Free Web NovelAt Taeyang’s muttering, Yeoreum broke into a goofy grin.
“See~? You get it. Riiight. Your sis... drank a looot today. Because of the goods. You need goooods. Goooods....” fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
“Goods, right?”
Not even properly listening to her, Taeyang casually laid Yeoreum down on the floor and picked up the box.
“They said staggered shipping, and it shows up exactly today. Hey—you stepped on the edge! Did the postcards inside get creased? Seriously, you’re careless about everything.”
Turning his back on Yeoreum without a shred of hesitation, Taeyang carried the <ParCheHi> Blu-ray box into his room. From finishing the unboxing to finally moving Yeoreum—still sprawled on the floor—into her room took about an hour and thirty minutes.
* * *
Aetami took a deep breath. Today was the first day of the new year. She was ready to greet it with a heart purer and clearer than anyone’s.
Having finally finished a neat, proper bath, she reached for the box placed in front of her.
“It’s here! The Blu-ray—!”
She had bought Blu-rays from every genre imaginable. But she could say with confidence—there had never been one with this level of quality.
First, the box itself was custom-made in a pale mint color, with a cherry print pressed into the center.
“As expected of a noble house. JC really is different....”
It felt like a real idol album package. When she carefully opened the box, a printed CD that instantly brought <ParCheHi> to mind lay inside.
The CD, designed with adorable details—school-uniform ribbons and ties, notebooks and pencils, even sticky notes—made her smile just looking at it.
“To see this kind of aesthetic in a drama Blu-ray....”
Most drama Blu-rays were, at best, clean—and at worst, boring. But <ParCheHi> was different. Overwhelmed, Aetami checked the goods one by one.
“Yeoreum!”
First was a student ID. It featured a photo of Yeoreum in her school uniform. The name tag reading Pi Chaewon was the current-version design, in a soft pink. Beside it was a small melon-soda keyring, topped—of course—with a tiny red cherry.
“They even included stickers. This is insanely generous....”
Because the funding had surpassed 100%, they’d added extra goods that hadn’t been listed in the original guide. Aetami pulled out the envelope beneath the stickers.
“Photo cards... photo cards....” freewebnovel.cσ๓
Gazing deeply at Yeoreum’s selfie photo card, Aetami inhaled slowly.
Now it was time to rewatch <ParCheHi> together with the script book.
“...What is all this?”
And then Aetami froze in genuine shock.
They called it a script book, but it was practically a full commentary edition. It was brimming with determination to convey every story the actors, Writer Pi, and Director Jang hadn’t been able to tell.
“Yeoreuuuum—!”
And above all else, the one who stood out the most—
was Yeoreum.
* * *
—Since it’s a web drama, I thought a lot of teenagers would watch it. So I kept thinking about where Chaewon’s fleeting loneliness came from, so viewers could empathize while watching.
At that moment, Reporter Wi was also watching the <ParCheHi> Blu-ray footage. Among the unreleased content were interview videos with the cast.
—If you look closely, Chaewon prioritizes efficiency. She says she didn’t make friends because she was studying, but there are scenes where she seems to envy Hina. I wondered if Chaewon might have fallen out with friends at least once because of studying.
The Pi Chaewon Yeoreum described felt like someone who could really exist right beside you.
—You know how it is. After school, Chaewon has to go to cram school, while her friends go hang out. She probably skipped out a few times, and her friends must have felt hurt. At that age, spending time together really matters.
Reporter Wi nodded without realizing it.
—So after getting hurt, Chaewon closed her heart and decided she didn’t need friends. That’s probably why she observes everything with dead-fish eyes at the beginning. When acting, I leaned into her looking slightly contemptuously at Hina’s friends—thinking, In a year, the class will split and we won’t even see each other anyway. Talking about friendship like that is pointless. I think those were the thoughts Chaewon had every break time, standing alone before entering the romance-manga world.
To match Pi Chaewon, Yeoreum had even changed her handwriting. And yet, when told to sign for the Blu-ray, her face turned red.
—I haven’t really finalized a signature yet.... Could I maybe watch Intube for just a moment? Just a moment. I’m almost done....
“Why Intube?” Reporter Wi asked.
As if answering, red-faced Yeoreum spoke softly.
—I have a video I’ve been watching lately to practice....
Then the video Yeoreum had been watching appeared in a small window.
[You Can Do It Too! How to Create a Cool Signature in Cursive]
“So cute—!!!”
Reporter Wi punched the bed. Even though the mattress was soft, she’d hit it so hard her hand throbbed.
To show this level of sincerity in just a ten-minute web drama—her heart raced.
“No wonder <Strange Tales> is already something to look forward to....”
Just imagining how Yeoreum would carry sixteen episodes made her pulse quicken. She had already read the entire original web novel.
“But how are they going to handle it? It’s a historical piece.”
