Chapter 1020: Attempt (1)

"Oh? Oppa. You have the same watch as me?"

Yoo-Jin looked at the black Montres Baguette watch on my wrist, then held out her own wrist to show me her white watch. The color was different from my black one and the face was smaller, but the design was the same.

My heart dropped. When Jung In-Ji gave me the watch, she said it was a keepsake that had belonged to her father. If Yoo-Jin's watch had the same design, that could mean something quite serious.

At that moment, Yoo-Jin asked, "Don't tell me you got yours from Mrs. Lee Ji-Yeon too, oppa?"

'Lee Ji-Yeon gave it to her, not Jung In-Ji?'

I looked at Writer Lee Ji-Yeon in confusion, and she smiled as she explained. "When I went with my sister to get our father's watch repaired, I saw a women's watch in the same design. It made me think of Yoo-Jin, so I bought it for her. Our family was reunited thanks to Yoon-Ho, but if you think about it, Yoon-Ho and my sister only became connected because Yoo-Jin moved into this house."

A small sigh of relief escaped me. "Phew..."

Then I unfastened the black watch from my wrist.

Lee Ji-Yeon tilted her head. "Why? It's a gift from unnie. Keep it on."

I explained the situation as politely as I could. "I'm very grateful for the gift, but if I wear the same watch as Yoo-Jin, people will start saying things about her."

"What kind of things?"

"You know what I mean. People already talk because Yoo-Jin and I live in the same house on different floors. If we start wearing watches with the same design on top of that, there's no way we won't become the subject of gossip. Yoo-Jin is a top star now. Rumors could become too much for her to handle."

If Yoo-Jin, now a top star, became caught up in a scandal, the livelihoods of countless people would be put at risk. On top of that, it could only hurt Hwaranjeon, which was racing toward its grand finale, as well as the release of Yoo-Jin's first movie, She Was Beautiful.

Yoo-Jin began taking off her watch. "Oppa. I don't really wear accessories anyway, so you should..."

"No. Keep it on. It really suits you."

I tried to return the watch to Jung In-Ji, but Lee Ji-Yeon stepped in and settled the matter. "Yoon-Ho. Keep the gift unnie gave you. I'll give Yoo-Jin a Montres Baguette watch with a different design, and you can wear yours after that."

After silencing me that way, Lee Ji-Yeon persuaded Yoo-Jin, who was still trying to remove her watch. "And Yoo-Jin~ you keep that watch too. It's a gift to celebrate our family being reunited. Take good care of it, and if I ever ask you later, just do a sponsorship for me."

"Then wouldn't you be giving me two watches?"

"It's fine. If they're for you, I wouldn't mind buying ten."

After a moment of hesitation, Yoo-Jin clasped her hands together and bowed. "Thank you, Mrs. Lee."

"I'm the one who's more grateful."

Once the tense moment had passed, it was time for us to head to the set.

I said, "Then we'll be going. It's time for us to leave."

"All right. Have a good day."

Yoo-Jin and I bowed before heading straight to the MBS open studio, where the final shoot for She Was Beautiful was taking place.

***

Thud.

As the first-floor front door closed, Lee Ji-Yeon clicked her tongue. "Tsk. What a shame."

Jung In-Ji chided her. "See? I told you what Chief Jung is like. I told you there was no way he'd just let it slide."

"Then what was I supposed to do, just sit back and watch? You know how Yoo-Jin feels too, don't you?"

Buying a women's watch with the same design and giving it to Yoo-Jin had been Lee Ji-Yeon's scheme.

"Even so, you shouldn't rush things. This is about a man and a woman."

Then Yoon Sung-Woo, who had a reserved personality, added his opinion. "Kkot-Nim, I don't like interfering in things like this. And from what I can see, it doesn't seem like Chief Jung has no feelings for her either. Why don't we leave them alone and let them handle it themselves?"

At that moment, Yoon Na-Bi moved over beside Lee Ji-Yeon and huffed. "I'm against that. Sometimes, just like Kkot-Nim said, you need people around you to fan the flames a little. Speaking frankly, Na-Ra unnie told us you never would've gotten married without your friends helping you either, didn't she?"

"Ahem. W-Why are you bringing that up now?"

"How is this any different? Chief Jung acts exactly like you did, so that's why Kkot-Nim stepped in!"

Just as she had when they were children, Yoon Na-Bi took Yoon Kkot-Nim's side and went after Yoon Sung-Woo.

