Chapter 40
Chapter 40
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 040
Chapter Title: Wrap Party (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Ah, I'm so nervous." Rattle, rattle. Writer Min's legs shook without cease, making the coffee cup in her hand tremble. Plenty of people glanced her way, but no one tried to stop her. The staff felt the same anxiety over the finale's reception.
"It's been a while since we've all gathered like this since the first episode. Let's watch the end of the drama we all worked so hard on together and spend this time beautifully."
Director Heo stood, cleared his throat, and spoke. The staff burst into applause in unison.
"Director, do you think we can really hit 50 percent?"
"They said bonus vacation if we break 50 percent—is that for real?"
With it being the finale, the mood was relaxed—except for Writer Min.
"Ahem. The bonus vacation talk started back when we passed 30 percent."
The staff's eyes lit up at the director's words.
"Whoa, really?"
"Are we going overseas?!"
"Europe! I wanna go to Europe!"
"No way... They'll probably send us somewhere close. Like Japan, Vietnam, or Kota Kinabalu."
Director Heo flashed a triumphant smile at his staff.
"Everyone. Who am I? The great Heo Yeongho, right?! I already secured Europe when we topped 40 percent! For the entire staff!"
"Ooooh!"
"As expected of Director Heo!"
Director Heo spread his arms wide amid the cheers, urging even louder and more fervent applause.
What's got them so excited? From the sound of it, some kind of trip.
"What's a bonus vacation?"
"If a drama blows up, they sometimes send you to a resort as a thank-you. The network covers all expenses, so it's basically a free trip. Usually, it's just for the lead actors, not the staff. This is pretty unusual."
"Ah, I see."
Director Heo's speech continued.
"The bureau chief promised! If the finale tops 50 percent, he'll upgrade all our accommodations to five-stars!"
"Woooaaah!"
"So let's all pray for a huge hit."
With that, broadcast time arrived swiftly.
[Five minutes to air.]
The chatter died as tension settled over the room, as if it had never happened. Five minutes passed like fifty.
"It's starting."
All eyes locked on the screen as the opening played.
***
"Ugh... Why am I tearing up?"
"Even though I edited it, watching it like this gets me misty-eyed again..."
At last, the drama reached its conclusion. Once the end credits rolled and the screen changed, the staff slowly snapped out of their reverie, one by one.
"Ahem. What's the rating?"
Even Director Heo asked into the walkie-talkie in a hoarse voice.
"This has to be a solid 50 percent."
"At worst, it broke 45 for sure."
The response came quickly.
[Final peak rating: 47 percent.]
"Not 50?"
[Yes...]
"Ah... Three percent short."
"Too bad we didn't hit 50."
Everyone clicked their tongues in regret, but deep down, they knew. For MBS dramas, which had bombed spectacularly despite high ambitions time and again, 47 percent was a resounding comeback signal.
With success already locked in, this was just the griping of the well-fed.
"How's the audience reaction?"
Writer Min, whose legs had trembled to the end, finally asked.
"It's a total tearjerker out there? No real backlash that I see."
"Really? For real? You're not lying?"
"Yeah. Oh, some are saying Yeonwoo's line was too heartbreaking."
"There's talk of the twist being chilling too. In a good way, Writer."
[This is my choice. My choice, my wish, the salvation I desire.]
The Grim Reaper that Yeonwoo played closed his eyes after those words, scattering into the air like dust and vanishing.
The heroine, So Yeojin, watched and wept.
The reason for the Grim Reaper's choice. The name he'd completely forgotten until the very end.
[Goodbye.]
Kim Taehoon held So Yeojin from the side, whispering a final farewell she couldn't hear.
[So Yeo-hoon.]
Calling the name that had been forgotten.
That's right. The Grim Reaper, So Yeo-hoon, was So Yeojin's older brother, who had died long before.
Grim Reapers were souls that King Yama pitied in particular.
And So Yeo-hoon was one of them.
A pitiful soul who drowned saving his little sister from the water in their youth.
That was So Yeo-hoon.
-Noooㅠㅠㅠㅠ Don't kill our Grim Reaper oppaㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-I'm losing it, I had a bad feeling and it really happenedㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-It was because he was the heroine's oppa that things felt off from their first meeting... Even with amnesia, he couldn't kill his sister, so he failed his mission...
-I'm delisting my Grim Reaper ML stock as of today...
ㄴBut isn't this better? The real ML was Kim Taehoon anyway—this way it still works outㅠㅠㅠ Siblings last forever, even if lovers don't!
The Grim Reaper, who always followed his heart, paid the price with his soul's annihilation.
That was the story's core.
But it didn't end there.
"Writer, adding that reincarnation scene was pure genius. People are calling it the perfect finishing touch—total chaos online."
"Really...?"
