Chapter 105

Chapter 105

Reporter Goo Yangmo entered the coffee shop.

When I saw him, I raised my hand to show him where I was sitting.

Goo Yangmo looked around before spotting me and walking over.

“We’ve been seeing each other a lot lately.”

“You drink iced Americano, right? I ordered one for you in advance.”

I pushed the coffee toward him as if trying to flatter him.

Goo Yangmo grinned playfully.

“Hmph. You refuse to tell me where the after-party is, but whenever you need something, you suddenly become so polite.”

Ha. This guy can hold a grudge all the way to the Great Wall of China.

Even so, Goo Yangmo was the only person I trusted with something like this.

So I decided to swallow my pride.

“Come on. Why are you acting like this between us?”

“Between us? Forget it. What do you want this time?”

“I want you to publish an article.”

“An article? About what?”

After hearing the general situation, Goo Yangmo grinned.

“Okay! Dating scandals are my specialty.”

He looked at me with amusement.

“Team Leader Min, you really are something. You’re going to use a fake dating scandal as noise marketing, pull everyone’s attention toward the drama, and try to flip the ratings in one shot?”

My plan was simple.

We would raise suspicions that Seo Jisoo and Jung Sewon were dating.

Then we would deny it.

We would explain that the misunderstanding only happened because their chemistry in the drama was so convincing.

At the same time, we would spread behind-the-scenes footage online showing the two of them filming together affectionately.

The goal was to raise anticipation for the drama.

Of course, the actors’ agencies had already agreed to the plan to some extent.

There was another reason they liked the idea.

Recently, one tabloid reporter had been constantly digging into the relationship between Seo Jisoo and Jung Sewon.

The agencies calculated that even if the tabloid reporter eventually caught them and published a real dating article, people might simply dismiss it as more drama-related chemistry, just as they would now.

I gave Reporter Goo Yangmo several filming schedules and locations in advance.

A few days later, articles questioning whether Seo Jisoo and Jung Sewon were dating spread across the internet.

[EXCLUSIVE: Top Stars Seo Jisoo and Jung Sewon Spotted on a Secret Late-Night Date?!]

[HOT ISSUE: Have the On-Screen Lovers Become a Real Couple? Seo Jisoo and Jung Sewon Dating Rumors Spread!]

Along with the sensational headlines, photographs spread across the internet.

They showed Seo Jisoo and Jung Sewon walking together late at night in a park-like area, playfully joking around with their arms around each other’s shoulders.

The reaction was even bigger than I expected.

The moment the articles went online, hundreds and then thousands of comments began appearing.

The MBS website even crashed from excessive traffic for nearly two hours.

[Whoa. Why do these two look so good together?]

[I knew something felt suspicious between them since the production presentation.]

[What is this? My heart is seriously racing.]

[I’m 100% sure this is fake. They’re losing to SBC’s Big Fish, so they’re creating an issue for publicity. Everyone knows it.]

[Seo Jisoo, stay away from our Sewon oppa!]

Two days later, when the dating rumor had reached its peak, we released a denial article.

[EXCLUSIVE: Top Stars Seo Jisoo and Jung Sewon Deny Dating Rumors. “We’re Simply Close Senior and Junior Colleagues.”]

Recently, top stars Seo Jisoo and Jung Sewon, who are appearing together in the drama The Woman’s Garden, were photographed seemingly dating away from the public eye.

As a result, rumors about their romantic relationship quickly spread across the internet.

However, this morning, the agencies representing both actors denied the dating rumors.

According to the agencies, the misunderstanding likely happened because the chemistry between the two actors in the drama was so strong that they appeared like a real couple.

The photographs circulating online were also revealed to have been taken at the drama’s filming location while the two actors were rehearsing before a scene.

MBS later released actual behind-the-scenes photographs and videos from the filming site through its official website.

[What? So those pictures were actually from the filming site? Who wrote that original article?!]

[I knew it. Our Sewon oppa has incredibly high standards.]

[Oh? That was a scene from the drama? Episodes 1 and 2 were too dark, so I changed channels. But I guess there’ll be romance from now on. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll watch it live!]

[Same. I’m looking forward to it too. Watching live!]

[Just date for real already!]

And my plan worked perfectly.

After the article came out, Episode 3 reached a rating of 23.7 percent.

Episode 4 jumped to 27.1 percent.

Even after that, the ratings continued climbing with every episode at an almost explosive pace.

“I never expected Team Leader Min to turn the situation around like this. I’m not sure whether simply calling it impressive is enough. Either way, it’s amazing.”

Executive Director Kim Eunkyung couldn’t hide her admiration.

“I only created an opportunity to change the atmosphere. In the end, Writer Hong’s writing and Director Choi’s directing were what kept the viewers watching.”

I remained humble.

“Anyway, because of this drama, MBS has asked us to work together on several more projects.”

“Really? Did Director Hwang personally tell you that?”

“Yes. He said we should discuss the details again after the drama finishes.”

Kim Eunkyung smiled calmly.

“This really is all thanks to you, Team Leader Min. I suppose the nickname ‘hitmaker’ suits you after all.”

