Today was the second day of Project I.O.A's Tokyo audition. The moment I got a call from Reporter Jang Moon-Ki in Korea, a new schedule entry popped up on Everyday. [Date: February 24, 2021] -05:00 p.m.: [NEW. Choi Deok-Bae] Entertainment All Times, "Rookie actor Mr. Choi accused of school violence. Role likely to be recast." (Meeting Note: According to internal MBS sources, some executives discussed forced removal before the first episode.) 'You expect me to believe this...?' Though Deok-Bae lived in a shantytown, he was so upright he even scolded his pickpocket younger brother who stole my wallet. He was a good kid who cared for Han-Ul like a real brother, even though they weren't related by blood. The idea that Deok-Bae bullied someone was completely unthinkable. Besides, I had managed Deok-Bae before the regression, so I was certain this article was just a rumor. However, if the network was considering recasting, the article must have come with pretty specific testimony. Looking at Yoo-Jin's schedule entry alongside it, I could guess how quickly things would escalate in just two days. [Date: March 4, 2021] -07:00 a.m. [NEW. Jung Yoo-Jin] Entertainment All Times, "Popular star Jung Yoo-Jin accused of defending a school bully." (Meeting Note: Episode 15 viewership ratings of Hwaranjeon dropped from 26% to 21%. Queen Jeong-Hee overtook in viewership ratings. MBS demands Choi Deok-Bae's removal. Jung Yoo-Jin told to retract her statement of support.) Because Deok-Bae wasn't removed, Hwaranjeon, which had been flying high, would lose 5% in viewership ratings. And it would happen in episode 15, where Yoo-Jin finally started to shine as the lead. To top it off, the rival show KBC's Queen Jeong-Hee will overtake in viewership ratings. That meant I had to stop this no matter what. I immediately asked Jang Moon-Ki, who was still on the call. "Is the rumor you mentioned just now... is it about Deok-Bae?" -Huh? How did you... know? "I heard something too. But if you know anything more, could you share the details?" Since he was an entertainment reporter, he was likely to know the kind of article floating around among peers. -So apparently... The victim says Deok-Bae extorted money from him near Seoul Station back in middle school. I only heard they went to the same school, but I haven't confirmed it yet. Deok-Bae was abandoned without ever knowing his parents' faces, and was raised by adults in the shantytown. He originally grew up without even a resident registration number, but thanks to help from Sister Francesca, a nun from the nearby church, he was finally able to get his birth registered. With her help, Deok-Bae managed to finish elementary and middle school. But after Sister Francesca passed away, he didn't go on to high school. For Deok-Bae, who had to earn a living every day, education was a luxury. 'Now they're saying he committed school violence during those middle school years?' "Do you really think that makes any sense? You know what kind of kid Deok-Bae is." I once arranged for Jang Moon-Ki to have a brief solo interview with Deok-Bae on his first filming set. I had told him Deok-Bae would become one of Hoop Entertainment's future pillars. -I know. I know it very well. But what can I do? The rumor is surprisingly detailed, and our paper is debating whether to run with it. I have a connection with you, so I couldn't just publish right away. That's why I came all the way to Gyeongju to hear your side too. It seemed like I would have to head to Korea right away. "Alright, let's do that. I'm staying in Gyeongju today anyway. After ending the call, I went straight to Kang Ji-Yung. She was reviewing the Tokyo auditions for Project I.O.A on her tablet. Kang Ji-Yung looked up from her tablet. "What's wrong? Did something bad happen?" "I... I need to go to Korea because of Deok-Bae." "Yes. There's a rumor going around about Deok-Bae being involved in school violence." Kang Ji-Yung couldn't hide her shocked expression. "What? Deok-Bae and school violence? He never struck me as the type." "I believe in Deok-Bae too. But if he gets caught up in a tabloid scandal before even debuting, it's over for him." If he were already popular and got kicked off a show, that would be one thing. However, if he got hit with this rumor before his first appearance, he might never get on a broadcast again. In other words, his career as a celebrity would be finished. Kang Ji-Yung nodded. "Got it. I'll take care of things here, so go back to Korea today with Sae-Ri and Yeon-Woo." Sae-Ri and Seo Yeon-Woo's flight was six hours from now, but I didn't have the time to wait. "I'm sorry, but I need to leave immediately." "Okay. Then go quickly." With Kang Ji-Yung's permission, I turned and ran out of the broadcast center. I passed through Haneda Airport, then Gimhae Airport, and took a taxi to the Gyeongju set. As soon as I got out at the Hwaranjeon Gyeongju set's parking lot, I called Jang Moon-Ki. "Mr. Jang, I've arrived. Where are you right now?" -Me? I'm at Singyeongju Station. "What? Why are you at Singyeongju Station?" -Oh, my company assigned a junior reporter to cover this, but the kid doesn't know the area, so I came to pick him up. Even though