Chapter 115: MT (3)
“I… I’m not giving up.”
They hadn’t directly said they liked Kim Si-woo, but they all instinctively knew the others did too.
And at Hong Soo-yeon’s question about giving up, Lee Hae-soo was the first to answer.
“Honestly, Si-woo isn’t playing the field. He’s just a bit indecisive.”
At Shim Ji-young’s words, people began nodding one by one, and the atmosphere shifted in an instant.
Tch.
Hong Soo-yeon inwardly regretted it and kept probing, but everyone seemed to have made up their minds—no one budged.
Thinking she had to compete with the women here made Hong Soo-yeon sigh involuntarily.
“Sigh…”
And as if sharing the same thought, the others sighed one after another.
Not a single one of them was an easy opponent.
In the suddenly deflated mood, Shim Ji-young—as if struck by a good idea—gathered the women and made a proposal.
“Since it’s come to this, let’s make a group chat.”
“Huh?”
“Just create one group message room.”
“Why?”
“For information sharing? And if any of us ends up dating him, we agree to tell the others.”
“Sounds good. I’m in.”
Starting with Jung Se-yeon, the women who liked Kim Si-woo all agreed to create the group chat.
And so a secret group chat was born.
“But… no one here is already dating him, right?”
At Lee Yoo-jin’s sharp question, everyone shook their heads.
“Surely no one’s lying? If there is, speak up now.”
“Not me.”
“Me neither.”
While everyone denied it, Jung Se-yeon alone fell deep into thought.
“What? Jung Se-yeon, you don’t mean…”
“Unnie.”
“Yeah?”
“What if… she’s in Japan?”
“What?”
Mid-conversation, a certain woman suddenly popped into Jung Se-yeon’s mind.
Arimura Noa—the one Kim Si-woo had been close to in Japan.
“Japan?”
“Yes, there’s this Arimura Noa… Soo-yeon, you know her, right?”
“Yeah. I’m sure. I don’t know if oppa likes her, but that woman definitely likes oppa.”
“Damn… So Kim Si-woo went to Japan to pick up a girl?”
“And she’s insanely rich. Beautiful, and an actress too.”
As Hong Soo-yeon started talking about Arimura Noa, everyone hurriedly searched on their phones.
“What? A Japanese chaebol heiress?”
“And she’s gorgeous.”
Reactions varied, but one thing was clear.
‘This woman is dangerous.’
She was just as attractive as any of the women sitting here.
“She’s not… dating him already, right?”
Even Shim Ji-young grew suspicious.
Lee Hae-soo quietly raised her hand and spoke.
“Um… I have something to say.”
“What is it?”
“I… was supposed to go to Japan with Si-woo-ssi this winter… If he has a girlfriend in Japan, wouldn’t he not take me?”
At Lee Hae-soo’s words, everyone focused not on the girlfriend part—but on the fact that the two were going to Japan alone.
“Just the two of you to Japan?”
“Yes…”
“Why?”
“Well…”
In that moment, Lee Hae-soo remembered that Kim Si-woo wanted to keep the fact he’d produced a film in Japan a secret, so she trailed off vaguely.
“What is it!”
“That’s… a secret.”
“Secret? Seeecreeet? Damn it…”
Frustrated, Shim Ji-young grabbed the soju beside her and downed it.
“Sorry…”
“No, it’s fine. Si-woo probably suggested it.”
After that, they continued spending time talking about Kim Si-woo.
Meanwhile, Kim Si-woo was surrounded by the men, drinking expensive liquor.
“So, have you decided on your next project?”
“Well… I’m writing something, but lately it’s been overwhelming.”
“Has that phase finally come for Writer Kim too?”
“Phase?”
“At the beginning, ideas just pour out endlessly. But as time passes, they dry up.”
“Huh? No, it’s not that—I’ve just been too busy with work lately, no time to write. And it’s a hassle.”
Park Woong-deok burst into loud laughter at the completely different answer from what he expected.
“Puhahaha! As expected, a madman is a madman. One more drink.”
“Ah… yes.”
And so the seemingly endless dawn continued for Kim Si-woo.
The next day at lunch.
Kim Si-woo moved with a more haggard face than ever.
The expensive alcohol meant less hangover, but it was still exhausting.
Surviving among heavy drinkers like Park Woong-deok was no easy feat.
Thanks to that, they seemed satisfied enough not to complain about it ending or suggest more drinking.
As he came out of his room with his packed luggage, Kim Si-woo saw several people.
They didn’t look much different from him.
Since it was the last day, they had overdone it too.
Everyone loaded their luggage and themselves onto the buses and cars heading home.
Shim Ji-young double-checked the promise they’d made while creating the group chat.
“Don’t forget the promise, everyone.”
“Yes!”
Boarding the car last, Kim Si-woo scratched his head looking at the oddly united women.
“What promise?”
“You don’t need to know. It’s just between us girls.”
“Ah… okay.”
Kim Si-woo felt awkward for asking unnecessarily.
On the way back, the car was dead silent.
Everyone except the driver was asleep.
After three hours of driving, everyone arrived home.
“Sigh… I’m exhausted. Starting tomorrow, back to writing.”
Feeling he’d played enough, Kim Si-woo thought about the script he’d write tomorrow and went to bed.
