novelinnhs Chapter 36 Ratings are fucking exciting.
Chapter 36 Ratings are fucking exciting.
December 16th, the morning in Seoul was as cold as ice.
Su Yu was woken up by her phone vibrating. Not the gentle beeping of an alarm clock, but a barrage of messages like a message bombardment, the phone bouncing under her pillow like it had Parkinson's disease.
He reached out and pulled it out; the screen was blindingly bright. He squinted and scanned it—14 missed calls and 99+ text messages.
Lee Young-eun: [They're all crazy! They're all crazy! I can't get through to you on the phone!]
Director Park: [5.8! Did you see that?! OCN has gone crazy!]
Kim Min-jun: [Hyung, I'm at the convenience store, can I get your autograph?]
Su Yu expressionlessly put the phone back face down, turned over, and pulled the blanket over her head.
Five seconds later, the phone rang again.
Cai Xiubin: [How much?]
Su Yu stared at those two words for three seconds, then replied with three words: 【5.8.】
The screen displayed "Typing..." for about half a minute before finally displaying only three words: "OK".
There was no period. Su Yu's lips twitched slightly. This girl was panicking.
He got up, his bare feet touching the cold cement floor, and walked to the sink. The face in the mirror was still the same: a sharp jawline, dark and deep eyes, only now with a bit of stubble on his chin.
He picked up his phone and sent a voice message to Chae Soo-bin, his voice hoarse from just waking up: "OCN's all-time highest. Ahn Go-eun, you're now a national actress in training."
After sending the message, he put his phone in his pocket and went out.
……
Inside the convenience store, Mr. Park was squatting by the door unpacking packages when he saw Su Yu come in, and the box cutter in his hand almost flew out of his hand.
"You little brat!" Boss Park shoved his phone in his face, and the "Dongdaemun Shopping Street Mutual Aid Association" group chat exploded.
Someone posted a photo of Su Yu at the cashier, with the caption: "[Who wrote this drama? She's even more attractive than the male lead?]"
Below him were a row of comments: 【Looking for his WeChat!】【It's a shame he's not an actor!】【I heard he can write songs too?】
Su Yu tied on her apron and said casually, "Oh."
"Oh?" Boss Park's eyes widened. "They treat you like an idol! Just now, an older woman came up to you and asked if you worked at the store, saying she wanted to introduce you to someone!"
"That's because they're bored." Su Yu picked up the barcode scanner. "They'd be better off stocking up on a couple more boxes of instant noodles. I'm probably going to be busy tonight."
"busy?"
"If the ratings for the second episode of 'Model Taxi' rise again tonight, the line of people buying beer will stretch all the way to the alley entrance."
Mr. Park was taken aback: "You really think it can go up?"
"I don't just think, I'm sure." Su Yu pointed the barcode scanner at a box of chewing gum, and with a "beep beep," he said, "The more you dig into human nature, the deeper you go."
The moment he finished speaking, the door was pushed open and slammed against the wall with a loud bang.
Cai Xiubin stood at the door, wearing a gray hoodie, her ponytail tied tightly, her face as stiff as a sheet of paper.
"Su Yu".
"Good morning." Su Yu didn't even look up, continuing to prepare the instant noodles.
"I didn't sleep a wink last night." She walked in, staring intently at the potted plant. "I just want to know, what exactly does 5.8 mean?"
Su Yu leaned against the counter: "A pay channel breaking five is a blockbuster. You're now a candidate for national actress."
"Reserve?" Cai Xiubin's fingers clenched tightly, her nails turning white. "My mom called me this morning and said the neighbors were all asking if the actress who played the hacker was her daughter. She cried."
Su Yu looked at her: "And you?"
"I didn't cry," she said, her voice trembling. "But I almost lost my balance at the doorway just now."
"Then sit for a while."
"Su Yu," she suddenly looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, "did you know all along that it would become famous?"
"have no idea."
"Then why are you so calm?"
"Whether it's popular or not, we still have to film tomorrow." Su Yu pointed to the door, "Did you climb over that wall?"
Cai Xiubin was stunned for a moment, then his tense shoulders suddenly slumped, and he laughed in exasperation: "You're such a boring person."
"But I can help you get over it."
"Can you get over it?"
"If I can't get over this, I'm not Su Yu."
Cai Xiubin stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly reached into her pocket and pulled out a black rubber band, placing it on the counter: "This is for you."
Su Yu raised an eyebrow: "What?"
"It's for tying my hair, it's new." She turned her face away. "You take it, so you don't leave it with me again next time."
Su Yu picked up the rubber band and wrapped it around her finger: "Is this a token of our love?"
Cai Xiubin's face instantly turned red, and she grabbed a bowl of instant noodles from the counter and smashed it over his head: "Su Yu, you bastard!"
Su Yu caught the instant noodles and smiled, "Thanks, this will be my midnight snack tonight."
……
Yoon Shi-yoon arrived at 2 PM.
He wore a black hoodie, the hood off, and his hair was a mess, as if he'd just been dragged out of bed. He tossed down a sports drink bottle and didn't leave.
"Have you seen it?" Su Yu scanned the QR code.
"I've seen it."
