Kim I-seo picked up the phone right away.
“Hello.”
“Hi, I’m the interpreter for Director Yusaku.”
“Yes, it’s a saved number.”
The person on the other end was none other than Yusaku Director’s personal interpreter. Kim I-seo, of course, had already added the number long ago.
The other side spoke.
“Currently, I’m with Director Yusaku who, as you know, doesn’t speak Korean well. He would like to have a speakerphone conversation through me. Would it be okay to have our conversation this way?”
“Absolutely, of course it’s fine.”
Kim I-seo nodded and quickly excused herself from the filming location. With Sua and Yeon-joo, she felt confident to leave. Even if she wasn’t there to watch, she was sure they would wrap things up well.
“First, I assume Representative Kim I-seo is aware that Director Yusaku is currently in Korea?”
“You would have to know that since it’s even been in the news. Also, the screenwriter is living with the Lee Geum-sook clique, right?”
“I see. In other words, you’re within range for a meeting whenever. Director Yusaku is just curious when the meeting between the two parties might happen.”
At this point, Kim I-seo gained confidence.
Usually, even if there’s a highly anticipated meeting, one doesn’t show too much enthusiasm. Doing so during negotiations is like willingly being the junior party.
However, Director Yusaku was remarkably frank in stating his position. It seemed he was trying to strongly express his desire for Sua even if it meant sacrificing something.
Kim I-seo quickly calculated in her mind.
“First…”
It only took a few seconds to finish calculating.
“Sua is interested and we appreciate the indication, but scheduling a meeting right now isn’t possible. Sua is too busy to find time.”
That wasn’t strategic negotiation but pure fact. Sua, now in demand, could barely manage even if she had two bodies. Or rather, five wouldn’t be enough.
At this, the other side asked.
“Then, is there anything else besides the meeting that could work?”
“Like what?”
“Director Yusaku wants to see Sua’s performance directly, and Sawako as well. Sawako is extremely curious about the person who took the lead role in her script.”
“That shouldn’t be too difficult. So just Director and Sawako?”
“Hmm, originally it was just them…”
The personnel hesitated a bit.
“Could you add one more person?”
“Who?”
“Sawako’s mother.”
Kim I-seo’s mind raced.
Sawako is a high school student with a disability, so having a guardian accompany her would be normal. But the problem was…
‘Sawako’s mother, isn’t that writer Akiko?’
Because Minami Akiko isn’t just any parent. She’s a best-selling author hugely popular in Japan.
‘She’s incredibly busy and already makes plenty of money. It’s strange that she’s doing this herself instead of hiring someone. There’s definitely another reason.’
Kim I-seo felt her judgment was justified.
It doesn’t make sense for her to accompany only out of concern for her daughter. If that were the case, she should’ve come when Sawako entered Korea.
‘Of course, I won’t know all the details, but this is an offer we shouldn’t refuse. We should even beg them to come. Definitely have to move forward.’
Kim I-seo remembered what she’d seen on the set yesterday.
‘Sua is at peak form recently. Unbelievable.’
Whenever Sua seems to have reached her limit, she shows something even better. Again this time, what was that deep, emotional tone?
Thus, Kim I-seo smiled.
‘It’s amateurish to say everything straight.’
Only, the situation wasn’t conveyed exactly as-is.
“Lately, Sua is so busy that her full potential might not be shown. Hmm, are you still okay with that?”
“The director says he’d be happy just to see her.”
“Alright. Don’t expect too much and I’ll discuss with the production team. If they strongly object, it may be difficult to allow viewing.”
“The director just appreciates your consideration for asking. Oh, and one last thing…”
The interpreter continued.
“If Sua said anything about Sawako’s script, could you share it with us?”
“Mention…?”
Kim I-seo had obtained an irrevocable promise from Sua but hesitated as she was about to say it.
“Um, well, doesn’t seem like she’s disinterested…”
Needless to say, it was basic to keep the other side dangling.
The other side was a legendary figure, so it took courage to engage in psychological warfare, but Kim I-seo did it nonetheless. Since she was committed to making Sua a star.
*
The next day.
Sua arrived early at JKBC Broadcasting Station.
Kim I-seo couldn’t accompany because of her busy schedule—apparently, it was time to deal with Yeon-joo’s detractors. Therefore, Sua had to step into the fray alone today.
Well, not really. After all, she wasn’t alone.
─I’m here, am I not?
A defiant Sua, head held high. Yes, indeed, with the support of the Sua association, she felt more reassured that way.
─Looking into it, JKBC doesn’t hesitate to pursue commercial opportunities compared to other comprehensive channels, especially in the entertainment sector where they’ve produced numerous hits.
Sua nodded.
‘Many of the shows I enjoyed turned out to be JKBC ones. Surprising.’
─It’s a place with many popular entertainment shows and a solid understanding of appealing to the 20s-50s demographic. Congratulations, Sua, on your rise.
‘That’s true. Though, it’s going well, but…’
Sua gulped dryly. Her nervousness was palpable.
Thinking about it, it was curious.
Today’s meeting was with Director Kang Hyun-seong.
However, instead of calling her to YouTube’s entertainment meeting room, he summoned her to JKBC Broadcasting Station. The reason for this puzzled her.
While pondering this, as she entered the hallway,
“Hey, Hyun-seong. Isn’t this pushing it a bit?”
“Director. Consider again, please.”
“I’ve thought enough about it. How about you reconsider? Please approach it cautiously.”
Sua stopped in her tracks.
She somehow felt she should. The serious expression on Director Kang Hyun-seong and the middle-aged man talking intensely made it clear how serious they were.
In fact, the middle-aged man was mentioned earlier by Kang Hyun-seong as the Director. The streaked-haired man continued.
