The Gamer's Warning (2): The PD's Salvation

It was while I was deep in the dungeon.

Seo Yu-rim had sent me a whisper. What did she want? Was she trying to get me to run a dungeon with her again?

It was while I was hunting with her for a while that my phone rang. When I checked, it was Han Yu-na.

"Playing a game."

"No. I'm done. But what's the matter...?"

The broadcasting station. Was there some kind of problem there?

"Are you trying to debut me on TV?"

"Aha."

If that was the case, it made sense. He was putting his trust in the lead actor he'd chosen, and there could be issues from past mistakes or future accidents. When you thought about the massive cost of producing a drama, it was no wonder the PD was losing sleep over it.

"Understood. When should I go?"

"Understood."

The broadcasting station, huh. I wondered what kind of trouble was waiting.

.

.

.

The next day I arrived in front of the TVB broadcasting station. It was a famous place, packed with people hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite celebrities and foreign tourists wandering around.

While I was resting at a nearby café after ordering something sweet, a person approached my table. It was Han Yu-na, dressed in a wrinkle-free semi-formal suit.

"It's been a while. Have you been well?"

"I'm always the same. More importantly, Team Leader Han... how did things turn out?"

Seeing how calm she looked, it seemed everything had been resolved smoothly.

"That person was fired. He was lurking near the room you mentioned. He really did use the master key to open the door, then came out with the guest's wallet and tablet."

In the original future I'd seen, he ran into the returning guest. When the guest asked to confirm if it was his tablet, the man caused a huge scene. A fight broke out and he ended up killing the guest by accident. But thanks to me, that future had changed.

"I see. That's good."

"Yes. It's all thanks to you."

Before the man could encounter the guest, hotel security and Han Yu-na had caught him. They apologized immediately and reported him for theft. Naturally he was fired from the hotel, and the manager who'd recommended him was demoted as well.

"So. Who are we meeting today?"

"Do you happen to know PD Jang Woo-gyeong?"

"I don't watch much TV..."

"Aha... He's actually a fairly well-known star PD."

In the past he'd created several hit dramas. But recently, as if cursed, every single project had flopped. If he'd simply lacked production skill, I wouldn't have bothered getting involved.

"For some reason, the lead and supporting actors all ended up with problems."

The first failure happened when the lead actor was caught doing drugs during the third episode. The second failure came when a main supporting actor was busted for soliciting underage prostitution.

The third failure was the lead actress being exposed for abusing her power. Even bad luck had its limits. After three consecutive disasters, he'd started to feel uneasy about choosing actors at all.

"So you're asking me to read his fortune?"

"Yes."

"I see. Understood."

"You'll do it?"

"The fact that I came all the way here means I've already decided to help. That said, I do pick and choose my clients..."

I'd heard that some broadcasting PDs weren't exactly decent human beings. I wanted to see for myself.

"Ah, here he comes."

From a distance, a man with a gentle face and white hair at his temples was walking toward us. He looked about fifty, similar to the director at the orphanage, and he seemed slightly downcast.

"Hello, PD Jang."

"Oh. Yes. It's been a while, Miss Han Yu-na. And this is..."

"The person I mentioned on the phone."

"Ah... That highly reputed fortune teller?"

His eyes held both anxiety and suspicion. Honestly, even I would have been doubtful. No matter how much of a chaebol successor she was, relying on a fortune teller in this day and age seemed ridiculous.

"Nice to meet you. I'm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kang Noah."

"Ah. Yes. You're quite young. Did you train in the mountains somewhere?"

"Haha. I'm not that kind of person."

"Then did you suddenly receive a divine calling?"

"No. Nothing like that."

"...Well, I'm not sure if you know, but back when I was an assistant PD on I Want to Know That, I saw far too many scams from shamans and fortune tellers like that."

The suspicion in his eyes only grew stronger. Three failures in a row must have built quite a wall.

"Noah, I'm sorry. PD Jang isn't usually like this."

"After being burned three times, it's only natural to be suspicious."

He'd been betrayed by people he'd trusted as solid actors. Developing a distrust of humanity wasn't strange at all.

"Hmm..."

"...Is something wrong?"

It was fine. He wasn't a bad person. There was a slightly arrogant side that came with being a PD, but overall he seemed ordinary. In that case, there was no reason not to help.

"Would you like to draw one of these?"

"Pardon?"

I held out my tarot cards to him. Looking somewhat reluctant, PD Jang drew one.

The Hanged Man. Reversed.

In tarot it symbolized meaningless sacrifice and blind faith, but I needed to look beyond that interpretation.

"You must be having a hard time."

"Yes? Well. Who in this world isn't?"

"Specifically, it's a family matter."

"...Yes?"

"Your wife has been complaining of discomfort lately, hasn't she?"

"...Wait a minute. Who are you?"

