WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Potter
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Genius Writer Who Will Never Fall Again ◈
Chapter 26: To You, Who Will Be Sunny and Blue Tomorrow (5)
──────
In a corner of the set, where preparations were in full swing and the crew hurried about, I sat beside Ryu Cheong-a and waited for filming to begin.
I turned several words over in my mouth, then swallowed them.
Have you been well? Are you feeling better now?
They did not seem like questions I had any right to ask after making it so she had not been well and had felt uncomfortable.
So I barely managed to say one thing.
“How have you been lately?”
A foolish question.
Thanks to Seong-hun hyung, who was so talkative he told me things I had not even asked about, I already knew all about how Ryu Cheong-a had been doing.
Even so, I asked.
“Busy. The CEO has been giving me acting lessons, teaching me image management, and I’ve started getting dermatology treatments and working out. And... I’ve got quite a few schedules lined up too.”
“Are they treating you well there?”
“Yes, very well.”
There was laughter in Ryu Cheong-a’s voice.
“Everyone’s nice to me, and when I try hard, I get busy, so I don’t have time for pointless thoughts. I thought the world was ending, but surprisingly, neither I nor the world changed all that much.”
“Is that so?”
“Just like you said, Writer. Everything worked out.”
Of course it had.
She was someone worth that much.
“Sometimes I still overthink things. But then I realize that if I had kept living that way, I probably wouldn’t have become happy.”
Ryu Cheong-a looked at me.
Meeting her gaze felt awkward, so I stared pointlessly at the set instead.
Her voice curled around my ear.
“Thank you, Writer.”
“...I don’t think I did anything worth thanking me for.”
“No, you did. Because of you, I met such good people and my heart feels so much lighter.”
“You’re the impressive one, Ryu Cheong-a. I didn’t help you.”
“Still, I want to thank you. I can do at least that much, right?”
I glanced at her.
It was a strange experience.
The Ryu Cheong-a I had met after regressing had always been clumsy, a little loose in the head when she spoke, and someone whose emotions were easily stirred. Yet when we spoke like this, she felt like the Ryu Cheong-a from the time I knew.
She had changed so quickly that the gap felt unfamiliar.
Was that good?
Was it bad?
Just as I was struggling to tell, she spoke.
“I have something I want to do.”
“What is it?”
“I want to become more famous. More amazing.”
“That’s constructive.”
“I don’t want to think of myself as a pathetic person anymore. So, I have a favor to ask you.”
At that moment, a staff member called out.
“Actor Ryu! We’re starting!”
“Ah, yes!”
Ryu Cheong-a sprang to her feet.
Then, smiling, she added what she had not managed to say.
“Will you keep cheering for me?”
“That’s your favor?”
“Yes!”
“If that’s all, then I will. Even from afar.”
“Hehe...”
Ryu Cheong-a smiled softly, then turned away and raised her pinky finger.
“It’s a promise, okay? Promise you will.”
I nodded.
Only then, apparently satisfied, did Ryu Cheong-a turn and walk toward the set.
The scene painted itself across my retina.
The sky was clear and blue.
Ryu Cheong-a walked forward, her skirt fluttering around her. Her back was remarkably straight.
From the shade into the sunlight.
She seemed to be heading somewhere brighter.
It was quite a sight.
So satisfying to watch.
“All right, rolling!!!”
My shoulders relaxed lazily.
* * *
Cheong-a suddenly recalled everything that had happened since that day.
She had been terribly busy.
Though she could not bring herself to say it, she had been even more confused than busy.
It had been an enormous incident.
Of course she felt lost.
She had thought it would make her happy if the couple acknowledged and loved her.
Accepting that it was not truly so made her heart churn.
What had she done wrong to live such a life?
Why could she never decide anything for herself?
She hated and resented that so much that sometimes she felt like crying for no reason.
As she looked back on such moments, Cheong-a suddenly saw Jae-kyung.
Young-chan had appeared at some point and caught them up in conversation.
It made her smile for no reason.
‘They probably don’t know.’
They probably did not know that they had been the center holding her together whenever things became so difficult.
And she did not intend to tell them for a while yet.
