Chapter 69

After the press conference, I skipped the after-party without a second thought.

Hyohwa and Director Jeong asked if something was wrong, but I didn’t even bother to answer and went straight home.

Last night, I was so deep in thought that I couldn’t sleep properly.

I just lay on my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling all day.

Without even needing to check the time, my sister burst into my room when it was mealtime.

“Bro, Mom says to come eat!”

“I’m not hungry.”

“… Mom! Bro says he won’t eat what you made!”

“….”

Normally, I would have reacted, but I didn’t even have the energy to argue with her.

After a long silence, I finally spoke.

“Thinking about it….”

I’ve never tried not using the script given to me.

I should consider this process as a way to understand the system and take advantage of this opportunity.

Ding─

At that moment, a message from Director Jeong Saerom came in.

[Are you really not going to tell me what’s going on?]

[Are you okay?]

Our Director Jeong must be suffering from dealing with a difficult writer.

“Sigh, fine. I need to earn money.”

After a night of contemplation, my mind was much more at ease.

It’s ridiculous for a guy to be scared of just a horror drama or movie.

Especially when it’s not some casual entertainment but a contract with money on the line.

“50 million per episode! Just focus on that.”

If I think about earning 50 million for a single drama, it’s a great deal.

“Isn’t it?”

How scary could it be, really?

After all, it’s just a video.

“… Right?”

The movie shown by the system isn’t particularly scarier, is it?

It’s just a movie.

“Just in case, maybe I should get adult diapers….”

… But that would hurt my pride, so I shouldn’t.

Ding, ding─

I immediately picked up my phone and replied to Director Jeong.

[I’ll come by in a few days]

[Let’s meet with actor Jisungho as well]

Feeling re-energized, I searched for my name on my smartphone.

There were several articles about the press conference that had been published in just one day.

[Kim Jinwoo Responds to Questions About His Next Work! The Genre is Horror!?]

[Star Writer Embarrassed by Accidental Leak of Confidential Information During Press Conference]

[Unprecedented Speed in Producing Works, the Next One is…]

“Now my actions are becoming news.”

Some reporters are already calling me a star writer.

It might be a compliment, but I’ve only written two works so far.

“Well, whatever. Let’s check the system again.”

I had only glanced at it in a hurry.

[Title: Korean Horror Streamer Part 1]

[Genre: Horror, Thriller, Internet Broadcasting, Anthology]

[Location: Tonggok Elementary School (Randomly Selected)]

[Time Limit: 13 days 7 hours 54 minutes 20 seconds]

“Hmm….”

Mixing horror with internet broadcasting.

There will probably be a lot of first-person perspectives.

Looking at it again, it’s quite ruthless.

But, what’s this detailed information next to the time limit?

I had ignored it until now.

[Detailed Information: Scriptwriting time is limited to between 10 PM and 4 AM.]

“… What the hell.”

* * *

At a certain academy in Gangnam, a star was born alongside the press conference.

Actor Lee Jinho, the second to debut on a major network after Kang Jun.

Debuting as a lead alongside top-tier actors.

However, one girl stood out to the other students.

“Why is she so close with Kang Jun and Lee Jinho?”

“Kim Heejeong? I heard she has a strong background?”

“No, they’ve always been close.”

The students who didn’t know that Heejeong was the sister of writer Kim Jinwoo whispered about her behind her back.

Especially since, in a class of a few students, she had no close friends from other classes.

Kang Jun frowned and tried to stand up.

“Should I go talk to them?”

“Don’t bother.”

“They’re talking so loudly, it’s annoying.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Having already finished filming and nearing the end of “The Eraser of Memories,”

Kang Jun often came to the academy when he had free time.

“Senior, I’ll handle it.”

Lee Jinho, flexing his arm, looked like a general heading to war.

“Hey, you sound like you’re really going to fight.”

“Huh? Oh….”

Jinho blushed at Heejeong’s reprimand.

“And anyway, once class starts, they’ll disappear quickly. Don’t worry.”

“Yes, Senior!”

Kang Jun, who had been watching their conversation, interjected.

