In This Life, I Want an Oscar, Not a Husband - Chapter 47

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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This life, I choose The Oscars over a husband.
Chapter 47

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Dok-sa
@poisonedby

Dok-sa ran quite a famous SNS account.
With her witty one-liners, she had discovered countless Korean content pieces—or buried them entirely. These days, though, she was suffering from a shortage of entertaining content.
(entertaining content)
was suffering from a shortage.
‘I need something entertaining….’
In her view, as the drama and film industry entered a slump, the quality of Korean content was plummeting vertically.
There was nothing to be done about it.
From the Production Company’s perspective, advertising revenue was shrinking, so they cut investment costs proportionally, which meant quality content didn’t emerge, which meant revenue shrank again—a vicious cycle.
There was some hope when collaborations with major overseas OTT platforms began appearing, but—
‘Still, there’s nothing that truly moves my heart.’
So her recent posts all looked like this.

– Fooled by Jang Seo-jun and Kim Byul into watching that drama. Give me back my 12 hours~

– Thank goodness Korean dramas cut episodes. At least I can watch the beginning and end without the middle part.

– (video) Why do male and female actors in their 20s act like this these days? I miss when Do Eun-hee was filming 【Running Barefoot】. Back then, actors in their 20s could really act. Now they just destroy the dramas.

– (video) Rewatching 【Running Barefoot】 brings back memories.. Do Eun-hee crying out as she watches her uncle—who raised her like a father—turn to alcohol again.. Even rewatching it now, tears stream down my face.

How long ago was 【Running Barefoot】? I’m amazed I’m still obsessing over it.
That’s what Dok-sa was thinking at that moment.

[Do Eun-hee’s Next Project—An OTT Drama This Time?]

Do Eun-hee’s next project had been announced.
And it was a drama, no less.
Dok-sa was on the verge of fainting.
Her co-star was Gwak Kyung-eun.
In an industry starved of young actors with genuine talent, Gwak Kyung-eun had recently built an impressive filmography in the film industry.
‘Oh, finally something worth watching.’
Once the casting announcement dropped and I saw the Purgatory synopsis, my anticipation only deepened.
‘Do Eun-hee plays a detective hunting down the dead?’
Do Eun-hee in a fantasy action drama?
This was rare.
My hardened heart began trembling uncontrollably.
And the writer of this project was Seo Eun-sul.
A writer renowned for her fantasy work—particularly Korean-style fantasy. She was the one who had sparked a brief boom in the Korean drama scene during its fantasy drought—
‘Damn those broadcast networks for cutting production budgets and killing the genre.’
But now Seo Eun-sul was making her comeback. And with Do Eun-hee, no less!
Naturally, the speculation was endless.

– ‘Do Eun-hee, a boss who believes in vocal theory and grows weary of life in Purgatory’ X ‘Gwak Kyung-eun, a deity who must save the dead who might ascend to heaven’

With each released photo, people erupted in excitement, and they mined every detail from Do Eun-hee and Gwak Kyung-eun’s interviews for clues.
In short, Purgatory was the most anticipated drama among hardcore fans.
Of course, there was a minor crisis.

[Kang Sol, cast in ‘Purgatory’, announces retirement over school violence allegations]

Kang Sol had caused controversy over school violence and announced her retirement.
Fortunately, her character didn’t seem to have a major role, and a replacement actress was quickly found.
News spread that Kang Sol’s scenes would be reshot.
‘Even so, reshoots always make me worry about quality.’
Given the production budget constraints, I worried they might rush through it.
But that worry was completely shattered by the teaser the OTT platform released.

– The picture is crazy. Did you see Do Eun-hee’s action? Kwak Kyung is so cool when he grabs her by the collarㅠㅠ
– General audiences went wild too—the teaser hit a million views in just one hour
– Wait, isn’t the ‘Yoon’ character that appears in the middle Ha Eun-rae? What’s going on with Two Gems? This is insane.

