There Are Four Top Idol Uncles - Chapter 220

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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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Part 2, Episode 46
* * *
Just as Yewon’s “proposal that helps everyone” was beginning to soften the Film Production Club’s atmosphere—
“I don’t usually say things like this, but it’s genuinely a thoughtful offer.”
Chae Jeong turned to look at Yoo Eunoh with the kind of expression someone might wear if they’d just won the lottery (Sung Jiwon was seeing that particular expression on Chae Jeong’s face for the first time).
The look meant: why aren’t you accepting immediately?
Chae Jeong had spent the entire break being lectured by Yoo Eunoh and his older brother, a university student, only to wander through remote corners of all eight provinces—a journey that had now come to nothing, though that hardly mattered. He could chalk it up as a preliminary survey for the future.
But that wasn’t all.
Even the third-years, who had been watching Yewon warily all this time, were now flashing her forced smiles at this very moment.
The first-years hadn’t directly experienced how grueling actual production work could be, so they didn’t understand; but the third-years knew exactly how demanding working with Yoo Eunoh was, which made this offer all the more desperately needed.
Since Yoo Eunoh treated humans as less than ants compared to his film, you could already guess how deplorable the lodging would be. He’d probably cut every welfare budget imaginable just so he could pour that money into the art department instead!
But then—
….
Yoo Eunoh, who should have immediately cried out “That sounds perfect! Let’s do it that way!”, was instead closing his mouth and simply staring at Yewon in silence.
A creeping unease began to spread through everyone present.
Surely this bastard wasn’t about to reject the offer?
“Hey. Yoo Eunoh. If you’ve somehow forgotten how to nod your head—you know, that social gesture we call YES—then just blink your eyes. I’ll nod for you instead.”
Unable to watch any longer, Chae Jeong poked Eunoh in the side and said this.
Eunoh looked at Chae Jeong with pity, then opened his mouth.
“What’s your price?”
“I’m sorry?”
Yewon, taken aback by the question, repeated it back to him stupidly.
Price? What did he mean by that?
“We have no budget to give you. Thanks to you, it might become easier to secure cooperation from more pleasant venues, but we’ll have to cover all the costs from our own budget anyway.”
“Oh, that’s… I’ll speak with my manager about it—”
“You’re doing it all for free?”
Now he was dropping the formal speech entirely.
Yewon couldn’t understand why he was this angry.
“I’m just asking if we could pay roughly what you were originally going to spend. I’m not saying I’ll provide it entirely free.”
It was a precious work, and as far as film was concerned, there was no room for compromise. So why would he be this upset just because she wanted to contribute to making a better film?
“Right, sure. Actually, since you have so much on-set experience, you must have a wide network! The industry does run on connections sometimes, doesn’t it? Yewon, we’re so grateful, and what he’s doing right now is—”
Just as the atmosphere was turning strange, Sung Jiwon tried to slip in and smooth things over—
“Don’t use that help as a bargaining chip to control my work.”
“!”
Eunoh said it coldly.
Control it?
“Why would I do that?”
Yewon looked at him, bewildered.
“Who knows. There are plenty of people who act like they own every right to a film just because they invested money in it.”
At words colder than ever before, Yewon fell silent.
Only then did she understand what he was actually worried about.
…It’s because of what happened with her father.
Director Yoo Jeongseok valued the artistic merit of a film above commercial viability.
The problem was that his films required enormous budgets.
Making a film required money, so he had to seek investment from deep-pocketed investors. But those investors wanted to recoup their money, so they hoped his work would gain commercial appeal.
So collision between the two was inevitable.
Even in her past life, when Director Yoo had filmed Summer’s Proof, he’d suffered greatly because of this exact tension.
But how could she possibly explain that she wasn’t that kind of person?
That she only wanted this film to become the greatest work possible, and wanted to deliver the greatest performance in that greatest film and win an award for it.
How could she prove it?
Then—
“I get what you’re worried about.”
“!”
Hyuk rose from his seat and placed a hand on Yewon’s shoulder.
“I don’t think that’s why Yewon is offering to help us.”
As if to say: don’t worry, I’m behind you.
