Chapter 49

Even simple content becomes a hot topic when a top star like Moon Kook writes it.

If it's Yoo Seol-a's SNS account, it's natural for the management company to handle it.

"That's not it…."

Manager Jung Saerom said that the second meeting with Yoo Seol-a was scheduled.

And it was set for tomorrow morning, so I was trying to write the script.

"Maybe it's because of me…. Hehe."

"What? Oppa, why are you laughing so foolishly?"

"…. You don't need to know."

Heejeong tilted her head and then focused back on her smartphone.

Tap, tap—

"Who are you chatting with?"

"…. You don't need to know."

"…."

You're smiling as if you're in a relationship.

You've been holding your phone for 30 minutes without putting it down.

"Is it Kang Jun?"

"Huh? No, it's not."

If it were someone I don't know, it wouldn't matter.

But if someone I know is meeting my younger sister, it's awkward.

"Kang Jun is not an option."

"What do you mean? He's the manager."

"What!?"

"Manager Jung Saerom."

"Why are you chatting with Manager Jung?"

"He sometimes sends me a message to check in? He said my profile picture is pretty."

"…. Go look in a mirror."

Manager Jung is too nice for her own good.

It's not easy to chat with her unless you have a good reason.

"Don't say anything strange to Manager Jung."

"Ooh! It's 9:40 PM!"

"Already?"

"Yeah. It's almost about to start."

Since our parents are busy with work and won't be home,

"I thought we'd watch it together, so I could have just watched it at the office."

"Huh…?"

"No, it's fine."

Time flies like an arrow.

There's only one commercial left before the first episode.

"Oppa, why are you so restless?"

"I don't know. I'm more nervous than when I was a pure macho."

"Um…. It'll be fine. Yoo God recommended it, after all."

Then, the opening music of the drama started.

"It's starting."

The drama began with Kang Jun's inner acting.

"Wow, my friend Kang Jun is the lead in a 16-episode KBC drama."

"…. It's your brother's drama."

"Wow, our Kang Jun. He's grown so much. He used to be so small."

"…. Your brother has grown."

It seems he can only hear the TV, not me.

"Phew."

I shifted my gaze from Heejeong to the TV screen.

'Right. Kang Jun is a good actor.'

With a good script, a talented actor, and a top-notch director,

it would be strange if the results weren't good.

The moment Kang Jun's emotional acting shone was here.

"Oppa, the ratings…."

"Huh?"

When did she check? My younger sister stared at her smartphone and spoke.

"Are you kidding?"

"Why….? How much did it get?"

To be honest, it would be a lie if I said I wasn't expecting it.

Because it's a public broadcasting station, and they've gathered the best casting cards.

That's not all.

The lead actors attracted attention with a pilot program,

and various stars pulled in more attention through SNS.

The result was,

"20%."

When I stormed out of Lee Min-ju's studio.

It was the same rating as when Lee Min-ju was filming at that time.

* * *

Lee Min-ju trembled with shame.

It wasn't as if she was watching it with the entire SBC production team.

She would have preferred to watch it alone, or in her studio.

"Just…. 7%?"

She had thrown away her pride, added a chaebol, a half-brother, and a Cinderella code.

It was a script she completed while staying up all night, focusing only on the ratings.

No, it wasn't even completed yet; she still had to write half of it.

The moment she saw today's ratings, a wave of disappointment washed over her.

"It's, it's okay."

Ratings not coming out isn't something that happens just once or twice these days.

Everyone watches the reruns, who actually watches the live broadcast?

Suddenly, she became curious about what was happening in the neighboring drama.

"O Hyun-sik, check it out."

"Huh?"

"The ratings for the regression drama."

"That, that…."

"Why?"

"I already checked…."

"Really? How much did it get?"

"…."

Judging by his reaction, it seemed to be more than 7%.

"It's okay, just tell me."

"It's…. twenty percent…."

"What, twenty percent?"

Is he joking around, not realizing the situation?

Whoosh—

Lee Min-ju snatched the smartphone from his hand.

It was connected to a site that provides real-time ratings.

"Haha."

The stray dog has become a tiger.

Lee Min-ju burst into laughter like a mad person and then stood up.

"Writer, …?"

"I want to take a break today."

"Huh?"

"…."

"Ah, yes. Writer."

O Hyun-sik watched Lee Min-ju's retreating back.

And he muttered to himself, genuinely worried.

"Is it possible that Hwang Hyo-ju is better at networking than me?"

Although not as much as Kim Jin-woo, he had worked under Lee Min-ju for over four years.

It feels like a fool to have mocked Hwang Hyo-ju, who quit recently.

* * *

It feels like the world has changed in just one day.

A reaction on a different level from the success of Pure Macho.

Not only did it surpass the magic 20% in one go,

but I became a home run writer with a successful debut on a public broadcasting station.

Ding, ding—

"How did you get my number?"

Congratulations messages from unknown broadcasting stations and entertainment industry people flooded in.

I don't know how to accept congratulations from people I don't know.

That's not all,

Today, journalists released their articles smoothly.

《The King of Wednesdays and Thursdays! The Regression Drama's Overall Ranking is….》

《This Year's KBC Drama Rankings….》

《Lee Min-ju's Concession? The Defeat of a Teacher by a Student….》

Of course, it might feel like dirty water to someone.

Ding—

Then, I received a call from Manager Jung.

