In the entertainment industry, absurd things happen all the time.
I wasn’t an entertainment reporter, but while working in the culture department, I often overheard shocking incidents that never made it into the news.
There were cases like Cobalt Man, who ended up ruined due to his own faults, but there were also many cases like Harin, who were placed in a position of weakness despite doing their best.
Because people think it’s okay to treat the weak that way.
Those in positions of power believe such a thing and manipulate the vulnerable.
But in this world, there is no one who is “okay” to be treated that way.
Before my regression, I knew this, yet I closed my eyes.
Even while reading speculative articles about Harin, I couldn’t raise any objections.
In my reporting notebook, I only scribbled a meager bit of conscience, noting that I shouldn’t write provocative articles as Kim Dusik instructed.
‘Come to think of it, can I even call a record of things I failed to investigate a “reporting notebook”?’
My conscience still pricks me.
But now, I will properly heed that conscience.
That is why I summoned my courage.
Because I know that Harin’s trap, which started with the debt-investment scandal, will eventually lead to sponsorship rumors.
Harin must have been panicked, feeling as though a shame she wanted to hide from everyone had been exposed, but I waited patiently.
If she needed time, I could wait as long as necessary.
In the past, perhaps she made a tragic choice because she had no one like that, but that wouldn’t happen now.
Rrrrrrr.
After about five minutes, Harin, who had remained silent, called me.
“This is Lee Hyeonwook.”
Harin hesitated for a moment, then let out a determined sigh and spoke calmly.
“Thank you for being honest. I think I know who the people attacking you are. Don’t worry anymore.”
I had already seen the humans who drove Harin to the edge living prosperous lives. Even after Harin made her extreme choice, they continued to enjoy many luxuries.
I cannot deny that I, too, was an accomplice for ignoring their wrongs.
This time, Harin, who has done nothing wrong, will absolutely not suffer.
Because I will make it so.
At the same time, in a private room of a luxury bar in Gangnam, Seoul, two men were sharing drinks.
“Hey, Anchor Kim.”
Choi Jinhyuk, the CEO of SOME Entertainment, leaned deep into the sofa and swirled his whiskey glass.
“Yes, CEO.”
Kim Dusik answered and took a sip from his own glass.
“It’s time to pay me back. I cried a lot inside when I handed Cobalt Man over to you.”
“…I am grateful. I am where I am today thanks to you, CEO.”
Choi Jinhyuk had taken Cobalt Man’s music theft incident lightly.
Wasn’t that the kind of thing that could be easily hushed up with money?
Cobalt Man wasn’t exactly desperate for cash, and since he was one of the people the company knew best, Choi assumed he would handle it on his own.
However, the incident grew.
Suddenly, the MeToo movement broke out, and stealing music began to be viewed as a grave offense.
As a result, the sales of TRIPLUS and WIND were affected.
They had to cut ties with Cobalt Man.
They had to cut ties with Cobalt Man.
But the company couldn’t avoid joint liability for the music theft.
That was why he had handed over the evidence of Cobalt Man’s drug use to Kim Dusik.
He had intended to overlook whatever the man did as long as he produced songs that made money for the company, but since he was now eating into the company’s profits, he had no choice but to throw him away immediately.
“How can I be of help to you?”
“You know Harin, right? The member of Luna Prism.”
“I do. Isn’t she the idol you successfully launched?”
“It’s almost time for their contract renewal. I can discard the other girls, but I have to keep Harin…”
Listening to CEO Choi, Kim Dusik thought of Harin.
Unlike the other members who appeared on variety shows, he recalled Harin’s pure image, focusing on her singing career and being hailed as the “OST Goddess.”
“…I thought Harin would take the bait by today, but she’s holding out a bit.”
“May I ask what kind of bait it was?”
“Nothing much. I did a bit of work on her parents. I gave them some money, and they apparently gambled it all away immediately.”
“How much money….”
“I gave them 100 million won, and since a month has passed, let’s say it’s grown to 800 million. I’m poking her side telling her to pay it back, but she’s surprisingly unmoved. Did she grow a backbone? She’s not scurrying to me. What should I do about this, Anchor Kim?”
“What do you plan to do if she refuses the contract renewal until the end?”
“What do you mean ‘what’? I have to keep her by any means necessary. Even if I have to stop her from being a celebrity.”
At that moment, Choi Jinhyuk’s expression turned chillingly sinister.
“Are you still in contact with Assemblyman Jin?”
“Of course. He is providing a lot of help.”
The reason Kim Dusik was able to have a private audience with CEO Choi was thanks to Assemblyman Jin Woo-il.
Previously, he had been a mere reporter following the celebrities of SOME Entertainment, but after catching Assemblyman Jin Woo-il’s eye, he began receiving exclusive scoops, such as Cobalt Man’s drug case.
“Right. I’ll speak comfortably, considering Anchor Kim as one of the family.”
“Yes.”
“There is someone the Assemblyman introduced to me. A financial businessman with wide connections in politics. He has taken a liking to Harin. This is an opportunity for SOME Entertainment to establish a large corporation in the Chinese market and make a start. It will be on a completely different level from the individual activities they’re doing now.”
Kim Dusik understood instantly.
He understood what CEO Choi meant when he said it was okay if she didn’t renew her contract.
And he understood to what extent he was allowed to mess with Harin.
“CEO, the parents’ debt alone won’t work. You said she isn’t taking the bait. It might only generate public sympathy for her.”
“Then what? I’ve already put 100 million of my own money into this.”
