Peninsula: I can steal the luck of disgraced celebrities

Chapter 96 Lin Zhixun is an outsider (Seeking first subscription)

IU was the first to contact them.

She ran into the studio still wearing half of her costume, with her hair half tied up, clearly having run straight out of the dressing room.

"Oppa, what happened? I heard from the makeup artist that the filming has been suspended?"

Lin Zhixun briefly recounted what the assistant director had just said.

IU's face gradually slumped.

"Five to seven days — what about the sixth episode?"

"It can't be broadcast."

"If it can't be broadcast, there will be a one-week hiatus —"

IU didn't finish her sentence. Of course, she knew what a week-long hiatus meant; the audience's attention was limited.

If you disappear for seven days, by the time someone comes back to you, their enthusiasm has already cooled by half.

Especially for a new drama like theirs that has only aired five episodes, it hasn't yet established a stable fanbase.

Eun-jung came too.

She should have finished her makeup and styling, with Baek Hee's makeup on her face and her eyebrows drawn very sharply, but her emotions were completely out of sync with the character. As she walked, she listened to the stagehands explaining the situation.

When Eun-jung walked up to Lim Ji-hoon, she frowned.

"Who reported it?"

"have no idea."

"Is it really worth sending out the safety inspection committee just because a styrofoam flowerpot was smashed?"

Eun-jung glanced back at the inspector who was taking photos as evidence.

"I fell off a horse while filming 'Land,' and nobody came to check on me. I was a minor at the time, so why didn't anyone talk to me about the law protecting minors!"

Lin Chih-hsun did not speak.

He also felt something was wrong.

A small wound caused by a foam flowerpot required no stitches or hospitalization. The person involved did not complain at all and was able to continue filming as usual the next day.

For an accident of this magnitude, even if the safety inspection committee accepts the report, the normal procedure should be to first make a phone call to understand the situation, or send someone to take a look, rather than having three people arrive on the same day with cameras and documents.

Their efficiency is unlike that of a government department.

IU moved a chair to the corner, hugged her knees, and muttered to herself.

"The ratings have finally picked up!"

Eun-jung stood to the side, arms crossed, without saying a word.

She wasn't as outwardly expressive as IU, but Lin Zhixun could tell she was also trying to find a solution.

Suzy arrived at that moment.

She had probably already heard the news. When she walked over, her face didn't show any particular emotion. She glanced around the area and then stood next to Lin Zhixun.

"You found out?"

Suzy nodded.

"I told you to rest properly, but you insisted on coming."

"How was I supposed to know this would happen?"

Suzy didn't reply. She glanced at the inspectors, then at the director, her lips moved slightly, but she swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

The scene remained tense for about twenty minutes.

A black van pulled up in front of the residence.

When Bae Yong-joon came in, he was wearing a dark blue suit jacket and carrying a briefcase. He didn't come alone; one of KeyEast's managers was with him.

He first shook hands with director Lee Eung-bok, the two exchanged a few words in hushed tones, and then walked over to Lin Chih-hsun.

"Ji-hoon, how's your head?"

"It's nothing, just a superficial wound."

Bae Yong-joon nodded and looked at Suzy, Eun-jung, and IU next to Lim Ji-hoon.

"They're all here."

"Representative Bae," Eun-jung greeted him.

Bae Yong-joon placed his briefcase on the folding table next to him, turned his back to the inspectors, and lowered his voice.

"This matter is not simple."

Lin Zhixun frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I had someone look into this Section Chief Jin before I came."

Bae Yong-joon gestured with his chin towards the man who was talking to the director.

"He is indeed on the Safety Inspection Committee, but his jurisdiction is usually in Gangnam District of Seoul, Incheon is not under his jurisdiction."

Eun-jung reacted quickly, "Was he transferred here?"

"To be more precise, he was invited here."

Bae Yong-joon opened his briefcase and pulled out an A4 sheet of paper, which contained a printed screenshot of an email.

