Chapter 29: After the Death of Lee Jae-hyun

After the filming of episode 13 of , Taeha slept straight for three days.

It wasn’t simply because he wanted to rest.

That’s how much the aftereffects of filming episode 13 weighed on him.

He had poured his heart and soul into the filming of episode 13.

“It wasn’t just me.”

Seon Min-gi was the same.

He acted in episode 13 as if it was the last time, burning with passion.

It was proven when Seon Min-gi cried his heart out in character, not even realizing filming had ended.

Even now, it felt as if the echo of that wailing lingered in his ears.

“It must be because Director Lee Hae-ik suggested a three-day break from weekday filming, worrying about Seon Min-gi’s condition.”

Seon Min-gi had cried so sorrowfully, as if he had truly lost his family.

He shed tears to the point where it was questionable if he could film the next day.

Perhaps that’s why, even Director Lee Hae-ik, who was known for loving filming, couldn’t bring himself to push ahead with episode 14 and declared a break.

So, just like Taeha, the entire Shooting Team was now on a three-day break.

“That means, starting today, filming for episode 14 resumes.”

With this thought, Taeha immediately sent messages to all staff members whose contact information he had, including Director Lee Hae-ik, encouraging them for today’s shoot.

Of course, this included the Actors who still had filming left.

And so, Taeha’s message was finally sent to Seon Min-gi.

[Hyung, good luck with filming today!]

[Don’t cry just because I’m not there ^“]

A moment later, a reply from Seon Min-gi arrived.

[How am I not supposed to cry when you’re not here]

[I have to cry for my role, anyway]

Taeha hadn’t expected a reply at all, so it was a surprise.

But that surprise only lasted a moment—Taeha smiled and began to type back.

[Ah! That’s true, too.]

[Then it’d be unfair if only hyung cries, so I’ll be crying with you!]

***

Inside the car on the way to the set.

After getting Taeha’s message, Seon Min-gi couldn’t help but smile.

Catching sight of Seon Min-gi’s expression through the rearview mirror, Kim Nam-sun asked,

“Hyung, what are you smiling at?”

Seon Min-gi immediately put on a straight face, as if he’d never smiled, and answered.

“Mind your own business and focus on driving.”

Then, he sent a reply to Taeha.

[Send proof]

***

AH Entertainment’s waiting room.

Click.

Taeha suddenly took a teary-eyed selfie, causing Im Chan-hyung to frown at the sight.

“What are you doing?”

“You’re crying for a second and taking a selfie for proof.”

“What is that? Are you getting ready for a variety show appearance or something?”

“It’s something like that. By the way… when I said I was writing a drama, how did the CEO react?”

“He seemed surprised. Really surprised. I was shocked too, so imagine how he must’ve felt.”

“That’s it? He didn’t say anything else? Like whether he’d approve it?”

“I don’t know. He just said he’d think about it for a bit and hung up, then soon after called you and told you to come to the company with me.”

Currently, Taeha had been summoned by Go Seokjun, the CEO of AH Entertainment, regarding his activities as a drama Scriptwriter.

He had been putting it off due to filming , but there was no reason to delay anymore.

So, Taeha showed Im Chan-hyung the Script for .

Im Chan-hyung didn’t realize Taeha had written the Script and asked,

[The Script is really fun! Did your cousin noona bring this over for you again? Whose is it? Is it by any chance Jung Sora?]

Taeha couldn’t help but be surprised by Im Chan-hyung’s reaction.

He already knew the Script had been well-received during the meeting with Salamander Studio, but he hadn’t expected Jung Sora’s name to come up.

Jung Sora was one of the top Thriller masters in Korea.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say any drama she wrote would gain worldwide popularity.

And yet, Im Chan-hyung had brought up Jung Sora after reading his Script.

Taeha couldn’t help but feel good.

[No, I wrote it.]

[Yeah, I figured as much… what? Who wrote it?]

[I said I wrote it. I even got a contract offer from Salamander Studio.]

When Taeha said this, Im Chan-hyung was so shocked he looked as if he’d seen a ghost.

That’s how shocking it was for Im Chan-hyung.

It was only natural.

A kid who had just begun to blossom as an Actor had written a drama that could be mistaken for the work of a Thriller master and brought it in himself.

However,

[I don’t know how the CEO will react, though. As you know, our CEO isn’t exactly a regular person.]

Regardless of the Script’s quality, Im Chan-hyung didn’t feel optimistic about whether Go Seokjun would approve of Taeha’s Scriptwriter activities.

That was mostly because Go Seokjun had an unpredictable personality.

“…If the CEO doesn’t let you work as a Scriptwriter, what will you do?”

Im Chan-hyung cautiously asked Taeha, who was lost in recent memories.

But Taeha answered without hesitation.

“I’ll give up.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. No matter what the reason, he’s the one who pulled me out of the gutter.”

“…That’s true.”

It was Im Chan-hyung who told Taeha he thought it would be good for him to become an Actor and persuaded him.

You could say all of this was thanks to Im Chan-hyung.

However, naturally, the contract with the agency wasn’t something Im Chan-hyung could decide on his own.

Go Seokjun’s approval was absolutely necessary, and surprisingly, Go Seokjun had readily agreed to contract Taeha.

[The face is good. I like the atmosphere too. Let’s proceed with the contract.]

