Chapter 35
Chapter 35
The Escape
Even if he planned to bolt later, it didn’t mean he would be careless with his role in Virtual Reality. He had to make full use of what he’d learned from Park Hyeon-jeong.
‘It doesn’t seem like it’ll be that difficult.’
The character he was playing, Shin Ryu-won, the lead in Virtual Reality, was a meticulous elite, similar in some ways to Sergeant Kim Woo-jin from White Tiger.
Still, he couldn’t play them the same way, so he opened the script he had spent the last few days analyzing. It was filled to the brim with his handwriting. As expected of a plagiarist, the script itself lacked substance.
‘To be honest, I’m more drawn to Yoon Ha-neul’s character than Shin Ryu-won, but…’
That didn’t mean he would join Jeong Da-hee’s Dreaming after this was all over. He planned to connect her with JSENM and then step away, since he had to return to school soon. Besides, it was her debut project; he couldn’t act like a gangster and demand a role in exchange for resolving the plagiarism issue.
“Yeon-seo, good morning.”
“Good morning.”
The staff of Virtual Reality stared in wonder at Yu Yeon-seo, who was on set with his script in hand. He might have had a bad attitude, but he was diligent enough not to be late. However, he usually holed up in his van and only came out when it was time to film. And now, he was even smiling and returning their greetings.
“He’s finally acting human…?”
Someone even muttered this aloud.
While the production crew set up the camera positions and angles, Yu Yeon-seo diligently walked around the set, focusing on immersing himself in the drama.
Seeing Yu Yeon-seo working so hard on a drama that was destined to be scrapped anyway, Lee Tae-gyeom thought he was wasting his energy.
“Why are you working so hard? Just take it easy.”
“I can’t do that.”
I have to act well here.
He hadn’t forgotten the shocked reactions at the script reading. Dozens of articles had been published about that day’s reading alone. If this was the reaction just because he wasn’t delivering his lines in a monotone, the response would be even more explosive once the drama aired.
The more successful Virtual Reality became, the more attention the issue would get when it was later brought to light. Yu Yeon-seo planned to give it his all.
“Hey, let’s go. I think they’re about to start the rehearsal.”
At Lee Tae-gyeom’s words, Yu Yeon-seo closed his script and headed toward the director.
-Huh?
-Yu Yeon-seo’s acting has improved like crazy
-Wow holy shit lolol
-Is Virtual Reality fun?
└It’s still early, so idk
└But Yu Yeon-seo’s acting has gotten so much better
‘Virtual Reality’ Viewership Hits 7.3%, A Success from the First Episode… Ranks #1 Among Wednesday-Thursday Dramas
‘Virtual Reality’ Yu Yeon-seo’s Dazzling Acting Transformation… Achieves a Peak Viewership of 9.4%
The response to Virtual Reality was more explosive than expected. His brief appearance in Hurricane hadn’t been enough to prove his improved acting, but now that people confirmed Yu Yeon-seo was finally no longer a terrible actor, even viewers of other dramas were changing the channel to see for themselves.
(Post it now.)
“Yes, Young Master.”
Im Seung-hyeon ended the call and nodded to Jeong Da-hee, who was sitting across from him.
“You can post it.”
“Okay.”
Jeong Da-hee took a short, deep breath and pressed the post button.
After his call with Kim Sang-jun of Woori Pictures, he had taken Im Seung-hyeon’s advice and posted about the plagiarism suspicion on a forum for aspiring writers. Naturally, it only created a small stir within that community.
She had been pleading her case for a while, but it was better for the issue to be rediscovered later, so this was just laying the groundwork.
But the post she was making now was on a famous online community known as the internet’s faculty lounge.
“…But will this even work?”
“Of course it won’t. Not right now.”
But it would come back in a big way later. Im Seung-hyeon reassured the anxious Jeong Da-hee.
-Whoa
-Look at the evidence, holy crap, she copied a ton
-Isn’t Virtual Reality also getting called out for plagiarizing its directing from a J-drama?
-Classic Hwang Mi-jeong.
-Damn, she’s stealing from aspiring writers now? lol
-The top 3 writers who should’ve quit long ago: Hwang Mi-jeong, Park Ji-hye, Kim Ok-seon.
As expected, Jeong Da-hee’s plea began to stir up a fuss in a few online communities. Articles were published, but at the production company’s request, they started being taken down one by one.
“Cut! Okay, that’s great.”
