There are times when that happens.
When a restaurant does well, the building owner suddenly kicks out the proprietor and starts running the business themselves.
'Even if the owner changes, as long as they upgrade the service a bit, remodel, and open with a cleaner look, the business will still do well.'
That kind of thinking.
However, nine out of ten stores that open in that manner end up failing.
Because more often than not, they don't even know why customers came to that place in the first place.
Right now, Newlike, who was trying to kick out Director Jo Bang-woo, was in exactly that situation.
The reason Seoyeon and Park Jeong-woo came to Director Jo Bang-woo's audition.
'Simply networking due to past ties.'
Probably Head Director Heo Taegil thought so as well.
Above all, in his eyes, Park Jeong-woo and Seoyeon were still youths who didn't know the ways of the world.
Park Jeong-woo was in his early twenties, having not even served in the military yet.
In Seoyeon's case, she was merely a high schooler, so he might have thought she was merely drawn by shallow affection.
"Director, you're not going to step down, are you?"
A meeting held with a light heart prior to filming.
Director Jo Bang-woo was taken aback by Seoyeon suddenly bringing up such a thing right then and there.
It was as if she knew what had happened to him.
'How on earth?'
How did what happened with the Head Director of Newlike Group reach Seoyeon's ears?
'Could it be Jo Seohee?'
It was a well-known fact that Jo Seohee was the heiress of the Newlike Group.
The fact that she and Seoyeon were close was also a famous story.
However, as is usual in the entertainment industry, rumors are rarely true.
Neither the rumor that Jo Seohee was a chaebol heiress, nor that Seoyeon was close to someone like her.
However, judging by Seoyeon's attitude now, both seemed to be true.
"Miss Seoyeon, what do you think I will do?"
"……."
At those words, Seoyeon hesitated for a moment, wondering what to say.
First, she had conveyed her words to Seohee.
And very firmly, at that.
"Then I'm not doing it."
"Ah, no. You don't have to say it for me to know! And stop speaking formally to me!"
"Hmph."
She knew Seohee hadn't done anything wrong.
However, oddly enough, the only person she could speak to in a sulking manner was Seohee, the very person involved.
No matter how young Seoyeon was, she had no intention of showing such a side to a director or industry officials.
It would make her look far too childish.
Genuine feelings, not acting.
Such emotional displays should only be shown to those close to her.
Park Jeong-woo always said so, and Seoyeon tended to agree with him.
On variety shows or in such places, getting angry, laughing, and chatting were honestly fine.
However, in situations like this, being easily swayed by emotions made one look like an easy pushover.
'Because I am young.'
Moreover, Seoyeon was very young.
Probably, the reason Heo Taegil pulled something like this was precisely because Seoyeon and Park Jeong-woo were young.
'If the director doesn't do it, I won't do it either.'
That would be a very simple declaration of intent.
To the Newlike Group, it would become the sharpest of blades.
However, what about Director Jo Bang-woo?
If Head Director Heo Taegil, who had been ignoring him, immediately caved and crumbled at a single word from Seoyeon, would he be alright with that?
Heo Taegil watching Seoyeon's mood meant...
conversely, that the director would also have no choice but to watch Seoyeon's mood.
Even if Seoyeon said she liked his work, there was no telling how he, with his lowered self-esteem, would take it.
The reason Heo Taegil took them lightly was ultimately because all of this was a relationship built purely on 'personal ties.'
Personal ties.
It could explain everything, but conversely, Jo Bang-woo had nothing else.
If Seoyeon, backed by even Newlike, were to fall out with the director during filming...
If she were to just quit midway, what would happen to the project?
The words 'personal ties' would be nothing more than a flimsy thread to them compared to a business contract.
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'I wonder how much the director truly trusts me.'
A project swayed by an actor's words.
Once a director becomes afraid of an actor, it's over.
Even if Seoyeon didn't want that, if Jo Bang-woo harbored such thoughts, that alone was a problem.
Therefore, Seoyeon couldn't easily say to Jo Bang-woo, 'If you step down, I will drop out of the movie too.'
