From A Producer To A Global Superstar-Chapter 270: What happened.

Dayo stood in front of Dae-Seok’s hospital bed, his gaze steady.

"What happened?" he asked calmly.

Dae-Seok blinked, clearly confused. His brows slowly knitted together as if the question itself didn’t make sense to him.

"I... I don’t know," he replied.

Dayo frowned slightly. "What do you mean you don’t know? They were here because of you."

At that, Dae-Seok’s expression changed. His eyes widened a little, his fingers tightening against the blanket.

"I really don’t know," he said again, this time slower. "I was asleep. I only woke up because they came in suddenly."

Dayo didn’t interrupt him. He simply waited.

"They asked me strange questions," Dae-Seok continued. "They asked if I was angry with you. If you bullied me. They said they had seen a video."

Dae-Seok shook his head. "I didn’t understand anything. I was still half asleep. I was confused. Then you walked in."

Dayo exhaled quietly.

"So you had no idea why they came," he said.

"Yes," Dae-Seok replied firmly. "I still don’t."

That confirmed it.

This had nothing to do with Dae-Seok.

Dayo reached into his pocket and took out his phone. The screen lit up instantly.

And then it happened.

Notifications flooded in.

Messages. Missed calls. Alerts.

He hadn’t seen any of them earlier because his phone had been on Do Not Disturb all day. He had turned it on deliberately. Today was supposed to be for his family. He didn’t want interruptions.

After all, he thought his day off should be peaceful. Who knew things would turn out differently?

He scrolled through his call log and saw several missed calls from Min-Jae.

More missed calls from Director Jang-Wook.

Dayo’s expression darkened slightly. For those two people to call him so many times, it had to be serious.

Just then, the screen lit up with an incoming call from Jang-Wook.

He stepped away from the bed and answered.

"Finally," Jang-Wook said immediately, his voice tense. "Where did you put your phone?"

"I had it on Do Not Disturb," Dayo replied. "Today was supposed to be my day off."

There was a brief pause on the other end.

"...Right," Jang-Wook said. "That makes sense. But you picked the worst possible day."

"What’s going on?" Dayo asked.

"Where are you right now?" Jang-Wook asked instead.

"I’m at the hospital to visit Dae-Seok. I was checking how he was, and all of a sudden there were reporters everywhere. They ambushed me. I had no idea what was happening."

Jang-Wook inhaled sharply. "I’m already at the hospital."

Dayo paused. "I’m inside the hospital too."

Another pause.

"I’m at the elevator," Jang-Wook said. "Wait for me."

Less than a minute later, the elevator doors opened.

Jang-Wook stepped out.

The moment he saw Dayo, his expression turned serious.

"What happened?" Dayo asked.

"It’s better if I show you," Jang-Wook replied.

They moved toward Dae-Seok’s bed. Jang-Wook took out his tablet and played a video.

Dayo watched silently.

The screen showed the train station set.

The moment Dae-Seok slipped.

But then—

The footage changed.

Instead of Dayo kneeling beside Dae-Seok, checking his condition, the edited video showed Dayo standing over him, his expression cold, his mouth moving aggressively.

The audio was distorted but clear enough to push a narrative.

Shouting.

Blame.

Anger.

Dayo watched to the end.

Then he smirked.

"What the hell is this?" he said flatly.

Jang-Wook clenched his jaw. "It’s fake. Badly edited, but convincing enough if someone wants to believe it."

Dae-Seok panicked when he saw the video. "Boss, I swear I don’t know anything about this at all. I’m just seeing this for the first time."

Dayo handed the tablet back. "Relax. I know it’s not real, and it has nothing to do with you. It’s not your fault."

Finally, Dae-Seok calmed down.

Jang-Wook hesitated. "So... what do we do? We release the original footage. We clarify everything. We shut this down before it spreads further."

Dayo shook his head.

"We’re not debunking it."

Jang-Wook stared at him. "What?"

"What?" Dae-Seok was also surprised.

"We’re not debunking it," Dayo repeated.

Jang-Wook’s voice rose. "Are you serious? This is your reputation. If this keeps spreading—"

"Calm down," Dayo said evenly. "Listen first."

Jang-Wook forced himself to breathe. He was already pissed off. He had been enjoying his day off until he saw the video. It ruined everything he was doing, and he had to stop and start looking for a way out.

Dayo continued.

"First, the damage is already done. No matter what we release, some people will never believe the truth. The first story people hear is usually the one that sticks."

Jang-Wook frowned but didn’t interrupt.

"Second," Dayo said, "this works in our favor."

Jang-Wook looked unconvinced. "How?"

"Think about it," Dayo replied. "They’re pushing a narrative of me being a bad director. But what else are they pushing without realizing it?"

Jang-Wook paused.

"...The movie."

"Exactly," Dayo said. "The film isn’t even out yet, and it’s already everywhere. Drama. Controversy. Curiosity. People want to see it now."

Jang-Wook’s eyes widened slightly.

"They’re promoting it for free," Dayo continued. "Anonymously. Passionately. Repeatedly."

Jang-Wook let out a slow breath.

"I didn’t think of it that way."

"No one does at first," Dayo said. "That’s why this works."

He turned back toward Dae-Seok.

"For now," Dayo said, "we play along."

Jang-Wook stiffened. "Play along?"

"Dae-Seok avoids interviews," Dayo said calmly. "He avoids being alone with the media. If anyone asks questions, he says nothing. No comments."

Dae-Seok just sat on the bed, confused, but nodded.

Jang-Wook understood immediately. "So it looks like he’s afraid."

"Exactly," Dayo said. "It reinforces their narrative."

Jang-Wook hesitated. "That puts him in a difficult position."

Dayo glanced at Dae-Seok. "A small disadvantage now. Multiple advantages later."

Jang-Wook nodded slowly.

"...You’re right."

At that moment, Jang-Wook nodded again.

"So that’s the plan," he said. "We let them burn themselves out."

"Yes," Dayo replied. "We don’t waste money debunking something when someone else is paying to spread it for us."

Jang-Wook exhaled, half amused, half shocked. "You really are dangerous."

Dayo smiled faintly.

—

Elsewhere.

Inside the VIREX building.

The boss leaned back in his chair, watching the screen.

Articles.

Clips.

Speculation.

He smiled.

"They won’t believe him even if he releases the real video," he said calmly. "The damage is already done."

One of his subordinates nodded. "Our reporters went to the hospital. He chased them out. No statement."

The boss chuckled softly. "Good. Keep pushing the narrative. Even when the original video comes out."

"Yes, boss."

The man leaned forward slightly, eyes sharp.

"You have no idea who you’re playing with," he muttered.

And somewhere far away, Dayo sat quietly, already ten steps ahead.