Chapter 146: Secretstargem (1)

Chapter 146: Secretstargem (1)

[(Breaking News) Writer Lee Ji-Yeon's new drama In the Name of God has switched its production company to Blue Dragon.]

-The drama production company, Red Moon, encountered issues with the production schedule and returned the production rights to MBS. The newly selected production company is Blue Dragon, known for producing Blue Sky.

It hadn't been long since I left MBS, but the article was already posted.

Although the president of Red Moon, Lee Sang-Sik, seemed calm during the interview, the entry about the bankruptcy in my planner remained unchanged.

"Goodbye, Lee Sang-Sik."

Feeling relieved, I immediately headed to Lee Ji-Yeon's house.

"I heard the news. You must have had a hard time."

"Not at all, Ms. Lee."

Lee Ji-Yeon told me to let her know first about any issues from now on.

"President Choi Sang-Byung, that guy. He has no guts to go against me."

"I'm looking forward to working with you, Ms. Lee~."

When I mimicked the sycophantic attitude that Kim Myung-Hak once showed to Lee Ji-Yeon, she waved her hands dismissively.

"Ah, stop it, Yoon-Ho. You're so funny. Haha."

But she seemed to enjoy it way too much despite her words to stop.

After feeling reassured once again by Lee Ji-Yeon's strong support, I headed home with Yoo-Jin and Miso.

On the way home, Yoo-Jin suddenly remembered something and asked while playing with Miso in the back seat, "Oppa, what do we do about Miso's acting lessons? She got a child actress role, so shouldn't we arrange a trainer for her? She's only ever acted in a kindergarten Christmas play."

"Yoo-Jin, you can take care of her. What's there to worry about?"

Miso, who was seated beside me, nodded her head while holding the signed script book that Lee Ji-Yeon had given her.

"Right! Mom, you can teach me acting!"

Yoo-Jin appeared worried as she asked, "Do you think I'm capable though?"

"Of course! You're the best, Mom. You'll do great."

Miso's praise was the best way to comfort Yoo-Jin.

"Do you really think so, Miso?"

"Yes. You're the best of the best! You were the best among all the moms in my kindergarten play."

Apparently, Yoo-Jin was really good at playing the role of a dolphin when she performed at Miso's kindergarten play.

Feeling relieved, Yoo-Jin began to shower Miso's cheek with kisses.

"Miso, I love you~."

"Ha ha ha. That tickles, Mom. Ha ha ha!"

Miso's laughter filled the car and brightened up the atmosphere.

Thanks to that, my previous bad mood from meeting Jiang Wei had disappeared as if it had never been there.

***

In Lee Gi-Cheol's office at Hoop Entertainment, Kim Dong-Soo was giving an update to the frowning Lee Gi-Cheol.

"It is said that President Jiang Wei has returned to China."

"But why all of a sudden? There was still a day left until he was supposed to leave. We could have planned for him to have a meal with Yoo-Jin."

"I can't get in touch with President Choi either. On top of that, the media is in a frenzy over the production company change announced by MBS."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Apparently, Writer Lee Ji-Yeon strongly demanded a contract termination."

Kim Dong-Soo continued with the stories about what happened at the president's office at MBS.

Upon hearing the story, Lee Gi-Cheol pulled at his sparse hair.

"Jung Yoon-Ho, that crazy asshole. He dared to spout such nonsense in front of the president of MBS without even contacting the company?" Lee Gi-Cheol growled.

Kim Dong-Soo replied with a frown, "I told you that you should have come down hard on him, haven't I?"

The furious Lee Gi-Cheol slammed his fist down on the armrest. With a thud, a fist-shaped dent was imprinted on the leather armrest.

"Damn it. He's screwing things up real bad."

Kim Dong-Soo spoke cautiously upon seeing Lee Gi-Cheol's distorted expression. "Sir, if the investors start questioning your competence over this incident..."

Lee Gi-Cheol was startled by Kim Dong-Soo's remark and replied indignantly, "What? Why the heck should I bear the brunt for Jung Yoon-Ho's mess?"

"Investors are never concerned with the details. If they hear you failed to secure President Jiang Wei's investment, it could lead to huge trouble."

"Ugh. Then what should we do?"

"For now, let's say this move was your directive. We can say that we found out Red Moon's finances were in terrible shape after doing some investigation."

Lee Gi-Cheol's eyes sparkled as he immediately caught on to Kim Dong-Soo's intention.

"So you're suggesting to tell them I had Assistant Manager Jung reject President Jiang Wei's proposal because I knew about Red Moon's dire financial situation?"

"Exactly!"

The two of them were a perfect match for nefarious deeds.

"You might even be praised for severing ties with a production company on the verge of bankruptcy, Mr. Lee."

Hearing Kim Dong-Soo's words, Lee Gi-Cheol thought this was an excellent strategy.

