Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 66

Former Hero is a Ten Million Actor – Episode 66 (66/199)

Neutralize the Slander (2)

* * *

C&J headquarters, top floor, Content Division Head’s office.

A heavy atmosphere hung in the air.

Team Leader Jo Byeong-gil, standing at attention, glanced at the owner of the office handing over the report.

A young man with a neat appearance.

Jin Gyu-il, Head of Content Business Division, a talent who seized a key position in C&J’s entertainment company at an unbelievably young age.

An Ivy League graduate with outstanding abilities, but the spec that overwhelms all conditions is that he is a member of the Changjin Group.

Jin Chang-wol’s bloodline, the fourth-generation chaebol [family-owned conglomerate], put down the report and asked,

“Report.”

“We are short on manpower. Even freelance PDs [Production Directors] who are not exclusive are reluctant to work with us.”

“Of course, they would. If they have eyes, they would have seen last year’s disastrous farming.”

C&J, which jumped into the entertainment industry, established its own entertainment and broadcasting station, and this year became a full-fledged two-year-old specialized programming channel.

The problem is the low viewership ratings and the lack of talent to drive those ratings.

“We’ve managed to fill the celebrity pool, but… we can poach actors, but we lack talented directors.”

“I told you to focus on either dramas or entertainment shows, just one of the two.”

“Broadcasting stations are trying to prevent production staff leaks. Writer Young Do-eun and PD Jeon In-woo are showing interest.”

“Figure out a way to make it work. Last year, the highest viewership rating for our own programming didn’t exceed 3%.”

However, it’s not easy.

Terrestrial channels have been overtaken by cable and general programming channels, but their C&J channel, CVN, is a complete latecomer.

It is only natural that they unite to avoid being robbed of their already insufficient rice bowl by a latecomer.

According to human history, this process is accompanied by petty collusion and conspiracy.

“What about Assemblyman Kim? Is he still pushing that ridiculous bill?”

“I conveyed your message, but there was no response.”

“Raising the standard for specialized programming channels’ broadcasting development fund is like strangling us. As expected of someone from KBC [Korean Broadcasting Corporation], his arm bends properly [he favors his own kind].”

“There have been reports that Assemblyman Kim Hu-seon has had several contacts with entertainment officials.”

Jin Gyu-il replied nonchalantly.

“It’s probably DG or Joinus. Maybe both.”

“What’s the probability of Roman…”

“Roman is caught between those two and doesn’t have the resources to target us. Unless CEO Noh Joong-man is on drugs.”

No matter how big a dinosaur is, it is impossible to become the best in a late-entering market with just financial power.

That’s why he left the group’s headquarters strategy planning office, and why Jin Gyu-il needs to demonstrate his abilities in this content business division.

‘Rather, these guys are more skilled in dirty tactics than entrepreneurs. They don’t distinguish between what they can and can’t do.’

Thanks to them, the flow is completely blocked. The agencies are better, but recruiting a few actors is not enough to compete with the top 1 or 2 in the industry.

Moreover, those guys who have been receiving all kinds of treatment from them for over ten years, and those who are trying to receive it in the future, are making a fuss.

In this situation, it is difficult to exert full power. If there were colleagues to fight back-to-back with, I don’t know…

Jin Gyu-il, who was pressing his temple, asked,

“What about Park Geon?”

It was a sudden question, but Team Leader Jo answered immediately.

“I heard he’s having a fan meeting today.”

“Where?”

“It’s probably at Seoun University’s auditorium. I’ve been checking continuously as per your order.”

“The hall is big, what is he doing?”

“I don’t know. Since it’s Park Geon, wouldn’t he do something unique?”

“Hmm.”

Instead of answering, Division Head Jin Gyu-il rested his chin on his clasped hands. Team Leader Jo’s head was also spinning complicatedly.

‘…Is he a hidden brother of the division head?’

Their superior often ordered incomprehensible things. From the first half of last year, when Park Geon debuted with ‘Dog of Seoul,’ he was told to continuously check his next works, moves, and media reactions.

He watched, wondering if he was going to bring him in, but the order to contact him didn’t come down even after several months.

Team Leader Jo Byeong-gil cautiously opened his mouth.

“Um… perhaps, is he a candidate we should recruit to our side?”

“He already went to Roman. We can’t get him out until he causes an accident and gets kicked out or his contract expires.”

“Yes, but you told me to keep watching him…”

“Keep watching him. He’s a friend I’m interested in.”

“Understood.”

Jin Gyu-il, who dismissed him, gave a few instructions and sent Team Leader Jo out.

In the silence, a long sigh escaped.

“…It’s not easy.”

