CK Inc. ranked ninth among the conglomerates and was a company with immense financial power.

Because content was their core business, CK Entertainment was one of the company's key divisions. That meant whenever someone attacked CK Entertainment, the CK Inc. itself stepped in to cover its weak points, just like it had done last night.

For such reasons, launching an attack against CK Entertainment was never easy. Targeting CK Entertainment practically required the same level of effort as going up against CK Inc. itself.

However, even a massive dam begins to collapse from a tiny crack. So from this point on, I planned to dismantle CK Entertainment's business piece by piece. And as the first step, I intended to poach the staff from the films CK Entertainment was distributing, just like they had done to me. Just like how CK Entertainment had bribed the director and pulled away the production staff of She Was Beautiful.

'An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.'

"Alright, let's stop here."

The moment I heard President Kang Gam-Chan end the meeting about our response to CK Entertainment, I stood up from my seat. Then I went down to the fourth floor, picked up Kim Si-Jin, and headed straight to LT Entertainment in Samseong-dong.

***

At the president's office at LT Entertainment's headquarters in Samseong-dong, Shin Jong-Ki and Lee Eun-Joo greeted Kim Si-Jin and me.

After we shook hands and sat down, Shin Jong-Ki started by apologizing for what had happened last night. "I didn't expect CK Inc. to step in and cover up the CK Entertainment situation that quickly. I'm sorry, Chief Jung."

When something moved at the group level, the only way to counter it was with another group-level response. The power of a single affiliate and that of an entire conglomerate were on completely different levels.

I shook my head. "It's alright. We can just use a different method from now on."

"Hm? What method? Do you know a reporter or something?"

"Seeing how every article about CK Entertainment disappeared, we can't respond through the press. So I'm planning to use another method instead."

"What method?"

"I'm planning to return the favor."

"Chief Jung. Don't tell me you're going to poach their staff too?"

I grinned and nodded. "Yes. But before that, let's talk about the project first."

Shin Jong-Ki nodded with a satisfied expression. "Right. That comes first. Hahaha."

The main reason we had come here was to produce Diet KING, so I started with that topic.

"I'm sorry, Chief Jung."

"Not at all, sir."

Shin Jong-Ki nodded and turned toward Kim Si-Jin. "Mr. Kim Si-Jin will need to maintain his weight until filming for Diet KING begins."

Kim Si-Jin tapped his chest and replied. "Don't worry. While Chief Jung was in the meeting, I read the synopsis for Diet KING. The male lead starts at 120 kilograms. I'm at 105 kilograms right now, so I'll gain another 15."

"That'll ruin your health, so don't do that. We'll handle the rest with special effects."

Kim Si-Jin hesitated for a moment, then realized Shin Jong-Ki was serious and let out a sigh. "Understood. Then when will filming start?"

At that moment, Shin Jong-Ki looked at me. "That depends on when Chief Jung brings the director. We need the director before we can finalize the budget."

I immediately answered Shin Jong-Ki. "If you sign the contract, I'll bring the director right away."

Shin Jong-Ki's eyes widened. "You mean even today?"

"Yes."

"Wait, who on earth is it that you're so confident about?"

After a brief moment of thought, I answered, "It's Choi Ong-Lip, once a highly promising director who won the grand prize at a student independent film festival with a piece called Firefly during his sophomore year in college."

Firefly was an excellent film about a couple who met while visiting Jeju Island to watch fireflies and shared a brief fifteen-day romance. It was praised for its beautiful cinematography—so impressive that it was hard to believe it had been filmed almost entirely by one person—and for the delicate way it portrayed the emotional arc of the couple. At the same time, it also managed to carry a light comedic tone.

However Choi Ong-Lip, the man who had made that film, ended up dropping out of college during the first semester of his senior year due to financial difficulties. Only two years ago had he returned to the film industry, and even now he was working not as an assistant director but merely as a member of the directing team.

"Firefly?"

Shin Jong-Ki didn't recognize Choi Ong-Lip's work, but fortunately Managing Director Lee Eun-Joo did.

