Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 027
Chapter Title: How About Giving It a Try? (1)
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The Child Spirit, peeking its head out from around Yeonwoo's chest, piped up energetically ahead of everyone else.
"A talisman?"
"Yes......"
[I got a request from Min Writer's son!]
"......You've seen me longer than Kwon Seonghyeon, haven't you?"
[They say the human heart sways like a reed!]
"Forget that—you're not even human."
Before he could explain further, it beat him to the punch again.
"Min Writer's son...... Ah."
In the meantime, Kwon Seonghyeon seemed to piece it together and nodded. The sharp edge in his smile softened as he did.
"If that's the case, then I'm relieved."
"......?"
Why are *you* relieved......?
'Both Min Yerin and Kwon Seonghyeon... are top actors just not right in the head?'
He'd originally thought only Kwon Seonghyeon was odd, but seeing Min Yerin had shaken that notion. It didn't make sense for the absolute top in any field to be perfectly normal and ordinary.
About enough time passed to sip a cup of tea.
"Yeonwoo-ssi. Thank you so much."
Min Writer approached Yeonwoo, her eyes red, and bowed deeply.
"Huh? Min Writer, what's wrong? Were you crying?"
"If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't have known. Truly, thank you so, so much."
"Huh? Why are you thanking Yeonwoo-ssi again?"
"Director Heo. Get lost. Now."
"No, why me......"
Min Writer shooed the stone-faced Director Heo away, then bowed politely once more.
"I'll keep it a secret. I won't tell a soul, so don't worry."
Her swollen eyes gleamed with resolve.
"It doesn't matter. I'm not hiding it or anything."
"Is that so......? You're different from my son. I always thought hiding it was the only way. Guess that was wrong too."
"He'll understand."
"You know, the stuff I used to write was typical rom-com fare. I only shifted to this genre after my kid... you know. I wanted to understand him better."
To Min Writer, her child must have been an utterly incomprehensible being. Two people living in completely different worlds. Bridging that gap wasn't easy.
"Thanks for the talisman. Just like my kid said, it's from a 'strong big bro,' so I'll wear it everywhere."
After finishing her thanks, Min Writer called over Director Heo, who'd been banished to the corner.
"What'd you two talk about? Did you scout him? What'd he say? Is he in?"
"No, it's not like that."
"Don't keep it to yourself—share with the team. Min Writer, we've worked together plenty. You can't hog a raw gem like that. I want to film it turning into a jewel with my own hands!"
"Why are you acting up like this, Director Lee? You think I don't want to?!"
"So if you scouted him, let's do it together......!"
"It's not that, so quit whining!"
Director Heo, gifted with keen, perceptive eyes, suddenly devolved into a whiner. He kept glancing back at Yeonwoo with regretful eyes, but Min Writer dragged him off without mercy.
Filming resumed after the brief delay.
But it didn't last long.
"Um...... Director......? I think you need to check this out......?"
After wrapping up the afternoon shoot and before moving into evening filming, a staff member approached pale-faced, phone in hand.
"What's up?"
Min Yerin's acting was flawless, as was Kwon Seonghyeon's. At this rate, they could even aim for 20% ratings.
But grim news shattered the director's sweet dream.
"This....... What the hell is this......? A scandal?"
It was the scandal of Lee Deokchun, the actor who'd played the Grim Reaper and gone dark, tormenting insiders with his disappearance.
***
The set turned into a funeral parlor, as if it had never buzzed with life.
"That bastard—if he was gonna ghost, why not do it properly? Why crawl out and drop a scandal bomb?!"
The angriest was the director, lost in his happy fantasies.
[Idol alum Lee M. speeds drunk early morning, crashes into median then pedestrian]
[Idol Lee M.: "I drank, but it wasn't drunk driving"]
[Idol alum Lee M. bribes to cover DUI. Denies it]
This wasn't something his agency could bury, no matter their size. Eyewitness accounts had spread online like wildfire—impossible to erase them all.
"Why hit something this big? My neck's killing me already."
The accident itself was bad, but what Lee Deokchun did next made it worse.
[Famous idol Lee M. pressures victim to settle. Calls them "self-harm extortionists?" Backlash]
[Idol Lee M. throws cash in victim's face: "Take it and scram." Revealed late]
["No normal person walks there that hour," "Definitely self-harm extortionists"... Lee M.'s ravings]
[Lee M.'s DUI victim beautification crew revealed......]
"He's basically begging to be buried."
[Even without you fixing him, Yeonwoo, he'd have self-destructed. Didn't expect him to crash this spectacularly on his own.]
Among those in the know, Lee Deokchun was certified trash. But even they hadn't realized how low he could sink. When his vicious insults and abuse toward an innocent victim came to light, public opinion soured further.
