Rookie but One-in-a-Million Actor Chapter 91: Drama? Or Movie?
"What's this?"
Kim So-woon tilted his head, fiddling with the envelope.
Was it too abrupt? Worried the kid might take offense, Moo-young mixed in a little white lie.
"Give it to your grandma."
"Pardon?"
"I got some help from her a while back. I wanted to make sure she knew how grateful I was. Now that I'm finally doing okay, this is me paying her back. Hope she hasn't forgotten about it in the meantime."
At Moo-young's words, the elderly ghost stretched out her arms toward him, beckoning him closer.
Moo-young leaned in half a step, right up next to the boy, and repeated his plea.
"Got it? Make sure you give it to her, okay?"
"Ah... well, Grandma, she's already..."
The boy started to say she'd passed away but clamped his mouth shut. The envelope felt reassuringly thick in his hand.
The grandmother ghost stroked Moo-young's head with her translucent hand—grateful beyond words, slowly, warmly despite her intangible form.
"Alright, I've gotta run—I'm swamped. You study hard, kid. I'm dying to see how far that brilliant brain of yours takes you. Big time! Thumbs up!"
Lies beget more lies. If the conversation dragged on, he'd have to invent even more. Moo-young flashed double thumbs-up and turned away.
Strictly speaking, though, "swamped" wasn't a total fib.
"Hey!"
Kim So-woon stared blankly from the envelope to Moo-young's retreating back and back again.
"Th-thank you. For giving the money back..."
"No problem at all!"
He had no idea what favor the late grandma had done for this guy, but this was a godsend straight from the heavens.
This freezing winter. He'd been sleeping huddled around a hot water bottle because they couldn't afford proper heat.
'Gotta buy Grandpa some meat... Whoa! Why's there so much?'
He peeked inside the envelope and jumped in shock. Twenty-six fifty-thousand-won bills. The full prize money and appearance fee Moo-young had won.
'Huh...?'
Only then did Kim So-woon sense something off. His grandma had been kind in life, sure, but she wasn't the type to lend out this kind of cash. It wasn't temperament—it was simple math; they didn't have it to spare!
"What the...?"
The boy just cocked his head and headed for the elevator. Grandpa was waiting.
And Grandpa would know. The two of them had been the neighborhood's gold standard for harmony and frugality; he'd have the scoop on where this money came from.
Ding.
So-woon carefully folded the envelope into his puffer jacket pocket.
Meanwhile, Moo-young, who'd ducked around the corner to avoid the boy, spotted Doo-seok emerging from the studio now that filming had wrapped. A grin spread across his face as he waved.
"Sir!"
"Oh, hey. Good work today. As expected from a top uni kid—I'm hopeless with that stuff; couldn't tell if it was numbers or letters. Haha. Audience loved it too. With some solid editing, it'll air great."
He clapped Moo-young on the shoulder encouragingly.
"Thank you so much today. It was an honor."
"Same here. Oh, right—is that your manager?"
"Yes. Go Kyung-min."
Doo-seok seemed lost in thought for a moment, then nodded.
"This guy's pretty booked these days, huh?"
"The drama's shooting live ongoing, but it's manageable. We can adjust. What's up?"
No way he'd drop that without reason. Quick on the uptake, Go Kyung-min bit at the bait.
"Nah, just saw him today—great character, speaks so well. Thought he'd make a perfect guest on our show. Haha. Planning to pitch it in tomorrow's meeting. But don't you have some other contact coming up?"
"You mean Another World Smile?"
Doo-seok's "our show" could only be one: the variety juggernaut that had crowned him king, holding weekend ratings #1 for nearly a decade.
"We wanted to get the You Are a Star, I Am a Star crew as guests, but schedules just won't line up."
"No way!"
Moo-young yelped in horror, a knee-jerk reaction that bordered on a spasm.
"...?"
"I-I mean, we'll make time, no matter what. Gotta go, sir."
"Hahaha! Alright, let's sync schedules. Oh, mind giving me your number?"
He held out his phone to Moo-young.
Oh my god. Holy crap.
Moo-young's mind went blank, reality blurring into dream. He double- and triple-checked the familiar digits, terrified he'd mess it up.
"Here's mine."
Doo-seok hit call, leaving a missed call on Moo-young's phone.
"If something comes up, hit me direct—skips the agency hassle. Haha. Drive safe, and great job today."
"Th-thank you, sir! You too!"
Moo-young clutched his phone to his chest and bowed deeply until he and his manager vanished from sight.
"He's gone."
Go Kyung-min poked his side, but Moo-young showed no sign of straightening.
Then he slowly slid...
"Heuuung—"
"Hey, get up, you."
"My legs gave out—"
He collapsed, propping himself on his hands.
Insane. Ha Moo-young swapping personal numbers with that MC Doo-seok! And the man himself asked first!
