Chapter 861: Popular Guy (1)

Chapter 861: Popular Guy (1)

Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon accepted the paper envelope I handed them. When they opened it and pulled out the contents, their eyes widened in shock.

"First-class tickets to Hawaii?"

"I heard the two of you used to travel together every spring. And since Hawaii holds special meaning for you both, I thought it would make the perfect reconciliation gift."

I had learned the backstory from an interview they gave before my regression. The two had been best friends since childhood, and during their rough trainee years, they saw a picture of a Hawaiian sunset in a magazine. They promised that once they made it big, they would go to Hawaii together every year.

Once they found success, they actually kept that promise and spent every spring at a boutique hotel in Hawaii. But ever since Kim Cheong-Gi came between them, they hadn't traveled together at all unless it was for an official schedule.

I wanted to mend things completely. That was why I got them those first-class tickets to Hawaii.

Oh Ji-Seon looked at the tickets and asked, "How did you find out? Even Mr. Yoon doesn't know we used to go every year."

I just shrugged. "I'm Chief Jung. Comparing me to Chief Yoon? That stings a little."

If there was one thing I had gotten better at since returning, it was keeping a straight face while lying through my teeth. I then showed them a photo on my phone. It was a massive luxury villa in Hawaii.

"I also took care of your accommodations."

The picture showed a grand building on a vast estate, bathed in the glow of a sunset.

Oh Ji-Seon's eyes grew even wider. "You actually booked this? That's in Kahala!"

Kahala was home to Hawaii's most luxurious villas and pristine white-sand beaches.

Sung Hee-Yeon was equally stunned. "This is one of the most exclusive private villas in Kahala. How did you even manage to rent it? You can't just buy your way in here."

"It belongs to Shanghai New Media Inc. The owner and I go way back, and he let me borrow it without a second thought."

I had contacted Wang Long ahead of time and borrowed the villa for a week. I had been there once before the regression and knew it was mostly unoccupied.

Their eyes sparkled.

"Mr. Jung, you're insane—in a good way."

"Seriously, your connections are next level."

Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon were too excited to look away from the photo.

Then Oh Ji-Seon quietly muttered to herself. "I used to think we'd live together in a villa in Kahala ten years from now..."

Sung Hee-Yeon nodded. "Yeah... we really did think that."

The memory seemed to stir something in them. Even though Kim Cheong-Gi was gone, the emotional wounds hadn't healed just yet. Nevertheless, every healing has to start somewhere.

"You can still keep that promise." Then I gave them a gentle nudge. "Also, the tickets are only valid starting tomorrow for exactly one week. You'll need to leave immediately. Someone from Shanghai New Media Inc. is already on the way to help with your travel."

Sung Hee-Yeon looked at me like I was crazy. "We've got a radio appearance and a variety shoot lined up. What about those schedules?"

"Skip them."

"Excuse me?"

"I'll talk to Mr. Kang and arrange for other entertainers to take your place."

Even if it was just a radio gig, they still hesitated. So I added one more reason.

"More importantly, it's best if you avoid seeing Chief Yoon Dong-Gu right now. If he finds out the Kim Cheong-Gi situation has been resolved, things could get messy."

I hadn't yet resolved the situation with Bok Seon-Ill from Singer Division 4, and it was crucial that no one found out any of their stars were in the clear. I had even asked Prosecutor Seo Jae-Ill to delay any articles about Kim Cheong-Gi for a week.

Plus, these two weren't the best at hiding their emotions. If they ran into Yoon Dong-Gu now, he would definitely pick up on something. So from the beginning, my plan had been to wrap up their issue and then get them out of the country.

Oh Ji-Seon gave a thoughtful nod. "Mr. Jung's right. Honestly, we both got suspicious looks from Chief Yoon last time when we couldn't hide our relief over Jeon Tae-Mi sunbae's issue being resolved."

Sung Hee-Yeon nodded too. "Yeah, that did happen..."

After a bit more hesitation, they finally agreed.

"Alright, Mr. Jung."

"Then just grab your passport. We'll stop by to get yours on the way, Ms. Hee-Yeon."

Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon both nodded.

"Let's go, then. The car should be arriving soon."

"Okay. I'll go grab my passport."

Oh Ji-Seon nodded and dashed into her room. When she returned a moment later, she was holding not only her passport and wallet, but also two adorable pink Apache neck pillows.

I watched, curious, as Oh Ji-Seon shyly handed one of the pillows to Sung Hee-Yeon.

"Hee-Yeon... here. Take this. You can't sleep on planes without it because of your neck disc, remember?"

