Chapter 523: MBS Acting Awards (1)

At the red carpet event, Park Yeon-Soo arrived at the MBS Acting Awards wearing a red mosquito-net hat and a cheongsam-style dress covered in various stickers. Despite the shocked expressions of reporters and fans, she held her head high with an air of superiority as if dismissing the public for not understanding high fashion.

Moon Yung-Mi and Lee Yung-Ah exchanged amused looks.

Then Moon Yung-Mi smirked and said, "Shall we begin our counterattack?"

"Yes, Mrs. Moon."

Moon Yung-Mi took out her phone and called LM Apparel's promotion and legal teams. "Chief Choi, it's me. Once Miss Yoo-Jin is on the red carpet, call every reporter. Let's make Jo Jin-Hee and HK Apparel look completely incompetent. Got it?"

-Yes, ma'am.

Meanwhile, Park Yeon-Soo confidently walked up the red carpet and began her interview. Simultaneously, HK Apparel released articles as if they had been preparing a new brand for a long time.

[HK Apparel launches its independent luxury brand, Supreme*HK!]

[HK Apparel unveils its first color-design series: RED.]

[Supreme*HK: Opening a new frontier in design.]

[TNT Entertainment's rising star, Park Yeon-Soo. Chosen as the new face of Supreme*HK.]

Seeing the articles, Moon Yung-Mi looked incredulous. "Mr. Jung, we almost got completely screwed. The designs are just different enough that a lawsuit would have taken ages. Thanks for handling this."

Lee Yung-Ah nodded and turned to me. "Really, thank you."

I answered, "It was possible because you both trusted me. I'm grateful as well."

Thanks to their trust, Yoo-Jin avoided becoming the Worst Dresser of the night. I was genuinely thankful to them.

Just then, Lee Yung-Jin checked his phone and suddenly shouted excitedly, "Mr. Jung, check the real-time trending searches!"

"What is it?"

"People are going crazy over Park Yeon-Soo's outfit!"

I quickly checked my phone.

[Real-Time Trending Searches]

1. Park Yeon-Soo mosquito net

2. Mosquito net dress

3. Fashion terrorist

4. HK Apparel

...

"This feels like we won by default before the game even started," I said.

Lee Yung-Ah nodded. "No doubt, the worst dresser of the night is Park Yeon-Soo."

She had conspired with Jo Jin-Hee to humiliate Yoo-Jin, but soon, she would be experiencing her own downfall.

A moment later, the TV in the waiting room showed Yoo-Jin's car arriving at the red carpet.

"It's Yoo-Jin's turn now."

Everyone in the room got excited and turned their attention to the screen.

The side door of the white Binz Springer slowly slid open. At that moment, Yoo-Jin stepped onto the red carpet, gently lifting the hem of her dress with her right hand. She wore the first piece of the L.M.L. Black Label collection—a white gown named "Glory," with its English name, "Gloria." The pure white dress shimmered with pearl beads arranged diagonally. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Right on cue, the expected reactions poured in. Flashes erupted as mesmerized reporters exclaimed over Yoo-Jin's stunning appearance.

-Miss Yoo-Jin, over here! Please look this way!

-Miss Yoo-Jin! Look this way too!

-Here, here!

As the flashes sparkled, the beads on Yoo-Jin's dress shimmered and created the illusion that she was glowing from head to toe.

Simultaneously, the overwhelmed fans began cheering.

-Unnie!

-Yoo-Jin unnie, can I take a picture with you?

-Unnie, you look absolutely stunning today!

-We love you, Jung Yoo-Jin!

Smiling, Yoo-Jin waved to the reporters and fans.

-Thank you, everyone! I truly appreciate it.

After striking a few poses, Yoo-Jin reached toward the car behind her. Soon, Miso, dressed in a pink gown, hopped out while holding Yoo-Jin's hand. Miso wore 'Joy,' the pink dress from the L.M.L. Black Label collection. The dress made of dozens of layers of sheer pink fabric resembled a blooming flower.

The cameras flashed once again. Miso, brimming with excitement, struck adorable poses like a little model.

-Thank you~!

She was so thrilled that she even attempted a wink, something she rarely did.

Watching the scene on TV, Moon Yung-Mi chuckled. "At this rate, there's no doubt that Jung Yoo-Jin is going to be the best dresser of the night."

Lee Yung-Ah was overwhelmed with emotion from all their hard work as she responded with conviction. "Absolutely. There's no question about it."

After greeting the press, Yoo-Jin and Miso held hands and stepped onto the red carpet, walking gracefully through the dazzling flashes of light.

Just then, the results of Moon Yung-Mi's behind-the-scenes efforts began surfacing in the news.

[Jung Yoo-Jin's L.M.L. Black Label Dress 'Gloria' Shines on the MBS Acting Awards Red Carpet!]

