After the Pre-Production Press Conference

◈ After the Pre-Production Press Conference ◈

President Joo Young-ki was completely dumbfounded by the moment unfolding before him.

As far as he knew, Chairman Jang was absolutely not the kind of man who threw money around carelessly.

And yet the moment he met Young-hoon, he went on about how the young man had saved his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠life, then ordered the signing bonus for the songs raised to a billion won, and then shoved a staggering ten billion won into the production budget… None of it made any sense to him.

Ten billion won in production costs was enough to produce two twenty-episode miniseries.

Besides, Chairman Jang was never a man who took losses.

He was clearly investing that additional ten billion because he had smelled money in it.

But what Young-ki could not understand, above all, was the man saying he was willing to reduce his own share of the profits.

Not that he was in any position to refuse money being handed to him.

In this industry, whatever Chairman Jang said was as good as law.

Still, he couldn't even begin to fathom where all that money was supposed to be spent. It got so bad that at one point he actually caught himself wondering whether Kim Young-hoon might be the Chairman's secret illegitimate son.

PD Shin Hye-yoon was just as bewildered by this whole moment.

The hardest part of producing a drama was always scraping together the investment.

Once the funding was secured, the actual production wasn't that difficult. It was a capitalist society that ran on money, after all — with enough of it, everything got solved.

Which meant that with a generous budget, you could produce a work of correspondingly high quality.

In other words, Input = Output.

She had brought the drama synopsis and investment proposal to Chairman Jang, pleaded her case at length, and barely managed to secure three billion won.

Then the moment the man laid eyes on Young-hoon, he was suddenly gushing about his savior, promising an extra ten billion on the spot, insisting on a billion won per OST track, and even offering to shrink his own share of the profits…

She simply had no idea what was going on anymore.

One thing, however, seemed certain: Chairman Jang had some kind of relationship with Young-hoon, and he had smelled money.

While the two of them were lost in their respective dazes, Chairman Jang spoke to Young-hoon in a warm voice.

"Did you get home all right yesterday?"

"Yes, sir. I went home with my cousin's husband."

"Your cousin's husband lives in Ilsan, doesn't he? Do you live together?"

"No, we just live in the same neighborhood. I stop by for side dishes and the occasional meal from my cousin."

"What's your place like?"

"Just a tiny studio apartment."

"Is that so? Hey! Secretary Byun!"

Chairman Jang called for his secretary again.

"Yes, Chairman."

"Look into an officetel in the Gangnam area. Around thirty pyeong, and have everything arranged so he can move in sometime next week."

"Understood, sir."

Young-hoon, who had been listening to this exchange, was startled beyond belief, but before he could get a word out, Chairman Jang asked again.

"Around thirty pyeong should suit you fine, shouldn't it?"

"Excuse me?! I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Consider it payment for that herbal tonic you gave me yesterday. That tonic was truly something. From now on, I'd believe you even if you told me you brewed soybean paste from red beans. My vitality is overflowing — I feel like I've been turned back into a man in his forties again, and this very moment feels wonderful. In return, you'll have to join me for the occasional meal and drink from now on. Understood?"

Young-hoon found being around Chairman Jang uncomfortable. This man was completely one-way traffic. He decided he needed to make his escape, and quickly.

"I understand, Chairman. Please go ahead and enjoy your conversation with your companions. I'll return to my group now. Have a wonderful evening."

"Of course, of course. You run hard, too. This morning the whole world looked different to me. Even after pushing myself so hard last night, I didn't wobble once — I suspect it's that tonic, and it puts me in the best of moods. Your group is waiting, so off you go."

He wore the expression of a father reluctant to see his youngest son off to the army.

Young-hoon hurriedly bowed to Chairman Jang and turned to head back to his seat.

But PD Shin Hye-yoon chased after him and pulled him aside. She was no doubt curious about his relationship with the Chairman.

"A word, Mr. Kim?"

"Of course. Go ahead."

"Please explain this situation to me."

"There's nothing to explain. I had dinner with my cousin's husband yesterday, and Chairman Jang happened to be there. That's the extent of it."

"You met him for the first time yesterday? Chairman Jang? Still, there has to be a reason. Why did you meet him at all?"

"Ah, that… I got my hands on some herbal tonic in the countryside and gave it to him as a gift."

"What kind of tonic?"

"That's not something you need to worry your head about, PD Shin. Well, if you're really that curious — it's very good for men… how should I put it, it's a bit delicate."

"Ah. That kind of tonic!"

Young-hoon feigned ignorance and asked her a question of his own.

"By the way, what exactly does Chairman Jang ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠do?"

"Are you seriously asking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me that?"

"Of course I am."

"There are three great Cash Kings in this country, and the man standing right over there is one of them — Chairman Jang. Even he himself probably doesn't know how much he's worth. His personal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fortune is said to be around fifty trillion won."

Young-hoon had already heard all of this from his cousin's husband, but it seemed right to play dumb, so he deliberately put on a shocked face.

"Fifty trillion?! Are you serious?"

"I am. The rumors put it at around that figure."

"And how do you know about Chairman Jang, PD Shin?"

"The Chairman invests heavily in the arts — in film and drama especially. And the dramas and films he invests in never lose money. That's why his nickname in the industry is 'Midas Jang.' He's that meticulous about where he puts his money. The moment I heard he was adding ten billion won today, our drama was as good as finished — the game was already over. The internet is probably about to explode."

"Then that's good news, isn't it? If this drama is a big hit, that works out well for you too, PD Shin."

