Chapter 42
A Rotten Rope (3)
Kim Yong-soo turned his head to find his nephew's eyes fixed on him as he dazedly drifted away.
"U-Uncle."
He spoke as if he didn't hear his nephew's sinking sobs as if the sky had fallen.
"Get out."
"Uncle, what the...."
"Get the hell out of here!"
As he glared at him, Kim Hansung realized it too late.
The thing he was holding on to so tightly was a rotten rope.
It was truly a weak backing.
'....What the hell happened?'
Meanwhile, Kim Yong-soo, who was running various calculations in his head, tried to understand the situation as best he could.
Director Goo Myung-seok, who had entrusted everything to him, had suddenly summoned him.
He had to listen to the stern reprimand of his senior.
『Kim Yong-soo, you bastard! I trusted you with my life, and all you can do is mess things up like this?!』
It was something he didn't understand,
He just had to bow down over and over again as he burned.
『Come on, Yong-soo. Choose 』
In the end, he abandoned his nephew.
He didn't feel the slightest bit of regret or remorse.
How could he feel remorse when he was the one who had pushed him this far in the first place, only to throw him away at this time.
There was also a subtle weighing of interests.
Keeping his position as Deputy Director or helping his nephew achieve a modest success?
There was no such thing as stupidity in choosing the latter.
Kim Yong-soo hid a smile as he watched his nephew leave the director's office in a huff.
Somehow, it felt like a traffic jam had been cleared.
‘······Phew, is he just going to let this slide?'
Goo Myung-seok's relief was replaced by a chill.
His breath felt like frost coming out of his mouth.
"Kim Yong-soo."
"....Yes, Director."
"I always told you. We're like family."
But the next moment.
Upon hearing those words that Goo Myung-seok, the director, often brings up like a habit, his complexion reddened
Kim Yong-soo had no choice but to simply nod his head, unable to hide anything.
He thought the crisis was over somehow.
"That's right, sir."
"....Yes, we're all in the same family."
Unaware that his hopes were about to be shattered.
"But why did you do it?"
"Yes, yes....?"
Goo Myung-seok's tone suddenly turned sharp as frost, and a hollow reply came out.
In response, Goo Myung-seok answered.
He pulled out a familiar name.
"Yoon Hyung-seop."
"....ah."
He was a PD who had the ability to stand in for him against the writer.
It was the name of the main P.D., the one he considered as a hand to throw afterward.
Kim Yong-soo muttered desperately, even as he felt the strength drain from his body.
"Uh, that's Senior."
"Senior? Shut up, you asshole."
But he had no choice but to shut up.
Director Goo Myung-seok's angry words pierced his heart.
"You could have at least not stabbed your family in the back."
Finally, the words came like a death sentence.
"You are no longer part of the family."
Kim Yong-soo was speechless and unable to plead his case.
He merely had a feeling.
Like the nephew who had just left the director's office.
'...Uh, what should I do?'
Deputy Director?
There's no way he's going to keep that position.
No, even if he managed to keep it, there would be nothing he could do at the broadcasting station from now on.
Forever.
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Yoon Hyung-seop, the main PD, walked into the station feeling like he was walking into a fantasy.
The drastically changed situation was still like a mirage in the desert.
It was as if all it would take was a blink of an eye and he'd be back to the frustrating hell he'd been living in.
And yet, the pressure of the deputy director breathing down his neck had indeed disappeared.
'What the hell is going on...'
There were even rumors that the deputy director was about to be replaced.
'...Huh.'
It was on that day that the fantasy began.
『You've been through a lot, and... Never stab a knife into your family's back.』
The day he had a private conversation with Director Goo Myung-seok.
The director, who had been so stern and hard as an unbreakable steel, looked like a kindly old man that day.
Of course, it was just a fleeting moment at the very end."
Meanwhile, unanswered questions lingered in the back of his mind.
What was the identity of that great power?
