Chapter 33 : Let’s reach ten million (2)

“…Ha! I never thought of Siyeon like that. She’s so honest, really!”

“…? Why, Mom? Did something happen?”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”

Hye-won, who left the company dinner early, grumbled and returned home.

Chae-young, who was eating ice cream and watching The Heirs, asked her mom in surprise.

This was the first time Chae-young had seen Hye-won so irritated.

“More importantly, you always complain about losing your role to Siyeon, but why do you keep watching The Heirs?”

“That’s different. The Heirs is interesting. All the kids are watching it, so if I don’t watch it, I can’t join the conversation.”

“Ugh… really. You should prepare for your next project soon! You always complain about being overshadowed by Siyeon! If you keep eating stuff like this every day, you’re going to gain weight!”

“Didn’t you say that you have to eat well for your bones to grow strong? What’s going on with you?”

Chae-young snorted as if it was funny and focused back on The Heirs.

Hye-won spoke without even blinking.

“How could she be so stubborn? I gave birth to her, but she’s too strong-willed.”

No, no. This isn’t right.

What am I doing, taking out my frustration with Siyeon on my daughter?

Hye-won snapped out of her thoughts.

Fortunately, Chae-young was okay now that her injury had prevented her from appearing in HereHeart. Otherwise, they would have had a huge fight for sure.

But still, Siyeon and Chae-young were still friends.

Even though they said things like that, they were close enough to watch The Heirs together every day.

Hye-won brought out some jelly for Chae-young, saying they should eat together, and went into her room.

“Siyeon is just that kind of kid. She wasn’t wrong.”

Even though she was upset about what happened at the dinner, Siyeon’s words were all correct.

The part where Siyeon said the middle section dragged on.

Other people had looked at Hye-won as if they agreed.

Of course, Hye-won had also felt that way to some extent.

The part where Siyeon’s childhood scenes transition to Hye-won’s future scenes.

There was a noticeable drop in immersion as Hye-won appeared after Siyeon’s strong performance.

It wasn’t that Hye-won was bad. It was just that Siyeon was so good.

She never expected the difference would be so big.

Siyeon’s acting and actions exceeded Hye-won’s imagination.

Now Hye-won understood Director Bong Jun-young’s reaction.

“Do I have to give up my position now…”

With newcomers rising so fast.

Now, it was a matter of being compared so intensely in the same project.

Of course, Hye-won knew Siyeon was exceptional.

She knew she hadn’t said anything with bad intentions.

She had known Siyeon for a long time, so she understood what kind of person she was.

Still, it was inevitable to feel down.

At least the movie seemed likely to be a hit, so that was a relief.

And soon after, HereHeart started being screened in theaters.

[HereHeart surpasses 3 million viewers in just one week. Will it reach 10 million?]

[Mixed reactions to HereHeart. Positive public response.]

[Pop culture critic Kim Gong-jin gives HereHeart a 3.3 rating. A record-breaking score. ‘It was perfect except for the protagonist’s regression.’]

[Siyeon Kim from The Heirs makes a surprise appearance as a child actor in HereHeart. When was she cast?]

[HereHeart behind-the-scenes. The movie was almost a masterpiece for mother and daughter.]

“Wow… Director, this is an unprecedented reaction.”

“Phew… I’m glad it’s doing well. But we still have to wait and see.”

One week after the release.

Seeing the market’s reaction, Bong Jun-young sighed in relief.

He had secretly worried about negative reviews.

But the public’s reaction was very positive, and the critics’ reviews weren’t bad either.

Especially, Kim Gong-jin’s 3.3 rating was a record.

Considering his usual scores in the 2-point range, it was high praise.

Even so, there were still some regrets.

There was a drop in immersion after Siyeon’s part finished.

Several critics pointed this out.

But most of them agreed that Siyeon’s incredible acting made it unavoidable.

“Siyeon is really getting a lot of attention.”

“I still can’t believe it. How could a middle schooler act like that? It was as intense as Senior Gil Dae-su’s performances.”

“Exactly. Even now, I can’t believe it.”

At the time of filming, it was great, but thinking back now, it was spine-chilling.

The fact that a 14-year-old could deliver such a performance.

And although Hye-won felt a bit sorry, she couldn’t help but wonder if the movie would have been even more successful if Siyeon had been the sole lead.

Perhaps it could have even gone to the Academy.

There were some reactions suggesting that HereHeart might still have a chance at the Academy.

Bong Jun-young knew it was unlikely this time, but

he thought that if he focused more on the next project, and worked with Siyeon again, it might be possible.

“Where is Siyeon’s agency? Should I meet her parents?”

“Well, she’s so mature. I think her agency is AS Entertainment. It’s a small company where only Siyeon is signed, now that I think of it, I’ve never seen her manager’s face.”

“The car that picked her up when she finished work must have been her manager’s, right? But I didn’t see anyone getting off at the filming site.”

“With a company like that, the CEO probably acts as the manager and handles everything…”

It seemed like it would be good to build a better relationship with Siyeon.

