Pen and Paper Translations

I reviewed the scenario that had popped into my head and looked at Kim Seunghun.

It was a scenario people would accept.

The story of an actor who overcame adversity.

What moves people is not facts, but a well-made story.

Seunghun’s past as someone who was bullied. That is only a fragment of fact, but the story of how he overcame that and became a famous actor is a good tale.

If that story could flip the wave of attacks that would soon pour in all at once…

After I slowly organized my thoughts, I spoke carefully to Seunghun.

“Hyung. Listen closely from now on.”

At my words, he seemed to focus so hard that even his breathing looked cautious.

“Jincheol can be left to Jinhun to handle, but those guys will definitely try to break you somehow.”

“… They would, right?”

In the past, the methods Baek Jincheol often used mainly involved gangsters.

Extortion and threats using violence.

But for the Baek Jincheol of today, that would be impossible.

Having just gotten out on a suspended sentence, he is not the type to gamble on something that risky.

In that case, the method he can use is to expose Seunghun’s weak point.

“They are definitely going to leak your past everywhere. Malicious articles will explode all over the place.”

At my words, Seunghun’s expression began to darken.

“But you do not have to worry too much. As I said before, most of the people swayed by that kind of rumor were never your fans to begin with.”

“… ”

It seemed the words telling him not to worry did not land. He still looked at me with a dark expression.

I wanted to reassure him somehow, but my plan needed some time.

Time for the public to become aware of the controversy around him.

But that time could become the worst period of his life, and that weighed on me.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have it in you to take a bunch of jabs and then send one clean uppercut back?”

It is easy for me to say as a third party, but for him it would surely be a hard decision.

His face would be splashed across the front page of the news and the papers right away, with malicious, attacking headlines stitched all over.

But Seunghun clenched his teeth and spoke as if steeling himself.

“Yeah. I will try it. I can do it.”

“Then I will call you soon with good news.”

After I said goodbye to them, I stepped out of GO Entertainment and thought about someone who could help with my scenario.

A face drew itself in my mind.

The host of Your Night, Jeong Jisu.

If the exposés on Seunghun’s past started, the only thing likely to pour out would be sensational articles laced with lies. And the public would accept them as if they were true.

Then those articles would become a solid tower and keep crushing him over and over. I could see it now.

To turn that carefully built tower, raised by Goodness Entertainment and the reporters together, into trash in one stroke, what we needed was a story that moved people’s hearts.

And there was no one better than Jeong Jisu to deliver that story.

---

Jeong Jisu was taken aback at first by my sudden call.

The first and last time we saw each other was filming the Park Junsik episode of Your Night, the one that still held an unbroken ratings record.

But when he saw me waiting for him at a high-end Japanese restaurant, his surprise gave way to curiosity.

The first Korean film director to win at Cannes.

For a long-running talk show host to sit down alone with him and talk was more than enough to make his heart beat faster.

“Ah, you are here. Long time no see.”

As soon as he saw me, I stood and greeted him with a smile.

“Ha ha, yes. It really has been a while. It was a few months ago, but still, congratulations on the prize at Cannes.”

At his words, I scratched the back of my head as if embarrassed and laughed.

“Ha ha, I was lucky.”

“Lucky? A man who is setting every possible film milestone in Korea is being modest.”

“You flatter me. Ha ha. I still have a long way to go.”

“Could I ask for a few autographs later? When my wife heard I was meeting you, she said I hardly ever get permission for appointments like this, but she told me to hurry and go.”

“If you ask, I will sign as many as you like, until my hand falls off.”

At that, he let out the hearty laugh of a veteran talk show host.

“Shall we order something first? Today is on me.”

“Oh, then I am grateful, but…”

“It is hard to get time with a busy man. Please let me pay. I insist.”

“Ha ha… if you put it that way. I will feast today.”

He tapped his belly with satisfaction.

Even so, something about this felt off to him.

To suddenly meet and pick up the check meant there had to be some kind of plan.

What would the wunderkind director of Korean film be asking for?

As we kept up the pleasantries, he worked his head to find the answer to that question.

But the answer did not come easily.

Knock, knock.

The sliding door opened carefully and the food began to arrive.

“Striped beakfish sashimi.”

As befit a high-end place, the food was plated with elegance.

Looking at the glossy slices on the plate, he swallowed.

“Please, go ahead.”

“Ah, yes. Ha ha.”

He picked up a slice of sashimi, dipped it lightly in soy sauce mixed with wasabi, and put it in his mouth.

“Wow…”

A sigh of delight escaped on its own.

The nutty richness was dizzying enough to make him forget what he had been worrying about moments ago.

“Does it suit your taste?”

“This is the best sashimi I have ever had. This place is amazing.”

“I am glad.”

