You'll Go Somewhere Good

The offices of Nine Entertainment.

Morning.

Kang Sangrok pushed open the office door, letting out a bizarre sound — one that, for all its strangeness, seemed to please him thoroughly.

"Woorulululu."

These days, the company had started looking a whole lot better to Kang Sangrok.

"Good morning! Assistant Manager Kwak!"

He tossed the greeting cheerfully as he passed Assistant Manager Kwak Eunji from marketing.

"...Good morning. Something good happen...?"

"Well, you know. Always something good! Our Hyun— ah, Actor Kim Hyunjun's promotions are proceeding right on schedule. What's there to complain about? Hahaha!"

"...Right."

"I'll be counting on you. Promo materials — pile 'em on!"

"...Sure......"

Kwak Eunji's response was a little lukewarm, but so what?

As long as he was happy, that was enough.

With that thought, Kang Sangrok stepped into the conference room.

And then — his eyes lit up. His waist folded in half like a binder.

"Hyung-nim! Have you eaten?!"

"...Sit down. And don't call me hyung-nim. Team Leader, or Team Leader Lee Jaewook. That's enough."

"Yes, sir! Hyung-nim!"

"......"

Team Leader Lee Jaewook gave a slight shake of his head, but Kang Sangrok's mood was still excellent.

The tiger of this territory. This man is definitely my hyung-nim!

Section Chief in three months, then Team Leader. Some people might send jealousy and envy his way, but Kang Sangrok was different.

When he was young, there had been a time he'd thought he was the best. But elite Korean sports was always like that — the higher you climbed, the more only the strong remained to compete.

Some people, when they hit a wall, challenged the wall.

Kang Sangrok, on the other hand, showed symptoms of incontinence at the mere sight of a staircase.

He'd just been built that way from birth.

And this man was his Team Leader?

How could he possibly dislike that?

I just wish I'd seen him take down Team Leader Baek in one shot with my own eyes.

It wasn't that he harbored any particular grudge against Team Leader Baek Sungwook. But the man hadn't exactly inspired confidence as a commander to serve under, had he?

A commander ought to be like this.

Kang Sangrok looked at Lee Jaewook with the utmost respect and deference.

"...What are you doing?"

"I was looking at you, Hyung-nim."

"Team Leader."

"Yes, Team Leader!"

"Let's have a briefing on how you've been managing Actor Kim Hyunjun so far."

"A briefing?"

"Keep it simple. How you've been managing him — that sort of thing. And Actor Kim Hyunjun's current condition, as specifically as you can."

There was a very slight hesitation.

Back when Section Chief Baek Sungwook had been Team Leader, there'd been none of this. Just sharing a cigarette, tossing questions and answers back and forth in passing. Take care of them so thoroughly you'd wipe their ass if they said they needed to go. The day they can't even wipe their own ass, that's when they become your actor. That kind of talk had been the main exchange.

Kang Sangrok launched into a rambling account, and Lee Jaewook sat quietly and listened for a long while, occasionally offering the right interjections and a few questions along the way.

And then.

"After shoots — or variety appearances, these days — do you exchange feedback once they're done?"

"What kind of feedback? Like, was it fun? That sort of thing, sir?"

"......"

"Hrm......"

"From now on, let's do it this way. You don't need to micromanage his daily routine the way you have been. There's no reason for it. You've got your own work, Assistant Manager Kang. What's the point of sticking to him morning and night every day? That's a net negative for both of you."

"Ah... can I really do that?"

"Yes. Instead, make the communication more precise. You don't share a monthly schedule with the actor, do you?"

"No."

To be precise, Kang Sangrok didn't even organize a monthly schedule himself. The company printed out weekly schedules, so he just carried those around.

"At the end of each month, organize the following month's — that is, next month's — confirmed schedule. Make it yourself before the company issues one."

"...Yes, sir."

"Of course, the schedule will change, right? Not always, but."

"Yes. It does tend to... change pretty often."

"So you revise on a weekly basis. If you revise weekly, the monthly plan will end up different from the original, won't it? Update the weekly revisions onto the monthly plan once a week, on Mondays."

