Chapter 111: How many children should we have? And their names?

Vrooooom─!

Inside the van speeding towards a high-end Hanwoo restaurant for the company dinner, Sua checked her phone.

Messages were flooding in.

[ Sua’s Task Force ]

[ Saengji : Sua, I don’t know anymore. ]

[ Saengji : I just did what you told me to do…. ]

[ Wonsunging : Look at this. ]

[ Wonsunging : (Community Link) ]

Clicking the link led to some kind of online gallery forum.

‘First off, the number of upvotes is insane?’

The first thing that caught her eye was the recommendation count.

It seemed to have garnered considerable support, separately classified as a ‘Hot Topic’.

However, the content felt quite familiar.

[ Special Task Force 808 Gallery ]

[ Title : StarCatch article full text ㅇㅇ ]
[ The calm before the storm. I did not refute every person who doubted and mocked Lee Soo-an. Whether those thinkers are ridiculous, or Lee Soo-an is ridiculous, the results will tell. ]

• –What kind of template is this again?
• –Did they really write the article like this?
• –How are they going to handle the aftermath?

[ Title : I think I know why Lee Soo-an is acting like that. ]
[ There’s no way a complete rookie actor would do such a crazy thing on their own. No matter how I think about it, someone must have instigated them for noise marketing. But it just looks f*cking stupid…. ]

[ Title : Yeah, it doesn’t matter if you guys try to slander. ]
[ (Reaction from female-dominated community) ]
[ In communities with a high female ratio, they just seem to accept it? Life is all about looks. It’s just your inferiority complex ]

• –Cut out this kind of trolling
• –Blatantly instigating a fight

Just then, another message arrived.

[ Saengji : Sua. Uh, hey. ]

[ Saengji : Sua-nim must have some kind of plan, right? ]

‘…No?’

Sua broke out in a cold sweat.

‘It was an article going out under Saengji unnie’s name, so I just wrote whatever I wanted, but if I tell her now, I’ll get beaten to death, right?’

It was truly a wicked crime.

SuaSatan!

But Sua quickly shook her head vigorously.

‘Ah, whatever, whatever!’

YuhanSua said this was the best way.

So let’s not worry about it.

The efforts so far will prove it.

---

Later, they arrived at a restaurant shaped like a large Hanok (traditional Korean house).

‘…It’s huge every time I see it.’

That was Sua’s impression.

Come to think of it, the dinner celebrating the start of production was held here too.

But the current Sua was quite different from back then.

Thanks to that, Sua could indulge in subtle reminiscence for a moment.

Kim Yi-seo also got out of the van soon after.

“I’m quite nervous. Which Wednesday-Thursday drama will take the lead? Reporters and the entire online community are paying attention. Even…”

Kim Yi-seo glanced sideways at the other person nearby.

“…a master director from Japan has taken an interest.”

Yusaku and his assistant were seen getting out of a taxi.

He had readily accepted Kim Yi-seo’s proposal.

Apparently, he wanted to know more about Sua anyway.

Kim Yi-seo’s gaze now turned to Sua.

“How about you, Sua?”

“What about me?”

“I want to hear how you’re feeling right now.”

“Just that I want to eat Hanwoo…”

Sua answered vaguely.

It was sincere, though.

At the last dinner, she hadn’t eaten a single piece because she was conscious of others watching.

Maybe she could eat a few pieces today.

Kim Yi-seo chuckled softly.

“Right, my question is foolish. Sua doesn’t get nervous.”

Thump thump thump!

Sua’s heart answered.

‘No. I’m incredibly nervous.’

When all the filming was finished, and they were exchanging words of encouragement for their hard work, she thought only relaxing days remained, but that wasn’t the case at all.

…Showing it to the viewers was another matter entirely.

How will the viewers see it?

It’s scary yet exciting.

‘It’s on a whole different level from the short film. This is crazy.’

Thinking this, Sua entered the restaurant.

The side dishes, excluding the meat, were already set up, and the staff were fully seated.

As soon as they saw Kim Yi-seo and Sua, they all jumped up from their seats and welcomed them.

“Sua-ssi is here!”

“You should call her Kim Yuhan! Kim Yuhan!”

“Yuhan-ssi, playing Sua’s role! Welcome!”

