The Genius Manager Who Sees Algorithms, Episode 027
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27. With the Intent to Break It All
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[Wish Repair Shop]
A repair shop was where I used to get my broken home appliances fixed when I was a child.
Nobody looks for them anymore because they aren't needed, but it seems they still exist in the countryside.
But what was more surprising than that was the color of the energy hovering above the sign.
A brilliant blue energy.
It was exactly the same color as the one I saw on Go Arin’s headset.
[‣ God's Plan]
[‣ The Link of Fate is activated.]
[‣ Potential value increases when interacting with the same color.]
Furthermore, I heard the same message as I did with Jung Jae-hoon.
‘What kind of connection is there between the two?’
I needed to confirm this to grasp the performance of my upgraded system.
As if drawn by an inescapable fate, I moved toward the repair shop.
*Bzzt—*
But just then, I received a call from Team Leader Dokgo.
-Jung-woo, where are you?
“I’m at the filming set. Where are you, Team Leader?”
-My car broke down on the way… Sigh. More importantly, has the filming started?
“Yes. It just started.”
-Damn it, this is driving me crazy….
Why would he be going crazy just because filming started?
Moreover, unlike usual, his voice sounded somewhat urgent.
Thanks to that, my steps toward the repair shop naturally came to a halt.
-You, keep a close eye on Arin.
“Pardon? What do you mean by…”
-Arin has a trauma regarding filming sets. She suddenly changes the moment a camera is pointed at her.
Trauma? Changes?
I turned my head for a moment, wondering what on earth he was talking about.
Even at a glance, the atmosphere at the filming set was unusual.
“Cut, let’s go again.”
And already an NG?
More than that, I could see Go Arin flinching at Director Oh’s words.
“I, I’m sorry.”
Stuttering, her gaze wavering.
Her footsteps, unable to hide her anxiety, looked incredibly restless.
What is that…
Is that really our Arin?
* * *
What I heard from Team Leader Dokgo was shocking.
It was that she showed symptoms of panic due to a trauma she developed at a filming set.
Because of that, she would struggle for anywhere from a few hours to half a day, he said.
‘So that’s why the Team Leader was coming here in person….’
The cause was, of course, that man, Director Choi.
‘And that’s why the two seniors were so reluctant to take Arin on.’
It wasn’t simply because she had a stubborn personality.
It was because this symptom, which occurred every time they filmed, was even more burdensome.
“I… came to the sea… for the first time… with someone… it’s my… first time, too.”
Go Arin’s intonation and tone were devoid of confidence.
There was no strength at the end of her sentences, and they just dragged on.
She had studied the script so thoroughly that there was no way she had forgotten her lines; it was clearly a panic symptom.
“Sigh. Cut. Let’s go again….”
Even in Director Oh’s voice, emotions were slowly beginning to seep in.
It was understandable, as they were already on the 14th take of the same scene.
Even though he had given her enough time to catch her breath, the symptoms didn’t improve.
The more that happened, the smaller Go Arin’s shoulders became.
“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry.”
The staff, who had been fine at first, were slowly losing their smiles.
As the filming time dragged on due to repeated mistakes, dissatisfaction was building up.
At this rate, it was the perfect situation to be hated from the very start.
This couldn’t go on.
“Director. I’m sorry, but could we take a short break?”
I requested a timeout for everyone’s sake.
“Phew. Let’s do that.”
Perhaps exhausted, Director Oh put down the script and stood up.
He walked away with a tired expression, then turned back slightly to vent his frustrations.
“I heard about it from the Team Leader beforehand, but is it even possible to film with her in that state?”
14 NGs in a row on the first scene of the first day of filming.
Moreover, with no signs of improvement, it was only natural for the director to be frustrated.
“I will try to talk her through it.”
I comforted the frustrated Director Oh and personally asked for the other actor’s understanding as well.
Then, I took the dejected Go Arin and put her in the van.
“I’m… really sorry.”
Go Arin covered her small face and bowed her head.
The person most upset in this situation would be herself, wouldn’t it?
Stage fright.
I knew that feeling well.
The feeling of being an isolated island placed among countless people.
The feeling that everyone is attacking, ignoring, and laughing at me.
Of course, no one was attacking or laughing at Go Arin.
It was just that the story she created herself, based on past wounds, was attacking her.
It was heartbreaking, but it was the truth.
