Sizzle sizzle.
The kitchen is filled with a savory aroma.
Various types of fried food, as well as skewers and beef tartare, reminiscent of a festive holiday feast, can be seen.
The carefully prepared food is neatly arranged in a large mother-of-pearl lunch box.
The combination of colors is so beautiful that it feels like a work of art rather than ordinary food.
“Hyesook-ssi…?”
Kim Sunghoon woke up from the noise coming from the kitchen. It didn’t take long for him to realize that Lee Hyesook was not next to him in bed, and he rubbed his eyes with his sleeve as he walked to the kitchen. And then.
“Hyesook-ssi!”
Kim Sunghoon’s eyes, which were as small as go stones just a moment ago, widened in surprise.
“Oh, Sunghoon-ssi, you’re up. I was about to wake you up in a bit.”
“Oh, since when have you been doing this?”
“I woke up early, so I took my time to prepare.”
Kim Sunghoon was restless, seeing Lee Hyesook cooking in the kitchen from early dawn. Isn’t this a time when she should be extra careful? Her belly was now visibly showing, making it obvious to anyone that she was pregnant.
“I haven’t visited Guk’s filming site even once, so I thought I’d bring some food for everyone.”
“Even so, you could have just bought food from the market. Why go to such lengths?”
“Buying food isn’t the same as making it. Moving around a bit feels good these days.”
At that moment, Jisoo, with sleepy eyes, came out from one side of the room. Her eyes, which were half-closed and sleepy, gradually opened wide at the sight of the feast in the kitchen.
Seeing this, Lee Hyesook burst into laughter. It was because Jisoo looked just like her husband, Kim Sunghoon.
“Wow! Mom, what is all this? Can I have just one meatball?”
Slap!
Jisoo’s hand, reaching for the golden-brown meatball, was stopped by Kim Sunghoon’s palm.
“Kim Jisoo! Your mom worked hard on this since morning. You should help rather than just eat.”
“Did you make it, Dad? Looking at the sleep in your eyes, you just woke up like me. Mom, can I have one?”
“I made plenty for you, Jisoo.”
“Mom, you’re the best! Mom, you’re awesome!”
Jisoo quickly picked up and ate the meatball.
“But Mom, what is all this in the morning? Are we having a party or something today?”
“Today, I’m thinking of visiting Guk’s filming site.”
“The filming site?!”
Jisoo’s voice, with her cheeks full of meatballs, grew louder.
“The morning shoot will be over soon, so I made a lot to treat the people working with him to lunch.”
“Kim Jisoo, stop eating and go wash up. You’ll be late for school at this rate.”
Kim Sunghoon, noticing something unusual, urged Jisoo. But Jisoo was already stuck close to Lee Hyesook.
“I want to go too. How can Mom carry all this food by herself!”
“Oh my, Jisoo, do you think Dad doesn’t know you’re trying to fulfill your own desires? I’ll carry the food, so stop talking and go wash up and change into your uniform.”
“Tsk!”
“Sunghoon-ssi, let’s take Jisoo along. I felt bad not bringing her the last time we went to Seoul. I’ll call her teacher and let her rest for the day. Jisoo, go wash up and change your clothes.”
Jisoo smiled brightly and exclaimed, “Mom, you’re the best!” and stuck her tongue out at Kim Sunghoon. Kim Sunghoon hurriedly tried to grab Jisoo by the neck, but she had already run away.
Autumn Equinox.
With the cool weather signaling the arrival of autumn, the leaves began to turn into various colors.
The length of day and night was becoming equal, and before anyone knew it, the filming schedule was also entering its latter part.
“Cut~!”
A cheerful voice rang across the filming site. The “Mermaid Prince” filming team was having consecutive happy days.
Already surpassing the midpoint, the viewership ratings of the main broadcast were soaring with each episode.
It was even spreading by word of mouth to overseas countries.
“Youngguk, do you have a moment?”
It was after the monitoring had finished. PD Kim Woohyung carefully called Youngguk over.
“PD-nim, what’s up?”
“Today, someone from TBK and CCT is coming. Because the head of the department is coming directly, the assistant director is also coming to Busan.”
“From TBK and CCT?”
They were representative broadcasters from Japan and China, respectively. Moreover, a famous PD who had recently been promoted to the assistant director of the MBS drama department was also coming directly.
In his previous life, he had never experienced such things. It was because, usually, when overseas broadcasters imported rights, there was an exchange between broadcasting stations, but it was rare for them to visit the filming site directly.
“The assistant director told me that they seem to want to meet you directly, Youngguk. They seem to be passionate fans of yours.”
“What are you two whispering about?”
“Yeonsu, make your presence known. You scared me.”
PD Kim Woohyung clutched his chest in surprise at Yeonsu’s sudden appearance.
“Oh, really. It must have been a big story if you were that surprised. Oppa, what were you talking about with PD-nim?”
As Youngguk was about to speak, PD Kim Woohyung hastily covered his mouth. Then he put his index finger to his lips, indicating silence.