In the end, it was thanks to Go Seokjun that Taeha was able to start a new life.

Even Taeha, recalling his previous memories as Kang Taeha, was aware of this.

That was why Taeha was so willing to give up on the Scriptwriter contract.

“Anyway, I can work as a Scriptwriter after my contract here ends, even if it’s with another company.”

That’s how Taeha thought, and Im Chan-hyung seemed relieved by his response.

“Right. The Script is a pity, but at this stage, there’s no need to go against the CEO’s wishes. Once you’ve established yourself as an Actor, you’ll get another chance to persuade him.”

As Im Chan-hyung said, aiming for the next opportunity was also an option.

Of course, there were still problems with that approach.

Actually, for some time, Kim Seoan had been contacting him often.

[Writer! When do you think we can move forward with the contract? Has the agency approved yet?]

[The draft contract is ready, so I’ve sent it over! If there are any terms you’d like, please feel free to let us know ^^]

[If it’s too difficult to persuade them, would it be okay if our CEO tried calling AH Entertainment’s CEO?]

[I’m sorry to keep contacting you, Writer ㅠㅠ This is my first time with something like this, but our CEO keeps asking when we can proceed with the contract ㅠㅠ]

“They must really want this contract. CEO Han will be disappointed if it doesn’t go through…”

On the other hand, Taeha also wondered why CEO Han wanted the contract with him so badly.

As far as he knew, CEO Han wasn’t the type to act so aggressively toward anyone.

“Maybe they just really liked the Script?”

While Taeha was thinking this, there was a knock and someone who seemed to be a staff member from the agency entered the waiting room.

“The meeting’s over. You can go to the CEO’s office now, Actor.”

At the staff’s words, Taeha and Im Chan-hyung got up and headed toward Go Seokjun’s office.

***

Meanwhile.

After hearing that Taeha would meet Go Seokjun today, Han Sung-joo was visibly anxious.

He paced around the office, biting his nails, as evidence of his nerves.

Kim Seoan watched him with a helpless look and finally spoke up.

“CEO… if you’re so anxious, why not just go to the restroom?”

“Huh? Oh. No, I’m not anxious. Did I look anxious? Was I making you uncomfortable? Sorry, I’ll sit. No, I’ll just stand here. I won’t move.”

But Han Sung-joo couldn’t stick to his words.

Soon, he began to pace the office restlessly again.

He even said,

“Should I just call AH Entertainment right now? I actually have a decent connection with their CEO.”

“Please don’t. The Writer said they’d talk to him first, so we just have to wait.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I forgot. I need to hold back.”

“Yes. Please hold back.”

“But maybe just for a moment wouldn’t hurt?”

“No, it would!”

In the end, Kim Seoan raised his voice, unable to hold back any longer, but Han Sung-joo didn’t even seem to notice.

He seemed completely distracted.

The amazing thing was that Han Sung-joo had been acting like this for days already.

It was so bad that even the producers, who didn’t know the situation, approached Kim Seoan to ask what was going on with the CEO.

So even Kim Seoan, who was always polite to Han Sung-joo, couldn’t help but raise his voice.

Kim Seoan looked at Han Sung-joo, sighed deeply, and thought of the only way to calm him down.

The best way was to bring up something else Han Sung-joo could focus on.

“Instead of worrying, why don’t we think about the casting list for ?”

Sure enough, as soon as Kim Seoan brought it up, Han Sung-joo responded.

“The casting list for the Actors?”

“Yes. If the contract for is completed and it gets scheduled quickly, casting needs to come first for filming to start.”

“That’s true. For a Script like , you can’t just cast anyone. Do you have anyone in mind?”

As Han Sung-joo finally seemed to come to his senses, Kim Seoan continued.

“For the female lead, personally, I think Kang Sojeong would be good.”

“Kang Sojeong?”

“Yes. She’s best known for her romantic-comedy image, but her acting is great and she draws a lot of attention. This could be a chance to transform her image. Plus, since she recently shot Hallows’ Day, the character connection isn’t bad.”

“Right. If it’s Kang Sojeong, the schedule is basically set. What about Shin Jian?”

“Shin Jian is good too. I was going to suggest her as second choice. She’s an Actor who excels in Thriller roles, and since she’s been on hiatus for a while, viewers won’t feel bored seeing her again. Her scheduling should be easy, too. For third, I was thinking of Yoo Yeonha.”

“Yoo Yeonha is good. She’s not quite at Kang Sojeong or Shin Jian’s level, but she’s an up-and-comer. As long as a strong Actor is cast for the male lead, there won’t be a problem.”

“Yes. The casting pool for the female lead is pretty broad. The issue is really the male lead…”

Kim Seoan trailed off, clearly troubled.

But Han Sung-joo didn’t seem to understand why Kim Seoan was so concerned and tilted his head.

“The male lead? Why worry about the male lead?”

“It’s a hard role to pull off. It requires delicate acting, and with the setting as the youngest New Drug Development Team Leader, he has to be young as well. I’m not sure there’s an Actor who fits that vibe…”

“There is.”

“Who? Don’t tell me…”

Kim Seoan seemed to sense something and asked, and Han Sung-joo grinned.

“Of course. Our Kang Taeha—Writer. No, Actor.”

***

At the same time.

Go Seokjun looked at Taeha with a serious expression and spoke.

“…I don’t think this is possible.”