Chapter 120: Let’s completely forget about it.

“Director, is there some kind of problem?”

Director Park Mu-ryong furrowed his brow at Sua’s question.

It seemed like just recalling it was an unpleasant memory.

“This role was originally supposed to be played by a man named Jung Seung-hwan. The problem is, this guy loves to chatter on social media. And this time, he finally caused a major incident.”

“I saw it too. It was terrible.”

Kim Yi-seo shook her head.

“It was a statement related to National Liberation Day, right?”

At Park Mu-ryong’s nod, a nearby production team member showed an article on their phone.

Sua’s eyes widened instantly.

[ What’s so great about Liberation Day? It’s just a day off. Don’t force patriotism or whatever on me. I’ll live my own life. ]

“…He really posted this on social media?”

Sua’s golden rule: If you don’t know, stay quiet.

Besides, isn’t being ignorant different from being rude?

Moreover, his tone was rebellious.

There was no way it would be received well.

Park Mu-ryong sighed.

“In this industry, you get more than halfway just by staying quiet, but there are so many friends who can’t even manage that. Why are they so eager to reveal their shortcomings? Why kick away their own meal ticket?”

“This is going to be quite controversial. To the point where it’s hard to use him.”

“Right. But the problem was, there wasn’t anyone as suitable as Jung Seung-hwan. There was no one suitable to replace him.”

That’s when Park Mu-ryong’s gaze turned to Sua.

“Then I discovered Sua in ‘Sword’. I thought she might be worth trying, but at the same time, I had to give up. There was no suitable way to bring her in. But I never thought it would work out like this.”

Meanwhile, Sua was lost in thought.

‘…Just a moment.’

Her mind simultaneously filled with question marks.

‘The actor who caused the controversy dropping out means the problem is solved, right? But the grade only went up by 1?’

…Then what exactly is the problem?

As Sua’s thoughts deepened.

“You’ve already looked at the story, haven’t you? The role Sua will play is a loyal organization member. While Yeon-ju goes around scamming people decked out in luxury goods, this character kills people and cleans up the bodies behind the scenes.”

“Yes. I understand what kind of role it is.”

But she hadn’t experienced it yet.

Somehow, experiencing killing someone felt a bit scary.

“It would be troublesome if you thought of a neighborhood thug or a yakuza. It’s a role that requires meticulousness. You’ll be filming dressed smartly in a suit, with the feeling of handling things silently and coolly.”

“Hmm.”

“Saying it like this makes me wonder if I’m asking for something too unreasonable. The role itself is difficult, and you also agreed to participate in Director Go Tae-min’s work, right? Preparing for that too….”

Time was indeed tight.

Kim Yi-seo asked.

“Have you decided on the filming schedule?”

“If I had my way, I’d want to shoot immediately, but that’s impossible. Realistically, the target is two weeks from now.”

Kim Yi-seo slightly narrowed her eyes.

After contemplating for a while.

“It will certainly be tough.”

She said with a deep sigh.

“Yeon-ju has been preparing for this project since almost last year, but Sua just received the script. It really is too tight.”

“Hmm, is that so? Can’t be helped. It’s fine. I’m happy just knowing Sua showed interest in my work.”

The conversation itself was warm, but neither Kim Yi-seo nor Park Mu-ryong could wipe the look of disappointment from their faces.

It was an incredibly good opportunity for both of them.

“Then let’s just enjoy a delicious meal today.”

Afterward, the proper meal began, and Sua silently moved her chopsticks.

She was plucking just the fish off the top of the sushi.

• ─How strange. Is that how you normally eat it?
• ─It’s because she wasn’t taught properly.

‘…’

Only then did Sua quietly pick up the rice as well.

What could she do if she wanted to eat the fish even when she was full?

It would just be thrown away if she didn’t eat it anyway!

The conversation mostly consisted of occasional discussions among the production team.

“Director, even if Sua can’t do it, using Seung-hwan seems problematic. Let’s just recast completely.”

