“Waaaaaah!!!”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Galdaeguk kicked open the conference room door and bolted out.

Even for Galdaeguk, I hadn’t expected that level of reaction.

From somewhere far away came the loud crash of the emergency exit door being thrown open and the sound of him thundering down the stairs.

‘So I really got it right.’

For a moment, it genuinely felt as though I had become one with Im Ria.

To the point where I could see everything surrounding her.

‘Only for a moment, but still...’

It felt like a scene prepared specifically for me.

Something only Han Yeoreum’s Im Ria could reveal.

After sitting frozen for quite some time, Ma Eungyo blinked and finally spoke.

“Not bad. You figured it out much faster than I expected. I wouldn’t know myself, but people keep telling me my scripts are extremely detailed and tightly woven. And yet you managed to uncover this.”

Ma Eungyo stared at me with his mouth slightly open in admiration.

Behind him, CEO Yeonggwang was still frozen.

He looked as though he wanted to say something, then gave up and simply started clapping.

“Here. Tissues...”

Han Yohan handed me several tissues.

I had been concentrating so intensely that sweat was running down my forehead.

Only now could I breathe properly. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The pressure weighing me down finally seemed to disappear.

I still hadn’t received the complete script.

But I already knew how this story ended.

I had watched it once when Do Gyeoul was the lead.

Back then, however, this scene had not existed.

‘If he wrote a scene I’ve never seen before, does that mean he changed the latter half of the script too?’

I scanned the location script all the way to the end.

A scene that had never belonged to Do Gyeoul.

A scene given only to me.

That fact alone sent a shiver through my entire body.

“So what happens after this?”

I asked Ma Eungyo.

The writer, who had been absentmindedly playing with the ends of his hair, smiled and asked in return,

“What do you think happens?”

Something felt ominous.

Because this man...

* * *

“Myeong Jeha is still causing an uproar.”

Daily Media, located in Jongno District.

Entertainment reporters spent day after day writing special articles about Myeong Jeha.

The first Asian actor ever cast by a master filmmaker recognized throughout America.

A young and beautiful actor still in his twenties.

There was no way people wouldn’t be interested.

The news that he had entered Hollywood after only three projects and a single music video was the perfect fuel for the kind of national pride people loved to indulge in.

And on top of that, the film itself revolved around a subject Koreans couldn’t help obsessing over.

[Myeong Jeha’s Smile Captivates Hollywood — “Even His Wave Is Mesmerizing”]

[American Media Praise Myeong Jeha’s ‘Flawless Visuals’ — Becoming a Global Star Through NetHolics?]

[More Than a Hollywood Debut — The Weight Carried by Korea’s First Streaming-Era Global Actor]

[“Offers Flooding In” — Hollywood Falls for Myeong Jeha as He Emerges as the Next Global Icon]

— Anonymous 1: So freaking proud of my actor TT_TT

— Anonymous 13: Jeha, I’m sorry for complaining that you weren’t taking projects... You were right and we were wrong.

— Anonymous 29: First time I’ve ever gotten this high off being an actor fan. This is insane.

— Anonymous 36: Look at the reporters having the time of their lives posting endless HD photos of Myeong Jeha’s face LMAO

└ Anonymous 58: Honestly, I wouldn’t be able to resist either.

└ Anonymous 92: When reactions exploded after <Crossing Lines> during Jeha’s rookie days, I thought his agency had zero sense... <Faster Than the Law> was great too, but I kept wondering why he wasn’t taking more projects. Turns out they were planning this huge move all along TT_TT Dammit. Noble Actors, I’ll stop calling you Senile Actors now.

└ Anonymous 114: Never thought they were saving him for Hollywood... Haha Sorry, sorry.

0 Percent. @0percentttt

(Myeong Jeha photo.jpg)

At this point, the country should just exempt him from military service.

5,572 reposts · 11K likes

└ Facts. Our oppa is literally raising the nation’s prestige with his face.

└ Does any country abuse its national treasures? Do they train Goryeo celadon? Beat Joseon white porcelain with sticks? Then why should our Jeha-op be forced into the military?

└ Stop talking about the military. Just imagining him in uniform is already making me shake TT____TT Hurry up and give us the dress uniform.

└ No. Let’s not put him in one at all, damn it.

The first Asian actor ever cast by the universally acclaimed master filmmaker John Eastwood carried extraordinary significance.

And thanks to the subject matter—the Incheon Landing Operation—people were already acting as though they wanted to buy tickets before filming had even begun.

Whenever Myeong Jeha started trending, conversation naturally shifted toward Han Yeoreum.

“<Seoul Metropolitan City> opens soon, right? January 1st.”

“Immediately after the year-end award shows. Myeong Jeha’s popularity is probably going to boost overseas viewing numbers in America.”

“If you think about it, Han Yeoreum is unbelievably lucky. Nothing in her filmography ever fails.”

The Daily Media reporters thought about Han Yeoreum, the winner of the recent Holy Grail War.

“But this one is a little...”

“Kind of risky.”

They thought of Han Yohan, the actor notorious for destroying every romance project he touched.

Even if this was an action romance, they weren’t certain he could handle a genre where romance held such a large presence.

Han Yeoreum had become too famous to still be °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° called a rising star.

Yet she still lacked the final proof necessary to be unquestionably considered A-list.

At this stage, she needed several more successful projects proving she could consistently maintain a high hit rate.

Would her peak remain 〈Dongdaemun Romance〉?

Or could she climb even higher?

The reporters listed actor after actor who had scored one major hit only to produce mediocre projects afterward.

Yet somehow every conversation kept returning to Han Yeoreum.

Her name appeared in every other sentence.

“It doesn’t help that she had such insane chemistry with Seo Eden right before this.”

