Chapter 37
Chapter 37
The Lunar New Year Gathering
Grandma is coming too, right?
On his way to meet Jeong Da-hee, Yu Yeon-seo checked the news. The articles weren’t dying down; they were exploding in number.
‘This is so… blatant.’
Isn’t this a bit much, even for CEO Han’s excited media play? This is a bit over the top.
Just then, his phone rang, and Yu Yeon-seo answered it.
“Yes, Mother.”
“Yeon-seo. You’ve certainly stirred things up.”
“...To be honest, I didn’t expect it to get this big.”
Does he not realize his own influence because of his amnesia? Choi Yu-jin thought with a small smile.
“Have you read the script?”
“Yes. I don’t know much about these things, but it was interesting. The staff responded well to it, too.”
“They did?”
“If the writer is on board, it looks like it will go into production right away.”
“That’s great.”
If the order came directly from the Vice Chairman, things would move quickly. It would also be good for JSTV to start production soon to ride the wave of hype from ‘Virtual Reality’.
After ending the call, Yu Yeon-seo pulled his hat down low and headed outside.
“Huh?”
“Hey, isn’t that Yu Yeon-seo?”
Even though he kept his head down and walked quickly, someone recognized him. Maybe I should have brought a mask.
“This way, sir.”
Im Seung-hyeon, who had just parked the car, was already leading the way.
“Ah, hello!”
Jeong Da-hee, who had been waiting in a corner of the cafe, shot up and bowed when she saw Yu Yeon-seo. The commotion drew the eyes of a few other people.
“You wanted to see me?”
Yu Yeon-seo sat down across from her and got straight to the point.
“I just felt I should thank you in person.”
She didn’t have to. Yu Yeon-seo frowned, looking uncomfortable. He just couldn’t get used to this kind of soft, sentimental atmosphere.
“Thank you so much.”
Jeong Da-hee bowed her head respectfully.
“Ms. Jeong, you’re mistaken about something… You don’t need to thank me.”
At Yu Yeon-seo’s cold words, Jeong Da-hee looked up.
“I was just using you to improve my own image. It’s a win-win for both of us.”
“...”
“Anyway, I’ve received your thanks, so we’re done here.”
Who goes this far just to improve their image? Jeong Da-hee glanced at Im Seung-hyeon standing behind Yu Yeon-seo. He was smiling knowingly.
“Oh, Ms. Jeong. What do you think of JSTV? You don’t prefer a public broadcast network, do you?”
“Pardon?”
“You need to make your debut. You’ll be getting a call soon.”
Jeong Da-hee, who had been staring blankly, unsure of what he meant, covered her mouth with both hands. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
“Thank you so much…”
“Ah, I had nothing to do with it. It’s because the script is good.”
All I did was casually present the script to the Vice Chairman of the production company.
Jeong Da-hee’s ‘Dreaming’ was a work that had survived even the original Yu Yeon-seo’s script selection process. But beyond that, it was a compelling scenario even to the Kang Jin-hu of 2207. If it had aired safely without being plagiarized, his future self would have likely enjoyed watching it.
And… Jeong Da-hee was the person he saw during his first memory synchronization in this era. The desperation in her trembling hands as she held out the script had remained in a corner of his mind.
“So… you thought my script was good?”
“Yes, it was interesting.”
Seeing Jeong Da-hee’s joy, Yu Yeon-seo figured it was time for him to leave.
“In that case, would you consider appearing in ‘Dreaming’? Just like you did in ‘Virtual Reality’.”
Yu Yeon-seo tilted his head, confused. You don’t have to try so hard to repay me.
“Isn’t this over now that I’ve received your thanks? The production budget should be sufficient even without me.”
Since the Vice Chairman herself had given the order, the atmosphere on set would undoubtedly be good, and the script was so strong that he was personally willing to invest. But he was taken aback by such a direct request.
“No! That’s not why I’m asking!”
Jeong Da-hee waved her hands frantically.
Now even more confused, Yu Yeon-seo furrowed his brow. I admit I have influence, but I’m no guarantee for ratings. Is it really okay to cast an actor famous for his terrible acting in your debut project? Don’t you have any ambition?