"This isn't a dream, right?"
"Want a pinch?"
"Nah... whatever it is, I wanna stay like this."
Moo-young lay there grinning dopily. Staff passing by? Who cares right now?
Moo-young sprawled on the ground, Go Kyung-min standing over him like a parent dealing with a tantrum-throwing kid.
"Uracha!"
Having savored the moment fully, he punched the air and sprang up like Superman.
"All done now?"
"Back to work! I'm at 100% energy!"
"Good to hear it's charged. Speaking of—it's past midnight, so technically today. Outdoor shoot starts today."
"Ahh... down to 90% already."
"Hurry up!"
Go Kyung-min yanked his collar, laughing. It was a day he'd felt the momentum in his bones. Outdoor filming would probably be a blast too.
* * *
"How's the reaction?"
In the S Network headquarters director's office, PD Lee Yu-jin and a few staffers sat around the long conference table.
She grinned at the director's question.
"Buzz is off the charts."
"Drama's nature—young folks are exploding with it. Posts flooding the feeds nonstop. Memes from lines, outfits, you name it. Must be new semester hype. Especially hot."
It was raging among prospective freshmen waiting for uni. Do schools really have seniors like that? Seoyeon University, where Moo-young attended, was reaping the image boost big time. Enroll there, and you'd actually have him as a senior.
"Ratings trend?"
"Still climbing."
Her eyes sparkled at his follow-up, brimming with confidence, begging for more.
The director smirked and nodded.
"How much?"
"Started at 9% premiere, now episode 4's at an average 15.7%—three weeks straight #1 in time slot. Steady rise, no dips, and weekly jumps are accelerating."
Broadcast stats confirmed it. Probably word-of-mouth building weekdays, peaking at airtime.
"Reruns are killer too. Averaging 5-6%. You know what that means?"
"Solid fanbase. The idols helping?"
Or late-night slot viewers catching up daytime. Imagine if it aired prime time? Family dinner viewing?
"Man, what a shame. Such a shame."
"Yeah. Even if they delay scheduling, line up the time slot."
Everyone sighed in shared regret. This could've topped S Network's yearly drama—maybe even the big three broadcasters' flagship.
"Kicking off the new year strong."
"It is strong. Keep it rolling. Just like this. Writer still struggling with scripts?"
"Even with the extra junior writer. Keeps needing tweaks. Says it's almost done, then flakes. Yeah."
"Kim writes great, but that flakiness is a no-go."
Consistent across projects. Director closed the binder with a satisfied smile. Whatever—as long as it hits Seoul. Ratings golden, ads sold out. No notes.
"Oh, right—Ha Moo-young."
"Pardon? What's he done?"
PD Lee Yu-jin, wrapping up and rising, shot back puzzled.
"Baeksang's this spring."
"Yeah, unless something tanks."
"Where's he gunning for?"
Broadcaster acting awards had wrapped pre-You Are a Star, I Am a Star. Next up: Baeksang Arts Awards.
"Plague's buzzing too."
Normally audiences drop post-peak, but Plague kept momentum. Stellar polish, wild plot. Word-of-mouth plus Netflix deal news.
"Right? Hit 3 million today, maybe?"
Fear of missing out—see it in theaters now or Netflix only later.
"Numbers aside, Jin Kyung-mun's film? Worth a shot at something. Fun watch."
So, Baeksang: which category for Moo-young? Aim high, though.
"Your take? I figure Newcomer in Film."
PD Lee Yu-jin gave a cynical chuckle.
"Saying it now changes what? So many heavy hitters."
If Moo-young said it, she'd shut down the kimchi soup dreams. As she exited, director called out.
"So you think he's blanking at Baeksang this year?"
She paused at the door handle.
"Never said that."
"Bet. Film? Drama?"
"...If he wins, obviously TV category. He's our team lead."
"Look at you! Haha! Playing coy but deep down—argh!"
"Heading out!"
Director roared with laughter, teasing her mercilessly. But obviously—win big, win drama. Her project, his lead.
But...
'Eh, whatever. He'll handle it.'
PD Lee Yu-jin called her assistant director to check the shoot schedule. Forget the rest—keep today's from flaking was priority.
"Today's first up? Huh? Oh, Hongdae Street. Right, outdoor. Got it. Heading down. Director's ear-to-ear grin. Haha. Yeah. Roger."
Click.
She hopped into the elevator with light steps. Promo reel inside played a You Are a Star, I Am a Star clip.
"That damn guy."
PD Lee Yu-jin muttered, glancing at Moo-young's intense performance.
And that mutter...
"Euugh—!"
"What? You okay?"
"Nah, ear just itched. Someone must be talking about me."
"Plenty of folks in Korea. Duh?"
Moo-young scratched his ear en route to work. Racing down the chilly, desolate road toward Hongdae.