Lord Of Dying Smoke - Chapter 167

[It’s not romantic at all.]

[And above all─ it is the most common.]

A calm voice and bold subtitles alternated. Like a movie trailer.

At the same time, small vibrations began to mix with the sound of the drums.

The mixed and mixed vibration soon became a heartbeat.

Soon, the actors realized that this was a reproduction of the sound of the heart.

The show host’s words were mixed in between them.

[How is it? This is where you show off your skills.]

[I think everyone will be very interested!]

[Oh, if you don’t like it, just tell me─]

Even while he was spouting hateful words, the heartbeat continued to grow louder. So much so that it sounds like a piece of music.

But, at some point.

All the sounds stopped for a moment.

[Gagging…!]

Clink.

The screen appeared at the same time as the sound of a glass falling.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Everyone forgot what to say for a moment.

Distorted face.

Fluffy lips.

Tears flowed out of physiological action rather than pain.

And above all else, desperate eyes─

Humans were dying.

And, I was struggling.

The editing of that cruelty was still, and therefore even more still.

Even the actors, no, they were actors, couldn’t take their mouths off during that scene.

How long has it been like that?

The final narration came out in silence.

[It’s not romantic at all.]

All that was left was a scream.

[Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

[Calm down! Calm down, everyone!]

[Amos Hoban killed a man!]

[No, absolutely not, everyone! Please─!!]

[Amos Hoban killed a man!!]

[I said no—!!!]

[Amos Hoban killed a man!!!!!]

The screen went black with a shout that was close to a scream.

Long silence.

At the same time, the biggest subtitle so far came to mind.

“… … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

There was silence.

Stephen Zischler, Benjamin King, Harry Gordon.

Jacob Fisher, Kevin Moore, Finnegan Sticks, Zoya Sticks.

Peter Jaylen, Lloyd Gonzalez, Justin Gilbreath, Jack Miller, Katie Miller.

And, Aislinn Lewis.

People across America who saw this scene fell silent at the same time.

And I thought.

‘what.’

‘What on earth did I see?’

Everyone waited in silence for the main broadcast to follow.

… … Well, at least the subtitles weren’t a lie.

***

A day has passed.

Amos Hoban achieved a miracle.

succeeded in setting a historic viewership rating by turning all the talk shows he considered rivals into shrimp with their backs bursting.

Of course, I wasn’t the least bit happy about it.

“Director, this is a serious situation!”

Inside the historic CBC broadcasting station, Amos let out his anger, almost screaming.

“The producer ignored me, the show host, and edited it on his own! This is a breach of trust! “You must take action immediately!”

“That’s a valid opinion, good. “Was there any editing guide provided separately by Mr. Hoban?”

“that… … There’s nothing in particular, but… … .”

“Then do you have any minutes, reports, or phone calls?”

“that… … .”

“This is really strange.”

The director shrugged his shoulders.

“Then wouldn’t it be okay to say it was left to the producer’s discretion?”

“It’s not at the level of discretion!”

Amos couldn’t stand it anymore and got angry.

Otherwise, it was correct. Because I was completely impressed with the trailer right away.

Even more so in the main story.

“What country’s talk show shows the host’s astonishment four times from different angles? “It was malicious no matter who saw it!”

The original version of made me cry, but the later episodes were even worse. The entire United States witnessed editing that was truly a work of art.

Of course, Amos was in danger of ruining his entire image.

“Let me be clear! “I definitely asked them to kick that Asian out!”

“Hmm, you’re saying there’s no way to prove it.”

“That’s not important!”

Amos gritted his teeth and slammed the desk.

But the director just shrugged his shoulders.

“This is difficult. As you know, under federal law we cannot intervene in private disputes. “I’m sorry, but this seems like a problem you’ll have to solve yourself, Mr. Hoban.”

“… … I beg your pardon?”

“I’m telling you to file a lawsuit.”

“… … .”

Of course it was bullshit.

This provision was a federal regulation, not a federal law, and since it was a legacy from a long time ago, it had long since been written down.

If I were to translate it into polite words, it would just mean fuck you.

Anger and ridicule appeared on Amos’ face.

“Ha, are you serious? Have you forgotten who brought this show up? “I don’t think it was a wise decision!”

“Oh, what power is this, wise or not? “This is the opinion of the CFO.”

“… … I beg your pardon?”

Amos was momentarily speechless.

The American title, commonly translated as director or headquarters director, is quite similar to that of Korea, but there is a crucial difference.

Unlike Korea, where budget planning departments are often included in the Planning and Planning Bureau and the Planning and Planning Headquarters, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in the United States is clearly a superior.

These people usually report directly to the Chairman, but depending on the company structure, there are cases where they can have open conflicts within the board of directors.

And, CBC, which includes , was clearly the latter.

Amos barely managed to control his embarrassment.

“You’re also good at bluffing. “Are you saying that the CFO is lacking something and is cutting into a show that generates good advertising fees?”

“Well, it must be money. Mr. Hoban has caused a lot of fights in the past, or has been a bit ugly this time.”

“Like that—!”

“And, somehow, we were dragged into the battlefield between CAE and WMA, and we almost suffered great losses.”

Mouth closed.

There was a short silence.

The tone that followed was shaky.

“… … Well, I don’t know what you’re saying-”

“I have already confirmed the original footage. “Other news as well.”

“… … .”

“The intention seemed somewhat clear.”

The show host’s forehead was wet with sweat.

The silence became longer.

The director shrugged and reclined his chair.

