Top Management

Chapter 136: Chief Jung, Your Actors are a bit (1)

TL: emptycube / ED: Isleidir

“And action!”

“Yes! Many people are hotly anticipating Director Choi Sungwon’s new project with its unbelievable cast! The Korean disaster film blockbuster ‘Alive’ began several days ago. Weekly Entertainment went on scene to get a peak. And now, we’ll be interviewing the lead actors…!”

“Producer! Producer!”

A panting production assistant shouted as he ran between the film crew members.

“Hey, hey, can’t you see we’re filming the opening shot?”

“Producer, Lee Kihwan said he can’t do the interview!”

“What?”

The Weekly Entertainment film crew were shocked by this sudden news.

Soon, the head producer and reporter rushed to the lead actors’ managers.

Lee Kihwan’s heavyset manager clicked his tongue as he said,

“You heard that today’s film schedule has changed, right? But the scene they are filming now is an emotional scene for the lead actors. We can’t have Lee Kihwan lose his immersion by doing an interview.”

“Team leader, then what about after the scene-?”

“We don’t know when we’ll end since there’s a night scene too. We’ll definitely do an interview the next time you come.”

“We have a live broadcast tomorrow! If you do this suddenly, then our segment is ruined!”

“You’re going to do interviews with other actors anyways. I’m sorry.”

The manager bowed then left.

Frantic, the production staff hurriedly went to other managers.

“Mr. Lee Kihwan isn’t going to do the interview? Then I don’t think we can either.”

“Our nuna has to focus for that scene too, and I don’t even dare bother her right now.”

“We were going to do it since other lead actors were going to do it, but now that’s a bit.”

The producer’s face had paled from the stream of refusals.

The reporter, camera director, and the lighting director gathered around and grumbled,

“How petty. Even if they are top stars. How can they treat us like this on the day of the interview? Are they looking down on us because we are a freelance production? Huh?”

“Will we have anything for tomorrow’s broadcast? Shouldn’t we change our segment?”

“When it’s tomorrow? We have to squeeze out and broadcast whatever we have.”

“How can we fill the entire 20-minute segment with what we have?”

“Can’t we asked the assistant director to try and persuade the actors?”

“I bet he won’t? He looks incredibly busy right now.”

As the Weekly Entertainment production team were ripping their hair out, a staff member shouted into her walkie-talkie while running,

“Makeup is done for Ms. Lee Songha! Costume team, please come check!”

The reporter immediately said,

“We haven’t been rejected by Ms. Lee Songha yet, right?”

“I don’t think she’ll do it either.”

“Still, wouldn’t someone at Lee Songha’s level give us an interview? She’s a rookie.”

The producer clicked his tongue in astonishment at the production assistant’s words.

“At Lee Songha’s level? Even if she loses out in terms of level, she’s currently the hottest topic right now. Cat Guardian Ghost craze has been going on for 2 months now. Even though the drama is over, the Chinese are still crazy about it. She’s not the Lee Songha of the past.”

“From the rumors, I heard she’s not the temperamental type.”

“That was before she became popular. Once they do, nine out of ten change completely.”

“Either way, let’s go over there and beg. We can’t let the segment fall through like this.”

Holding onto this sliver of hope, the Weekly Entertainment production staff began to move. Just as they discovered the white minivan she was in, a man got out of the driver’s seat.

“Huh? That person’s Chief Jung Sunwoo, right?”

“Right. He is…”

The camera director mumbled while looking at Jung Sunwoo’s face,

“He looks heartless. I think we’ll be rejected as soon as we bring it up.”

“No, I think we’ll be rejected before we can even bring it up.”

“He doesn’t have a lot of experience despite how famous he is, right? It doesn’t seem like he’s thirty yet either. Why does he feel more intimidating than other team leaders and directors?”

“Right? It feels intimidating to go talk to him? I don’t know why, but it is.”

Perhaps it was due to his cold exterior or because he was known as Midas’s Hand, a figure who had been mentioned constantly by the press two months prior, but Jung Sunwoo gave off this strange feeling that other managers didn’t have.

After taking a deep breath, the producer walked over to him.

“Chief! I am Producer Lee Chulsoon of Weekly Entertainment who contacted you previously.”

“Ah, hello. I heard that other actors have canceled their interviews.”

The producer bit his lip.

“Umm, we can finish our interview in 5 minutes so is there any way…”

“Will only Songha’s interview be broadcasted?”

The producer’s eyes bulged at his calm reply.

“I-is an interview okay?”

“Of course it is. We already promised to do it.”

