My Girlfriend’s Fortune: 3,141,592,653,589

TL: Aniea

- Thank you, thank you so much.

My mother held onto the hands of me and Kim Eun-ha, who had come to visit the hospital, and repeated those words for quite some time.

Since my younger sister had to return to the dormitory, my mother was left alone to stay by my unconscious father’s side.

Although she had earnestly requested over the phone not to visit, the atmosphere when we actually arrived made it seem like she would have been disappointed if we hadn’t come.

“Hoo... more than that, Eun-ha ssi is the real issue.”

Leaning completely back into the sofa, I tilted my head back. Staring blankly at the empty living room, I recalled the past few days.

Mainly the times I had spent with Kim Eun-ha and the questions I had regarding her.

‘...It seems like it really is claustrophobia, doesn’t it?’

It’s the exact neurological disorder that is often mistakenly referred to as 'closed-space phobia'.

It’s a condition characterized by extreme fear in confined spaces or situations, with the fear typically worsening the smaller the space.

For some, entering small, enclosed spaces like elevators is not only impossible but, in severe cases, even seeing similar scenes in movies or dramas can leave them gasping for breath.

‘I’ve never once seen her take the elevator.’

Even at the department store, Kim Eun-ha always used the escalators.

She claimed it was to instill a sense of caution in her employees, but knowing her personality, that explanation didn’t hold water.

‘Her knowledge of movies is also below average compared to the general public.’

It was common for her not to recognize famous quotes that most people in Korea would know.

At first, I thought it was because she simply didn’t have the time to watch movies or dramas.

But then again, that didn’t quite add up, since she was quite adept at enjoying other cultural activities like reading books or attending exhibitions. She also liked engaging in active hobbies such as handgun shooting and working out.

‘She also prefers driving herself.’

This is one of the hallmark traits of claustrophobia. Because it’s psychological, the severity of the symptoms can depend on whether the person feels they can leave the confined space at will.

That might be one of the reasons why she drives herself around, even though she has numerous bodyguards and secretaries at her disposal.

‘Of course, she was fine riding in the car when I drove...’

Thinking about it carefully, though, every time she sat in the passenger seat, she always kept the window slightly open. With the usual excuse that she needed fresh air.

Back then, I didn’t think much of it, but now, piecing everything together, there were more red flags than I initially realized.

Sleeping with the door open.

Most meeting spots being on the first or second floor.

‘Today confirmed it for me.’

Kim Eun-ha refused to enter the screening room, using the nonsensical excuse that she was 'tired'. Considering her usual behavior, that was something that would never happen.

She probably didn’t mind entering the screening room itself, but she must have been certain that once the lights went out and the drama began, her symptoms would kick in.

‘Eun-ha ssi already knows what happens in the first episode.’

To grab the audience’s attention, we packed a lot of intense content into the first episode of our drama.

Especially in the beginning, there’s a scene where the father of the female lead, Park Soo-bin, is kidnapped and murdered.

For someone like Kim Eun-ha, who has claustrophobia, this scene would likely be overwhelming. That’s why she must have wanted to avoid it at all costs, using any excuse to get out of it.

‘...I should have realized this sooner.’

With that thought in mind, I quickly sought Kang In-ho director’s understanding and left the venue.

Given her personality, there was a high chance she was blaming herself for not being able to overcome her claustrophobia.

Of course, she isn’t the type to crumble over something like this, but that didn’t stop me from worrying about her.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘The reason must be trauma, right?’

The accident in which her parents died during her childhood. The Mirae Group had thoroughly controlled the information about the incident, so there was no way to know for sure, but it seemed highly likely that it was related to PTSD.

‘...What should I do going forward?’

For now, just as I did today, it seems best to pretend not to know until she brings it up herself.

Since it's a kind of trauma for Kim Eun-ha, it wouldn’t be good for me to bring it up first.

If I’m overly considerate and make it obvious, it could have the opposite effect, so perhaps the best approach is to just act as I usually would for the time being.