"evaluate?"
"good."
Su Yu raised an eyebrow: "A 5.8 rating and you just call it 'not bad'? What was your rating as a national drama back in the day? 50%?"
Yoon Shi-yoon unscrewed the bottle cap, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly: "That was before. The current 5.8 is 50% harder than before."
He leaned against the counter, his eyes slightly unfocused: "Su Yu, thanks."
"What are you thanking me for?"
"Thank you for not going to someone else," Yoon Shi-yoon said softly. "I was blacklisted for those few years, I thought my life was over. I'd even accept having my face printed on a GG badge. But then you cast me as the lead."
Su Yu laughed: "I originally wanted to find someone else, but they wouldn't come because they thought the price was too low."
Yoon Shi-yoon glared at him, but there was no anger in her eyes; instead, there was a sense of relief.
"Su Yu," he suddenly asked, "why did you write this script?"
"Because I want to write."
"That's it?"
"And also," Su Yu looked at him, "I want some people to know that even if they're blacklisted, they can get back up."
Yoon Shi-yoon tapped the bottle with his finger without saying a word.
"What time tomorrow?"
"Nine o'clock. Practice climbing over walls."
"I can definitely climb that wall faster than you."
"Give it a try."
Yoon Shi-yoon precisely tossed the empty bottle into the trash can, pushed open the door, and left. His departing figure seemed much lighter than when he arrived.
……
We just saw Yoon Shi-yoon off, and Sulli came again.
I didn't buy anything; I just slapped it on the table, and it turned out to be a takeout bag for a high-end Korean set meal.
"The agent bought too much," she said matter-of-factly.
Su Yu glanced at the pile of jujube skewers and soy-marinated crab: "Your manager must be rich, buying so much every day?"
Shirley's ears turned red instantly: "Are you going to eat it or not? If not, take it away!"
"Eat." Su Yu opened the lid, and a fragrant aroma filled the air.
Shirley leaned on the counter, her gaze falling on his hand—the black rubber band that Cai Xiubin had dropped.
Her eyes darkened slightly, and she reached out to pick up the rubber band and twirled it around: "Silk? It's quite expensive."
"Left behind by a friend."
"Another friend." Shirley tossed the hair tie back, took a neatly folded white T-shirt out of her bag, and pushed it towards her. "This was also a gift from a friend. It's a sample from the brand, you can try it on."
Su Yu looked at the T-shirt; the tag was still on.
"Shirley, your ears turn red when you lie."
Shirley abruptly covered her ears, her face flushed red: "Mind your own business! Just wear it! Don't keep it!"
"Why can't we keep it?"
"Because..." she bit her lip, "because I chose it."
Su Yu paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome!" She stood up, picked up her bag, and said, "I'm leaving!"
"Shirley."
"what?"
"I'll be at M Countdown next Friday."
She paused for a moment, but didn't turn around: "If you dare to stand me up, I'll tear up all the scripts you wrote."
"I wouldn't dare."
She pushed open the door and left, in a flurry of activity.
……
Su Yu got off work at 8 p.m.
He had Cai Xiubin's hair tie in his pocket and was carrying the T-shirt that Shirley had given him.
My phone vibrated.
Cai Xiubin: [Don't lose the rubber band, it's a new one.]
Su Yu: [If you lose it, just buy a new one.]
Cai Xiubin: [Are you talking about a rubber band or a person?]
Su Yu stood under the streetlight, tapped his fingers on the screen, and replied with a single word: 【Person.】
The other end instantly replied with an eye-rolling emoji: 【Su Yu, you're a monster.】
Su Yu put away her phone and looked up at the sky.
Water was still dripping from the ceiling of the semi-basement, drip, drip.
But the sound was actually quite pleasant to listen to.
He pushed open the door, hung the T-shirt on the headboard, and placed the hair tie next to the pillow.
My phone vibrated again.
This is a screenshot sent by Lee Young-eun—the real-time viewership rating for episode 2 of "Model Taxi" is 6.2%.
Su Yu smiled and sent Cai Xiubin a message: 【It's 6.2 now.】
Cai Xiubin replied instantly: 【I know. I'm watching.】
Su Yu: [Is it good?]
Cai Xiubin: [It doesn't look good.]
Su Yu: [Then why are you watching?]
Cai Xiubin: [Because I want to see what your next line will be.]
Su Yu leaned against the bed, her fingers tapping on the screen: [The next line is, "Will An Gaoen fall in love with Jin Daoqi?"]
Cai Xiubin: [No.]
Su Yu: [Why?]
Cai Xiubin: [Because she likes screenwriters.]
Su Yu paused for a moment, then smiled.
He replied: "So, who does the screenwriter like?"
Cai Xiubin: [I don't know. Ask him.]
Su Yu placed her phone next to her pillow and closed her eyes.
Someone is playing music outside the window, a slow and leisurely tune.
The ticking continued.
But tonight, he didn't find the noise so bothersome.
Because he knew that tomorrow, he would climb over that wall.
Carrying Cai Xiubin's hair tie, Sulli's T-shirt, and Yoon Shi-yoon's expectations.
Ratings are fucking exciting.
But tomorrow is even more exciting.