Si-a Spreads Her Wings, Part 2
She would definitely become a saint.
Right now South Korea was burning with excitement over just one role in *Lovely Lady*—Kim Si-a as Kim Yumi.
[Exposing the Kim Si-a bribery audition scandal!]
The post had first appeared in a girls’ forum.
In short, its gist ran like this.
The original plan had been to cast for *Lovely Lady* through a public audition, yet Kim Si-a had somehow snatched the role with bribes and backroom deals, turning the whole thing into an inaccessible show.
*Basically… our Si-a unnie’s efforts as a nameless actress got brutally trampled.*
Actress, entertainment-industry gossip, bribery and favors, unfair audition, dreams shattered.
Of course the keywords were explosive enough to spark outrage, but had that been all, South Korea would not have been set ablaze on this scale.
[We hope no more fellow actors chasing the same dream get their hard work trampled. Attached link.]
Added to that, one post on the SNS of the nation’s most admired face—Kim Si-a’s rival, the genius Choi Min-hyuk—and soon reporters led by Lee Ji-yeon of Dong-in Ilbo were hammering out articles.
The Si-a unnie case was like pouring gasoline on a burning house; it roared to life.
*No matter what, everyone dies for Choi Min-hyuk, dies!*
Choi Min-hyuk had already been pulled out from under Lee Ji-hye’s direct supervision.
At first rumors said he’d fought hard, but once given pills and a few women… he’d settled in nicely.
Of course the cameras had captured every second.
In truth the post came from my secretary Kim, not Choi Min-hyuk himself.
“Chief… this looks completely done for.”
“Done? Just stay put and when I signal, drop only Si-a unnie’s video. Easy, right?”
“What if it blows up bigger?”
“Blow up? Nothing’s blowing up.”
Then we’d be fine.
People flare up like fire when trouble hits, but once the problem is solved they move on without a second thought.
Even if the person had done nothing wrong, to them it’s simply no longer relevant.
They need only something they can bite at that exact moment.
The public cares little about how it turns out.
*But if Choi Min-hyuk’s drug scandal hits at the same time…*
If the messenger attacking us is a drug addict and a whore…?
If Si-a unnie’s legendary video shot at the perfect timing leaks…?
If it turns out Si-a unnie passed the audition the right way…?
Then everyone would naturally think:
Ah, Choi Min-hyuk was just this trash who bit the leg of a rival actress.
*Everything’s Choi Min-hyuk’s fault and I’m innocent!*
By then all the arrows aimed at Si-a unnie would belong to Choi Min-hyuk.
And while we stayed quiet, Si-a unnie would upload a video.
One that also handed them the mercy of knowing she never sued anyone.
*By then Si-a unnie really would become a saint.*
“And the drama itself would trend even harder, right?”
“Yeah…?”
“No, don’t worry about those fans—I’ll manage them perfectly. I’ll need you again next week.”
“This kind of dangerous thing is risky…”
“I got it, man! Next one’s super easy, no worries.”
In truth there were no actresses whose dreams had been crushed by Si-a unnie.
It was just that Min-seok and his crew had pulled off the viral campaign on my orders.
*We were ready for anything…*
The author had fixed Si-a unnie as the lead and even told us to film the entire audition process so it would stay on record.
That meant, of course, our Si-a unnie had received the role through a normal audition and by real talent!
If she had received special treatment, they had simply auditioned at a different time and place.
“So for now, just wait a little. No need to panic.”
I had already spent quite a bit of energy calming down Kim Hye-kyeong, the author who was ready to spit fire at the first rumor.
I was at my wits’ end every time I ran into her on set.
After all, anyone would be furious if pushed like that.
*But not yet. Just a little longer. Just a tiny bit more, and the evolution can begin.*
We’d only have to hold off a little longer.
We’d already wrapped pre-production.
Unlike the worst day when everything was already done, *Lovely Lady* required a full month of pre-shoot plus daily tight filming schedules.
The atmosphere on set had to be considered; pushing too hard could cause side effects.
*Still, the author and director are good people, so that’s a relief.*
The co-lead, Joo Eun-hye, did tease Si-a unnie a bit, but because Kim Eun-hye the author was on our side, it never got too strong.
Of course Si-a unnie herself had felt some strain, but since she had earned the role through honest talent, she never got crushed by it.
She already had a solid core fanbase who believed in her, and the male-oriented community had produced no evidence or proof yet.
So the dominant opinion remained neutrality.