How could such a powerful force be standing behind a rookie actor who had just made his debut.
Before he knew it, the official meeting had arrived, and the mystery wasn't the most important thing.
Yoon Hyung-seop P.D. had to figure out a way to save his skin right away.
As soon as he showed up, alone without Writer Cha Ji-yoon and the Casting Director.
"Mr. Lee Shinwoo."
'I'm sorry.'
Yoon Hyung-seop was about to bow his head.
If that wasn't enough, he had to apologize over and over again.
"Thank you for changing your mind, Mr. PD."
"...huh?"
However, it was Lee Shinwoo who spoke first, in a soft tone of gratitude.
Of course, even so, Yoon Hyung-seop couldn't let go of his anxiety.
He couldn't tell what might be hiding behind that gentle face.
After all, it was him.
"But by any chance."
*Thump*
His heart sank as deeply as if he had already received his death sentence.
How to deal with one, who had hidden behind meager power and played the role of a minor player.
He wondered if he would end up with his head blown off like the deputy director.
However, Yoon Hyung-seop's frightened state of mind didn't last long. Because that wasn't it.
"Where did you see anything lacking?"
"...Eh?"
As if he'd just heard the wrong thing, Lee Shinwoo smiled wryly.
"Well, from what I heard, the main PD didn't really like it."
There was no questioning tone.
Nor did it sound intimidating.
"If you'll indulge me, I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about where you felt I fell short?"
His face was as innocent as a child being critiqued for a bad homework assignment.
Yoon Hyung-seop winced as he saw the actor looking at him.
'Was.... it a mistake?'
Maybe Lee Shinwoo had nothing to do with it.
Maybe there was just some kind of commotion over Kim Hansung, and naturally, the vacant seat was transferred once again.
To its original owner.
At that moment, his thoughts went crazy, and he was confronted with an innocent question from the young actor sitting in front of him.
Yoon Hyung-seop suddenly felt a pang of embarrassment.
*Clench*
Self-doubt pooled between his clenched fists.
The rookie actor in front of him wasn't blaming him, nor was he hating him.
He must be heartbroken.
It must have been confusing.
Despite his performance, he was looking for the reason for his elimination.
'Ha, haha....'
Yoon Hyung-seop was frustrated with himself.
How could he leave such an actor...
As Yoon Hyung-seop was beating himself up, a simple phrase flashed through his mind.
『Never stab a knife into your family's back.』
It was something one shouldn't do, not only to family but to anyone else as well.
In the end, he was no different from the deputy director, Kim Yong-soo.
Yoon Hyung-seop now realized it, and clarifies.
"No, there was nothing wrong with you at all."
"Really? Then why...."
"Just."
In fact, it was Yoon Hyung-seop himself who was lacking.
"That I was not good enough to make the decision."
He bowed his head again.
But his mindset was incomparably different.
"I would like to sincerely apologize."
"Yes, yes? No, you don't have to....."
This was the best he could do.
No, it was the best he could do at the moment.
He'd have to pay for his bad choices later.
Once the shooting began in earnest.
“Please take care of me, Lee Shin-woo.”
"Me too, Yoon PD."
Although it would be a short shoot, no more than the first few episodes.
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The story of the small disturbance in the drama production bureau has traveled deep into the forest of tall buildings.
Chairman Lee Chulho sits on the top floor of the tallest building.
His secretary informed him.
The obstacles he had been worried about had been removed.
"We've taken care of it in secret, exactly as you instructed."
"Good."
It had been a long time since he'd been acquainted with Director Goo Myung-seok in his early days.
A rare great man who had survived the dirty, ugly world of the entertainment world without losing his heart.
That man would be enough.
'For that child....'
There was no need to tell him.
To his youngest son, who was just beginning to face his real challenges.
If only his flight were not obstructed.
If only he could reach the farthest horizons that his wings would allow.
For Chairman Lee Chulho, that would be enough.