“Well, that’s good. “If you were confident that you could control this situation, you could have overcome it.”

“of course! I—”

“But, isn’t this a difficult ability to expect from someone who is swayed by a second-year actor and behaves in a disgraceful manner? “The image damage was severe.”

“… … .”

“I’ll tell you straight. Mr. Hoban, we at the CBC have determined that you are no longer suitable to host the show.”

Of course, if you have any objections, you can file a lawsuit. Isn’t that an American’s right?

‘… … .’

Of course, Amos couldn’t answer that question.

Streams of cold sweat met and flowed down to form a river.

Considering that the director came out so openly, he must be holding on to evidence. If you complain any more here, your life will end in an instant.

My legs trembled slightly.

“Hmm, can I accept it as no objection?”

“… … yes.”

“great.”

The director returned his chair.

Amos Hoban retreated, as if half running away.

The director snorted after hearing the almost running footsteps disappearing. He was a man who couldn’t become a big man –

He clicked his tongue and immediately picked up the phone.

“It’s done. “He said he would voluntarily leave.”

– Oh my, damn it. Still, he was confident that he could handle it and was willing to consider it if he held on.

-A guy like that doesn’t have that kind of guts.

-but.

Finance Director and Vice Chairman.

Even at the American CBC, the highest-ranking people had a bitter taste in their mouths.

If possible, I wanted to scare them and keep them in their positions, but with things going this way, there was no way. I have no choice but to look for a new host.

Aside from the money that would be spent on it, it was an added bonus to have to compensate for the losses that would occur during the immediate cancellation.

The vice president, who was groaning, asked.

-First of all, let me ask. Have you prepared a host candidate?

“For now, yes. However, even if we persuaded the fastest candidate right away, it would take more than four months.”

-What about tinkering with a suitable host?

“Of course it’s the worst. “What little images we have secured will be completely lost.”

-It’s a loss either way. It would be better to get ready to work hard at the meeting.

grumbled the finance director.

She reluctantly instructed.

-Director, please submit a list of programs that can be moved to the relevant time zone and reduce losses as much as possible. I think we should try to reduce our losses, even if it’s just for one month.

-Is there any need to move it? If you’re going to come back anyway, a special program would be better.

-I’m saying this because, unfortunately, there is no such plan. If you say you will start from zero, I can’t help but doubt the former vice president’s intellectual ability.

-If I speak a little more politely, what’s the difference?

And, while the high-ranking people were complaining, the director tilted his head alone.

What can I say? His expression was like, “What kind of nonsense is this?”

“Excuse me, but I have a better idea. “It can be done as soon as possible, preparations have been completed, and even advertising has been completed.”

-huh?

-I’ll listen. I don’t think there’s such a good story.

“You don’t have to go far. Didn’t it just air yesterday? “This is William White’s new work.”

-… … .

-… … .

“Rather, I think the public will naturally think that we will continue airing it on CBC, right?”

-… … .

-… … .

Needless to say, Kang Min’s comment was a can of nonsense and nothing prepared.

By the time I got to Amos Hoban, I was so dumbfounded that even my nose was stuffed.

But here was a tragedy.

In response to such a tin-can plan, CBC’s finance director began tapping away at his calculator.

-Hmm, indeed… … .

And then, a further tragedy occurred.

Our finance director’s excellent memory brought him back to mind a strange plan from a year and a half ago.

-And if you look at the content division, Content Di

* * *

-Unbelievable.

-Hmm, it was like that. This may have been a surprising investment.

It was truly a insight that no one knew about.

***

There were other people who were fooled by Kang Min’s can-can plan.

Needless to say, it was the board of directors of CAE, the agency that Kangmin and Penelope belong to.

“As you have heard, this situation ended with the firing of show host Hoban.”

“… … hmm.”

“It’s unfortunate, but I’m satisfied with this. “It’s not like a malicious broadcast was aired.”

“… … “Of course.”

CEO Peter Jaylen stopped screaming to start M&A right away, and the directors heaved a sigh of relief.

In all likelihood, it was WMA’s masterpiece, but if the two major agencies go to war openly, it won’t result in a very good outcome.

Of course, the directors began to flatter the displeased CEO.

“By the way, it’s great. “Director Olsen has thought of everything!”

“Not only did I work with actor Kang on , but I was already preparing a new project!”

“… … Huh, well. “It’s still not enough.”

“It’s not enough. “Is this normal for someone who is a great actor, has great eyes, and has business talent?”

“You will definitely become a person who surpasses the CEO!”

“Hehehe, hehehe… … Well, I’ve been a smart kid since I was young!”

“also!”

“indeed!”

“Hehehehehe!”

Of course, this kind of flattery cannot end with words alone.

Moreover, the unexpected success of had warmed my heart.

This opinion came out right away.

“It looks like a detailed plan has already been drawn up between Mr. Kang and Director Olson, so is there any reason to hesitate further? Let’s decide on investment right away!”

“I agree! “How about securing the staff first?”

“That’s good!”

Just like that, a plan that they had no idea about was revealed to the world.

The enormous publicity that it would be a rare masterpiece was a bonus.

“Hoo… … .”

Naturally, CAE’s actions caught the attention of broadcasters looking for a replacement for The Amos Hoban Show.

“Hoo… … .”

Naturally, CAE had no reason to reject the broadcaster’s offer.

The two immediately set up a meeting.

The result was very simple.

“Ah—”

Two days later, Penelope blushed as soon as she heard the news.