Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Setting the Stage
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Are you really going to do it?
-Doesn’t everything Park Ji-hye does, aside from her plagiarized work, fail?
-Summary of the plagiarism allegations against ‘A Bitter Youth’
-I thought the subplot was well-developed, but turns out it was plagiarized lol
-Is ‘Oh Na-ju’ plagiarized too?
-Seriously, anyone defending ‘A Bitter Youth’ from plagiarism claims has no conscience, right?
I get that similarities can exist. But when the plot, dialogue, setting, direction, and episodes are all identical, how is that not plagiarism? Damn, this writer plagiarized in her previous work too.
└ Park Ji-hye and Hwang Mi-jeong both need to quit writing.
└└ Add Kim Ok-seon to that list.
└└└ And Park Ji-hwan.
‘There’s more talk of plagiarism than I thought.’
This wasn’t just people trying to tear down a successful work; there was concrete evidence of plagiarism. I remembered enjoying the drama they mentioned back in 2207, and I did think it felt similar to something else. So it was plagiarism after all.
But in the end, controversies like this were just online drama. The chances of a boycott were low, and there were even cases where, when a famous writer’s work with a famous actor was accused of plagiarism, the victims were mocked instead.
‘The broadcasting station is also pushing forward because they’ve already invested money…’
Weren’t the production companies and broadcasting stations that kept hiring people like this the problem in the first place? It’s not like there was a shortage of writers. Was it because of her experience? At this rate, how could anyone without experience survive in this industry?
“Sir, it’s time.”
Yu Yeon-seo slipped his phone into his inner pocket. He had a plan in mind, but he’d figure out the specifics after the shoot.
“You just need to sit here and deliver your lines.”
“Okay.”
Following the staff’s guidance, Yu Yeon-seo sat in the chair, crossed his legs, and rested his hands on his knees. The lines weren’t hard to memorize. He didn’t know who the writer was, but the character’s arrogant and foul personality was a mirror image of his own. So, he decided to act as if this nameless character was a parallel-universe version of himself.
“That face is truly a devil-given talent…”
A staff member watching Yu Yeon-seo through the camera muttered. No one replied, but they all silently agreed.
Of course, that only applied to his ‘looks.’ Everyone knew what kind of acting Yu Yeon-seo had done until now, so they had zero expectations for his performance.
“Please, just don’t let it be textbook reading…”
Director Lee Yeong-jin muttered desperately. Yu Yeon-seo’s part was small, but it played a crucial role in catching the culprit.
Even though Park Min-woo had praised his improved acting, it could have just been lip service due to their friendship. He hadn’t been to the ‘White Tiger’ set himself…
“Here we go. Action.”
The camera slowly panned up from Yu Yeon-seo’s feet, and then he delivered his line. The director prayed inwardly. If he could just be decent, just not stick out from the rest of the drama…
“My time is expensive… You must be loaded, Detective?”
Huh?
The director stared intently at Yu Yeon-seo on the monitor. Gone was the usual stiff, textbook delivery; he was acting with a stable tone. Yu Yeon-seo was!
“So, what are you curious about?”
On the monitor, Yu Yeon-seo smirked obnoxiously as he gazed at Park Min-woo.
“On the 17th, at 1 a.m., you were with Mr. Baek Tae-hyun at H Club in Gangnam, correct?”
As soon as he heard the director’s action cue, Park Min-woo, now transformed into a detective, sat opposite Yu Yeon-seo and began his interrogation in a low voice.
“Well, I was.”
Yu Yeon-seo tapped his knee a couple of times with his index finger. It was an action not in the script. But it was a nervous tic, born from the knowledge that Baek Tae-hyun was connected to the crime and the fear that he himself might get caught in the crossfire.
‘Ha, was that intentional?’
There was no way the director would miss such a detail.
“Until what time were you with him?”
“Let’s see… maybe around three? By the way, how much do you make doing this kind of work, Detective? About 5 million won?”
Yu Yeon-seo rolled his eyes irritatingly. Bringing up the detective’s salary was a defense mechanism, a way to show he didn’t want to talk about this.
