Chapter 98

Post: Went to see The Chaser and have one question.

So, between Hong Jeong-hee and Cha Seo-ah, who would win in a fight????

Reply:

– Who is Hong Jeong-hee?

She was the role Seo-yeon took in a play.

– If Cha Seo-ah hits Hong Jeong-hee’s head with an axe, it’s fatal.

– Unless Hong Jeong-hee has a disabled combat ability.

– Are you serious right now?

– I’m Cha Seo-ah, and I’d win.

—

As *The Chaser* continued its successful run, it naturally became a topic of discussion in various online communities, turning several moments from the film into memes. Seo-yeon, after her return, had taken on a series of villainous roles, and this fact became a running joke.

Above all, the movie’s most talked-about aspect was undeniably the convenience store aunt.

Why were they talking about her?

But others argued it made sense not to reveal that Cha Seo-ah used to work part-time at the convenience store as a student.

– Still, we’re only here because Han Ye-hwa survived.

– If she’d died, in my opinion, someone would have come looking for the actors. Haha.

In any case, with such heated discussions on social platforms, it was natural that the most discussed actor in this movie would receive the most attention.

– Is Dream Future real?? Is it true they reduced Seo-yeon’s screen time?

– Do you believe everything you read in the articles? The role probably just didn’t have much screen time.

– But wasn’t Seo-yeon the one who carried the hype in the first episode?

– Granted, Song So-ha had a pretty small role, though.

– It wasn’t so much about screen time as her lack of presence, right?

As the episodes progressed, Joo Ha-rin’s (Seo-yeon’s) screen time kept decreasing, and the number of mentions regarding this issue began to rise.

This reached its peak after the movie’s release and during the next week’s airing of episodes 5 and 6. It was so obvious that the intention was to reduce Joo Ha-rin’s significance.

By this point, viewers started to feel something was off.

– Wasn’t Joo Ha-rin supposed to be the female lead?

– They’re saying Song So-ha is the main character, but why reduce Joo Ha-rin’s role like this?

Posts like this also appeared on the broadcasting company’s official forum, let alone other communities.

And finally:

“I, Bong-shik, guarantee this: it’s clear that the drama writer reduced her role.”

– Bong-shik, wasn’t there an article about you going viral?

– Yes, I saw that too. But here’s the thing: the methods used were malicious. I conducted some investigative journalism at the studio, and apparently, there was an internal conflict. They mentioned that the writer was being stubborn.

– Isn’t the writer kind of lower on the totem pole? How could they do that? Are they a star writer?

– I don’t know if they’re a star writer, but they clearly have some influence. There were rumors that this writer really liked actor Park Jung-woo. Meanwhile, as you know, actor Joo Seo-yeon has been involved with Park Jung-woo a lot. That’s apparently why this happened.

With these words from the YouTuber Han Bong-shik, whose channel has over 1.3 million subscribers, rumors surrounding the issue quickly spread.

—

“Are you saying the drama writer is being replaced? Suddenly?”

“It’s not sudden, Writer Lim.”

Kim Pil-seok, the director, sighed as if he had a headache.

“What are you talking about? Really, what is all this nonsense?”

As *The Chaser* gained popularity, discussions about Joo Ha-rin also surfaced on various online platforms. It’s understandable to a point. When one actor gains attention, it’s natural for others to take an interest. Especially since her image contrasts so strongly with Cha Seo-ah’s persona.

However, this alone doesn’t dramatically boost ratings. While it’s impressive that one actor has this much impact, that alone isn’t enough to keep viewers hooked.

Then, stories about unfair treatment further heightened the controversy, albeit in a negative light.

“It’s been said PD Baek requested not to be replaced, but the decision came from higher up. Have you heard?”

“It’s—yes, I’ve heard, but…”

Lim Jin-ha said uneasily.

“Well, still, since PD Baek has spoken, even though replacing the writer poses risks, how can we counter that? Did someone above have an issue with you, Writer Lim?”

At this, Lim Jin-ha looked uncertain but had no idea.

The idea of leaving the drama lingered in his mind.

“Anyway, this isn’t the end or anything… so don’t take it personally. This issue will pass eventually.”

Though Kim Pil-seck said this, inwardly he smirked, as the PD’s backing had made controlling the situation difficult. This way, it was probably for the better.

“It’s not the end. Not by a long shot.”

The current head of the Drama Department, Ha Tae-oh, wasn’t someone who frivolously ruined careers.

This was an exceptional case, but it was understandable. The audience’s opinion, internal conflicts, and the significant drop in ratings recently all factored into the decision.

‘But this move has certainly damaged the writer’s professional reputation.’

To bounce back from this setback would require even more effort than usual. Given the already poor internal evaluations of Lim Jin-ha, it would be difficult. Even if the drama head hadn’t targeted her, the negative attention already cast on Lim Jin-ha was widespread.

“So take a moment to rest and recover.”

With that, Lim Jin-ha felt a void within herself. When she came to, she was already home.

She couldn’t even remember how she got there.

Buzzzz.

Her phone started ringing. Looking at the screen, she saw a late reply from PD Baek.

– Sorry, Writer Lim, but this isn’t going to work out.

When she saw this, Lim Jin-ha dropped her phone as if all hope was lost.

—

Anyway, during this time of turmoil at KMB, Seo-yeon was enjoying some quality downtime at home.

“Our daughter is almost a ten-million-actor! We’ll hit that mark by the next drama premiere, right?!”

