An eerie silence suddenly spread among everyone.
“Let’s call it quits early.”
This was due to Hong Ye-ji’s unexpected move.
Lee Geum-sook’s team, Sua, personnel from Netflix’s Korea branch, Lee Seo-jung and her manager—everyone was gathered, and no one was an exception. Most present glanced around cautiously at the chill in her voice.
Of course, surprisingly, even after three minutes passed, there was only stillness.
But no one moved to leave the meeting place.
“…”
In truth, Sua had no particular thoughts in her mind.
‘It’s… too intense… isn’t it?’
Sua fully understood how absurd it was to comment on someone else’s intensity, but Lee Seo-jung was a woman with an unusual aura—she was that different.
If Sua was like a wolf, maybe Lee Seo-jung was like a snake. You know, the kind that flicks its tongue around threateningly.
‘If Yeon-joo feels refreshingly harmless, this one is the opposite. It feels really seductive but dangerous.’
That’s why Sua found herself meeting Lee Seo-jung’s gaze.
From the start, it wasn’t a glare matching eye-for-an-eye. Sua had simply frozen.
With no one breaking the silence,
‘Ugh… I really dislike this kind of atmosphere.’
Sua pondered what to say in her mind. She practiced her responses internally when something came to mind.
“Ah, hellooo…”
She was glad she hadn’t voiced it aloud.
–Let go of the initiative. This senior will take the lead.
–Sua senior, you should give it a try too.
Thanks to the chatter coming from Sua’s various inner voices, it was becoming noisy in her head. But then,
“?!”
While sidelong glancing, Sua stumbled upon something astonishing.
It was none other than Hong Ye-ji’s demeanor.
At that moment, Hong Ye-ji, with crossed arms, was incessantly muttering something under her breath. Though no sound escaped, her mouth movements were unmistakable. Sua swallowed hard.
‘Shit’
‘Shi-ba-l’
‘Shi-bu-l’
‘Go away’
‘Gooaaachee… please go’
Hong Ye-ji’s lips had definitely been spelling that.
“…”
Thanks to this, Sua felt a welling emotion.
Probably, it was admiration and courage.
Hong Ye-ji was a character without any special endowment. Moreover, without a single representative work, she had continued working as a subordinate writer. When considering only career background, her story paralleled Sua’s before she became an actress.
But what did Hong Ye-ji’s current attitude reveal?
‘I’m different from her. Everything about her.’
In her, Sua observed an unbending belief.
Even if what she held scattered like sand, she had the courage to break it if it didn’t take the form she wanted. Unlike Sua, who was always full of fear.
‘…I want to be like that too.’
Sua thought. If there was someone in this life worthy of being her mentor, it had to be someone like her.
Because of this, Sua felt emboldened.
She then addressed Lee Seo-jung.
“You already heard what the writer said, right?”
Of course, her voice came out colder.
“If you’re thinking of participating, stop the intimidation games. If you’re not interested in the script, just leave. Everyone here is serious.”
“…”
However, Lee Seo-jung continued to look at Sua blankly without uttering a word.
At this point, Sua felt a subtle unease.
‘Upon reconsidering, her gaze seems somewhat different from mere provocation? Then why is she looking at me?’
Of course, Seo-jung’s internal motives were entirely different.
‘Wait, wait. Could it be… the lead role is already cast?’
Her heart pounded violently. She was too busy gathering the popping pieces of information to focus.
“Isn’t it… it’s Su-a? It’s definitely Su-a. Why is she here? No, rather, pictures really aren’t trustworthy. The real person surpasses even half of the photo. Her skin must be really smooth, I bet.’
The fact that Su-a had taken on the leading role in this mediocre script was a massive shock. And to be staring directly at her like this made her body heat up.
It was exciting.
Lee Seo-jung attempted to calm herself down.
She was curious how well her internal musings would withstand against Su-a’s intense gaze. After all, she wondered if she’d maintain her composure even while being told lewd stories.
However,
“…”
Now wasn’t the time to play with Su-a.
Lee Seo-jung had always been confident in her experience with such matters and concluded it was better to hold back for the time being—for better fun later.
“Hohoho.”
Instead, she let out a small laugh.
‘What would it feel like to act alongside her?’
In the middle of all this, Sua inwardly felt flustered.
‘…Her gaze is somewhat different, isn’t it?’
