The Most Important Thing in This Business: Choice (6)

Just a handful of numbers. But the effect they kicked up was enormous.

A gust, no — a full-blown storm. All weekend, everyone I ran into stopped me in my tracks to congratulate me. Text messages piled up close to a hundred. I answered them one by one until I thought my fingerprints might wear off.

It didn't bother me in the slightest. If anything, no tonic on earth could have done me more good. Every congratulations felt like repayment for everything I'd ground through, and my feet wouldn't stay on the ground — I was floating. My chest kept swelling with pride at odd moments, and more than once I caught myself grinning before I knew it.

On the other hand, the feeling was a little strange.

People who wouldn't so much as look at me no matter how many times I greeted them. People who took the Neptune album CD I held out and tossed it aside without a glance. People who, when the controversy blew up about Lee Songha being sold as a package deal, sneered loud enough for me to hear. Those were the ones who sent the greasiest texts of all.

This business may live and die by ratings and popularity, but the about-face was embarrassingly transparent.

And the most absurd of the lot was PD Go Joon-tae.

He fired off a glossy congratulatory text, then suddenly asked if we could talk, which was why I was now sitting in a coffee shop near the Knet building, waiting on him.

I'd ordered and turned to go when I stopped short. On the left side of the counter hung a familiar poster — the ensemble poster for Cat Guardian Spirit. The shop must have been under the same corporate family as TVL and Knet. Even among those glamorous faces, all I could see was Lee Songha's.

I was still gazing at it, thoroughly pleased with myself, when a voice cut in.

"Would you like one?"

I turned. The barista was holding out my coffee, smiling like she already knew.

"You kept staring at Lee Songha. Ever since we put that up, quite a few customers have asked if they could take a poster home."

"Really?"

"We're not supposed to, but there's no one else in here right now, so I can pull one for you. I took one home myself because of Lee Songha. Whoever shot it, she looks absolutely unreal. I never get tired of looking at it."

I answered the chatty barista without missing a beat.

"That's not the camera. Someone I know saw her in person and said the real thing is much better."

"Seriously? Prettier than that?"

"I even heard the photographer who took it was disappointed."

I bragged about Lee Songha while pretending I didn't know her, and walked away with the poster. I already had one at home, but more never hurt.

The moment I sat on the sofa, my phone rang. A casting call, so I dug out my notebook and pen at once. With the drama doing well, the calls had surged. Nothing huge — mostly offers built around Lee Songha, with the other members tagging along on the side — but still. Compared with a few months ago, this was the kind of progress that deserved a hula dance of pure joy.

"Yes. I'll check the schedule and get back to you, Writer."

I was speaking in my smoothest voice when the sofa across from me shifted. PD Go Joon-tae, looking neater than usual, sat down with a nod. The second I hung up, he glanced at my notebook.

"A lot of people looking for Songha, I see. Well, the drama broke eight percent... I hear it's the fourth-highest rating in cable drama history. They say TVL's drama division is in full festival mode. It's not like Songha and I are strangers, so I wanted to congratulate her on behalf of Next K-Star. That's why I asked to meet."

The congratulations came out of his mouth, but his face was sour. Fair enough. It had to burn. Next K-Star was a hit in its own right, breaking its peak rating every week, but it had never cleared eight percent. They'd been hell-bent on getting there. Cat Guardian Spirit had blown past it in two episodes, and judging by the viewer response and the popularity you could feel in the air, it was only going higher.

I took a sip of coffee.

"The response has been better than we expected, so we're looking forward to what's ahead. We're even renegotiating the ratings pledge — not eight or nine percent. Ten."

"Ten percent?!"

PD Go Joon-tae's eyes went round.

"The peak already cleared nine. At this rate, ten doesn't seem impossible."

His face crumpled like he'd bitten into something foul. The worse he looked, the deeper my smile got. I couldn't remember the last time I'd sat across from the man and felt this comfortable. I was savoring the coffee at my leisure when he licked his lower lip and spoke.

"So. Our production team has been thinking."

"Yes."

"They say you row when the tide comes in. If we gave Cat Guardian Spirit a push right now, it'd pick up even more momentum. How about Seo Ji-joon making a special appearance at our final mission, the public concert?"

There it was. Some congratulations. I'd known this was coming. I shrugged.