Whenever she felt herself sinking into gloom, she remembered Jae-kyung’s words.
That she was worth more.
That she could do it.
That she could become more remarkable than anyone.
Even more than those words, there had been their gaze, expression, and tone of voice.
All of it had felt like a whisper that she would surely reach happiness.
It made her think this life was too precious to remain so broken.
She had lost her entire world, yet that lost world had been so very small.
The fence she had thought protected her had really only been a prison cage, and now she knew there was a wider world beyond it that she had yet to see.
That was why she would rise again.
If only to repay Jae-kyung’s faith, the person who had taught her such things, she had to become happy.
So until then.
‘Until I can like myself.’
Then, she wanted to tell them how she felt.
That she had been able to stand because of them, and finally able to smile because of them.
That she wanted to remain by the side of the person who had made her so happy.
If she poured out such embarrassing words and received his permission, she would feel as though she had gained the whole world.
Was that not a wonderfully pleasant goal?
“Actor Ryu! You’re ready, right?”
“Yes!”
She answered Byeong-gi’s energetic voice.
She walked to the center of the set, closed her eyes, and calmed herself.
It was time to immerse herself.
She recalled the words of Young-wol, the mentor who had become her new shelter.
-People often misunderstand, but acting isn’t about becoming someone else.
-Pardon?
-Change the way you think. You’re not losing yourself. You’re discovering yourself.
Cheong-a wanted to discover herself through Hyang-dan.
-You use another person to draw out a self you don’t even know. A good actor isn’t someone who imitates well, but someone who can express many things. Expression comes from within, not without.
Within Hyang-dan’s shell, she searched for Ryu Cheong-a.
-So, Cheong-a, don’t merely follow the instructions written in the script. Find the Hyang-dan hidden beyond them and let her seep into your body. Create Ryu Cheong-a’s Hyang-dan.
And within that shell, she found her.
-Only then does a character come alive. Make it so no one can call that character fictional. Immerse yourself deeply enough that they pray for the character’s happiness.
It was not difficult.
Hyang-dan had been an outfit that fit her perfectly from the beginning.
The era of the Sword Brotherhood was ending.
It ended at the hands of Yeongho, a man from the future who defeated the unparalleled villain Magwipyeong.
In the process, Yeongho died.
Having overcome the past in which he survived alone without protecting anyone, he gave his life to protect all the precious people he had found again and fulfilled his long-held wish.
Hyang-dan would finally lose the shadow cast over her, but she would not be unhappy.
Because Yeongho had left things behind.
The tavern she had guarded in lonely solitude was now filled with people who would remember their beautiful moments together.
There would be pain at times when she was with them, but there would be even more days when she smiled.
She had lost something, but gained far more.
Because it had not ended in parting, she would come to know so much more.
In that way, they resembled each other, and Cheong-a knew how Hyang-dan would smile.
With her back straight.
Staring unreservedly at the sky above.
“It’s damn hot today.”
Ryu Cheong-a’s Hyang-dan smiled with such refreshing ease.
For you, who will wish clear blue skies for me tomorrow too, I cannot show you a clouded smile.
“Daechil, come here.”
As she continued acting, she was mesmerizing.
The staff holding cameras, the staff holding boom mics, the people behind the set, and even the other actors who had come for the final day of filming could only stare at her as though entranced.
She wished to reach the highest place in the world and become a star. It was a performance perfectly suited to that ambition.
Byeong-gi only came to his senses belatedly.
“Cut...!”
And that was the end.
Only then did Cheong-a let out a breath.
Hyang-dan had finished every final expression she needed to make.
She realized it only afterward.
“Actor Ryu! That was incredible! We don’t even need a second take! Cut, cut, cut!”
Byeong-gi jumped up and down excitedly.
The staff laughed and cheered at the end of the final shoot.
As everyone applauded, Cheong-a smiled and bowed her head.
Then she saw Jae-kyung.
They approached, offering her water.
“Good work, Ryu Cheong-a. Your acting was good.”
Emotion welled up inside her.
‘It’s over. This filming too.’
She would be apart from Jae-kyung for a while again.
But they were not parting forever.