“Thank you! We were worried that we would have to throw the whole segment out-!”

The producer gestured to the staff with a face that seemed to have just grabbed a lifeline.

The reporter, production assistant, and staff gathered immediately. While they were quickly taking out their cameras and lights, Jung Sunwoo, who was rubbing his chin in thought, said,

“But will you be fine with just Lee Songha’s interview? I remember it being a 20-minute segment. You won’t be able to show any scenes because they aren’t allowed so all you have must be the couple shots of sketches on set.”

“That is… We’ll try to reduce the length of the segment…”

“Since it’s like this, why not just fully focus on Songha?”

The producer, who had been sighing, abruptly raised his head.

“Pardon?”

“If you do, I’ll try to give you as much interview time as I can. Our PR Team can send you any material regarding Neptune or China. Although Director Choi Sungwon will be a bit tough, I can arrange a few staff members to give you some comments as well.”

The producer’s eyes moved quickly as he thought over it.

Soon, after quickly making a call, he nodded,

“We’ll embed Ms. Lee Songha’s name in huge letters at the top of the screen.”

“That’s great.”

Jung Sunwoo’s lips curled upwards.

“Uh, producer! Producer! Look over there!”

The production assistant caused a fuss as he called the producer. The producer turned around, wondering what else had happened, when he stopped.

It really was worth making a fuss.

The camera director and lighting director next to him were astonished.

“Oh my god, there’s no need to worry about our ratings if we just show her.”

“So this is why directors who have worked with Lee Songha constantly talk about her.”

“She’s the real deal. Amazing.”

Lee Songha followed behind Chief Jung Sunwoo.

Her straight hair, half of which was tied up, fluttered in the air.

She didn’t seem to have any makeup on, yet everyone’s attention focused on her. She wore a crisp, grey blouse with a white ribbon tie, a fully-buttoned, neat blazer, and an H-line school skirt.

When Jung Sunwoo stopped, Lee Songha came out from behind him and smiled,

“Hello, I am Lee Songha.”

“Of course we know Ms. Lee Songha! Your school uniform fits you dangerously well.”

The reporter smiled friendlily as he handed her a wireless mic.

“It feels odd wearing one after such a long time.”

“Could you start by introducing your character?”

“She’s Lee Yeonwoo, a high schooler. Uh, she’s an elegant lady who grew up in a strict, prestigious family. Her dream was to be a gymnast, but she had no choice but to give it up due to her parent’s opposition. A calamity struck one day as zombies suddenly appeared, and she does her best to try and survive.”

“You must have prepared various things to get into Lee Yeonwoo’s role. If there was anything difficult…”

Lee Songha’s expression suddenly turned solemn. Her eyes became gloomy.

“It was terrifying. For the month and a half since I returned from China.”

The reporter also became serious as he perked his ear.

“I couldn’t eat any snacks.”

“Pardon?”

“I couldn’t anything I wanted to eat, and my trainer planned out a meal plan because I needed to build muscles to have the figure of a gymnast, but the food wasn’t something a human should eat. I usually filled the ven glove box with snacks, but even those were snatched away. I was so hungry and sad that I couldn’t sleep properly.”

Lee Songha’s eyes glistened with tears as she looked off into the distance like someone who had suffered the cruelest torture in the world. The reporter consoled her with an awkward expression on his face. The director filmed this scene while barely containing his laughter.

After a few more questions, the reporter placed the bait.

“There are a lot of actors appearing in this movie, is there one that you are particularly concerned about?”

“Yes, there is.”

She answered immediately.

The reporter and producer exchanged glances as they silently shouted in delight. She had an actor she was concerned about. This was a bait that viewers couldn’t help but be interested in. Whether it was an actress or an actor.

“Could you tell us who it is…?”

Lee Songha was about to reply when she abruptly stopped.

Then she looked at Jung Sunwoo who was watching her nearby. After asking for the producer’s understanding, Jung Sunwoo approached her. Lee Songha said something to him in a voice so quiet it wasn’t picked up by the mic.

Jung Sunwoo shook his head.

“Producer, I’m sorry, but it seems like we’ll have to skip this question.”

“Pardon? It’s not like we were going to come out with a provocative headline.”

“He’s not as famous as you might think. Also…”

Jung Sunwoo added with an odd look,

“He hasn’t filmed his first scene yet so it’s too early to mention him like this.”

*

The ENG camera^{1} moved.

The film set was a worn-down apartment. An enormous blue screen was set up around the building to add computer graphics later.

More than a hundred crew members and extras crowded the area.

“Director, please film some of those extras. The ones dressed up as zombies over there.”

