Chapter 150: Absorption (6)

Translator: Dreamscribe

At PD Do Jin-deok's dazed question, Kang Jae-ha, wearing Director Kim Ha-jae's face, answered evenly.

"We told you we'd give you Ms. Moon Ji-a."

PD Do Jin-deok froze again.

"...M-Ms. Moon Ji-a?"

"Yes, Ms. Moon Ji-a."

Writer Song Eun-hee, sitting beside him, already looked as though her soul had been launched clear out of the universe. The only normal person in that conference room was Kang Jae-ha.

'Their reactions are funny, both of them. Well, I get it. They probably never dreamed Moon Ji-a's name would come up.'

Jae-ha was completely at ease.

By this point, PD Do Jin-deok's mouth was hanging wide open, but his mind was working fairly quickly.

'......Moon Ji-a, right, Moon Ji-a. She transferred to MEG recently, didn't she?'

He remembered noisily discussing Moon Ji-a's out-of-the-blue transfer with his fellow PDs. Most of what had been said back then amounted to, why would that Moon Ji-a go to 'MEG'? That it was unexpected, that it was surprising. Well, the whole thing had caused quite a stir throughout the industry, so that was only natural.

But he never expected Moon Ji-a's name to come up here.

'And they're even...giving Moon Ji-a to our production??!'

He truly hadn't seen it coming. Even after remembering that Moon Ji-a had transferred to 'MEG', actually casting Moon Ji-a, a top actress even among the very top, was an entirely different matter. PD Do Jin-deok was still in shock, but he forced himself to calm down.

"Is this for real? You're not joking?"

Kang Jae-ha smiled faintly.

"I'm not exactly idle enough to joke about something like this."

"R-Right, of course. I'm sorry, I was just so surprised."

"I understand."

"Give me a moment."

After quietly catching his breath, PD Do Jin-deok glanced at Writer Song Eun-hee beside him. She still hadn't fully recovered. She remained frozen. Turning his gaze back to Director Kim Ha-jae sitting across from him, PD Do Jin-deok quietly ran the numbers in his head.

'Moon Ji-a. Moon Ji-a's the best. No, even the word best isn't enough.'

Any active director, whether a drama PD or a film director, couldn't help wanting Moon Ji-a. PD Do Jin-deok naturally weighed Moon Ji-a against Jeon So-hee. Both actresses ranked among the very top in Korea.

'If I absolutely had to compare them......Moon Ji-a does come out ahead in image, acting, Ticket Power, influence, and so on.'

Just as he had recited to himself, both actresses were enormously successful, but when weighed against each other, Moon Ji-a was rated more highly. That wasn't merely PD Do Jin-deok's personal opinion, it was the market's assessment.

For a moment, PD Do Jin-deok couldn't tell whether he was dreaming or awake.

'Am I seriously sitting here comparing Moon Ji-a and Jeon So-hee all of a sudden? What the hell is going on?'

Normally, unless someone was a star writer who could guarantee Viewership Ratings, casting either actress was like trying to pluck a star from the sky.

At that moment, perhaps having finally come to her senses, the freckled Writer Song Eun-hee asked Jae-ha softly.

"Ms. Moon Ji-a......in our production- why?"

It was pure curiosity. Why was he giving such a huge actress to a rookie-level writer like her?

Kang Jae-ha soon switched which leg he had crossed and spoke.

"Writer, I'm a businessman, and naturally I follow the smell of money. Your 'The Cooking Teacher of Joseon' smells like money, quite strongly at that. That's why I made my move."

"The smell...of money."

"I'm saying I think it'll do well. My instincts are surprisingly accurate."

That was quite a compliment for Writer Song Eun-hee. Perhaps because the unexpected praise had caught her off guard, she stammered, and PD Do Jin-deok immediately cut in as though he had been waiting for the chance.

Kang Jae-ha, a smile on his lips but his gaze dry, nodded.

"I have. It's a Fusion Historical Drama, but it doesn't take itself too seriously, while never letting the lightness go too far. The pacing is well controlled, and the characters are well crafted. Especially the Female Lead. Mixing rom-com into a Fusion Historical Drama can easily make it feel stale and old-fashioned, but the vivid characters and fast-moving plot prevent that."