And to be clear—historical dramas were among the easiest genres to attract controversy. The reporter instinct kicked in, and a comment section flashed chaotically through her mind.
—The historical distortion is insane lol. Making garbage like this and calling it a drama—do they think viewers are idiots? Northeast Project, get lost.
—I seriously can’t understand the lack of authenticity. Anyone who knows even a little about hanbok would notice the costume design is already a mess. With so many foreign viewers, making it like this... more
—Is the CG quality for real? My chest feels tight just looking at it...
“...No....”
Reporter Wi sprang up from the bed. Separate from her anticipation for <Strange Tales>, a wave of anxiety washed over her. She’d seen too many disastrous productions in her years as a reporter.
* * *
Today, too, Jegal Rok was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit. Judging by the dark circles under his eyes, he must have pulled another all-nighter—but he looked impeccably put together.
“I—I’ll have a mojito.”
This was a bar near JC ENM’s Cheongdam headquarters. Director Jang awkwardly studied the menu and ordered the one drink he recognized.
“One mojito for him, and I’ll have my usual.”
So people at Jegal Rok’s level even had a usual. Director Jang marveled quietly. Soon, a refreshing mojito and a coffee-colored cocktail were placed in front of them.
“The reason I asked to see you today, Director Jang, is for the upcoming script work.”
<Strange Tales>, based on a web novel, would retain its overall framework. Only the adapted portions for direction would pass through Director Jang’s hands.
And right here, Director Jang felt an immense pressure.
‘If I mess this up... ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) it’s over.’
Though rooted in ghost stories, <Strange Tales> inevitably carried the lightness of a web-novel original. Director Jang’s own directing style leaned trendy as well, so he wasn’t confident yet about delivering the heavy atmosphere audiences expected from ghost stories.
‘But if it’s too light, it won’t be scary at all....’
He was completely stuck. Vivid scenes filled his mind, but how to weave them into something delicious remained unclear.
To Director Jang like this, Jegal Rok said simply,
“Do it however you like.”
Director Jang looked at him in disbelief.
There was no Chinese investment, no support from the Ministry or the promotion institute. No brand PPL either. Even pouring everything into every single scene wouldn’t be enough—yet he was being told to do whatever he wanted?
“A—are you drunk?”
“No. You’re the only one drinking, Director Jang.”
What Jegal Rok had ordered wasn’t a coffee-like cocktail—it was actual coffee. Director Jang shook his foggy head.
“Everything will be virtual. The country, the people, even the costumes.”
“Th-then the issue of authenticity—”
“Just one thing. As long as that one thing has authenticity.”
“...And what would that be?”
Jegal Rok took a sip of coffee, his dark eyes gleaming.
“Ghost stories.”
In short, his point was this: no matter how perfectly you tried to make it, audiences would never accept 100% of it, given the nature of the material.
[Should the public vote? An idol made with my own money... “Can dreams be bought with money?” Debate erupts]
[Overseas show becomes public property—PD Gu Jeongmo: “Ideas belong to everyone”]
[Is a program full of bleeps really okay? “Trying to be edgy isn’t cool”]
Jegal Rok had already reached a level where he fully grasped what kind of controversy would arise. Countless programs had made him unflappable.
“Implement only what’s written in Korean ghost stories. Japan and China—delete any overlapping ghost tales from those two countries, and preserve authenticity only in that aspect.”
Set everything as fictional—a fictional country, fictional people, a fictional era. The foundation of <Strange Tales> only needed to lie in the ghost stories themselves.
“Put weight only into the ghost-story scenes. For everything else, do what you’re good at.”
Finishing his coffee, Jegal Rok added,
“You don’t need to worry about the budget.”
It wasn’t You don’t have to worry.
It was You don’t need to worry.
At that moment, as if by magic, the crushing pressure weighing down Director Jang vanished. The heavy shackles around his ankles disappeared. All the blocked story threads surged in at once. His mind filled entirely with eerie ghost tales.
“S-sorry, but I—!”
“Yes. You can head out now.”
As if he understood Director Jang’s state of mind, Jegal Rok gave a small nod. Clutching his coat, Director Jang rushed out. Watching his retreating back, Jegal Rok also stood.
“Then I should get back to work too....”
For Jegal Rok, there was no clocking out—only clocking in. On his way back to the JC ENM building, he contacted Manager Ma and Manager Hong.
[Proceed with a fictional world as the framework, but preserve Korean authenticity through effort.]
The story belonged to Director Jang.
The image of the work belonged to Manager Ma.
Preventing every possible controversy from the outset belonged to Manager Hong.
And the most important thing of all—
“Yeoreum! The revised script for <Strange Tales> Episode 1 just arrived!”
“Yes! I’ll check it right away!”
The viewers who would come to watch the work—their attention belonged to the actor.
Yeoreum flipped open Episode 1 of <Strange Tales>.
