Chapter 78

In a deep valley of Gangwon Province.

The closer we got to our destination, the darker the clouds on Heejeong's face became.

"Bro, is this really the place?"

"It is."

Heejeong, with an innocent look, stared at me blankly.

At first, when we entered the foothills, she only had a puzzled expression.

"Why are we going into the mountains?"

Now, she was thinking more rationally and asking questions.

"Hmm, I'm sure it was around here. Did they move?"

".... Is there really a pork cutlet restaurant in such a remote mountain?"

"You must not remember because you were so young back then."

"???"

"Originally, pork cutlet tastes best when eaten in the mountains."

"Really?"

"Of course."

".... Am I an idiot?"

You're not an idiot.

We've come this far, so we have to go all the way.

It's too far to walk back now.

Rumble─

The narrow path in the mountains, barely recognizable as a paved road anymore.

The sound of various stones and branches being stepped on could be heard.

"Bro…."

"Yeah?"

"This place is weird."

"What's weird?"

"Why are there so many strange stones….?"

The younger sister, sitting in the passenger seat, covered her mouth and pointed to one side.

"Right, why is that?"

"…."

It seems we've arrived near our destination, as Heejeong said.

The landscape filled with graves around us proved it.

"Found it."

"What did you find?"

"The pork cutlet restaurant."

.... No, it's the location for the final script of the drama.

Perhaps because it's outdoors, the light seemed brighter than usual.

The system's blessing, shining brightly enough to be seen from a distance.

Rumble─

I pressed the accelerator and continued up the mountain.

"Bro, where are we going?"

"Just follow me. We're almost there."

".... Bro."

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to die?"

Today, my younger sister's words are unusually harsh.

It's a sign that she's scared.

Even a normally docile person barks when scared.

I'm sorry, but it's too late now.

You've already taken the bait.

"Hmm, did we get lost? Haha."

"Then we should turn the car around."

"But it's a one-way road. How can we turn around?"

"B-But there was an empty space just now…!"

"Ah, we passed it. Sorry."

".... Reverse."

"No, that's dangerous."

The extreme training experience I prepared to bond with my younger sister.

We came very deep, relying on the car headlights.

"But this place is surprisingly charming…."

The crosses and tombstones lined up outside the window.

They seemed to exude a sacred and merciful aura.

"Hey, you crazy bastard!!!"

"Young friend, calm down."

Since Heejeong can't drive, I parked the car comfortably.

You should have gotten your driver's license earlier.

Click─

I opened the car door, shone a flashlight, and moved forward.

"Such madness…. Hey, hey! Why are you getting out!? Ah, why are you getting out!?"

Unable to bear it, the younger sister who was left in the car finally followed.

It seemed better to come along than to be alone.

"Bro, over there, a white robe…!"

"Yeah. It's a piece of cloth."

"…."

I was calm because I had some experience with horror.

I had even hung a piece of white cloth on a scarecrow.

Rustle─

The sound of insects in the pitch-black darkness broke the quiet silence.

"Bro, are you really crazy?"

"Not crazy, but…."

An abandoned house, seemingly left for a long time.

Not inside the house, but nearby, a bright white light was shining.

"We don't need to go in there, right? It's creepy."

"…."

"I'll just write one script and then we'll go back."

"Yaaaaah!!!"

I stopped Heejeong, who was charging at me, with one finger and thought.

'…. If I had come here alone, it would have been a nightmare.'

The oppressive atmosphere here was unmatched by any other place I had experienced.

The rows of tombstones created a chilling atmosphere.

Although I had built up some courage by wandering around, I couldn't have come here alone.

Creak, creak─

"Ugh. Mom…."

The croaking of frogs startled my younger sister, deepening her filial piety.

I thought she didn't appreciate her mother, but I was wrong.

"Heejeong, I'll never forget today."

"Ugh. I'll never forget what you did either!"

Talking to my sister, even if it's trivial, seems to dilute the fear.

"Hey, Heejeong."

"Why…."

"Want to get pork cutlet?"

".... Get lost!"

I really wanted to buy it for her.

Thud, thud─

With nowhere to go, Heejeong reluctantly stuck to my back.

The destination we reached by pushing through the bushes.

A cluster of white light illuminating the darkness.

Finally, the end of this devilish drama was in sight.

"What's so important?"

I took a deep breath and let my body be enveloped by the light.

* * *

The next day,

Tempest Entertainment.

"Almost quit."

I've already ordered takeout from a pork cutlet restaurant, but.

It seems a pork cutlet won't be enough to cheer Heejeong up.

"Hmm…. Even if I apologize, she won't accept it."

It won't work with just pocket money.

Maybe I should give her some travel expenses for a light trip.

