episode_0104

Lee Su-a, Collapsing!

“Kuh…!”

Su-a clutched her left chest tightly and knelt down.

“No way…!”

Eventually, she even collapsed to the floor and twitched, although Su-a didn’t suddenly face a terminal diagnosis.

Just…

“…This is too cute, even for me!”

Su-a gazed at the creature that had leaped onto her chest.

A baby fox, its fur still tinged with gray. This little one was the culprit who had brought Su-a down in an instant.

At the same time, it was Su-a’s new family member.

“Kkiing.”

(Mother. How do you do?)

“Aww, even its voice is so cute.”

“Kking kking.”

(I want to be as majestic as you.)

I don’t know what it’s saying, but it’s cute.

It’s probably just making sounds out of curiosity about things. Su-a blankly stared at the baby fox perched on her.

While running a few things through her head.

‘Arctic foxes require a lot of care. Raising one by myself is too greedy, no matter how I think about it. I don’t want to cause harm to such a cute creature.’

In the end, Su-a registered it with the care center after much deliberation.

Where assigned caretakers provide professional care. She felt a lot more at ease. Even if Su-a gets extremely busy, this little one won’t be left alone and starving.

And one more thing.

“Kiit. Kiit.”

Su-a thought as she listened to the delicate crying sound.

‘I want to communicate.’

Maybe it was instinct. I want to connect with this adorable creature even more, and it would be nice if we could talk, right?

It wasn’t a difficult problem, surprisingly.

Su-a immediately picked up her phone.

[ Recipient: CEO Kim Yi-seo ]

▶ CEO.

▶ Please gather scripts related to animals.

▷ Scripts related to animals?

▷ Are you talking about documentaries?

▷ Or the story of a caretaker?

▶ The story of a caretaker is good.

▶ Animated movies where the main character is an animal are also good.

Thanks to her eagerness, her brain was working quickly.

Su-a thought.

What’s the point of gaining the ability of a caretaker if I just become a caretaker? But if I experience the life of a fox itself, wouldn’t it be possible to communicate with each other? It didn’t seem like it would hurt to try.

Her thoughts were quickly sorted out.

Now, there’s only one thing left.

The most important issue.

“Name.”

What name should I give to this cute little one?

Su-a pondered for a moment, then.

“Let’s all think about it together.”

Paaaah─!

She immediately convened the Su-a Association.

.

.

.

.

.

─A name, you say?

Unsurprisingly, Wi Ji-hye Su-a was indifferent.

─For animals, a name that describes their characteristics is sufficient. Since it’s a fox that came from the Arctic Sea, ‘Bukho’ (North Fox) would be appropriate. Since it’s still young, ‘Aho’ (Baby Fox) would also be fine.

Su-a frowned.

“I’m planning to raise it like family, so just describing its characteristics doesn’t feel personal. I want a name that has a suitable connection to me and a deep meaning.”

That’s when Kim Yu-han spoke up.

─How about Sumi?

“Sumi?”

─Yes. Su-a sunbae’s ‘Su,’ and ‘Mi’ from ‘kkori’ (tail). After all, when you think of a fox, you think of its tail, right?

“Hmm…”

─Of course, it also has a deeper meaning. Su-a sunbae probably doesn’t know this, but there’s a saying called ‘sumisanggwan’ (circular structure).

“What’s that?”

─It refers to a pattern where the beginning and end have a similar form. If we match it to mean that the owner, Su-a sunbae, and the fox, a species, are resembling each other, what do you think? It has a decent meaning, right?

“Sumisanggwan, huh…”

Su-a nodded soon after.

“I like it! I’ll go with that. Thank you!”

Excited, she dashed out of the special area.

And a moment later.

Wi Ji-hye asked, sitting cross-legged.

─Hey.

─What is it, Granny Wi?

─Are you sure that’s the correct meaning of sumisanggwan?

─What are you talking about now?

─Heeeuuum….

Wi Ji-hye Su-a crossed her arms and hummed.

