The Famous Millionaire

“We live on each other’s trust. I don’t want to do business with anyone who stabs me in the back for my favor. By the way, I would like to let you know that our conservation is now being recorded. I don’t have any thing else to say to you.”

“President Jang, please don’t…”

Though he heard Kwon’s urgent voice on the other end, he hung up the phone, pretending not to have heard it.

And then he called the head of the cultural affairs department of Seoul Broadcasting.

Hyunwoo felt he was conceited while hearing the director’s voice over the phone. He seemed to think he was in a domineering position, compared to Hyunwoo.

Like Kwon, he seemed to think he knew Hyunwoos’ weak point.

Giggling at him, Hyunwoo mumbled,

Obviously, this is the collaboration of this guy and Kown. As Jaeyol said, there are really nasty people.

“Who is this? I know you’re President Hyunwoo Jang, right? How come you called me directly like this?”

“I’m so disappointed. Let me cancel my agreement with you on the Ani & Funny program.”

“What the heck are you talking about?” the stunned director shouted

Hyunwoo explained to him about his conversation with Kwon. He said he was very disappointed and that he had no intention to do business with the company Kwon was affiliated with.

The director was certainly embarrassed. There was no more conceit in his voice.

He said in a tense voice, “I don’t think you need to cancel the program. You have to pay the cancellation fee if you go ahead.”

Hyunwoo snorted at that. The cancellation fee was less than 10 million at most. Even if he filed a claim for damages, it would not go over 100 million won.

“Just go ahead and ask for the cancellation fee. I will bring a lawsuit.”

“Oh my… are you thinking of a lawsuit? Ani & Funny will lose it.”

“I’m not going to bring a lawsuit to win. I just want to disclose the repugnant activities of Seoul Broadcasting in the legal process. I have recorded my conversation with Producer Kwon. So, you’ll lose more than I if I bring a lawsuit.”

Hyunwoo spoke out without hesitation.

His words were not a mere bluffing. It was true he recorded the conversation, and he would certainly bring a lawsuit if Seoul Broadcasting asked for the cancellation fee.

Only then did the director soften his position, “I think Producer Kwon behaved rudely to you. I didn’t know he acted like that. Let me apologize to you on his behalf.”

Hyunwoo curled his lips at that. Obviously, the director realized that Hyunwoo had the upper hand now.

But Hyunwoo felt he didn’t need to show any generosity to people like him.

“I don’t want to accept your verbal apology. I’m too much hurt for that.”

“Do you want anything from us?”

“No. I’m just disappointed with Seoul Broadcasting. As I clearly conveyed my intention to you, let me hang up the phone now. By the way, don’t fail to ask for the cancellation fee.”

And then Hyunwoo hung up the phone.

After the call, he pondered over what would happen next.

Seoul Broadcasting had two options: bow to Hyunwoo or fight with him.

If they decided to fight with Hyunwoo, they would release the name of Yu Zuung, the woman with a studio in Dongsung Villa. Even if they disclosed her, it would not necessarily be revealed that she was the same woman as the masked dancer of the music video. Still, that disclosure would deal a blow to Hyunwoo in one way or another.

I think I have to steal their thunder.

Hyunwoo thought it was about time to disclose her face.

He called Jaeyol and said, “Brother, let me disclose the face of another masked dancer during your live music show this week. Can you prepare for the report as soon as her face is disclosed?”

“Really? Sounds good. Let’s meet now.”

Hyunwoo also called Jinyoung Paek who was taking care of all the schedules of Yu Zuung related to the music video Temptation.

“Hey, Brother Jinyoung. I’m going to disclose one of the masked dancers during the live music show on Korean Broadcasting this week. I think this is the right time.”

“Got it. It’s going to make a big fuss.”

Live music show MusicQ was due three days later. Hyunwoo’s sudden decision embarrassed the main producer of MusicQ and other people involved.

But they didn’t complain.

“Hey, make the preview trailer again. Put the announcement on the disclosure of the masked dancer upfront. We have no time. Hurry up!”

And they put out the pre-notice on the MusicQ program as early as in the afternoon of that day. The pre-notice was usually broadcast a couple of times per day, but it came out several times a day since they decided to disclose the face of the masked dancer.

Naturally, the viewers were excited to hear that.

