Chapter 66: The Temptation of Big Money

“CEO, I’m not doing it.”

“I wasn’t too keen on it either after that meeting.”

Hyungkyu, having noticed the writer’s attitude, agreed with my stance.

“What kind of writer is that? She didn’t know a thing. It’s a total synopsis scam.”

“It’s obvious the assistant writer is doing all the work.”

“No doubt about it. She looked pitiful, like she was barely hanging on.”

If I could see it, there was no way Hyungkyu missed it.

“She used to be a diligent, decent writer, but who would’ve thought she’d turn into someone who grinds her assistant like that?”

“Really?”

“It’s been a while since she wrote anything. That’s why I was a bit skeptical when I heard she was adapting a webtoon.”

As expected, Hyungkyu knew everything.

“People have been saying her recent works feel outdated… Oh, is that why she’s doing a webtoon adaptation? Because she’s been called old-fashioned?”

The webtoon was a high-teen youth story, not exactly the kind of vibe an older writer would naturally capture.

“How long has it been?”

“None of her recent works have done well. Back in the day, she wrote The Woman of the Sky… You probably don’t know it?”

“When was that drama from?”

“About 18 years ago? You were three, so of course you wouldn’t know.”

No way I’d know a drama that old.

“The first four episodes were really good, though.”

“Yeah, I liked them too.”

The adaptation for the first four episodes was undeniably great. 

It captured the webtoon’s lively charm while keeping the sweet emotions intact. 

But after the meeting, I felt there was no real substance.

The assistant writer seemed on the edge too.

She had ideas about the story, but she was constantly watching the main writer’s reactions… It felt shaky. 

Plus, she looked like she could collapse any moment.

An exhausted mind can’t think straight.

That’s what Kyungho used to say when I stayed up memorizing scripts.

“It’s better to avoid risky projects. Let’s think about other options.”

“Okay.”

It was almost uncanny how perfectly Hyungkyu and I were aligned, making the contract clauses we signed seem unnecessary.

And so, I thought that project was out of my life…

“Let’s do that project!”

A few days later, Hyungkyu’s stance—previously aligned with mine—did a complete 180.

“Why? You were against it just a few days ago.”

“Here’s the thing: there’s big money attached to it now.”

“Money?”

Since Love Some’s original webtoon was popular overseas, foreign production companies had jumped in with funding for the drama.

“I deliberately doubled your appearance fee to scare them off.”

“And?”

They wouldn’t actually meet my fee, would they…

“They agreed.”

“Seriously?”

What kind of overseas funding was this that they’d pay that much for a rookie like me? 

I was already satisfied with my per-episode fee compared to the national minimum wage.

“Let’s use this chance to raise your value. Huh? Opportunities like this don’t come often.”

He was right—it was a rare opportunity. 

A second male lead role with a fee they’d pay whatever I asked? 

That was a solid deal.

“Ugh…”

But the writer’s meeting left me hesitant. 

The synopsis was good, but the writer’s attitude… haha.

“Hyunjae, let’s just do this one with our eyes half-closed! Come on, the story for the first four episodes isn’t bad!”

Hyungkyu was practically begging, clearly eager to take it on.

“The highlight scenes are amazing, aren’t they?”

“They are, but…”

The story itself was average, but the heart-pounding, iconic scenes were masterfully crafted—that’s why the webtoon was a hit.

“Come on, let’s do it! I promise, for the next project, I’ll let you pick whatever you want, no complaints. Okay?”

If Hyungkyu was this desperate… what could I do? 

Even if it was a synopsis scam, raising my value and landing a second male lead role was a bold move.

“Fine.”

“Really?”

At my agreement, Hyungkyu’s face lit up like a flower in bloom.

“Great! I’ll confirm right away! Oh, you beautiful thing!”

Hyungkyu grabbed my cheeks with his thick hands and squished them.

“Ow~ That hurts~”

“It’s because you’re so pretty, so pretty. How did a guy like you end up here?”

These days, it takes three to four years to launch a rookie, but I got attention from my first project and was now on a smooth path to a second male lead role. 

Hyungkyu was probably screaming with joy inside.

“So when does filming start?”

“You’ve got about one or two months before shooting begins. Take your time to prepare.”

“Got it.”

“Oh! That variety show you filmed is airing tonight, right?”

“Has it already been that long?”

It felt like I’d just finished recording, but it was already airing. 

Time flies.

“It got delayed a week because of another team’s promotion. Some shows air in just a week.”

“Really?”

The fast-paced world was fascinating.

“You didn’t say anything weird, right? Hayoon said you got a lot of screen time.”

“Something weird? What do you take me for?”

“You cause trouble every now and then.”

“Come on, CEO, that was just… a little hiccup.”

***

The YouTube variety show we filmed aired that night at 8 PM. 

Since it was my first variety appearance, I was curious about how I’d come across and watched it with Kyungho.

“Hello~ This is Neighborhood Supermarket!”

“Woo!”

