Gold Nugget
The script reading that had started that morning only barely wrapped up once evening rolled around.
Ara finished saying her goodbyes to everyone in the conference room, firmly turned down Yu Ha-yeong's offer to drive her home, and headed back on her own.
"Can't go around being a burden."
Recalling her conversation with Yu Ha-yeong from earlier, Ara sat down at her computer desk.
"YW Entertainment, huh…"
A quick search confirmed it was small. Very small.
"Wait. They only have five actors?"
Tiny, sure. But every single one of those actors had an impressive career behind them. A roster of genuine heavy-hitters, praised not just for their craft but for their character too — the whole place gave off the strong impression of a handpicked elite squad.
"An agency…"
Today had made the necessity of one crystal clear. During every break, she'd watched the managers assigned to each actor handle schedule changes and a dozen other tasks in real time. Even from that fragmentary glimpse alone, it was obvious they took care of far more behind the scenes.
Which meant Yu Ha-yeong's proposal was a genuinely good opportunity for her.
And yet she was still hesitating — all because of the way Yu Ha-yeong had looked at her during that conversation.
"That look in her eyes was weirdly intense."
Hard to pin down exactly. Ha-yeong probably thought she was hiding it well, but there was something in there — mania? Excitement? Even a flicker of thrill? — all of it layered together and quietly beaming straight at Ara.
"Ah, whatever!"
Ara closed the browser window.
"She said she has some pull at the company, so she'll get in touch eventually!"
That didn't mean she was shutting the computer off, though.
"First — a little reward for all my hard work today!!!"
And with that, Ara departed for the Rift.
The next day.
YW Entertainment headquarters.
Knock knock—
"CEO! It's Yu Ha-yeong!"
"Come in."
Yu Ha-yeong had come to see Jeong Yeo-un first thing in the morning.
"Good morning! Hope you're doing well!"
"Yeah. What's going on? You're here awfully early."
Jeong Yeo-un was in his late thirties — relatively young to be running a company.
"CEO! Are we still not recruiting more actors?"
"Why? Someone want to join?"
"No! That's not it!"
"…?"
Did this kid come here first thing in the morning just to mess with me?
Jeong Yeo-un was baffled, but he kept the conversation going.
"Then why are you asking?"
"Because there's an actor I'm trying to poach right now!"
"What?! Did you get a boyfriend? Absolutely not, Ha-yeong!! Please, just let me live! At the very least, don't get caught!"
Jeong Yeo-un nearly jumped out of his seat trying to stop her.
"Huh? CEO, what on earth are you talking about? Did you not eat breakfast properly?"
Look at this kid. Zero filter with the boss.
"Want me to get you some digestive medicine?"
What made it worse was that she genuinely seemed concerned. If that was acting, she was an invasive species capable of wrecking the entire ecosystem.
"Haa… No. So who is this person, exactly? And for the record, you already know this — we're broke."
It was a small-scale operation. The actors under its roof were closer to investors who'd bet on Jeong Yeo-un's potential than ordinary talent. His character had played a big part in that, of course.
"Just hear me out first. I'm starting a new drama, right?"
"Yeah. You went to the reading yesterday. You met them there?"
"Yes."
Jeong Yeo-un started running through the possibilities.
Lee Min-hyeok? Lee Seo-jun?
Both of them were already signed to industry giants.
Who's on the supporting side? Kang Min-jae, Kim Yeong-su, Choi Ji-hoon…
Since one of his own actors was in the project, and it was a drama packed with proven box-office draws, Jeong Yeo-un had every role memorized in detail.
They all have agencies already. Who is it, then?
Which was why he couldn't begin to guess who Yu Ha-yeong was talking about.
"She's a rookie I only met yesterday."
"Ah. A rookie?"
"Yes."
A rookie would explain why he didn't know her. He was about to casually ask what kind of actress she was — and then Yu Ha-yeong's next words nearly knocked him over.
"So? What role is she playing?"
"Lee Eun-ju."
"Ah. Lee Eun-ju?"
He almost let it slide — until the scenario he'd read ages ago flashed through his mind.
"What? Lee Eun-ju? They gave that to a rookie???"
"Yes."
The Lee Eun-ju he knew was a textbook psychopathic killer. A difficult, labyrinthine character — casting had been a nightmare until he'd heard they'd finally selected someone through auditions not long ago. But after that, there had been zero information about who landed the part.
I figured it was a marketing blackout. It was because she's a rookie?
Ha Il-gwon. Kim Eun-bi. Lee Yeong-min. Those three were hit-making machines — put any one of them on a project and you were guaranteed to at least break even. And all three of them had handed Lee Eun-ju to a complete newcomer.
That was genuinely intriguing.
"So? What else?"
Yu Ha-yeong filled him in on everything that had happened the day before.
"Hmm… So let me get this straight. She dominated the entire reading with a cold read, scared Lee Seo-jun stiff, and she's only twenty? And drop-dead gorgeous?"
"Yes!"
A frankly ridiculous story had just spilled out.
Do I believe this? Seo-jun was probably exaggerating.
Jeong Yeo-un knew Lee Seo-jun's acting well.
Those two have always had that weird love-hate dynamic going.
Either way, he'd have to meet her first — but if even half of it was true, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Ha-yeong. You have this girl's number?"
"Of course. We're already on casual terms. Want to meet her?"
"Yeah. I can't stand not knowing. And it's an incredible opportunity, right? Can you ask her to come by the office sometime? As soon as possible. Would two days from now work?"
"One sec."
Yu Ha-yeong tapped at her phone. A moment later, it buzzed with a reply.
"Oh! She says she'll come in two days, CEO."
"Great. Got it."
And just like that, a meeting was set with someone who might become their sixth family member.
