Chapter 148: Absorption (4)

Translator: Dreamscribe

Main PD Do Jin-deok of ‘The Cooking Teacher of Joseon’ suddenly widened both eyes in surprise. The place that had just contacted him was none other than that ‘MEG’.

His face flushed like he had been drinking, PD Do Jin-deok held his phone to his ear and went back over the thoughts flashing through his mind.

‘...‘MEG’. Of course I know them. They’re the investment firm everyone’s been talking about.’

And all that talk wasn’t negative. Quite the opposite. After all, ‘MEG’ had been on an unstoppable roll lately.

‘It’s only been a little over a year since ‘MEG’ appeared in the entertainment industry. But its influence is stronger than investment firms that have been around for decades.’

Not only had it produced several huge hits, it had also casually snapped up heavyweight figures like Moon Ji-a and Director Yu Gil-tae, and not long ago, it had even joined hands with ‘HG ENM’ to become the Running Mate for ‘K:FESTA’. And what about all the Subsidiaries it had rapidly added? Every single one of them was growing quickly too.

On top of that, the speed at which the Head Office ‘MEG’ itself was expanding was abnormal.

Until now, there had never been an investment firm that grew as quickly as ‘MEG’. Because of all those issues and that sheer impact, ‘MEG’ stood at the center of attention in the entertainment industry.

Broadcasting stations were no exception.

Do Jin-deok, a drama PD at terrestrial broadcaster LBS, had been talking about ‘MEG’ with his fellow PDs just yesterday.

Yet that very ‘MEG’ had suddenly called PD Do Jin-deok. The caller introduced himself as Kim Ha-jae of ‘MEG’. An unfamiliar name. In any case, PD Do Jin-deok’s heart beat a little faster. Something about this felt unusual. Still, PD Do Jin-deok composed himself first and steadied his voice.

“‘MEG’? Ah- yes, of course I know them. Hello. But......how did you get my number?”

Kim Ha-jae of ‘MEG’ answered rather dryly from the other end of the phone.

“Finding your number wasn’t particularly difficult, PD-nim.”

The moment she heard the word ‘MEG’, Writer Song Eun-hee, who had written ‘The Cooking Teacher of Joseon’, widened her eyes and turned her head. Her expression was completely different from when she had been staring gloomily at her laptop moments earlier. Seeing the question marks practically hovering in her eyes, PD Do Jin-deok gestured for her to wait.

“I see?”

Then he asked Kim Ha-jae on the other end of the phone.

“But why would ‘MEG’ suddenly be calling me?”

The answer came quickly.

“I’m contacting you regarding the drama you’re currently preparing, ‘The Cooking Teacher of Joseon’.”

“......You called because of our ‘The Cooking Teacher of Joseon’??”

“Yes.”

Until just moments ago, PD Do Jin-deok had been in a heated discussion with Writer Song Eun-hee about ‘The Cooking Teacher of Joseon’. Yet now ‘MEG’ had called out of nowhere and brought up ‘The Cooking Teacher of Joseon’.

PD Do Jin-deok blinked, met the eyes of Writer Song Eun-hee, who was staring intently at him, and spoke.

“Could it be- that you’re interested in ‘The Cooking Teacher of Joseon’?”

Kim Ha-jae on the other end of the phone answered immediately.

“Yes, we are interested.”

“!!!”

“I heard you’re currently coordinating with ‘GOO Production’ as the Outsourced Production Company. Has the contract already been finalized?”

“Ah, no. Not yet.”

“I imagine you’re nearly at the final stage. Still, if the contract hasn’t been finalized, there should be an opening.”

“......An opening?”

“PD-nim, this isn’t something to discuss at length over the phone. Let’s meet in person.”

PD Do Jin-deok’s eyes immediately widened, and before he knew it, Writer Song Eun-hee had pressed herself right up against him and was listening in on the call. Slightly flustered by the unexpected turn of events, PD Do Jin-deok slowly spoke.

“Meeting is- yes, that’s no problem. I’m sorry to ask, but what do you handle at ‘MEG’?”