"If it had just ended with the sacrifice, it'd be different, but showing the Grim Reaper reincarnate too? Everyone's breathing a sigh of relief, calling it a happy ending."
Better a fave reincarnates than dies for good.
"If they'd forced a twist to keep him alive, it'd feel worse, but now they say the story feels complete."
"R-Really? No one's cursing me out?"
"Ugh, don't believe it? See for yourself."
Writer Min snatched the phone, scrolled frantically, then shot her head up.
"I really owe Yeonwoo big time. I was this close to changing the story? But he said even if it sucks, go with it—so I gritted my teeth. Turned out to be a blessing in disguise. What a lucky charm."
The characters' vivid life and individual arcs converged in the finale for a perfect ensemble.
If Writer Min had caved to audience pressure and altered the ending, this praise wouldn't have come.
Instead, headlines like [Drama Crumbles Under Pressure: Vague Ending Sparks Viewer Fury] might've flooded the news.
'The ending all the scripts I read screamed for was the original one. Changing it would've wrecked the buildup.'
A special ability attuned to reading text: Intent Discernment.
That was why Yeonwoo had firmly insisted on sticking to the ending.
'No way I'd let them topple a well-built tower.'
Knowing Writer Min's true intent made it an obvious call.
Her intended ending wasn't trash—it was gold.
In the end, Yeonwoo was right.
With the drama closing at a staggering 47 percent, the key figures faced a whirlwind of busyness.
***
"Lots of places looking for Yeonwoo."
"Me?"
"Why so surprised? It's obvious. Director Heo's industry rep has skyrocketed, and Writer Min's a full-fledged star writer now. Bet her per-episode fee tops 8 million won, easy."
"Huh...?"
"Oh, right—wanna see her interview?"
Kwon Sung-hyeon smiled and handed over the iPad.
Yeonwoo took it absentmindedly, then nearly spat his water at the headline.
"The drama's true lead... Personally, the Grim Reaper...?"
The title blared large.
He whipped around to Kwon Sung-hyeon, who beamed softly and gestured to read.
'What the hell is with him?!'
Yeonwoo's eyes shook as he read the interview.
-Q. Any episode that stood out while writing this?
A. Of course. As everyone knows, we had a lot of accidents on set. (laughs) Hard to pick one, but if I had to... it'd be when Kang Yeonwoo saved Min Yerin from drowning. That's the one etched in my memory.
Q. That scene from the making-of? I watched it too—super memorable. And the scissor accident. (laughs) But I heard that was actually real danger for Min Yerin. True?
A. Yes. Completely true. Night shoot in deep woods—pitch black, bad vibes. Weird stuff kept happening on set. Static in the mics. Creepy atmosphere. Then Min Yerin wouldn't come up from the pond. And that's when...
Q. Kang Yeonwoo jumped in right away?
A. Yeah. As he helped her out, it was like lightning struck my mind. ...
Q. Kang Yeonwoo comes up a lot in this interview.
A. (laughs) Can't help it. He's basically my muse. I think the Grim Reaper character came alive because of him. Plus, thanks to Yeonwoo, I stuck to my guns on the ending.
Q. Speaking of, can't skip the ending. Killing the Grim Reaper was too much. I teared up at that scene. No second thoughts on axing such a popular character?
A. How could I not? (sigh) Kill him or save him? Original plan was death. But I got attached. So I asked Yeonwoo.
Q. What'd he say?
A. Trends push happy endings, sure—but tragedy isn't always shunned. Shakespeare's four great tragedies still draw crowds, he said. That gave me courage.
Q. Impressive. Thought Kang Yeonwoo was a rookie without much ambition?
A. Far from it. He's passionate on set. Despite being new, he's got broad vision and foresight. (laughs)
Q. Planning a next project?
A. Next project...
"......?"
When did I say that?
Shakespeare's four great tragedies? Yeonwoo couldn't care less what they were.
More than that...
This is way too blatant...
'It's all about me?!'
He thought it was an interview, but it read like hagiography.
The portrayed Kang Yeonwoo and the real one seemed like different people.
"What do you think? Pretty good, right?"
"Good...? Where's good about this? It's straight-up fraud."
"Fraud? Looks like plain facts to me."
"......"
Better not say more.
"Thanks to Writer Min's glowing interview, love calls are pouring in from everywhere."
Luckily, Kwon Sung-hyeon set the iPad aside and got back on track.
But something felt off as he listened.
"How do you know that, Kwon Sung-hyeon-ssi?"
"Because they're calling my side."
Soft smile, eyes crinkling gently. Attitude like: Why ask something so obvious?
"Why are they calling you?"
"Yeonwoo doesn't have an agency yet."
"Huh?"
"Yeonwoo, how was filming this drama?"
"What about it?"
"You seemed to enjoy it, from what I saw. Nothing you hated?"