MDSW 6

Chapter : 06

“This is the scenario you wrote?”

“Ugh… I’m dying…”

With a hollow, exhausted look, I dragged myself past the front gate of NBC.

Dark circles hung practically down to my feet, and my skin looked as dry and stale as expired bread.

All because of what I wrote at dawn.

It had been a while since I worked on a scenario, but once I got into the flow, I ended up writing all night.

I didn’t notice while I was immersed in it—but when it was finally time to go to work, the fatigue hit me all at once.

Why did the writing suddenly flow like I was possessed…?

It was the first script I’d written since working with Director Hwang.

Things I’d never seen before became clear, and ideas I’d never imagined kept surfacing. I couldn’t stop the story pouring out of my head.

I just meant to sketch out a synopsis… how did I end up finishing a full draft?

It felt satisfying—fun, even—to finally stretch my creative muscles again.

Only problem: my body felt like it was about to die.

“Gang Seong-woon?”

As I staggered toward the entrance like a zombie, a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind.

I turned to see a man in glasses and a cardigan—gentle-looking.

“Huh?!”

Ham Joo-young?

I recognized him instantly and let out a surprised shout—but Joo-young avoided my gaze.

“Sorry, I must have mistaken you.”

“…?”

Is he seriously not recognizing me because of how I look?

“It’s me, you punk! Ham Joo-young, it is you, right?!”

I grabbed him before he could walk away. Only then did he really look at me.

“O-oh… it is you, Seong-woon? Haha… you’ve changed so much, I almost didn’t recognize you.”

You already insulted me, man…

“Have you been well? I heard you’re working at a broadcasting station.”

“Come on, I’ve been grinding at the station for years now. Sounds like it’s been a while since we last heard about each other.”

“Yeah… last time we met was probably at your daughter’s first birthday party.”

Joo-young and I were the same age, friends from the same university.

When I gave up writing novels and decided to pursue screenwriting, I met him in a campus scenario study group.

He majored in film, so he knew far more about movies than anyone else there.

In a way, he was my first teacher—he taught me what a scenario was, what cinema really meant.

“Didn’t expect to run into you here. What brings you to the station?”

After graduation, we’d drifted apart, so I only heard about him through others.

A few years ago, I heard he was preparing his debut commercial film—but I never saw anything with his name on it. Maybe the project fell through.

“I’ll probably be coming to NBC often for a while. I’m helping out with a workshop for rookie drama writers.”

“Drama? Since when were you into dramas?”

“I’m not. You know me—I only care about films. I’m just checking if there are any promising new writers. These days, it’s hard to find anyone who can write a good script.”

He let out a bitter sigh.

“But what about you? Not doing films anymore? You were obsessed back in college.”

“Me? Uh… well…”

I did break ten million viewers… but I can’t exactly say that.

“I’m thinking long-term now. For the time being, I’ve got to make money, raise my kid, you know.”

“Yeah… dads are different. How old is your daughter now?”

“Ten.”

“Already? I’m not even married yet… Next time, let’s grab a meal—”

“Hey, Gang Seong-woon!!”

A sharp voice suddenly cut through the air.

I flinched and turned—Director Bong stood at the entrance, glaring at me with a deep scowl.

“Get over here, now! It’s chaos inside!!”

His voice was a mix of irritation and desperation as he urged me to hurry.

What now…?

Sighing, I quickly patted Joo-young on the shoulder.

“Let’s definitely grab a meal—no, drinks—next time. I’ve gotta go!”

“Uh… yeah.”

Leaving my long-lost friend behind, I rushed inside after Director Bong—

Without realizing I had dropped the script draft I’d written all night.

“…Huh?”

The one who picked it up was none other than Joo-young.

Later, I heard that the moment he saw the working title—“My Daughter Is a Genius”—he chuckled.

“Interesting title. Very Seong-woon.”

* * *

Bang! The studio door flew open as Yoon Ra-hee stormed out into the hallway.

Fuming, she marched off without looking back.

“This is exactly why I don’t do low-class variety shows.”

Director Bong rushed out after her, reaching out helplessly.

“Ra-hee! Ra-hee!!”

He collapsed to the floor in despair.

I watched the scene with the staff from inside the studio.

“Sigh… Yoon Ra-hee. She finally caused trouble.”

About 20 minutes earlier, I had run into the studio with Director Bong.

The place was already in chaos, and everyone looked exhausted.

Here’s what happened:

Yoon Ra-hee declared that she didn’t like a newly added cast member—and unless that person was removed, she would refuse to continue filming.

The entire staff begged her to reconsider, but in the end, she stormed out.

“Ra-hee!!!”

Director Bong alone was crying and wailing.

