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Andrea stared at the photo of On Jihwa. It was the same face she had seen in Ji Haebeom’s 〈The Great Garland〉.
From a short-haired girl in a kimono... to a ponytail tied tight behind her head, wearing a sports jersey.
“A Korean drama that aired years ago has never once maintained its value like this.”
Which meant Ji Haebeom’s judgment on the licensing rights of 〈The Great Garland〉 was wrong.
And yet... something kept catching.
She couldn’t put it into words, but something that data could not reveal kept brushing against her thoughts.
‘What on earth....’
Andrea lowered her gaze again to the figure who had become the center of the script revisions for 〈Seoul Metropolitan City〉.
They had reduced her screen time.
JC ENM, which she had expected to push back, accepted it without resistance. On top of that, Sansung’s PPL had also been pushed through quickly.
“Why...?”
From NetHolics’ perspective, it was fortunate.
But it felt like something was hidden. Like something didn’t quite fit.
As On Jihwa’s scenes were reduced, the screen time of other roles had been slightly increased instead.
Not long lines. Not meaningful scenes.
Filler.
‘Something... deliberate.’
Even though On Jihwa could have filled those moments, they had chosen to compose the scenes with other characters instead.
The conclusion, from a data standpoint, was one.
‘They’re hiding the character.’
Andrea let out a quiet sigh at the thought.
“Season two?”
The moment she thought that, everything clicked into place. Even JC ENM backing off without friction.
If they rebuilt the story around a hidden On Jihwa, then she would become the protagonist of Season 2.
“Ha....”
Andrea let out a disbelieving laugh.
At NetHolics, only a handful of works ever went into a multi-season format.
And even if a second season were to be produced, by production logic alone, it would be difficult to center it around On Jihwa.
“Ambitious.”
Either a popular character who dominated the previous season...
Or a newly introduced character who appears in this one.
Those were the rules for leading a new season.
This was certainty. One hundred percent.
* * *
‘As expected... NetHolics.’
The parking lot was packed with large buses. Endless extras. Just thinking about the makeup time per person made it clear how enormous the cost must be.
‘I’ve never seen this many special makeup teams....’
Not even on 〈Strange Tales〉 had it been like this.
I quietly admired the extras filling the set.
The quality was on a completely different level.
It was realistic enough that no additional CG seemed necessary. As I looked at them one by one, something kept surfacing in my mind.
Flushed red faces. Mouths spraying saliva. Eyes with bursting veins. Pupils unfocused...
“Yeoreum! Uh, maybe....”
“Unni, what is it?”
“Do you think... you could give an autograph, if you’re okay with it?”
Tak Jeongyun tapping my shoulder snapped me out of it. She pointed behind her with an awkward expression.
“They said they wanted to get your autograph, just once.”
Looks like there were fans among the extras in zombie makeup. They were huddled together, shy.
“Ah, of course!”
I smiled brightly and walked toward them. Honestly, I wanted to ask for their Summer Day usernames too, but I held myself back.
‘The more you try to get close, the further they get.’
...But I haven’t even asked their usernames yet, so why are they already backing away?
“Um... why are you all stepping back?”
“Ahhhh... no, it’s nothing....”
“What do you mean nothing? You’re getting farther away.”
“Ah....”
Yeah, I’m used to reactions like this.
I stepped forward confidently, wearing the smile of a rising actress.
“Your name?”
“M-me?”
“Yes. Please tell me your name.”
As I asked each extra nearby for their names one by one, the tension gradually faded.
I even wrote detailed PS messages.
Please spread the word about me. You’re all becoming producers of Han Yeoreum’s good stories.
“I’m really a fan.”
“Really? Since when?”
“Since 〈Strange Tales〉....”
“So you joined a bit late. Let’s keep meeting from now on.”
“Me? You mean me?”
“Of course. I’m not planning on having any breaks, so you’ll be seeing me a lot.”
Watching their eyes start to sparkle, I felt it again.
My set.
A place that must not exist without me.
I turned my head slightly. The set was still bustling.
And over it, my past life kept overlapping.
The massive scale. The same NetHolics. And in the distance—Myeong Jeha and Do Gyeoul.
My eyes met Myeong Jeha’s.
Wearing a sukajan, with a wound makeup on his cheek, he walked toward me.
