Whales Clash, Shrimps' Backs Bruised (10)
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Sometimes, that feeling hits you.
The sensation like thousands of milligrams of caffeine flooding your brain all at once.
'.......'
Your head burns hot, while your mind sharpens to an impossible clarity.
Three days.
That was how long writer Baek Chae-i had spent pulling all-nighters, lost in a trance, writing and rewriting the script.
There was no need for hesitation or agonizing. That only happens when the image in your mind isn't crystal clear.
Baek Chae-i already had the perfect image of Hui-yul. She just had to drag it out onto the page.
The revised script for King and Sovereign came into the world that easily.
—And the moment it did, it slammed into fierce opposition.
"To be frank, I'm against it."
"...Pardon?"
Yu Ho-hyeon PD was generally an accommodating guy.
He knew his own limitations well, and even with King and Sovereign's current popularity, he didn't think his contribution was all that huge.
But right now, his tone was uncharacteristically firm.
The staff in the meeting room buzzed with murmurs.
"There are several reasons, but first off, the very concept of a revolutionary in the Joseon era is murky at best."
"...It's not that distant a concept. Take the Chief State Councillor, for example—his ultimate goal is—"
"The Chief State Councillor is fundamentally a powerbroker. Propping up the king as a puppet while wielding real authority? That's a super common archetype. And giving him his own twisted sense of justice? That actually makes him more appealing."
But.
"Hui-yul doesn't even have a clear historical inspiration."
"Well......"
"Donghak Peasant Revolution? Hong Gyeong-nae's Rebellion? All vague fits. In this script, Hui-yul's the kind of guy who could only emerge in an era ripe for mass mobilization."
Trendy historical dramas could ditch historical accuracy to a degree—that was inevitable.
But you still had to give the vibe of the era.
If a frigate showed up instead of a panokseon battleship in Joseon times, people would rain hell no matter how cool the scene looked.
"Scheduling's another issue. You said we'd only tweak Actor Kang Min's lines, but that's the biggest problem. Redoing his emotional arc and performance flow at this stage? That's no small feat."
"......."
"Frankly, I think we can coast as is and still call it a win. No need to get greedy."
The staff couldn't help nodding along with the PD's conclusion.
Last episode's ratings hit a whopping 25.5%. From the initial plan expecting maybe 5%—7-8% tops for a smash hit—they'd rocketed to the moon.
And the script changes targeted the one actor driving the show's popularity.
Even playing it safe to land softly would etch this into MBS history. Why risk it all for more?
"......."
Even Baek Chae-i, clutching her manuscript, felt much the same.
The thrill of pulling it off vanished in an instant, crushed by the PD's firm stance and the creeping self-doubt.
And why not? She lacked confidence.
'King and Sovereign would've succeeded no matter who wrote it...'
An actor like Kang Min would've made any project shine.
Even if the actor himself was being considerate to the writer, that truth didn't change.
'I think this script's way better. But...'
Maybe it was all delusion.
Maybe she hated the idea of King and Sovereign riding on the actor's coattails, or resented just taking from Kang Min one-sidedly, so she was forcing this gamble.
The usually mild Yu Ho-hyeon, who smiled and nodded through any critique, was speaking out like this. The staff weren't even looking shocked. It was obviously a dumb idea.
So,
before it got even uglier—
"Um..."
In the end, Baek Chae-i forced an awkward smile.
"I think I went too far. Looking back, it's not that great. Just forget it and—"
"I think it's good."
The response came a beat late.
Everyone in the room stared in stunned silence at the one lone voice of approval.
It was the actor himself—the only one there because it was his business.
"I think it's really good."
Kang Min repeated it calmly.
Of course, inside, he was a different story.
'Coasting to a safe landing? Screw that...! Actor Kim Ho-jin’s still out for a while, and I’m out of viable cards! To snag Black Forest, I need some hook...!'
In that mess, Baek Chae-i's rewrite was—sure, he genuinely thought it was good, but more than that—a lifeline.
When even the writer hit opposition and started backing down, his body moved on instinct.
The oblivious room, meanwhile, shifted to bewildered expressions in a flash.
"Uh."
Yu Ho-hyeon PD, stuck holding the bag, spoke cautiously.
"Actor Kang. If we go with this script, we're the ones who suffer. Most changes hit your lines."
"Yes."
"As is, we end with solid applause. But this? It's a gamble for you too. Even for you, playing a role with zero historical precedent isn't easy—"
Kang Min was desperate, to repeat.
And when you're backed into a corner, your words don't filter as well.
Something like this.
"Writer Baek Chae-i."
"Y-yes?"
"You remember me saying I fell for your writing."
"......Pardon?"
Baek Chae-i's mouth hung open blankly.
And so did everyone else's.
But Kang Min had no time for the stunned silence turning to outright shock.
He just desperately blurted whatever came to mind.
"This story starts with the Chief State Councillor, and his essence is the tian yuan at the center of the go board. He has ambition, obsession, and above all, a grand cause. I found it beautiful how you didn't spoon-feed his portrayal but left judgment to the audience."
"I, uh... um..."
"Hui-yul is his mortal enemy. Only you, the writer who created that Chief State Councillor, can define what Hui-yul should be. That's what makes this story truly beautiful at its core."
"Th-thank you, but could you maybe stop...?"
"Just write it, Writer. I'll make it work somehow."
"......."
"Let me ask again. Do you really think this story sucks?"
Kang Min stared at her with earnest eyes.
