Managing the Korean entertainment industry: I have superpowers, but I won't say.

Chapter 42 Jumping down is to fly higher.

Monday, 4 a.m.

When the alarm clock rang, Su Yu felt as if his soul was still in bed, only his body was forcibly dragged out of bed.

He was like a zombie drained of its life force, mechanically brushing his teeth and washing his face. The cold water splashed on his face made him shiver, and he finally felt a little bit of the reality of being alive.

The person in the mirror had such dark circles under their eyes that it looked like they'd been punched twice. There was no way around it; today was the first day of filming for the last eight episodes, and Cai Xiubin's first scene was jumping off a building.

Although the girl was putting on a brave face, Su Yu knew she was panicking inside. As the boss and "nanny," he had to step in and keep things under control.

When I arrived at the film set, it was just getting light. The abandoned, unfinished building stood in the morning mist, gray and drab, like a beggar squatting by the roadside waiting to die. Thick foam mats, red and blue, had already been laid out downstairs, looking like a huge, cheap carpet.

Cai Xiubin was already standing on the second-floor windowsill.

She was wearing a faded gray sweatshirt, her ponytail tied tightly, swaying in the wind. She looked down and saw Su Yu, waving frantically as if she'd seen a savior.

"Why are you so late!" Her voice echoed in the empty morning air, trembling slightly. "I thought you were going to sleep until noon!"

Su Yu tilted his head back, hands in his pockets, and slowly walked upstairs. "I'm a screenwriter, not a production assistant. Production assistants need to get up early; screenwriters only need inspiration."

Can inspiration feed you?

"No, but it can be taken as medicine. It's a cure for all kinds of affectation."

Su Yu pushed open the broken window on the second floor, and a gust of cold wind rushed in, carrying the smell of cement dust. Cai Xiubin was sitting on the windowsill, her legs dangling outside, like a primary school student ready to run away from home at any moment.

Su Yu walked over and glanced down. The second floor wasn't high, maybe four or five meters. But jumping down without any safety measures would result in a broken bone in no time.

"Are you scared?" Su Yu asked, her tone as calm as if she were asking, "Have you eaten?"

"I'm not afraid." Cai Xiubin's voice trembled, and her dangling feet also trembled.

"Then why are you shaking? Parkinson's?"

"It's cold! Try the wind at four in the morning! It's full of the smell of cement, it's suffocating." She insisted, but her face was a little pale.

Su Yu didn't expose her. He took out a strawberry lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped it, and held it to her lips.

"Keep it in your mouth."

Cai Xiubin paused for a moment, then opened her mouth and took it in. The sweetness melted on her tongue, and the tense anxiety seemed to ease somewhat.

"Su Yu." She spoke unclearly, her mouth full of candy.

"Um."

"What was Angoun thinking when she jumped?"

Su Yu leaned against the dusty wall, watching the horizon gradually light up in the distance. "She didn't think about anything; she didn't have time to think when she jumped."

Overthinking will make you afraid to jump. It's like standing on a diving platform; if you're thinking, "The water's so cold," "My form isn't good," or "Will I choke on water?" you'll never jump.

Cai Xiubin lowered her head, looking at the candy stick in her hand. "Then why did she jump?"

"Because someone is waiting for her downstairs." Su Yu said, pointing to the red and blue mat downstairs, "Not that sponge, it's Jin Dodge."

She knew he would catch her. Even if he didn't, she had to jump. Because if she didn't jump, she would be caught, and if she was caught, she would lose everything. An Gaoen was a gambler; she was gambling with her life.

Cai Xiubin looked up, her eyes sparkling like two little light bulbs. "Will you catch me?"

Su Yu looked at her. The morning light shone on her face, illuminating even the fine downy hairs clearly.

"Yes," he said. "If you fall, it's on me. Anyway, I wrote the script. If you get crippled, I'll write you into the script and make you a wheelchair-bound hacker queen."

Cai Xiubin chuckled, took the candy stick out of her mouth, stuffed it back into the wrapper, and carefully put it in her pocket. "I'll keep this. I'll eat it after I jump off the building. To share in the good luck."

