Chapter 1000: Jung Yoo-Jins 1000th (1)

Chapter 1000: Jung Yoo-Jin's 1000th (1)

What Miso pulled from her small crossbody bag, saying it was a gift, was a stack of business card-sized papers. There were about thirty of them clipped together, and on the front cover was a Powertuff Girls character Miso had drawn herself along with some pretty handwriting.

[♡Miso's Happiness Coupons♡]

"Uncle Yoon-Ho, hurry and open it! Okay?"

At Miso's urging, more excited than I was, I nodded and slowly turned the first page.

[Thank you for always loving Mom and me, Uncle Yoon-Ho. These are coupons to make you happy! You can use them anytime by giving them to me!]

My chest tightened with emotion.

'When did she find the time to prepare something like this...?'

"The first page is a letter, and the rest are coupons," Miso explained with both hands clasped together.

I smiled and nodded. "Okay. I'll take a look."

Holding back my emotions, I began turning the pages one by one.

[Miso's Cuteness Coupon ๑◕‿‿◕๑]

[Miso's Cheer Coupon (❁'▽'❁)]

[Miso's Massage Coupon ლ(╹◡╹ლ)]

[Miso's Song Coupon ♪(*^θ^)ノ]

[Miso's Errand Coupon ξ(✿ ❛‿❛)ξ]

...

There were ten different types of Miso coupons, with three copies of each. Every coupon featured a Powertuff Girls drawing and handwritten text by Miso herself.

Deeply moved, I pulled Miso into a tight hug and thanked her. "Thank you, Miso."

"Hehe. You can use those whenever you want. Except when I'm sleeping!"

"Okay. I will."

After thanking her repeatedly for quite a while, I slowly let go of the hug. Then I noticed Miso staring at me with sparkling eyes.

Just as I wondered what was going on, Ju Yung-In spoke up. "Oppa, can't you tell? Miso gave you a present, so she's saying you should use one right now."

Miso gave a small nod. "Yeah. Use one of them now."

'Wait, she wants me to use one here? There's so many people around.'

From this point on, the MeTubers would probably be filming everything. Whatever she did would end up on camera. Still, looking at Miso's expectant eyes, there was no way I could refuse. In that case, I figured I should pick the one that would attract the least attention and grabbed a coupon.

'Miso's Cuteness Coupon.'

Miso was always adorable and full of aegyo anyway, so I figured using this one wouldn't draw much attention. However, just as I reached for the coupon to hand it over, Miso shook her head from side to side.

"Not... this one?"

"I can't tell you."

'So it's not.'

That meant I would have to go through them one by one.

"Not the massage coupon... not the cheer coupon... the song coupon?"

Only then did Miso's face brighten instantly.

'Isn't this basically forcing a gift on me, Miso?'

Chuckling at her adorable behavior, I carefully pulled out the Miso's Song Coupon and handed it to her.

"Here."

Miso accepted the paper coupon with both hands, carefully tucked it into her bag, then straightened her posture.

"You have used a Miso's Song Coupon! Then I'll begin!"

"Wait. Here?"

'Miso, you should've told me there was an instant activation option.'

"Yep! It's a cheer-up song I made myself!"

Before I could stop her, Miso spread both arms wide and started singing with accompanying dance moves.

『Cheer up, like this. Heave-ho, heave-ho!

Smile, like this. Ha-ha, ho-ho!

Dance, like this. Wiggle wiggle!

Sing, like this. Song-song-song!

...』

Miso drew a heart above her head before lowering her arms and transitioning into a hip-wiggling dance. The simple melody and simple choreography repeated over and over, yet it was strangely addictive. And with Miso dancing while making adorable expressions, I couldn't help smiling.

At that moment, Ju Yung-In, standing beside us, playfully began copying Miso's song and dance.

『Dance, like this. Wiggle wiggle!』

The Haze production press conference had already ended, but MeTubers and reporters were still waiting around the venue. The moment Ju Yung-In joined Miso in singing the cheer-up song and performing the dance, every camera instantly swung in our direction.

-Hey, film it, film it! This is a total exclusive!

-This is a million-view video waiting to happen! What are you doing? Get the camera rolling!

My heart immediately started pounding, and cold sweat ran down my back. Because once this video went public, there was no way Miso's fans and Ju Yung-In's fans would let me live in peace.

'Isn't this an assassination song rather than a cheer-up song?'

