Chapter 53
Choi Juncheol.
He was a former PD who had carved out a respectable place for himself in the broadcasting world.
To Jang Wookyung, he was a senior, and also a mentor.
Choi Juncheol was a good man.
He was respected by his juniors and courteous to his seniors.
And because his abilities were good, he had risen all the way to executive director.
Once he became executive director, what he wanted to push for was the station building its own filming lot.
It was an idea that had been coming up for quite some time.
Originally, they rented filming locations, but many people were inconvenienced by that.
Problems securing filming locations.
The trouble of causing inconvenience to people around them while filming.
The problem of having to build sets and then tear them down.
Even though, if used well, they could be used for the next quarter's drama or for another shoot, he hated having to destroy them.
How much could that cut production costs?
The station did already have its own filming lots, but he wanted one that was bigger and in a better environment.
So he proposed it.
"Let's build our own filming lot."
"And when we're not using it, let's rent it out to other stations and use that to cover the operating costs."
It was a rather sluggish proposal.
But in the end, it was accepted.
Honestly, it wasn't even wrong.
There were cases where they received complaints during filming, and there were also times they ended up clashing with other stations or film companies over securing locations.
There were also more than a few fights within the station itself over location bookings.
From a long-term perspective, adding one proper filming lot might be a huge help.
"If things go wrong, I'll resign."
Choi Juncheol said confidently, and in the end that opinion was accepted.
When the meeting ended, Choi Juncheol, who had just been promoted to bureau chief,
called over Jang Wookyung, his junior and close colleague.
He hoped that since Jang had also become a bureau chief and taken part in the meeting, he would help him.
"Wookyung. You support me too, right?"
"Of course."
He had also had to deal with filming-location headaches several times.
If the station had a directly operated set, and filming could be done there stably, how much easier would production be?
Of course, not every shoot could be done there.
Starting with dramas, and later even films.
There would be benefits in many different areas.
"Is there any need to buy land just to set up a filming lot?"
The one who approached then was a middle-aged man with an irritated expression.
Vice President Sa Ho-gun.
A finance man, not someone from the field.
He and Choi Juncheol were openly hostile to each other.
"To make a better picture, it's true that we need a space where filming can be done stably."
"The set lots we have now are usable enough, aren't they?"
"That's true, but there are also plenty of shortcomings. Especially since we're also making content with YouTube in mind, it's true that we need more filming locations."
"Hmm."
"Vice President Sa Ho-gun. This will definitely help the station. And beyond that, it will be a big help to the juniors who want to do filming."
"Will it really?"
Choi Juncheol was from the field.
Sa Ho-gun was from office work.
It was only natural that the two would have different opinions.
"So? Where are you thinking of?"
"Anyang. There's a pretty good place over in Anyang."
"If a problem comes up..."
"Like I said earlier, I'll take responsibility and resign."
"If you insist that much, we'll proceed for now. I hope there won't be any problems."
Sa Ho-gun turned on his heel and walked away, and Choi Juncheol and Jang Wookyung watched him go.
"But, hyung-nim. Is this really okay?"
"It's fine."
Choi Juncheol was confident.
And then.
The Anyang filming site that he had strongly pushed the station to buy.
A relic site was discovered there during construction.
If a relic site is discovered during construction, work is halted.
When that fact became known, an emergency meeting was immediately called, and Choi Juncheol stated his position, unable to erase the bitter look on his face.
"...I'll take responsibility for this matter and resign from my executive director post."
Finding a relic site was a good thing.
As long as it wasn't on my land.
If relics are discovered during construction, all work stops, and along with the investigation, procedures for assessing the value of the site and for preservation, research, and development are carried out.
The compensation for the damage caused in the process is almost nonexistent.
On top of that, there were quite a few artifacts found there, so in the worst case, the place might be designated as a protected heritage site rather than a filming site.
Of course, they say proper compensation will be given, but anyone would have to wonder how proper it really is.
Taking responsibility for it, Choi Juncheol personally submitted his resignation.
For someone who had spent his whole life in broadcasting, it was a painfully hollow ending.
As he bitterly left the station,
Jang Wookyung could only watch with regret.
***
"Isn't resigning a bit much just because of one misjudgment? It was the kind of thing that could happen."
At Ppeuhong's words from beside him, Jang Wookyung thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes. It can't be helped. But... politics doesn't work that way, does it."
Right.
Even I, who knew next to nothing about office life, thought resigning over a single failure was a bit too much.
But as Jang Wookyung said, once politics gets involved, the story changes.
Sa Ho-gun.
Would he let Choi Juncheol stay?
If Choi Juncheol did not resign, he would surely use any means necessary to bring him down and strip him of power.
And in that process, the juniors Choi Juncheol cherished, the people who had joined hands with him, would be hurt.
Choi Juncheol must have thought of that.
There is politics even in a small school, so how could there not be politics like that in a much larger station?
"Perhaps... hyung-nim was worried about us. He must have predicted that if he stayed, he'd be attacked by Sa Ho-gun and the people on that side... so maybe he took it all on himself and resigned..."