Pleased that her twin sister was on her side, Lee Ji-Yeon waited for a moment before explaining the situation to Yoon Sung-Woo. "You only say that because you don't know, oppa. There are plenty of women in Korea after Yoon-Ho. There's top actress Ju Yung-In for starters, and the third-generation chaebol heiresses from Daechon Inc. and Jinseong Inc. are no joke either. And the other female celebrities? If they had a chance to date Yoon-Ho, they'd do anything. I mean literally anything!"

Yoon Sung-Woo scratched his head. "I'd heard that Chief Jung was doing well for himself in Korea, but I didn't realize it was to that extent."

"A lot of people still don't realize it because of their prejudice against talent agents, but Yoon-Ho isn't someone who's going to stop here. So we have to do something before some other girl snatches him away! From now on, you need to cooperate too, oppa. Stir things up from the sidelines every once in a while. Got it?"

"All right."

Watching her family bicker, Jung In-Ji spoke quietly. "Dad and... Mom... must be looking down from heaven and smiling."

For a moment, silence fell among the four of them. Forty years ago, arguments like this had been an everyday sight in the Yoon household.

Thinking she had dampened the mood, Jung In-Ji hurriedly wiped away her tears. "I must be getting sentimental in my old age. Everyone, let's go to Mom and Dad's columbarium later and show them what we're like now. And let's take a family photo too."

Coming out of her reverie, Lee Ji-Yeon nodded. "I'll do whatever our eldest sister wants."

Then Yoon Na-Bi asked carefully, "By the way, unnie. You couldn't find Mom's watch along with Dad's?"

"No. When I went to the pawnshop, I tried to get Mom's watch back too, but they said the storage period had already expired and they'd disposed of it. So... I couldn't find it."

Jung In-Ji had originally possessed a pair of watches. After the sudden accident, however, Jung In-Ji had pawned both of her parents' watches to get the money she needed. Later, after escaping from the orphanage in Busan, meeting her husband, and getting married, she returned to the pawnshop to retrieve them. Unfortunately, her mother's watch was gone, and only her father's remained. Jung In-Ji's husband bought that watch back and gave it to her as a gift.

When Jung In-Ji said she still hadn't found her mother's keepsake, the family's shoulders sagged.

At that moment, Lee Ji-Yeon stepped in. "Don't worry. When I went to Montres Baguette's Korean branch for the repairs this time, I explained everything. They said they'd let me know if a watch with the same serial number as Mom's ever comes in for service. They can't give it to me directly, but they can act as an intermediary, so as soon as they contact me... I'll buy it back, no matter how much it costs."

Yoon Sung-Woo waved his hand and squared his shoulders. "No. If that happens, leave it to me. I do very well for myself in America."

Yoon Sung-Woo had always been the type to keep his word since childhood, so Lee Ji-Yeon eventually backed down. "All right. You do that. Mom loved you the most anyway, oppa."

"No. Mom loved all of us."

At that moment, Lee Ji-Yeon's family once again returned to those days in their memories as they waited for the one watch that had yet to come home.

***

On the way to the set of She Was Beautiful with Yoo-Jin in the Ventley Flying Spur, Yoo-Jin spoke quietly from the back seat. "I'm sorry."

I glanced at the rearview mirror and saw a troubled Yoo-Jin fiddling with her watch.

I asked, "What are you sorry about?"

"Because of me... you can't even wear a watch."

"No. I'm the one who should be sorry. You must've been happy to get a gift from Mrs. Lee Ji-Yeon, but I feel like I only gave you something else to worry about."

Yoo-Jin grumbled. "Tch. You're always saying you're sorry."

"Sor... Ah..."

Saying "sorry" was practically a habit for talent agents. When you spent your days around celebrities who were always on edge, it was easier to apologize even when you had nothing to be sorry for. As a result, even after regressing, I still hadn't managed to break that habit. Part of it was also because I had done plenty of things to feel sorry about toward Yoo-Jin while we faced one life-threatening crisis after another.

Seeing my troubled expression, Yoo-Jin let out a small laugh. "Pfft. Fine. Anyway, don't apologize to me. Someone might hear you and think I'm incredibly difficult or something."

"You're not difficult. Of course not. Our Yoo-Jin is so gentle, sweet, soft, kind..."

"Oppa? You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

"No... ma'am?"

"Now you're being polite. That's suspicious."

Yoo-Jin gave me a slight glare before letting out another laugh. It was the final day of filming for She Was Beautiful, so she had to be under a lot of pressure. I was glad her mood had improved, at least.

