1st Year Max Level Manager

Chapter 5
5. First Day 3

Yujin answered Writer Lee Jiyeon’s question honestly, then looked at me with a big grin.

That face meant, “I did well, right?”

But why was she giving credit to the manager instead of promoting herself?

Her innocent honesty was both touching and frustrating.

She could have just said, “I practiced really hard!”

Writer Lee Jiyeon looked at me with a puzzled expression, so I quickly answered.

“Yes, Writer. I usually read your dramas and scripts, so I just gave her a little advice.”

“A manager~? Do you want to be a writer?”

Writer Lee Jiyeon still looked confused.

“No, I’m just a fan. I’ve read all your works. Mom’s Song, The Story of You, Me, and Our Daughter… I found all the scripts and read them.”

Every time I mentioned one of her works, her eyebrows twitched.

She seemed surprised that the manager knew so much.

For a writer, their works are like their children.

No writer dislikes hearing praise for their work.

“Hmm~. Which one did you like the most?”

“I liked Mom’s Song the best.”

“You have good taste. That one took me five years to write.”

She looked pleased as she thought about it.

Seeing her mood improve, I decided to push a little further.

In the future, she really liked my coffee.

“Writer, the set is quite cold. A hot cup of coffee might help you stay warm.”

She looked at my thermos and frowned slightly.

“Coffee? No, I only drink Nespresso Ristretto~.”

She shook her head, but Kim Solip smiled and took the cup.

“Oh, perfect! It’s really cold. Thank you.”

“Here you go, Writer Kim Solip.”

She waved her hand.

“Haha, Manager, you’re too kind. That title sounds nice, but I’m not a writer yet.”

“Sollip~. What are you saying? You are a writer.”

Writer Lee Jiyeon suddenly snapped.

It seemed like their relationship was better than it looked.

Even though she acted cold, she was respecting Kim Solip’s position.

Pouring coffee…

Kim Solip smelled the coffee and smiled.

“Hmm. Smells good. Manager, could I have one more cup?”

“Of course.”

Writer Lee Jiyeon, who had been sniffing the air without realizing it, suddenly shouted.

“Sollip~! I said I’m not drinking it!”

“Writer, you always say that and then take mine. So I better get extra now.”

“I really won’t drink it this time!”

She turned her head away like a child.

“You really won’t? Okay, then I’ll drink both cups myself.”

“Why do you make me repeat myself? Shut up! You know I hate repeating things!”

Kim Solip was surprisingly good at joking around.

She handled Writer Lee Jiyeon’s sharp words like it was nothing.

Well, she did work as her assistant for five years, even though most people quit in a month.

That alone was impressive.

Holding both cups, Kim Solip smiled at me.

“Oh, I almost forgot! Can I have your business card?”

“Of course, Writer.”

For the first time since coming back, my business cards were actually being used.

This felt like a good start.

“Oh, wait a moment.”

Kim Solip held a cup in her mouth and took my business card with one hand.

Then suddenly—

“Writer~!”

From far away, a group of producers and assistant directors came running.

Producer Park, panting, greeted Writer Lee Jiyeon.

“Wow, Writer! You must be busy. What brings you to the set?”

“I was just passing by before going to my office. What? Am I not allowed to be here?”

“No, of course not! Haha, you’re always welcome!”

The staff ignored Yujin and me as if we weren’t even there.

They surrounded Writer Lee Jiyeon and led her toward the set.

As they disappeared, Yujin put her hands on her chest and blushed.

“You did well. You passed.”

She widened her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“Your acting was good enough. You did great. Even better than I imagined.”

Her face lit up.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I don’t think anyone in Korea could play Isullan better than you right now. I’m sure of it.”

I gave her a thumbs-up, and she smiled brightly.

“Hehe. That makes me happy.”

“Also, Writer Lee Jiyeon doesn’t usually ask actors’ names. The fact that she asked yours means she was impressed. So just keep acting the way you did today, okay?”

“Yes!”

Her face showed pure confidence.

Our conversation had taken a little longer than expected, but there was still about an hour and twenty minutes left before Miso’s accident.

I quickly checked my diary again.

[Everyday V10] [Date: December 12, 2019]
– PM 05:30 Kang Dong Kyung Hee University Hospital Funeral Hall. Misoo died.

The schedule was still the same.

It looked like I had to go get Misoo myself to be sure.

“Yujin.”

“Yes?”

“You’re confident you can do well in the real shoot too, right?”

Yujin thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes, after doing it once in front of the writer, I think it’s nothing special.”

“Good, just do it like you did now. And sorry, but I have to go somewhere. If I don’t come back by 3, take a taxi to MBS Studio. You remember Assistant Director Lee Changhwan, right? Just do what he tells you on set.”

“Yes, I met him once before, so I remember… But are you going far?”

Yujin looked worried.

“No, not far. One of our company’s actors is nearby, so I just need to check on them. I’m just worried I might not make it back in time. Sorry, I should stay with you…”

* * *

“Oppa, then what about Miso? You said you’d show her around the broadcasting station today.”

“I’ll bring her with me when I come back. If I’m late, I’ll take her directly to MBS, so don’t worry.”

Yujin nodded.

“Okay, there’s no choice then. But in return, buy something delicious for Miso and me for dinner!”

“Alright, I got it.”

I guess I’ll start my diet tomorrow.

Hearing my answer, Yujin clenched her fist and smiled brightly.