─No matter how I think about it, it’s just an abbreviation for Su-a Midae (Su-a Brow).

─That’s an interesting opinion.

Yu-han Su-a, for her part, never denied it.

◈◈◈◈◈

At the same time.

“Yes. I’m listening.”

CEO Kim Yi-seo was busy on the phone.

“Indeed, not surprising. I was also considering that kind of marketing. Yes. Su-a can definitely do it. It won’t be much of a risk.”

Her expression and voice were quite serious.

She nodded once.

“Then, let me summarize what I’ve heard so far. Please correct me immediately if I misunderstand anything.”

Kim Yi-seo continued quietly.

“Until the broadcast of Special Task Force 808 ends, Su-a and Su-an will be separated as different people. Mystic will prepare separate profiles to make it seem like separate activities. Is that correct?”

She nodded after that.

“That’s right. Got it. I’ll tell Su-a.”

However, after hanging up.

Kim Yi-seo’s finger skipped over Su-a’s contact information in the phone book. Rather, she intended to call someone else first.

She prided herself on having a business sense. This time, her unique intuition had been triggered.

‘Su-a is good at everything anyway. Even if I tell her tomorrow, she won’t be surprised, and she might already be moving as she expected.’

At least, that’s what Kim Yi-seo thought. Therefore, her current phone call was directed to Director Go Tae-min.

“Hello. Director Go?”

Fortunately, the other party answered the phone quickly.

“CEO Kim. What’s up?”

“Could I ask you for a small favor?”

“Of course. Just say the word.”

They had already signed the contract and stamped it with a seal.

Even if she asked for something additional now, it might be unpleasant, but there was no hint of displeasure in Go Tae-min’s voice.

Rather, it was as if he would help with anything.

Thanks to that, Kim Yi-seo felt much more comfortable.

“About ‘Crescendo From Tomorrow.’ Since the foundation is all set, you’ll be releasing articles about the casting soon, right?”

“Of course, I have to. I got Hahm A-yoon-ssi and Su-a-ssi, after all. I can’t miss such a golden opportunity…. Ah, perhaps.”

Director Go Tae-min’s voice darkened slightly.

“Are you asking for Su-a-ssi’s casting to be kept confidential? It’s a shame, but if it’s a request from Mystic, I have to do that.”

“No. The articles must be released. However.”

“However?”

“I wanted to discuss the focus of the article.”

Kim Yi-seo continued calmly.

“Could you put more weight on Su-a being a candidate for the Best New Actress award rather than it being a highly anticipated work with Hahm A-yoon-ssi?”

“Ah? Yes. That’s not difficult at all.”

“All the broadcasting stations have rookies with them as they prepare for the drama broadcasts. We have to use that competition. I want to create a competitive structure between Su-an and Su-a as a result.”

Soon, Go Tae-min seemed to understand.

“You mean you want to separate Su-a-ssi into two people. That’s an interesting idea. I like it.”

The call ended successfully after that.

Kim Yi-seo immediately looked at the newly uploaded articles.

[Lee Su-an, A Candidate Even Though She Hasn’t Proved Anything Yet?]

[Doubts Rise After Kim Yu-han’s Reveal… ‘Who Are You?’]

[Lee Su-an, Who Seo Yeon-ju Fell For At First Sight? What’s Her Profile?]

What to do.

Kim Yi-seo was already getting itchy all over.

Everyone who knew the truth would be feeling the same way.

◈◈◈◈◈

Late at night. Some workshop.

If there was a hell covered in text, it would be this place.

Slam─!

“Ugh, what is all this?”

The assistant, who opened the door, was horrified. The room didn’t look normal at all.

The walls that should have wallpaper were full of all sorts of paper.

Even the paper wasn’t ordinary.

Each one was a scenario filled with text. The assistant felt like if there was a prison made of text, it would look like this.

“…Director Yūsaku, what is all this? It looks like a horror movie. A room with a curse.”

“It’s about time to decide on the winning work.”

