K’s house.
I had a get-together with Ju Myeongjin, Seo Suyeon, Go Hakjun, and Jeong Eunwoo to celebrate the airing of <Tracking Report 60 Minutes>.
K had gathered everyone, insisting that we commemorate the massive scoop.
Since I didn’t have friends like this before my regression, it felt unfamiliar and awkward at first, but now I love the feeling of warmth that comes just from being with them.
‘Now Eunwoo is here too.’
I still can’t believe that I can meet Eunwoo… a Eunwoo who wasn’t hurt because of me, a Eunwoo who is alive.
Even more so than the fact that I regressed.
“Your place is seriously nice. K, here, take this. I came empty-handed last time because I was in the middle of reporting, right? Sorry!”
Seo Suyeon walked in, pressing a roll of toilet paper into K’s arms.
It was true; the last time I visited K’s house, it was practically a base camp for reporting, so we hadn’t been able to properly celebrate his move.
K, who had struggled so much in his rooftop room that he sometimes missed meals, now seemed to be living happily in a nice place, and I was sincerely glad for him.
“Noona, I’m always thankful even if you come empty-handed. But, ahem. Is there something on here? Noona, do you see some kind of stain here?”
“Yeah, I see it. I see your fingerprints smeared all over it because you keep touching it.”
“You can see it. I thought it was only visible to me.”
“Isn’t he just bragging that Reporter Lee bought him a wine cellar?”
“Exactly. Hyeonwook hyung bought me a wine cellar, while Noona is getting scolded for bringing toilet paper. You’re surprisingly perceptive.”
“What? Myeongjin, you’re even worse than K!”
I had bought a wine cellar for K, who had recently developed a taste for wine.
It was just a reasonably priced product, but K polished it every day and sent me photos via KakaoTalk.
His obsession was so intense that even I, the one who gave the gift, was starting to get tired of it.
“Then what did you bring, Myeongjin?”
“Since K treasures that wine cellar so much, what else would I bring? Wine, of course!”
“Sunbae, me too. Almost everyone who listens to K-nim’s songs knows by now that K-nim loves wine.”
Go Hakjun, who was practically K’s dedicated reporter, had also prepared wine.
“K-nim. In my heart, I wanted to bring an Opus One. But you know, right? I’m still a rookie reporter. Once I get promoted and my salary goes up, I’ll definitely gift you one then.”
“Hyung-nim, why would you say something so disappointing? There’s already an Opus One in here. Let’s have a glass together today!”
“Oooh! As expected, a successful young and rich person is different. Also, I’m not your ‘hyung.’ My philosophy is that if someone has more money than me, that person is immediately the hyung.”
“Look at this great philosopher we have here, huh?”
Between K and Go Hakjun bouncing jokes off each other and Seo Suyeon scolding them… I felt like my ears were bleeding.
The audio never stopped for a second.
As I shook my head, I saw Eunwoo smiling shyly next to Ju Myeongjin and Go Hakjun.
Eunwoo also fumbled through his bag and pulled out a bottle of wine.
“I brought wine too, after getting some coaching from Myeongjin.”
“Could you three please stand side-by-side for a moment? Yes. I feel like this is the place where I should bow.”
“Hey! If you’re going to bow, do it to me too. Are you ignoring the toilet paper? Are you ignoring the 50 million citizens of this land who use toilet paper every day?”
What on earth is that baseless logic!
While reporting on the Jin Hwaju case, Eunwoo had become close enough with the others to speak informally.
On the day he started calling me ‘hyung’ instead of ‘Reporter-nim,’ he sent me a long, touching text message. I had even lost sleep that night because it felt like things had truly returned to how they used to be.
I loved this noise and chaos we created together, now that Eunwoo had joined in.
I felt like I was getting drunk even before we started drinking.
.
.
.
Today, as usual, glasses were passed around quickly along with the chicken K had ordered.
Perhaps because the aftermath of the news was still lingering, Myeongjin, who had captured Jin Hwaju’s end on the scene, began telling the story vividly.
Not to be outdone, Seo Suyeon and Go Hakjun began promoting themselves, insisting that their contributions shouldn’t be forgotten.
“Still, the one we’re most grateful to is Eunwoo. He was the decisive informant, after all.”
I gave the greatest credit to Eunwoo, and Eunwoo gave a bashful smile.
It was around the time our private reporting after-party was winding down.
“So, you’re saying hyung is taking the internal audition for the 9 o’clock news anchor?”
The topic of conversation shifted to my internal audition for the 9 o’clock news anchor.
Seo Suyeon answered Ju Myeongjin’s question.
“I’m telling you, he is. I heard it directly while I was on the rooftop talking to my Yeongsu. You know PD Ji Minsu, who worked on <Tracking Report 60 Minutes>? He’s moving to <9 O’Clock News Prime> for the autumn reorganization. He kept insisting that he absolutely needs someone as genuine and intuitive as Reporter Lee. He practically begged him to take the audition.”
As she spoke, Seo Suyeon grabbed Ju Myeongjin’s hand, mimicking the way PD Ji Minsu had grabbed mine.
“Eh, didn’t he suggest it because our hyung is handsome?”
“Ah, that’s true too. PD Ji Minsu said he became a squid because he was broadcasting with Reporter Lee.”
Seo Suyeon answered Eunwoo’s question, whose boldness had increased with a few drinks.
In truth, receiving an audition offer for the 9 o’clock news anchor from PD Ji Minsu was surprising.
I was merely a rookie reporter in my first year.
