Chapter 45
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Rooftop Celebration
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It was the weekend, and a joyful day when Writer 8's—Shin Do-rim's—romance fantasy had passed the Chocolate Page review.
Normally, it would have taken more time for her to become a hit author, but quitting her part-time job had given her strong motivation, and my direct feedback on her manuscript as the Memento Mori writer had been the decisive factor.
The two didn't know each other.
But I knew them, and with all three of us together, the mood felt strangely surreal.
We gathered on the rooftop pavilion to celebrate.
"It's launching December 25th. Make sure you're fully prepared. No matter the results, you can't waver. It's a long-form series."
Honestly, if Talent Market had already opened, I would have wanted to exclusively feature Writer Shin Do-rim's work.
But she had to make a living, and debuting as an author was important too, so I couldn't delay it.
"Y-Yes...... Th-Thank you......"
It seemed like it would take a while for her personality to change.
She looked more comfortable with her mouth firmly shut, so I didn't push her further. While sipping the drinks Jin-seong had brought, I mostly chatted with Writer 11, Kim Cheol-su.
Then I got a call from Ye-jin and headed down to the first floor.
The two left behind exchanged awkward glances at the distant mountains before Kim Cheol-su mustered his courage.
"Could we exchange numbers, by any chance?"
They were around the same age and shared the bond of being authors.
'Cute.'
That's what Kim Cheol-su thought of her.
"M-My number? Why?"
"This is fate, right? Let's be friends."
If he hadn't become an author, he wouldn't have even attempted to ask for a girl's number. His little sister would be shocked at how much he'd changed.
"H-Here!"
She handed over her phone. Then she shouted.
"Th-Thank you!"
I had no idea why she was thankful, but her face turned bright red.
"What do you usually do?"
As he entered the number and handed the phone back, Kim Cheol-su asked.
"I-I write at home."
"Ah, I see. All us authors are the same, huh. Haha!"
Kim Cheol-su's dating history consisted only of solo crushes that quietly fizzled out, but strangely, today he was brimming with courage.
'While I'm at it......'
Let's push a bit further!
"The president told me that input is crucial for authors, so we should always be absorbing content."
"Ah! I've heard something similar."
Advice for newbie authors was probably all the same.
"Wanna go see a movie with me?"
"......Pardon?"
"Hahaha! For input! Input!"
"Ah......"
She had never been to a theater with a guy before, so her mind went blank, but the invitation didn't feel bad.
"You free today?"
Kim Cheol-su pressed on.
"......I can't be out too late......"
Watching the two from afar, I could guess how things were unfolding. As I sat down at the pavilion, I said,
"It'd be nice to meet up like this occasionally, chat face-to-face. Gotta get some fresh air, right?"
At my words, Kim Cheol-su handed me a small paper bag.
"What, you didn't have to......"
"It's nothing much, but I thought it would suit you, President."
It was neatly wrapped, so I asked if I could open it.
Rustle.
Perfume. My tastes weren't refined enough to recognize the brand, but it felt luxurious.
"I'll put it to good use."
It was a gift, so I'd accept it. I could return the favor with something better later.
Now Shin Do-rim, who had come empty-handed, looked apologetic and fidgeted awkwardly.
Clap!
I clapped my hands and stood up.
"Shall we call it a day? You're all busy people."
It might be good to gather more of the "numbered writers" and hold these meetups occasionally.
"I'll make good use of this."
For my mental health, if nothing else.
The two left the company and paused for a moment.
"Not disappointed?"
Kim Cheol-su said with the kindest smile he could muster.
"It's too early to go home. Come on. Input time."
"......Okay."
Shin Do-rim writer gave a small smile too.
As I watched the two walk side by side, growing distant, I smiled proudly.
They had met through monitors and kept in touch that way until I died.
I didn't know what feelings Writers 8 and 11 had harbored for each other. But wasn't it great to see?
It was all ruined by that damned Team Leader. He'd locked up nearly forty people and castrated their chances for love, joy, and the lives they deserved.
'He's still building his system. I need to be faster. Then......'
I can save Number 7.
-Don't you ever think about dating, President?
Ye-jin's words came to mind. Because of Writers 8 and 11?
'Dating......'
Others might not know, but I'd been in love since before I died.
"Damn......"
A one-sided crush no one on Earth had ever experienced.
"Does this even make sense?"
A hollow laugh escaped me. I didn't even know where she was, let alone her name or exact age.
What kind of romance was this?
"So tragic, so tragic."
It made less sense than the novels I wrote.
Ye-jin and Jin-seong were about to step onto the rooftop when they spotted a familiar back and froze.
"......"
"......"
Seeing the president in such an uncharacteristic state, Ye-jin tugged Jin-seong's sleeve and headed back down the stairs.
"Hey, why?"
"Let's give him space."
"......Why does he look like that?"
"I don't know, but sometimes men need time alone."
"How do you know that better than me?"
Jin-seong asked incredulously, but Ye-jin headed to the practice room. It was prime working hours anyway, so it'd be chaotic inside. She sat on the stairs by the main entrance.
"Sometimes."
Jin-seong stood in front of her. Ye-jin continued.
"The president looks seriously dangerous."
