The Third Work (1)
Studio NMIX, once an ordinary drama production company, was now exchanging calls with a place so monumental they never could have imagined dealing with it before.
"Please convey our gratitude to His Excellency for taking an interest."
"Not at all. You must have quite a situation on your hands as well. We'll do everything we can to hold off the national petition."
That place was none other than the Blue House—the presidential office and official residence.
Yoo Yeonjung hung up with a bitter smile after her call with the Blue House chief of staff.
"What a mess..."
She leaned back in her chair and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Lately, Studio NMIX had found itself at the center of an enormous controversy. Barely a year had passed, and already people were fiercely demanding to know when the next work would be released.
Writer 927's previous two works had already earned worldwide recognition, hailed by the public as all-time masterpieces. This was purely Yoo Yeonjung's personal opinion, but she doubted another drama writer like 927 would ever appear in their era. The problem was that his works had been extraordinarily, almost unnaturally entertaining.
Yes. To the point where other people's works no longer even registered...
On top of that, Demon's Temptation—one of the most anticipated titles of the second quarter—had been pulled after just two episodes, leaving the current drama market in a state not unlike the one before Writer 927 had appeared. If there was one difference, it was that back then every production company had shared the blame. This time, the public's fury was aimed exclusively at White Box and Studio NMIX.
White Box was at the center of the Yu Byeongmin drug scandal, so that was unavoidable. But why was Studio NMIX—which had done nothing—catching heat as well...?
The public's argument went something like this: on the contrary, the problem was that you people had been sitting still. Last year you'd rolled out two works and swept every award in sight—so why the radio silence this year? Had success made you too fat and lazy to work? And so on. Since there was no point expecting anything from other production companies, they seemed determined to squeeze Studio NMIX until something came out.
"I can't tell if we're a drama production company or a public complaints center..."
Park Yongo, seated across from Yoo Yeonjung, let out an equally deep sigh.
Studio NMIX's inquiry center was currently in a state of complete meltdown. It was so bad that even pulling staff from other departments still left them short-handed. As a result, the employees' faces these days were a sight to behold—and not in a good way. Well, being harassed dozens of times a day over the phone without being able to give a single positive answer would wear anyone down in more ways than one.
Anyway.
If things kept going like this, they risked going from a drama production company to the entire nation's punching bag, so they needed a plan—somehow. That was why Park Yongo and Yoo Yeonjung had gathered in one place.
"Still no word from Writer 927?"
"Yeah. According to Yeongjin, he's busy with final exams."
"Ha... There's something deeply dissonant about hearing the words 'final exams' in this context."
A man who wrote scripts so captivating they entranced anyone who read them—a genius writer by public acclaim—was merely a third-year middle school student. It was the kind of cosmic joke that could itself become the premise of a drama.
"But isn't he a little too devoted to his studies? If he wanted, we could get him into any school he likes with a direct placement. Is there really any need for him to work that hard?"
"Honey. That's corruption..."
"So what? South Korea exists so people can use school ties, regional connections, and blood relations."
Park Yongo let out a hollow laugh at his wife's shameless expression. Well... thinking about it carefully, she wasn't exactly wrong.
"For now, the surest and fastest solution is for Writer 927 to finish the script for his next work. That alone would silence the media and the public in one stroke," Park Yongo said.
Yoo Yeonjung nodded.
"You're right. That would probably be the surest and fastest way. The problem is..."
That Writer 927 didn't seem to have any particular interest in a third work. And even if he did create a third work, the same problem would almost certainly cycle back around like a hamster wheel.
Knock, knock.
That was when it happened. Someone knocked on the door of the office where they sat.
"This is PD Na Yeongjin. Sorry to interrupt your meeting, but I have urgent news I need to deliver right away."
A familiar voice from outside the door. Before long, Na Yeongjin was granted entry and stepped into the office with someone else.
And then—
"You all look like you're having a rough time."
For some reason, standing there was Writer 927. Seo Eunwoo stood beside Na Yeongjin with a bitter smile.