“Right. Let’s ask Yeon-ju’s opinion too. Anyway, that role needs to synergize well with Yeon-ju in many ways.”

Then, at some point.

Sua finished her thoughts.

“I don’t think you’ll need to find someone else.”

Instantly, everyone’s gaze turned to Sua.

“Because I think I can do it after all.”

A calm declaration.

However, those who heard Sua’s words all froze in place.

Their eyes wide.

Kim Yi-seo stopped her chopsticks and asked.

“…Sua, the filming is just two weeks away?”

“It’s possible.”

Not just two weeks, even two days from now is possible! Sua-confident!

In the first place, the constraint of a ‘preparation period’ didn’t exist for Sua.

She just needed to experience the script, right?

Sua was actually concerned about something else.

The grade.

The fact that this project was Grade 4.

That’s why she had been pondering it, and now she had reached an answer.

[ Lie, Lie, Lie. ]
▶ Sufficient Implementation Elements
▶ …Grade 4…

Crackle!

The reason was that the grade part kept shimmering like a mirage.

As if it could change at any moment.

It had been like this ever since Sua decided to participate.

The possibility of the grade changing.

Sua decided to bet on it going up.

“I heard my screen time is short anyway.”

“That’s true. Compared to Yeon-ju, it’s very little.”

“I’ll do it. Please entrust it to me.”

Director Park Mu-ryong showed a flustered expression for the first time.

“If Sua actively steps up, I’d welcome it. But are you really okay with it? With the deadline being so tight?”

Worry about whether she could prepare in time and joy at having recruited Sua seemed mixed half-and-half.

The production team seemed to feel similarly, all showing clear signs of surprise.

Kim Yi-seo was relatively calm.

‘It’s surprising, but Sua must have her reasons. Sua is a comet. If I can’t understand, I should just accept it first.’

Soon, Kim Yi-seo also nodded.

“When Sua says she can do something, she usually can.”

The CEO put down her chopsticks and smiled slightly.

“Then let’s move on to the next topic.”

“The next topic, is it that?”

“That’s right. Our Sua’s acting is phenomenal, but at the same time, she won’t do it unless it’s the best treatment. For reference, when signing the contract for ‘Crescendo from Tomorrow’, the minimum was at least this much─”

By the time she came to her senses, the contract signing was already finished.

[ Lie, Lie, Lie. ]
▶ Sufficient Implementation Elements
▶ Grade 3.8

Sua made a resolution.

‘This grade, I can change it.’

That she would somehow raise it herself.

---

Late at night.

The lights at Mystic Entertainment headquarters were still on.

There hadn’t been such a busy period since the entertainment company was founded, and employees were moving non-stop without rest.

Kim Yi-seo was no exception.

Thud─!

CEO Kim Yi-seo opened the door and arrived at the meeting room.

“Busy, busy. Can I get a glass of water?”

Employees who were waiting beforehand immediately filled a paper cup with water.

The desk was covered with materials related to the pet variety show.

Filming was starting the day after tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Kim Yi-seo sipped her water and glanced outside the meeting room.

“…Why is it so noisy outside? All gathered together.”

Kim Yi-seo briefly considered going outside the meeting room.

“No. Let’s finish the meeting quickly first. Let’s start the meeting.”

The employees immediately started the briefing in proper posture.

“We sent invitations to Sua’s fan cafe administrator and the Starcatch team leader. The replies were positive, of course.”

“That’s good. We need to align our stories beforehand. To draw them in as definite allies while ensuring we can manage them anytime.”

“Yes. And interest in the dating rumors continues to be high… You instructed us to maintain the current situation for this. Then, the next item is regarding the reinforcement of Mystic Entertainment personnel.”

“If we hire hastily just because we’re rushed, we’ll run into trouble. Go through the interviews meticulously, and fill the positions properly one by one with good people.”

“Understood.”

An employee nodded once.

“Oh, due to the 808 Special Task Force, the love calls for Lee Suan are tremendous. What should we do about these?”

“Reject them as quickly as possible. His identity will be revealed later anyway, so if we reply late, we’ll just get blamed.”

