Chapter 8

At the end of this road (2)

"Good afternoon—."

"You're here?"

The assistant director, who had just returned from checking the set, waved his hand but then noticed the unusually chaotic atmosphere and expressed his confusion.

"What's going on? What happened?"

"A moment ago, the CP (Chief Producer) came and went."

The team member whispered, and the assistant director lowered his voice to ask.

"Why? Why did he come?"

"I don't know. He put a lot of pressure on PD Yu."

The team member made a gesture with his hand, as if sprinkling pepper.

"Where's PD Yu?"

"There he comes."

At that moment, PD Yu Jong-won entered the office with a cup of mixed coffee. The assistant director quickly approached him.

Seeing his hurried steps, PD Yu Jong-won gave a hollow laugh.

"Is everything okay?"

"What could go wrong?"

"The CP put a lot of pressure on you, didn't he?"

"He was anxious. SBC is hitting with seaweed, and NBS is saying the neighbor's son is my son, so what about us?"

"Well, if they wanted a melodrama, they shouldn't have chosen Seo Eun-young as the writer. They used to say that a heartwarming family drama was good, but now they're worried because the neighbors are causing a fuss."

"That's why. What did he say?"

PD Yu Jong-won took a sip from his paper cup and said.

"We're going to fight with real swords, without any of that."

"He must have been even more anxious."

"So I gave him a little hint. The knife that unexpectedly rolled in looked old and could only kill a chicken, but when I pulled it out of the sheath, it could kill a cow."

The assistant director narrowed his eyes at the vague metaphor and asked.

"Baek Seung-kyul?"

PD Yu Jong-won chuckled.

The assistant director scratched his nose and thought.

I understand.

At first, I thought the reactions of PD and Seo Eun-young were a bit exaggerated, but after attending the recent meeting, I saw it for myself...

'My jaw dropped.'

His acting was so stable that it made his serious performances as a child actor seem trivial.

Honestly, I thought it would be a waste to use him in a role that a new actor could handle.

Moreover, Baek Seung-kyul had something that no new actor could have.

Namely, popularity.

This was a powerful weapon for the age group that watches daily serials, as they are the generation that cried watching Haebi.

So, it makes sense to have higher expectations for Baek Seung-kyul compared to the other confirmed leads...

"Isn't there a limit to the role of An Juyeon?"

"You're right. I was going to mention it in the meeting, but Seo Eun-young called about it yesterday. She said she would try to increase An Juyeon's screen time without changing the script much."

"Wow, that's like spending money but not seeing the balance decrease."

The assistant director sighed. He knew how difficult that would be.

Especially in a daily serial where time is always tight, it's almost impossible.

"Only one actor has been added, but everyone seems to be getting more passionate."

"Indeed."

Seeing PD Yu Jong-won's response, the assistant director added.

"Even you, PD."

"Me? Come on, you know my motto. Don't overdo it and try to be mediocre."

"I know, but you don't seem to be like that lately."

PD Yu Jong-won blinked and then chuckled, confessing.

"You're right. I'm getting a bit greedy."

#

While the ambition of PD Yu Jong-won, Seo Eun-young, and the production team was growing, the script reading, which would allow them to see the blueprint they had been drawing, was approaching.

The KNS Drama Department meeting room was bustling early in the morning.

A proper tension was felt among the production team.

Some were laying out snacks on the table, while others were setting up the camera to capture the long conference table in one frame, preparing for the script reading.

"..."

PD Yu Jong-won sat at the head of the table. His gaze turned to the camera being set up.

Next to him, his partner, Seo Eun-young, sat with a face that looked five years older than last month.

Soon, the actors started to arrive on time.

The two greeted them as they ran to PD and the writer before going to their seats.

"Oh, you're the first to arrive?"

"Haha, the person who lives the farthest always arrives early."

"Is that a real rule? Oh, by the way, how was the move? You said it was a detached house in Guri?"

"Yes, so I have to work hard now. I've become too close to the bank."

"Are you close to it too? I haven't been able to cut ties with it for about 10 years. At this point, it feels like family."

"Our family-like PD and writer. I'm here too."

"Ah, you're here?"

The male lead, actor Lee Kang-hyun, found his seat with a friendly smile.

Next, a veteran actor arrived, followed by middle-aged actors playing the parents.

Then, the owner of the empty seat and the main character of this drama, Choi Ji-yeon, entered the meeting room, greeting everyone sociably.

"PD, how do I look today?"

After greeting the actors playing the grandmother and parents, Choi Ji-yeon turned around and approached.

"..."

PD Yu Jong-won frowned and tilted his head, while Seo Eun-young smiled and said.

"You dressed for the role of An Bora?"

"Of course, Writer!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is."

Choi Ji-yeon rolled her eyes, and PD Yu Jong-won scratched his head.

Seo Eun-young teased him while eating the snacks in front of her.

"What would you do if the director couldn't recognize that? Would you trust me to direct your script?"

"Three times, and you still can't recognize it?"

"Exactly. How did I end up...?"

"Will you do the fourth with me?"

"Yikes. I got goosebumps. Look at my arm."

Seeing the two bickering, Choi Ji-yeon suddenly remembered something and clapped her hands, looking around.

"By the way, where's our brother? Has he arrived?"

It was impossible for her to find her real brother here.

She was looking for the actor playing the brother in the drama.

The actors, who were engaged in their own conversations, turned their attention to her, finding the question intriguing.

"Right, I was curious about who would play An Juyeon."

