"That insolent brat! I'm still fuming even after two days."
Writer Lee Minjoo thought of the assistant writer who had stormed out of the studio a while ago.
He was a talent who could be called a veteran without exaggeration.
He was an audacious punk who had thrown a script in her face, something she hadn't experienced even as a rookie writer.
It was the first time a writer she had worked with for a whopping six years had done such a thing, and the back of her head was still tingling from the shock.
That's why her anger towards that kid who had left spewing curses was boiling over.
"He can't possibly be unaware of how small this industry is."
She had already spread nasty rumors about him, so it would be impossible for him to get a job as an assistant to another famous writer.
Lee Minjoo knew his skills better than anyone.
His ability to create immersion wasn't bad, but his dialogue was too over-the-top and always needed revision.
In other words, he didn't have the skills to win a contest and was destined to never escape the life of an assistant writer.
Well, it's not like he had the ability to make it on his own anyway.
Even if she wanted to get revenge, there was nothing substantial to retaliate against.
"He kicked away his own good fortune."
She had valued his hard work over the years and had even considered giving him a co-writer credit on the next project.
Right now, she was being praised for being at the peak of her form.
Her viewership ratings were soaring, and she had established herself as a top-tier writer, both acknowledged by herself and others.
From the broadcasting station's perspective, there would be no reason to antagonize her.
That kid would never be able to show his face in this industry again.
Knock, knock—
"Writer-nim."
Just then, an assistant writer knocked and called for Lee Minjoo.
"Come in."
Creeeak—
The one who opened the door and entered was assistant writer Oh Hyunsik.
After Kim Jinwoo, he was the one she trusted the most recently.
"I contacted Purple Girls' agency. Jae-eun-nim said she would make a cameo appearance..."
"Really?"
In the case of Purple Girls' Jae-eun, she already had experience working with Writer Lee Minjoo.
At that time, she had appeared as a supporting lead and was re-evaluated as an acting idol.
She probably found it difficult to refuse Writer Lee Minjoo's request.
Oh Hyunsik, wanting to suck up, asked with a bit of exaggeration.
"How about we ask all the Purple Girls members to make an appearance? If they want to repay your grace, that's the least they should do."
"Hoho. Right. Then go ahead and ask."
"Yes! I'll call them back right away."
Hyunsik was about to turn when he paused for a moment and continued speaking.
"Um, regarding the Kim Jinwoo matter from a few days ago... I apologize."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"Because I told you several times to remove Jinwoo's name from this project. If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have..."
"No, thanks to you, I got to see his true colors, so it worked out well. To think I almost continued working with such a creepy guy, can you believe it?"
"Ah, um. Yes. Well then..."
Creeeak—
As Hyunsik turned away, a vile smile hung on his lips.
With Kim Jinwoo gone, Oh Hyunsik had risen to become the real power in the studio.
He passed the task the writer had just assigned him to another writer.
"Hey, maknae, ask if all of Purple Girls can make a cameo."
"Ah, yes. I understand."
"If you can't secure that, you and I are going for a swim in the Han River together. Got it?"
"Ye-yes!"
"Just kidding, you punk. Ke-kick."
The atmosphere was distinctly different from when Kim Jinwoo was around.
The other assistant writers frowned, but they couldn't bring themselves to say anything.
[Time Limit: 5 hours 12 minutes 22 seconds]
I must have waited for about two hours.
Now, only about 5 hours remained.
"I wish she'd realize that someone named 'me' is watching her..."
I wish she would just wrap it up and disappear. Please.
Somehow, I ended up watching a woman like a stalker.
She was so focused on her work that she didn't turn her head for even a second.
Even though I was broke, I was willing to pay around 50,000 won to buy the seat.
But the Mercedes car key was a barrier I couldn't cross, so I just chewed on my straw in frustration.
"By the way... she's incredibly beautiful."
I know the names of most celebrities with any level of recognition, but I've honestly never seen anyone like her.
Neat brown hair that matched her suit.
