Unbelievable and the Very Excellent PD (5)
Irrelevant as it might be, MBS Section Chief Kim Kang-hyun and KBC CP Han Ye-seul were already acquainted.
It dated back to when Kim Kang-hyun was a late-career PD and Han Ye-seul had just joined the external production company they collaborated with.
Han Ye-seul back then had been the epitome of cool chic.
"Chasing after hot actors—what the hell do they get out of it? Do they even toss them a Parkas or something?"
"Must not have anything better to do with their shitty lives."
"Action! Camera action!! You fucking bitches!!"
"I hope they all drop dead, seriously..."
Strutting around with dead-fish eyes, spewing curses left and right, yet handling her work with flawless perfection—that young AD had left a deep impression on Section Chief Kim Kang-hyun's memory.
Even when he heard rumors that her production company had been half-acquired by KBC and she'd skyrocketed through promotions, he couldn't help but nod in understanding. Yeah, that tracks.
But well—
The decade that followed must have been a long one.
...Extremely so.
"There's a misunderstanding! A total misunderstanding!"
"...Just give up and admit it already."
"I said it's a misunderstanding!!"
"That producer's human too, right? Someone like Actor Kang Min—it's natural he'd have fans."
Han Ye-seul wailed in protest, but her MinLove fan cafe cap wasn't going anywhere, and there was nothing she could do about the fluorescent glow of the support lightstick crammed in her pocket.
It was even a triple-light model.
Section Chief Kim Kang-hyun found himself genuinely fearing the advances in modern technology.
The young, MZ-generation vibe, complete with AI integration in today's world.
Even Han Ye-seul—who used to shamble around sets looking like a three-year-old zombie—must have inevitably been swept up in it all...
"No, it's not like that!!"
"Then why are you carrying that stuff?"
"......."
Han Ye-seul blinked for a moment.
She stood frozen, racking her brain for an excuse like she'd been nailed to the spot.
In truth, the manager of MinLove was none other than Actress Seo Bom. And Seo Bom had reached out to her personally to express thanks to Kang Min, even pulling strings to get her onto the set. It sounded insane even to her own ears, but a bit of greed had lured her in—
'Who'd buy that crap?'
Even she knew it was utter bullshit that didn't hold water as an excuse.
Han Ye-seul finally gave up entirely, her shoulders slumping.
"...Fine. Think what you want."
"Hmm..."
Well, getting her surrender didn't really mean much. Section Chief Kim Kang-hyun had no experience dealing with such absurd situations himself.
The balding section chief pondered what to say next.
Luckily, something came to mind.
"Uh, Producer Han Ye-seul."
"...What."
"That name MinLove—isn't it kinda tacky? Maybe talk it over with the actor himself..."
"I didn't come up with it!!"
Denying her fan cafe executive status even after wangling a set visit permit—
At his junior's pathetically flailing outrage, Kim Kang-hyun sadly averted his gaze.
It was summer.
"Sorry, but has the King and Sovereign shoot been running this shoddily the whole time?"
In a nearby cafe,
Han Ye-seul's first words after regaining her senses were these.
Shoddy.
It was her honest impression of the King and Sovereign set—and the sheer absurdity had left her mouth agape, blind to the section chief approaching.
The section chief, who had scraped together the initial budget patch, cleared his throat awkwardly.
"What's the problem?"
"Everything! Starting with the equipment!"
"Hmm..."
"Sure, something like an MCC (motion control camera) is a budget stretch, but the gear across the board is insufficient and outdated! The dollies, the lighting cranes are all cheap knockoffs—and even the wind machines are in that state?! It's a 40% drama!"
"...The budget support is finally coming through in a scramble. But equipment like that—you can't just snap it up the moment money appears."
Pricked by his conscience, the section chief made excuses under his breath.
High-end filming gear wasn't just expensive; schedules were booked solid. And due to their nature, short-term rentals were tough.
Before, the budget had been too tiny to afford it. Now, with the finale looming, it was too late.
No helping it.
"No, then at least increase the staff or specialize them! The camera director seems skilled, but location shoots make control impossible—it's obvious!"
"Hmm..."
"If that's not feasible, restrict high angles at least—and they don't! Lighting has no right-angle control! No proper yellow line setups! The script supervisor's directions don't even match the camera angles...!"
Han Ye-seul, who had snuck in just to glimpse Kang Min's face, spent a good while in shock, unable to collect herself.
She'd nearly torn her hair out.
'This drama hit over 40%? No, forget that—I've been fighting tooth and nail against crap like this?!'
How pathetic was she, pulling all-nighters and turning her pillow into a rag over schlock like this?
No—how monstrous was Kang Min to pull off those scenes in this hellhole?!
'Still a perfectionist, huh.'
Seeing her fury, Kim Kang-hyun inwardly gave a wry smile.
'We've dealt with far worse.'
Sure, that perfectionism birthed gems like Black Forest, but there were limits.
If it had made Han Ye-seul CP at twenty-two, it had also left her unemployed now.
She should have at least bowed and scraped a bit to the new KBC president, who harbored an inferiority complex toward her wildly popular predecessor.
Just as Kim Kang-hyun opened his mouth to offer some advice and send her off—
A jolt of electricity shot through the bald man's brain.
'...Wait a sec.'
He blankly turned his gaze.
'Unemployed?'
Han Ye-seul was still ranting.
Her mouth, mid-explanation on image line overflows fixable in editing, shifted seamlessly to positioning for cutaways and full shots. Talk at a level mid-tier PDs couldn't follow.
'.......'
The genius who directed Black Forest—unmatched even by MBS's best.
Currently unemployed.
And a massive Kang Min stan to boot—
'This is...'
The section chief swallowed hard.
This was like a gift from the heavens...!
