Chapter 78: A Hero in Turbulent Times

"Wait, Chief Oh, why did you publish such an article?"

It seems the editor-in-chief, who had given the green light just yesterday, was now determined to pin all the blame on him.

"But, Chief, when I told you yesterday..."

"Hmm! What are you talking about? I confirm so many articles a day, how can I read them all in detail? As a chief, I assumed you would write it well. Mr. President, it's all my fault."

The editor-in-chief deftly shifted all the blame onto him and bowed to the president sitting beside him.

However, since he did write the article, he had no words to defend himself.

The president, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

"Chief Oh. We should avoid using aggressive rhetoric to draw attention. It degrades the company. K-culture is expanding globally, and it's almost treasonous to drag each other down over petty matters in this small land. The committee will decide on the punishment, so for now, stay on probation."

Journalist Oh Seung-hwan silently bowed his head and bit his lip.

'Why did it have to come to this?'

The explosive interest in "Master Plan" wasn't just affecting Oh Seung-hwan.

"Ah, the timing is really bad."

"Really, this could turn things around."

The production team of "Baldur" was in despair, anticipating that the audience of the hit movie starring Ryu Yeon-woo, the lead actor of the competing drama "Beyond the River," would turn to the drama.

"Why did a wildcard like KBC 1 Channel pop up?"

Scheduled as a major production by MBS, "Baldur" had only focused on its competitor from SBC and hadn't even investigated the dramas being produced by KBC 1 Channel.

Since KBC 1 Channel, a public broadcaster, mainly dealt with news, documentaries, and had a poor target audience rating (20-49 years old), it had never been considered a competitor.

At that moment, the chief director, Kim Seung-gwan, who had been listening quietly, stood up.

"I'll be back after a quick call."

He left the meeting room and called someone in a secluded spot.

"Yes, this is Kim Seung-gwan. I think we need to borrow some of your strength. I heard your investment company put a lot into this project."

For a while, Kim Seung-gwan continued the call, his expression uneasy and uncomfortable, but his eyes betrayed a sinister intent.

"Beyond the River" is set to air episodes 9-10 this week.

The content starts with a horseback chase scene between Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun, which almost ended in an accident, followed by a thrilling action scene with Yeon-woo and Jin Yu-han.

Later, Lee Ji-baek confesses his love to Hong Yi-yeon, but she has already fallen for Seo Hee and rejects him.

Heartbroken, Lee Ji-baek decides to give up and bless his foolish friend who still hasn't realized his feelings, and he is sent to Song as an envoy with the Song envoy, where Park Kyung-wan appears as the Song envoy's bodyguard.

Today's shooting scene is the first appearance of Park Kyung-wan, with the surrounding scenes already filmed, leaving only his part.

It's a powerful entrance, and his role of saving Seo Hee and Lee Ji-baek from danger is perfect for building a positive image.

"Cut, let's do it again. Why is the action not working today, Park Kyung-wan? Did you drink last night?"

Park Kyung-wan shook his head strongly.

"Absolutely not, Director."

But Park Kyung-wan's face didn't look right.

His face, still affected by the previous night's activities, automatically looked dead.

'This is all because of Ryu Yeon-woo. Damn him. I wish he would disappear.'

The resentment he had been harboring since Ryu Yeon-woo's movie received rave reviews and became a hit finally burst.

Frustrated, when his friends invited him to a room and ordered expensive drinks, he couldn't resist and went out impulsively last night, which became the root of his problems.

Of course, Ryu Yeon-woo hadn't done anything wrong, but all the blame was focused on him in Park Kyung-wan's mind.

Distracted by these thoughts, Park Kyung-wan's movements were off, and the prop sword he was holding hit the action actor's sword and flew towards Jin Yu-han.

The prop sword, aimed at Jin Yu-han, who was facing another actor, was deflected by Yeon-woo, who grabbed the masked rider's sword and quickly raised his own to block it.

Yeon-woo's quick reaction barely changed the path of the sword from Jin Yu-han's face to his lower body.

Thud.

"Ouch."

"Are you okay?!"

Yeon-woo and the staff rushed to Jin Yu-han's aid.

"Park Kyung-wan! How could you attack Lee Ji-baek when you're supposed to save them? If this were a real sword, you would have killed Seo Hee and Lee Ji-baek!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Director Lee Sang-hoon sighed at Park Kyung-wan, who was repeatedly bowing.

