What You Want Doesn't Come Easily
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Two days after that hellish script reading—where even people besides Kang Min had nearly passed out.
Yu Ho-hyeon PD stood before his boss with utterly shameless confidence.
"...You want me to approve a special episode?"
"Yes, sunbae!"
The acting head stared at his junior in disbelief.
His eyes sparkled, his mouth curved in a grin, and his arms twitched like he might break into a shoulder dance any second.
The usual Yu Ho-hyeon was marked by tired eyes, a calm tone, and a composed expression.
In other words,
Anyone could see he looked completely insane.
"...Ho-hyeon, how many all-nighters have you pulled?"
"Haha, no need to worry! You think a mere four sleepless nights could take down this Yu Ho-hyeon?"
"Get to the nap room right now, you idiot!"
After the acting head chased him out with a few smacks on the back, Yu Ho-hyeon returned thirty minutes later.
And plunked down a freshly mixed tape.
"Take a look first!"
"......."
With the vibe that he wouldn't leave without it, the acting head reluctantly took the tape.
Honestly, it felt like a hassle.
'What big deal could come from just a script reading? This guy's always seemed a bit off...'
The acting head's current title was CP (Chief Producer), and naturally, he'd been a PD before that. He'd overseen or attended over a hundred script readings.
Even so-called great actors rarely shone there.
Unless it was a deliberate making-of film, demanding a special slot for raw script reading footage? Ridiculous.
'Looks like I need to give him a stern talking-to this time.'
The acting head steeled himself inwardly.
That is, until that bizarre footage started playing.
"Ah, sorry. I meant to edit that out but missed it."
"...?"
The acting head rubbed his eyes.
What the hell was that?
He swore he'd just seen something insanely weird—
'Nah, must be my imagination.'
As the acting head pressed his temples, still half-asleep, Yu Ho-hyeon PD adjusted the scrollbar and hit play again.
"Ah, sorry. I was gonna cut that too..."
"Why does it keep stopping, you bastard!"
"Pardon?"
"Ahem, no, nothing."
The acting head squeezed his eyes shut.
What?
What the hell was that?
His curiosity was killing him.
'Get a grip.'
The acting head forced some focus into his eyes.
He'd officially become drama department head in a month. With the handover nearly done, his next moves would define his tenure and reputation.
He couldn't approve just to indulge a junior.
'The nerve, pulling this stunt...'
The acting head trembled with suppressed rage, glaring at his cheeky junior.
And then—
"Ah, sorry. Meant to cut that too—"
"Give me the remote, you punk!!"
#015. What You Want Doesn't Come Easily
Yu Ho-hyeon's sleep-deprived mixing wasn't exactly masterful, to put it kindly. He'd whipped it up solo without calling in the editing supervisor, so no surprise there.
But the acting head's experience was vast. If he couldn't spot the extraordinary content, he'd resign on the spot.
—And that was the real problem.
The acting head clutched his head.
'Oh Heon-yeong, Yi Hoon, Kim Suk-hee, Park Seong-ho...'
All mid-tier veterans at an age where face mattered.
Yet these hard-to-handle actors were going absolutely berserk. Even the others were tearfully playing along.
This wasn't just script reading footage—it could air raw and still draw rave reviews.
Incredible enough already, but reality was even more unbelievable.
'A mere rookie actor drove these vets insane...!'
Kang Min.
The acting head had once dismissed him as a "one-trick thug actor." But his performance was god-tier.
Staff and lesser actors were shocked by Hui-yul's death. But the peaks of acting? They were visibly struck.
The result: this mad script reading.
'Well, makes sense...'
When actors do "confident acting," most pick anger or laughter. Easiest, most natural human emotions.
Conversely, media avoids showing real deaths. Sad music, tricky angles, fast cuts—anything to divert eyes.
No one's died, so no one acts it right.
'But Kang Min pulled it off...'
So naturally,
While etching Hui-yul's character deep.
A genius spark no 21-year PD like him could ignore...
"What do you think, sunbae?"
"Kuh...!"
The acting head ground his teeth.
Dozens of reasons against approval flashed in his mind.
KBC dumped 300 billion won on their slot. Hyped as "Korean spy action," full blockbuster mode.
SBC's trendy daily drama? PD Jeong Min-jae, sponsored by Wiztone Entertainment. No pushover.