"This...... won't hurt our drama too?"
With entertainment shows, news, cable—all fixated on Lee Deokchun, the staff grew uneasy.
"If he tanks public opinion on top of ghosting, what about our ratings? Even with Kwon Seonghyeon and Min Yerin, scandals drag us down too."
"Don't blab anywhere. Stay quiet. Best if it dies down naturally—no adding fuel."
Director Heo soothed the staff. Broadcast date was fixed; they couldn't halt filming. The team's mood was rattled by Lee Deokchun but patched up under the director's calming.
Or so it seemed.
[Idol Lee M. not drunk driving at time of accident—"Shock"!]
If not for the next day's headline.
***
-No, then what were all those prior articles? Drunk driving crash? Throwing money at the injured was a drunken slip?? But now he's not drunk???
ㄴExactly, doesn't add up; witnesses said he reeked of booze;
ㄴ222 Saw the CCTV? Car swerving like crazy—how's that sober?
-띠요오오옹? Deokchun was sober then??? He didn't look it???
ㄴAnyone could see BAC at 1%+ right?
ㄴDude 1% kills people. 0.1% typo?
ㄴLooked like he was risking his lifeㅋㅋㅋ
-Deokchun kept babbling nonsense? Articles said he was hallucinating drunk and crashed—what now?
ㄴRight; his actions and words weren't normal;
ㄴㅇㅇ Clip on EnterX ZhongX: Deokchun muttering ghosts following him etc.
ㄴRemember. Eyes just like a crazy person's—now not drunk??
ㄴMaybe drugs?
New facts reignited the cooling fury. Comments sections and communities buzzed with opinions and theories on Lee Deokchun.
"Driving me nuts. Just when it's quieting, they throw on more logs."
The stabilizing set turned chaotic again. Min Yerin bowed her head at Director Heo's exasperated mutter.
"......I'm sorry."
"No...... Not your fault, Min Yerin-ssi. Agency's washed their hands too, right?"
The hottest seat here? Undeniably Min Yerin.
[Dragging around trash like that...... Shimmians seem a bit off but nicer than expected. Poor thing. Tsk tsk.]
"Sounds like you've got some bias there?"
[W-what? Not cuz she screamed and called my cute self gross or anything?]
Yeah, that's exactly it.
Obvious as day, but Yeonwoo pretended not to notice and turned to Min Yerin.
"Agency says he ignored self-reflection orders, ditched his manager, caused the crash—no more support. Contract termination and damages incoming."
"Sigh...... So that's why CEO Gu called. Should've thought twice from the start...... Why drag Min Yerin-ssi into the mud?"
"Not total loss. Now CEO can't say a word to me."
She smiled softly.
But her eyes were razor-sharp, impossible to hide. Director Heo caught it, sighing.
"Guess CEO Gu won't meddle in your projects anymore."
***
As days passed, Lee Deokchun's accident fallout only grew.
-FXCK! Ghosts followed me ok?! Popped up in front of the car—how not swerve?! Not my fault! Ghosts followed me! Chew. Couldn't sleep for days cuz of it! Here...... Seems they didn't follow here—let me crash? Can I? Over there ok?
Clip of Lee Deokchun's police statement: ranting about ghosts and hallucinations, begging to be locked up, walking into the cell himself.
-Yeah, let lunatics like that rot.
-Self-surrender looks like confession;
-Think he's claiming mental incapacity. Not booze, insanity......
ㄴMaybe, but drugs over schizophrenia seem more plausible.
One online post became gospel.
[Lee Deokchun drug use charges... Pre-trial detention warrant]
['Drug positive' Lee Deokchun indicted]
The set staff shivered upon hearing.
"Damn...... Almost grateful he ghosted."
"If drugs broke post-broadcast, our drama tanks too. Timing's impeccable."
"Cursed him for ghosting—now wanna build a shrine where he is."
Scandals taint co-stars' works—fact. But DUI vs. drugs? Worlds apart. DUI's personal lapse; drugs imply networks.
"If that guy dragged Kwon Seonghyeon down...... Can't even think."
One slip, and all actors faced public scorn.
"Things are twisting weirdly......"
Yeonwoo muttered.
'I just wanted him to pay for his crimes a bit.'
Hadn't expected this scale from Lee Deokchun's rap sheet. A small lesson to clean the set had ballooned.
'......Even Lady Kang didn't see this coming?'
Butterfly flaps wings, spawns Pacific typhoon.
No worries, though. Yeonwoo was thrilled.
Human trash certified nuclear waste, marching to doom on his own—satisfying as hell.
'But still not enough......'
Maybe cuz not 100% exposed yet. Yeonwoo felt lingering regret.
As if answering, fresh news broke.