Novelist Running Through Time
Chapter 88

TL: KSD

In the entertainment industry, people are sold.

Human talents, appearances, voices, acting skills, gestures, sense of humor, reputation, actions, lies, etc., are all nicely packaged and sold.

It was more of a business than an art.

That’s how it seemed to Park Young-tae, a 21-year veteran variety show producer.

So, even he, who is often called a star producer or a genius producer, would be a merchant upon closer inspection.

And as a merchant, one must perfectly understand the quality of the products they deal with.

“Excuse me, PD Park~nim. There’s been an error with the casting…”

“What is it?”

“We might need to replace a member. There was a school violence exposé on SNS late last night…”

“Ah, dear.”

But people are products without quality assurance.

The fact that a member just dropped out before the shooting of a variety show is proof of that.

People are very difficult products to verify.

Everyone might look fine on the outside, but you never know what’s rotting on the inside. Who might be rotten, and how, is completely random. Ugly pasts, hidden true natures, accidental incidents, etc.

Thus, people are strange products. You never know when their value might plummet. Therefore, using people who have already been verified is best.

But how can celebrities be verified?

You can’t.

This is a league of people hiding their true selves.

Therefore,

Just before the shooting of the variety show, PD Park Young-tae muttered a line that a PD, who just had a member drop out, would say, albeit weakly.

“Status window…”

“What did you say, PD~nim?”

“It’s not popping up. Damn it…”

PD Park Young-tae also wants to be a fair and objective producer.

But without a status window, that’s impossible.

He wishes he could just shout ‘Status window!’ and have some information show up.

He’s not even asking for grades like acting skill S-rank or singing ability S-rank.

Whether they get drunk and cause trouble,

Or blurt out nonsense on SNS,

Or the reason they went abroad is for tourism or illegal gambling,

Or whether they bullied someone during their school days…

He wishes he could just see those things. Sᴇaʀᴄh the ɴøvᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

That’s the modest earnestness of PD Park. But there’s no such thing as a status window. That only appears in web novels.

The harsh world trampled on PD Park’s earnestness. So, PD Park has no choice but to become part of the problem.

“Guys. Send out some texts. Saying we’re urgently looking for someone…”

“Okay.”

“I’ll also go make some calls…”

It all comes back to connections.

The most reliable way to verify people is to get recommendations from others. The reality of the dark cartel that secretly rules the broadcast world is exactly this.

Famous PDs and writers leading groups called ‘divisions,’ and medieval monarchs usually picking people based on recommendations are fundamentally the same.

Tests or auditions can’t truly verify someone. They are a contest of pandering to the test maker. Any Korean who has prepared for the college entrance exam, having heard about ‘the intention of the test maker,’ would sympathize.

Tests inevitably force the test taker to fit their self into the questions. The test maker can’t verify the test taker’s true nature.

On the other hand, recommendations come with the recommender’s endorsement. If the recommender is a versatile and trustworthy acquaintance, it’s even more reliable.

Therefore, the conclusion drawn from the vast network of a 21-year veteran star producer can only be as reliable as a computer, if not more so.

Beep. The conclusion is out.

In the end, the person who remained in PD Park Young-tae’s sight until the last moment was a boy with a peculiarly cold gaze.

“…Moon In-seop.”

EP 6-The Show Must Go On

There were roughly three reasons why PD Park Young-tae ambitiously chose Moon In-seop as the emergency fill-in member for his new variety show.

First, a close junior producer had strongly recommended Moon In-seop.

-Ah, that kid is really like a gem. I don’t know much about literature, but he definitely has the talent for variety shows.

-Well. He seems to have a bit of a difficult personality, causing broadcast accidents frequently…

-Wouldn’t it be enough if they just write an apology?

-?

That junior, who seemed like a dark wizard summoning ratings through apologies as offerings, had a trustworthy eye for talent.

That’s how Moon In-seop caught PD Park’s eye.

However, PD Park is a star PD who brings together S-class celebrities. Compared to them, Moon In-seop was just one of many candidates.

The reason Moon In-seop outshone all those stellar competitors was due to a phone call that PD Park Young-tae received while he was deeply engaged in casting.

This is the second reason.

The caller was Director So Tae-woong.

