Chapter 4: First Day (2)
I was anxious and felt as if my heart was about to sink as the call returned only static noises.
But thankfully, the call finally connected on the fifth attempt.
“Hello, is this the principal? Yes. I’m Miso’s auntie. Um, the reason I called is because...well...”
-Ah, yes. Miso’s auntie! Oh, yes. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Miso until 5 PM. Don’t mention it! Haha. Miso is such a good child.
It turned out that the reason the principal hadn’t picked up the call right away was because she was busy hosting the Christmas party for the kids, as she was the only one running the small kindergarten.
‘But when is Yoo-Jin gonna hang up the phone?’
The two showed no sign of wrapping up the conversation and continued chatting.
Having waited for three minutes, I felt the need to end their conversation and subtly hinted at Yoo-JIn who got my message and started wrapping up the conversation.
“Yes, principal. I’ll stop by later.”
-Oh, my. Kids are going to be so excited to see you come. You are a celebrity, after all.
“Celebrity? No way. I’ve only just started my career...”
-Haha. Let’s talk more and have some warm red bean soup when you come to the kindergarten. By the way, I love Actor Jo Min-Sung from your company.
“Yes, yes. Let’s talk more when we meet later.”
Yoo-Jin hung up the phone and licked her lips, disappointed that the conversation had to end.
‘Was there more to talk about? They’d been talking for so long.’
Anyway, I felt relieved knowing the accident would no longer happen since Miso didn’t go home alone.
‘It’s done. Miso is safe now. I’ll rush to her as soon as the on-site shoot is over.’
My heart began to flutter as I thought of Miso’s cheerful face.
“Miso will be so happy. She always told me she wanted to visit the broadcasting station. La la la~”
I couldn’t help but smile without realizing it when I saw Yoo-Jin’s face filled with motherly affection for Miso.
Yoo-Jin stopped humming and tilted her head in wonder when she saw me smile.
“Why are you smiling? Is there anything on my face?”
“No. It’s just that...you look really happy.”
Yoo-Jin smiled.
“Of course I’m happy. It was Miso’s wish to visit the broadcasting station. I really appreciate it, oppa.”
Watching Yoo-Jin hum and return her gaze to the script, I thought I should be the one thanking her.
Anyway, it was already in my plans to ensure Yoo-Jin and Miso did not return to their home today.
‘By the way, how much does it cost to book a hotel room these days?’
Then I shook my head.
‘Nevermind. I’ll have to book a motel instead. As far as I can remember, I only had 5 million won in my bank account around this time.’
The reminder of being financially strapped again made the fact that I had returned to the past much more real than ever.
‘Nonetheless, I’ll make sure to get them the cleanest motel room.’
***
Writer Lee Ji-Yeon, often dubbed the Godmother of Dramas, had a habit of frequently visiting the shooting sets to oversee the progress of her work. She was also famous for screaming at actors if they made even the smallest mistakes.
As a result, her set visits always led to chaotic situations. Actors would shed tears as talent agents offered their consolation while assistant directors had to clean up the mess. The producer directors would even plead and apologize to her even if they didn’t know what they had done wrong.
However, as she was a top-tier writer who had written several works with good ratings exceeding thirty percent, there was no one who could stop her irrational attitude.
Yoo-Jin was soon about to act in front of this very writer, Lee Ji-Yeon.
While Yoo-Jin was preparing for the shoot and reading the script, I informed her of what was about to happen.
“The writer...is coming?”
“Yes. I would say in about thirty minutes.”
The heavily underlined script seemed to reflect Yoo-Jin’s nervousness.
“What should I do, oppa? I’m not sure if I can do this.”
While Yoo-Jin was typically confident and resilient, she appeared slightly intimidated, perhaps because it was her first shoot.
“Don’t worry. I’ve been watching you practice and you’re doing fine. I think everything would be perfect if you fixed just one part.”
“Which part?”
I pointed to the section where Yoo-Jin would make twenty-three mistakes.
“This fourth word in the third sentence. Oh, and keep in mind that Ms. Lee places a lot of emphasis on diction. It’s especially easy to make mistakes in complex lines, so just repeat this part until you’re perfectly familiar with it.”
“Okay.”
Yoo-Jin listened to my explanation and continued to practice reading the script until she got used to the pronunciation.
As she was still a rookie actress, she was receptive to the talent agent’s advice and did not find it off-putting. While I was at it, I started to analyze the descriptions and lines in the script with her since having a good understanding of the character would help in her acting.
Yoo-Jin seemed amazed after hearing my analysis of the script.
“Wow, you’re really good, oppa. How are you so good at analyzing the script? I think you’re even better than the acting coach.”
Looking at Yoo-Jin’s sparkling eyes, I thought to myself:
‘You have no idea how many times I dined and drank with Lee Ji-Yeon while discussing her scripts.’
