Kim Soll-Ip found herself at a loss for words.
"Writers should have pride, but there aren't many talent agents who have that level of confidence in their actors. It's not just about the actor but also about the talent agents who manage them. So make sure you learn from him. It will help you choose good actors in the future."
"Yes, ma'am."
Lee Ji-Yeon spoke with a trace of regret in her voice.
"Soll-Ip. This is the last piece of advice I can give you. You're on your own from now on. You understand?"
Looking at Lee Ji-Yeon gazing at her with affectionate eyes, Kim Soll-Ip felt a surge of emotions within her. Lee Ji-Yeon wasn't easy to assist due to her unique personality. But over time, Kim Soll-Ip had been moved by the care and attention Lee Ji-Yeon had shown her.
Even now, Lee Ji-Yeon was going to great lengths to support Kim Soll-Ip by securing a production company and scheduling slots for her. Moreover, she had even complimented Kim Soll-Ip by proclaiming her as a competitor in the presence of Hoop Entertainment.
Trying to hide her tears, Kim Soll-Ip changed the topic.
"Ms. Lee. You haven't been diagnosed with any illness or given a limited time to live, have you?"
Lee Ji-Yeon laughed and replied.
"Of course not. It's just that my pride is hurt after being turned down. Oh, thinking about it, he rejected me without even reading my script, right?"
Lee Ji-Yeon's grumbling lasted longer than expected.
"No. On second thought, it's a waste to give Yoo-Jin to you, Soll-Ip. I'll take her with me. Is that okay?"
"Ha ha, no way. You said earlier that he's already made his choice."
Hearing that, Lee Ji-Yeon began to complain as usual and Kim Soll-Ip had to endure Lee Ji-Yeon's complaints all the way till the next morning.
-How dare he reject me without even looking at the script! I'll make sure he never does that again!
-I'll make sure to write an outstanding script so that he'll come begging to work on my next drama!
-Give me Yoon-Ho's number! Call him and let me speak to Yoo-Jin!
-Huh? He's sleeping? How can he be sleeping when I'm still awake!?
-No. Why should the great Lee Ji-Yeon wait for the next drama to work with them?
-Soll-Ip. Call him and tell him that if he doesn't work with me on this drama, I won't ever see him again!
As she edited the manuscript, the crazy rants of Lee Ji-Yeon, fueled by caffeine, continued until seven in the morning.
Even though Kim Soll-Ip paid no heed to Lee Ji-Yeon's complaints, she felt as if her ears were bleeding from the incessant complaints.
Nonetheless, thanks to the high-end sushi that Lee Ji-Yeon treated her to the previous day, she had the strength to endure it all.
***
It was December 25th, 2019.
I was currently visiting Yoo-Jin's house to celebrate Christmas.
"Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas!"
Yoo-Jin and Miso smiled brightly and approached me with a cake they had baked together. It was a crooked cake with whipped cream spread on top, decorated with Powertuff Girls-shaped chocolates.
Miso gathered the candles and lit them at once.
"Uncle Yoon-Ho! Blow out the candles! Hurry!"
Whoosh!
When I effortlessly blew out the candles with one breath, Miso sighed in relief.
"Miso, we don't want to start a fire here."
"It's okay! I have a secret weapon now!"
Miso ran to the kitchen and came back holding a small fire extinguisher. She had gotten it after attending a training session at the local fire station with the landlord, but she was disappointed that she hadn't had a chance to use it yet.
I was momentarily taken aback, but I refrained from scolding her after seeing her cute expression.
"Oppa, here you go."
Yoo-Jin handed me a plastic cake cutter.
"Why are you giving this to me? You should be the one cutting it."
"Well…it's all thanks to you that we are celebrating Christmas right now."
I couldn't help but scratch my head at Yoo-Jin's words. I felt a tingling sensation in my chest.
"Alright. Should I cut it then?"
"Yes!"
As I cut the cake, Miso wore a bright smile and clapped her hands. Then Yoo-Jin served me a piece of cake on a plate.
'Wow, it's sweet.'
The cake had buttercream, onion rings, chocolates, and even strawberry jam.
"Um, why are there onion rings here?"
"Because it's Miso's favorite snack."
"Yes! I love onion rings the most. It's my favorite~!"
Miso held the onion rings in her hand and placed them against her cheeks. Although it was an odd combination, the cake had a taste of happiness.
While eating the cake, Yoo-Jin asked.
"Is it not tasty? Miso worked hard on it…should I remove the onion rings for you?"
I was caught trying to secretly pick out the onion rings. Fearing Miso would spot me, I quickly put an onion ring in my mouth and spoke.
"N-no. It's delicious. Ke hem. I was just thinking about your next drama. Which writer do you prefer? Ms. Lee or Ms. Kim?"
Yoo-Jin had already read both scripts because I immediately sent her the script for In the Name of God that I received last night from Lee Ji-Yeon.
I hadn't told her which role I would recommend because I wanted to hear Yoo-Jin's personal opinion.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Yoo-Jin shared her thoughts.
"Hmm. I prefer Ms. Kim because I like the character Twilight from Blue Sky."
"Twilight?"
Blue Sky was a family romantic comedy set twenty years ago, depicting the daily lives of the Sung Blue's family that ran a seafood restaurant and the Kim Sky's family that ran a BBQ restaurant.
Kim Twilight was a cheerful girl who took over the household chores from her eldest sister who couldn't eat meat despite running a BBQ restaurant.
Twilight was a character that would become as popular as the female lead and receive immense love from the audience. In my past life, the role was played by an actress named Park Jin-Hee.
Thanks to playing the role of Kim Twilight, Park Jin-Hee had earned several million won just from advertisements that year.
Feeling proud that Yoo-Jin also chose the role of Twilight, I couldn't help but break into a fatherly smile.
Seeing my smile, Yoo-Jin looked confused.
"Oppa. Did I make a wrong choice?"
"No, the role I wanted to recommend was also Twilight."
For a moment, Yoo-Jin's face brightened and she suddenly exclaimed while holding out her right hand.
"Jji-jji-pong![1]"
"Ouch! What was that for?"
Yoo-Jin pinched my arm as she laughed, saying we had the same thought.
'What the heck is this? What even is jji-jji-pong?''
"Ooh, me too! Jji-jji-pong!"
'Why are you pinching me as well, Miso?'
Enduring the pain, I asked Yoo-Jin.
"Ouch…how long are you going to keep doing this?"
"Until it's resolved!"
With her innocent face, Miso said I had to shout something to resolve it. But I had no idea what was going on.
"How do I resolve it?"
Miso sneaked a glance and whispered in my ear.
"Say pong-jji-jji!"
'What? What on earth is that?'
It felt odd, yet I had no choice but to shout it out.
"Pong-jji-jji!"
With that, Yoo-Jin and Miso stopped pinching me and burst into laughter.
'So, it's something people do when they say the same thing or have the same thought?'
When I acted as if the pinch hurt, Miso blew on the spot she pinched to soothe it. I couldn't help but laugh at Miso's contradictory actions.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Yoon-Ho~."
'Wait. It makes sense why Yoo-Jin pinched me, but why did Miso pinch me too?'
I was tempted to question Miso about it, but seeing her brightly laughing face, I couldn't help but break into laughter too.
'She's too cute to be held accountable.'
"But Yoo-Jin, why do you prefer Ms. Kim's drama over Ms. Lee's drama?"
"Oh, that?"
As Yoo-Jin began to explain, I inadvertently laughed out loud.