Chapter 143: Mastermind (11)

Translator: Dreamscribe

CEO Seok Ji-yeon remained alone in HG ENM's main conference room after the masked Kang Jae-ha and Go Chun-seok left. She had a lot on her mind.

"......"

There had been some friction during the meeting, but in any case, MEG had been confirmed as K:FESTA's Running Mate. Quite a few things had happened along the way, but now that they had secured a main investor, all that remained was to move forward with K:FESTA.

"...Phew- somehow- that's a relief."

Of course, there were still plenty of hurdles left to clear, such as continuing to recruit various sponsors. But now that they had overcome the biggest hurdle, securing a Running Mate, all they had to do was pick up speed.

CEO Seok Ji-yeon then thought of Director Kim Ha-jae.

More precisely, what he had said at the very end.

The key point was that if she asked for help, he would back her. CEO Seok Ji-yeon found herself feeling strangely intrigued.

'A mercenary? That's a first, hearing something like that from an investment firm in this industry.'

More than anything, Director Kim Ha-jae clearly understood HG ENM's internal situation. Gathering information on a company before investing in it was only natural, but Director Kim Ha-jae seemed to know even the most sensitive details.

'He'd back me, huh-'

It was a statement overflowing with confidence and self-assurance. Normally, CEO Seok Ji-yeon would have dismissed it as mere bravado, but perhaps because it had come from a director of MEG, a company growing at an astonishing rate, she couldn't help but dwell on it.

More than anything, the peculiar air Director Kim Ha-jae gave off was remarkable.

"Mercenary."

CEO Seok Ji-yeon had never even considered asking an outsider for help. At present, there was no denying that she was being pushed back somewhat by Director Lee Dong-hak in the family's internal power struggle. Before long, an unfamiliar sense of curiosity and anticipation welled up inside her.

Should she give it a try?

As CEO Seok Ji-yeon gradually began warming to the idea, she murmured quietly.

"But just......how exactly does he plan to help me?"

Meanwhile.

Around the time Kang Jae-ha was meeting with HG ENM, the media was spreading some fresh news. It concerned renowned director Yu Gil-tae's new agency.

《Renowned Director Yu Gil-tae Finds a New Home...We Checked Which Agency He Joined》

《After Moon Ji-a, Now Director Yu Gil-tae Too? MEG's Astonishing Moves/ Photo》

《The Entire Film Industry Is Stunned! Renowned Director Yu Gil-tae Posts About His New Agency on SNS/ Photo》

The Media Play campaign was spearheaded by News M, which served as MEG's megaphone and had Ha Yeon-ji as both editor-in-chief and CEO. The articles spread rapidly. Their contents quickly spilled over into online communities and elsewhere. At the same time, the film industry was thrown into an uproar.

"Huh, Director Yu Gil-tae went to MEG??"

"Don't renowned directors on Yu Gil-tae's level usually start their own companies or sign with massive agencies? And yet, out of nowhere, MEG?"

"What the hell does MEG even have......for all these big names to keep joining them one after another? Is there a gold mine buried there or something?"

Yu Gil-tae's name flew endlessly from the mouths of countless people throughout the film industry. At the same time, MEG's name kept coming up as well. MEG had already generated countless issues involving projects, people, and more, and the fact that the buzz around it never seemed to die down played a major role.

Now, across the entire entertainment industry.

《[Issue Pick] Investment Firm MEG Can't Stay Out of the Headlines, Shows Explosive Growth Alongside Its Numerous Subsidiaries》

It was hardly an exaggeration to say that there was no one left who didn't know MEG.

The next morning, the 16th.

Kang Jae-ha got moving as soon as he arrived at Leon Entertainment. He headed straight for a conference room. Several people were already waiting inside.

First, five women bowed the moment they saw Jae-ha.

"Ah! Hello, Manager-nim!"

"It's a great morning!!"

