WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Potter

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◈ Why Do My Dramas Keep Becoming Hits!? ◈

Chapter 28: The Writer Who Wrote This Is Your Brother (3)

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My sister and I aren't anything special. We're what you'd call typical real-life siblings.

Whenever our eyes met, we'd snarl at each other, and every conversation began with harsh words and ended in a barrage of curses.

The last time she affectionately called me Oppa was probably back in elementary school. Once we became adults, rough forms of address like "Hey," "you," "psycho," and "get lost" took the place of my name.

In short, we were practically enemies. Yet that enemy was now kneeling demurely at my feet.

"...."

"Seo-yoon. What the hell are you doing?"

After hearing the whole story from Ji Seo-yoon, all I could do was laugh in disbelief.

So, on the day I'd lent her my laptop, she'd mixed up my writing with a script file she'd received from another writer.

Then she'd handed it over to a department head at her company, and now they were raising hell, demanding she bring them the original author immediately.

"Are you shooting a comedy or something? What kind of PD can't tell scripts apart and mixes up the writers?"

"I, I could tell them apart! But the file name was really similar to Writer Kim's script... One was [Super Super Super Final], and the other was [Really Really Final]..."

"Jesus, you lunatic. Don't you know writers always save files with names like that? Haah... Seriously, what am I supposed to do with this?"

As I pressed a hand to my forehead and let out a deep sigh, Ji Seo-yoon cautiously opened her mouth.

"Um, but, Oppa..."

"What, brat?"

"That script... Another production company hasn't already agreed to take it, right? You haven't signed anything yet...?"

"Would I have? I haven't shown it to anyone yet."

The instant I finished speaking, Ji Seo-yoon's face brightened like cherry blossoms in full bloom.

"R-Really!? You haven't shown it to anyone?!"

"Yeah. Other than Dong-woo."

"Yes!! That's great! Then we can do it together! You know Studio Miracle, Oppa!"

She bounced around as if she'd gained the whole world.

But what was she even talking about? Do what together?

She was already celebrating before I'd even offered her anything. It was ridiculous.

I looked down at her and gave a short reply.

"Why would I?"

"...? Huh?"

"Why would I work with you? I never said I would."

Ji Seo-yoon's chattering lips abruptly clamped shut and began to tremble.

"B-But you just said you hadn't signed with anyone..."

"Yeah. Which means I don't want to sign with anyone. Broadcasters and production companies alike."

"W-Why not!?"

I shrugged indifferently. Honestly, there was no grand reason.

As the lazy title Untitled suggested, it was a script I'd abandoned halfway through writing. I had no lingering desire to take it up seriously again now.

Still, explaining that sounded bothersome, so I teased her with an excuse instead.

"Ah, someone told me to stop sitting at home tapping away at a keyboard and get a proper job."

"...!!"

"The more I thought about it, the more I realized she was right. I'm too old to waste time on a hobby now. Mm-hm."

Ji Seo-yoon's face went pale.

Looks like she did have a guilty conscience.

"Honestly, isn't that right? Like someone said, who'd pay me or feed me just because I scribble a few words? Right, Seo-yoon?"

"O-Oppaaa...!"

I drove the point home, then turned toward my room without a second thought.

But then.

Grab!

"Oppaaaa!! I'm sorry! I've committed an unforgivable sin!!"

"W-What the hell! You psycho!"

Ji Seo-yoon threw herself onto the floor, clutched my pant leg, and began wailing desperately.

"Let go! You lunatic, why are you crying!?"

"Waaah! I really can't do this without it! My department head will kill me! Pleeease!!"

"Christ, let go. I said let go."

"I won't! No, I can't! I won't let go until you change your mind!!"

She clung so hard to my pant leg that my sweatpants began slipping down.

This was driving me insane.

I struggled with everything I had to shake her off, but Ji Seo-yoon's survival instincts made her far more tenacious than expected.

"Hey, hey!! My pants! They're coming down! Let go for a second, you maniac!!"

"Waaah!! Save me, Writer!! Please...!!"

"Fine! I get it, so let go first!!"

With my underwear on the verge of being half exposed, I finally threw up both hands in surrender.

"Really...?"

"Haah, fine. I'll think about it."

Studio Miracle was worth considering, at least.

It was a fairly substantial production company that handled cable and OTT projects, as well as outsourced productions for major terrestrial networks.

"No changing your mind?"

"Watch your tone."

"No changing your mind... please?"

"Fine. But I'm not promising anything. I'm only saying I'll think about it. I don't know what'll happen yet."

"Ah, okay, okay...! Then we'll talk things over and decide!"

As if she had never cried at all, Ji Seo-yoon instantly dried her tears and broke into a wide smile.

She really was incredible at changing her attitude.

"Um, but... Oppa, when do you think you can write the next script..."

"Casual speech?"

"W-When do you think you can hand over the next script? I'm absolutely not trying to rush you...! I just need to prove to my department head that I found the original author..."

Looking down at her, unable to make a move, I could finally understand the sweet taste of power.

I arrogantly picked at my ear and asked back.

"Hmm. How many episodes do you need, roughly?"

"...What?"

"Why are you asking me that? I asked how many episodes you need."

Ji Seo-yoon blinked stupidly. After staring blankly for a while, she opened and closed her mouth.

"W-What do you mean, how many episodes...? Have you written more? How far have you gotten?"

"Well, it's unfinished, but I've written up through episode six."

"...!!?"

