Chapter 1019: First Broadcast of Land of Happiness (2)

Park Sung-Tae, the handsome anchor in charge of SBC's 8 p.m. news, was interviewing Writer Lee Ji-Yeon. Three people who resembled her were sitting beside Lee Ji-Yeon.

CG captions displaying their names hovered around their waists on the screen.

[Yoon Na-Ra, Yoon Sung-Woo, Yoon Na-Bi, Yoon Kkot-Nim (Writer Lee Ji-Yeon's real name)]

Park Sung-Tae spoke to Lee Ji-Yeon with a pleased expression.

-Mrs. Lee Ji-Yeon. Or should I call you Mrs. Yoon Kkot-Nim? My heartfelt congratulations on reuniting with all the family members you were separated from forty years ago!

-You can call me either one. They're both my names. And thank you.

-All right. Then I'll call you Mrs. Lee Ji-Yeon, since that's a little more familiar to our viewers. I'll start with the question everyone is most curious about. Your family members even have the same names as the characters in the new daily drama that aired before the news. So, perhaps... is this drama based on a true story?

-Yes. Episode one is about what happened to our family forty years ago. Five years ago, I found my brother and my twin sister first, and finally, I found my eldest sister here. And...

Watching the TV, Pyo Eun-Jong couldn't stop himself from swearing. What Jung Yoon-Ho had done was use a news broadcast watched by the entire nation to sear Land of Happiness into the viewers' minds.

"That crazy bastard... He's using the news as an advertising board?"

The fact that it was based on Lee Ji-Yeon's true story alone was enough to make it stick in the viewers' memories. Now that he had even put the family members separated forty years ago on TV, there was no way viewers could forget Land of Happiness even if they tried.

'Damn it! Shit! Jung Yoon-Ho. What the hell are you? How does a mere talent agent even come up with something like this?'

Going up against the legendary Lee Ji-Yeon was already enough pressure. The thought of also having to compete against a drama with the label "based on a true story" was horrifying. On top of that, the four people in the interview made such a heartwarming sight.

Yoon Na-Ra gazed warmly at the three younger siblings she had reunited with after forty years. Yoon Sung-Woo tightly held the right hand of the eldest sister he had found after forty years and Lee Ji-Yeon, whom he had found five years ago, as though he never intended to let go again. Yoon Na-Bi missed them because living in America meant she couldn't see them often, yet her playful side remained as she teased her fraternal twin sister.

Then there was Lee Ji-Yeon, who had set aside her usual charisma and briefly returned to being Yoon Kkot-Nim, the mischievous girl she had been before the accident, surrounded by her family.

The tender emotions each of the four showed during the interview made the drama feel even more real.

Watching the event Jung Yoon-Ho had orchestrated, Pyo Eun-Jong began to sink into a crushing sense of defeat. Faced with this brilliant marketing campaign Jung Yoon-Ho had planned, he was no longer the head of the drama department at Korea's top broadcasting station. He was nothing more than an ordinary office worker who could do absolutely nothing in response.

'I lost...'

As the interview ended, the screen switched back to the studio.

-Now, we'll move on to our next story.

'What? It's over already?'

Only then did Pyo Eun-Jong finally come to his senses and hurriedly switch the channel to KBC 1TV. The current time was 8:43 p.m.

Seeing Nam Jong-Ok's face flushed bright red, Pyo Eun-Jong hurried to calm her down. "Don't worry, Mrs. Nam. That won't change anything."

Nam Jong-Ok snapped at him. "Do you really think that? They're saying that ridiculous story actually happened! Reality is more dramatic than the drama itself, and you're not curious about episode two, Director Pyo? Huh? Even I'm dying to know what happens next!"

"No, well..."

The answer, I'm curious too, rose to the tip of Pyo Eun-Jong's tongue, but he forced himself to keep his mouth shut.

Then Nam Jong-Ok glared at AD Choi Yoon-Sun, still fuming. "What's our viewership ratings right now?"

Choi Yoon-Sun stammered. "Well... Mrs. Nam...."

"Are you not going to answer me?"

Pyo Eun-Jong urgently signaled with his eyes for her to keep quiet.

Unable to withstand the pressure, however, Choi Yoon-Sun finally confessed. "14.1%... That's what we're at."

Bang.

Nam Jong-Ok slammed the meeting room table. "Fuck! I knew this would happen!"

