Is This Writer 927's Number?
Summoned by PD Na Yeongjin, I paid a visit to Studio NMIX headquarters for the first time in a while. I still wasn't sure of the exact reason, but it was probably something related to the drama.
Ah, for the record, the casting stage for Welcome to Cafe Violet already seemed to be finished.
Considering it had only been about a week since I sold the script, the speed of progress was truly staggering. At this rate, the first episode might even air before summer was over…?
Up to this point everything looked fairly smooth, but the news that Seol Soyoung had been cast as the female lead had broken yesterday and set the internet and the news ablaze.
Well, of course public opinion was negative.
She was a parachute hire, Cheil Electronics had slipped them money under the table—plenty of rumors like that had already been born and were circulating through the world.
Still, though…
I believed that Seol Soyoung's acting ability—the same talent that had eventually put her among the ranks of popular actresses in the original work—would be more than enough to overturn that perception, so it would probably be fine.
This time, moreover, she had been given a role that fit her acting style like a glove, so she might even win recognition far faster than she had in the original.
Originally, the first drama she appeared in had cast her in a part that clashed completely with her image and temperament. The whole mess had started because the director had simply picked her for her face during casting.
As a result, Seol Soyoung had lived with NGs every single shoot day, and I knew the experience had left her with a bit of trauma.
…At least if she was playing the role I myself had chosen for her in my drama, that kind of disaster would never happen.
"Ah! You've arrived. This way, Eunwoo."
The person who greeted me the moment I stepped through the front entrance was Jo Yongseok, the youngest member of Planning & Production Team 1—the same guy who had driven the car last time when I rode with PD Na Yeongjin.
Following his lead, I arrived at the Planning & Production Team 1 office.
The office itself had quite a lot of desk space, yet the complete absence of anyone actually sitting at those desks made the place feel strangely awkward.
"Planning & Production Teams 1 and 2 have decided to handle Eunwoo's drama together. That's why everyone's desk is empty."
According to Jo Yongseok, until two days ago they had all been running themselves ragged over casting, and starting yesterday they had been crisscrossing the entire country scouting filming locations.
Well…
In a way, the structure of drama production meant people were busier before shooting even began than during the actual shoot, so…
Back when I was the junior, I had also dashed around locations like a madman…
…?
But wait—while all the seniors were out running around, wasn't this junior just leisurely guiding me instead of joining them?
"Haha. I'm handling something even more important than that—guiding Eunwoo, aren't I?"
That was the answer I got when I asked Jo Yongseok about it.
Hmm…
It might have been my imagination, but to my eyes he looked like a guy happily coasting on an easy assignment.
"Hm? Eunwoo?"
Just then PD Na Yeongjin walked into the office, and our eyes met naturally.
"Did I keep you waiting too long?"
"No. I only just got here myself."
"That's a relief. Ah, would you like some coffee?"
Looking closer, I saw a black paper bag in Na Yeongjin's hand.
What he pulled out of it was the same canned coffee I had drunk myself sick of in my previous life.
Whether you worked in an office or on location, coffee was life's companion. Judging by how stuffed the bag was, things here weren't much different.
When I nodded, he casually handed me a can.
"Eunwoo, unfortunately I think I have to head out now."
Jo Yongseok, who had also been given a coffee, spoke up.
Na Yeongjin asked with a puzzled expression,
"Why? You can sit in if you want."
"Everyone's got a mountain of backlog, don't they? And I'd rather avoid overtime if I can help it."
Na Yeongjin made a face that looked thoroughly fed up at Jo Yongseok's words.
"It's not actually because you have to hit the gym today, is it?"
"A healthy body makes for a healthy mind, doesn't it? This would be a good chance for you to start working out too, PD Na."
"Tsk. Finishing work and then going to the gym is only possible for young kids like you or hardcore gym rats. If you've got a lot to do, hurry up and go."
With that their conversation ended, and the only people left in the office were me and Na Yeongjin.
"Ahem! Writer, first please take this."
Once we were seated across from each other to get down to business, he cleared his throat and suddenly held something out to me.
Whatever it was, it looked far more expensive than canned coffee.
"…What's this?"
What Na Yeongjin handed me was a brand-new smartphone.
…But why was he giving this to me?
Surely he hadn't just pulled it out to show off, right?
I looked at Na Yeongjin, demanding an explanation. Scratching his head, he laid out the whole story.
"…The truth is, there was a slight snag during the casting stage for the Seol Soyoung you wanted."
"A snag?"
Na Yeongjin's explanation went like this.
Seol Soyoung, who had initially refused the offer for the role of Gyeoul, had suddenly made a counter-proposal of her own—just as I had once done—and said she would take the part of Gyeoul if they accepted it.
The problem was the content of the proposal she wanted…
"Pardon? My contact information?"
What Seol Soyoung had wanted was Writer 927's phone number.