“I’m a Director.”

“Excuse me? A Director??”

“Yes. If meeting is fine with you, how does tomorrow afternoon sound?”

“Tomorrow afternoon......yes, I’m available.”

“I’ll tell you the time and place separately. It would be good if the writer of ‘The Cooking Teacher of Joseon’ came as well.”

“Ah, the writer too. Understood. I’ll ask her.”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

-Click.

The moment the call with ‘MEG’ ended, PD Do Jin-deok slowly lowered his phone, and Writer Song Eun-hee, who had been holding herself back, immediately pounced on him.

“PD-nim! What was that?? ‘MEG’ is that place, right?! That investment firm that’s insanely hot these days! Why do they want to meet us???”

With a serious expression, PD Do Jin-deok scratched his head and voiced his thoughts.

“We’ll have to meet them to know for sure...but they said ‘MEG’ is interested in our ‘The Cooking Teacher of Joseon’.”

“...Whoa. R-really??”

“Of course, all they’ve said so far is that they’re interested, so I don’t know exactly what they want- but Writer Song, maybe ‘MEG’ is thinking about investing in our project.”

Writer Song Eun-hee covered her gaping mouth with both hands. Until moments ago, she had been deeply depressed over the contract with Outsourced Production Company ‘GOO Production’, but her mood instantly shot up.

“This is crazy. B-but why would ‘MEG’ suddenly become interested in our drama??!”

“I don’t know, I really don’t. But I think we absolutely have to meet them.”

With money barely circulating in the market these days, this kind of thing rarely happened. An investment firm they hadn’t even pitched to was directly expressing interest. Sure, investment firms would come running for a project by a star-level writer, but for Song Eun-hee, this ‘The Cooking Teacher of Joseon’ was only her second project.

Just having ‘GOO Production’ come aboard was already enough reason to break out the band.

And now ‘MEG’ too?

PD Do Jin-deok stroked his chin. He was calming down his excitement. The main PD of a project always had to keep a cool head.

‘Not yet, not yet. There’s no reason to jump for joy yet. ‘MEG’ only said they’re interested. Even if they offer Investment, the amount might be small. If that’s the case, ‘GOO Production’ would be a hundred times better.’

It was a role where, if necessary, he had to volunteer to play the villain and take abuse from every direction.

‘If we choose ‘GOO Production’, the Production Company, Investment, and a Top Actress as the Female Lead all get solved in one shot. I don’t really like the contract clause saying they’ll interfere with the project, or the fact that Chinese capital will be mixed into the Investment- but these days, it’s hard to find anything without foreign capital. There’s almost no purely domestic capital left in the market.’

If he handled things ambiguously for no reason, ‘GOO Production’, which was right on the verge of signing, might turn its back on them. Then the Production Company, Investment, and Top Actress Female Lead would all disappear at once. That would mean ‘The Cooking Teacher of Joseon’ collapsing entirely.

‘For now, let’s move very quietly. And stay somewhat guarded.’

Whatever happened, ‘GOO Production’ could not find out about the meeting with ‘MEG’. PD Do Jin-deok then spoke to Writer Song Eun-hee.

“Writer Song, for now, only you know about ‘MEG’. It’ll be trouble if word gets out.”

“Yeah, yeah! Got it.”

“And let’s have you come to the meeting with ‘MEG’ too.”

“Me too??”

“Yes. Don’t get your hopes up too much, and think about this calmly.”

At that moment, PD Do Jin-deok’s phone rang again. This time, it was a call from ‘GOO Production’. PD Do Jin-deok got up from his seat, moved some distance away from Writer Song Eun-hee, and put the phone to his ear.

“Yes, yes, speaking.”

A deep male voice soon came through the phone.

“PD-nim? You still haven’t persuaded Writer Song??”

“Ahaha, just give me a few more days. Writer Song is almost convinced too.”

“Ha- this is taking too long. What is this, all over one rookie-level writer? If this drags on any longer, everything we’ve discussed so far, including the contract, might go up in smoke. Naturally, the Investment too.”

