Chapter 83

83. The Impending Situation

“There are things that can only be seen with the heart. You are one of them to me.”

While delivering her lines, Yeon Se-rin, who had been staring intently at the mirror in the practice room, sighed and lowered her head.

“Huh.”

Then she slumped to the floor, leaning against the wall. She hugged her knees tightly and rested her face on them.

At that moment,

Creak—

The sound of the practice room door opening made her turn her head in surprise.

On this early Saturday morning, the only person who would visit the academy practice room would be Jin-hyuk.

She looked towards the entrance with an expectant expression, but the face that appeared was her father, Yeon Sung-hoon.

“Dad.”

“Yeah. I thought I’d see a hint of disappointment on our daughter’s face?”

“No, not disappointed.”

“Not? But you were disappointed?”

Yeon Sung-hoon smiled and plopped down next to Se-rin.

“Is something bothering you, or do you want to act? Or both?”

“No… Yes.”

“No, yes? What do you mean?”

Se-rin smiled awkwardly.

“It’s not that singing is hard… Honestly, the last single did so well that I feel a lot of pressure with this mini album….”

“And?”

“I also really want to act.”

Yeon Sung-hoon nodded and asked.

“Do you want to act, or do you want to do it with your friends?”

“… Both, I guess. Probably.”

After watching the second episode of "Hong Gil-dong" with her friends, she hadn’t seen them for almost a month.

Se-rin was busy with album preparation and events, while Jin-hyuk and Se-yeon were busy with the final shooting of their drama.

“It was fun when we practiced together.”

Se-rin couldn’t bring herself to say it directly to her father, but the emotion was clear even without words.

She was feeling lonely. Se-rin was.

Now, Jin-hyuk had become incredibly famous because of "Hong Gil-dong," but in fact, Se-rin had experienced fame first.

Due to the huge hit of her debut song.

After the massive hit of her debut song following "High School 2," Se-rin couldn’t walk the streets freely or hang out with her school friends like before.

The only friends she could now open up to comfortably were Jin-hyuk and Se-yeon, who were in the same situation.

Everyone around Se-rin cared for her and treated her well, but they were still adults she had met through work.

Se-rin, now 19, needed friends. Especially Se-rin, who loved having friends. That’s why.

“Watching Jin-hyuk and Se-yeon act together makes me feel envious too.”

Thanks to Jin-hyuk, she could sing, but also thanks to him, she discovered the joy of acting.

The time they spent sweating together in this practice room wasn’t that long ago.

But the current situation, which has changed so much, feels like a distant memory.

“So you’re practicing the "Hong Gil-dong" script?”

“Huh? Ah….”

Se-rin nodded at Sung-hoon, who pointed to the "Hong Gil-dong" script on the floor.

Early Saturday mornings were when Se-rin and Jin-hyuk practiced singing and acting together.

“Want to do a project together?”

Se-rin shook her head at Sung-hoon’s suggestion.

“No, Dad. Unless I’m not going to be a singer. It’s a crucial time now. So many people are working hard for me. I should focus on singing until I establish myself.”

“Right.”

As Se-rin spoke, Sung-hoon nodded.

Creak—

The sound of the door opening.

Se-rin’s eyes widened.

“Jin-hyuk!”

Jin-hyuk smiled at the two of them.

“Even the director is here?”

“Haha. I thought Se-rin would be here, didn’t I?”

“Se-rin is usually here at this time, so it’s not surprising.”

Director Yeon Sung-hoon looked at his daughter and smiled.

“But why does Se-rin look so surprised?”

“Huh? Ah….”

Sung-hoon stood up and said.

“Well, now that your friend is here, I’ll leave.”

He patted his daughter’s shoulder and, as he left, patted Jin-hyuk’s shoulder as well.

As an actor who knew the weight Jin-hyuk and Se-rin carried as stars known to the entire nation, he understood.

‘Just a little… It would be fine if the burden was a bit lighter.’

But knowing that the capacity given to them by heaven couldn’t be carried any lighter, he also knew better than anyone.

Still, Sung-hoon felt good.

Stars are lonely. Only stars understand the heart of a star. But when you meet someone before becoming a star, you have a certain level of connection.

