A commotion erupted at the broadcasting station.

After being hit in the groin, Cho Kwang-soo staggered out, being held by the officials.

The participants were temporarily dispersed under the guidance of the officials.

The person who played a decisive role in sorting the commotion is said to have calmly walked to the dormitory.

All of this happened in less than 30 minutes.

Yoo Sang-jun was informed of the situation by the officials who were present at the scene. He wasn't even curious about the condition of the participant hit by the script. He was just flicking his nails listlessly, thinking that such a thing always happens once in a while, but his eyes widened when he heard the name.

"Han Junwoo? He got hit?"

"No. The one who got hit was the other person. He threw the script."

"...Oh?"

Yoo Sang-jun scratched his head. He threw the script, and someone was hurt. This would be good news for Park Jun-gil, who was waiting for something to catch his tail every day. Yoo Sang-jun headed to the production team office with quick steps. But,

"Team leader, just now...!"

When Yoo Sang-jun flung open the office door, Park Jun-gil was nowhere to be seen.

***

Meanwhile, Park Jun-gil had just gotten out of a taxi.

He was standing in front of a huge building located in Seocho-dong.

He craned his neck back and looked up at the top of the building.

"Daemyoung"

His throat suddenly felt dry. He was more nervous than ever before.

A few minutes ago, he had to rush out of his office as soon as he received a call.

The person who called him was the program's biggest power broker, Daemyoung Group Chairman Kang Geonim.

Park Jun-gil thought to himself. Since he had been called in so urgently without any mention of the purpose, it seemed that the rumors he had been trying to keep quiet about Actor Kingdom had leaked out.

*Creaking.*

Park Jun-gil opened the large door and stepped into the Chairman's office with careful steps.

He saw Kang Geonim's back. He was sitting on a luxurious leather sofa, and he greeted Park Jun-gil without any other movement.

"Are you here?"

His eyes were deeply sunken under his heavy eyebrows. Even though he was just sitting there, a sense of intimidation emanated from him.

Sure enough, he was the Chairman who founded Daemyoung, the top company in South Korea.

Park Jun-gil sat down far away from him as if he had committed a crime.

"What can I do for you..."

Kang Geonim slowly opened his mouth in front of him, who was fidgeting. He thought the Chairman would start with the name of his son, Kang Hyeok, but as soon as he heard the existence that came out of the Chairman's mouth, Park Jun-gil closed his eyes tightly.

"There's a kid named Han Junwoo on this program, right?"

Kang Geonim's voice rumbled.

Of course, rumors about Jun-woo were already circulating among the people involved, so it wasn't strange that Kang Geonim had heard them.

He had never paid any attention to the program before unless it was about his son. It seemed that the rumors were really getting on his nerves.

"Oh, that kid? He's nothing special. He's just getting some attention because a few articles were written about him before. His concept is a bit unique..."

Park Jun-gil started to talk about Junwoo in a roundabout way with a forced smile on his face.

Kang Geonim narrowed his eyes silently as if he was feeling uncomfortable.

"Start from the beginning. Where is he from? Who's behind him? What's his relationship with my son? This time, you need to tell me everything."

In the end, Park Jun-gil had to tell Kang Geonim everything, even though he was being pressured. He tried to avoid praising Junwoo too much in his answers, but even from the brief summary he gave, Kang Geonim could tell that the program was now focused on Han Junwoo, not his son.

"Don't worry. We'll make sure that this time..."

"Worry?"

"No, it's not that. It's just..."

Kang Geonim's pride was wounded. Who was this kid? I heard he hadn't even made his debut yet.

"We'll take care of it so that you don't have to worry, Chairman. We're sorry."

"Hmm."

He couldn't believe that these people were doing things behind his back without even telling him.

Kang Hyeok had never lost to anyone before, and he had never raised his son to lose either.

If there was a kid who was good enough to threaten his son, then...

"I need to keep him closer to my son."

"Yes..?"