Sua exclaimed excitedly.

“Mom, I want to watch the movies that Oppa starred in.”

Soyeon tugged on Sua’s skirt, but despite her interest, five-year-old Sooyeon was too young to watch *The Chaser*.

“Let’s wait until you’re a bit older, Suyeon.”

“Hiiing…”

Seeing her younger sister’s whining face, Seo-yeon felt a sense of lightheartedness.

Ten million actor.

Honestly, it didn’t feel real.

For comparison, Park Jung-woo had achieved the ten-million milestone at an even younger age.

Because of this, Park Jung-woo advised:

“Be ready; various issues will follow you for a while. Journalists will keep their eyes on you.”

Thus, he recommended she lay low and stick to her usual routine for the time being—school, home, and the filming set.

Her agency would be hard to visit for the foreseeable future.

“Seo-yeon, did you know actress Hwang Min-hwa visited?”

Manager Park Eun-ha exclaimed excitedly. This was because Sooyeon had completely dismantled Hwang Min-hwa’s lead movie *Utopia*. The film was headed toward a 4 million audience mark, which was also its break-even point, meaning it would barely cover costs before screens were pulled.

This was undoubtedly Hwang Min-hwa’s bitter first failure as an actress.

Thinking that it was because of Seo-yeon’s *The Chaser* made Manager Park couldn’t help but smile.

“Our Seo-yeon, let’s keep this winning streak going!”

Eagerly, Manager Park hugged Seo-yeon tightly. Though it felt strange at first, now that the manager understood Seo-yeon’s more dog-like personality, she often engaged in such actions.

And so, even though this meant Seo-yeon should avoid crossing paths with Hwang Min-hwa—an aggressive, feisty actress—Manager Park decided to keep her protected.

So, Seo-yeon spent most of her recent downtime resting at home. The only regular places she visited were the convenience store and the gym.

By the way, regarding Seohui Jo:

[Congratulations, this is going to hit ten million.]

She sent a rare, simple congratulatory message.

But then another one followed:

[Next time, I’ll visit.]

Seo-yeon tilted her head, looking at the text. She wondered if it was related to the previously mentioned movie.

“How did Mom and Dad find my movie?”

“Hm?”

“My movie.”

To which Soo-ah replied, she and her husband, Joo Young-bin, had watched the movie in a theater just the other day. Of course, they had seen *The Chaser*, despite Young-bin’s joking suggestion to watch *Utopia*. Surprisingly, he ended up choosing to see her movie.

“Their thoughts on it—”

“Our daughter’s acting surpassed expectations.”

“R-really?”

“Yes. Your mom even felt a deep sense of sorrow while watching.”

Cha Seo-ah was a patient suffering from ’emotion expression inability syndrome’. Although Seo-yeon personally didn’t have the condition, she had faced emotional challenges in her past. Could that have been the reason? Or was it the poignant emotions coming through the screen?

This made Soo-ah cry a little while watching.

There was indeed tension, and the movie was thrilling, but she felt something deeper.

“…Really? What about Dad?”

“Yes, your dad worried about you all throughout.”

Listening to Soo-ah’s reflections, Seo-yeon’s heart swelled with emotion. Even her teasing, occasionally annoying father had such sides, she realized.

“Oh, speaking of Dad… He said his package arrived earlier, can you bring it inside, Seo-yeon?”

“Sure.”

As Seo-yeon walked to the door with her chest heavy, she saw a large-sized box sitting there. As she lifted it, her eyes fell onto what it said.

[Product Name: “[Invincible] Anti-Sword Suit.]

“…”

She silently resolved to give her father ‘a piece of her mind’ when he got home.

—

As *The Chaser* approached the 8 million mark, amidst the sudden dismissal of the original writer, the hurried script revisions for Episodes 7 and 8 demanded immediate filming.

Given the rush to produce the week’s episode, the staff were in overdrive.

“Um, hi. For now, I’ll be taking over the… script duties….”

Seo-yeon glanced at the person bowing deeply.

“Short.”

The individual appeared at least a head shorter than her. She was an adult woman probably six years Seo-yeon’s senior.

She had become a drama writer straight out of university.

“Ah, I remember her from a movie I starred in before; she worked as an assistant writer then. Her name is Writer Min Se-hee.”

Park Jung-woo introduced her, seeing her stutter.

“And she’s currently working as an assistant writer on *Dream Future*.”

“Huh? I didn’t know.”

“Yes, given her quiet nature.”

Indeed, Min Se-hee stood timidly, glancing occasionally at Seo-yeon for signs of approval.

“Still, her skills are solid. She has ambition too. I asked her if she’d work on *Dream Future*, even though she could now act as the main writer elsewhere.”

“Ah.”

Whether she was surprised or not, Seo-yeon’s reaction was ambiguous, making Park Jung-woo chuckle. By the way, Min Se-hee hadn’t contributed heavily to the script so far because of the previous writer, Lim Jin-ha.

“When I looked through the revised script, it was excellent. You can definitely expect some good things.”

“…Really?”

“Your role’s been expanded—not too much, but within the limits that don’t overshadow the main character.”

“Such… expansion…”

At Park Jung-woo’s words, Seo-yeon felt uneasy.

‘Why?’

Seo-yeon was supposed to finish her work on *Dream Future* by the end of the week. The fact that her screen time was expanded now made her feel something was off.

‘…Hm…’

It somehow didn’t feel right, like her role might be expanded far more than anticipated.

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