It wasn’t anger, but more of a clinging sort of stare.
Also, her tone was slippery like a snake’s. It made Sua want to take a bath, as if to cleanse herself. In reality, it was a gaze filled with lust, something Sua failed to recognize. As a virgin, how could she have known?
It was also because she hadn’t activated her ‘fox tricks’ yet. Being sexually inexperienced, Sua couldn’t discern this on her own.
At that moment, Hong Ye-ji spoke.
“I don’t have any grudges. I didn’t expect much in the first place, but I do appreciate that you showed up today. Please feel free to share your thoughts.”
“Confidence? Sure. I really liked the script.”
Hong Ye-ji trembled as if an electric shock ran through her chair, though no one saw it as odd. After all, humans can find joy unexpectedly when complimented.
Seo-jung’s gaze returned to Sua.
“However, I’ll step back from the meeting. The reason is,”
“The reason is?”
Sua quickly rephrased her question.
Seo-jung felt an undeniable urge to squeeze her thighs tightly from just that. The itching was intense.
But she suppressed it by swallowing her saliva.
“Because I can’t control myself around you.”
Everyone tilted their heads in confusion, understanding only the speaker herself.
Yet Sua relaxed.
‘She’s strange, isn’t she?’
Thinking she was dealing with someone slightly off, her previous fear disappeared. She felt like she might have overreacted and said casually:
“Looks like we’re in the same major or something, huh?”
In her mind, many friends lived, or something about low intelligence causing suffering. Really, maybe that could be true? Sua felt her assumption gaining ground.
But why, Seo-jung shivered.
Turning her back, she spoke.
“Let’s confirm that later, shall we?”
“Seo-jung? Seo-jung-ah! Hey! Seo-jung-ah!”
Her manager hastily chased after the departing figure.
.
.
.
.
.
.
After Seo-jung left, the meeting resumed.
The assistant writers started murmuring.
“Seo-jung is peculiar, as rumored.”
“That’s true. But I’ve heard she’s got backbone. Once she gets invested, she doesn’t look back.”
Upon hearing this, Sua quietly nodded.
‘She was special, and she was a bit dangerous.’
Did she herself look like that to others sometimes? Sua sank into introspection. Sua reflecting.
It was at this moment that Lee Geum-sook smiled.
“Sua, thank you.”
“Huh?”
“I initially planned to let Ye-ji handle it alone, at least for today. Every meeting’s a big experience, you see. But just now, I was considering stepping in, and you helped well.”
“Oh, no need to thank me.”
Sua shook her head.
“To call it stepping up doesn’t feel quite right. Hong Writer had already set a stern tone, that’s all.”
The assistant writers chuckled faintly.
“You’re right. Ye-ji is indeed different.”
“Always exceptional!”
“She’s fearless!”
The meeting room quickly warmed with a pleasant atmosphere. Even the typically silent Netflix personnel began opening up one by one.
“At least Seo-jung hasn’t completely rejected it. It’s proceeding smoother than we expected. Perhaps there’s something uniquely charming.”
“The writer seems resolute too.”
“Do you think we can proceed fully now?”
Each spoke their word while focusing on one person. Of course, the writer Hong Ye-ji.
“…”
Hong Ye-ji’s expression was more serious than ever.
“Exactly…”
She muttered quietly.
“Exactly, why does it always turn out like this…?”
At that moment, Jung-sook softly patted her shoulder.
“Miracles aren’t something anyone can grasp. You should realize this as another proof that you’ve truly worked hard. If something good happens, it’s okay to just feel happy about it.”
The assistant writers also nodded.
“Ah, you’re right! We’ve seen you work hard!”
“She’s always so deep in thought!”
“So, it’s natural!”
Hong Ye-ji turned her eyes, locking onto Sua.
“Sua, are you really going to do this?”
Sua thought. This is truly the eye of an adult.
“Yes, I’ll be the lead.”
“Exactly, exactly… what’s the reason…?”
Why participate.
Sua would originally have needed to rack her brain for a proper reason. A surface excuse beyond simply having a high grade in her abilities would be necessary.
But Sua didn’t need to now.
Another reason existed beyond grades.
“To learn.”
“Learn?”
“If I participate, I could grow more.”
Hong Ye-ji let out a deep growl and suddenly started tousling her hair.