The suspicion vanished from PD Jang's eyes. But anxiety and wariness flooded in to replace it. It was the same look people used to give me at the orphanage when I told them I was an orphan.

"I strongly recommend getting treatment immediately. It's not because you've been coming home late, PD Jang."

His past. And his future. I saw him there in despair. After the drama failed again, completely crushed, he learned his wife had cervical cancer.

If only they'd done a checkup when he first got the call, it could have been treated early. Regretting that, he eventually jumped from the rooftop of his own building and committed suicide.

"...What... what kind of illness...?"

"It looks like cervical cancer."

PD Jang's face hardened. For now, this was enough.

"If you'd like to talk more, please contact me."

I gave him my phone number. From here on, whether he believed me or not was his own problem. I could lead the horse to water, but I couldn't force it to drink.

Jang Woo-gyeong was confused. Lately his wife had been grumbling more often that she felt tired. I'm the one who's tired. He'd complained that a housewife had nothing to be tired about. Still, he loved his wife. That's why he couldn't believe it.

'Jeong-yeon has cancer...?'

He was just a fortune teller. Hadn't he seen plenty of them on I Want to Know That? Scammers who spouted whatever they wanted without taking responsibility. So he didn't want to believe it.

Work was more important. This drama absolutely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had to succeed.

But he couldn't focus.

"...Hyun-soo."

"Yes, PD."

"I'm heading home early today."

"Huh? Suddenly?"

"Yeah. I need to take my wife to the hospital."

"Ah... Yes. Understood."

He headed straight home. That young man who'd introduced himself as Kang Noah had spoken with far too much certainty.

'Yeah. What's a few more nights of overtime?'

If nothing was wrong with his wife, that was even better.

As he got into the car, he called a hospital he knew. Thanks to his connections, they could run tests right away.

"Oh my. Honey. What is it? You're home so early?"

"Let's go."

"Where?"

"The hospital. You've been saying you're really tired lately, right?"

"It's just a bit tiring, and because you come home late. We'll feel better if we eat something delicious."

Even as she said it, his wife's face brightened. She seemed overjoyed that her early-returning husband was paying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠attention to her.

But regardless, he gripped her hand tightly.

"Come on. I made a reservation."

"Sigh. Fine, fine. Why go to the hospital over something like this?"

"If it's nothing, we can just eat some health food together."

There was a trace of anxiety in Jang Woo-gyeong's eyes as he spoke.

And.

They couldn't eat that health food that day.

Because they had to perform surgery immediately.

I was lazing around at home when a call came from an unknown number. Thinking it was spam again, I ignored it, but it hung up and rang once more.

"Hello."

"Ah. Yes. Hello."

His voice was shaking. From the way he spoke, it sounded like he'd already been to the hospital.

"Of course."

"Then could you come to a café near my neighborhood?"

After ending the call, I spent about thirty minutes rolling around watching YouTube. Then a text arrived saying he'd reached the café near my house.

When I went out, he was there.

"Teacher. Teacher. Teacher...!!"

The man who'd been sitting in the café jumped up the moment he saw me, ran over, and grabbed my hand tightly. People around us began to murmur.

"What's going on?"

"An older man acting like that toward a young person?"

"A young rich kid?"

"Is he throwing his weight around? No, that doesn't seem right!"

"Please calm down."

"Y-yes... Thanks to you... my wife was able to live..."

"The surgery went well, I take it?"

"Yes. It was caught early, so treatment was possible."

"I'm glad."

"Really... thank you so much."

Ah. He was crying. I never liked seeing grown men cry.

"Don't cry. If it can be treated properly, that's a good thing. Why are you crying?"

"Khuk...!!"

He hurriedly wiped at his face.

"First, would you like something to drink? Ah. Of course, I don't plan to end my gratitude here."

He pulled a thick envelope from his coat. Inside were several crisp fifty-thousand-won bills.

"Expressing thanks with mere money like this..."

"Mere money? People kill each other over money, you know."

Try saying that at Gangwon Land. The gamblers there would come running with sickles.

"Now. Shall we get to the main topic?"

I ordered something sweet and sat down. While he went to pick up the drinks, I took out the cards.

"You said you were worried about the lead actor, correct?"

"Yes..."

"Draw one."

He drew a card. This time it was The World, reversed.

"Draw the next one as well."

The next was The Hierophant.

"Last one. Draw it."

The final card was The Fool.

Seeing him stare at the three cards with extreme tension, I spoke.

"The drama is going to fail."

"...Yes? Is there some problem with the ac-actors...?"

"There are no problems with the actors..."

The problem lay elsewhere.

"At the filming location... there's a mountain, right?"

"Yes? Yes."

"Be careful."

I looked him straight in the eyes.

"You're going to get hurt pretty badly on that mountain."

Because a wild boar is going to come charging out of nowhere.