"This report was not submitted through normal channels; it was forwarded internally by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and its source points to MBC."

A production department.

IU stood up from her chair.

Lin Zhixun took the paper and glanced at it.

"MBC?"

"Hmm." Bae Yong-joon said calmly, "Who are your film crew's competitors in the same time slot?"

Lin Zhixun had a good memory; he remembered what Cui Hao had told him.

The drama "Dream High" was KBS's attempt to counter MBC's "Golden Branches and Jade Leaves".

Eun-jung also thought of it, "MBC's 'Golden Branches and Jade Leaves'."

Bae Yong-joon nodded.

Hearing this from the side, Suzy finally spoke up.

"How did MBC know Ji-hoon was injured? It only happened yesterday?"

Bae Yong-joon did not give a direct answer.

"The report was very detailed, including the injured actor's name, the location of the injury, and the specific time the accident occurred during filming. This is information that outsiders cannot obtain."

Suzy and Lim Ji-hoon exchanged a glance.

IU nervously tugged at her sleeve beside her.

"So what do we do? Investigate the mole?"

Eun-jung sighed, "Finding the mole takes time, and even if we find him, what's the use? He can't stop the investigation team."

Bae Yong-joon closed his briefcase again.

"Investigating the mole is a matter for later; the most urgent task is to resolve the work stoppage, not to cancel this safety inspection."

"That would be too stupid and give others ammunition to criticize us. What we need is a different investigation team."

"Change the investigation team?"

"Chief Kim was invited here because of his connections at MBC. You don't need to guess which side he's on."

"But the Safety Inspection Committee isn't just Chief Kim. We just need to have a normal, impartial investigation team appointed by higher-ups come over and follow the normal procedures. Given the severity of your incident—"

Bae Yong-joon glanced at the gauze on Lim Ji-hoon's head.

"The assessment results should be available in two days at most."

Lin Zhixun understood.

The reason is very simple.

The accident itself wasn't serious; a normal investigation would have closed the case in two days. The reason it took five to seven days was because Chief Kim was there to stall for time.

The problem was solved by changing the investigation team.

But "What do we need to change the investigation team?" Lin Zhixun asked.

"We need someone influential in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to put in a good word. KeyEast has some connections there, but not at the right level."

Bae Yong-joon looked at Lim Ji-hoon.

"Does CJ Group have any connections there?"

Lin Zhixun understood.

Bae Yong-joon went around in circles and finally landed at CJ.

It goes without saying that conglomerates of this caliber have extensive networks of connections in various government departments.

"Didn't CJ E&M also invest in this drama?" Lim Ji-hoon frowned. "Couldn't the director or producer just contact CJ E&M directly?"

Bae Yong-joon was silent for two seconds.

"Zhixun, how many projects do you think CJ E&M invests in a year?"

Lin Chih-hsun did not answer.

Because he didn't know.

"With hundreds of TV dramas, movies, variety shows, and music programs combined, what does *Dream High* mean to CJ?"

The total investment in this youth idol drama was less than a fraction of their annual budget.

Bae Yong-joon's tone was completely flat.

"A safety inspection at the section chief level is something the production crew can handle themselves."

"You have the director or producer call, they'll answer, they'll say they're interested, and then they'll transfer you to a department manager who'll say, 'I'll look into it,' and that's it."

Eun-jung listened from the side and gave a wry smile.

"It's a big company."

Bae Yong-joon continued, "But if you're the one making this call, the situation is different."

Bae Yong-joon knew that a few days ago, when Lim Ji-hoon was filming, Lee Yue-hee, the "Little Moon" from CJ Group, came over to cheer him on.

Within the circle, everyone knows how much Li Mengxi dotes on this granddaughter.

Li Yuexi hugged Li Mengxi's arm and shook it affectionately; Li Zaixian could feel his real estate about to move.

But Lin Chih-hsun is not in the entertainment industry, so he didn't know.

>