Chapter 64
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Standby
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Scene.64
Standby.
The Hollywood team contracted with BIS arrived one by one, and the support team from Korea also flew into Malta.
The Korean team brought not only filming equipment but also editing gear. There wasn't enough time to send the footage back to Korea for editing, so they converted part of the pension into a dedicated editing suite.
Lee Jae-eun, who had briefly left for France, returned with her fashion team in tow.
Since things had come to this, she decided to go all-in on the drama, scheduling her new product launch for after the show aired.
The actors, holding the new scripts, attended the production meeting with tense expressions.
While the original drama focused on the healing journey of an actress weary of life, the new script was an Urus spin-off that added action and mystery to the mix.
A brief introduction of the roles was followed by greetings from the new directors brought in from outside.
Yu Han-seong, who was moderating the meeting, announced the next item on the agenda.
“Writer Kim will now go over the story synopsis.”
At Yu Han-seong's words, the waiting staff quickly distributed a one-page printout.
While the actors read the synopsis, Kim Seong-hui gave a brief explanation.
“This farm is where Master M of the Urus Club resides.”
At Seong-hui’s words, everyone’s eyes lit up as they looked at her.
“This is also the place where Annie of the Urus Club was reborn.”
Hearing this, Lee Ha-na and Seong Ye-rim waited for her next words with looks of anticipation.
“Ian, played by Lee Ha-na, and Yujin, played by Seong Ye-rim, will have the same experience as Annie when they come here. To put it in Eastern terms, the two of them will become like sisters to Annie.”
The two actresses nodded at her explanation.
Lee Ha-na was cast as Ian, who, exhausted by the entertainment career she stumbled into, embarks on a journey. Seong Ye-rim was cast as her competitor and rival, Yujin.
Seong-hui continued.
“The two of them will also live here with Annie and, through a chance encounter with M, become members of the Urus Club. I’ll need to discuss it further with Writer Camu, but Urus Season 2 will likely be structured around Ian, Yujin, and Annie solving cases together.”
Hearing this, the attendees murmured, “Ooh,” and gave the two a congratulatory round of applause.
Lee Ha-na and Seong Ye-rim briefly stood and bowed lightly to the attendees.
“As you all know, this drama originally centered on romance, not action or mystery.”
Everyone nodded.
“That core element will remain. It will be about how three women, connected by fate to M, become members of the Urus Club. Their feelings for M throughout that process. And how the three of them are both rivals and allies who help one another.”
Seong-hui scanned the faces of the attendees.
“It’s going to be a tight schedule. I ask for your enthusiastic participation.”
As Seong-hui finished speaking and sat down, someone raised a question.
“There are no details about M in the script or the synopsis. Could you explain that part as well?”
“That’s something for the original author, Writer Camu, to decide, not me. It’s not within my authority.”
Seong-hui explained that she didn’t know the details herself. At this, those who had read the original Urus novel or seen the drama looked disappointed.
‘You people. I’m curious too! But what can I do when he absolutely refuses to tell me?’
In truth, Seong-hui was just as curious.
She was essentially participating as the main writer for the spin-off, yet Yu-hyeon never revealed more information than was absolutely necessary.
“Excuse me, Writer-nim.”
Director Na Hyeong-su of RN Media raised his hand.
“Yes.”
“Which actor is playing M? It’s not mentioned here at all. Is a new actor coming from Korea?”
“We’ll discuss that later. Today, we’re only going to talk about the changes and the new script.”
Despite Seong-hui’s words, Director Na didn’t back down easily.
“Wasn’t actor Jo Seong-hyeon originally the male lead of this drama?”
“Yes. He still has a leading role. Is there a problem?”
Seong-hui glared at Director Na Hyeong-su, her eyes sharp. Her gaze seemed to say, *Who are you to question the casting?*
Na Hyeong-su was about to ask, ‘Could our Seong-hyeon be M…?’ but he quickly shut his mouth.
It wasn’t just Seong-hui; even the managers of the other actors were glaring at him.
‘We’re busy enough as it is! Why do you keep interrupting with pointless questions! I already said I’d talk about it later!’
‘Looks like he’s coveting the role of M. Does he really think that’s possible? It’s obvious the action sequences will be on the level of Tom Crowe.’