“I know, I know. I’ll contact you again soon.”

After ending the call, PD Do Jin-deok let out a long sigh and thought of ‘MEG’.

‘Damn it, I don’t know if it’s okay to keep walking this tightrope.’

That same night.

Someone stepped into a vast living room that looked grand at a glance. It was Top Actress Moon Ji-a, who had just returned home after finishing her schedule. Having recently wrapped filming for ‘Condensation: Euphoria’, she was spending her time on schedules such as ADR, commercials, and Pictorials.

As soon as she got home, Moon Ji-a tightly tied back her long black hair and took a bottle of water out of the refrigerator first.

-Slide.

-Flip.

“It’s definitely fun. I like that it’s a Fusion Historical Drama too.”

Extremely positive.

“More than anything, the Female Lead character is juicy. She’s strong-willed, vibrant, and unusual. The worldbuilding is interesting too.”

Ultimately, Moon Ji-a liked ‘The Cooking Teacher of Joseon’ quite a lot.

“Hmm- I was starting to feel like doing a rom-com.”

Still, if she was being honest, part of her wanted to take some time off after ‘Condensation: Euphoria’. But her heart had wavered. No, perhaps it had already tipped toward accepting? Moon Ji-a then recalled what Director Kim Ha-jae had said when they met a few days ago.

‘I smell a hit, personally.’

It was difficult for Moon Ji-a to ignore the conviction overflowing from his gaze. Besides, he was already a man she couldn’t help but be conscious of. She smiled faintly and murmured softly.

“If you say it like that, you make me want to do it even if it’s a total bomb.”

After thinking for a moment, she picked up her phone. She was going to send Director Kim Ha-jae a message. Moon Ji-a’s message was quite concise.

-I’ll do the project you gave me.

And early the next morning, March 26.

Moon Ji-a headed to the Salon early. She had an interview and an event scheduled a few hours later. She greeted the Salon staff as she headed to her seat, where she spotted a familiar face beside her.

It was Yoon Da-yeon, who had arrived earlier and was getting her hair and makeup done.

The moment she saw her, Moon Ji-a furrowed her brows and let out a small sigh. Sensing someone’s presence, Yoon Da-yeon, with her long straight hair, turned her head. Yoon Da-yeon clicked her tongue without making it obvious.

“Hi.”

Moon Ji-a sat down beside her and returned the greeting without emotion.

“Yeah, hi.”

After their mechanical greetings passed back and forth, Moon Ji-a spoke again.

“Aren’t you right in the middle of filming ‘Mask of Murder’? Why are you at the Salon this early?”

“I’ve got a promotional video shoot in a little while, you?”

“Me too, this and that.”

“If you’re not actually curious, we don’t have to force a conversation.”

“I was planning not to anyway.”

The chilly atmosphere lasted for roughly 30 minutes, and with her makeup nearly finished, Yoon Da-yeon glanced at Moon Ji-a before moving her lips.

“Are you going to do ‘that project’?”

‘That project’ referred to ‘The Cooking Teacher of Joseon’. Moon Ji-a’s answer was short and quick.

“Yeah, I told him I’d do it.”

Yoon Da-yeon shrugged.

“That’s surprising. I thought you’d take some time off.”

“You’re not just hoping I’ll take a break, are you?”

“You caught me.”

“Hearing that makes me want to do it even more. What about you?”

“Me?”

With her makeup finished, Yoon Da-yeon stood up from her seat and answered expressionlessly.

“I’m doing ‘that project’ too.”

Sparks immediately flew between the two actresses’ gazes.

About two hours later, Leon Entertainment.

After arriving at work, Kang Jae-ha had been summoned by Han Tae-sung and was seated on the five-seat sofa in the CEO’s office. After some conversation, CEO Han Tae-sung looked at Jae-ha and nodded.

“All right, then. Let’s set the U.S. trip for April 19.”

They were discussing the business trip to the U.S. that Jae-ha would be taking with CEO Han Tae-sung.

*****

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