Han Ye-seul, finally realizing her rudeness after her tirade, was starting to shrink back.
"Uh, sorry. I know I shouldn't backseat-drive another network, but it just felt like such a waste..."
"No, you're right, junior. It's utterly idiotic."
"Huh?"
"My fault. All my fault. I planned this garbage, so of course the set's garbage."
"......?"
Has this bald guy's lost it— Han Ye-seul blinked blankly.
To such an opponent, Kim Kang-hyun flashed a wide grin.
A crocodile's smile.
"Ahem. In that case, I've got a proposal for you, Kang Min's biggest fan."
"I told you it's not—"
"You're at loose ends anyway. How about working at our MBS for a bit?"
"...Pardon?"
"Temporarily. To help Actor Kang Min."
"......???"
Han Ye-seul blinked blankly.
Lawyers often warn:
Contracts that slyly gloss over key details are always scams.
"Kuh...! Damn it......!"
Meanwhile, as MBS and Unbelievable took hits even overseas, and the section chief schemed—
Surprisingly, the root of all issues, Kang Min, was suffering profound inner turmoil.
As always, he posted comments on internet articles.
Unbelievable Villain.
A routine now ingrained in Kang Min's daily life, like eating and drinking.
When Kang Min first confirmed his Unbelievable appearance, it was the most summoned name—and jokes flew about him being an unlikely prophet(?).
Kang Min himself couldn't have been more thrilled.
'Finally, the world recognizes me!'
For Kang Min, all acting had been nightmarish.
Act normally? Die. Try harder? Die. Run right? Die. Run left? Die. Someone else NG? Die. Chicken suddenly jumps in? Die.
Die, die, die, die.
That was Kang Min's way as an actor.
—But Unbelievable was different.
At his first shoot, Kang Min's hands trembled blankly.
'No nightmares... really, not even once...?'
Dr. Kreler in Pavlovsk Experiment Nation dies at the end. Naturally, there were scenes without death midway.
But the nightmares didn't care—as long as death was locked in one shoot, they stayed dormant.
Up to the final collapse-and-die scene, Kang Min hadn't dreamed once.
Not even once.
'Kuh...!'
When shooting wrapped, Kang Min looked skyward to hide his tears.
The sky was clear.
His mind crystalline, the world infinitely bright.
The world could be this beautiful...!
This was his true home; he'd devote his life here. He reaffirmed his vow.
—Until airdate.
Soon, massive hate and dislikes poured onto Unbelievable Villain comments.
Unbelievable Villain had long been a meme, but this time, people weren't just laughing it off.
Overseas netizens were rioting too—what the hell?—and even national pride YouTubers hesitated to cover this idiotic mess.
Naturally, people were pissed.
And the result came soon enough.
"......."
Kang Min stared blankly at the message.
Unheard of in months of Unbelievable Villain activity.
But the tragedy didn't end there.
Among the already furious netizens, a special force led by OlivePenguin began moving covertly.
No...
I said no...
This goddamn...!!
While Kang Min spaced out, the nonsense rumors spread like wildfire.
This,
lose his spiritual home over such bullshit?!
"PD Wi Min-jun! Give me one more chance! This time, even more perfect—!"
"Pardon?"
"......."
No sharp solutions.
Kang Min could only watch blankly as his hard-won Unbelievable seemed poised to vanish in a week.
He vowed eternal grudge against whoever ran MinLove.
Just as everything seemed headed for a meaningless end—
"Ahem. Let me introduce—Actor Kang, this is PD Han Ye-seul. You know her from Black Forest..."
"Welcome! I've been dying to meet you, CP Han Ye-seul!"
"Ah, uh... yes?"
The savior arrived.
...Or a bigger landmine.
Either way, it began at the same time, in a somewhat awkward meeting with King and Sovereign's PD Yu Ho-hyeon present.
"Nice to meet you. Oka—"
"Okabe Takashi."
"Yes, Director Okabe."
TV Yoruh.
PD Yu Ho-hyeon shook the hand of the major player fluent in Korean with slightly trembling fingers.
Even with WebFlix's global net, Japan's Yoruh remained Korea's terrestrial TV's biggest client—success here meant profit or loss on a massive scale.
A director-level bigwig, unseen for years, flying in personally.
For Yu Ho-hyeon, a third-rate PD months ago, cold sweat was inevitable.
The man grinned heartily.
"Long time since I visited, but MBS feels good. That unique free vibe."
"Ahem, you're too kind."
With their director present, even the seated vice president looked flustered.
He composed himself and spoke.
"So, what brings you here this time..."
"As mentioned, the King and Sovereign contract. Thrilled to handle such an excellent work."
"Haha."
Unlike the hearty grin, the VP's mind raced.
Verbal agreement done, just stamps needed—why send a director?
Price haggling? A bit excessive?
"Ah, not here to haggle."
Reading the VP like a book, Okabe wryly smiled.
His terms were solid.
...No, far better than MBS's ask.
VP and Yu Ho-hyeon grew more confused.
"As you see, Yoruh is willing to up MBS's demand by 50%."
"Not for free, I assume."
"Of course. One simple condition."
Okabe's face hardened. Gambler's poise before the pot.
As VP swallowed a groan and Yu Ho-hyeon gulped, he spoke gravely.
"Hand over one program exclusively to us. We'll pay, of course."
"?"
The sum was astronomical—nothing else on MBS save King and Sovereign could touch it.
Flabbergasted, the VP asked.
"What program exactly?"
"Unbelievable."
Okabe's eyes gleamed.
"All future episodes with Actor Kang Min."
"......?"
The VP blinked.
What.
World gone mad?
As VP blanked, a call came.
Perfect timing to regroup—he excused himself.
But it meant nothing.
"What's up, Variety Chief?"
"What big trouble."
"......."
Yeah, the world had gone mad.