Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Is the Writer Omnipotent?
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[I'll Go to You.]
The song from Ugly Duckling on TV came to an end.
Applause poured in for her as she finished the song while holding onto her emotions right up to the last note.
"She sings really well."
Mother clapped along from the real world, fully immersed as one of the audience members.
Taesung nodded at her words.
"I think so too. She sang amazingly."
"Isn't the King's title in danger? She seems to be on that level."
"Yeah."
He already knew the outcome.
But there was no need to show it.
"It'd be great if she could make it to the Hall of Fame. I'm worried because defending five times isn't easy."
"Aren't you curious about her identity?"
"Oh, of course I am. These days, whenever I meet up with the other moms, we debate who the King is every single day? We used to talk about how much our husbands make or what companies our sons got into."
Mother propped her chin on one arm, lost in thought as she continued.
"But you know, I'd love to see her succeed in the fifth defense and enter the Hall of Fame too. Sigh, I don't know."
"Haha, let's just watch and see how it turns out. Oh, looks like it's his turn now."
"I wonder what song he'll sing today."
Pen on White Paper remained alone on the stage in the TV.
One of the top Kings who had successfully defended up to the fourth round.
A win here would mean advancing to the fifth defense and stepping down from the stage as an eternal King.
Checking a portal site on his smartphone, he saw it already flooded with real-time search terms related to the King.
[When You Said You Were Leaving.]
Soon, his voice flowed from the TV.
The final stage had begun.
* * *
[1. Pen on White Paper]
[2. Sia]
[3. Mask Singer Hall of Fame]
Mask Singer was over.
In the end, Pen on White Paper stepped off the stage still wearing his mask.
He had succeeded in his fifth defense.
"That was really close. Just a five-vote difference."
"Yeah."
It was just as Mother said.
The vote gap between Pen on White Paper and Ugly Duckling was a mere five votes.
A dead heat.
It was the smallest margin in any of the five defenses he'd fought since becoming King.
"That singer Sia looked so young, but she sings incredibly well."
"She's 21 this year."
"Wow, singing with that kind of emotion at her age? She's amazing. Son, can you pull up some of Sia's songs on Mom's phone?"
"Of course."
Mother seemed to have become a fan of Sia already.
And she wasn't the only one.
Viewers who watched Mask Singer live started searching for Sia's songs.
Her old tracks, which hadn't had a new release lately, began climbing the charts again one by one, going viral in reverse.
Though she didn't claim the King's title, the online buzz was hot.
Opinions poured in that her opponent was just too strong.
Many said she would have become King if not for Pen on White Paper.
"Mom, all set."
"Thanks~"
With the fifth defense success, he could keep seeing Mother happy like this every week.
The purpose of his appearance had been fully achieved.
* * *
Every Wednesday.
The day Mask Singer was recorded.
But after entering the Hall of Fame, there was no reason to go to the broadcasting station anymore.
That didn't mean he was at the office.
Once Mask Singer's recordings wrapped up, Taesung immediately prepared for Otherworld Chef Season 2 filming.
The most crucial part of Season 2 was the set.
Since most of the story took place in the kingdom's castle, the set carried immense weight.
Word came from the provincial office that the set construction was complete, so Taesung headed to Gangwon Province with Gabriel.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing how well they built it."
"I gave detailed instructions, but we'll know for sure once we get there."
Half excited, half anxious, they arrived in Gangwon.
As they neared the address given by Lee Hyun-min, the Section Chief in charge of the set at the Gangwon Provincial Office, the set came into view.
"Oh ho."
"Nice work."
Gabriel, who had seen the set, let out a gasp of admiration.
Taesung felt the same.
The set had turned out higher quality than he'd expected, and he nodded in approval.
After parking the car and approaching the set, he spotted Lee Hyun-min.
"Representative-nim! You've arrived?"
"Been well?"
"Yes, thanks to you. What do you think of the set?"
"The exterior gets a passing grade. It matches the design I wanted. You must have worked hard."
"Haha, no, not at all. The construction company said it was easy because you provided such detailed blueprints."
He said that, but there was no doubt he'd put in the effort.
No matter how good the blueprints, without proper oversight, the result wouldn't match.
"Ah, Gabriel-nim is here too."
"Nice to see you."
"You look as handsome as ever, no matter when I see you."
Even to another man, Gabriel was strikingly handsome.
Gabriel smiled at Lee Hyun-min's words.
It was the kind of scene that would make any woman's heart flutter.
"May we take a look inside?"
"Of course. I'll guide you."
Lee Hyun-min led the way.
* * *
The interior of the set was impressively well-done too.
All initial worries vanished.
"It feels like they transplanted the actual castle here."
Even Gabriel, who knew the Otherworld Chef backdrop well, acknowledged the high level of completion.