［You said you wanted to go to Lotem early today, right?］

［I already informed the Lotem officials.］

"Nice shot, Manager Jung."

Although the meeting is scheduled for the evening, I need to write the script in advance.

I need to write for about 5 hours, starting from lunch.

I immediately left the house and headed to Lotem Entertainment.

And soon, I arrived at the Lotem Entertainment building.

"How did you get here?"

"I'm writer Kim Jin-woo."

"Ah, let me check your ID."

"Sure."

As Manager Jung said, I was able to enter easily.

The clean interior of Lotem Entertainment came into view.

It didn't seem much different from other entertainment companies.

I turned my head to find the spot where white light was seeping through.

"There it is."

A stand where employees can enjoy light snacks.

I have to stand here for 5 hours, but I'm grateful for this.

Tap, tap—

「Overseas Sales Team 3, Kim Nayeon, Part 2」

From Part 2, the 'real' company life began.

Especially, the main character Yoo Seol-a and the three supporting leads were highlighted.

Interpersonal relationships, work intensity, after-work gatherings, and rumors.

Each character was given the main grievances they face at work.

Among them, the club zombie kept catching my eye.

It was a character I had arbitrarily excluded, which made it even more noticeable.

"Actor Ki Hyun-soo."

We became close after having a drink at the after-party of the press conference.

A few days ago, he even sent a message saying he was looking forward to the first episode.

"I want to cast him, but there's one thing that bothers me…."

It was a shocking fact I learned recently.

The role is a club zombie, but in reality, he has never held a woman's hand.

Just looking at his appearance, he fits the role perfectly as a flashy, good-looking guy.

But it was absurd to hear that such a person is a love failure in reality.

"To be honest, I've never been to a club…."

I assumed Actor Ki had been to one.

Tap, tap—

I increased my speed and focused on writing the script.

Once the casting with Yoo Seol-a and the broadcasting station is fixed, I'll think about it slowly.

* * *

"Joon! The next schedule…."

"Is there another one?"

"To avoid drama filming, you need to reduce your sleep."

"…."

Kang Jun's manager and uncle, Kang Cheol-jung, saw all the pouring schedules as money.

"We need to pay off our debts quickly. 300 million won to writer Kim Jin-woo…."

"Uncle."

"Huh?"

"The debt to the writer can never be paid off."

"…. I know, man."

Kang Jun smiled slightly at his uncle, who awkwardly cleared his throat.

'I can't go to the academy tomorrow either.'

Actually, going to the academy didn't have much meaning anymore,

but he had no intention of leaving abruptly.

'He hasn't contacted me once. It's disappointing.'

If he went to the academy, the students' gazes would definitely change.

A lead actor in a successful drama is definitely different.

'Still…'

Heejeong's reaction wouldn't be much different.

She would treat him as usual, like always.

A friend he made after a long time.

The younger sister of writer Kim Jin-woo.

She even said a game ad had come in.

If he made some money, he wanted to give her a gift.

"What kind of gift would be good?"

"Huh? You're buying me a gift?"

"Huh? Ah, Uncle."

"Phew, I don't need a gift or anything."

"Um…. Pajamas?"

"…."

A decent designer bag would be good for Heejeong.

But it feels too weak as a gift for his benefactor, the younger sister of the writer.

* * *

The second meeting with Yoo Seol-a after completing the script.

Unlike before, the situation was smooth as only the coordination of opinions remained.

"Once the broadcasting station is decided, we want to finalize the guarantee then."

"Yes. I understand the production company's position, but we still need a minimum guarantee."

"I understand. Is this amount possible?"

The Lotem representative in charge of negotiations with Saerom was not giving in at all.

"At least this much is necessary."

"Um…."

While the two were having a heated discussion, Yoo Seol-a looked at me and asked.

"Writer. When can I expect the next script?"

"I'll send you Part 2 by the end of today."

"Already? It's been quite a while."

Although I wrote it in one day.

"Is there no romance?"

"Um, not exactly…."

"Huh?"

"There's a subtle chemistry with one character."

One of the two actors pre-selected by the system, the club zombie.

In Part 2, the subtle eye contact alone was enough to tell.

Even if it's not a romance genre, there's a shallow emotional line.

"Um, I didn't notice from Part 1…."

"That's the second most important role after Yoo Seol-a."

"Do you have any actors in mind?"

"Ah, that…."

I was thinking of Ki Hyun-soo from Rainbow Entertainment.

But is it right to cast someone who has never been to a club in that role?

Ding dong—

Then, the system activated, informing me of the next writing location.

【Content: Overseas Sales Team 3, Kim Nayeon, Part 3】

【Genre: Office, Company, Ensemble】

【Location: Club Hexagon House, Dom Pérignon Room】

【Time Limit: 4 hours in 1 day】

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

【※ Deposit Amount: 0 won / 500 million won】

"…. Hexagon House…?"

"Huh?"

"Ah, nothing."

* * *

A little later,

On the way back after finalizing the negotiations with Lotem Entertainment.

Tap, tap—

I followed Saerom out of the building, lost in thought.

"Writer? What are you thinking so deeply…."

"Um, Manager."

"Yes?"

"Excuse me…."

I know it's a bit strange to suddenly ask this.

"Have you ever been to a club?"

"….?"

"I've never been."

"Of course, you have."

Hmm, you haven't been, huh.