Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 95

The Victor of the Whale Fight (3)

* * *

A high-end Korean beef restaurant.

Monitoring personnel from CVN headquarters stood at the brightly lit entrance, celebrating their victory.

“Congratulations, Director.”

“We all worked together. But aren’t you eating more…?”

“Oh, if we drink on top of this, the director-general will be furious. We need to eat moderately and prepare to work again.”

PD [Production Director] Jeon In-woo, public relations staff, and a few internal stakeholders exchanged handshakes.

Their faces, glistening with oil, were filled with satisfaction. If today were the wrap party, they would have drunk all night and into the morning.

“Team Leader, did you see how quiet things got over there after the broadcast? It felt like a decade-old indigestion was finally relieved.”

“I wanted to storm into the KBC [Korean Broadcasting Corporation] drama department. Those guys who sided with Byung Seo-han were so arrogant; I wanted to see their crestfallen faces.”

Raucous laughter erupted.

For the first time, they had achieved a complete victory. 29% versus 24%. In the final stretch, they were ahead by a whopping 5 percent.

The fates of the two projects diverged in just over a week.

While the other side was dealing with a problematic actor, this side absorbed viewers who hadn’t watched ‘Butcher General’ simply with the star power of the two leads.

‘Everyone, let’s eat as much as we want today. I’ll pay, and if our director is okay with it…’

‘There’s no need for that. Use mine, and I look forward to your continued good work.’

The director-general, who had saved face in front of the owner’s family, made a generous offer, but he was silenced by Director Jin Gyu-il’s card.

Thanks to that, they were now stuffed with 100,000 won [approximately $75 USD]-per-serving Korean beef.

“Still, it’s a bit pitiful.”

The assistant director of ‘Butcher General,’ who had been dragged out and filled his belly, muttered.

PD Jeon In-woo, chewing on a toothpick between his beard, asked.

“Who, those actors over there?”

“No. The leads probably got their share, but what about us staff? We suffer for peanuts… and they must have been tormented throughout the filming.”

“That’s why you need to choose your side well. Judging by the atmosphere, there’s a high chance we’ll get a bonus.”

The assistant director looked back, his face brightening. Originally, the best they could hope for was a vacation, but the stakes were high, and the parent company was Changjin Group, known for its generosity.

If they were lucky, not only the director but also the AD [Assistant Director] and each team below might receive a bonus.

“This isn’t the time to be eating meat and chatting. Let’s go to Buyeo quickly. I’ll drive.”

“Don’t overdo it… rest a bit and come back. Filming starts at four in the morning.”

“Director, you rented a room, right? If I sleep at my house in Namyangju and get late, I’ll be dead meat.”

“If you’re so upset, pack your bags and come in. I’ll let you sleep until filming ends.”

“Ew, I hate the smell of a bachelor…” The assistant director, who had been grimacing, suddenly smiled.

“By the way, I wonder how things are on Ki Eun-seo’s side right now? She completely ruined a 60 billion, no, 70 billion won drama all by herself.”

After Ki Eun-seo was revealed as the center of the controversy, DG [an entertainment agency] showed a response worthy of a large agency.

‘The artist, who was sensitive during filming, made a mistake. After confirming the facts, we will reach an amicable agreement with the parties involved. We apologize for the concern, but we will respond to malicious rumors and comments according to internal regulations.’

“There won’t be much punishment. DG’s been protecting their own for ages.”

“Well… Byun Dong-geun is said to be an unlucky Noh Joong-man [a famous producer]. If they sell well, they’ll shield them without hesitation.”

PD Jeon In-woo rubbed his beard. The unkempt beard on his cheeks and chin felt soft on the back of his hand.

“Still, wouldn’t she be a little upset inside?”

*

“I don’t really care.”

In DG’s CEO office.

Ki Eun-seo, with her legs crossed, spoke nonchalantly. CEO Byun Dong-geun and actor Moon Han-bin were also present, but the coffee he had personally bought was placed only in front of her.

“The drama is almost over anyway. I don’t have any contracted commercials, so I don’t have to pay any penalty fees.”

She was the talk of the town, branded as the ultimate villain, yet she acted as if it were nothing. CEO Byun stroked his uneven jaw.

“Aren’t you going to try to cover it up? If you appease a stylist and a couple of staff members, they might cooperate.”

Ki Eun-seo’s fair brow furrowed for a moment.

“Why would I do that again when I’ve already done everything I could? It’s better to take a break and buy sympathy. They’re risking their lives to screw me over anyway.”

The two who were watching nodded.

It was truly admirable mental fortitude. Perfect for being a celebrity.

She knew when to act up and when to endure. Even though an anonymous crowd was hurling unspeakable insults at her, she showed no shock or remorse. Perhaps that’s why closing her SNS [Social Networking Service] comments was her only external response.

“Still, be careful for the time being. If anything else blows up here, even the company can’t help you. KBC will come foaming at the mouth, not just canceling your endorsements.”

