novellhall Chapter 59, that tearful goodnight kiss, was even more captivating than the viewership rating of ove
Chapter 59, that tearful goodnight kiss, was even more captivating than the viewership rating of ove
On Monday, January 13th, the winter night in Seoul was bitterly cold, but the air on the first floor of the company was so hot it felt like sparks could fly.
There's a full half hour until the official broadcast of the fourth episode of "Model Taxi". This small office, which is usually filled with the sound of keyboards clicking and the aroma of coffee, has now been completely transformed into a "wartime command center".
Cai Xiubin gripped the black TV remote tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning white from the excessive force. Like a hamster trapped in a cage, anxious to the point of bursting, she paced back and forth on the already weathered linoleum floor.
"Plop, plop, plop..." The peeling edge of the linoleum floorboards made a pitiful protest under her feet, as if crying out for her: "Stop stepping on me! I'm going to crack if you keep stepping on me!"
Su Yu sprawled on the fabric sofa beside him, his long legs casually propped up on the coffee table, adopting an extremely relaxed "Ge You slouch" posture. He held a can of ice-cold beer in his hand, squinting at the dazzling woman in front of him, and sighed helplessly.
As his Adam's apple bobbed, he finished the last sip of beer, flicked his wrist, and the crushed can traced a perfect parabola in the air—"clang," it landed precisely in the bin, the trash can two meters away making a muffled sound.
"Ms. Cai, could you please stay put?" Su Yu rubbed his temples. "If you step through the linoleum floor, I'll have to stuff you in there to patch the hole."
"I'm nervous!" Cai Xiubin suddenly stopped in his tracks, pointing the remote control at the TV screen like a gun, his voice trembling. "The third episode's ratings just broke 7, that's just good luck!"
What if this episode flops? What if the audience thinks Ahn Go-eun is a superfluous and burdensome character? What if the writers mess up the script? What if…”
"If the sky were to fall, it would crush this tall guy first." Su Yu pointed to his head, calmly interrupting her barrage of "what ifs." "Don't worry, I'm 1.85 meters tall, I can handle it. Besides, anxiety won't feed you, and it certainly won't boost ratings."
Cai Xiubin glared at him, her large eyes filled with resentment: "Can't you just offer me some serious comfort? Do you have to be so sarcastic?"
"I'm being very serious." Su Yu sat up straight, took out his phone from his pocket, unlocked it, and shoved it right in front of her. "Episode 4: Ahn Go-eun officially rejoins the team. This is the plot that everyone has been waiting for. Haven't you seen the forums? The whole internet is watching, the hype is terrifying."
"I don't dare to watch, I really don't dare to watch." Cai Xiubin stubbornly turned her face away, like a wronged child. "I'm afraid of seeing people criticizing me, saying my acting is awkward, saying I'm a nepotism hire..."
Su Yu chuckled, swiping her finger across the screen twice to show her a trending post. The title was a stark reminder: "The look in An Gaoen's eyes when he jumped—I've tortured him ten times over!" The replies below were even more fascinating, with the thread already hundreds of pages long.
"This newcomer is amazing, her eyes tell a story!"
"Ahn Go-eun isn't just a tool; she's the soul of the character! She brought that sense of despair to life!"
Some even openly declared, "Cai Xiubin is my wife, and nobody can take her from me! I'll swallow this key!"
Upon seeing the last message, Cai Xiubin paused for a moment, and her previously tense cheeks instantly flushed red, even the tips of her ears turned bright red.
Su Yu leaned over for a glance, then raised an eyebrow meaningfully: "Hmm, this netizen has a keen eye, I admire that. It seems the masses have discerning eyes."
"Shut up!" She shoved the phone back into his arms, stomped her foot in embarrassment and anger, but couldn't help wanting to smile while desperately trying to suppress it.
8:45.