"No matter what, he's just one of the contestants. If we get rid of him like this, it's just like admitting that my son lost."

Park Jun-gil was taken aback. Kang Geonim, whose pride was wounded, was charging in without knowing anything.

"In fact, it would be more effective to keep him around as a comparison."

Suddenly, Park Jun-gil, who was worried about the consequences, spoke up quickly.

"It's still early. Why don't you take your time and think about it? In the end, he'll be forgotten naturally in no time,"

"He's from the countryside, right?"

Kang Geonim seemed to have already made up his mind.

'He looked like he didn't want to listen anymore. I knew if I kept talking, something might happen.'

"...Yes. That's what they say."

"Hmm. I see."

He seemed to be displeased about something.

"Still, if we're going to put him next to my son, we need to take off the 'country bumpkin' title. They need to look like they're on the same level."

Park Jun-gil quietly nodded his head for the rest of the time.

As he left the building, he had to press down on his throbbing head. He had been ignoring it, but Junwoo's presence was causing him anxiety.

On the other hand, he was relieved that he no longer had to create any more problems. He felt complicated.

"I don't know."

Park Jun-gil spat and walked towards the broadcasting station.

***

"The problem is now Lee Jaewon... Well, what he wanted was a certain level of likable image, so maybe it will be easier to work with him."

Park Jun-gil returned to his office.

"Where have you been?"

Yoo Sang-jun, who was puzzled by his troubled appearance, began to tell him about what had happened that day.

"I think he really messed up this time. Didn't he? That clumsy participant is currently being treated."

"So? What's he doing now?"

"He's currently in the treatment room, briefly recovering his mind..."

"No, not that. Who asked about him? I mean Han Junwoo."

Yoo Sang-jun was surprised by Park Jun-gil's unexpected reaction. He thought that Park Jun-gil was trying to find a way to make things worse by using this as an opportunity. However, Park Jun-gil was only focused on Junwoo's whereabouts, with no regard for anything else.

"Um...well, I think he's in the dorm right now."

"Is that so? That's good."

"Huh?"

Yoo Sang-jun was confused.

"This is a perfect opportunity. There was an unfortunate incident, so let's suspend the practice for a while and postpone the filming for two days."

"The filming? Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I have something to do in the meantime."

Park Jun-gil remembered Kang Geonim's instructions.

***

Cho Kwang-soo was summoned to the office.

With a gauze patch on his forehead, he stood in front of Park Jun-gil with a tense expression.

'Since I was the one who was assaulted, that kid will have to pay a penalty.'

Cho Kwang-soo was confident about the reason he was called here.

As he was explaining the details of what happened earlier, the production team leader, who was listening in front of him, suddenly sighed.

"I'm already stressed out enough, and now this..."

"Yes...?"

He said it as if he was talking to himself, but it was clear that he meant for Kwang-soo to hear it.

"So, what are you going to do? That's what I wanted to ask."

Park Jun-gil asked. He meant to say that he wanted the annoying story to end there.

Cho Kwang-soo deliberately lowered his voice and started to speak calmly, as if he had given the matter a lot of thought.

He began to act as if he was concerned for Junwoo and the other participants.

"I'm fine, but I can't just let that kid go. If we let this go, something similar could happen to other participants. Another victim like me could appear. I just don't want that to happen."

Cho Kwang-soo was a little excited to meet the program's production team leader for the first time. He thought he could get on his good side if he played his cards right.

"So, what? You're going to sue a kid?"

But his efforts were in vain. Park Jun-gil didn't even care about Cho Kwang-soo. He just wanted to nip this in the bud before the insignificant participant could cause any trouble for his work.

Park Jun-gil was already feeling stressed out by all the other things going on. Listening to this idiot's excuses made him feel even more frustrated and irritable.

"I don't think it's worth suing, but I think some kind of penalty is necessary."

"Just shut up."

"...What?"

