TL: emptycube / ED: Isleidir

  “Incredible!”


  The female employee of the PR Team grabbed my hand as soon as I walked in the office.

  “The ratings for the first episode was 9%! First place in its time slot! Wh-what else was there?”


  “First in social media trendiness!”


  The male employee grabbed my other hand while smiling brightly. At the same time, other employees came over, surrounding me. It was as I expected since I woke up to countless missed phone calls and congratulatory texts this morning.

  However, I didn’t expect them to dance.

  After hopping up and down while holding my hand, the female employee finally regained her senses.

  “All the people who appeared on Making Film yesterday, Pretty Girls, Neptune, Mr. Nam Joyoon, and even the songwriter, is trending! Nothing more needs to be said about you, Mr. Sunwoo. I bet your last entertainment show appearance can’t compare with this one? Everything must feel surreal to you right now.”


  “It feels real.”


  I said while placing my bag on the desk.

  “Even my high school photo is going around on the internet.”


  I was wondering what my friends were giggling about in our group chat, and that was it.

  A few laughs erupted amongst the employees. A few seemed to have not seen it yet as they quickly took their phones out to check. Soon, the laughter grew multiple times over. I asked the female employee, who was holding her belly laughing,

  “We can’t take the photo down, right?”


  “Give up. Even the government can’t do that.”


  I knew it. I only asked just in case.

  I looked around the office.

  It was filled with cheery laughs and excitement. A smile unconsciously hung on my lips as well. Obtaining results from something I spent a ton of time preparing for always made me feel satisfied and proud.

  Although this was only the first step in the project.

  Either way, it was a greatly successful first step.

  “How are Pretty Girls?”


  I asked Chief Lee Taeshin.

  He, who went around absentmindedly, jolted in surprise.

  “Ah! The gi-girls. Jae is practicing the choreography, and the younger ones went to school. They’ll be going straight to the practice room as soon as school’s over.”


  “Did anything happen after the broadcast?”


  Their world must have changed overnight.

  “I think the girls are still dazed. I talked to Yeondu on the phone just now, and she said her classmates were causing a fuss. She’s been running away because of all the pestering, asking when the album comes out and if they can listen to it early.”


  “I think it’ll be good if you pick them up directly from school for a while. It’s become such a big topic that reporters might stick around.”


  “Okay. Ah, tons of people contacted me after yesterday’s broadcast.”


  Chief Lee Taeshin took out his phone. It was vibrating even now.

  “Calls for interviews and guest appearances on cable and other shows. I’m also constantly being contacted by event agencies.”


  They only seemed to be testing the waters before the broadcast.

  It seems they made up their minds now that the first episode garnered so much attention.

  “Let’s organize and discuss them later as we still need to see how things go.”


  “Ah, yes. Then I’ll organize them.”


  I sat down after our conversation, but this time, Kim Hyunsup came over with a notebook.

  “Joyoon’s moth-, chief. There have been a few casting calls for Joyoon.”


  “Which ones?”


  Kim Hyunsup read the casting calls. Most were magazines and programs primarily watched by women.

  The PR Team female employee looked at the notebook and laughed,

  “He’s gaining a lot of attention from the women after the episode.”


  “He didn’t show much up in the episode though?”


  “Impact is more important than airtime. Old magazine interviews and articles of Mr. Nam Joyoon are being rediscovered. They especially seem interested in his relationship with you. His villainous image from Alive has been aired out with this opportunity. In a quite positive way.”


  “That’s good, though I don’t know why.”


  I should monitor the episode once I’m done work.

  After organizing Lee Kwanwoo and Neptune’s schedules, I finally sat down at my desk.

  I opened a browser and went on the portal site. I saw my face in the main article.

  {Midas’s Hand, Jung Sunwoo, Is he an illusion made by the press?}

  *

  “You must be a celebrity.”


  The employee asked as she placed the coffee in the tray.

  I thought she’d ask considering she had been glancing at me ever since I ordered.

