72 What if I gain some weight?

Chairman Yoo’s pupils subtly lifted. His sharp gaze seemed to wander in the air before shooting towards Hwang Gyeong-ok.

“Why are you suddenly bringing that up?”

Hwang Gyeong-ok was showing interest in the current affairs. Chairman Yoo, who had just rebuked her unnecessarily, couldn’t help but feel uneasy. It was Hwang Gyeong-ok who first conceived of the entertainment business. She had intended to take charge of cultural businesses, including film investments, but Chairman Yoo prevented it. This was to prevent the affiliate from being separated in case of a divorce. As a countermeasure, Hwang Gyeong-ok had placed Jinhan at GN Entertainment.

“The recent rumors are unsettling.”

“Did Jinhan come to you and complain?”

“You’re still underestimating that child.”

“His actions speak for themselves. What has he achieved besides squandering money and being infatuated with women?”

“Isn’t it rather that you can’t wait?”

“You only say such things because you don’t know how the world is these days.”

Chairman Yoo clicked his tongue, as if frustrated with Hwang Gyeong-ok. He immediately turned away, not wanting it to escalate into a fight. After washing up, he came out to find Hwang Gyeong-ok sipping tea, looking out at the darkened garden. He was about to remain silent but then pulled out a beer and sat opposite her.

“Jinhan has a soft spot.”

“It’s just that your dispositions don’t match.”

“In a market full of con artists, acting like him is hopeless.”

“I won’t say anything else.”

Hwang Gyeong-ok pushed away her empty teacup.

“Don’t forget that GN Entertainment is Jinhan’s share.”

Hwang Gyeong-ok got up first, leaving Chairman Yoo alone. He then recalled the conversation he had with Han Jintae after Jinhan’s visit earlier that day.

‘Chairman, how about Manager Kim Young-jae for the CEO position of GN Entertainment?’

‘Kim Young-jae?’

He had heard through Han Jintae that Jinhan had let Haejoo live in an apartment under his name. Han Jintae had reported to Chairman Yoo that Jinhan was unusually devoted to Haejoo. At the time, he had just shrugged it off. He thought Jinhan was just enjoying himself, being at a passionate age. Then, Haejoo’s marriage scandal broke. While Jinhan floundered, GN’s reputation plummeted. Han Jintae argued that the only way to resolve all the disgrace at once was with Director Kwak’s film. As a result, they were now at the point of changing the candidate for CEO of GN Entertainment.

‘Manager Kim Young-jae is good at controlling and managing people.’

‘Is that so?’

‘He won’t rebel against the Chairman’s orders.’

He had many small clashes with Jinhan. He had trusted Jinhan’s stubbornness to do everything himself, and that’s how this mess happened. However, it wasn’t as if there were no results at all. Jinhan, with his excellent planning skills, had consistently led major events, leading to the birth of global idol groups and actors. Flipping Han Jintae’s words, it meant that Youngjae lacked creative planning abilities. Focusing only on management would inevitably narrow his vision. This approach, while ensuring control, would eventually become stagnant and rot.

‘What’s the real reason you’re recommending Kim Young-jae?’

The moment he asked that, Han Jintae’s eyes narrowed with arrogance. He couldn’t answer immediately but then opened his mouth.

‘I haven’t seen such a talent recently.’

Han Jintae had a knack for making targeted individuals his own. This was because he knew how to subtly manipulate human psychology. However, he couldn’t deceive Chairman Yoo. Currently, he was hiding his ambition to control even GN’s affiliates. To Han Jintae, Youngjae was merely a useful tool.

‘Just pretend.’

‘Yes?’

‘I can’t hand over GN Entertainment to some low-born manager like him.’

‘B-but, Chairman.’

‘Use someone like him appropriately and then discard them.’

‘...Understood.’

Han Jintae was underestimating Jinhan. That’s why he would brazenly badmouth Jinhan in front of his father. Chairman Yoo knew that the remark he made upon arriving home earlier would have confused Han Jintae. His instruction to Jinhan to ‘properly bow his head’ meant...

“This is why you shouldn’t throw bait to your subordinates.”

