Chapter 24: Seo Ji-won’s Wish

[Due to Park Tae-won’s drunk driving incident, the smoothly sailing drama  has hit a red signal. The Yongsan Police Station revealed that at 4 a.m. today, Park was caught driving his Toyota vehicle under the influence on the roads of Yongsan District. Meanwhile, it was reported that Park had a prior history of drunk driving...]

One week after signing the contract for the next work.

The news of Park Tae-won’s drunk driving arrest was featured prominently on the front page of Yonhap News.

At a time when  was about to air its final episode, the disappointed fans—who had no choice but to despair—declared a boycott and even staged an anti-campaign against the lead actor Park Tae-won.

As a result, many viewers, once loyal fans of —nicknamed the 'The Queen Faction'—began flocking to .

Thanks to this shift, ’s ratings soared to an unprecedented high.

Sensing the unusual momentum, I made a video call to CEO Hong Joo-hee from the studio, watching the H Studio set live through dual streaming.

Currently, the morale among H Studio staff resembled that of astronauts boarding a spaceship in a movie.

“R-ratings at 17.7%… 17.9%… It keeps rising.”

“Surpassed 18.3%! Rapid ascent! Requesting support from headquarters!”

“Grab it! We’re about to break the record for highest viewership!”

The ratings of  showed an endless and sharp upward trend, soon hitting the dreaded 19% milestone.

Only then did the rise begin to slow, and by the time the final episode aired, the highest recorded rating was:

“19.5%, sir.”

CEO Hong Joo-hee, H Studio’s top executive, asked sharply without losing her tension.

“... how did it end up?”

“’s highest rating was… 9.8%,” I answered.

Airing at the same time,  had dominated  with ratings surpassing 15% until the previous episode.

But just before the finale, due to the heroic Park Tae-won’s self-sacrificial spirit that burned his entire body, the ratings plummeted miserably.

At the same time, as if in celebration, a notification window from Godflix illuminated the screen with dazzling light.

[Gold Rank Upgrade!]

※ Gold Rank members can now use the Exclusive Shop.

As soon as I closed the notification, one after another popped up continuously.

[Sudden Quest]  
Success conditions met  
Rewards granted!  
- Reward: 300 million won in cash

I pressed the claim button, and piles of money rained down onto the studio sofa.

No matter how many times I watched the explosive cash shower, it never got old.

It was exhilarating.

“Heh heh heh… the day to thank Park Tae-won has finally come…”

I pulled out a large duffel bag that bank robbers would love and carefully stuffed the bundles of bills inside.

It was not only gratitude toward Park Tae-won but also because before heading to the bank, I had other business to attend to.

On the top right, my name alongside Jeong Hyuk’s was displayed with the ‘Gold’ crown rank—clearly changed.

The long-awaited rank upgrade had finally happened.

This time, I wondered if I could finally watch dramas rated over 2.5 stars.

Excited to see more entertaining dramas than , my heart pounded with the viewers’ feelings.

》 Godflix Drama Contents (Gold)  
  
Rating: 2.9  
  
Rating: 2.8  
  
Rating: 2.6

As I was about to leisurely savor these new dramas, a flashing tab on the side caught my eye.

I carefully checked the notification again and saw some small letters.

‘/ Exclusive Shop ?0’

Yes, the tab at the bottom left called ‘Exclusive Shop’ was now open.

Without hesitation, I entered, and there were two products.

The first was a viewing ticket for Godflix productions.

[1-episode viewing ticket: 10 million won]

The price was ten million won.

Honestly, there were many dramas rated in the mid to high 2s but no viewing tickets to watch them, which was frustrating.

Previously, one had to clear quests to earn four viewing tickets per quest, so being able to purchase them with money felt like a relief.

Besides, since Hong Joo-hee and  were contracted at 70 million won per episode, paying 1,000 won per episode was a huge deal.

“What about the other one… a Wish Ticket?”

[Wish Ticket (Grade 0): 100 million won]  
[Wish Ticket (Grade 8): 500 million won]  
[Wish Ticket (Grade &): 1 billion won]  
[Wish Ticket (Grade 5): 5 billion won]  
[Wish Ticket (Grade [): 10 billion won]

The Wish Ticket was the reward for the main quest of surpassing 20% in ratings.

Seeing that Grade 0’s Wish Ticket was priced at 100 million won made me laugh—how amazing a wish must it grant to justify all those zeros?

Still, since I’d just received 300 million won in rewards, I was curious enough to consider trying one.

Just as I was picking up four bundles of cash from my stash to pay, I noticed something.

“Wait a minute. Why is there an extra zero here?”

That’s right. The Wish Ticket wasn’t 100 million won, but 1 billion won. Above that were 5 billion, 10 billion, 50 billion, 100 billion, 500 billion, 1 trillion…

“Damn.”

I almost swore out loud.

No matter how generous the rewards, selling something at that price was just ridiculous.

‘If I buy a few Wish Tickets, I’ll go broke in no time.’

Yet at the same time, a strong curiosity arose.

What would I get if I made a wish with a 100 billion won ticket? Would it summon the president or something?

“Heh heh heh.”

Back and forth, I quietly pressed the back button on Godflix’s flashy scale.

The urge to buy a Grade 0 Wish Ticket faded away.

It was frustrating that  missed the main quest by just 0.5%, falling short of 20%.

Reward: 500 million won plus a 1 billion won Wish Ticket.

No matter what, I now had the desire to break 20% in the next work.

