The Fallen CP and the Quadruple Death Kaio-ken
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[You came at the right time. It's not over yet. Not by a long shot...!]
In the final moments of King and Sovereign episode 11,
a ragged old man coughs and opens his mouth.
His clouded eyes, drained of any fighting spirit, are filled not with resolve but with delusion.
[I've even made connections with those in the northwest. If we rise once more, this time for sure—]
[This time for sure, you plan to send another hundred thousand souls to the afterlife?]
[...What?]
[Aren't they real outlaws over there? What good is allying with bandits? All it does is kill more people.]
Silence falls.
The deluded revolutionary and his descendant stare at each other wordlessly.
One with eyes full of disbelief, the other with weary exhaustion.
The tension builds as hands slowly tighten on sword hilts, making viewers swallow hard.
Anger and bewilderment flicker in the old man's eyes, only to be overtaken by understanding and resignation.
Is that how it is?
Have I ended up the same way?
[Have you come to cut me down?]
[That was the plan, but I don't really see the point anymore.]
[.......]
[Even rotten, you're still a man who lived by the blade. You look like you won't last another five days.]
The old man said nothing.
Hui-yul fell silent too.
They simply gazed at each other calmly.
After the knife-edge tension passed, the old man finally sighed and closed his eyes.
[Take the books from the third drawer.]
[I've had my fill of those stupid scripts you taught me. I think I know them inside out.]
[Those books are about good governance. They're compilations expanding on farming manuals, calendars, the Huntian Quantu, the Daedong Eonbugun-ok, and the like. I dreamed of a world where they'd be put to proper use, but in the end, they've just gathered dust.]
[Hmm.]
[Do with them as you will—discard them, teach them, burn them. They're yours now.]
Hui-yul stared at the ragged old man a moment longer, then stood.
The camera doesn't show if he takes the books.
The old man, looking a decade older, gazes at the ceiling.
As the screen begins to fade to black, another visitor kicks the door open.
As viewers erupt once more, he stares blankly at the ragged old man.
But realization dawns quickly, and he lets out a long sigh.
[What in the world are you doing here, Lord Hopan!]
[That's an outdated title, Minister.]
The old man shakes his head.
His face, having let go of everything, is utterly empty.
[You came at the right time. Before you take my head, at least hear my tale of failure.]
[.......]
[I'm a sinner who spilled this land's blood in vain. Use me as a cautionary tale.]
The old man chuckles at the future Left State Councillor's confused face.
Episodes 10 and 11. Hui-yul and Jeong Ji-uk's paths crossed without intersecting.
Viewers applauded but couldn't hide their disappointment.
And then,
The two heroes' confrontation.
The preview begins, showing Hui-yul and the Left State Councillor crossing paths seven years later in the story.
...But whatever.
To Han Ye-seul, it was all someone else's problem now.
#
“Ah, I slept too much.”
Han Ye-seul woke in a daze, rubbing her eyes as she checked the articles first thing.
4:30 a.m. Time to rush to the editing room.
But as she stretched her leg to step down, her foot hit the floor flat. Of course— this wasn't the broadcasting station's bunk bed; it was a regular one.
Realization hit a beat later.
“Right... I got fired...”
Staring blankly at her dreary apartment, Han Ye-seul crawled back into bed.
Her first time home in three weeks, and the start of a vacation that would last at least a few more.
But even this long-craved rest brought no sleep.
“Damn it.”
After an hour of tossing, her phone proved a poor distraction.
The drama article comments were a warzone again.
ㄴ Tie lol
ㄴ Base budget 30B vs 3.7B / this week's 1B vs 25M haha
ㄴ If those two tied, what the hell is Kang Min worth then lmao
ㄴ The 500K Dollar Man haha
ㄴ Poured insane money and still lost to a backshot lmao
ㄴ But King/Sov probably planned this ep from the start too... Feels like Black Forest hate is overblown..
ㄴ They whipped it up in days?
ㄴ Bullshit lmao
ㄴ Total bullshit;
ㄴ Remember who said bullshit. My cousin's on MBS directing team, says they'll spill tea in finale special
ㄴ Sigh...
ㄴ Nuked and still whining about impact lmaoooooo
ㄴ Sigh lmaoooooo
ㄴ “Hui-yul's OP (while nuking)”
ㄴ “Red OP map (while nuking)”
“...Yeah, figures.”
The reactions weren't much different from usual.
In short, Black Forest was getting roasted.
Not that anyone truly thought it sucked, more like 'Spending all that cash just to get owned by one actor? lmao'—but Han Ye-seul had no grounds to deny the mockery.
That was why she hadn't even protested the sudden benching.
'I had a bigger budget than King and Sovereign, better cast, way better conditions.'
Excusing a ratings loss in this setup would just make her look pathetic.
'Still.'
Still,
yesterday was pretty fucked up—
'.......'
The president chewing her out for an hour in front of the other staff.
The station head cautiously watching.
Go Beom-su CP listening with a pleased grin.
Han Ye-seul clenched her fists until her knuckles cracked, but that was it.
At 30-something snagging a CP role usually reserved for 15+ year vets, she was an anomaly. No room to talk back based on tenure alone.
Even the president had openly shown his displeasure: “I cut the budget for you, and this is what I get?”
“No one scolds a drama over 30% ratings, sir.”