“Ah, the contest. That’s right. Isn’t it supposed to be today?”

The assistant reacted as if he had just remembered.

Director Yūsaku, who is a director spanning both Korea and Japan, had a busy schedule, one of which was the ‘Japanese Noir Scenario Contest’. He was currently in the process of judging the winning work.

“You’ve been looking at it in between schedules. But you still haven’t chosen it? Can I add my poor opinion? Have you narrowed down the candidates first?”

“The candidates are obviously these two.”

Minami Akiko, Minami Sawako.

The two writers, whose names were similar, were mother and daughter, and the daughter was especially young. She was still a middle school student.

“Director, one of the candidates is strange, isn’t she?”

The assistant tilted his head greatly.

“The mother is already a well-established and talked-about writer, but the daughter hasn’t even done a single work yet, right? She’s also very young. If you take away her mother’s shadow, she has nothing.”

“That’s exactly it.”

However, Yūsaku nodded as if he had been waiting.

“Can you see the difference between the writings of the two?”

Yūsaku tore off a few sheets of paper hanging on the wall and placed them side by side on the desk. So that they could be compared and examined clearly.

“I’ve read them, too. The content itself is similar, right? It seems like the child was greatly influenced by her mother.”

“That’s right. They plant a spy in a yakuza group. The spy ends up contemplating their identity in a noir work.”

“Even if the content is similar, the difference in completeness is striking. The mother’s is neat and clean without any frills, but the child’s is crude? Something like that.”

“It’s not crude. It’s just raw.”

Director Yūsaku shook his head.

“In other words, she hasn’t compromised with the world yet.”

Director Yūsaku cleared a large number of papers on the desk. Now, only two sheets remained, placed side by side.

“You’ll know if you look at this. The appearance scene of the main yakuza in the work.”

[Mother Minami Akiko]

A face that cannot be seen against the light, only the hand holding the sword is covered in blood, with a moderately resolute determination.

[Daughter Minami Sawako]

A face that cannot be seen against the light, but everyone feels the illusion of seeing the shape of a face. Something close to a Yasha or Oni, or a demon. The breathing is so rough that the irezumi tattoos on the chest and arms thrash like living carp.

“This child, she really isn’t tainted at all, is she?”

“…That’s true.”

The assistant nodded.

“The daughter wrote down everything she wanted without missing anything.”

“Yes, it’s possible because she’s still young. She has the purity to believe that the world she wrote will be realized as it is.”

“The mother took the video adaptation into consideration, so it’s concise.”

Scenarios tend to be concise and abstract.

The reason, of course, is because that’s how you can get actors.

A scenario where the director can edit the direction appropriately, and the actor can act appropriately. The industry treats those things well. Since the goal is video adaptation, it’s a natural thing.

“Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the mother’s scenario is better. I can cleanly admit that, too.”

“A hundred times out of a hundred. You should write something that difficult as a novel, not a scenario. Let’s go safely this time. People are already watching with burning eyes. There’s a strong prejudice that making a movie with a contest material will always fail.”

“But. Sou.”

Sou. That was the assistant’s name.

“Yes?”

“At least you shouldn’t think that way. We found an Oni (demon), right? Coincidentally, a monster that fits that difficult script like a puzzle piece.”

“Oni? Monster? What suddenly… Ah?”

Belatedly, the assistant’s expression became dumb.

Because there was a figure flashing through his mind like lightning. Director Yūsaku must have been thinking of her, too.

“You don’t mean that Korean actress?”

“Yes.”

“That woman, a rookie, assuming that monster…!”

“That’s exactly it. Until now, Japanese noir has been a hothouse flower. Appropriately compromised, appropriately sharp. Tiresome.”

Director Yūsaku nodded.

“But what kind of scene will be created when you combine a script that doesn’t know the ways of the world and a rookie who is the wild itself? Isn’t it obvious?”

Soon, his face wrinkled beautifully like the smile of a Hahoe mask.

“This is the answer. Definitely.”

In his hand was the daughter’s scenario.