The table was magically swirling with a pure white radiance.
The moment I sat in front of it, the light began to slowly penetrate my mind.
"Gasp."
I didn't even have the presence of mind to care if the people around me turned to look at my surprised exclamation.
It was a method that touched 'memory' directly, without using sight or sound.
I couldn't tell if I was possessed by a ghost or if this was some kind of alien technology.
A short drama unfolded in my mind as if a projector were running inside my head.
'It's a live-action drama...!'
It was the typical opening of a chaebol story, starting with someone driving a sports car on Jeju Island.
A man with a face I didn't recognize arrived at his destination and got out of the car.
And then, he runs into the female lead in the hotel lobby.
Her face was an exact match for Purple Girls' Semi.
The ensuing dialogue synergized perfectly with the actors' performances.
Clear vocal delivery that hit the mark and smooth facial expressions.
Fresh directing that shone even in a clichéd situation.
"Ah... this is good."
After an introduction of about 20 minutes, the drama paused.
The playback didn't stop automatically; it paused naturally according to my will.
It was as if some function of the system was waiting for me while I wrote the script.
Without a second thought, I took out my laptop.
Clack-clack-clack—
It was too much to say I was simply inspired.
It felt like I was taking a test where I already knew all the answers.
I remembered every line of dialogue I heard once as if I had memorized it.
Not only that, but the surrounding environment, the key props, and even the mood of the work.
Every element came to mind vividly, waiting for me to write it down.
"I feel like my descriptive skills have suddenly improved, too."
The necessary words 'remembered' themselves at just the right moments, as if I had an answer key spread open.
From the next scene on, I continued writing like a man possessed.
I couldn't even enjoy the interesting drama; I just had to move my hands frantically.
"Wow, I'm completely burned out..."
In the end, thanks to this unknown ability, I easily finished writing the script for the first part.
[Time Limit: 13 minutes 27 seconds]
A script for Part 1, completed in just a few hours.
I had written like a madman without a single ounce of creative suffering.
"Could this be a work that already exists?"
The idea of a forgotten memory becoming vivid could probably be explained scientifically.
That would be a little more natural, at least.
"Purple Girls' Semi."
I didn't know the male lead, but I definitely knew the female lead.
She wasn't in a top-tier girl group, as they'd never won first place on a music show.
But to call them second-tier wasn't right either, as they had a solid fan base among male fans.
First, I searched "Purple Girls Semi" and looked through her filmography.
"A web drama? Is this it?"
Her entire acting career consisted of a single 4-episode web drama, with each episode being only 10 minutes long.
Worse, the number of views was less than the number of members in the Purple Girls fan club; it was a total flop.
Curious about her acting skills, I watched the web drama.
The story was slathered in predictable school-life clichés.
No matter how good the directing was, there was no way to showcase an actor's charm with a story like this.
"Is this really Semi? In the drama I just saw..."
A poor but charming female lead, who swallows her pain but doesn't show it on the outside.
Hadn't she infused that common yet contradictory character with her own unique color?
It was clearly the same person, but I couldn't find that version of Semi in this web drama at all.
Even though it was a boring drama, I forced myself past episode 3 and started episode 4.
"!"
But in the 4th episode, the male lead from the work I wrote appeared out of nowhere.
And he appeared as a disposable villain, an infuriating character who serves up a nonsensical, frustrating plot point.
"What the hell. A stalker out of the blue? Does this even make sense?"
I could, by a huge stretch, forgive a third-rate villain appearing without any foreshadowing.
But this isn't some lawless, end-of-the-century world with no police. What was he trying to do with a toy kitchen knife?
"Even the great Lee Byung-hun couldn't save these lines."
Naturally, the comment section was flooded with curses aimed at the male villain character who was stalking Purple Girls' Semi.
In a way, it was proof that people were immersed in the work.
But 99% of the people commenting were hardcore fans of Purple Girls.
"Ugh, this is driving me crazy."