Park Min-woo’s expression hardened. He couldn’t stand slick people like this. He took an SD card from the pocket of his bomber jacket and held it in front of Yu Yeon-seo’s eyes.
“We’ve secured the black box from a vehicle parked near the scene.”
“…”
“Aren’t you curious to see what’s on the footage?”
In reality, there was nothing on it. But it was enough to unsettle Yu Yeon-seo.
“I have nothing more to say.”
“Mr. Baek Tae-hyun has identified you as a suspect for that day. Do you have anything to say to that?”
That bastard? Daring to frame me as the culprit? Yu Yeon-seo let out a hollow laugh.
The camera, zoomed in on his face, captured the subtle twitch of a muscle near his dimple.
“I said, I have nothing more to say.”
Yu Yeon-seo, who had been leaning back leisurely, hardened his expression and glared at Park Min-woo. In that moment, Yu Yeon-seo’s presence exploded.
“Whoa… what was that?”
“Eh, it’s probably because the role is so similar to his actual personality. Method acting, you know?”
“No matter how similar, his vocalization itself is different.”
“True, his pronunciation is really clear too.”
The onlookers whispered among themselves. The director’s mouth hung open in shock. He had only called him in to generate some buzz, since it was his first TV appearance after the accident… but he had unexpectedly hit the jackpot.
‘This is going to cause a stir when it airs.’
“Huh, it’s Yu Yeon-seo.”
“What? Oh, ‘Hurricane’… You haven’t seen it? My mom started watching it because she heard Yu Yeon-seo was on.”
Working part-time to make ends meet, Jeong Da-hee looked up at the sound of the customers’ conversation. A rerun of ‘Hurricane’ was playing on the TV on the wall.
“Oh, he’s not reading from a textbook.”
“What, I thought you didn’t watch much TV.”
“It’s Yu Yeon-seo.”
Yu Yeon-seo, who stirred up all sorts of issues, had become a household name. His public recognition and interest surpassed that of top actors.
(You—you snitched?)
(Tae-hyun… I really wanted to stay loyal, but that detective was soo scary, so I just… I’m sorry. How many years have we been friends? I’ll definitely, definitely come visit you.)
In the end, Yu Yeon-seo’s character in ‘Hurricane’ betrays Baek Tae-hyun and spills everything. Before being handcuffed, Baek Tae-hyun hangs up on Yu Yeon-seo and angrily throws his phone.
“Wow, he’s so good at being infuriating.”
“I didn’t even realize it was Yu Yeon-seo at first.”
After Yu Yeon-seo’s scene ended, the show moved on to Baek Tae-hyun being interrogated at the police station, but the customers turned their attention away from the TV and back to their food.
‘What the, he’s actually good.’
Wiping a table, Jeong Da-hee stared blankly at the TV screen. Was he always that good? No.
She remembered the time she had gone to see Yu Yeon-seo last year.
[Shouldn’t you be writing another line for a synopsis instead of wasting time like this? I’ll pass on the script.]
She had gone to him clutching at straws, but after being rejected even by Yu Yeon-seo, who was said to be a ray of hope for newcomers, she had all but given up on her dream of becoming a writer.
‘I should have just accepted the offer to be an assistant writer back then.’
If she had, she wouldn’t be here; she could have at least been on a filming set…
She had three scripts tied up with broadcasting stations and production companies after winning contests. But not a single one had been successfully adapted.
[This is good. Let’s do it together.]
[Really?!]
[But it’s true that you lack name value, right? Since you’re a rookie. So, how about… you work under writer Hwang Mi-jeong?]
[What? Then… I wouldn’t be the main writer?]
[That’s how this industry works. Who’s going to invest in a rookie writer’s script? Let’s build up your filmography as an assistant to a famous writer first. I think writer Hwang could really spice this script up.]
One production company had shown a positive response, but the result was different from what Jeong Da-hee had imagined.
In the end, after much deliberation, she had refused, but she didn’t feel good about it. She knew she had to build experience as an assistant writer to eventually get her own work made…
‘No, it’s better this way.’
It’s not like I’m a ghostwriter, but to hand over my entire work and join as an assistant? Does that make any sense?