PD Do Jin-deok's eyes widened as he marveled inwardly.

It was quite different from 'GOO Production', with whom contract talks were already underway. As far as PD Do Jin-deok could tell, they hadn't seemed to care much about the actual content of the production.

Kang Jae-ha, wearing his altered face, spoke again.

"Yes, she did."

"!!!"

Jae-ha, who had been looking back and forth between PD Do Jin-deok and Writer Song Eun-hee.

"'GOO Production', it's a good company. But as you know, PD, Chinese capital is mixed into it. That essentially means taking investment from Chinese capital. If it never becomes an issue, that's fine, but if someone decides to make an issue of it, it'll become troublesome. On top of that, Jeon So-hee is certainly an impressive actress, but trouble always follows her. It's risky."

He began delivering the lines he had prepared beforehand.

"Well, in times as tough as these, that's still a level of risk worth accepting. However, if our 'MEG' comes aboard, the story changes. For starters, MEG's money is clean."

Meaning, his money was clean, with no impurities like Chinese capital mixed into it.

"And Ms. Moon Ji-a comes as an option. Ah, I forgot something."

"Yes?"

"We're considering Ms. Yoon Da-yeon as well."

"......Y-Yoon Da-yeon too??"

Yoon Da-yeon. In PD Do Jin-deok's eyes, she wasn't top-tier like Moon Ji-a, but she was one of the hottest actresses around lately. After making a spectacular comeback at BIFF, she had shot straight up to A-list by appearing in the 'One-Act Drama Project' and renowned director Yu Gil-tae's new film.

'Yoon Da-yeon's good at acting too.'

Moon Ji-a alone was enough to have him drooling, but giving them Yoon Da-yeon on top of her was an act of grace, a blessing.

PD Do Jin-deok's heart began pounding rapidly,

'Shit, this isn't even just "go for broke!" territory, this is so good I'd have to get down on my knees and beg for it?!!'

Writer Song Eun-hee, whose soul had fled once again, already had a flower garden blooming inside her head.

At that moment.

"What do you think."

Director Kim Ha-jae with a faint smile on his lips. In other words, Kang Jae-ha, asked PD Do Jin-deok.

"At this point, it looks a lot better to dump 'GOO Production' and join hands with our 'MEG'."

The answer came not from PD Do Jin-deok, but from Writer Song Eun-hee. She abruptly shot to her feet and shouted at Jae-ha.

"I! I absolutely want to work with 'MEG'!!"

She had been agonizing over the contract with 'GOO Production', so she couldn't help getting excited. Kang Jae-ha nodded and turned his gaze to PD Do Jin-deok, who also rose from his seat.

"I feel the same as Writer Song. Haha, if the deal's that good, I'd even do 108 Bows right here if you told me to."

"That doesn't sound bad."

"...Yes?"

"The 108 Bows."

"Ah. Of course, I'll do them. Forget 108, I'll even do 1,008 Bows!"

As PD Do Jin-deok started moving as though he genuinely meant to perform the 108 Bows, Kang Jae-ha stopped him with a gesture.

"I'm joking. More importantly- there's one condition."

PD Do Jin-deok and Writer Song Eun-hee stopped short. That very condition had caused friction with 'GOO Production' too.

PD Do Jin-deok felt slightly disappointed. But the words that came from Kang Jae-ha's mouth were completely different.

Writer Song Eun-hee's eyes went round.

"What??"

"'The Cooking Teacher of Joseon', from beginning to end, must be taken in the direction Writer Song Eun-hee wants. Of course, discussing it with the PD, arguing over it, and refining it is fine. That's necessary, if anything. But there must be no outside pressure beyond that."

The completely unexpected condition left PD Do Jin-deok and Writer Song Eun-hee blinking. In the meantime, Kang Jae-ha continued in a cold tone.

"By outside pressure, I mean everyone other than the PD and the writer, including the head of the Drama Department. We'll put this in the contract."

