Chapter 657

“Senior, you're right-handed, aren't you?”

“Yes.”

Han Yeoreum stood in front of the bookshelf, and Jo Eunnara took her place behind her.

‘Come to think of it....’

Until now, she was used to seeing Lia's profile while sitting beside her or walking around together. This was her first time seeing her from behind like this.

She seemed much smaller than Eunnara had vaguely realized.

The round back of her head, the pale nape revealed when she swept her hair forward, and the small shoulders below it.

“Senior, try raising your arm.”

Startled by the sudden voice, Jo Eunnara flinched and shot her right arm into the air.

“No. Don't just raise it. Like this.”

Impatient as ever, Han Yeoreum grabbed Eunnara's sleeve and pulled.

“When I stand on tiptoe, it's like this, see? I think it'd be good if you held the file at just the right angle so my fingertips can almost reach it, but not quite.”

“...Like this?”

“No, no. I can't reach it like that. A little lower.”

Jo Eunnara slowly lowered her hand, bit by bit. When her hand, descending one millimeter at a time, reached a certain point, Han Yeoreum nodded. As if that was exactly right.

Each time she moved, Yeoreum's hair brushed against Eunnara's chest through the fabric.

Jo Eunnara held her breath for a moment.

“I need to turn around while we're in this position.”

Whenever Han Yeoreum spoke, Eunnara could see the curve of her pale cheek moving slightly. It was the very spot she had pressed with her index finger several times during filming.

“Is this side better?”

Han Yeoreum, who had been standing against her chest, turned around and looked straight into her eyes.

Jo Eunnara had seen a scene like this somewhere before.

‘What was it again...?’

The very embodiment of acting cute. Was it a talking cat in a movie? She couldn't quite remember.

If Jo Eunnara moved the arm holding the file just a little, she would be able to wrap it around Han Yeoreum.

From the camera's angle, only Han Yeoreum's eyes would be visible.

In other words, Jo Eunnara was the only one who could see this expression right now.

“Or is this side better?”

Han Yeoreum turned her face the other way. Her head touched Eunnara's chest, then moved away again.

Half nestled in her arms, Han Yeoreum blinked her eyes. Her eyes, those eyes....

“Director, which of the two angles do you think will work better?”

Jo Eunnara took half a step backward.

Come to think of it, the camera director, lighting director, and even Galdaeguk had gathered around them at some point.

Jo Eunnara was the only one who hadn't noticed.

[Obviously, make it look like she's in her arms!!!]

“The side with the raised arm is better, right? But Nara, could you try raising your left arm too? Let's compare how Yeoreum's face looks.”

“If we shoot downward from this side with the lighting... Hold on. Don't move.”

Jo Eunnara had no choice but to move close to Han Yeoreum again.

This time, she raised her left arm, trying her hardest not to press against her.

[Closer!!!]

But Galdaeguk suddenly thrust his sketchbook toward her.

Jo Eunnara carefully moved closer. A monitor for the set had appeared nearby before she knew it.

“Which side do you think looks better, Senior? Left or right?”

“Uh... Just... whichever is more comfortable for you.”

“Honestly, your face needs to be clearly visible in this scene, Senior. Right?”

Han Yeoreum smiled playfully.

Before Eunnara knew it, Yeoreum's head was resting against her chest, and a slender back that fit neatly within her embrace was pressed against her stomach.

Jo Eunnara couldn't move forward, but she couldn't move backward either.

All she could do was stand perfectly still.

“First, look at me in this position, then raise the hand holding the file higher....”

Han Yeoreum had already taken hold of Jo Eunnara's arm and was directing their movements.

“Then put it up here, on the very top shelf....”

All Jo Eunnara could do was obediently let herself be led around.

* * *

Galdaeguk and Ma Eungyo exchanged glances.

‘Right!!!’

‘Yeah. That's right.’

They struggled to suppress their laughter.

Now that they had settled on the angle, the next step was movement. V, who moved however she pleased and was always full of mischief, needed to move just enough to stay within the camera frame.

“How are you going to do this part?”

“What...?”

“‘Acts cute.’ This stage direction.”

At some point, every staff member's attention had turned toward the two of them.

“Mmm... they look so good together....”

“Mmm... I really like this pairing too....”

For reference, had a demanding filming schedule, and most of its staff were men. Even so, everyone had lost their minds under the sheer power of those faces.

“Well, I'll just do it more or less the way I usually do....”