His phone started vibrating incessantly in his pocket; he knew it was Kim Min-jun, that chatterbox, without even looking. Su Yu pulled it out and glanced at it; the screen was full of exclamation marks: "Hyung! I'm ready! Beer and fried chicken are on the table!" "Hyung! I'm watching with Choi Eun-jung! She said she likes Ahn Go-eun too!" "Hyung! If the ratings break 10%, you have to treat me to Korean beef! I want the most expensive kind!"
Su Yu replied with three words: "It's up to you." Then he decisively turned on silent mode and tossed his phone onto the coffee table.
Faint keyboard clicks came from upstairs, a rapid, rhythmic clatter—Lee Young-eun was still frantically revising the script for the next episode. Yoon Shi-yoon didn't come to join the fun today; he said he'd watch it at home because he "didn't want to see Chae Soo-bin cry on set. Her crying is too loud and will ruin my drinking mood."
Cai Xiubin was still pacing. She walked from the TV to the refrigerator, from the refrigerator to the windowsill, and then circled back to the stairwell. The two potted plants on the windowsill shone brightly green under the light, their leaves larger than last week. As she passed by, she reached out and touched the leaves, then recoiled as if burned.
"Su Yu." She suddenly spoke, her voice soft and sweet.
"Um?"
"Do you think the audience will like Ahn Go-eun in his uniform? You mean that black hoodie, with the hood up, only his face showing..."
"Yes," Su Yu answered decisively.
How did you know?
"Because that's what you're wearing."
Cai Xiubin was taken aback, turned to look at him, a glint of light flashing in her eyes: "Are you praising me or indirectly praising your own good taste?"
"Praise you, and praise me in the process. After all, I'm a talent scout, I have a discerning eye." Su Yu leaned back on the sofa, his tone lazy yet confident.
She rolled her eyes, but her lips finally gave way completely, curving into a beautiful smile.
8:58 AM, the decisive moment.
Cai Xiubin finally calmed down. She curled up in the corner of the sofa, hugging the cushion and burying her chin in it, only her big eyes peeking out as she stared intently at the screen. Her fingers were still unconsciously fiddling with the zipper of the cushion, making a "click-click" countdown sound, as if she were counting down the seconds to the impending storm.
"Two minutes left." Her voice was strained.
"Um."
Are you nervous?
"I'm not nervous."
Why are you never nervous?
"Being nervous won't help. Ratings aren't numbers I write on paper; they're determined by the remote controls in the hands of millions of viewers. We've done all we can; the rest is up to fate."
She was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling: "Oppa."
"Um."
"If this episode gets over 10% in ratings, I'll treat you to fried chicken."
"If we break 10, you'll treat me to fried chicken? According to our previous bet, if we break 10, I should treat the whole crew to Korean beef." Su Yu raised an eyebrow.
"Then you treat me," she said, trying to get away with it.
"On what grounds?"
"Because I played Ahn Go-eun for you, and because I'm so nervous today."
Su Yu thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay. If we break 10, I'll treat the whole crew to Korean beef, all you can eat."
Cai Xiubin's eyes lit up instantly: "You said it! You can't go back on your word!"
A gentleman's word is as good as his bond.
Nine o'clock sharp.
The screen went black, and the rousing opening theme began. Jin Daoqi's cold, sharp face appeared on the screen, his eyes so piercing they seemed to penetrate it. The screen instantly flooded with comments, a dense torrent of text merging into the viewer.
Although Su Yu's phone was on silent, the screen was still flashing. Boss Park also sent a message: "Su Yu, I'm watching TV in the store. Your leading lady is pretty good, quite interesting."
Su Yu replied, "Thank you, boss."
Boss Park: "I'll bring her here for oden next time, and she can get free refills of soup."
Su Yu: "She doesn't eat oden, she eats Korean beef."
Boss Park: "...You little brat, you're already putting on airs before you're even famous?"
Five minutes into episode four, Ahn Go-eun is found by her enemies in a dimly lit internet cafe. In her despair, Kim Do-ki appears like a god to save the day. The two walk out of the internet cafe side by side for the first time. Ahn Go-eun's hoodie is still on, covering half her face, revealing only a pair of wary and vulnerable eyes.
