Chapter 191: Japanese Variety Show (2)
Chapter 191: Japanese Variety Show (2)
Seo-yeon agonized for a moment over what to say.
She ran a quick mental simulation.
"Hello, Ms. Go Mi-eun."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You don't like me, do you?"
...Of course, it wouldn't actually go down like that, but she couldn't envision a particularly bright future.
If the woman tried to pick a fight, was she supposed to just take it?
If Seo-yeon retaliated in a fit of pique, Go Mi-eun would undoubtedly end up in an early grave. Unlike Pyo Ji-woo, who was a renowned "swordsman," Go Mi-eun was just an ordinary actress.
"Hello, Ms. Go Mi-eun."
Still, Seo-yeon decided to offer a greeting first, exactly as she had practiced in her head.
She felt Go Mi-eun flinch.
It was a reaction that screamed, 'What is she doing here at KMB?'
But there was nothing strange about Seo-yeon being at the station. Just as Go Mi-eun was filming her own drama, Seo-yeon was starring in another.
"...Hello."
Contrary to her expectations, Go Mi-eun hesitated for a moment before returning the greeting normally.
Seo-yeon felt relieved.
Thankfully, it seemed Go Mi-eun was a sensible person. She didn't suddenly appear and sneer, "Parachute?" How virtuous.
Or so she thought.
"You must be happy."
"Pardon?"
"Your drama did quite well."
The words came out of nowhere.
Seo-yeon stared at her blankly. It was difficult to gauge the intention behind the remark. Was she genuinely offering congratulations, or was she being sarcastic?
'Looking at her face, it doesn't seem like sarcasm.'
Seo-yeon studied Go Mi-eun’s features. Her impression was relatively gentle. However, she was quite tall, and seeing how sharply she had glared earlier, she might have a bit of a temper.
So, was it the latter?
'But how should I respond? I can't exactly say, "Of course it did well." But saying "Oh, it wasn't that much" would be too humble since it actually did amazing.'
Seo-yeon wasn't the type to twist other people's words. For now, she decided to take it positively.
Coincidentally, Seo-yeon had recently been reading a book on conversation skills.
'The Art of Complimenting Others.'
It was something like that—a book she’d picked up to supplement her relatively lacking social eloquence.
"Grand Game did well too. You were amazing."
"...But it wasn't quite on the level of Sky Garden."
Go Mi-eun replied to Seo-yeon’s answer with a smile. Being an actress, she was excellent at hiding her true emotions.
"I think the charm was not knowing what would happen next. I realized this time that sometimes it's better to be bold with the plot, even if you have to sacrifice a bit of logic."
Unable to find a hidden motive in Seo-yeon’s words, Go Mi-eun evaluated Sky Garden as indirectly as possible. Her tone was soft, but the gist was: "You pulled in ratings by pouring on the 'makjang' plot twists."
In truth, the latter half of Sky Garden had been a bit extreme.
To those words, Seo-yeon replied:
"Certainly, Grand Game also felt like you couldn't predict what would happen next. It was truly impressive."
"What?"
Seo-yeon nodded as she answered.
What was this? Was she taking a jab at the sudden romance that had popped up in her show? That was the only way it could be interpreted.
'I see. She's not as soft as she looks.'
Go Mi-eun narrowed her eyes at Seo-yeon. There was a reason she only played villains. Honestly, if it weren't for this situation, Go Mi-eun wouldn't have even spoken to her. Moreover, the way Seo-yeon kept calling her "amazing" at the end of every sentence was grating.
She couldn't exactly strike another actress just because she didn't like her. But then... the memory of Hyper Action Star flashed through her mind.
At first, she thought it was staged, but she remembered Seo-yeon literally flying around during the live broadcast. Well, they called it live, but it might have been recorded.
As Go Mi-eun stood there in silence, Seo-yeon watched her for a moment.
"I hope things continue to go as well for you as they did this time."
"Excuse me?"
Go Mi-eun was momentarily speechless. It sounded like a well-wish, but it didn't feel like one. If every project did as well as Grand Game, it would certainly be a good thing for Go Mi-eun.
