“What? A special episode? Now, at this point?”
Following his parents’ wish to never bow to injustice, PD Choi Bulgul carried something like a sense of mission to realize justice.
That’s why he had stubbornly stuck with the investigative program everyone avoided. This time, too, he pressed forward with the “Busan Supply Gate” case, standing firm under outside pressure as always.
The key point he wanted to make was “outside pressure.”
The station had clearly tried to cover up the supply gate. That’s a fact.
Rumor had it that higher-ups had said, “Do you think that’ll make money?” and told them to go find a product-placement-friendly topic instead.
Do they not know what PPL even means in an investigative program? Money, money, money — money-obsessed freaks, that’s what they are.
And yet… now they suddenly act generous and hand him a special episode?
“Why?”
“Wouldn’t it be a waste to just do one episode? You’ve been digging into this for half a year, so imagine how many items you’ve got stashed. I’ll set the stage for you. Let’s make one slick special.”
“Why?”
“I’ll give you a big activities budget, so film the opening on that site you investigated, visit the other places you scouted, and call up all the whistleblowers for interviews. Want to do CG too?”
“Why?”
“You little—!!”
The CP shouted even louder than Choi Bulgul, who had screamed.
“You think business is a one-day game? If the higher-ups who said it wouldn’t make money are now treating this special like their precious baby, what does that mean?”
“…Because it’ll make money?”
“Exactly. Now it’ll make money. And here’s why.”
“Hold on. From here on, let me talk.”
“…?”
“…??”
A voice came from behind, and both turned their heads.
“…!!”
“…!!”
Even these two, who hardly ever flinched at anything thanks to working in broadcasting, had their jaws drop to the floor.
In the broadcasting world, there’s someone regarded like a legendary Pok*mon.
Calling him a “ratings guarantee” isn’t enough — he’s called a ratings nuke.
Just a glimpse of him sends the ratings graph skyrocketing.
The clothes he wears sell out instantly, and his style becomes the next day’s trend.
The man who made paparazzi culture popular in Korea.
The entertainment PD next door’s ultimate wannabe.
Even the immovable folks in the news department drool over him — the true superstar of this era.
“Nice to meet you, PD Choi. I’m Lee Shin, head of the Mir Guild. Let’s make a show together.”
Choi Bulgul suddenly understood the money-hungry higher-ups.
How could anyone resist this?
Lee Shin joins the fray.
________________________________________
Why do humans go crazy over sweet-and-salty flavors?
Because humans are wired to get bored of one taste easily. If it’s only sweet, it becomes nauseating; if it’s only salty, it’s off-putting.
Continuous stimulation not only dulls people but makes them uncomfortable.
Lee Shin was fully aware of this.
“That’s why it’s about time to show a different side~ That’s what I’m saying.”
SBC Special<24Hours>Confirmed
Shocking teaser:“I’m a victim too.”Lee Shin? Why?
Deep−rooted regional cartel. Even swallowing conglomerates?
•
•
“And this ‘different side’ is you playing the victim?”
“Playing the victim? I am clearly an innocent victim suffering from a supplier’s tyranny.”
“Innocent? What’s innocent about you? You’re the one who blew the whistle on this supply gate in the first place!”
“Oh my, no. How could I do something so terrifying?”
Shameless.
Chae Dong-ha, sitting beside him, was dumbfounded at Lee Shin hugging his own arms like that. How could a person have a face this thick-skinned?
Even with the supply gate exploding and Busan in an uproar, the Mir Guild was still soaring high. Mountain King was still Mountain King, and the young guns — Park Jung-seok, Lee Hye-jeong, and Park Su-bin — were fully blossoming.
On top of that, after getting rid of the toxic contracts, the quality of supplies had improved so much that their momentum, which had nowhere left to go, was now aiming for outer space.
So here’s what Chae Dong-ha wanted to say:
They were already more than successful enough. In fact, it was an unprecedented season.
But his boss, apparently still not satisfied, insisted on! coming all the way up to Seoul! to stir things up even more!