  “No.”


  “I’ve been working at this studio coffee shop for a year now. I can tell right away.”


  She straightforwardly scanned my face while laughing charmingly. I should have just worn sunglasses like usual. Wearing a hat was too much. Many celebrities around here covered their faces so it was reasonable for her to mistake me for one.

  I grabbed the box of donuts and coffee and turned around to leave.

  “Fuck. What kind of idol reality TV show gets 9% ratings?”


  “I think it’ll go even higher? Making Film, Making Film, everyone’s buzzing about it.”


  “My girls are nagging me about getting them a reality TV show too because of this. I told them to stop with the nonsense, and they told me to try like Jung Sunwoo.”


  “Jung Sunwoo, that bastard.”


  “I might even push him down the stairs if I meet him at the studio.”


  I turned my head around and walked past the men who were undoubtedly managers.

  Did I need to wear a mask as well from now on?

  It seemed popular idol groups were at the studio as young girls were swarming outside. I brushed off their gazes and walked towards the entrance. For some reason, it was noisy here.

  “Mister, I’m a stylist. I came to work!”


  “Please show me your pass.”


  “I don’t have it right now, but can’t I just go in today?”


  “You can’t. There was an incident where a hardcore fan impersonated as a reporter.”


  A young woman and security guard were arguing. The security guard looked at me.

  “What business did you come here for?”


  “I came to meet Producer Yoo Sooyoung of the Entertainment Department.”


  I tucked the donut box under my arm and took off my sunglasses.

  “Please show me…… Ah, please go in. Yesterday’s broadcast was really fun.”


  “Thank you.”


  “Why can he go in and not me?!”


  “Because I know his face.”


  The security calmly replied as he opened the entrance gate. I walked in while he held the woman back. The woman kept causing a commotion behind me.

  Even at a glance, she didn’t seem like a stylist. If she really was impersonating someone, whoever their manager was had it tough.

  What a relief it was that there were no troublemakers amongst Neptune fans.

  I soon went up to the Entertainment Department. It was busier than usual. I saw a few managers carrying coffee like me as though they came here to talk business. It was a familiar sight. I could tell whether it was effective or not just by watching the producer’s expression as they accepted the coffee.

  It took a long time to get out of the hallway. There were people who friendlily approached and congratulated me, people who whispered from a distance, and people hesitant in the middle. Luckily, there wasn’t anyone who pushed my back.

  I found a Making Film production assistant near the editing room.

  There was also a young manager holding coffee with smiling doll-like girls.

  “She’s busy editing Making Film right now. Just talk to me.”


  “I heard that Producer Yoo Sooyoung will immediately be working on Good Friends Season 2 as their main producer once Making Film is over. I just wanted to show her the rookies from our company. We just want to say hi. Although our girls are lacking in popularity, they have great entertainment sense.”


  The manager quickly gestured. The girls bowed their slender waists like a folder as they greeted him. It seemed the assistant had already been hung up by other managers as he sighed while greeting them back. He then discovered me as he was about to speak.

  “Chief Jung!”


  “I came to pay a visit since the first episode did so well. But……”


  I asked while handing him a coffee,

  “Is the Good Friends cast changing?”


  “Pardon? No! The girls, no, the cast is the same, only the producer is changing!”


  That was a relief.

  My cheeks tingled. I smiled as I greeted the other manager. The manager greeted me back with a dazed expression before quickly running away with the girls. The girls glanced back at me as they were being dragged away.

  “The reactions are amazing, right?”


  The production assistant said as the corners of his lips curled up.

  “Maybe it’s because we used you as bait for yesterday’s broadcast, but I heard a ton of people talking about you even while I was stuck in the editing room? People’s opinions on Pretty Girls were also generally positive.”


  “It’s all because the producer edited it so well. It was fun even though I knew what would happen.”


  “There’s no way it couldn’t be fun. She’s constantly working hard at it.”