"Hmm."
The secretary finished his debriefing and slipped away, leaving the old tiger alone in the deserted room.
In the silence of the empty chairman's office, the old tiger slowly opened his closed eyes.
There was not the slightest hint of loneliness or lamentation.
His gaze drifted to one side of the vast executive desk.
His aged gaze lingered on a picture frame.
It was so untarnished that it was immediately recognizable as new.
Inside it, a picture was reflected.
"......"
After receiving the Independent Star Award, he expressed his gratitude to his father with reddened eyes.
The beaming smile of a rookie actor.
Chairman Lee Chulho followed suit. Without realizing it.
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A deep resigned sigh.
"Haah....."
Im Ha-yeon glanced at the fan cafe she'd painstakingly created.
She couldn't find out the latest news about the rookie actor who had stopped working.
Facing this obstacle, she felt mixed emotions.
The group had gathered more than a thousand members, but the problem was the actor's activity.
'The last thing I heard from him was an interview after the film festival, so....'
In the end, she could only follow the traces of his past theater company and the traces of his miraculous independent film.
Of course, the interview over the fan cafe was literally an emotional experience....
It was probably more gratifying than getting a good grade from a professor.
"....What are you up to, Phew."
The curiosity of the gathered people was slowly dying down.
And the sense of disappointment was growing.
"Hey, are you googling again?"
"....You never know."
While everyone dispersed after the recently ended lecture, Im Ha-yeon continued to wait for news updates.
"You're a really toxic person....."
She thought why would he suddenly come out now when he hasn't come out so far?
Even if she gave her friend a little slap for teasing her, their mouth wouldn't shut."
Instead, she said something heavy enough to sink in.
"Do you think he folded?"
".....Wha?"
"He said filmography was one of his interests. Didn't he just do it for a while as a hobby and then quit?"
"What......"
She blurted out, about to dismiss it as nonsense.
She couldn't say anything, not that she knew much of it herself.
'No way, really...?'
For some reason, she felt tears welling up in her eyes as she waited.
All the hardships she'd gone through while decorating and running the cafe washed over her.
After everything she had put in.
And this is all she gets back?
『It's so nice of you to come all the way to the movie.... thank you, Ha-yeon.』
If that's the case, why did he say such warm words, why did he make her heart break for no reason.
"Hey, A-Are you crying?"
"....Huhuh."
As much as she wanted to see him, the feeling of betrayal that came so late was worse than she thought.
Her eyes were reddening.
Suddenly, the first conversation she had with him came back to her like a flashback.
So pleasant.
He had kindly signed an autograph and replied.
『I'll definitely treasure it, and I hope you'll continue to be active!』
『Yes, I will.』
"....Why would he stop?"
The loud crying abruptly stopped.
Im Ha-yeon, who had narrowed her eyes, stared straight at her friend.
However, her sobbing voice sounded very non-threatening.
"Don't slander my actor, he'll never fold."
"....Crazy bitch."
After her friend's brief comment, she hit refresh again.
The only word that came out of Im Ha-yeon's mouth was.
"...Eh?"
Her fingers, which were still damp with dew, instantly froze.
She pressed hard with her stiffened fingers.
A news headline.
"'KBC's 'Poisoned Bell' starring popular actor Nam Yoo-min... Who will join him, Lee Shinwoo?"
Although the article was mostly about the popular actor Nam Yoo-min.
"It floats, it floats."
"What?"
Im Ha-yeon exclaimed, muttering as if she couldn't care less.
She hugged her friend fiercely.
"It's out, it's out!"
"So what..... Ack!"
She wiped the redness from her eyes and balled her fists.
'Okay, then!'
The actor is back.
Her next move was fairly obvious.
She'd have to revitalize the fan cafe, which had fallen into decline.
After that, she needed to spread the word as widely as possible.
Rookie Actor Lee Shinwoo.
He would be joining the special drama that was in the process of being reshot.
