Kim Deok-su’s Face Lit Up
Kim Deok-su’s face lit up.
“Thank you, Sir Knight. I’m grateful you helped me out.”
“No need. I have to help L’Vyu.”
The voice that came from Lee Hui-yeong’s phone belonged to Ryu Gang-hyeok.
His usual calm tone carried rare warmth.
“I’ve been wondering lately what happened to Deok-su. I never imagined the companies would cut a deal over him… but anyway.”
“It seems the law of the jungle still rules. Still, I owe you for moving the management team, Gang-hyeok-ssi.”
“That’s right. Deok-su should have been taken care of by his own management team.”
Lee Hui-yeong gave a wry smile.
She had planned to leave out the rumor about Cloud Entertainment and JMT’s deal and simply ask the management team to intervene.
She wanted to limit the damage if Deok-su’s sudden withdrawal happened.
But Ryu Gang-hyeok kept pressing, and in the end she told him everything.
“I won’t forget this. If you ever need my help, just say the word.”
“Haha, I’ll keep that in mind. Is Deok-su shooting right now?”
“Yes. He’s working hard as usual.”
Where Lee Hui-yeong turned her gaze, cameras were rolling full force.
Deok-su was kneeling the extras in hospital uniforms and giving them directions, while veteran actress Cha Mi-yeon—playing the mother—stood with arms crossed, looking perfectly at ease.
“Cut. Good. Let’s try it once more at the current tension.”
While the camera crew adjusted their settings, PD Park Hee-yeol approached Deok-su.
“Your expression and tone are perfect. But when you’re walking around and being shot, try to give the director a little extra thought, okay?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Great! Everyone, let’s hurry. We’re wrapping by ten tonight!”
The staff cheered, confident the night would not run long.
“Are you all right?”
Deok-su asked the extra who looked pale as a sheet.
It was the same actor he had pushed around earlier.
“I-I’m fine, Sunbae. I got so lost in your acting that I—”
“I overdid it because you fit so well. Sorry.”
Deok-su comforted the stunned extra.
They had finished the take without a single take, yet the other actor had taken water to the face and been pushed around several times.
It was no wonder he was shaken.
“How about we grab a drink after work?”
“Ah, thank you, Teacher.”
“No need for Teacher. You haven’t even gotten married yet. Just call me Unnie.”
Deok-su felt a little awkward but called her with genuine warmth.
“Yes, Unnie.”
“Whoa? You actually called me that. I like it. Come on.”
Deok-su followed Cha Mi-yeon to her van.
Inside the van sat a small refrigerator, a massage chair on the sofa, and every other comfort imaginable.
Cha Mi-yeon sat Deok-su in the massage chair and smiled.
“It’s sudden, but I have one favor to ask.”
“If it’s possible, I’ll do it.”
“You’re a Signature member, right? You haven’t left the group yet.”
Deok-su blinked and nodded.
Officially, he was still a Signature member.
“Our daughter really wants to go to a concert, but we can’t get tickets. Do you think you could find even one for us? As a member, you must know how to get them.”
Deok-su hesitated.
He had never seen a Signature member except Ryu Gang-hyeok.
And Signature concert tickets were nearly impossible to obtain.
Once the sale opened, they were gone in three minutes flat.
Even insiders said they never gave tickets to outsiders.
“It won’t be easy… but since you asked, Unnie, I’ll look into it.”
“Really? You promise?”
“I can’t guarantee anything.”
Cha Mi-yeon’s expression turned displeased when Deok-su tried to back out.
“Men who say that look so unpleasant.”
“I don’t do false promises meant to torment hopes. That’s not my style.”
“You’re impossible… Still, I like that you’re at least willing to try. All right, go on.”
Cha Mi-yeon waved him away with obvious reluctance.
The entire day’s shooting passed without a hitch.
Contrary to PD Park Hee-yeol’s prediction, it ended by eleven rather than ten.
The staff were relieved it wasn’t a dissolve shoot but sighed at the early-morning call.
“We’re doing afternoon shooting.”
Lee Hui-yeong checked the schedule and marked it with a circle.
Tomorrow was location shooting—outdoors.
“Hospital and office… Gimpo and… Siheung?”
“Not far. Still, it’s best to get there before rush hour.”
On the drive back, Deok-su picked up his phone only after settling into the small car.
The cramped space was far from ideal for stretching legs, but it was the most comfortable place to relax.
“Why did the acting controversy over Han Gyu-yeong blow up? He’s played the lead twice.”
“Must be that his inner energy isn’t deep enough.”
“Even on set, we couldn’t hear anything good… Whatever. The agency will handle it.”
“Sure they will. Honestly, people like that deserve to get what they give.”
Lee Hui-yeong stayed silent, shoulders shrugging.
Actors should just focus on their craft.
No need to lose concentration over such pettiness.
The next day, Deok-su took his first outdoor location shoot.
The first site was a hospital in Gimpo.
The scene was daytime, but shooting began at night.
Hospitals had to be closed for filming, and the long drive made Deok-su arrive early to the nearby café.
“People are staring.”
Lee Hui-yeong sat in the corner, nerves on edge.
Passersby kept glancing at Deok-su.
His image had been improving lately, but caution was still necessary.
