Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 028
Chapter Title: How About Giving It a Try? (2)
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“I’m at the point where waking up every day is terrifying. I worry what explosion is waiting for me the moment I open my eyes. Phew. I’m so relieved our Seonghyeon isn’t like that.”
Kwon Seonghyeon’s manager patted his chest and muttered.
“A sitting idol being a sasaeng? And records coming out that he pressured her to get an abortion...”
He shook his head. It was obvious what came next without looking. Just as the manager said, Lee Deokchun was heading straight for total ruin.
He had a nasty temper that made enemies everywhere to begin with. As his drunk driving led to drug use scandals, all sorts of his filthy past deeds were exposed. Naturally, that included records of him yelling at her to get an abortion.
“We can’t take this anymore. We should pull out fast while we can.”
Director Heo, who had been watching the situation unfold, hardened his resolve.
The drama team, who had been keeping their mouths shut like clams, cautiously released articles. Once they aired the behind-the-scenes story of suffering from Lee Deokchun’s unauthorized disappearance on an entertainment program, reactions came right back.
“Phew. What a relief. Even before this blew up, viewers were cheering us on after learning he’d ghosted without permission. I nearly cried watching that.”
“Thinking back to how the drama almost got canned, it really is a miracle.”
“Oh yeah, Yeonwoo’s story made the news too.”
Min Writer turned to Yeonwoo as she spoke.
“You got interview requests, right? The assistant director on Midnight Entertainment TV is a friend of mine. He heard about you and wanted the interview. How’d it go?”
Just as she said, people who smelled blood had come sniffing around Yeonwoo too. With Lee Deokchun’s scandals exploding and their recent friction, he made perfect fodder.
But.
“I turned them down.”
“What? Why?”
“They kept clinging weirdly.”
“Huh...?”
“I said recording or written interviews were fine, but they all insisted on filming with cameras, so I refused.”
Well, he could’ve shared what happened.
But every interviewer who showed up strangely demanded to roll cameras.
‘If not that, they pushed for photos at least, right?’
Thinking of the interviewers flashing desperate eyes and begging for just one picture sent chills down his spine.
It reminded him of the water ghost he’d dealt with recently.
“Ohh, so that’s what happened. My friend kept sending weird messages, wondering what was up. Guess that was it.”
Min Writer, who’d been tilting her head, burst into a hearty laugh.
“Weird messages?”
“He kept asking when you’d debut and to tell him first. Must’ve thought you were a rookie actor.”
“...I clearly said I was Kwon Seonghyeon’s manager.”
“We barely believed it ourselves. No way he’d buy it from someone he met once.”
Her grinning face somehow looked amused.
“But thanks to that, the articles will turn out great. They’ll promote our drama with everything they’ve got. Trying to get in your good books.”
“Public opinion’s already favorable toward the drama anyway, isn’t it?”
“True. That jerk accidentally gave us sympathy noise marketing, so it’s promoting itself. Silver lining? Anyway, your story means one more solid promo push for our drama.”
“No way.”
Yeonwoo didn’t think so.
But reality differed a bit.
The day after the program aired, Min Writer beamed.
“See? I told you. They like you, so they’ll air it favorably for us. Plus, it makes them owe us one. Bet they’ll come running if you join, shoving this incident our way.”
Every program that snagged an interview had gone all-out packaging the drama positively.
Yeonwoo’s part even became this:
-This staffer defended Lee Deokchun, who harassed him for the set’s sake. That’s why Reporter Ssong Ssong found a super warm, heartwarming shoot!
Sadly, this kind-hearted crew suffered from an unexpected storm!
As they said, sunny days are back!
Just like that, Dear My Ghost will be a smash hit! We hope!
It spread nationwide as a wholesome feel-good story.
Thanks to that, they secured the promo boost and sympathy Min Writer predicted.
The actors who’d endured shooting with such a character wreck were re-highlighted too, praised for their humanity and skills.
‘...Well, good results are what matter.’
Yeonwoo decided to let it go.
Problems remained, though.
[I will live in reflection, paying for my sins from now on.]
Lee Deokchun’s spot was vacant after his arrest and de facto retirement from entertainment.
Bonus: his snot-and-tear-streaked, pitiful mugshot plastered every outlet.
“The Grim Reaper role is actually super important. It stirs conflict and crisis between the leads and controls the tension...”
Without filling it, shooting couldn’t proceed.
