A Star’s Worth, an Assistant Director’s Mistake
Kim Jeduk PD.
He hadn’t directed many productions.
Only two of them were really famous. Seosan Byeolgok, and The King’s Road.
Those two had done moderately well.
But the thing is.
I narrowed my eyes.
The production where I’d met Kim Jeduk PD had been a drama called Chugwangdeok.
I’d suffered like hell on that set.
And that wasn’t even the end of it.
That drama had a lot of action scenes.
Normally, you get training before you go in.
The problem was that I was a stopgap. I hadn’t gotten any preproduction training, and yet I still had to lump together and shoot every kind of action scene there was.
Usually, if you don’t get training beforehand, the director cuts you loose.
But Kim Jeduk PD kept making me do it.
I was just a supporting actor, so if he said jump, I had to jump. I did everything he told me to, and in the end I twisted my ankle.
Maybe it would’ve been different if those action scenes had aired properly.
Instead, most of them were cut to pieces and vanished.
Just thinking about that time still made my teeth grind.
And not a single word of praise from that bastard, either.
I found out why later on, of course. Not from him directly, but through other actors.
-Oh, him? He kept going, so I just kept making him do it. But he was weak. Totally unusable.
I smiled brightly.
So in other words, he just ran me into the ground?
Great. Nice to meet you, asshole.
Kim Jeduk PD reached out, trying to pat my face. I immediately stepped backward.
“Well, well. You’re shy, aren’t you?”
If there’d been a dog that barked when it saw a bad man, I would’ve barked like one.
“That’s strange. I heard he wasn’t shy.”
“Did I hear wrong?”
“No, I definitely heard that.”
That was when Mom’s voice rang out.
“Oh, Director, you’re here?”
The moment Mom came out, I bolted to her side. Then I hid behind her.
“Oh my?”
“Soo-jung, long time no see. The kid’s a little shy, I guess.”
“Hm? Really?”
Mom looked down at me. I shook my head with pleading eyes.
It’s not him.
Mom blinked once, then gave me the tiniest wink.
Huh?
Then Mom smiled sweetly.
“I see, Director. I’ve heard all about the project.”
“You have? It’s our big first-half tentpole. We’d like to cast Soo-jung’s son as the son of a scholar who lost his way.”
Oh, what the hell.
The director’s bad enough, and the project’s trash too.
I knew exactly what he was talking about.
Seosan Byeolgok.
Well, the work itself wasn’t bad.
At least, not at the beginning.
The protagonist travels all over the place searching for his younger brother, who was taken as a slave. Along the way he becomes an outlaw, but the problem started in the middle.
His brother gets burned to death.
The problem was that the scene was too vivid.
It gave viewers trauma.
Because of his dead brother, the protagonist turns into a half-mad brute.
And then all he has to do is take revenge...
But Seosan Byeolgok went down a road it never should have taken.
“Even villains have their reasons!”
That much was still forgivable. But then it got topped off with, “Actually, he wasn’t a bad guy after all!”
If they’d just focused on avenging the brother, it might’ve been fine...
If they had, people wouldn’t have been trashing this drama for ten years straight.
The protagonist never even took revenge. In the end, he forgave his enemy.
After that ending aired, the viewer boards exploded.
It had been a pretty successful sageuk, but people kept tearing it apart for years afterward.
I’d even heard that ten years later, people were still furious about it.
And he wanted me to play the little brother who gets burned to death in that kind of sageuk?
My brow wrinkled on its own.
I didn’t think about it at the time, but now that I do... there’s no way this bastard would’ve shown any consideration for the child actor.
In the drama, there had even been a scene where the children cried while flames swallowed them up.
Oh, right. There was also that scene where the kid was burned black to death.
That one had been cut from the VOD later after people complained it was too much.
I stared at Kim Jeduk PD.
I hate it.
Meaning, appearing in this bastard’s production.
Rather than go into this asshole’s sageuk, I’d film an independent movie for free.
Even if it could make me famous.
Well, to be honest, there wasn’t a single good thing about it anyway.
It wasn’t a good project, and the role wasn’t great. On top of that, the PD was this jerk.
There was no real reason to do it.
Besides, there were plenty of places looking for me.
“Oh, I see.”
“It’s a very important role for the protagonist. It’ll suit Gongza perfectly.”
Burned to death?
“It’s a tragic narrative, too. Soo-jung, if Gongza does this one, CF offers will come pouring in.”
Mom narrowed one eye slightly.
“My, my.”
I could tell Mom was a little angry now.
“This is all just to make a living, isn’t it? Child actors are all trying to make money too. Soo-jung, you’ve managed to catch both rabbits with this kid, haven’t you? Image and money!”
Yikes.
This guy really was garbage.
Mom smiled faintly.
“I see, Director. Good grief.”
Just then, an older woman brought out tea and fruit. Mom immediately lifted a hand and sent it back.
“Take it back.”
“Pardon?”
“I eat at the same table with people.”
Mom stood up.
“I don’t think our Gongza will be doing this one, PD.”
“What kind of nonsense is this!”
“You can leave now.”
Mom stood up at once.
“I said leave, nicely.”
“Ma Soo-jung! Hey, you think you can act like this just because you’re doing well?”
Mom swept her hair back.
“Yeah. I do. Why? It’s disgusting. You’re not even worth one fist.”
“What?”
“I’m holding back because I really want to knock your teeth out. Get out! Out of my house!”
“You—! Hey! I’m Kim Jeduk PD!”
“So what? You’re bad at directing, too!”