A small rumor could turn him into fresh prey.
“You should enjoy being stared at.”
“Right now we have to be careful.”
“Just kidding. I’ll be quick…”
Deok-su spotted someone he had seen often in the corner.
“That person… isn’t Cho Yu-ri’s assistant, the writer Na Mi-yeong?”
“Ah, yes. Jo…”
“Jo Yu-ri. We should greet her.”
Deok-su and Lee Hui-yeong stood up.
The industry was small.
Treating assistants poorly would be foolish.
They would be called “auntie” once they debuted and become the industry’s scapegoat if they rose too high.
“Hello.”
“Ah… Kim Deok-su? You’re here for filming?”
Jo Yu-ri’s eyes widened at Deok-su.
Gimpo and Seoul were quite far apart.
“It seems we interrupted your work.”
“No, this is fine. Our part ended yesterday. The writer sent the final episode.”
My Hwarang’s script was now complete.
Yet Cho Yu-ri’s face showed more worry than relief.
“May I ask what this is?”
“A piece I plan to enter in the contest.”
Deok-su’s curiosity rose.
Opportunities to read completed works were rare.
Winners of contests sometimes had their scripts produced, and the writers who stood out gained contracts and new projects.
After a moment’s hesitation, Cho Yu-ri slid the laptop toward him.
“It’s… not very good. A failure.”
Before the embarrassed Cho Yu-ri, Deok-su read the script carefully.
It was the story of two characters from different eras—nineteen-nineties and two-thousands—who met through a phone call and gradually solved cases they could never have touched in real life.
He read the two-episode script in one breathless breath, then read it again.
“Hey, Hui-yeong, read this.”
Lee Hui-yeong glanced at him curiously and began reading.
She knew little about the story.
Yet her reaction mirrored Deok-su’s.
When neither of them spoke after finishing, Cho Yu-ri asked timidly.
“H-how was it…?”
“May I be honest?”
At Deok-su’s words, Cho Yu-ri swallowed hard.
She wished she had not been honest.
The contest had already been mercilessly torn apart before she even reached the café.
Na Mi-yeong, her mentor and employer, had savaged it—called it terrible, complained there was no romance, demanded she quit and do something proper.
Yet Deok-su’s mouth opened the opposite way.
“It’s truly wonderful. The setting, the characters… I couldn’t stop concentrating.”
“R-really?”
“Yes. I don’t know if I’m a good judge of work, but… when Seohyeok from the past and Mujin from the present call each other… it gives me goosebumps. The pure truth-telling process without any romance was also excellent.”
Deok-su’s opinion was worlds apart from Na Mi-yeong’s.
Cho Yu-ri asked cautiously.
“If this were adapted into a drama and offered to me, what would you…?”
“Of course I would. No, I’d pressure the writer to cast you.”
Deok-su’s answer left no room for hesitation or exaggeration.
Lee Hui-yeong nodded as well.
After long thought, Cho Yu-ri nodded heavily.
“Actually… I was going to drop this.”
Cho Yu-ri closed the laptop and spoke softly.
“My mom runs a small snack shop. I was planning to quit everything, move back home, and help her survive… but you two really ruined it.”
“Good thing we did. This work is excellent enough to take on. If it’s produced, please let me write it. Minor roles are fine…”
“How could I write a minor role? You caught my pen mid-swing. You should take the lead.”
The worry had vanished from Cho Yu-ri’s eyes.
“Oppa, time’s up.”
Checking the clock, Deok-su and Lee Hui-yeong rushed out of the café toward the hospital.
“Oppa. You’re really good at talking. Especially to Ms. Jo just now…”
“That was sincere.”
Lee Hui-yeong blinked.
“That script was really that amazing?”
“At least to me it was. The characters were wonderful, and the format was completely new. I got greedy.”
Running with Deok-su, Lee Hui-yeong nodded.
“I need to sharpen my eye for judging works too.”
At the hospital, camera setup was in full swing.
Deok-su sat for makeup and began preparations.
As the makeup team chatted with him, a woman sat beside him.
“So you’re my brother. Nice to meet you.”
Deok-su saw his reflection in the mirror—Yoo Seon-hwa.
The actress playing Han Hee, the heroine of Elegant Love and Deok-su’s younger sister.
She was actually two years older than Deok-su.
Yoo Seon-hwa stared at his face in the mirror and exclaimed.
“Kim Deok-su. Your skin is flawless. What kind of skincare do you use?”
“I-I don’t really have a secret.”
“That’s amazing. You were born with it. If you know a good shop, share it. JMT supports everything generously…”
Yoo Seon-hwa was a chatterbox.
Especially when it came to skin or face, she never stopped.
Deok-su grew tired within ten minutes.
And that wasn’t all.
“Director-nim~ Left. I told you left. I think this side is prettier.”
“I know. I know.”
The lighting director set the lights exactly as Yoo Seon-hwa requested, smiling kindly.
One-sided requests always caused problems.
“Seon-hwa-ya, let’s turn off one light. You’ll look like a snowman on screen.”
“PD-nim, the rival is too strong. If I’m darker than the man, what do I do—?”
Park Hee-yeol sighed.
The person Yoo Seon-hwa pointed at was none other than Deok-su.