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

On the night the finale aired, all of South Korea was shedding tears for General Kim Shin, while Su Yu was in the office of Yin Guo Entertainment, performing a piece of performance art called "overtime," which was actually "showing off."

It's not that she doesn't want to go home, it's just that no one's home. Cai Xiubin hasn't finished filming in Busan yet, and if she goes back now, Su Yu will only be able to put on a show with thin air like "The Lonely and Great God: Kimchi Soup".

Instead of staring blankly at the TV on the sofa, it's better to stare blankly at the computer screen at the office. At least the air conditioning at the office has a more "capitalist" coldness than the natural wind at home.

Kim Dong-wook didn't leave either. He sat in the conference room with a cup of coffee in his hand, two laptops in front of him—one showing a live broadcast of SBS, the other monitoring real-time data. The way he was doing it, you'd think he was managing a Nasdaq stock exchange.

Kim Eun-sook didn't leave either. She was in the finance office organizing A24's investment documents. The $1.5 million overseas investment required several procedures, and her hand ached from signing so many documents. Occasionally, people walked in the corridor. The entire company was brightly lit, exuding a charming atmosphere of "we're about to become rich, but we still have to persevere a little longer."

At 9 PM sharp, episode 15 began.

After the goblin disappeared, his bride waited nine years in the first snow. When Chae Soo-bin appeared, Kim Dong-wook poked his head out of the conference room and shouted to Su Yu, "Soo-bin is out!" His tone made it seem as if he were the goblin who had waited for nine years.

Su Yu ignored him, but her eyes were fixed on the screen. Nine years later, Eun-tak was no longer a high school student, but a woman in her twenties, wearing a coat and scarf, standing at that familiar crossroads. She had grown up and changed a lot, but the way she looked at ghosts and monsters remained the same.

That look in her eyes was just like the one Su Yu had when she saw Cai Xiubin's "Are you there?" messages—full of resentment that seemed to say, "You finally decided to show up," and a compromise that said, "But I still love you so much."

On the screen, Cai Xiubin's face was large, so close you could see her eyelashes trembling. She said, "You're finally back," her voice neither loud nor soft, without a sob, but Kim Dong-wook sniffled in the hallway.

Su Yu didn't look at him, but she heard him. This guy usually yells at people more harshly than anyone else in meetings, but now he's crying more quietly than anyone else.

Episode 15 has finished airing, time to call it a day. Kim Dong-wook rushed over and knocked on Su Yu's door, like a eunuch announcing good news: "The real-time ratings are out, 18.7%!"

Su Yu nodded, his face expressionless.

"Aren't you excited?" Kim Dong-wook's eyes widened.

"There's one last episode," Su Yu said calmly.

Kim Dong-wook pursed his lips and went back. He didn't understand; a true hunter never celebrates in advance.

Episode sixteen has begun. The goblin has returned, the grim reaper has regained his memories, and the fried chicken shop owner has finally met the person who was late. Every scene feels meticulously planned, with emotions rising, falling, and then rising again.

Writer Kim Eun-sook truly deserves the title of "emotional masseuse" in the Korean drama industry, kneading the hearts of viewers until they are softer than dough.

In the final scene, the goblin and the bride stand on the beach, the wind blowing their hair, sunlight scattering across the sea in golden fragments. Chae Soo-bin asks, "Will we always be together?" Yoon Shi-yoon replies, "Yes." Chae Soo-bin smiles, not crying, just smiling, her eyes crinkling like two crescent moons fallen into a honey pot.

Then the scene cuts to the distant sea, the sound of waves gradually drowning out the music, and the subtitles appear.

Kim Dong-wook shouted down the corridor, his voice loud enough to ripple the Han River: "20.1%!!!"

The whole company heard it. Kim Eun-sook came out of the finance office, still holding documents, and smiled, a smile like she'd won the lottery. Choi Min-soo called in from outside, his voice brimming with excitement. Messages kept popping up in the group chat. Yoon Shi-yoon sent a voice message saying, "I cried at home," Kim Go-eun said, "I cried too," and Yoo In-na said, "The fried chicken place has a queue that stretches until next month."

Su Yu sat in his office, looking at the viewership ratings on the screen, without moving.

He recalled that a year and a half ago, when the first episode of "Model Taxi" aired, he was also waiting in this office. At that time, the company only had five people, renting an 80-square-meter semi-basement, with packages piled higher than a person, and cockroaches running faster than the employees.

Now, he sits on the sixth floor of an entire building in Gangnam District, his company is valued at over a trillion, his Bitcoin holdings are worth millions of dollars, and he's even going to the United States to discuss co-productions.

Everything is different, yet it seems like nothing has changed. He's still the same person sitting in his office waiting for numbers, only now the numbers he's waiting for have changed from "whether he can survive until next month" to "whether he can break 20."

My phone vibrated. It was a message from Cai Xiubin: "20.1%. Did you see it?"

Su Yu typed: "I saw it."

Cai Xiubin said, "I really want to cry. But I'm on set, so I'm sorry."

Su Yu said, "Go home and cry."

Cai Xiubin sent a hammer-on-the-head emoji: "You really don't know how to comfort people."

