A message that, at a glance, contained a positive nuance about the work.
Without realizing it, Taeha clenched his fist tightly at the message.
‘As I thought, it was a good thing I sent the script straight to the production company instead of the tvM competition.’
That’s right.
From the beginning, Taeha had no intention of participating in the four major competitions.
From experience, he knew that just being selected through a competition was no easy feat, and even if chosen, it was difficult for it to actually lead to drama production.
So, from the moment Taeha resolved to rewrite his script, he had been aiming to submit it directly to production companies.
Of course, even submitting to production companies was no easy task.
In fact, there was a chance that this route had even lower odds of actually leading to drama production than competitions.
Yet Taeha was certain that this path held more potential.
The reason was simple.
The very production company he had submitted his script to was none other than Sallamander Studio, run by Choi Daepyo—the man who had once pulled Ho-jun out of the abyss of life.
“A meeting with Sallamander Studio… If this meeting actually leads to a script contract, will I get to meet Choi Daepyo again?”
Thinking this, Taeha sent his reply to the message.
At that time, he had no idea what was about to happen.
***
Truthfully, he wanted to jump into the meeting with Sallamander Studio right away.
But due to the filming of , he couldn’t find the time.
Naturally, the meeting date was set for after the filming of episodes 9 and 10, and in the meantime, Taeha focused on the shoot.
Episodes 9 and 10 took place in Bichit Yoyangwon, which served as yet another “feeding ground” for evil spirits.
The reason Bichit Yoyangwon could be used as a feeding ground was simple.
They only provided beds to elderly with no relatives or to those who needed care from an aging spouse.
However, among the dementia patients recently admitted to the care center, one of them had an old friend.
Through that friend, Jinseong received a request and ended up connecting with the care center—that was the beginning of this episode.
[In front of the care center. Jinseong and Lee Jae-hyun are discussing a plan to infiltrate.]
“This time, hyung, you’ll have to go undercover alone, huh?”
“Why? You don’t want to wear makeup?”
“Come on. I’m still in my twenties. Disguising as an elderly person is a stretch. I’d get caught right away.”
“Then I guess you’re saying I’m fine for that?”
“Oh, you got me. Jin-seong Hal-abeoji, now in your late thirties.”
And so, Jinseong infiltrated the care center on his own.
Unlike with the illegal gambling den, the case seemed to progress smoothly.
But at the crucial moment, contact with Lee Jae-hyun was cut off, and Jinseong found himself in crisis.
“Kuh, kuh…!”
Bound and covered in blood, Jinseong coughed and thought.
How did I end up in this situation?
To Jinseong, it was incomprehensible.
If information hadn’t been leaked from within, he would never have been caught in such a crisis.
And finally, Lee Jae-hyun appeared before Jinseong.
There was a knife in his hand.
“You’re still alive?”
Jinseong frowned, lifting his head, and Lee Jae-hyun slowly approached him.
A shadow swung the knife.
And then—shhk—the sound of something being cut was heard.
That was the ending of episode 10.
***
With the heat of excitement still lingering in his palms, Taeha climbed into the car.
At the same time, Im Chan-hyung’s voice came from beside him.
“Good work on today’s shoot.”
“Yeah, you too. Good job.”
The shoots had been difficult, day after day.
As filming progressed, the conflict between Jinseong and Lee Jae-hyun only intensified—it was inevitable.
But that didn’t mean filming was nothing but hardship.
In fact, each time they safely finished a scene, Taeha felt a tingling thrill down his spine.
His current exhaustion was, in fact, the result of having been pierced several times by such exhilaration.
“Episodes 11 and 12 will probably be even tougher.”
would depict the showdown with the Dan-dan-ge Beomjoe Jojik in those episodes.
But more important than resolving the case itself was the intensifying conflict between Jinseong and Lee Jae-hyun, which would reach its peak.
Jinseong knew Lee Jae-hyun had tried to kill him.
Lee Jae-hyun, in turn, sensed Jinseong’s suspicions.
Distrust grew between them, and amid this process, Jinseong, victorious in a fight with another high-ranking evil spirit, would realize the true identity of his own father—that was the story up to episode 12.
And even that his father was the very enemy who killed Lee Jae-hyun’s parents.
“Just thinking about it, I can tell shooting those episodes will be tough. But the sense of accomplishment when it’s done will be even greater.”
Remembering that thrill, Taeha forgot his exhaustion and suddenly felt eager to return to filming.
It hit him again just how deeply he had immersed himself in the role of Lee Jae-hyun.
“I’ve become a real actor, haven’t I…”
But he couldn’t stay in actor mode forever.
Because tomorrow, he would finally have to attend the meeting with Sallamander Studio.
While Taeha was completely lost in his thoughts, Im Chan-hyung, who had started the car, asked,
“Where did you say you were going tomorrow?”
Im Chan-hyung also knew Taeha had plans tomorrow.
But—
“Oh, I’m just going to see my sister for a bit.”
“Gam So-jung?”
“Yeah.”
He hadn’t yet revealed his plans to work as a drama writer.
He intended to announce them after tomorrow’s meeting with Sallamander Studio.
He figured it was better to get the Entertainment Agency’s approval after confirming the possibility of a contract.
“That way, the agency will take my story seriously.”
He decided to worry about whether he could persuade the agency later.
There was no point in agonizing over it now.
What mattered right now was how tomorrow’s meeting would unfold.
“I need to blow them away at tomorrow’s meeting.”
