my head this way and that, looking for Park Ga-eul among the staff hurrying about, when I heard a familiar voice from far away.
"Team Leader!"
"Ah, Ga-eul."
Park Ga-eul, whose bob had grown down to her shoulders, trotted up to me. At the same time, I felt a strange gaze from behind me and turned around.
When I did, I saw a pale-faced man in the contestant waiting room staring fixedly in my direction. At that persistent gaze, the corners of my mouth lifted before I could stop them.
"Huh? Team Leader, why are you smiling so brightly?"
She flinched and asked back in surprise.
"Ah, did I just smile?"
"Yes, you were smiling so cheerfully."
Hmm. I didn’t think I’d smiled cheerfully, though.
Without taking my eyes off K-1, who was glaring at me, I answered, "I’m just... in a pretty good mood. But Ga-eul."
"Yes?"
"You don’t have any connection with K-1, right?"
At that, Park Ga-eul’s eyes widened a little before she slowly shook her head.
"No, none at all."
"I don’t want to meddle in your personal relationships, but his reputation over there isn’t great, so be careful."
A question mark seemed to appear on Park Ga-eul’s face, but she nodded again all the same.
"Yes, Team Leader."
Ga-eul’s answer was so full of trust that I could forget K-1 for a moment.
If this had been Seo Tae-jun or Choi Go-eun, they’d have snapped back at me and argued without hesitation, right?
In that sense, Ga-eul really was one of the easiest celebrities to manage.
Just then, Producer Hwang approached from afar.
"Ah, Chief Manager Kwon!"
"Have you been well, Producer Hwang?"
"Oh, thanks to Chief Manager Kwon, I’ve been doing great."
Ga-eul, who was standing beside me, quietly inserted herself into the conversation.
"Sorry to interrupt, but Team Leader Kwon got promoted."
"Oh? Really? Goodness, and here I was calling you Chief Manager Kwon without knowing."
Ga-eul turned and looked at me, grinning slyly. At that smile, I found myself smiling too as I replied, "It’s not official yet, just temporary. You can call me casually, Producer Hwang."
"No, even if it’s temporary, a team leader is still a team leader. Congratulations on the promotion, Team Leader Kwon."
As I exchanged congratulations and caught up on the latest with him, a sly smile crept across Producer Hwang’s face.
"I was surprised to see Baekhak’s publicity team put out such a big promotional push. Even our marketing director was shocked. He kept asking why Baekhak was sending out so many promo articles, haha..."
At that, I shrugged.
"We promised we would, so of course."
"I don’t even know how to thank you. Oh, by the way, we’ve already decided on our live broadcast main MC. Did you hear about that?"
"No, this is the first I’m hearing of it. Who did you choose?"
"At first, we were considering announcer Kim Ju-seon and comedian Choi Hyeong-taek, but their schedules didn’t line up, so we brought in someone else."
At his words, my eyes widened.
"Y-you mean MC Kim Dong-hun, right? The Kim Dong-hun who used to be huge, from MBN’s open-recruitment comedian lineup?"
Kim Dong-hun? The national MC I knew?
While Producer Hwang was muttering in a worried voice, my mouth was already curving upward.
"We managed to cast him somehow, but I’m not sure if it’ll be okay. MC Kim Dong-hun has been out of the game for almost ten years now, so I don’t know whether he can handle a live broadcast MC role properly."
My mood lifted at the unexpected stroke of luck.
The national MC Kim Dong-hun, returning with an average Nettube view count of two million.
So the star MC everyone had forgotten was here after all?
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