First, I'll finish the drama script before the memory fades.

Tap, tap─

"Korean Horror Streamer 8th Episode"

I slowly organized the script I hastily wrote in the mountains last night.

The content where a ghost possesses the character Kwak Mudang.

Sohae Dam and Jiseong Ho team up to escape while seeing the ghost.

In the midst of this, the two main characters….

"There's a scene where they spend a night in the mountains."

Sohae Dam is a bit unclear, but Jiseong Ho will have a tough time.

In the end, the drama ends with the streamer's audience reaction exploding.

The first season ends without resolving the Kwak Mudang plot.

"…. It feels like a season system."

No matter how I look at it, it seems impossible to avoid a second season.

That's why, even after finishing the fourth work, I don't feel very relieved.

"I want a break."

Honestly, I've been working too hard.

I need a proper rest.

I should go to Mojito and have a drink in the Maldives soon.

Or Guam or Hawaii would be nice too.

Knock, knock─

I lifted my smartphone and sent a sincere message to Manager Jung.

I can't keep going without a break.

Rumble─

At that moment, Hyoju burst into the studio in a fuss.

"Bro, bro! Did you really go to a cemetery!?"

"Yeah."

"No, no matter what, you really…."

"I'll go again tonight. With you."

".... Save me."

"Right. Then I'll check it. I'll send you the 8th episode to revise."

"Okay!"

Hyoju answered with a more disciplined voice than usual.

"Ah, Hyoju. How's the preparation for the TVM broadcasting station's contest?"

"Yes, of course!"

Now, I also want to start preparing my own work.

A Korean noir that I've always wanted to write and keep in my heart.

A genre that made me a writer.

Works like "War of Crime" or "A New World."

'Of course, it will be rejected….?'

Since it's a drama and not a movie, some compromise is necessary.

To submit to the contest and aim for an award, I need to use a popular theme.

A love story between a gangster and an actress.

This should minimize any deductions in the theme.

"Hey, bro."

"What?"

At that moment, Hyoju called me as if she remembered something.

"The Kim Nayoung shooting. It's less than two weeks away."

"Oh…. That's right."

"Time flies."

We've already aired 10 episodes while writing the horror script.

"I'll take a break after the shooting is done."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I want to go on a trip."

"Right. You've worked hard."

"…. Maybe I'll visit the Kim Nayoung set today."

Honestly, I haven't visited it in a while.

"Um, do you want to come with me?"

"Sure."

The drama production started while I was in the Dubai desert.

The shooting of "Overseas Sales Team 3 Kim Nayoung" is now in its final stages.

* * *

At a set of MBS Broadcasting Station.

Yoo Seol-a finished filming and headed to the actors' waiting room.

"Senior, good job."

"Ah, yes!"

As always, actor Lee Jin-ho greeted her respectfully.

At first, I thought he was uncomfortable with me.

But it was just a habit of politeness.

Like someone raised in a very strict household.

"Next is your turn, Jin-ho?"

"Yes, that's right."

I've become close enough to Lee Jin-ho to have conversations.

"Senior, did you have any problems during the Japan shoot?"

"It was tough."

"Um…."

It's true that he was tired after the busy Japan schedule.

"But compared to actor Yeo Min-seo, it's nothing."

"Oh…. R-Right."

"Actor Yeo must have returned to Korea by now."

"Yes. Director Na Jisu also came to the station right after returning from Dubai…."

"…."

Though they didn't say it out loud, they had similar thoughts.

They were both glad they didn't go to Dubai.

Although they didn't have many opportunities to talk privately.

Once the conversation started, they learned more about each other.

At least, I gave acting advice to Lee Jin-ho at his request.

"Ah, your theater group is called Jang Gae."

"Um, among our senior actors…."

"Yes?"

"No, no!"

It seemed impolite to talk about someone else's family.

A moment later,

Yoo Seol-a watched Jin-ho's acting from a distance.

At first, he wasn't that great, but compared to the first shoot, he had clearly improved.

Especially his emotional acting, which was rough but sincere.

It's not a skill that can be easily learned just by wanting to.

"Gifted."

Maybe he inherited his father's talent.

"Hard to find…."

How did writer Kim Jin-woo discover his talent so quickly?

"Jang Gae theater group…."

Murmur─

At that moment, a small commotion occurred on one side of the set, and someone appeared.

It was a person rarely seen on the set.

"Writer, how are you?"

Yoo Seol-a ran up and greeted him.

Writer Kim Jin-woo.

Once, he was the person who held the book I cherished like a treasure.

* * *

Actress Yoo Seol-a approached me first and greeted me.

"Seol-a, nice to see you."