“Hmm, then first I have to buy all the remaining episodes of .”

Suppressing my urge to watch dramas over 2.5 stars, I purchased .

As a responsible writer, before watching new dramas, finishing ’s script was the priority.

I paid 80 million won to buy all 12 episodes until the finale.

Episode 5 of  was titled ‘Cold Noodles.’

Would tonight’s late-night snack be refreshing cold noodles? Happy with the thought, I turned on the delivery app.

But ever since earlier, nonstop calls had prevented me from properly using my phone.

Most were congratulatory messages celebrating the record high finale ratings, or casual check-ins masked as work-related contact like “Let’s meet sometime,” “Let’s grab a meal,” or “Let’s have tea.”

Too tired to respond one by one, I turned off my phone.

Tonight, I wanted to quietly enjoy Godflix alone.

Taking out a retro trot ‘New Nest Cold Noodles’ I’d saved as emergency rations, I was about to pour water.

Ding-dong.

The studio’s intercom rang.

Hurriedly, I hid the cash bundles in the room.

Cool, calm room—

“Writer, it’s me. Please open the door.”

On the intercom screen, Seo Ji-won’s face grinned wide, holding a bottle of whiskey that took up half the screen.

Se-na

The H Studio office in Hapjeong-dong.

CEO Hong Joo-hee was basking in the glory of ’s finale success.

She was busy making thank-you calls for congratulations, promising to do even better with the next project, combining gratitude with persuasion like a true professional.

Team Leader Seo Soon-ae, under Hong’s direction, was calling Jeong Hyuk.

“Jeong Hyuk’s phone is still off?”

“Yes, it seems so.”

“Hmm. He must’ve turned it off because of all the calls again.”

“Did you consider assigning him an assistant writer?”

“No need, he’s the type who just knocks it out solo. But… having an assistant would make communication easier for us.”

“There are probably annoying calls everywhere. Why not assign a manager who can also assist with the calls, so it’s easier for him?”

“Oh? That sounds good.”

“Getting the best treatment means he’ll continue working with H Studio. Heh heh heh.”

Despite exhaustion, Hong admired Seo Soon-ae’s energy and thought she’d picked a great person.

“Wait, the writer’s calling. Yes, writer.”

Hong happily accepted the call from Jeong Hyuk but soon his face stiffened.

“Writer, someone’s at your house. What happened?”

Upon receiving the call, Hong rushed to the studio.

There, at the island dining table in the lounge, lay Seo Ji-won, sound asleep.

Well, not exactly asleep—completely wasted after downing a whole bottle of 30-year-old Balvenie whiskey.

Hong looked at Jeong Hyuk with a worried expression.

“Writer, no matter what, drinking a whole bottle of whiskey with an actress is a bit…”

“That’s unfair. She came here holding the empty bottle after finishing it all.”

It was true. The whiskey bottle shaking on the intercom had almost no liquor left.

They couldn’t just send the drunk actress back. Worried about whether any paparazzi had snapped pictures, Jeong Hyuk had called Hong.

“Well, I didn’t answer her calls either, but I couldn’t exactly reject her. I was worried if she contacted someone else and rumors started, so I trusted you to handle it.”

“Oh dear. If Seo Ji-won’s drunk, she should just go home. Why your place?”

“We made a bet during filming. At exactly 19.5%, she came here to make a wish.”

“Oh dear…”

Hong watched Seo Ji-won, smiling faintly as if having a sweet dream, though drunk.

“Writer, speaking of which…”

Hong asked Jeong Hyuk about all the annoying calls coming lately.

What if an actress suddenly appeared in the studio and scandals broke out?

After discussing various possibilities and situations, the conclusion was that it’d be best to assign an assistant writer.

“Wait, why is this conversation going this way?”

“Having an assistant would erase the bias that you’re a single man living alone.”

“Is that really how it works?”

“You can try it, and if it’s uncomfortable, you can send them away. No pressure, just try working with one.”

Jeong Hyuk began to think that it wasn’t a bad idea.

He’d been considering creating a separate phone due to constant calls. Having an assistant handle those calls would certainly be easier.

Besides, to push  past 20%, he had to finish watching the last episode and start the script soon, so fewer distractions would help.

“Understood. I’ll leave it to you.”

Hong saw Jeong Hyuk off, loading Seo Ji-won into the back seat of the car.

“Seo Ji-won, you’re pretty drunk.”

“Hmm. I’ve just been feeling really good lately, so I had a drink.”

Watching Seo Ji-won tapping her chest and acting drunk, Hong chuckled.

“Alright, alright, I’ll close the door. Let’s confess soberly.”

Hong pushed back Seo Ji-won’s arms reaching out to the door and shut it.

“By the way, writer. Just asking, but… does Seo Ji-won have feelings for you?”

“CEO, I’m a single man in my mid-thirties. You should ask questions fitting my status. And anyone can clearly see she’s drunk.”

“Well, considering your appearance and skills, you’re not exactly the type to lack female admirers, right?”

Hong gave a big sigh and moved to the driver’s seat.

“I was just asking just in case. Oh, the moving company will visit next Wednesday. Since they’re packing, you probably won’t need to handle much yourself.”

“Ah, didn’t I mention? We signed a new contract, so you have to move your studio. You were just temporarily here; this will be your real studio.”

Real studio?

Jeong Hyuk raised an eyebrow in confusion, but Hong smiled brightly and drove off.

By then, it was past 2 a.m.