“I saw your acting. In ‘Virtual Reality’… you were good. You were similar to the character I imagined…”
“Based on that short appearance? The series was short, too.”
“Still, I would really like for you, Mr. Yu Yeon-seo, to be in my drama.”
“Although I’m not sure if I have any casting authority…” Jeong Da-hee rambled. It didn’t seem like she was acting impulsively out of gratitude for him solving her problem.
“Hmm… this is a bit difficult.”
Yu Yeon-seo rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought. He had planned on enjoying university life for a while, just doing some light memory synchronization…
Still.
‘The role Yoon Ha-neul was supposed to play is a bit tempting.’
Acting in a role like that wouldn’t be too difficult, and since he’d only appear in short bursts, it probably wouldn’t cause any problems even if he went back to school…
“Alright. But give me a different role.”
As expected, Our Pictures and the broadcast station held Yu Yeon-seo responsible for abandoning the set.
“Me? For what, and how?”
But even that didn’t work against Yu Yeon-seo, who had Juseong Group backing him.
“Are you sure you can handle Juseong?”
He threw the same words back at them that Jeong Da-hee had heard.
Yu Yeon-seo brought out the revised contract and highlighted the clause about a threefold penalty fee. Whatever Im Seung-hyeon had said to the main office, the broadcast station quickly backed down. He probably threatened to pull all their ads. It pays to have a golden spoon.
‘Virtual Reality’ Broadcast Station, “Aware of Writer Hwang’s plagiarism… decision to halt drama broadcast.”
‘Virtual Reality’ Writer Hwang Mi-jeong Admits to Plagiarism… Production Halted.
In the end, the production company and the writer also raised the white flag. They admitted it, but there was never a formal apology to the victim. How pathetic.
JSENM to Produce ‘Dreaming,’ Original Drama of ‘Virtual Reality.’
‘Hope for Newcomers’ Yu Yeon-seo Considered for Supporting Role in Plagiarism-Victim Drama ‘Dreaming’… Special Request from Writer.
Right on cue, JSENM began its media campaign.
-Wow, a perfect ending.
-Look at how it goes into production as soon as Yu Yeon-seo says he’ll do it lol
-Yu Yeon-seo helped out that aspiring writer too, right?
└Looks like it.
Yu Yeon-seo sighed and turned off his phone. Things didn’t go as expected, but I guess all’s well that ends well.
In any case, the situation was resolved, and he was now facing a new chapter: his first Lunar New Year since coming to this era.
‘This is going to be exhausting.’
He had gone through numerous memory synchronizations, but he still had no memories of his aunts and cousins. However, he had seen someone in a brief fragment of memory.
‘I don’t think Grandma likes me very much.’
His grandmother, Park Geum-ju. Currently the director of the Juseong Museum of Art.
In her youth, she was a capable woman who had taken charge of Juseong’s fashion business and built it into a global SPA brand. Now, his younger aunt was running the brand.
[Your personality is getting stranger and stranger.]
[Can’t you live properly?]
Frankly, with the way Yu Yeon-seo had been acting, he deserved to hear such things. But he remembered that the original Yu Yeon-seo had felt quite sad upon hearing those words. Is there something I don’t know?
“Uh…”
Today, both Im Seung-hyeon and Lee Tae-gyeom were on holiday, and he had to go to Pyeongchang-dong himself, but a problem arose.
‘Can I even drive?’
Yu Yeon-seo stared blankly at the six car keys neatly arranged on the table.
The basic life guide for 2018 included how to drive, but theory and practice were different. Using Auto-Action Mode to drive would be too taxing on his body…
Just then, he got a call from Yu Eun-ho.
“Hey, hyung.”
“Open the door.”
“Huh?”
No way. Yu Yeon-seo headed to the entrance.
“What, you here to drag me along again?”
“I told you before, I’m not dragging you…”
“You’re looking out for me?”
Yu Eun-ho smiled slightly and nodded. This was perfect timing, as he had been in a bind. Yu Yeon-seo readily followed his brother down to the parking garage.
“You should have just gone ahead. Why bother coming all the way here?”
“I live nearby. It’s on the way.”
Ah, I see. In that case, I might as well use him as my personal chauffeur.
“Does everyone know about my amnesia?”
“Just the adults.”
