Translator: Dreamscribe
The entertainment industry was being shaken by a single explosive scoop. The drug scandal of top actor Woo Jeong-cheol. As if an earthquake had struck, his name was plastered everywhere.
Articles flooded across countless search portals.
《Top Actor Woo Jeong-cheol, Drug Use Allegations… Are They True?》
《[Breaking] Fans in Shock at Woo Jeong-cheol's Drug Allegations 'Can't Believe It'… SNS Public Opinion in Uproar》
《On Top Actor Woo Jeong-cheol's Drug Allegations, Agency Says "Currently Verifying the Facts"》
Articles bred more articles, near-identical in content with only the headlines changed, multiplying endlessly.
《[Issue Talk] Top Actor Woo Jeong-cheol Drug Allegations Spreading Like Wildfire! / Photos》
The interesting part was that the moment Woo Jeong-cheol's drug scandal broke, as if everyone had been waiting for it, his past behavior and remarks were rapidly being dug up.
《[Star Issue] Eyewitness Accounts of Woo Jeong-cheol at Hongdae Clubs Spreading Fast on Drug Allegations》
《Woo Jeong-cheol's Past Interview Re-examined… Asked How He Relieves Stress, Answered "I Take Vitamins and Just Sleep"》
The starting point that detonated the Woo Jeong-cheol drug case had been Ha Yeon-ji, but now the snowball had grown beyond anyone's control. The firepower of countless articles naturally spilled over into public opinion at breakneck speed.
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ another one bites the dust byeeee
-Bet he'll trot out the "it was so hard on me" excuse, predictable
-Isn't this just a tabloid rumor???
-If that's true I hope he gets blacklisted from the industry forever
-What a moron ㅋㅋㅋㅋ top-tier actor torching his life on drugs ㅋㅋㅋㅋ druggie bastard
-Probably not his first or second time either
-Once they say "verifying" it's basically over
-Not even surprising anymore
-Not even confirmed yet and y'all already throwing curses ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Did you even read the article you idiot ㅋㅋㅋ there's witnesses
-Add one more druggie to the list yep
The flames jumped from communities to SNS and YouTube and burned hotter still.
Hours melted away in this state, but top actor Woo Jeong-cheol and his agency stayed silent.
Articles even started popping up that Woo Jeong-cheol had missed scheduled appearances or gone into hiding. The entertainment world froze over fast and tension hung thick in the air.
Various agencies endlessly brought up Woo Jeong-cheol's name. Leon Entertainment, where Jae-ha worked, was no exception.
In a situation that, to put it crudely, had gone completely to shit, the only ones with any composure were Kang Jae-ha and…
"Now we just let it ride. It'll sort itself out."
…his men.
Meanwhile, the master Director Yu Gil-tae, who had gotten the news well in advance, couldn't help but feel like the wind had been knocked out of him.
"……R-, really, it blew up."
Just as the intel from MEG's Lee Chan-hoo had said, Woo Jeong-cheol's drug case was turning the world upside down. Thanks to that, his upcoming film 'Mask of Murder' team was in chaos. The top actor already cast in the lead role had a drug case. It would have been strange if things stayed quiet.
But Director Yu Gil-tae's side took little damage.
No, it was practically untouched.
All thanks to Lee Chan-hoo. Or going a level deeper, thanks to Kang Jae-ha, the real power behind the scenes, who had designed the play and pulled the strings. Director Yu Gil-tae, who knew none of this, was caught between bewilderment and relief.
'If, if I hadn't known about this… what the hell would have happened.'
Meanwhile, the animated film 'House of the Daytime Moon', which had released a few days earlier, was gradually picking up word of mouth.
《[Movie Talk] In a Field Dominated by Hollywood and Japanese Animated Films, Korean-Made Animation Releases Boldly, 'House of the Daytime Moon' Receives Universal Praise》
《Korean-Made Animated Film 'House of the Daytime Moon' Appears After Over a Decade, the Quality Was Considerable When Watched In Person》
It wasn't explosive, but the mentions were steadily climbing. On top of that, the reactions from audiences who had seen it were quite warm.
[「House of the Daytime Moon」/ Released July 28, 2020]
[Rating 9.4]
[Audience & Netizen Reviews / 488 participants]
-Didn't expect much but it was f***ing hilarious ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ / 1****
-Wow… haven't been this locked in to a movie in ages… an animated film that captured the Korean color so well!! / H****
-I have a feeling House of the Daytime Moon is going to be the grand opening of K-animation / 3****
-I love the occult and a Korean animated film this incredible came out, I'm moved!! Action scenes were great and the music was sooo good!!! / p****
-It's really fun…. ah it's so fun. Tears come to my eyes at my own vocabulary that can only express this overwhelming feeling like this. Going to watch it again / m****
-Quality was good but not for me / 3****
-If you're an occult nerd it's a must-see, not just occult, plenty of catharsis too yep / d****
-Wow!! This is definitely set up for a sequel!!! / c****
-The protagonist is so charming ㅋㅋㅋㅋ scary, fun, even moving, just super super good / z****
-Oh nice, is some money finally flowing into the Korean animation market now? / 0****
-Massive credit to me for catching the first morning showing on opening day!! Hope House of the Daytime Moon becomes a series and keeps coming! / y****
·
·
·
Day 4 of release. The mood among the public was anything but ordinary.
