He Only Plays Villains - Chapter 27: Can't Leave Just a Bitter Aftertaste (1)
Vehicles carrying the cast began pulling up one after another to the condo that would serve as lodging for the filming crew.
The staff who had arrived first were bustling about, unloading equipment.
"It's called a mountain shoot, but it's less than a hundred meters from the condo entrance. Right around the corner."
One of the male assistants stuck close to Jeong Seo-hoon and explained.
"It's daytime now, so there's no shoot for you, Actor Jeong Seo-hoon. Yours is tonight. So feel free to rest, or watch if you want."
"I'll watch."
"Figured as much. Just in case, take this."
The assistant handed Jeong Seo-hoon a small walkie-talkie.
"Doesn't the phone work here?"
"It does, but it's so remote the signal can get spotty. Carry both. We gave them to the other actors too."
"Got it."
"Frequency's preset—don't touch it, or it'll cause interference."
Jeong Seo-hoon pulled his suitcase from the trunk and extended the handle.
At that moment, a roaring engine sound echoed from beyond the parking lot.
A red sports car, its shield emblem trapping a prancing horse, sped in crisply.
The car turned sharply once, then backed effortlessly into the spot next to Jeong Seo-hoon.
"Seo-hoon, you're early."
Cha Do-jin stepped out, sunglasses on, waving cheerfully.
"This your first location shoot?"
"Not exactly. Did one in an abandoned building last time."
"Pfft, that's barely outside the outer ring road. Not a real expedition. How about a light drink after tonight's shoot? They say the restaurant here's open 24/7."
"Drinking?"
"Feels just like an MT, right? Can't have a location shoot without booze and barbecue. Right?"
Cha Do-jin seemed oddly excited.
While others dreaded location shoots as exhausting, he acted like he was on a group tour.
Come to think of it, his outfit was a flashy, colorful Hawaiian shirt.
"Watched the live broadcast. Heard Yoo Jeong-ah passed out for real, scared shitless? How'd you pull that off?"
"It wasn't like that."
"Come on. Word's all over. Spill for your senior. The kid who calls me 'hyungnim' every time but skimps on the respect... maybe I should scare her straight once..."
Just then, more vehicles appeared in a line.
A massive StarCraft van led, followed by a black Benz.
Cha Do-jin smacked his lips.
"Damn, she shows up like a ghost whenever we talk about her. That's Yoo Jeong-ah's Benz. Van's her manager and stylist."
The Benz was a limo, slightly longer front-to-back than a standard sedan.
As if pre-planned, it parked next to Jeong Seo-hoon's car, opposite Cha Do-jin's Ferrari.
Yoo Jeong-ah stepped out in tight skinny jeans and a blue blouse.
"What? Hyungnim, were you talking behind my back?"
"You got a wire on me?"
"Not funny. That's some legacy humor."
"With this face saying it, how could it not be?"
Cha Do-jin grinned, pointing at his own face, while Yoo Jeong-ah shook her head in exasperation.
"No one's ugly or ugly here. So drop the face-based jokes and polish your material. Maybe smear chili powder on your teeth after kimchi stew—that'd be kinda funny."
"Seo-hoon, you see this? She goes up to level 13 spice, and this is just level 1. Watching her stare down other actresses is no joke. Entertaining, though."
"So you were talking behind my back. You know talking shit about guys in front of Seo-hoon means talking shit about Seo-hoon in front of guys?"
"When did I talk shit?"
Yoo Jeong-ah shook her head in disbelief, then crooked her finger at the van.
Her manager hurried over, opened a black briefcase, and held it up.
Like a movie scene showing bundled cash.
But inside were several bottles of mouthwash.
Yoo Jeong-ah picked one, opened the cap, and held it out to Jeong Seo-hoon.
"How's the scent?"
"Fine."
She nodded and grabbed the next.
"This one?"
"Good."
"This?"
"Not bad."
"This?"
"Fine."
After sniffing nearly 20 bottles, she crossed her arms.
"Which one's the best? Pick one."
"The first one."
A satisfied smile lit Yoo Jeong-ah's face.
"Knew you'd pick that. That's why I showed it first. But same one's boring, so I'll take this."
She pulled out the fifth one she'd shown and handed it to Jeong Seo-hoon.
"Here. Don't forget to use it later."
"What's this?"
Jeong Seo-hoon genuinely looked puzzled, then spotted Cha Do-jin half-turned, hand on forehead.
Like here she goes again, pretending not to notice.
"Mouthwash. All my favorites, but no matching. Let's each pick one."
"Mouthwash?"
"Oh, you didn't know?"
Yoo Jeong-ah widened her eyes and continued.
"We're shooting a kiss scene."
A subtle murmur rippled through the filming crew.
"You hear?"
"What?"
"Kiss scene on this location shoot."
"What? For real?"
"Yeah."
"Just cleanup for Hwang Ra-hee and Lee Min-soo? No way there's a kiss angle there."
"Nah, it's Hwang Ra-hee and Lee Jin-uk."