Panicking, I sprang into action. If I just stood there enjoying it, a third of the country would end up becoming my anti-fans.

『Dance, like this. Wiggle wiggle!』

I squeezed myself between Ju Yung-In and Miso and started wiggling my hips as hard as I could, dancing along with them—right in front of MeTubers with millions of subscribers and a crowd of reporters.

***

The production press conferences for Land of Happiness and KBC's Haze concluded successfully. Just like Land of Happiness, KBC's Haze press conference became a hot topic after videos from the event surpassed five million combined views on MeTube.

What attracted just as much attention, however, was the name of a mixed-gender group called "Jung-Mi-Ju." MeTuber Living Room Ghost, whose subscriber count had been skyrocketing, saw the three of us dancing together backstage and coined the name "Jung-Mi-Ju."

[Living Room Ghost (120,000 subscribers): Backstage at the Haze Production Press Conference – Mixed Group 'Jung-Mi-Ju' Formed! (Jung Yoon-Ho, Jung Miso, Ju Yung-In) The Best Talent Agent, the Best Child Actress, and the Best Actress Dancing Together to 'Like This Song!' (2.1 million views)]

Thanks to that, Haze became a hot topic once again, and related videos saw another surge in views. The downside was that the moment I woke up the next morning, I was greeted by a protest message from Yoo-Jin.

[Lovely♡Yoo-Jin: Oppa. Isn't the group name kind of weird? And aren't those titles a little off? ᕙ(⇀‸↼‵‵)ᕗ And since when was Yung-In the best actress?]

I immediately sent a reply, because I wanted to survive.

[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: Living Room Ghost is known for exaggerating things to get attention. Of course you're the best.]

[Lovely♡Yoo-Jin: Really? Hmm, then what happens if I dance with you guys?]

[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: You want to dance too...?]

[Lovely♡Yoo-Jin: Of course!]

It looked like there was no avoiding this.

[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: Okay. When I come down to the set, let's dance together with Miso. Happy now?]

[Lovely♡Yoo-Jin: Yep! ๑•‿•๑ Then are we Jung-Mi-Yoo? Jung-Mi-Jin? What should we call ourselves?]

If the name overlapped too much with Jung-Mi-Ju, people might get confused.

[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: Wouldn't 'Jung-Yoo-Mi' be better?]

[Lovely♡Yoo-Jin: Deal! Jung-Mi-Ju vs. Jung-Yoo-Mi. Perfect. Then, oppa, we're getting matching outfits. No, actually, I'll just order them myself, so don't worry. ◟( ̆ 3 ̆)◞ ♡]

[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: Okay. Go ahead and... do that.]

[Lovely♡Yoo-Jin: Yay!]

In the end, I was only able to finish the conversation and get back to the mountain of pending work after promising Yoo-Jin that I would dance with her.

***

Several days passed, and Wednesday, May 26 arrived. Articles kept popping up on my phone.

[Five-Year-Old Celebrity Death Case in South Chungcheong Revealed to Have Been Suicide. Reporter Mr. A, Who Published Fabricated Articles at the Time, Officially Charged.]

[Son Hyung-Tae, President of CK Entertainment, Hospitalized with Broken Ribs.]

[Daecheon Media Expected to Be Established Within May.]

[SBC's Project I.O.A Reaches Week 11. Viewership Ratings Hits 15.1%. Grand Finale Airs Next Week!]

[Kim Hyun-Ji Tops Music Charts with 'Youth, Once Again!' The Era of Trot Returns Once More.]

[(Shocking Report) Kim Hyun-Ji Revealed to Be the Biological Mother of Singer-Songwriter Kang Ha-Na!]

[Hwaranjeon Delivers Its Best Minute Yet. The Dream Couple, Princess Yu-Hwa ♡ Kim Beop-Min, Exchange Heartfelt Gazes.]

...

Perhaps because we had gathered up every fabricated media case and handed them over to Prosecutor Seo Jae-Ill, there wasn't a single hostile article among them. Nothing but pleasant news filled the screen. As a result, all I could do was smile while scrolling through them.

At that moment, Do Ran-Hee's voice snapped me back to reality. "Mr. Jung? Mr. Jung!"

We were in the meeting room of Hoop Entertainment's Integrated Division 4. It was a meeting being held at seven in the evening.

"Huh? What is it?" I asked.

