Episode 1: The Counter is Gone
The morning after the rooftop, Yoon Seo‑ah woke up in her own bed.
Sunlight streamed through the window—real sunlight, not the harsh LED of a celestial soundstage. She blinked at the ceiling, waiting for the familiar glow of the viewership counter to appear in the corner of her vision.
Nothing.
She sat up, rubbed her eyes, looked again. The space where the counter had lived for the past month was empty. Just her ordinary apartment, her ordinary bed, her ordinary life.
Except nothing was ordinary anymore.
Her phone buzzed. Ju‑hyuk: "Are you awake? I'm downstairs with coffee."
She stumbled to the window. Sure enough, his black sedan was parked outside. He leaned against the hood, two cups in hand, looking up at her window with an expression she couldn't read from this distance.
She should have felt panic—the deal was over, the counter was gone, she had no idea if she was living on borrowed time. But instead, she felt something she hadn't felt in a decade: anticipation.
She pulled on a sweater and went downstairs.
Ju‑hyuk handed her a cup. Americano. Hot. "How did you sleep?"
"Like I wasn't sure I'd wake up." She took a sip. "But I did."
"Good." He fell into step beside her as she started walking. "Because we have work to do."
"Work? I don't have a job anymore."
"Exactly." He pulled out his phone, showing her a calendar filled with color‑coded blocks. "You have three priorities. First: Director Cha is still missing. The police haven't found him. I've arranged for security at your building and a temporary place to stay."
Seo‑ah stopped walking. "I'm not running away from Cha."
"It's not running. It's strategic relocation." He continued walking, forcing her to follow. "Second priority: your sister. The producer I contacted wants to sign her. But she's hesitant. She needs to hear it from you."
Seo‑ah's chest tightened. "She doesn't trust me."
"Then earn her trust." He glanced at her. "Third priority: the celestial producers."
She nearly choked on her coffee. "How do you know about that?"
He stopped and turned to face her. "You talk in your sleep."
Seo‑ah's face went red. "I do not—"
"You said 'I'm canceling the show' about six times." His expression was serious, but there was warmth underneath. "I figured it out, Seo‑ah. The 0.4% rating. The deadline. The way you talked about giving them a finale." He took a step closer. "You made a deal with the afterlife, and you broke it."
She stared at him. "You're not calling me crazy?"
"I'm calling you the most sane person I know." He started walking again. "But the producers aren't going to just let you go. You gave them their highest ratings in history. They'll want a sequel."
"The counter disappeared."
"For now." He opened his car door. "Let's keep it that way."