Do Eun-hee’s possessed performance seemed to pierce through the teaser, and the CG-rendered world was captivating.
Moreover, the replacement player Ha Eun-rae was delivering a solid scene-stealing role.
She had garnered attention for her beautiful face in music videos and TV commercials, and after displaying her acting prowess in “Dear Kim Ji-hyun,” she was now boldly throwing down a gauntlet—competing not on looks, but purely on acting ability.
Covered in dense tattoos across her entire body, even tooth gems affixed to her teeth.
But still—
Dok-sa, who had been rolling around in this industry for years, held a mixed opinion.
She wrote with a cynical tone.

– Rookie actress Ha Eun-rae. Her acting was recognized on YouTube, but I’ve seen cases like this more than once or twice, so I’m a bit worried. Especially with young actors taking villain roles—they tend to get excited and overact. Wonder how Ha Eun-rae will handle it. Separate from that, I think the teaser was pulled off brilliantly. With Do Eun-hee’s acting and Seo Eun-sul’s screenplay, we’re already halfway there.

Just as Dok-sa was eagerly counting down the days until “Purgatory” was released, she received news like a bolt from the blue.
A scandal had erupted involving Ha Eun-rae, the replacement cast member.
SNS became chaotic.

– Ha Eun-rae caught on camera at the police station;;;
– But is she the perpetrator or the victim?
– Looking at his face turning white, he looks like he’s scared of our gumball. Why are you guys posting pictures like this?
– I’m sorry to the gumgo fans, but there was a comm post about ㅎㅇㄹ. Looking at the certification, it looks like it’s ㄹㅇ? (picture)
– So right now Ha Eun-rae ran away from home and dumped the boyfriend who took her in for the talent agency rep 🤮🤮 and is living with a married man with two daughters? That’s gross~
– No wonder she rose so quickly..

Dok-sa naturally came across the incident.
But as someone who had been rolling around in this industry for years, a drama enthusiast,
(drama fanatic)
Dok-sa sensed something off while looking at the photos, articles, and community posts.
‘Haven’t I experienced blunders like this once or twice before.’
In situations like this, it was better to observe and wait.
In fact, the “verification photo” that the boyfriend supposedly posted was just Ha Eun-rae’s graduation photo, and there wasn’t a single photo of them together.
The only concrete thing was the photo of her coming out of an apartment with the talent agency representative.
That was something the agency needed to clarify.
But the agency’s delayed response was problematic.
‘It’s damaging “Purgatory.”‘
It was around the time when frustration and public opinion were ripening over this.
More precisely, it was around lunchtime when office workers who had been enthusiastically criticizing Ha Eun-rae on their morning commute opened their phones, and the agency’s statement came out.
The timing was impeccable.
“Manager Shin. Did you see Ha Eun-rae’s statement? They even released CCTV footage. I really feel so bad for Ha Eun-rae.”
Even the assistant manager at the company she worked for (she had vented her anger at Ha Eun-rae during that brief moment of turning on her computer after arriving at work) said something like this.
The statement released by the agency was far more logical and coherent than the articles from trash journalists and the community posts.
Actress Ha Eun-rae had grown up under parents suffering from alcohol and shopping addiction, and an older brother who wielded domestic violence, and she had survived by working various part-time jobs to escape them.
She had made every effort to cut contact with her family, but this time her older brother invaded the house where she was living with a friend, leading to a police station visit.
The CCTV footage clearly showed Ha Eun-rae being strangled by her brother, and the police announced they were investigating it as a case of aggravated assault.
And most crucially of all—

– I went to Jeongdong High School, and that hand holding the graduation album is 100% Ha Eun-rae’s brother lol. Ha Kyung-soo, famous for extorting money from kids and beating them up. The rings on his fingers are matching ones from his gang. Even the tattoo placement matches perfectly.

It turned out that the person who wrote that online community post was Ha Eun-rae’s delinquent brother.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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