Chapter 55

Hanoi, Noi Bai International Airport.

I passed through the immigration checkpoint and collected my carry-on.

Even though it was still May, a scorching heat like midsummer greeted me.

“Is the guide’s name... Nguyen?”

In front of the airport, people stood holding signs written in various languages.

Among them, a man held a sign in Korean that read, “Welcome Kim Jin-woo.”

“Hello, Mr. Kim Jin-woo?”

“Nguyen?”

“Yes.”

His pronunciation was awkward, but his Korean was understandable.

“Why is there a picture of Purple Girls on the sign...?”

“Well, I’m a fan! Haha.”

“So why did you put a girl group’s picture on the sign to find me...?”

“I’m such a big fan! Haha.”

Failed to get a guide.

I picked the wrong one.

‘Is it possible to change now?’

Still, Nguyen’s driving skills were surprisingly good.

He ignored traffic laws and drove smoothly.

The road was filled with reckless motorbikes.

Surviving on Vietnamese roads requires evasive driving as a basic skill.

“Phew, the traffic...”

Motorbikes next to motorbikes.

The key was to almost collide but not actually hit.

“Huh? Is that one going the wrong way...?”

Let’s not even talk about traffic laws in Vietnam.

Zzzz—

The heat was somewhat relieved by the wind when the window was open.

Thanks to that, I felt a bit more alive and even asked the guide a question.

“Is Purple Girls popular in Vietnam these days?”

“Yes! Of course.”

Suddenly, national pride welled up.

Especially since it was partly due to... well, partly due to pure machismo.

“Mr. Nguyen, I’ll let you make a call once I finish my work.”

“Huh?”

“To Purple Girls.”

“Ahahaha. Yes, sure.”

“...I’m serious.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Okay! I’ll call right now.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Is this guy taking some kind of class?

How can his tone be so annoying?

‘I’ll scold him with a video call.’

Encouraged by the guide’s reaction, I bravely picked up my smartphone and called Miling.

Ring, ring, ring—

After an eternity,

“...As you know, Purple Girls are busy these days.”

I immediately called Sem.

Ring, ring, ring—

“...They must be really busy.”

“Of course. Haha.”

Mr. Nguyen nodded slightly.

His sneering smile was incredibly annoying.

“...I feel so wronged.”

Why do I feel rejected twice in one day?

No, not a day, but in just 3 minutes.

* * *

MBS Drama Production Office.

Manager Jeong Saerom negotiated the production budget with Director Kim.

“No matter what, 200 million won per episode is a bit... It’s not like it’s a blockbuster...”

“That blockbuster didn’t get higher ratings than Pure Machismo, did it?”

“...That’s true.”

No matter how good-natured Director Kim was, he was just a regular employee when it came to money.

“Director. We also need to consider the guarantees for the lead actors and overseas filming.”

“...”

Just the three confirmed actors alone would cost up to 100 million won per episode.

Moreover, considering Jin-woo Kim’s style, he always goes to the location first to write.

‘If it ends with Vietnam, that’s a relief.’

In this situation, the only option is to gather as much production budget as possible to make the drama a success.

“Do you know what the ratings are for the memory erasing regression drama?”

Of course, he couldn’t not know.

It was a popular drama on another public broadcasting station.

“Yes. I’ll talk to the deputy director first.”

“Thank you, Director.”

Saerom stood up and bowed politely.

Clack, clack—

“This time, I’ll have to set the highest possible fee for the script.”

At first, I thought 20 million won per episode.

Considering the production budget I easily secured thanks to Jin-woo Kim, I should give him more.

“By the way...”

Suddenly, she recalled the last card Jin-woo Kim left before leaving for Vietnam.

A completely new actor, incomparable to other lead actors.

“His name... was Lee Jin-ho, right?”

In fact, when she first saw the profile given by Team Leader Byeon, she frowned.

He was a complete newcomer with nothing to offer except for his famous father.

“Janggwa Theater...”

The theater where the writer’s sister was affiliated.

Saerom gently touched her cheek.

Had she ever contacted a writer’s family before?

She always drew a clear line between work and personal life.

She even pretended not to know her uncle at the company.

“Sigh... I don’t know.”

Ring, ring—

It took exactly one second to answer the call.

‘Is my sister’s job a smartphone?’