"Ughhhh..."

A groan escaped my lips automatically. If only I could have continued being unaware of it, but now that I know and have to pretend I don’t, it was suffocating.

Still, it’s not exactly a problem with an easy solution. For now, it’s better to put this issue aside for a later time.

- The average viewership rating for Episode 1 is 12.6%!

As I sorted through my thoughts about Kim Eun-ha, the unusually excited voice of writer Jung Ha-rin, suddenly crossed my mind.

Although both Kim Eun-ha and I had left the event early, it seemed that, fortunately, under Kang In-ho and Jung Ha-rin’s leadership, everything had wrapped up smoothly.

- It’s a huge, massive, MASSIVE hit! If we keep this momentum, we’ll hit 15% by the ending! No, at this rate, we might even aim for 20%!

For reference, the average viewership rating of <Since the Fun is Ruined, I'll Take Responsibility>, starring Seo Jun-woo, was a mere 5.7%.

Of course, that’s not a low number by any means. But given that it’s a terrestrial network drama packed with star actors, it was a downright dismal figure.

‘I don’t feel much about it, surprisingly.’

I had unintentionally ended up in a sort of competition with Seo Jun-woo, and while I’d managed to win the first round by chance, it didn’t feel like a proper victory.

It wasn’t as though we had gone head-to-head in terms of acting skill in the same production, and maybe it was because I had entered this position as a 'parachute' hire, but I couldn’t confidently say, 'I won', without feeling some unease.

“...Seriously.”

Pfft-

The thought made me chuckle inadvertently. Just the other day, I was envying that guy’s billboard at the department store.

Now, Seo Jun-woo no longer feels so far away. That must mean my own perspective has broadened to that degree.

“Next time, I’d like to face him properly.”

Entertaining such idle thoughts, I picked up the script book again. After all, competing shoulder to shoulder with Seo Jun-woo was still a distant goal for the future.

***

“Alright everyone, I understand that everyone’s excited, but you know the public remembers the last, not the first, right? If we’re going to maintain this momentum until the end, everyone needs to stay sharp!”

“Yes, sir-!!”

Director Kang In-ho’s booming voice echoed throughout the filming site, and the staff’s energetic response filled the space.

Following the massive success of Episode 1, which achieved an average viewership rating of 12.6%, Episode 2 had broken through to a stunning 13%, continually setting new highs for the show.

Normally, this would have called for a celebratory feast with the station director treating everyone to premium Hanwoo beef. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the luxury of time to enjoy such a thing.

“...We’ll probably shoot for more than 10 hours again today, huh?”

"...What's 10 hours? I'd be grateful if we just didn't go over a day."

"...I haven't slept more than 4 consecutive hours recently. Well, compared to the director and writer, we're the lucky ones."

Despite their earlier hearty responses, the staff members’ expressions were anything but lively.

After weeks of grueling work, the exhaustion accumulated in their bodies was beyond imagination. Yet even they were in a better position compared to Kang In-ho and Jung Ha-rin.

“At least we get to rotate shifts…”

Thanks to the station director at TvM, who was high on the skyrocketing ratings, and the ever-generous support from CEO Kim Eun-ha, the staff were able to take short shifts.

However, irreplaceable personnel like Kang In-ho and Jung Ha-rin had no such reprieve. They were practically working 24-hour shifts nonstop. As a result-

“Grrr…”

“Writer Jung, you’ve done a great job. I’ll keep filming with this script, so go lie down for just one hour and get back up, okay?”

“Grrr…”

“...Two hours. No more than that. Who knows when we’ll get to use this location again? We need to finish shooting the next scene today to feel secure. You know we’re dead in the water without your script, right?”

“Grrr…”

The zombie... no, Writer Jung Ha-rin, silently nodded at Director Kang In-ho's words.

It’s said that the average human speaks around 7,000 to 20,000 words a day.

Over the past few weeks, Jung Ha-rin had poured all of her words into the script, and in the process, she had practically lost her ability to speak altogether.

