Chapter 10

The pre-production of a TV drama can take three to five months, and for those meticulously researched historical dramas, it's not uncommon for it to take one or two years. Therefore, although "Autumn in My Heart" will not be broadcast until autumn, no one dares to be careless about the timeline.

With the script in place, the funding was also secured as the drama had already been approved by the departmental meeting and the deputy general manager of the department. The next step was to select the main creative personnel, starting with the director.

Yesterday at noon, after lunch, Park Dong-chan had already made an appointment with Lee Jung-hui to meet a few directors today and finalize the selection as soon as possible.

Lee Jung-hui left early, but this time he wasn't alone; he was followed by a tail: Kim Tae-hee. This girl wasn't just talking casually last night.

Lee Jung-hui had no choice but to bring her to KBS. As for Jang Dong-guk, he didn't need help with today's matters, so he went to handle the company registration procedures.

On the way, Kim Tae-hee seemed quite excited, chattering non-stop. However, once they arrived at KBS, she immediately quieted down and looked around curiously like a child.

Suddenly, she got excited again and tugged at Lee Jung-hui, "Look, look, that's Jang Dong-gun! Wow, he's so handsome! Can I go up and ask for an autograph?"

Lee Jung-hui rolled his eyes in exasperation, grabbed her, and walked towards the elevator, scolding her irritably, "Kim Tae-hee, if you're not embarrassed, I am!"

Kim Tae-hee didn't really intend to rush over, but she gave him a dissatisfied look and pouted, "What's embarrassing about it? When do we usually get to see such big stars?"

"You can meet anyone you want in the future!" Lee Jung-hui was almost defeated by her. After saying this casually, he took advantage of the empty elevator to quickly pull her in and close the door.

"Hmph, you're just boasting!" was Kim Tae-hee's response, but she didn't act out anymore.

When they reached the third floor, it happened that Park Dong-chan was just arriving for work. Seeing Lee Jung-hui, he greeted the young man he found increasingly likable with a smile. However, when he saw Kim Tae-hee, he paused, then looked at Lee Jung-hui with a teasing and ambiguous expression.

"This is my colleague from Empire Entertainment, and also my cousin, Kim Tae-hee!" Lee Jung-hui didn't mention the real reason Kim Tae-hee was there, as it was their private matter. He introduced her formally: "Director Jang is worried that I might be too young and might overlook some things, so he asked her to help me as my temporary assistant..."

As for Kim Tae-hee's identity, he decided to be straightforward because she often caused trouble, and he feared it would eventually be exposed.

"Oh, so she's your cousin!" Park Dong-chan nodded in understanding and then smiled at Kim Tae-hee, "Miss Tae-hee, not only are you very beautiful, but you also have a great aura. If you're interested, perhaps you could play a role in our drama..."

Praising Kim Tae-hee's beauty was sincere, but inviting her to act was more of a polite gesture for Lee Jung-hui's sake. However, Kim Tae-hee, who might have already aspired to join the entertainment industry, subconsciously agreed, "Sure!"

Hearing her words, Lee Jung-hui felt a sudden sense of helplessness and firmly said, "No way!"

Although she didn't explode because Park Dong-chan was there, she was clearly unhappy. Lee Jung-hui, recalling all the things she had done for him, couldn't bear to see her sulking alone, so he pulled her aside and explained patiently, "It's not that I'm deliberately doing this, but you've never studied acting. If you don't do well, people will laugh at you, and you'll feel bad..."

After a brief pause, he promised her earnestly, "If you really like acting, I'll have Brother Dong-guk arrange for you to study, and I'll definitely write a script specifically for you..."

This was the first time the boy had spoken to her so nicely, and Kim Tae-hee felt very satisfied and comfortable. However, the habit she had formed over the years made her pout and say "menacingly," "Hey, you said it! If you dare to trick me, I'll, hmpf!"

At this moment, a knock came from the half-open door, and then Park Dong-chan's secretary opened it and reported, "Minister Park, Director Lee Chang-han has arrived!"

Park Dong-chan nodded and then smiled at Lee Jung-hui and the others. He didn't want to get involved in the young people's affairs but admired Lee Jung-hui's high moral standards and fairness in firmly rejecting Kim Tae-hee's participation in "Autumn in My Heart." "Let's go, our first guest has arrived!"