"I was asking if you're really holding Yoo-Jin's 1,000-day celebration party in Gyeongju."

Yoo-Jin had signed with Hoop Entertainment on September 1, 2018. Since we counted the day President Kang Gam-Chan brought her in as Day One, tomorrow would mark her one-thousandth day with the company. To thank her for everything she had done for Hoop Entertainment, we were secretly preparing an event behind her back.

"Yeah. Both Hwaranjeon and She Was Beautiful are in the final stages of filming, so she doesn't have time to come up to Seoul. We'll have to do it on location in Gyeongju."

"Got it. Then I'll finish the preparations assuming we're doing it in Gyeongju."

"Okay."

"Oh, and you know Yoo-Jin and Duk-Bae are filming that Gyeongju promotional video this afternoon and tomorrow morning, right?"

Last week, during Episode 38 of Hwaranjeon, the romantic scene between Princess Yu-Hwa and Kim Beop-Min had been selected as the show's highest-rated minute, generating a huge buzz. In response, the city of Gyeongju had asked Yoo-Jin and Duk-Bae to film a promotional video for the Gyeongju Firefly Festival scheduled for the end of next month.

Since the city had supported the production wholeheartedly from the beginning, we gladly accepted as a way of giving back.

I nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Then Do Ran-Hee smiled brightly and asked, "Oh, by the way, did you see the storyboard? There's a scene where they hug and then look at each other longingly. It was super romantic~"

Something about her teasing tone irritated me.

I answered, "Of course I saw it."

"Then why are you acting so calm? Doesn't it bother you at all?"

"Huh? Why would it?"

It wasn't like they were filming a kissing scene. It was just a hug and a slightly wistful exchange of glances. Besides, Yoo-Jin wasn't my girlfriend or my wife, so there was nothing to get worked up about.

And yet, my smartwatch vibrated while an alert sounded simultaneously.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Buzz.

[Smartwatch Notification: Sudden elevated heart activity detected. (Bp.m. 120)]

'What is this?'

Do Ran-Hee pointed at my smartwatch. "Huh? Isn't that a heart-rate warning?"

I quickly turned my wrist behind my back. "No."

"What? That's definitely not a 'no.' You got jealous after seeing the storyboard, didn't you?"

"Ahem. I said no!"

I cleared my throat and tried to wrap up the meeting as quickly as possible. However, the vibration still wouldn't stop. When I checked, it wasn't my smartwatch after all. It was an Everyday notification coming from the phone I had left on the table.

Wondering what could possibly be happening at a time like this, I quickly opened Everyday.

[Everyday V13]

[Notification: A schedule entry related to Choi Duk-Bae has been registered for May 26, 2021.]

[Notification: A schedule entry related to Jung Yoo-Jin has been registered for May 27, 2021.]

There was an event involving Duk-Bae today and one involving Yoo-Jin tomorrow. Unable to make sense of it, I immediately checked the details.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: May 26, 2021]

-11:50 p.m.: [NEW. Choi Duk-Bae] Emergency transport to Pohang Hospital.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: May 27, 2021]

-09:30 p.m.: [NEW. Jung Yoo-Jin] 1,000-Day Celebration Event Cancelled. Emergency transport to hospital.

'Both of them are going to be rushed to the hospital one after another?'

I couldn't understand why schedule entries like these had appeared.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Then, my smartwatch sounded another alert.

[Smartwatch Notification: Sudden elevated heart activity detected. (Bp.m. 150)]

The instant the warning intensified, Do Ran-Hee looked at me suspiciously. I couldn't spare any attention for that, though. My only thought was that I needed to get down there immediately.

I rose from my seat. "Anyway, I've got something to take care of, so I'm heading out. Mr. Park In-Ki will take charge of the rest of the meeting."

Do Ran-Hee replied with a satisfied smile. "Okay. Got it."

She had clearly misunderstood the situation, but there was no way I could explain it. In the end, I had no choice but to head straight for the underground parking garage without offering any explanation.

The current time was 7:30 p.m. There were only a few hours left before the time Duk-Bae was supposed to be injured.

***

The current time was 11:30 p.m. With only twenty minutes remaining until Duk-Bae was supposed to be taken to the hospital, I finally arrived at the Hwaranjeon filming location in Gyeongju.

PD Oh Bok-Hee and numerous staff members welcomed me. "Hey, Chief Jung. It's been a while since you've been on set."