In other words, my phone number.
At first I thought it had to be a joke, but the serious look on PD Na's face made me realize it was real.
So why on earth had she wanted my number?
"Ms. Seol Soyoung never stated a direct reason, so I don't know the details either. However, since you wish to remain anonymous and she seems to want at least a rough idea of who you are, I tried to think of the best possible method."
Aha.
So that was why he had given me this.
According to Na Yeongjin, the phone had been activated as a corporate line under Studio NMIX.
If we exchanged messages on this, it would be quite difficult for anyone to dig up a name or address and pin down an identity.
"It was none other than you, Writer, who wanted Ms. Seol Soyoung cast, so please bear with us a little. From our side, this was the best we could do."
"Ah! No, just from hearing the rough outline I can tell how much thought you put into it. I really don't mind at all."
"Whew… Hearing you say that takes a load off my mind."
Na Yeongjin let out a sigh of relief.
I had piled on conditions while thinking only of myself, and seeing how hard PD Na had worked made me feel a little guilty.
"Ah, then I'll pass on the number we promised Ms. Seol Soyoung right now."
"Y-Yes? Right now?"
"Yes. She seems quite serious about it as well. I want to escape that hell as soon as possible."
…Hell, all of a sudden?
I wanted to ask what on earth had happened between the two of them, but watching PD Na's fingers fly across the screen at the speed of light—like a thief being chased by the police—my mouth shut itself.
"Whew~ Sent."
I asked PD Na, who had just finished sending the text and was breathing a sigh of relief,
"So? What exactly happened that made you call it hell? Did you get threatened or something?"
"Haha… It's nothing major. Just…"
—In the span of a few days I got to learn just how tenacious and cold-blooded a person Ms. Seol Soyoung can be.
PD Na muttered quietly, as if recalling something that had taken place.
Looking at his strangely solemn face, I felt a completely unfounded anxiety start to creep in.
Bzzzz—
That was when it happened.
The phone I had just received from PD Na vibrated hard once.
Anyone could tell a text had arrived…
Why did this feel so ominous?
The only people who knew the number of this corporate phone were Bureau Director Park Yongo, PD Na Yeongjin, and Seol Soyoung, who had just received the number.
Obviously it wasn't PD Na, who was sitting right here talking to me, and Bureau Director Park Yongo—who could simply pass messages through PD Na—had no reason to send one either.
Which meant…
I carefully swiped the phone screen open and checked the message. PD Na seemed to have reached the same conclusion; he swallowed hard.
The number that had sent the message was one I had never seen before in my life. Looking at that alone, there would be no way to know who owned it, but…
When someone went and put their name right there in the message like that, how could you not know?
Meanwhile…
Seol Soyoung was staring fixedly at the number 1 displayed next to the message she had just sent.
"She read it."
Not long after she sent the message, that number had disappeared. The vanishing of the 1 meant the other party had read her text.
Bzzzz—
Then the phone in her hand vibrated once along with a message notification. This time it was Seol Soyoung's turn to check the reply the other person had sent.
But after reading the content of the text, Seol Soyoung's eyes took on a meaningful light. The message was so concise it could be taken in at a single glance.
That was all.
…
No matter how long she waited after that, no additional texts arrived.
There was no simple self-introduction or greeting, not even a question filled with curiosity about why she had made the number a casting condition.
For someone who had supposedly insisted so strongly that the female lead role be given to her, this completely indifferent attitude was a little unexpected.
"…Hm."
In any case, Seol Soyoung began composing a new text message. Its content asked why it had to be her for the role of Gyeoul.
This was also the reason she had made Writer 927's number a casting condition in the first place. Seol Soyoung simply wanted to know what it was about her that had led the writer known as 927 to make such a decision.
Bzzzz—
Already?
Her eyes widened at the vibration that came not long after she sent the text. She had expected it to take a little time, but the reply was surprisingly immediate.
…Hopefully this one wouldn't be as brief as the last.
Fortunately, unlike the first, a somewhat longer message was written out.
After finishing the other party's text, Seol Soyoung couldn't help but fall into thought for a moment.
Acting ability.
How could he be so certain about her acting ability?
She had no proper credits to her name, and the only performances she had ever shown in front of people were the two drama auditions she had done.
Then… could it be that Writer 927 had been one of the people judging those auditions?
All sorts of assumptions began swirling through her mind, but for now she decided to calm down a little and continue the conversation.
A little?
That was a rather ambiguous answer…
Still, since he said he knew about her acting ability, she quickly typed the next message.
Even as she sent the text, Seol Soyoung bit her lip.
The reason she had failed the auditions was simply a lack of acting skill. Honestly, even she thought the performances she had given that day had been the worst.
But…
The other party's thoughts seemed completely different from her own.
…?
Didn't suit her? What was that supposed to mean?