Chapter 282: Jung Yoo-Jins Showtime (4)

Chapter 282: Jung Yoo-Jin's Showtime (4)

From a distance, the reporters began to buzz as they saw our vehicle.

"They're here!"

"Is that the right car?"

"It is!"

"Run!"

As soon as we entered the parking lot, the reporters swarmed toward us like a horde of zombies.

Screech!

I immediately hit the brakes.

"Miss Jung Yoo-Jin! Please give us an interview."

"Mrs. Jin Yoo-Jung, I mean, Miss Jung Yoo-Jin! Please give us a word about..."

"Miss Yoo-Jin! Open the door!"

The reporters were so densely packed that I couldn't move the car at all.

Not only was I worried someone might get hurt, but I also feared that if even one of them got hit by the car, there would be headlines like "Jung Yoo-Jin runs over reporter!"

When the car stopped, the reporters banged on the doors and begged for an interview.

Yoo-Jin blinked her eyes in surprise. "O-oppa. What is all this?"

"I told you it wouldn't be a joke."

Yoo-Jin still looked like she couldn't believe it.

Yang So-Ri and Lee Mi-Ri who were sitting in the backseat clutched their chests in excitement and shock.

When reporters rushed toward us with flashing eyes, Jung Sang-Bong who was in the passenger seat asked, "Mr. Jung, should I get out and ask them to move?"

"That's nonsense. That won't work."

Even though Jung Sang-Bong was a former national taekwondo athlete, he would be considered lucky if he didn't get trampled to death if he got out.

"Do you know the savanna?" I asked

"You mean like in Africa?" Jung Sang-Bong replied.

I nodded. "Yes. Think of us as newborn gazelles and the reporters out there as hyenas starved for a week. If you go out, you'll die."

No matter how much I thought about it, there was no way out of this situation.

Eventually, I had no choice but to call the staff. A short while later, Cha Soo-Yeon led a group of crew members rushing over. Thanks to them, we had enough space to drive through, albeit barely.

We could hear the loud protests of the reporters as we drove into the set with difficulty.

As soon as we stopped and got out, I saw Cha Soo-Yeon running over out of breath. "Huff huff huff..."

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, I'm not okay."

When I handed Cha Soo-Yeon water, she gulped it down like a thirsty animal.

"Ugh... Is this a set or a battlefield?" Cha Soo-Yeon groaned.

"When did the reporters arrive?"

"Those folks have been camped out since dawn."

Cha Soo-Yeon took a moment to catch her breath, then looked at me expectantly.

Knowing exactly what she wanted, I said, "If you set aside some time, we'll do an interview."

Her face brightened in an instant. "Really?"

I nodded. "With that many reporters, they won't leave even if we tell them to."

Cha Soo-Yeon beamed with joy. "Can I go tell them now? Like right now?"

"Yes, Miss Cha."

With my permission, Cha Soo-Yeon started running back the way she came.

From now on, I couldn't avoid the media no matter how much I disliked them.

After all, celebrities need to take advantage of their opportunities to shine in the spotlight if they wanted to climb higher.

***

From the back seat where she was doing her makeup, Yoo-Jin asked, "Oppa, you were just talking about the savanna and hyenas. So why are we doing an interview now?"

"If we don't do it when they're swarming like that, they'll follow us home. It's better to just do it here."

Yoo-Jin nodded.

At that moment, Cha Soo-Yeon returned from talking to the reporters. Despite sweating profusely, she seemed quite pleased. "I've scheduled the interview with the reporters for an hour from now."

"Understood."

Kim Myung-Hak looked taken aback by the unexpected news. "I-is that so? How much did they offer? They can't possibly match us."

"That's true. But..."

"Hah! Stop being so frustrating! Just tell me what you need and I'll meet any request of yours!"

After a brief hesitation, I decided to reveal what I knew. "The truth is, Writer Oh Sang-Jong..."

I cautiously explained what Oh Sang-Jong had done during his tenure as a university professor.

Kim Myung-Hak's face turned pale. "Is that really true? You know the consequences of making baseless accusations, right? Professor Oh is a very strict person when it comes to his private life. Do you have any proof?"

With a 30 billion won investment on the line, Kim Myung-Hak was extremely sensitive to the scandal involving Oh Sang-Jong. He asked multiple times if I was sure, and I quietly nodded.

After all, the schedule in my planner was bound to happen in reality.

The crucial issue now was not about casting Yoo-Jin as the female lead, but whether the 30 billion won investment would go down the drain.

That's when Kim Sung-Woon, who had been deep in thought, offered his opinion. "Mr. Kim, we need to contact the president immediately. I heard Professor Oh received a huge advance..."

"That's right!"

It was revealed that 800 million won, equivalent to ten episodes' worth of fees, had already been paid as an advance to the writer.

"Please wait a moment. I'll call the president."

Kim Myung-Hak dialed the phone right there to call the president.

Ring ring ring.

Click.

Soon, Choi Sang-Byung's voice came through.

-Yes, it's me. Did you secure Jung Yoo-Jin?

"Mr. Choi! This isn't the time to secure the main lead! We're about to face a disaster."

-What? Why would we face a disaster?

As soon as Kim Myung-Hak relayed what I had told him, Choi Sang-Byung's voice grew louder.

-Have you confirmed it?

"Well... We're in the process of verifying it. Team Lead Jung brought this information."

-Is he with you right now? Put Team Lead Jung on the phone.

Kim Myung-Hak handed me the phone. When I took over the call, Choi Sang-Byung's sharp voice came through.

-Let's not beat around the bush and just get straight to the point. Is this certain?

"The victims are preparing to file lawsuits. The university will deny it, but if you cross-check with the graduate students, you'll find out the truth quickly," I answered.

There was a moment of silence before Choi Sang-Byung spoke.

-Come to the office today. We need to discuss this in person.

I was being summoned by the president of MBS. In that case, I couldn't go alone.

"Then I'll come with our president," I added.

-Okay!

Click.

After finishing the call with Choi Sang-Byung, I immediately called Kang Gam-Chan who agreed to go with me.

-If it's something like that, of course I need to go with you."

Once I hung up, Kim Myung-Hak was sweating profusely while Kim Sung-Woon sighed in relief. "Thank goodness for Team Lead Jung."

Kim Myung-Hak looked bewildered. "Wow. To think Oh Sang-Jong seemed like such a gentleman on the outside..."

He mentioned that since Oh Sang-Jong was often seen on TV, it was hard to believe he had done such misdeeds.

"That's what makes him scarier," I remarked.

"It seems like there's no one in this world we can trust."

Given the trust we had built, neither of them seemed to doubt me. Despite the headache caused by Empress Myeongseong 2021, it was reassuring to confirm one thing: MBS had valued Yoo-Jin as an S Class star, offering 100 million won per episode.

Kim Myung-Hak let out a sigh and said he needed to return to the company and headed quickly to the parking lot.

Kim Sung-Woon expressed his gratitude as he watched Kim Myung-Hak leave. "We avoided a disaster thanks to you, Mr. Jung."

But then something unexpected happened.

A pristine white Merciless Bends S650 drove into the parking lot and a model-like actress in expensive-looking clothes stepped out.

It was someone I knew.

I wondered, 'Wait, isn't that...'

It was Hong Hyun-Joo, the second daughter of HK Textiles, who had once asked me to buy her a drink at a club.

She stepped out of the car with a haughty expression.