"Wait. The person who filmed Firefly? I watched that about ten years ago. That's the love story filmed in Jeju, right?"

"Yes."

Shin Jong-Ki tilted his head and asked Lee Eun-Joo, "Is he good?"

"If it's him, you can trust him with it."

"Then we should bring him in right away." Shin Jong-Ki turned to me. "Where is he directing right now?"

"Currently he's working under Director Jin Sung-Ryul on Headbutt Boy as a second directing staff member."

A film's directing department was broadly divided into the director and the directing staff. Usually the first directing staff member served as the assistant director, with the team below divided into second and third.

"If he made such a masterpiece when he was young, why is he still just directing staff instead of a director?"

"As far as I know, he dropped out of college during his senior year because of financial difficulties."

With a sympathetic look, Lee Eun-Joo asked, "Then he hasn't even debuted in a commercial film yet?"

"That's right."

Although he had won the grand prize with a short film in the past, he had never directed a commercial movie. However, I knew better than anyone that before my regression, he had shot to fame with his debut film Big & Small Twins.

After thinking for a moment, Shin Jong-Ki looked at Lee Eun-Joo. "I'm okay with it. What about you, Director Lee?"

"You're saying yes right away just because it's another pick from Chief Jung, aren't you?"

Shin Jong-Ki grinned. "Only half right today."

"Excuse me? Then what's the other half?"

"It's the perfect counterattack."

"A counterattack?"

"Didn't you just hear? He's part of the directing team for Headbutt Boy. If we poach him, it'll land a proper counter on CK Entertainment."

"Ah..."

The film Kim Si-Jin had just been notified he was removed from the lead role in this morning was Headbutt Boy, distributed by CK Entertainment.

So the moment Shin Jong-Ki heard that Choi Ong-Lip was part of that film's directing staff, he enthusiastically approved it. Just like when they had stolen the staff from She Was Beautiful, he figured they could return the blow this time.

Lee Eun-Joo clicked her tongue. "Honestly, both you and Chief Jung are something else."

Shin Jong-Ki chuckled and nodded. "This is exactly why I never want to end up as Chief Jung's enemy."

"Same here."

"Then we should sign the contract first and go bring the director, right?"

"Yes." At that moment, Lee Eun-Joo straightened her posture and put on a charismatic expression. "Mr. Jung. We need to talk about Mr. Kim Si-Jin's fee... how about 250 million won?"

The fee Kim Si-Jin had been offered for Headbutt Boy was 200 million won. It had to be higher than that no matter what.

Without even blinking, I answered, "How about spending a little more? About... another 100 million."

"How is 100 million a little? That makes it 350 million in total!"

"And we'd appreciate it if you could also add a two percent share of the net profit as a running guarantee."

Lee Eun-Joo hesitated for a moment. Kim Si-Jin had never once played a leading role before, yet I was asking for a lead actor's level of pay. Still, he deserved at least this much. I knew the effort Kim Si-Jin had put in to raise his weight to 105 kilograms.

"Please also take into account that Mr. Kim Si-Jin is maintaining this body for the sake of the project."

Lee Eun-Joo looked at Kim Si-Jin for a moment, then nodded. "Alright! Let's do it. So hurry up and sign, and let's go meet the director."

"Okay."

Lee Eun-Joo tapped on the tablet and pulled up a standard electronic contract. Only then did I turn to the still-dazed Kim Si-Jin.

"Mr. Kim Si-Jin. We've finalized the contract negotiation at 350 million won with a running guarantee. If you're satisfied, you can sign."

The speed of the negotiation had clearly left Kim Si-Jin stunned. But this approach was only possible because I knew the maximum amount the other side was willing to offer. If I asked for more, it would become a problem.

At that moment Kim Si-Jin finally snapped out of it. "Ah, right. Signing... where do I do that?"

I kindly pointed to the place where he needed to sign. "Here. And if you turn to the next page..."

Just like that, Kim Si-Jin finished signing the electronic contract agreeing to a 350 million won appearance fee with a two percent running guarantee from the settlement profits. The future diet advertisement deal and diet beverage contract would be signed separately, so this ended up being the largest contract of his career.

