Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 217

217. Money is the Problem (2)

2022.06.05.

Seriously.

Why is bread coming out of there?

“Do you want one too?”

Kim Si-hyuk asked.

“……No.”

I wondered why he was wearing such a baggy hoodie like a sack…

To think he was hiding bread inside.

As expected of a talented individual whom a hungry ghost was clinging to for self-service.

“I get scolded at the company if I get caught eating snacks. So, I came here using the ‘the darkest place is under the candlestick’ strategy.”

Kim Si-hyuk had a very proud look on his face.

He was overflowing with an innocent charm as if he wanted to be praised.

“Okay……”

Yeonwoo turned his gaze away from the hungry ghost staring at him with sparkling eyes.

‘How dare a hungry ghost have such eyes?’

“So, you came to eat.”

“Yeonwoo, think about it. They only feed us grass three meals a day! This is not how people live!”

“Ah, okay……”

Yeonwoo roughly brushed aside Kim Si-hyuk, who was saying strange things, and thought for a moment.

‘First, I need to figure out exactly how the story is going. That way, I can figure out how to deal with that human.’

To do that, I needed to know what kind of story had been exchanged first.

It seemed like a proper meeting was out of the question…

Lee Gyu-han, who came as the representative of Yeonwoo’s agency for the first time today, was stuck in the middle, unable to do anything.

This was because the situation was much worse than he had heard.

Similarly, Kim Si-hyuk’s agency side also had troubled expressions.

Perhaps because they were a bit timid, every time they tried to say something, the CEO of A Entertainment cut them off.

-This is our business, so why are you getting involved? Please stay out of it. We haven’t finished talking among ourselves yet.

Who should I ask……?

Then Yeonwoo’s gaze suddenly turned to the side.

Come to think of it, Kim Si-hyuk said so.

That it had been like that for 3 days already.

In other words, he had been watching that chaotic squabble for 3 days.

“Kim Si-hyuk.”

“Ung……?”

Kim Si-hyuk, who had stuffed his cheeks full of bread, gave an unclear answer.

“Let’s go.”

“Ung?”

“I’ll buy you something delicious, so follow me.”

*

The effect of food was very clear.

Because Kim Si-hyuk, who had been crouching, straightened up.

It didn’t take more than a few minutes to hear the truth from Kim Si-hyuk.

Because Kim Si-hyuk after the food came out had become a completely open door.

“So. That CEO is still threatening you?”

“Ung. Uh-duh-in-guh-eun guh-euh-euh……”

“……Eat and talk, eat.”

He was trying to answer so diligently even while eating hard.

Yeonwoo had to soothe Kim Si-hyuk and listen.

“It’s even more of a mess than I thought.”

“Mueh.”

“I said eat and talk.”

It was also in Kim Si-hyuk’s special skills, but Kim Si-hyuk seemed to be incredibly good at memorizing things.

For the price of food, Yeonwoo was able to hear everything that had happened in the past 3 days.

‘To think that Min Ye-rin came in person and told him not to listen to the CEO, but he still came and made a fuss……’

Min Ye-rin also drew a firm line with the CEO within her own means.

She apparently tried to sign a contract directly with the production company and block the CEO’s intervention from the source.

However, the CEO was not easy to deal with either.

He shamelessly invalidated Min Ye-rin’s decision, using the contract she had signed with the agency, A Entertainment, as an excuse.

The clause that the selection of works would be carried out under mutual agreement between the company and the actor was holding her back.

“Our manager said…… it seems like we’ll end up *matchwoojuge* [conforming/compromising] eventually.”

Kim Si-hyuk said, chewing the hamburger full in his mouth with a happy expression.

“We’ll end up *matchwoojuge*? Why?”

“I don’t know either. That’s just what my manager said.”

I had forgotten for a moment.

That he is specialized in simply memorizing rather than applying.

In that short meeting of only a few days, Yeonwoo was able to grasp the human being Kim Si-hyuk to some extent.

“But, Yeonwoo. Aren’t you eating?”

Yeonwoo looked down at the extra-large hamburger set placed in front of him.

As befitting a handmade burger shop, the extra-large was truly extra-large.

Can you imagine if the size of the bread is similar to the size of both hands spread out?

-This is for the challenge……? Are you sure you want it?

-Yes.

The mouth opens only when the stomach is full.

Yeonwoo confidently ordered the menu that they were selling for the challenge without hesitation.

Since he didn’t really intend to eat it anyway, he thought he could give it to Kim Si-hyuk or pack it if necessary…

“You eat it.”

“Wow, awesome. Really? Can I really eat it?”

“I told you I don’t feel well.”

“Wow, then this…… did you order it for me?”

“Eat a lot.”

“Wow…… Yeonwoo.”