She stood there with her mouth hanging open, making nothing but a deflated sound.

What was wrong with her now?

#

The sharp, spicy scent of pork bone hangover soup filled the restaurant.

All around them, familiar drama lines mixed with the customers' chatter.

"Did you watch that yesterday? I watched it live for the first time in forever."

"Ah, that <Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Somehow>? It was fun. I even stayed up all night watching Shorts."

"That's insane, seriously! Look. Cha Ye-rin and Do Jae-hyun look incredible together. How is he the second lead?"

"When's the next episode again? Saturday?"

The people eating hangover soup at the tables before the wall-mounted TV, even the older server carrying earthenware bowls, kept stealing glances at the rerun of <Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Somehow>.

It would not have been an exaggeration to say the entire country was hooked on the drama.

"Huh."

Nam Tae-jin, a PD from Studio Miracle, had naturally picked up the surrounding conversations.

Smacking his lips, he casually brought up the topic.

"These days, it's <Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Somehow> everywhere you go. Did you watch it live yesterday too, Department Head?"

"With how noisy it's been, how could I not?"

"Right? It's amazing. They say the writer's a rookie, but what kind of rookie writes a monster script like that? It'd be a huge hit if our planning team got hold of something like that and reached the start of principal photography."

The mythical drama was sweeping the buzz rankings day after day, while its ratings graph climbed at a freakishly steep angle.

tvM, which had secured its broadcast slot, had lately become the envy of the broadcasting industry.

"They say internally that it'll easily pass 20% and break the all-time cable ratings record. Looking at how quickly it's going viral, it really seems possible."

"...Tch."

Department Head Park Ho-seong clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

'Director Tae's grin must be stretching from ear to ear by now.'

Honestly, when tvM put a complete rookie writer at the helm of a tentpole drama and backed them, he'd thought the network had lost its mind.

But perhaps that rookie really had something special.

Apparently, they had gone beyond merely writing a good script, personally handling everything from casting the actors to directing on set.

For tvM, having a writer like that fall into their lap was practically like hitting the jackpot.

"What's wrong, Department Head?"

"My stomach hurts from jealousy, you punk."

"Ahaha. Why be jealous? I can't even imagine competing anymore."

Nam Tae-jin continued, chewing a cube of radish kimchi.

"This year, <Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Somehow> looks ready to devour everything. It'll obviously sweep the year-end awards, and maybe there won't even be a rival through next year's broadcast slots."

Nam Tae-jin's excited voice echoed through the restaurant.

Department Head Park Ho-seong, who had silently listened to those words, felt his brow twitch.

His grip tightened around his spoon.

'...No rival, huh.'

Of course, he fully acknowledged that <Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Somehow> was an insanely well-made drama.

But he could never agree with Nam Tae-jin's assertion that no drama capable of challenging it would emerge.

'Damn it, I shouldn't have seen that script.'

A script suddenly flashed through his mind.

The overwhelmingly high-quality script that the youngest PD, Ji Seo-yoon, had brought him, a script without even a settled title.

He had read only a few pages, but its insane pull had made the words seem alive on the page.

Department Head Park was certain.

If that Untitled script met a competent director and landed a prime-time slot?

It would have more than enough power to devour <Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Somehow> whole.

No, it was bound to become an invasive species that overturned the entire broadcasting industry.

But the problem was that he had no idea who had written that insane script, or where they were hiding.

"That damn bonehead has raised my standards for nothing. Tch, tch."

"Oh, there you go again. Don't be so hard on the youngest. She was only trying to do well in her own way."

"The hell are you talking about? Try seeing that script yourself and then losing it. You think you'd have anything nice to say?"

Just as Department Head Park grumbled and reached for the cup of water on the table...

Bzzzz! Bzzzz!

The smartphone he had placed on the table began vibrating loudly.

The moment he saw the caller ID, Department Head Park's brows drew together sharply.

[Bonehead]

It was Ji Seo-yoon.

"Hah. Figures that bonehead couldn't behave herself."

"Who is it? The youngest?"

With a frown, Department Head Park pressed the call button.

Before he even heard a voice, he growled fiercely.

"Hey, you little shit. Didn't I tell you not to say a word until you found that writer? And now you're...!"

His lips froze in the middle of his usual irritated shouting.

Then Department Head Park's trembling lips slowly parted again.

"W-What...? You found them? W-Who did you find!?"

Department Head Park's voice cracked as if he'd been struck by lightning.

"...!! Y-You're sure?! Fuck, if you mixed it up like last time, you're...! What, what?! A first draft? Up to where?!"

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

As he held the phone to his ear, Department Head Park's eyes gradually widened to an unnatural degree.

Then.

Bang!!

Department Head Park sprang from his seat like a coiled spring, making the table shake violently.

Nam Tae-jin recoiled in surprise, but all of Department Head Park's attention was fixed on the smartphone.

"Hey, hey! Tae-jin! I'm leaving first!"

After hastily ending the call, Department Head Park grabbed the coat hanging from his chair and put it on.

"What? Where are you going all of a sudden in the middle of a meal?"

"You idiot! Is food the problem right now?! I'm leaving!"

"No, you need to at least tell me what's going on before you...!"

Ignoring Nam Tae-jin's flustered cry, Department Head Park Ho-seong kicked open the restaurant door and rushed out like the wind.

Only moments ago, he had been jealous of <Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Somehow>'s enormous success.

Now, Department Head Park looked more excited than anyone.

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