At that moment, the director, holding a megaphone, shouted from downstairs: "Ready! All departments, attention! Actors, take your positions!"

Cai Xiubin took a deep breath and stood back on the windowsill. The wind picked up, ruffling her bangs, but she ignored it, her eyes fixed on the cushion below. Her fingers gripped the window frame tightly, her knuckles white, as if she wanted to crush the wood.

"Three, two, one—Action!"

At the director's command.

Cai Xiubin did not hesitate. She released her grip, leaned forward, and plummeted straight down like a kite with a broken string.

The wind whistled in his ears, and for a moment, Su Yu felt his heart skip a beat.

"Bang!"

A dull thud. Cai Xiubin fell heavily onto the mat, kicking up a cloud of dust. She didn't get up immediately, but lay there, her chest heaving, her fingers gripping the edge of the mat tightly.

The entire room fell silent for a second.

"Cut! Okay! That's a wrap!" the director shouted excitedly.

Cai Xiubin finally looked up. She looked extremely disheveled; her hair was a mess, her face was covered in dust, and her hoodie was soaked with dirt. But when she looked in Su Yu's direction, she grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

"Su Yu! I jumped!" she shouted, her voice filled with the excitement of surviving a close call.

Su Yu stood downstairs, hands in his pockets, watching her. Sunlight finally pierced through the morning mist, shining on her and gilding her entire body with a golden hue.

"Your form is so-so," Su Yu said sarcastically. "Your knees didn't bend when you landed, so that's a point deduction."

Cai Xiubin rolled his eyes, got up from the mat, dusted himself off, and walked over like a general who had just won a battle. "If you're so good, then you jump! It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one doing the work."

"If I jump, no one will write this drama." Su Yu handed her a bottle of water. "Drink some water to calm your nerves."

Cai Xiubin took the water, gulped down half a bottle, then took out the lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped it, and put it back in his mouth.

"Is it sweet?"

"Sweet." She squinted. "Better than the ones from the convenience store."

"Yes, I bought this on purpose."

"Tch, come on. You just grabbed it casually."

In the afternoon, the film set took a break.

Cai Xiubin sat in a folding chair in the corner, holding the script for the last eight episodes in her hands, muttering to herself. The surrounding area was filled with the noisy sounds of props being moved, but she seemed to be in a trance, completely immersed in her own world.

Su Yu walked over, sat down next to her, and casually picked up her script to take a look.

"What are you looking at so intently?"

"Scene 34." Cai Xiubin didn't look up, his finger tracing across the pages. "You've written this scene several times. Every time, it's just no dialogue. The scene in the car, three whole pages, not a single line. How am I supposed to act if you don't write lines? With eye contact? I'm not a husky."

Su Yu leaned back in her chair, watching the photographer adjusting the lights in the distance. "It's hardest to act when you're not speaking."

You can memorize lines, you can act out emotions, but without speaking, you can only rely on your presence. You're portraying Ahn Go-eun, not me writing Ahn Go-eun. No matter how much I write, it's useless if you can't act it out.

Cai Xiubin closed the script and turned to look at him. "Then teach me, what is Ahn Go-eun thinking? Why isn't she saying anything right now?"

Su Yu thought for a moment, then pointed to Yoon Shi-yoon, who was smoking not far away. "Look at him."

Yoon Shi-yoon was leaning against the wall smoking, his brows furrowed, and he had an expression that said "keep away."

"What is he thinking?" Su Yu asked.

"How do you plan to flick a cigarette butt into the director's face?"

"Wrong. He's thinking about how to memorize his lines for tomorrow's scene. But what he's showing is coldness." Su Yu turned her gaze back to Cai Xiubin, "Ahn Go-eun and Kim Do-gi are in the car; they're the same kind of people."

They were both people abandoned by life. They didn't need to speak, because they knew the other understood. This silence wasn't awkwardness, but a tacit understanding. Just like…

Su Yu paused, looking into Cai Xiubin's eyes.