Whether Jeong Da-hee was pleading her case or not, the filming of Virtual Reality didn’t stop.
“Yeon-seo, you’re a really good actor.”
“What did you eat to get so good?”
With Yu Yeon-seo’s acting transformation, the buzz around Virtual Reality skyrocketed, and the atmosphere on set couldn’t have been better.
After checking the monitor, Yu Yeon-seo sat down in the chair bearing his name.
“By the way, have you seen the post about the plagiarism allegations?”
At his words, a few nearby staff members spoke in low voices.
“Yeah, I saw it. Writer Hwang is always getting involved in things like that.”
“It’ll probably die down, though.”
Like it always did. An employee from Woori Pictures, who was nearby, added a comment.
“I think they just posted it out of jealousy because the drama is showing signs of success.”
“Is that so?”
Yu Yeon-seo narrowed his eyes. If they had at least pretended to care about Jeong Da-hee’s post, he might have been willing to lower the penalty from triple to double the amount. What a shame.
“The writer must be busy writing, right?”
“That’s right.”
“That’s too bad… I wanted to meet her.”
He’d heard she had a massive ego and a very sensitive personality. What could she be doing right now? Yu Yeon-seo covered his smiling face with the script.
Hwang Mi-jeong nervously bit her nails as she jabbed at her phone screen.
“Ugh! Seriously!”
This was her eighth attempt. The continuous ringing was about to give her a complex.
(Hello.)
“Ms. Jeong Da-hee! This is Hwang Mi-jeong.”
(Yes, what is it?)
Jeong Da-hee answered the phone calmly. And that calm tone grated on Hwang Mi-jeong’s already frayed nerves.
“What do you think you’re doing right now?”
(What do you mean?)
“The post on Pann! What’s that all about?!”
(Oh, that? I have to clear my name, don’t I?)
Having found her composure, Jeong Da-hee no longer showed any signs of her previous anxiety. With Im Seung-hyeon’s help, she had already signed with a law firm.
Hwang Mi-jeong’s face turned bright red as she screamed. I apologized, so that should be enough! She felt like she would go crazy from the injustice.
“You said you’d drop it if I admitted to the plagiarism and apologized!”
(I said I would think about it. Did I ever say I forgave you?)
“I apologized! Isn’t that enough?!”
Finally, Jeong Da-hee let out a hollow laugh.
(Writer, you seem to be mistaken about something. Just because you apologized doesn’t mean it’s all over.)
“What?”
(Forgiveness is the victim’s right. Whether I accept that apology or not is my choice. Why are you trying to brush this aside with ‘I apologized, so it’s fine,’ when you’re the one who did wrong?)
Jeong Da-hee argued back, clenching her teeth.
When she first confirmed that her work had been stolen, and as she waited for the production company to contact her, her state of mind had been far worse than Hwang Mi-jeong’s was now.
Her opponent was a famous writer backed by a famous production company, while she was just an aspiring nobody. There was nothing she could do, and nothing would change no matter what she tried. She had been trapped in a state of powerlessness and despair, with nowhere to even scream.
(I’m seeing this through to the end. Just so you know.)
“Fine! Go ahead and try! Do you think the world will listen to you?”
(Yes, I will.)
“You’re still just an aspiring writer, you know that? I’ll make sure you never set foot in this industry again, so you’d better remember that!”
(Yes, yes, please do. Good luck with that.)
Hwang Mi-jeong let out a loud scream as the call ended abruptly.
As they were about to film the first half of episode four, Yu Yeon-seo observed the set, which had become even more cheerful.
“Isn’t the internet in an uproar right now?”
“It’s only an uproar on the internet.”
Yu Yeon-seo held out his right hand, and Lee Tae-gyeom habitually placed a coffee in it.
As an issue-maker, Yu Yeon-seo had many haters. Uncomfortable with the success of his drama, they were diligently spreading Jeong Da-hee’s post, bringing it back up whenever it started to fade.
-So is Virtual Reality plagiarized or not?
-What happened with the Virtual Reality plagiarism controversy? Are they still playing dumb?
-Honestly, even with plagiarism controversies, they only blow up here and then quietly go away.
-They’re probably settling it behind the scenes lol
-Isn’t Yu Yeon-seo doing anything?
-He was all over the media with that ‘hope for rookies’ crap, but now that there’s a controversy, he’s quiet lol
└The plagiarist writer is at fault, why should the actor get involved?