“Go with sponsorship.”
“Sponsorship?”
CEO Choi’s eyebrows twitched.
He was likely pondering whether he should bury an artist he had spent so much effort raising.
However, CEO Choi couldn’t fail to realize that catching a sucker connected by Assemblyman Jin Woo-il was a more profitable venture than the money earned from her as an artist.
“Back then, when Harin was a trainee, I called her out a couple of times.”
“Is that so?”
“Now, now. Why are you looking at me like that? It wasn’t a ‘second round’ or anything. I just had her pour some drinks when meeting people from production companies. But isn’t that just hospitality? If trainees show their faces and get noticed by those people, that’s an opportunity, isn’t it? It was like a private audition.”
“Since there was actually such an occurrence, it won’t be a simple rumor.”
“In that case, it might be good to put Harin only in the Chinese market.”
“While you secure the contract renewal with this article, I will also prepare the news regarding the expansion into China.”
CEO Choi and Kim Dusik raised their whiskey glasses to wet their throats, their lips curling into smiles for their own respective reasons.
CEO Choi felt the alcohol taste sweet at the thought of being able to manipulate Harin, while Kim Dusik felt it sweet at the thought of gaining more attention with a provocative article.
The day after meeting Harin, as soon as I arrived at work, I called No Seungsik to the rooftop of the broadcasting station.
“Ready to cooperate?”
“Did I even have a choice in this? You’re asking unnecessarily kindly.”
“I’d appreciate it if you think of it that way.”
“…”
I got to the point while No Seungsik glared at me in silence.
“Senior Kim Dusik is preparing an article about Harin from Luna Prism. Get attached to it from the planning stage and keep me updated frequently.”
“Hey, I’m not even close with that senior, so how can I suddenly….”
“You can do it.”
No Seungsik let out a loud sigh.
“Just this once. I have no intention of being dragged around by you forever.”
“I get it, so just do this job properly.”
“Aw, damn it!”
I left the scene first, leaving behind No Seungsik, who was scratching the back of his head vigorously.
Everything comes from people.
Kim Dusik believed this.
That was why he thought one must be selective about who they meet.
The reason he aligned himself with the head of the news bureau who was aiming for the president’s seat at KCN, and the reason he clung to the fingertips of Assemblyman Jin Woo-il, who seemed likely to become president in the future, were for the same reason.
‘This is an opportunity.’
If he could just cook the article about Luna Prism’s Harin correctly, it was a chance to connect with the person beyond Assemblyman Jin Woo-il.
「There is someone the Assemblyman introduced to me. A financial businessman with wide connections in politics. He has taken a liking to Harin. This is an opportunity for SOME Entertainment to establish a large corporation in the Chinese market and make a start.」
CEO Choi Jin-hyuk’s voice echoed in his ears again.
He couldn’t stop smiling, imagining how his future would change if he could only connect with that financial businessman.
If the man provided funds that could tempt CEO Choi, a significant amount of money must also be flowing to Assemblyman Jin Woo-il.
That was probably why Jin Woo-il was stepping up.
But weren’t there plenty of girls like Harin?
Couldn’t they suggest an alternative to Harin without manipulating her like this?
Last night, when Kim Dusik subtly raised such a question, CEO Choi told him something even more enticing.
「Assemblyman Jin once said this while drunk. He said he’s very close to a man who could change the number one person in our country.」
「……!」
「Anchor Kim, power is more important than money. You know that, right? I don’t want to say too much to that man. If I just give him what he wants and receive what I need while doing clean business, couldn’t I create laws that are absolutely necessary for the Korean entertainment industry?」
CEO Choi was painting a big picture.
Entertainment industry? Laws? Give me a break.
Regardless, Kim Dusik felt that the money and power of that financial businessman were somehow not far from him.
He felt a pleasant shiver of anticipation, thinking that if he handled this matter well—if he could just establish a connection with that man—something huge would naturally flow toward him.
He tried to find out the man’s name, but the fox-like CEO Choi kept his mouth shut until the end.
‘Just wait. Do you think I can’t find out without you?’
It was true that everything comes from people.
Money, opportunity, and the future.
As expected, one must climb higher.
Since he had become the face of KCN’s news bureau, wouldn’t the reports coming from his mouth carry more weight?
Not only that.
Wasn’t the authority to handle items directly without going through the desk of the social affairs chief an extraordinary power?
Even now, he was using the comfortable private meeting room of <9 O’Clock News Prime> instead of the social affairs office where desks were crammed together.
‘Now, how should I frame this?’
The financial businessman wants Harin, so CEO Choi must ensure Harin’s contract renewal at all costs, but Harin doesn’t want it, and she’s holding out against the threats regarding her parents’ debt-investment. But how about a sponsorship threat?
He had to set the tone carefully here.
He couldn’t simply drive Harin toward an image of being accustomed to nightlife.
He must not diminish Harin’s appeal to “that person.”
Even if she is packaged and delivered beautifully, there’s no telling how long her expiration date will be, so he couldn’t give her away like a disposable item from the start.
[Luna Prism’s Harin, famous as the Queen of OSTs, rumored to have had sponsors during her trainee days. Turns out she’s struggling with her parents’ gambling debts?]
The sponsorship rumor was a deviation from her immature trainee days, but the purpose of the money was a frame mixed with a spoonful of a filial daughter’s heart thinking of her parents.
Moreover, wasn’t it all true?
Kim Dusik wore a satisfied expression as he looked at the headline he had written.
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