Deok-Bae wasn't a famous actor, the title Hwaranjeon was enough to trigger a coverage order. With Hwaranjeon currently getting 26% in viewership ratings, any article with that title boosted views. However, something felt off. Usually, these kinds of school violence issues started on social media or online communities before becoming news articles. This time, it was different—reporters had received the source first. Feeling suspicious, I asked again. "Just to check, is there anything else from the informant besides being from the same middle school?" -Sorry, but that's all we've got so far. What I do know is that Entertainment All Times is planning to break the story exclusively. "Understood. But please try to hold off on publishing anything. If you do that, I'll give you an exclusive scoop. Not about an unknown like Deok-Bae, but about a more high-profile actor." Though Jang Moon-Ki was on my side, he was still an entertainment reporter. If other outlets started publishing, he would have no choice but to follow. Still, if I could delay an article from Weekly Star, the top outlet in daily views, it could slow down the rumor's impact. After hearing my counter-offer, Jang Moon-Ki's tone perked up. -Who's the scoop about? Lee Tae-Poong? Jung Yoo-Jin? Are they maybe... seeing each other? ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚫𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵 Jang Moon-Ki was barking up the wrong tree. I planned to give him a scoop about Haru, but I pretended not to know. -Hah~ you're killing me with curiosity. Alright, honestly, I'd rather have an exclusive on a bigger name than Deok-Bae. I'll do my best to block the article for now. But you know...If it's going to blow up, it'll blow up no matter what. We can't stop everything. "I know. Just do what you can." With Weekly Star's article delayed, I needed to talk to Deok-Bae next. I wasted no time heading to the set. Since it was evening, filming had stopped. Staff were starting to line up at the food truck on one side of the set. "Wow, supper is braised short ribs today? Please give me a generous portion, okay?" "Hey~ no way. Only three pieces per person. If you eat too much, others won't get any." The staff hummed tunes as they received rice, short ribs, and side dishes on their trays. Only after confirming that filming had stopped did I call Team Lead Yeon So-Hee. "Mrs. Yeon, where are you right now?" -Oh, we're on the way from the Moon Palace set to the food truck. "Are you with Deok-Bae right now?" -Yes. I'm with Deok-Bae and Yoo-Jin. Then it was better to wait here. "By the way... have any reporters approached Deok-Bae or Yoo-Jin with questions?" When I left Japan, I had instructed Yeon So-Hee not to allow any interviews because of the school violence issue. -No. They haven't even stepped outside the set, so there hasn't been any contact with reporters. "Well done. I'm by the food truck, so let's have a countermeasure meeting once you get here. Ah, you haven't told Deok-Bae about the school violence issue, right?" -Of course not. Telling him would just mess with his head for no reason. And honestly... I don't think Deok-Bae could've done something bad in the first place. "Same here. Anyway, I'll see you in a bit." The Moon Palace set was about 100 meters away from here, so they would arrive soon. Just as I ended the call, I ran into the filming director and his team heading to the food truck. "Hey, Chief Jung. Why've you been so hard to find lately?" "Ah, hello, sir. Sorry about that. I'll come by more often from now on." "More importantly, I was just filming Deok-Bae, and wow. What a performer! He was flying through the air." "If you're complimenting him, then it must've been pretty good." "Good doesn't even cover it. The kid moves so fast I almost missed him with the camera. I nearly caused a blooper." The assistant cameraman nodded in agreement. "Thanks to Deok-Bae, even Tae-Hyuk, who was practicing the routine with him, leveled up. Today's shoot was a huge success. The shots looked amazing." "Seriously. It's a shame you didn't see it, Chief Jung. It was a real treat." As a talent agent, nothing made me happier than hearing praise for my actor. I bowed deeply, expressing my gratitude. "Thank you so much for looking after Deok-Bae." "Hahaha. There's no need to thank me. Just keep managing him well. At this rate, people are going to say our drama has top-notch action too." Hwaranjeon was now pulling in over 26% viewership ratings. The royal battles among the three queens and their princess successors, and the conflicts between the royal guards were heating up. Recently, episodes featuring the goblin BiHyungRang were drawing lots of attention. On the other hand, its rival show Queen Jeong-Hee on KBC was said to have superior battle and action scenes. Aimed at an older audience, Queen Jeong-Hee focused on the story of King Sejo plotting a coup with Queen Jeong-Hee, featuring sword fights in every episode. However, from episode 20 which featured Deok-Bae, they were confident that they wouldn't fall behind. I smiled. "I should have Deok-Bae train more in martial arts." "Right. Teach him more horseback riding too, and how to handle a sword. Earlier, I