However, she didn’t take it too seriously either. People like Ryan Chandler have not been uncommon in recent years—ever since the bubble economy burst at the beginning of ’92, the overall economic index has kept hitting new lows, and even now, at the end of ’94, there’s still no sign of recovery. Companies are considered kind if they don’t lay people off, let alone hire more. This has led to a very sluggish employment rate, and has started to give rise to the otaku and “parasite single” phenomenon.

Especially in high-cost-of-living areas like Tokyo, if you don’t have a job that provides housing, transportation, and other subsidies, it’s almost impossible to survive just by doing odd jobs—there’s absolutely no sense of security, and life feels precarious.

Probably this Mr. Chandler has just gone crazy looking for a job...

Thinking this to herself, she opened the script, planning to skim through it and then remind Ryan Chandler—being a screenwriter isn’t easy. Every screenwriter in the production bureau has worked their way up from assistant writer, episode writer, dialogue writer, to creative writer. It takes at least seven, eight, or even nine years of learning on the job to become a lead writer. You’re just in your early twenties, not the protégé of some industry big shot, and you have no experience—how could you possibly create a work that moves people?

Do you have that depth of life experience? That richness of living?

Do you think making a TV drama is child’s play? That any trash script can be filmed? Producing a TV drama costs over a hundred million!

It’s better to give up unrealistic “dreams” early and take things step by step, starting from the bottom!

But as she kept reading, she found it hard to look away.

Chapter Four: The Reversal Drama

The story begins on a slowly moving bus. The Hamiltons are taking their daughter Mabel to visit the critically ill mother in a rural hospital. The wife speaks harshly and clearly doesn’t want to go, showing complete indifference to her mother-in-law’s impending death.

Mr. Hamilton tries to gently persuade her, but Mrs. Hamilton becomes even more displeased, insisting that taking care of the old woman should be the eldest son’s responsibility, not her husband’s, who is the second son, and certainly not hers.

Their daughter, Mabel, is a little girl of about ten, with a pair of pure, bright eyes—she looks like a kind child. She doesn’t want to listen to her parents bicker, so she quietly moves to the back row of the bus, gazing out the window and falling into memories of her grandmother.

She doesn’t remember what her grandmother looks like; she’s only heard her father say that her grandmother once held her when she was a baby. She really hopes to see her grandmother in person, but she’s also very worried about her grandmother’s illness.

The doctor said her grandmother doesn’t have much time left—maybe only a day or two. It’s such a pity...

She feels a bit sad.

Soon, the family arrives at the rural hospital. The hospital is a bit rundown, and the atmosphere is rather gloomy, as if foreshadowing something ominous. A chubby nurse greets them warmly and leads them to visit Mrs. Hamilton. When they open the door to the ward, the room feels even more eerie. Although Mabel really wants to see her grandmother, her steps falter at the door—she’s a little scared to go in.

The Hamiltons enter the ward without noticing anything, slip behind the curtain, and soon realize that Mabel hasn’t followed. They turn around, displeased, and order her to come in quickly.

Mabel is obedient. She musters her courage and walks into the ward, lifting the curtain by the bed. Seeing her grandmother, emaciated and unconscious, she feels a bit afraid—her grandmother looks like a skeleton wrapped in skin, completely devoid of vitality, and it’s quite chilling to look at.

But her father urges, “Mabel, quickly, hold your grandmother’s hand. She held you when you were little!”

Mabel hesitates, staring at that bony hand, not moving. Her parents ignore her and start making small talk with the nurse by the bed, while Mabel just stares blankly at her grandmother’s hand—suddenly, she notices it move slightly.

Startled, she quickly says to her mother, “Grandma’s hand moved!”

Her mother glances at her, not believing it, and scolds, “How could that be? Don’t talk nonsense!”

At this moment, the attending doctor arrives and calls Mabel’s parents out into the hallway, telling them, “The old lady’s body can’t hold on much longer. Try to spend as much time with her as you can over the next couple of days.”

Mabel’s mother is not happy about this and doesn’t want to waste time on her mother-in-law, so she starts complaining and making excuses.

In the gloomy ward, only Mabel is left. She stares blankly at her grandmother, growing more and more frightened. She turns to go find her parents, but suddenly hears a voice: “Please wait, Mabel...”

Mabel jumps in fright and, in her panic, accidentally falls to the ground. But the voice continues gently, “Mabel, don’t be afraid. I’m your grandmother... come here, come to grandma’s side.”

Mabel hesitates for a moment, then carefully lifts the curtain, only to find her grandmother still unconscious. But she can hear her grandmother softly calling her name: “Mabel, don’t be afraid, it’s grandma, come here.”

Mabel stands there for a while, puzzled as to why she can hear her grandmother speaking, and can’t help but ask, “Is it really grandma talking? Why can I hear grandma’s voice?”

“Yes, it’s strange, isn’t it? It seems only Mabel can hear it.” Grandma answers with a smile. “Maybe it’s because grandma is about to die, so something like this can happen...”

“Grandma... is grandma going to die?”

“Yes, grandma can only live until tomorrow night. I overheard someone say so when my soul left my body earlier.”