The Call That Ignited a Storm
Mun Arim sighed as she looked at the outfit Deok-su was wearing.
The checkered coat and black turtleneck harmonized perfectly.
But this was a press conference.
They could have worn something far better, yet she kept sighing.
“I like these clothes too…”
“…Deok-su. Did you get something on the CEO of Menclothing or whoever?
You’ve been sticking to that brand for commutes and today too…”
“It’s the company that was the first to trust me and offer a sponsorship. I like the clothes. I have to show some loyalty.”
Mun Arim forced down her complicated feelings.
She had met Kim Deok-su many times while he was still with Signature.
Back then he showed zero compromise on fashion.
He would simply take the sponsored clothes or shoes and disappear.
The stylists had him on their blacklist.
When she was assigned to manage him alone, she had seriously considered quitting…
But the Deok-su of today was completely different.
Of course there was still a twinge of regret.
“Deok-su, I know you have loyalty.
Still, on days like today, the clothes…”
“It’s even harder to compromise on a day like this.
I’ll stop here, unnie.”
Deok-su drew a clear line, and Mun Arim had to leave with a troubled face.
Concerned about her expression, Deok-su spoke again.
“Doesn’t the Menclothing look awkward on you?”
“The clothes are nice, but it lacks brand power.
Plus you were always in the spotlight for fashion, weren’t you?”
“That was the old story.
I learned that the hanger matters more than the clothes.”
“That makes sense too.
But wouldn’t it be better to wear good clothes on a good hanger?”
Her words made Deok-su think in many ways.
The moment his hair was done, his phone rang.
It was from Takami Yuina of Turnshine, a junior singer.
She was one of the members who exchanged numbers with him after the music video shoot.
“Yuina? What’s up so suddenly?”
-Waaaaaaaah!
Before he could finish greeting her, an enormous cheer erupted.
Deok-su was startled.
From the phone came Yuina’s cautious voice.
-S-senpai… sushi…
“Sorry? What? What’s wrong?”
Instead of struggling with her words, another voice appeared.
It was leader Kang Min-ji of Turnshine.
-…We’re in the middle of our album announcement.
There was a corner where fans could submit requests via post-it, and Yuina said the call came through for “connecting to a celebrity.”
“…So you called me?”
-…Yes.
A-are you very busy?
Yuina asked in a barely audible voice.
Deok-su burst out laughing.
Turnshine was a girl group with a large male fandom…
The moment the call connected, the fans cheered.
It didn’t sound uncomfortable.
“It’s only for a minute.
I was waiting at the press conference too.”
-Ah. You’re doing a drama soon, right?
Then… could we do a video call?
Deok-su glanced at Lee Hui-yeong.
The difference between voice and video was not small.
After a moment of thought, Hui-yeong nodded.
Soon a video call connected between Deok-su and Turnshine.
“Hello. This is Kim Deok-su.”
-Waaaaaaaah!
The fans cheering through the phone were visible.
Yuina, who had been filming the fans, said,
-Oppa, sushi… I’ll sing for you.
But… wow. Oppa looks so cool.
-W-
Yuina’s “oppa” voice sounded awkward, and the male fans jeered.
Deok-su scratched his neck awkwardly.
“You decorated the album announcement, huh.
Fans, I’m sorry.
On your wonderful day, your senior is shamelessly showing his face.”
-Kyaaaaah-!
The phone audio couldn’t capture the fans’ cheers properly.
But Deok-su chatted lightly with the Turnshine members and connected with the fans.
Knock.
A staff member with a walkie-talkie entered the waiting room.
“Mr. L’Vyu. Ten minutes until start.”
Still holding the phone, Deok-su stood up.
It was time to end the call.
“I should wrap it up.
I should start preparing too…”
-It’s a shame. Ah! Personal skill!
Show me the personal skill you showed on Slive just once!
Kang Min-ji shouted urgently.
In her mind was the vivid voice-changing acting he had shown on Slive.
Some audience members had known about it too, and cheers rose again.
Deok-su hesitated with an awkward face, then closed his eyes.
His smile vanished from his face, and his mouth twisted sharply.
“Anyone want this? Yuina. You?”
Deok-su waved his wallet toward the phone.
His voice became light and twisted.
The cheering audience fell silent.
“Here’s the money you like.
But Yuina, this money isn’t given to just anyone.
What do you want from me…”
-Hic!
Yuina started hiccupping on the other side.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
Deok-su snapped out of his trance and tried to calm her, but the voice calling from behind came first.
“Oppa. You should go now.”
“Ah… I should go too.
Turnshine, love your album this time.
Call me again later. Thank you.”
-Wa…
As soon as the call ended, Deok-su headed to the press conference hall.
When Deok-su and the lead actors arrived, the press conference began.
The MC Park Hae-sun conducted the event smoothly, proving her ten-plus years of experience.
But there was a moment when her experience fell short.