"That makes even less sense. At this point in the plot? Total makjang. Ratings tank, viewers burn the boards."
Kim Sang-hee was infamous for never pairing up male and female leads.
No matter how viewers begged for a happy ending after emotional arcs.
For her to pull the kiss card first? Worth the huddle and whispers.
Meanwhile, Jeong Su-ryeon had other worries.
'If that idiot gets delusions from kissing Yoo Jeong-ah.'
Skinship turning into real sparks during shoots? Hardly rare scandals.
If he mistook kiss-scene affection for her liking him?
Or worse, fell for her?
Or they actually ignited real fireworks?
A rising rookie actor getting top-star scandal? Devastating blow.
Yoo Jeong-ah's fandom wouldn't leave a scrap.
'Gotta warn him hard later.'
Her fans were notoriously extreme—mess up, and headaches galore.
"Our Kim Writer with a kiss scene."
Song Jeong-woo was thrilled, practically dancing.
"How long's it been? No, first since debut, right? Yeah?"
"Yes. My first kiss scene."
"To direct Kim Sang-hee's first kiss scene... feels like a meaningful gift. Touching."
"Honestly, not sure yet."
"Not sure? What do you mean?"
Kim Sang-hee shook her head.
"I've got a perfect image in my head. Has to match exactly. Not a millimeter off, or I scrap the drama."
"Scrap it?! We're about to hit 20%! Don't blaspheme!"
"No kiss chemistry, but they kiss. Gotta convince viewers. Like, this kiss! That reaction."
Kim Hyun-tae listened intently nearby.
He was more uneasy inside.
'Sudden kiss scene? Doesn't fit the plot at all.'
Dramas need consistent emotional flow.
Usually visuals or acting hold it, but Kim Sang-hee crushed with script power.
Hwang Ra-hee and Lee Jin-uk's story? Zero romance.
No need to analyze—flat out none.
'PD must know that.'
She'd only mentioned a kiss scene—no script yet.
Yet Song Jeong-woo showed zero plot-collapse worry.
He'd film her words even if Earth orbited the Moon. Zero doubt.
'PD's faith is something else.'
Religious-level trust in her scripting.
'Kinda jealous.'
Kim Hyun-tae envied a bit.
When he became PD, fully owning a project...
Could he find a writer to blindly trust like that?
Song Jeong-woo beamed.
"If it doesn't get that viewer reaction?"
"Scrap it. Obviously."
"Which episode?"
"Added to end of episode 9."
"Perfect. Peak climb—ratings boom. Thought that far, our ratings machine?"
"I'd lie if I said no, but it just felt like good visuals."
"I'll nail it then. Promise."
Song Jeong-woo clapped her shoulder warmly.
"Why worry? Kim Sang-hee writes, Song Jeong-woo directs. Combo ever failed?"
"Can I trust you?"
"No doubt! I'm Kim Sang-hee's muse, Song Jeong-woo! Muses disappoint?"
"My muse is Jeong Seo-hoon. Planning next with him too."
"Then gotta shoot flawless. Your first kiss—I'll make it beautiful, unforgettable!"
"Beautiful, but not your kind of beautiful."
Finally, Kim Sang-hee pulled a thin script printout from her bag.
Song Jeong-woo's beaming read turned serious, smile gone.
Kim Hyun-tae peeked curiously.
Song Jeong-woo steadied his breath, spoke slowly.
"This is no joke."
"No joke, right?"
Seeing her twitching brow, Kim Sang-hee smirked, arms crossed.
Provocative.
"Scared? We'll scrap. Easy."
"Scared? Please!"
Song Jeong-woo snatched it protectively.
"Showed Yoo Jeong-ah first. She loved it."
"Her pro ethic's tungsten. Takes any scene if good. No nudity."
Kim Sang-hee ignored fan pleas for romance—even fake.
This scene? Explosive viewer shock.
"Jeong Seo-hoon must be special to Kim Writer."
"Yeah. First thriller actor I wanna give a kiss scene."
"If I were him, I'd be thrilled. Smitten maybe?"
"Nah. Pretty actresses everywhere."
"To me, Kim Writer's hands prettiest. Churn out scripts."
Outsiders might misunderstand.
But Song Jeong-woo adored his actress wife; Kim Sang-hee once scolded him as a thief for retiring a good actress early.
Kim Hyun-tae voiced his worry.
"PD, isn't this too much drift? Can't imagine Lee Jin-uk and Hwang Ra-hee kissing."
"Kim Writer doesn't random-drift. You know."
"Sure. But sudden kiss fixation? Like craving what you've never done."
"You'll see. She even hung detailed directions—in case I mess up."
Kim Hyun-tae scanned the script, reluctance fading.
"Okay, it is a kiss scene."
Affirming the kiss—that was key.
"And?"
"Fits Illegal vibe perfectly. Thought genre shift, worried."
Song Jeong-woo patted his shoulder, laughing.
"Right? Perfect for our drama."
Too Bitter to Leave Just a Bitter Aftertaste (2)