Although Park Dong-chan and Lee Jung-hui had reached a preliminary consensus on the director for "Autumn in My Heart" at noon yesterday, the drama was too important to KBS, so Park Dong-chan still arranged to meet three director candidates one by one.

Lee Chang-han was the first. He was one of the top directors in the Korean TV drama industry, with a strong foundation in romantic dramas, and his breakout work, "Star in My Heart," was a hit across Asia.

He didn't look particularly impressive and was even a bit short, but when he started talking about professional matters, his charm was evident, his eyes shining brightly: "I've read the script, and my idea is to focus the plot on the siblings' relationship, highlighting their struggles due to their identity. This is the biggest highlight of the drama. However, in terms of overall style, I believe a faster pace and a light comedy tone will help reduce the tragic elements, making the drama more appealing and in line with the current audience's preference for fast-paced content..."

"For the visual style, since it's a light comedy, we should use a brighter color palette and incorporate various autumn and winter fashion elements to make the drama more fashionable and trendy... Finally, for the lead roles, I think Choi Ji-woo can perfectly portray the heroine's sadness and grievance, while Ahn Jae-hyuk can convey the hero's restrained intensity. They are also a guarantee for ratings, and I've heard that although they are discussing other contracts, their schedules are still open after the summer..."

Lee Chang-han was well-prepared, but after he left, Lee Jung-hui and Park Dong-chan exchanged glances and shook their heads.

For a TV drama or movie, if the script is determined first, the producer will consider whether the director can grasp the overall tone and style of the drama, which is different from the director writing or choosing the script based on their own ideas.

Lee Chang-han was clearly not suitable for this script. Although he grasped the core of the story, which is the transformation of the siblings' relationship, his idea of a fast pace and a light comedy tone was completely at odds with what the script expressed or what Park Dong-chan and Lee Jung-hui wanted.

The second director, Choi Jong-soo, was even more impressive. He could be considered the top director in the Korean TV drama industry, and his work, "My Love in Your Arms," was a milestone in Korean TV drama history. KBS had to go to great lengths to secure him.

Perhaps because of this, the old man was a bit arrogant. When Park Dong-chan introduced Lee Jung-hui, his look almost said, "This little brat can be a screenwriter?"

Then, he began his long monologue without any courtesy, "First, I think there are some issues with the script. The plot focuses too much on the relationship between the lead characters, and although there are struggles due to family factors, they are too weak. I think we should add more depth to the discussion of the impact of family ethics on love. This is the real significance the drama should convey, not just a simple soap opera..."

What the hell, Lee Jung-hui almost rushed over to kick him and stomp on him a few times.

Talking about family ethics and real significance, would this still be the same drama? For example, in "Transformers," you can add dinosaurs or any monsters, but the Autobots must be the main characters. If you sideline the Transformers and make dinosaurs the main characters, would it still be "Transformers"?

Park Dong-chan was also annoyed. The script had been approved by the entire department, and although Choi Jong-soo didn't say it outright, suggesting changes to the script was no different from directly asking for a rewrite.

Although the current script only had the detailed plot for the first few episodes and a rough outline of the rest, and there would be fine-tuning and adjustments based on audience feedback, a director or actor directly suggesting major changes to the script was a huge taboo in the Korean TV drama industry, no matter how big a name they were.

Finally, they managed to send the old man away. Park Dong-chan's face was a bit green, and after a while, he sighed. Lee Jung-hui, however, comforted him with a smile, "Isn't this better? It's better than choosing him and having him cause trouble on set!"

Park Dong-chan was amused by his words, then smiled bitterly and shook his head, "It seems we only have Yoon Seok-ho left. But, that guy has directed many works, and none of them have been very successful!"

This was everyone's concern, which is why Yoon Seok-ho was scheduled last. To be honest, he was the least well-known among the three, and he didn't have any standout works yet.

"That's because he hasn't had a good script," Lee Jung-hui, seeing Park Dong-chan's depressed mood, tried to cheer him up with a joke, "Like a skilled cook without ingredients, a good director needs a good script, like mine!"

Park Dong-chan laughed again, gave him an exasperated look, and shook his head with a smile, "You're boasting about your script again!"

But thinking about it, this was the only way. Besides, since he had chosen Lee Jung-hui's script, giving Yoon Seok-ho a chance wasn't unreasonable, as long as Yoon Seok-ho could deliver what he wanted.

Thinking this, he felt a bit more relaxed.