“Khuuuu…!”
Then she looked sharply at Sua with gleaming eyes.
“Sua, are you sure? Are you ready?”
“Ready?”
“Yes. I plan to push the actors to the extreme. Anything necessary for the scene, regardless of the actor’s safety, I’ll use it.”
Hong Ye-ji’s gaze turned fierce.
“Choreography, singing, exposure, action—anything goes if it’s needed for the scene. Plain preparation won’t cut it.”
“Hmm…”
“If I write ‘That was a perfect dance’—seven words—you’ll need to deliver a dance truly worth of those words. Are you still willing to proceed? I’m warning you.”
At this point, Geum-sook interrupted.
“That’s right, things like this need to be clarified upfront during a meeting. Once filming starts, it’d be a mess if these things are up for discussion.”
But the words spoken earlier only solidified the matter.
Sua thought,
“What Hong Writer is saying now isn’t at all beneficial to herself. It’s easy enough to reject casting with these conditions.”
Yet, she still speaks boldly without compromise—a writer confident that her words won’t bend. Now it makes sense. These kinds of people write top-tier scripts.
“It must have been tough.”
Sua understood why Hong Ye-ji had tousled her hair.
This person strives for perfection in her texts.
Still, she’s concerned about imposing her standards on others. How many actors can realistically embody her written words through their bodies?
However,
There’s one.
“I have something more than the others.”
Sua thought, “If I make the effort, I can do it.”
“In short, we’re meant to save each other.”
Through this opportunity, Sua could add to her portfolio the successful overseas OTT series, while Hong Ye-ji could witness her written words come alive.
Fated partners.
With renewed determination, Sua spoke.
“Focus solely on the script.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll do my best on the acting side.”
After a while, a deep silence fell.
A while later, Hong Ye-ji slowly covered her face with both hands. Her body trembled slightly, still acting like a novice. She was clumsy at hiding her joy.
◈◈◈◈◈
Whoosh—!
On the way back to the entertainment agency in a van.
Lee Seo-jung occasionally leaned her head back, emitting a “hh” sound as if drunk on alcohol. Despite her manager’s incessant chatter, she appeared leisurely.
“Seo-jung, that writer was really intense! Who would’ve thought she could deliver that tone to both you and Su-a! I was so startled without realizing, completely forgetting all about the script being trash.”
Lee Seo-jung only thought about Su-a. Her manager’s babbling barely registered.
“Isn’t it strange when you think about it? Su-a is flying high because of Special Mobile Unit 808, but why would she choose to take the lead in this kind of ridiculous script?”
Seo-jung didn’t respond, yet her manager continued blabbering.
“Aha! Got it! Lee Geum-sook is the writer for Special Mobile Unit 808, right? She must’ve convinced Su-a on set! Right? There’s just no other explanation!”
“Me.”
Seo-jung finally spoke, with just one word.
“Huh?”
“What did you have scheduled this year?”
“A few ad shoots, and there’s a stack of serious movie meetings lined up. Nothing but jaw-dropping projects. Would even Seo-jung herself faint upon hearing the director names?”
“Nothing is confirmed yet, right?”
“Uh…?”
The manager replied absentmindedly before pausing.
A while later.
Slowly, his eyes moved to the rearview mirror.
“…Why are you asking about this?”
Seo-jung remained silent.
The manager appeared slightly uneasy.
“Seo-jung, you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you?”
Seo-jung coolly spoke.
“How far can you drive?”
“What?”
But this was a question answering a question, and it was utterly off-topic. The manager frowned, puzzled by her words.
“All this time, you’ve never caused me any trouble driving. So why ask this now suddenly?”
“Since I’ll be participating in Hong Writer’s work, just know that.”
Immediately, the van swayed.
Had he not recovered control physically at that moment, he might have mistakenly swerved and wrecked the car.
Seo-jung burst out laughing.
“You drive terribly.”
◈◈◈◈◈
After finishing all the schedules, at Sua’s home.
The house Mystic had provided her was much better than her previous one. After finishing her bath, Sua looked at her phone.
Right now, she was checking her rare-open SNS account.
She had uploaded two photos.
Two posts had been made:
[Sua Selfie]
–Wow, what charisma!
–Oh sister, can I be yours?
–Could I call you sir?
–The vibe is insane.