Normally, viewership ratings should have risen by at least another 2% by this point in the broadcast, putting them above 18%. Getting 14% meant SBC News had stolen more than 4% of their viewers.

Nam Jong-Ok shouted at Pyo Eun-Jong, still fuming. "What the hell are you doing, Director Pyo? Go see the president right now and do something! Put out a breaking story on KBC 2TV News or cable, or set up an interview with me. Flood the media with promotions for our show!"

Pyo Eun-Jong answered, sweating profusely. "Unlike SBC, KBC is state-run, so we can't just use the news however we... want."

"Are you kidding me? So you're just going to sit there and watch? What if we lose in the viewership ratings? Can you take responsibility for that, Director Pyo?"

Despite the barrage of criticism fired at him like a machine gun, it was already too late to do anything. Director Hong Ah-Yoon had apparently never imagined they would pull something like this during the news either, and she had fallen into a panic. MeTube and online news articles were already being flooded with stories about Land of Happiness.

A sense of total defeat began to settle over the KBC director's office.

***

"8:45 p.m. SBC News has reached an incredible 8.5%! Meanwhile, A Life Lived Twice is at 14.1% in the same time slot!"

The moment the report came in, the news department staff who had finished the broadcast and everyone else in the room erupted into cheers. SBC News normally averaged 4%, but its viewership ratings had more than doubled, while its rival, KBC's A Life Lived Twice, had taken a sharp hit.

"Wow, news got 8%? How long has it been since that happened?"

"At this rate, couldn't our Land of Happiness actually beat A Life Lived Twice?"

"Hey, don't get ahead of yourself. There's still some time left."

"Is there? Phew. Either way, congratulations to you guys in the news department. A news viewership ratings of 8.5% is seriously huge, isn't it?"

"Of course it is!"

"Congratulations."

The drama department regretted that KBC's A Life Lived Twice was still airing, but they congratulated the news department.

After congratulating the news department as well, I went to find Lee Ji-Yeon's family, who were waiting for me with excited expressions. They were her eldest sister, who now went by Jung In-Ji instead of Yoon Na-Ra; her eldest brother, who now went by "Brian Kim" instead of Yoon Sung-Woo; and her twin sister, who now went by "Rachel Lee" instead of Yoon Na-Bi.

The siblings living in America had wrapped up their urgent business in time for the date I had requested, flown all the way here, and rushed straight to the Namyangju set. Thanks to them, I was able to pull off today's event.

I bowed and said, "Thank you for appearing in the interview today. You were a huge help."

At that moment, Yoon Sung-Woo and Yoon Na-Bi firmly took my hands.

"Not at all, Mr. Jung. You're the one who helped us find our noo-nim, aren't you? This is nothing. We'd come even if you called us ten times."

"That's right. I don't know how we'll ever repay you for everything you've done."

I smiled at them and replied, "I'll be satisfied as long as the four of you live happily."

Just appearing on the broadcast at my request had already created an enormous response, so I told them that was more than enough.

Yoon Sung-Woo firmly shook his head. "We can't do that. We'll make sure to repay you."

Yoon Sung-Woo, who owned a large restaurant and gas station in America, was known to be quite wealthy. Yoon Na-Bi had also reportedly accumulated considerable wealth while running the large restaurant with him.

"Me too."

The moment I saw the looks in the eyes of Lee Ji-Yeon's brother and sister, both known for their generosity, I began to feel a little nervous. So I stubbornly refused once again.

At 9 p.m., AD Park Byung-Seo shouted that the rival KBC drama A Life Lived Twice had ended. "It's over!"

Everyone stopped moving and looked at PD Ju Se-Hyung.

Ju Se-Hyung's hands trembled before he shouted with all his might, "KBC's A Life Lived Twice ended episode one at 17.3%! We won!"

Cheers erupted all over the set, and before long, everyone began showering me with thanks.

"Chief Jung! Thank you! We beat KBC for the first time thanks to you!"

"What would we have done without Chief Jung? Thank you, Chief Jung!"

"Mr. Jung! Let's keep working together from now on!"

Thanks to the event that put Lee Ji-Yeon and her entire family in front of the cameras, an SBC daily drama had defeated a KBC daily drama in the same-day viewership ratings battle for the first time in history.

SBC's Land of Happiness ended with 20.1%, and KBC's A Life Lived Twice ended with 17.3%.

Cracks were beginning to form in KBC's seemingly invincible daily drama kingdom.