If this incident were to be resolved with those words, would Director Jo Bang-woo simply smile in relief?
"Head Director Heo Taegil's offer was, frankly, an incredibly good condition for me."
If I were to step down, they would pay the promised money as is.
He even said he would let me take on another project.
The only reason he wanted me to step down was simply because this project featured 'Seoyeon and Jeong-woo' together.
"He probably said that considering my relationship with Miss Seoyeon. That if you were to pull out, Miss Seoyeon could get a better director and more investment."
If Seoyeon refused, they would step back and at least let him keep his name attached.
Another director would shoot the film, but he wouldn't have to suffer the indignity of stepping down.
"Miss Seoyeon has been a girl with a broad perspective since she was young. My son, who filmed a CF with her, said this when he saw her back then."
Not just a child actor who came out for a simple CF, but a girl who seemed like a true actress.
He said that even though she looked like a child, it felt like dealing with an adult.
"And that unlike her cold impression, she was a deeply affectionate child."
"……."
Seoyeon was silent.
Looking at her, Director Jo Bang-woo smiled.
"Honestly, my confidence had fallen due to consecutive failures."
He didn't think it was simply bad luck.
His touch had died.
He was behind the trends, and his direction was outdated.
That was the only way he could interpret the results.
So this time, he decided to let go a little.
Like a rookie director, he worked desperately hard.
That was how he got this opportunity.
"I will not step down."
"...Then?"
"We fight."
Against a conglomerate?
At Seoyeon's determined gaze, Director Jo Bang-woo nodded.
Even if they said they would fight, it wasn't something grandiose.
In any case, since Seoyeon and Park Jeong-woo had come due to personal ties, as long as Jo Bang-woo didn't voluntarily step down, Newlike couldn't come at him openly either.
'They probably didn't expect this story to reach Seoyeon's ears.'
The picture Heo Taegil was likely painting was Jo Bang-woo voluntarily stepping down because he 'didn't want to block the promising future of the two actors.' Then, if he asked them to take good care of the movie, given Seoyeon and Jeong-woo's personalities, they would have no choice but to stay without dropping out.
Truly calculating.
Of course, the moment the whole story reached Seoyeon's ears, it became a sloppy plan.
"Even with just the investments made so far, there is a lot we can do. A lot of sponsorships have come in as well."
"That's..."
"If you think the script will be distorted because of the sponsorships, that is truly underestimating me."
Director Jo Bang-woo laughed heartily.
Suddenly, Seoyeon realized.
He had been called a box office wizard in the past.
In fact, he was probably already sick and tired of filming movies with sponsorships.
Seoyeon realized that her worry was actually looking down on Director Jo Bang-woo.
He might have been a director who had failed consecutively, but not everything about him had disappeared.
His experience.
The skill to naturally weave advertisements into a piece of work.
Those were the very things that had been called Director Jo Bang-woo's specialties in the past.
"This year, my son's movie is premiering. You probably know about it too, Miss Seoyeon."
"...You mean *The Thief*."
"Yes. It was definitely influenced by your movie, *The Chaser*. He kept blabbering about it ever since it first premiered."
At those words, Seoyeon smiled awkwardly.
'Then was Director Jo Mintae's movie originally influenced by *The Chaser*?'
If those words were true, it had to be.
It was a work with many issues at the time, but even amidst those issues, it pulled in a decent number of viewers.
"That is why I am even more determined to take on this movie."
Jo Bang-woo said that and looked at Seoyeon with powerful eyes.
"It might end up being a head-to-head showdown. *The Thief* will probably premiere first."
"...Then what if *The Thief* becomes a box office hit?"
"Haha, how wonderful would that be. It's my son's work."
Honestly, since Seoyeon had deep ties with both Jo Mintae and Jo Bang-woo, she didn't want them to face off against each other.
And even more so if she knew what choice Jo Bang-woo would make if *The Thief* became a hit.
However.
"That brat knows it too. Regardless of how others see it, I still have no intention of losing to my son."
Director Jo Bang-woo said so and smiled as if he was proud of his son.