However, knowing that didn’t mean she could overcome it.
Because wounds are easy to receive but just as difficult to heal.
‘If it hasn’t improved even after countless consultations, she has no choice but to overcome it herself….’
Unfortunately, there was no other way.
Above all, she had to overcome it for the sake of the people here right now.
I naturally turned my head to look across the street.
Floating around the repair shop sign was the same blue energy as the headset.
There was clearly some connection between the two.
If so, I had to find out about the story related to the headset.
“I’m sorry….”
“No, it’s okay. More than that, about that headset.”
“…Yes?”
She seemed to take it as a question meant to change the subject.
After hesitating for a moment, Go Arin slowly opened her mouth.
“I… was very timid when I was young. I was scared of ghosts, too… so since I couldn’t sleep alone at night, my dad recorded this himself and gave it to me as a gift.”
Now I know why she carried the headset around.
An attachment object she had been with for a long time.
It was a meaningful item containing memories of her father.
‘And naturally, the person she misses most when she’s struggling would be her late father.’
Her obsession with the headset was due to that longing.
Because she had a personality that rarely expressed itself, that fact felt even more heartbreaking.
‘You must have had a hard time.’
The countless wounds and longings she experienced after coming to Korea alone at twenty-one.
It was a moment where the weight of that hit me anew.
And now was the time to shake off those old wounds.
“I’ve already told the director, so you just get some rest.”
“…Okay.”
“And….”
I slowly reached out my hand.
“Could you let me have that for a moment?”
* * *
I left Go Arin to rest and, taking the headset with me, hurried toward the repair shop.
A broken, old toy headset, and a repair shop….
I had enough hints.
But the sliding door was rattling.
The door handle was already locked.
Even peering inside, I couldn’t see anything properly through the dusty window.
What is this, are they not in business?
Well, it was unlikely a repair shop would be operating in this day and age.
But for me, who had been certain, this was an unexpected variable.
“What are you doing? In front of someone else’s shop.”
Just then, an unfamiliar voice came from over my shoulder.
When I turned my head, I saw an old man with completely white hair.
He was looking at me while leaning on a wooden cane with a hunched back, his eyes clear.
Could this be him?
“Hello, sir. Are you the owner of this repair shop?”
“That I am.”
“Do you happen to be open for business?”
“Can’t you tell by looking? Do you think a shop that’s open would be covered in dust?”
He shook his head firmly.
But I couldn’t give up here.
“I’m really sorry, but could you please take a look at this just once?”
The old man glanced at the headset once and shook his head again.
“Oh my, my eyes are too dim to see anything now. Go somewhere else.”
“This is a truly precious item, that’s why. I really want to hear what’s recorded on it.”
“I told you, it’s no use. I said I can’t do it. If I had the capacity to fix that, I would have been in business long ago. Ahem.”
The old man walked away while clearing his throat.
He was refusing firmly, but I couldn’t let him go like this.
It might be the only way to resolve Go Arin’s trauma.
“Actually, this was a gift from my grandfather when I was young. Whenever I see this, I think of my late grandfather….”
“…….”
“It was a gift he bought himself at the market, dragging his uncomfortable body because he was thinking of his grandson. He even personally recorded his voice for me, but it broke like this… I want to fix it no matter what… but there’s no way.”
My shoulders slumped, and my eyes filled with moisture.
What is this, am I really good at acting?
Where is that professor who criticized my acting now?
“Hmm. This is yours, young man?”
“Yes….”
“But it’s a bit too bright pink for that?”
Ah….
My acting tone almost collapsed for a moment.
I struggled to hold onto the emotional line and continued.
“I liked pink when I was young… it’s pretty, you know. Pink, pink….”
An absurd answer.
But fortunately, the old man’s wrinkled eyes slowly softened.
Had the mention of a grandson touched his heart?
“Hmm. My grandson is also attending university in Seoul… this really reminds me of my grandson… Well, let’s take a look at it once.”
As expected, when it comes to thinking of grandchildren, grandmothers and grandfathers are the best.
“But don’t get your hopes up. It looks like it’s in very bad shape.”
“That’s fine.”
There was no way it couldn’t be fixed.
Because if that were the case, I wouldn’t have seen the blue energy.
* * *
‘I, I ruined everything.’
Go Arin was blaming herself while hugging her knees.
Ever since the Director Choi incident, it had been like this every time she stepped onto a filming set.
