In an era where people who flaunt real estate like apartments as their social class are criticized, but in fact, ‘real estate’ was originally a class indicator.
As one can tell by looking back at human history, if you receive land from your parents, you are a noble; if you receive a country, you are royalty.
In this way, space can be an indicator of a person’s or organization’s status.
In that sense, Lim Yang-wook, who used to use an underground parking lot storage as an office before moving to the grand office on the third floor of Baekhak Publishing’s main building, has indeed experienced a miraculous social climb.
“Hurry and contact the distribution center to check. If we mess this up, we might have to deliver it by forklift…… Ah, what do we do then? The contract is already done!”
“Yes, this is Yun Ji-young, assistant manager at the Baekhak Publishing Management Public Relations team. Yes, speak. Yes. Yes. The Baekhak Publishing Gwanghwamun branch? That would be us…….”
“So what Author Gu Hak-jun means is to leave the lectures to those who usually handle them and only entrust us with managing secondary IP like film adaptations. Then we must do it! Showing something first can change their minds…… Ah, we need to draft a new contract first……”
Dozens of suit-wearing employees moved like cogs in the vast office of the Publishing Management Headquarters.
“…Gu Yubin is a senior in high school right now.”
“Ah, the college entrance exam…”
Anyone Korean would understand. Disturbing a high school senior before the college entrance exam means you are not a human.
Thus, PD Shim Yeon-ho and the main writer did not cross the minimum line of human decency, unaware that Gu Yubin herself had already transformed into a monster who had forsaken humanity…
Meanwhile, the moment the production team for started casting, rumors of a major planned variety show at BMB spread rapidly throughout the entertainment industry.
The reaction was, of course, ‘shock’.
-They’re gambling there?!
Baekhak Cultural Broadcasting, beaten half to death by the government, was planning a major variety show as if to directly confront this crisis.
Naturally, the variety show would receive a push from the broadcasting station, and as if to prove it, the news that PD Shim Yeon-ho, well-known as the right-hand man of the variety department head, was holding the reins made industry insiders gulp.
However, there was one ‘insider’ who didn’t have to just stand by and swallow his saliva…
「Hello, is this Shim Yeon-ho PD?」
「It’s my first time contacting you. I’m Baek Seung-won, CEO of Baekhak Entertainment.」
“Helloooooooooooooo, CEO~nim!”
At that moment, the monster who held all of Baekhak Group’s celebrities in his grip sneakily approached and poked PD Shim Yeon-ho in the ribs, effortlessly capturing him.
Thus, CEO Baek Seung-won smoothly inserted a celebrity using his – skill.
For PD Shim Yeon-ho, it would have been better if he had just asked, It would have saved some time since there was no way to refuse anyway.
With a monster controlling everyone from actors to singers, life is really tough for these weak PDs.
“Shit, the headquarters should have crushed Baekhak Entertainment this time…”
Grumbling, PD Shim Yeon-ho’s eyes widened as he looked at the resume of the member forced into the show by CEO Baek Seung-won.
“What?! Min Hyo-min from Benivis?!”
“Do you know who that is, PD-nim?”
“I don’t know, how should I know.”
Being a broadcast station PD doesn’t mean you know all the celebrities. In fact, Shim Yeon-ho had no connection with music broadcasting either.
“And these days, all girl groups look so similar that I can’t tell them apart…”
“…Do you really not know?”
“I’m not sure. I think I’ve heard of Benivis… Why? Do you know them, Writer Kim?”
“Ah, no, I don’t, PD-nim…”
The main writer, who is a 2nd generation member of Benivis’ fan club and owns a limited edition rabbit ear headband, had to hold back from tearfully explaining how Benivis is one of the top 3 latest girl groups and how cute our Hyo-min is.
Thus, the small parachute that Baek Seung-won launched, Min Hyo-min’s resume with the phrase ‘currently enrolled at Baekhak Arts Middle School,’ was lightly erased from the minds of the PD and the writer.
Although Ma Gi-hun is highly regarded as a heroic figure of New Light Spring Orphanage, but in fact, acts of heroism often occur in the shadows.
What do they say? The government can’t touch everything?
There are too many places in the world that the reach of public authority does not extend to. Orphanages are a prime example.