“My wife drilled it into my ears that sashimi in summer is risky, so I should not eat it, but at this level I think I can handle the risk… You said striped beakfish, right?”

“Yes, that is right. Ha ha.”

In a warm atmosphere, we shared the delicious food and chatted.

The more we talked, the more something felt strange to him.

“Director Gyeong, you look younger.”

“Huh…?”

I blinked, surprised.

“Ha ha. I have a professional quirk for observing people…”

“No, please say it. I am curious.”

He hesitated, then went ahead.

“You are still very young, but when I first met you on the talk show a few years ago, how should I put it… your aura was like a middle-aged man.”

“Ha ha… a middle-aged man…”

I nodded with an unreadable smile.

“Yes. You are handsome and tall, but the aura was middle-aged, which made you unique. Ha ha. It is just a passing comment, so ignore me. Sorry if it was rude.”

“No, not at all. Being younger is a good thing. Ha ha.”

He gave an awkward laugh and lifted his chopsticks again, and I let out a relieved breath.

When we finished most of the meal, the question the sashimi had stolen from him bubbled up again.

But I still did not ask for anything.

Without even dropping a hint, I kept my face neutral, and his curiosity only grew.

“Shall we order more?”

“Oh, I have packed my stomach to the brim. Ha ha. That was excellent.”

Patting his full stomach with satisfaction, he smiled.

“Shall we get up, then?”

“Pardon…?”

At his reaction, I looked at him as if surprised.

“You are just going to leave…?”

“Yes. Unless you want to have more…”

“Well now…”

Even at a minimum, this meal for two would be over a hundred.

There was no way there was no purpose behind such a meal.

“Ha ha… when someone acts this pure, it should irritate me, but why do I keep smiling. Ha ha, really.”

---

Rather than lay out the request, I chose to seep in slowly and add a gentle weight.

I tried to act as if I had no purpose, but a man like Jeong Jisu would have noticed long ago.

So I pushed the innocence even further, as if telling him to notice, and he smirked and asked first.

“Is there anything I can do for you? When you bait me this delicately, it makes me want to bite. Ha ha.”

“Ha ha… I have been found out.”

“Let us not pretend otherwise. Now is perfect. Coming at me with that face and being cute on top of it is unfair.”

Looking at my face, he grinned playfully and took a sip of water.

“What do you want from me? Ha, I am finally asking the question I wanted to ask from the moment I walked in.”

With a snap of his fingers, he wore the expression of a man downing a cold beer.

“You know the actor Kim Seunghun, right?”

“Are you asking me if I am Korean right now? How many times do you think I have watched Night?”

Once I explained roughly what was going on, the cheer drained from his face and he turned serious.

“So that happened.”

“But the real problem starts now. It is only a matter of time before Goodness Entertainment sets reporters in motion.”

“That is true. If it is Hwang Jesun’s side… he could be blacklisted from the industry…”

He spun his chopsticks like a pencil, sunk in thought.

“If I had known all this before eating, I might have gotten indigestion. This is bigger in scale than I thought.”

“If it is too much of a burden…”

“Burden, my foot. If I had decided it was something I could not do after hearing it, I would have paid for what I ate and left.”

He twirled his chopsticks with flair, then set them down and spoke in a calm voice.

“So you want to invite Kim Seunghun on Your Night as a guest and have him talk about his past, right?”

“Yes. If the master of MCs is willing.”

At the showy flattery, he scrunched his face playfully. Then he smiled.

“It is like asking for a bow after already prostrating. Maybe because it is you, Director Gyeong? I am not even mad. Ha ha.”

“Then…?”

He widened his eyes and answered.

“Well, let us try it. Our talk show’s ratings have not been great lately. We have churned through PDs several times.”

The ratings had dropped a lot, but that only meant the national fixture of a show had become a mid-tier program.

It still had plenty of reach.

“I am saying this because it could be a good opportunity for us too. I am not someone who only takes losses.”

“Pardon…?”

When I asked, he smiled and answered.

“Your Night has been in a rut lately, and that has been on my mind. It might not be a bad idea to change the format altogether…”

He had his own worries, and he asked me:

“A concept of healing stars’ wounds. Would that play well? Starting with Kim Seunghun, and if the response is good, maybe we pivot the whole show that way…?”

He studied my reaction for a moment and asked:

“As the person who knows the Korean public’s currents best, what do you think?”

“It is fantastic. It is a concept you should grab before someone else does.”

At my answer, he laughed heartily and extended his hand.

“That is not lip service, is it? Ha ha. All right. Let us do this. I will talk to the PD myself.”

After a few more words, we parted.

I had only taken care of one of the tasks I could handle. There was still more to do.

Encouraging Kim Seunghun.

When the dirty articles start pouring in soon, they will hit hard…

I needed to lend him even a small bit of strength so he would not lose his will.