Soon, I tried to recall the drama again, but I felt a strange sense of dissonance.
When the time limit was still active, the memory had been clearly stuck in my head.
I could vividly recall every line of dialogue, every gesture, every subtle expression and tone.
But now, only a hazy image remained, like a drama I had just finished watching and turned away from.
"No, what is this..."
The strange phenomenon that occurred to me over roughly five hours.
I read and re-read the work I wrote dozens of times, pondering what on earth had happened.
Just in case, I asked a cafe employee about the pure white light.
All I got back was a reply that they didn't know what I was talking about.
"A superpower?"
Should I call it an ability from a common fantasy movie?
Or should I see it as having stolen future technology from an SF movie?
The ability appeared so suddenly that I was quite baffled myself.
"Anyway... the writing is seriously good."
「The Chaebol Heir is a Pure-hearted Macho」
It was a predictable chaebol romance, but it covered its shortcomings with the charm of the female lead and the devotion of the male lead.
It was interesting enough that anyone who enjoys typical dramas or novels would demand the second part immediately.
In particular, just by reading the script, I could easily imagine how the main characters moved in my head.
It couldn't compare to the projector-like experience I had at the cafe, but even considering that, it was a sufficiently good script.
I left my room and knocked on Heejung's door.
Knock, knock—
"Hey, hey, wake up."
"Ugh, what!"
My sister swung the door open with an annoyed grunt.
"I just sent you a script via message, give it a read."
"Jeez, have I ever read your scripts? They're just a combination of trashy characters."
"Yep. Like your acting."
"...?"
I went back to my room and got on the internet.
"Should I submit it to a contest?"
I wrote it, but it felt a bit embarrassing to say that I wrote it.
Honestly, even if there was no guarantee it would win, it was a work that was definitely competitive.
Because it was objectively fun.
"A contest..."
Usually, broadcasting station contests required a synopsis and a script for up to four episodes.
Contests on a much smaller scale had more modest submission requirements.
"For now, if I can just write up to the second episode on my own, somehow..."
Ding-dong—
At that moment, the notification sound I had experienced before pierced my mind.
[Content: The Chaebol Heir is a Pure-hearted Macho, Part 2] [Genre: Romance, Chaebol] [Location: Star & Bucks, near Omokgyo Station Exit 1] [Time Limit: 17 hours] [※ Bronze Promotion: 110-110101-1011 (Virtual Account, W Bank)] [※ Deposit Amount: 0 won / 10,000,000 won]
"Alright!"
I wasn't sure what the significance of the location was, but this time it was a different cafe.
I immediately opened the app to check the opening hours for that Star & Bucks branch.
"It opens early. The time is a bit tighter than yesterday, though."
Even if I was generous with the time, six hours would be more than enough to write.
If I go around 11 AM and start writing, I should be able to finish with time to spare.
"Then maybe I should give myself an extra hour and go around 10 AM."
As long as I don't waste time meaninglessly like yesterday.
I could probably finish writing the second part without much trouble.
"Honestly, I still don't know the principle behind how this ability works."
But I don't know when it might disappear, so I should use it while I have it.
Just then, I heard a knock on my door.
Knock, knock—
"Oppaaaaa~"
"Crazy."
A shiver ran up from my toes at my sister's sweet, gentle voice.
I couldn't remember ever hearing her speak in such an affectionate tone in my life.
Creak—
"I think this is the first time you've knocked before entering my room."
"Hey, what are you talking about? I do it every time."
"No. I'm sure of it. You're the kind of person who doesn't know what a knock is."
"This littl— Ah, no. It seems our dear brother has misunderstood something."
"...What is wrong with you."
Swoosh—
"?"
With lightning-fast speed, she thrust a sheet of A4 paper at me.
She said she wouldn't read it, but it seemed she had printed it out and read it in the meantime.
"Did you really write this script?"
"Yeah. I mean, I typed it with my own fingers."
"My dear writer, I believed in you. I never doubted that such a talent would be born into our family."