“....”

“Should I do it differently?”

When Han Yeoreum didn't answer, Jo Eunnara grew awkward.

“How would you do it differently?”

Jo Eunnara pressed her lips into a straight line, then slowly spoke.

“Mmmmmmm....”

V often made exaggerated whining noises.

It was clear Eunnara was trying her best to come up with a variation.

When Jo Eunnara awkwardly shook her shoulders, screams erupted from every direction.

“Nara!!!”

“AAAAH!!!”

For reference, since most of the staff on were men, the cheers were decidedly deep and rough.

“What? That's actually really cute!”

Han Yeoreum threw her head back and laughed at Jo Eunnara's performance.

Jo Eunnara's ears turned bright red.

Galdaeguk clutched his chest, feeling as though his heart might burst, and scribbled furiously on his sketchbook.

[Our ultimate, supreme secret technique has worked...]

[It has finally worked!!!]

[Those are unmistakable symptoms of a fluttering heart...!!!]

Unlike usual, the writing was very small.

Ma Eungyo whispered as well.

“I'm not really sure myself, but apparently, what I write isn't flat and one-dimensional. It's three-dimensional, like reality? That's what people say. So the emotions they feel can't help but be real.”

The two of them looked at Jo Eunnara.

[She has fallen!!!]

“In love....”

And they made a vow.

[We'll put her through the wringer!!!]

“I'll have to make sure Nara is there every time those two film together. Make her suffer right before her eyes.”

They would give Jo Eunnara hope, make her hesitate, make her dwell on it over and over, and eventually force her to give up.

They would make it as difficult and heartbreaking as possible.

So that Im Lia could shine even brighter.

* * *

A bright yellow Ferrari sped down the road with Shin Seojin in the passenger seat, music blasting from its speakers.

The president of Yeonggwang couldn't contain his joy. He slapped the steering wheel in time with the music.

“The day has finally come! The time to prove just how brilliant my eye for talent is!”

Resting his chin on the window frame, Shin Seojin hummed thoughtfully.

“Our little melon bun... My lucky charm. I'm so proud of her I could die. Just having her right there beside him, our Yohan, well, what can I even say? Ha! I'm speechless!”

Apparently, the president of Yeonggwang was overwhelmed with emotion because the current situation had far exceeded his projected figures.

And it was only natural.

Shin Seojin had reached one conclusion.

It was because Han Yeoreum had been on that set.

Romance depended on gazes and the story behind them. Those were the things that stirred the viewers' imaginations.

And Han Yeoreum made all of it possible.

A man became special when Han Yeoreum looked at him.

Simply being beside her changed him.

Thinking of his junior, who could change the very atmosphere around her, Shin Seojin smiled faintly.

“Ah, my role....”

After all, a love triangle was a genre that needed a second male lead to support it.

“Don't you go moping around again. Right now, I just wanna throw all my worries out the window and be happy!”

“Okay, okay. Men who whine aren't popular, after all.”

And Shin Seojin believed Jo Eunnara would make this relationship feel even more complete.

“But Jo Eunnara's looks really are something fierce, ain't they? Right? Still, when it comes to acting, our Yohan wins hands down, of course!”

“She is young, so she's still a little clumsy at hiding her emotions. Hahaha.”

Although Jo Eunnara was threatening the second male lead position Shin Seojin had firmly held until now, he decided to let it go for the time being.

Still, after seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn't help feeling more downcast than he'd expected.

Shin Seojin muttered as though reproaching himself.

“What a shame. It's not like I get that many chances... I should've done a romance.”

“Then do one! It's not like you're short on scripts coming your way! If you just say the word, people from all over will come running—”

“Not just any romance.”

“Then what? What kind of romance?”

What if his career hadn't taken off quite so quickly?

Shin Seojin found himself entertaining a strange hypothetical.

It was absurd to regret not being able to play the second male lead when he'd already risen to a level where he could no longer take such a role.

And yet.

“Not just any romance... Well... Hahaha.”

He couldn't help coveting that particular role in that particular production alongside Han Yeoreum.

The certainty that they were creating something good.

The belief that they were accomplishing something together.

Anyone who had experienced those feelings would inevitably find themselves entertaining such a crazy thought.

But Shin Seojin smiled with practiced ease.

After all, a man with a beautiful smile would always be popular with women.

* * *

“Rerun ratings.”

The weekend had passed.

Jegal Rok checked the rerun ratings for the three terrestrial broadcasters, KBC, MBS, and SBC.