“They look so real. I’d be terrified if I saw them at night.”

There were people whose skin of their faces had ripped off, revealing the facial muscles underneath, and even those whose intestines were dangling outside. Everyone was busy taking selfies before the shoot.

“It apparently took 5 hours per person to cover their face in silicon and apply special effect makeup. To be honest, I thought it would be a Hollywood knockoff since it was a Korean zombie film, but this gets my hopes up.”

The Weekly Entertainment staff whispered to each other.

The assistant director, who wore a walkie-talkie around his neck, approached them.

“You know that you cannot film the actual scene, right?”

“Yes, we do. We will only take a full shot of people getting ready for the scene and a few reactions from the crew during Lee Songha’s scene.”

“Please don’t cause a disturbance. Today’s shoot is very important.”

“Understood. Ah, but how much of the scene will Lee Songha be in? Considering she was comfortable doing an interview, it doesn’t seem to be too important.”

“Pardon?”

The assistant director frowned.

“That’s not true. This is the most important scene for Lee Songha.”

“I didn’t want to admire these jerks since they didn’t give us an interview, but they really are amazing.”

“The energy is incredible since they only cast top stars. We needed to film this.”

The Weekly Entertainment staff whispered to each other.

On top of cracked and crumbling concrete, Korea’s top actors were immersed in acting with full film makeup and outfits.

“Frankly, what are we going to do if we save that kid when it’s difficult for us to take care of ourselves!?”

“So you want to leave the kid there? He’s crying! He’s going to die like this!”

Someone shouted while someone else cried tears of pity.

They even began grabbing each other’s collars. It was mayhem.

They were on a manmade set with an enormous blue screen.

There were tons of cameras and crew members. People surrounded them as they watched with interest.

Even though the environment made it difficult to immerse oneself into the scene, the actors acted as realistically as possible. A camera chased this breathtaking scene in one take.

“… That’s a bit… It’s reasonable that they rejected our interview for this. It really is an emotional scene.”

“But is it not an emotional scene for Lee Songha? She’s so quiet.”

“Her looks are the best, but she doesn’t stand out amongst those actors. Maybe it’s because of her lack of experience?”

Lee Songha stood rigidly amongst the aggressively moving actors. Completely straight with her eyes slightly lowered.

This made sense considering her character’s background. A flower that grew up in a strict family. However, she was too calm. Only Lee Songha seemed like she was displaced from this devastating situation surging with disaster and conflict.

“They said this was an important scene for her, but is she fine with just that?”

“Maybe that’s her role?”

“But she lacks any presence. Doesn’t she need to prove her skills in her next project?”

“That’s true. Only then will people stop saying ‘she’s a one-hit wonder’ or that ‘Cat Guardian Ghost was the peak of her acting career’. But this is a bit… Is she having trouble acting? Maybe she can’t get into her role because of her interview with us?”

As they discussed with worried faces, they glanced at Chief Jung Sunwoo and were shocked. Even though he should be the most worried about this, his expression was too calm.

Rather, he was smiling as he watched Lee Songha act.

That moment, an angry voice erupted from the set.

“Do you think I’m some sort of psychopath for wanting to leave? We can’t even enter that apartment, yet how are we supposed to save that kid on the fourth floor!?”

“But, let’s first make a plan…!”

A man, playing a minor role, left the crowd of aggravated people. Shaking his head, he walked next to Lee Songha. Then he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, almost in an embrace.

“How do they still not understand the situation when the world is becoming crazier by the second? Don’t worry, you won’t be in danger as long as you stick with me…”

“I’ll go.”

A calm voice, unfitting of the situation, spoke out.

Under the agitated people’s gazes, Lee Yeonwoo said,

“I will bring that kid.”

“Are you crazy? The apartment is overrun with those monsters, zombies, or whatever they are!

Lee Yeonwoo gently pushed the man aside and unbuttoned her school blazer. After taking off her vest as well, she undid her ribbon tie and placed it on top. She then untied her ponytail and retied it higher up.

“Lend me your knife.”

“Huh? Th-this?”

Another minor role handed her his knife with a flustered expression.

Lee Yeonwoo placed the knife under her skirt and ripped the right side of her skirt up to her thigh. She did the same to the left side. With a few unhesitant swipes of the knife, she revealed her milky yet firm thighs. The surrounding people made a commotion.

Handing back the knife, Lee Yeonwoo looked up.

Her resolute gaze landed on the fourth floor.

“I can bring him down without entering the apartment.”

^{1} ENG – Electronic News Gathering Cameras, heavier to dampen small movements