Chapter 11

It took just 30 seconds for the elevator to reach the top floor. In that short time, I ascended to the same level as Minju.

Creak—

The door to the CEO's office opened, and the CEO of Rain Entertainment greeted me.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jang Kyungjun, the CEO of Rain Entertainment."

A young businessman in his early 40s. In front of him sat Minju, who looked to be around the same age.

"Aren't you going to greet me?"

"There's no reason to. We're in different positions."

"What?"

Without a word, I walked to the seat opposite Minju.

Thud—

"Minju, don't use informal language. I'm not your servant, Kim Jinwoo."

"Tch, you still haven't come to your senses…."

She ignored me and pulled out her phone to play a recording.

"Damn, just because you call us assistant writers, does that make us real writers? I told you to prepare the materials by this morning! You should have brought them even if you had to stay up all night over the weekend!"

The recording captured Minju's condescending voice. Her face turned pale as she listened.

"W-What are you trying to do right now…?"

"I have nothing to lose, but you have a lot to lose. You should think carefully before acting."

"Can you really do anything with this? If you want to sue, go ahead!"

"Why would I do something so troublesome? If I just put 'Minju' in the title on YouTube, a million people will watch it."

"You…."

"You didn't understand. I told you not to use informal language."

"…."

I turned to look at CEO Jang of Rainbow Entertainment.

"CEO, what did Minju say?"

"A, that, that…."

"About a leading supporting role in Minju's next work… It's fine. As long as the promise is kept."

At that moment, Minju, who had met my eyes, turned away.

Seeing this, CEO Jang swallowed hard.

"These days, if you're slow with information, you're dead."

"Excuse me? What do you mean…?"

"Director Sung Kiho has agreed to direct my work."

"Really?"

CEO Jang gasped and looked flustered.

Given Director Sung's reputation, he was certainly not below Minju.

Moreover, he had said the work would fail, but the reality was different.

"CEO Jang, it seems you don't understand why I gave you this opportunity."

"N-No, that's not it…."

Ring—

At that moment, the phone in the CEO's office rang.

CEO Jang was hesitating whether to answer it.

"Take your time."

I encouraged him to answer, as I had a good idea who was calling.

"Actor Ji Sung-ho? Why is he here?"

"I called him. I was thinking of having him practice acting with Semee."

"No, no. Writer, calm down and…."

Rattle—

Minju, unable to hold out any longer, got up without a word and stormed out.

In fact, Minju had never worked on a project at JTBS, so she wouldn't have much influence.

'Game over.'

Given this, the only person CEO Jang would cling to would be me.

The Purple Girls cameo shoot would likely be canceled.

Honestly, what did I care?

Minju was the one who broke the promise first.

"Writer Kim, how can I make it up to you…?"

"The Purple Girls cameo seems to be canceled too."

"Ah, that… It's just a cameo, after all. Hehe."

Minju's drama would boost her name value significantly.

I could see her trying to hide her frustration.

"CEO, since we're in this together, let's work together."

"Of course, of course."

"The Purple Girls cameo. Since things are like this, let's switch it to our drama."

"Huh?"

At Rainbow Entertainment, the Purple Girls were among the top three stars.

Especially, they were the only girl group to succeed, excluding boy groups.

"This is the first time a top female lead will be cast from the Purple Girls."

"Previously, Jae-eun worked with Writer Minju…"

"Oh, that was just a leading supporting role."

"Hehe. Right. Let's do it that way."

If I pushed the CEO further, it would ultimately be to my detriment.

"Also, I need to borrow the Purple Girls' dance practice room."

"Why…?"

"I want to rehearse the script with Actor Ji Sung-ho there."

"Ah, okay. Do that."

The CEO agreed more easily than I expected.

I had been wondering how to answer if he asked why specifically the dance practice room.

* * *

"Welcome to my heart~♬"

In the dance practice room, the members were sweating as they practiced their choreography.

I stood there for a while, unsure if I should enter.

"I made a mistake."

I forgot to ask the members to clear out today.

"But, if I do, it might affect Semee."

"Writer, what do you mean?"

"Ah, Actor Ji Sung-ho. You're here?"

I was already being called 'Writer' by a top actor, a sign of my rising status.

However, the top actor barged into the dance practice room without hesitation.

"Hello!"

"Whoa, it's Ji Sung-ho!"

"Kyaah!"

I had been pondering for over five minutes, but he solved it in a second.

Moreover, the Purple Girls members were all excited, making me feel a bit wronged.

'Is this frustration due to my timidity or my appearance?'

I watched the chattering members and Ji Sung-ho with a sense of futility.

Then, someone slowly approached me, who was lingering at the entrance.

"Huff, huff. Writer, you said you'd practice here today, right?"

"You already knew?"

"My manager… Hehe."

Semi, who had been practicing for a while, approached, breathing heavily.

Her slightly damp appearance was still fresh and charming.

