Chapter 58: Real Colleagues

༺ Real Colleagues ༻

“Cut! Do it again!”

The director’s irritable voice drew everyone’s attention on set.

That acting was… an NG(No Good)? Why?

“You can’t just overshadow the male lead like that! Tone down your acting!”

“But, sir, the script says…”

The assistant director tried to back Shin Yoomyeong but quickly retreated under the PD’s glare.

“The script is kind of weird, but… hmm. Still, you could’ve delivered your lines more gently instead of trying to dominate the scene.”

“Sir, I think that his approach makes more sense as well…”

It was Baek Seunghyo who stopped the PD.

This scene was indeed where Do-jun should be overshadowed by Bohyung, although it felt a bit frustrating to be actually overpowered.

The PD softened a bit at Baek Seunghyo’s intervention. Even he paid heed to Seunghyo, a popular star with Moon Yu-seok as his backer.

“Well, the main character could end up looking pathetic if we’re not careful. How can the viewers sympathize with that in a drama?”

“He’s supposed to be a bit pathetic at first, right? Do-jun’s character grows after meeting Hana.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure, but if Seunghyo says so. You’ll steal the spotlight later in the drama, right?”

“Absolutely, sir.”

With Baek Seunghyo’s support, the day’s shoot wrapped up.

But the next day, and the day after that, the same issues repeated.

Every time Hana and Bohyung acted, there were delays. Despite the criticism, nothing changed, and the PD’s comments grew harsher. They endured the abuse, stubbornly repeating their acting.

Being the lead, Hana had it even tougher.

“NG!”

“Cut—Again!”

“Cut! Cut! Cut!”

Shin Yoomyeong clicked his tongue.

She was a tough actress who put on a polite front while actually going head-to-head with the PD.

“She’s the type of person who makes her own life hard.”

Actress Bae Ok-jin, who was waiting nearby, shook her head as she watched the shooting.

“Maybe she puts up with all that because she’s the breadwinner.”

“The breadwinner? Harin?”

Yoomyeong was surprised.

“Not in her personal life, but at her agency since she’s sticking with her small, struggling agency out of loyalty. They only have her as a profitable star, so they work her hard. Look at her schedule. Despite the craziness, she never arrives late on set. She doesn’t know how to play smart.”

“I see…”

“She’s talented, good-looking, and has a reputation for being polite and diligent for over ten years. Many agencies would jump at the chance to sign her if she considered moving… But when I asked if she thought about joining our company, she said she couldn’t betray the boss who’s supported her since she was young, and that leaving would ruin her agency.”

After hearing about Harin’s situation, Yoomyeong was at a loss for words.

It was a heavy burden for someone who was only twenty-two.

Was that why she couldn’t rise higher in the industry?

“She might be younger than you, Yoomyeong, but there’s a lot you can learn from her. It’s rare to find someone who grew up in the entertainment industry from a young age and still turned out so grounded and polite. And amidst all that, she’s so passionate about acting. She wouldn’t have to face such humiliations if only she had a good agency.”

…

Her passion for acting, and the factors beyond acting that held her back.

Her struggles reminded him of his own past.

“Cut—Cha Harin, please focus, okay?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll do better!”

Watching her bow her head again, Yoomyeong couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.

*

[Your shooting must be over by now. I heard you were going to head home today. Have you arrived yet?}

{I just got home. How did you know…?]

[I have a gift for you.]

[Another gift?]

[Check the morning paper. You’ll find it interesting.]

Yoomyeong had just gotten home after an all-night shoot.

He was exhausted from being constantly nagged by the PD, and hearing about Harin’s situation had left him troubled. He was about to rest when his phone pinged with a new message.

It was from Yu-seok, whom he hadn’t heard from in a while.

{Who is it?}

‘Director Moon.’

{Ah, the interesting guy. What did he say?}

‘He told me to read the newspaper.’

It was 4:30 AM.

He should probably be asleep already, considering that his call time was set for noon the next day. But curious about what Yu-seok described as ‘interesting’, Yoomyeong decided to wait for the newspaper delivery.

Thump—

About 30 minutes later, he heard the newspaper being thrown at the front door.

Yoomyeong quietly opened the door to not wake his family and picked up the Kyungdong Daily, his father’s favorite.

Flip—

As he skimmed through the newspaper, he took a sharp breath.

He had a hunch about what Yu-seok found so ‘interesting’.

[Network PD Suspected of Habitual Marijuana Use]

There were allegations that a network PD had been habitually smoking marijuana. According to sources, Mr. J had been inhaling marijuana since ’99 and continued to purchase it through various channels until recently. Drug abuse in the entertainment industry has been a recurring issue, but it remains unresolved. Given marijuana’s communal nature, it’s likely other industry professionals could be involved…

Seeing that Yoomyeong remained frozen with the newspaper in his hands, Miho chimed in.

{What is it? Oh… Is this about that PD Joo?}

‘It… seems so…’

{Good riddance.}

‘What?’

Yoomyeong’s shocked voice contrasted with Miho’s calm tone.

{Imagine if this happened in the middle of the drama. Luckily, you were able to get rid of him now.}

‘Well, yes, but…’

{It’ll cause a stir, but it’s for the best. The drama’s quality was dropping with him as PD. You must’ve felt stifled, too.}

…

{Looks like tomorrow’s shoot will be canceled. Get some good rest.}

Having reached a quick conclusion, Miho curled up.

Yoomyeong was lost in thought.

Which demon had dragged PD Joo into the mud?

Was it the criticism for not having a hit in years? Was it the hidden darkness behind the glitz of the entertainment industry? Or was it because it was all too easy to succumb to temptation?

Having lived as an outsider within this world for so long, Yoomyeong had seen many fall prey to those demons.

And he knew that the real demon was always within one’s own heart.

