[Attached Files]
[ [ "Can you see this? Lee Ji-Yeon sent me the revised scripts herself! What more do you want? Do you want me to give you a briefing?" Kim Dong-Soo's face hardened like stone. This wasn't him just being stubborn—he was blatantly disrespecting the authority of the Division Chief. "I-I apologize. It seems like I made a…mistake." Despite Kim Dong-Soo's apology, Kang Ji-Yung's cold demeanor remained unchanged. "Why can't people know when to stop? You really crossed the line today! I was in the middle of persuading President Choi to cast Jo Min-Sung for the lead role in MBS' anniversary special, but now that opportunity is gone because I had to rush here. Everything is ruined!" Jo Min-Sung was a top star representing Hoop Entertainment. Upon hearing that Jo Min-Sung's drama casting was jeopardized because of the fight between the chiefs, Kim Dong-Soo's face turned beet red. "Um, about that…" "Enough! I have nothing more to say and I don't want to hear anything else from you. Get out and deal with the staff watching from outside. And I'm going to cancel Star Jung's salary cut, so don't mention it anymore." "I-I understand," Kim Dong-Soo said in a slightly trembling voice. Seeing his hunched shoulders was somewhat satisfying. 'That's right, Kim Dong-Soo. You better be humble next time.' Kang Ji-Yung turned toward me next. "But Star Jung, you'll still have to submit your written statement. After all, it's true that you left the set during work hours. Copy that?" The half-cut salary was replaced with a little paperwork. As the situation was resolved, Kang Ji-Yung looked at Kim Dong-Soo. "Why are you still here? Do you want me to hold the door open for you or what?" "I-I'll head out right now." Kim Dong-Soo left the meeting room, slamming the door behind him. *** Once the commotion was over, Gu Seong-Cheol's shoulders slouched. "Sorry, boss. Jo Min-Sung is gonna make a scene if he finds out that he had missed the chance to appear in the anniversary special. What should we do?" Even though Gu Seong-Cheol held a lower position than Kang Ji-Yung, he spoke to her in a casual tone when alone, given that he had been working for Hoop Entertainment since its early days. Kang Ji-Yung sat down and smiled. "Oh, that was a lie." "What?" "I'm not crazy. Did you really think I would leave behind the opportunity to get Jo Min-Sung casted? I had already confirmed his appearance with President Choi before coming here." "Oh, really?" "I only said what I said earlier because Kim Dong-Soo kept arguing with me and pissing me off. But seriously though. You guys aren't five. This whole thing was so stupid." "I'm sorry. I'm embarrassed. Hahahaha." "Stop laughing, sunbae[1]. I'm still angry, you know." In spite of what she said, the atmosphere gradually lightened as the conversation continued. "Well, I'll take my leave now." As I stood up and said goodbye, Kang Ji-Yung stopped me. "Where do you think you're going? Although it's only temporary, you are still in charge of Yoo-Jin. You need to attend this meeting, Star Jung." "Me?" "Of course. Lee Ji-Yeon personally revised the script herself and requested Yoo-Jin to appear in two more episodes. Shouldn't we discuss how to handle this matter on set?" In Hoop Entertainment, it was difficult for first-year staff to even attend division meetings. But here I was, given the opportunity to attend a meeting with senior executives. This seemed like a good start to my second life. *** The planning meeting for Yoo-Jin's career development started. Kang Ji-Yung and Gu Seong-Cheol began to explain to me the issues that would arise due to the script revisions. Although I knew very well what would happen, I pretended to hear this information for the first time and nodded as if I understood. After listing precautions, Gu Seong-Cheol looked at Kang Ji-Yung. "Chief Kang. Lee Ji-Yeon typically continues casting the actors she likes, right? Do you think she'll want to work with Yoo-Jin in her next drama as well?" "Probably—that's why I was thinking of giving Yoo-Jin a push. What do you think, sunbae?" I'm not opposed to the idea, but I'm worried that giving her a push too early might backfire." "What are you so nervous about, sunbae? This isn't like you. Just go for it. If Lee Ji-Yeon offers a role to one of my actors herself, I certainly wouldn't refuse." Since Lee Ji-Yeon had taken an interest in Yoo-Jin, it was only natural for the company to think about the possibility of her casting Yoo-Jin in the next drama as well. However, there was one major problem—Lee Ji-Yeon's next drama In the Name of God, set to air next year, would be a complete failure. 'How should I bring this up?' I would have no choice but to refuse Lee Ji-Yeon's offer to work with her because her work was going to flop. But at this point where the scripts hadn't even been released yet, I couldn't bring up that topic. After all, no one in the industry would think that a drama written by Lee Ji-Yeon, a big name in the industry, would fail. Then there was only one remaining solution left—to get Yoo-Jin casted in another drama as soon as possible. In the meantime, the meeting was coming to an end. "So, sunbae. Please ensure the remaining two episodes wrap up well on set. That's our priority for now." "Okay. Besides Yoon-Ho, we'll also assign Team Lead Oh to the set. Having a team lead on set will definitely make Yoo-Jin look more prioritized." After finishing the conversation, Kang Ji-Yung turned her gaze toward me. "By the way, could you tell me what happened on set today? There's no way Lee Ji-Yeon would increase Yoo-Jin's showtime without a reason." "Actually, at the set today…" I told Kang Ji-Yung about the day's events. "Yoo-Jin's performance was excellent and Lee Ji-Yeon was impressed by her?" "Yes. Although she just debuted, I believe she can certainly handle a leading role with her acting skills." "Hahaha. Your faith in your actress is extraordinary." Kang Ji-Yung looked at me as if she found me impressive. "You are in your first year, right?" "Yes." "Maintain this attitude and keep up the good work. Understood?" "Yes, ma'am." At my polite response, Gu Seong-Cheol chuckled and praised me. "See, Chief Kang? I've always told you that Yoon-Ho is extraordinary." 'Thank you, Chief Gu.' "Oh, my. Sunbae. I don't recall you saying such a thing," Kang Ji-Yung said as she tilted her head. "Hahaha. A-are you sure about that?" Gu Seong-Cheol stealthily glanced at me and turned away. My appreciation for him dissipated in three seconds. 'I take back saying thank you, Chief Gu.' "Now, the next question." Kang Ji-Yung's tone turned cold as she asked in a serious manner, "I watched the 9 o'clock news. Why were you in Cheonho-dong when you were supposed to be on set?" Kang Ji-Yung's sharp voice struck my ears.