The air smells of blood. The fierce battle continues even at this moment.

The guys will constantly pressure us. It’s not like we only have connections in the political world, and the fact that one congressman is acting up isn’t a big deal, but the main game is the problem.

We lack production staff and content. The actors we barely secured through entertainment are somewhat lacking in star power with just the current ones.

Because actors stick to directors, and directors come when actors come.

‘In the end, what we need is… people.’

People from broadcasting stations, people from agencies, internal and external talents who will form strategic alliances across the board to fight against powerful enemies.

After pondering for a moment, Division Head Jin Gyu-il smiled faintly.

“Anyway, he’s a consistent friend.”

*

Raw ham, jerky, nuts, and various types of beer filled the table.

Jin Ji-yu, humming a tune, sat on the rug and turned on her laptop. Park Geon’s fan meeting, which was being streamed directly from Roman, was starting in 15 minutes.

She had cleared all schedules, including the shop, so she was free until night today.

“Is it only a fan meeting if you have to go? In this non-face-to-face world.”

She wanted to get a ticket, but she wasn’t a surprise guest, and if she went as a fan, she would only ruin someone else’s party as a nuisance guest.

Still, she felt proud. A few days ago, Park Geon contacted her separately and asked for fan meeting tips.

[Park Geon]: I have something to ask

[Park Geon]: How do you do a fan meeting?

[Park Geon]: I have no one to ask. Hee-do keeps telling me to dance my idol choreography, and Hwi-seung hyung tells me to rent a restaurant and mix wine with soju.

[Jin Ji-yu] The latter is absolutely forbidden

[Jin Ji-yu] Ah, I kind of want to see the dance though…

Anyway, she gave him tips full of ulterior motives… Team Leader Gong hyung would have taken care of the general outline, so it should have turned out well.

Chik, Jin Ji-yu opened a can of beer, took a sip, and then frowned.

“Keuheu… well, there will be many opportunities to drink together.”

*

Seoun University, Main Auditorium waiting room.

The space, which was originally used by celebrities who came to the festival, was where today’s protagonists gathered.

“Hyung [older brother/male friend], what should I do?”

Park Seon, who was pacing around like a puppy needing to pee, asked with a pale face.

“About what.”

“Will I really be able to do well?”

“Of course. You practiced all night yesterday.”

“But what if I make a mistake, huh? What if my head turns white and I make an NG [no good/mistake] like the actors? And they’re broadcasting it live!”

Geon couldn’t help but laugh.

Indeed, there were a lot of fans gathered outside. A whopping 2,000 people gathered through ticketing.

Counting only the pure number of people, it was more than the Acting Awards or the Grand Bell Awards, so it was understandable that he was nervous to host in front of them.

“Should I just do it? We can just switch roles, with you as the assistant and me as the main MC.”

“That won’t do! How disappointed would the company be if I ruined the work they entrusted to me?”

It was Team Leader Gong hyung’s idea to have Park Seon, not a professional MC or comedian, host the event.

Originally, he would have come together and helped with this and that, but today, Quantum was nominated for first place for the second week in a row, and Puffing Dolls’ 3rd album was also released, so he seemed busy.

Geon grabbed his brother’s shoulders.

“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine, if you forget the progress, I’ll do a physical feat show.”

“…Physical feat show?”

“Yeah. Breaking wooden sticks and breaking bricks. Jin Ji-yu told me not to do it, but I brought it just in case. Personally, I really wanted to show it…”.

“Hyung.”

Park Seon suddenly called out. His eyes, which had been trembling until just now, were burning with determination.

“Leave it to me. I’m going to die there today!”

*

4 p.m.

Park Geon’s first fan meeting began at Seoun University’s 1st Auditorium, with 2,000 fans in attendance.

The tickets sold on the ticketing site were sold out in about 10 minutes in both the 1st and 2nd rounds, making people realize the actor’s popularity.

The lights went out in turn, and a familiar face appeared on the stage that had been dark for a moment and waved his hand. It was Park Seon, wearing a suit like at the awards ceremony.

“Hello, everyone! I’m Park Seon, the manager in charge of today’s event!”

Through awards ceremonies and SNS, most of the fans knew that his brother was his manager, so cheers poured out.

“Now, shall we all call him together? One, two, three, please come out!”

Amid even louder cheers than before, Park Geon appeared in jeans and a leather jacket.

“Hello, I’m Park Geon. I’m glad this auditorium is so big.”

“That’s right, a whopping 2,000 people came to see Park Geon today. How do you feel?”

Park Geon walked to the end of the stage, looked around the audience, and declared calmly.

“I will do my best this year so that the next fan meeting can be held in a place twice as big.”