They were the members of Kisera, dressed in practice clothes. From their long-haired blonde leader Ha-rin to Jay, Nia, Riv, and Sion, all of them looked to be in good condition. They had to be going through a pretty grueling schedule with all the practice and everything, yet they seemed more energetic than ever. Was it because they were young? Kang Jae-ha wondered to himself.

"Yes, hello."

He casually returned Kisera's greetings. In addition to them, members of the A&R team, choreography team, and other staff involved in Kisera's Rebuilding were seated around the conference room.

Just then.

-Swoosh.

A figure radiating pressure entered the conference room. It was CEO Han Tae-sung, dressed in a suit with his hair neatly slicked back. The moment he appeared, not only Kisera but...

"Ah, hello, CEO-nim!!"

Every employee gathered in the conference room shot to their feet and bowed. Of course, Kang Jae-ha bowed as well. CEO Han Tae-sung quietly accepted the employees' greetings before sitting at the head of the table.

"Yeah, sit down."

CEO Han Tae-sung swept his gaze across the roughly twenty people present, starting with Kisera, before his eyes landed on Kang Jae-ha. He didn't say anything in particular, but a faint smile appeared on his face. Regardless, Kang Jae-ha already had his 'Ability' detection active. By now, it had become routine.

Whether there were any Subordinates nearby, or anyone connected to the New Light Truth Church.

He reached a conclusion quickly.

There were no Subordinates, and the only person connected to the New Light Truth Church was Han Tae-sung. However, Kang Jae-ha activated one additional 'Ability'. It was Sensing. His target was naturally CEO Han Tae-sung. It wasn't to see an 'Ability', but to check whether there were any buffs or debuffs caused by an 'Ability'. There was a strong possibility he'd picked something up from the New Light Truth Church.

But.

'Nothing.'

CEO Han Tae-sung was clean. Just as Jae-ha found that slightly unexpected, CEO Han Tae-sung calmly crossed his legs and spoke in a low voice.

"Kisera, I heard the music videos are finished?"

Kang Jae-ha answered in a dry tone.

"Yes."

It meant the music videos for Kisera, which had been in editing, were complete. That was precisely why everyone, including CEO Han Tae-sung and Kang Jae-ha, had gathered in this conference room first thing in the morning. Even the music videos, the final part of Kisera's Rebuilding project, had been completed. Both songs composed by Choi Ri-na, 'BBlink!' and 'Starlight Error', now had finished music videos.

CEO Han Tae-sung nodded and gave an instruction.

"Let's take a look."

"Yes!"

An A&R employee sitting nearby operated a laptop. Music videos appeared on the screen in the darkened conference room. 'BBlink!' played first, followed immediately by 'Starlight Error', and on the screen, the Kisera members appeared in distinctly different concepts, looking damn impressive.

CEO Han Tae-sung watched the music videos intently with his arms crossed, while Kang Jae-ha also watched with his chin resting on one hand.

He didn't show it, but Jae-ha was quite satisfied inside.

'Nice. They incorporated the suggestions I gave them well. The focus on the Kisera members is pretty good too.'

Likewise, the Kisera members, Ha-rin, Jay, Nia, Riv, and Sion, were busy whispering among themselves.

"Holy crap, it came out amazing."

"This is good, really good."

"Ha...now that the music video's done too, my heart's pounding."

If they had been alone, they would have been jumping around like lunatics. They were only holding themselves back with everything they had because the CEO and Kang Jae-ha were there. It was an understandable reaction. The three original members had survived when Kisera had nearly been scrapped, while the two newly added members were happy simply to see themselves appearing in a music video.

When the music videos finished playing, CEO Han Tae-sung slowly nodded.

"They turned out well. We can launch with them as they are."

That meant they had passed. CEO Han Tae-sung soon asked Kang Jae-ha, who showed little reaction.

"When did we set the launch for?"

He was asking when the rebuilt Kisera would be sent out. Jae-ha readily gave the answer he had already decided on.