"Dangerous? When?"
"Days like today. You saw it earlier."
"Saw what?"
"......Like he's standing alone in the world."
"Hmm, didn't notice."
Ye-jin's intuition seemed sharper in moments like this.
"You don't know anything about the president's past, do you?"
"I know he has no friends."
He seemed to have family, but the goshiwon residents were his only close connections. It was oddly peculiar.
"Isn't it weird? He's handsome, considerate, caring. No reason not to like him, yet no one around him."
Jin-seong chuckled at Ye-jin's words.
"Not that great. You're totally rose-tinted?"
Ye-jin shot to her feet.
"No! What's wrong with him?!"
"I know my bro's cool, yeah. But if we're comparing, aren't I better looking? Taller too."
"You half-dried squid, daring to compare with who?"
"Ha? What? Squid?"
"Tall, so maybe king squid?"
Jin-seong saw the fanatic glint in Ye-jin's eyes and had no energy left to get mad.
"Sigh, shoulda kept my mouth shut. What do I even talk to you about?"
Jin-seong, who'd prepped for idol life, had never been roasted for his looks. But to Ye-jin, everyone but the president was a squid.
"She's sick, sick......"
As Jin-seong muttered, Ye-jin asked,
"Ask him about it later for me. Wouldn't it be easier guy-to-guy?"
"Ask what?"
"Just random stuff...... I want to know why he looks so precarious sometimes."
"Hm."
Jin-seong seemed curious too and answered seriously.
"Got it. I'll suggest sauna tomorrow."
"......Sauna......"
"What're you thinking? Take a look in the mirror."
"I wasn't thinking anything!"
Ye-jin yelled and stormed into the goshiwon building. Left alone, Jin-seong smacked his lips and entered the practice room.
As he did, he muttered,
"She's hopeless too."
Ever since meeting that JJ Group girl, Executive Director Lee Sa-ra, Ye-jin had gotten sharper.
Jin-seong was good at reading people, so he'd immediately noticed Lee Sa-ra's fondness for his brother.
The problem was Ye-jin felt the same. One rationally, one deifying him—the difference didn't matter. Ultimately, the choice was his brother's.
The image of his brother's back from earlier flashed in Jin-seong's mind.
'Lonely?'
The idiom "smooth sailing" fit perfectly for watching things progress like this.
"......"
"......"
Where was this, and who was I?
"This is Jeong Hyun-woo, the original author of The Youngest Son of the Gangster Family Boss and president of the publishing house. He writes under the pen name Memento Mori."
It had only been half a month. Exactly 14 days since the preliminary meeting.
"Hello. Jeong Hyun-woo."
Yet here I was, facing the director overseeing the drama and a famous screenwriter for the script.
And sitting beside me was Executive Director Lee Sa-ra.
'Insane drive.'
Were all chaebols like this?
The director and screenwriter wore expressions similar to mine.
"Today, we're deciding the casting direction, and since you'll all be working closely together, I gathered you to get acquainted."
At Lee Sa-ra's words, the writer in her forties raised her hand smoothly.
"What's the scope for adaptations?"
Byeon Eun-ji, the screenwriter. She was a major figure in drama circles, but her gaze toward me was sharp. She didn't seem thrilled about adapting the "original work."
How did she see me, a web novel author?
Lee Sa-ra asked her,
"You've read the original, right?"
"Yes, up to volume 1 yesterday."
"What'd you think?"
"It was fun."
"That's the key. We just need to preserve those fun points. But the school days alone take up 4 volumes. Summarizing that for the drama intro will be our challenge."
Lee Sa-ra turned to me.
"How many volumes for completion, President?"
"It'll wrap up next month."
"Whoa, really?"
Lee Sa-ra's startled jump was both cute and amusing.
"Eek, sorry. So we're compressing nearly 15 volumes into 16 episodes."
Byeon raised her hand again.
"Won't it feel choppy? Might be better to cut the intro boldly or skip later parts."
Lee Sa-ra smiled sweetly and replied,
"That's because you've only read volume 1. Please read up to the latest chapters before you go. Otherwise, we can't proceed with meetings."
"......Got it."
As Byeon bit her lip, looking offended, the director stepped in.
"Alright, alright. We're here for casting, so let's start there. Never done a schedule this lightning-fast, but it's refreshing. With funding secured, I'm relieved. Thank you, President."
"No problem."
Lee Sa-ra smiled, and the director pulled out thick documents, distributing them.
"Costs rise with S-rank actors. We have 10 billion secured, so no worries, but going all S-rank for leads and supports is tight. My take: S-rank male lead, rookie female lead. Oh, and you wanted five extras too, right?"
I had no idea how they ranked from S to C, but the pay next to profiles showed huge gaps.
Simply put, C-rank was 500,000 won per episode, S-rank 50 million.
At least there weren't many S-ranks?
Byeon looked at the documents and said,
"Shouldn't we check if the actors are interested first?"
Her words still had thorns. Meaning actors might refuse roles from a web novel original.
This wasn't the moment to stir things up, so I quietly reviewed the actor list—then flinched.
'Huh? Why is this person C-rank?'
Ah, right. It was 2014 now.