└└This x2222
└But someone like Yu Yeon-seo could probably resolve this easily.
└No, why should an actor get involved? It’s not like he knew it was a plagiarized drama when he signed on.
‘Actually, I did know.’
The bigger the issue gets, the more people will realize its severity. Yu Yeon-seo put his phone away and focused on his script.
The ratings for Virtual Reality were steadily climbing. People who started watching just for Yu Yeon-seo were getting hooked, thanks to the unique and interesting material that Hwang Mi-jeong had plagiarized from the original work.
“The scripts have been late recently, haven’t they?”
At this rate, we’re going to end up with last-minute scripts. At Yu Yeon-seo’s barbed comment, a representative from Woori Pictures, feeling pricked, gave an awkward laugh.
The phone call with Jeong Da-hee must have been quite a shock, as Hwang Mi-jeong’s writing speed had slowed down considerably. She could just ignore the controversy online, but it seemed her pride was deeply wounded by being played by a mere aspiring writer.
Yoon Ha-neul, who was passing by, sneered openly.
“Scripts can be a little late sometimes… I guess you don’t understand the struggles of a creator.”
“Is that so?”
“If your acting skills are solid, performing with a last-minute script shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
In other words, my acting skills are still lacking? Yu Yeon-seo raised an eyebrow.
Yoon Ha-neul, who had secured more screen time through her political maneuvering, still had many complaints. Due to Yu Yeon-seo’s unexpected acting transformation, the spotlight wasn’t on her.
‘Why is she always picking a fight with me? Is this also part of my original self’s karma?’
Yu Yeon-seo put down his script and stared intently at Yoon Ha-neul’s face. The nearby staff members glanced around nervously.
“It seems you still don’t like me, Ms. Yoon Ha-neul?”
I’m curious. What did my original self say to make Yoon Ha-neul so hostile?
He was genuinely curious, but the people around them seemed to interpret it differently, slowly gathering near Yu Yeon-seo and Yoon Ha-neul.
‘Beta, automatic action mode.’
<Yes, understood.>
“Dislike you? What a hurtful thing to say. You were the one who created the distance first, Yeon-seo.”
As Yu Yeon-seo took the bait, Yoon Ha-neul smirked. But her smile didn’t last long.
“Really? I thought you might still be holding a grudge over what I said before. What else can I call something vulgar but vulgar?”
Ah, I don’t need to do anything else. So, Yu Yeon-seo was just being Yu Yeon-seo. He quickly deactivated the automatic action mode.
Yu Yeon-seo watched Yoon Ha-neul’s face turn red, his eyebrows forming a worried V. I’m truly sorry… My original self was so immature.
But to Yoon Ha-neul, even that expression seemed mocking, which only made her angrier.
“Hey, hey, what’s going on? Let’s start the rehearsal now!”
“Yeon-seo. You’ve been behaving lately, why are you acting like this today?”
Sensing the tense atmosphere, the staff quickly stepped in to mediate.
‘No, I was genuinely trying to apologize.’
Yu Yeon-seo smacked his lips as he watched Yoon Ha-neul turn away with an angry face.
“Cut! Great!”
As soon as the director’s cut sign was heard, Yoon Ha-neul scowled and moved far away from Yu Yeon-seo. Having missed his chance to apologize, Yu Yeon-seo turned away with a disappointed look.
“Geez… You’ve been so quiet lately, what’s gotten into you?”
“I’m reflecting on my actions.”
“Your face says otherwise.”
Lee Tae-gyeom frowned as he draped a long padded coat over Yu Yeon-seo. Unbothered, Yu Yeon-seo picked up his phone.
“We still have a lot of filming left today, right?”
“Yeah.”
-Honestly, isn’t judging plagiarism like this too subjective?
└Are you a fan of a plagiarized drama?
└Virtual Reality is a clear-cut case of plagiarism.
-No, but isn’t it true that people call everything plagiarism if it’s even slightly similar, like with Oh Na-ju or Ji Cheong-chun?
└So transparent lol
└So this is the kind of person who watches plagiarized dramas.
-They’ll probably just play dumb and let it blow over.
-I just feel bad for the aspiring writer.
It’s time to drive the nail in the coffin.
“…Is it time?”
Seeing the look on Yu Yeon-seo’s face, Lee Tae-gyeom slowly backed away.
“Let’s go.”
With a nod, Yu Yeon-seo casually walked off the set as if he were just going out for a light stroll.