“Waaaaa!”

The fan meeting continued with smooth and diverse content, delighting the fans.

The ‘Tell Me, Actor!’ time, where the actor and the fans exchanged what they were curious about, was truly a spark.

Park Geon goes directly to the audience and hands the microphone to a fan to have a conversation.

“Geon oppa [term used by younger women to address older male friends/brothers], when was your first love?”

“It was in elementary school. I was completely into Eagleman.”

“What is Eagleman?”

A teenage fan asks, and laughter erupts from all over the place. It’s only natural that they don’t know it because it’s an old cartoon from more than 10 years ago.

“Then it’s my turn now. It’s a food preference World Cup, which do you prefer, chicken or pork belly? If you guess correctly, there is a prize, and even if you are wrong, there is a prize.”

Prize or not, it’s a chance to match your taste with ‘my actor’. A fan who appears to be a high school student hesitates and says in an unsure tone.

“Um… um, because it’s Eagleman, chicken…?”

“I can’t eat with you. Thank you for everything.”

“Hing, I was tricked!”

The next corner was a self-defense lecture. After finishing hitting small targets with BB guns, breaking roof tiles in a row, and breaking new records on the punching machine, selected fans were called to the stage to discuss the work like a small-scale preview.

While Park Geon’s works and making films were passing by on the screen behind him, Park Seon, holding a cue card, asked quite like a host.

“Which of the videos Park Geon has taken so far was the most fun?”

A brown-haired female fan chose the ‘Dog of Seoul’ script reading, while a muscular male fan in a short-sleeved shirt chose the action he fought with the Russian boxer.

“Of course it’s the reading! He was a complete scene stealer in the making film at that time, do you know how many views the YouTube shorts got with one voice imitation?”

“No. You don’t know much about martial arts, but this was a sensation in our field. There has never been such a high level of striking in dramas or movies, right?”

Park Geon and Park Seon barely stopped the two fans, and in the end, Seo Hee-do came as a surprise guest and had an interview and joint performance.

The stage where he danced Seo Hee-do’s group ‘FCT’ title song with Park Seon on the left and Seo Hee-do on the right spread explosively through the platform that was streaming.

It was a successful first fan meeting.

*

Park Seon, who returned to the car, shouted with a sweaty and flushed face.

“Hyung, we did it!”

He still seemed very excited. The experience of laughing, cheering, and breathing with 2,000 fans will be hard to forget.

Geon smiled quietly.

“That’s right, it was fun thanks to you. I should ask them to hold fan signing events or small fan meetings more often in the future.”

“That’s great! I think the CEO will welcome it with open arms. The team leader too… oh, wait a minute.”

Park Seon, who was talking excitedly, checked something on his phone and clenched his fist.

“I just got a call from Team Leader Gong. Quantum has regained first place on both MBS [Major Broadcasting System] and KNET [Korean Network]!”

“I thought so. Hwi-seung hyung said he would give 500,000 won each if Quantum didn’t get first place.”

“That’s a bit of a shame… Anyway, Puffing Dolls is also in the top 10 on the charts, and I heard they’re having a small party at the company today. He said to come for a while if you’re not tired?”

The fan meeting schedule was from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Of course, the former hero’s stamina would have been fine for 40 hours, not just 4 hours.

Park Seon, who had been exercising from time to time to catch up with his brother, also looked still fresh.

“Let’s go. I’m sorry I couldn’t recognize them last time, so I should congratulate them today.”

“…Hyung, the group that performed at the Acting Awards was Puffing Dolls, not Quantum. It’s a real disaster if you get this wrong, you know?”

“Of course. How much idol special lectures have I received from Teacher Byun?”

It was when Park Seon, who burst into laughter, drove the van out of the parking lot.

Both brothers’ cell phones rang at the same time.

There are times when that happens. Moments when you have a bad feeling even if you don’t see it or check it.

“……..”

Park Seon, who stepped on the brake on one side, looked into his cell phone without saying a word. Team Leader Gong hyung’s number was on that side, and Seo Seung-ah’s number was on this side.

“Hello.”

-Park Geon, where are you now? Contact the agency quickly! An article about school violence has been published!

The eyes of his brother, who must have heard the same news in the front seat, widened.

Suddenly, he remembered how he felt when he found out that his brother had been beaten on the first day he returned to Earth.

Before being transferred to the Iron Kingdom, even before enlisting in the special forces, that distant memory was revived.

The emotions that had been worn away by the repeated deaths… the anger he had forgotten for a long time was slowly rising. It was the anger at facing ugly malice.

Opening his closed eyes, Geon smiled like in the old days.

“Crossing the line, on a good day.”

* * *