Director Kang In-ho, who was working with her, wasn’t in great shape either. His beard had grown scruffy, his eyes were bloodshot, and every time you met his gaze, it was enough to make you flinch.

The actors weren’t much better off. At least they could take quick naps whenever they weren’t in their scenes to somehow maintain their condition.

‘As for Kang Woo-ju...’

Swoosh-

My head naturally turned, following the flow of my thoughts. There he was, Kang Woo-ju, calmly acting in front of the camera with a completely composed expression.

As one of the lead actors with a high number of appearances, Kang Woo-ju must have been just as sleep-deprived as Jung Ha-rin.

And yet, there wasn’t a single trace of exhaustion or fatigue on his face.

‘...Monster.’

‘...A robot.’

'...He's not human.'

Though the exact words varied, everyone was thinking along the same lines. His stamina and mental strength were so extraordinary that it made you question whether he was even human.

"Cut! OK!"

On top of that, it was rare for him to make a mistake. Even when he did, it was usually because of errors made by the other actors he was working with, not his own.

Of course, part of it was because Jung Ha-rin had written the character to practically be Kang Woo-ju himself.

‘But how does someone turn a script book into that in just one day...?’

Everyone shook their heads as they glanced at the script book Kang Woo-ju had casually left on the table.

The script book, which had been handed out only yesterday, was so worn out it looked like it could double as a rag.

It was covered with sticky notes on nearly every page, making it almost twice as thick as it originally was.

At first, people wondered if he was just trying to show off, but the fact that he had memorized every single line and all the directions left them speechless.

‘...No wonder he’s the director’s favorite pick.’

With overwhelming amounts of information and precise analysis, his acting and movements were nearly flawless.

Moreover, he had even memorized the lines of the other actors. In scenes where Kang Woo-ju appeared, he served as a perfect anchor for the entire cast.

“Cut! Great, that was perfect again! Woo-ju ssi, let’s keep this momentum for the next scene. Take a short 10-minute break while we set up.”

“Yes.”

After briefly responding to Kang In-ho’s praise, Kang Woo-ju returned to his seat. Without a hint of boredom, he immediately began reading through the script book again.

“...He’s a machine. A complete workaholic.”

Whether he was doing it for show was unclear, but the results spoke for themselves, leaving no room for denial.

“By the way, Kang Woo-ju and Seo Jun-woo were in the same school and the same year, right? I heard Seo Jun-woo was the undisputed top star back in the day.”

"...Even if he was a child actor, how could anyone outperform someone like this to become the top? I just can't imagine it."

“I don’t know. Honestly, at this level, you’d think a classmate or junior would’ve gossiped about it online by now. But weirdly enough, no one seems to talk about them.”

"Right. Just having the two of them standing together would make an interesting picture. What do they call it... When they compete in good faith..."

“Rivals?”

“Yeah, exactly. Rivals.... Huh?”

At that moment, the staff who had been chatting all turned their heads like meerkats in unison toward a certain direction.

Even Kang In-ho, sensing the sudden shift in the atmosphere on set, turned his gaze as well.

Step- Step-

A man confidently strode into the center of the set, drawing everyone’s attention as if it were only natural.

“...Seo Jun-woo?”

“It’s been a while, Director.”

“What are you doing here…?”

“I just wanted to drop by and see your face.”

Seo Jun-woo answered Director Kang In-ho’s question nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal. Immediately after, he began glancing around the set, as though searching for someone.

Smirk-

It didn’t take long for Seo Jun-woo to spot his target, and the corners of his lips curled up into a grin.

Even in this charged atmosphere, the one man who didn’t so much as glance in his direction, Seo Jun-woo walked straight toward him without hesitation.

“Hey, Kang Woo-ju.”

At the sound of someone calling his name, Kang Woo-ju finally lifted his head to look at the other man. His indifferent gaze met Seo Jun-woo’s, who responded with a bright, confident smile.

“You’re better than I expected, huh?”

“.......”

Their gazes clashed in mid-air.