Chapter 58: Real Colleagues

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 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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