Oh Ji-Seon was extending a hand of reconciliation much faster than I had expected.

Relieved, I saw Sung Hee-Yeon close her eyes tightly and bow her head. "I'm sorry, Ji-Seon."

"Huh?"

"The truth is... after I started realizing that bastard Kim Cheong-Gi was playing both of us, I gave up on him in my head. But I couldn't give up in my heart. And... I was scared the photos he took of us might leak. That's part of why I couldn't walk away."

At Sung Hee-Yeon's confession, Oh Ji-Seon replied in a small voice. "No, if I had just mustered the courage and walked away first, we wouldn't have ended up like this..."

Sung Hee-Yeon looked up at Oh Ji-Seon. The two of them stared at each other, eyes glistening. Then, they finally threw their arms around each other and hugged tightly.

"I'm sorry, Ji-Seon."

"No, I'm the one who's sorry."

Tears poured down their cheeks as they clung to each other. Their years-long friendship had finally built a bridge toward reconciliation. However, the tears weren't stopping. At this rate, they would cry until morning. So I decided to crack a joke.

"Well, now that you've made up, I guess there's no need to go to Hawaii. Should I cancel the tickets?"

And just like that, the two of them, still hugging, glared at me in perfect sync.

"We haven't fully made up yet!"

"Exactly! There's still a lot of unresolved tension. We have to go to Hawaii and work through it!"

'

Fair enough. I mean, when you've got first-class seats and Kahala's top villa waiting, who'd give that up?

'

***

After sending Oh i-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon off in the car Wang Long arranged, I drove over to Cheonho-dong.

Screech.

I parked and looked at the dashboard clock. It had just turned midnight. I quietly parked in the yard, not wanting to wake Miso.

However, the lights were still on downstairs. It looked like she was watching TV with Jung In-Ji, probably catching the back-to-back airing of episodes 25 and 26 of

Hwaranjeon

that started at 10.

I turned off the engine and stepped out of the car.

Just then, the front door burst open. Miso came running out in her Powertuff Girls pajamas, clutching the Sunrise Doll I had bought her in one hand.

"Uncle Yoon-Ho's home!!"

I quickly opened my arms and caught Miso as she leapt into them.

Thud.

Miso's small body landed squarely in my arms.

"

Hehe

."

Despite her sleepy eyes, Miso beamed brightly at me.

Then, like lightning, Injeolmi and Baekseolgi came flying out the door too.

"

Woof woof

!"

"

Meeeow

!"

The dog jumped into my arms and the cat rubbed against my legs. It was chaotic but affectionate.

Right behind them, Haru and Jung In-Ji stepped out.

"You're back, hyung?"

"Chief Jung, you're here."

There was nothing better than having someone happy to see you.

I smiled. "I'm home."

"You must be starving, running around this late. Come in and eat something before bed," said Jung In-Ji.

"Yes, ma'am."

Still holding Miso, I walked toward the front door.

On the way in, Miso chattered nonstop in my arms. "Uncle Yoon-Ho. Mommy looked so cool today in the show. She was swinging a sword like,

whoosh, whoosh~

"

Since last night's episode was preempted by election coverage, they aired episodes 25 and 26 of

Hwaranjeon

back-to-back tonight.

In these episodes, Yoo-Jin's character was sent on a temple inspection to the Shilla border, where she ends up saving Shilla citizens from Baekje soldiers. Princess Yu-Hwa finally began to shine as the next queen—commanding, charismatic, full of royal authority.

"Oh yeah? That sounds awesome."

Nodding along, I slipped off my shoes at the entrance and set Miso down in the living room.

Just then, Miso's phone rang.

"

Oh

? Uncle Yoon-Ho, it's Mommy!"

"Go ahead, answer it."

Miso tapped the screen with her finger and opened the video call. "Mommy!"

Yoo-Jin's excited face filled the screen.

-Oh? Miso, Haru, and oppa are all together?

"Yeah! Mommy, Uncle Yoon-Ho's here and Haru oppa too!"

-Nice. Did you watch

Hwaranjeon

tonight?

"I did! You were so cool, Mommy! Totally awesome!"

Miso gave her two thumbs up and wiggled her hips in a little dance.

-Thanks, Miso.

"

Uh-huh!

"

Then Yoo-Jin turned to ask.

-Oppa, did you check tonight's

Hwaranjeon

's viewership ratings?

Last week's episode 24 had scored 37.8%. Even with back-to-back episodes, hitting anything over 38% would've been impressive.