–Beautiful…
[Sumi’s Photo]
-Sumi is too cute.
-Is her name Sumi? So cute.
-Sumi love!
-Sumi cheeks!
“…”
Well, what, she had expected this reaction.
‘Still, I didn’t expect this much.’
The reactions Sua wanted were for Sumi, and Sumi’s desired reactions were for Sua.
What sort of joke was fate playing?
Why did heaven create Sua, and then every cuter creature?
Sua felt relieved that Sumi didn’t understand Korean. Let her bear this pain alone, as Sumi would be extremely sad if she knew.
At that moment, a message came in.
[From: Lee Geum-sook]
▷ Young lady Sua, I’ll call you soon.
▷ Please take care!
What call? “Please take care” of what?
With these doubts, Sua pulled out the scripts.
Special Mobile Unit 808 had ended, and the road ahead was long. Her goal was to conquer the world, and it was right to continue refining herself until that was achieved.
Suddenly the phone rang.
An unknown number.
Sua hesitated to answer but then decided not to. If the new number reached out, it might be important.
“Am I smart?” Oh, Sua is smart!
“Hello?”
“Hi.”
The other side greeted her casually in English, something she recognized immediately and didn’t particularly appreciate.
“You…”
“Yes. We’ve met at the meeting, right? I’m Lee Seo-jung.”
“How did you get my number?”
She said it with obvious distaste.
As it turns out, the response was unexpected.
“The writer gave it to me.”
A betrayal by Lee Geum-sook? Sua was shocked at that moment.
“Don’t misunderstand. It wasn’t something she just handed over. I offered something irresistible. Let’s just say, it was somewhat of a trade.”
“Trade? Conditions? What do you mean?”
“Hong Ye-ji’s work.”
After a brief pause, Seo-jung continued,
“If you tell me yourself that you’d like me to participate, I will eagerly jump into it.”
Sua blinked silently.
Having a top-tier actor join Hong Ye-ji’s project was beneficial, but why did they specifically want her involvement? It was suspicious and sinister.
“If I tell you, you’ll participate right away?”
“Exactly.”
Sua tilted her head.
‘This person is really strange again.’
She thought, ‘I should be more cautious. My previous assumption was probably correct. Somewhere along the line, there’s a lack of intelligence.’
‘Wait…’
Thinking about it, her mood wasn’t particularly spoiled.
There existed someone less intelligent than Sua. So, she wasn’t the most primitive human after all.
But maybe this person was excellent in their own way. Perhaps Sua had just become too intelligent…
Sua became fearful of her own development.
Facing someone she perceived as intellectually inferior, Sua tried to play smart, more accurately, pretended to be intelligent as she said:
Her shoulders rose like mountain peaks.
“If you want to, just do it.”
“Hearing you say that makes me want to.”
“You’ve got low intelligence, huh.”
Sua frowned. That moment, she slightly understood the looks friends gave her over time.
“Seo-jung, if you’d join by just a single word from someone you barely know, I’d request otherwise. Why would I do that?”
The moment after, she nearly doubted her eyes.
[Classification: Unknown – Unsolved]
✔ Sufficient Materialization Elements
✔ 1.5 Class
Crackling!
1.5 Class → 1.4 Class
1.4 Class → 1.3 Class…
[Classification: Unknown – Unsolved]
✔ Sufficient Materialization Elements
✔ 1.3 Class
“Hmm?”
She blinked several times to confirm.
“…It’s changing? Why?”
What is this?
At that moment, Seo-jung spoke with a teasing tone.
“See, if you say it just like that, it’ll do.”
“No, no, not at all…”
Sua snapped out of it.
Almost had she lost focus due to the rising class and begged unnecessarily. It shouldn’t be this way.
The class was high enough already, and Hong Ye-ji was someone she respected. Thus, filtering out such intellectually low, suspicious elements beforehand is best.
Even if the actor was of high rank, it mattered little!
This person was simply unintelligent! Strange!
“Hong Writer truly means it. So if you’re not serious, don’t participate. Spend this time reviewing the script instead. Goodbye.”
“Hoo…?”
Crackling!
1.3 Class → 1.2 Class
1.2 Class → 1.1 Class…
[Classification: Unknown – Unsolved]
✔ Sufficient Materialization Elements
✔ 1.1 Class
“What… the hell is this?”
