NOVEL NEXT Chapter 522
The first game is over.
The first game was run by those crazy people who called themselves staff and us actors.
Half of the people who were there at the beginning died.
“We need to work together if we all want to survive.”
Jisoo tried to hide her trembling hands and spoke with a calm demeanor, though it was an act.
It had been a while since she last spoke to people like this… but she had no choice.
The deaths of those people kept flashing through her mind.
How easily their lives were shattered.
The thought that she could end up like that at any moment made her feel nauseous.
Even a life in the gutter is still a life.
She didn’t want to let it go.
“Uh, how do we do that?”
At Jisoo’s suggestion to work together, one of the men in the group asked with a shaky voice.
“If we meet in the game, we help each other.”
She didn’t know what kind of game it would be.
The first game was a group elimination format.
But the next one could be team-based or individual, where they’d have to kill each other.
But.
There are a lot of people here, right?
We don’t have to kill our own team.
It’s better to form teams and identify allies.
Jisoo doesn’t think she’s all that great when she evaluates herself objectively.
So, she needs to stick with the strong ones.
For example…
Yeah, like that guy.
She glanced sideways at the man standing among the crowd.
She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he was a head taller than the other men around him and had a well-trained physique.
And…
She remembered the first game.
He had gotten into a fight with a big guy and ended up overpowering him.
He didn’t seem like an ordinary person—he must have trained in something.
That’s why…
“Hey…”
“Yes?”
“Um, come closer.”
She decided she had to recruit him and mustered the courage to speak to him.
*
And now, years later.
“…”
Jisoo looked at the man in front of her.
“Why did you save me?”
Years ago, when she participated in the game.
At the place where she chose to join the organizers.
The only man who made the same choice as her.
Now, years later, she meets him again.
**
“Cut! Good job, everyone!”
The filming was over.
“Phew.”
It ended earlier than expected.
As expected, filming with Moon Chang-sik goes quickly.
“Soo-hyun, here’s some water.”
“Ah, thank you.”
She took the water and left the set.
They filmed a lot of scenes today, but there are still many flashback scenes left.
The early part of Season 2 will alternate between the past and present, covering Jisoo’s escape at the end of Season 1 and the backstory of the mastermind.
Still, filming itself is fun.
Being on set really helps with immersion.
In the next scene, she’ll learn martial arts from Moon Chang-sik, so she wonders if she should practice in advance.
“Thanks for your hard work.”
As she was changing her clothes and heading out, she ran into Moon Chang-sik.
“Ah, are you heading out too?”
“I have to go to my next schedule.”
“You’re always busy.”
“So are you, Soo-hyun.”
“That’s true…”
She had to head to her next schedule right away.
Just thinking about the long commute made her sigh.
“The studio is too far, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s a bit…”
As they were talking.
Buzz—
Her phone rang.
She checked it casually… and of course, it was Lee Seok-hyun.
She had sent him a message about starting filming, and now he replied.
“Is it Seok-hyun?”
“Yeah.”
“…He’s been contacting you more often than I thought.”
“Right? If he sent this many messages to everyone, he wouldn’t have time for his daily life.”
He must be sending me more messages than others.
If he sent this many to everyone, he’d be glued to his phone all day.
“Look at this.”
She showed Moon Chang-sik the chat window.
The amount of messages they exchanged in just a few days.
Even if she scrolled up, it seemed endless.
“Did you reply to all of these?”
“Well… I just kept replying.”
“You’re not usually the type to keep in touch much.”
“Replying isn’t so bad.”
I’m not the type to initiate contact.
But replying is manageable.
“Should I tell him to tone it down a bit?”
Moon Chang-sik seemed concerned and asked.
“No, it’s fine.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’s not boring, so it’s okay.”
There’s no need to stop it.
I don’t have much to do during commutes anyway.
And Lee Seok-hyun’s messages are sometimes informative.
“…Alright then.”
“Thanks for the concern.”
Anyway, after finishing her conversation with Moon Chang-sik, she got into the car.
Time to head to the next schedule.
“Let’s go.”
“Got it.”
Come to think of it, the next location is the drama broadcasting station.
There’s another meeting there.
Joining early on has kept her busy.
The writer said it’s okay to skip if the schedule is tight, but… she’s one of the lead actors, right?
Plus, her role is significant, so she tries to make it on time.
…Besides, Park Kang-seok is driving.
“Fighting.”
“Huh? What’s that all of a sudden?”
“Are you getting your bonuses?”
“Yeah, they’re taking care of that.”
Well, that’s good.
Park Kang-seok is the one who suffers the most with my busy schedule.
