blueteamnovel Chapter 29 A Beer Belly Full of Bad Water
Chapter 29 A Beer Belly Full of Bad Water
"Do you know why the black pork slices are cut so thick? They don't taste good if they're cut thin."
The others, seeing Lim Nayeon's serious expression, were surprised by her words, causing the room temperature to drop several degrees instantly. Xie Mingmu finally got his break and shared a seat with the staff to eat the well-known black pork.
While chatting with his colleagues and eating roasted pork, Xie Mingmu noticed that the beer-bellied man approached him with ill intent—or at least that's what Xie Mingmu thought.
"Have you eaten enough? Then come with me for a moment."
Although Xie Mingmu was somewhat puzzled, he stood up and followed him out of the restaurant: "PD Kim, is there something you want to say?"
The beer-bellied man pulled out a cigarette and started puffing away. He then gestured for Xie Mingmu to have one too, but Xie Mingmu politely declined. He didn't really like the smell of cigarettes and they were bad for his breath.
"We have a filming session tonight." The beer-bellied man put his arm around Xie Mingmu's shoulder. "Let's get in the car first, I'll talk to you as we walk."
"Alright then." Xie Mingmu was also completely confused, and just hoped that it wouldn't interfere with his plans to film Mina tonight.
"Well, you know Bae Suzy, right? Her photographer quit, and we're short-staffed." The beer-bellied man explained, "I see you're quite skilled and hardworking. We need people to shoot the materials for Bae Suzy's 'Uncontrollably Fond.' It won't be too complicated; it'll basically just be taking pictures in one space."
The beer-bellied man patted Xie Mingmu on the shoulder, giving him a "you got off easy, kid" look, which, from his perspective, was indeed the case.
Xie Mingmu never expected such good fortune to befall him. For him, getting close to his target was certainly a good thing, but he didn't want to be schemed against by others.
"Does the PD want to transfer me?"
"No, no, no, you're only temporarily in charge of the filming. You're just temporarily reassigned. Bae Suzy is the top star in my company right now. It's usually hard for you to even see her. Once we find a new veteran photographer, you'll come back and continue to be in charge of filming and planning for Twice's variety shows."
Because of his undercover mission, Xie Mingmu was very much in favor of this arrangement. Moreover, it was only a temporary transfer, and he could return to this place afterward. This way, he would have the opportunity to dig up Bae Suzy's dirty secrets and give Dispatch an explanation. Then, Xie Mingmu could happily infiltrate JYP Entertainment.
Seeing that Xie Mingmu was somewhat tempted, he decided to increase the incentive, "Although it's just shooting promotional materials for Bae Suzy, you'll be the cameraman there. Putting aside everything else, your salary will be much more generous. And if you do a good job, you can become a full-time cameraman. The company won't treat someone as hardworking and capable as you unfairly."
"I'll accept this transfer." Xie Mingmu was already a little worried about how to get close to Bae Suzy, but he didn't expect this to be a golden opportunity. Wasn't the goal to shoot her dirty laundry? But what was Xie Mingmu's identity? A photographer! He could shoot it openly and honestly, and if he was discovered, he could just say it was for filming material. No one could find fault with that. In this way, even the 50mm prime lens sent by Dispatch could come in handy.
Haha! Sure enough, people who smile a lot are lucky. Lucky Girl, you weren't lying to me!
"Then you can't back out now, okay? Don't come back after only a few days of filming." If it weren't for the heavy filming schedule lately, my beer belly wouldn't be in such a rush. "Are you sure?"
"That's right, I will work hard, I will perform well, and strive to become a full-time employee." The two smiled at each other, both with bright futures ahead of them.
The man with the beer belly wanted to say something more, so he answered the phone, went to the side to talk, and bowed and scraped. Xie Mingmu could see the fawning in his smile.
"Pack your things and hurry back to the company," the beer-bellied man said to Xie Mingmu after returning. "I've already told the higher-ups about your situation, but you're a newcomer and you're in charge of filming Bae Suzy's scenes, so Director Park from the variety show department wants you to come over and assess whether you can handle the job."
Xie Mingmu nodded. It was getting late, and by the time he got back tonight it would be past midnight. He could only wait until early the next morning to go see Minister Park.
"Remember, the variety show department's office is on the fifth floor. Good luck, and I hope that next time I see you, you'll be a full-time employee."
After finishing her meal, Minami looked around but couldn't find Xie Mingmu. She wondered where he had gone.
Mina continued driving to the next mission location, but still couldn't find Xie Mingmu. She was getting worried. What was he doing? Maybe he went to the next location to set up recording equipment. Mina could only comfort herself with that thought.
Upon arriving at the hotel, Mina searched for Xie Mingmu again, but still found nothing. Unable to ask the staff directly, she could only consult with Sana, "Sana, have you seen Xie Mingmu?"
Sana Minatozaki was having so much fun that she didn't notice the photographers. When she heard Mina's words, she pointed directly at the photographer in Mina's face: "Isn't that him? He's always filming you whenever he takes a picture."
Mina looked at Sana Minato with a speechless expression, knowing that she could only rely on herself at this point, but the more she searched, the more uneasy she became.
The next morning, Xie Mingmu, refreshed and in high spirits, appeared at Minister Park's office door and knocked.
"Enter!"
Xie Mingmu pushed open the door and entered. "Minister Park, hello. I'm Xie Mingmu, the person PD Kim mentioned last night." There was only one person in the office, sitting inside and looking at documents.
"Generally speaking, as a newcomer, you wouldn't normally be qualified to shoot materials for Suzy. However, due to practical reasons, and because Kim Soo-min said you're quite good, I'll reluctantly give you a chance. If you're not as good as Kim Soo-min says, and the footage you produce is unusable, you should just go back now. Do you understand what I mean?"
Xie Mingmu thought to himself, "Isn't it just shooting some materials? Just strike a few poses, take a few beautiful photos, and the job is done, right? It's so simple. I don't know why Minister Park looks so serious."
"Okay, then let me ask you, are you familiar with the variety show formats in our Peninsula entertainment industry? Or do you understand what kind of variety shows we Peninsula people like to watch, and can you understand our sense of humor?"
If this were an anime/manga world, Xie Mingmu would definitely be wondering, "Why should I, a photographer, understand the humor of the Korean Peninsula? Isn't that what producers and writers should be doing? I'm just a heartless recording machine."
Seeing Xie Mingmu's bewildered expression, "Didn't Jin Xiumin explain it to you clearly last night? We're planning to make a simple solo variety show for Suzy, right? If you don't understand what makes us Peninsula people funny, how can you film scenes that Suzy's fans will like?"
"?"
Xie Mingmu was momentarily confused about the situation. Meanwhile, the beer-bellied man sipped his cappuccino and leered at Lin Nalian with a satisfied look on his face.
"!"