When Youngguk nodded briefly, PD Kim Woohyung let out a sigh of relief. Seeing this, Yeonsu became even more curious and leaned in closer.
“Actually, I haven’t told any of the staff yet. There’s no point in spreading rumors about TBK or CCT coming. It will only make everyone nervous. Thankfully, the assistant director managed to delay them so they won’t come during the shoot. Since today’s shoot is already over, we can meet the assistant director and the TBK, CCT representatives separately.”
It was then.
Luxury sedans began to enter the filming site in a line. The FD, who was controlling the filming site, hurriedly waved his hands in the air and ran out.
It was to prevent outsiders from entering. However, as soon as the rearview mirror of the vehicle lowered, he bowed his head quickly upon seeing the face.
Seeing this, Youngguk added.
“Seems like he can’t be a noble.”
The staff murmured as they saw the people getting out of the luxury sedans.
One was a well-known PD famous for his rapid promotion in the MBS drama department, while the other two were clearly identifiable as Chinese and Japanese to anyone.
PD Kim Woohyung hurriedly walked towards them.
“Assistant Director!”
Youngguk also nodded briefly towards Yeonsu and walked together. After all, these were people who had come all the way from China and Japan to meet them.
“Jang Youngguk!”
The head of the Chinese broadcasting station called out Youngguk’s name in clumsy Korean and clasped his hands.
The head of the Japanese broadcasting station, not wanting to be outdone, called out Youngguk’s name in the same pronunciation.
“Nice to meet you. Please feel free to speak comfortably.”
Youngguk greeted them in Cantonese and Japanese, respectively.
Having been active overseas frequently for the past three years, he had picked up the languages in his spare time.
When they heard Youngguk speaking in their native languages, they were delighted and even hugged him.
On the other hand, both the assistant director and PD Kim Woohyung, as well as Yeonsu, were visibly surprised by Youngguk’s fluent Cantonese and Japanese.
Since the scheduled shoot for the day was over, they had originally planned to go to a luxury Korean restaurant in Haeundae to talk about business.
However, everyone stopped in their tracks when Lee Hyesook, Kim Sunghoon, and Jisoo arrived.
“Mother?”
Youngguk, seeing Jisoo and Kim Sunghoon carrying bundles, ran out in surprise.
“What brings you here?”
His mother, whose belly was starting to show, wiped the sweat off her forehead with her sleeve and answered.
“I thought I hadn’t treated the staff and actors at your filming site even once, so I prepared some food to share.”
“You should be careful with your body. How could you make so much food?”
“Oh, this much is fine. Actually, I’m getting restless from resting every day.”
“Oppa, the back seat is full of Mom’s food. Come and help carry it.”
His mother had once mentioned that she would treat the staff working hard for her son at the filming site. But he never imagined that day would be today.
A quick-witted famous PD grasped the situation and started talking to the heads of TBK and CCT. Just then, the head of the Chinese broadcasting station, CCT, approached Youngguk with a hearty laugh.
“Youngguk-ssi, if it’s alright, can we join the meal? I’ve never tried homemade Korean food before, and I heard your mother made it herself.”
“Same here.”
The head of the Japanese broadcasting station, TBK, chimed in. Suddenly, the filming site turned into a picnic atmosphere, with everyone gathering in groups, laying out mats, and opening lunch boxes.
Despite the large number of people, there was plenty of food made by his mother, enough to feed dozens.
“This is really delicious. Your mother’s cooking skills are amazing!”
The head of CCT, after tasting the food, gave a hearty laugh and showed his thumbs up. It didn’t seem like he was just saying it; he continued eating the food voraciously.
The head of TBK was the same. Seeing the head of CCT conversing with Youngguk, he seemed to feel left out and repeatedly praised the food.
When the compliments were translated and conveyed to the family, the father naturally laughed, saying, “Who do you think made it?” while Jisoo added, “Dad didn’t even help,” elaborating further.
Thanks to this, the dining area was filled with laughter, and his mother’s shoulders were raised high with pride.
How much time had passed?
“Miss Yeon, do you have a boyfriend?”
It was while the meal was nearing its end. The head of CCT asked Yeonsu in English.
Yeonsu, who was sitting demurely next to his mother, was startled by the question. But before she could answer, the head continued.
“If not, how about my son? He’s currently studying in a university in Korea and is a really good guy.”
This person…
Youngguk turned to look at the head of CCT. He wondered if there was any ulterior motive, but the plump face of the head showed only genuine curiosity. It seemed he was really interested in having Yeonsu as his daughter-in-law.
“I heard the scandal articles were false last time. Actually, my son is a huge fan of Miss Yeon, so I’m making this proposal. I’m a big fan of Mr. Jang too. If I had a daughter, I’d want Mr. Jang as my son-in-law. So, what do you think of my proposal? If Miss Yeon likes it, I can introduce them right away.”
PD Kim Woohyung was hiccuping and glancing around nervously, and Yeonsu also looked troubled. It was difficult to refuse outright since this was a buyer who had come to acquire overseas broadcasting rights.
At that moment, Jisoo, who had been quietly eating, seemed to understand the English and shouted.
“No way!”