I had memorized all of Lee Ji-Yeon’s scripts in my first life.
“Hey, come on now. Let’s not waste time and focus on the script. We don’t have much time before she arrives.”
“Yes, teacher!”
After regaining her confidence, Yoo-Jin continued to practice her lines by going over the script repeatedly for a long time.
The more Yoo-Jin practiced, the more progress she made, possibly due to my accurate advice.
***
“Alright, that’s good enough. Let’s go now.”
“Where to?”
“To meet Ms. Lee. It’s better to get it over with now than later.”
Lee Ji-Yeon had a tendency to test actors regardless of time and place whenever she met them.
Hence, I figured it would be better to show Yoo-Jin’s acting directly in front of Lee Ji-Yeon than on the set far away filled with cameras and staff.
However, Yoo-Jin shook her head in hesitance.
“Oppa, I’m scared. Can I meet her later?”
I was sympathetic to her fear, but some things had to be done.
“Ms. Lee is not as scary as you think. Why are you so scared?”
“Because I’ve heard many rumors and they seem to suggest otherwise.”
Yoo-Jin gave me a doubtful gaze, but I shook my head as if I had no idea what she was talking about.
“You must have heard wrong. Come on, let’s go.”
‘Well, she’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t mess up.’
I hurriedly grabbed the script and clothes, and headed to the parking lot with Yoo-Jin.
“There she comes.”
A giant pink Rose-Rise, resembling a small bus, pulled into the parking lot.
Crack! Crack!
The gravel under the tires scattered in all directions and made a loud noise.
When the car came to a stop, a young woman with her hair tied tightly got out of the driver’s seat with a heavy-looking suitcase.
She seemed familiar for some reason.
‘Writer Kim Soll-Ip?’
Come to think of it, she had been an assistant to Lee Ji-Yeon around this time.
Kim Soll-Ip would soon become a renowned writer in ten years, rivaling Lee Ji-Yeon.
Then a thought crossed my mind.
‘It was around this time when Kim Soll-Ip’s work became a huge success after she went independent. I thought I wrote down the name of her work and ratings somewhere...was it ‘Blue Sky?’’
I opened the V10 planner app to check if my memory was correct.
However, the content of the planner had changed.
[Everyday V10]
[Date: December 12th, 2019]
-01:30 PM <Deleted Schedule>
(Deleted Schedule: (Report): Gyeonggi Province Guri Set, Jung Yoo-Jin, 23 mistakes. Scolded by the writer on set.)
My mind went blank for a moment.
‘What’s going on? What is this planner? Can the schedule actually change? Did the future written in the planner change because of my intervention with Yoo-Jin’s acting?’
One question led to another, but I quickly came to a conclusion.
‘The schedule of the planner changes based on my actions.’
This suggested that the potential value of this planner was beyond one’s imagination. Having ten years’ worth of events written on it was already incredible, but being able to observe the impact of my actions on the future through the planner was even more amazing.
I was so surprised that I drank the coffee I was holding in my right hand in a gulp.
“Ah! It’s so hot!”
I burned my tongue.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Make sure you’re prepared because Ms. Lee is the type to jump right into things out of nowhere. She might ask you to act for her on the spot.”
As Yoo-Jin got ready to act, I flipped through the planner to check if there were any other changed events.
However, there was still one significant event that had not yet disappeared from today’s schedule.
[Everyday V10]
[Date: December 12th, 2019]
-05:30 PM: Kangdongkyung University Hospital Funeral Hall. Miso died.
Thump.
I felt my heart sink.
‘Why isn’t this schedule going away? Hadn’t we already called the kindergarten to ensure Miso didn’t go home? Could it be that my hypothesis about being able to change predetermined outcomes through my actions was wrong?’
At that moment, a scene from a famous movie flashed through my mind.
‘Destination.’
I quickly shook my head.
This masterpiece taught that certain things were bound to happen regardless of what we did. Thinking about this made me feel anxious.
‘It’s only been a few minutes since I thought everything would be fine!’
I came to realize that simply making a phone call wouldn’t prevent Miso’s death.
‘I should go and get Miso right away.’
But the timing was not good—Lee Ji-Yeon, who got out of her car, was just around the corner.
My mouth began to dry up.
‘Do I have no choice but to give up the opportunity to catch Lee Ji-Yeon’s attention? But Yoo-Jin worked so hard to get this opportunity!’
Then I remembered the time Miso was in an accident.
It was currently 3 PM and there was about an hour and a half left before the accident would occur.
My brain worked harder than ever.
‘Calm down, Jung Yoon-Ho. I can do both. It will only take roughly about five minutes for Yoo-Jin to show her acting. Immediately once that is done, I can run to the kindergarten to pick Miso up.’