"You. You threw something at a girl on your team, right? And then what? If you do something like this again, you'll be forced to leave the program. Do you think it will end there? I can air the footage of you in the practice room today on the show. I'll make sure you never set foot in this industry again, not just the program."

Cho Kwang-soo's eyes shook violently.

"But...!"

"Do you have anything else to say?"

Cho Kwang-soo felt wronged. He was the victim, so he didn't understand why he was being treated like this.

"...No."

He didn't know why, but he felt like he shouldn't say anything more. He trembled and shut his mouth.

***

Junwoo and Sang-jun arrived somewhere.

"Urban Beauty Haven"

This place was a makeup shop.

It was a place where top-tier celebrities actually go, and it was originally a reservation-only place.

Under Park Jun-gil's instructions, they rented out the entire time slot today specifically.

This was to replace Junwoo's profile picture, which had been taken in a small town.

"Welcome, PD-nim?"

A neat-looking blonde woman with a bright smile greeted Sang-jun at the entrance.

"Oh, so this is him...Hello. I'm makeup team leader, Oh Se-yeon."

As soon as she saw Junwoo behind Sang-jun, she was momentarily stunned. Junwoo bowed his head.

The other shop employees were the same.

As Junwoo stepped into the shop, the employees couldn't help but admire him. He was wearing casual clothes, and his hair was short and unkempt. Despite that, his natural good looks and mature aura made them gasp inwardly.

"This kid is going to be fun to transform."

Team leader Oh Se-yeon licked her lips.

Sang-jun was worried. He had brought Junwoo along on Park Jun-gil's orders, but he didn't think Junwoo would be obedient based on his behavior so far. But then,

"Oh..."

Junwoo was walking around the shop, his eyes wide with curiosity.

He looked at the various makeup products and tools, the rows of mirrors, and the various lighting. He remembered all the times he had struggled to do his makeup by himself in the past. He had never had the touch of a professional.

Sang-jun was at a loss.

He was worried that Junwoo would start asking questions or become suspicious about why he was being given this special treatment. But Junwoo didn't ask or question anything. He just,

"Can I sit here?"

She looked a little excited. With a creak, Junwoo sat down in the chair before he could even answer.

'I can't tell if he knows what's going on or if he just doesn't care.'

The team leader pulled a tool cart over with a flushed face. Junwoo looked over the various tools with curious eyes.

"I have some questions I've always been curious about. Can I ask you a few? I've never had the chance."

Junwoo bombarded the employee who was touching his face with questions as she worked.

Team leader Oh Se-yeon was both confused and intrigued by this type of request.

Normally, people would ask her to make their features more prominent or their jawline sharper. But Junwoo was asking her to blur the already clear outlines of his face, or to draw wrinkles or facial muscles in unexpected places.

'Don't you want to be good-looking?.'

But she didn't feel uncomfortable.

Even though he was saying strange things with a face full of curiosity, his tone of voice and actions were always polite. It was a different feeling from dealing with other idols or rookies of his age, and for some reason, she couldn't help but smile.

"It's done. How do you like it?"

After a while, Junwoo stood in front of the mirror with his makeup, hair, and outfit all done up.

.

"It's good. Thank you."

Junwoo turned to Oh Se-yeon and smiled with satisfaction.

Oh, my God. It was even better when he smiled. Oh Se-yeon couldn't take her eyes off of his visuals, which were like a painting even though she had done them herself.

Sang-jun was also amazed from behind.

'I knew it, but now that I see it, he looks like he could be a celebrity. He's definitely worth being scouted by a company.'

The employees next to him also started to murmur in amazement.

Sang-jun thought that Junwoo would definitely want to get photographed in that outfit as soon as possible and air it on TV.

But then,

"It would have been better if I could have used this when I was Kim Mu-myeong."

Junwoo said this as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

Sang-jun was startled.

So, that was why he had been so interested in makeup tools from the beginning. To Junwoo, these were not tools for decoration but tools for the perfection of his acting. Sang-jun felt embarrassed by his previous thoughts.