Kang Sangrok looked at Lee Jaewook with a blank face. Something about this felt... easier, and also not easier. The total volume of work had clearly decreased... but what used to be just physical labor now required using his head... hmm.

But this was the Korean athletic department. They weren't that fragile.

Kang Sangrok nodded firmly.

"It'll be hard, but... I'll do it."

"Next month's schedule by the end of this month. Next week's schedule by this Friday. Tomorrow's schedule, today. You have to organize things in advance like that. It's important. It's the basics."

"Yes!"

"If the actor makes an unreasonable demand, report it. I'll hear it and make a judgment. If the company makes an unreasonable demand? Tell me that too. I'll hear it and judge. If external contacts — industry people — make unreasonable demands? Report those to me as well. I'll hear them and decide."

Kang Sangrok carefully studied the face of his newly appointed Team Leader, Lee Jaewook. He couldn't quite grasp what "hear it and make a judgment" was supposed to mean. So he said it out loud.

"I don't really understand what 'hear it and make a judgment' means, Hyung-nim."

"Team Leader."

"Yes. Team Leader."

"If I determine that you're in the wrong, I'll make sure you understand why. But if you're right, and the other party is being unreasonable, I'll take action. Understood?"

Kang Sangrok's eyes went unfocused.

This man.

No — this Team Leader... was finding his way into Kang Sangrok's chest.

Working as a manager, how many unfair ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠things did you run into? One or two? They called it "manager," but road managers got treated like leftovers wherever they went. And your rank in life was determined by the actor you handled — and his actor was still at rookie level.

A manager's treatment was even more pitiful.

"Team Leader......"

"Do your actual job properly. I'll make sure you don't have to do the things you shouldn't have to do."

"...Yes, sir."

"But doing your actual job properly comes first. Whining without doing the work right? I won't tolerate that."

"Understood."

Just then, the conference room door burst open, and Team Leader Park Munsu walked in.

"Team Leader Lee. Our Actor Ki Seongchan's next project, huh? You said you'd take a look. Why haven't I heard anything?"

Actor Ki Seongchan's next project?

A question rose in Kang Sangrok's mind, but Team Leader Lee Jaewook remained as composed as ever. This man was, indeed, someone worth placing your trust in. Even Park Munsu was so restless he was latching on — that alone told him enough.

"Let's finish this first. Once the schedule management is running properly, I'll explain what you need to do next."

"Yes, Hyung-nim!"

"......"

"...Yes, Team Leader."

"You can go."

"Ah! Yes, sir!"

Kang Sangrok stood up from his seat.

I looked back and forth between Team Leader Park Munsu, who'd come looking for the conference room, and Assistant Manager Kang Sangrok, who was just now opening the door to leave.

"Hurry up and do something. Anything."

That was Team Leader Park Munsu.

"It's only been a few days."

"Ha... ever since I brought up that next project, Actor Ki Seongchan won't even meet my eyes. Do you know how uncomfortable it is?"

"It wouldn't be comfortable. You've essentially touched a sore spot. But I never told you to poke it."

"Aish... this is so frustrating, really."

Team Leader Park Munsu dropped into the chair Kang Sangrok had been sitting in. When it came to impatience, he was easily among the top in all of South Korea. Take your eyes off him for a second and he'd take off like a runaway locomotive. No time to even try to stop him.

I decided to start with the most important point.

"Actor Ki Seongchan does want to do it, right?"

"He doesn't want to, I told you. I already said that."

"Then apologize and drop it. If the actor doesn't want it, why force it?"

"...What? Is that something you say after you've already talked someone into it?"

Park Munsu's face said he couldn't believe what he was hearing. But since he'd brought up "talked into it," I had something to say about that too. I'd only pointed him in a direction. Decisions always had to be made by oneself.

The one who'd made the decision was Team Leader Park Munsu himself.

I looked at him in silence, and Team Leader Park Munsu opened his mouth again.

"I'm sorry. I got talked into it, I guess... But it's not like it was completely off-base. The guy was doing variety just fine, and now he looks pitiful. I was doing a great job pretending I didn't see it, and then I went and stirred it all up. Because of you, Team Leader Lee."

Park Munsu took a breath, and I spoke again.

"You agree that this project is something Actor Ki Seongchan needs, right?"