Repeating that to herself, she ran her fingertips along the bottle of water and answered.
“You worked hard too, Writer.”
“I only watched. Your acting was good.”
“Let’s meet again next time when I’m even better. I’ll work hard.”
Yes. How proud would she feel when they met again, after she had become someone even more impressive?
Cheong-a took in Jae-kyung’s face one last time.
Others might say they looked prickly, but to Cheong-a, they were nothing but warm.
‘I like this person.’
The thought made her heart race for no reason.
Of course, she could not keep staring at him.
They said the longer the farewell, the longer the regret.
“Hehe, then I’ll get going.”
She tried to brush it off and turn away.
She felt full and refreshed, so she thought that would be enough.
“Where are you going? We have a work dinner today.”
Freeze!
Cheong-a stopped walking.
“...Huh?”
“Didn’t you hear? We’re all having a work dinner to celebrate the wrap.”
“???”
“Ah, and forgive me if I’m mistaken, but it seems you think we won’t see each other again until we work together next time. We’ll be seeing each other several more times. There’s the wrap party, outside interviews, and the awards ceremony at the end of the year. With ratings like these, we have to show our faces everywhere.”
“...”
That was right.
Rookie actor Ryu Cheong-a.
She had been overwhelmed lately with schedules for variety shows and offers for other projects, but customary events like the wrap party and year-end awards ceremonies had not even crossed her mind!
Her ears gradually turned red.
Her smile froze in place, while her eyes wandered aimlessly.
All because the moments when she had been unnecessarily sentimental just before flashed through her mind.
Jae-kyung went, “Ah,” then asked.
“Do you perhaps have a schedule afterward and can’t attend...?”
“Nope. I don’t have a schedule...!”
“Then will you attend?”
“Yes...!”
Cheong-a squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head.
Of course, no one knew what she was thinking, but shame flooded her to the top of her head, and she wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.
Still.
‘We’ll see each other again...!’
That was very welcome news.
* * *
All filming for Sword Pact, One Lord had ended.
However, news like that was not usually discussed much publicly. More immediately relevant to the public were the variety show appearances of actors who had been forced to maintain an air of mystery because of scheduling issues.
The footage of Jin-geon, who played Yeongho, appearing as the main guest on a weekend variety show was released right away.
Seong-pil, who played Jang Bung-ik and had spent quite a long time unknown, also appeared on radio programs and spoke about filming Sword Pact, One Lord.
Cheong-a had not been particularly active outside the production because of her string of scandals and because she was still adjusting to her new agency.
Most variety show appearances already scheduled for her were set for after Sword Pact, One Lord ended.
But that became a strategy in itself.
The image attached to Cheong-a was that of an innocent, kind, and talented rookie actress.
With that narrative background, news of her renewed contract with the outstanding entertainment company Baekro brought even fiercer public interest and support.
Various internal and external factors combined and ultimately converged into interest in Sword Pact, One Lord.
The result was this.
[Escalating conflict! Yeongho’s choice in Hanyang, a city balanced on thin ice!]
[Sword Pact, One Lord’s Week 6 ratings hit 34.6%. Will it become this year’s biggest hit?]
Week 6, 34%.
[The alliance between Yeongho and Jang Bung-ik. Back-to-back with the enemy...]
[The breakout hit Sword Pact, One Lord closes its penultimate week at 37.3%. Can it break the dreaded 40% wall?]
Week 7, 37%.
The 40% range, considered a drama’s ultimate blockbuster success, was right before them.
By then, WBS itself was pouring out articles.
It could be called an achievement project for the network.
They were desperately trying to push it over 40% and carve a new name into the broadcaster’s history.
It had become something close to a cultural phenomenon.
More than 30% of the country was already watching Sword Pact, One Lord, and far more people knew of it even if they did not watch.
Interest in Sword Pact, One Lord and its cast had reached a peak across online communities and social media.
The entire nation watched with bated breath.
That expression was approaching something that was not much of an exaggeration.
Week 8.
The day after Episode 15 aired to a 38.2% rating.
“Is it already ending today?”
The final episode of Sword Pact, One Lord was about to air.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
