184. really poor man

Office of the 1st Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Sejong City Government Complex.

Two middle-aged men in smart suits were having a serious conversation.

“I said the meeting was at 3 o’clock? Did you ask for a person from the Ministry of Health and Welfare to talk about something?

In response to Vice Minister Kim Young-hoon’s question, Cha Dong-ho, head of the Content Policy Bureau, showed a puzzled look.

“I don’t know what you mean, but… I think it’s very likely that you’ll reject the offer.”

At Cha Dong-ho’s words, Vice Minister Kim Young-hoon’s complexion darkened.

“Is that so? Haa… This is very embarrassing.”

China’s intensive retaliatory measures to restrict the distribution of Korean cultural content, which began a few years ago for the reason of the THAAD deployment in Korea.

The exact amount of damage was not known because there was no official tally of the damage, but no one disagreed that many companies suffered huge losses.

“Damage is really great because of that bastard’s Han-Korean law. But if you openly bring this up to the surface, it will turn into a diplomatic problem, so it’s a frustrating situation where you can’t come up with a specific countermeasure, doesn’t Director Cha know?”

“It’s our jurisdiction, so how can you not know? K-pop performances scheduled to be held in China have been canceled one after another, and Korean broadcast programs have completely disappeared from Chinese broadcasting stations. The Korean Wave craze has become a thing of the past.”

“Anyway, this time, the Chinese side reached out first. If this case goes down, China, which thought it was ignored, could take stronger sanctions than now.”

At the words of Vice Minister Kim Young-hoon, Director Cha Dong-ho nodded heavily.

“I know it well. But wouldn’t it be possible to force Song Gyu-ha to appear on the show? If there is external pressure and it leaks out to the media… Ugh. Just thinking about it is terrifying.”

“Why don’t you do it? Doesn’t China say they’ll match it as much as possible?”

“There has never been a successful case of a Korean-Chinese joint film, and Song Gyu-ha has a history of criticizing the Hanbok process without hesitation. It will leave a big stain on the career of Song Kyu-ha, who has been running along the solid road.”

“Then what should I do? Should I just let go and watch?”

“First of all… I have to explain the situation as much as possible and appeal. There is no other way for now.”

By the time the sorrows of the two men deepen.

It was 3 o’clock, the scheduled meeting time.

Knock Knock

“Vice Minister. I brought a guest.”

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Vice Minister Kim Young-hoon, who corrected his clothes at the secretary’s words, spoke in a calm tone.

“Bring me with you.”

After a while, Kyu-ha and Han Jeong-hee entered while being guided by the secretary.

“Precious people have arrived. Please sit over here.”

Five people seated around a round table exchanged voices.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Kim Young-hoon, who is in charge of the First Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.”

“I am Cha Dong-ho, director of the Content Policy Bureau.”

“My name is Kyungsoo Lee, Director of Social Welfare Policy Office.”

“Nice to meet you. My name is Han Jeong-hee, executive director of Stellar Entertainment.”

“I’m actor Song Kyu-ha. Nice to meet you.”

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Vice Minister Kim Young-hoon said with a friendly smile.

“hahahahaha, it’s nice to meet you like this. I’m a fan of Song Kyu-ha. I enjoyed watching the works that came out. As a Korean citizen, I am very grateful that you raised Korea’s national prestige.”

“Thank you for your kind words. The Vice Minister also has a very good impression.”

“hahahahaha, what’s wrong with Vice Minister. He’s just a civil servant who lives on the rust of the country.”

The four people who relaxed the atmosphere by continuing to say good things like that.

After some time, the conversation got to the point.

“So, have you considered appearing in a Korean-Chinese joint film?”

At Vice Minister Kim Young-hoon’s question, Han Jeong-hee nodded slowly.

“Yes. You may have guessed, but in fact, for us, this case has a lot of negative aspects. It is our judgment that there will be more harm than good.”

The two people’s complexions darkened at Han Jung-hee’s words.

“However, contrary to the company’s position, Mr. Song Kyu-ha expressed his intention to appear.”

His eyes widened at those words, and Kim Young-hoon looked at Kyu-ha.

“Really? Ahahahaha! I’m so grateful. It’s a shame, but if it had failed, it would have had a huge impact on Korea-China relations. That’s why the Chinese side even urged Song Kyu-ha to appear on the show. It’s a really big decision. You gave it.”

Gyu-ha, who was staring at the two delighted civil servants, opened her mouth.

“Can I ask you a favor instead?”

“A request? What kind of request…?”

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Vice Minister Kim Young-hoon’s face hardened.

Since I was in a high-ranking position, there were times when I received requests of this kind, and there were times when I almost got caught up in corruption over certain interests, so I was particularly sensitive to the words requests and requests.

‘no way. Are you trying to make a corrupt solicitation on the condition that you agree to appear on the show?’

If you look at the structure of corruption in the film industry, it is a food chain structure in which production companies, importers, and theater owners are intertwined.

There are three main patterns of corruption. The first is when an importer evades tax by manipulating the import price. The second case is tax evasion and literary promotion funds by deceiving ticket sales at theaters.

The third and last case was a case of sharing-style bargaining between the importer and the theater over the distribution of the film.