“…I’m curious how you managed to cast L’Vyu.”
“I heard the writer Min Aru insisted strongly that only L’Vyu would do, is that true?”
The entertainment reporters pressed like they had been instructed.
The production intent and casting stories of the drama took a backseat.
But PD Oh Chang-seok answered calmly, veteran style.
“It really wasn’t easy to cast until the end.
Naturally we considered many candidates, and Kim Deok-su was the most suitable.”
“You said it was the perfect casting.
Could you explain the reason?”
“Haha. You’ll understand if you watch episode one.”
PD Oh Chang-seok spoke with his usual nonsense and confidence, and his words were immediately turned into articles.
Deok-su received many questions.
“You’re at the center of the casting controversy.
How did you come to accept the casting, and what were your thoughts?”
“Jin Dong-ho appeared at first sight.
A sociopathic yet pathetic character—confident in the role.”
A male reporter raised his hand in the middle.
“Did Jin Dong-ho’s actions overlap with Mr. L’Vyu’s past, or was there another reason?”
Lee Hui-yeong’s gaze sharpened as she watched the press conference.
It was an openly baiting question.
Since your record was like this, wasn’t this villain the ideal choice?
The question felt bad, but Deok-su felt nothing but ease.
“Even though I look harmless, I’ve seen my share of bad deeds.”
“For playing Jin Dong-ho, the things Mr. L’Vyu has done help…”
“Since I was going to do it anyway, I’m ready to do it properly.
But it won’t be as bad as the people who take the dirt and make tabloids.”
“Pfft…”
Lee Jin-ho and Kang Se-ah struggled to hold back laughter, and the reporter who had asked the question sat red-faced, grumbling.
The reporters still waving their hands grew uneasy one by one and lowered them.
Deok-su, gripping the mic, continued calmly.
“How was my acting, reporters?”
“…Huh?”
“You asked how I prepared, so I showed a bit…
I must have gone a little over.”
By now the reporters were playing with Deok-su’s hand.
Deok-su finally took back the initiative and began giving the answers they wanted.
“…I did a lot of preparation, but what stuck in my memory was serving as a secretary while traveling with a real chaebol heir.
There was a lot to learn.”
The lead actors, not just the reporters, whispered.
They had often met to interpret characters together, but Deok-su had never mentioned this before.
One reporter raised his hand.
“Could you tell me who the chaebol is…?”
Deok-su handed the mic to Kang Se-ah beside him.
It meant he would answer no more questions.
The reporters’ questions piled up, but Deok-su never grabbed the mic again.
“The atmosphere is getting heated.
It’s a shame, but we’ll take questions only until here due to time.
Afterward, there will be a photo time…”
After that, articles about the press conference and drama promotion videos were uploaded.
There was no article saying Deok-su’s past scandals helped him play Jin Dong-ho.
Instead, reporters highlighted that he had served as a secretary to a chaebol heir and began questioning who the chaebol was.
The press conference and later the Moment teaser aired smoothly.
But not everything went according to plan.
-Looool Is that Kim Deok-su’s lifestyle acting? The immersion is insane.
-Hyung, are you dead?
-This is the first time I’ve seen a junior connect a call to L’Vyu. But he showed the personal skill?
-Why did the press conference and Turnshine album announcement overlap?
└It’s all from JMT. Turnshine and Kim Deok-su are in the same company, right? they’re promoting everything together
└Why curse here lol The oppa who made Yuina cry is so funny
-Anyway, Deok-su oppa’s acting is insane… I’m running straight to Moment now.
└Alba zeal
└No way
Not just the portal site, but every article and community site was flooded with L’Vyu and Turnshine.
Questions like “Why was L’Vyu at Turnshine’s album announcement?” “Why did Yuina cry?” “Is this drama promotion?” “Did the company write the script?” flooded in.
The management team was busy.
“Did Kim Deok-su do this knowing it? Promoting Turnshine’s album all at once…”
“He wasn’t that thoughtful. He probably just took the junior’s call, and while at it promoted the drama too.
But his acting was so good it made Yuina cry.”
The management team members working overtime for days looked gloomy.
Managing Kim Deok-su was already tight, but now Turnshine was tangled too, and the workload doubled.
“…It’s better than causing a scandal.”
“Team leader. It seems like the work is even more now than before…
Before there was only cursing, so it was easier…”
“Hey, the vice team leader isn’t here either.”
One member poked the side of the subordinate.
Only then did the members notice Ha Yeong-hyeon’s empty spot.
Team leader Gang Tae-seon said,
“…We have to send it to the strategy team, so hurry.”
At the same time, tension flowed through Kang Ha-seong’s office.
Normally he should have gone home to rest, but the head office chief’s call didn’t care about day or night.
“Who the hell told you to call Kim Deok-su at the press conference?”
Yuina raised her hand cautiously, and Kang Ha-seong roared as if the four directions were gone.
“Hey! Are you crazy!? You almost caused a scandal!