“Huh? But who is that person next to you…?”

As bewilderment spread across the faces of a few who recognized Director Yusaku, Kim Yi-seo gently patted Sua’s shoulder.

“I’ll handle greeting the staff. Sua, go ahead and find a seat first. The actors’ room is probably set up with floor seating so you can eat comfortably.”

Sua headed towards the space where the actors were, and there too, welcoming greetings flooded in.

Only Park Do-hee subtly avoided Sua’s eyes, accompanied by an air of particular fear towards Sua.

“Sua-ssi! I’ve laid out a cushion for you here!”

“Wow, which aesthetic clinic did you go to? Your skin looks even better! Look how radiant it is. You could use it as a mirror.”

“Why doesn’t Sua-ssi’s hair color fade? Is that really dyed hair? Maybe your natural hair is actually white?”

Sua didn’t dislike this commotion.

If they were noisy while excluding her, it would be unpleasant like sitting on thorns, but everyone here was eager to welcome Sua.

Enough to make Sua feel quite proud.

It was then that Writer Lee Geum-sook and PD Choi Heewon appeared.

Writer Lee Geum-sook raised her hand high.

“Sua! I was so surprised watching your acceptance speech. When did you find the time to learn Japanese? Is there anything you can’t do?”

PD Choi Heewon also grinned widely.

“Writer Lee has been ecstatic lately. Every time she realizes how outstanding Sua’s abilities are, she says the spectrum of her next work broadens.”

“Of course! Sua, you’ll participate in my next project too, right?”

Sua smiled vaguely and mumbled a non-committal answer.

Starting tomorrow, Crescendo, Seo Yeon-ju’s 5th-grade script… It was already overwhelming just dealing with the things that had come in, including those two.

Sua was about to take off her shoes and enter the room.

“Alright! Everyone line up! Line up!”

Someone’s shout started it, and in the next instant, a line formed in front of Sua.

The person at the very front suddenly clasped their hands together and closed their eyes.

Like seeing a Buddha statue placed in a temple.

“My son’s first birthday is soon, please let him be healthy.”

That was the beginning.

Each person added their own words.

“Please let me change my car next year.”

“Please let me win the lottery.”

“Please let my stocks go up.”

“Please let me not go to the military.”

From quite realistic hopes to something heart-wrenching, Sua was simply puzzled.

‘Why are they doing this to me?’

Sua asked Writer Lee Geum-sook.

“What is this now?”

“They’re each making a wish.”

“It seems like it. What I mean is, why to me…”

“There’s a story going around that Sua-ssi is a shooting star.”

Writer Lee Geum-sook shrugged with a playful expression.

“Didn’t you suddenly appear like a meteor and show an incredible presence? Then you saved a dying short film and completed an unfinished script. What is that if not a shooting star?”

Sua thought for a moment.

‘…Is being treated like a shooting star okay, relatively speaking?’

Wouldn’t it be better than being treated like a Yakuza before?

Maybe this way is a bit more harmonious and nice?

So, in the end, she just stood still.

Like a meteor captured in the night sky.

Meanwhile, Seo Yeon-ju arrived.

“Ahhh, am I very late? The nail artist made so many mistakes today! In the end, I had to redo it from the beginning….”

Naturally, Kim Sun-il arrived around the same time.

Kim Sun-il tilted his head slightly.

“…Director Yusaku is outside. What’s going on?”

As the members filled up one by one like that, at some point, the restaurant fell silent as if on cue.

Sua knew instinctively.

The time for the premiere broadcast of Special Task Force 808 had finally arrived.

Everyone began shifting their gazes to the TVs that were easily visible from their positions, unable to look away even though only commercials were playing.

Many kept wiping their hands with wet towels, clearly nervous.

“It starts right after a few commercials, right?”

“Ah, I can’t watch! But I can’t not watch either!”

“How high do you think the ratings will be?”

“What’s our target?”

“I’d have no other wish if we just hit 10%!”

Then, Lee Geum-sook shouted.

“What do you mean 10%?! I completed an unfinished script with people precious to me! Let’s go big with 15%!”

“Okay! Let’s go for 15%—!”

It was as if they could raise the ratings with sheer spirit.

Amidst that fervent heat, Sua suddenly felt gazes turning towards her one by one.

