Chapter 191: A bad choice, but the right one.

After more than ten hours in the air, Writer Yuk stepped off the plane looking as energetic as when she'd boarded.

She was in an exceptionally good mood. The script she'd scribbled together during the flight had turned out far better than she'd expected.

The moment she emerged through the arrivals gate, she spotted someone and instinctively sucked in a breath.

Could it be... that I actually had a long lost sister?

Even with sunglasses and a scarf covering most of her face, the woman gave off an uncannily similar aura.

Yuk recognized her instantly.

Eva likewise paused for a heartbeat before waving enthusiastically toward her.

"Unni!"

Riding in Eva's car, Yuk headed to Eva's home.

Eva explained that she used the first floor as her writing studio and the second floor as her bedroom, insisting Yuk stay with her during the collaboration.

As befitted one of Hollywood's most celebrated writers, the house was a mansion in Beverly Hills.

Wow...

Beyond the floor to ceiling windows of the sunlit living room lay a small swimming pool whose shimmering water reflected the afternoon light.

When Yuk complimented the beautiful house, Eva smiled shyly.

"Oh, come on. This is probably the most modest house in Beverly Hills."

After brewing coffee, the two women sat across from one another at the large table in the living room.

"Unni, I'm so happy you're here, and there's so much I want to talk about. But work comes first. These are my first drafts. The first script is for Derek and Yu Myeong. The second is for Natalie and the other finalist."

While Yuk carefully read through the scripts, Eva waited nervously for her reaction.

"Wow... This is fun!"

"It is?"

"Yeah. It's such an Eva script. I can't wait to see how Derek, Natalie, and Yu Myeong perform it."

Eva had written suspense.

It was the genre she knew best.

Following Yuk's earlier advice, she'd abandoned the urge to pursue lofty themes. Instead, she focused entirely on entertainment and memorable characters, resulting in two highly accessible ten minute scripts.

"The Door to Door Salesman for Derek and Yu Myeong is almost finished. As for Killing Smile: Spin Off for Natalie, I'll make the final adjustments once we know who her scene partner is."

"So you kept Nelly as the protagonist. I guess you've already reached an agreement with the Killing Smile production team?"

"Yeah. Since the film was originally produced by Work Brothers, which is now part of TW's film division, they were thrilled with the idea."

"Nelly's such a powerful character that whoever faces her will need an equally strong presence. That won't be easy."

"Exactly. I don't think I can finish the script until we know who the other actor is. We don't even know yet whether it'll be a man or a woman."

Yuk nodded.

That was exactly the part she was worried about as well.

"Personally... I hope it's an actress. Romance is still my specialty."

They divided the work.

Eva would take the lead on the Derek and Yu Myeong script and the Natalie and other finalist script.

Yuk would lead the Derek and other finalist script and the Natalie and Yu Myeong script.

"My Natalie and Yu Myeong script is practically finished too. As for Derek and the other finalist... I think I'll have to develop one of my old drafts."

"What?! I want to read the Natalie and Yu Myeong script too, Unni! And old drafts? What kinds do you have?"

With a knowing smile, Yuk pulled over her suitcase and opened it.

Half of the large suitcase was packed solid with stacks of A4 paper.

"Wow..."

"They're all unused drafts. Don't worry. I'll never run out of ideas."

"Hah... That's exactly what I'd expect from you, Unni."

Eva gave an emphatic thumbs up.

"Whoaaaaa!"

The cheers during the second live broadcast were even louder than those during the first.

The opening improvisation challenge was rather unusual.

"After watching a short play, each contestant must enter the performance and transform it into a new play!"

Three professional actors appeared and performed a three minute play titled The Greatest Profession in the [N O V E L I G H T] World.

"Obviously it's the farmer! Grain, vegetables, root crops, fruit of every kind! Without farmers bringing nature's blessings to our tables, humanity wouldn't have survived!"

"No, you can always hunt for food. But when you're sick, who do you seek out besides a doctor? Doctors battle disease and extend human life. That's a truly great profession."

"Haha! And what happens when thieves steal all those crops you've worked so hard to grow? Or when a robber stabs you before you can even make it to the doctor? Humans are social creatures, and it's the police who keep society functioning safely."

The three actors portrayed a farmer, a doctor, and a police officer.

Using simple mime to illustrate their jobs, each insisted that theirs was the greatest profession in the world.

The contestants then had to choose a profession, enter the existing conversation, and argue that their profession was the greatest.

"All right! I'll give you five minutes to think.

And since I'm feeling generous, here's the correct answer too. It's... the MC! Why? Because whether all of you live or die today depends entirely on me."