"I've watched that kid since he first held a camera. I've only seen his lacking sides recently, and the boy seems worried... shouldn't I show him that his old man isn't dead yet?"
A head-on confrontation between father and son.
Jo Bang-woo hadn't been swayed by Heo Taegil's words from the start.
"If they're both good movies, they'll both survive. Wouldn't that rather create a buzz?"
Or rather, he might have been shaken, but he didn't give up.
In the first place, there was no need for her to even bring up the threat, 'If you don't do it, I won't do it.'
'Well, even so.'
She had already talked to Jo Seohee, so it would be resolved somehow, but...
Thinking it was a bit embarrassing, Seoyeon looked at Director Jo Bang-woo.
*The Thief* was by no means an easy opponent.
It was different from last year.
Back then, Seoyeon's competing work was at a 'fairly' outstanding level, but it couldn't be called phenomenal.
But this time was different.
A monster.
A true ten-million-viewer movie with an overwhelming weight class.
On top of that.
'Actor Kim Jeongha.'
The actress who had been in her first work.
The actress who would spread her wings this year.
A monster actress who had already starred in a ten-million-viewer movie once and displayed overwhelming acting.
She was Seoyeon's opponent this time.
***
'It's not hard to coax kids.'
Even if they came for Director Jo Bang-woo, as long as they were actors.
As long as they were humans who would inevitably be swayed by money, they could be manipulated however he pleased.
'What could they do if Director Jo Bang-woo volunteered to step down?'
If he earnestly asked them to take good care of the movie?
Frankly, from their position, they would want to work with a better director and script, so they would reluctantly accept.
'Even if they throw a tantrum and insist on working with Director Jo Bang-woo, we can just keep Director Jo Bang-woo as the director in name.'
Normally, it would be impossible, but with Newlike's power, it was feasible.
Because there was nothing money couldn't do.
Since they were going to invest anyway, they just needed to invest properly.
Rather, Heo Taegil was the kind of man who would seize this success that had come his way by any means necessary.
Just the fact that Joo Seoyeon and Park Jeong-woo were starring in the same movie was a hot topic.
Furthermore, Seoyeon had recently made her mark at the viola show, continuously making headlines day after day.
On top of that, Director Jo Bang-woo.
Frankly, wasn't it too big of a waste to let go?
"Is that all?"
"Yes..."
Heo Taegil swallowed dryly as he looked at the man before him.
The chairman of the Newlike Group, Jo Seokhwan.
The man who had suddenly summoned him this morning.
"You tried to force Director Jo Bang-woo out."
"That is..."
"There's no need to explain. I understand your intentions completely."
Jo Seokhwan said with a sigh.
That was because he had been relentlessly tormented by his daughter from last night until this morning.
"I heard you're kicking out Director Jo Bang-woo."
"...What?"
It was the first time Jo Seokhwan had heard of it.
But Jo Seohee's fierce words didn't end there.
"The actor joined because of her ties with Director Jo Bang-woo, so if Director Jo Bang-woo steps down, obviously that actor will step down too, right?"
"T-That's right?"
"Right? She flat-out said, 'Then I'm not doing it!' Does it look like she's lying? She really won't do it! And there's even the GH Group! What the hell is going on here!! Why don't you just put her in a company car and send her to the GH Group? Their director would welcome her with open arms! Do you know what that director said to me before? He came up to me and said, 'Ah, so you're the parachute Jo Seohee?'! Ugh, how can I face that again!"
"I-I was wrong. Please stop."
Jo Seokhwan's head ached.
'She should have taken after her mother.'
She shouldn't have only inherited her mother's looks and acting skills, but her personality as well.
That personality of hers, driving others to the brink with pressure, was exactly like Jo Seokhwan's.
"No, they said they joined because of personal ties, if you fire the director, do you think she'll just stay? What on earth were you thinking? This was the Head Director's idea, right?"
"W-What are you talking about, Seohee."
"Don't tell me, as the Chairman, you just invested and then washed your hands of the whole thing?!"
Normally, she wouldn't even go that far...
