Kim Sia Flies Her Wings (1) Lovely Lady
The face of PD Park Ji-ho, frozen over his lowered glass, was reflected in the mirror behind the bar.
*Was I too hasty…?*
I could fully understand why he looked so troubled.
To him, I was nothing more than a fleeting, passing acquaintance—one of countless managers.
Even if he liked me, our relationship wasn’t close enough for me to expect him to fulfill my request on the spot.
*I admit it… I was far too naïve.*
Since I’d regressed and reunited with Hyung Jong-seok, I’d begun to gaze at the world through a slightly romantic lens.
*How embarrassing… A grown man who’s supposedly experienced social life making such a basic mistake.*
Get a grip, Kang Min-hyuk!
Give and take is the foundation of social life.
I had nothing I could give him right now. I’d simply overlooked it.
Just as I was lost in my deep self-reflection,
his lips, still wrapped in heavy thoughts, finally parted and a deep voice flowed out.
“Miss Kim Sia… Whoa, this is an unexpected proposal.”
“I’m sorry, PD-nim. I seem to have gone too far.”
I lowered my head politely and offered him a sincere apology.
For my audacity in crossing lines so clumsily,
for my unprofessional attitude.
“Aigoo~ I was the one who asked first. Why are you the one apologizing?”
“No, no. To be honest… the reason I asked you out today…”
He kept shaking his head even after my earnest apology, trying to stop me.
“Man, who doesn’t know that?”
“Huh?”
*Sigh… Min-hyuk, buddy. Even when you know something but never say it, there’s always a reason.*
“…What do you mean?”
“I came here today to ask Lee Sa-rang out too, you know!”
That’s right. PD Park Ji-ho hadn’t come here just to see me.
“Then…?”
“Yeah, buddy! I was too surprised and had to think it over!”
The reason his expression had hardened for a moment…
It wasn’t because I was arrogant or because Si-a unnie disliked me.
It was simply because something unexpected—Kim Sia—had come out of my mouth instead of the Sa-rang he wanted.
“Why? Disappointed?”
“There’s no way. Actually, it worked out better.”
Yes, it really was better this way.
Instead of relying on some flimsy luck, let’s go straight for the throat.
Trust my judgment this once.
And trust my actress—my Si-a unnie—this once.
There simply wasn’t any role in the world that fit Si-a unnie better than this one.
I braced my shoulders and bowed my head to him again.
“I’m asking as a favor, Director.”
“Hm…? A favor?”
“Please let my Si-a unnie audition for the role of Kim Yumi just once.”
“What?”
“You won’t regret it. No, you’ll definitely like it.”
Wonder filled his face.
Of course it would.
Kim Sia was an expensive actress who’d already landed the lead in a drama.
Yet the role I was offering was a supporting female lead in a romantic comedy drama she’d never tried before.
And it was created specifically to highlight the main heroine.
“You… are you serious?”
“I’m completely serious. Just let her audition. Don’t expect miracles.”
“Why?”
“…What?”
“I mean, why does Miss Kim Sia need to force herself into this kind of work?”
He simply couldn’t understand.
On the surface, the story was just another ordinary triangle-relationship melodrama.
But when done well, there was nothing more entertaining than a good triangle-relationship.
This drama was destined to explode.
With Sia, the wings she’d been missing all this time.
That was why I could never let this project go.
“Please, Hyung!”
*Ha… I really don’t get it. Man, Min-hyuk, you need to sharpen your eye for projects.*
“…Please, I’m begging you~”
I held back the laughter bubbling up and repeated my request.
Only then did he chuckle and finally agree, waving it off as “no big deal.”
“Hah… sure, fine. I’ll send the script to the company, so just wait for it.”
“Thank you, Hyung!”
And on that day, I finally understood why he had to transfer to the entertainment division.
He was… an incredibly dull person.
***
Several days had passed since our meeting.
“I honestly can’t tell. Are you really confident?”
CEO Lee Jong-seok, carefully scanning the script, tilted his head.
[ Lovely Lady ]
The title was tacky, and the plot sounded unremarkable.
*But the author is Kim Hye-kyeong…*
Anyone would tilt their head at such a clichéd premise after reading just the first draft.
Yet people didn’t know her true ability.
Her hidden genius.
After all the actor castings were complete, the final script came out.
That was where her hidden brilliance shone.
The way she could spot the actors’ strengths and feelings, then rewrite the script on the spot—her true genius that had earned her the title of queen of romantic comedies.
*Of course, only I know the truth behind this Lovely Lady right now…*
I spoke with confident certainty to the CEO.
“I can assure you. It will succeed—no question.”
“Really? Just like that…?”
“Even if she transforms her image, it was already a risk.
It’s far better to get her recognized as a serious actress in the industry than to take a break for fear of failure.”
