Chapter 18
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Scenario II
Director Son Tae-min asked.
"Is the genre important right now?"
Shin Eun-ha shook her head.
"No. I'm fine with any genre."
Son Tae-min waved the notebook outlining the revised scenario's plot.
"Heh heh. If we scrap all those druggie scenes and replace them with action, we can solve every problem stacked up in front of us. Even the entire shooting schedule!"
If this movie vanished without ever hitting theaters, the assistant director wouldn't just fail to debut—he'd end up with a permanent scar on his career.
The assistant director asked excitedly.
"Director, should we scout a martial arts choreographer right away?"
"Did you even listen to me? Didn't you see Na Gang-in calculating his movements in real-time and delivering that killer action?"
"I did."
"Didn't the shoot wrap up in a flash?"
"It ended right then and there."
"What's the one thing we're shortest on? Time. Who can fix that for us? Anyone besides Na Gang-in?"
The assistant director nodded vigorously.
"No one. Absolutely no one else can pull it off. Except... Na Gang-in isn't an actor."
"Acting doesn't require a license, so what's the issue?"
"What about his face?"
"We'll make heavy use of a mask and sunglasses. Na Gang-in performs the action wearing them. Then, once the action's done, Kim Yu-chan steps in, and we shoot from the moment he removes the mask."
"For the gaps in the fights without action, we film Kim Yu-chan removing his mask or sunglasses separately and splice them in?"
"Obviously."
"Wow, Director. You're a genius. It's going to look amazing."
"Took you this long to figure out I'm a genius?"
The assistant director added a caveat.
"Just to say it again, aside from Na Gang-in being the food truck guy and not one of our actors, it's a perfect plan."
Son Tae-min cracked his neck side to side with a series of pops.
"That's exactly why I'm heading off right now to solve that biggest issue."
As Son Tae-min walked toward the food truck, he called out.
"Na Gang-in! Let's talk!"
Na Gang-in turned to look at Son Tae-min.
"Is there more to discuss?"
"Yeah. Something really important."
Son Tae-min grabbed Na Gang-in's hand firmly.
"Please save our movie."
Son Tae-min earnestly explained the dire situation the movie faced.
Na Gang-in was initially unimpressed. There wasn't much information to gather in this remote spot deep in the Gangwon-do mountains.
Na Gang-in said.
"I have work in Seoul, so coming out here constantly is a bit..."
Son Tae-min jumped in quickly.
"Seoul! Perfect timing! Starting tomorrow, we'll shoot all the additional scenes there!"
"Oh, really?"
Seoul was a city with excellent public transit. That meant he could handle his other business and just drop by for shooting times before heading back.
"We'll pay you properly, no doubt about it. The production company isn't in a position to skimp right now. I'll grab them by the collar if I have to and get you a generous fee."
Na Gang-in added a condition.
"I have my own work, so I can't stay on set all day."
Son Tae-min's face lit up.
"Just come when we need you for those scenes. If possible, one perfect take like before—no NGs."
"Understood. Give me the schedule, and I'll head to set."
Son Tae-min beamed.
"Thank you. I'll finish revising the scenario tonight, even if it means pulling an all-nighter."
"Then right now..."
"We gotta shoot the rest fast. We need to wrap everything here today. Haha."
The set buzzed with even more frantic energy. They had to finish the outdoor reshoots in Gangwon-do before sunset.
Things weren't looking bad. With chunks of the original scenario scrapped, there was less to film here.
Everyone else was swamped with reshoots, but Na Gang-in had nothing to do. Dinner prep was still hours away.
He wandered over to the collapsed set. The dust cloud that had billowed up like cotton candy was long gone, scattered by the wind.
Gazing at the debris piled on the set floor, he muttered.
"It looked perfectly fine, then suddenly the whole thing comes crashing down. Right in the middle of a take. Starting from exactly where the actor was standing. Suspicious, right?"
The AR lens began overlaying information. Translucent labels popped up one by one around the visible debris. More and more spots gained annotations, filling the air with text.
Dozens upon dozens of data points scrolled into view before vanishing in a flash, leaving only a select few.
[Possibility of artificial damage prior to collapse.]
(Iron framework | Lighting connections | Severed cables)
Na Gang-in asked.
"You're saying someone tampered with the set facilities in advance?"
"37%, huh. What data are you basing that probability on?"
"You handled the analysis yourself, so I shouldn't question it?"
"Anyway, what you're saying is..."
He inspected the debris up close.
"The odds of simple accident are twice as high as someone tampering with it beforehand."
He glanced around at the people.
The staff and actors were hustling through the reshoots.
"37% is a bit too vague to sound the alarm for those busy folks..."
Shin Eun-ha, waiting on standby nearby, turned her head toward Na Gang-in. Their eyes met.
She flashed a bright smile and waved.
Na Gang-in looked at her and said.