He was curious about someone he hadn’t seen in a while.

“Hey… How’s Writer Kim Jinwoo?”

“Huh? My brother?”

“Yeah. He didn’t come to the company today, so I’m a bit worried. Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine. He suddenly went to the countryside to visit his grandparents.”

“Huh…?”

“I don’t know why, but he’s carrying a flashlight as big as his head.”

“???”

At that moment, the acting teacher entered, interrupting their conversation.

“Alright, quiet down! Class is starting. Take your seats!”

“… One.”

“Two.”

“Three….?”

“Okay, everyone’s here.”

Teacher, there are only three of us, why…?

* * *

9:55 PM.

After visiting my grandparents’ house, I headed straight to the entrance of Tonggok Elementary School.

“What am I doing here…. Sigh….”

I came here with just a good flashlight, completely unprepared.

Honestly, I’m not sure what else I should have brought.

Creak─

Pushing open the school gate, which hadn’t been oiled in who knows how long, I stepped onto the playground sand.

“Looking at the sand makes me think of the desert. Ugh.”

Thinking about it, it was night in the desert too, so there’s no difference.

… Maybe it’s even more eerie.

Thud, thud─

I steadied my nerves and passed through the glass door.

For some reason, one of the glass doors was open… no, broken.

The endless, eerie corridor.

Crunch, crunch─

Stepping on wood chips and marble fragments.

The only sound I heard was my own footsteps.

Squeak!

“Ahh─!”

My heart raced at the sudden sound of a mouse.

The scream echoed back to my ears from the end of the corridor.

“Damn, really.”

Alone, I cursed into the air like a boxer shadowboxing.

“Come out. Come out now, seriously. I know you’re there!”

Well, if you don’t come out after this, you’re not there.

If I were a ghost, I wouldn’t just stand there and take insults.

I’ve never heard of a patient ghost.

“Phew….”

I shone the flashlight around the brightly lit corridor and climbed the stairs.

“… There is one good thing about coming at night.”

The light is more visible than during the day.

From far away on the fourth floor, a much stronger light was shining, not from my flashlight.

There’s no way such a light would be in an abandoned building; it must be an artificial light created by the system.

Without hesitation, I moved towards it.

“A music room…?”

Better than a science lab.

Or is it?

What’s there to be afraid of now?

I immediately immersed myself in the white light.

“Huh.”

The moment the memory of the next work, a horror drama, entered my mind, the content and reality subtly overlapped.

I had the illusion that there was a ghost in the music room.

The oppressive atmosphere of the music room weighed heavily on me.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap─

Horrible fear.

“Gulp….”

Without thinking, I ran out of the music room like a madman.

I hadn’t run this hard even when I was on the school relay team.

All I could think about was getting out of there.

“Aaaah─!”

Even as I ran from the music room to the school gate, it wasn’t much different.

* * *

The next day.

“Ugh….”

Heejeong, looking at my zombie-like form, closed the door and shouted.

“Mom! Bro is acting weird!”

“Leave him alone, Heejeong!”

“He’s really weird!”

You’re the weird one.

Ding─

“Ahh!”

Now I jump at the sound of my smartphone.

[You remember we’re meeting today, right?]

Director Jeong’s reminder is the scariest thing in the world.

No, the drama I saw yesterday is a bit scarier.

Maybe it’s because it’s daytime, or maybe the memory is fading.

“Sigh… I can finally breathe.”

I had planned to sleep comfortably at my grandparents’ house.

But I took a late-night bus and came straight home.

“I don’t usually have bad dreams….”

It felt like I had a nightmare last night.

Thud─

Sitting down and opening my laptop, I thought that if I wasted more time, the hard work from yesterday would be meaningless.

Tap, tap, tap─

“Korean Horror Streamer Part 1”

I had expected it from the title.

The protagonist, Jisungho, is an internet broadcaster.

A streamer who specializes in horror experiences.

The important part is the first word, “Korean.”

This crazy protagonist isn’t limited to Korea; he dreams of a global stage.

Of course, at first, the protagonist, who has no money or connections, can only explore famous haunted places in Korea.