“So your opinion is that we need to recruit people aggressively?”

Inside CEO Han Taesung’s office, Han Taesung thoughtfully rubbed his jaw.

“Of course, MBS has suggested doing several more projects with us. But Writer Hong’s current drama hasn’t even finished yet, and next year’s programming hasn’t been confirmed.”

Executive Director Kim Eunkyung continued cautiously.

“Wouldn’t it be risky to start recruiting directors and writers already?”

“But now that we’ve entered the drama industry, we can’t keep accepting only whatever work other people give us forever.”

“That’s true, but...”

Kim Eunkyung couldn’t easily answer.

“With MBS, the three terrestrial broadcasters, and four general programming channels entering the market in the future... if we want to seriously compete in the drama industry, we need to take an aggressive approach.”

Han Taesung, who had quietly listened to me, finally spoke.

“Good. What kind of recruitment strategy are you thinking about?”

I had already prepared a recruitment proposal.

I placed the report, containing a list of writers and directors I wanted to recruit, in front of Han Taesung and Kim Eunkyung.

“What? You already prepared all of this?”

Kim Eunkyung looked through the report with admiration.

“For now, I’m thinking of recruiting three or four writers, mixing rookies with experienced writers. For directors, I’m considering only one person at first.”

I explained that directors often participated through broadcasting stations themselves, like Director Choi Kyungmin.

Han Taesung looked over the report.

“I see Choi Kyungmin on this list too. Have you already spoken with him?”

“No. Not yet. I thought reporting this to you and Executive Director Kim should come first.”

“We’d certainly love to bring Director Choi over if possible, but he doesn’t seem interested in leaving MBS...”

I nodded at Kim Eunkyung’s words.

“Yes. I’ve heard the same thing. Still, I want to make him an offer.”

Kim Eunkyung continued reading the report.

“But among the writers... Do Kijeong? There’s even a rookie here who hasn’t debuted yet.”

“Ah, yes. Writer Do Kijeong is currently working under Writer Hong Yeonhee as an assistant writer.”

Han Taesung looked puzzled.

“An assistant writer? If we’re going to recruit writers anyway, wouldn’t it be better to spend more money and hire someone successful?”

Then he suddenly had another idea.

“Oh. How about recruiting Writer Hong Yeonhee?”

“I actually tested the waters with Writer Hong not long ago.”

“Why? Did she refuse?”

“Yes. She said she doesn’t want to be tied down to a company.”

I continued.

“She said Pan Entertainment once offered her an exclusive contract worth five billion won, but she refused because she felt like she’d end up doing nothing but writing like a slave.”

Han Taesung nodded in understanding.

“That makes sense. Once someone reaches Writer Hong Yeonhee’s level, the working environment is probably more important than money alone.”

I looked at him.

“Of course we should recruit successful famous writers too. But in the long term, I think it would be better to discover talented rookie writers who simply haven’t received the right opportunity yet.”

“I agree with Team Leader Min on that.”

“For the two rookie writers listed here, Writer Do Kijeong was recommended by Writer Hong Yeonhee, while Writer Oh Inhae was recommended by Director Choi Kyungmin.”

Of course, even before receiving those recommendations, I already knew from my memories before regression that both writers would eventually become major names representing K-dramas, loved both domestically and internationally.

“Writer Oh Inhae won an MBS one-act drama contest three years ago, and she debuted earlier this year with an MBS one-act drama.”

Choi Kyungmin had produced that drama.

He told me he had been impressed by Oh Inhae’s work and recommended her to me.

Birds of a feather really did flock together.

Talented people always seemed to gather around other talented people.

“I found the one-act drama and watched it myself since it had already aired. It was really good. It made me very curious about her future works too.”

Han Taesung nodded.

“We already know you have a good eye for these things. What do you think, Executive Director Kim?”

“To be honest, Team Leader Min already convinced me when he said we can’t keep surviving only by accepting work that other people hand us. Hoho.”

Kim Eunkyung laughed.

“All right. Then start immediately.”

“Thank you.”

And just like that, I began aggressively recruiting new directors and writers.

“Ah, Team Leader Min. I appreciate the offer, but I’m not planning to go independent yet. I still have plenty to learn at MBS.”

I had expected it to some extent.

As expected, Director Choi Kyungmin rejected the recruitment offer.

“Ah, but can I recommend someone instead?”

“Do you know someone?”

“He joined MBS at the same time I did. His name is Jeon Jihyuk. He’s actually worked on far more productions than I have. He even did a twenty-four-episode miniseries during the first half of this year.”

According to Choi Kyungmin, Jeon Jihyuk had an unusually strong desire to keep making projects.

He had already begun considering changing jobs because he believed staying at MBS would limit the number of productions he could direct.

“If you’re okay with it, Team Leader Min, I’ll strongly recommend your company to him. He’s a genuinely capable director. He’s talented enough for even a major production company like Pan Entertainment to want him.”

I didn’t know much about drama directors.

But I trusted Choi Kyungmin.

So I decided to recruit Jeon Jihyuk.

Starting with Jeon Jihyuk, the recruitment of Writer Oh Inhae and then Do Kijeong gradually moved forward.