*Well, the male side never pushed it anyway.*
The post was simply a handsome male actor reposting stuff from the girls’ forum without any verification.
To them there was no reason to believe the words at all.
Instead, the main opinion was that starting a gender divide and then targeting one actress was even worse.
“Then I’ll head to the meeting. Keep the YouTube comments in check.”
“Even the fans are shielding you, so it’s already feeling a little easier.”
“That’s the strategy I told you about, isn’t it?”
“Ah, that was all my idea. Haha!”
Anyway, this simple guy.
I ruffled his hair while he grinned at my praise, then stepped into the elevator.
The fans who had stuck to him like glue, treating the manager as a lover in some simulation, would never be shaken easily because they already had similar feelings for Si-a.
The only ones currently wavering were the big shots at our company.
I was climbing to the executive office to grab him.
***
“Ah, you’re here. Sit.”
“Yes, boss!”
“Why are you so stiff…? Did I do something wrong?”
I did. A huge wrong.
For no reason, Lee Jong-seok’s older brother’s face flashed across Lee Ji-hye’s expression.
“You already knew, right? How serious the situation is…”
“…”
“Yo, snap out of it. Stuff like this can happen while working, man.”
“Yeah?”
“Listen, man, even while working you can make mistakes. Guys get all flustered over nothing!”
*It wasn’t that at all…*
The thought that he’d called me because he was shaken by me was pure illusion.
The one who had actually been shaken and called me was me.
There wasn’t even a flicker of wavering on Lee Jong-seok’s older brother’s face.
*As expected, this guy always knows how to read people.*
He was terrifying once you thought about it.
The incident had already happened; nothing I could do now would change it.
Instead, in moments of real crisis he calmly rallied the staff and hunted for solutions.
Classic leadership, but hard to turn into action.
“But this feels off somehow. Choi Min-hyuk isn’t our enemy.”
“That’s…”
“And even weirder, it’s spreading too fast, like it’s backed by some force…”
Still, the guy’s instincts were artistic.
He saw the script flow and read the situation instantly.
He just hadn’t realized the puppet master was me.
After all, who would do this crazy stunt to launch a drama?
“Hmph! The rebuttal materials are all ready. Don’t worry at all…”
“No. This isn’t just rebuttal material. I think…”
“President!”
*Please don’t poke a sleeping bear!*
I wanted to say, but that was as far as it went.
*As expected, his instincts are unnervingly fast.*
I should probably feed him a little truth and a little lie.
“You’re surprised, huh? Why are you shouting?”
“Ah, no, sorry. Actually, I investigated a bit.”
“Uh…? What does that mean?”
“See, I think this time Choi Min-hyuk’s crew is behind it.
You know? Si-a unnie’s show and Choi Min-hyuk’s show air at the same time…”
“True, but what’s he missing?”
As Lee Jong-seok’s older brother said, the worst day was already so hot we didn’t even need marketing anymore.
It had already wrapped pre-production under fat support, and we were just adding a little promotion.
“What, isn’t it said that even a lion hunts its prey with all its might?”
“Yeah, sure, but we have rebuttal materials and he’s been silent until now?”
“That’s… I actually got this from a reliable source… I think Choi Min-hyuk will have one incident.”
“What kind of incident?”
“Next week, probably a drug scandal…”
“WHAT?! Drugs?! How do you even know…?”
“Lee Ji-yeon from Dong-in Ilbo tipped me off. She said it’s about to break next week.”
“So you’ve been waiting?”
“Yeah…”
“Hmm, okay. Then what about Si-a?”
“I was already worried about that part, but with the YouTube issue the core fans are solid and we’re doing our best to support them.”
“Should I believe you? Think carefully. If this festered, things could get bad.”
This guy hadn’t changed at all.
He always put the actors first, that unshakable belief.
Perhaps I was still here because I’d been drawn to that same belief I never had.
“I’ll take extra care.”
I would protect her so nothing like the past would ever happen again.
“Should I believe you?”
“Yes, you can believe me.”
I would definitely, definitely protect everyone.
And I would climb to the highest peak and celebrate success with all of them.
“Then I’ll go. I’ll believe you.”
“Yes, President…”
I understood Lee Jong-seok’s older brother’s worry.
I had lived it myself in the past.
*But boss, you don’t have to worry about our Si-a unnie…*
Because every single night I’m madly caring for her…
Today I carried the same heavy shoulders and walked into the charging station.
No, no, I trudged toward Si-a unnie’s house.