Even though it was an internal audition, that position came with qualifications—experience and a track record of scoops.
When I said I wasn’t sure if I was qualified to apply, PD Ji Minsu explained that it was entirely possible.
[ Normally, it would be difficult. But during the executive meeting ahead of the reorganization, the President said that an organization grows healthily only when the system of rewards and punishments is clear. He said that for this audition, we should pick the anchor most suitable for <9 O’Clock News Prime> without any conditions. So, Reporter Lee, you must apply. While listening to the explanation from the Head of Production after the meeting, you were the only person I could think of. ]
On the day <Tracking Report 60 Minutes> aired, PD Ji Minsu had called me late at night and spent an hour thanking me profusely.
He thanked me for allowing him to create such a great broadcast.
He also said he realized he had lived forgetting the value of news because he had only sought provocative stories for the sake of viewership ratings.
When he suggested we become close, I told him he could start by speaking informally.
That PD Ji Minsu had rushed to me as soon as he heard about the 9 o’clock news audition.
‘News anchor… it’s been a long time since I’ve heard that.’
In my past life, I had hosted the 7 o’clock news for about two years.
It was a position I secured after pledging loyalty to Kim Dusik for several years.
By making my face known, I moved to the political department and gradually filled the void left by Kim Dusik when he was appointed as a correspondent.
Recalling those times, the idea of sitting in the anchor’s chair—even for the 9 o’clock news—didn’t sound entirely pleasant.
Because it reminded me of my past self, craving the position of a news presenter just to increase my recognition and climb the social ladder.
Moreover, I had been so focused on the cases in my reporting notebook that I hadn’t paid any attention to other happenings within the company.
However, I also thought that the 9 o’clock news might be the key to solving my dilemma.
‘Could this be the path to catching Kim Dusik and even touching Jin Woo-il, who is behind him?’
The presenter of the 9 o’clock news is significantly excluded from the duties of their assigned department.
Not only can they reflect their voice in the selection and direction of the news and the order of segments, but they can even present the frame of the news through the final closing remarks.
Right now, I clash with Kim Dusik every time we have a Social Affairs department meeting, and it will only get worse.
Now that I know about Jin Woo-il, the possibility of Kim Dusik trying to win me over has vanished; he will only try to crush me.
I won’t lose to that crushing, but I’m already busy with my own reporting and don’t want to waste energy on such things.
In that case, moving above Kim Dusik would be a better choice.
If that meant being the anchor of <9 O’Clock News Prime>, I didn’t think I’d mind.
“But hyung. I heard the viewership ratings for that broadcast were amazing thanks to you. Did you get anything separately?”
At K’s question, I quickly pulled a white envelope from my pocket.
“Here, I got a bonus. Use this to help pay for the chicken!”
K, who had been disappointed when I received two days of leave as a reward last time, opened the white envelope with excitement.
Then, his expression turned to one of sudden disappointment—no, shock.
“Hyung, what is this? 40,000 won?”
“Hey, that’s Hyeonwook’s appearance fee. The appearance fee for <Tracking Report 60 Minutes>.”
“What? This is a reward?”
K, who knew nothing of how broadcasting stations worked, couldn’t believe Seo Suyeon’s answer.
But it was the truth. Station employees who receive a salary get an appearance fee of about 20,000 to 40,000 won when they appear on air. Radio is even stingier.
“Don’t be too disappointed. There’s something else instead.”
“I feel like I’ll be disappointed regardless of what it is,” Go Hakjun added.
K remained skeptical.
“About the internal audition for the 9 o’clock news anchor. The Social Affairs Department Head agreed to write a recommendation letter for me. It’s hard for a first-year rookie to get one, but our Hyeonwook pulled it off!”
“A recommendation letter? If you get that, do you become an anchor immediately? Should I send a celebratory wreath right away?”
“Me too, me too! We can send a wreath together!”
As K and Eunwoo seemed to be gearing up for their usual over-the-top reactions to Seo Suyeon’s explanation, I stepped in to clarify.
“Put the wreaths away. And Senior Kim Dusik is also getting a recommendation letter. Still, it’s true that our Department Head put in effort for me.”
“Honestly, that guy Kim Dusik doesn’t know when to butt in and when to stay out.”
Even K, who didn’t know who Kim Dusik was, figured out he was a bad guy from the context.
“Hyung, this won’t do. When is the audition?”
The day of the internal audition for the male anchor of KCN’s <9 O’Clock News Prime>.
Led by K, who had barged into my house at the crack of dawn, I had to go to a makeup shop in Gangnam.
It felt as if I had closed and opened my eyes for a moment, and suddenly my hairstyle was perfect, and my makeup was subtle yet made my skin glow.
And what about the suit? The fit was perfect, and the fabric had a subtle sheen.
K, despite not knowing who Kim Dusik was, insisted that I had to win no matter what and even gifted me a luxury suit.
[Hyung, I want to see your face every night at 9! You can do that for me, right?]
After cheering me on, K dropped me off at the station.
As I entered the station lobby after saying goodbye to K, I saw Reporter No Seungsik rushing out.
There was still plenty of time before the anchor audition.
Since I had no reporting assignments today anyway, I instinctively felt that today was the perfect day to take No Seungsik down.
Greedy but incompetent, yet too proud to accept reality, No Seungsik had done nothing but act like a fool in my past life as well.
I had a feeling he would do something like that again today.
I immediately took out my phone and made a call.
“Myeongjin, that hidden camera K bought? Bring it and come down to the lobby quickly.”
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