New Start
Upon returning to the room, I noticed the blanket that Miso had been under was slightly messed up. When I straightened the blanket for her, Miso started to smack her lips in her sleep with a content expression on her face.
'Aw. She is adorable.'
"Oppa?"
"Oh, yes? I'm sorry."
"Isn't Miso so cute and pretty?"
"She really is."
After covering Miso with the blanket as she squirmed in bed, Yoo-Jin asked me for feedback on her acting.
"Oh, right. So what did you think of my acting earlier? I still have a lot to learn, don't I?"
Seizing the opportunity, I thought I should attempt to get Acting Coach Choi Hyun-Min out of her way.
"No, it was great. It was really good! But I think it would be best if you continued practicing on your own instead of taking lessons."
"Huh? Why?"
'Because your acting is a hundred times better than that of your coach.'
But I knew saying that would only raise unnecessary suspicions. Instead, I tried to explain myself in a way that Yoo-Jin could understand.
"I think Mr. Choi Hyun-Min's coaching method may not be the best fit for you. Don't you remember Ms. Lee Ji-Yeon mentioning something like that before?"
"Hmm. Now that you mention it, I think I've heard something along those lines…"
Yoo-Jin placed her finger on her temple as she tried to recall those memories. The exact meaning behind Lee Ji-Yeon's words was that training lessons offered by Hoop Entertainment were subpar, but I had no intention of interpreting it correctly for her.
At that moment, Yoo-Jin spoke in a worried tone.
"But the company said I had to continue taking acting lessons for three more years."
For a moment, I almost lost my temper. Subjecting Yoo-Jin to three more years of coaching from Choi Hyun-Min was tantamount to stifling her talent.
"Three years? No way. If it doesn't work out, I'll find someone else to coach you in acting. Just trust me."
Persuading Gu Seong-Cheol would be difficult, but I already had a plan in mind.
Yoo-Jin gave me a playful wink.
"Okay. So from now on, I don't have to worry about anything and just follow whatever you say?"
"Y-yes."
Her unexpected reaction made my heart flutter. Despite being in the body of my twenty-six-year-old self, my thoughts and memories belonged to the thirty-six-year-old version of me. Hence, having such reactions felt strange at times.
Nonetheless, I recognized the urgency in expediting Yoo-Jin's career development. Staying passive could result in Yoo-Jin being overshadowed and her career potentially crushed by Ju Yung-In and Kim Dong-Soo.
"Then I'll just quietly read the script for now. I don't think I can practice anymore since Miso is asleep."
"Alright."
While Yoo-Jin silently read the script, I skimmed through the planner and decided on the next drama she should star in.
'Yes. Let's go with this one.'
[Everyday V10]
[Date: June 18th, 2020]
-10:00 PM SBC Episode 24 monitoring. Highest viewership 22.1%
Blue Sky written by Kim Soll-Ip would be broadcast starting on April 1st next year. Blue Sky would become a hit with all the actors gaining attention and surpassing a viewership of 22%. If Yoo-Jin could get a role in Blue Sky, her name would undoubtedly be etched into the viewers' minds.
The male actors in this drama were known to flirt with the actresses all the time, but that was common in the industry. I was confident in handling such situations and preventing Yoo-Jin from any unwanted advances.
Moreover, this drama provided a perfect excuse to turn down Lee Ji-Yeon's offer to appear in her upcoming new drama, which would be broadcast on the same day. Considering Kim Soll-Ip was Lee Ji-Yeon's assistant, the latter would concede at least once if she knew that Yoo-Jin was going to appear in Kim Soll-Ip's drama.
I continued to flip through the planner and selected other dramas for Yoo-Jin to appear in.
'Let's go with this one after Blue Sky…'
As I was envisioning Yoo-Jin's career development plan with a smile, I heard the sound of Miso waking up.
"Auntie~."
Miso rubbed her eyes and looked for Yoo-Jin. Despite just waking up from a deep sleep, Miso addressed Yoo-Jin as auntie instead of mom, showing how careful she had been to hide their true relationship in front of other people.
I felt the need to address this issue of Miso not being able to call Yoo-Jin 'mom' promptly.
When Miso opened her eyes, Yoo-Jin smiled and closed the script.
"Miso, are you up?"
"Yeup…I fell asleep because I was too full."
Miso stretched her arms and snuggled into Yoo-Jin's embrace.
"Come here, Miso. How was your sleep?"
"It was good! I'm not sleepy anymore," Miso answered cheerfully.
"Oh, Miso. You drooled in your sleep."
"Huh? Where? Where?"
With surprised eyes, Miso wiped around her cheeks with her tiny hands.
"Haha. I'm just kidding~."
"Ugh, auntie! I hate you!"
Miso puffed her cheeks, upset by Yoo-Jin's jest. However, Yoo-Jin found Miso adorable and pulled her into a hug and tickled her.
"No, Miso. Don't hate me~."
"Hahaha. It tickles! It tickles! Stop it~. Hahaha!"
Miso's pout disappeared as she burst into laughter. Witnessing this scene brought a smile to my face and warmed my heart.
"Alright. Let's call it a day and go home. The landlord texted me to say that you guys can return home now."
"Okay, oppa."
"Okay, uncle Yoon-Ho!"
After sending Yoo-Jin and Miso home that evening, the landlord thanked me for preventing her house from being burned down due to a gas leak. She bowed her head several times to show her appreciation and treated us to an extravagant dinner.
The landlord ensured I received a basket full of fruits from her before I left, though I couldn't understand why the fruit basket had to include a durian.
***
The first thing I did upon returning home was open the planner app.
During my first year at work, I was often scolded by my superiors, prompting me to diligently record everything in my planner, from schedules and matters to report to meeting notes, cast monitoring, and even viewership ratings.
Reading through the planner where everything was written down meticulously like a personal diary filled with all sorts of information, I burst into a laugh without realizing it.
"Hahaha. I was crazy."
I noticed that I had written down schedules even the day after Miso passed away.
[Everyday V10]
[Date: December 13th, 2019]
[Current Time: 07:43 PM]
-06:00 PM
(Deleted Schedule: Pick up Ju Yung-In)
-09:50 KBC Drama . Canceled due to breaking news.
"Habits are indeed scary."
As I closely examined the diary, it brought back memories of that time. Feeling too ashamed to face Yoo-Jin after Miso's funeral, I requested for a transfer to another department. Unfortunately, I was assigned to Actor Division 3 under Kim Dong-Soo, which was why my planner mostly contained schedules related to Actor Division 3.
"Ah, now is not the time for this…"
Regaining my focus, I spent some time exploring the features of the planner app.
***
After playing around with the app for a while, one thing became clear to me—under no circumstance would new schedules appear in the V10 app. I tried entering schedules into the current V1 version just in case, but no new schedules were added to V10.
Subsequently, I decided to observe how schedules were deleted from the app and found that there were three rules governing schedule deletion.