Shin Hye-seo and CEO Han Yu-jin moved to a private room.
“…”
A long silence followed.
CEO Han Yu-jin was personally reviewing the script that had just arrived from the production team.
*Gulp.*
From Shin Hye-seo’s perspective, the situation was naturally nerve-wracking.
“…To be honest with you…”
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, CEO Han Yu-jin spoke.
“I am a little worried.”
“Oh…”
“Not about the work, but about the atmosphere.”
“!”
Shin Hye-seo’s darkening expression changed once again.
‘She really is a natural-born actress.’
CEO Han Yu-jin let out a soft chuckle. Such a colorful display of shifting emotions.
“I believe articles about the investment withdrawal have already been released. Wouldn’t the morale of the actors and staff have dropped significantly?”
At that point, CEO Han Yu-jin gave a gentle smile.
“In this situation, if news of a reinvestment goes out, morale will obviously skyrocket. No, they’ll probably work even harder and with more motivation, right? People who have hit rock bottom tend to become more desperate.”
“Do, do you mean…?”
“Yes. We, Saekyoung Department Store, will invest the full twenty billion won into < The Time the Moon Sets >.”
“…!”
Shin Hye-seo desperately fought back the tears that threatened to well up.
“Thank you… Thank you so much…”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it a condition, but if it fails, you’ll have to be the advertising model for our department store, right? At the standard rate, of course.”
She had clearly said it as a joke.
“Of course! No, I should be the one asking you. It’s not just anywhere; it’s Saekyoung!”
“Ahaha! I feel like I’m being acknowledged by you, so it makes me feel quite good.”
Well, it would be strange if she didn’t feel good. She had essentially snatched away something that was originally going to Shinhwa Department Store.
“Um, I’m being a bit cautious, but if you don’t mind, could I ask one question?”
“Anything!”
“Then, perhaps…”
CEO Han Yu-jin hesitated for a moment before bringing out the question she had been harboring.
“What is your relationship with Representative Baek of Ice Valley Farm? He specifically asked me to accompany you, and it doesn’t seem like a typical relationship.”
“!”
Shin Hye-seo was naturally flustered by this sudden question.
‘Well… from the CEO’s perspective, she can’t help but be curious.’
If it hadn’t been for the Prosecutor in the first place, she wouldn’t have even been able to attend this meeting.
However, she couldn’t just lie and say they were lovers like she did before. She hadn’t grasped the questioner’s intent yet. Was it pure curiosity, or was it…
‘…Could this be a question with personal feelings behind it?’
An artist’s imagination unfolded wildly in her head. Shin Hye-seo quickly shook off the thoughts. No, there was no way.
‘But the Prosecutor is charming enough to attract even another woman.’
Separate from Shin Hye-seo’s internal misunderstanding.
‘Seeing her hesitate to answer, did he really work in the entertainment industry before?’
CEO Han Yu-jin was also stuck in her own misunderstanding.
“If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry! Even if I wanted to give you an answer, I’m worried Representative Baek might be displeased…”
“No, no. It’s my fault for asking such a personal question. You really don’t have to worry about it.”
The more Shin Hye-seo tried to avoid answering, the more Han Yu-jin grew suspicious of the reaction.
‘My goodness. A chaebol is interested in the Prosecutor…’
‘The farmer’s former job was an entertainment industry professional…’
The misconceptions and misunderstandings of the two women were gradually growing.
—
As expected, the set of < The Time the Moon Sets > felt like a funeral home.
“I seriously have no motivation at all.”
“The new CEO will handle it somehow. It’s not like our salaries or filming expenses have been delayed yet, so let’s just do our jobs.”
The main producer tried his best to soothe them.
“Cut! It was good a few days ago, so why are you both like this today!?”
…However, despite his efforts, the atmosphere could only continue to sink.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’ll try it one more time.”
The two lead actors were the primary cause. It was only natural, as both had staked their lives on this film when this disaster struck.
‘Ah, I really need to concentrate. What are you doing, Lee Do-hyun?’
First, the male lead, Lee Do-hyun. With his exotic looks and a thick fan base, his acting skills were recognized by the public, but surprisingly, his nickname was ‘TV Actor.’ His drama ratings were always a guarantee of success, but the problem was that whenever he filmed a movie, it resulted in a string of failures. In most cases, they didn’t even reach the break-even point, let alone become a hit. Because of that, he had even become established as a figure who was subtly ignored in the film industry.
‘I need to change my image here, so why is this happening to me?’
Lee Do-hyun let out a silent sigh. It was a situation where focusing on acting alone wasn’t enough, yet everything seemed to be going against him. And then there was the female lead.
‘Jeong Do-hee. Don’t be swayed by your surroundings. Just act like you usually do.’
The reaction of the female lead, Jeong Do-hee, was not much different. She was a past award winner who had swept the Blue Dragon and Grand Bell Awards. However, she had a five-year gap on the screen due to marriage and childbirth. In the meantime, young junior actors had risen up, and she was now being talked about as a ‘star of the past.’ It had taken her five years just to choose a comeback project, and her choice was < The Time the Moon Sets >.
‘If this movie falls through, I’ll just be remembered as a has-been who was once popular.’