‘I heard he couldn’t even swing an axe properly and had to use a stunt double for that one scene. Does he plan to wear a green suit and just have his face CGI’d on?’
‘Know your limits! Seong-hyeon could die if he tries to be that greedy.’
Facing the silent rebuke of the attendees, Na Hyeong-su looked awkward.
“Anything else to say?”
“Ahem. No. Please continue.”
As Na Hyeong-su quietly backed down, Seong-hui tapped the table to change the atmosphere.
“Everyone seems curious about who will be playing M.”
“…”
“I’ve been told that the actor who already appeared in the original series will be reprising the role.”
At Seong-hui’s words, a murmur went through the crowd, with the exception of a few people.
“So I’d appreciate it if you didn’t worry about that anymore.”
After Seong-hui finished, Yu Han-seong announced a short ten-minute break before they would continue.
‘The original series? Didn’t they only show his back and his voice?’
‘Is his face not going to be shown this time either?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. Didn’t you hear what the writer said earlier? It’s a story about three characters—Annie, Ian, and Yujin—who grow after meeting M. With romance mixed in. Do you think the viewers would be satisfied if his face isn’t shown? Would they accept that?’
‘Ah, I’m so curious. Who could the actor playing M be? The fact that he’s reprising the role means he must be an actor with presence. He’s practically the founder of the Urus Club. They wouldn’t have cast just anyone, right?’
‘I heard a rumor. They say Writer Camu was M.’
‘Who said that?’
‘Apparently, it came up when Elizabeth Veil was here.’
‘Ah, I heard that too.’
‘You heard it too?’
‘Writer Camu is the author of the original novel.’
Everyone nodded.
‘Elizabeth Veil is supposedly a huge fan of the original. That’s why she calls the writer M.’
‘Ah. No wonder. That must be where the rumor started.’
‘Hey, but you never know, right? All they needed was his back and his voice. Writer Camu could have made a cameo.’
‘If that were the case, the news would have broken long ago. ‘Original Author Makes Cameo as M!’ The PR team isn’t stupid; they wouldn’t have let an opportunity like that slip by.’
‘Ah, I guess so.’
‘Of course.’
‘Still, I’m curious who’ll play M. What if it’s someone like Tom Crowe?’
‘Hey, be realistic. If Uncle Tom shows up here, would the story even work? It’d turn into Uncle Tom’s Cabin, not the Urus Club.’
‘True, his presence is no joke. He’d completely overshadow all the other roles.’
‘Oh, Writer Camu is coming in.’
‘Where, where?’
The gazes of the people who had been chattering away turned toward the entrance.
A moment later, the meeting resumed, and everyone wore looks of surprise once again.
“I am Camu, and I will be serving as the executive producer for *Lovers in Malta: The Birth of the Urus Club*. I look forward to working with you all during the shoot.”
At Yu-hyeon’s words, the person who had insisted on the cameo theory let out a deflated sound, while the one who had dismissed it looked vindicated.
‘See, I was right. An executive producer has a ton of work to do. Playing M on top of that? Besides, M has to perform like a human weapon. So it was never going to be the writer.’
*
Yu-hyeon distributed a production log detailing the shooting schedule by part, travel routes, on-site support, and other miscellaneous items.
The production team, upon receiving the schedule, was considerably impressed with each page they turned.
It wasn’t just the efficient flow designed to eliminate wasted time; even the parts involving the Hollywood staff, which the Korean team couldn’t control, were neatly organized.
Yu Han-seong looked inwardly relieved.
‘Phew, what a relief. If I had insisted on handling it myself to the end… ’
He considered himself a veteran, but he had never managed a production of this scale before. More importantly, he had no experience coordinating with a foreign production team.
If he had been the one to create the schedule, he would probably still be tearing his hair out, or if he had managed to finish it, it would have been riddled with all sorts of problems.
‘His confidence wasn’t just empty words. But what exactly is Yu-hyeon? This schedule looks like something only possible for someone who knows the ins and outs of a producer’s job… ’
Being the original author or working on the script was one thing, but this was something no one but an expert could even touch.
‘M of the Urus Club is a mystery, but Yu-hyeon of Pension Camu is just as formidable.’
In addition to the production schedule, Yu-hyeon distributed a separate document to the managers.
