The pure white light from the seat penetrated my mind.
The beginning of Part 3 started with the female lead's part-time job scene right from the get-go.
Seeing a group of loan sharks with slouchy postures on one side, it was obvious.
"As expected, K-dramas are all about Cinderella."
The previous part included a scene where the male protagonist finds out where the female lead works.
In the natural flow of things, it was bound to be a development where the male lead appears and saves her.
"...Or not?"
The person who came to visit the female lead at her job was the sub-male lead.
He exchanged witty banter with the female lead in his characteristically cheerful tone.
The fun part was the female lead's nagging, unaware that he was a chaebol.
I felt that the sub-male lead's lines were a bit too flashy.
For the first time, I wondered if I should revise the dialogue.
Soon, I paused the drama and muttered the line to myself.
"You... really can't do without me, can you?"
The sub-male lead tossed out the line playfully.
It was an incredibly cringey line.
"Hmm, this actually works?"
Just as the frustrating villains were about to approach the female lead.
The sub-male lead twisted one of their wrists and dragged him outside.
A scene where he uses his power to crush them in a place where the female lead can't see.
It was a turning point where the puppy-like sub-male lead showed his unexpected charm.
"So he really is a second lead."
With this much screen time already, the main character could easily be overshadowed if things went wrong.
If Im Jaejun doesn't act his part properly, he will definitely be devoured.
"Let's step it up, my dear actor."
As a writer and a viewer who had become immersed in the drama, I continued to write.
Ting-a-ling—
At that moment, a man and a woman opened the cafe door and walked in.
"Gasp."
I quickly ducked my head to get out of their line of sight.
A beautiful couple, a perfect match.
Coincidentally, I knew both of them.
The woman I had deceived and pretended not to know before, Manager Jung Saerom.
And the actor who helped me enter the cafe today, Mr. Ji Seongho.
The two of them walked past the entrance and headed for the counter.
With my back to them, I quickly walked out of the cafe.
Leaving all my belongings on the table just as they were.
"Argh, damn it... She was the one person I wanted to avoid."
A rookie writer impersonating a JTBS employee wasn't something to be taken lightly.
Of all the many places, why did Tempest Entertainment have to be the chosen location?
"I've written about half, and I have about 7 hours left... so I still have time."
They say if you only write, you ruin your health.
Thanks to the temporary pass actor Ji Seongho got me, I could re-enter at any time.
It seemed that leaving for three or four hours would not be a problem for my writing.
"I wonder how far it is from here to Daehangno."
Heejung's theater company probably isn't that far from here.
Calling myself a writer, and I've never even been to see my actress sister's workplace.
Soon, I calculated the time it would take to get to Daehangno from here.
"I can get there in 30 minutes. Should I go see her?"
Jung Saerom followed behind Ji Seongho with a look of utter exhaustion on her face.
She spoke to the actor who entered the cafe with vibrant energy.
"You're not usually like this. Why did you want to have a script meeting at the cafe today?"
"Hmm, he's not here. Where did he go?"
"Who?"
"I made friends with a writer today, you know? A totally real connection!"
"A writer?"
Seongho, who was scanning the cafe, said to Saerom.
"Don't be surprised. It's the great Writer Lee Minjoo..."
"W-Writer Lee Minjoo!?"
If it was a friendship with the hottest writer these days, getting this worked up was understandable.
"...'s assistant writer who worked in her studio for six years."
"Ah, really? What a great connection."
Actor Ji Seongho wandered around for a long time, desperately looking for someone.
Saerom chuckled and looked at the back of Seongho's head.
'I guess that's his charm.'
From a manager's perspective, that kind of personality was just troublesome.
But wasn't it because of that side of him that he had fans and something called star quality?
"This is why I can't entrust him to anyone else."
Since Tempest Entertainment was a company that mostly handled quiet and reserved actors.
Just the act of him restlessly running around like that was enough to make him stand out.
Since he was a rising rookie, she was personally handling his project selections like this.
"Found it!"
Seongho looked around the seat where a bag and a laptop were placed.
The items were left all alone at an empty table.
"What are you doing at someone else's table?"
"No, I'm telling you, it's my friend's seat from today. I'm sure I saw this bag earlier."
Ji Seongho said, pointing at the bag.
"Then you should just call him."
"I don't have his number, though. Haha."
"Then he's not your friend... Ah, forget it."
Ji Seongho sat down at will in the seat next to the laptop.
Then he tapped the table, urging her to sit down.
"Phew..."
Saerom sat down and placed four works on the table.
"Read them one by one and choose. No matter which one you pick from these, it'll be above average."
"Well, I have to trust you, Manager Jung."
"Choose properly."
"Yes, ma'am."
Then, she subtly took out the single-part script remaining in her file.
It was the mysterious Part 1 script she had acquired through a bizarre route a few days ago.
"Oh, what's that? What kind of title is Pure-hearted Macho. Ke-kick."
"Ah, this is... um, a work of love-hate? Don't worry about it."
"What is that?"
"Hurry up. And read. Now."
"Yes, ma'am."
Saerom opened the work she had already read dozens of times.
A mysterious scenario, only one part long, with an unknown writer.
She had read it so many times in the meantime that she had memorized all the dialogue.
"Oh, this one is interesting."
"Really? Which of the four... no, you've got to be kidding me!"
Swish—
Saerom slightly raised her head, only to find Ji Seongho couldn't resist getting distracted.
He was looking at the laptop of the friend he made today, whose number he didn't even have.
"Ji Seongho, where did you learn the habit of touching other people's things?"
Finally unable to hold it in, Saerom spoke with a mix of anger.