Not long after—
When Taeha arrived home, he fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, just as he’d intended.
Perhaps because he was exhausted from filming, he slept deeply and dreamlessly.
***
Waking up refreshed, Taeha finished his morning workout and headed straight to Hapjeong, where Sallamander Studio was located.
Walking from Hapjeong Station Exit 2, about ten minutes away from the office, Taeha thought,
“So this is how much it’s changed.”
Sallamander Studio was in the same spot Taeha remembered.
But many of the shops nearby had changed in the past year.
He was especially disappointed to see that the Jangchi Guksu Jip he used to visit as Ho-jun had vanished.
At least the original Sundae Soup place he’d visited with Im Chan-hyung during auditions was still there.
After passing the Sundae Soup place and walking a few more minutes, Taeha finally stood in front of Sallamander Studio.
The office occupied the 6th, 7th, and 8th floors of an eight-story building.
It wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t a bad work environment.
That was because Choi Daepyo cared deeply about staff welfare.
The employee who came out to greet Taeha also seemed genuinely satisfied with their job, their expression bright.
Of course, it was only possible to think that because the staff member hadn’t yet realized who Taeha was.
Taeha took the initiative, greeting someone who looked like an employee.
“Hello. I’m Kang Tae-ha, here for today’s meeting.”
A moment later, as the staff realized who he was, a sound of astonishment escaped their lips.
“Ah….”
It was understandable.
The person who’d shown up for the appointment was a stunningly handsome man—even a mask couldn’t hide it.
And when Taeha removed his mask, the shock reached its peak.
Even behind a mask, no one could have imagined such good looks.
If the staff member hadn’t spent seven years as a producer, meeting many celebrities, they probably would have lost their composure completely.
That was the extent of Taeha’s exceptional appearance.
“Hello, writer. I’m Kim Seoan from Drama Planning Team 3—the one who contacted you last time. By the way…”
“Yes?”
“Aren’t you an actor?”
“Oh? You know me? I’m almost completely unknown.”
“Ah, well, when I saw your face, I just thought—if someone like you isn’t an actor, who is? If it’s not too much to ask, may I know what you’ve appeared in?”
“I recently had a minor role in and I’m currently filming . I’m here today as a writer, though.”
“…Ah! I know who you are! You’re the one who got stabbed by Han Yun-seong and died, right?”
Taeha was a little surprised at Kim Seoan’s question.
He hadn’t expected to be recognized in this way.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Wow, so it’s really you. I was keeping an eye on you because you were so good-looking and your acting was great, but to think you’re also a good writer… Ah, look at me. We should move to a meeting room, shouldn’t we?”
Kim Seoan, regaining her composure, began guiding Taeha inside.
Taeha followed her to one of the conference rooms in the office.
There, they began talking in earnest about the script.
“I’m still a bit stunned. I never expected someone as handsome as you to show up for a writer’s meeting. And to top it off, you’re also an actor…”
“Thank you for enjoying the script.”
“I couldn’t believe it was the work of a rookie writer. Now it makes sense. I guess what you learned and experienced on set came through in your writing, right?”
“…You could say that.”
Since he couldn’t reveal he’d been a writer in his past life, Taeha just brushed off the question.
But Kim Seoan seemed certain of her own deduction.
It was only natural for a third party to try to make sense of Taeha’s writing prowess in this way.
“The you sent us was really impressive. Just as it said in your proposal, it’s a zombie drama without any zombies—really faithful to that concept.”
As Kim Seoan mentioned, the 12-episode drama Taeha had written, , was a zombie drama without actual zombies.
It told the story of Han Seo-yul, a researcher at the Republic of Korea’s top pharmaceutical company, who returns from Apokalipseu Mirae and searches for the culprit who spread the zombie virus, ultimately preventing the end of the world.
“I was amazed that there were twists and turns in every episode, even though there are only three so far. It felt familiar, yet it was a fresh new thriller unlike anything I’d seen.”
Taeha nodded in agreement at Kim Seoan’s words.
His goal in planning the piece had been just that—to create a new kind of thriller that felt familiar yet completely fresh.
For that reason, Taeha couldn’t help but be impressed by Kim Seoan’s keen eye in recognizing the value of the work.
It felt just like when he first met Choi Daepyo.
“I always thought Choi Daepyo had an eye for good scripts, but he must be just as good at hiring staff.”
While he was thinking that, Kim Seoan continued to speak, all her words positive.
Naturally, the conversation turned toward the subject of contracts.
“To be honest, I’d like to draw up a contract with you right here and now, but before that, I have to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“Did you get your agency’s approval for writer activities?”
Taeha had expected the question and shook his head.
“No, I haven’t yet. If you give me confirmation about the contract today, I was planning to bring it up with my agency.”
“Ah, that makes sense. If you talked about it in advance, your agency would probably just worry for nothing.”
“Yes, so what I’d like to ask is, would it be alright if I discuss the contract with my agency and then give you an answer?”
“Of course. That’s only natural.”
Thus, the conversation ended with the decision that the script contract would proceed after Taeha got the Entertainment Agency’s approval.
Since they’d already discussed the specific terms without difficulty, there was no need for further meetings.
But Taeha couldn’t head home right away.
Because—
“Ah, writer. Before you go, would you like to greet Daepyo-nim for a moment?”
Kim Seoan had made this suggestion.
“This is…”
It was an opportunity to meet his benefactor, Choi Daepyo, much sooner than he’d expected.