However, hearing that from the actress who had just trampled over Grand Game made her feel complicated. Was she really trying to pick a fight?
Just as she was staring at Seo-yeon with that thought...
"My, my. All the stars of KMB's hottest dramas are right here."
It was a man's voice.
Seo-yeon turned her head. A man with a genial impression was standing there. He looked to be around the same age as her father, Young-bin—not too old.
"This is our first time meeting, isn't it, Ms. Ju Seo-yeon? Nice to meet you. I'm PD Baek Tae-soo."
"Ah, yes. Hello. I'm Ju Seo-yeon."
"I've heard rumors, but you really are very polite."
At the name Baek Tae-soo, Seo-yeon finally realized who he was.
'This is the man who will become the head of Drama Bureau 2.'
In her past life, the battle between Drama Bureau 1 and 2 had been quite fierce. Ultimately, Drama Bureau 1 had lost. Because the President of KMB backed the head of Bureau 2, many talented PDs flocked there. The head of Bureau 1 had fought hard, but there was a limit to what one person's ability could achieve.
For the record, she had learned all these names in this life. She had seen various things in her past life, but she hadn't known the names of every broadcasting station director.
"If the opportunity arises, let's work together sometime."
"PD-nim?"
Go Mi-eun looked at him with startled eyes at his sudden remark. She hadn't expected him to say such a thing to Seo-yeon, who was essentially the enemy.
PD Baek Tae-soo responded to her reaction with a smile.
"Mi-eun, wouldn't it be great for you to work with an actress like Seo-yeon? Acting is all about chemistry. When great actors come together, the synergy is incredible."
"Well, that's true, but..."
"Everyone did well with their dramas this time, so we should all continue to get along."
Go Mi-eun nodded at Baek Tae-soo's words. Seo-yeon nodded as well, but...
'...He's not someone I have a particularly good feeling about.'
She didn't mean he was a bad person. But she could tell he was a formidable individual. Instinctively.
"If the opportunity arises next time."
So, Seo-yeon gave a non-committal answer. Even if they were both KMB dramas, she had already heard from others how important this battle was. A family feud. Usually, family feuds were more intense and petty.
At the very least, Seo-yeon had been used as a sword in this fight. Therefore, she shouldn't look particularly pleasant to PD Baek Tae-soo.
And yet, how many people could smile and suggest working together? Even if the head says that's how one should act, the heart usually feels otherwise. At least, that was true of the people Seo-yeon had observed so far.
"Yes, that's good enough for me."
PD Baek Tae-soo simply laughed at Seo-yeon's response. It was a smile that seemed genuine, not an act. He had no desire to make an enemy out of Seo-yeon. Rather, she was a talent he absolutely had to recruit.
'Just like Go Mi-eun.'
Go Mi-eun was originally an actress who mainly appeared in MDC dramas. Baek Tae-soo was the one who had brought her over.
'Actors are the swords wielded by directors and PDs.'
Therefore, the owner could change at any time. He was not a man so petty as to be angry at a mere sword.
*
"You're a bit late?"
When she entered the pre-arranged meeting room, PD Lee Min-hwa of Sky Garden greeted Seo-yeon warmly.
"I ran into PD Baek Tae-soo and Ms. Go Mi-eun on the way."
"What? I hope nothing... well, I doubt anything happened."
"?"
Lee Min-hwa had heard plenty of rumors about Seo-yeon. Most of them were ridiculous, like how she could dodge bullets or fold coins for fun. But it was clear that Seo-yeon possessed extraordinary athletic ability. If she didn't, she wouldn't have won Hyper Action Star in the first place.
Besides, Go Mi-eun wasn't stupid enough to harass an actress who was currently at the peak of her popularity.
"More importantly, let me introduce you. This is PD Nanjo Katsuo from YHJ in Japan."
"Pardon?"
The meeting room was crowded with people. Among them were individuals whose attire was distinctly different. One of them stood up at PD Lee Min-hwa's words and bowed.
"Hello. I am Nanjo Katsuo."
His Korean was quite fluent. His pronunciation was a bit awkward, but not enough to be distracting. He just sounded like someone with a slight speech impediment.
