Chapter 152
“The entire cast and crew dinner? From Noh Jihwan’s fan club?”
I asked in surprise after hearing that the fan club of actor Noh Jihwan, who was currently playing the lead in Happy Laundry, had offered to pay for a full team dinner.
“Yes.”
Kim Hana, who was in charge of Happy Laundry, smiled.
“They said all we have to do is pick a date. They’ll choose the restaurant and make the reservation themselves.”
“Well, we’re certainly grateful, but...”
Joo Youngjae looked amazed.
“How many members does his fan café even have for them to pay for an entire drama team dinner?”
“Maybe one of the members is some chaebol heiress.”
Just then, Lee Hyunwoo, who was in charge of Butterfly Effect, the YTBS Monday-Tuesday drama scheduled to air after Happy Laundry, spoke enviously.
“Ah, I’m jealous.”
“When the actors are young, their fan clubs really are powerful.”
“Our drama is full of middle-aged men...”
“Hyunwoo.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Birds hear what you say during the day, and mice hear what you say at night.”
“What are you going to do if that dangerous comment reaches the actors?”
“Come on. I’m just jealous.”
Just then, Kang Jooyoung, who was handling Director Choi Kyungmin’s MBS drama, puffed herself up proudly.
“We haven’t even started filming yet, but the moment Moon Hyunbin’s casting was confirmed, his fan club asked us to send them the shooting schedule as soon as it comes out.”
“They said they’re sending coffee trucks and meal trucks. Hoho.”
“What?”
Someone immediately protested.
“Are you bragging right now?”
Everyone burst into laughter.
The meeting, which had been running since morning, only ended when it was almost time to leave work.
“All right.”
I looked around at the exhausted team.
“The projects currently in production are important, but you all know you need to keep paying attention to the projects you’re developing too, right?”
“Team Leader, aren’t you pushing us a little too hard right after coming back from Cannes?”
“Yes...”
The team members slumped their shoulders after the long meeting.
“Oh, and what happened with the request to look around for writers we might be able to recruit?”
Kim Hana sighed.
“Ah, that... finding rookie writers is much harder than I expected.”
Normally, dramas were outsourced productions.
Because of that, broadcasters often attached a writer from the beginning or introduced writers who had come through their own contests.
Otherwise, production companies relied on personal connections to find graduates from screenwriting academies or assistant writers recommended by writers they had worked with before.
But even that wasn’t easy without the right network.
No matter how many future successful writers and directors I knew, it was nearly impossible for me to find them first unless they somehow appeared in front of me.
Finding people who hadn’t even debuted yet was like trying to find pearls buried in mud.
“I understand the situation.”
I nodded.
“But please keep looking anyway.”
“Securing good writers is one of the most important things we can do.”
“Team Leader, seriously.”
Lee Hyunyoung pouted.
“Didn’t you just get back from Cannes? Aren’t you pushing us too hard?”
Kang Jooyoung comforted her.
“Hyunyoung, let’s just be grateful he isn’t making us work overtime.”
I smirked at the two of them.
“Fine, fine.”
“I get it.”
“I’ll go easier on you starting tomorrow.”
“Happy now?”
As I left the conference room, I checked my phone.
I had several missed calls.
One of them was from MBS Drama Department Director Hwang Donghyuk.
Why is this man calling me personally?
I immediately called him back.
After a few short rings, Hwang Donghyuk answered.
“Team Leader Min. You’re only calling me now?”
“Yes, Director. Sorry.”
“I was in a meeting and had my phone on silent, so I only just saw it.”
“No, no. It’s fine.”
“I thought maybe you were avoiding my calls.”
His tone sounded oddly probing.
I answered quickly.
“Of course not.”
“Why would I avoid your calls?”
“Then that’s good.”
He chuckled.
“Anyway, I heard about the Palme d’Or at Cannes.”
“As expected, Team Leader Min really is something else.”
“Congratulations. Sincerely.”
“Thank you.”
“Right, so about that...”
Hwang Donghyuk paused.
Then he continued.
“Could you appear on Movie Talk?”
What?
Why was the Drama Department Director suddenly talking about an entertainment-program show?
And I had already declined Movie Talk.
“I heard the Movie Talk team contacted you this morning.”
“Yes...”
“But I already turned them down.”
“I heard that too.”
Hwang Donghyuk sighed.
“Apparently the Entertainment Department Director heard somewhere that you and I are close.”
“And now he keeps asking me to persuade you to appear.”
I had no idea what to say.
Hwang Donghyuk continued.
“Team Leader Min, do me a favor.”
“Just appear once, for my sake.”
“You know how much a special episode like this would help promote the film.”
“Of course I know that.”
“That’s why I told them I’d make sure Director Song Jaehyun and the actors appeared.”
“The actors will appear on plenty of other programs too.”
Hwang Donghyuk cut me off.
“You need to be there.”
“That’s what makes the story interesting.”
“You’re the one everyone’s talking about.”
Ha... what do I do?
I had planned to avoid television appearances whenever possible.
But now even Hwang Donghyuk, Director of the MBS Drama Department, was personally asking me.
That put me in an extremely awkward position.
“Director, the thing is...”
Before I could finish, Hwang Donghyuk quickly continued.