"Yes! It's been so long!"

"Indeed. Haha."

As Yoo Seol-a said, it really has been a long time.

Time flew while I was writing scripts.

"Writer, it's been a while, nice to see you. Hehe."

"Ah, me too…."

Just by looking at her face, I could tell how happy she was to see me.

'What an honor.'

To be welcomed by a world star.

"Did you monitor the show all this time? I heard there was a reason for its success."

"Ah…."

I watched all of Kim Nayoung, even though I didn't watch the episodes with Gang Jun.

"Especially when you were in it, I was fully immersed."

"No, no…. The casting was so solid, not just me…."

"Among them, you shine the most."

I'm not just being polite; it's 100% sincere.

In fact, her fee is the highest, and she's very popular.

"Ah, but Writer."

Yoo Seol-a suddenly called me as if she remembered something.

"I heard you worked hard writing the script…."

"Yes?"

"Going to haunted houses to write horror, that's really impressive!"

"Ah, no…. It's not that impressive."

I wonder how my news spread like this.

But I have a feeling I know who the culprit is.

I glanced at Hyoju, who was staring at me.

"Um…. Where is Director Na Jisu?"

Hyoju awkwardly pretended to look for someone and left the scene.

I tried to stop her from running away.

But I was speechless at Yoo Seol-a's next question.

"Writer, did you read the poetry book I gave you last time?"

Ah, I forgot about it.

The precious poetry book I exchanged with Heejeong's theater group cap.

"Ah, that…."

"I get a lot of help from it when I write poetry."

"R-Really?"

"Yes! By any chance…."

Please, don't ask me anymore.

I'll definitely read it later.

"Among them, the line that left the most impression…."

She finally brought it up.

At the same time, I heard someone calling me from the side.

"Writer! Director Ko is looking for you."

Na Jisu, nice shot!

Good job, Hyoju!

"Seol-a, what should I do? I need to go…."

I said it as if I had no choice, with a sad expression.

"Ah, yes!"

"…. We'll definitely talk about the poetry book next time."

"Yes! I'd like that. Hehe."

That evening.

As soon as I got home, I started looking for something.

"Where did I put it…."

Soon, I found a small book inside the desk.

The poetry book Yoo Seol-a gave me at the set.

"I've been so busy, I forgot about it."

It's best to read it in the early morning.

Rustle─

I opened the first page of the small poetry book.

"Huh? What's this…."

The poetry book had red, blue, and yellow highlighter marks.

Not just random scribbles, but notes on each point.

"Ah…. It's not just a poetry book."

Yoo Seol-a had highlighted good lines and written her thoughts.

If I tried to assign a monetary value, I wouldn't even know how much it would sell for.

"…. Is it okay for her to give this to me?"

She said she used it for music production.

Maybe she gave it to me by mistake.

I quickly flipped through all the pages.

The poetry book with notes and highlights, each line filled with dedication.

The marked lines were all touching.

Among them, a small note on the last page caught my eye.

[Writer, you even had custom caps made for me ^^]

[I thought about what gift would be good and prepared a heartfelt one!]

[The good parts are already noted, so don't feel pressured! ㅎㅎ]

"…. That's Heejeong's theater group cap."

Holy shit.

If this gets out, I'm doomed.

* * *

Saerom thought deeply as she read the message from Jin-woo.

[I'll be going on a trip for a while.]

[After the Kim Nayoung shooting is done. ㅎㅎ]

"…. This doesn't seem like a joke, does it?"

A writer who personally explored overseas for "Overseas Sales Team 3 Kim Nayoung" and even endured a haunted house experience for a horror drama.

"Right. It's time for a break."

From pure romance, reincarnation, Kim Nayoung, to the horror streamer.

How many writers can produce four works in a year?

Sending him on an overseas trip as a welfare benefit for his hard work this year might not be a bad idea.

"Or…."

Maybe the company should organize a group trip.

There are many actors who have worked hard.

"Maybe Hawaii…."

Of course, excluding those with busy schedules.

Knock, knock─

At that moment, Team Leader Byun knocked on the manager's office door.

"Come in."

As soon as he entered, Team Leader Byun handed over a report.

Looking at him, I realized he must have also suffered a lot dealing with a tired boss.

"The shooting schedule for 'Korean Horror Streamer'."

"Yes, Team Leader."

The drama shooting schedule starting exactly one month from now.

In other words, there will be about a two-week gap after the Kim Nayoung shooting ends.

Of course, this is limited to Kim Jin-woo's works.

"Team Leader Byun."

"Yes?"

"You've worked hard, so take a break."

"Yes?"

Seeing Saerom smile silently, Byun cautiously asked.

"Um…. Am I being fired?"