-Yes, hello?

-Hello, this is Director So Tae-woong.

-What? Who did you say you are?

-I am Director So Tae-woong. Am I speaking with PD Park Young-tae?

-…Ah! Hello! Director~nim!

PD Park could be considered at the top of the variety show industry. However, that doesn’t mean he could ignore the top figure from a different field.

Even though variety show producers and film directors seem unrelated, they share similarities in their work and, crucially, overlap in their casting pools.

Especially if it’s not just any film director but So Tae-woong, PD Park handled the call with proper respect despite being taken aback.

But So Tae-woong was not particularly polite.

-I’m really sorry to contact you out of the blue.

-Oh, no, not at all. But what brings you to call…?

-I heard that Author Moon In-seop will be appearing in your variety show.

-Ah, yes. It’s still under discussion.

-Would it be possible for me to join as well?

-…What?

Director So Tae-woong requested to join the variety show.

All because of Moon In-seop.

Of course, there was only one vacancy, and it was too sudden and did not fit the concept of the show, so he was declined, but this incident made PD Park re-evaluate Moon In-seop’s value.

A boy obsessively pursued by the best film director in Korea?

There must be something there.

Of course, PD Park’s opinion might have changed if he knew that Director So Tae-woong was stalking Moon In-seop for the rights to ‘A Love Story’ and had even been blocked by him, but PD Park was unaware. This is why information is important.

Anyway, Moon In-seop, who made it to PD Park’s final casting list, had to undergo one last verification.

The last guarantor to play a role here was none other than Kim Byul.

-Byul, can I ask you something?

-Yes! PD~nim!

PD Park had recently seen a trending video on YouTube. It was a clip from a variety show where Moon In-seop was teasing Kim Byul, when asked ‘You are my friend, right?’ in an annoying manner.

At least in the video, the two seemed to be real friends. There’s no better way to understand Moon In-seop’s true character than by probing his acquaintances.

Soon, the conversation that started with “You’ve been having a hard time lately, haven’t you?” continued over some snacks.

A (self-proclaimed) seasoned actor with 10 years of experience was easily played by the 21-year veteran variety show PD.

Without even realizing it, Kim Byul spilled all the information about Moon In-seop.

Now, PD Park knew that Moon In-seop had the intelligence of an adult, was a real genius, not a fabricated one, and had a level of social skills that met general standards.

There were no more barriers to his casting.

Thus, Moon In-seop, having passed through three filters, joined PD Park’s variety show.

Of course, Kim Byul thought that Moon In-seop being selected by PD Park was entirely due to her recommendation.

* * *

“Heh heh! Be grateful! You, who are not even my friend!”

“……”

“It’s all thanks to me that you got cast! You, who are not my friend!”

Kim Byul’s proud nose was pointing skywards.

I knew she had a somewhat inflated ego, but today her smugness was at a dangerous level.

To the point where I wanted to flick her forehead.

As a child from New Light Spring Orphanage, one knows how to channel inner strength into their fingers.

Not because they trained in martial arts, but because the only game the children without phones played was a (non-alcoholic) drinking game.

Sit around in the multipurpose room after eating and play drinking games long enough, and anyone becomes a master of flicking.

I might not be confident in a brawl, but I am in flicking. Even the previous life’s Gu Yu-na acknowledged it. She said it felt like her skull was splitting in half.

But my conscience as a healthy adult male prevented me from hitting a high school girl, so the only reason Kim Byul’s skull remains unsplit today is purely thanks to my good nature.

“Here we are! This is PD Park~nim’s studio!”

Kim Byul, overly confident, stopped in front of a building with a smug smile.

Proving that we weren’t the only ones visiting the building today, the entrance and parking lot were bustling with people.

“A studio?”

“Yes. This is PD Park Young-tae’s variety show studio.”

“He’s not affiliated with a broadcasting station?”

“Hmm. How should I explain this to you…”

Kim Byul pondered, stroking her chin and tilting her head.

Then, the veteran entertainer continued with an industry tale.

“The PDs you know work at broadcasting stations, right? They get a budget and scheduling from the station, get praised by the CEO if the ratings are good, and get chewed out if they’re bad.”

“That’s right.”

