Chapter 103: Change (2)
The Siwoo Film actors began listening not to advice, but to the veterans’ personal stories.
Tales of landing their first lead role at age 50, collapsing mid-scene from malnutrition and being rushed to the hospital, being belittled as incompetent by the very teacher who taught them acting—every story hit home for ordinary actors.
By common sense, none of their experiences were “normal.”
But that’s exactly what made them resonate so deeply with the Siwoo Film actors.
They all had their own unique acting style; no two actors were the same.
Not everyone could be the lead, and not everyone could become famous.
Yet if you kept honing your own style, opportunity would come someday.
With that message, the veterans wrapped up their stories, and that night the Siwoo Film actors shed tears.
“Alright, advice ends here.”
“Huh?”
At the sudden announcement, the Siwoo Film actors—still wiping tears—looked confused. Then angry voices erupted from the older actors.
“Back in my day!”
The phrase every twenty-something dreads—“Back in my day!”—burst out.
Meanwhile, Kim Si-woo was dealing with Shim Ji-young’s drunken rant.
“You’re that worried about them? What about me? Aren’t you worried about me?”
“Noona, you’re someone who does fine on your own.”
“I had it tough too, you know? Huh?”
“I’m sorry.”
The next day, the actors’ mindsets had clearly shifted—they were the ones bringing up casting new talent to Kim Si-woo.
‘Their expressions look much better.’
Kim Si-woo nodded and gave orders.
“Yoo-jin-ah, prepare auditions for actors. Staff, post job openings and start interviews.”
“Yes!”
Everyone sprang into action at his instructions.
Except one person.
“But why are you here, noona?”
“We need judges for the actor auditions, right?”
“Well… yeah?”
“I’ll do it.”
“Huh?”
“But you’re buying dinner today. Ugh… my stomach’s burning. Let’s go get hangover soup.”
“…Okay.”
Kim Si-woo trailed behind the confident Shim Ji-young like a scolded puppy.
While preparations to expand Siwoo Film progressed smoothly, Kim Si-woo decided to put a plan he’d been considering for a while into motion.
“Is this the place?”
Kim Si-woo pushed open the door of a franchise café.
Spotting the person he’d arranged to meet by their outfit, he approached and greeted them.
“Hello.”
“Ah! Yes, hello.”
“Hwang Ji-yoo-ssi, right?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
Confirming it was her, Kim Si-woo sat down.
“So… why did you want to meet me…? Writer Kim Si-woo-nim.”
“Come work for our company.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll give you 1.5 times what you’re making now.”
The woman he was trying to recruit with such an aggressive offer was Hwang Ji-yoo, a celebrity news reporter from a major site.
“1.5 times? Hmm…”
Hwang Ji-yoo rubbed her chin at the number.
“Too low?”
“No, I’m just curious why you’re trying this hard to hire me. What exactly do you want me to do…? And why me?”
“Ah… nothing special. We just need someone who knows everything about celebrities. And maybe some press connections?”
“That’s literally my specialty.”
Hwang Ji-yoo was completely won over by Kim Si-woo’s surprisingly simple proposal.
“Then what about benefits?”
“Name whatever you want.”
“First, five-day workweek.”
“Hmm… that might be a little difficult.”
“As expected, higher pay means more work…?”
When her first request failed, Hwang Ji-yoo glanced at him nervously. Kim Si-woo quickly clarified.
“No, that’s not it. Instead of five days, just work whenever you feel like it. But prioritize anything I ask you to do. You can work from the office, home, or out in the field—doesn’t matter to me.”
“Huh? Isn’t that even better? What if I slack off…?”
“If you do a lot of research in advance, you won’t have to work as much on a daily basis, right? But you’ll have to prove your abilities. If you can’t, you won’t last long.”
“Just… trust me. I’ll bury my bones in this company.”
No other place would offer treatment like this.
Pure meritocracy.
No seniors to steal her articles, and for someone with her skills, it was the ultimate opportunity.
Plus, the tasks Kim Si-woo was asking for were right in her wheelhouse.
“But… what exactly do you plan to use the celebrity info for?”
“So I can know in advance if someone is worth casting in my projects.”
“Haha! Leave that to me.”
“Then come to the office tomorrow—I’ll have the contract ready.”
“Yes! Writer-nim, get home safe.”
“You too, Reporter-nim.”
The next morning.
Hwang Ji-yoo submitted her resignation at her old company and headed straight to Siwoo Film’s office.
“Hello! Starting today, I’m Hwang Ji-yoo, working under Writer Kim Si-woo. Please treat me well.”
“So full of energy… This way.”
Lee Yoo-jin, exhaling through her nose at the enthusiastic Hwang Ji-yoo, led her to Kim Si-woo’s office.
“Writer-nim, Reporter Hwang Ji-yoo is here.”
“Ah, come in.”
Kim Si-woo, in the middle of writing a script, stood up when he saw her.
“Have a seat.”
“Yes.”
“Yoo-jin, sit for a minute too.”
“Yes, Writer-nim.”
Kim Si-woo handed Hwang Ji-yoo the contract.
“Here’s the contract. Read it over and ask if anything’s unclear.”
After poring over it for a while, Hwang Ji-yoo cautiously raised her hand and looked at him.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“It says you’ll provide equipment needed for work… How far does that coverage go?”