The next dawn, Kim Si-woo woke up feeling hungry.
He got up, took out a pack of ramen, and boiled it with some bean sprouts from the fridge.
“As expected, bean sprout ramen for hangover cure.”
After lightly finishing a bowl, Kim Si-woo prepared to head to the office.
“Today I need to focus on writing the script.”
Arriving at the Siwoo Film office right on time, the team members looked exhausted but were already editing early in the morning.
“Working hard since morning… I’ll buy something delicious for lunch. Let’s do our best.”
“Yes!”
Seeing the team members working diligently even before official hours made Kim Si-woo want to treat them well.
After greeting the team, Kim Si-woo entered his office, turned on the computer, and began writing the latter part of the script he’d thought about before bed.
The new script Kim Si-woo was writing was a historical drama.
An alternate history one, at that.
The title was <Peerless Joseon>. The story began with a high school science teacher—who was a military maniac—being transported to the Joseon era.
But since it was alternate history, there was a lot to research.
The most important was weapon manufacturing methods.
From matchlock guns to mass-producible machine guns, mass-producible field artillery, and the bullets or explosives for each weapon.
“This is taking longer to search than to write.”
By lunchtime, he hadn’t even passed five pages.
“I’ll write more after eating. Well…”
Kim Si-woo lightly stood up, took the tired-looking team members and actors, and headed to a nearby fancy restaurant.
After finishing a meal at a pricey Korean set menu place and returning, Kim Si-woo immersed himself in writing again, while the staff were busy editing the footage from the MT.
“Good work, everyone.”
“You too.”
Since everyone had worked hard, when Kim Si-woo left on time, the others stopped what they were doing and headed home as well.
***
Time passed, the scorching sunlight faded, and the cool breezes of autumn arrived.
Kim Si-woo’s script was steadily nearing completion, and Siwoo Film was running smoothly.
The only problem was Kim Si-woo’s birthday.
October 20—his birthday.
Last year, he had brushed it off casually and gotten an earful from Shim Ji-young and others.
They especially disliked how he celebrated others’ birthdays but treated his own half-heartedly.
“It’s such a hassle…”
A small birthday party would be one thing, but having a crowd gather to congratulate him felt exhausting.
However, bad premonitions never miss their mark.
As his birthday approached, Kim Si-woo’s phone vibrated more frequently.
The vibrations were from texts.
Most of the messages asked if he was throwing a birthday party.
“Since it’s come to this, I might as well announce my birthday and next project together.”
Time passed, and the long-awaited October 20 arrived.
He safely completed the script before his birthday and even registered the copyright.
Afterward, Kim Si-woo invited people he was close to and industry figures.
From film production companies to distribution executives.
No one would miss an announcement of a new project.
Kim Si-woo’s works always exploded in success.
Even if the first three were chalked up to luck, after six consecutive hits and a YouTube channel showing tremendous growth, no one doubted his skill anymore.
“You came?”
“It’s been a while. You didn’t contact me at all.”
“Sorry. I’ve been a bit busy…”
“Well, thank you for inviting me today anyway. Happy birthday.”
“Thank you.”
People he hadn’t seen in a while expressed mild grievances but inwardly seemed pleased that he had remembered to invite them.
Once enough people had arrived and the scheduled time came, Kim Si-woo moved inside.
“Hello. I’m Kim Si-woo.”
Stepping onto the stage inside, Kim Si-woo took the microphone and greeted everyone.
“Thank you all for coming to my birthday party today. Before we begin the party proper, I’ll announce my next project.”
At his gesture, a screen lowered and the projector turned on.
On the screen were four characters written by Kim Si-woo: <Peerless Joseon>.
“The work I’ve written this time is a historical drama.”
At the words “historical drama,” people’s eyes sparkled as they focused on him.
“The story begins like this. The protagonist—a military maniac and high school science teacher—goes to Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul on a school trip. Despite a ‘No Entry’ sign, drawn by an inexplicable pull, he touches the king’s throne. In that instant, amid a blinding light, he opens his eyes in the Joseon era—as the king’s son, a grand prince, no less.”
People looked intrigued, eager for him to continue.
Reading their thoughts, Kim Si-woo paused for effect before slowly opening his mouth again.
“While the other grand princes fight over the throne, the protagonist starts doing something else on his own. With his titles as a military maniac and science teacher, he begins recruiting artisans from across the land. And using his modern knowledge, he starts manufacturing weapons.”
Kim Si-woo told only about half the story before setting down the microphone.
“The rest is paywalled. If you’re interested, please contact Siwoo Film later. Thank you.”
It was only half, but everyone was convinced.
A subtly overpowered protagonist.
And what people commonly call “nationalist vibes” in the film.
It might not just lack popularity overseas—it could even be disliked.
Especially in Japan or China…
But one thing was certain: screening it in Korea alone would generate more than enough profit.
“How was it?”
“Great. Look at their eyes—they’ve changed. Once the party starts, they’ll swarm you for sure.”
“It’s gonna be tiring.”
“Well… what can you do? It’s the life of a famous writer.”
Lee Yoo-jin, wearing a seductive black dress, offered consolation from beside him.
The two walked together toward the party food and the guests.
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This novel is now translated and finished at Chapter 176
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