Chapter 32

One hour before the third episode of "Heir of the Chaebol" was broadcast.

The Tempest family gathered in front of a large screen to watch the commercials.

In the meantime, I checked the internet on my smartphone.

《The production team of 'Shooting the Sun' plans to strictly deal with 'spoilers.' Meanwhile, a spoiler claiming to be an insider has hinted at adult actors appearing in the final scene of the first episode...》

The spoiler content that spread on a community just before the broadcast.

If the content is true, it means that adult actors will appear today.

"Are they out of their minds...?"

In the end, they made the bold move of cutting the early buildup.

They edited the lead actors, who were supposed to appear at the end of the second episode, to appear in the first episode.

This was clear evidence that they were aware of our pure romance.

They were paying attention to a drama that started with only a 5% rating on cable.

"Damn, they have no sense of propriety."

It was literally a battle between David and Goliath.

On our side, the combined cost of three lead actors barely exceeded 4,000 per episode, a great value for money.

On their side, it was a blockbuster with a luxurious lineup of top stars.

Fans on various communities were debating.

- Pure romance fans, give likes!

- I don't watch cliché rom-coms lol

- Honestly, the difference in actors and writers is too much ㅠ

- But it's really fun? hahaha

- I'm so excited for 'Shooting the Sun'~

- Last week, 'Pure Romance' got its house robbed, right? hahaha

There were many people predicting the outcome of the MBS and JTBS showdown.

A little while later,

Jaejun Im noticed me and slowly approached.

"Writer, when did you arrive?"

"Just now…."

"Writer, why are you using formal language…?"

"Ah, I did it without thinking."

Lately, Jaejun Im's popularity has skyrocketed to the point where heaven and earth have switched places.

Tempest has extremely limited his image exposure, causing his value to soar.

The one commercial he did was for a cosmetics ad, and sales reportedly increased sevenfold in just one day.

It's rare to see a rookie actor rise so dramatically.

"Are you feeling the popularity lately?"

"Huh? Ah…."

Jaejun Im made an embarrassed expression.

It feels like it was just yesterday when he was working part-time at a meat restaurant.

"Writer, I'm really grateful."

"Don't mention it. I'm grateful as long as you work hard."

"No, I really am. If you start a company, I'll definitely come over as soon as my contract ends."

"What? This is Tempest."

"Ah."

Fortunately, there were no employees around, so no one heard.

'If Jaejun's contract ends, will he ask for shares like Kangjun…?'

It might be too big a bite to swallow right now, but…

"We'll talk about it when your contract ends."

"Ah, okay."

"I'll be working only at Tempest for a while."

"Got it. I understand."

If Tempest grows, I grow.

* * *

Is there a narrower industry than the entertainment world?

This place is a neighborhood where there are no secrets.

Even a brief conversation at a broadcasting station can reach someone's ears.

"Jinwoo Kim, this guy… Could it be because of Kwonsu Song?"

Chung Heon Cha trembled with anger.

A tip that the two met at KBC just a day before scheduling a meeting with him.

Some information from Purple Girls' Mireung or something, a girl group, spread quickly.

Of course, they might have just met by chance.

"Kwonsu Song, is it you again? Why is it always you!"

He had a bitter rivalry with Director Song, who left SBC.

Feeling a tremendous sense of defeat and inferiority after his junior's massive hit.

He ignored him when his colleagues at the company bullied him.

But then, he left SBC comfortably and quit.

After that, Chung Heon Cha also rose to the same level, or even higher, with his own hits, but the thirst never went away.

He never managed to surpass Director Song in any way, in terms of ratings or directing skills.

He still felt a sense of rivalry with Director Song.

"Come to think of it, today is the day 'Pure Romance' will fail, right?"

Checking the time, the broadcast must have started a little while ago.

It should keep falling until no broadcasting station accepts it.

Otherwise, I can't control this anger.

He lifted his smartphone to check the ratings.

"What, what is this?"

Before meeting Jinwoo Kim, his rating was exactly 5%.

But,

"Why… 8%?"

It should have dropped when facing a strong opponent, but why did it rise?

And by so much… Is this even possible?

"Lie…!"

If Jinwoo Kim and Kwonsu Song were in the same project.

If they produced another blockbuster together.

Would he have the courage to endure that sense of deprivation?

Suddenly, he thought of a star writer with a bitter rivalry with Jinwoo Kim.

Minju Lee, a writer who recently maintained a 10% rating.

A writer with ties to SBC, whose number was naturally saved.

Ring ring ring─

-Hello.

"Did you see the ratings for 'Pure Romance'?"

-Now… Are you picking a fight with me?

"No, the opposite. I heard you finished writing this one. Let's do a drama together."

-Why should I? I'm going to take a break for a while…

"Jinwoo Kim and I will be competing in the same time slot."

-…Tell me more.

At the end of Director Cha's gaze was the ratings graph of 'Pure Romance'.

A red upward curve that never went down, rising endlessly.

* * *

"It's a relief that it didn't drop below 5%."

"Writer, 5% isn't the problem right now."

Today's ratings clearly started at 5%.

Tempest employees all looked at me, holding their breath.

Jaejun Im, Seongho Ji, and I were all gathered in one place.

However, the ratings recovered in just 30 minutes.

It took exactly 30 minutes to rise from the 5% range to 8%.

It was a possible result because there was no viewer drop throughout the week.

The drama had been gaining popularity on the internet and SNS.

"I didn't expect this kind of result."

"Wow… How much did it rise?"