Meanwhile, King and Sovereign was filler scheduling.
Leads: idol castoffs for ratings defense. Budget: barely scraping by. No big expectations.
Lucky to break even.
But that also meant low scrutiny on meh ratings...
'Air a special, and it's a declaration of war...!'
From "MBS chickened out" to "Oh, feeling cocky?"
Maybe even "They're nuts."
Spotlight shifts instantly.
And King and Sovereign airs when he's freshly "acting head"—no more like it. First drama flop under his watch? Upper brass would feast on his failures.
Risk too damn high.
But.
Still,
'Pass on this?'
This delicious bait?
Topic frenzy unimaginable?
Play it right, and post-inauguration: "Why SBC fainted, KBC knelt, TVM begged for Kim Kang-hyun's secrets" viral gold?
'Damn it!'
The acting head gnashed his teeth.
He agonized. Cursed the junior for this bomb. Head-splitting torment.
Fierce enough to threaten his thinning hair.
Go or stop?
Go or stop—
After minutes of hair-pulling,
He squeezed his eyes shut and spat it out.
"Fine. Let's do it."
"Thank you, sunbae!"
"One condition."
"Condition? Ah, timing adjust—"
"I edit this."
"...Pardon?"
Glancing at blinking Yu Ho-hyeon, the acting head stood.
His half-bald dome and gleaming eyes: a gambler eyeing a missing ace.
His life in a nutshell. Headship wasn't smooth sailing.
"Hui-yul—Kang Min's at the eye of this storm, right?"
"Of course! Amazing actor. Maybe even foresaw it all—"
"Simple, then."
Go big or go home—his motto.
"Put that Kang Min front and center with the vets in the special. I direct it. Deal?"
"......."
Insane.
Kang Min would've screamed.
Yu Ho-hyeon's eyes twitched at the madness.
Then.
"As expected of sunbae! Three steps ahead, as always!"
"Who do you think I am!"
Naturally, Yu Ho-hyeon had zero plans to talk him down.
He'd been dreaming of intros to Unbelievable's crew post-shoot anyway.
#
Broadcast insiders loosely tier drama communities: light, medium, heavy.
Seems vague, but intuitive.
That's light.
That's medium.
That's heavy.
Medium and heavy swap sometimes, but usually holds.
Anyway, drama communities were ablaze with one topic now.
Drama slots shrinking lately—viewers felt it.
Shrinking pie meant bigger risks. Overseas exports backfired: mega-hits or total bombs.
Trend: Swap four dramas for two fillers, two bangers for export.
Drama fans? Pent-up rage obvious.
Thus, KBC's Black Forest vs. SBC's You with Many Secrets dominated talk.
And yeah,
MBS interlopers? Branded traitors.
And yeah, mostly traitors.
King and Sovereign: PD unproven, writer newbie, idol leads, no wow factor.
Who'd hype it besides Etherbit and Citrus Girl fans?
They rallied firepower, then slunk to fan cafes, swallowing tears.
Etherbit and Citrus Girl: no mega-hits, but loyal AF.
Fan clubs pooled for a crank-in food truck.
Flashy as hell, shoulder-proud for faves amid the hate.
But good intentions can backfire.
"Th-that guy up top..."
"My sunbae, Kim Kang-hyun CP. Overseeing the special shoot during main filming."
"...Pardon?"
"N-no way, the soon-to-be department head?!"
"Spot on."
Yu Ho-hyeon grinned at the pale-faced idol leads.
They saw a starving croc.
That script reading hell fresh in mind.
"Huge impression from last reading. Wants to stir real chaos. Today: main shoot plus special teasers and footage."
"B-but time..."
"Ah, saw the food truck in your names."
Yu Ho-hyeon's eyes gleamed.
"Great gift! Combined with ours, enough for all-nighters. Heard your schedules clear today..."
"......."
"Kidding, haha! No way. Just match the reading vibe—done before midnight!"
The leads wept instead of preening over fan gifts.
No one happy.
Not even Kang Min, hearing utter nonsense from on high.
"Straight to it. Wanna flip negative buzz overnight."
"...Pardon?"
"We're betting on you, actor Kang Min. Thoughts?"
"......."
Day drinking, this guy?
What You Want Doesn't Come Easily (2)