Peninsula: Please, I only want to talk about ordinary people.

Jiang Yongtai dialed Sun Changyu's number from the smoking area at the end of the hospital corridor.

The outline of Hallasan Mountain outside the window was faintly visible in the gloomy evening light.

The phone rang less than twice before I answered it.

"Chang-woo, the doctor examined her and advised that Seo-hyun should rest for the next few days and reduce her activity..."

He paused, then condensed the doctor's words into a single, direct conclusion.

"We can't produce any more recordings of Seohyun, so we have to think of another way."

Sun Changyu was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone, then spoke:

"Okay, I understand. I'll talk to my superiors and her company..."

"Her agent just told me that he will try to resolve the issue."

"That's settled then, Yongtae. Thank you for your hard work. Come back as soon as you've made sure Seohyun is alright. We need to have a meeting right away to discuss tomorrow's filming."

"Understood, Brother Changyu."

Jiang Yongtai hung up the phone, stubbed out the cigarette he had only taken two puffs of in the sand table, and turned to walk back to the ward.

In the hospital room, Seohyun's manager stood by the window, phone to his ear, back to the door, quietly reporting the situation to the agency.

Seohyun lay half-reclined on the hospital bed, her collarbone peeking out from the neckline of her blue and white striped hospital gown, with a hospital-made support pillow under her waist.

After emergency treatment, her face regained some color, but her lips were a little dry, and her hair was scattered on the pillow. She looked completely different from the energetic person she was at the airport that morning.

When he came in, she put down her phone and put on an apologetic expression.

"PD, I'm sorry, I have to withdraw from the rest of the filming."

Jiang Yongtai walked to the bedside and looked down at her.

"It's good that Seohyun is alright. As for the program... it was an accident."

He defined the nature of the accident.

Seohyun smiled at him but didn't say anything.

After finishing the call, the agent turned around and looked at the two of them.

"Joo-hyun, the company already knows. The schedule will be adjusted, and the company will also communicate with tvN about the program. You should rest well these next few days."

Seohyun nodded, "I understand, Oppa."

"Are you hungry? I'll go get you some food."

The agent walked to the door, then stopped and looked at Jiang Yongtai.

"Do you want PD-nim? I'll bring him back with me."

Jiang Yongtai shook his head.

"Thank you, but no need. Since Seohyun-ssi is all set, I'll head back to the production team. We still have a meeting to discuss tomorrow's filming schedule."

"I'm sorry." The manager bowed slightly. "It's my fault for not telling the PD about Joo-hyun's situation from the beginning, and now this has happened..."

Jiang Yongtai waved his hand.

"It's good that Seohyun is alright. We've already said this many times before, so let's not say it again."

He turned to Seohyun and said, "Then Seohyun-ssi, please get some rest. I'll head back now."

"Wait a moment."

Seohyun stopped him and looked at her manager, "Oppa, go get your food first."

The agent glanced at her, then at Jiang Yongtai, and knew she had something to say.

He didn't ask any more questions, he just said, "PD-nim, could you please keep an eye on Joo-hyun for me? I'll be right back with my food."

He then bowed to Jiang Yongtai, closed the door, and left, leaving only the two of them in the ward.

Jiang Yongtai looked at Xu Xian and naturally understood that she meant to send the manager away, but he didn't know what else she wanted to say to him alone.

"What does Seohyun want to tell me?"

Seohyun smiled.

"Shouldn't PD-nim be asking me questions? Like, why am I being so willful and ruining PD-nim's entrance exam?"

Jiang Yongtai paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow slightly.

She even knows this? It seems Seohyun's connections within tvN are even deeper than he previously thought.

He pulled up a chair by the bed and sat down, without denying her words.

"Why do you say that, Seohyun-ssi? I don't think I meant to blame you."

Seohyun didn't answer immediately, but turned her head to look out the window. The outline of Hallasan Mountain was becoming less and less visible as the sky darkened.

"PD-nim, do you remember what I said during the pre-interview?"

Jiang Yongtai nodded, wondering why she suddenly brought this up.

"PD-nim has seen my profile, so he should know which agency I'm with now."

Shuyiren is a top-tier company in the industry with abundant resources.

She placed her phone on the bed sheet, her fingers tracing the screen intentionally or unintentionally.

"But there are also a lot of people, and the competition is even fiercer than with SM Entertainment."

She shook her head, a faint, bitter smile appearing on her lips.

The casting process for Korean dramas and movies is never something that can be decided simply by saying "good acting skills." The entire process follows a set of ruthless rules.

The main characters are decided first, then the supporting characters; this is a hierarchical system.

The core decision-making power is in the hands of the screenwriter, director, production company, and TV station, with each party pulling in different directions and each having its own agenda.

Besides the obvious factors like acting skills and physical fit, there are several hidden hurdles.

Whether an actor has sufficient experience, whether their agency has a strong enough background, and whether their commercial value is enough to attract investors are all factors that need to be considered.

Sometimes acting skills aren't the most important thing; whether the company can put your name on the list of investors who are interested is the real key to whether you can step into the audition room.