Normally, actors take short breaks of five or six months after a project, sometimes even years.
*That’s the industry average…*
But there were always actors who never took breaks, even as leads.
And those actors usually received an enormous amount of scripts.
*Especially actors with masks like Kim Sia, who are rumored to get tons of offers?*
If you were a PD, wouldn’t you be tempted to pull them out once and see what happened?
If her acting in my project created a jackpot…
If that happened, success was guaranteed.
“Well…?”
“Of course. And more importantly, based on the image of the character Kim Yumi,
if done well, we could also target clothing and luxury product endorsements. Please look at this.”
I handed over the prepared documents.
He stroked his chin thoughtfully, examining the papers carefully.
“Hmm… it does make sense. But did you make this?”
“Yes. I created it.”
“Whoa~ You know how to do everything? You did well.”
I couldn’t just do whatever I wanted with the full rights.
I had to discuss with the author how much revenue the script could generate, then convince the actors as well.
I prepared materials on how much Kim Sia could grow through this drama and what benefits the company would gain, repeatedly persuading Hyung Jong-seok.
“When you see the next section, you’ll see the expected revenue and the direction Kim Sia should aim for…”
Even though the time was short, he never ignored me and listened to the end.
*Clap!*
In the end, he gave a satisfied nod and clapped his hands.
That was his old habit whenever he started something new.
Yes… I had succeeded in convincing Lee Jong-seok.
“Now let’s do it! As you said, it’s about time for Si-a to transform her image.
She’s been stuck in too stiff roles lately. Sticking too strictly to one type isn’t great either.”
“Thank you! Thank you, CEO!”
Seeing me pour out my heart with sweat pouring down, he patted my soaked back with a pleased smile.
“What are you thanking me for? Rather, I should thank you. Thank you for working so hard.”
“Thank you for saying that, Hyung.”
“Ha ha, man, it suits you oddly well.”
We both laughed thickly while looking into each other’s eyes.
He had smelled it too.
The thick scent of success.
“Funny… so what now? For the first project, let’s have a drink to commemorate the maid!”
Of course, I wanted to join him, but there was still one more thing left.
“I’m sorry, but that has to wait until the next time.”
“What? Man, you’re the one who brought it up! You’re ignoring your CEO right now?”
“Ha ha, isn’t the artist more important than the PD? Right, Hyung…?”
He looked at me with a dumbfounded face.
“Hm…? Where did you hear that?”
Where else? From my future Hyung, of course.
He gave me a mischievous grin.
“Whoa, that’s a good line, man~ Managers should watch the PD and the actress, right~”
“I’d like to drink one too, but first I have to convince Si-a and get through the audition…
Then, I’ll treat you to a drink. I’ll definitely do it back then.”
“Sounds good. When working, it’s best to finish everything properly.”
With that, I concluded the meeting after securing the CEO’s approval.
Half of my plan was now successful.
Only two things left…
Getting Kim Sia to agree and passing the audition.
Once those two were done, the foundation for developing Kim Sia was solid.
Of course, my plan didn’t end there…
*Yeah, I need to spread my wings…*
Just as I sat for a long time in the lobby chair, lost in thoughts about Si-a unnie,
a massive shadow fell across my entire view.
“Chief… I’ve prepared the car.”
“Ah… Min-gu.”
The shadow belonged to none other than Kim Min-gu.
The bodyguard who had stood in the way of Director Kim Kyung-tae.
*His mouth is heavy… and his face is even worse. Our Min-gu.*
He was the perfect embodiment of three manager virtues: heavy-mouthed, ugly-faced, and patient to a fault.
No complaints even under the worst bullying.
From the incident with Director Kim, I had sensed his talent.
*He definitely heard me. My whispers…*
He had listened silently to every word I said to Director Kim and never betrayed me.
He had endured Director Kim’s dirty attitude without a single complaint.
Most importantly, his terrifying appearance.
His physique that could intimidate anyone with his judo-trained body.
“Truly… weren’t you born to be a manager?”
“Pardon?”
“No, I just like Min-gu’s attitude. It’s refreshing.”
He broke into a smile that looked like it could commit murder, then scratched his head shyly.
“Min-gu, I have one favor to ask.”
“Yes? What is it, Chief!”
“If fans suddenly swarm the place, could you smile kindly for me?”
He hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head with that signature weird smile.
“Don’t worry, Chief. I may look scary, but I’m actually a kind person inside.”
That was a relief.
Even if a million fans came flooding in, I was confident.
*As long as Min-gu smiles…*
No one would get too close.
Beyond Min-gu’s bright, cheerful smile, I slipped quietly into the parked black van while avoiding his warm eyes.
I peeked through the tinted window, smiling to myself.
This was the first time I’d seen Min-gu act like this with so much effort.
But I knew his heart was pure and kind.
Especially when it came to women.