In fact, the reason she decided to retire was largely due to these symptoms.
‘I thought I was okay after meeting the manager….’
It wasn’t so.
It seemed that wounds don’t disappear that easily.
*Knock, knock—*
“Arin? Are you okay?”
It was the manager’s voice.
I quickly composed my expression and face before answering.
“…Yes.”
*Creak—*
The car door opened, and the manager entered.
“Arin. Could you close your eyes for a moment?”
“Pardon?”
“You trust me, right?”
That, of course, went without saying.
After all, the reason she decided to stay in this brutal entertainment industry was ultimately because of the manager.
Go Arin closed her eyes as told.
But the manager placed the headset on her head.
She wondered why he was doing this all of a sudden….
*Bzzt, bzzt…*
She heard a sound.
“Huh? This was clearly a broken toy….”
When she opened her eyes wide, Kim Jung-woo was smiling as if he already knew.
And a moment later, a familiar piano accompaniment flowed from behind the static.
‘This is….’
Elgar’s "Salut d'Amour."
And it was a lullaby with lyrics set to that melody.
The night when starlight descends...
The night when beautiful dreams are dreamt...
Listening to the lullaby, drifting slowly into sleep.
A missed voice could be heard.
It was the voice of her late father.
"……."
A gift he had recorded himself for his daughter who couldn't fall asleep. Even when she went to a strange, foreign land with just her mother after her father passed away, she had endured it all with this one song containing his voice.
'Our daughter is brave, so she will overcome this. If you're scared, call for Dad anytime. I will always be with you.'
It was thanks to her father's recorded voice and his encouragement. She felt as if she could feel her father's touch, the way he used to stroke her hair until she fell asleep.
'Dad….'
Her father's encouragement for his timid daughter.
Go Arin listened to her father's voice over and over again.
'Yes… I can do it. I can overcome this….'
But no matter how many times she told herself that, it wasn't easy.
Yet, she didn't want to give up like this.
'I can do it. I can overcome this….'
Go Arin squeezed her trembling fists with all her might.
She didn't want to tremble anymore.
She wanted to be confident.
"……."
But the trembling in her hands wouldn't stop.
No matter how hard she tried, the anxiety wouldn't fade.
'Is it impossible even with this mindset….'
At the very moment an unbearable sense of helplessness washed over her.
At the very moment her grip loosened, regardless of her will….
There was a warmth that quietly enveloped the back of Go Arin's hand.
It was me, her manager.
* * *
I gently placed my hand on the back of Go Arin's hand.
The trembling hand began to calm down little by little.
It was a positive sign.
"How is it? Are you feeling a bit better?"
I asked while holding her hand.
Go Arin, who had slowly opened her eyes, looked at me and nodded.
Her gaze, now firm, was distinctly different from before.
'It helped, just as I thought.'
But it still wasn't enough.
She needed a little more stimulation.
"I know what you're afraid of. And I know who left those scars on you."
"……."
"But who do you think would be the saddest if you were to give up like this?"
Go Arin stared at the headset for a moment before opening her mouth.
"My dad…."
"Then, conversely, who do you think would be the happiest?"
"…That would be Director Choi."
I nodded.
Everything was proceeding according to my plan.
"How does that make you feel?"
Go Arin's expression crumpled instantly.
"It's disgusting."
Her tone grew sharper, and her expression came alive.
That was it. That was exactly it.
"Then are you going to let him keep laughing?"
Go Arin shook her head violently.
"…No. Absolutely not."
"Then you have your answer. Now go and show them. It's your turn this time."
"……."
Go Arin nodded.
She bit her lip firmly, pushed aside the blanket, and stood up abruptly.
"I, I'll be back."
Her eyes had changed.
She had the air of someone ready to tear everything down.
And her footsteps were unhesitating.
Yes.
That is who Go Arin is.
The Genius Manager Who Sees Algorithms Episode 27
Author | The-Bro
Publisher | ONE store Co., Ltd.
Published by | ONE store Co., Ltd.
Registration | No. 2016-000040
Address | 20, Pangyoyeok-ro 146beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, ONE store Co., Ltd.
ISBN | 979-11-6795-278-3
Price | 100 KRW
※ This book is published by ONE store Co., Ltd. under a contract with the copyright holder, and unauthorized reproduction or distribution without our permission is prohibited by copyright law.
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