[Jung Yoo-Jin's 'Glory' and Jung Miso's 'Joy.' Are They Tonight's Best Dressers?]

[A Beautiful Mother-Daughter Duo Walks the Star Road.]

[Goddesses on the Red Carpet!]

[Jason Cho Praises L.M.L.'s Designs: 'I've Finally Found the Brand and Model I Want to Work With.']

As HK Apparel's articles quickly disappeared, news about Yoo-Jin dominated the entertainment sections.

Moon Yung-Mi received a message and smiled deeply. "It's just getting started, Mr. Jung."

Simultaneously, headlines exposing the scandal began emerging.

[Massive Scandal at the MBS Acting Awards Red Carpet: 'HK Apparel Caught Stealing L.M.L.'s Luxury Designs!']

-HK Apparel recruited former LM Apparel's director Jo.

-Jo tricked L.M.L. executives into stealing their luxury designs and falsely marketed them as HK Apparel originals.

-However, the designs Jo stole were actually discarded prototypes from L.M.L.'s anti-malaria awareness campaign.

-HK Apparel not only attempted to steal L.M.L.'s new dress designs but also tried to sabotage their model, Jung Yoo-Jin.

-The ugly truth behind the industry's leading fashion brand!

Starting with

Entertainment All Times

, numerous media outlets including

Weekly Star, Star Exclusive

, and more published expose against HK Apparel. To no one's surprise, public outrage erupted. The backlash against HK Apparel intensified, and some even began calling Park Yeon-Soo 'Mosquito Girl.'

"From here on, HK Apparel's reputation is going to crash," Moon Yung-Mi remarked.

Lee Yung-Ah nodded. "With Miss Yoo-Jin involved, they won't be able to cover this up easily."

I added, "Then I'll post these articles in Yoo-Jin's fan club, You&Me. That should seal the deal."

Just then, shouting erupted from outside the waiting room.

-Move! Are you deaf?!

-Hey! Do you even know who I am? I'm Gu Wang-Soo!

-Jung Yoon-Ho! I know you're in there!

-Ugh, just get out of my way!

Jo Jin-Hee and Gu Wang-Soo from HK Apparel were yelling, while Yeon So-Hee did her best to block them.

-You can't just barge in here! This is a waiting room!

Somehow, they had figured out that I was behind everything and they had come looking for me.

I immediately activated the recording function on my phone and rushed toward the door to help Yeon So-Hee. But before I could reach it, a scream rang out and the door burst open.

Jo Jin-Hee and Gu Wang-Soo stormed into the waiting room, their faces flushed with rage. The moment they spotted me, they started growling.

"Jung Yoon-Ho! You, you... huh?"

"Jung Yoon-Ho!! How dare you...!"

However, the two stopped mid-sentence. Their expressions revealed that they had never expected Moon Yung-Mi and Lee Yung-Ah to be here.

"M-Mrs. Moon...?"

"U-Unnie... what are you doing here...?"

Moon Yung-Mi slowly rose from her seat. Under her piercing glare, the confidence Jo Jin-Hee and Gu Wang-Soo had just moments ago crumbled instantly.

"Forget Team Lead Jung. Talk to me first. Both. Of. You."

Her firm tone made the two flinch.

"Mr. Gu, tell me. Did Chairman Hong of HK Inc order this? Did he instruct you to crush LM Apparel and L.M.L.?"

Gu Wang-Soo looked panicked. If HK Inc's name got dragged into a scandal, he would be fired no matter how close he was to the chairman.

"N-No, Mrs. Moon! HK Inc has nothing to do with this!"

"Really? So you're admitting HK Apparel acted alone?"

As Moon Yung-Mi pressed aggressively, Gu Wang-Soo broke into a nervous sweat. "Uh, well... that is..."

"A fashion industry leader resorting to stealing designs? You must have been really desperate."

Her relentless attack left Gu Wang-Soo speechless. Gritting his teeth, Gu Wang-Soo finally spat out a curse and stormed out of the waiting room. "Damn it!"

Bang!

The door slammed shut behind him. Now, only us and Jo Jin-Hee remained. Jo Jin-Hee swallowed hard and looked at Moon Yung-Mi with a pleading expression. "U-Unnie..."

"You crazy bitch. Did you seriously just call me 'unnie' in this situation? You've completely lost your mind."

Without hesitation, Moon Yung-Mi pulled out her phone and made a call.

"Secretary Park, prepare all the records of Jo Jin-Hee's embezzlement and breach of trust. Send them to the prosecution. Anything past the statute of limitations-leak it to the press. We're taking this all the way."

Jo Jin-Hee instantly dropped to her knees and clasped her hands together. "I did you wrong, unnie! I must've lost my mind for a while. Please, just this once, forgive me! Please!"