"Of course, it'll be a huge plus for my career. Send President Lee Jae-man over to our office by tomorrow. We'll be rewriting the contract."

"Understood. Though to be clear, PD Shin — only the signing bonus is being added. Every other term stays exactly as it is."

"Naturally. Whose order do you think that was? If anyone tried to scale back the contract terms, they'd be struck by lightning."

"Hehe. So, how did my girls do today?"

"You haven't checked the internet yet, have you? Here, look."

Hye-yoon held up her phone for Young-hoon to see, and the real-time search rankings leapt out at him at a glance.

Number one was 'A Loving Heart,' number two 'After Farewell,' number three Five Girls, number four 'Love After Separation'… and at number eight, Great Stone Face.

"Congratulations, Great Stone Face. Your face isn't all that big, though. Why Great Stone Face?"

"You'll get hurt if you know. I'm going to go check on my girls. Please tell PD Lee Hyo-young and screenwriter Lee Na-yeon I'm sorry I couldn't pay my respects."

"I will. See you next time, then."

Parting from Hye-yoon, Young-hoon made his way back to where President Lee Jae-man was. Brief as it had been, it felt like he'd just walked through a raging storm and come out the other side.

He was about to tell him about what had happened at the head table, but President Lee Jae-man was staring intently at his phone. And remarkably, his eyes were brimming with tears.

"What are you looking at?"

Wiping his eyes, Lee Jae-man silently held out his phone. It was the same real-time search ranking Hye-yoon had shown Young-hoon just moments before.

Young-hoon already knew, but he made a point of not letting it show.

"Our girls' songs are at one and two, and Five Girls is at three. You must be happy. The long march starts now, though. No matter how busy things get, you make sure you take care of their health."

"Thank you, Mr. Kim. I won't forget this debt even after I die."

"Die? What's all this about dying — it's only just beginning. You've finished eating, right? Then let's go check on our girls."

Young-hoon and Jae-man headed to the waiting room where Five Girls was staying. As they drew near, no sound came from inside. They should have been raucous and rowdy by now…

When he opened the door and stepped in, every last member of Five Girls was sniffling back tears, lost in an internet trance. Only two unfamiliar faces looked up and greeted President Lee Jae-man.

Young-hoon raised his voice.

"Honestly — did somebody die? What's with all the crying?"

Only then did the members recognize him, and they came running with faces smeared in tears.

"Oppa~ *sob sob sob*!"

"Why are you crying? On a day like this!"

"Because we're just so happy! *sniff sniff*"

"Tears, stop!"

"Hee, oppa — this isn't a dream, right?"

"We're so happy, big brother."

"Buy us meat!"

Wiping away their tears, the members of Five Girls broke into bright smiles. The sight was so lovely, and so deeply moving, that Young-hoon steeled himself all over again. He resolved to work even harder so that these girls would never have to suffer.

"And who might these lovely young ladies be?"

Only then did President Lee Jae-man introduce the two women to Young-hoon.

"This is Mr. Kim Young-hoon, the owner of our company. Say hello, girls."

"Hello, I'm Shin So-jung, the stylist."

"I'm Yoo Young-hwa, the coordinator."

"A pleasure. I'm Kim Young-hoon, the new head of Girin Entertainment. I hear you worked with President Lee Jae-man before. Let's all work hard so we never have to part ways again."

"Yes, sir. We'll work hard."

By then the Five Girls members had calmed their hearts, so Young-hoon spoke to them evenly.

"Watching your performance earlier, even I got choked up. I could see how hard you'd practiced, like your lives depended on it. This is only the beginning, so keep your heads on straight. Head back to the dorm early tonight and get some rest. Don't stay up late reading articles about yourselves for nothing."

"Got it, oppa. We were so nervous about today's performance we could barely sleep anyway. We'll sleep like logs as soon as we're home."

"Good. And there's a full-staff meeting tomorrow around eleven in the morning, so don't be late."

"Us too?"

"Aren't you employees of the company? Kyeong-hwan, take the girls straight back to the dorm. You were all truly amazing today."

"Yes, oppa. You get home early and rest too."

By the time the pre-production press conference — with all its wild twists and turns — had wrapped up, it was just short of eight o'clock. Deciding it was time to go home and rest, Young-hoon stopped by the mart near his apartment, bought a can of beer, and headed back.

Once home, he took a quick shower and cracked open the can. With the foam bursting from the opening, he took a long, refreshing swallow, then turned on his laptop and searched for articles about the pre-production press conference for 'Love After Separation.'

The articles were unanimous in their praise. The most prominent part of the coverage, by far, was Five Girls. Their singing must have been genuinely shocking, it seemed.

Checking the real-time search rankings, he found them virtually unchanged from two hours earlier. The only surprise was that 'Great Stone Face' had climbed to fifth.

Curious, Young-hoon searched for articles about 'Great Stone Face.'

Young-hoon was browsing through the articles about himself with a satisfied smile when a group KakaoTalk message arrived. It was the Five Girls members, sending their congratulations. He had told them to rest well, and there they were, riding the high of the moment, chatting away for a good thirty minutes. Only belatedly coming to his senses did he end the chat with a stern get to sleep, now.

His heart was still pounding. Feeling certain he wouldn't be able to sleep like this, he copied out the drama script up through episode seven. Before he knew it, midnight had almost arrived.

Deciding he really did have to sleep now, he got into bed and closed his eyes.

And so passed what had felt like an endless Friday.