With this plan in mind, I calmed myself and took Yoo-JIn to meet Lee Ji-Yeon.
I had no time to lose.
***
Lee Ji-Yeon was an S-class writer who made more than 100 million won per episode.
She was clad in a bright leopard-patterned coat with heels over 7 cm. Despite being in her 40s, she looked stunning enough to be mistaken for an actress
However, the icy ground seemed to pose a challenge for her, as she was being supported by Kim Soll-Ip, who was wearing flat shoes.
“Be careful, Ms. Lee.”
“Enough with your nagging, okay? Shut up~”
Although Kim Soll-Ip was bound to become a famous writer in the future, at the moment, she was nothing more than an assistant writer and a servant.
I was worried about Miso, but I had to focus on the task at hand.
I greeted Lee Ji-Yeon politely as soon as I approached her, mentioning Jung Yoo-Jin—the name of the actress under my care.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Ms. Lee Ji-Yeon.”
“My name is Jung Yoo-Jin, and I play the role of Lee Seol-Ran. I genuinely admire your work.”
Lee Ji-Yeon adjusted her red glasses perched on the tip of her nose and snapped her fingers. Her index finger moved side to side like the pendulum of a metronome.
“Nope, nope nope! I don’t like flattery~”
“B-but I really do love your work...”
Lee Ji-Yeon looked up and down at the perplexed Yoo-Jin and opened her mouth.
“Lee Seol-Ran, huh? You look the part, but I’m not sure if I can say the same about your acting yet. Shall we see?”
As expected, Lee Ji-Yeon wanted to test Yoo-Jin’s acting. To put it plainly, Lee Ji-Yeon was obsessed with her own work. To put it nicely, she was deeply attached to her work.
“Yes, Ms. Lee.”
Yoo-Jin answered confidently and began to act out her role as Lee Seol-Ran.
As Yoo-Jin immersed herself in her acting, Lee Ji-Yeon’s eyebrows twitched. Yoo-Jin’s performance perfectly embodied the ‘Lee Seol-Ran’ that existed in Lee Ji-Yeon’s mind.
In my first life, Lee Ji-Yeon would interpret the character ‘Lee Seol-Ran’ for Yoo-Jin whenever she made a mistake. Since Lee Seol-Ran was the protagonist’s friend and a confident police officer, Yoo-Jin was instructed to act with a sharp and clear diction.
Thanks to Yoo-Jin listening to my advice, which was informed by my memories of my first life, her acting was incredible and I found myself unable to take my eyes off her.
‘How should I put this?’
I felt like I was being drawn into her acting. Yes—that would be the right description. Despite being in an urgent situation, I found my heart was racing without me realizing it.
A subtle smile graced Lee Ji-Yeon’s face.
It was a huge success.
***
Yoo-Jin’s short acting took less than three minutes. When her acting was over, Yoo-Jin took a deep breath nervously.
Lee Ji-Yeon looked at Yoo-Jin for a long time and opened her mouth to speak.
“Not bad. Your voice has a distinct quality and you seem well-versed with the script. Hmm~”
“Thank you so much, Ms. Lee!”
Then Lee Ji-Yeon said something unexpected.
“What’s your name again?”
Lee Ji-Yeon was famous for not caring about actors’ names unless they were famous top stars. On set, she simply referred to the actors by their roles.
I can’t believe she’s asking for Yoo-Jin’s name. She loves her!’
Yoo-Jin answered Lee Ji-Yeon’s question excitedly.
“Ms. Lee, my name is Jung Yoo-Jin from Hoop Entertainment.”
“Hoop Entertainment? Isn’t that the company run by President Kang?”
“Yes, it is. Mr. Kang Gam-Chan is our president, ma’am.”
Lee Ji-Yeon nodded and tilted her head to the side.
“Got it~. Your name is Yoo-Jin, right? I love Park Yoo-Jin.”
‘Huh? But what does Jung Yoo-Jin have to do with Park Yoo-Jin?’
Well, it was fortunate that Yoo-Jin shared a name with someone Lee Ji-Yeon liked.
“Yoo-Jin~. Who taught you acting? Did Hoop Entertainment always have a good acting coach who helps their actors with character analysis to this extent?”
Compared to the actors, the acting coaches at Hoop Entertainment weren’t as competent. This was because Lee Gi-Cheol, the operations director, had unfairly secured the spots for the acting coaches who graduated from Seoul National University of the Arts. Director Kim Dong-Soo and Coach Choi Hyun-Min were also graduates of Suhyaejong.
Without giving me a chance to interrupt, Yoo-Jin answered Lee Ji-Yeon’s question.
“Oh. My talent agent here helped me with analyzing the script, Ms. Lee.”
Lee Ji-Yeon slightly raised her head and slowly turned toward me.
Then, she frowned and asked.
“And you are~?”
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