There are also some unspoken rules—"casting by necessities"—which have become increasingly common in recent years.

The production team uses a popular actor as the core, packages in other artists from the same company, and signs film contracts for them all at once.

If you're willing to use our lead actors, you have to arrange a few roles for other actors under our management. It's nothing new for actors from the same agency to make up the majority of a production.

So for Seohyun, leaving SM was not the end, but the beginning of another, even tougher battle.

When she joined Shu-yi, she was no longer the "maknae of the national girl group," but just a newcomer competing to become an actress.

Tree Artists has its own top performers, newcomers favored by the company, and several tiers of waiting lists.

She thought that leaving SM would lead her to a bigger stage, only to find that the stage was already filled with people like her who had desperately squeezed in.

You have to compete even more fiercely here to get on the same starting line as everyone else!

The copy of "Private Lives" in her hand was something she had spent a long time and a lot of effort to obtain.

Competing with actors outside the company, and even with competitors within the company, going through several rounds of interviews and auditions, with the possibility of being replaced at any stage, every step is crucial.

When she finally received the script, she didn't celebrate. Her first reaction was to reread the script, which she knew by heart, and try to better embody the character.

……

"That's why I insist on promoting my new drama on this show. It's not that JTBC doesn't have its own promotional channels, but rather that I want to seize every opportunity!"

Jiang Yongtai looked at her hands gripping the bedsheet tightly, then at her determined eyes, and sighed softly.

"Seohyun-ssi, I know what you mean, but I don't know why you're telling me all this?"

Seohyun let go of his hand, and a bright smile suddenly appeared on her face.

"Of course, I want PD Kang to know how difficult my situation is, so he won't hold a grudge against me because of this incident~"

Jiang Yongtai paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Is Seohyun-ssi being that direct? Besides, I'm just a junior PD; I don't have the expertise to comment on what you're saying."

Seohyun shook her head, a smile still on her lips, but her tone was a bit more serious than before.

"PD-nim, I know you were personally interviewed by the two heads of tvN. This is not the kind of treatment someone who just calls himself 'Little PD' should receive."

"So Seohyun-ssi is admitting that she investigated me?"

Jiang Yongtai stared into her eyes.

"Using 'investigation' or something like that sounds awful, PD-nim~"

Seohyun blinked, her tone lightening again.

"It's normal for us to learn about the staff structure of the show before going on the show. I just asked a few more questions."

Jiang Yongtai nodded, indicating that he understood.

"I understand. Don't worry, Seohyun-ssi. I don't blame you. This was just an accident that no one wanted to happen. I've already said that."

"Mm." Seohyun nodded, lowering her voice slightly.

"Then I'm relieved. When we get back to Seoul, I'll treat PD-nim to dinner. I hope PD-nim won't refuse."

"Okay, I agree." Jiang Yongtai stood up and walked towards the door.

"Then I'll head back now, so as not to disturb Seohyun's rest."

"PD nim".

Kang Young-tae turned around. "Is there anything else? Seo Hyun-ssi?"

Seohyun leaned against the pillow and looked at him, no longer smiling.

"It's nothing, just a reminder to PD-nim, tvN is now... more complicated than PD-nim thinks."

She paused for a moment, then added, "I hope that next time I'm on PD-nim's show, it will be one of tvN's flagship programs."

Jiang Yongtai raised an eyebrow slightly, then smiled, "Xu Xianxi seems to think highly of me."

Seohyun nodded, brushed a stray hair from her ear, and stared into his eyes.

"Because when I first met PD-nim, I noticed... PD-nim has the same eyes as me~"

Jiang Yongtai paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"Is Seohyun pulling me?"

Seohyun chuckled, more relaxed than ever before.

"I'm not as interested in relationships with older women as I am with that certain unnie. PD-nim, you can go now. Thank you for taking care of me."

Jiang Yongtai smiled and nodded, then turned around, opened the door to the ward, and walked out towards the elevator.

Same eyes? Did she see herself as someone like her?

There's a direction I want to move in, things I absolutely must accomplish, and a determination to hold on no matter the cost...

A faint smile appeared on Jiang Yongtai's lips.

The elevator reached the first floor, and as he walked out of the inpatient department, he remembered her last "reminder."

Is tvN complicated now? Of course he knows that...

Finally, she even showed a bit of goodwill, which suggests that Seohyun genuinely believes she is the same as her.

The evening breeze on Jeju Island was a bit milder than in the afternoon.

Jiang Yongtai zipped up his jacket, got into his car, and drove towards the location where Zhao Meiyan and the others finalized their accommodation arrangements for the day.

……

As the car turned towards Seogwipo, it became completely dark.

Sun Changyu and his team filmed in an open space in front of the restaurant where Zhao Meiyan and her friends had dinner. The space was surrounded by lighting fixtures, making it brightly lit.

When Jiang Yongtai arrived, Jin Chengyu was standing next to Sun Changyu holding a flowchart. When he saw Jiang Yongtai return, he raised his hand to greet him.

Jiang Yongtai nodded to him and walked to Sun Changyu's side.