Childhood friends aren’t just childhood friends for no reason.

There’s a comfort that only friends can give when there are no ulterior motives.

But even such a comfortable relationship can drift apart if the worlds they live in are too different.

In that sense, it was a blessing to have a friend who met with a pure heart and became a star together.

Se-rin had Jin-hyuk, and Jin-hyuk had Se-rin.

Yeon Sung-hoon left the practice room, sending a grateful look to Jin-hyuk.

“What were you practicing?”

“Huh?”

Se-rin, startled, tried to hide the script, but it was too late.

“"Hong Gil-dong," right?”

Se-rin’s face turned red.

“Ah, well… It’s been crazy lately. I thought I’d try practicing….”

“Hmm… Do you think you’d suit the role of Lady Yeon-ju?”

Jin-hyuk said casually, and Se-rin’s face relaxed as she replied.

“Gang Hee would be good too. Se-yeon was so cool. The action scenes might be tough, but if I can do it, I’d like to try.”

After talking excitedly about "Hong Gil-dong" for a while, Se-rin asked Jin-hyuk.

“But, aren’t you finding it hard lately?”

“…”

“With so many people recognizing you suddenly… I felt a lot of pressure at first. Actually, I still do. But, Jin-hyuk, you….”

In fact, the current situation wasn’t entirely easy or comfortable for Jin-hyuk either. But life isn’t always easy.

No matter how much you love something, there are always things you have to endure to do it.

The fact that the endurance is for something you love is enough to make it a happy thing.

“There are hard parts, but the joy is much greater.”

It was an obvious answer. There are hard parts. But the word "hard" coming from Jin-hyuk’s mouth was unfamiliar to Se-rin.

“Wow, you have hard parts too, Jin-hyuk.”

“Of course. Why would I not have hard parts?”

“Well, you always seem so calm.”

Perhaps that was because, over the past 17 years, Jin-hyuk had experienced 170 years’ worth of difficult and surprising events.

But even such a seasoned person needed a moment to breathe, and the singer who provided that moment was unaware.

“I want to hear you sing.”

“Sing?”

“Your song.”

“Huh?”

Se-rin blinked her large eyes.

“Sing here?”

That wasn’t what he meant. The song he heard on the battlefield suddenly came to mind. That’s what he wanted to hear.

This was a world that was the same yet different. Se-rin’s debut song was a new song he hadn’t heard in his previous life.

Any song by Se-rin would be good, but sometimes he wanted to hear songs he had heard before.

He couldn’t just reveal songs composed by others from his previous life, as he had no idea who the composers were.

“Sure. If you want to hear it, what song do you want?”

Her star was willing to sing just for her. It was indeed a happy world.

But the song I want to hear can only be sung in my previous life… Huh?

Jin-hyuk thought. His busy schedule and the intense studies of being a senior in high school had certainly tired his brain.

How could he have forgotten this thought he had long ago?

“In the Rain, Longing.”

Se-rin’s mother’s song. Se-rin’s eyes widened.

The song that Se-rin remade and became a huge hit in his previous life.

Se-rin had even released a remake album featuring songs by past singers.

Jin-hyuk knew all the songs and their arrangements. If it was a remake album, the copyright would be clear.

It was a song from Se-rin’s previous life that Jin-hyuk could definitely hear.

“It’s my favorite song from your mother’s album.”

Se-rin’s mother’s album was now a memory with Jin-hyuk. Se-rin nodded.

“I really like that song too. Okay, I’ll sing it.”

Se-rin stood up, loosened her throat a bit, and then carefully took a breath.

The memory of you, slowly fading

Your figure, swaying in the rain

Se-rin’s sweet voice echoed in the practice room, and Jin-hyuk closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall.

When I think I’ve forgotten

The sound of rain comes without fail

The longing revives

I call your name again.

Longing calls your name.

The rain’s longing calls your name.

The gentle rain turned into a storm that swept through his heart and then subsided.

Jin-hyuk opened his eyes, and Se-rin finished singing.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

Se-rin smiled happily at Jin-hyuk’s applause.

“Se-rin.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think you could include a remake of this song in your next mini album if there’s room?”

“Huh? Ah… What?”