Flawless skin, as if she received regular professional care.
An unapproachable aura emanating from the harmony of her distinct eyes, nose, and mouth.
She was definitely a woman of a beauty you wouldn't see in real life.
Since we were near a broadcasting station, it wasn't strange to think she might be a celebrity.
"But for a celebrity..."
Seeing her so engrossed in her work, that didn't seem right either.
Just then, she stretched and loosened her body.
Like a child caught doing something wrong, I quickly averted my gaze.
Feeling a little embarrassed, I casually got up and looked around the shop.
When I slowly looked back at her, her head was already buried in her documents again.
"Phew..."
At that moment, a collection of autographed frames hanging on one side of the shop caught my eye.
This coffee shop usually prided itself on its clean, simple interior.
It seemed they had added this feature to differentiate themselves, probably because they were near the broadcasting station.
Among them,
［Enjoyed the coffee. Hope your business prospers! -Purple Girls Semi-］
There were autographs from the members of Purple Girls, including Semi.
"Maybe the choice of location isn't completely random..."
The last place and this place are close, but they're completely different.
If I were to guess, it could be related to a specific actor.
Or it could be deeply connected to the content or story of the work.
It could be a place Semi visited, like today, or perhaps.
"...The beginning of the drama takes place on Jeju Island. Surely they won't tell me to go to Jeju Island, right?"
To put it bluntly, if they tell me to write in the study of a chaebol chairman's house just because it's a chaebol drama, it's a no-go.
Or, in the dog house of a dog raised by a chaebol family...
"Ah, screw it. If that's the case, I'd rather just write it myself."
I subtly turned around and looked at 'that' glowing seat.
But she seemed to have gone to the restroom, leaving her belongings behind.
"Hmm, let's just go for it."
Who knows, if I start absorbing the light, maybe it will follow me even if I leave the seat.
The other person doesn't seem to have any intention of moving anyway, so I need to be bold about this.
A hesitant amateur has no right to be in this seat.
Plop—
I acted naturally, as if I were sitting in my own seat all along.
I heard the sighs of the men around me, but I didn't pay them any mind.
The moment I sat down in front of the woman's seat, the pure white light began to be absorbed into my head.
At the same time, the projector in my mind started playing automatically, just like yesterday.
I was about to get up and leave the seat immediately, but.
'Damn it.'
The light that had already been absorbed pierced through my head again and returned to the seat.
[Time Limit: 4 hours 47 minutes 13 seconds]
Time was ticking, and less than 5 hours remained.
I couldn't just wait forever.
［Tempest Entertainment, Manager Jung Saerom］
Information about her was written on some of the scattered files.
'Tempest Entertainment...'
A major corporation that has produced numerous artists.
It was a company that primarily managed actors rather than singers.
I had heard they recently expanded their business into drama production.
'Ah, screw it. I don't know anymore.'
I sat down again and just took out my laptop.
Once again, the video was embedded in my mind and played automatically.
Clack-clack, clack-clack-clack—
I started typing naturally as if I were sitting in my own seat.
There was no need to rewind the video by 10 seconds or anything like that.
As long as the time limit remained, the memory of that video would never be erased.
The white light was stored in my mind, lingering for a short while.
Perhaps the light I was absorbing was acting like a film.
Even when typing while watching the video like yesterday, the pace of the story didn't lag at all.
It was then.
"What do you think you're doing right now?"
A woman's voice, soft yet firm.
The inevitable had finally happened.
Clack-clack-clack-clack—
I didn't stop typing and answered nonchalantly.
"Manager Jung Saerom."
"...Yes? Do you know me?"
"Of course. That's why I'm sitting here."
The drama 'remembered' in my head was still interesting.
But as it got mixed up with the conversation I was having, the difficulty of writing skyrocketed.
"Who might you be..."
"Tempest Entertainment, Strategic Planning Department. Am I wrong?"
I threw a gamble, seeing her subtly cover the name written on the document file.
I felt there would be a limit to how much I could deceive her by just stating what was already written.
