From A Producer To A Global Superstar-Chapter 313: Calm before the Fire

The week went on with the news online still fire but with less burn as other news came to replace it.

And wven aith that ut was still on people tongue and tomb

Two days to the release.

The ticket numbers were already moving in a way that surprised even the people that were supposed to look calm. Not just regular sales, but that kind of rush that only happens when a movie becomes bigger than the movie itself. Everyone wanted to be part of the moment. Everyone wanted to say they were there from the beginning.

And Dayo understood that.

That was why he called them in.

The meeting wasn’t big. It wasn’t one of those long table meetings with too many useless heads. It was just the people that mattered for this particular move.

Dayo sat at the head of the table.

Min-Jae sat beside him.

Jang-Wook was there too, phone in hand like he had already been working since morning.

Min-Ji sat across, quiet, listening more than talking. She was representing the movie side, but her face already showed she knew this was bigger than a movie meeting.

Dayo didn’t waste time.

He opened his laptop and connected it to the screen.

A folder appeared.

Inside were files as a short video.

Min-Jae leaned back and exhaled once. "So this is the ’tomorrow’ you’ve been talking about."

Dayo nodded. "Yes."

Jang-Wook asked, "We’re really dropping it tomorrow?"

"Yes," Dayo said again, still calm.

Min-Ji eyes stayed on the screen. "Why not today?"

Dayo looked at her. "Because today is still building."

Min-Jae scoffed And aaid like je already knew Dayo "He means he wants the heat to stay hot."

Dayo didn’t deny it. He only clicked the first file.

The screen showed the new footage.

It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t a staged clip. It was raw. Clear enough. Dirty enough. Two people in a tight space, voices raised, bodies tense. The kind of argument that didn’t need subtitles to feel real.

Kang Min Ho’s name was already in the transcript file, but Dayo didn’t need to read it out loud. Everyone in the room already knew who he was.

The clip ran.

The assistant’s voice was shaking, not because he was scared of Kang, but because he realized he was losing control of the situation. He was trying to sound bigger than he was, trying to force confidence through his throat.

Then it happened.

The assistant said the name.

Not "the company."

Not "my boss."

The actual name.

The Virex CEO.

It slipped out the way truth always slips out when people are angry enough to forget caution.

The room didn’t react loudly, but the shift was obvious.

Jang-Wook’s fingers stopped moving on his phone.

Min-Ji’s eyes widened slightly, then she looked away like she was processing what that meant.

Min-Jae sat forward now, elbows on the table. His face wasn’t playful anymore.

He watched the last part of the clip again when Dayo rewound it.

The name hit twice.

Min-Jae stared at Dayo after it ended. "So it wasn’t just that idiot assistant."

Dayo answered, "No."

Jang-Wook swallowed. "This is direct involvement."

Min-Ji’s voice came out low. "If this goes out tomorrow..."

Dayo cut in calmly. "It goes out tomorrow."

Min-Jae let out a short laugh, not because it was funny, but because he couldn’t believe the timing.

"You held this," Min-Jae said. "All this time you held this."

Dayo nodded like it was nothing. "Yes."

Jang-Wook asked carefully, "You’re sure it’s safe?"

Dayo glanced at him. "We paid for it. We verified it. We have backup. Nothing about it is shaky."

Min-Ji leaned forward a bit. "And the reason you didn’t drop it earlier was..."

Dayo didn’t overexplain. "Because they needed to think they were winning."

Min-Jae shook his head slowly. "You’re not normal."

Dayo looked at him. "You’re acting like you didn’t know who you became friends with."

That made Min-Jae smile, but it didn’t last.

Jang-Wook cleared his throat. "So tomorrow. We post the clip. Then what?"

Dayo clicked another file.

A short plan on the screen.

Not complicated.

Post the footage.

Push it through every media partner.

Let the conversation catch fire.

Keep promo steady.

Keep the movie in front.

No panic.

No back and forth.

Min-Ji read it, then looked up. "So we don’t respond. We don’t argue. We just let the proof do the work."

Dayo nodded. "Yes."

Min-Jae tapped the table lightly. "And tickets?"

Jang-Wook answered that one. "They’re already high. Some locations are almost sold out."

Min-Ji looked surprised. "Already?"

Jang-Wook nodded. "Yes. People are buying in advance. Online. Apps. Cinema sites. Some are even buying for next week’s showing already, just to secure seats."

Min-Jae looked at Dayo. "So your timing makes sense."

Dayo didn’t reply like he wanted praise. He just looked at the screen again and closed the folder.

"Oh and we would let it slip up that my album would release two days after the movie."

"Hmm that’s brilliant making the media been forced to talk about the situation."

Dayo just smiled and said nothing.

The meeting ended quick.

They stood up one by one.

Jang-Wook left first because he always left first. He already had people to call and things to confirm.

Min-Ji bowed lightly and left after him, still quiet, still thinking.

Min-Jae stayed back for two seconds, watching Dayo pack his laptop.

"You’re sure you want to do this tomorrow?" Min-Jae asked again, like he was trying to confirm if Dayo was human. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Dayo answered without looking up. "Yes."

Min-Jae sighed. "Alright."

He walked out.

When the room finally became empty, Dayo sat back down.

He didn’t move immediately.

He just stared at the screen in front of him like he was counting steps in his head.

Then he got up and walked back to his office.

Virex.

The atmosphere there was different.

Not peaceful, but lighter than it had been during the peak of the livestream chaos.

The CEO had been angry for days, but now the anger was cooling into something else. That kind of cold irritation that comes when you believe you’ve survived the worst part.

His phone wasn’t ringing as much.

The pressure wasn’t fully gone, but it had reduced enough for him to breathe without feeling like someone was choking him.

He sat behind his desk, staring at reports and messages like they were sand.

He still hated how much money had moved. How many favors had been used. How many people had been dragged into the mess.

But at least the noise was not swallowing him again.

His assistant stood in front of him, tense, waiting for instructions like a dog waiting for the next slap.

The CEO didn’t even look at him.

He spoke like he was tired. "Keep the media on standby."

"Yes sir," the assistant answered quickly.

The CEO finally looked up. "And stay away from cameras."

The assistant nodded fast. "I will, sir."

The CEO waved him away.

The assistant left.

The CEO leaned back.

For a few minutes, he just sat there, convincing himself that it was settling.

He didn’t know tomorrow was already locked.

***

Back at JD Label, Dayo woke up early the next day.

Not because he couldn’t sleep, but because he didn’t like wasting time when the moment was already here.

He got to his office alone.

No noise or much people.

Just him and the screen.

He opened his system.

He went straight to the file.

The video was ready.

The transcript was ready.

The backup copies were ready.

He clicked through the final confirmation like someone signing a document he already read a hundred times.

Then he sent a short message to the media and PR channel.

"Post it."

That was all.

One line.

The video went out.

And then he made the ultimate move that would make sure it goes according to plan.

SYSTEM ACTIVATE GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT CARD.

This was part of the mystery gift he was given by system after he participated in the Olympics.

Global Spotlight Card (One Month)

Status: Unlocked

Effect: Maximum popularity amplification for a continuous period of thirty days. Global exposure increased to peak sustainable visibility. Public recognition, media coverage, and organic reach maximized.

Dayo stared at it.

He only moved his eye to the option USE.

And the moment he pressed it, the screen flashed once.

Then it went quiet.

But Dayo already knew.

The quiet would not last.