Inside, he was praying desperately, but at least it looked sincere.
The staff swore they saw steam rising somewhere.
Mainly from Baek Chae-i's head.
'This is too much...'
'I wanna be in her spot...'
As the staff gawked, Baek Chae-i finally snapped out of it after ten seconds of blurting nonsense like "Ah," "Uh," "Eek."
She schooled her expression and shot to her feet, script in hand.
The startled Yu Ho-hyeon asked,
"Writer? Where are you going?"
"...To revise it."
"Pardon?"
"It lacks punch. I'll fix it."
"...Got it. By when?"
Yu Ho-hyeon asked for a timeline.
Exactly how many days? What time for the next meeting?
Baek Chae-i's answer?
"Until it's done!"
"......."
Four days later,
After nonstop revisions pinged every hour day and night, leaving the production meeting shell-shocked, the new script finally passed.
And so, everyone happily moved on to the next week.
#
Both Black Forest and King and Sovereign were 20-episode runs.
In other words, this week—with Black Forest eps 11-12 and King and Sovereign eps 10-11 airing—was right around the midpoint.
But this time, the whales weren't the stars.
"My God!"
Everyone's eyes locked on TVM's Wine Talk.
"They got all those people together?! What's the appearance fee on that?"
"Haven't seen Liston since the old Gag Live days..."
"Damn. Choi Dan-yong PD went all-in."
Choi Dan-yong proved his worth.
Sure, he burned cash on fees, but he'd assembled a lineup of variety show heavyweights that seemed impossible to gather in one place.
Even the TVM variety department head couldn't hide his shock.
"How the hell did you pull it off? Matching their schedules alone must've been a nightmare..."
"Haha! What'd I tell you? No worries!"
"...Don't get cocky. The competition's no pushover. Especially that Kang Min guy—the more I see, the weirder he gets..."
"Ahem, of course."
Choi Dan-yong mouthed agreement but inwardly sneered at the department head. He saw it as jealousy from someone blocking his path to head honcho.
The grudge from getting chewed out recently only fueled it.
'Old fogey's time is up.'
Choi Dan-yong PD grinned contentedly as shooting began.
"Looking forward to a great shoot today."
"Great my ass! My back's killing me—rushed up from Daejeon right after wrapping!"
"Anyway, consider this paying off everything I owe you, PD."
"You bet."
All battle-hardened variety vets. No agonizing over shots—instead, they fretted what to cut from the fun overload.
And this special? Not even one ep. Back-to-back two-parter.
Whatever the big dramas did, the ratings war was already over...!
'Nail this, and the department head's pull—who was raging to yank my slot—shrinks. The nitpicker's done!'
The replacement? Obvious.
Choi Dan-yong smirked slyly.
No wonder everyone droned on about some rookie actor like a broken record.
'Normally, this firepower's overkill for a slice of the ratings pie...'
But a blessing in disguise—the hype from Black Forest and King and Sovereign bloated the whole 10 PM weekend pie massively.
What used to split 40-45% now topped 60% easy.
A usual 10% hope? Now 15%, hell, maybe 20% was in play.
'My God, a 20% variety show...!'
He swallowed hard.
A miraculous number unseen in years.
Not just topping yearly ratings, but year-end awards territory factoring in competition.
Choi Dan-yong PD brimmed with certainty about the future.
Until,
that is, a frantic AD rushed in with bizarre news.
"P-PD! Big trouble! Black Forest's teaser just dropped—it's a nuke!"
"You idiot! What 'nuke'? Hyperbole much—"
"N-no, it really exploded!"
"Exploded how?!"
"A nuke!"
"?"
#
Ku-ku-ku-KABOOM—
Han Ye-seul CP stared at the mushroom cloud blooming on screen, eyes gleaming.
She'd watched the dust and screams spread, hunting for nitpicks, and only after ages nodded in satisfaction.
Barely a pass.
"Great work, Director Park. Very elegant."
"Y-yes..."
Visual effects director—usually VFX supervisor or CG team lead—Park Min-ho nodded dazedly.
Half-asleep, really.
Even for him, a CP shoving budget down his throat and snarling "Make it quick" was a 10-year first.
Whether a nuke could even be elegant...
Han Ye-seul didn't care.
Her eyes were way more hollowed out.
"You know? At first, my team dismissed King and Sovereign. Thought they weren't even worth considering."
"Pardon?"
"Next, we called it luck. Impressive, but that's it—if we really pushed, they'd crumble."
"......."
"When one actor started beating our plans to hell, everyone lost it. We even took risks on orders from above. Total panic mode."
But now? Different story.
Han Ye-seul no longer underestimated King and Sovereign, or Kang Min.
She'd mobilized her full forces and backup—extra budget—for an impact and plot twist bordering on nuclear.
No, an actual nuke.
At this point, conviction was inevitable.
"This time, we win. No doubt."
"......."
"If we lose this fight, I retire. That's how sure I am."
The team lead thought the loudmouth always lost, but kept quiet.
And a day later,
King and Sovereign dropped its teaser.
Netizens—and even Han Ye-seul herself—blinked in 'what?' confusion at the bizarre choice.
Nobody got it.
In a breakneck story flow, it was the absolute worst choice.
"Hahaha, idiots! Fine! If KBC won't steal ratings, MBS will! They're serving it up on a platter!!"
As Choi Dan-yong PD whooped and netizens scratched heads,
'...?'
Han Ye-seul felt a deep, ominous chill at the incomprehensible situation.