"You crazy bitch."
"This f— I mean, Writer Kim. I have been eagerly waiting for you to become the pillar of the Kim family. Finally...!"
My damn sister had always just thrown my door open without knocking.
And I swear, this was the first time she had ever spoken to me in such a whiny, nasal voice.
"Just say it already. There's something you want to say."
"That, the sub-male lead is insanely charming, isn't he?"
"Well, he's not bad."
Two male leads and one female lead.
The typical composition of a melodrama.
Among them, the sub-male lead role was still open to casting possibilities.
As long as he was reasonably handsome and could act a little, anyone could bring the character to life.
"Um..."
It seemed Heejung also found the work to be quite good.
It looked like she, as an actress herself, was getting greedy for a role.
"This project, could you maybe give it to me..."
"No. Get out."
"I haven't even finished talking?"
"Yep. Scram."
"...You wanna die?"
The witch-like sister finally showed her true colors.
She tore off her paper-thin mask and glared at me with the fierce expression of a wildcat.
"Ugh, what do you want me to do?"
"Haaa... okay. Let's make a deal. What do you want?"
"Heejung-ah. Does this project look like it's the size for a small theater company?"
"Hey, but if we try to adapt it well..."
"Purple Girls' Semi."
"Huh...? A sudden fan confession?"
Heejung was puzzled by the random naming of a girl group member.
Even to me, it felt a little out of the blue.
"She's the main character."
"...You crazy bastard."
I completely understood the sentiment behind my sister's heartfelt curse.
It wasn't that Purple Girls' Semi had extensive acting experience or proven acting skills.
But just looking at her popularity, fame, and recognition, she was on a completely different level from a nobody like me.
The girl group market was notoriously one of the most fiercely competitive in this industry.
You had to acknowledge those who broke through the hellish competition to join the ranks of 'popular' girl groups.
"Then are you going to ask Writer Lee Minjoo for a favor or something?"
"Nope, I quit there as of yesterday."
"What!?"
"You know that mini-series that just started? The writer took all the credit for it, so I got pissed."
"Still, after all the time you endured..."
"I have to start over."
Perhaps because I spoke about a rather painful story so calmly, Heejung had a strangely unpleasant expression on her face.
I think my fellow assistant writers looked at me in the exact same way.
The face people make when they see someone who was kicked out without being compensated for their past efforts.
"Don't look at me with pity. I'll kill you."
"Who said they pitied you?"
"I can make a comeback. Just you watch."
"Honestly, if you just keep writing like the one you sent me..."
"If I keep writing?"
Heejung paused for a moment before continuing.
"You seem perfect for our theater company's scriptwriter."
"That place went bankrupt."
"Who went bankrupt!!!!!?"
Heejung screamed and disappeared.
Pfft—
Heejung, the girl who claimed she'd break out in hives if she gave even the slightest compliment.
Seeing my sister's unprecedented reaction gave me even more certainty.
I didn't know about anything else, but this ability was real.
I could only hope that this mysterious system would last for a long time.
The next morning.
I arrived at Star & Bucks at a leisurely pace, basking in the warm morning sun.
However,
"I'm screwed."
It wasn't that I had overslept, nor was the coffee shop closed.
In fact, I arrived about an hour early and even found the glowing seat.
The only problem was, I hadn't considered an obvious variable.
The seat flashing with white light was not vacant.
Of all places, it had to be one of the most popular window seats.
"If I go talk to her, anyone would think I'm hitting on her."
A woman as beautiful as the dazzling sunlight.
Dressed in all sorts of luxury brands, with a Mercedes-Benz car key placed confidently on the table.
Looking at her laptop and the materials spread out, it didn't seem like she would be getting up anytime soon.
A beautiful woman whose mere existence seemed to radiate light.
She was already the center of attention for all the men around her.
[Time Limit: 7 hours 6 minutes 16 seconds]
"Surely she's not going to sit there for 7 hours, right?"
'Surely' was a word I should not have used.