“Anything you need for investigations or other expenses—we’ll cover it all.”
“Does that include… a car?”
“We’ll get you one.”
“What about a high-powered camera?”
“That too.”
“And people?”
“If you need them, we’ll hire more.”
“I… I’m in. No—please let me join!”
Hwang Ji-yoo folded instantly in front of the money.
After quickly signing, she bowed deeply to Kim Si-woo.
The salary was 1.5 times her previous one, and bonuses, allowances, and benefits were incomparable to her old job.
Just before leaving the office after her thanks, Hwang Ji-yoo suddenly remembered something.
“Oh! By the way, Writer-nim. Why me, specifically?”
“Hmm… I guess I liked your articles.”
“Ah… got it.”
Finding the right reporter had actually taken longer than expected.
In the end, Kim Si-woo decided to pick the one whose articles he read most often—and that was Hwang Ji-yoo.
Once she left, Lee Yoo-jin, curious about hiring a reporter, asked Kim Si-woo.
“Writer-nim, why a reporter all of a sudden?”
“To make casting for projects easier.”
“That’s really it?”
“Hmm… for now, yeah.”
“Understood. I’ll get back to work then.”
When Lee Yu-jin left the office too, Kim Si-woo smiled thinking of Hwang Ji-yoo.
‘This should make things a lot less annoying.’
From now on, he’d be able to eliminate potential issues in casting and film production much more easily.
Knock knock knock.
About two hours later, right around lunchtime, there was a knock.
“Come in.”
At the knock, Kim Si-woo called out, and the door burst open as a familiar girl rushed in.
“Soo-yeon-ah?”
“Oppa! You’re staying in Korea for good now, right?”
“For now?”
“Thank goodness. Anyway, so much happened while you were gone…”
Hong Soo-yeon had a lot to say and chattered nonstop beside him.
She had been incredibly busy while he was in Japan.
And the busier she got, the more famous she became.
Naturally, that fame came with more incidents.
The one that bothered her most was the number of guys asking for her number.
“Who? Idols?”
For sure, actors who knew Kim Si-woo’s influence stayed far away from her.
Most of the ones asking were idols with no connection to movies or dramas.
“So did you give it to them?”
“No, they weren’t my type.”
“That poor guy.”
“And the way they cursed under their breath… How did they even debut as idols…?”
“If they keep bothering you, tell them I’ll bury them in the industry.”
“Huh?”
Hong Soo-yeon looked shocked at Kim Si-woo’s deadly serious tone.
But his expression showed no sign of joking.
She tensed up, realizing one idol’s fate could hinge on her words.
Sensing her worry, Kim Si-woo lightened the mood.
“Just kidding. Of course, if you like someone, you can give it—but ask me first.”
Annoying her by asking for her number was one thing, but if they caused real harm…
The joke could turn serious—that was his secret.
Knowing how much she’d struggled, Kim Si-woo couldn’t bear seeing her hurt by some worthless, weird, or trashy guy.
‘I should tell her to look into male idols in advance too.’
Just two hours after signing, Hwang Ji-yoo already had one more task.
“By the way, have you eaten lunch?”
“No, I was waiting to eat with you, oppa.”
“Really? Then let’s finish talking over food. But going out is a hassle… Delivery?”
“Sure, I’m fine with anything.”
“Wait a sec.”
Kim Si-woo opened his office door and asked the office.
“Chinese for lunch today?”
“Yes!”
“I want triple seafood jja jang myeon, double portion.”
“Jjamppong for me.”
“Triple seafood jjamppong, sweet and sour pork, chili shrimp—and order the rest as you like.”
“Yes, Writer-nim. Thank you for the meal!”
After delegating the order, Kim Si-woo resumed talking with Hong Soo-yeon.
“Tell me what happened in Korea while I was gone. I only saw the big news articles.”
“Hmm… Well, Se-yeon unnie is swamped with backlog schedules.”
“Makes sense. She was already busy, but after the movie, even more.”
“Yeah.”
While eating jjamppong, Hong Soo-yeon filled him in on everything.
Choi Do-hyun retiring from entertainment and switching fully to theater.
Kim Ji-hyun and Shim Ji-young starting new projects.
Park Jun-ho beginning a musical, and more—how everyone had been while he was in Japan.
‘Well… I wasn’t just playing around either. Everyone’s been busy.’
Others thought he’d just been enjoying life in Japan.
They had no idea a movie based on his script was currently in production there.
‘Better not let that slip…’
Just imagining Park Woong-deok, Shim Ji-young, Jung Se-yeon, and others grilling him if they found out gave him chills.
‘Ugh… even thinking about it is exhausting. Even if it turns out well, let’s keep it quiet.’
But that secret would eventually be revealed by one actor…
Though there was still plenty of time before that happened.
Time flew, and soon it was audition day for new actors at Siwoo Film.
“Whew, seeing it in person makes it look even bigger.”
Kim Si-woo looked weary at the gym packed full of people.
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TL Note:
This novel is now translated and finished at Chapter 176.
If you’d like to continue right away, the remaining 73 chapters (104–176) are available on my Patreon Premium tier, along with extra chapters from my other 5 ongoing translated novels.
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For this novel specifically, check the collection under “Genius Writer”
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