Jeong Da-hee picked up her phone to distract herself.
-Anyone watch Hurricane? How was Yu Yeon-seo’s special appearance?
Couldn’t watch because of work
└ He was infuriatingly good lol
└ His acting has improved
-Honestly, Yu Yeon-seo’s presence in that scene was insane lol
-I thought Yu Yeon-seo would ruin the mood, but he did well.
-Why is everyone talking about Yu Yeon-seo lol, was he that good?
└ He was good. Seems like he’s had an awakening.
└ Yu Yeon-seo’s fans are getting ahead of themselves lol. That wasn’t acting, that was just him being himself lol.
└ No, I’m telling you, he wasn’t reading from a textbook.
└└ Seriously?
Although he was said to have given a passionate performance in ‘White Tiger,’ it was all just ‘rumors’ online, and since the premiere was still far off, there was no final product to see.
So, the only glimpse of Yu Yeon-seo’s acting after the accident was his brief appearance in ‘Hurricane.’ The public’s reaction was overwhelmingly positive, noting the stark change in his aura from his previous drama, ‘Our Moment.’
Yu Yeon-seo’s Special Appearance in ‘Hurricane’ Achieves Highest Viewership Ratings
Analyzing Yu Yeon-seo’s Fashion in ‘Hurricane’… His Watch Alone Costs as Much as a Foreign Car
Even with a short special appearance, his ability to generate buzz was insane. Jeong Da-hee scrolled past the articles with a bored expression.
Yu Yeon-seo Confirms Offer for Writer Hwang Mi-jeong’s New Work, ‘Virtual Reality’ (Official)
From Film to Drama… Yu Yeon-seo’s Side: “Positively Reviewing Writer Hwang Mi-jeong’s New Project”
“Huh?”
‘Virtual Reality’ was a fantasy drama about a virtual reality troubleshooter who struggles to pull VIPs trapped in a virtual world back to reality. As the next work from the currently most popular writer, Hwang Mi-jeong, it had been garnering attention since the production stages.
The premise sounded very familiar. She quickly scanned the synopsis in the article, reading it again and again. This, this couldn’t be…
‘What is this? What happened?’
Her work had been stolen.
“Now that you’ve said you’ll do it, it’s basically been fast-tracked. They’ve even scheduled the broadcast.”
“Really? As expected…”
His background was truly something else. Yu Yeon-seo smirked and tossed Hwang Mi-jeong’s script onto the desk.
“But are you really going to do it? Ah, I feel a bit uneasy about this.”
Lee Tae-gyeom scratched the back of his head and eyed the script as if it were ominous.
“I’ve thought of something fun.”
“What is it?”
Yu Yeon-seo smiled mysteriously. Normally, for a drama he was in, he would be the lead, an investor, and the production company would almost certainly be Halo Media or JSENM. But this time, he had put his foot down and said not to do any of that.
Writer Hwang Mi-jeong was already affiliated with a production company that would produce the drama, and Yu Yeon-seo had gladly invested most of the production costs. After all, if you want to throw your weight around later, you need to have a lot invested.
“I’ve returned, Young Master.”
“Did you meet with them?”
“Yes, the timing was perfect. I heard something interesting…”
“Oh, really? Tell me about it.”
Unlike Lee Tae-gyeom, Im Seung-hyeon was dependable. Having already grasped the gist of Yu Yeon-seo’s plan, he was proactively carrying out his orders.
Only Lee Tae-gyeom was left in the dark, fidgeting anxiously.
“Hey, can’t I know too? Can’t you tell me, sir? What’s this fun thing?”
“Hmm… Righteous abuse of power?”
Once production and broadcasting were all set, and public interest was at its peak around the third or fourth episode… he would vanish. Cleanly.
He would write a new chapter in drama history by having the lead actor run out. The project would naturally be left in limbo, and the broadcasting station that accepted a plagiarized work would find itself in a very awkward position.
What if they sue for breach of contract later? Me? How would they dare?
‘If they want to make an enemy of Juseong, they can go right ahead.’
I can’t wait for filming to start. Yu Yeon-seo laughed out loud.