***

[SBC's Land of Happiness Episode One Peaks at 20.1%, Setting an All-Time Record.]

[SBC Daily Dramas Declare a Perfect Comeback!]

[Land of Happiness Based on the True Life Story of Writer Lee Ji-Yeon.]

[The Turbulent Lives of Writer Lee Ji-Yeon and the Three Yoon Siblings.]

[SBC's Land of Happiness Defeats KBC's A Life Lived Twice!]

[The Turbulent Life of Writer Lee Ji-Yeon: From a Girl Who Dreamed of Becoming a Ballerina to Losing the Use of Her Lower Body, and Her Rise to Become Korea's Greatest Writer.]

[SBC Daily Drama Land of Happiness Gets Surprise Rebroadcast at 9:20 a.m.!]

By the very next day, related articles began pouring out like crazy. When the public grew curious after learning that the story was based on Lee Ji-Yeon's life, SBC made an emergency scheduling change and decided to rebroadcast the daily drama.

Still savoring the victory, I left my room on the third floor. Today was the final shoot for Yoo-Jin's first movie, She Was Beautiful. Since the shoot was taking place in Seoul, Yoo-Jin had come home last night.

I stood in front of the second-floor door and rang the bell. Yoo-Jin called out from inside.

"Oppa. I'm almost ready. Go wait downstairs first~"

She sounded a little tired from the nonstop filming, but I could still hear her trying to stay energized for the final shoot.

"Take your time."

After telling Yoo-Jin not to rush, I went down to the first floor.

Click.

When I opened the first-floor door, Lee Ji-Yeon, Jung In-Ji, and the two siblings were gathered in the living room, watching the rebroadcast of Land of Happiness. Yoon Sung-Woo and Yoon Na-Bi planned to stay here until they returned to America in a week, while Lee Ji-Yeon would come and go as her writing schedule allowed.

"Oh, Yoon-Ho. You're up?"

Hearing me come in, Lee Ji-Yeon waved at me warmly.

At that moment, Yoon Sung-Woo and Yoon Na-Bi stood and bowed politely to me. They looked at me as if I were their savior, which made me feel awkward.

I bowed back and sat down, and Jung In-Ji held out a plate of sliced apples she had prepared in advance. "Chief Jung. Try some of this. Na-Bi bought them, and they're incredibly sweet."

"Yes. Thank you."

Just as I took a bite of an apple, the rebroadcast of episode one of Land of Happiness was ending on TV. However, instead of a commercial, a short thirty-second missing-child announcement began to play.

-We are searching for Yoo Han-Jung, a seven-year-old girl who went missing in Seongbuk District ten years ago.

At the time of her disappearance, she was...

'He kept his promise.'

Lee Ji-Yeon clicked her tongue in amazement as she watched the screen. "President Kim cares about Yoon-Ho more than I thought. He even gave up two commercial slots just because Yoon-Ho asked him to."

Last night, the moment we won the viewership ratings battle, President Kim Gab-Soo had called me. And he had promised to grant me anything I wanted. I immediately asked him to run a thirty-second missing-child campaign after Land of Happiness ended.

Commercials airing after a popular daily drama guaranteed enormous profits, yet Kim Gab-Soo readily agreed to my request. And starting with today's rebroadcast, he was keeping that promise.

Still, I gave Lee Ji-Yeon the credit for that as well. "Come on. How could that be because of me? It's because the show turned out so well."

"No. You have to take credit where it's due. The plan to use the news department to land a blow on KBC came from your head, didn't it?" As I scratched my head, Lee Ji-Yeon continued. "By the way, don't just think positively about that cheapskate President Kim doing everything you ask. He's only doing it because he plans to squeeze several times more out of you later."

No one knew that better than me, a regressor. Still, I assured her that I understood and eased her concerns.

"I'll keep that in mind. Oh, and Mrs. Lee, today is Yoo-Jin's final day on the set of She Was Beautiful, so I'll go there first and come back to pick you up."

Lee Ji-Yeon planned to visit places filled with memories of their parents with her older siblings.

She nodded and said, "All right. And if you're busy, you can send someone else instead, so don't worry. We all know how busy you are, Yoon-Ho."

I nodded and got to my feet.

Then Yoon Sung-Woo held out an envelope to me. "Oh, and please take this."

Yoon Na-Bi followed by holding out an identical envelope. "Me too."