Seongho Ji said with trembling lips.

"If this fails, I'll fail too. My mom secretly bought an apartment for me."

"What do you mean? Last time, you bet on 0.53%."

"…Did you misread 5.3%?"

At that moment, Jaejun Im, who was listening, added.

"But, what's the rating for 'Shooting the Sun' now?"

"Ah…."

Right. I need to check the ratings of the competing drama.

I took out my smartphone to access the site, but an employee nearby quickly handed me his phone.

I immediately checked their ratings carefully.

"…13%?"

"Wow, at that level, it's a complete failure for them, right?"

Hearing Seongho's question, I corrected him.

"It started at 20%. It's 13% now."

"…."

The ratings graph fluctuated even as the drama progressed.

"Boom! 'Pure Romance' hit 10%…! It did!!!"

"Wow…."

In the end, 'Pure Romance' broke the 10% barrier and ended at 11%.

On the other hand, 'Shooting the Sun' dropped again and stopped at 12%.

"11 to 12… It was close."

Although we lost, the difference was only 1%.

A shocking result that defied everyone's expectations of a crushing defeat.

"But, how did 'Shooting the Sun' fail so badly?"

There's always a clear reason why a drama fails.

Suddenly, I remembered the article I saw earlier and accessed a community.

-'Pure Romance' here I come ㅅㄱ

-Not interested in the world ㅡㅡ

-It's a one-hour prologue

-They crammed two episodes into one, so it's like this ㅉ

The viewers' reactions were consistent.

The majority opinion was that they were too busy providing background information.

"It's not like they put all the interesting parts into one episode…."

They stuffed all the necessary information for later into one episode.

By trying to reduce the buildup, they ended up facing a backlash.

"I predicted it! Compressing two child actor scenes into one episode was bound to fail."

"Exactly. Thanks to that, we won."

Once a viewer turns their back, they don't come back.

Almost no one watches the second episode without seeing the first.

Ding dong─

At that moment, the system suddenly activated.

【You have been selected for the probability of writing two consecutive episodes.】

I turned my gaze and saw Hyunji Kim approaching from a distance.

"Two consecutive…?"

【Content: Memory-erasing Reincarnator 3-4】

【Genre: Time Loop, Romance, Crime Thriller】

【Location: Tempest Entertainment 506】

【Time Limit: 3 days】

【※ Silver Upgrade: 110-110101-1011 (Virtual Account, W Bank)】

【※ Deposit Amount: 0 won / 100 million won】

"Hmm… So this day has come."

The time is flexible, perfect for research.

Room 506 of Tempest Entertainment is my workspace.

"Congratulations, seniors."

Hyunji Kim approached and greeted us.

I want to ask her to be the main character, but…

Everything has its order, doesn't it?

'Jung Director said to tell her after finishing the fourth part.'

I'll stay up for a few nights to write it perfectly and fix the main character.

At that moment,

"Writer!"

A woman called out from a distance and ran over.

"Ah, Se-mi? What are you doing here?"

"Ugh… I wanted to watch the drama together, but it's over now."

"We had a big success. Haha."

"Yes, I know. It's all thanks to you, Writer!"

With a fresh smile, Tempest employees all looked at Se-mi.

They've seen countless beautiful and handsome celebrities, but…

Seeing the charming female lead of the drama in real life was a different story.

"Se-mi, is it okay for you to be here so late?"

"Ah, my manager said he'll pick me up soon."

"I see. I'm going to write a script now."

"Okay, hehe."

"Hmm…?"

* * *

My own space… No, the space of the Kang family of three.

The scene of my office being enveloped in light felt different.

"Wow! This is your office, Writer?"

Se-mi walked around the small office with a naive look.

'Too… comfortable.'

Se-mi had become a top star in a short time.

Even the smallest gossip could become a fatal poison.

'Hmm…'

Se-mi was one of a kind, kind, bright, and cheerful.

I wanted to see her for a long time.

But, isn't it the right time to maintain an appropriate distance for both of our better futures?

"Do you work here every day?"

"No. I usually write wherever I feel like it, but I'll write here today."

"Ah…."

Se-mi smiled and sat down.

"Are you going to continue contracting with Tempest?"

"Yes. The treatment is good, and there's no reason to leave."

"Hmm, then I'll…."

"Se-mi."

"Yes?"

Of course, it's my misunderstanding, an unreasonable misunderstanding.

"Can you continue to be a good actor?"

"Huh? Of course… Ah."

"…."

"Yes…."

Se-mi thought for a moment and spoke cautiously.

"Writer."

"Yes, Se-mi."

"…Please take care of me in the future."

"I should be the one to ask you to take care of me."

At that moment, the manager's voice came from outside.

"Se-mi─!"

Se-mi then said with a regretful voice.

"I… need to go."

"Yes, see you on the set soon."

"Thank you!"

Se-mi bowed and left the room.

Click─

The door closed, and I leaned back in my chair.

"Phew…."

It seems like an unreasonable misunderstanding.

Thinking about today, I'll probably be kicking my blanket for the next 30 years.

I opened my laptop to write the script, but my hands didn't move easily.

The fourth part I promised to Director Jung.

She clearly said she would decide on Hyunji Kim's participation after reading up to this part.

I'll have a meeting with Director Song in a few days, so I need to write quickly.

"I'll rest today and start writing the script tomorrow."

Outside the door, the Tempest family was celebrating the success of 'Pure Romance'.

But… I just wanted to rest a bit tonight because my head hurts.