  The assistant gestured behind him. It was to the editing room that had ‘Making Film’ written on it. When I looked inside, it looked like Producer Yoo Sooyoung was editing in a chicken coop with messily scattered preview notes everywhere.

  I suddenly recalled our first meeting. Producer Yoo Sooyoung, who had worn a sky-blue one-piece dress as she reviewed a human documentary, was now sporting unkempt hair and covering her shoulders with a blanket.

  “Even though she has a child, she doesn’t go home and pretty much lives in the editing room.”


  The production assistant said, astonished.

  “I guess she has a lot of work?”


  “She does. Editing Making Film, checking Good Friend’s composition, it’s true she’s busy, but I think she’s also enjoying it. She occasionally mumbles about how fun entertainment shows are, that it’s thrilling, and how refreshing it is.”


  Ah, now that I thought about it, she was the woman who cried about wanting to do entertainment shows after getting drunk.

  I entered the editing room and offered her a coffee and the box of donuts. Although she looked haggard, her eyes glinted with joy. If she could make a highly polished program while enjoying it, then there wasn’t anything better than that.

  I talked with her briefly before looking at the screen. It displayed Im Seoyoung’s face.

  “Hope you can take good care of Neptune’s parts as well, producer.”


  “You already know how I’m going to edit it.”


  Producer Yoo Sooyoung laughed as she took a big bite of a donut.

  Just then, someone knocked on the door. I thought it was the production assistant, but Producer Choi Byungsoo stuck his head in. He looked more haggard than Producer Yoo Sooyoung, who worked overnight. They weren’t exactly happy to see each other so only empty greetings were exchanged.

  His gaze alternated between Producer Yoo Sooyoung and me before saying,

  “The ratings were quite good. Congratulations, Chief Jung and sunbae.”


  I wondered if he came all the way here to say that when he grumbled,

  “Why is someone so skilled like you taking a hoobae’s food bowl……”


  Dissatisfied, he added,

  “Well, good luck. You must be busy setting up a new team and everything.”


  “Why would I set up a new team?”


  “If I leave and the staff leaves as well, then it’s no different from having to set up a new……”


  “The staff is going to stay the same.”


  Producer Choi Byungsoo’s eyes widened.

  “You’re keeping the staff? Writer Hwang……!”


  “I already talked with the main writer. You’re the only one that needs to leave.”


  Producer Yoo Sooyoung said coolly. Producer Choi Byungsoo, wearing a dumb face and opening and closing his mouth, disappeared like the wind. Then Producer Yoo Sooyoung brushed off the donut crumbs and stretched her hand out.

  “Let’s work hard together, like a family.”


  A family, that would be nice.

  I happily shook her hand.

  *

  The event stage was heated. The people swarming around the stage were shouting. There was still a bit of time before Neptune’s performance. I checked my watched and left the waiting room.

  I saw a familiar face amongst the busily moving event staff.

  “I heard you were looking for me.”


  “Ah, Chief Jung! No, team leader!”


  The event agency employee greeted me with a bright smile.

  “Aren’t we in event season? I wanted to ask you about Neptune’s schedule.”


  He said fawningly.

  Neptune was quite popular for events since they were a good value.

  While the rank of Neptune as a team was a bit iffy, they had Lee Songha the actress, which really boosted people’s interest in the event. They could pay a small fee and puff their chests in front of their sponsors so there were rumors that event agencies hoped Neptune’s rank would stay the same.

  Well, it did until now.

  “I want to put a hold on that aside from the already scheduled ones.”


  “Pardon? Why?”


  I smiled as I replied,

  “I think things will be very different from now.”


  I personally prefer the word ‘junior’ here but kept ‘hoobae’ to maintain consistency with sunbae. Also, ‘food bowl’ here refers to ‘Good Friends’, which Producer Choi Byungsoo was the main producer of. He was switched out for Producer Yoo Sooyoung because of the ‘reality TV show proposal’ incident.