"Alright, I'll be heading out!"
"Hold on."
Jeong Yeo-un stopped Yu Ha-yeong just as she finished her business and tried to leave the office.
"What is it?"
"Take that with you."
He pointed a finger at a box sitting in the corner of the office.
"Hmm? What's this?"
The moment Yu Ha-yeong opened the sealed box—
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!"
A scream like she'd just witnessed something unholy tore through the entire office.
"I told you not to stash your personal junk in the storage room."
The contents were a treasure trove of light novels, merchandise, and other otaku collectibles that Yu Ha-yeong had been secretly smuggling in.
"KYAAAAH!! My babies!!"
"Babies? Really?"
"CEO! That's a storage room anyway! I'm not the only one who leaves stuff there!"
"Oh, look who's talking back now? And for the record, everyone else already cleared theirs out. That room's being converted into a reception lounge. Just so you know."
"Hiiing…"
"Don't 'hiiing' me. You heard what I said."
"Fine, I'll clear it out…. But it's heavy, so can I grab it later?"
"Sure."
A thoroughly deflated Yu Ha-yeong started to leave the office.
I don't have any more room at home. Where am I supposed to hide these?
Her inner monologue was an entirely different story.
"Ha-yeong. For the record — if those show up in front of me again, I'm calling the used-book guy."
!!
That startled reaction said it all. She'd absolutely been planning to stash them somewhere else.
"Hahaha. What are you talking about! I'll clear them out later! See you!"
And with that, Yu Ha-yeong made her exit.
Haa…
Jeong Yeo-un let out a long sigh.
Click— clack— clack!
A dim night. The glow from the monitor was the only light illuminating her small world. And there, a warrior threw everything she had into battle, fighting to prove her very existence.
BOOM!!
The earth shook, and her vision flooded with gray.
"AAAAAAAH!!!!!!"
"You little badger bastard!!!"
Her teammates' relentless mockery rained down on Ara.
In the middle of it all, that tiny outburst was the strongest resistance she could muster.
A little more time passed, and eventually the nexus of Ara's team exploded.
…
Ara stared blankly at the grayed-out screen.
Ding—
Ding—
Ding—
Whispers from an in-game friend started flooding in.
His username: SwaggerAtFirstBirthday.
Usually shortened to Dolga.
He was a guy Ara had somehow gotten close to on her very first day in the Rift, after a long, hard-fought match. For the record, Ara's own username was HoldBreathTopDive.
Ara checked the time.
11:00 p.m.
The appointment that had been sprung on her yesterday morning. Ara had to go to YW Entertainment tomorrow.
"Didn't think they'd get back to me the very next day, though."
Truth was, both yesterday and today, her schedule had been completely empty. The real reason she'd deliberately set the meeting two days out:
"Going outside is annoying. The world beyond the blanket is dangerous. I need time to recharge!"
She was a hardcore homebody.
"This bastard is pissing me off again. Ugh, whatever, just go to sleep."
Still, thanks to this guy, most of the rage from earlier had burned off.
Just as she was about to quit the game—
"Hmm. Maybe just one more?"
And so the game began again.
And they lost.
The words "last one" had to be repeated five more times before it finally ended.
AAAAAAAH!!!!!
Once again, Ara learned a fundamental truth of the universe.
When a person is furious enough to see red, sleep becomes impossible.
Wham! Wham!
It was a night thick with flying dust.
"Ugh…. I'm exhausted."
In the end, she hadn't slept properly at all. The one silver lining was that the appointment was in the afternoon. She got ready at a leisurely pace timed to the meeting, then headed out.
"This the place?"
Ara stood in front of a building. Cross-checking the address confirmed it. Not particularly large, but a clean, modern structure with a quiet charm to it.
She called Yu Ha-yeong on her phone.
Riiing—
"Hello? Ara, you there?"
"Yes, sunbae."
"Okay, hang on, I'll come down."
The call ended in an instant. Ever since the day they'd first talked, Ara had simply started calling her sunbae.
"Unnie" is way too cringey.
For someone who'd been a man, that word had an impossibly high barrier to entry. Yu Ha-yeong had looked a little disappointed, but what could you do? The person in question had made her choice.
"Ara!!"
After a short wait, Yu Ha-yeong came out of the building beaming.
"Sunbae. Hello."
"Come on in! The CEO's waiting!"
"Okay."
Inside the building. Being a small company, there was no dedicated receptionist on duty. The only thing posted was the office contact number she'd already seen online. The interior matched the exterior — clean and tidy. The modest scale gave her a feeling oddly similar to her own studio apartment.
Not bad.
First impression: pass.
Anything too big would just feel overwhelming anyway.
"There's nobody here, though."
She'd half-expected to spot some other celebrity, but the building was completely empty of people.
"Yeah. The regular staff work in the office, and the other actors don't really need to be here unless they have a schedule. Even when they do, they usually don't come to the company. I didn't have to come in today either — I only showed up because of you!"
"I see. Thank you."
"This is the reception lounge."
Following Yu Ha-yeong's lead, they entered the lounge. A neatly arranged table and chairs still carried that new-furniture smell.
"Just sit tight. I'll go get the CEO!"
"Okay."
Knock knock—
"CEO, it's Yu Ha-yeong."
"Come in."
Yu Ha-yeong opened the door.
"CEO. She's here."
"Yeah. Got it."
The rumored rookie actress. Of course, he'd only heard about her from Yu Ha-yeong.
Alright. Let's see what kind of kid she is.
Jeong Yeo-un headed to the reception lounge with Yu Ha-yeong. And then, at last, they came face to face.
"Hello. I'm Gil Ara."
The gold nugget had walked in on her own two feet.