"You'd be better off contacting the PR team, or Chief Lee Bong-joon..."

He'd be shot down on the spot, of course. They were already turning away other producers, and PD Go Joon-tae didn't even merit a conversation. Team Leader Park had her eyes narrowed and waiting. I was biding my time to screw him over myself someday, but she was no slouch either.

He clicked his tongue.

"I heard someone else already reached out, and it didn't go well."

"That's probably because Seo Ji-joon wants to focus on the project and nothing else. The company's trying to respect the actor's wishes as much as it can."

His voice turned oily.

"I heard you're close with Chief Lee. The one handling Ji-joon."

Well, well.

"If you asked through Chief Lee, Ji-joon might change his mind, don't you think? Showing his face once to cheer on a junior from the same agency isn't such a big ask. And the edit — I'll make it absolutely stunning for you."

That editing of yours nearly destroyed Lee Songha's image, you bastard. And since when have you done me any favors that I'd go land Seo Ji-joon for you?

Whatever showed on my face must have been plain enough, because he rushed on as if making excuses.

"Up till now I laid on a little MSG because I needed something to haul the ratings, but that was only because the show has to survive for the cast to survive. Before the finale, I was going to fix everyone's image with the edit. Honestly."

That mouth. If I could, I'd have dumped a whole cartload of shit on him.

I was about to refuse him flat when another thought cut across. I pretended to consider it, then nodded.

"Then I'll bring it up with Chief Lee. Don't get your hopes too high."

His face lit up at once, and he pounced.

"You really will? For real?"

A lie, of course. Even if Seo Ji-joon offered, I'd want to grab his legs and talk him out of it. I'd have to be out of my mind. All I meant to do was play the line and stall. As long as Seo Ji-joon was dangling there as bait, PD Go Joon-tae wouldn't be able to use the Neptune kids and Lee Songha as kindling.

Anyway. I'd told him not to expect anything.

"Did something good happen?"

Lee Songha asked from the passenger seat. I had things to go over with Team Leader Park about the ratings pledge, so we were heading into the company together. I glanced sideways. She was looking at me, crunching a chocolate stick.

"Why. Do I look happy?"

"Yes."

The answer came with a rustle, and then something hard poked my lips. The stick. I took it without thinking, and still it struck me as odd. Why does she keep trying to feed me lately? If it were anyone else, I'd have eaten and thought nothing of it. But this was Lee Songha — the girl who wrote her name on the ice cream tub so no one would touch hers. And yet at the premiere dinner she'd given up her beef, and ever since she'd been sharing things with me, one by one. Did I look hungry? The drama shoot had worn me down to skin and bones, true enough.

I was still turning it over when I realized she was waiting, so I answered.

"It's thanks to you. What else."

The crunching stopped dead.

"The drama's a hit, and congratulations and casting calls are pouring in from everywhere. I've never had this before. These days I actually feel like working, because of you."

No answer. I looked over, and she was smiling without a sound. A shame I was driving. That was a face worth photographing. The Cat Guardian Spirit poster ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in my bag came back to me. Not a trace of makeup on her, and she was still far prettier than the girl in that poster — pretty enough that it felt almost wasteful, only me getting to see it.

"...Oppa."

"Yeah?"

"You said you originally wanted to manage actors."

When had that even come up? Had she been holding onto it all this time? I looked over. She'd turned slightly toward the window.

"I did."

Truth was, even now it was fine only because it was Neptune. Taking on some other singer didn't appeal to me. I still liked actors. I liked dramas and films. Working with Lee Songha on Cat Guardian Spirit had only driven it home again — brutal enough to make you cry, and just as much fun. I was about to tell her that what I had now was plenty, when she asked first.

"You don't think that way anymore, do you."

A smaller voice followed.

"Because you have me."

She was still looking out the window. Her hair was long and thick enough that I couldn't read her face, so I dropped my eyes to her hands. Her fingers were fidgeting endlessly with the snack stick. I answered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with a smile.

"Right. Because I have you."

This company must have been paved with single-log bridges. I kept running into my enemies at every turn.

I was about to walk into the PR office with Lee Songha when I stopped short. Inside, Son Chae-young and Chief Jo were in the middle of talking to Team Leader Park. Badgering her again? Son Chae-young stood with her weight cocked on one hip.

