The Haunted Monster Actor - Chapter 88



Only Noblemtl

Episode 88

“Actor Kang Ji-hoon started filming a variety show today. Considering the influence of PD Na Young-joon, it seems that actor Kang’s brand power will continue to rise for a while.”

Lim Jin-sil, who was listening to Director Kim’s report, tapped the table with an expression on her face as if she was not pleased with something.

“Rising, rising, right? Some people have become rising stars, just like the band name in the play.”

“… … .”

Director Kim, who had been silent, opened his mouth.

“Sir, can I be honest with you?”

“What if I tell you not to be honest? Even if it means lying?”

“I don’t understand this case. Even if it had gone as the CEO intended, there would have been no benefit to the company at all, and in the end, it would have only resulted in losses.”

―Kim Sang! How do you plan to take responsibility for this? Because of you, I was also terribly scolded by my superiors. They said I missed out on such a great drama! Chik Show!

This time, the Japanese music distribution agency ‘Bari Music’ that Im Jin-sil pressured was one of the most important partners for Impact, which hired a large number of actors who started out as Hallyu idols.

Originally, it wasn’t a partnership that would be damaged by something like this, but the problem was that the box office volume of Nineties Dive had become too large.

Several major broadcasters in Northeast Asian countries, including Japan, as well as global OTT platforms, are already actively seeking to acquire the broadcasting rights to Nineties Dive.

Bari Music continued to claim that it had suffered significant damages as a result of the incident.

Of course, it was originally Director Kim’s job to clean up the mess that arose from a decision made by his superiors.

There is one bigger problem here.

“KBC and Dreamcatcher also seem to know that we were involved in this matter.”

“Huh, what would they do if they found out?”

“And… …the chairman knows too.”

“… … .”

“I can somehow resolve the Japanese side’s claims. However, I don’t know about other places, but don’t you know that we shouldn’t touch KBC?”

This isn’t just a problem of touching on public broadcast channels.

KBC is a subsidiary of the Korea Communications Commission, which exerts absolute influence over the media industry in South Korea, and is also a state-run broadcasting station that produces many high-ranking political figures, including high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and members of the National Assembly.

And even if it is state-run, its essence is a business entity.

Of course, you have to make money.

In a situation where the drama has been dying for years, I’m trying to have some fun for the first time in a while, and then you suddenly come in and interrupt?

Although I don’t know, it was clear that KBC was holding this incident in their hands.

“The chairman is very upset.”

“How could someone so busy with construction know about something like this? Did Director Kim tell you?”

“No way.”

“then?”

“Among the people involved in this matter… isn’t she there?”

“So, Woo Ji-yoon ran to the old man and told him? Even though he changed a little, he’s not the type of character to do that.”

“Then… …couldn’t it be the other way around?”

“……what?”

Im Jin-sil couldn’t control her facial expressions for a moment.

‘So… that old man is still watching over Woo Ji-yoon?’

Lim Jin-sil, who had been chewing on her teeth for a while, continued speaking to Director Kim.

“So, are you going to fire me for this little mistake? Sometimes, when I see Director Kim, he seems more like that old secretary than me.”

“I’m saying this for the representative.”

“Okay, then go out.”

Director Kim bowed his head politely and left the CEO’s office.

Im Jin-sil stared at the poster for on her desk for a while.

‘Can you handle it? Then, can you handle it?’

‘……what?’

‘I think you’re mistaken. I’m not bringing Actor Kim here because I can handle him. On the contrary… … .’

‘… … ?’

‘He chose to bloom, and he is there for me.’

‘… … .’

‘You don’t understand what I’m saying, do you? If you want to know what I mean, keep poking at actor Kim. Then, even if you don’t want to know, you won’t be able to help but understand.’

“I won’t lose a word, then or now.”

Im Jin-sil’s long fingernails scratched the leather of the chair.

The top-quality leather, which had not been scratched since it was brought into the office, now has a nasty scratch.

* * *

“As expected, the original singer’s stage is on a whole other level.”

Ji-hoon nodded at A-jin’s admiring words.