“I know you're making a good drama. That's not the issue—it's direction. CP meddling in PD's strengths holds them back.”
“Pardon...?”
The station head, trying to back her up, was stunned by the response.
Go Beom-su's smirk made the source obvious.
...The current president had never liked her, a holdover from the previous one's favoritism.
She'd stepped in it.
'Life's a bitch.'
Han Ye-seul stared blankly at the ceiling.
Just days ago, she'd been chugging caffeine to figure out how to handle one wild actor. Now her year-long project was gutted.
What a ridiculous rollercoaster.
'Wish Black Forest just tanked hard after I left.'
Of course, nonsense.
Not like she was the on-set PD; a CP mostly handled planning. Swapping one wouldn't tank it.
Besides, Go Beom-su was a 'bait' pro. He took heat for overdoing it, but for Black Forest's buzz needs, he was better than her.
Above all,
the new president had no plans to rehire her.
Yesterday's humiliation was basically the announcement.
'.......'
Strength slowly gathered in Han Ye-seul's fists.
It was a foregone conclusion.
Then.
Better to—
'.......'
Five days later, after stewing in frustration,
an envelope arrived at the KBC president's desk.
“This?”
“Uh, Han Ye-seul CP's resignation from Black Forest...”
“Ha...”
“What should we do...?”
“What do you mean? That young punk's got some nerve!”
Did she think this protest would make him sorry and keep her?
The president scoffed openly.
“Accept it.”
“Sir? Even for a CP, there's protocol...!”
“Slipping it up the chain without direct authority? The station head's in on it too. Don't care how great the old president thought she was—some green kid acting up on faction loyalty? Cut her loose!”
“.......”
Thus, Han Ye-seul's resignation was approved by presidential fiat in a single day.
“Hah, now she'll snap to when she hears she's really out!”
“As expected of your decisiveness, sir!”
“Counting on you CPs.”
“Haha, don't worry!”
...And that was that.
#
“You've all been tainted by that idiot Han Ye-seul.”
In the Black Forest meeting room,
Go Beom-su CP, triumphant at the resignation news, openly tsked.
“From the start, why fight head-on with this budget?”
“...Pardon?”
“When that Kang Min swings a sword, lay down a bigger one. War scenes? Top them. We have budget to crush whatever they throw—why not do it?”
“.......”
It was such an absurd question, no response fit.
The PD finally pushed back in disbelief.
“What are you even saying? Black Forest has a story arc too! You want us to shoehorn random scenes to snipe theirs mid-plot?!”
“Why not?”
Go Beom-su tsked again.
As the PD gaped, he lectured on.
“Listen, PD Kim. Dramas only force-plot when the writer's a pain. But we split Black Forest's writers into four salaried teams, right?”
“.......”
“That moron Han wanted to make a masterpiece, but 'masterpiece' is just hipster bullshit to overhype what they like. Obsessing over that has us dragged by ten times their budget.”
“Even so—!”
“Don't you get it? My word is the president's!”
Bam.
The PD, mid-rebuttal, swallowed at the CP slamming the table and glaring.
The staff were mute as clams.
Go Beom-su smiled in satisfaction at the silence.
“Just do as I say. From King and Sovereign's last ep and preview, they're overextending. Cover with similar scenes, and it's over.”
“.......”
“No clue why you're raising viewer standards. Two hours of mindless action is box-office gold here. Once we double the ratings gap, you'll all see I was right.”
“.......”
“Just do it, got it?”
“...Yes.”
The staff exchanged gloomy looks, no words needed.
They could no longer share the pride of crafting a masterpiece.
Worse, Go Beom-su's plan seemed viable.
'It'll work.'
'King/Sov's budget is pitiful...'
'Hope Han CP gets treated right elsewhere.'
'Damn.'
'This was career-defining...'
Regardless of the gloom, Go Beom-su pushed the plan relentlessly.
It mangled Black Forest's story, but everyone knew it'd land.
Sighs filled the room.
With Han Ye-seul gone, Black Forest's victory seemed sealed.
—But Kang Min thought differently.
#
'This is my chance...!'
Kang Min clenched his fist.
'No better opportunity than this!'
Two days.
Time it took to check Go Beom-su CP's career after the swap and reach his conclusion.
Yu Ho-hyeon PD and King and Sovereign staff panicked at KBC finally drawing steel, but Kang Min saw otherwise.
He'd dissected Black Forest to the bone to beat it.
'It's wrecked! The paranoid color they built is totally shattered!'
Of course, the new CP might be a hidden gem.
'But this is the turning point!'
Even Terran late-game mech switches were weakest at transition—common knowledge. What else to target?
Plus, Kang Min had his ultimate trump card, held back till now.
'My Death Acting is pretty damn good.'
Average state.
'Die a hundred times on average, pull out a William White-level performance, boost acting further.'
Endure massive strain, amp power.
Kaio-ken adjacent.
But it hadn't overwhelmed before. Naturally—Black Forest outclassed the foes he'd grinded deaths for.
So,
the answer to victory was simple...!
“...No better shot than this.”
Kang Min stared grimly at the moon beyond his dingy studio's window.
The massive supermoon shone brightly, as if cheering his resolve.
Normal Kaio-ken couldn't win. What did Goku do then?
“Simple answer.”
The determined man gritted his teeth.
“I'll die four times over...!”
—4x Death Kaio-ken.
Maybe it exists (3)