The rest of the staff were too drained to even look.

Director Bong… this isn’t what you should be worried about right now.

I glanced at the blinking date and time on the interview camera.

[September 30, 2023 — 09:24]

If my memory was correct, Yoon Ra-hee’s drunk driving scandal would break in the fall of 2023.

Today was the last day of September. The weather was already turning chilly.

Which meant—

It’s about to happen.

I just quit films not long ago… am I going to end up unemployed again?

It was a deeply uncomfortable, anxious moment.

Honestly, I felt like kneeling beside Director Bong and screaming too.

“Raa—hee—yaaa!!!”

* * *

“Daaad!!”

Yoo Rina leapt onto my back.

The little troublemaker had once again chosen the exact moment I was cooking to mess with me.

“You… you keep waiting until my hands are busy, don’t you?!”

“Hehe. Tickle attack~!”

She clung to my back, tickled my sides, grabbed my legs—pulling every prank imaginable.

“If I wash my hands, you’re in trouble!”

“Aaaah!!”

Before my regression, I could never have imagined this.

Back then, I barely even looked at her after coming home from work.

I never knew my daughter was this lively, this playful.

It felt strange—and made me happy.

She takes after her mom.

Watching Rina reminded me of my wife when we were dating.

If a beagle puppy were reborn as a human—that was my wife.

And now that same energy lived on in Rina.

“I’m gonna smear flour on your face!”

“Nooo!!”

I chased her with flour-covered hands, and she scampered off to the small room, locking the door behind her.

“Beep! Villains are not allowed in!”

she called cheekily from the other side.

I chuckled and turned away—then noticed a drawing hanging on the door.

A cute sign that read: “Please knock before entering”, with Rina’s face drawn on it.

Oh right… tomorrow’s the academy consultation.

“Rina? Come out for a second.”

“Nooo~ You’re gonna smear flour on me!”

“I want to talk about tomorrow’s art academy meeting. Come out.”

Creak—she opened the door just a crack, eyeing me suspiciously.

“Look at that face. Haha… you’re impossible.”

She grinned but refused to come out.

“Fine, stay there then, you little rebel. You know we’re going to the art academy tomorrow, right?”

“Yup.”

“No sleeping in. We have to leave early.”

“What?! In the morning??”

She flung the door open in shock.

I saw the tragic eyes of a child who had just lost her weekend sleep-in.

“Can’t help it. The director is only available in the morning.”

“I hate the director…”

“I’ll buy you pork cutlet afterward.”

“Wow! Pork cutlet!!”

Her sad eyes instantly sparkled.

I couldn’t resist and dabbed some flour on her nose.

“Now you’ve got flour too. That means pork cutlet.”

“Aaaah!!”

She jumped around in protest.

“Haha. That’s what you get for letting your guard down.”

“Betrayed… evil villain…”

Bzzzt—

My phone rang from the sofa.

“Huh? Who is it?”

Rina dashed over and answered for me.

“Hello~! This is Rina answering Dad’s phone~!”

—“Huh? Rina?”

“Yes! Who is this?”

—“Wow, you’ve grown so much just from your voice. Don’t remember me, do you? It’s Uncle Joo-young.”

She tilted her head and looked at me.

“Apologies, but Rina does not remember. Please speak to my dad~!”

She switched to speaker mode and ran off again.

“…Where does she even learn words like ‘apologies’?”

—“Hello? Rina?”

Only then did I realize—it was Joo-young.

“Hey, it’s me. What’s up? Calling at this hour?”

—“Sorry to bother you during dinner. I just wanted to tell you—you dropped your script this morning.”

“My script?”

—“Yeah. My Daughter Is a Genius. That’s yours, right?”

I flinched.

“…I dropped that? Good thing you picked it up. If a stranger saw it, I’d be mortified. It’s just a draft…”

—“This is a draft?!”

“Yeah, why are you so shocked? Wait… you didn’t read it, did you?!”

Silence.

“You punk! Since when do film people read someone else’s script without permission?!”

—“Haha… sorry, sorry. The title was too intriguing. And it’s yours, after all.”

I was about to snap back, but held it in.

—“But seriously… are you only doing variety shows now?”

“I’m raising a kid too, you know.”

—“That’s not what I mean. Are you really just a variety writer? With writing like this?”

His sudden praise caught me off guard.

—“At first, I thought it was just a light, healing human story—but by the end, it was insane. Why have you been wasting this talent on variety shows?”

I appreciated the compliment—but I was surprised.

Joo-young was warm as a person, but when it came to writing, he was notoriously cold.

Back in college, he never once praised my work.

And now he couldn’t stop.

—“Seong-woon… can I ask you something?”

“What?”

—“Would you… consider working with me?”