Kyungho, Jayden, and I watched together on a small smartphone.

“Woof! Woof!”

Why are you there? 

What’s that?

“Yeah, that’s me. Cool, right?”

Even though I was standing right in front of him, Jayden was amazed to see me on the screen. 

It’s a world regular dogs wouldn’t understand.

“Today, we have the heartthrob high schoolers from Blue Sky Spring! Gongjun and Jung Hyunjae, who’ve stolen the hearts of many noonas!”

“Hello, I’m Gongjun.”

“Hello, I’m Jung Hyunjae~”

“You look like a real celebrity like that.”

Kyungho found my polished look—complete with perfect hair and makeup—unfamiliar. 

It was quite different from the stretched-out T-shirt and sweatpants I was wearing now.

“Professionals make anyone look like that.”

“The guy who’s usually so sloppy is acting all proper. It’s weird.”

Kyungho kept glancing between the real me and the me on the phone.

“Sloppy… what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s a thing.”

“Doesn’t sound like a good thing…”

It felt off, but the word was kind of cute, so I let it slide.

“Just have fun.”

Most of what I said in the video came through unedited.

“What’s with ‘just have fun’?”

“If I’m having fun, what else am I supposed to say?”

“You should say, ‘I’m having a great time.’”

“Oh~”

Kyungho was sharp. 

Someone who’s lived among humans for so long really is different.

“I promoted our village hard, but it’s a shame.”

I’d hyped up our small but beautiful village, hoping people would notice, but the village name was bleeped out on the broadcast.

“You talked a lot.”

“We filmed for, like, three or four hours? I’ve never talked that much in a day.”

I finally understood why a talk show is called a talk show.

“But it looks like you had fun filming.”

“Yeah! It was fun. They laughed even at the small stuff. I’d love to do it again if I get the chance.”

Talking to new people and hearing their stories was pretty enjoyable.

“I prefer this over you acting all pretentious. It’s easier to watch.”

“That’s just the role.”

Kyungho didn’t like my character Donghyeok in Blue Sky Spring, saying he seemed like a delinquent.

“Still, this is way better than looking weird.”

Times like this showed Kyungho’s age.

Guess I’ll keep my psychopath role a secret.

The next day, after enjoying the variety show with Kyungho…

“Run!”

At my command, Jayden sprinted across the dirt, kicking up dust. 

As I chased after him, a voice called out from behind.

“Huh?”

It was a voice I knew all too well, so I stopped in my tracks and shouted to Jayden.

“Jayden, stop!”

At the command, Jayden slammed on the brakes, stopped, and turned to look at me.

Why?

His eyes were full of complaint, annoyed that I interrupted his fun, but that wasn’t important right now.

“Village chief!”

“Hey, Hyunjae. Out for some exercise, huh?”

The one who called me was none other than the most powerful person in our village—the chief.

“Exercise? Nah, just taking Jayden for a run.”

“Aww, so cute. He’s grown a lot, hasn’t he?”

Jayden recognized the chief right away and wagged his tail in excitement.

“He eats too much, that’s the problem.”

The chief crouched down to pet Jayden’s back, and Jayden, loving the attention, flopped onto the ground, showing his belly.

It’s a dirt floor…

I almost teared up thinking about the bath he’d need, but seeing him so happy, I turned my head and pretended not to notice.

“Oh! I was going to brag to you, chief…”

“I was actually headed to your place, so it’s good I ran into you.”

“Brag” about raising the village’s name, but the chief’s voice drowned me out.

“My place? Why? Is something up?”

“I had something to ask your uncle, but since you’re here, come with me to the community center.”

“Huh?”

“It’s important village business. Just come along.”

The chief grabbed my arm and started pulling me along, and I was dragged off, caught off guard.

“Woof! Woof!”

Where are you going?

Jayden, who wanted more attention, saw the chief hurrying off and quickly got up to follow me.

“There’s been some weird people around lately, so I need you to check things out with me.”

“Check what? What’s going on?”

“Well…”

Just as the chief started to explain, people standing in front of the community center spotted him and bowed.

“Greetings, chief!”

“Oh, you came all the way to this countryside. Who was it that contacted me…?”

“That’s me. I’m the PD in charge of program production. Here’s my card.”

“Oh, is that so?”

The chief took the card but squinted at the tiny text. Struggling to read it, he handed it to me.

“Read it for me.”

So that’s why he brought me along. 

I read the card aloud.

“Tomorrow Potato?”

What kind of company name is that? 

I looked at the person who handed me the card with suspicion dripping from my eyes.

“Haha… You’ve heard of our company, right?”

Flustered by my skeptical look, he asked with an awkward smile, but I answered firmly.

“Nope.”

“Oh, you haven’t… I see…”

“We’ve done a lot of famous projects…”

I wasn’t listening to them anymore.

Suspicious.

What were they doing in a village like this?

“Well, nothing’s set yet, so let’s take a walk around the village and talk it over slowly.”

The chief took the lead, and thus began an awkward village tour with three strangers.