However, Ji Seongho's subsequent reply was beyond common sense.
"Um... what did you say the title of what you were holding was?"
"Why are you looking at someone else's laptop! Sit down properly, now! I think I'm really about to get angry."
"No, just now, Pure-hearted Macho! The title is the same as what's being written on this laptop."
"...What?"
Saerom slowly, very slowly, walked in front of the laptop.
She gulped and carefully checked the filename.
「The Chaebol Heir is a Pure-hearted Macho Part 3」
"...What kind of person did you say that writer friend of yours was?"
"Oh, our Heejung has made it."
I only knew she had a minor role, but I hadn't heard specifically what kind of role it was.
Seeing her face on a corner of the promotional poster, it seemed she had a role of some significance.
Seeing her in full makeup with a bright smile after only ever seeing her bare face at home, as her older brother, I felt 괜히 proud.
"Just you wait a little. I'll make sure to get you a role as the donut shop part-timer in our drama."
For a no-name actress, a role like that is a big deal, really.
I picked up a pamphlet from the table below the large poster.
Then I bought a ticket for my sister's performance and entered the theater.
"If she sees my face before the show, she won't be able to act properly..."
For the sake of making her stronger, I should go see her first.
Actually, I had booked a seat in the back just in case I had to leave in the middle of the performance.
Soon, I slowly walked to the actors' waiting room located at the back of the theater.
Perhaps because it was a small theater company, there were no staff members to stop me.
However,
"Are you crazy? Can't you see the dust on the prop?"
"I'm sorry."
"Fucking hell, you've gotten lazy. Now that you're in your second year, you think acting is easy?"
"...I'm sorry."
After that, someone continued to spew verbal abuse, berating a woman.
The problem was, the voice of the one repeatedly apologizing was strangely familiar.
Rustle—
I peeked through the curtain to check the situation inside.
"Kim Heejung! You're cleaning the entire theater by yourself today before you go home. Got it?"
"...Yes. I understand."
This wasn't the old-school military; these actors were enforcing a strange hierarchy.
"You bitch, did you just hesitate?"
"N-no, I didn't!"
She had always shown a needlessly bright face, so I never thought she would be treated like this.
She's my sister whom I fight with every day, but seeing her get chewed out like that, I felt a fire rising inside me.
"Huh? Who's there! You can't come in here..."
At that moment, someone spotted me and spoke up.
Tap-tap-tap-tap—
Afraid of being spotted by my sister, I quickly left the area.
Just in case it might cause harm to my sister.
Worried that my sensitive Heejung's pride would be scratched.
"Hah, hah... I'm so pissed off."
I caught my breath in the middle of Daehangno and thought.
Heejung, who always sincerely cheered me on when I was having a truly hard time, even though we fought every day.
Even when I was suffering under Lee Minjoo, my sister was a great source of strength for me.
In any case, besides my parents, she's my only family.
"I've memorized all your faces. You fucking bastards."
Soon, I fumbled in my pocket, took out the pamphlet, and held it.
The one who yelled, the ones who stood by, and of course, the ones who were snickering on the side.
I compared each of their faces one by one and recorded a death note on my smartphone.
It wasn't just Heejung who was being berated.
I meticulously checked the names of the friends being yelled at alongside my sister.
"Just you wait. If this project just goes well..."
Not that I could give my precious work to my sister, but.
I had to at least get revenge on the seniors who were pulling this shitty hierarchy crap.
I think I'll have to pretend I don't know for the time being.
If Heejung knew I saw, it would be hard for her pride to bear.
"How dare they act high and mighty with my sister?"
Only I get to yell at my sister.
If I write while I'm annoyed, will it come out well?
Probably every writer would answer with a definitive no.
Except for me.
"Honestly, I'm less of a writer... and more of a transcriber."
I used the temporary pass to enter Tempest Entertainment again.
When I returned to my seat, there were only a few people sitting in the cafe.
It was a quiet afternoon, so the employees seemed to be at their desks.
Writing with my current state of mind, I felt like it would go very well.
I really hope a scene burning with revenge comes up.
There was less than half the amount left to write, but with plenty of time remaining, I was in a relaxed state.
"Hmm, shall I finish up Part 3 then?"
Since the time limit was still active, the halo of light was naturally still there.
I plopped down in the seat that was shining and glistening.
I unlocked the black screen of my laptop, which was on screen saver.
But in the part I was writing, there was a phrase I had never seen before.
A single line of greeting written in large, red, 50pt font.
［Hello Kim Jinwoo?］
Chills—
"What the hell."
Someone had touched my laptop.
It didn't really matter since all my files are backed up automatically, but.
Ting-a-ling—
"Mr. Kim Jinwoo, we meet again."
The cafe door opened, and someone walked straight towards me, sitting at the table near the entrance.
A woman so dazzlingly beautiful you would believe her if she said she was an actress.
Manager Jung Saerom appeared with exquisite timing as if she had been waiting for me.
I had been prepared to get caught to some extent the moment I entered this place, but.
"So we do. But how do you know my name..."
"Didn't you have to leave your ID when you got the temporary pass?"
Behind Manager Jung, actor Ji Seongho smiled sheepishly.
'That traitorous bastard! We were a team until I returned the pass...!'
I think I know who played the prank on my laptop.
It didn't seem likely that Manager Jung would have done it.
Her expression was inscrutable, making it hard to tell if she was angry or pleased.
"May I sit in front of you for a moment?"
"...Go ahead."
"Thank you."
I just stared blankly at Manager Jung Saerom, who smiled gently.
However, for someone dealing with a con artist, her attitude was remarkably polite.