She immediately understood the meaning in their eyes.

Expressions asking her to say something.

‘…But if I say the wrong thing, they’ll misunderstand again.’

After some thought, Sua raised one index finger.

And tapped her lips.

It simply meant let’s just watch quietly for now.

Then everyone cheered, clinking their glasses as if ready to break them.

“Okay! She says she’ll chew up and swallow 100%!”

“Alright! Sua-ssi! Let’s go for 100%!”

“Kim Yuhan-ssi says our drama will get 100%!”

“…”

『 Special Task Force 808 』

With a somehow mistaken goal, the first episode began.

◈◈◈◈◈

Gangnam.

A luxurious party room.

Three women entered.

“Wow, the facilities are insane.”

It was Wonsunging’s comment.

Balloons attached prettily like decorations everywhere, incredibly cozy furniture; Saengji, Wonsunging, and Saseum had rented the party room today.

The plan was to enjoy drinks while watching the drama.

Saengji also smiled and muttered.

“I know, right? The facilities are amazing. But is Eun-bi okay? You’re a VTuber, right? Aren’t you supposed to broadcast on days like today?”

“I took a temporary break from broadcasting. Left it to another unnie.”

Saseum—Go Eun-bi’s break today was somewhat strategic.

If she turned on her stream, questions about casting Lee Sua would come up, and she couldn’t watch Special Task Force 808 together with them.

People would flood the chat asking why she’s watching something with a male lead, as her main audience was male.

‘I’ll just take a comfortable break today. I was looking forward to this drama anyway, and the next broadcast will be a collab stream with Sua.’

Not only that.

‘Right, after watching today, if the public opinion on Lee Soo-an is good, I should ask Sua to bring that person too. He was incredibly handsome.’

Afterward, they covered the table entirely with delivery food.

“What alcohol are we drinking?”

“Soju today. Being a reporter is too hard.”

“Ah what, you didn’t order the tteokbokki with lots of fish cakes?”

“Order it again. We have plenty of time.”

Meanwhile, the drama broadcast began.

『 Special Task Force 808 』

It didn’t take long for the three to get immersed, but their mouths didn’t rest either.

It’s more fun with constant exclamations.

『 Lee Kang-cheol. I have received orders for assignment to Team 808. 』

The two-shot of Seo Yeon-ju and Kim Sun-il in uniform was the start.

Go Eun-bi started slapping Wonsunging’s shoulder repeatedly.

“Oh my, oh my god, hey, look at Kim Sun-il’s shoulders. What is that? Is that the Pacific Ocean? Can I dive in right now? Should I swim?”

“…You sound like such an ajumma. Why are you being like this?”

“No, but he’s really so cool! The vibe!”

Before long, everyone had stopped moving their chopsticks.

Not because they were full.

There was only one reason: the drama was more entertaining than expected.

“Lee Ga-ram’s gaze looked a bit suspicious? Isn’t she an informant?”

“Seo Yeon-ju is really pure. Yup, but my chest is bigger, right?”

How long had they been making such a fuss?

Finally, the time came.

The appearance of a man whose eyes were covered by white bangs.

Kim Yuhan.

『 Wow, how kind of you! 』

When he showed a simple smile.

Swish!

And the moment he snatched the car key from Lee Kang-cheol’s waistband.

“…”

The three women’s mouths fell open blankly.

A moment later.

Suddenly, Go Eun-bi started fiddling with her bangs, Saengji swept her side hair behind her ear, and Wonsunging corrected her posture demurely.

Even they themselves couldn’t understand why they were doing this.

However.

‘How would he feel about a woman who’s a VTuber? I should get Sua to introduce me. Where should we go for our honeymoon? How many children should we have? And what should we name them?’

‘I should quit the online communities and live a wholesome life from now on. I need to exercise and take rigorous care of myself. I have a goal now.’

‘…I should try talking to him during the video call. What line should I use? Did you hear about that scandal? The marriage scandal with me. Hmm.’

Dizzying thoughts began to mix wildly.

Special Task Force 808 was definitely an entertainment show.

『 Haha! 』

“Ehehehe!”

“Kyaargh!”

“Heehee!”

Because suddenly, the space began to overflow with laughter.