If that’s the case, it would be good to keep some connection with the agency too.

Surprisingly, the agency was shrouded in mystery. Is it a new agency?

Siyeon was always so polite and well-prepared, even when she was alone on set.

Usually, a manager takes care of the actor’s surroundings, but Siyeon had done everything so well that Hye-won had forgotten she’d never seen her manager.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if she grew up fast? Or maybe, I could just cast her as the lead right now…?”

Bong Jun-young was happily mulling over the idea and began to look into AS Entertainment.

As for the movie, the number of viewers kept rising in its first week of release, so he felt a little relieved.

“It’s really a hit…! I can’t believe I’m the president of Siyeon’s fan club!”

Shin Min-jeong lay in the on-call room, stifling a giggle.

Since its release, HereHeart had been on a roll.

Siyeon was getting incredible attention for her child actor role in the movie.

In this HereHeart, Siyeon’s impact was even greater than in The Heirs.

It felt like she was wearing clothes perfectly tailored to her.

She shone even more doing tough action scenes rather than a sweet teen romance.

Shin Min-jeong laughed as she peeked at the posts on the fan cafe.

The actor she had first become a fan of, even creating the fan club, was doing so well now.

She couldn’t help but feel proud.

“Min-jeong! What are you doing? The time’s up!”

“Oh, yes!”

In the middle of her excitement, Shin Min-jeong forgot the start time for the news.

She hurriedly ran to the news hall.

It was a mistake she had never made in her long career.

Fortunately, the news started on time.

“Here’s the latest on a newly released film. Bong Jun-young’s HereHeart surpassed 3 million viewers in just one week, and next… “

Today, there happened to be news related to HereHeart.

The young actress Kim Siyeon, who played the female lead’s childhood role, had gained attention for her incredible acting since The Heirs…

“…and…”

“…Hey, was this in the original script?”

“No? It wasn’t.”

“But what are you doing, Min-jeong?”

Excited about the news on Siyeon, Shin Min-jeong unconsciously went beyond the script and started praising Siyeon.

The screen was supposed to change, but Shin Min-jeong kept talking, causing the director to wave his hands in frustration.

“What are you doing! Stick to the script!”

Despite this, Shin Min-jeong continued, which messed up the news broadcast.

Although she got scolded for the first time in a while, she was grinning.

“Ah… maybe we should just make Yuri the lead in The Heirs… Siyeon, let’s go to Hollywood…”

It was a happy way home.

In fact, Shin Min-jeong’s wish was about to come true.

“Good job today~!”

Clap clap clap clap clap

It was the last filming day for The Heirs.

With HereHeart already released, Hye-won had wrapped up all her schedules for the year, including the filming of The Heirs.

All that was left was maybe an award ceremony.

“Siyeon, you worked hard. Thanks to you, the drama was a huge success.”

“No, it’s all thanks to you seniors.”

“Still… the script at the end…”

The actress playing the female lead, Park Siha, approached and hugged me tightly.

There must have been some sudden changes in the script at the end.

It was a few weeks before HereHeart was released.

Kang Shin-yul suddenly handed out a new script for the final episode, saying it had been modified.

It was clear that the changes were made by Kang Eung-sook. I had reviewed the script.

And in the new script, the drama’s conclusion involved Uriel and Kim Tak being connected.

It was an unbelievable turn of events, considering the original female lead.

However, it was surprisingly well-executed, and the transition was natural.

A few days later, I called Kang Eung-sook.

I made an appointment and met with her to discuss the issue.

“Writer, could you revert the script to the original version?”

It wasn’t my place to question the writer’s changes to the script, but I still wanted to stick with the original.

I explained my reasons carefully to Kang Eung-sook.

“If you go with this, the audience reaction will definitely be negative. There was a clear lead female character, and suddenly…”

“What? The audience will like it. They’re all cheering for Uriel and Kim Tak to be together!”

“That’s…”

But Kang Eung-sook was unyielding.

I did understand how the audience felt.

Sometimes, when I went to school, my son would ask me who Kim Tak was dating.

I remembered how he kept insisting Uriel should end up with Kim Tak.

“Still…! I humbly ask you, I think it would be better to go with the original.”

“If you’re going to complain, Siha should be the one, not you!”

“I… I was worried that if the lead character changes, I might drift apart from you…”

“Hmm…”

Actually, all of this was a lie.

If we went with this script, Siha would probably look at me differently.

But that wasn’t the important part.

More than anything, Uriel had been a villain and didn’t have any significant romantic scenes until now.

However, if we followed the modified script, I would have to film a love scene with Kim Tak at the end.

It wouldn’t be a kiss scene, but it still felt awkward.

No matter how much I thought about it… I didn’t want to be in a scene where I had to hug a man and cling to him, declaring love.

If this was a critical mission in a past life, and it was the only way to do it, I would’ve played a similar role.

But now, there was no need for that.

“Hmm…”

“Writer, please…”

In the end, my sincere request prevented an unfortunate incident.