It meant that Han Jintae was also nothing more than a tool to be used appropriately and then discarded. Of course, Jinhan wasn’t 100% satisfactory. That’s why his worries ran deep.

________________________________________

Haejoo’s daily routine became stepping on the scale every morning. When she first got pregnant, she lost 5kg more than her usual weight due to morning sickness. However, recently, she was about to exceed her original weight. Yesterday, she lost self-control in front of Korean beef. After eating her fill, her face, and even her hands, were swollen in the morning.

“Oh no!”

Even one of her double eyelids had become fainter. Just as she wondered if this was what a human looked like, Dojun came out of the bedroom. He looked radiant, even in the morning. The world was truly unfair.

“You’re swollen?”

“Am I very swollen?”

“A little.”

Haejoo nervously stood on the scale. She hoped there would be no change in her weight and stepped on it with her hands clasped together. However, the rapidly rising numbers were alarming. To her horror, she ended up weighing a whopping 10kg more than her usual weight. Just as she couldn’t even scream, she noticed a suspicious foot. Dojun’s thick toe joints, nestled between Haejoo’s feet, were pressing down on the scale.

“Dojun!”

Haejoo began her retribution for Dojun’s thoughtless prank. Standing on her tiptoes, she pinched both his cheeks and issued a fierce warning.

“I’m not in the mood for jokes right now!”

“What if you gain some weight?”

“No way. It’ll be a big problem if there’s too much difference from the Jeju shoot.”

“Anyway, it’ll probably be difficult to resume filming this year.”

“Why?”

“Things have gotten bigger.”

Dojun took an ice pack from the refrigerator and handed it to Haejoo. He sat on the sofa, turned on his phone, and scrolled through the message Director Kwak had sent.

“I had a feeling GN would pull some thuggish moves, so I asked Director Lee Yoon-hee for a favor.”

“A favor?”

“I asked her to collect evidence if Chairman Yoo made any strange proposals.”

“Can you trust her?”

“I asked her because I heard she was close with Director Kwak.”

Lee Yoon-hee successfully completed her mission. As Dojun requested, she left evidence of Han Jintae and Chairman Yoo stirring up the outsourced directors.

“The film industry is going to get noisy.”

“The film’s setting is mid-summer, so it’s highly likely that filming will resume next summer.”

“Well, it would be difficult to re-cast the filming staff overnight.”

Director Kwak attempted to contact famous film production companies in the US. They responded that it was difficult for them to work immediately due to their booked schedules. The same went for other companies in Korea. However, he didn’t want to work with those who had betrayed him. Director Kwak’s resolve to achieve justice was strong, even if it meant delaying the filming.

“You’ll get a call from Director Kwak sometime today.”

Sure enough, even though it was Saturday morning, he received a call from Director Kwak. He said he was in the process of contacting each of the cast members and remaining staff.

-Haejoo, how are you feeling?

“Much better.”

-That’s a relief. Well... as you might have heard from CEO Park Dojun, I think it’ll be difficult to resume filming this year.

“That’s unfortunate.”

Fortunately, the other lead actors also offered encouragement rather than worry. Haejoo, in turn, supported Director Kwak.

“Please contact me if there’s anything I can help with.”

-I will. See you again.

On this day, Director Kwak informed film industry officials about GN’s tyranny. Driven by the will to no longer suffer, not only veterans of the film industry but also powerful actors gathered. They confirmed the evidence Director Lee Yoon-hee had filmed at Director Kwak’s office. Anger flared at the outrageous behavior.

“This incident must not be overlooked!”

“This is the time to expel the companies aligned with GN from the film industry.”

“Let’s hold a grand press conference and announce it.”

Film professionals who heard this news expressed their intention to attend the press conference. Accordingly, Director Kwak announced the press conference through his official account.

________________________________________

Han Jintae, who was scheduled to meet Youngjae, went out even on Saturday. He would normally be attending to Chairman Yoo, who was going golfing, but he received permission to take time off.

“Is this why you can’t escape your origins?”