Since I had refused their offers of gifts since yesterday, it seemed they were determined to give me money instead.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but if it's money, I absolutely can't accept it."

Yoon Sung-Woo and Yoon Na-Bi smiled warmly, still holding the envelopes. "It's not money, so take a look first before you say that."

After hesitating for a moment, I finally took the two envelopes and tore open the corners. If it wasn't money, there couldn't be any harm in at least seeing what was inside.

Riiip.

When I opened one side of the envelopes, I found a single sheet of paper inside each one.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Take a look."

At Yoon Sung-Woo's words, I checked the papers. For a moment, I froze.

[Donation Pledge to the Missing-Persons Organization 'Back to the Family']

Donors: Brian Kim (Yoon Sung-Woo), Jung Yoon-Ho

Amount: $500,000

[Donation Pledge to the Missing-Persons Organization 'Back to the Family']

Donors: Rachel Lee (Yoon Na-Bi), Jung Yoon-Ho

Amount: $500,000

Five hundred thousand dollars was worth more than 600 million won, and each of them was offering that enormous sum to help find missing children. On top of that, my name was listed among the donors.

Yoon Sung-Woo looked at me and spoke in a low voice. "Kkot-Nim told us you'd never accept money, Mr. Jung, so we chose this method instead. When we heard that you'd even pressured the president of SBC into running a missing-child campaign, we thought it might be a good idea to make a donation in your name. They said our names had to be included too, so please understand that we had no choice but to add them."

Yoon Na-Bi nodded as well. "For reference, we can cancel it within three days, so we can get you something else instead. And my brother and I earn plenty in America, so don't worry about the money."

Unlike the money I had assumed it would be, this was an incredibly meaningful gift.

I said with a trembling voice, "If this is the kind of gift you're giving me... I'll accept it with sincere gratitude."

Lee Ji-Yeon smiled. "See? I told you that if you wanted to give Yoon-Ho a gift, you had to do it the way I suggested."

"You're right. Our youngest was right. Chief Jung really is kindhearted and strong-willed."

The sudden stream of praise left me feeling awkward.

Then Lee Ji-Yeon smiled at me. "Oh, Yoon-Ho. For the record, I'm donating one billion won. Our eldest sister is putting in about fifty million too. You brought our family back together, so we'll help other people find their families too."

I put the two sheets of paper back into the envelopes and hugged them tightly to my chest. "Thank you."

Knowing that I had helped good people made something stir deep inside me.

At that moment, Jung In-Ji held out a square blue velvet case. "And I have a separate gift for you."

"What? You too, Mrs. Jung?"

"Yes. Open it."

I couldn't bring myself to refuse, so I eventually opened the case. Inside was a luxury Montres Baguette Classique wristwatch, made by one of the oldest watch brands in the world. The elegant watch had a black dial and strap, while its slender white second hand ticked away, keeping perfect time.

"It was my father's watch. We were fairly well-off back when he ran the factory," explained Jung In-Ji.

I asked, "How did you manage to keep something this expensive all this time?"

"I left it at a pawnshop before I entered the orphanage. Then, after I came back up from Busan, my late husband went to the pawnshop and got it back for me as a gift for our first wedding anniversary."

After hearing the story behind it, I felt even less able to accept it. It was a keepsake left behind by the father of the four siblings who had been separated, as well as a memento recovered by her husband, who had since passed away.

I firmly shook my head. "No, I can't. I can't accept something like this."

"No. Please take it. Every day, I looked at this watch and prayed to my father to help me find our youngest. Now that my wish has come true... I want to give it to Chief Jung, the man who made that wish come true. I wanted to give it to you right away, but it took some time to have it repaired and replace the strap."

I wanted to refuse, but the look in her eyes made it impossible. In the end, I gave in to Jung In-Ji's wishes.

"I'll just... keep it safe for you for now. If you ever change your mind, I'll return it."

"My mind isn't going to change, so don't worry and try it on. I just want to see how it looks on you."

After a moment of hesitation, I took the watch and put it on my left wrist. At that moment, bright smiles spread across the faces of Jung In-Ji, Lee Ji-Yeon, and the rest of the family.

"It suits you."

Then, the first-floor door opened, and Yoo-Jin appeared.

Clunk.

"Oppa. Let's go to the set!"

I turned toward Yoo-Jin's energetic voice and answered, "Yeah!"

But on Yoo-Jin's left wrist was a white Montres Baguette watch identical in design to mine.