"Now that the set's done, we just need to lock in the cast."
"Tomorrow's the auditions, right? Mind if I come along?"
"No schedule?"
"I'm free. Besides, it's the day we pick the actor for my counterpart's role—shouldn't I be there to see?"
Tomorrow's auditions would select actors for various roles.
Among them was the actress to play Princess Lena, Arkel's wife opposite Gabriel.
"Well, no issue. Come to the office tomorrow morning, then we'll head to the audition together."
"Thank you."
He wasn't too worried about the auditions.
They were all ones who'd passed the first round, so everyone had talent.
But the world has a way of unfolding differently than expected.
* * *
"The days I spend with you are my fortune."
Gabriel delivered the line with a solemn expression.
He had become Arkel, truly in love with the actress opposite him.
From his gaze to his gestures and voice.
The actress receiving his gaze head-on flushed red.
And at the moment she was supposed to deliver her line, she said nothing, just staring blankly at Gabriel.
"Cut!"
In the end, Taesung halted the audition.
"Ha...."
He let out a sigh.
It was the fifth time already.
No proper audition was happening.
It wasn't the actress's fault.
The problem was.
"You're the problem, you."
Back in the waiting room alone with him, Taesung said to Gabriel.
Gabriel looked somewhat indignant.
"I didn't do anything wrong."
Exactly.
He hadn't slipped up or erred.
"You're too damn handsome."
Gabriel's looks weren't of this world.
The famously beautiful angels.
Among them, Gabriel was said to have the most outstanding appearance.
Acting face-to-face with such a Gabriel was pure torment.
Especially the actresses—they'd forget their roles and just gawk at his face.
Even those who managed lines would stammer unlike their usual selves.
Thus, five actresses had failed to show their skills and were cut.
The issue was that it was likely to continue.
"Can't you tone down the face?"
"How could a created being alter God's gift at will? Besides, I appeared as Arkel in Season 1—if the actor changes, won't the viewers riot?"
Gabriel had a point.
"I never dreamed we'd get tripped up like this."
Replacing Gabriel would be foolish, just as he said.
They had no choice but to find the best actress despite the hardship.
The Lena role was lead-supporting level in Season 2, so it needed care.
"Director-nim! How long is the break?"
"Resume auditions in five minutes—let them know."
"Yes! Got it."
They couldn't rest forever.
Taesung downed his coffee in one gulp and headed back to the audition room.
Seated, he checked the list.
The sixth actress was a 22-year-old rookie.
'One indie film lead, one commercial film supporting.'
She'd led in the indie.
Then got cast by her current agency for a supporting role in a commercial film.
'Supporting in name, but basically a minor part.'
Taesung had reviewed all prior works of the auditionees beforehand.
So he'd seen this actress's previous roles too.
'Fresh performance in the indie. But oddly weaker in the commercial one.'
It made sense, considering indie vs. commercial differences.
Indies are low-budget.
Often rookie directors, minimal staff.
Mostly unknown or newbie actors.
No pressure, in short.
Commercial films differ.
Huge staff disparity.
Star-studded casts.
High budgets mean intense on-site vibes unlike indies.
Rookie actors often buckled under it.
Taesung figured she was one such case.
'Agency's JU Entertainment?'
Her profile showed the agency name.
He'd heard it somewhere.
But it didn't click right away.
"Shall I call in the actresses?"
"Yes."
He nodded to Kim Dae-sik, the cinematographer judging with him.
At his signal, the audition room door opened, and four actresses filed in.
The lead one was Lee Ye-eun, whose profile he'd just reviewed.
"Starting with Ye-eun-ssi."
At Kim Dae-sik's words, she stepped forward.
"I'm Lee Ye-eun from JU Entertainment! Please take care of me!"
Taesung checked her looks.
As pretty as in her videos.
Exotic vibe and features—father British, mother Korean.
Mixed, but raised fully in Korea, so fluent.
'Her eyes are stunning, as expected.'
His first thought seeing her photo.
Sapphire-blue eyes amplified her exotic aura.
Lena's key trait was blue eyes, so visually, a pass.
But acting was key.
"Nice to meet you. Shall we start?"
"Yes!"
"Gabriel-ssi will play your counterpart directly. It'll help you focus since he's the actual partner."
At Taesung's words, Gabriel rose from his chair and stepped forward.
The actresses stirred.
Seeing Gabriel up close made his handsomeness stand out more.
Lee Ye-eun was no exception.
Her eyes already heart-shaped, Taesung sighed inwardly.
'Picking that guy for Arkel was my mistake.'
Taesung regretted his choice once more.
"Alright, audition start."
With Taesung's cue, it began.
At that moment.
Lee Ye-eun's demeanor shifted.