Han Jintae, who had been Chairman Yoo’s executive secretary, did his best to reach his current position. Thanks to that, he earned the title of second-in-command at GN. However, last night, Chairman Yoo told him to properly bow his head in front of Jinhan. It was a nagging that he couldn’t simply overlook. He felt disheartened because it meant he could be cast aside at any moment.

“By now, he should have offered me a position.”

Han Jintae’s goal was to secure a position in one of GN’s affiliates. Among them, GN Entertainment had bright business prospects, so he had been secretly working behind the scenes with Chairman Yoo. Chairman Yoo still didn’t let go of practical affairs. It was because of his nature that he wasn’t satisfied unless he personally handled even the smallest things. Such a person had recently shown interest in the cultural industry and put effort into it. He was coveting it so much that he even prevented his wife, Hwang Gyeong-ok, from managing it.

“The old man does have an eye for things.”

Riding on that momentum, Han Jintae skillfully navigated between Jinhan and Chairman Yoo. Even in unremarkable situations, he would report Jinhan as indecisive and insignificant. The result was highly satisfying. Chairman Yoo grew increasingly displeased with Jinhan, leading to conflict. However, it went awry at a crucial moment. Ultimately, it was because he overlooked the fact that blood is thicker than water.

“This won’t do.”

When he arrived at the meeting place, Kim Young-jae was already waiting. Han Jintae approached him with his characteristic relaxed smile.

“You’re here.”

“Ah, Chief Secretary Han Jintae.”

“Have you thought about my proposal?”

“If it happens as promised, there’s nothing I can’t do.”

“As expected, you’re bold.”

“But if things go wrong, I...”

“That won’t happen.”

Han Jintae exuded confidence. He immediately pulled out an envelope of documents he had brought and placed it on the table in front of Youngjae.

“Are you saying you’ll somehow seat me as the CEO of GN Entertainment?”

“That’s right.”

“What’s the price for that?”

“You just need to be loyal to the Chairman’s will. It’s not difficult, is it?”

Han Jintae opened the envelope on the table and pulled out a document. The densely written contents intertwined promises and obligations.

“So, you want me to establish myself as Lee Haejoo’s manager and blend into GN Entertainment.”

“Because you’ll soon be the CEO of GN Entertainment.”

“Can I trust that?”

“Of course.”

Youngjae confidently signed the contract. Han Jintae, watching him silently, nodded with satisfaction. One thing was not specified in the contract: that Youngjae’s position would be a two-year short-term one, after which he would have to leave GN Entertainment. Han Jintae also signed the contract and capped his pen.

By chance, Jinhan witnessed these two. He was waiting to meet Director Kwak, who had spared him some time. Large potted plants served as partitions, perfectly separating the two areas. Jinhan recorded a video of the two on his phone.

“Did Father order that too?”

He had to act as quickly as possible. If he stayed put, he would lose the company he had painstakingly built.

“If he’s even signing, then he’s replacing me with Manager Kim Young-jae...”

The thought felt absurd, yet it was disheartening. If Chairman Yoo, who was notoriously arrogant, was willing to place a manager-turned-CEO at GN Entertainment, there was no solution. Just then, Director Kwak arrived. Jinhan couldn’t lift his head after hearing the current situation from him.

“Whatever you do, I want to be of help.”

“Many people are willing to help, Director, so please just observe quietly.”

After meeting Director Kwak, Jinhan spent the entire weekend at the company. He couldn’t rest at all due to the anxiety of potentially losing GN Entertainment. Then, Monday arrived. As he had just started work, Hwang Gyeong-ok called him.

“Yes, Mother.”

-Jinoh Group is sweeping up GN Entertainment shares. Do you know about this?

“Jinoh Group, you mean CEO Park Dojun?”

-Find out quickly.

________________________________________

Jinhan immediately called the Investor Relations manager. After checking the major shareholder status of GN Entertainment, he urgently asked.

“What happened? Why is Jinoh Group...?”

Even now, on Monday, Jinoh Group was buying up GN Entertainment shares. As a result, even combining Hwang Gyeong-ok and Jinhan’s shares would not be enough.