So the cousins don’t know. Well, it’s confirmed this will be exhausting. Yu Yeon-seo let out a small sigh and fastened his seatbelt.
“...Grandma is coming too, right?”
“Yes, she returned to the country recently.”
He had heard that she had been abroad for a long time, touring the SPA brand stores she had launched and opened around the world and attending art auctions. That was why she hadn’t visited Yu Yeon-seo in the hospital even once.
“What’s she like?”
“Grandma… is just a bit clumsy in how she expresses herself.”
“Do you think Grandma will be happy to see me now?”
Yu Eun-ho finally burst out laughing. The original Yu Yeon-seo hadn’t been as wild as he was portrayed in the media, but he wasn’t particularly affectionate with his family either.
His younger brother used to just offer a few greetings, give blunt answers to any questions, and leave quickly. So, seeing him now, concerned about his family’s opinion, was quite strange.
‘Still, it’s better than before.’
After witnessing Lee Hui-seo’s accident, Yu Yeon-seo had been an outsider among his family. But now, it was nice to see him trying to break down those walls first. Seeing Yu Eun-ho thinking this, Yu Yeon-seo frowned.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It’s nothing. I’m sure Grandma will be happy to see you too.”
For some reason, I feel like I’m being mocked. Yu Yeon-seo turned his head away with a dissatisfied expression. If Yu Eun-ho said so, then it must be true. He had come to trust his brother that much.
Soon, they arrived at the house, and Yu Eun-ho and Yu Yeon-seo got out of the car. A man in a suit standing guard at the door naturally took Yu Eun-ho’s car and drove it to the parking lot.
“Yeon-seo!”
Yu Yeon-seo turned around. The two women who had called him resembled Yu Geon-min so much that he would have known they were related even without seeing a picture beforehand.
‘Um… what should I say?’
Well, the adults all know anyway, so it shouldn’t matter. Yu Yeon-seo smiled and said.
“Hello, Aunts.”
Seeing his smile, the two aunts gasped. It was a smile they had seen only a handful of times from their nephew.
“Did you hear that, sis? He called us ‘Aunts’. It must be true. I thought oppa was just joking…”
“How long has it been since we heard that?”
What is this, I’m getting a sense of déjà vu. Just like when I first met Choi Yu-jin… Anyway, to think my amnesia is being dismissed as one of Yu Geon-min’s pranks… Yu Yeon-seo gave an awkward smile.
While his aunts were whispering, two men stood behind them.
“It’s been a while.”
These two must be my uncles-in-law. His older aunt’s husband was from a family of lawyers and was a former chief prosecutor turned congressman. His younger aunt’s husband was an ordinary employee at Juseong who had married into the family. However, he was said to have earned recognition by growing the beauty business with his exceptional sense.
“Eun-ho gets more handsome every time I see him.”
“Yeon-seo, how are you feeling? We couldn’t even visit because they said you needed complete rest.”
Ah, so that’s why they didn’t come. I thought there was some awkwardness due to a chaebol family power struggle over shares. He discarded another one of the over-the-top drama scenarios playing out in his head.
Yu Yeon-seo smiled vaguely and said he was fine, then glanced behind them. His cousins, who met his gaze, gave him a slight nod.
‘Looks like I’m not very close with my cousins.’
Still, the atmosphere was warm and friendly, suggesting that the head family of Juseong was quite united. Then again, for a corporation of this size, splitting up would cause more harm than good…
“Mom!”
At his older aunt’s shout, Yu Yeon-seo’s body tensed up on its own. What? Why is this happening?
Contrary to the tension in his body, his grandmother, Park Geum-ju, greeted her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren with a gentle smile.
“Eun-ho, you’re here.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
After a light hug with Yu Eun-ho, Park Geum-ju turned her gaze to Yu Yeon-seo. Despite her sharp features… the atmosphere seemed okay.
“So, are you feeling alright?”
“Yes. I’m all better now.”
“...You’ve done something interesting, I hear.”
Yu Yeon-seo gulped without realizing it. Park Geum-ju looked at him with a strange expression before turning and heading inside. What interesting thing? You should finish what you’re saying before you go!
‘This is going to be a very long day.’
With a grimace, Yu Yeon-seo followed his family inside.