Kim Si-hyuk looked at Yeonwoo with eyes as if he were seeing an angel.

Even the hungry ghost clinging to his side sparkled at Yeonwoo like Gollum looking at My Precious.

Silently ignoring it, Yeonwoo pushed a large plate towards Kim Si-hyuk.

‘To think he’s really going to eat both of these.’

He was indeed a food fighter with A+ talent recognized by the system.

But it was also strangely amazing that it wasn’t gluttonous.

‘Tsk…… how much did they starve him……’

Seeing him feel the greatest happiness in the world, it was too heartbreaking.

“Geung-de eu-eune guh-euh eu-deu-geu-seung-geuk……”

“I told you to eat and talk.”

“Yep.”

Kim Si-hyuk started *jojigi* [devouring/attacking] the hamburger again.

“Why did you say that we’ll end up *matchwoojuge*?”

“Woong woong.”

That was what Yeonwoo was curious about.

Kim Si-hyuk’s company manager said that while saying that, it didn’t seem like the drama would completely fall apart.

‘That means the production company is *sukigo deureoganda* [yielding/giving in]……’

A diagram began to form in Yeonwoo’s head.

First. The production company is betting everything on this first drama.

Second. That is a publicly known fact that the production company knows, Yeonwoo knows, and the CEO of A Entertainment all know.

Third. They’ve already circulated promotional flyers, so it’s not easy to exclude Min Ye-rin.

So far, I understand.

But there is a part that I don’t understand.

‘But what’s stopping them from taking her out completely?’

I understand why the production company is holding out.

If they listen to the CEO of A Entertainment’s unreasonable demands now, the *gapjil* [abuse of power] might continue throughout the filming.

Perhaps for that reason, the production company will try to hold out as much as possible.

‘But it will be even easier to *gapjil* once filming starts?’

What can they do since the broadcast has already aired?

Even if the CEO of A Entertainment makes strange demands, they will have to *matchwoojuda* [accommodate] the *guseok* [appearance/form] even if it means crying and eating mustard in order to prevent the drama from becoming a flop.

‘Wouldn’t it be a hundred times better to just remove Min Ye-rin before that?’

That’s what makes sense.

If you were to compare before and after filming, it is true that the risk is much lower now before filming.

But even so, they end up *deureojuge* [listening/yielding]?

‘Why?’

If there is an unsolved difficult problem, it is also a way to go back to the starting point.

There is only one reason why the CEO of A Entertainment is *gangjjareul bureeneun* [being stubborn/unreasonable].

Money.

“Yeonwoo. What are you thinking about?”

“The words that CEO said.”

“The words that CEO said?”

“Yeah. The words that the *churyeonryo* [appearance fee/actor’s fee] given to the actors should also increase because they received a lot of investment are a bit *geoseullyeoseo* [annoying/bothersome].”

What is the reason why they are dragging it out until now, even though it is better to *sonjeol* [cut ties] as soon as possible, and eventually have no choice but to *deureojul subakke* [have no choice but to listen]?

“Ah.”

Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

“He was a real *gaesaekki* [son of a bitch].”

At the same time, a curse word popped out of my mouth without even realizing it.

“Uh-eong? Me…… me? Mi, sorry…… did I eat too much?”

“No. Not you. That CEO.”

“Huh?”

“That guy. He was threatening the drama’s existence.”

“Eueueung? What does that mean?”

Kim Si-hyuk, who had shrunk back, asked.

“You know that the production company desperately wants this drama to succeed, right?”

“That’s right. I also hope this drama succeeds.”

“So, they said they attracted a lot of investment.”

“Yeah.”

“But what if rumors spread that Min Ye-rin terminated her contract?”

“Eh, why? Can’t that happen? It would be better if there were no *jap-eum* [noise/problems] at all, but……”

In fact, there are works that are surrounded by various controversies in the early stages.

That doesn’t mean that all of those works fail.

Rather, the controversy can become noise marketing and attract people.

Besides, isn’t there also the saying *yujaemmujoe, nojaemyujoe* [if it’s fun, it’s innocent; if it’s not fun, it’s guilty]?

‘If it’s fun, viewers don’t care what happened.’

How else would an actor who carries all sorts of scandals still be cast because he acts *matkkalseureopge* [deliciously/skillfully]?

But what the CEO of A Entertainment is doing is a very dirty trick that blocks that ‘fun’ from the source.

“Think about it. If Min Ye-rin leaves, how will that CEO spread rumors and *eonpeul* [media play/PR]?”

“Eong…… they couldn’t *matchwoojuda* [meet/pay] the *churyeonryo* [appearance fee]?”

“That’s right. That’s exactly it.”

“What does that have to do with the drama failing?”

Kim Si-hyuk asked back with a blank face.