“Hmm, judging by your expression, you’re thinking something like, ‘Do we really need to go this far?’ right?”
“I was also wondering if words like ‘stability’ or ‘peace’ are even in your vocabulary, sir.”
“Not wrong, but what’s your view? You think we should seek stability?”
“If you’ve been running, there should be times when you slow down. Honestly, calling it ‘slowing down’ is laughable. Look at our performance — isn’t it more accurate to say we’re flying rather than running?”
Park Jung-seok, Lee Hye-jeong, and Lee Shin’s top pick, Park Su-bin.
Plus, the young guns of Mir were bursting with potential, and this growth was making the Mountain King known as “Dragon Dad” or “Mountain Dad,” ushering in his second golden age.
And the front office?
The early-season chaos had completely vanished, and everyone was fulfilling their roles perfectly.
As a result, in every gate they had participated in so far, they were walking a record-breaking path unlikely to be matched again — that was the Mir Guild now.
“You’ve seen the online communities, right? The fans’ support for you is practically religious. It’s scary. But you seem completely unsatisfied.”
“A monster who doesn’t know satisfaction — nice ring to it.”
“Sometimes it’s frightening. I can’t really say anything since you always succeed, but I do worry.”
“Hold up.”
At that moment, a furrow formed between Lee Shin’s brows.
“I’m getting déjà vu…! Ah! I remember now. Heh heh. We’ve had this exact conversation before, haven’t we?”
It was back when Lee Shin had explained his “big picture” theory.
He’d clashed with the fandom, ignited public opinion, and Chae Dong-ha had begged him to stop, saying, “We’re all gonna die~!”
But what happened?
In the end, with Mountain King’s recruitment and a legendary showcase, the Mir Guild became the idol of that year’s Stove League.
“This is different. Back then you had the inside scoop on Mountain King.”
“Nope, it’s exactly the same. Then and now, it’s all about how far and wide you look, and how big your picture is.”
Lee Shin could guess what picture Chae Dong-ha was looking at.
Most likely promotion.
He was thinking of capping off this great season by aiming for League 3. That’s why he kept saying things like this. And honestly, at this rate, League 3 promotion was perfectly within reach.
That wasn’t wrong. In fact, it was admirable.
Even without having gone through a full season yet, Chae Dong-ha was thinking proactively, step by step, about promotion and beyond — proof he was an excellent GM in the making.
However,
If you asked Lee Shin whether that was enough, he would answer decisively: No. Not at all.
“Dong-ha, there’s a fundamental difference in perspective between us.”
“And what is that?”
“I’ve already reached the summit.”
“…?”
The summit? Did he go up on a rooftop or something? At Dong-ha’s look, Lee Shin chuckled.
In the endless world of a GM, Lee Shin was an old veteran who had gotten closer to the ending than anyone else.
While the rookie assistant GM Chae Dong-ha was looking up at the peak from the base of the mountain, Lee Shin had been standing on that peak, munching on cucumbers and enjoying the view.
If the scenery you see is different, how could your perspective be the same?
“You see, when I close my eyes now, I can still see so much. It’s huge, magnificent, fun, and fantastic.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, but you’re saying you’re still not satisfied this time either?”
“Yep. This time, I’m planning to wipe them all out.”
“Yes, wipe them all… Wait, what?!”
Dong-ha stared wide-eyed at Lee Shin, whose innocent face had turned into a sly smirk.
“Just imagine. Because of this supply gate, a full-scale investigation sweeps through the entire supply industry.”
“No way…!”
“What if supply companies get temporarily paralyzed? What would happen to the guilds that get supplies from them?”
“Ah… ah…”
“The big guilds won’t care — they’ve got other channels. But the lower-tier guilds, the 4th- and 3rd-division ones like us? You think they’ve got other channels?”
“Sir, don’t tell me you’re planning to do to them what was done to us…”
“Heh heh heh. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
The fastest way to gain a competitive edge — is to crush your competitors.
A raid the day after tomorrow, with supplies hanging by a thread — now that’s a delicious kind of tension.