Huh. How’d she know that?
Honestly, his directing had been a total mess too.
The only good thing about it had been the script.
Honestly, people even said the ending was so weird it felt like the writer made it just to screw someone over.
Honestly, that might not have been impossible.
“You bastard! You shitty little Ma Soo-jung! Just you wait!”
“Yeah. I’ll wait. But you? Who do you think you’re talking to? I’m Ma Soo-jung.”
Wow.
That had teeth.
Mom was an actress. But before that, she was the third daughter of the Sungjin Group.
It sounded like she was saying she’d cut off his sponsor.
The director got red in the face and lurched to his feet. I turned and waved at the man as he stormed out.
Let’s not meet again.
What a lousy way to ruin a good day.
Mom sat down on the sofa and let out a sigh. I climbed up beside her and settled in next to her.
Then Mom wrapped her arms tight around me.
“Gongza. You know this, right? Mom didn’t bring you home for that reason.”
Like I wouldn’t know that.
“I know!”
“That jerk. You can’t trust him. Still, Gongza, I’ve actually never pulled a sponsor before.”
I grinned.
That’s my mom.
She’d probably rather punch him and make him pay compensation.
But I know better than anyone that she isn’t that kind of person.
Mom stroked my head and whispered,
“I might do it for Gongza, though.”
Huh?
“If anyone tries to pull some weird nonsense on our Gongza, I’ll split their bones from their flesh.”
Um, Mother?
“Gongza, there are lawful things in this world, and there are unlawful things too. I haven’t used the unlawful kind before, though.”
I-is that so?
Mom pulled me into a fierce hug.
“If anyone bullies my baby, I won’t sit still.”
Wow.
If anyone ever bullied me, I’d better not get caught.
That would be best.
I can’t send Mom to prison.
Mom kept huffing in anger, then said, “Ugh, I’m pissed. This is exactly when I should go to the gym. Gongza, do you know? One more team’s coming.”
I blinked.
“More?”
“Yeah. Two teams today. But this one’s late. Ah, Gongza. Mom’s thinking of remodeling the upstairs.”
Huh? Why a remodel?
“I’m going to make a few more rooms. Hmm, first I need a place to exercise, and I want to make one just for you too. What do you want?”
Wow, Mother.
The scale of this is insane.
She was just going to make a room from scratch.
Wait a second. If that’s the case...
I shouted at once, “A practice room!”
“Hm?”
I spread my arms wide.
“I need a mirror this big!”
And some props would be nice too!
Mom blinked.
“Why didn’t I think of that? Right, Gongza. A practice room. That’s good!”
She patted my head.
“Come to think of it, an actor does need a practice room.”
Exactly.
Isn’t a mirror an actor’s best friend?
“Right, Gongza. Let’s even install a camera.”
Whoa! Monitoring practice!
I grabbed onto the hem of Mom’s clothes.
“Yay!”
“Right? Hmm, is that enough?”
I shook my head.
“We need one more room!”
“Hm? We already have plenty of guest rooms.”
“Not that! A real room!”
Mom blinked. Then I shouted, “Noona’s room!”
Mother, I haven’t forgotten.
Her name was Oh Mari.
The daughter of Mom I’d seen in the newspaper, standing there with that tragic expression, clutching Mom’s memorial photo.
I called her my older sister, but she probably isn’t my sister yet, is she?
To that side, I was probably still just an impurity.
But if she’s Mom’s daughter, she’s my noona.
I didn’t know what kind of story there was between Mom and her daughter. But if this was where Mom lived, it was strange that there wasn’t a room for her daughter.
Mom blinked. Then she gave a bitter smile.
“That’s true. There wasn’t a room for Mari.”
Mom patted my back.
“Mari probably won’t come to this house. But the room should still be there. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Mom whispered softly,
“I’m not exactly a very good mother, am I?”
No, why would she think that?
I shook my head immediately.
“Nooo!”
Mom laughed a little.
“Thanks to my angel, I’m learning so much.”
She brushed my face with her hand. Her touch was soft, but there was something heartbreaking in it too.
Then I heard someone approach.
“Excuse me.”
This time, it was someone I’d never seen before. But Mom stood up at once.
“Oh, PD! I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Hello, Soo-jung. I’m Seonwoo Yeongjae. I direct a bit over at the broadcasting station.”
What? Seonwoo Yeongjae?
I blinked.
This is a jackpot!
Wasn’t this the man who later became the head of HGS dramas?
Of course, that wouldn’t happen for more than ten years.
Mom shook his hand. Seonwoo Yeongjae looked at me and said, “Goodness. This one’s no ordinary kid.”
I smiled and bowed from the waist.
“Hii! I’m Gongza!”
Director of Drama, sir! Nice to meet you in this life.
In my last life, I was indebted to you once.
Seonwoo Yeongjae bent his knees a little to meet my eyes.
“Well, well.”
The PD grinned so hard it looked like his mouth might split.
“I wasn’t sure at first, but now I know for certain. Right?”
The associate director who’d come with him nodded.
“Yes. This has to be him.”
“Right?”
“The image fits immediately.”
“The scene just passes right by.”
I smirked. I’d caught on quickly to what they were saying.
I know. The first-half expected hit, Inyeon!
Because preproduction had taken so long, it ended up spilling a little into the second half of the year, but the drama became a huge hit.
Especially in the Middle East.
The hallmark of Seonwoo Young-jae’s sageuk was the triumph of good over evil, along with love. And the visuals were especially beautiful.
Besides, there was only one child actor fit for Inyeon!