“Admit it, the plan is creative, but it has too many potential controversial elements. Once people start nitpicking about national comments, it’s endless! How will we handle it?”
“Of course, there’ll be prior review.”
“Okay? Fine, let’s assume we can do a perfect review. Even then, who will play the role of Korea’s representative? Finding such talent is as hard as picking stars from the sky, right?”
“That’s…”
Kang Hyun-seong, with his hat flipped backward like a naughty kid, couldn’t continue. Then he saw Sua standing off to the side in the hallway.
The director prodded,
“See? You’re way off track, aren’t you? If we use a comedian, the image is too light, and an actual expert brings no entertainment. Good planning, but lacks practicality.”
But without an answer from Kang Hyun-seong, the director noticed someone behind him and his gaze shifted. He spotted Sua.
In a fraction of a second, his eyes grew three times their size.
“White hair? Huh? Kim Yu-han?”
The first thing that came to mind was Kim Yu-han.
“Kim Yu-han! That’s right! It’s you! Sua!”
Kang Hyun-seong nodded at last.
“It’s not nonexistent. Director, she’s here, isn’t she?”
“Are you suggesting her? The Korean representative you had in mind?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Kang Hyun-seong smirked.
“Could I go for a meeting now? She’s made a rare return to the broadcasting station. Please don’t be too skeptical and let’s work together warmly. Pleaaaase!”
“Hmm… If it’s Sua, the story changes, I suppose.”
Afterwards, the director smiled familiarly as if no conflict had occurred.
“Ho ho, Sua, welcome! This is your first time at JKBC Broadcasting Station, right? Actually, my daughter really enjoyed the Special Mobile Unit 808. If it’s not too much trouble, could you sign…”
Sua gave the director an autograph, but all the while was lost in her own thoughts. Good planning but lacking practicality? Korea’s representative? What is all this? She was just curious.
…
Thereafter, the meeting officially began.
“Waah, the facility here is impressive.”
That was Sua’s first impression.
JKBC Entertainment Division’s meeting room was both spacious and sophisticated. Truly, this was a broadcasting station’s ambiance. Sua tried hard to suppress the curiosity of a child eager to explore.
Kang Hyun-seong spoke first.
“Isn’t Sua overwhelmed lately? Lately, whenever I go online, it’s all about Sua. Even main spotlighted Jo Gukoria’s summer special, right?”
“Huh, accidentally ended up like that. Thank you.”
“You made our diligent efforts worthwhile. Take a look.”
“Umm, before that…”
Sua wanted to clear up her doubts first.
“Why is this meeting here today?”
“Well, the scale has expanded. It’s not just a YouTube entertainment show but officially becomes a JKBC entertainment program. You can consider the benefits you receive from this will also be greater.”
“And I heard the mention earlier about a Korea representative. Could you explain what exactly that means?”
“That too is related to the show we’ve prepared. Let me explain it step by step.”
Kang Hyun-seong carefully presented the project.
“…”
Sua’s eyes widened in disbelief. She had no idea what was going on!
How foolish she felt!
Unable to comprehend it on her own, she decided to seek help from Kim Yu-han just as Kang Hyun-seong continued.
“As you see, the show involves inviting various personalities from different countries for a discussion format. We aim to avoid too sensitive or difficult topics and happily address cultural differences.”
“What do you mean by addressing them happily?”
“Like ways of attracting the opposite sex you fancy, or reconciling with a friend after a quarrel… Truly minor but certainly different in each country.”
Sua inwardly marveled.
‘What? It could actually be really fun?’
The scale of gathering people from different countries itself was impressive, but the subject matter was also quite innovative. Wouldn’t it be fun discussing different marriage proposal methods from various countries? How could she miss that?
The playful Kang Hyun-seong carried on.
“For reference, there won’t be any fixed panel members. We plan to change foreign panelists every three episodes. Watching Germans all the time would be boring, so France, Italy, the variety will be as diverse as possible.”
“Okay…”
“But, we need fixed presence to anchor Korea as its representative. The main character and identity of the show, we need someone fluent in foreign languages and articulate… and…”
Kang Hyun-seong’s eyes gleamed.
“We’ve concluded Sua is the perfect person.”
“Me?”
Without realizing, Sua repeated it.
It took three beats for her to understand.
‘Me? They’re asking me to be the Korea representative? Meaning… this is Kang Hyun-seong’s comeback project, and I’m the main attraction?’
Even just being part of Kang Hyun-seong’s broadcasting station comeback project was a jaw-dropping fact, and now he was offering her the tremendous opportunity of being Korea’s representative.
The Sua Association went into an uproar.
─This technically shouldn’t work, right?
─Uh, if you’re the leader, could something disastrous happen?
─Indeed, it’s a risky position for Sua.
Yeah, Sua knows too. Even though it’s entertainment, the role of Korea’s representative was not suitable for her. The fear caused her thoughts to spiral.
On the other hand, Kang Hyun-seong attentively observed this Sua. It seemed to him that Sua’s impassive expression conveyed disapproval of the current plan.
Thus, Kang Hyun-seong hastily added,
“Sua, we’ll offer you the best conditions. As it’s a show officially made by a broadcasting station, the benefits far outweigh what we did with the YouTube entertainment show.”
“Hmm…”
“And the shooting will be fun too. You’ll be in a lively place with young people from all over the world.”
“Ugh…”
Sua-hmm… Sua-thinks…
After pondering for a while,
“Ah, um, maybe me being the Korea representative is a bit…”
It was purely due to Sua’s timidity. After all, there’s no help from special skills in variety shows, and taking on the heavy responsibility of being a Korea representative still felt overly dangerous.
Yeah, that was all it meant.
“…Oh! Really?”
Kang Hyun-seong’s eyes widened.
“Is Sua suggesting she’d rather be the Japan or America representative?”