Tap.

After signing on the tablet screen, Kim Si-Jin set the pen down and looked at me.

"Chief Jung. This isn't a dream, right?"

"Want me to pinch you?"

"No. I actually hate pain."

"And yet you were going to star in a professional wrestling movie?"

"It's my first leading role in life. What choice do I have? If they tell me to do it, I do it. Anyway... thank you. Seriously, thank you!" Kim Si-Jin grabbed my hand and shook it vigorously.

Just this morning he had been depressed after being kicked out of the lead role of Headbutt Boy. Now, he had been chosen as the lead of Diet KING, standing at the best moment of his life.

***

After finishing Kim Si-Jin's lead actor contract, I contacted Team Lead Nam Pan-Gyu in Samseong-dong and asked him to come pick up Kim Si-Jin. After that, Lee Eun-Joo and I prepared to head to Namyangju, where the set was located.

"Chief Jung. Show those bastards what we're made of!" said Shin Jong-Ki.

"Yes, sir. I'll be back."

"Okay."

Lee Eun-Joo and I then headed to the Namyangju set to pull our new director candidate away from the project. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

A moment later, we arrived at the dusty set of Headbutt Boy. A massive circular set was nearly complete. The moment we parked the car in the open lot, I saw a crane lifting and moving a huge cloth ceiling.

And beneath it, a gaunt man about 175 centimeters tall was frantically waving his arms. That man was Choi Ong-Lip, the directing staff member I had come to recruit today.

"Move! It's dangerous! If that ceiling falls on you, you'll die! Move!"

At Choi Ong-Lip's urgent gestures, the nearby staff immediately stepped back.

Watching the scene, Lee Eun-Joo tilted her head. "What is this? You said he was a second directing staff member, but he looks more like an assistant director."

I nodded. "That's exactly why we're taking him. His title may be directing staff, but he's practically the director already. Honestly, if Mr. Choi Ong-Lip alone disappears from this set, the entire production will come to a halt that very day."

Before my regression, Choi Ong-Lip had been famous for fully grasping every detail of the set and delivering meticulous direction. Yet, right now, he was nothing more than a member of the directing staff.

That was because Jin Sung-Ryul, the director of Headbutt Boy—a film funded by CK Entertainment—had placed Lee Han-Jong, a 32-year-old junior from school who was one year younger than Choi Ong-Lip, in the assistant director position.

Lee Eun-Joo's expression turned serious. "Then it won't be easy to pull him out. I was thinking about offering around 200 million won as a directing fee with about ten percent of the net profit, but maybe we should spend a little more..."

"No. It probably won't be that difficult to bring him over."

"Why not?"

"They probably didn't sign a contract."

Lee Eun-Joo's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes. Jin Production, which Director Jin Sung-Ryul established, still works that way."

Although many production companies had improved their treatment of staff in recent years, Jin Sung-Ryul's company still made people work without contracts, promising to pay them later. Even so, the staff endured it because the film industry was built entirely on connections. In other words, if someone complained carelessly, they might never get to participate in another film again.

"In this day and age they're still doing that? Honestly... Alright. Then let's think of it as paying the penalty he would've owed. I'll increase the directing fee a little."

"Thank you."

"It's nothing."

Smiling, Lee Eun-Joo opened the electronic contract on her tablet.

Just then, the loud sound of the ceiling being placed made my eyes instinctively turn.

Clank!

At the same time, shouting erupted from one side of the set.

"Hey! You bastard! Can't you manage the site properly? The ceiling's crooked! This is why I can never trust you with anything!"

The one shouting was Lee Han-Jong, who had been leaning back in a chair. With a resigned expression, Choi Ong-Lip let out a deep sigh and pointed toward one end of the umbrella-shaped ceiling.

"It's placed correctly. The marked sections match."

"Match my ass! Damn it. Can't you see it's crooked? Call technician Choi right now!"

"I'm certain Mr. Choi placed it correctly."

As the commotion grew louder, passing staff members all turned to look at the two of them.