Surprised by the unexpected suggestion, Se-rin’s eyes widened.

“I’m just sad to hear it only here. I want to hear it every day.”

Se-rin nodded absentmindedly.

“Ah… Really, why….”

Her response didn’t quite fit the context.

***

“What the hell!”

“…”

In the middle of the night, Kim Jong-moo, a inspector, was attacked by thugs and his eyes flashed.

The inspector couldn’t yet clearly distinguish between the real and fake Halbin Party.

“Were they Halbin Party members?”

It was a pointless question. If not them, who else would dare to attack an inspector of the Office of Censorship?

“Aiya!”

Swish!

Clang! Clank!

As a top swordsman in the government, the inspector didn’t easily fall to five thugs.

But the thugs were no ordinary men.

“Gah!”

The inspector was soon overpowered.

‘I can’t win.’

He could tell from the clash of swords.

Each of them was as skilled as the top swordsmen in the government.

Five of them, with no escape route.

Just as he thought he was doomed,

Swish!

A figure appeared like lightning and swiftly cut off one of the thugs’ legs.

“Gah!”

The thug dropped his sword and fell to the ground.

It was an opportunity. Kim Jong-moo didn’t have time to question who the masked man was.

“Yah!”

The inspector charged at the stunned thugs, and the mysterious man also joined in, swinging his sword.

The tide turned in an instant.

As two more thugs were cut down, the remaining ones started to flee.

“Stop, you bastards!”

The inspector, about to chase them, was held back by the masked man.

“It’s no use.”

He gestured towards the fallen men. They were still breathing, but now foaming at the mouth.

“Poison?”

They were incredibly cruel. Choosing death over capture.

The inspector, examining the dead men, said to the masked man.

“I should thank you, but given the situation, I should first confirm who you are.”

The man slowly removed his mask. It was a face the inspector had never seen before.

“I’ve never seen you before. May I ask who you are?”

“…”

Hong Gil-dong Jin-hyuk spoke gravely.

“I am Hong Gil-dong.”

The inspector’s eyes widened. He had thought it was a Halbin Party attack. But the one who helped him was Hong Gil-dong?

Confused, his pupils trembled.

Thump thump thump thump,

Ending OST.

“Damn. They really made it well.”

Jang Si-young, the head of MBS’s “Great Nation” CP (Chief Producer), wiped his face.

MBS, once known as the kingdom of dramas, was now losing its former glory.

To announce the revival of the drama kingdom, they ambitiously invested 20 billion won in “Great Nation” at the beginning of 2012.

But “Great Nation” was on the verge of disappearing without a trace, swept away by “Hong Gil-dong.”

“30 billion won to produce that quality, and 20 billion won… Damn.”

It wasn’t “Great Nation’s” fault. If the opponent wasn’t “Hong Gil-dong,” it could have achieved at least two to three times the current ratings.

Still, in the face of this unbelievable result, he needed someone to vent his frustration on.

“I’ll definitely bring Woo Jin-hyuk for the next project.”

But Jang Si-young wasn’t just venting his frustration.

PD Jung Doo-il, writer Han Yoo-kyung, Jung Ji-an… There were many key players in the success of “Hong Gil-dong,” but if he had to pick one, it would be the newcomer Woo Jin-hyuk.

If Woo Jin-hyuk’s next project meets a mediocre work, he can carry it with his own strength. That was the situation.

Given the current almost Hong Gil-dong Jin-hyuk phenomenon.

“Definitely next time!”

Jang Si-young, the head of MBS, burned with determination to cast Woo Jin-hyuk.

At the same time.

KBC Director’s Office.

The director’s face showed both joy and surprise after receiving the ratings report.

Episode 10. 48.7%

It was a number to celebrate. But the director’s mind was preoccupied with a promise he had made.

Dressing up and greeting all departments.

“Nah. No way.”

It’s different now from the early stages. From now on, increasing by 1% could be as difficult as the initial 10%.

To exceed 53%, there’s still 4.3% left.

I still have 4.3% to go….

But… With 6 episodes left in the drama….

“Cough….”

The legendary PD, respected by his juniors,

KBC Drama Department Director Lee Sang-soo.

Dressing up and greeting all departments, D-6 episodes.