The most common case was to collect a large amount of commission on the condition that the movie be released.

As corruption like this is rampant in the film industry, various factions have been created and solicitation for corruption has become rampant.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room became heavy and everyone only looked at Kyuha’s mouth.

After an uncomfortable silence, Gyuha’s mouth finally opened.

“Please review the institutional plan for strengthening support for children whose protection has ended.”

“A child whose protection has been terminated…? Why are you suddenly…?”

Kim Young-hoon, dumbfounded by the completely unexpected subject, asked back.

“So that’s why you called me too.”

Lee Kyung-soo, head of the Social Welfare Policy Office, turned to Kyu-ha.

“I think everyone knows now that I came from an orphanage. So, I am very interested in welfare related to that area. The current support policy for children who have ended protection needs some supplementation.”

Feeling Kyuha’s sincerity, Kim Yeonghun corrected his posture and sat down.

“Each year, about 2,500 protected youth are almost thrown into a cold society.

They are children who have barely grown up without roots. At 19, you’re still going to be blown away by the wind. It’s a natural family for someone, but for children who don’t have that fence, the outside is a very scary place. Because I did.”

“Hmm…”

“When the protection is over, the children come out with 5 million won in self-reliance settlement money. However, it is not easy to find a house with 5 million won. As a result, most of them give up their dreams and jump straight into the job market to earn a living.

In fact, the unemployment rate of children who have ended protection is nearly 9% higher than that of ordinary young people, and the number of children who make extreme choices in this process is also significantly higher than that of ordinary young people.”

“You seem to have something on your mind?”

Gyu-ha, who spits without stopping.

“First of all, the subsidy is too small. There is little you can do with 5 million won. And if you want, please review the revision of the Child Welfare Act so that you can stay at the institution until the age of 24. And during the period of preparing for college or employment, I think there should be a small amount of support for a minimum livelihood.”

“Hmm…”

“I know it’s a cheeky story. But I heard that there has been talk about improving the welfare of children who have ended their care.

Chief Lee Kyung-soo, who was deeply troubled by Kyu-ha’s words, nodded.

“Okay. I promise to run a joint team with the relevant ministries and promote it quickly through fact-finding surveys and expert meetings.”

The complexions of Vice Minister Kim Young-hoon and Director Cha Dong-ho brightened.

“Then, is that all done? Song Gyu-ha is appearing in a movie, and Chief Lee Kyung-soo accepts Song Gyu-ha’s request?”

“This is true. As the head of the Social Welfare Policy Office, it is embarrassing. Improving support for children who have completed welfare has been talked about for a long time, but it is true that it has been delayed on the pretext of having too much work. I’m sorry.”

“No. I know you’re very busy with other work. Thank you for listening to me without being offended.”

That’s how the meeting of the day when each of them got their own harvest came to an end.

***

Seoul Baekje Hotel suite room.

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Vice President Jang Bang, who finished all the events in Korea, came out the door wearing a white gown after taking a shower.

“Whew. It’s refreshing. Koreans have done a good job with hotel service like this. The food is quite good. Even if it’s true, it’s not as good as our Chinese counterparts.”

Cell phone rings from time to time.

“Uh. So what’s going on?”

– Vice President. Song Gyu-ha accepted the offer.

“Keuhehehehe right? So that’s right. How can they not accept it? Fools. They don’t even know if it’s a trap. So, what’s the future schedule?”

– We will sign the contract as soon as possible and prepare it so that you can start filming within 3 months at the latest.

“It’s late. Get ready sooner than that. It’s an order from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to implement it right away.”

– I will.

“What happened to the director? Did they accept it?”

– Yeah. If Song Kyu-ha accepts, he said it’s okay too, so there should be no problem.

“That manager. Did you say Justin Sun? Anyway, you’re definitely on our side, right?”

– My nationality is American, but I am Chinese-American. He’s always friendly, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Okay. We’re doing well without any problems. Especially with Chinese actors. Be sure to prepare. You know what our purpose is, right?”

-of course. I am well aware.

“It’s engraved to the bone how great our country is. Actors from a small country don’t dare to climb. When you step on it, you have to step on it. You know what I mean?”

– Yes. I already prepared actors for that line. The operation you instructed is also in progress.

“Good, good. Manager Jeomin. I will admit that you handled one thing. Keep in mind. If something goes wrong, both my neck and your neck will be blown away in one shot. It’s a situation where the director of culture and leisure is watching with red eyes open.”

– I won’t disappoint you.

“Okay. You guys, get some rest soon. We’ll talk about the details tomorrow.

Jangbang hung up the phone and headed for the window with a glass of wine.

A room with curtains hanging high to the ceiling.

Like a suite room at a top-notch hotel, you can see the night view of Seoul at a glance.

“It’s pitiful for that guy Song Gyu-hara. To be filmed by the notorious He Sun-ping even if he had to be filmed. Well, if I handle this job well, I can even aim for the president’s position, so that’s the icing on the cake.”

With a sip of wine in his mouth, Jang Bang looked down at the night view of Seoul and smiled.

Up until this point, Jangbang hadn’t expected it at all.

Who is the real pitiful person?