“Yes. We will proceed accordingly.”

“The meeting’s over. That’s all.”

Kim Yi-seo immediately grabbed her outerwear and prepared to leave the meeting room.

There was no time to waste.

However.

“CEO. There’s still one item left. It’s about Sua.”

“About Sua?”

Kim Yi-seo narrowed her eyes.

“Then you should have mentioned it first. It’s something important to handle.”

“I apologize. However, the item is quite unusual.”

The team leader took a sip of water.

“Netflix is finally launching in Korea. You’re well aware of it too, CEO? The OTT service spreading rapidly overseas.”

“Yes. I’m keeping a close eye on it too.”

“There are two camps wanting to enter Netflix, and coincidentally, both sides have sent love calls to Sua.”

“Love calls? From whom?”

“It’s writer Park Yu-mi.”

Kim Yi-seo’s face, which had been furrowed ever since entering the meeting room, finally smoothed out.

Park Yu-mi.

She had that much influence.

“Park Yu-mi? The writer who’s good at chaebol dramas?”

“Yes. They’ve already formed a production team too. It shows how much effort they plan to put into entering Netflix; they were all seasoned veterans. It seems they really intend to make it properly.”

“If Sua joins them there…”

Kim Yi-seo’s expression brightened.

“…It would be absolutely perfect. A short film award, a hit weekday drama, and entering an OTT platform? It couldn’t be more perfect. There hasn’t been a single actor like this in South Korea.”

“As you said, it’s definitely a huge positive factor.”

Kim Yi-seo seemed to remember something and made an “Ah” sound.

“You said one more came in, right? Where is that from?”

“It’s from writer Lee Geum-sook’s circle.”

“…Good.”

Kim Yi-seo’s expression grew brighter and brighter.

Lee Geum-sook and Park Yu-mi were rivals.

And Sua was caught between the two writers.

Could there be a more gratifying situation?

Other actors would be incredibly envious if they found out.

However, the employee shook his head.

“It’s just writer Lee Geum-sook’s circle, it doesn’t mean writer Lee Geum-sook wrote it. Perhaps because of that, the script was bizarre. That’s why the employees have been noisy since earlier.”

“Hmm?”

Kim Yi-seo tilted her head.

That was the reason for the commotion outside the meeting room?

Turning her head, the atmosphere outside was still unusual.

Everyone was murmuring, fervently discussing something.

It wasn’t strange for employees to examine scripts.

Mystic tended to disclose scripts to employees as well.

The intention was to increase the number of judgments before making a choice.

The problem was the reaction.

The employees’ unusual reactions.

“Slapping the mother-in-law? And a rap battle?”

“Why enhance the husband here? And it even fails?”

“They say you can restore it if you gather all the fragments.”

“…Why is a gate opening? What’s with the regression? Why are they playing Hwatu with aliens? Betting the Earth as stakes?”

“The alien says he’ll only take half of another planet?”

Utterly bizarre sounds.

“Ah, I understand.”

Kim Yi-seo soon touched her forehead.

“They said it was sent from the circle, so it seems they sent a whole bunch of various works again. Thinking one of these might appeal.”

“…No. It’s all about one single work.”

“…?”

Kim Yi-seo’s expression turned blank.

“What? What kind of nonsense…”

But she quickly shook her head.

“Ah, forget it. I feel like my head’s going to spin, so I’ll stop listening. I’m not worried either. We just need to go with writer Park Yu-mi’s.”

“…Yes. That seems to be the right answer.”

Then, Kim Yi-seo suddenly had an ominous premonition.

“Don’t even show Sua that bizarre script. Just pretend we never saw it. Let’s only pass on writer Park Yu-mi’s.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Isn’t Sua the pillar and precious asset of Mystic? We can’t let her waste her time.”

“Good. Let’s completely forget about it too.”

It was then.

Thud─!

Sua appeared in the meeting room.

Holding a script.

“…CEO, I think I have to do this.”

It was the absurd script she had prayed it wouldn’t be.