“Yes, they were friends who would have definitely become famous even if it weren’t for our drama. No, I should say they were already famous.”

As Ji-hoon said, the fact that they were included in the lineup of the largest rock festival in South Korea was proof of this fact.

“I think he’ll become really famous in the future, but it’s a shame I didn’t get an autograph.”

The four actors were already moving in a car prepared by the production team without even having time to say goodbye to Gold Marie, who had just finished her performance on stage.

The moment I was shouting for an encore towards Gold Marie, the meeting place and time for came flying in via text message.

As tens of thousands of spectators shouted for an encore, the sight of the members of Radav leaving to prepare for the stage was also an editing point intended by producer Na Young-jun.

At that moment when everyone was nodding their heads to Ji-hoon’s regretful words, Hyun-soo opened his mouth.

“I’ll call you again if there’s another opening like last time.”

“Oh, really? Yes! Please call me.”

“Me too, me too!”

When Ajin, who was driving, raised one hand in response, Hyunsoo smiled and continued speaking.

“I told the kids that we all enjoyed the performance together. They really liked it.”

Hyunsoo, who said that, showed me the picture he had on his smartphone.

The photo showed Mari looking at her phone with a blank expression against the backdrop of a festival waiting room, with Hyungjin and Jooheon striking funny poses on either side of her.

“Huh, are these really the band that showed off that incredible charisma earlier?”

“That’s why. I really understood the difference between acting and playing that Mr. Lim was talking about.”

“Yeah, it was a really good show.”

As we talked about the performance earlier, the topic naturally flowed to stories about small episodes that occurred while preparing for the final stage of the drama.

“Still, I’m a little excited. I’m excited to be able to experience the stage preparation that the Rising Dive members did in the drama, even if it’s in the form of a variety show.”

Ajin chuckled and burst into laughter at Jihoon’s words.

“Experience? Isn’t it the actual experience of life?”

Ji-hoon and Hyun-soo burst into laughter at A-jin’s joke.

In such a friendly atmosphere, the group arrived at the destination indicated in the text message.

“Really… … Is this the right place? Check again, Ajin hyung.”

“Oh, I told you I drove properly!”

What was waiting for the members at their destination around evening time was… … .

“That’s a live cafe? Not an opera hall?”

“This, this is like… … .”

Hyunsoo also saw a similar structure to the large building in front of him relatively recently.

The rain that had been falling steadily becomes heavier and suddenly lightning flashes in the sky.

The silhouette of the ‘live cafe’ that was revealed was the one that Hyunsoo briefly saw while working on his schedule in Cannes, France…

“It looks like a palace.”

That doesn’t mean it’s a real palace.

As soon as you exit the local interchange, it looks like a completely renovated motel built in a shabby European style.

And most of these motels are built large and fancy on cheap, spacious lots.

The live cafe in front of me looks exactly like that.

“… … Right, there’s no way our PD would have just rented an ordinary live cafe on the second floor of a commercial building.”

At that time, everyone was so stunned and overwhelmed by the grandeur of the palace.

Soon, the camera crew will be showing off their skills in front of the four members.

PD Na, standing proudly in the middle of them, welcomed the members in a playful voice.

“Thank you all for coming such a long way! I heard you went to the largest rock festival in the country before coming here?”

“… … .”

“Then, isn’t this something we can’t afford to lose to? That’s why we’ve prepared it. In the past, even in Misari where there were countless live cafes, none of them could compete with the scale of the… … Introducing the ‘Aristocratic Live Cafe’!”

Before I could even come to my senses, PD Na kept pushing the four actors without rest.

“Okay, let’s start sightseeing tomorrow. Now that we’ve arrived, we need to get rid of the travel fatigue, right? Now, I’ll take you to the accommodations where you’ll be staying for a week.”

In the backyard of the palace (it was a wide open space that could really be called a backyard, not just a simple description) there was a large and cozy earthen house attached as an annex, which looked like it might have been built along a country road in Danyang, Chungcheongbuk-do.

In front of it, there was a bonfire burning brightly, and luxury camping chairs for the four members to rest comfortably in. And that wasn’t enough.

