“-Can’t I not go?
Yeonsu pulled the blanket up to her head. Even so, her flushed cheeks showed no sign of cooling down.
It still felt like Youngguk’s voice was echoing in her head.
It was a moment like a dream. It was an entrance that seemed straight out of a movie. The male lead urgently grabbing the hand of the female lead as she was about to leave at the airport.
“Kyaa―!”
A scream-like cheer burst out. Yeonsu’s mother, hearing the noise from outside the door, knocked and asked, ‘Yeonsu, are you okay?’ When Yeonsu hastily replied that she was fine, she could hear her mother laughing as if she had figured out what was going on. The truth is,
‘I didn’t want to go either.’
Yeonsu didn’t have a great desire to study abroad. She wanted to study film directing, but it was something she could do in Korea as well.
After all, Korea was no longer a bad environment for basic studies. In fact, being able to balance directing studies and project work here had greater advantages than in New York.
Nevertheless, the reason Yeonsu chose to study abroad was because of ‘emptiness.’
She had been acting since her childhood, but she couldn’t subjectively judge whether her acting skills had improved.
Moreover, the person she admired had already become famous and recognized not only in Korea but also abroad.
The more it happened, the more anxious she became. It could be seen that she chose to study abroad as a form of escape.
Of course, as her agency said, she wanted to act. But the anxiety about whether she could bridge the gap between child and adult acting became uncontrollable.
The acting of a child and an adult is different in nature, even though she had been acting since her childhood.
Many child actors fail to cross that threshold and disappear. To be honest, saying she was scared would be an accurate expression.
-Yeonsu.
In such a situation, Youngguk’s proposal felt like a lifeline that came down from the heavens.
-Do you want to try acting with me again?
MBS Drama Department.
Growing orchids is not easy. If you think of them as ordinary plants, you’ll see them wither in less than half a month.
Temperature, humidity, and even the direction of sunlight require as much meticulous care as raising a child.
That’s why they are expensive.
“Hmmm.”
The famous CP, who was wiping the long leaves, furrowed his brows. He had received the orchid as a gift, but he didn’t realize it would be this difficult to manage. Isn’t there a statistic that orchids are the most commonly killed plants in Korea?
The reason he was managing such a difficult plant was simple.
MBS Drama Department, or even across all terrestrial broadcasters, there probably wasn’t anyone who became a CP at a younger age than him. Moreover, he was even given the title of deputy director.
It was the first gift he received after becoming deputy director. Since the president of the broadcasting station personally gave it to him, he bought gardening-related books, worried that the long leaves might wither.
In a way, the orchid in front of him was more important than the deputy director nameplate.
He could understand why the drama director cherished and cared for orchids so much in his office in the past.
‘No, they should have given me a gift certificate instead of something so finicky.’
It was said to be a mascot-like gift from the president of MBS, so what could he do? He was promoted to an executive position at the broadcasting station with an orchid by his side.
“Hmmm, at least the fragrance is nice.”
The subtle scent emanating from the orchid lifted his spirits. It’s a fragrance you wouldn’t encounter in the city. The flower bud blooming among the long leaves seemed to be asking for attention. By the way,
“Is Woo-hyung doing well?”
Yoo Myung-han didn’t have a good relationship with the seniors of the MBS Drama Department from the start. It made sense, considering how much bullying and obstruction he faced as a regular PD.
Not only did they pass on problematic historical dramas to him like a hot potato, but he also witnessed numerous attempts to secure production funding by politicking to the director and head of the department.
However, in the end, the survivor is the winner.
After all, didn’t he become a CP, surpassing seniors with much higher seniority? Some were so resentful that they left MBS and moved to other broadcasting stations.
Due to this situation, Yoo Myung-han had stronger public and private ties with junior PDs, one of whom was PD Kim Woo-hyung.
“He’s quite a handful.”
It made sense, as the project he selected for his debut work as a PD right after finishing his AD position was rather difficult.
The writer was also a rookie who had worked as an assistant writer in the entertainment department of another broadcasting station for a long time. If it weren’t for Yoo Myung-han as the deputy director, the project wouldn’t have been scheduled in the first place. But Yoo Myung-han supported him.
-Myung-han, doesn’t Woo-hyung remind you of yourself when you were younger?
As the drama director said, it might have been because he saw his younger self in Kim Woo-hyung. But the decisive reason for his support was his ability.
Just like his past self, even as an AD, he was occasionally drafted for B-team directing by senior PDs.
The skills and directorial understanding he saw in Kim Woo-hyung back then surpassed many senior PDs.
But still,
“The actors are important.”
That didn’t mean he wasn’t worried. Although the schedule was confirmed, there weren’t any prominent actors. No matter how much it was a terrestrial drama, getting top actors wasn’t easy.
They also had to consider the potential success of the project.
In that sense, Kim Woo-hyung’s debut work, featuring a rookie PD and a rookie writer, seemed like a flop from the outside.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, there was a knock on the deputy director’s office door.