“What’s this?”
“It’s an actor management chart.”
“Actor management… chart?”
The managers looked at Yu-hyeon, clearly not understanding what he meant.
“Some scenes will be fine, but for those involving action or stunt doubles, we need time to prepare in advance.”
Everyone nodded at Yu-hyeon’s words.
“As any actor with action experience knows, you can’t get a good shot just by moving your arms and legs.”
At Yu-hyeon’s words, the managers quickly checked the management charts.
And without exception, their jaws dropped.
The chart was filled with a detailed plan for how to use every moment outside of filming hours.
“What’s this morning exercise section? Are we all going jogging together or something?”
one of the managers asked curiously.
“Yes. We do start with jogging.”
At Yu-hyeon’s answer, Jo Seong-hyeon, Lee Ha-na, and Seong Ye-rim burst out laughing with a “Pfft!”
Start with jogging? Well, he wasn’t wrong. It’s just that the end of it was on a whole other level. They had been wondering if they should try to recruit new members, and now the rest of the actors were being automatically enrolled without them having to lift a finger.
“For any off-site filming locations away from the farm, guards will accompany you unconditionally. Please keep in mind that there will be no movement without a guard.”
“Yes, we understand.”
Hearing that he had even arranged for bodyguards, the managers nodded their heads with satisfied expressions.
“For smooth communication, we will proceed as follows.”
“Which is?”
“Manager Choi Pil-yeon.”
“Yes. Writer… Ah, should I call you Executive Producer-nim?”
Everyone burst into laughter at Choi Pil-yeon’s question.
“You can call me whatever you like. Once filming begins, all the managers will be moving with their respective actors.”
Everyone nodded as if that were obvious.
“As you know, filming doesn’t always go according to plan, and variables can pop up at any time. For that reason, we’ll be operating a five-minute contact team.”
“A five-minute contact team? Is it like a standby team or something?”
The managers looked at Yu-hyeon, wondering what the role of such a team would be.
“First, let me make some introductions.”
Yu-hyeon gestured behind him, and a staff member nodded and quickly opened the door. Three men who looked like they could handle themselves appeared.
“This is Team Leader Marcos. He knows every nook and cranny of Malta and is also the president of the local merchant association.”
Since rumors about Marcos had already spread far and wide, everyone nodded and applauded.
“If any problems arise on set, or if you need local cooperation, Team Leader Marcos here will provide support. Next is Team Leader Gabino.”
Gabino, the leader of the mercenary team, stepped forward.
“He will be in charge of action support and supervision alongside the Hollywood action team. For reference, he is a veteran of an Italian special forces unit comparable to the US Navy SEALs.”
The crowd went “Ooh,” and applauded again. Gabino smiled awkwardly and stepped back.
“And finally, Team Leader Murphy, who will be in charge of your security.”
Another round of applause followed.
“As I just mentioned, if a problem occurs on set or you need support, the managers at each location will have to take charge.”
The managers tilted their heads at Yu-hyeon’s words. They looked confused as to why they had to do something the production team should be handling.
“This is something the production team would normally handle, but as you can see, they don’t even have a moment to breathe.”
“Ah…”
“I’m not asking you to do anything difficult. I’m just saying that if you report any issue, no matter how minor, we will resolve it for you. For example, if you run out of drinking water on set? Contact us about that too. President Marcos will have water delivered immediately.”
“Aha! I understand.”
Now that they thought about it, it wasn’t much different from the usual duties of a manager.
“The person who will oversee and control that process is Manager Choi Pil-yeon. It might be quiet for now, but once filming starts, all sorts of problems will likely pop up. When that happens, please contact Team Leader Choi Pil-yeon.”
“And the person responsible for the outfits and costume production for this drama is Managing Director Lee Jae-eun of HS Fashion.”
Upon being introduced by Yu-hyeon, Lee Jae-eun promised her full cooperation and returned to her seat.
Yu-hyeon went on to explain other points to be careful of and things to note before stepping back.
Yu Han-seong, the CP in charge of proceedings, stepped forward.
“We start at dawn tomorrow. Until the day this drama wraps up, I hope no one gets hurt or sick. Let’s finish this strong.”
“Let’s do this!”
“Let’s make it a hit!”
“Fighting!!!”