The live chat exploded. "I'm shipping this couple!" "Kim Do-gi and An Go-eun are a perfect match!" "What kind of divine redemption story is this?!"
Looking at the screen full of praise, Cai Xiubin loosened her fingers a little from the cushion, and her body was no longer so stiff.
Episode 4, 15 minutes in, high-energy warning.
This was the first time Ahn Go-eun had worn the black uniform of the model taxi—a large black hoodie, with the hood up and the zipper zipped all the way up, leaving only his face exposed. His eyes were as cold as the Han River in winter, yet they also revealed a tenacious spirit that refused to give up.
The live chat went wild. "Holy crap! This look is killer!" "Ahn Go-eun is my new waifu from today onwards!" "That gaze is incredible, both cold and alluring!" "The director understands me! This is exactly the Ahn Go-eun we wanted!"
Cai Xiubin looked at the comments on the screen, and finally broke down completely. He twisted his body on the sofa like a pretzel, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
Su Yu glanced at her sideways: "Laugh if you want to. Will holding it in cause a work injury?"
"I wasn't laughing!" She covered her mouth with her hand, but her crescent-shaped eyes had already betrayed her, and she was radiating an aura of joy that said, "I'm famous now."
It's the 30th minute of episode 4. Ahn Go-eun and Kim Do-ki are speeding in the car. The car window is open, and cold wind is blowing in, messing up Ahn Go-eun's hair. A few strands stick to her cheeks, but she doesn't seem to notice, just staring intently ahead.
The comments section exploded again. "She didn't care about her hair! She didn't care!" "That's the detail! This sense of disarray is so realistic!" "This director really knows his stuff!"
Cai Xiubin turned to look at Su Yu, her eyes filled with a hint of confirmation: "Oppa, did you write this scene?"
Su Yu leaned back on the sofa, his gaze still fixed on the screen: "I only wrote the outline. The specific dialogue and action details were written by Li Ying'en."
"But the annotation that says 'She didn't care' was written by you." She remembered very clearly the strong and powerful handwriting on the edge of the script.
Su Yu didn't speak, but smiled slightly, tacitly agreeing. She stared at him for two seconds, then turned back to watch TV, feeling as sweet as if she had drunk honey.
9:45.
The fourth episode has finished airing. The end credits slowly rolled, and the last shot froze on Ahn Go-eun standing next to the model taxi, the wind ruffling her hair. She looked into the distance, her eyes no longer filled with confusion, but with determination.
Just then, Cai Xiubin's phone rang. The shrill ringtone sounded particularly jarring in the quiet room. She glanced at the caller ID and froze.
"Who?" Su Yu asked.
"My mom." She answered the phone, but before she could even speak, her mother's excited, voice cracking, roared from the other end: "Daughter! You're trending! Number one! Number one on Naver's real-time trending list! Your dad was so happy he set off firecrackers downstairs, and the neighbor lady chased him with a broom! She said you were disturbing the peace!"
Cai Xiubin's tears streamed down her face instantly.
Su Yu calmly opened her phone and searched. The top trending topic on NAVER was "Ahn Go-eun", followed by "Model Taxi", "Chae Soo-bin", "Kim Do-ki" and "Ahn Go-eun Uniform".
He handed her the phone. She stared at the screen, tears falling in a steady stream onto the screen, blurring the words.
"Oppa." Her voice trembled, thick with sobs.
"Um."
"I'm trending on social media."
"I saw it. Not the kind where I was criticized, but the kind where everyone remembered me."
"Everyone remembers me..." she repeated, as if in a dream.
Su Yu took out a tissue and gently wiped away the tears on her face: "I told you, you'll be remembered. As long as the acting is good, the audience isn't blind."
The next second, Cai Xiubin threw herself into his arms, like a child who had been wronged but finally got candy, burying her face in his chest and crying her heart out.
Su Yu helplessly let her cry, soaking a large patch of her shirt. She gently patted her back with one hand, and with the other, picked up her phone and sent a message to Yin Shiyun: 【What were the ratings?】
Yoon Shi-yoon replied instantly: [Just asked a friend at the TV station, the average is 8.2, the highest is 9.1.]
