One month ago.
“Love, huh….”
Min Sujin, the writer of the drama “Mermaid Prince,” scratched her head.
Her appearance was no different from that of a homeless person, and the room where she wrote was no better.
Half-eaten takeout food was piled up like mountains here and there, and empty bottles of caffeinated drinks stood in a row on the table.
“Eunyoung, what do you think love is?”
Min Sujin asked her assistant writer, Choi Eunyoung, who helped her with the writing.
“Well, sticking together until our hair turns gray?”
“No, not that cliché. Never mind. What answer could I expect from someone who’s been single her whole life?”
“You’re really something!”
Assistant writer Choi Eunyoung was no different in appearance from Min Sujin. She was a longtime colleague of Min Sujin. They had joined SBC’s variety show department as writers and even resigned together; they were what you’d call ‘best buddies.’
The reason Min Sujin was so deeply troubled was simple.
“The storyline is complete, but I can’t think of a brilliant line.”
She was in the middle of writing the final episode. The storyline, or the skeleton, was complete, but she couldn’t think of the flesh to fill it.
She had already repeated erasing and rewriting the dialogue several times.
“We’re not revising; at this rate, we’ll break down. How many times have we revised this? We’re not writing machines. And is ‘Mermaid Prince’ really that popular?”
“You saw the ratings, didn’t you?”
“Sure, the broadcasting station always informs us, but we need to feel it for ourselves. Sujin, think about it. Since I joined as your assistant writer, I can count on my fingers the number of times I’ve left this room. You promised me a five-day workweek! But what is this, Monday to Friday, Friday, Friday? I can’t even remember the last time I went home!”
Min Sujin cleared her throat. She understood why Choi Eunyoung was so angry.
Since the start of the main broadcast of “Mermaid Prince,” the two of them had left the writing room so rarely that it could be counted on fingers. The scripts were also sent by fax or courier, which only added to the pressure.
“It’s not like I don’t want to let you go! Look, another call from Director Kim, asking for the final episode script!”
Min Sujin shouted, holding up the phone. Everything had come to a halt before the final episode shoot. The director had every reason to rush them, as they couldn’t shoot without the script.
“Ugh—!”
Min Sujin let out a deep sigh and covered her greasy face with her long fingers.
The first episode’s viewership exceeded 20%, and the ratings continued to soar with each episode.
It was the first time in the history of Korean drama for a variety show writer to transition to drama writing and achieve such a feat with a debut work. But.
‘It’s heavy.’
The greater the expectations, the heavier the responsibility that weighed on her shoulders. Just then.
“We have some time as we’ve recorded quite a few episodes already. How about taking a trip to clear your head? Or maybe you could ask Jang Youngguk since he’s the lead and might understand the emotions well?”
“What?”
“I said, let’s go on a trip.”
“No! Not that, the latter part!”
“You mean ask Jang Youngguk? I was just saying that because you seemed so stuck.”
Though Choi Eunyoung waved it off as a casual suggestion, the name Jang Youngguk was already engraved deeply in Min Sujin’s mind. She covered her greasy hair with a hat and stood up.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“Yeongdo!”
As she left the writing room, Choi Eunyoung muttered to herself.
“That girl, going by herself.”
Yeongdo, Busan.
The tension was palpable at the filming site overlooking the silver waves of Namhang. It was the final shooting scene.
The filming crew and writer Min Sujin were present at the site.
“Scene number 60, the love of the Mermaid Prince—!”
With the sound of the slate, everyone’s attention turned to the filming site.
The location was the cliff where Youngguk had previously jumped to save Yeonsu. The pine trees swayed in the sea breeze.
“Father, I can’t save her.”
Yisu (Youngguk) stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the sea.
Deep in the shimmering waves lay the Dragon Palace where he was born and raised.
Yisu had set out on land at his father’s command, the Dragon King.
-Why can’t you save her?
The father’s voice seemed to pierce Yisu’s ears through the sea breeze. Staring at the sea, Yisu muttered.
“She is the woman I love.”
Memories of the days with Han Myojeong flashed through Yisu’s mind. From their first meeting to the extraordinary events on land, and her smile and warm kiss.
“How could I kill the woman I love with my own hands?”
-You can’t do it even for your father? You’re a merman, and she’s a human; it’s a love that can never be.
“Even if it’s a love that can never be, if she remains in my memory forever, that should be enough.”
-Even if you give her up, I can send someone else to capture her.
As if reflecting the Dragon King’s anger, the waves fiercely crashed against the cliff. Watching the foam scatter, Yisu continued.
“Father said our family possesses a mysterious power that others do not. I’ve heard that those blessed by a mermaid’s protection can live their lives without harm, even at the cost of a life.”
-You’re willing to throw away your life for a mere human? Aren’t you ashamed as the prince of the merfolk?