In a world where righteousness and justice stand clear, no one needs to wield weapons. Thus, those who enforce justice through force are inevitably seen as extreme.
Therefore, Ma Ki-hoon, a being like a complete Lucifer with both light and shadow aspects, was not only a lofty knight-errant but also a professional ruffian well-versed in the ‘dark deeds’ like cigarette smuggling and school fights.
Thanks to this, Ma Ki-hoon was able to perform magic at a public school bound by ‘education laws’, where he didn’t attend school due to a showdown with the homeroom teacher, but his attendance was still recognized.
What specific negotiation Ma Ki-hoon had with his homeroom teacher is unknown. That belongs to the realms of the extreme.
“Phew… So if you keep trying to find out, you’ll get hurt.”
This was Ma Ki-hoon’s claim.
Of course, knowing the level of our neighborhood schools, the answer was clear to me.
“The moment you said you got a job, the teacher started crying and said she’d make an exception, right?”
“What, how did you know?!”
“The moment you succeeded in getting a job at that school, you were already in the top 1%.”
Orphanages are typically built in rundown underdeveloped neighborhoods. People from affluent areas prevent facilities like orphanages from entering their neighborhoods.
Thus, the schools that the children from orphanages attend are inevitably in neglected areas, and if Baekhak Arts Middle School was of genre youth school web drama, then the genre of schools in neighborhood is of webtoon about school gangsters.
Would there be any teacher who wouldn’t cry if the protagonist of such a delinquent webtoon said they had reformed and gotten a job?
Anyway, having legally, or rather, circumstantially, been able to skip school, Ma Ki-hoon could be said to have become more exemplary than someone like me who illegally skipped school.
Thanks to that, I managed to bring Ma Ki-hoon as my manager along to Baekhak Entertainment.
Facing the towering buildings once again stirred emotions.
It was my first visit to Baekhak Entertainment since being suddenly transferred to Baekhak Publishing one day.
And then, the meaning of this memorable space, the Baekhak Entertainment headquarters building, became clear.
This place was literally like a portal to another world, the isekai I first encountered.
I had never visited it in my previous life, but in this life, I had encountered many connections in this building.
One of those connections, the security guard, glanced at me and recognized me.
“Hey, long time no see? Author-nim?”
The security guard, who often rescued me from the crowd, gently patted my head.
“I’ve been reading the book you gave as a gift. My kids love it too. But why haven’t I seen you around lately?”
“I went to Baekhak Publishing.”
“Oh, is that so? No wonder I haven’t seen you… So, it’s been a while since you’ve been to Entertainment?”
“Great! Have a good time!”
This time I came to work, not to hang out, but thinking back, more than half of my visits to Baekhak Entertainment had been out of boredom and for fun, so I didn’t particularly clarify the misunderstanding.
The moment I entered the lobby, Ma Ki-hoon murmured.
“This place looks majestic every time I see it…”
The distinctive five-star hotel-like lobby of Baekhak Entertainment headquarters was imposing to those who entered.
I quietly smiled and shared a tidbit with Ma Ki-hoon.
“They designed it to resemble a hotel on purpose when they rebuilt the building.”
“They wanted the employees to feel comfortable at the company…”
“But does that actually work?”
There are many reasons why employees might not feel comfortable at their company, but a significant one, , caught my eye.
Baek Seung-won, the CEO who had proudly talked about designing the building to resemble a hotel, was also visible in the lobby today.
Dressed in a white suit and wearing black sunglasses, he was easy to spot from afar.
For Baek Seung-won, who commonly fawned over every celebrity he met, calling them geniuses was part of his routine.
Seeing me, he fell silent for a moment.
Just before I could ask him what was wrong, CEO Baek Seung-won quietly broke the silence with a smile.
“…Are you writing well?”
“That’s good. Thank you for writing wonderful pieces.”
I looked at CEO Baek Seung-won suspiciously, wondering if he was about to ask for something again.
Then, wiping away his subtle smile, Baek Seung-won laughed heartily as usual and slapped me on the back.
“What do you mean, all of a sudden… Isn’t there a variety show meeting today? Better hurry. It’s on the 6th floor.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I’m the CEO. I know everything… Go on!”
Pushed by CEO Baek Seung-won, I hurried into the elevator.
Even as the elevator doors closed, CEO Baek Seung-won was still waving at me with a cheerful smile.