When even Moon Han-bin chimed in, Ki Eun-seo’s expression cleared as if nothing had happened. A bright smile, cultivated since her idol days, bloomed.

“Of course. That’s why I’m enduring what I want to kill and filming the drama. Han-bin oppa [term used by females to address older male friends or brothers], we have a torso on the second floor of the set, right? I feel like I could smash their noses with it dozens of times.”

“Ki, that’s a criminal offense.”

“Eun-seo knows that, CEO.”

Ki Eun-seo, smiling brightly, stood up. Her dizzying heels stopped in front of the CEO’s office door.

“Oh, and don’t schedule me to overlap with Roman actresses. I feel like I’ll tear their hair out the moment I see Baek Ha-ni or Jin Ji-yoo.”

The actress, draped in luxury from head to toe, winked and disappeared.

She seemed fine on the surface, but… those who had known the little devil Ki Eun-seo for a long time knew.

Not only were the commercials that had been pouring in gone, but even the scripts that had always been a nuisance had decreased, at least for a while. It would recover soon, but it was not a level that even a top actress could ignore.

She wouldn’t show it because of her pride, but her insides must be boiling and overturned by now.

“…Uh, it’s me. Send Director Lee. Have a couple of people from the strategic planning office follow and monitor her, and stop her if she tries to do anything crazy while on drugs again.”

CEO Byun Dong-geun, who had ordered through the direct line to the secretary’s office, yawned languidly.

It was said that he was nonchalant even after hearing about the suicide attempt of an idol he had raised years ago.

Even though his affiliated artist had caused a major accident, the CEO acted as if it were none of his business.

“Han-bin, you don’t have anything, do you?”

At the passing remark, Moon Han-bin denied it.

“Of course not. I’m different from someone who lives so mindlessly. I don’t have a hobby of tightrope walking either.”

“Right, you have to go back to Hollywood. This time, you have to step on Cannes or the Academy, right?”

Byun Dong-geun smiled and buried himself in the sofa. His small frame was swallowed by the soft cushions.

“It’s a shame Cha In-hyuk’s absence is so noticeable at times like this. He would have handled such matters with just a snap of his fingers.”

“What happened to Director Cha? He suddenly disappeared, and even the directors don’t seem to know.”

“He quit.”

Moon Han-bin’s eyes narrowed. It was a tone that refused further questions.

Director Cha In-hyuk, DG’s ‘fixer’ known only to those in the know, had disappeared at some point.

There were rumors that he had been the victim of a grudge crime or that he had argued with CEO Byun, but it was clear that he had left the current force.

“Why, do you want to bury someone too?”

“It’s not that, but at this rate, we’ll just keep losing until the end.”

“We’ll do as much as we can. The other side might collapse too.”

If he had seen today’s scores, if he had seen this episode of at least two works, it was a difficult story to expect.

…Was he trying to give up? When Moon Han-bin narrowed his brow, the voice continued.

“You just do what you have to do. You can’t always win in business. What if you rush in because you’re greedy and ruin the rest of the work? It’s fortunate to get even this much.”

“I understand what you mean.”

“Yeah, we can’t just strip off a bad colleague and kick them out. She’s still a friend who earns more money than she costs.”

Moon Han-bin nodded. If Director Cha had calculated people’s worth like a ghost, their CEO was more capable of larger calculations.

DG’s representative artists… roughly twenty in the top tier.

At first glance, it seemed that they were taking care of the artists’ well-being more than their external image, but this was also a thoroughly pragmatic choice.

‘If the public opinion was worse, or conversely, if Ki Eun-seo’s marketability had fallen below the current level…’

Byun Dong-geun, who opened a cigar box with a click, shook it on the table. A dozen brown leaf tobaccos rolled onto the expensive wooden table.

“Even a stupid cat will learn something from this incident.”

*

The balance of the game shifted in an instant.

It didn’t take many episodes for the viewership ratings, which had been 50-50, to change to 60-40, then to 70-30.

[‘Butcher General’ Doesn’t Allow Reversals, 5 Reasons Why It’s Increasingly Interesting]

[Surpasses 30.8%, Park Geon Wearing Lee Cheon-in… How Long Will the Uninterrupted Monopoly Last?]

[Baek Ha-ni, When Asked About Her Feelings on Her First Kiss Scene in 3 Years, “The Other Actor Is 27 Years Late, So It Must Be More Impressive”]

[‘Hyperion’ Bottomless Fall, Experts Predict the 15% Wall Will Collapse]

The topicality that Hyperion had gathered so far acted as an adverse factor. A meteorite had fallen on the castle in the sky built with sensationalism and stimulation.

People who were slowly getting tired of it switched to the rival side as if they had been waiting.

Mistakes are fatal in a close match.

Butcher General had been increasing its immersion with each episode. If Hyperion was a haunted house that made a bet from the beginning, Butcher General was a roller coaster that steadily climbed.