Tap, tap, tap─

-Soon, I’ll conquer all the famous haunted places in Korea and abroad!

My hands trembled as I transcribed the protagonist’s lines into the script.

It felt like a mix of seriousness and sarcasm, but it didn’t seem like a joke to me.

“The biggest problem right now is the female lead….”

Besides Jisungho, there’s a new female lead, So Chae-dam.

A 15-year veteran actress known as “Sobly,” who plays a dog-like character.

“Will she be available for casting, given her busy schedule?”

Maybe I’ll have to use the right to change the actor.

In the drama, she plays a pretty but dark heiress who supports the streamer.

Surprisingly, her identity is that of a woman who can see ghosts after receiving a divine calling.

“Seeing ghosts….”

She’s the one who visually terrified me in the drama.

In the drama, the woman, who sees ghosts near the abandoned school, supports the streamer.

[‘Gisunggunggotto’ has donated 10,000 won!]

[Go to the music room of Kungtong Elementary School and play the piano for an hour for 1,000,000 won. Deal?]

-Kungtong Elementary School for 1,000,000 won!? Okay, I’m on my way!

Kungtong and Tonggok.

Suddenly, I’m feeling pumped.

With the woman’s support, Jisungho heads to Tonggok Elementary School without hesitation, unaware that a ghost haunts the music room, grinning.

“Man, the ghosts in horror dramas just don’t go away, making it a living hell.”

This drama has two perspectives.

The streamer, the male protagonist, who is scared but pretends not to be.

Through his live broadcast, the female protagonist’s perspective, seeing the ghost on the screen.

The moment the light entered my mind, all the content vividly came back to me.

The drama shown by the system and the real music room overlapped strangely.

Of course, the female perspective is visually much scarier.

“Ugh, this is bad. I can’t remember the lines….”

Not only the lines, but I can’t accurately describe the surroundings.

Maybe because I ran out so quickly, it feels like it’s breaking while I write.

“Damn, I have to go back.”

Tap, tap─

I slowly completed the script, squeezing out as much of my remaining memory as possible.

* * *

Time passed, and at Tempest Entertainment.

I sat in my studio, hands clasped, deep in thought.

On the laptop in front of me was a rough, hastily scribbled script.

“Guests from Disney will be here soon.”

I can’t present such an incomplete, shoddy result.

50 million per episode… No, it’s unacceptable in the professional world, regardless of the money.

Fortunately, it’s the first script, so there’s still plenty of time.

I have more than enough time to prepare.

“So what if I’m not good at horror movies.”

Who’s good at horror movies from the start?

If I keep watching until I get used to them, maybe I’ll eventually get tired of them.

Thinking of it as part of my job, isn’t this a dream job?

I was trying to control my mind and find a silver lining.

Click─

“I’m~ good~ with~ Team Leader Byun~!”

At that moment, someone’s lively voice came as the door opened.

A cheerful song, completely opposite to my gloomy mood.

“Bro, bro! The finale of ‘The Eraser of Memories’ is almost here!!”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“… Did you do what I asked?”

“Oh! Music director Seo Jihun?”

“Yeah.”

“I set up a meeting!”

“Hmm….”

Music director Seo Jihun, an external contractor from the “Overseas Sales Team 3” I had met before.

I only have a few close sound directors, so I set up a meeting.

The importance of sound and OST in horror is a no-brainer.

‘Let’s see his skills first.’

Still, Hwang Hyoju seems to be in a particularly good mood today.

Seeing her happily working on the script, I felt like… tormenting her… no, helping her build courage.

“Hyoju.”

“Yeah?”

“Did you meet Team Leader Byun today?”

“Ah! How did you know?”

“I know what you’re thinking. You must have had a good time….?”

“Hehe.”

It’s not bad to find a companion in tough times.

Happiness doubles when shared, and misery halves.

“Do you have anything to do today?”

“???”

Hyoju, with eyes wide like a rabbit, suddenly shivered.

“It’s summer…. Why am I cold….?”

It’s like the instinct of a prey animal sensing its future.