Then Yoo-Jin began fiddling with her watch again and asked lightly, "Oppa. There's something I'm curious about."

"Sure. Go ahead."

"What would you do if I said... I didn't want to be a celebrity anymore?"

I had assumed it would be a simple question, but Yoo-Jin asked something that made my heart drop. Yoo-Jin was now an undisputed top star. Hwaranjeon, in which she played the lead, had surpassed 43% in viewership ratings, making her one of the most prominent actresses in the industry. To match that status, she handled twelve S-class commercials a year and earned revenue comparable to that of a small or medium-sized company.

I had no idea why she was suddenly bringing this up.

'Could she be burned out?'

Burnout was what happened when someone threw themselves into work to the point of exhaustion and became drained of all motivation.

"Is your schedule getting too overwhelming lately?" I asked.

Yoo-Jin shook her head. "No. It's not that. And I'm the one who said I wanted to do both a movie and a drama in the first place."

"Then... Why are you asking?"

Yoo-Jin fiddled with her watch as she spoke. "No. It's not really that... I was just curious what you thought, oppa."

The Jung Yoon-Ho from before my regression would have had a set answer to that question.

'Are you crazy? The tide's finally come in, so you need to row!'

'Jung Yoo-Jin. Get a grip! An opportunity like this will never come again in your life!'

'You're definitely going to regret this later, you know? You have to earn money while you can if you want a comfortable retirement!'

The old me probably would have said even more than that, pushing her harder and telling her there was absolutely no way she could quit. However, I had no intention of doing that in this life. How one lived happily was more important than how much money they made.

I took a slow breath, then gave her my sincere advice. "It's not something I should say as your talent agent, but if your dream of becoming the best actress has changed, I'll support you."

I said it calmly, and Yoo-Jin looked as though the answer had never even occurred to her. "What? Really?"

"Yeah. You started acting because you needed money to raise Miso properly, remember? You've already earned more than enough for that, so it's okay to choose whatever makes you happy."

At that moment, Yoo-Jin slowly took her hand away from the watch she had been fiddling with and smiled. "Yoon-Ho oppa, you really... know exactly what to say."

"Huh?"

"If you say that, I can't quit even more!"

"What are you talking about?"

Now smiling brightly, Yoo-Jin continued. "You're so crafty. If you're going to let me do everything I want, how am I supposed to quit?"

"I only said that because you asked what I'd do if you quit..."

"That's when you should've stopped me, even if you had to grab me by the hair and shake me!"

"Huh?"

"No, I don't mean you should actually do that. It was just a question. Anyway! I'm going to keep working hard, so you stay right by my side and focus on work too! You're my talent agent!"

Yoo-Jin passionately waved her fists as she spoke. At the same time, the awkward way she had been fiddling with her watch ever since she got into the car disappeared completely, and she returned to her usual confident self.

As I wondered why Yoo-Jin had asked me that question, the MBS open studio where we would be filming today came into view.

***

Yoo-Jin's first movie as the lead, She Was Beautiful, was the story of Han Bit-Na, the leader of the girl group Angel Wings. After fellow member Lee So-Mi plotted to have her face injured, she fell from grace, only to make a spectacular return to the entertainment industry, achieve success, and complete her revenge.

The scene Yoo-Jin was filming today was the final scene that brought She Was Beautiful to a close.

The protagonist abandoned the stage name Han Bit-Na and took the stage under her real name, Lee Byul-Bit. After defeating the four-member Angel Wings in a battle for first place on a music show, she exposed Lee So-Mi's crimes.

Since it was the climax of the movie, they would normally have allowed plenty of time to film it. This time, however, the shoot absolutely had to be finished by tonight. They had to submit a rough cut to the Bucheon International Film Festival by lunchtime the day after tomorrow.

Once we arrived, we parked at the MBS parking lot and entered the open studio. The art team must have worked incredibly hard because the set had been transformed into a completely new place.

The actresses playing Angel Wings were already onstage, singing together.

『Raise your voice and sing.

FLY HIGH.

Come with me to the unknown world high above.

TAKE MY HANDS.

...』

The song was called 'FLY HIGH.' It was an upbeat Angel Wings song composed by Bang Seon-Woo.

Then the jib camera and cameramen began moving busily around the four actresses onstage.

A short while later, after waiting for the song to end, Director Yeo Ik-Hwan shouted at the top of his lungs without even using a megaphone. "Cut! We'll take a short break and go one more time. Actors, hurry and drink some water and rest! You're going to collapse at this rate!"