While Jerry continued joking with the audience, the contestants fell into thought.

What profession should I choose...

Yu Myeong arrived at an idea almost immediately.

Then he began carefully observing the three actors.

When it was time for the performances, the contestants offered a wide variety of answers.

"Farmers, doctors, and police officers are all wonderful professions. But where does the knowledge required to perform those jobs come from? Humanity advances by discovering new knowledge and organizing it into systems. Doesn't that make the scholar the greatest profession?"

Selina's thoughtful portrayal of a scholar, rich with mature insight into humanity, earned warm applause.

Antoine, meanwhile, took a completely different approach.

"Obviously it's the doctor. Farmer, judging from the swelling and deformation in your knees, you appear to have osteoarthritis. And Officer, judging by the way you're favoring your back... did you injure yourself chasing a criminal recently?"

Instead of introducing a new profession, he chose one already in the play and strengthened its argument, creating a surprisingly clever twist.

Marta chose an even darker direction.

"But is 'the greatest profession in the world' necessarily the one that's most important to humans? If 'the world' includes nature itself rather than just human society, then perhaps the most important profession is actually that of an undertaker. After all, the only time humans truly contribute to nature is when we die and become fertilizer."

By questioning what "the world" truly meant, Marta delivered a cynical performance that sharply criticized humanity.

It was utterly captivating.

Then it was Yu Myeong's turn.

He began behaving rather strangely.

Whenever the farmer spoke, Yu Myeong stood beside him and copied every gesture perfectly.

When the doctor spoke, he mirrored him.

When the police officer spoke, he did the same.

He instantly memorized and reproduced every movement from the earlier performance.

The audience stared in astonishment.

Then he spoke.

"I can become the farmer standing here.

I can become the doctor.

Or the police officer.

Every profession is great.

But isn't the profession that allows someone to become all of those professions truly extraordinary?

That profession... is the actor."

He's completely insane...

Watching from backstage, Derek burst into silent laughter.

He absolutely loved it.

He himself had been thinking exactly the same thing.

The greatest profession? Obviously it's being an actor.

He memorized everything.

Even the timing of every line.

Yu Myeong had calculated with perfect precision exactly when to enter the original play for maximum effect.

The main challenge revolved around professions.

Antoine portrayed an easygoing taxi driver calmly navigating New York's endless traffic.

Selina performed the life of a factory laborer inspired by Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times, earning an enthusiastic response.

But the contestant who resonated most deeply with the audience that day was Marta.

She chose to portray...

A nun.

A nun? Didn't Marta also play a nun in Director Kyler's film at the orphanage?

{She actually grew up in a convent.}

...Really?

Seeing Yu Myeong's surprise, Miho explained.

Marta had indeed been an orphan raised in a convent.

She had originally intended to become a nun herself, but circumstances eventually led her to leave the convent and pursue acting instead.

I see... So that's where her unique atmosphere comes from. Then... when Director Kyler cast her as a nun in that film... did he already know about her past?

{Who knows? I can't see the timeline before we came back. But if Kyler really is the kind of director who senses an actor's essence and builds a script around it... maybe he didn't know at all.}

Marta's role today wasn't as overpowering as her performance in Pandora.

Nor did it possess the overwhelming charisma she'd displayed while portraying the cursed nun in The Equivalent Exchange of Curse and Salvation.

Instead...

She simply portrayed an ordinary day in the life of a young nun.

A girl standing on the threshold between adolescence and womanhood.

Someone who longed for delicious food.

Who wanted to wear beautiful clothes.

Who suffered because of those perfectly natural desires.

Who then repented for having them.

It awakened profound empathy for a life most people had never imagined.

Perhaps...

It was simply Marta's own life from only a few years earlier.

Yu Myeong's turn approached.

The moment he stepped onto the stage, Dominico's face lit up.

That distinctive yellow protective suit... and those fluorescent reflective stripes...!

Earlier, during the improvisation challenge, Dominico had secretly complained that no one had argued firefighters were the greatest profession.

Firefighter.

One of the most respected professions in America.

Frequently ranked as the sexiest profession.

The kind of profession where citizens applauded and shouted, "Hero!" whenever firefighters passed by in uniform.

Among Dominico and his outspoken friends, it was one of the few professions beyond debate.

Human beings were astonishingly powerless before nature.

To risk one's own life confronting natural disasters in order to save others—

There was nothing more worthy of respect.

A firefighter... That used to be my dream too.

Come to think of it, Yu Myeong's answer during the first challenge was perfectly logical. An actor can become anyone. Any profession. Even a firefighter...

