Chapter 62 (2/2)

A chaotic aura appeared in her eyes.

Soon after, Son Chaeyoung began screaming as she smashed the items around her.

At the same time, a low laughter echoed in the CEO's office at W&U.

”If it's like this from the start, then I'll expectant how high it'll go from now. Don't worry about her condition. I'll look out for her, and even now… she has a good manager.”

After exchanging a few more pleasant words, CEO Baek Hansung hung up.

After placing his phone down, he stood up from his chair. Then he walked a few steps and stood in front of a wall. It was packed with pictures of celebrities under W&U.

He rubbed his lips as he gazed at an empty s.p.a.ce. It was the place Sung Dowon's picture had been hung. Thinking about putting Lee Songha there instead, he suddenly lowered his gaze.

He looked at a picture of a brightly smiling Son Chaeyoung.

He silently looked at the picture before stretching his hand out.

With the tip of his long finger, he tapped on her face as if in thought.

And in Jongno District. In G-Today's entertainment department's office.

Reporter Park Woojeong glanced at the clutter of references and materials on her desk as she pa.s.sionately tapped on her keyboard. Her hair, which she pulled on intermittently, had already become a rat's nest.

Other employees pa.s.sed by her while clicking their tongues. Not caring about them, she leaned her face closer to the monitor as if she was about to crawl in it. Her screen was scattered with Cat Guardian Ghost's broadcast, real-time search rankings, and reaction comments.

””Hey, what are you doing?”

Surprised, she turned around to see a man with a messy beard standing behind her.

”Ah, general manager.”

”Don't you know that everyone's pouring out articles about Lee Songha? You should be publis.h.i.+ng articles even a second faster, why are you holding onto it so much?”

”I'm a bit close with Lee Songha's manager so I wanted to write it earnestly… I'll publish it immediately!”

”No, no, wait!”

Hastily grabbing Reporter Park Woojeong's shoulder, her general manager asked,

”You're close with Lee Songha's manager?”

”Yes.”

”Hey, you should have told me. People are desperately trying to get an interview with Lee Songha and anyone involved right now.”

Her general manager's eyes s.h.i.+ned as he added,

”Ask the manager for an interview.”

Kim Hyunjo frowned. After looking back at his phone a couple times, he asked again,

”What percent was it?”

While listening to what the other side was saying, Kim Hyunjo's expression gradually turned strange. Like meerkats, we stretched our necks and looked at Kim Hyunjo.

Just what was it? What percent was it? I was so curious I could die. It must have done better than Next K-Star since people's reactions were incomparably more heated than that. Also, internet aside, my phone was creating a fuss for a while now. The calls and messages this morning were cute compared to right now. I felt that my fingerprints would wear out writing all those replies.

Just then, Kim Hyunjo hung up. Im Seoyoung immediately asked,

”What percent was it?! Quickly, quickly tell me! I'm going to die of antic.i.p.ation!”

Kim Hyunjo slumped onto the sofa.

Then he looked at each of us once, especially Lee Songha and me.

”5th place in TVL's all-time drama ratings was 5.9%. Winter Sun.”

What was this all of a sudden?

”But they said Cat Guardian Ghost hit 6% today. Since they only have the real-time ratings right now, we won't know precisely until tomorrow, but it won't be much different.”

For a moment, no one showed any sort of reaction. Everyone was probably deciphering the number Kim Hyunjo had just said.

I was too.

Although my expectations were high since the reactions on the internet were so explosive…

6%?

A cable drama, that only just started, got 6%?

”Al-all-time 5th… Doesn't that mean it's really good?”

Im Seoyoung stuttered. LJ had a dazed expression as she said,

”Is… n't it? I mean how many dramas have TVL broadcasted so far.”

”Oppa, right? It's a success, right?”

Im Seoyoung slapped my back with both hands as she asked.

I gulped my saliva and replied,

”No.”

”No?!”

”It's a resounding success.”

Im Seoyoung screamed at the top of her lungs. Lee Taehee and LJ stuck next to Lee Songha with bright complexions. Then, with Lee Songha, who was still caught up in the lingering feelings after the broadcast, in the middle, the two chatted noisily. Of course, 95% of it was Im Seoyoung's voice, but their voices clearly contained their excitement.