"Nah, not yet. What was it? Like... 38.5? That would already be huge..."

Suddenly, Yoo-Jin jumped with excitement.

-Nope! Thanks to the two-episode run, we peaked at 40% by the end!!

"What? Did you say 40%?"

I was stunned, completely caught off guard by the number.

Behind Yoo-Jin, PD Oh Bok-Hee and the

Hwaranjeon

production staff crowded around the screen, shouting in unison.

-Mr. Jung! It's 40%! Can you believe it? In the past ten years, besides daily dramas, we're the first to hit that mark!

-

Ah,

it's killing me we can't celebrate together at the scene!

-Mr. Jung, if you come down now, we're ready to party. Any chance you'll join?

-Miso, want to come too? I'll buy you the full Powertuff Girls doll set!

The whole team was cheering, the mood like a festival.

Before my regression,

Hwaranjeon

had only reached 25%. But now, it had hit an unbelievable 40%. Thinking of everything it took to get here, I felt a rush of emotion well up in my chest.

Looking at the staff on the video call, I shouted with a grin, "I'll head down soon and treat everyone to a proper feast!"

-

Woooah

!!

-That's our Chief Jung!

-Only Chief Jung would go this big!

-You better come down more often!

The cheers roared again through the call.

Buzz~

Just then, another call came in. This time, it was my phone. The caller ID read: MBS President Choi Sang-Byung.

"Yoo-Jin, the president's calling."

-Okay. Let's talk later, then.

"Yeah."

I handed the phone to Miso to continue chatting with her mom and took the call from President Choi Sang-Byung. He was practically bursting with excitement.

-Chief Jung! Bring Writer Han Woo-Ju and come to the office tomorrow. We need to talk about an extension!

"Understood. I've got one schedule tomorrow morning, but I'll come with her after that."

-Perfect! See you tomorrow,

hahaha

!

With viewership ratings breaking 40%, Choi Sang-Byung's grin was probably touching both ears. However, that smile would only last until tomorrow. Because I was planning to squeeze everything I could out of MBS—for both my actress and my writer.

'

Mr. Choi... I'll let you sleep happy tonight

.'

***

The next morning, I went straight to the office and the whole place was in a frenzy over the

Hwaranjeon

ratings.

"Mr. Jung! Shinhyun Airlines wants Miss Yoo-Jin as their model! They're planning to wrap all their Asia-bound jets with images of her in full Princess Yu-Hwa costume. What do you think?"

"Changshin Electronics just sent in a commercial offer for their new drum washer. The price is more than double last year's rate!"

Currently, we had capped Yoo-Jin's endorsements at twenty. But at this point, we would have no choice but to take on more.

"I'm swamped today, so just collect all the offers for now," I said.

"Got it!"

Then I made my way to the president's office to report what had happened yesterday.

Knock knock.

"This is Chief Jung."

"Come on in."

Inside, Kang Gam-Chan and Director Kang Ji-Yung were waiting with beaming smiles.

"Great work, Chief Jung!"

Thanks to

Hwaranjeon

crossing the 40% mark, the entire company was in high spirits.

"This is just the beginning."

"You're still not satisfied after hitting 40%?"

"No, sir. We're going all the way."

"That's the spirit. Keep pushing hard!"

I gave a slight bow, then reported everything: the confrontation with Director Hong Ah-Yoon of HK Entertainment and how I took care of Kim Cheong-Gi at Club JJ.

"I'd heard Hong Ah-Yoon was a loose cannon, but she's something else, huh."

"Yes. Personality's a mess, but she's definitely competent. And judging by her temperament, once HK Entertainment kicks off full operations, they'll come at us even more aggressively."

"So they'll try to poach our talents from Hoop Entertainment."

"I think it'd be best to quickly re-sign anyone promising whose contract is coming up soon."

The easiest way for a growing entertainment company to expand was to steal high-profile celebrities from other agencies. Right now, about 30% of Hoop's talents were up for renewal within the year. We needed to lock them down before HK Entertainment made a move.

"Alright, let's sit down and sort out the list of talents we absolutely need to keep."

"Yes, sir."

We opened a tablet and began working through the list of key actors and singers.

As we were selecting names, Kang Ji-Yung asked, "Mr. Jung. If Ms. Oh Ji-Seon and Ms. Sung Hee-Yeon suddenly goes off-grid, won't Chief Yoon Dong-Gu start getting suspicious?"

"That could be easily solved if you two can redirect his attention."

Kang Gam-Chan tilted his head. "Redirect his attention?"