"Please put out an interview saying I gladly agreed to the script revisions, because that's what the viewers and the hardcore fans of the original want. If the script changes, I'll have to re-analyze everything, and we might start getting last-minute sides, so I should at least get full credit for it."

So The Mermaid Who Came Ashore had stepped into the mud. In the future, too, they'd torn the script apart to swallow every opinion from the original's fans and the whole thing had gone off the rails. I was setting off fireworks on the inside when Team Leader Park's worried voice came through.

"The script is already good. I wonder if the production team is getting too greedy."

"If we want to break twenty percent, we have to be greedy, Team Leader."

Son Chae-young said it with naked ambition. Team Leader Park sighed and nodded. Chief Jo, who had been listening to the two of them, glanced at Son Chae-young and opened his mouth.

"The production company and PBS are the ones pushing hard. I heard the writer isn't very keen on the revisions."

"PBS's opinion is what matters. Oppa, does the writer hand out the acting awards? PBS does."

Acting awards. Dream big. From what I remembered, the year-end roundups picked it as the worst drama of the bunch.

After a few more words for Team Leader Park, Son Chae-young spun around — and the moment she saw me and Lee Songha, irritation flooded her face. I wasn't glad to see her either. As we stepped into the office I stole a look at Lee Songha, just to be sure. The last time those two had met, cake had gone flying. Fortunately her face was as calm as ever.

Son Chae-young looked like the words had surged all the way up her throat, but Chief Jo was clinging to her with everything he had, and she was barely holding them in. This wasn't a room where you could scream and throw a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fit. Too many eyes. She was grinding her heels into the floor on her way past when she faltered, looked at me, and said one thing.

"I didn't watch it. Her drama."

So what. Wasn't she the one who'd said that since we ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all ate from the same pot, watching the drama was basic courtesy? I was letting out a dry laugh when Lee Songha, quiet until then, spoke to the back of Son Chae-young's head.

"I haven't watched it either."

Son Chae-young whipped around. The glare she leveled at Lee Songha was vicious. I grabbed Lee Songha's arm and pulled her behind me at once. Son Chae-young's shoulders hitched like she was a breath from screaming, and Chief Jo all but begged as he led her out. If this hadn't been the PR office — if the staff hadn't been sneaking glances — I had a feeling we'd have been looking at the cake-throwing incident, season two.

"You really didn't watch Son Chae-young's drama?"

I asked, and Lee Songha quietly avoided my eyes and came clean.

"Actually, I did. With the unnies..."

"Why would you look at that face even on a TV. Don't watch it anymore."

I said it low, and she nodded at once. I was thinking I'd show it to her later, when the ratings came in at three percent, when I felt eyes on the back of my head. I turned. Team Leader Park was looking at the two of us, smiling through a face worn hollow from dealing with Son Chae-young.

"The moment you two walk in, I feel better already. My ears, too."

"You've had a rough time."

I meant it. She sat us down in front of her and got to the point. If we were going to make a ratings pledge anyway, she wanted to tie Lee Songha and Seo Ji-joon together and do it jointly. Out on the street, crowd control would be a nightmare, so the idea was to rent out a movie theater — a live watch party with the fans, doubled as a small fan meeting. Lee Songha and I just nodded along.

For a while Team Leader Park went over what to watch for at a fan meeting and what we'd need to prepare. I took notes and glanced sideways. Lee Songha's face was serious too. When the talk wound down, Team Leader Park smiled, pleased.

"You're both going to get even busier from here. Any trouble working together?"

"None."

Lee Songha said it first. I nodded too. Team Leader Park gave us a mother's smile.

That was more or less everything, so I said my goodbyes and stood. Lee Songha didn't get up with me. She hesitated, then looked up.

"I'm going to ask the Team Leader a little more before I go."

"Sure. I'll be waiting in the car, so come down."

I'd been meaning to go ahead and get the heater running anyway. It was cold outside, and the car would be an icebox. I was barely holding myself together by eating through stamina that kept getting shaved away, and catching a cold on top of that would be a disaster. I left her there and stepped out of the office.

I'd just gotten into the elevator when the phone buzzed in my pocket. Figuring it was another casting call, I pulled it out humming — Kim Hyunjo. After a brief hello, he went straight to the point.