August 1. Late afternoon.
Even amid the uproar over House of the Daytime Moon's release and Woo Jeong-cheol's drug scandal, the day rolled on. The Yoon Da-yeon and An Ji-hee teams were each handling their own schedules, and Kang Jae-ha, who had relatively more freedom, clocked out, though a bit late.
The moment Jae-ha got off work, he set about the task he had planned.
The meeting with the entertainment company he was going to acquire. The previous Lumia Entertainment had been ruled out, and the place he was meeting this time was LX Entertainment. Kang Jae-ha first stopped by the 'MEG' office and met up with the members who would be going with him.
The members were Lee Chan-hoo, Go Chun-seok, and Cha Chung-hyeon.
Things had already been arranged with the LX Entertainment side, and Kang Jae-ha, with a mask and horn-rimmed glasses on, murmured to his subordinates.
"Let's go."
Lee Chan-hoo gave the Commander a thumbs up.
"Heh, Commander, the glasses really suit you."
Go Chun-seok agreed solemnly.
"Indeed. Commander-nim. They give off quite the scholarly impression."
Watching the two of them, Cha Chung-hyeon lazily scratched at his jaw.
"Uh, is now the timing where I'm supposed to butter you up too? Commander, looking sharp."
Kang Jae-ha replied to Cha Chung-hyeon shortly.
"You've got no soul in it."
While they were on the move, Jae-ha skimmed through the LX Entertainment materials once more. Ha Yeon-ji's investigation into LX Entertainment's situation, the financial breakdown Cha Chung-hyeon had compiled, and so on.
He had already gone over it, but better safe than sorry.
It didn't take long for the 'MEG' team, including Kang Jae-ha, to arrive at LX Entertainment. LX Entertainment wasn't far from the area around Yangjae Station where the 'MEG' office was located. LX Entertainment must have had a fairly long history, because there appeared to be over fifteen employees.
Kang Jae-ha, surveying the LX Entertainment atmosphere, let out a low murmur.
'Even this is probably after major downsizing.'
Surely there had once been more employees here. As Kang Jae-ha was sizing things up, Cha Chung-hyeon, looking bored, stuck close beside him and whispered.
"Of the agencies you had me check out, this LX Entertainment had the best financials of the lot. Decent management, you could say? Still in crisis, though."
When Kang Jae-ha nodded, the 'MEG' team was guided into a small conference room. About three people were waiting inside the conference room. One middle-aged woman, with two men flanking her on either side.
That middle-aged woman was the CEO of LX Entertainment.
Her name was Park Ja-hee.
CEO Park Ja-hee had hair shorter than a bob and looked to be in her mid-to-late forties. Her impression wasn't particularly fierce, but her aquiline nose stood out. The moment he saw her, Kang Jae-ha murmured inwardly.
'The type who started as a manager and built her way up to founding her own agency.'
The 'MEG' team and the LX Entertainment people exchanged brief handshakes and greetings. CEO Park Ja-hee gave Kang Jae-ha, with his mask and glasses, a curious look but quickly let it go.
Then everyone took their seats.
It seemed they had prepared in advance, as transparent folders and documents had been set out at the 'MEG' team's seats. Likely an introduction to LX Entertainment and internal materials. When Jae-ha skimmed through them, the profiles of artists currently signed to LX Entertainment were mixed in.
'Not very many.'
The conversation began with CEO Park Ja-hee.
"I was a bit surprised when I first received your call."
Her voice was slightly husky, and the one leading the overall conversation was Lee Chan-hoo.
"Were you?"
CEO Park Ja-hee soon began briefing them on LX Entertainment's current situation. The contents were mostly things he already roughly knew, but Kang Jae-ha listened quietly. As expected, things were not particularly good. Early on, the mood had been good, but it seemed they had been targeted by various other agencies.
To be precise, having their signed celebrities poached.
They had managed to hold on thanks to CEO Park Ja-hee's leadership, but in the entertainment industry, money beat loyalty every time. From A-list down to any usable artist, all of them had moved on chasing the money, and the girl group they had ambitiously launched had failed too. The debt kept growing.
Still, it wasn't as if LX Entertainment had no successes at all.
It was just that the current results weren't good.
If not for CEO Park Ja-hee's ability, they probably wouldn't have held out this long. Whatever the case, the meeting's atmosphere was getting into proper gear.
'Way better than Lumia Entertainment.'
LX Entertainment fit fairly well into the framework Kang Jae-ha had set. As Jae-ha listened to the conversation, he moved his hand. To take a look at the materials in front of him. Among them, he turned to the profiles of the few artists still left at LX Entertainment.
A B-list actor, a TV personality whose schedule had dried up, a few others.
Has-beens were here too. The situation was different from Leon. Leon discarded its washed-up acts, but here, they were clinging to them.
'Doesn't matter, though. I just need a vessel to fill anyway.'