I silently prayed, "please, please, please," hoping I was right.
"Ah, yes. That's right. It is, but..."
'It's right?!'
I had even stopped typing, seriously contemplating what to say next.
She took the initiative and eased my worries.
"Are you perhaps from the JTBS broadcasting station..."
"Ah, yes! Well, you could say it's pretty similar."
"Hmm, similar... But, I'm not sure how you could have arrived five hours early."
The time limit would be up in five hours, and there was even an appointment scheduled for then.
Hearing her words, I thought it was actually a good thing that I had stubbornly sat down.
"It just happened that way. So, let's talk business."
Since it had come to this, I had no choice but to be brazen.
The moment a con artist shows they're nervous, they're demoted to a third-rate one.
Clack-clack-clack-clack—
I continued the conversation with her while typing non-stop.
Thanks to my ability, or perhaps the system, the writing flowed well without getting tangled.
I felt like an android whose hands were moving automatically.
"But what have you been typing on your laptop this whole time..."
She subtly leaned forward to look at my laptop.
I felt my breath catch in my throat as the beautiful woman got closer, but.
Sliiiide—
"I'm very sorry. But it's confidential, so I can't show you... I'm sorry."
"Ah, yes."
The woman pouted like a sulking child and continued speaking.
A cute expression that contrasted with her cool, career-woman appearance.
This must be what they mean when they say pretty people are pretty even when they're upset.
'Wow... why is this person working as an employee instead of being an actress herself?'
I thought I had become immune to pretty women in this industry.
But her varied expressions made me lose my train of thought for a moment and I just stared blankly.
"Well, then show me the script first."
"The, the script?"
"...Are you really from the JTBS broadcasting station?"
"Of course. Just a moment..."
Acting crazy, I presented the first part of my work.
'To think the copy I put in my bag to read on paper would be used like this.'
Fortunately, thanks to the script Heejung had printed out yesterday, I was saved.
My useless sister had proven her worth for the first time in her 24 years of life.
"Wow, this is completely blank. It's the first time I've seen a script with nothing written on the front page. Who's the writer?"
"There is one. Someone like that."
"...You don't look like you know anyone."
"Excuse me?"
"Ah, no, it's nothing."
Clack-clack, clack-clack—
I still hadn't taken my hands off the laptop.
The other person took the script I handed her and picked up her car key.
"An employee was supposed to bring the script our side prepared."
"Ah, then..."
"We still have time, so I'll go get it myself. Could you watch my seat for a while?"
"...Thank you so much."
"???"
Manager Jung Saerom left the seat with a puzzled expression.
A hidden mission that had to be completed before she returned.
I furiously scribbled down the words without even caring about typos.
The script was written based on the 'memory' inside my head.
Clack-clack-clack, clack—
A typical romance-chaebol drama that openly targeted female viewers in their 20s and 30s.
It was essentially a drama where two top male leads competed for one female lead.
In the second part I was currently writing, the sub-male lead's role was particularly prominent.
'This means I'll have to pay attention to the casting of the sub-male lead as well.'
The appearance of the sub-male lead who appeared in the mental projector was ordinary.
No, actually, except for the male and female leads, most of the characters had indistinct, similar appearances.
It felt like the character's charm wasn't matched by their looks.
He was definitely handsome, but it felt like he had undergone cosmetic surgery.
It was as if they had intentionally cast ordinary-looking men and women.
It would be hard to accept that such a transcendent system would have such a flaw.
'Does it mean it doesn't matter who you cast?'
Clack-clack-clack, CLACK—!
Finally, I finished writing the script and concluded the second part.
Worried that the owner of the seat might return, I quickly packed my laptop.
"I'm sorry for deceiving you, Ms. Jung Saerom."
I felt a little bad just getting up and leaving, so I rummaged through my bag to leave a note.
I took out a sticky note and a pencil from one side of the bag and scribbled something down.
［Enjoyed the seat. May you be blessed!］
I left the note and carefully got up, making my way out of the seat.