"Writer? What's wrong?"

I must have been staring at her blankly without realizing it.

"Ah, did you not hear from your manager?"

"What…?"

"In our project, Semi was almost cut…"

"What? Why! I can do it!"

"No, it almost happened, but it's fine now."

"Ah, ah…"

Semi blushed and looked embarrassed.

Minju had visited so suddenly that she hadn't heard about it yet.

"Our director meeting is tomorrow, right?"

"Yes!"

"Practice with Actor Ji Sung-ho today. We need to do an impromptu performance in front of the director tomorrow."

"Yes, I'll do my best."

Then, I noticed a spot in the corner where light was shining.

I confirmed that Ji Sung-ho and Semi were greeting each other and moved over.

"I almost embarrassed myself in the middle of the practice room."

Thud—

I settled in one corner and opened my laptop.

Soon, light began to seep into my mind.

"The music isn't as distracting as I thought."

Apart from the lines in 'Memory,' other noises didn't bother me.

Memory is just memory, separate from the music I'm hearing now.

Tap, tap, tap—

While focusing on writing the script, I sensed someone nearby.

"Hello, Writer."

"Ah, Remy. Hello."

Remy, an idol who writes her own songs.

A significant number of Purple Girls' songs were created by her.

Her mixed Western heritage gave her a very exotic look.

With her unique girl-crush vibe, she was the only member responsible for attracting female fans.

"Writer, I heard from my manager…"

"Yes?"

"Our cameo role was canceled, right?"

"Ah… I'm sorry."

"It's fine for me, but Jae-eun is a bit disappointed."

I glanced at the members and saw Jae-eun looking at me.

As Remy said, her gaze wasn't very friendly.

"Maybe we won't be able to appear in Writer Minju's work."

"That's also unfortunate…"

Minju usually didn't prefer reusing actors.

"You'll definitely succeed in another project. Jae-eun is a good actress."

"Um, Writer, I have a personal request…"

I pondered how to respond to Remy's request.

She and another member wanted to participate in the OST.

I looked at Yuna, who was practicing singing on the side.

'The drama I saw didn't have music…'

Actually, music was a new area for me.

The system didn't have an OST insertion feature.

"I'll talk to the sound director when they're confirmed."

"I know it's a lot to ask. Don't feel pressured."

"Thank you, Remy."

Remy's music was impressive even to my untrained ears.

Yuna's main vocal skills were on par with a solo artist.

"It's taking a lot of effort for my first work."

* * *

Tap, tap, tap—

In Chapter 5, the main love line began.

The main male lead tried to confirm his feelings for the female lead.

A scene where he is shocked by the female lead's complete lack of interest in him.

"I need to act well."

The key point is how he genuinely wonders why he was rejected.

I'm not sure if Jaijun, who has never been a star, can act well.

"Still…"

Tomorrow is the director meeting, and I have many concerns.

If Director Sung Kiho doesn't swear, it will be a miracle.

Semi has some recognition, but Jaijun is a different story.

Then, I noticed someone practicing singing calmly in a corner of the practice room.

Yuna, the main vocalist and the cute member.

She was known for her cheerful and bubbly personality, which earned her support from male fans.

As a result, she was one of the most popular members of the Purple Girls, along with Semi.

I slowly walked over and spoke to her.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, I'm preparing for a singing competition audition."

"Why are you practicing in the dance room…?"

Hearing my question, Yuna pointed to one side.

There, Semi and Ji Sung-ho were practicing their lines.

The other members were gathered around, watching them.

"I'm sorry. It seems I've disrupted the practice atmosphere."

"It's okay. Miling and Jae-eun often practice acting here too."

"Really?"

"Yes. I sometimes do too…"

It turns out there are a few acting hopefuls in the Purple Girls.

I had thought they were different from the moment I heard about the group cameo.

"I hope you pass the audition… Ah."

Suddenly, the word 'audition' caught my attention.

It seems I've found a solution to my dilemma.

'…A way to get Jaijun in.'

If the system's ability is genuine, it's a feasible method.

In a tight drama plot, it's rare to cast the main male lead through an audition.

It won't be easy, but as a writer, I can try to guide it.

I turned my attention to Semi, who was practicing lines.

I was curious about the extent of her talent, chosen by the system.

"Is that friend the only one you have?"

"You wouldn't say that if you knew who I am."

Semi and Ji Sung-ho were taking turns practicing their lines, and it didn't feel unfamiliar.

'This is definitely a scene from the drama.'

The female lead's line teasing the visiting secondary male lead during her part-time job.

And the next line was,

"I don't know who you are, but I'm self-sufficient. Customer!"

"Hey, that's too much for a customer."

"Were you a customer?"

Semi looked at Sung-ho with a slightly cold, indifferent gaze.

She perfectly replicated the main character 'Cha Ye-ju' from the drama I saw.

'This… It's really accurate.'

Seeing