They’d delayed as much as possible due to Lee Deokchun, but patchwork filming wasn’t good for immersed actors either.
“Might as well restore the role’s original weight while we’re at it. No point saying it now, but cutting it down through tears because of that jerk was infuriating.”
Min Writer glanced slyly as she spoke.
“So... how about you give it a try, Yeonwoo?”
“Pardon?”
What kind of nonsense was this?
Min Writer squirmed under Yeonwoo’s baffled stare.
“No, it’s not just off the cuff. I’ve thought about it. You know, right? The Grim Reaper role got miscast because of Lee Deokchun, then his awful acting tanked its weight. I got stress-induced alopecia from it!”
“Min Writer.”
Director Heo quietly pulled her back from wandering off-topic.
“Right. Not the time. Anyway, it’s not random. We’ve seen you act.”
“When did I act?”
“You did. Kim Taehoon’s intro scene.”
Come to think of it, Kwon Seonghyeon had prattled about “acting guidance” and showed Yeonwoo a live demo as a newbie.
‘That was acting?’
He’d just walked out.
But that wasn’t all.
“Ahem!”
Director Heo cleared his throat beside them.
“Truth is... we... uh... have footage.”
“Pardon?”
“When Yerin fell in the pond. You jumped in and saved her... One staffer had a camera rolling, apparently...?”
“Not on purpose. We found out by chance, so don’t misunderstand. Anyway, we saw the footage by chance... and it was exactly the vibe I wanted!”
-Now if you step up, you’ll fall too.
An indifferent voice echoes in the pitch-black dusk.
Soon, a splash into water reveals what happened.
Moments later.
Lights flood in like a miracle.
The flustered camera shakes wildly before fixing on the pond.
A fleeting moment passes.
Yeonwoo emerges smoothly from the water without a hint of disorder, unfatigued and expressionless, handing a limp Min Yerin to the staff.
Watching that, Min Writer shivered.
‘That’s it!’
No emotion on his cold face.
Yet one arm firmly supports the limp body.
The instant she saw him comb wet hair back with one hand, cool aura intact, Min Writer thought.
‘I thought he was a rough gem, but he’s actually a polished jewel ready to shine.’
“Only you can capture that duality—detached yet instinctively saving someone. Not just me. Everyone on set watched it on loop. Gave us chills for days.”
One said they had nightmares that night.
The staffer claimed a black-suited Grim Reaper appeared, staring down—just like Yeonwoo.
Problem was how alike they looked.
“...”
No wonder the sidelong glances increased every set visit.
More importantly, when did they film that footage?
“Anyone seeing that video couldn’t object to you as Grim Reaper. See the crew? Lee Deokchun got in on agency and name value but flopped without skill. Your image stuck—bam!”
This is a sure hit! Min Writer’s blazing eyes screamed.
She pulled out all stops to coax Yeonwoo.
“Plus, think about it, Yeonwoo. Where do we find an actor now?”
“Plenty would come if called. Great script by you, Min Writer, Director Heo’s direction, stellar cast with Kwon Seonghyeon and Min Yerin.”
“...No. Wrong. Skilled actors are booked, and I can’t stomach another Lee Deokchun hack. What if we get scandal again? We’re done.”
“I hear there was a prior pick for Grim Reaper before Lee Deokchun.”
“Yeonwoo, we’re out of time. Honestly, we’re shooting a scaled-back Reaper now, so Seonghyeon and Yerin adjusted their acting. A new actor clumsily joining messes that up. Chemistry falters, interpretations clash. But you’re different!”
“...?”
What was different?
“You’ve seen the set vibe all along, right? Know Yerin and Seonghyeon’s characters well. You all mesh already—no forced chemistry. You can match their acting perfectly, I bet?”
Min Writer ranted like a pitchman.
‘Artists are all a bit off somewhere...’
Commercial art was art too.
She wheedled persistently, firm on no refusal.
“The Yeonwoo in that video is the ideal Grim Reaper. The common image is ruthless, blade-sharp, mercilessly reaping lives... right?”
Typical folklore shows: black robes, pale blank face.
Terrifying object.
“But mine isn’t. How could someone live only through deaths’ saddest moments unscathed? They kill emotions to avoid hurt, don’t you think? That’s my take. So... my child who went first won’t feel so lonely and desolate.”
Her last whisper reached Yeonwoo clearly.