"The music videos will officially go live next Friday, the 26th. Both of them. Then we'll start the overseas viral campaign the following day."

"And the domestic debut?"

"We set it for April 1st."

CEO Han Tae-sung slowly nodded and murmured.

"Do it right. I'm sure you'll handle it."

"Yes."

He turned his gaze toward the excited Kisera members. He looked at them but didn't say anything in particular. He was speaking with his eyes. Kang Jae-ha brought you girls back from the dead, so work yourselves to death. Something along those lines.

By this point, Media Play for the newly revamped Kisera had already begun.

《[Star Talk] Leon Entertainment Says, "Kisera Will Stand Before Fans With a New Look, Please Look Forward to It."》

Afterward.

CEO Han Tae-sung left the conference room, but Kang Jae-ha remained. He still had things to discuss with the employees and the Kisera members.

The A&R team employees were in the middle of explaining something.

'Hm?'

Kang Jae-ha's vision rippled the moment his eyes met those of a female A&R employee. A sense of familiarity followed. It was the precursor to a 'Deja Vu'. Before long, a third-person 'Deja Vu', something other than reality, unfolded before Kang Jae-ha.

『The location was a café. The female employee and her coworkers sat around a table, sipping coffee while looking at their phones. Then the female employee lowered the coffee she'd been sipping, and this article was displayed on her phone.

《The Fall of 'The Cooking Teacher of Joseon', a 20% Viewership Rating Smash Hit, Historical Distortion Controversy Prompts Production Team to "Bow Their Heads in Apology"》

The female employee looked up from her phone and spoke.

"'The Cooking Teacher of Joseon' shot all the way up to a 20% Viewership Rating by episode 8, and now it's hit Rock Bottom overnight because of a Historical Distortion controversy."

One of her coworkers immediately replied.

"Ah! Viewers are going absolutely crazy over that, right?? Some people are even demanding they stop broadcasting it."

"For now, it looks like the network probably will halt the broadcast, but still, they're seriously screwed. If they just stop at episode 8, how much money are they going to lose??"

"That's an Outsourced Production, right? Then they're going to take a brutal hit."

The female employee clicked her tongue and continued.

"Foreign capital might be flooding into the domestic content market, but when it comes to investment, Chinese money in particular needs to be handled carefully."

"That's true. They tend to demand a ton of things, and it's pretty common for them to start calling the shots."

"A lot of them just never get caught. Situations like 'The Cooking Teacher of Joseon' are more common than people think."

The employees' conversation gradually grew quite heated over the drama 'The Cooking Teacher of Joseon'.

"Did they seriously think nobody would notice if they subtly slipped Chinese elements into the story??"

"Who knows. But with 'The Cooking Teacher of Joseon', wasn't it around episode 4? Or 5? Anyway, didn't they replace the writer once around then?"

"Ah! Right! Didn't the writer voluntarily step down?? I remember seeing an article about it."

"I get the feeling that was when the Chinese investors really started interfering."

The name of a top actress also came up in the employees' conversation.

"Jeon So-hee, the female lead in 'The Cooking Teacher of Joseon', was in a controversy recently too."

"Was she?"

"Yeah. You know, she replied to a viewer's comment on SNS like she was getting into some petty battle of wills with them, so people tore into her for it. Saying her personality was trash and all that."

"Jeon So-hee's always had kind of a lousy personality anyway, hasn't she?? Either way, at this point all that's left for 'The Cooking Teacher of Joseon' is to crash and burn."

The female employee took another regretful sip of her coffee and added.

"The Viewership Rating was a freaking 20%, 20%! If it hadn't hit Rock Bottom over the Historical Distortion controversy and all that, it would've had the highest Viewership Rating of the year for sure, and it probably would've swept all kinds of awards at the end of the year too. What a waste, seriously..."』

That was where the Deja Vu ended.

*****

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