Internal pressure. External difficulties. Those two things were making it hard for everyone, but then…
“Ev—everyone! I just heard from CEO Shin! Saekyoung Department Store has decided to reinvest the full twenty billion won into our movie!”
“…!”
A storm of astonishment immediately swept through the entire set.
“Whoaaaaaaaa!”
Some staff members even broke out into cheers.
“Phew. Does this mean we can breathe now?”
“Thank God… Truly, thank God…”
Naturally, the two lead actors felt the same way.
—
「 < The Time the Moon Sets > Resurrected; Twenty Billion Won Investment Withdrawn by Shinhwa Department Store, Reinvestment Confirmed by Local Rival Saekyoung Department Store! 」
It was an article that made one’s eyes widen.
*Thud!*
“That bitch…?”
CEO Hwang Hye-gyeong of Shinhwa Department Store huffed, unable to contain her rage.
“Who do they think they are, deciding whether to invest or not! They’re really trying to throw mud in my face, aren’t they?”
“Um, CEO…?”
From the perspective of Bang Gi-cheol, who happened to be meeting with her, it was like sitting on a bed of needles.
‘Argh! The mood was so good!’
He had provided excellent entertainment the night before, and talk of a new investment was finally moving in a positive direction, but this happened at such a terrible time.
“Let’s reschedule. I need to go down there right now.”
CEO Hwang Hye-gyeong stood up from her seat immediately.
‘No, you can’t just leave like this!’
Startled, Bang Gi-cheol spoke up cautiously.
“Um, CEO. Then about our investment…”
“What kind of investment! I told you that will be difficult for the time being!”
An irritated CEO Hwang Hye-gyeong left the room without even looking back.
“Dammit. She was happy enough to take what I gave her last night, so why is she taking it out on me?”
Left alone, Bang Gi-cheol let out a deep sigh. At the same time, he pulled out a cigarette that he only smoked when he was extremely stressed and put it in his mouth. What else could a subordinate do? If you’re unhappy, you just have to be more successful.
“Excuse me, sir. This is a non-smoking area…”
“I haven’t lit it yet!”
After snapping at an innocent person, Bang Gi-cheol stood up immediately.
“Life really sucks.”
—
Finally, immediately after returning home.
“Prosecutor.”
Shin Hye-seo, who seemed to have been on the phone for a while, spoke to me cautiously.
“Our actors said they want to come and say hello. Would that be alright?”
“What? To me?”
“Yes! I explained that you provided a lot of help, and after hearing that, they said they absolutely wanted to come.”
“No, I don’t think I did much of anything…”
“Don’t say that!”
Shin Hye-seo shook her head with a firm expression.
“They say excessive humility is poison. No matter what anyone says, you are the greatest benefactor of my life, Prosecutor.”
“Hmm…”
Is it a bit much to stop people who want to say hello? However…
‘…I have a feeling our house is becoming a hideout for celebrities.’
While I was seriously thinking that.
“Unkie!”
From far away. My treasure came running toward me, showing off her rabbit-like teeth with a bright smile.
“Seol-ah! You’ll fall if you run like that!”
*Thump!*
“…Seol-ah!?”
“Seol-ah!”
Not only me, but even Shin Hye-seo, who was beside me, ran over in shock.
“Uwaaa…”
Having fallen hard, Seol-ah started to tear up. Her face was completely distorted in pain.
“Her knees are all scraped. I’ll go get the medicine box right now!”
Shin Hye-seo hurriedly ran into the house.
“Are you okay?”
“Unkie…”
*Hug!*
When I picked Seol-ah up, she wrapped her tiny arms around my neck and cried sorrowfully.
“I mi—missed you.”
So it wasn’t the pain that was the problem, but this.
“Uncle missed our Seol-ah a lot too.”
“Willy?”
“Really.”
“Hehehe!”
Seol-ah regained her smile in an instant.
“Let me see.”
Afterward, Shin Hye-seo returned, applied ointment to the scraped knees, and neatly put on a character bandage, finishing the first aid.
“Hye-seo. Could I ask you to watch Seol-ah for a moment? I should go say hello to my mother and father and tell them I’m back.”
“Of course! Leave her to me!”
“Noooo!”
I barely managed to detach Seol-ah as she tried to cling to me and started walking alone. I had something I needed to handle secretly on the way.
“Snowflakes… assemble.”
*Step-step-step-step-step!*
The little ones, who had been bouncing around and welcoming me since I arrived, quickly lined up in a row.
“It’s time for us to get to work.”
Of course, I didn’t intend to leave all the work to the Snowflakes. I had already put all the relevant knowledge into my head.
‘As soon as the edelweiss seeds arrive, I’m going to make a flower garden so magnificent that officials will fall backward the moment they come for an on-site inspection.’
Its name would be the Ice Valley Garden. Since it was also a lodging business, weren’t there many flower gardens worth seeing at famous pensions? The kind of places created as photo spots.
‘I think it would be great to make it feel like the green barley fields or canola flower fields on Jeju Island.’
And when I imagined Seol-ah running around between them, and the backs of my parents standing side by side looking at the flower garden…
“…Just the thought of it is good.”
The will naturally burned within me.
“Men. Are you confident?”
At my words, the Snowflakes all offered a salute at once.
— Loyalty!
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