Hyejeong answered the call with her usual fuss.

-Hello? Pretty sister!

“...Yes, Hyejeong.”

-I was going to tell you something!

I made the call, but anyone would think the other party had something to say.

“What is it?”

-I got the lead role in a play this time! You and my brother should come.

“No, why should I go with the writer!?”

-Or you can come alone...

A chuckle escaped as memories of the club surfaced.

“Hmm, is Lee Jin-ho also in this play?”

-Lee Jin-ho? How does the manager know him?

“...By chance.”

-He’s in a minor role!

“Got it. I’ll keep that in mind.”

-You must come!

“Yes, I’ll contact you again.”

-Okay.

Click.

“Cute.”

Still, a trip to Vietnam at such an important time.

I wonder when he’ll come back.

* * *

Time passed quickly.

-Brother, Mom said to say hi.

“Thanks.”

-But, I got the lead role in a theater! There’s a play coming up.

“Yeah. Hang up.”

Suddenly, I felt the international call charges were a waste.

If I hadn’t talked to her, I could have had a bowl of pho.

-But listen! This play has Jeong Sa...

Click.

“Still... why is this place so vast?”

Now, entering the park feels like entering a dungeon.

I hope the time limit doesn’t run out.

It’s already the fourth day, and I almost missed Huang Xiaozhu’s passport.

Bavi National Park... or Bavi Mountain National Park.

A staircase reminiscent of a mountain climb.

“Thanks to my health built up from climbing Gwanak Mountain.”

Thud, thud—

Nguyen followed behind me as I walked ahead.

“Pant, Mr. Kim Jin-woo... Are you really here for tourism?”

“Of course.”

“I’ve never seen a case like this... Pant, pant.”

Nguyen, out of breath, said.

“...I’m tired too.”

Over the past few days, I’ve been searching tirelessly.

Some places were familiar.

“It feels like a scene from a drama.”

I needed to hurry and see everything.

There’s not much time left.

“I haven’t been to that temple yet.”

“No? It’s not a tourist spot...”

“What does human affairs mean in front of Buddha?”

“???”

A while later, we reached the top of Bavi Mountain and looked down at the mountain slopes.

At the same eye level, fluffy, clean clouds spread out.

1,227 meters above sea level.

In front of the Buddha statue, I encountered the overseas system’s light for the first time.

“...The system really extends this far.”

I don’t know how it works.

Thud—

I found a spot nearby and opened my laptop.

“Mr. Nguyen, thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes...?”

“Go rest for 5 hours.”

“Ah, yes. What...”

After days of persistent searching, the guide must be tired.

I glanced at the departing Nguyen and immediately focused on the script.

Tap, tap, tap—

“Overseas Sales Team 3, Kim Na-yeon, Episode 5”

In this episode, the character of Kim Na-yeon’s superior was highlighted.

“A section chief character...”

In the neighboring drama “Intern,” the superior characters also became prominent around this point.

Tap, tap, tap—

The problem is that a section chief character cannot be registered in the system.

At the current level, 10 years of acting experience is the limit.

“Maybe one more level would allow up to 15 years.”

Characters of that age are unlikely to be registered.

Except for actors who debut at a very late age.

However, this episode introduced a scene with comedy for the first time.

Selling air conditioners in Alaska and heaters in Africa.

“...Stop joking. Really.”

It hurts my heart.

Expressed half in jest and half in earnest, but it’s still a bit unsettling.

While thinking about various things, I continued writing the script.

Zzzz—

Finally, a call came from the person I was waiting for.

“Eh? Se, Sem!”

I turned to look for Mr. Nguyen.

He was approaching from a distance with two drinks.

“Quickly, quickly!”

“Huh?”

“Quickly come over!”

“???”

“The drinks aren’t important right now!”

I urged the slowly approaching guide.

While doing so, I tried to answer Sem’s call.

Click.

“Ah, it disconnected.”

I immediately called Sem back, but she sent me a message first.

Ding—

[Writer, I just saw your call! ㅠㅠ I have a new schedule now ㅎㅎ]

“Ah, no!”

I showed the message to the slowly approaching guide.

“I just got a text from Purple Girls’ Sem. Do you believe me?”

“Come on, stop it. Really.”

Damn.