“Okay, everyone’s ready? The first day of a trip is supposed to be a barbecue party, right?”

On the barbecue grill next to the camping chairs, delicious meats are sizzling.

As the name of the cafe suggests, the members are treated like nobles as soon as they arrive.

Ajin spoke to the members with a suspicious expression.

“Isn’t this exactly the same?”

“… … ?”

“Feeding the workers a good meal before making them work.”

I don’t know if everyone noticed, but Ajin’s anxious premonitions have never been wrong.

* * *

The next morning, when Kang Ji-hoon entered the noble palace, his first words were these.

“I wasn’t a noble… I came as a slave.”

Everyone who heard that thought the same thing.

Even that person was just shaking his head with his mouth tightly shut.

– Okay, so before we can receive guests, we need to clean up first, right?

The current time is 11:00 AM.

As it turned out, this place was close to an abandoned building that had been abandoned for years without an owner since it closed down.

Because of that, the group woke up in the morning and didn’t even eat breakfast and just started cleaning.

“Really… … isn’t it a real talent to find a place like this?”

In response to Ajin’s words, Isin nodded with a serious face and answered.

“It looks like even the movie location team has something to learn from.”

So the members cleaned the inside of the palace.

After eating the packed lunch prepared by the production team and having a somewhat sincere conversation about “But it seems like it’s fun because we work hard and sweat together,” we started cleaning again.

And after about three hours, they stopped talking to each other.

The laughter disappeared.

Rising Dive… …preparing for the stage is no longer fun.

Clean up, sweep, and wipe.

Collect and organize trash.

Clean up again, sweep, and wipe.

Collect and organize trash.

Clean up again, sweep, wipe… … .

“I’m asking because I’m genuinely curious.”

“Huh? What are you curious about? Our dear actor Jeong-in is curious about something, so as an elder, I should answer it, right?”

“Is this… … really fun?”

“… … ?”

“I sincerely doubt whether this kind of thing of everyone just cleaning in silence can really provide the kind of entertainment that is appropriate for a variety show.”

Ajin nodded with a look of understanding on her face at Jeong-i-shin’s question.

“Don’t worry. Those guys are professionals who would do a good job even if we were to meditate here as a group.”

“… … It’s scary.”

And soon, Hyunsoo learned several new aspects of Jeong-i-shin.

It turned out that he had less patience than he thought.

It wasn’t just that I couldn’t stand hard work.

It was said that he was close to the type of personality that could not understand actions that were not rational and efficient.

“Brother Hyunsoo, I need to discuss something for a moment.”

Jeong-in approached Hyun-soo with a serious expression.

“My ‘analysis’ is that at our current rate, we’ll need at least three days to completely clean this place. Then there’s setting up tables and chairs to welcome the audience, preparing food, and most importantly, setting up the stage. A week is not enough time.”

“Well… … If we all work hard together, won’t it work out somehow? We might not be able to clean it perfectly, but we can do it to some extent… … .”

“As far as I know, there is nothing in this world that can be accomplished by any means. And I am not a person who is satisfied with a certain level of anything.”

“… … Haha, then what do you think would be a good idea?”

“There is only one way. We propose a deal to the production team.”

“transaction?”

“When I looked at PD Na’s past works, there were several instances where the cast overcame difficulties in that way.”

Indeed, Jeong Ee-shin was excellent not only at writing scripts but also at analyzing situations.

Jeong Eui-shin’s serious words continued.

“I’m not saying this because I absolutely hate cleaning.”

It was really serious.

“Yeah, I remember that the cast’s proactive response at that time got a pretty good response from the viewers.”

Ajin and Jihoon are gathered together and seriously looking at Jeong-i-shin’s opinion.

“So, who proposes this deal and how?”

At Ji-hoon’s words, everyone’s eyes turned to Hyun-soo.

“Huh? Me?”

Jeong Eui-shin continued speaking with a more earnest expression on her face than when she reached out to Yoo-han at the hospital.

“Jiyuhan is… …our eternal leader.”

After all, he was the leader of slaves.

Continued in the next episode ▶