The waves crashed more violently against the cliff. The pine trees swayed once more in the sea breeze.
Only one person occupied Yisu’s mind. The woman who introduced him to the word “love,” who he had known for a lifetime in the deep sea Dragon Palace.
“Father.”
Yisu looked down the sheer cliff and continued.
“I want to use this life for her. I loved her until the day I died, and I won’t forget her even after death. What’s shameful about giving up a life for love?”
Mermaids dedicate their lives to one woman.
“I have no regrets.”
The Mermaid Prince takes his own life. With blood trickling down his lips, he speaks his final words.
“I could die a hundred, a thousand times for her…”
A seagull flying across the sky looked down at the Mermaid Prince as he fell from the cliff. Its mournful cry seemed to sing for him.
Time passes, and the seasons change.
The warm summer does not last long. Passing through the desolation, it reaches the endlessly cold winter.
It’s right to say that the passing time feels like a fleeting moment. Han Myojeong felt as if she had dreamed a midsummer night’s dream.
Standing at the edge of the cliff where Yisu disappeared, Han Myojeong looked down at the sea. The pine tree that had witnessed everything swayed for her.
“Yisu.”
At the promised place, Myojeong waited for him. But he did not appear. No matter how much time passed, no matter how many years went by.
At that moment, the sea breeze blew past her ears. Warmth like his lips accompanied it.
“Youngguk, about the last line.”
Writer Min Sujin spoke as she took a shot of soju.
“It was very good. Hearing it in person, it fits perfectly. It really captured Yisu’s character. But I’m curious, could you really die a hundred, a thousand times for someone you love?”
They were having a wrap party after the final episode shoot.
Considering the drama’s ratings, it wouldn’t have been strange to rent out a hotel buffet, but the wrap party was held at an old tavern near Namhang.
The reason was simple. They had had so many wrap parties during the shoot. They wanted to feel the drama’s lingering emotions one last time near the filming site.
“If it’s someone I love, it’s possible.”
“Oh.”
Kim Woo-hyung PD, who was drinking next to them, expressed his admiration.
In fact, he had been skeptical when he first received the final script.
It was a sad ending, after all, something not often used in dramas these days. As if reading his thoughts, Min Sujin said.
“When I first thought of a sad ending, I was worried. How would the viewers take it? I was also worried about complaints flooding the broadcasting station after the final episode.”
She wasn’t wrong. Dramas with sad endings had always been plagued by viewer complaints in the past.
Some popular dramas even extended their broadcasts, reviving dead characters to appease the viewers.
“But today’s shooting made me certain. ‘Ah, this will do.’ It conveyed the longing, sadness, regret, and anticipation of love intuitively. Even the promise to love her despite the inevitable separation. I loved it.”
“If Yeonsu had seen today’s shooting, she would have been thrilled.”
“Don’t you think so too, PD Kim? I felt the same way. If Yeonsu had been free and watched today’s shooting in person, she would have fallen for Youngguk. When the scandal broke, I really hoped it was true. They make such a perfect pair. Don’t you all think so?”
Min Sujin didn’t know that Youngguk and Yeonsu were actually dating. Others just laughed at her question.
Min Sujin looked at Kim Woo-hyung with puzzled eyes.
“Why is everyone laughing? PD Kim, is there something I don’t know?”
“Well, that is….”
Kim Woo-hyung looked awkwardly at Youngguk. It was a well-known fact among the staff, but it was awkward for Kim Woo-hyung to mention it.
Youngguk looked at Min Sujin with a faint smile. Min Sujin urged, “What is it? What is it?” and her assistant writer Choi Eunyoung also looked at Youngguk with curious eyes.
“Writer Min, actually.”
Just then.
“Youngguk!”
A familiar figure hurriedly burst into the tavern. It was Lee Bongchun, a man so burly he could be mistaken for a bear.
“Hyung?”
Youngguk looked at Lee Bongchun with puzzled eyes.
Lee Bongchun, now promoted to manager, rarely came to the field. He mostly stayed at the agency in Seoul.
It was strange enough for him to come to Busan suddenly, but his sweaty expression was alarming.
“Why didn’t you answer your phone? There’s big trouble in Seoul!”
“What is it? Take a breath and tell me.”
Lee Bongchun hurriedly wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and looked around.
Since it was a wrap party, many other staff members were present. Conscious of the surrounding eyes, Lee Bongchun leaned closer to Youngguk and whispered.
“A dating rumor, this time with undeniable photos. The agency is trying to block the articles, but…”
Youngguk thought it was bound to happen. Lee Bongchun continued whispering non-stop, suggesting that they should deny it and say it was groundless.
But Youngguk firmly shook his head and said decisively. He had made a promise with Yeonsu.
If another dating rumor broke,
“Prepare a press conference.”
He would handle it himself.