The four actresses dropped down wherever they stood onstage, and the staff rushed up with towels and water bottles. Judging by their sweat-soaked faces, they must have been filming since morning.

Then Bang Seon-Woo, who had been standing to one side of the stage, picked up a microphone and approached the actresses. "Listen while you rest. Lee So-Mi, you went flat three times..."

As the music director of She Was Beautiful, Bang Seon-Woo began sharply pointing out their mistakes while calling them by their characters' names.

"Mr. Seon-Woo really doesn't compromise when it comes to music." Yeo Ik-Hwan clicked his tongue in amazement before finally noticing us. "Oh, you're here?"

Yoo-Jin and I immediately greeted him.

"Hello, Mr. Yeo."

"Haha, hello." Yeo Ik-Hwan welcomed us warmly and smiled. "By the way, Miss Yoo-Jin, did you practice your song a lot?"

"Yes. I've been practicing like crazy for the past month."

The song Yoo-Jin would sing was called 'Dreams Come True.' Even before my regression, this song had been one of the biggest reasons behind the success of She Was Beautiful. Knowing that, I had pushed Yoo-Jin to practice whenever she had time and even arranged special lessons with Bang Seon-Woo and Seo Yeon-Woo.

"By the way, are you okay, Mr. Yeo? The dark circles under your eyes are... no joke."

"I'm barely surviving as it is. Once I hand over the rough cut in two days, I'm planning to rest for about three days. Then I'll start post-production."

The original submission deadline for the Bucheon International Film Festival had been the end of May, but they had agreed to consider the film as long as the rough cut was submitted by the afternoon of June 3, so we only needed to turn it in by the afternoon the day after tomorrow.

Then AD Baek Joon-Sung approached us. "Mr. Yeo. The bus carrying the audience extras will arrive in thirty minutes."

"Really? They all voted, right?"

"Yes. I told them they wouldn't get paid if they didn't have proof of voting."

"Don't miss a single person. Only let in the ones who can prove it. Give the others transportation money and send them back."

"Yes, sir."

Since today, June 1, was the local election day, Yeo Ik-Hwan was making sure there wouldn't be even the slightest controversy.

"Oh, and what about Miss Yung-In?"

"They said Miss Yung-In is almost here."

Ju Yung-In was scheduled to make a cameo appearance in the music show stage scene today.

"Okay."

After finishing his report to the director, Baek Joon-Sung was about to leave when he noticed the watch on Yoo-Jin's wrist and stopped. "Wow. A Montres Baguette Classique? You know your watches, Miss Yoo-Jin."

As a watch enthusiast, he recognized Yoo-Jin's watch at a glance.

"Where did you get that, though? That model is hard to find these days."

Yoo-Jin answered, "It was a gift."

"From who? Chief Jung?"

Yoo-Jin smiled. "No. Someone else."

"Really? Hahaha. I thought..." Then Baek Joon-Sung suddenly tilted his head with an awkward expression. "Wait. I'm sure I've seen that exact same watch somewhere before. Where was it?"

"What? Where?"

After thinking for a moment, Baek Joon-Sung tilted his head again. "No. I must be mistaken. See you later."

Saying he had wasted time talking when he was busy, Baek Joon-Sung disappeared toward the stage.

As I wondered where he could have seen it, Yeo Ik-Hwan spoke. "All right. Save the chatting for later. Miss Yoo-Jin, hurry and get ready too. You can rehearse with Miss Yung-In when she gets here."

"Okay. I'll go get changed first."

Yoo-Jin turned and started toward the waiting room.

At that moment, Everyday alerted me to a notification.

Buzz~

[Notification: June 1, 2021. A new schedule entry regarding Jung Yoo-Jin has been registered.]

'A new schedule entry appeared?'

Hit by an ominous feeling, I grabbed Yoo-Jin's arm as she was about to head to the waiting room.

"Yoo-Jin. Wait."

"Why?"

"Let's go together. I just need to check a message."

"Okay."

Keeping my expression as calm as possible, I checked Everyday. Inside, however, I couldn't help being shocked. Everyday showed that in less than an hour, Yoo-Jin would be attacked.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: June 1, 2021]

-12:00 p.m.: [NEW. Jung Yoo-Jin]

[Entertainment Big News] (Breaking) Top Star Jung Yoo-Jin Rushed to Hospital After Attack. "Will We Never Hear Her Clear Voice Again?"

(Emergency: All schedules postponed indefinitely.)

'Yoo-Jin is going to lose her voice in an attack?'