I won’t succumb to it.

Yoomyeong etched that resolve into his heart.

*

As expected, the next day’s shooting was canceled.

The assistant director called to say that there was some misunderstanding and that they’d reschedule once things were sorted, sounding flustered. However, PD Joo never returned.

Two days later, news came that a new PD had been assigned.

It was PD Bang Hak.

He was a young and promising director who had just returned after the PD strike ended with a dramatic resolution last week.

They decided to take a week’s break to reorganize and set up before resuming the shoot.

Then, Moon Yu-seok called Yoomyeong.

This time, it was at a high-end Korean restaurant, with a quaint garden and a shallow stream flowing through it.

“PD Joo was constantly giving you a hard time, wasn’t he?”

Yu-seok poured him a drink, smiling.

“You should’ve told me sooner. Did you like the gift?”

Yoomyeong downed the drink in one gulp and replied quietly.

“It wasn’t a gift for me. Isn’t it something you’ve planned from the beginning?”

Yu-seok flinched at his words.

It wasn’t a probing statement, but one spoken with certainty.

“How did you know?”

“You even paid a penalty fee to switch Baek Seunghyo to this project. You must have been confident that it would work, or that you had the means to make it happen.”

Yoomyeong’s certainty wasn’t just based on that.

He realized it after hearing that PD Bang Hak was assigned to the drama, remembering that he was the PD of ‘Showbiz Studies’ during his previous life. That meant that Yu-seok had also tactically removed Joo Ilho at the right time back then.

“Was it because of the PD strike?”

“Wow, you almost gave me goosebumps.”

Yu-seok’s smile faded slightly.

“The script was good, and it was a prime-time slot. If only it wasn’t for the urgent schedule, or if the PD had more credibility, the lead role might have gone to an A-list actor. So, you jumped on that opportunity and got rid of PD Joo as soon as the strike ended, right?”

Yu-seok bided his time, slowly sipping the drink in front of him.

He had thought of Yoomyeong as just a kind and diligent guy…

“Shin Yoomyeong, I didn’t know you were such a person.”

“But there is one thing I don’t understand. The project Baek Seunghyo was originally contracted for wasn’t bad either, so why did you switch him to this one?”

“Hmm… Do you really want to know?”

“Yes. I prefer working with partners I can trust.”

Yu-seok paused for a moment before speaking.

“When you’re in a hurry to cook a meal, it’s easy to undercook it. So, you turn up the heat, especially when you’re really hungry.”

“…?”

“Both KBK and PD Joo were facing multiple pressures. That’s when the stakes got higher. Hence, forcing the scriptwriter into the project, and everything else—the broadcast time, staff, promotional schedule… it all became several times more ‘pushed’ than usual.”

…

“Seunghyo is a decent actor, but he wouldn’t be in a position to be so gratefully welcomed under normal circumstances. But having him ‘break another contract’ to join this drama significantly boosted our position. Now, with the PD changed, the stage is set. That’s pretty much it.”

“…I see.”

Moon Yu-seok was as frightening as ever.

He was someone Yoomyeong would rather not have as an enemy.

“Last time, you gave me advice. May I say something too?”

“…Go ahead.”

“Let me get something straight first. Talking as if your plan was done for me and to make me feel indebted—I don’t like that approach.”

Yu-seok let out a sigh at Yoomyeong’s blunt words.

“I had no intention of using that debt for anything. It was just to show how much I expect from Shin Yoomyeong… No, that’s an excuse. I apologize.”

Yu-seok slightly bowed his head in apology.

However, Yoomyeong wasn’t finished.

“I think that while the circumstances you mentioned might have contributed to it… you essentially moved Baek Seunghyo to this project because the script was that good, and you decided to remove PD Joo because he was a hindrance to a ‘good project.'”

After joining Good Entertainment for a month, Yoomyeong realized things he hadn’t known during his 15 years in the shadows of the industry.

Moon Yu-seok was a scary person, but that didn’t mean that he saw actors as moneymaking tools.

When doing business, he considered an actor’s career and work more than immediate profit.

Yu-seok was momentarily speechless at Yoomyeong’s insightful comment.

“Wrapping your sincerity in efficiency is not a good habit. Eventually, it’ll be hard for people to believe you even when you’re being truthful.”

Caught off guard by his words, Yu-seok had a stunned look on his face, then…

“Hahaha!”

He burst into hearty laughter.

After a moment, he wiped the tears from his eyes from laughing too much and spoke.

“Ah, you got me there. It’s been so long since I’ve been scolded like this.”

He showed a refreshing smile.

“Ah… I despised ‘their’ ways, yet I was doing the same. I’ll be careful in the future.”

Then, refilling their empty glasses, he proposed a toast.

“Still, my support for actor Shin Yoomyeong is genuine. Please believe that.”

Clink—

Yoomyeong silently clinked his glass against Yu-seok’s in response.

The sound of their glasses echoed in the early autumn garden.

That day, they took a step closer to becoming ‘real colleagues.’

*

During the unexpected break, Yoomyeong was deeply engrossed in his script when a call came in.

It was Director Ki Do’s frantic voice.

“Yoomyeong, did I forget to tell you the news at the end of August?”

“What news?”

“Oh… I thought I had mentioned it, but I must’ve forgotten to in the midst of the editing chaos. Our movie was selected for the Busan International Film Festival.”

“What??”

Yoomyeong was startled.

Director… I know you’re a bit clumsy with things unrelated to production, but how could you forget this…?

“The festival is already next week, and I’ll be heading down… But it might be difficult for you to come since you’re still in the middle of a drama shoot, right?”

He was obviously unaware of the widespread PD drug scandal in the entertainment industry.

“I can make it! I want to go, too!”

And that was how Yoomyeong’s trip to Busan was decided.

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