After ending a call with someone else, Kim Hyunjo gestured to me.

”It's Team Leader Park, and she says it's crazy in the PR team right now.”

”Crazy?”

”She said inquiries by people who now want a piece of the cake are flooding in. Since there are so many calls, she said it's not a PR team but a call center. Apparently, she said it already feels like the drama hit 10% ratings.”

As his smile curled all the way up his ears, Kim Hyunjo slapped my arm.

”How do you feel?”

How do I feel, huh?

”Although you only brought the opportunity for Neptune to appear on Next K-Star, isn't this time something you brought up with your own hands? You received the synopsis, pushed Lee Songha to act, and even preparations for the audition and film shoots. What you brought up has become a success right now, so how do you feel?”

How do I feel now that the first drama I was involved with has broadcasted?

”Well, I mean.”

I grinned as I said,

”Fantastic.”

Kim Hyunjo laughed loudly like a drunken person.

I was filled with pride. My chest felt stiff, and my heart felt like it would explode. If there wasn't anyone here, I might have shouted refres.h.i.+ngly. Also, I might have called my parents and my brother and bragged on and on. They would all be very happy.

I clenched my fists.

Like Kim Hyunjo said, I had suffered hards.h.i.+ps and brought it up to this point, and it returned to me as a great success. I felt that I accomplished something that I could hold with my own two hands, drunk from people's acknowledgment of me and my fruits of labor. It was an amazing feeling.

I looked at Lee Songha, who was buried under the girls, receiving their congratulations. She had been gawking just now, but she was smiling brightly right now, perhaps due to the girls causing such a large commotion.

Yeah, smile. It's a day you can't help but smile.

The people who had hated on Lee Songha were dispirited, pushed aside by the ma.s.ses. Instead, it felt like there were people crowding at hate comments, tearing them apart. This was because there were people uploading evidence of others who had previously hated and bashed Lee Songha because of her controversies, and sympathy for Lee Songha spreading like wildfire. Neptune's fan cafe, as well as Cat Guardian Ghost's fan cafe, were filled with supportive comments.

From now on, she wouldn't have to suffer like in the past.

Now, there was no need to take Lee Songha's phone away, and there would be no need to feel down because of people's mocking looks anymore.

As if she noticed my gaze, Lee Songha looked at me. Our eyes momentarily met. Her picturesque eyes smiled slightly. How many emotions pa.s.sed by in that brief moment? If possible, I wanted to stop time and closely examine them.

Lee Songha, who was about to approach me, was grabbed by Im Seoyoung's hand and was shaken, while I turned my head at Kim Hyunjo's call.

”Anyways, I bet the mood at Neptune's alb.u.m meeting will be great tomorrow because of this.”

”Ah.”

”Team Leader Park told me to bring you, saying that there are a lot of people who want to see you.”

Kim Hyunjo gave a meaningful smile.

”Ah, right. You really are a lucky charm. Even when I saw you for the first time, I…”

He went on about the repertoire I had heard multiple times.

Soon, we began a simple celebration, although it later changed to a drinking party once Kim Hyunjo brought out another wild ginseng wine the team 3 leader gave him. I felt this last time as well, but the wine's effects were amazing. After two hours, there was almost no one in their right mind anymore.

Lee Songha, who had been nodding her head constantly, eventually slumped over. When I barely managed to lean her against the sofa, she had a faint smile as she mumbled something. Just what was she eating in her dreams after finis.h.i.+ng off a chicken?

I looked at the living room, which looked more like a mess than a girl group's residence, and at the people who were collapsed like stragglers, but there was someone missing.

The traitor wasn't here.

Now that I thought about it, I felt like I didn't see him for a while. Did he go out to smoke again?

After hanging up, Choi Gunyoung entered the quiet residence.

It seemed they had dragged the Neptune members back to their rooms as only Kim Hyunjo and Jung Sunwoo were wearing their outerwear as they nodded off.

Choi Hyuk stood in front of Jung Sunwoo and looked down at him.

You couldn't find a smile on his always smiling face. He was cold and rigid like lead.

He clenched his phone in his hand as he thought that if today was Jung Sunwoo's day, then tomorrow would be his.

[1] 44 USD.

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