***
"Cut! Great job, everyone. Actors, please touch up your makeup and adjust your costumes."
Fortunately, Yoo-Jin successfully finished her scene without any mistakes.
Upon calling the end of scene 278, Park Doo-Shik shouted to the surrounding staff.
"Okay, everyone! Let's take a short break. We'll rest for 20 minutes. And the directors from each department, please check your equipment and then regroup here."
"Yes, Mr. Park!"
As Park Doo-Shik turned his gaze to the monitor, the actors and staff began to move quickly.
After finishing her scene, Yoo-Jin exchanged greetings with the lead actress Choi Eun-Yung for a while before returning to her seat.
I offered Yoo-Jin a cup of coffee as she sat down in the chair.
"Well done. Here's your coffee."
"Thanks, oppa. Your coffee is so good that now I can't drink other coffee unless it's made by you."
Yoo-Jin looked at the cup of coffee that was only a third full and asked for more in a playful tone.
"Too much coffee isn't good for you. I'll give you more later, so just drink this for now."
"Okay, fine."
Yoo-Jin took a sip of her coffee with a slightly disappointed expression. Then her eyes widened.
"Wow. What is this?"
"It's good, right? It's my original style of coffee, 'Jung Coffee.' I'll make it like this for you from now on."
"Yes, please do! The Maxim coffee you made was delicious, but this is on another level!"
Perhaps impressed with my coffee, Yoo-Jin started to hum a tune without realizing it.
At that moment, staff members who were moving equipment to the parking lot passed by us, each one of them praising Yoo-Jin.
"Miss Yoo-Jin. Your acting was really good. You don't seem like a rookie at all. Everyone is super impressed!"
"Thank you, Mr. Choi."
"Miss Yoo-Jin. You might land a lead role in the next drama at this rate. You really stood out."
"Haha, thank you so much, Mr. Jung."
While Park Doo-Shik remained unresponsive, the on-site staff unanimously praised Yoo-Jin's acting.
Oh Duk-Gu was filled with worry this morning, but now he couldn't hide his evidently worry-free smile.
"Everything is going great. I'll go and subtly promote Yoo-Jin to the staff, so you keep an eye on Yoo-Jin. If things continue like this, we won't have to worry about getting in trouble with the Chief."
The exhilarated Oh Duk-Gu ran over to the staff to start promoting Yoo-Jin. However, unlike Oh Duk-Gu, I couldn't stop feeling tense.
Tick tock, tick tock.
As time continued to pass, I grew more anxious as the schedule in the planner hadn't changed yet.
'Could it be that Yoo-Jin gets hurt and can't appear in episode 22?'
While I was deeply lost in thought, I heard one of the Petite Angels shouting.
"Oh my gosh! It's Eun-Bin!"
A white Benz Sprinter was entering the parking lot. In a flash, the Petite Angels who were distributing coffee and snacks to the staff turned their heads in unison like meerkats.
"Where? Where?"
"In the parking lot!"
"Let's go!"
With a rush, all the Petite Angels sprinted toward the parking lot.
Screech!
The Benz Sprinter came to a stop. The door slid open and Park Eun-Bin, standing at 162cm with a small and round face, casually stepped out of the vehicle. With her long hair cascading down to her waist, she was wearing a designer long padded coat, a checkered mini skirt, and long boots.
Her charisma and appearance gave the impression of a veteran actress with numerous lead awards under her belt, rather than an idol.
I personally felt that Park Eun-Bin's acting skills were half a star out of five. However, due to the huge success of Petite More, no one dared give her candid feedback about her subpar performance.
At that moment, a talent agent from TK Entertainment stepped out from the driver's seat of the Benz Sprinter with a bag in his hand.
'Managing Director Ma Dong-Pal from TK Entertainment? What's that guy doing here?'
Even though Park Eun-Bin was one of the big names at TK Entertainment, it was extremely rare for a managing director to come to the set as a talent agent. Moreover, as a former gangster, Ma Dong-Pal was known for his unscrupulous methods in getting things done. With his adeptness at concealing his dubious dealings, he would rise to the position of second in power at TK Entertainment in ten years.
If I had to compare, he was somewhat similar to Kim Dong-Soo but with better fighting skills and a more menacing appearance.
'Could it be because of those guys that the viewership rating isn't changing?'
If Ma Dong-Pal were to interfere, it was possible that the scenes Yoo-Jin had filmed wouldn't be broadcast. When the script was revised, Park Eun-Bin had lost most of her lines.
'Ma Dong-Pal must have been itching to turn the situation around.'
Anticipating the worst-case scenario, I gently tapped Yoo-Jin on the shoulder.
"Yoo-Jin. Park Eun-Bin is here. Let's greet her."
"Oh, okay!"
Holding the script in her hand, Yoo-Jin stood up.
"Eun-Bin unnie! We came here to see you!"
"Ahhh! Unnie, we love you!"
"Haha, thanks for coming, everyone."
As the Petite Angels clamored, Park Eun-Bin responded by greeting and exchanging pleasantries with her fans.
"Eun-Bin unnie! We called in a coffee truck for you!"
"And there will be lunch boxes arriving soon for the staff too. Good luck with your shoot today!"
"Oh, my! Thank you so much, guys. I'd be nothing without you guys. I love you!"
"We love you too~."
After interacting with her fans, Park Eun-Bin quickly walked towards the set upon being prompted by Ma Dong-Pal. It seemed like my hunch was right. While greeting each staff member they walked past, Park Eun-Bin and Ma Dong-Pal's eyes were fixed on Yoo-Jin.
As Park Eun-Bin approached us, we initiated the greeting by bowing our heads. Because Park Eun-Bin wasn't on set when Yoo-Jin had her first shoot, this was their first face-to-face encounter.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jung Yoo-Jin from Hoop Entertainment."
Park Eun-Bin also bowed her head with a bright smile—then she whispered in a voice that only we could hear.
"How dare the role-stealing bitch talk to me?"
'Wow, look at her insolence. What a grand way to start things off.'