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

She even grabbed Moon Yung-Mi's pant leg, looking utterly desperate. However, Moon Yung-Mi's response was a stinging slap.

Smack!

With a crisp sound, Jo Jin-Hee collapsed onto the floor.

"I already gave you a chance to leave quietly and that was forgiveness enough. But you dared to come for us?"

Moon Yung-Mi glared down at Jo Jin-Hee, eyes burning with fury.

"If you think the slap was unfair, go ahead and report me. I'll make sure you're compensated properly."

Holding her cheek, Jo Jin-Hee trembled but didn't say a word before fleeing. She was probably going to find Gu Wang-Soo to figure out their next move.

Bang!

The door slammed shut again and Moon Yung-Mi turned to Lee Yung-Ah. "Yung-Ah, let's go talk to the reporters."

"Right now?"

"Yes. We need to take this as far as we can."

Lee Yung-Ah nodded. "Got it. The red carpet event is still packed with reporters. Let's do it right after it ends."

"Good."

Taking advantage of the moment, I handed Lee Yung-Ah the recorded file-minus the part where Jo Jin-Hee got slapped.

Lee Yung-Ah took it and smirked. "I'll put this to good use. Oh, and send our cheers to Miss Yoo-Jin for us."

"Of course."

Yoo-Jin was nominated for both the Rookie Award and the Grand Prize at tonight's MBS Acting Awards. After wishing her luck, the two left the waiting room, their expressions filled with determination.

There was no longer any need to worry about HK Apparel. Their faces made it clear—they were going to see this through to the end.

***

At 9 p.m, the long-awaited MBS Acting Awards finally began.

As the cameras panned across the attending actors, Yoo-Jin and Miso were seen seated at a round table below the stage, enjoying the event alongside the cast of

In the Name of God

.

Both were dressed in stunning gowns and their faces glowed with happiness. Not only had Yoo-Jin successfully avoided the dreaded Worst Dresser title, but the sheer joy radiating from her and Miso made the night even more special.

Meanwhile, I was in the waiting room watching the MBS Acting Awards on TV. Gathered with me were Yeon So-Hee-who had been knocked down earlier while blocking the door, along with Lee Yung-Jin, Do Ran-Hee, Yang So-Ri, and Lee Mi-Ri.

I asked, "Ms. Yeon, how's your leg?"

"Oh, I'm fine! It's nothing," Yeon So-Hee said, lifting her leg slightly to prove her point.

Despite her cold impression, Yeon So-Hee was fiercely protective of not only the actors but also of her own team members. Because of her efforts, I had enough time to start the recording app and later hand over the file to Lee Yung-Ah. I thanked her once again before turning my attention back to the screen.

-And now, let's take a look at this year's most notable dramas!

MC Kim Jung-Ju introduced the biggest drama hits of the year. A montage played on the giant screen, showcasing MBS's top dramas.

-It's been an incredible year for MBS, with massive successes like

The Morning Takes Off

and

In the Name of God

...

First, Lee Ji-Yeon's

The Morning Takes Off

and

In the Name of God

were mentioned. But among them, the undisputed standout was

In the Name of God

.

With Yoo-Jin playing Cheongmyung, the college shaman, and disguising herself as Jin Yoo-Jung's character, Manshin Wol-Ah, the drama had achieved a record-breaking 39.5% viewership ratings in its final episode, making it the biggest hit of the year.

As expected, it received the longest introduction. Afterward, two more dramas were highlighted: the morning drama

The Sun Hidden by Clouds

which peaked at 22% viewership ratings and the daily drama

Our Mother

with an average viewership ratings of 24%.

Once the introductions were over, Kim Jung-Ju made her way down to Yoo-Jin and Miso's table to exchange greetings before moving on to the awards.

Now, the main event-the awards ceremony-was set to begin. The first award of the night was the Rookie Award. Given to the most outstanding new actor of the year, it was a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. Some even said it was harder to win than the Grand Prize itself.

-This year's Rookie Award is packed with strong contenders!

Yoo-Jin was in the running for her role as Lee Seol-Ran in

The Morning Takes Off

. Her main competitors were Bae Hye-Jung, who delivered a heartbreaking performance as a terminally ill patient in

The Sun Hidden by Clouds

, and Do Hyun-Min, who played an ordinary young man struggling to care for his terminally ill mother in

Our Mother

.

Since awards were based on the performance within the drama, any of the three could have realistically won.

My palms began to sweat.

Then, Kim Jung-Ju called out the presenters for the Rookie Award-actors—Park In-Sung and Yoo Hye-Jung who had won the award together last year. Dressed in a tuxedo and a sleek black gown, the two took their places at the microphone.

A deep drumroll filled the venue. At the same time, my heart began to pound.

-And the winner of this year's Rookie Award is...