The altitude was high enough, so now was the time for the highlight.

[Let’s Revisit the ‘Butcher General’ “Colonial Historical View, Historical Distortion, National Petition” Controversy ㄷㄷㄷ [Internet slang expressing strong emotion]]

Now it has surpassed 30%, and is a clear top of the first half of the year, perhaps even within reach of 40%.

The writings that criticized the historical research in the early days of Butcher General became the target of miserable ridicule.

Not only the critics’ reviews, but also the national petition to stop broadcasting the historical distortion drama was also preserved as it was and was being criticized to dust.

-Is this the legendary petition?

-President ㄷㄷㄷ [Internet slang expressing strong emotion] Please punish the drama that committed the “great sin” of colonial historical view ㄷㄷㄷㄷ [Internet slang expressing strong emotion]

-I came on a pilgrimage

-Wow! I came from the future, and Butcher General was really a pro-Japanese drama!

-Wrong historical research) It was forced

-Wrong historical research 2) It was so well interpreted in a modern way that it was envied

-Real wrong historical research) The lead actor tore it up at a Western fashion show ㅡㅡ

-That’s also historical research; Lee Cheon-in earned a lot of foreign currency from Western gun shops

└That’s right ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ [laughter]

There is no need to bother creating a fire pit, putting firewood in it, and heating it so that it does not cool down.

Numerous people on YouTube and SNS are doing the work that the PR team is sweating to do instead.

The most impressive part is that age groups who were not fixed fandoms of Park Geon and Baek Ha-ni have established themselves as core viewers of ‘Butcher General’.

“Min-hee’s mom, do you watch that these days? Butcher General!”

“Oh, I’ve been watching it since the first episode. There’s a passionate fan of actor Park Geon in our group, so I’ve never missed a live broadcast so far.”

“While I was watching, my kids watched it together. At first, they whined that it wasn’t fun, but now Yong-joon and Yong-min like it more, hohoho [onomatopoeia for laughter].”

When middle-aged people in their 40s or older, combined with teenagers who were drawn in by Park Geon’s action, ‘that historical drama’ became a full-fledged craze.

In the midst of a busy schedule, Park Geon, who rarely interviewed a fashion magazine, said calmly.

“It’s a work that you shouldn’t miss the last episode. We will repay the attention you have given us with a perfect ending.”

That’s what he said.

The viewership ratings continue to soar day by day, but the protagonists in the play are heading for tragedy.

Song Yi-seol’s grandfather, Grand Master Song Byeol-hak, was actually an independence activist who supported military funds to Manchuria. He pretended to be a pro-Japanese to protect his family and extract information from the Japanese leadership.

―Foolish old man, you’ve been plotting all this time. Did you want to die like that?

―No, Grandpa!

If the tail is long, it will be stepped on [idiom meaning secrets will eventually be revealed]. While the Japanese military police and police officers were flocking in, Song Yi-seol, who learned the truth, turned pale.

Fire breaks out on the eaves of the Song family’s house, which is said to be the tallest in Gyeongseong [old name for Seoul], except for the palace. Veteran actor Shin Jeong-ho, who played Song Byeol-hak, shouted, fluttering his white beard.

―Go quickly, Seol-ah! Find the Butcher’s Mask!

―Catch them all! Don’t let a single one escape!

While Song Yi-seol was hit by a disaster, the identity of the Butcher’s Mask is revealed due to the betrayal of an independence army member.

―This Gongja is the Butcher’s Mask? No way.

―I knew it. I told you, it seemed like he was hiding something.

―When I found out, he was really the son of a butcher. Why, do you remember Lee Mak-soe, who used to trade at the corner butcher shop a dozen years ago? That’s his bloodline!

The fact that Joseon’s [historical Korean kingdom] Lee Cheon-in, a young and handsome gunsmith who returned from the West, was the Butcher’s Mask, shook the entire Gyeongseong.

―Miss, give the order.

And again, the building next to the Governor-General’s office. A one-eyed samurai appears in front of Haruka, the third daughter of the Governor-General, who was greatly shocked. It is Shuhei and his subordinates who lost one eye to the Butcher’s Mask.

Those who harbor resentment against Joseon and those who hate the Japanese Empire foreshadowed the price of blood to be paid to each other, and the episode ended.

“Wednesday, Thursday, Friday… No, why are there still four days left?”

Inside the van, a ‘real’ grumbling that is rarely seen flowed out.

This actor doesn’t have a separate road manager. Team leader Yang Soo-yeon in the front seat smiled.

“Why are you talking like that? Weren’t you a royal knight since yesterday?”

When the floating ‘Butcher General’ window goes down, the densely written text appears.

The clear eyes of actor Gu Shin-seung, holding an iPad, shone with anticipation.

“I don’t care about knights or anything, I hope it ends soon. Because there’s something I want to film together.”

* * *