"Chief Yoon only pulled that stunt with the singers in Singer Division 4 because he was scared of getting kicked out of Hoop Entertainment, right?"

"Right."

"Then why not casually ask Chief Yoon Dong-Gu if HK Entertainment's made him an offer? If they have, you can hint that he might be let off the hook in the disciplinary committee. That'll soften him up and dull his instincts."

"True enough. A man with options stops acting desperate. Alright, I'll do that. So then... All that's left is Bok Seon-Ill's issue. Think you can handle it?"

"Don't worry. I'm Jung Yoon-Ho, sir."

Kang Gam-Chan looked at me proudly. "Yeah, Yoon-Ho. I believe in you. But always be careful."

"Of course. Then I'll get going."

Thanks to some behind-the-scenes photos from the KBC drama

Haze

, Miso had landed a magazine cover for the May issue. I needed to go pick her up from school. After the shoot at Womans, we would be heading to MBS with the writing team.

"Alright. Good luck."

I bowed and stepped out of the president's office.

Clack.

As the door shut behind me, I saw Yoon Dong-Gu stepping out of the elevator. This floor also housed Vice President Kim Gwan-Woo's office, so he was probably headed there.

Yoon Dong-Gu raised his hand with a smug grin. "Hey there, Chief Jung. Must be a busy day, huh?"

It seemed he hadn't heard that Oh Ji-Seon and Sung Hee-Yeon had left for Hawaii.

"I could say the same, sir. Looks like something good's going on, huh?"

Yoon Dong-Gu puffed out his chest and said, "

Oh

, the Berry Six girls I've been raising are getting a good response. HK Entertainment even reached out, asking if I'd consider jumping over."

Right on cue, HK had begun their move.

Just as I told Kang Gam-Chan, I feigned interest and said, "Are you thinking of going?"

"Leave my singers behind? Never. Though, with how I've been treated lately... I have thought about it.

Haha!

Anyway, I've got stuff to do."

Laughing heartily, Yoon Dong-Gu turned and walked away. I smirked, watching his overconfident back.

'

Chief Yoon Dong-Gu... you won't be smiling much longer

.'

Once I resolve Bok Seon-Ill's situation, Yoon Dong-Gu's days at Hoop would be numbered. And once he's gone, Hoop Entertainment would be stronger than ever.

***

After wrapping up my morning work, I drove to Miso's elementary school to take her to the Womans magazine shoot.

I parked and pulled up the latest news article on my phone.

[

Hwaranjeon

Episodes 25 & 26 Air Back-to-Back — Peak Viewership Ratings Hits 40.0%!!]

[

Hwaranjeon

Rewrites the History of Korean Drama]

[Jung Yoo-Jin, Confirmed for MBS Acting Award This Year?]

[The Stars of

Hwaranjeon

Captivate Home Viewers With Charismatic Action]

[

Hwaranjeon

, The Best Drama In the Past 10 Years!]

I read the articles and sent a Kk Talk message to the writers.

[

Hwaranjeon

Writers Group Chat]

[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: The meeting for the episode extension after episode 50 is 5p.m., so I'll come to pick you up around 4.]

[Writer Han Woo-Ju: Okay, Mr. Jung. See you then.]

[Writer Lee Ji-Yeon: Let's get MBS to treat us to a nice dinner tonight.]

[Writer Kim Soll-Ip: I'm all in!]

Lee Ji-Yeon and Kim Soll-Ip were assistant writers for

Hwaranjeon

. They were currently only helping out occasionally, but when it came to extension negotiations, there was no one better than Lee Ji-Yeon. So I called both of them in.

Just as I finished the messages, the bell signalling the end of the last period rang.

Ding dong dang dong~

I immediately started the car and waited for Miso to come out. A moment later, Miso came running out of the school's east gate, her hair braided into two pigtails. Beside her were Han-Ul and Eun-Byul, and around 20 kids came rushing out with them.

When I got out of the car, Miso and the other kids surrounded me. Most of them weren't even in Miso's class 1, but they were from other classes.

Strangely, all of them were staring at me like I was some kind of superstar. It was weird, but I figured I was imagining it.

I asked Miso, "Miso, did you tell your friends you'd treat them to snacks? Should I buy them something?"

"Nope."

"Then why did you bring all these kids with you?"

Just then, Miso stood confidently beside me, shrugged her shoulders, and pointed at me with pride. "This is my uncle!"

I had no idea why Miso was doing this, but the next moment, all the kids suddenly erupted into cheers.

"Woooooow!!"

'

What...? Why are they reacting like this

?'