“You look a bit pale.”
“It’s still winter.”
“Doesn’t seem like that’s the reason.”
I shook my head lightly.
Do Gyeoul was still staring straight at me.
“It’s nothing.”
There couldn’t be even the slightest disturbance.
It was almost time for the NetHolics executive to arrive.
* * *
Bang bang bang—!
Seomun Ihwa jolted awake at the sudden knocking that echoed through her studio.
“Writer! Writerrr—!”
Fumbling along the bedside table, she put on her glasses and staggered out of bed. With blackout curtains always drawn, it was hard to tell whether it was day or night.
“Writer! Are you sleeping? Writer—!”
She opened the door with a dull expression.
“Uh....”
“Hello. I’m the Studio Another manager here to escort you to the Paju hospital set today.”
“Ah, nice to meet you. Was that today...? Come in.”
Nodding, Seomun Ihwa shuffled back inside.
The heavy wooden table in her studio was piled haphazardly with things.
Books, reference materials, energy drinks, coffee... and a laptop.
“I’ll go wash up quickly... ah, before that, would you like something to drink?”
“I’m fine. Please take your time.”
“Mm. Thanks.”
Standing under the warm stream of water, Seomun Ihwa tried to sort through the chaos in her head. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
There were always multiple screens playing inside her mind.
Because of that, there was never a moment of quiet.
Characters constantly surfaced, and the worlds they lived in unfolded before her. Just keeping track of the names inside her head was exhausting enough—remembering real people’s names became difficult.
〈Seoul Metropolitan City〉.
There had been nothing special about her not visiting on the first day. No matter how «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» high-quality a set was, reality was still reality.
But today was different.
There was a reason why Jegal Rok from JC ENM, Andrea Shark from NetHolics, and Seomun Ihwa herself were all heading to the same place.
Today, the filming location was a fully rented abandoned hospital in Paju.
“Here’s your coffee. Which do you prefer? I brought a variety just in case.”
“If there’s a latte, I’ll take that.”
“Yes, ma’am. The assistant writers aren’t here today?”
“There’s nothing to write for now, so I sent them home... If you stay locked up writing in a tiny room, your head starts to go a bit strange.”
Taking a sip of her coffee, Seomun Ihwa gazed out the car window.
Clouds were gathering.
“Was it supposed to rain today? What day is it... the 2nd? The 3rd?”
“It’s the 17th. No rain forecast, but it’s a bit cloudy.”
“Ah, right... I met that NetHolics executive yesterday. See? I forget things like this.”
The moment she stepped onto the set, what greeted her were massive vehicles.
“Oh my... there must be a lot of extras.”
“Yes. It’s a zombie scene today, so we put in more effort than usual. What do you think, Writer? Does it meet your expectations?”
“Mm. It’s fun.”
The large buses that had brought the extras from Seoul were filled with tension and excitement.
Artificial blood splattered across the ground, machines pumping out fog—it all made the scene feel even more real.
And today, not a single ray of sunlight.
It felt as if she had been dropped straight into a scene from 〈Seoul Metropolitan City〉.
‘Season two.’
Among the many screens still running in her head, Seomun Ihwa focused on the largest one.
Was it because she had met Andrea just yesterday?
Thoughts of Season 2 kept her from sleeping.
She hadn’t brought up the next season at the meeting because she knew something.
That NetHolics’ claim—“we’ll welcome any scenario”—was a lie.
‘It needs marketability.’
There was a reason she had sent the script only to Director Oh, without informing Studio Another or NetHolics.
For so long, she had nearly gone mad dealing with broadcast stations and advertisers, forced to compromise on things she didn’t want to touch as a writer.
Now, she wanted to win with story alone. freёwebnoѵel.com
And for that...
Season 1 of 〈Seoul Metropolitan City〉 had to achieve overwhelming success.
‘Here... more fresh blood spilled, rain pouring down endlessly, people who are neither alive nor dead gathering....’
Seomun Ihwa slowly turned, scanning the set.
The people—faces and names she would never remember—blurred out of focus.
Only the place remained.
Wild grass growing unchecked. Iron stairs creaking. A stopped clock.
‘And On Jihwa.’
In the middle of hell itself.
A girl who would stand right there.