"Alright. Then first things first—check if our celebrities involved in Red Moon's projects have been paid already or not. If not, press Red Moon for payment. We need to collect money as soon as possible before things go downhill."

"I've already taken care of that."

"Understood, Ms. Lee."

It seemed necessary to discuss this situation with Lee Dong-Min.

Woo Yeon-Hee stretched languidly and furrowed her brow as she focused on me.

"Yoon-Ho oppa, when did you get here?"

"Just now. You've been busy lately, haven't you? Here, take this."

Woo Yeon-Hee smiled when I handed her a paper bag full of herbal medicine.

"Is it okay if I take this on an empty stomach?"

"No. Eat something first."

"Thank you."

Then Yang Eun-Bi appeared from the opposite room, waving her hand with dark bags under her eyes.

"Hi, oppa~."

"Hey. How was your sleep"

"Not great. Morning came as soon as I blinked just once. I'm so sleep-deprived that I think I'll die."

Yang Eun-Bi rubbed her neck as she complained that lack of sleep was stunting her growth. After doing some stretches, Yang Eun-Bi noticed the paper bag in Woo Yeon-Hee's hand.

"What's that, unnie?"

"Herbal medicine. Yoon-Ho oppa bought it for us."

"Yuck. I don't take herbal medicine."

"Why not?"

"Because it's bitter!"

Her response was unexpectedly simplistic when I was expecting a logical reason. I gently tried to persuade Yang Eun-Bi who was waving her hands in refusal.

"Eun-Bi, if you don't take care of yourself now, you'll run out of stamina for real and won't be able to keep up with activities later."

"It's okay. I'm super strong. Want to see?"

As Yang Eun-Bi boasted about her energy by waving her arms, Eun-Ah, who had just come out of her room, said cautiously, "Unnie, you have 5 cm-long bags under your eyes right now."

Yang Eun-Bi flinched. "What? Really?"

"Yes. It looks like they might hang down all the way to your nose soon."

Startled by Eun-Ah's comment, Yang Eun-Bi ran to the bathroom. Then the dorm erupted with a scream loud enough to shake the entire building.

"Ahhhh! Who is this in the mirror!?" Yang Eun-Bi cried out.

'Who do you think? It's an utterly exhausted idol who looks like cabbage soaked in brine for kimchi.'

But Sae-Ri was nowhere to be seen amidst the chaos.

"Yeon-Hee, where's Sae-Ri? She shouldn't be at school since it's the weekend, right? Or did she go to supplementary classes or something?"

When I asked in an urgent voice, Woo Yeon-Hee answered with a deep sigh, "Where else would she be? She's still in her room sleeping."

Handing the herbal medicine paper bag to Eun-Ah, Woo Yeon-Hee headed to Sae-Ri's room and called out to her gently.

"Sae-Ri, it's time to wake up~."

Despite Woo Yeon-Hee's gentle coaxing, Sae-Ri whined in protest.

"Just five more minutes..."

Sae-Ri's face was down on the mattress and her buttocks were lifted in the air.

"No, you need to wake up. We have a schedule today. We need to go to the salon now."

"Just five more minutes. Please~"

Sae-Ri's resistance, cocooning herself in the blanket, finally ceased when Lee Ju-Yung intervened and got Sae-Ri to sit up.

Sae-Ri greeted me with her eyes barely open.

"Oh. It's Yoon-Ho oppa."

Seeing Sae-Ri being helped up with half-open eyes, I asked, "Sae-Ri, didn't you get back to the dorm by 10 p.m. yesterday? You went straight to sleep, right?"

Sae-Ri was currently 16 and fell under the legal age of 15 due to a late birthday, restricting her from appearing on broadcasts past 10 p.m.

"I did sleep around that time... but no matter how much I sleep, I'm still tired. Maybe I'm growing."

Sae-Ri's current height was 160.7 cm, and that would remain unchanged even after nine years. Knowing the harsh truth, I decided to keep quiet and play along.

"Yes. You'll grow another 10 cm easily. Keep stretching."

Sae-Ri clenched her fists with determination.

"Of course. I'll definitely catch up to Eun-Bi unnie."

'That's impossible, Sae-Ri. Your height has already reached its limit.'

At that moment, Yang Eun-Bi walked out of the bathroom and snorted.

"Our little baby has been challenging me a lot lately. Drink some milk, grow a bit more, and then I will play with you. Okay?"

When Yang Eun-Bi gently pinched Sae-Ri's cheek, Sae-Ri began to puff her cheeks.

"Let go of my cheeks! I said let go!"

"Aww, is my little baby getting angry~?"

"I'm going to bite you!"

The moment Sae-Ri opened her mouth wide, the startled Yang Eun-Bi quickly withdrew her hand.

Just like that, another bustling day for Cherry Blossom was beginning.