I was anxious, but I forced myself to stay calm. "It has. To make up for being gone so long, dinner's on me tomorrow night."

"Now that's what I like to hear. By the way, did you see the Firefly Festival promotional video Duk-Bae and Yoo-Jin filmed today?"

"Not yet."

"Heh... it turned out really well. Make sure you watch it later."

I wanted to check it immediately, but I didn't have the luxury right now.

I nodded. "Alright. Will do."

"Good. I've got to get back to filming, so let's catch up later."

Episode 47, which they were about to shoot, featured Kim Beop-Min and Princess Yu-Hwa returning victorious from a major war against Baekje, only to be ambushed by followers of Princess Do-Hwa, who still refused to give up her claim to the throne. Since the scene involved a mounted attack with arrows flying, there was no avoiding some dangerous stunt work.

I wanted to stop the filming because Everyday said Duk-Bae would be hospitalized in twenty minutes, but there was simply no way to shut everything down. More than two hundred extras were already hidden along the mountainside waiting for filming to begin, while a hundred mounted warriors—including Duk-Bae and Yoo-Jin—were standing by on horseback.

If Duk-Bae's accident was going to be a riding accident, then there was only one thing I could do.

I approached Oh Bok-Hee before filming started. "Mrs. Oh, would it be possible for me to join the shoot again as Princess Yu-Hwa's secret guard like last time? I've got a bad feeling about tonight."

Oh Bok-Hee thought for a moment before replying. "With you, Chief Jung, it'd probably be fine. But can you ride a horse? Everyone in today's scene has to be able to ride."

"Of course."

The perfect opportunity had finally arrived to make use of the horseback riding skills I had worked so hard to learn before my regression.

"That's a relief, then... although I'm not sure it'll work. The only horse left is Black Wind, and he's the biggest and meanest one we've got."

"Black Wind?"

"Why? You know him?"

"Ah, no. I just thought the name sounded cool."

The truth was, I knew him very well. I had ridden him many times before my regression.

"All right. Anyway, go get changed and give him a try. But if you can't handle Black Wind, you're out immediately. Got it?"

I nodded and hurried toward the dressing room to change.

***

Snort.

Wearing a black face covering, I climbed onto Black Wind and gently stroked his neck. Black Wind was an entirely black horse, noticeably larger than the others. Since I already knew he had extremely sensitive hearing and was prone to becoming unruly, I fitted him with two layers of ear covers before mounting him.

Duk-Bae, who was riding the white horse Baekdusan, stared in amazement at how calmly Black Wind behaved. "I could never ride Black Wind. How did you calm him down?"

I answered, "His ears are really sensitive. So I put two layers of ear covers on him and practically blocked out all sound."

Yoo-Jin clicked her tongue in admiration. "Wow. Seriously. That's amazing. You figured that out. Oppa, is there anything you can't do?"

There were a few things. I just couldn't say them out loud.

"More importantly, keep your eyes forward. And be careful since it's nighttime. If you fall, you'll get seriously hurt, so don't let go of your reins no matter what," I warned.

"Okay!"

The moment they answered, AD Geum Eun-Dong called out, "We're starting the shoot. Please keep hold of your reins and walk slowly. The stuntmen will handle the action scenes later."

"Yes, sir!"

Including Duk-Bae and Yoo-Jin, all the actors signaled that they were ready.

Oh Bok-Hee grabbed a megaphone and shouted softly, "Ready~ Action!"

The instant filming for Episode 47 of Hwaranjeon began, the horses started moving together.

Clop. Clop. Clop.

Duk-Bae and Yoo-Jin rode slowly ahead of me. The pace was little more than a brisk walk, allowing even relatively inexperienced riders like the two of them to remain stable.

The extras hidden along the mountainside had been warned that anyone who made noise or shone lights would be thrown out without pay, so the only sounds filling the night were insects chirping in the grass.

Then, before we had gone very far, the horses suddenly began snorting and growing restless.

'What's going on?'

After the wild boar incident, several layers of netting had been installed to keep wild animals away. I couldn't understand why the horses were becoming agitated. Fortunately, Black Wind remained calm thanks to the double ear covers.

At that moment, Baekdusan reared up onto his hind legs without warning.

"Hiiiiiigh!"

"Huh? Ah!"

Startled, Duk-Bae yanked on the reins, but Baekdusan suddenly bolted forward like a mad horse.