Su Yu didn't reply. A few seconds later, she sent another message: "Filming wraps up on Thursday. I'm going back to Seoul on Friday. Wait for me at home on Saturday."

Su Yu replied with an "okay".

Shirley also saw the news in Japan. She sent Su Yu a message: "Congratulations. 20.1%, you did it."

Su Yu replied, "Thank you."

Shirley asked, "Are you at the company?"

Su Yu said, "Mm."

Shirley said, "Don't work too late. No one will be waiting for you when you get home."

Su Yu looked at those words but didn't reply.

Shirley quickly retracted the message, sending a smiley face: "Just kidding. Go back and get some rest."

Su Yu still didn't reply. The faster you take back what you've said, the more insecure you seem.

Kim Dong-wook knocked on the door and came in, holding a bottle of champagne, looking like a general who had just won a battle.

"Representative Su, shall we celebrate?"

Su Yu glanced at him: "When did you buy it?"

"At noon, I guessed it would break 20." Kim Dong-wook said smugly.

He popped the champagne bottle; with a pop, bubbles rose up like countless little elves celebrating. He poured two glasses, handing one to Su Yu. Su Yu took it but didn't drink it.

Aren't you going to drink?

"Let's drink together when Soobin comes back."

Kim Dong-wook paused for a moment, then laughed, a laugh like a single dog who'd just been fed dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection): "Fine. I'll drink it all by myself then."

He stood by the window, holding his wine glass, gazing at the night view of the Han River, and suddenly asked, "Representative Su, what do you want to do in the future? The company is already so big, 'Goblin' has broken 20, and you've made money with Bitcoin. What are your goals?"

Su Yu thought for a moment and said, "Let Yinuo Entertainment become the largest entertainment company in Asia."

Kim Dong-wook turned to look at him, his eyes wide like saucers: "Asia?"

"Um."

Kim Dong-wook paused for a moment, then laughed, like an employee who had been promised a delicious treat by his boss and still had to say "it smells so good": "Okay. Then I'll have to work a few more years."

Su Yu's lips twitched slightly.

Kim Dong-wook finished his champagne and left. Su Yu sat alone in his office, looking out at the Han River. The lights reflected on the water, shattering into fragments, like the ones Cai Xiubin had seen on the Busan beach. He took out his phone and scrolled to the message Cai Xiubin had sent—"Wait for me at home on Saturday." Looking at those words, Su Yu's lips curved into a slight smile.

He shut down his computer, turned off the lights, and walked out of his office. The corridor was quiet, except for the light still on in Kim Eun-sook's finance office. He went over and knocked on the door: "Minister Kim, it's time to go home."

Kim Eun-sook looked up and took off her glasses: "You go first. I'll finish reading this document."

"I'll see tomorrow."

Kim Eun-sook glanced at him and smiled, "Okay. We'll see tomorrow."

She shut down her laptop, grabbed her bag, and walked out of the company with Su Yu. There were only the two of them in the elevator when Kim Eun-sook suddenly said, "Representative Su, you've changed a lot in the past year and a half."

Su Yu looked at her: "Where?"

"You used to be alone. Now you have someone by your side."

Su Yu didn't speak.

The elevator doors opened, and Kim Eun-sook stepped out, turning back to say, "Chae Soo-bin is a good girl. Don't keep her waiting too long."

Su Yu stood in the elevator, motionless. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, he pressed the open button and stepped out.

The parking lot was quiet. His car sat there all alone, like a loyal dog forgotten by its owner. Su Yu got in, started the engine, and drove out of the company. There weren't many cars on the road, and the streetlights along the Han River receded one by one. He kept the car window open, and the winter wind rushed in, biting cold, but he didn't close it.

It was almost midnight when Su Yu got home. She opened the door, changed her shoes, and turned on the lights. The living room was empty. Cai Xiubin's slippers were neatly placed in the entryway, her script was still spread out on the coffee table, and there was a note she had left on the refrigerator: "The kimchi soup is in the freezer. Use low heat when it's hot."

Su Yu stood in the living room, looked around, then went to the kitchen, took out some kimchi soup from the freezer, and heated a bowl over low heat. He sat down at the dining table with the bowl and drank it alone.

My phone vibrated. It was a message from Cai Xiubin: "Are you asleep?"

Su Yu replied, "No. I'm drinking soup."

Cai Xiubin said, "You drank that again? Was it expired?"

Su Yu glanced at the packaging: "It expires tomorrow."

Cai Xiubin said, "Then go to bed early after you finish drinking. Don't stay up late."

Su Yu said, "Okay."

He finished his soup, washed the dishes, took a shower, and lay down on the bed. The bed was large, and Cai Xiubin's half was empty. Su Yu lay on that half, burying her face in her pillow, where the scent of her shampoo lingered.

He closed his eyes and remembered what Kim Eun-sook had said in the elevator—"Don't keep her waiting too long."

Su Yu didn't know if he would keep her waiting for a long time. But he knew he didn't want her to wait.

After all, it's great to have a viewership rating of over 20%, but it's even better to have her laughing and jumping into your arms.