He had a haggard look as if he was low on sugar.

‘No matter how I look at it, the fuel efficiency is not very good.’

Yeonwoo placed an additional order without saying anything.

Soon, a giant milkshake and a challenge burger were served.

The server looked surprised when he saw Yeonwoo, but then returned to a calm state after seeing Kim Si-hyuk sitting across from him.

“Are you famous for eating a lot?”

“Huh? How did you know……?”

Kim Si-hyuk scratched his cheek with an awkward face.

‘I can imagine from that reaction.’

It seemed that Kim Si-hyuk’s food fighter talent was not only known to Yeonwoo himself.

It seems like he’s been on some kind of broadcast.

While feeding him food, Yeonwoo returned to the main topic.

“Think about it. This is the production company’s first drama. So, there will be many eyes watching.”

“Woong.”

“No. You don’t have to answer. Anyway, the production company’s image will change depending on whether this drama succeeds or fails. But what if Min Ye-rin *hacha* [drops out/withdraws] because of the *churyeonryo* [appearance fee] before production even starts? People will think. ‘Ah. That production company is very *gungpipha-guna* [poor/destitute]!'”

“Heueo……”

“Uh-huh. I told you to eat and talk.”

“Woong woong.”

I know why the stubborn old men in my mother’s shrine taught table manners so much.

Kim Si-hyuk’s eating *moseup* [appearance] is *bokseureopjiman* [blessed/fortunate], but it wasn’t to the extent that I could *bwajul jeongdo* [tolerate/stand] even if he was answering while eating.

“Viewers don’t care. This is a fatal rumor only for industry people. Who would commission production to a place that doesn’t have enough money to *matchwoojuda* [meet/pay] the *churyeonryo* [appearance fee] for their first drama? It means they don’t have the ability to raise the production cost. It’s like rumors are spreading that they don’t have the ability to *tta-ol* [bring/attract] even one advertisement or PPL [product placement] even with a case that is likely to succeed.”

There was no guarantee that things would flow as Yeonwoo said if Min Ye-rin *hacha* [dropped out] due to the *churyeonryo* [appearance fee] issue.

But you never know with people’s work.

The production company would want to prevent the worst-case scenario from happening, even if it was just one in a million.

This is not just a *churyeonryo juldarigi* [appearance fee tug-of-war].

‘It’s the worst.’

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the CEO of A Entertainment was a very bad guy.

It’s the same as *gapjil* [abuse of power] against a newly established production company that is just starting out.

“So, that’s why your manager said that the production company would eventually *bada-deuril* [accept/yield].”

What else is it if not *gapjil* [abuse of power] to force them to accept it if they don’t want to die together?

“Wow…… how did you figure that out?”

“I just saw it.”

“No, I didn’t see it…… It’s even more amazing that you can *tteoolrineun* [recall/deduce] that far with just one word from the manager.”

I’m amazed by the amount you eat.

Swallowing those words, Yeonwoo got up from his seat.

It was time to return to the company since he had found out what he needed to know.

And in the production company building, where he returned with desserts,

“I told you not to involve me in your business!”

He heard a sharp voice.

It was while walking up the emergency stairs at Kim Si-hyuk’s words that he had to exercise after eating.

*

“Shh.”

The first thing Yeonwoo did was to cover Kim Si-hyuk’s mouth.

‘This voice…… it’s Min Ye-rin?’

His gut was sending him a strong *chok* [feeling/intuition] once again.

“Yerin-ah. You can only do well if I do well? Do you think you’ll do well if you *dokyacheongcheong* [go it alone/be a lone wolf] alone?”

“How many times do I have to *bwa deuryeoya* [put up with/tolerate]?! You already *mireo neotdeoni* [pushed/inserted] that trash behind my back during the last drama, saying it would only be *ttak han beonman* [just once]. Now you’re even coming to the production company and threatening them behind my back?!”

“It’s because you’re busy, Yerin. I can’t force you to come out when you’re busy. You have to make money.”

The *neumulneumulhan* [slippery/evasive] voice tried to appease Min Ye-rin.

“Ha. That damn money! I told you to be satisfied with what I *mekkwo-deurin* [compensated/covered]!”

“That’s not enough.”

“What about the agreement not to touch this drama in exchange for *mekkwojuneun* [compensating]?”

“Yerin-ah. The world is like that. Sometimes things don’t go your way. I’m the happiest if it can be resolved with what you *mekkwojun* [compensated]. I didn’t want to do this either.”

“So, you’re threatening the production company in a *jeogeup-hage* [low-class/vulgar] way now? Because of that damn gambling?!”

“Uh-huh! Yerin-ah. Watch your mouth. Someone might be listening.”

That’s right.

There was one person listening here, no, two.