After hearing about the national petition from a friend, I immediately called Yongseok hyung. Through him, I learned exactly what kind of situation Studio NMIX was facing.
When I'd told Director Park Yongo to handle things as he saw fit, I never imagined the situation would escalate this far. Even in my previous life, the public had never reacted this intensely.
"So, what do you make of this whole affair, Eunwoo?"
On the way to Studio NMIX headquarters by car, PD Na, sitting beside me, asked the question.
"Well... it's definitely an awkward situation."
People wanted my work. As a writer, that was clearly a good thing. Even so, this whole mess felt a little excessive. And the fact that it wasn't just aimed at me but was affecting all of Studio NMIX left me almost speechless.
Fine. If they were going to be like this...
"Honestly, I'm so annoyed I might just retire and skip the third work entirely."
Screech—!
The car lurched hard.
"Aigo, Yongseok hyung. I wasn't wearing my seatbelt—I almost cracked my head open."
"No... I think I just misheard something. PD Na, did you hear that too?"
"Y-yeah. I've been taking so many inquiry calls lately that one of my ears might be acting up."
...?
What was this. Suddenly they were reading my face like hawks. Was it because of the retirement comment?
"PD Na. Are you reacting like this because I said I'd retire?"
"Haha. Don't worry. Who do you think I am? I rose to a PD position at Studio NMIX on pure instinct alone. Of course I could tell from the start that was a joke."
"Huh?"
It wasn't a joke. I was serious.
That was the natural order of things. You had to treat people well while they were still around. When people came at you this aggressively, even the goodwill you had evaporated. If I disappeared from this industry entirely, things would stabilize again. Studio NMIX wouldn't monopolize the drama market the way it had last year, and fair opportunities would open up for everyone. Once that happened, people would probably grit their teeth and compete for results, wouldn't they?
"...Good lord."
PD Na couldn't close his mouth at my resolute reaction. I understood. From Studio NMIX's perspective, this was hardly welcome news.
"...Good lord."
Director Park Yongo, likewise, couldn't close his mouth. What was this, a macro?
When I visited the office where Director Park Yongo and Director Yoo Yeonjung were sitting together and brought up the same conversation from earlier, their reactions were somehow identical.
"Um... Writer. That seems a bit hasty," Director Yoo Yeonjung said with a grave expression. "If you suddenly announce your retirement in this situation, I think it would create a backlash instead."
A backlash. Meaning the situation could get even worse from here. Given that people were already reacting like this over a work not coming out in under a year, she was right—it was entirely possible.
"A year may feel short to us, but to the audience it must have felt like an eternity. That also means your work is that entertaining. So for now, I think putting out the immediate fire should come first."
"So you're saying we should release a third work first and think about this afterward?"
Director Yoo Yeonjung nodded.
In the end, it all circled back to a third work...
"You can start conceptualizing from now—it doesn't matter. If we say you've entered the planning stage, well... inquiries on our end should drop a little."
"Like my wife said, take your time—we're fine with that. Right, Yeongjin?"
"...Yes. Once word gets out that you've entered the planning stage, inquiries about what kind of work it will be will start increasing instead. Of course, that's good news. If Writer 927 gives us even a rough explanation of the project, we'll finally be able to give solid answers. Hahaha."
"I-I'm sorry, Yeongjin! You're going straight back to Planning and Production Team 1!"
From what I'd heard, the inquiry center was so short-staffed that PD Na had been temporarily reassigned as a field supervisor... Looking at that reaction, if this dragged on any longer, things would get genuinely catastrophic.
I felt bad for them, but the truth was that nothing about a third work had come to mind at all. Every script I'd written since falling into this drama world had been born from inspiration drawn from Seol Soyoung.
Then again, when I wrote scripts in my previous life, I'd just written without any such inspiration. Back then I'd churned out scripts like a machine, and looking back now, most of those works weren't particularly satisfying.
But...
"Um... actually, I do have a few scripts I could put out right away."
Among them was one that had been recognized by everyone—a script entertaining enough to have been competitive even in the drama market of my previous life.