“But even star PDs with more talent than the CEO can get held back by higher-ups at the station.”

“So, he went independent?”

“Not exactly. He moved to a place that offered more autonomy and then hit it big. That’s where the answer lay.”

Star PDs who were guaranteed autonomy crushed the organization-affiliated variety show PDs.

And there’s no rule saying that the losers can’t follow the winners’ know-how.

Thus, a battle began over “who can guarantee more autonomy.”

Star PDs now not only ensured autonomy from broadcasting stations but also went as far as to establish their own variety show studios.

And since the shows produced by these studios crushed the competition, broadcasting stations hastily moved to make their variety show departments independent, trying to mimic the success.

“Everyone’s just trying hard to survive…”

“…”

I felt a deep respect for the industry in Kim Byul’s voice, which sounded cynically at first. Perhaps it’s because Kim Byul herself is among those struggling the hardest.

Even if it’s called legacy media, lagging behind the times, a closer look reveals a fierce struggle to keep up with the flow of the era.

Entering the building, I could feel the pulsating heat of the show business world.

“Check if there are any cameras available. We can’t buy a new one with just two days left. Even a rental would do…”

“Hello? Yes, hello CEO~nim! This is PD Kim Myung-ho. Yes, yes. I was calling to confirm the schedule for actor Seol…”

“Hey! How could you forget that!”

The bustling people around me indicated that this was the forefront of the showbiz industry.

Feeling overwhelmed by the intense atmosphere, I hesitated for a moment until Kim Byul boldly grabbed my wrist and pulled me inside.

“Let’s go!”

Kim Byul led me like a fish taking to water.

She seemed to naturally accept this all-too-strange atmosphere.

Her usual smugness transformed into confidence here, and I couldn’t help but find that reliability in her appearance.

At times like this, Kim Byul didn’t feel like a friend who brags and seeks validation but rather like a true celebrity.

Accepting this unfamiliarity, we soon arrived in front of an office. Kim Byul’s voice turned lively.

“PD~nim! We’re here!”

“Oh, you’re here?”

A familiar-faced PD welcomed us from the office.

Park Young-tae, Park Young-tae, I didn’t recognize the name, but seeing his face, I realized he was someone I knew.

And for me, someone typically indifferent to anything but novels, to recognize his face meant that he was among the elite of the elite.

I carefully pushed away the slight nervousness clogging my throat and introduced myself.

“Hello. I’m Moon In-seop. I write under the pen name Moon In.”

***

“Ah, you’re In-seop? Nice to meet you. I’m Park Young-tae, the PD.”

“I’ve seen you on TV since I was young. It’s a nostalgic feeling.”

‘He’s precocious.’

His tone and vocabulary weren’t those of a middle schooler his age. He was calm and polite, almost like a professor.

But that was all. There was no immediate sense of star quality.

Although PD Park Young-tae doesn’t have a status window, surviving in the variety show industry for 21 years gives one a similar sort of sixth sense. It’s an ability that could be explained with words like ‘intuition’ or ‘feeling’.

So, one could say he’s not feeling it right now.

PD Park naturally exchanged eye greetings with Kim Byul and also greeted the manager who was hesitating behind Moon In-seop.

No, what he handed to the manager wasn’t a greeting but a business card. Because business discussions should be held with them.

“Hello, I’m PD Park Young-tae. Here’s my card…”

“Ah…! Yes! Hello! I’m Director Baek Seol!”

Director?

No one seemed intimidated or surprised at the claim that a woman who appeared to be in her mid-20s was a director.

It’s common for managers to hand out business cards with higher positions than their actual ones when going out. They’re called business cards for sales. The company provides them so they don’t lose heart.

But a director seemed a bit much.

Probably a small agency with four or five employees gave out director business cards to anyone. Maybe they were given stocks instead of a salary and became directors forcibly. It’s common.

Anyway, what to say…

In an industry rampant with figurehead directors, encountering a young person with a director’s business card actually proved the company’s insignificance.

The assistant director sitting next to him couldn’t hide his smirk, and PD Park felt it. He warned with his eyes not to laugh and then examined the business card.

[Baekhak Publishing]

[Head of Publishing Management Division]

[Baek Seol]

“Huh?”

*****

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