Chapter 79

It was almost 7:50, and the rest of the crew had already rushed to the shooting site. Only Lee Jung-hui and Son Ye-jin were still sound asleep in their room, while their assistants and managers stood outside the door, looking helpless and hesitant...

Shooting was scheduled to start at 8:00. It took about ten minutes to get from the hotel to the shooting location. If they didn't wake up soon, they would really be late. Although the ratings were currently very high and Lee Jung-hui's status in the crew was very high, being late was never a good thing.

If it were any other artist, the manager would have reacted differently. A good-tempered one would have loudly woken the person up and scolded them, while a bad-tempered one might have kicked the door open and given them a couple of kicks without hesitation.

Managers were usually very assertive in front of artists, even top-tier stars were no exception.

But today was different. One of the two people in the room was their boss. Therefore, not even Son Ye-jin's manager, Yoo Ji-young, dared to act rashly.

Another two minutes passed, and it was already 7:50. Finally, the more composed and experienced Han Mi-ju stepped forward, frowned slightly, and knocked on the door, saying, "Boss, it's time to get up!"

Since everyone had left, it was very quiet. Although the knocking and her voice were not loud, they still clearly reached the room.

Lee Jung-hui woke up first, followed by Son Ye-jin, who turned over groggily, still very sleepy. However, when she saw Lee Jung-hui lying next to her, her eyes widened instantly, and she let out a scream, "Ah!"

"Shut up!" Lee Jung-hui scolded her irritably.

Son Ye-jin, feeling both embarrassed and angry at waking up next to him, was about to lash out but then noticed that Lee Jung-hui was wearing thick clothes and wasn't covered by a blanket, while she was comfortably snuggled in what should have been his warm bed.

Clearly, he hadn't done anything and had even considerately covered her with the blanket after she took over his spot.

She felt embarrassed and lowered her head slightly, saying softly, "Sorry, did you get cold?"

"No," Lee Jung-hui shook his head calmly, then looked at his watch and continued, "Hurry up and get ready. Apologize to everyone when we're late, and treat everyone to a good meal at lunch!"

"Okay," Son Ye-jin responded automatically, then widened her eyes, "Why...?"

Lee Jung-hui glared at her, "Why? Because we're late!" He paused and added, "As for the cost of the meal, I'll cover it!"

The ratings were good, and everyone was happy, but being late the next day wasn't a good thing. Although his status in the crew meant that others wouldn't dare to complain, it wasn't conducive to good relations and future work.

Son Ye-jin didn't quite understand, but he had to handle it well. Fortunately, although she didn't understand, she was obedient. Pouting, she agreed and, thinking about his considerate behavior from the previous day, felt happy again. She even said, "Thank you!" before bouncing out of the room.

Outside, Yoo Ji-young and the others naturally pretended not to see. Such matters involving their boss were too sensitive to even hide, let alone talk about.

Although they woke up in time and got ready quickly, they were still ten minutes late when they arrived at the shooting site. Everyone was ready and waiting for them.

Lee Jung-hui stepped forward first and apologized sincerely, "I'm really sorry for making everyone wait. This won't happen again!" Son Ye-jin followed with her own apology.

Actually, his sincere apology was enough to satisfy the crew members, given his high status in the crew.

However, Lee Jung-hui added, "Uh, Ye-jin also said that since we made a mistake, we should be punished. So, we thought treating everyone to a good meal would be the best way to make up for it..."

At this point, Son Ye-jin pouted pitifully, "I calculated, and it will cost several million won..."

At this, everyone finally laughed. Yoon Seok-ho and Park Dong-chan exchanged glances, feeling very pleased. Lee Jung-hui's maturity exceeded their expectations. Most importantly, although he had an unhidden pride, he was also very humble, respectful, and considerate of others.

"Alright!" Yoon Seok-ho clapped his hands and joked, "Since Ye-jin is gritting her teeth, we'll grit our teeth too and eat more to help her. By the way, if you're late a few more times, we won't mind too much!"

Amidst everyone's laughter, the crew began shooting for the day. Everyone was happy, and there was no negative mood.

Son Ye-jin watched all this and began to understand something. She stared at Lee Jung-hui, who was talking to Park Dong-chan, and muttered softly to herself.

On the other side, Park Dong-chan was also very satisfied with Lee Jung-hui's handling of the situation. Seeing the crew start work harmoniously, he pulled Lee Jung-hui aside and said excitedly, "I have some good news for you!"

Seeing Park Dong-chan's happiness, Lee Jung-hui teased, "Oh, are you planning to cover the cost of the meal?"

Park Dong-chan almost rolled his eyes and punched Lee Jung-hui on the shoulder, "You brat, you're a big boss now, and you're still haggling over a little money!"

"Ha, you don't know how expensive things are when you're in charge!" Lee Jung-hui continued to joke. Park Dong-chan finally gave up and got back to the point, "Alright, I'll tell you. The ratings for MBC's Wednesday-Thursday drama 'Secret' came out yesterday..."

In Korea and Japan, the ancient Chinese seven-day week system, known as 'Seven Luminaries Calendar,' is still used: Monday is Moon Day, Tuesday is Fire Day, Wednesday is Water Day, Thursday is Wood Day, Friday is Metal Day, Saturday is Earth Day, and Sunday is Sun Day.

According to this naming system, Korean dramas are categorized into five types: Monday-Tuesday dramas, Wednesday-Thursday dramas, Saturday-Sunday dramas, Friday dramas, and daily dramas. Among these, Monday-Tuesday dramas air on Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday-Thursday dramas air on Wednesday and Thursday, and Saturday-Sunday dramas air on Saturday and Sunday, also known as weekend dramas.

Friday dramas air two episodes on Friday, and daily dramas air every day from Monday to Friday. Unlike other types, each episode of a daily drama is only about 30 minutes long.

'Endless Love' aired as a KBS Monday-Tuesday drama, while 'Secret' aired as an MBC Wednesday-Thursday drama. Although they didn't directly compete, 'Secret' was MBC's ambitious project aimed at destroying 'Endless Love' and dominating the urban fashion drama market this year. The competition between the two was clearly not simple.

In normal circumstances, a rating of 15% would be considered good, and as long as they didn't mess up, an average of 20% or even 25% was possible, with a chance to reach 30%.

However, compared to 'Endless Love,' it was far behind. More importantly, given the current situation, 'Endless Love' had a good chance of winning the annual drama ratings championship in Korea this year.

Winning first place would instantly elevate KBS's status in the eyes of the audience. With the new year approaching, this meant that if KBS handled things well, they could recover from a year of decline and lay a solid foundation for the new year.

In other words, MBC's efforts for almost half a year would be almost in vain. This was the truly fatal point, and the reason why Park Dong-chan was so pleased. Lee Jung-hui could imagine how frustrated MBC would be...

Of course, that was none of his concern, and he was even happy about it because all of this was achieved through his efforts. Now, his efforts were clearly having even more impact. Park Dong-chan had already put his arm around Lee Jung-hui's shoulder, looking very friendly and cheerful, and said, "The six scripts are too many to choose from. Why don't you tell me which one you think is the best..."

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