“ was 7.7%.”

A murmur spread through the JC ENM conference room at the figure, which had far exceeded expectations.

Ordinarily, even the highest rerun ratings topped out at 5%.

But had set a rare new record.

Its rerun rating rivaled the original broadcast ratings of most dramas.

“The show also went viral on Intube, SNS, and online communities. It seems viewers who wanted to binge-watch the series because the child actors occupied so much of Episode 1 tuned in for the rerun.”

An expectant silence settled over JC ENM.

Only two episodes.

In just one week, the landscape was already changing.

“Accordingly, we project that the influx of new viewers will push next week's original broadcast rating to 15%.”

“OTT subscriber numbers?”

Jegal Rok spoke up.

“We should reach approximately 1.7 million before ends.”

OTT subscriber numbers were skyrocketing, and viewers were beginning to flock to .

And that meant....

“Pre-broadcast advertising rates will basically more than double.”

From now on, the advertising slots for would be worth whatever price they named.

Jegal Rok thought of Erno, who had secured his PPL placement in advance.

The head of LMVH really was in a league of his own.

* * *

Ding, ding, ding, ding!

“Come to me....”

Bzzzt— Bzzzt— Bzzzt— Bzzzt—.

“My sweet Han Yeoreum....”

The head of KBC's drama department closed his eyes and savored the sweet cacophony.

At present, had brought all of KBC to a standstill.

“Yes. We already have contracts in place, so inserting advertisements right now would be....”

“You're willing to cover the penalties as well?”

“How are we supposed to interrupt a drama halfway through to insert an advertisement? What? Please, be a little reasonable—”

The KBC director smiled contentedly.

“Is this what they call the miracle of Episode 2?”

Thinking back to Episode 1 of <The Great Garland>, which had nearly gotten heads put on display at Gwanghwamun Intersection, and Episode 2, when advertisers had immediately started flooding in, the KBC director felt his chest swell with emotion.

“What did they say?”

“The advertisers who wouldn’t even come near us before are changing their tune completely and crawling over to suck up to us.”

“Tell them to change it three times.”

The KBC director smiled warmly and shouted.

“The flame of terrestrial broadcasting never dies!”

“Never dies!”

“Long live terrestrial broadcasting!”

“Long live!”

It was a strange thing. The moment they brought in an actress standing at the forefront of new media, the legacy media side, which had been faltering, caught fire again.

With their hearts burning hot, the KBC director and the drama department staff all sat down together to watch Episode 3 of <Code Name: Time Seven>.

A brightly lit vehicle hangar appeared on-screen.

Before boarding the military vehicles, the agents checked their gear and counted heads.

V, dressed in pitch-black tactical gear with her mask hanging beneath her chin, slung a bulletproof vest over her broad shoulders and tightened it to fit her body.

“Check your magazines-.”

Drawing out the end of her words as she walked between the agents, Valkyrie looked completely free of tension.

She even personally tightened the chin straps on some of the unit members’ helmets as she went.

“If you leave it like this, your head’s gonna go ouchie.”

“I’ll correct it!”

“Yeah. It’s not my head if something blows up, anyway.”

Fortunately, there were no problems. Their destination was the site of an old textile factory on the outskirts of central Moscow. It was where Natalie was going to meet a collaborator.

“Good. Unit check complete!”

Holding a map, V briefly explained the tactics to the unit members. Lia, watching all this through the camera feed, had a somewhat tense look on her face.

Biting her lip slightly, Lia placed her left hand over her trembling right hand.

It was to hide her nervousness.

“Want some cocoa?”

“Ah... thank you.”

The senior agent, who understood Lia’s feelings well, handed her a cup of warm cocoa.

-Lia, Lia, Lia! Tell me to do a good job out there!

In the bright, warm room, so different from the hangar, Lia scolded Valkyrie for fooling around.

“If you screw up, you’re dead....”

-Aaaaaah. That’s so mean. Give me some encouragement filled with love!

Anyone watching would have thought she was going out for a casual trip. Lia let out a sigh and asked the senior agent,

“What about him?”

“Time?”

“Yes. He’s not on-screen.”

“That guy is always alone. He never brings anyone with him.”

The dark, cold rooftop of an abandoned factory appeared.

Unlike V, Taeo was there by himself.

A rusty exterior staircase creaked.

Under the chilly night sky, the face of a man with impassive eyes came into view.