Jo Seokhwan couldn't bear to talk back to his daughter and simply nodded.
The Film Business Division was, naturally, handled at the discretion of the Head Director.
He had seemed quite motivated during the previous meeting, but to think he would backstab them like this.
'How on earth does she know about this?'
She must have built close relationships with the people in the Film Business Division.
She was an actress, but she really should have been a businesswoman...
Because managing networks was a fundamental skill for a businesswoman.
Anyway, that wasn't what was important right now.
"I'll look into it."
"Really? You have to tell Seoyeon."
Saying so, his daughter pedaled her bicycle vigorously and disappeared.
The driver was slowly running out of things to do, so he wished she would ride in the car, but she wouldn't listen.
'He really sold out everything just to succeed.'
Was this his own fault?
Jo Seokhwan sighed as he looked at Head Director Heo Taegil sitting before him.
"With things like this, even if we openly support it now... it will only leave a bad taste in the mouth."
"...Chairman. But Director Jo Bang-woo's recent track record is poor. To proceed based solely on the words of young actors..."
"If those young friends say they'll step down because of the director, can you stop them?"
At those words, Heo Taegil explained his plan.
Director Jo Bang-woo could voluntarily step down and entrust the rest to them.
At that, Jo Seokhwan let out a hollow laugh.
It was shallow, but quite a plausible plan.
"Let me ask you one thing. Who do you think I heard this from?"
"...That is..."
"You didn't even know the relationship between the person who told me this and actor Joo Seoyeon?"
"……."
In the first place, it was strange that Jo Seohee knew about this incident.
Heo Taegil wanted to point that out, but it was already too late.
'He is not fit to be a Head Director.'
He was a man who only looked at the immediate benefits right in front of him.
That might be helpful when climbing up from the bottom, but it was not the mindset of someone who should be at the top.
"As it happens, recently, our Newlike Group was thinking of putting more weight behind the Film Business Division..."
"...!"
"Before that, don't you think we need to do a little pruning?"
At Chairman Jo Seokhwan's cold words, Heo Taegil shuddered.
Although Jo Seokhwan had softened now, he was once a ruthless businessman.
He was also the driving force that allowed the Newlike Group to grow so rapidly.
The incompetent die.
Heo Taegil was on the verge of experiencing that firsthand.
***
"Director, you seem to be in a good mood?"
Where had her gloomy impression from the past disappeared to? The actress, now wearing a bright expression like sunlight, spoke.
She was lightly warming up before the upcoming shoot.
"Shall I guess? It's because of Director Jo Bang-woo, isn't it?"
At those words, Jo Mintae's gaze, which had been fixed on his phone, shifted sideways.
A slender woman with her hair tied lightly in a ponytail.
A ten-million-viewer actor.
A monster of an actress who had swept all the awards the year before last.
It was hard to believe she had been stuck in a cocoon for so long; the wings she suddenly spread flew straight up to the soaring sky.
She was an actress reminiscent of a certain girl from last year, but to Jo Mintae, she still felt like a rookie actor.
It was probably because her past impression still lingered.
'On the contrary, from Actor Kim Jeongha's perspective, I probably look like a greenhorn.'
The reason the ten-million-viewer actor decided to appear in his movie was solely because of their past ties.
His first video work.
The connection from appearing in a CF.
"That's right. It seemed like he was wavering a lot for a while, but it looks like he's made up his mind."
"Hmm~."
At the sight of Kim Jeongha wearing a subtle smile, Jo Mintae let out a hollow laugh.
Where on earth had the gloomy woman from the past gone?
Now, she had literally become the epitome of vivacity.
"Could this also be a connection?"
Kim Jeongha looked at the screen Jo Mintae had just been looking at.
An internet article.
It was an article about a movie that had just begun filming.
The title was *Seoul Escape*.
Director: Jo Bang-woo, Starring...
"Joo Seoyeon."
Muttering that name, Kim Jeongha smiled softly.
The ice princess-like girl came to mind.
It's been a while.
She had thought they might meet like this someday.
Because that girl was born to be an actress.