"He speaks Korean very well, doesn't he?"
"Y-yes, he does."
Seo-yeon could speak Japanese too. The problem was that, due to the influence of anime, she mostly spoke like a Japanese high school girl.
'Wait, that might have been a problem in my past life, but wouldn't it be fine now?'
After all, Seo-yeon was currently a high school girl.
"I saw The Chaser and Dream Future recently and thought, 'This is it!!' and came straight here. Wow, it's the real deal. Truly, Joo... Actress-san? Uh, so, Actress Joo is currently an active high school student, correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
As expected, the energy was a bit different from Korea. Despite his somewhat serious appearance, he gave the impression of being a very bright person. When Seo-yeon confirmed she was a high school student, the other staff members from Japan began whispering among themselves.
"Korea's genius actress. The child star who disappeared ten years ago. Wow, what a great title."
At his reaction, Seo-yeon quietly asked PD Lee Min-hwa.
"Didn't they come to see Sky Garden?"
"Well, that hasn't been delivered to Japan yet. They saw The Chaser when they were here on vacation, and Dream Future is currently airing."
Apparently, today's discussion was about how to broadcast Sky Garden on YHJ, similar to Dream Future. Additionally, they were very interested in Seo-yeon herself. In fact, one of the people who came today was a PD from YHJ's variety department.
"Actually, before we discuss Sky Garden, I have a personal proposal for Ms. Ju Seo-yeon."
PD Nanjo Katsuo looked at Seo-yeon as he spoke.
"Recently, there has been another Hallyu boom in Japan. The influence of OTT dramas and the expansion of the idol industry are the reasons. So, I would like to invite Ms. Joo, who has recently become a hot topic in Korea, to a variety show."
The biggest reason was Seo-yeon's titles: high school student and genius actress. PD Lee Min-hwa later explained that in Japan, those two titles carry immense weight.
"Moreover, Seo-yeon, you have black hair. Neat, black hair."
"I... I do?"
"There's a demographic that absolutely adores that."
Of course, that mostly applied to the older generation of viewers, but the sentiment remained. In fact, in Japan, there were still groups that would criticize idols just for dyeing their hair. While things had changed a bit, that tendency hadn't completely disappeared.
"But I don't think it's a bad proposal. It doesn't hurt to raise your profile, right?"
The suggestion was that she could treat it as a trip to Japan and do one variety show. At PD Lee Min-hwa's suggestion, Seo-yeon eventually nodded. It certainly wasn't a bad idea.
*
"PD Nanjo."
After successfully finishing the meeting regarding Sky Garden, the Japanese broadcasting team returned to their accommodations and spoke to Nanjo, their leader.
He was the man slated to be the next head of the variety department at YHJ. His influence was that strong. However, his tendencies were somewhat polarizing; he was originally a fan of international stars. Specifically, he hadn't particularly liked Korean celebrities appearing on their variety shows.
It wasn't that he disliked Korean movies or dramas. On the contrary, he loved them. That was why he had learned Korean. But separately from that, he hadn't enjoyed having Korean celebrities on Japanese TV.
Therefore, his proposal this time felt very strange to his team.
"I'm wondering why you're so interested in this actress, Seo-yeon... Wouldn't an idol be a better choice?"
At those words, Nanjo looked at him as if he were pathetic.
"Because she's a good product. And if no one else has laid a hand on her yet, it's only right to claim her first."
"Is she... really that good?"
"Have you seen The Chaser? Ah, it hasn't been released in Japan yet, so you probably haven't."
When was the last time he had been so strongly impressed by a young actor as he was in The Chaser? On top of that, Seo-yeon's appearance had everything that would be a massive hit in Japan. A slightly sharp impression... but still. Everything about her, really.
"We need to build a small bridge now so that we can reach out to her at a truly critical moment later."
The actress Ju Seo-yeon was definitely going to grow even bigger. Nanjo Katsuo was certain of it.
And then.
"...A trip to Japan? Me??"
A woman who had been sleeping at home opened her eyes wide as she took a phone call.
The runner-up of Hyper Action Star. Narumi Sora had suddenly been invited to join Seo-yeon on her trip to Japan.