“Then after dinner… I’ll buy dessert!”

But to me, Yujin’s words sounded like:

“Since I’ll start my diet tomorrow, I want to eat a delicious dinner and have dessert too.”

I decided to pretend not to notice.

“Okay. But later, if the writer asks for coffee, give her the one in the thermos. Also, make sure to give some to Assistant Writer Kim Solip too.”

I was sure that once Writer Lee Jiyeon tasted my coffee, she would ask for it again.

Even in my past life, she loved the coffee I made and got close to me because of it.

With the snow about to fall soon, a warm cup of coffee would be perfect to warm her up.

“Yes, trust me. You should go now.”

I ran to the parking lot, praying that nothing would go wrong.

‘Miso, I’m coming.’

Praying that everything would be okay, I drove towards Lira Kindergarten in Cheonho-dong.

* * *

On my way to Cheonho-dong, I called the kindergarten principal.

At that moment, I realized why the Everyday V10 schedule hadn’t changed.

-“A little while ago, we were making a Christmas tree, and I went to the kitchen for a moment to prepare snacks for the kids… But during that time, Miso left on her own and went home.”

I didn’t expect things to go wrong like this.

The principal sounded very nervous and kept saying sorry.

-“I’m sorry. I should have taken better care of her…”

The principal said she wanted to go find Miso, but she couldn’t leave because there were still children at the kindergarten.

“I’ll go to her house. But if she comes back to the kindergarten in the meantime, please keep her there.”

-“Understood. And really, I’m very sorry, Manager Jung.”

After hearing countless apologies, I ended the call.

“So this is why the schedule didn’t change?”

That movie came to my mind again.

Avoiding something once doesn’t mean it’s over—it will happen no matter what.

The thought of possibly facing Miso’s death again sent chills down my spine.

‘I have to hurry.’

I got anxious.

But the roads at the end of the year were like a parking lot.

Cars were moving slowly, and the sharp voices of frustrated people mixed with honking horns.

Beeeep—

“Ugh, move already!”

“Hey, stop cutting in!”

I also honked my horn in frustration.

Beeeep—

Then, my phone in my inner pocket started to ring.

Brrr, brrr.

It was a call from Manager Kim Dogsu.

Of all times, why now?

“This part didn’t change either.”

Around this time in my past life, Kim Dogsu had also called me.

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

If I didn’t pick up, he would just call Yujin next.

“Yes, Manager.”

-“A first-year rookie picking up the phone so slow… Where are you right now?”

His sharp voice came through the phone.

Still just as annoying as ever.

For a moment, memories of my past life flashed in my mind like it was yesterday.

Before I died, a doctor had told me that there are five stages of accepting death.

Back then, I had exploded in anger, thinking he was just trying to make more money through counseling.

But that turned out to be the second stage.

[Denial – Anger – Bargaining – Depression – Acceptance]

It seemed that the doctor wasn’t a fraud after all—I had gone through all five stages before I died.

Which meant I had already vented all my anger back then.

That’s why I could barely keep my patience now, even while talking to Kim Dongsoo.

Besides, this life had already started differently.

The future I had once experienced would no longer happen.

Taking a deep breath, I erased thoughts of the ‘past from my future’ and answered calmly.

“I’m at the Guri filming site with Yujin.”

-“Oh! Really? Guri? That’s perfect. Put Yujin in a taxi and send her to the next location. Then you go to Namyangju and pick up Youngin.”

Joo Yeogin.

My ex-wife.

And now, a rising star in her third year.

At this time, she had just landed a major liquor advertisement, and her popularity was skyrocketing.

She also played the role of a young genius doctor in a hit drama, proving she wasn’t just a pretty face but a great actress too.

But today, of all days, her manager, Kim Cheoljun, left the set and completely disappeared.

After dealing with Yeogin’s difficult personality for too long, he finally snapped.

But the real problem was Kim Dogsu’s order.

If it weren’t for that order…

After Yujin got cut from the shoot for making an NG mistake, she cried, saying she wanted to see Miso.

If I had taken her to see Miso, Miso wouldn’t have gotten caught in the gas explosion accident.

She wouldn’t have been the only name on that dreadful casualty list.

And now, was I supposed to make the same mistake all over again?

On top of that, why was someone from Department 2 giving orders to me from Department 3?

Ridiculous.

I took a deep breath and barely held back my anger.

“I can’t go to Namyangju because of the situation here at the filming site.”

A heavy silence came through the phone.

A first-year manager refusing a direct order?

Unthinkable.

To Kim Dogsu, this was impossible and unacceptable.

-“What… What did you just say?”

“I said I can’t leave the filming site.”

-“Hey! Have you lost your mind?! You little—!”

A flood of curses exploded through the phone.

I think I just lost my eardrum. Can I get workplace injury compensation for this?

After a moment of huffing and puffing, he spoke again, this time even faster.

-“Wow, I’m so shocked I don’t even know what to say. I thought you were quick and clever, but now you think you can mess around? Do you even know how much the company loses if Youngin misses her schedule? Do you want to get fired?”

There it was.

Kim Dogsu’s signature line: “Do you want to get fired?”

Back then, I used to be terrified of my bosses.

I had no parents, no savings—if I got fired, I’d be homeless.

That’s why I had never dared to refuse orders from a manager from another team.

But now, things are different.

Because now, I was—

A first-year manager…

With 10 years of experience.