The shocked staff immediately began calling for the trainer. Unfortunately, the trainer was at the very back of the group.

Since I had already been on alert, I urged Black Wind forward and immediately gave chase. "Hyah!"

Thud, thud, thud.

Because I reacted almost instantly, I was able to pull up beside Baekdusan in the blink of an eye.

Guiding Black Wind alongside the runaway horse, I shouted to Duk-Bae, who was desperately clinging to the reins. "Duk-Bae! Get over here and climb onto this horse!"

Even an experienced rider could be thrown if they tried to stop a panicked horse by force. In a situation like this, matching speed first and transferring horses was far safer.

"From one horse to another?" asked Duk-Bae.

"Just do exactly what I tell you! Hurry!"

The wind whipped past our ears.

At the terrifying speed, Duk-Bae nodded with a tense expression. "Okay."

Using that moment, I guided Black Wind even closer to Baekdusan. As the two horses matched speeds, some of the fear in Duk-Bae's eyes faded.

"Don't look down, Duk-Bae. Just look at me."

"Okay."

"Grab the saddle tightly, take your left foot out of the stirrup, and hook it behind my saddle. Then shift your weight and come across. Let go of the reins at the very end and hold on to me as tightly as you can."

Such a method was only possible because Duk-Bae was athletic and had long legs.

"Got it. I'll do it right now!"

"Alright."

Following my instructions, Duk-Bae removed his left foot from the stirrup and hooked it behind my saddle. Then he pulled his right foot free and practically leaped to the left.

Thunk.

I reached behind me and grabbed a fistful of his clothing. The moment his weight left Baekdusan, the horse surged forward even faster.

"Did you make it over?"

At that moment, Duk-Bae wrapped both arms tightly around my waist from behind. "Y-Yes. I made it."

The instant I confirmed he was completely on Black Wind, I gradually began slowing the horse down.

Clop, clop, clop.

The distance between us and Baekdusan widened. Then Black Wind calmly came to a stop.

Snort.

Only after Black Wind finally halted and began breathing heavily did I hear the staff shouting as they ran toward us.

"Chief Jung! Duk-Bae! Are you okay?"

"You're okay, right?!"

Their voices echoed through the mountains.

Catching my breath, I answered, "Yes!"

Duk-Bae shouted from behind me as well. "I'm okay too!"

I turned Black Wind around and slowly headed back toward them.

"Mr. Jung!"

Among the people running over was Jung Sang-Bong, whom I had entrusted with my phone earlier.

Still seated on horseback, I held out my hand. "Sang-Bong, give me my phone first."

"Ah, yes. Here."

The moment he handed it over, I immediately opened Everyday.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: May 26, 2021]

-11:50 p.m.: <Schedule Entry Deleted>

(Deleted Schedule Entry: [NEW. Choi Duk-Bae] Emergency transport to Pohang Hospital.))

As soon as I saw the schedule entry disappear, a sigh of relief escaped me. "Phew..."

At last, the event predicting Duk-Bae's hospitalization had been erased. That meant all I had left was preventing the accident that would send Yoo-Jin to the hospital tomorrow.

At that moment, the clock on my phone signaled the start of a new day.

[May 27, 2021 – 12:00 a.m.]

It was finally the one-thousandth day since Yoo-Jin had joined Hoop Entertainment. If I could just prevent whatever accident awaited her, it would become a perfect day.

Then, my phone vibrated again.

Buzz.

A new notification appeared.

[Notification: A schedule entry related to Choi Duk-Bae has been registered for May 27, 2021.]

'A new schedule? Here? What the hell is it now?'

I immediately checked the details. The instant I saw it, my heart started pounding.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: May 27, 2021]

-04:30 a.m.: [NEW. Choi Duk-Bae] Emergency transport to Pohang Hospital.

The fact that Everyday had generated the schedule entry again meant the earlier incident hadn't been an accident.

At that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

'Did someone target the horses' hearing?'

As herbivores, horses possessed hearing far more sensitive than that of humans. They could detect sounds people couldn't hear at all.

A little while ago, every horse had become agitated at once. Baekdusan had panicked and bolted. Meanwhile, Black Wind—whose ears had been covered with two layers of ear protection—had barely reacted.

If my theory was correct, then someone at this filming location was deliberately trying to cause an accident. The targets were Duk-Bae and Yoo-Jin.

'Who are you?'