“Wow, finally one of the masked dancers is showing her face!”

Three days later, the live music show was finally due on air.

The average ratings of MusicQ, the signature music program of Korean Broadcasting, was 7%. But on the day when one of the masked dancers was disclosing her face, it reached as high as 29%, based on the calculations by Korean Broadcasting.

That showed how much the general public was interested in it.

Now came the moment of deciding which song would be ranked the top among the three contenders. But the viewers were not interested in the winner, but who the masked dancer was.

Temptation was placed in the latter half of the program, so the viewers could not take their eyes off the music program to the end.

Finally, the main singer and masked dancers appeared on the stage when the lights were turned off and on. Unlike the pre-notice, the dancers had on masks.

The music was played, and the dancers began to dance. In the middle of the music, the masked dancer on the far right put her hand on the mask. As the mask was the smallest of the three, her face was relatively revealed more than others. But she was the dancer the viewers were most curious about because they assumed she was a stunning beauty.

The dancer gently held her mask then took it off and put it on back. She danced to the music, repeating it several times.

She didn’t reveal her face fully, but at the same time, she showed it actually. The viewers could scarcely see her face, though, as if she were showing them a strip show with her mask as her underwear.

At the end of the song, however, she took it off completely and threw it away. Momentarily, she disclosed her beautiful face fully to the viewers.

But it lasted only a few seconds. When the music ended, the lights on the stage were turned off. She showed her face only two or three seconds, so the viewers could not confirm Yu Zuung’s face accurately.

Still, they could confirm one thing.

“Wow! What a beauty!”

“How can she be so beautiful? Is she a singer or TV talent?”

They immediately surfed the internet to get more information about her. Already there were lots of enlarged photos of Yu Zuung that they captured from her performance on the stage.

The quality of the photos was bad, but still good enough to confirm her beauty.

“Wow, so beautiful. I guessed right.”

“Yea, her beauty is just awesome!”

In no time, it was revealed that the dancer was Yu Zuung affiliated with Ani & Funny. But that was all that they could find out about her. There was no official photo of Yu Zuung on the internet. As Yu Zuung did not have any personal account on SNS or a blog, they could not find any information about her.

That was exactly what Hyunwoo wanted as far as the timing of disclosing her identity was concerned. Too early or too late disclosing would reduce the intended effects greatly.

Hyunwoo quickly called Jaeyol.

“Hey, brother. Right now is the opportune time to release your reporting on the masked dancer.”

“Oh, finally. Sure. Let me get it out immediately.”

Jaeyol broke the scoop right away. It contained not only her photos but also her personal information, all compiled and sent by Hyunwoo.

From that moment all the telephone lines of Ani & Funny office were busy with calls from outside, begging for information about her.

But Hyunwoo gave all the information only to Jaeyol and had his staff read a standard message.

<Please call reporter Jaeyol Song with Korean Broadcasting. We’ll release all the information about the masked dancer through him.>

Thanks to Hyunwoo’s help Jaeyol was yelling for joy. Not only reporters from other media but also those within Korean Broadcasting turned to him for further information about her. Even the general director of the newsroom of Korean Broadcasting called him in person and praised highly.

“I’m amazed by your brilliant activities, Reporter Song. It looks like you’re getting all the scoops. I’m afraid you’re going to take my place. Haha.”

“Oh, I’m flattered, sir. I have an interview appointment with Yu Zuung, the masked dancer in a minute. Any questions for her?”

“Nope. You’re doing a good job, man.”

“Got it. Let me report back to you after the interview.”

Jaeyol came out of the director’s office and headed for the waiting room where Yu Zuung and Hyunwoo were waiting.

“Did I keep you waiting long?”

“No, not at all. Are you going to interview her?”

“Not me. A VJ with the entertainment department will do it. Shall we move?”

Both followed Jaeyol.

“Is it possible that the interviewer can ask questions impromptu?”

“I gave him a reminder of your request.”

“What about the question that I gave you?”

“I put it in the questionnaire, of course.”

Hyunwoo double-checked the interview questions carefully.

Obviously, Jaeyol prepared the Q & A nicely. He made a list of questions that the viewers might have a great curiosity about, and then inserted some questions that Hyunwoo wanted the interviewer to ask.