“It’s just that she wants everyone to have an easier time. And on top of that, she wants to create an environment where she herself can focus a bit more on the film. You know better than anyone that when your body’s exhausted, it’s hard to concentrate on your performance, right?”
Well said.
Yewon barely restrained the urge to firmly grasp Hyuk’s hand resting on her shoulder and shake it with gratitude.
“And I’ve filmed with Yewon a few times before… She’s not someone who disrespects the directing team. If anything, she communicates more actively than anyone else and tries to be helpful. She just wants to help with whatever she can, so don’t misunderstand.”
Hyuk said that and added with a slight smile.
“Of course, you wouldn’t know anything about Yewon, so I understand why you might get the wrong idea.”
“…!”
Wait.
Yewon looked up at Hyuk with slightly widened eyes.
There had been something a little barbed in what he just said….
Sure enough, Yoo Eunoh’s expression was beginning to darken.
The moment Yewon opened her mouth to smooth things over.
“That’s enough. We’ll stop there.”
“!”
“As Vice President and Assistant Director, I’d like to step in.”
Sung Jiwon cut in smoothly, offering a gentle smile.
“I can feel that your junior wouldn’t be like that, so I’m grateful for the offer, but we’ll have to decline.”
“Sung Jiwon.”
“No. If you don’t accept this, you’re being a foolish director. We have to accept gratefully.”
Even with Yoo Eunoh’s low protest, Jiwon didn’t blink and simply closed his mouth for him.
“You love this project too, don’t you, junior?”
Jiwon said that and added in a warm voice.
“Just like all of us.”
“…!”
At those words, Yewon felt her shoulders and heart, which had been so tightly wound, suddenly release.
“…Yes. I really do love it.”
Yewon spoke with complete sincerity.
“From the moment I first received the script… I thought it was really wonderful, and I hoped this film would reach so many people.”
Yewon looked directly at Yoo Eunoh as she spoke.
“That’s all there is to it.”
She hoped, with all her heart, that he would understand.
* * *
And so the whirlwind of a meeting came to an end.
‘…This is exhausting….’
For some reason, Yewon left the Practice Room feeling utterly drained.
Kindness doesn’t always look like kindness. She realized this anew.
She had been careless enough to think that only adults harbored such worries.
‘Which means….’
Yoo Eunoh must have already experienced the adult world thoroughly enough to be sick of it.
Without Sung Jiwon and Hyuk, he might have flatly refused.
‘I only wanted to recreate the exact locations from the previous life.’
Yewon let out a long sigh without meaning to.
Then.
“Hey.”
Seo Ah popped out and blocked Yewon’s path.
“Oh, it’s you, Seo Ah.”
“Let’s walk together. Why are you rushing off alone like that?”
“Oh no. Sorry. I didn’t realize you wanted to go with me.”
“How could you not know? Well, remember from now on.”
“Mm.”
Friends… that’s what she means, right…? Probably…?
“By the way, what’s your role in the film?”
Yewon asked something she’d been wondering about ever since she spotted Seo Ah in the Practice Room earlier.
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t recall what kind of role Seo Ah could possibly play in Summer’s Proof.
“I don’t know either.”
“Huh…?”
“Nobody explained it to me properly, so I didn’t know—but just now the Vice President told me. Apparently they’re revising the script right now to create a role that fits me, so I’m supposed to wait.”
“!”
“It’s a sweet deal, right? When they called me here, I thought they were bringing me on as some kind of errand girl.”
“A… new role…?”
Yewon murmured in bewilderment.
“Yeah. The President apparently came up with something during the audition. I don’t know what it is, though.”
Seo Ah shrugged as if it were no big deal.
“Let’s go already. I hate waiting long in the lunch line.”
“Hmm.”
As Seo Ah took hold of her wrist and pulled her along, Yewon followed without resistance, yet her mind churned with confusion.
Yewon didn’t know Yoo Eunoh well, but even from what she’d just witnessed, she could see how fiercely he clung to his vision for the work.
And yet that same man had rewritten the script the moment he saw Seo Ah act, crafting an entirely new role for her?
An unexplained unease and bewilderment seized Yewon’s heart.
What was this feeling…?

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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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