"The spot where that young lady was standing? Predictable just from reading the script."
"If someone sabotaged the set targeting the actors, it feels like they were gunning for her."
No one was hurt in the set collapse. But if an investigation locked down the site and halted shooting today, the movie was done for.
"Or maybe they were targeting the movie itself? Trying to tank it?"
37% wasn't a high probability. Even taking the number at face value, a simple accident was still twice as likely.
"I'll talk to the director after today's shoot. If this were a battlefield, I couldn't ignore a 37% chance, but right now this place is..."
Na Gang-in tilted his head.
"Hm? Battlefield? Have I ever fought on a real battlefield?"
He couldn't remember.
The afternoon shoot progressed busily.
All additional action scenes requiring the collapsed set were scrapped.
Instead, a few new supplementary scenes were added.
One of them featured the male lead, Kim Yu-chan, talking with Shin Eun-ha amid the ruins.
Director Son Tae-min told the actors.
"I've whipped up side scripts for today's scenes. They're brand new, so memorize them quick."
Lead actor Kim Yu-chan alternated between the side script and the director's notebook as he asked.
"Director, you're planning to shoot all this in a week?"
"We're cutting the druggie scenes and pulling back some stuff we ditched in editing before. It'll work out somehow. Who knew those discards would come in handy like this? Heh heh."
"There's a ton of action left to shoot in Seoul, though?"
"That's why we need Na Gang-in's help. If he delivers like today, we can knock out the action fast."
"Following that notebook, won't this boost Eun-ha's screen time? She's basically lead supporting now."
"Sharp as ever, Kim Yu-chan. You spotted it just skimming the plot? Upping the action naturally amps up her role too."
Shin Eun-ha's eyes went wide. She bowed deeply with a huge smile.
"Oh! Thank you, Director!"
"But for this plan to work, there's one thing we absolutely can't miss."
"I know. Oppa Gang-in has to help out a ton, right?"
Kim Yu-chan grumbled.
"You call a guy you just met today 'Oppa' that easily? You kept your distance from me at first. Discrimination?"
"Yep!"
"Huh?"
"That oppas saved my life! How could I treat him the same?"
The afternoon shoot went smoothly. The actors and staff reshooting had felt chased all morning. Now the vibe was a touch more relaxed.
Staff members watched the actors' performances and said.
"Feels like it's really coming together, doesn't it?"
"Director's cranking out side scripts on the fly. He's totally in the zone."
"If it keeps going like this, this movie might actually make it."
Several external vehicles pulled up to the set.
Reps from the production and distribution companies had been dispatched to check progress.
Among them was a car carrying the executive manager from THO Entertainment.
THO Entertainment wasn't just in movies. They were well-known across the cultural sector. Film was their mainstay, but they dabbled in events including live performances.
Most film companies fund productions through investors. THO Entertainment did the same—it meant sharing profits on hits but minimizing losses on flops.
But Sunny Day was different.
THO Entertainment had sunk over 10 billion won directly into production. President Lee Tae-ho was convinced it would succeed. They'd leveraged the company's full clout to secure a massive theater rollout.
Only a week remained until release.
Then the key supporting actor in several crucial scenes got busted at a drug party in the early hours yesterday. Word reached THO Entertainment.
Pandemonium ensued. An emergency meeting with the president and director yielded one unavoidable path.
Reshoots were greenlit yesterday afternoon.
THO Entertainment's Kim Manager pleaded with Son Tae-min.
"Director, save us. Releasing the original version gets us trashed by critics, tanks the movie, and shakes our company to its core. We can't push back the release either. We went all-out twisting arms for those theaters—if we no-show, no one can handle the fallout!"
Son Tae-min had shared those exact worries with Kim Manager just that morning.
But now his expression was incredibly bright.
"Kim Manager, trust me. I'll handle every single problem."
"Quit the big talk and tell me how. I need something to report upstairs."
Son Tae-min declared.
"We're changing the genre. As of today, Sunny Day is a rom-com action flick."
Kim Manager thought this was utter nonsense.
"Director! Are you insane? We've got one week for reshoots and editing! How do you change genres now?!"
"Whoa, calm down. No time to chat now—we're shooting. I'll show you something over dinner later. Once you see it, it'll all make sense..."
A German luxury sedan barreled aggressively onto the set.
Son Tae-min scowled.
"Who the hell is that? Any more actors coming? What's with that driving? Dust's blowing everywhere!"
A man in his forties stepped out of the car.
The moment Kim Manager from THO Entertainment saw him, he rushed over and bowed deeply.
"President! Didn't expect you here in person."
THO Entertainment President Lee Tae-ho scanned the set and said.
"I didn't want to burden the shoot by showing up, but..."
His gaze locked onto the collapsed set. Lee Tae-ho frowned deeply and raised his voice.
"A set collapses on location—how could I not come?"