heard PD Oh suggesting to the writer to add more action scenes." "Understood. I'll get him trained in advance. And again, thank you for looking after Deok-Bae." "Hahaha. Come on. Everyone's only looking out for him because he's working so hard. Honestly, I've never seen a kid throw himself into it like that. He's fearless." Not only was Deok-Bae getting praise for his acting skills, but also for his work ethic. Then the assistant director spoke. "At this rate, we're going to run out of braised short ribs. The directing team will be here soon and we'll be left with just the sauce. We should hurry." The filming director looked startled and shouted. "Then we're heading over now. See you later!" With that, he ran toward the food truck. As other staff came for dinner, each one praised Deok-Bae whenever they saw me. There was no way I could let someone like him get pulled before his first broadcast. Off in the distance, I saw Deok-Bae and Yoo-Jin approaching. I raised my hand to wave them over, when a thick voice called from behind. I froze and turned my head. It was Oh Sun-Guk, the thirty-five-year-old reporter from Entertainment All Times, grinning after finishing his meal. "I've been looking for you to talk to. Funny running into you here." His nickname was Hyena. It came from his habit of targeting celebrities' dark and painful secrets to feast on. The on-site food truck was for staff, actors, and talent agents only, yet he shamelessly stood in line and got a meal. "What brings you here, Mr. Oh?" "Oh, I heard something juicy and came down to talk quietly with you. Do you have a moment?" I pulled Oh Sun-Guk firmly in the opposite direction, making sure he wouldn't run into Deok-Bae. "Then let's move somewhere else to talk. There are too many eyes here." Oh Sun-Guk smiled slyly. "Wow~ I thought you'd avoid an interview. Alright, since you're cooperating, I'll go easy. So, where should we talk?" "Follow me. I know a quiet place where we can talk one-on-one." I led Oh Sun-Guk in the exact opposite direction from where Deok-Bae was approaching, making sure he wouldn't be seen. I opened the door to a makeshift building tucked in a corner of the set and stepped inside. The structure was used as a dressing room. Inside were two facing sofas, a table, and blackout curtains. As I turned on the light, Oh Sun-Guk walked in. Standing by the entrance, I locked the door and drew the blackout curtain across the window. I sat on one of the sofas, and Oh Sun-Guk sat across from me, pulling out gum and chomping on it. With a sly grin, Oh Sun-Guk spoke in his irritating tone. "Wow~ this is nice and quiet. Perfect for a private chat." "What exactly did you want to talk to me about?" I asked. "Well, from what I've heard, this Deok-Bae kid doesn't have the best reputation... you knew that, right?" It was as expected, but I pretended not to know. The more I knew about what he had, the easier it would be to counter. "Huh? Deok-Bae doesn't have a bad reputation. That's news to me." "Come on~ are you really going to play uncooperative? You know what I'm like when I get pissed, right? Just cooperate. Then I'll keep it light." "Cooperate? With what, exactly?" Oh Sun-Guk gave me a sneering look. "Look here, Chief Jung. Deok-Bae's an orphan from that shantytown near Seoul Station, right? You of all people should know what kids from slums or orphanages are like. They do whatever they want—beat up kids, steal money. They grow up begging, pickpocketing, that sort of thing. Right?" I was seething with anger, but I clenched my teeth and answered, "Deok-Bae's not that kind of kid." "Oh please. Some guy came to me claiming Deok-Bae beat him up. You know how messy that'll get if the article goes out, don't you?" "So... what are you getting at?" "Hehehe. Come on, you know the deal~" Oh Sun-Gook rubbed his thumb and index finger together suggestively. However, giving him money wouldn't make the article go away completely. After all, even Jang Moon-Ki already had part of the story. In other words, none of this would stop unless I tracked down the informant. So I fired a question right back at Oh Sun-Guk "Who's the person that claims Deok-Bae beat him?" "Hey now. If we're going to do this, let's do it properly. You know I don't give info for free." I had considered offering to bury one of his scandals instead of money. But after seeing his attitude, that option was off the table. I would have to intimidate him a little and try my own style of negotiation. "I wanted to settle this nicely... but it's not gonna happen, is it, Reporter Oh?" Dropping the formalities made Oh Sun-Guk snap. "What, what? Reporter Oh? You little—" I gave Oh Sun-Guk a cold smile. "As you know... I also grew up in a rough place without parents. So my words don't always come out pretty when I hear these kinds of things." Oh Sun-Guk's own slip-up of the tongue had become the perfect setup. As I clenched my fist, my knuckles popped. Oh Sun-Guk's face began to pale. This place was sealed off on all sides, and he had nowhere to run. "It's nice and quiet here, making it a perfect place for a one-on-one chat. Don't you think so?" I threw his own words right back at him as I slowly walked toward him.