Did you know the size of his fandom and still do that?!”
“The fans all said Senpai Deok-su is okay…”
“See? You’re talking back.
Director Lee Gwang-yong! Didn’t you properly train your managers?”
Lee Gwang-yong, dragged along, was forced to keep his mouth shut like he had swallowed honey.
Actually, the chance of the kind of scandal the head office chief worried about was almost zero.
For years he had caused scandals, but never one involving a woman.
Everyone in the company and fans knew that.
“…”
“Whoa? You won’t talk? Hey. Are you rebelling? Soon I’ll hit you, damn it.”
Director Lee Gwang-yong kept his head down and didn’t move.
He already knew the man would eventually break.
But today was not a good day.
The door opened, and the problem Kim Deok-su entered, and the head office chief, as if seeing meat in water, roared.
“Kim Deok-su, you bastard! Are you crazy!?”
“All of a sudden cursing… what?”
“Look at the tip of your tail.
Because of you, the kids’ album was almost scrapped!”
How agitated he was, the head office chief’s face was bright red.
Deok-su was dumbfounded.
He couldn’t understand why a phone call with juniors would earn such cursing.
“It seems like the senior skipping a junior’s call is the bigger problem.”
“So you’re saying you did well?”
“Of course I did well.
The Turnshine kids’ album was a success, and I did a good job at the press conference too.
I’m even getting interest now.
Is there more success than this?”
Watching Deok-su’s passionate speech, Hui-yeong clenched her fists.
Her heart kept pounding.
The highest power at JMT was former president Kang Sang-mi, but in reality four head office chiefs held the reins.
This man was one of them.
It was best not to go out.
But you couldn’t take back words once spoken.
“This bastard was so pampered until now…
Talking back to an adult…”
“If you’re the head office chief level, how did you wage public opinion warfare with this?
From now on be more careful.”
“Hey-! You son of a bitch!”
Head office chief Kang Ha-seong roared with killing intent toward Deok-su.
But Deok-su’s eyes had grown even colder.
‘Same human.’
In Deok-su’s eyes, head office chief Kang Ha-seong and the old vice team leader overlapped.
The same person who twisted extras at will and bossed around juniors.
Deok-su smirked and turned away.
“Looking at the head office chief, I regret why I renewed the contract.”
Slam.
Deok-su shut the door sharply and left.
Head office chief Kang Ha-seong kept shouting, but Deok-su didn’t even pretend to hear.
Soon Hui-yeong followed Deok-su out.
“Oppa, telling the head office chief that…”
“I know.
You said he was the company’s real power?”
“…”
“For now, I’ll talk to him nicely.
Probably…”
“No.”
Deok-su grabbed Hui-yeong’s wrist.
“Don’t apologize or anything about today.
Don’t worry if there are consequences today.”
“Oppa, it would be unfair if it’s because of something like this.”
“When you bow to that kind of human, you have to keep bowing.”
Hui-yeong stayed silent.
Head office chief Kang Ha-seong was the typical boss who licked the CEO’s shoes in public and bullied subordinates in private.
But reality was reality.
“I understand your heart, Oppa.
But if the head office chief decides…”
“We’ll endure the consequences together.
I won’t bow to that kind of human.
Not me, nor my people.
Never.”
“…”
Hui-yeong no longer tried to persuade Deok-su.
In fact, she had been persuaded.
While resting in the break room, Turnshine members entered.
The members who had been downcast brightened upon seeing Deok-su.
“Senior. You were really cool today.”
Kang Min-ji, the leader, spoke, and Deok-su shook his head awkwardly.
Han Na-kyung said,
“Honestly, wow. This senior is crazy.
I thought he was like that, but today he was a total hit.
The head office chief must be choking.
I was completely moved.
The head office chief is so unlucky…”
Emiri Jeong bent at ninety degrees.
Deok-su patted Yuina, who was sitting beside him.
“You cried that time. Were you surprised?”
“I thought it was real at the time.
But it wasn’t, so it’s okay.
Today was completely this.”
Yuina raised her thumb, and Han Na-kyung added,
“You didn’t see? The head office chief had a complete meltdown? Hahaha.
The company rumor is spreading, so it’ll be hard to raise your head for a while.”
“The rumor spread already?”
“I saw the secretaries spreading it by phone.”
Deok-su shrugged at Han Na-kyung’s lively face, then sniffed at the strong scent stinging his nose.
“What’s this smell? It’s really strong.”
“She just smoked a cigarette and came…”
“Ugh!”
Han Na-kyung quickly covered Emiri Jeong’s mouth at the explosive speech.
But she couldn’t take back what she said.
The atmosphere became momentarily awkward, but Deok-su said casually,
“Don’t get caught by the fans.
If a girl idol is caught smoking, they’ll be disappointed.”
“Yes. We manage very seriously.”
That day, Deok-su gained solid junior members from Turnshine.