The condition presented by the disguised Kang Jae-ha was quite literally the exact opposite of GOO Production's.

"And let's sign the contract as quickly as possible. I'd prefer you give me your verbal decision right here. What do you say?"

Kang Jae-ha held complete control over the meeting. From the atmosphere onward, he had PD Do Jin-deok and Writer Song Eun-hee in the palm of his hand. Anyone could see that Kang Jae-ha was the Dominant Party. Yet PD Do Jin-deok, the Subordinate Party, stood to gain a great deal. It was a truly strange meeting.

Either way, one thing was certain.

'An opportunity, an opportunity slathered in gold.'

Catching the fierce scent of opportunity, PD Do Jin-deok rose from his seat once again.

"If you tell me to do 108 Bows or 1,008 Bows, I'll do them."

He sincerely bowed his head to Jae-ha.

"We'll sign with 'MEG' no matter what."

Afterward.

After PD Do Jin-deok and Writer Song Eun-hee made their decision, the discussion proceeded quite smoothly. Perhaps that was why PD Do Jin-deok laughed, still looking as though he couldn't quite believe it.

"The entertainment industry really is a place where you never know what'll happen next. Until yesterday, I was racking my brain over all kinds of problems, and now today I'm discussing a contract with you, Director."

"That's right, there's really never a dull day here."

"Exactly! And to think the 'MEG' at the center of all this buzz is becoming the investor in our 'The Cooking Teacher of Joseon'- haha, actually, I've talked a ton about 'MEG' with my fellow PDs."

"What kind of things?"

"You know as well as I do, Director, just how hot 'MEG' is in this industry these days. Of course, there are quite a few people who view it negatively too, but that kind of thing follows anything."

Kang Jae-ha chuckled and tossed out one of his favorite sayings.

"The train runs even if dogs bark, noise is just noise."

"I know, I know!"

"I can leave the broadcasting station side of the contract to you, right?"

"Of course! With 'MEG' as the investor and Ms. Moon Ji-a and Ms. Yoon Da-yeon as options, even the department head will fall over in shock."

"'GOO Production'?"

"Ah."

For a moment, PD Do Jin-deok scratched his chin, looking slightly troubled.

"Hmm. 'GOO Production' is a little awkward. If we sign with 'MEG', we'd basically be backing out on 'GOO Production' at the very last minute- they'll definitely take it badly."

Writer Song Eun-hee, her expression darkening slightly, cut in.

"I don't really like 'GOO Production'. They weren't considerate in how they treated me or the PD......I know the investor is the Dominant Party, but they were just too overbearing? And it was pretty obvious they were looking down on us."

Kang Jae-ha answered in a dry tone.

"But that's reality. That's the power of money."

"......That's true."

"Don't worry about things like that. You just focus on writing."

As though in agreement, PD Do Jin-deok patted Writer Song Eun-hee on the shoulder.

"Right, Writer Song. So you're ending your sit-in now??"

"...Yes. I'm sorry."

Kang Jae-ha then calmly offered PD Do Jin-deok some advice.

"Just tell 'GOO Production' exactly what happened. Don't beat around the bush. That's better than pointlessly avoiding their calls."

"Hmm- yes. I think so too."

"Just tell them straight, this is a market where people dump others and get dumped themselves anyway."

Writer Song Eun-hee glanced at Jae-ha, who wore Director Kim Ha-jae's face.

'He's kind of nice, but also scary......coldness with a subtle warmth? mixed in. But he doesn't have any mercy, either. Wow- what a seriously unusual character. Either way, I can tell he's an impressive person.'

At that moment.

-Swoosh.

A woman entered MEG's conference room.

"Oh my? You were already talking?"

The moment they saw her, PD Do Jin-deok and Writer Song Eun-hee jumped in shock.

"M-M-M-Ms. Moon Ji-a??!"

It was because top actress Moon Ji-a had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

*****

For more chapters, join my Patreon: https://patreon.com/dreamscribe

If you enjoy this novel, please review and rate it at Novelupdates. Thanks! 😊

To receive the latest update notifications or report mistakes, join our Discord server linked below.