He follows me around for filming every day, weekdays and weekends, without a break.
…Actually, the CEO offered to assign someone else, but I refused.
Park Kang-seok is already…
I’ve gotten so used to it that I think I’d feel uncomfortable if another manager came to the car now.
Since my schedule is busy, I want to relax comfortably in the car.
“Your salary must have gone up a lot, right?”
“Thanks to you, it’s fun checking my bank account these days.”
“Well, at least you have that to enjoy.”
Still, since Park Kang-seok works a lot, he’s getting financial treatment, so it should be fine, right?
…Not that I imagine him collapsing from overwork.
“Take care of your health.”
“…Why are you suddenly so concerned about me? You’re worrying about things you never did before.”
“What, what do you mean?”
“You should get a health check-up first.”
“I’ll do that soon…”
It’s been a while since the health check-up was mentioned, but I still haven’t done it.
I should get it done while it’s still early in the year and things are relaxed…
Honestly, I don’t think anything will come up in the tests.
I mean, I’m this healthy, right?
I work out, I watch my diet.
If someone like me gets sick, that would be weird, hmm.
“Even if you’re not sick, you should get regular health check-ups.”
“Do you get them often, Manager?”
“I go once every two years.”
“Hmm.”
…He’s good at it.
No wonder he’s so sharp.
I bet he takes a bunch of supplements every morning too.
That’s why he’s so lively.
Anyway.
After a long drive, we arrived in front of the broadcasting station.
“Get out.”
“Yep.”
After arriving at the broadcasting station, we went to the meeting room where we had a meeting before.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw quite a lot of people sitting and chatting in the meeting room.
“Ah! Soo-hyun is here!”
“Sit here.”
When I first came here, there were only the writer and the director in the meeting room.
But now, the spacious meeting room is full of other staff and cast members.
“When did so many people gather here?”
“Haha, there will be more in the future.”
…Seeing so many people gather for the drama feels strangely exciting.
This must be how the drama gradually comes together.
“Sit here, junior.”
And Lee Seok-hyun, whom I’ve been in contact with, was also there.
Seeing his face gives me a bit of cognitive dissonance.
The image I had from our conversations and his actual appearance are quite different.
“Ah, yes.”
“You heard what today’s meeting is about, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard we’re finalizing the filming schedule.”
Now that most of the actors are here, today’s meeting is about the filming schedule.
But more than that…
“Yes, the broadcasting station is looking for investors this time…”
Seeing Lee Seok-hyun in person feels a bit strange.
But he’s still oddly friendly.
We’ve been in contact a lot, so I kind of know what kind of person he is, right?
No, not just that level, I even heard that he sliced steak this morning just to lift his mood.
…Looking back, I’ve heard a lot of TMI about him.
Despite his appearance, he’s quite the talker.
Anyway…
“Are all the actors here? Then let’s discuss the filming schedule…”
After all the other actors arrived, we had a meeting that felt more like a briefing.
Honestly, I’m not the type to give opinions just because I’m sitting here.
I just listen and think, “Oh, okay.”
“Director.”
“Yes, Seok-hyun.”
“If the filming schedule is like that…”
On the other hand, Lee Seok-hyun is actively participating.
After all, he’s the most influential actor here.
Most people are just looking at the director, the writer, and Lee Seok-hyun.
…Wait, are they looking at me too?
It must be strange to see a famous actor sitting here.
Anyway, after that…
“Then shall we wrap up for today?”
“Yes, it was good to gather like this. It was very helpful.”
Since the other actors have schedules, the meeting ended quickly.
“Good job, everyone.”
“Yes, good job.”
With the meeting over, the actors started getting up one by one.
I also tidied up and got up.
Let’s see… After this, my only schedule is the gym, right?
Now I just need to work out and go home.
So.
Just as I was about to leave the meeting room to go to Park Kang-seok, who was probably waiting in the car…
“Soo-hyun, junior.”
“Yes?”
Lee Seok-hyun, who was behind me, called out.
“Do you have any schedule after this?”
“Nothing special…”
“Then, shall we go to that restaurant we talked about before?”
“The one we talked about… Hmm, where was it?”
“Don’t you remember? I told you about a great place near the broadcasting station.”
Ah, that place?
Wow, that was just a casual promise over the phone, but he remembered it?
I thought for a moment about what to do.
Should I decline and go to the gym?
Or should I go for a meal and build some rapport?
I weighed the two options in my mind.
And the result…
“Sure, let’s go.”
“Alright, it’s on me today.”
I leaned towards the latter.
Since we’ll be working together a lot during filming.
It wouldn’t hurt to build some rapport in advance.