Sun Changyu was explaining the rules of the game to Zhao Meiyan and the other two, which would determine their accommodation arrangements for the night.

Zhang Dulian stood on the far left, her scarf wrapped tightly around her.

Zhao Meiyan, who was in the middle, changed her coat. It was probably because Zhang Dulian saw that she was freezing and lent her his spare down jacket.

Narsha stood on the right, but her attention was drawn to the returning Kang Young-tae, her gaze lingering on his face.

Jiang Yongtai noticed her gaze and nodded slightly at her.

Narsha understood what he meant, and her shoulders, which had been tense all afternoon, relaxed.

"Du Lianxi, what theme did you set for the team today?"

"Is it a blessing or a curse?" Zhang Dulian answered quickly.

"Alright, then the game that will determine your accommodation today is—'The Endless Game of Fortune'."

Zhao Meiyan blinked her "clear" eyes, tilted her head, and asked:

"PD-nim, what does 'never-ending good fortune' mean?"

Sun Changyu cleared his throat and began to explain the rules.

"The program team has designed four rounds of 'good fortune or bad luck.' Each of you has one minute to complete all four rounds consecutively."

If you make a wrong choice in one round, start over from the beginning. Remember, you start all over again from round one.

He paused, waiting for the three people to react differently to the rule, before continuing.

"Because Seohyun couldn't participate, the rules were slightly adjusted. Originally, all three of you had to pass the test to stay at the 'Heart Value' B&B. Now, if only two of you pass the test, you'll be considered successful."

Before they could even process what he had said, Sun Changyu waved to FD beside him.

FD brought over a folding table, on which four sets of props were neatly arranged.

The first round consists of two eggs placed on a small plate; the second round consists of two identically cut hand-rolled sushi.

The third round consisted of two paper cups filled with an unidentified liquid of the same color; the fourth round was a hand-operated spinning wheel, divided into two halves in red and blue, with one half labeled "Value for Money" and the other half labeled "Heartfelt Value for Money".

"The first round is to smash your forehead and pick an egg: there are two eggs, one cooked and one raw. If you pick the cooked one, smash it on your forehead to pass the test."

In the second round, it wasabi sushi. One of the two had a generous amount of wasabi added, so I passed without tasting any wasabi.

In the third round, the choice is between sand eel sauce and cola; finishing the cola completes the round. In the fourth round, spinning the wheel to the "Best Value" option completes the round.

"Oh no!"

Zhao Meiyan was the first to shout, her eyes wide open.

"Four rounds in one minute? And in quick succession? If I make a mistake, I have to start over? PD, is this game even for humans?"

Narsha leaned closer to the table, sniffed the two paper cups, and immediately scrunched up his face. He took a step back and fanned his nose with his hand.

"Eel gravy...Aren't we a travel show?!"

"Unnie." Jang Do-yeon patted her shoulder, his expression serious.

"The key to 'A Heartbreaking Trip' lies in the first two words."

Narsha opened her mouth, but found she couldn't refute it. She turned to Zhao Meiyan, hoping that she could stand on the same side as her.

Zhao Meiyan had her hands hidden in her sleeves, looking eager and confident, clearly not understanding the cruelty of the game.

"PD-nim, can we practice a bit first?" Zhao Meiyan asked, raising her hand.

"cannot."

"One round?"

"cannot."

"...That half-wheel?"

Sun Changyu looked at her expressionlessly, too lazy to even say a word.

Jang Do-yeon egged her on from the side: "Mi-yeon, try acting cute. Didn't it work pretty well when you acted cute to Narsha unnie to steal her grilled meat?"

Zhao Meiyan glanced back at her hesitantly, but considering the overall situation of the accommodations for the night, she bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and turned to Sun Changyu.

She rested her chin on her hands, tilted her head, looked up, and spoke in a sweet and soft voice.

"PD-nim~ Just once, let us practice just once~"

Before she could finish speaking, she couldn't hold back anymore and burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking.

Zhang Dulian stood to the side, looking utterly helpless.

Zhao Meiyan pointed her finger at Sun Changyu's face, laughing and panting at the same time.

"PD-nim's expression, hahaha...it's hilarious..."

After saying that, she put her hands on her knees again and squatted down on the ground, her previous princess-like coquettish demeanor completely shattered.

Sun Changyu twitched his lips, not understanding what was so funny about his face. Was she saying he was ugly?

He waited until Zhao Meiyan finished laughing, then said with a stern face, "Meiyan-xi, please go back to your seat."

Zhao Meiyan got up from the ground, dusted off her knees, and secretly glanced at Jiang Yongtai next to Sun Changyu, muttering to herself.

"This PD is so difficult to talk to, what if..."

She knew she still had a microphone on her, so she didn't finish the rest of her sentence, or she would be in big trouble!

"Is everything ready?"

Sun Changyu raised his hand, and the reactions of the three people were instantly captured on camera.

Narsha looked resigned to his fate, Jang Do-yeon lowered his head and took deep breaths, and Jo Mi-yeon stared at the eggs on the table, muttering something, probably praying.

"The Endless Cycle of Fortune and Misfortune - Round One Challenge Begins!"