Then.
'Hm?'
Kang Jae-ha's hand froze as he flipped through the profiles. The last profile. A profile with the photo of a woman who looked younger than the others. In an instant, Kang Jae-ha's gaze shifted.
Soon.
-Sliiide.
Jae-ha abruptly called out to CEO Park Ja-hee, who was deep in conversation with Lee Chan-hoo.
"CEO-nim."
Truthfully, he hadn't planned to join in on today's conversation. He had said as much to Lee Chan-hoo and his men. Maybe because of that, Lee Chan-hoo, Go Chun-seok, and Cha Chung-hyeon all looked a little surprised. CEO Park Ja-hee, cut off mid-sentence, also seemed slightly thrown.
"…Yes?"
Regardless, Jae-ha lifted up the profile he had been looking at and murmured in a low tone.
"This one. Choi Ri-na, what's her story?"
It was the profile with the photo of the younger-looking woman. The moment she saw it, CEO Park Ja-hee gave an "ah" sort of reaction and answered.
"Ri-na…… she was one of the members of the girl group that failed. Now she's the only one left. Talent-wise, she's the most exceptional. She was the Main Vocalist, and she's also great at composing. We were getting her ready for YouTube, but… recently she suddenly got gloomy and depressed."
"Gloomy, depressed."
"I don't know, her condition just took a sudden turn for the worse. She used to have a strong mind. Out of nowhere she started saying she couldn't sing anymore. She's a worry of mine too."
"Can I meet her?"
"That's the thing… recently she's gone off the grid. I can't get hold of her."
"……"
"But! She might be busking somewhere, maybe."
"You said she can't sing."
"Ah, when she busks she apparently just plays the guitar."
Kang Jae-ha looked at CEO Park Ja-hee for a moment, then showed Lee Chan-hoo the profile. The Commander was speaking with his eyes.
'Choi Ri-na. Find her. Now.'
Lee Chan-hoo, who for some reason had turned serious, nodded, and then.
-Hmmm.
He closed his eyes.
About one hour and thirty minutes later, near Hongdae.
It was past 9 p.m. Even though it was a weekday night, the streets around Hongdae were packed with crowds. Through the crowds, the rather flashy sound of a guitar spread.
-♬♪
Looking over, a woman seated near the middle of the street was strumming an acoustic guitar with quite a bit of passion. Long hair with a faint purplish tint, clean skin, a puppyish face. Her guitar skills were good. About a dozen or so people had stopped in their tracks just to listen to the melody she was playing.
But the woman playing the guitar wasn't singing.
She was only playing.
Maybe because of that, the people watching didn't stay long.
Then it happened.
"Whoa, this is killer??"
Among the onlookers, a group of three men raised their voices loudly. They looked to be in their thirties, and judging by their tone and faces, they seemed pretty drunk. The one with the reddest face among them suddenly walked up to the woman playing guitar.
Thanks to the smell of alcohol wafting off him, the woman stopped playing and lifted her head.
"……?"
When she narrowed her brow, the red-faced man grinned crookedly and called out to her.
"Why aren't you singing? Sing for us too, sing sing!"
The woman didn't really answer, just frowned. Meanwhile, the red-faced man made even more of a scene. His two companions joined in.
"Aw come on, bet your voice is pretty too, sing for us."
"Or how about a drink with us, deal??"
"Yo yo, don't throw it in that hard."
"What's wrong with it. Forget that, why don't you come grab a drink with us??"
The onlookers started murmuring among themselves. The woman sighed and began packing up. She looked like she had been through this a few times. Maybe that ticked the red-faced man off, because he raised his voice a bit.
"Why are you ignoring me, huh? Just answer me, or sing me a song or something."
"……"
The woman with the long purplish hair still didn't reply, just kept packing up. In the end, the man's irritation snapped, and he tried to grab her wrist.
"Aw shit, just answer me already."
But it didn't happen.
Because someone suddenly seized the red-faced man by the back of the neck. A monstrously huge hand. The man choked and gagged.
"Gghh! Eek!"
His two companions whipped their heads around. They froze instantly. Stumbling backward came as a bonus. With good reason. The one gripping their friend's neck was a giant of a monster. No, it was Go Chun-seok.
Go Chun-seok warned them in a thick voice.
"Don't."
It wasn't only the men who were startled at the sight of him. The woman with the long purplish hair, who had been packing up her things, was the same. The moment she saw Go Chun-seok, her eyes went wide and round.
In this moment.
-Sliiide.
A black-haired man slipped quietly past Go Chun-seok. Kang Jae-ha. He paid no attention to the men at all and went straight to the woman with the long purplish hair. Jae-ha stopped about two steps away from her.
Kang Jae-ha met the woman's eyes and murmured low.
"Choi Ri-na."
The lips of the woman called Choi Ri-na, with her long purplish hair, slowly parted.
"Ah?"
Her gaze carried a shock as if her breath had been knocked out of her. It was at that moment that Choi Ri-na heard a woman's voice from somewhere.
【Comrade encounter confirmed.】
Naturally, Kang Jae-ha heard it too.
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