"So? What are you going to do?"
That's not my concern.
What matters is Jang Wookyung's judgment.
"We have to persuade them somehow. Either stop them from buying the Anyang site, or recommend somewhere else."
So you don't plan to abandon Choi Juncheol.
Well, if you were the sort of person who'd throw him away that easily, I wouldn't have helped in the first place.
"And... sir."
"Yes. We'll do that."
"Huh?"
"When a different site is decided, won't you ask me to take a look at it?"
"Haha. Yes. Goodness. At this rate, won't you become famous even as someone with a good eye for land, sir?"
"That does seem likely..."
It's not like I hadn't thought about that myself.
For example, areas that might be redeveloped.
Areas where things like subway lines might be built.
With my ability, it wouldn't be hard to find places where land prices would rise.
"If I think of it later, I might give it a try."
If I ever needed a huge amount of money, it would be worth trying.
But I'm satisfied enough as I am now, so I wondered if there was any need to go that far.
Still, maybe I should at least investigate in advance, just in case...?
"Um... is it okay now?"
"Yes."
The moment Jang Wookyung made up his mind to strongly oppose the purchase of the Anyang filming site, his future changed.
To a future where he wasn't shoved into a dead-end post, but worked as the bureau chief of Drama Division 3.
Choi Juncheol, who supported him, was still at the station.
"I wish you the best."
"Haha. Thank you."
Jang Wookyung said his goodbyes and left with his wife.
Watching that, Ppeuhong quietly came closer.
"Sir. Will the price of our house go up?"
I smiled at him.
"There aren't any redevelopment plans there, no subway is coming in, and there won't be any windfall either, but you're already satisfied with it, aren't you? Just live there."
"Ugh. Understood."
.
.
.
After parting with Ppeuhong and arriving near the hotel cafe to wait for Han Yuna,
"Sir!"
the Aces members ran toward me.
"Hello."
"Yes!! Hello! Sir!"
Wani stepped forward as their representative.
She had gracefully curved eyes.
The glamorous city beauty didn't hide her flushed face, probably because she'd run over here.
"How does it feel to be a popular star dominating YouTube?"
"Ahaha... honestly, it doesn't really feel real yet."
Wani grinned broadly.
I could see people around her whispering after recognizing her.
"Sir. What happens to us now?"
"Flip it over."
"Uh..."
Wani flipped over the card I had held out.
And the Aces members behind her were extremely tense.
"You'll do well."
"Uh, r-really?!"
"Yes. If you work hard at the company you just joined, you'll be fine. However... even something as trivial as a small detail can change the future in countless ways."
They had been told they could climb even higher.
That doesn't mean they should get comfortable and just slack off.
The future I'm seeing now is based on their continuing to work steadily as they are now.
"I really will work hard."
"Me too!"
"Me too, sir!"
"I'll do my best!"
The members answered energetically.
So I smiled at them.
These people were good.
Even when they received only a small settlement, they donated to orphanages or nursing homes.
Even when they got a fairly low appearance fee, they gave performances with all their effort.
When they went to a small elementary school in the countryside, they made sure the children who dreamed of becoming idols didn't forget their dreams and hope.
Even when they went to perform for the military, they respected them rather than looking down on them.
Without taking a single penny, they went to a faraway orphanage and sang and danced for the orphanage's development and to raise donations.
A bright future like the one I'm seeing now suits people like them.
"I hope that good future stays with you."
I waved to them as they bowed politely at ninety degrees, then headed to the cafe.
When I entered the cafe, Han Yuna was looking this way.
"Have you been waiting long?"
"No. But who are they?"
"They're Aces..."
"Are they the people Noah helped?"
"Yes."
There was no need to hide it, so I just told her what had happened.
Han Yuna, who had been listening quietly, smiled.
"Noah, you really seem like a special person."
"I'm a bit unique, aren't I?"
"That's why I'm worried."
"Huh?"
"Because people will be drawn to Noah's specialness and come over."
And then, that would mean less time for her to spend with Noah.
Han Yuna pouted, her slightly plump lips jutting out.
"I only have Noah."
"Don't you want to make other friends?"
"Not really. Being in a place like this... the people who come up to me are coming for what's behind me, not for me."
"That must be tiring."
"Yes. But that's my job..."
Holding her coffee cup with both hands, she let out a small sigh.
"I want to go to the trampoline park again."
"Should we go next week?"
"Really?"
"Yes. We'll go to the trampoline park, go to a comic book cafe..."
Let's do whatever you want.
At my suggestion, the smile on Han Yuna's lips grew deeper and deeper.
"Then there's somewhere I want to go. Can we go there?"
"Where?"
"An amusement park."
"That's fine, but... wouldn't it be tight to fit all of that into one day?"
Could that schedule really be finished in one day?
"I've always wanted to go to Gyeongju World at least once..."
I want to go there too.
"Let's just hang out around the neighborhood next week and go another time when we can make the time."
"...Promise?"
Han Yuna was serious.
As if.
As if she'd kidnap me by force and drag me there if I broke the promise.
.