"That's why I'm the only one who's restless."

"But Actor Ki Seongchan doesn't want it?"

I asked again, and his expression said he wasn't sure what I meant. Let me make it simple.

"I'm asking whether Actor Ki Seongchan wants to do it but doesn't have the courage."

There are many reasons a horse won't drink water. Even the same conclusion can have entirely different reasons behind it.

Team Leader Park Munsu pondered my question, then nodded.

"Yes. He'll want to do it. If it's the Ki Seongchan I know."

"Then you need to set the table first and sit the actor down at it."

"Set the table?"

"Think from Actor Ki Seongchan's perspective. If you take a treatment that hasn't even been offered and spend a hundred days saying let's do this, this is good — does that mean anything? If he can't find the courage, you set the table and start running. That's what you're good at, Team Leader Park Munsu."

"...Would that be okay?"

"If that's the right thing to do for the actor I'm responsible for."

At my words, Park Munsu tentatively held out his hand.

"Let's do it together. As you can see, I'm impatient, so I'm a bit weak when it comes to production companies. Explaining why our actor, who hasn't even been cast, is necessary for their project. It's hard to convince them."

"Let's do that. Set up a meeting and let me know."

"Thank you."

"Avoid Actor Ha Eun-yul's schedule."

At that, Park ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Munsu let out a rather hollow laugh. And said this:

"Actor Ha Eun-yul's lucky. She got someone like you, Team Leader Lee, instead of a handler like me."

"Actor Ki Seongchan will be lucky too. He got a manager like you, Team Leader Park."

I left the conference room first. Team Leader Park Munsu's insides seemed rather complicated.

It took exactly one day to receive word from Park Munsu about the meeting with Sun & Pictures.

The moment I hung up, the Ghost stuck out his tongue.

"...Yeah."

I answered, watching the rain fall outside the window. It had been raining continuously of late, delaying the filming of Melancholy Romance. It wasn't quite monsoon season yet, but the weather was being fickle.

Thanks to that, I had a bit of breathing room.

This was something I hadn't known — when they shoot rain scenes, they don't actually film on days when it's really raining. Because of lighting and camera issues, real rain often doesn't even show up well on screen. Real rain is inconsistent in intensity and direction, so each cut can look like a different scene. Meaning they're hard to stitch together. If equipment like mics or cameras get exposed along with it, the risk of malfunction goes up too... anyway, there were quite a few reasons.

After watching the rain for a moment, I asked the Ghost something rather unlike myself.

"Kind Police. Are you really certain?"

I'd agreed myself. Of course we'd analyzed the project together. But I wasn't an expert. Nothing is more dangerous than an amateur's conviction. So I checked one more time. The expert when it came to looking at projects was the Ghost.

"Then there's just one thing we need to do. Explain well why it has to be Ki Seongchan."

It was supposed to be a rare day off. I picked up my phone again.

And.

"Yes, Director. I'm looking to prepare Actor Ki Seongchan's next project... would that be all right from the company's perspective?"

A call to Director Choi Yoona. Reports had to be accurate. And I didn't think Team Leader Park Munsu would have done so, so I said it myself. On the other end, Director Choi Yoona answered surprisingly quickly. As if she'd been waiting.

"The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠order of things is a bit jumbled, but I'm confident I can persuade the actor."

Since Director Choi Yoona didn't mention it, I brought it up first.

"Once filming for the next project starts, I'll have him drop variety. I'll persuade the actor on that as well."

"That means the company's revenue will decrease."

Ki Seongchan, currently Nine Ent's biggest cash cow. The fact that such a Ki Seongchan would stop doing variety meant an immediate sharp drop in returns. And yet Choi Yoona was clear.

I liked that a great deal.

But then she just breathed into the phone for a long while.

And then, struggling to get the words out:

"I'll do that."

Holding the disconnected phone, I spoke to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ghost.

"I keep liking this company more and more."

"Yes. I'm starting to understand, little by little, why this company was special to you."

Instead of answering, the Ghost stood with his hands behind his back, staring blankly out the window. Standing next to me.

"You'll go somewhere good."

"You."

The Ghost's answer sat well with me too.

I like good people, but I like people who don't give up even more.