"Let's take a break and start again. Everyone, take a rest. Yu-han, go see the team doctor just in case. Ryu, is your hand okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Park Kyung-wan squatted in the corner and slapped his cheeks.

"Ah, I need to focus. Was the alcohol too strong last night? Why is the hangover so bad? Damn."

While trying to clear his head, he noticed the staff murmuring in the corner.

Looking over, he saw that everyone was staring at him.

"Why are you looking at me? Did Jin Yu-han get badly hurt? It was just a prop sword."

At that moment, a special effects team member approached Park Kyung-wan with a smartphone.

"Kyung-wan, you should see this."

Park Kyung-wan took the smartphone and saw a news article on the screen.

- P, a supporting actor known for his stunt work, has recently gained recognition for his roles in "Dead End" and "One Meter Forward." CCTV footage has been leaked showing him assaulting staff and behaving erratically in a bar, leading authorities to launch an investigation into possible drug use.

The CCTV footage attached to the article clearly showed the room he visited last night.

His pants were missing, and although his upper body was pixelated, it was the same shirt he wore yesterday.

"Is this... me?"

He clearly had no memory of the night before.

He didn't remember how he got home, and when he woke up, his body was sore.

Moreover, the "Dead End" and "One Meter Forward" mentioned in the article were indeed the projects he had worked on, and he was the only one who appeared in both.

Park Kyung-wan, feeling a chill run down his spine, hurried to a corner of the set to make a call.

Ring.

No matter how many times he tried, his friends didn't answer.

These were the same friends who always called him "Mr. Star" and "Mr. Park" and answered his calls promptly.

Just as he hung up, another call came in.

Thinking it might be one of them, he quickly looked at the screen, but it was from his agency's president.

"Hello..."

- Hey, you idiot. What were you doing last night?! Get in the car Taewook sent and go home. Don't come out.

Click.

The agency president, clearly in a hurry, hung up after a brief, harsh conversation.

Park Kyung-wan quickly got into the car that arrived and left the set.

Yeon-woo, who had been rubbing the hand he used to grab the prop sword, was quietly reflecting on what Han Hae-won had said.

'I thought Park Kyung-wan would just pass by, but it seems he finally snapped. Plus Ten's Byun Hak-gyu.'

If this was a deliberate attack, it couldn't be because of him. He needed to consider who would benefit the most from this.

'Who will gain from this? "Baldur" seems the most likely.'

Yeon-woo sent a message to Han Hae-won.

- As we suspected, Park Kyung-wan caused a problem. Investigate the relationship between MBS "Baldur" and its investors. Use Baek Noya's network to dig deeper into Byun Hak-gyu.

- Yes, Team Leader.

Yeon-woo looked at the set, where chaos reigned.

"What do we do about today's shooting? Try to contact writer Park Jin-ju. This is a big problem. Should we rewrite the script to remove Park Kyung-wan's part? What about today's scenes?"

The problem was how to handle today's scenes, even if they rewrote the script to remove Park Kyung-wan's part.

They had already filmed all the scenes with the masked character, and now Park Kyung-wan, who was supposed to remove the mask after the final action scene, had disappeared.

"Damn it. This part needs to be cut next week. How do we do it?"

Director Lee Sang-hoon was in a panic.

A masked character suddenly appears, saves Seo Hee and Lee Ji-baek, and then disappears?

And never appears again?

This would be like defacing a completed drama.

Vroom.

At that moment, a truck with a diesel engine arrived at the set.

- Sent by Son Jin-wook. Please take care of our Yeon-woo.

The banner on the coffee truck fluttered in the cold air of the set.

"Ah, the timing..."

A staff member muttered, looking at the coffee truck.

Usually, a coffee truck would be welcome, but the timing was bad given the frozen atmosphere on set.

Creak.

A man got out of the passenger seat of the coffee truck and looked around the set.

"What's this? You don't seem very welcoming."

Son Jin-wook, smiling.

Thinking of his "little brother" Yeon-woo's first lead role, Son Jin-wook, who couldn't send him to the movie, decided to send a coffee truck to the drama set.

Yeon-woo, delighted, went to greet him.

"Brother Jin-wook!"

"Ah, my little brother."

At that moment, a man ran even faster than Yeon-woo.

"Son Jin-wook, you're here!"

Director Lee Sang-hoon, with a look of utter relief, rushed over.

'This is a miracle sent by the gods, no, by the god of Yeon-woo! I must secure the role of the bodyguard as a cameo.'

He must seize this opportunity, even if it means demanding additional production costs as promised by the previous head of the department.