Then Lee Han-Jong began raising his voice.

"If I say it's wrong, then it's wrong! How dare you keep talking back? I told you to redo it! Just redo it!"

Back in his sophomore year of college, Choi Ong-Lip had filmed a movie from his own script and won the grand prize at a film festival. Because of that, Lee Han-Jong had developed an inferiority complex toward Choi Ong-Lip, who had been his sunbae by one year, and was now bullying him like this. At a glance, it was obvious the argument was about to escalate.

"Ms. Lee. Let's go over there."

"Alright."

I immediately headed toward the two of them while pulling out my phone.

[Recording video]

***

As we walked toward them after getting out of the car, I saw Lee Han-Jong rolling up a stack of A4 papers in his right hand and jabbing Choi Ong-Lip in the chest with it.

"Hey. Do you think I'm a joke?"

Standing at ease, Choi Ong-Lip replied with a self-deprecating expression. "No, sir."

"What is it? You think I'm a joke. That's why you're ignoring what I say, right?"

"No... that's not it."

"Oh? What's that look on your face? Got a problem? Maybe you were a sunbae at school, but once you're out in the real world, rank comes first, you bastard!"

Smack. Smack. Smack.

Lee Han-Jong began slapping Choi Ong-Lip on the cheek with the rolled-up A4 papers.

Finally, unable to endure it any longer, Choi Ong-Lip grabbed his wrist. "Please stop. There are a lot of people watching."

"Oh? A mere directing staff member dares to defy the assistant director? You little..."

Lee Han-Jong tried to grab Choi Ong-Lip by the collar.

At that moment, I raised my phone and shouted, "Wow. That's a great shot, Mr. Lee Han-Jong."

Lee Han-Jong froze. The moment Lee Han-Jong turned his head and saw the phone in my hand, his expression twisted.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The moment he saw me, he started speaking rudely without hesitation.

'Fine. Then I'll be just as rude back.'

"Can't you see I'm filming an assault?"

When I replied casually, Lee Han-Jong looked completely flustered.

"W-Who said there was any assault?"

I pointed my finger at him. "You..." Then I opened my hand and gestured toward Choi Ong-Lip. "...assaulted that person."

Lee Han-Jong's face flushed red as he shouted, "You think threatening me like that will get Kim Si-Jin his lead role back?"

That morning, Kim Si-Jin had been notified he was being removed as the lead actor of Headbutt Boy, a film invested in by CK Entertainment. Lee Han-Jong had mistaken my visit as an attempt to reverse that decision.

Still recording, I slipped the phone into my pocket and scoffed. "I'm not interested in Headbutt Boy anymore. Mr. Kim Si-Jin already got the lead in another project."

"Th-Then why did you come here!"

"I didn't come because I had business with you."

"What?"

I immediately turned to the awkwardly standing Choi Ong-Lip and spoke. "I have a good script and would like to entrust you with directing it. What do you think?"

"Directing? Me?"

Choi Ong-Lip's eyes grew three times wider. He looked like someone who had just won the lottery, completely unable to believe what he was hearing.

'Well, that makes sense. But everyone deserves at least one lucky day in their life.'

"Yes. It's a new project being produced by LT Entertainment."

Lee Eun-Joo, holding the tablet against her chest, smiled as well. "It's a good project, so don't worry. But there are a lot of people watching here. Why don't we talk in the car?"

Since they hadn't even signed a formal contract, there shouldn't be any penalty. Strictly speaking, he was practically unemployed anyway, so there would be no problem signing a new contract.

Just then, Lee Han-Jong curled his lips into a smirk. "Choi Ong-Lip, a director? Pfft. Say something that actually makes sense."

His tone sounded like he was mocking the very person who was about to become the director of our film, and I was about to say something back.

At that moment, something completely unexpected happened. Choi Ong-Lip rejected the directing offer.

"Mr. Jung. I'm extremely grateful for the offer... but I'll have to decline. I'm sorry."

'What?'

Anyone in the film industry would dream of the chance to debut as a commercial film director.

'And he's just going to throw that opportunity away? Why?'