Su Yu: [Did you cry?]
Yoon Shi-yoon: [No, I just drank half a bottle of soju to calm my nerves.]
Su Yu: [...What's the difference between that and crying?]
Yoon Shi-yoon: [A man's tears are shed inside, don't you understand?]
Cai Xiubin, nestled in his arms, finally stopped crying. She lifted her head, her eyes swollen and red like two walnuts, her face a mess of snot and tears, utterly unseemly: "Oppa, you said the highest score was 9.1? We're only 0.9 points away from breaking 10!"
"So, Korean beef is gone, but fried chicken is still available." Su Yu ruthlessly shattered her fantasy, adding a sarcastic remark, "Looks like we'll only be able to eat fried chicken tonight."
"Hey! Su Yu!" She was so angry that she tried to pounce on him and bite him again, but Su Yu dodged her with a smile. "It was so close! You're so petty!"
"Even a difference of 0.1 is still a difference; you have to accept the consequences of your bet."
10:15.
Su Yu escorted Cai Xiubin home. The two walked down a narrow alley, the streetlights casting long shadows. The wind was strong, rustling the leaves of the trees lining the roadside. She pulled her scarf up, covering half her face, revealing only her bright, sparkling eyes.
"Oppa".
"Um."
Thank you for today.
"What are you thanking me for?"
"Thank you for being there for me. I might have really broken down just now without you."
Su Yu stopped and reached out to gently and carefully rewrap her scarf, which had been disheveled by the wind. "From now on, I'll be here every Monday. No matter what the ratings are, I'll be here."
She looked at him, a certain emotion welling up in her eyes. Suddenly, she tiptoed and quickly kissed him on the cheek. His lips were cool, carrying a hint of the saltiness of tears, yet it sent a jolt through her body like an electric current.
Goodnight, Oppa.
"Good night."
She dashed into the stairwell like a startled rabbit, her cheerful voice echoing back, "I want double the seaweed rice rolls for tomorrow morning! You have to make them for me!"
Su Yu stood downstairs, touched the cool kiss on his face, and smiled: "Okay, double the amount."
He turned and walked back. His phone vibrated. It was a message from Shirley.
Oppa, I watched episode four.
Su Yu replied: [What do you think?]
[In the scene where Ahn Go-eun wore her uniform, Chae Soo-bin's eyes showed significant improvement. Before, they were empty; now they have substance, they have meaning.]
Su Yu: [Because you taught well.]
Come on, I didn't teach her that much. It's you who taught her well, or rather, you gave her confidence.
Su Yu thought for a moment, then typed: "You're a friend, she's an actress, it's different."
Sulli sent a smiley face: 【Goodnight, Oppa. Don't stay up late watching the ratings, go to sleep early.】
Su Yu replied with two words: 【Good night.】
He walked to the door of the semi-basement and took out his key. Pushing the door open, the familiar musty smell mixed with the dampness hit him. Water was still dripping from the ceiling, "drip, drip," like playing a monotonous melody.
He lay down on the bed and took out his phone. There was an unread message from Cai Xiubin.
Oppa, are you home yet?
【arrive.】
[Oppa, I saved the screenshots of today's trending topics. I'll show them to my grandson later and tell him that his grandma was really famous back in the day!]
Su Yu laughed out loud and typed a reply: 【Your grandson won't watch this, he'll watch the video of you winning the grand prize.】
"Then you must be there too, sitting in the first row."
[Yes. Always.]
She sent a cute emoji. Then came another message: [Goodnight, Oppa. See you tomorrow.]
Su Yu replied with two words: 【Good night.】
He placed his phone beside his pillow and closed his eyes. Someone was playing music outside the window, a slow, leisurely tune, the lyrics indistinct. Tonight, the noise no longer bothered him; instead, it felt like a rhythm—8.2, not the end, but the beginning.
On this cold winter night, in this leaky semi-basement, Su Yu slept soundly. Because he knew that their era was slowly beginning.