“I genuinely wanted them to start dating.”

“Han Yeoreum and Seo Eden? Nah. Seo Eden isn’t the one.”

“Then who is?”

“I’m thinking... Yun Hyeonjo...”

“You are squeezing blood from a stone at this point. Do those two even have ten minutes of footage together?”

“Yun Hyeonjo doesn’t seem like the dating type. What’s the age gap again?”

“That’s exactly why it works.”

Not long after the Holy Grail War came NetHolics.

Then Myeong Jeha’s Hollywood breakthrough.

Then a showdown between an actor who ruined every romance project and an actress who turned everything she touched into a success.

And finally—

“By the way, that writer Ma Eungyo. I got a look at the synopsis.”

The return of Ja Sokhwan’s completely unhinged disciples.

“This thing is seriously scary.”

Because, for the record, Ma Eungyo was—

“The premise alone doesn’t feel like it’s heading toward a happy ending...”

A writer who specialized in tragic romances.

* * *

On the drive home, CEO Yeonggwang was unusually quiet.

The entire time he gripped the steering wheel, part of his mind felt blank.

The moment Han Yeoreum explained the hidden scene, Galdaeguk completely lost control of his emotions.

He kicked open the conference room door, ran outside, and spent several laps charging around the building while shouting.

If Yeonggwang hadn’t eventually gone out to drag him back, it looked like he would have continued all day.

And honestly, he understood.

Because he himself hadn’t known how to react either.

‘Even now, I can’t believe it.’

He had spent years in this industry.

He had seen actors who rose quickly.

Actors with enormous talent who never found success.

Actors who exploded once through sheer luck and disappeared afterward.

Actors who survived quietly for years.

But—

‘In all my life...’

He had never seen anyone like Han Yeoreum.

Not once.

The moment she immersed herself in the script, the entire atmosphere changed.

He could practically see her forcing her brain to work at full capacity.

As though she absolutely had to succeed.

As though she was throwing herself bodily at the project.

The ridiculous thing was—

Han Yeoreum didn’t need to do that.

She was the only actor receiving full support from the giant corporation JC ENM.

Not a single project since her debut had failed.

Among actresses in their twenties, she was now one of the most famous.

And there was not a single person she had worked with who failed to acknowledge her talent.

She already possessed enough ability to drag rookies along by the collar through skill alone.

‘Then why is she so desperate?’

It felt like she was screaming that this still wasn’t enough.

For a moment, it seemed as though she was physically embracing the work itself.

He finally understood why Ja Sokhwan adored Han Yeoreum so much.

Why Hwang Boseok had chosen her immediately.

And why even Jegal Rok pushed her forward without hesitation.

‘Good grief...’

It all made sense.

He had seen it with his own eyes.

He finally understood what people meant when they called someone a monster.

“...”

Even Han Yohan, who was never particularly talkative to begin with, had been unusually quiet all day.

He seemed deeply shaken.

‘Well, makes sense. Romance is already his weakest genre, and now he’s about to get eaten alive by his junior.’

There was no way he wouldn’t feel a sense of crisis.

‘But this is exactly when you need to keep your head screwed on straight!’

CEO Yeonggwang steeled himself.

This project would change Han Yohan’s image.

It would erase the stain left by his previous filmography.

He could feel it.

“Don’t worry. I’m gonna push you like crazy. Those two—whether they’re Ja Sokhwan Kids or Ja Sokhwan Cheese—they’re definitely about to hit a career peak.”

As it happened, Management Yeonggwang was one of the investors in the project.

Because with Ma Eungyo.

Galdaeguk.

And Han Yeoreum.

They had believed they could easily compensate for Han Yohan’s infamous romance curse.

And after seeing Han Yeoreum’s eyes earlier, that conviction only grew stronger.

Speaking purely from instinct, the CEO felt this project would rewrite the history of action romance.

“We oughta invest more money. If Yeonggwang’s putting up cash, they can tweak a little storyboard, can’t they? Russia! We’re going to Russia! Put in another killer one-shot scene!”

“...Excessive greed only invites disaster...”

“Huh? You saw what happened back there and still don’t feel threatened? What the hell is going on inside your head? Speak honestly!”

“Beopsun arrives in Korea in two days. We should go pick her up at the airport...”

“You little shit! Absolute bullshit!”

After smacking Han Yohan on the back of the head, CEO Yeonggwang shouted,

“I swear, I want to tell Shin Seojin to just bite you already! Bite you! At this point I don’t want him copying you, I want the disease to spread!”

Han Yohan quietly rubbed the back of his head where he’d been hit.

“You shouldn’t pressure the script too much... Too many captains steer the ship into the mountains... And didn’t you feel sorry for her? She was breaking out in cold sweats earlier...”

“Worry about yourself! Yourself! Why are you worried about her?”

“She’s young enough to be your niece... Instead of worrying about her, you’re trying to crush her like some petty adult...”

“People everywhere are fighting to recruit her! Who’s doing that for you? Huh? What’s-his-name, that Kang Chanseok fellow from the action side? He’s the only one obsessed with you, you idiot!”

“My junior and I... will both achieve good results if we work hard in our respective positions...”

“This is a romance! What do you mean ‘our respective positions’?! Together! To-ge-ther! Repeat after me! TO! GE! THER! That’s why every romance you touch turns into a disaster! I’m getting heartburn! Serious heartburn!”

Han Yohan was so sturdy that the hits didn’t seem to hurt at all.

Which only made CEO Yeonggwang even more frustrated.

“You little punk, tell me honestly. You’ve got some kind of backup plan, don’t you? You’re planning to ruin another romance and run back to action films, aren’t you?! Huh?!”

Han Yohan remembered the words Galdaeguk had spoken earlier.