"I asked a few times, but no one answered."

"Hasn't he been cast yet? The empty seat... Oh, there it is. An Juyeon."

A middle-aged actor pointed to a nameplate made of paper.

PD Yu Jong-won just smiled, and so did Seo Eun-young.

The actors narrowed their eyes and murmured.

"You're hiding him. Is it someone like Lee Min-ho?"

"Will he come?"

"Then who is it?"

PD Yu Jong-won folded his arms with a meaningful look.

He then opened his mouth, aware of the camera filming the script reading.

"Alright, let's start the script reading for the youngest daughter of the noble family."

Some eyes turned to the seat marked "An Juyeon," which was empty, making the start of the script reading seem odd.

"Also, as you can see, there's an empty seat."

The script reading photos will be published as news today, and the video will be released tomorrow or the day after.

But it's already May, and there are still two months until the broadcast.

PD Yu Jong-won thought it wasn't a good idea to reveal the cards too early to attract attention.

So, he decided to keep the sword in the sheath.

"He's not coming today. He wasn't invited."

#

KNS's new drama 'The Youngest Daughter of the Noble Family' revealed a warm script reading scene on the 4th.

'The Youngest Daughter of the Noble Family,' the third collaboration between PD Yu Jong-won and writer Seo Eun-young, is a drama that tells the warm family story of An Bora, the youngest daughter of a noble family. The lead role of An Bora is played by Choi Ji-yeon, who has been actively working recently, raising expectations.

Meanwhile, the absence of the actor playing An Bora's brother, An Juyeon, at the script reading site raised questions.

It was reported that PD Yu Jong-won intentionally did not invite the actor, increasing curiosity about who the hidden actor is.

—What, curiosity? Who's curious about that...

—The reporter isn't curious but is pretending to be.

—Who cares about which actor will appear in a daily serial? Nowadays, people are curious about what kind of melodramatic content will come out.

—That's true. For a well-crafted script, intense acting, and great actors, people watch movies or Netflix.

—But with Seo Eun-young as the writer and Choi Ji-yeon as the lead, it could be good, right? The other actors are also excellent.

—But hiding the actor playing the lead's brother is strange. Is it an actor with higher recognition than Choi Ji-yeon?

—Choi Ji-yeon isn't a top-tier actor, but she is top-tier for a daily drama. It's hard to find an actor with higher recognition. Maybe an unknown idol.

"..."

As soon as I got up, I checked my phone.

The article the assistant writer sent me last night, emphasizing the need to maintain confidentiality.

There were quite a few comments overnight, though not particularly positive.

What would they say if they knew it was me...

"What would they say? They'd be surprised."

It's obvious.

If I start acting again, the label of my past poor performances will stick to me again.

Sometimes I'm scared, but the satisfaction of acting is much greater.

Honestly, I have the confidence to shed that label.

"Let's do it. Properly."

I did some mental preparation and got up.

Before getting too lazy, I quickly got out of the warm bed, grabbed a light jacket, and went outside.

I lightly tapped the ground and started running towards the nearby park, as I did every morning.

My breathing gradually quickened.

The杂念 that rose while reading the comments subsided.

The space was filled with thoughts about An Juyeon.

What would An Juyeon do in this situation?

If An Juyeon were here...

An Juyeon is...

#

Meanwhile, after the script reading, the drama shooting officially began.

Until then, I had been practicing alone, going back and forth between home and the park.

A few more days passed.

—Seung-kyul, your first shooting date is set.

The time to pour out all my thoughts was approaching.

"Phew, let's go."

I left the house with a mix of excitement and nervousness.

The first shooting was at a set inside the broadcasting station, specifically An Juyeon's room.

When I arrived at the station and contacted the assistant writer, I was taken directly to the waiting room, where the lead actor was currently shooting.

I put on the prepared clothes and sat in the empty waiting room, opening the script.

I had memorized the content, but I had written a lot of notes.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Hello. I thought there might not be any water in this room."

A young man with a bottle of water in each hand peeked in and hesitantly entered.

It was the face I had been introduced to at the last meeting, the youngest field director (FD) of the team.

He placed the water bottles on the table, hesitated, and then said casually.

"I saw it. Haebi."

"Really?"

"The seniors said it would be good to watch, so I did. Wow, I cried a lot. How could you act so well? I mean, you did well. Anyway, I'm a complete fan now."

"I recommend you only watch that. The movies I made after that... Anyway, I don't want to lose a rare fan."

The FD burst into laughter at my response. He must have taken it lightly, even though I was serious. Another fan lost...

He said he would come back when the shooting preparation was done and returned an hour later.

"Did you wait long? The shooting was delayed a bit. Now, let's go to the set."

I stood up and walked down the hallway from the waiting room. The FD's urgent voice stopped me.

"Actor, actor!"

"Yes?"

"This. You left your script."

Ah...

I looked down at the script he was handing me.

I didn't need it anymore.

I was about to stand in front of the camera as An Juyeon, and it felt contradictory to hold a script that explained An Juyeon.

But it would be awkward to say I didn't need it when he brought it to me.

I didn't want to act cocky and say I had memorized it all.

"Thank you."

"Sure, I'll cheer for you!"

I nodded and smiled at him, who was lightly clapping his hands.

Then, I continued walking down the hallway.

Thump, thump.

My head buzzed with each step. My heart started to race, and a different kind of pressure crept in, unlike the meetings.

The acting I had abandoned was waiting at the end of this road.