That evening, I headed to Noi Bai International Airport, still feeling wronged.

* * *

KBC Broadcasting Station, “Memory Erasing Regression” set.

The filming site was bustling under Director Song Gwan-soo’s direction.

Gang Jun, looking at the set, suddenly felt nostalgic.

“The filming is already in the middle phase.”

Then, a woman’s voice came from beside him.

“Senior Gang Jun, here’s your drink.”

“Thanks.”

Kim Hyun-ji, who took care of everyone from the set staff to the actors.

“Don’t mention it.”

She had a straightforward personality, unlike other actresses.

She still treated all the staff with respect, like a newcomer.

“Hyun-ji, did you hear about that?”

“Huh?”

“I heard that Writer Kim Jin-woo went to Vietnam.”

“Huh? Suddenly?”

“He often travels to write.”

“Oh...”

Hyun-ji cautiously mentioned a good deed by Kim Jin-woo.

A story about how he once got scolded by a director at MBN for no reason.

“Did that happen?”

“He sent an apology message recently.”

“If he goes on a variety show, I’ll say it bluntly.”

“No way! What if it causes trouble for Writer Kim Jin-woo?”

“Huh?”

“He did shout in someone else’s set, after all.”

It’s not good to stir up trouble in the industry.

A messy expose will only lead to mutual destruction.

“And anyway...”

“Huh?”

“That drama flopped. Ratings at 0.7%. Hehe.”

Hyun-ji was genuinely happy.

Gang Jun nodded and smiled.

* * *

“The internet is fast, so it must be Korea.”

Without a proper trip, I only toured Bavi Mountain Park and boarded the flight to Korea.

I just stepped out of Incheon Airport.

I don’t know how much more the system will play tricks on me.

“I really need to improve my skills.”

I need to enhance my own abilities while maximizing the use of the system.

Burying the memories of Vietnam in my heart, I turned off the airplane mode on my smartphone.

How many messages must have come during the flight?

This is the life of a celebrity.

“...No messages!?”

That’s impossible.

Is my smartphone broken?

The airplane mode won’t turn off.

“Ah, right.”

I realized I changed my number not long ago.

After the regression drama became a hit, I changed it again.

“...Let’s think about it that way.”

I was curious about the regression drama’s news after a long time.

The news headline is typical, so I’ll ignore it.

A long-standing hobby since Pure Machismo.

I quickly accessed the community for “Memory Erasing Regression.”

I wonder if viewers are starting to mention Jin-woo.

-Top drama on Wednesday and Thursday ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Tell me the name of the academy where Senior Gang Jun goes

-Miling, I love you ㅠㅠ

-Can the regression drama participate in the Baeksang Arts Awards?

-Not yet, only 4 episodes ;;;;

-Damn

-If it had started 2 weeks earlier...

Thinking about it, writers’ names are usually not of much interest.

“Baeksang Arts Awards... It’s really approaching.”

It’s a big event that I could participate in.

The success of Pure Machismo wasn’t entirely due to my own efforts.

A few hours later.

Beep, beep, beep—

After browsing the community, I arrived home.

As soon as I entered, Hyejeong greeted me.

“Brother’s back?”

“Yeah, it was tough.”

“I got the lead role in a play.”

“Really? Congratulations.”

“Come and see if you’re bored.”

“No, I won’t.”

“Pfft. I don’t care either.”

My sister, pouting, stormed into her room.

“What’s this, a new pattern?”

A new boss pattern has been added to our home.

I need to record it in my phone’s notes.

Creak—

My room, which I hadn’t entered for a long time, was spotless.

Feeling both grateful and guilty towards my mother, I sat in the chair.

However, a script was placed on my desk.

“Oh, right.”

I had forgotten.

A female assistant director from MBS gave me a script.

She said she added her own interpretation and asked me to read it.

Swoosh—

I slowly opened the script and read it.

“He... drew pictures?”

Each page had a picture inserted, like a Polaroid photo.

They reminded me of the drama scenes I had seen, almost like photos.

“Who is this person?”

The drawing skills weren’t professional-level, but to me, drawing skills weren’t significant.

The ability to recreate the composition and character placement from the script.

If I assume he drew this content after reading the script.

“He might be a genius on par with Director Song Gwan-soo...”

Considering her age, she might be even more.