"Like now. I don't need to say anything, you know I want you to buy me a Coke."

Cai Xiubin was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant and shoved him. "Dream on! Go buy it yourself!"

Su Yu smiled. "You see, that's what tacit understanding is. Even though you refused, you understand what I mean."

Cai Xiubin rolled her eyes, but a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips. She lowered her head back to look at the script, but this time, her eyes were different. No longer filled with confusion and anxiety, but with a sense of determination.

"Su Yu".

"Um?"

"After the last eight episodes were filmed, Ahn Go-eun died, right?"

Su Yu's heart skipped a beat. He knew she would ask this question sooner or later.

"He's not dead."

"Huh?" Cai Xiubin's eyes widened. "You're not lying to me? I saw online that Ahn Go-eun died taking a bullet for me."

"That's a rumor." Su Yu leaned back in his chair, looking at the ceiling. "Angoen didn't die. She was just seriously injured and spent half a year in the hospital. Then, she became a full-time employee of Model Taxi Company, responsible for hacking technology."

Cai Xiubin's eyes lit up, as if stars had fallen into them. "Really? She's not dead?"

"Really. I write the script, so I call the shots."

"Su Yu, you're so kind." Cai Xiubin suddenly rushed over and gave him a big hug. "I thought she was dead, and I cried for a long time."

Su Yu was taken aback by her hug, then reached out and patted her back. "Don't cry, your makeup is ruined. An Gaoen isn't dead, so Cai Xiubin doesn't need to cry anymore."

Cai Xiubin let go of him, her tears turning into a smile. "So what's the ending for the last eight episodes?"

"Ahn Go-eun and Kim Do-gi together sent all those bad guys to prison. Then, they drove their Model Taxi and continued to help others."

"So, are they together?"

"What do you think?" Su Yu looked at her. "An Gaoen is so stupid, and Jin Daoqi is so cool. They're not together. Am I supposed to write about them getting married?"

Cai Xiubin's face turned red, like a ripe apple. "Su Yu, you're really annoying."

"You hate me, yet you still hugged me?"

"That's...that's to thank you for not killing off Angoun."

That evening, Su Yu returned to the semi-basement.

I pushed open the door and saw water still dripping from the ceiling. Drip, drip. The sound was amplified infinitely in the silent night, like a countdown.

He took off his shoes, his bare feet touching the cold cement floor, walked to the bed, and lay down. The black rubber band under the pillow was still there; it was the one Cai Xiubin had left behind. He picked it up, wrapped it around his finger, and then loosened it.

My phone lit up. Cai Xiubin had sent me a message.

What time tomorrow morning?

Su Yu replied: [Seven o'clock. At the company.]

[So early? Didn't you say you finished filming the suicide scene?]

[The scene of jumping off the building is finished. But you haven't finished learning how to make seaweed rice rolls yet. Also, you need to practice how to get beaten up in a funny way tomorrow.]

[Su Yu, you're not human!]

I'm the screenwriter. The screenwriter is God. If God tells you to get beaten, you get beaten.

[Hmph! Tomorrow I'm eating double portions of seaweed rice rolls!]

Okay. As long as you're not afraid of gaining weight.

You're the fat one! Your whole family is fat!

Su Yu looked at the screen and couldn't help but laugh.

He placed his phone beside his pillow and closed his eyes. Someone was playing music outside the window; he couldn't make out the lyrics, just a slow, drawn-out tune. The ticking sound continued.

But he knew that at seven o'clock the next morning, she would be waiting for him at the company with seaweed rice rolls. She would complain about how painful the beating scenes were, while eating the seaweed rice rolls he made with gusto.

People who are willing to jump off buildings are not afraid of falling.

Those who are willing to fly, even without wings, can ride the wind and soar to the clouds.

Su Yu turned over and pulled the blanket over her head.

Goodnight, Angoun.

Goodnight, Cai Xiubin.

Tomorrow will be another new day.

We'll be beaten again tomorrow.

But he knew that when he was beaten this time, someone would massage his wounds.