“It wouldn’t be fair if we were the only ones to experience something this good.”
“…I know it’s rude, but I really want to crack your head open and see what’s inside.”
“I’d love to show you. Sometimes it’s lonely, seeing this view all by myself.”
And so, time passed quickly, and the filming day for the special < 24 Hours > approached.
________________________________________
“Unnie, I’m confused. This is our filming set, right?”
“…Ah, probably…?”
“Ugh, I feel nauseous.”
<24 Hours> is one of the few remaining traditional investigative programs that has fully inherited the spirit of implementing justice.
In the example above, what do justice, spirit, and tradition mean? (3 points)
Answer: Abysmal ratings
That’s right.
The program isn’t fun so people aren’t interested.
It was merely a program for the public broadcast station to show off, saying, “Unlike those greedy, malicious cable channels, we contribute to society like this,” as part of their window dressing. That was exactly what <24 Hours> was.
That’s why the production crew was currently confused.
To the left was CCP, to the right was the head of the cultural department, turn your head and there’s the production director—so why was someone from the entertainment department here?
The set was crowded with people who shouldn’t be there.
“It must be because of that person, right? Lee Shin.”
“Come to think of it, this is my first time seeing him. Handsome, right?”
“Hehe.”
The writers in the corner peeked their heads out like baby chicks and looked over there. On the stage, they could see Lee Shin chatting.
“Wow… really, the word ‘beauty’ suits him more than ‘good looks.’”
“He’s seriously handsome, the halo is just—shooom! He doesn’t even need lighting.”
“That saying, ‘The camera can’t capture the real thing,’ this is when it should be used.”
“No wonder there are rumors. Even among actors, this level is rare.”
If you work at a broadcasting station, you can see actors or idols fairly often.
Idols with fists-sized heads, actors whose names anyone would recognize. Among them, there are people who look truly unreal, but Lee Shin’s looks were on par with them—or rather, enough to make them seem lacking—overwhelmingly so.
But while some focused on Lee Shin’s overwhelming appearance, PD Choi Bulgul and the main writer, both with years of experience, were looking at him in a different sense.
“I’ve lived a long time, but who would’ve thought we’d use that guy as a guest on our program.”
“Why, you knew we’d use him someday. Like that guy who turned the airplane around.”
“Pfft, that’s true.”
If a producer for an investigative program doesn’t know about Lee Shin, the nation’s number one troublemaker, that’s negligence of duty. In fact, they’d tried to cover him several times but got cut off from above.
“When he first went down to Busan to become a guild master, there was a rumor he’d been exiled.”
“That’s probably half true, right? Even now, when I watch that video of Lee Shin recruiting Mountain King, I still feel dazed.”
“From what I’ve investigated, it doesn’t seem like the guy’s personality has changed.”
“Maybe he just found his calling. His results are solid, after all.”
“True, I hear his reputation is steadily improving even within the LeeDo Group. That’s probably why those foxy seniors came running down here.”
Personally, Choi Bulgul was interested in Lee Shin’s change, but he didn’t forget his duty as a PD.
Either way, Lee Shin had come to them of his own accord.
He was a troublemaker, the nation’s top thug, but when it came to being a hot topic, Lee Shin was like a cheat code. Just getting him as a guest was the opportunity of a lifetime for Choi Bulgul.
“If I seat him down and still can’t produce results, then I should leave this industry.”
At the same time, he also had personal expectations.
This supply-gate incident was something Choi Bulgul had worked on for quite a long time. While the decisive tip had come from an unknown woman, he had put in considerable effort himself, so he didn’t want to see the case fizzle out.
They needed the public’s sustained interest, and to get that interest, they needed buzz.
The ultimate answer was—
“Ratings. They need to blow up.”
Choi Bulgul stared intently at Lee Shin on the monitor.
Come on, show me what you can do. Show me why people go crazy over you.
With those inflated expectations, the broadcast began.
To cut to the chase, Lee Shin fulfilled 200% of Choi Bulgul’s expectations.
“…Is that guy… crying?”