His heart pounded as he fixed his eyes on the stage.

Then the performance began.

A projection filled the back of the stage.

The image showed a collapsed disaster site.

Beneath a massive rock like structure lay what appeared to be a small child.

A dust covered firefighter crouched beside the child, breathing heavily.

The audience instinctively held its breath.

"Cold?

You said your dream was to become a firefighter, right?

Want to try on your big brother's uniform?"

His speech was rough and casual.

Yet his low voice inspired complete trust.

He removed the upper half of his protective gear and draped it over the child.

Underneath was a fitted khaki short sleeved shirt that revealed a physique far more powerfully trained than his refined face suggested.

Crackle...

A radio came to life.

Stepping a little aside, he covered the microphone with one hand.

The instant he answered, his tone changed completely.

"Male child, approximately nine years old. Name's Pico. Both legs are completely trapped below the knees. Severe blood loss. I've administered painkillers and managed to stop the bleeding by applying pressure to the thigh, but if we don't act quickly, tissue necrosis is likely."

The frantic voice of another firefighter came through the speakers.

"Get out of there, you idiot! I told you not to go inside! If that collapses on you too, we're finished! Get out first, then we'll figure something out!"

"I can't. He's barely conscious. If nobody keeps talking to him and he loses consciousness completely, he'll die."

"The engineers say there's going to be a second collapse within ten minutes! There's no way we'll move that boulder before then! Please... just get out!"

The firefighter clenched his jaw.

Then calmly announced his final option.

"Send down anesthetic, blood packs... and a chainsaw."

"...A chainsaw?"

"I'm amputating the leg and taking him out."

The words were spoken quietly enough that the child couldn't hear.

The audience stopped breathing.

His voice carried quiet resolve.

A man accepting the responsibility of choosing the lesser evil in the worst possible situation.

He's going to... cut off the child's leg? Himself?

A large basket descended from above.

With practiced hands, he removed equipment from the emergency kit and connected the blood transfusion to the child.

Then, the instant he looked back at the boy...

His expression transformed completely.

A carefree grin spread across his face as though nothing at all were wrong.

"Pico.

Don't you have any reason to stay alive?

I accidentally left my porn folder unlocked on my computer this morning.

If I die here, my mom might find it.

So I absolutely can't die today."

His joking tone only made the audience's toes curl tighter with tension.

A faint, trembling voice came through the speakers.

"...I... want... my... mom..."

"Pico, you said you wanted to become a firefighter, didn't you?

And you even got a bravery award at school for rescuing an injured puppy?"

"...Yeah..."

"That's incredible.

You're already an amazing kid.

You'll grow up to become someone as awesome as your big brother."

Why did the words someone as awesome as your big brother, spoken in the tone of a neighborhood delinquent, strike so painfully at the heart?

"Pico.

Do you know what's most important if you want to become a great person?"

"...What?"

"Never turning away from what's in front of you.

Doing what's right... even when you don't want to."

Miho's tail shot upright.

Those were the very words Yu Myeong had once spoken to her.

The thing you hate... but believe is right...

"...What... do I have to do...?"

The boy was quick to understand.

The firefighter gently stroked his hair and answered in an unwavering voice.

"We have to cut off your leg...

...and leave."

"...My leg...

No..."

"Pico.

If you choose what's right, even though you hate it...

...you'll save my life."

"...What if...

...you leave without me...?"

"No.

Either we leave together...

...or we die together.

We're staying together until the end, Pico."

"..."

"Please save me.

I'm scared out of my mind right now.

I refuse to have my entire life remembered because of one stupid porn folder..."

Tears and laughter appeared on the audience's faces at the same time.

It was a familiar story.

An undeniably familiar story.

Yet the emotional impact changed entirely depending on the actor and the character.

Just as Yu Myeong had made the audience believe in a zombie story during the first live broadcast...

...he now made them believe completely in a disaster film.

"...I'll...

...save you..."

"Thanks, Pico.

You're my lifesaver.

It won't hurt.

Close your eyes."

His gentle voice lingered.

The chainsaw roared to life.

The lights went out.

When they came back on, Yu Myeong stood center stage carrying the child on his back.

Without realizing it...

The audience rose to its feet.

Thunderous applause erupted.

The cameras lingered on the standing ovation for a long time.

Thus the second live broadcast came to an end.

Yu Myeong earned another perfect score of four hundred points.

He also captured eighty percent of the viewers' vote.

The final stage would belong to Yu Myeong...

...and Marta.

The ratings for the second live broadcast surpassed even those of the first.