“Come in.”
He didn’t ask who it was, knowing that no superior would knock and enter. Soon, a man walked in.
“Kim Woo-hyung……?”
Yoo Myung-han’s eyes filled with curiosity. The guy who had been on a business trip for a week.
He looked dazed, as if he were drugged. Then Kim Woo-hyung spoke as if he were possessed.
“Deputy Director.”
“Hey, Kim Woo-hyung. What’s with your face? Did something happen on your business trip?”
“Something huge happened.”
“Something huge? What is it?”
“… I saw it. In Yeongdo.”
What?
“I hit the jackpot!”
What did you see?
Songwon Entertainment.
“A new project?”
CEO Kim Seong-hwan opened his eyes wide at the unexpected news. It wasn’t long after Youngguk had finished filming a movie in Hong Kong. Although the agency always received a flood of synopses for various movies and dramas, there were some that they deliberately didn’t inform Youngguk about.
It was out of concern that it might be physically or mentally burdensome for him. But now, Youngguk was bringing up a new project himself.
“It’s a project being planned by MBS. I quite liked it.”
Youngguk placed the synopsis handed to him by Writer Min on the table. Kim Seong-hwan naturally picked up the synopsis and asked,
“MBS? When did they contact you? Even if it’s PD Yoo Myung-han, he wouldn’t contact you directly.”
It’s an unspoken rule between broadcasters and agencies. Rather than directly requesting casting from the actor, they go through the agency.
“I happened to meet them in Yeongdo. It wasn’t PD Yoo but PD Kim Woo-hyung, who is debuting at MBS. The writer, Min Soo-jin, originally worked at SBC Entertainment Department.”
“Debut? Entertainment Department…?”
It was getting more and more ridiculous. Choosing a drama for his next project was unexpected, but the PD was a rookie just making his debut, and the writer was originally from another broadcast station’s entertainment department. His head started to throb.
“Youngguk, that’s all fine. But why did you choose this project?”
“It looks fun, and I think it will be a hit.”
“…”
If anyone else had chosen such a project as their next, Kim Seong-hwan would have stopped them, even by force.
But the person sitting across from him was none other than actor Jang Youngguk.
Kim Seong-hwan had been Youngguk’s partner and guardian since his childhood. The actor Jang Youngguk he had seen could be described in one word: ‘soothsayer.’ A very good one.
‘Every project he picks is a hit!’
He was so successful that industry insiders called him the Midas touch. Some entertainment agency heads even discreetly asked Kim Seong-hwan to tell them what projects Youngguk was eyeing.
“Alright, fine. But Youngguk, considering your current guarantee, there’s no way the terrestrial drama department can afford you. I hate to say this, but not because you’re my actor, but you are already one of the top three male actors in Korea!”
He thought that was an understatement. Hell, Youngguk was the only Korean actor receiving love calls from Hollywood and Hong Kong.
He hadn’t yet made his Hollywood debut, but it was only a matter of time if he decided to.
But a drama? Moreover, a debut work by a rookie PD and a writer from the entertainment department. It couldn’t be more ironic.
“Read it.”
Seeing is believing. Youngguk didn’t say more and gestured to the synopsis with his eyes. CEO Kim Seong-hwan gulped and opened the pages. Alright, let’s see what kind of amazing project had captivated actor Jang Youngguk.
The synopsis began based on the tale of the rabbit and the dragon king.
[The Dragon King’s condition worsened day by day. The Mermaid Prince, summoned by the Dragon King, headed to the land. As in the tale of the rabbit and the dragon king, the Dragon King needed a rabbit’s liver. Not just any rabbit’s liver would do.]
[It had to be the liver of the rabbit that once disrupted the Dragon Palace. But how could he find it on land, like finding a needle in a haystack? To the Mermaid Prince’s question, the Dragon King simply said he would naturally come to know and did not explain further. In the end, the Mermaid Prince headed to the land with only his doubts.]
It could seem childish, but in the current context, it could be an interesting story. That’s because terrestrial dramas were filled with similar plots and melodramas.
There were no fantasy elements in current Korean dramas.
Kim Seong-hwan continued reading the synopsis.
-How is it?
[The Mermaid Prince, while heading to the land, was swept by a storm and washed ashore. There, he saw a woman who saved him. A very beautiful and lovely woman.]
[The Mermaid Prince was drawn to her, forgetting his original purpose. She also felt love for the mermaid prince in human form. But the thought of the Dragon King waiting for him in the palace made him uncomfortable.]
How much time had passed? Quite some time had passed since he came ashore.
[He couldn’t find the rabbit that once disrupted the palace. But he couldn’t give up. It was the last hope to save the Dragon King. During this time, the one who supported him was none other than her. The Mermaid Prince also felt love for her. But as time passed, he came to know.]
Gulp.
Kim Seong-hwan’s Adam’s apple moved again. His eyes were fixed on a sentence in the synopsis.
[That she was the reincarnation of the rabbit needed to save the Dragon King.]”
