Sincerity Gets Through (4)
Yoo Ji-yu couldn't quite decide if Kang Min was a devil's apostle risen from hell or the devil himself. In stark contrast, Kang Min was an incredibly humble man.
He knew how to humbly acknowledge his own limitations.
"I barely contributed anything to this project. It's all thanks to the staff, Director Shim Yu-hyeon, and above all, PD Han."
"......"
"...?"
"...Enough with that already."
Whatever minor differences of opinion he had with Han Ye-seul,
Kang Min had been working hard to fill those gaps ever since he roped in his eternal friend and stuntman, Kim Ho-jin.
"Of course, I'm doing my best to die as pathetically as possible in my own way, but I think we need a bit more impact. The only one who can help with that is Actor Kim Ho-jin!"
"I, uh, well, you see..."
"Yes."
"If you just don't die, that would solve it... No, no! I'll do it!!"
Kim Ho-jin tearfully agreed to join, swallowing his mustard. He'd known all along this madman wasn't right in the head.
But even with his resolve, filming Must Die to Live was on another level compared to King and Sovereign.
Yoo Ji-yu watched Kim Ho-jin like he was Kang Min's one true friend during shoots, but that was like blood off a duck's back.
On days without Yoo Ji-yu's scenes, Kim Ho-jin rolled around ten times harder.
Beating and tumbling in mountains and fields, crying and laughing in deserts and jungles—Kim Ho-jin couldn't help but look more gaunt by the day.
'Damn it, shit...!'
Kim Ho-jin hoped showing his wretched state might make Kang Min go easy, but it backfired spectacularly.
Instead, VFX director Shim Yu-hyeon was deeply moved by the two actors voluntarily(?) pulling all-nighters for perfect scenes.
"My god...!"
No, this bearded guy was actually shedding tears.
"We all knew Actor Kang's brilliance, but that Kim Ho-jin guy's incredible too! How can anyone have that much passion...!"
How could he, two decades their senior, sit idle when a stunt actor was that gung-ho!
Shim Yu-hyeon reflected on himself and dove even more fervently into his work.
Not just the jaw-dropping snowy mountain vistas that left viewers stunned, but countless high-level scenes poured out.
And by now, Han Ye-seul couldn't just sigh it off with her personality.
"Ah, seriously...!!"
Her obsessive management of every Black Forest scene hadn't vanished. Even if the base canvas irked her, with killer underdrawings and coloring piling up sloppily, she couldn't hold back anymore.
A brief moment of self-loathing wondering if this was right, then she started barking orders everywhere.
"Angle! Watch the damn angle!"
"Human eyes aren't always full shots? Sure, but this is the scene it is! Don't just slap on effects—line it up at 50 degrees!"
"Standard lens is 35-50mm! When cropping the upshot center, focus there and secondary the rest!"
The PD failed to rein in the rampaging actor and editing director and jumped in too—the results were predictable.
Kim Ho-jin had to roll around ten times more than before.
'Shit, why...! Why is this happening...!!'
It was a steep price for his shallow thought of just patching up a subpar actor, but what could he do? Must Die to Live kept getting polished in editing and mixing, grinding away one enthusiastic stuntman.
And naturally, normal actors wrap at fine cut, rarely seeing the post-mix footage.
Naturally, S-grade director Shim Yu-hyeon's skills far outstripped PD Yu Ho-hyeon, who could only capture William White's fights in long takes.
That's why Yoo Ji-yu gaped mutely at the two men clashing ferociously on the snowy peak.
But the action scenes didn't end there.
Even the scene where the heroine first meets the hero and wins his cooperation through desperation had transformed into something utterly beyond Yoo Ji-yu's comprehension.
[What wouldn't you do for revenge?]
[Anything.]
[Anything—]
Everyone says that—on-screen Kang Min shrugs nonchalantly.
But the vista below him is anything but nonchalant.
A rickety cliffside path that could crumble any second,
Endless waves of a massive desert yawning dizzyingly beneath.
Kang Min strides steadily along what looks more like a sea from the precipice.
One actor's aura presses down on the vast desert with undiminished weight. Viewers gulped at the overwhelming power and precarious thrill.
Only Yoo Ji-yu muttered blankly.
"Wait, that was the neighborhood playground..."
[I'm different.]
[Everyone says that too.]
[I did anything for them. Got shit on my hands, blood, sometimes worse. And still got backstabbed.]
[Hm.]
[I can do anything! If it'll kill them!]
On-screen Yoo Ji-yu grits her teeth. Her eyes, fierce under the sun's violent blaze that could scorch everything, layer with light.
Everyone marveled at the natural perfection, like perfect sunlight timed flawlessly.
Off-screen Yoo Ji-yu muttered blankly.
"Wait, that was shot at dusk on a side alley."
The scenes after felt even more real.
[How the hell do I do that!!!!!]
[Hmm.]
"That wasn't even acting!!!"
Whether Yoo Ji-yu freaked out or not, viewers tuned her out.
Overwhelming fight scenes.
Directing beyond that.
A woman brimming with rage and desperation, eyed by a man with profound gaze.
Screaming or squealing was irrelevant now.
The hooked flipped palms like they'd never raged.
"You guys were cursing it out five minutes ago!!!"
"Ji-yu..."
"No, Manager unnie! I'm not crazy, right!!!"
"......"
Whatever tantrum Yoo Ji-yu threw, the tide had turned.
Factor in the massive buzz from the past week that scorched the earth, impossible to ignore for premiere night—the outcome was sealed.
As Must Die to Live staff tensed in anticipation, word came from main control room staff.
The AD who got the call blinked in daze.
"Wh-what? What percentage?"
"...Seven percent."
"What?!"
"Holy shit!!"
"...Seventeen percent."
"Phew. Yeah, that tracks."
"Decent start at least."
"Next eps are the real test. Gotta watch the trend..."
"No!"
"What?!"
"Spit it out!!"
The AD shook his head at the irate DP, face trembling.
Then opened his quivering mouth.
"Twenty-seven percent!!"
"?"
"And it's still climbing!!"
For a moment, everything froze.
Those ready to cheer or sigh in relief all blanked out uniformly.
But it didn't last.
Shim Yu-hyeon led with a euphoric "Waaaaaah!" uppercut. ADs followed, then DP and lighting director.
Writer Yoo Ji-min blinked in disbelief with a dopey face; Shim Yu-hyeon arm-locked his neck laughing heartily. Han Ye-seul let out a hollow chuckle of relief.
"Kang Min! Where's Actor Kang Min! Gotta hail the guy who pushed this when everyone called it insane!"
"I believed from the start?"
"Bull! You asked what a rhino was!"
"Hey, that hasn't aired yet!"
"Uahahahahaha!!"
And well,
One lone exception in the mad revelry.
Yoo Ji-yu, hearing the news, turned blankly.
"...Manager unnie."
"Yeah."
"So... my screech...?"
"Y-you still gotta do it? Everyone loves it."
"......"
"......"
Around the same time, Go Beom-su & Choi Dan-yong duo blinked dopey-eyed, Choi Na-kyeong trembled under press calls. But none as wretched as Yoo Ji-yu.
Yet her tragedy didn't end there.
Something far worse loomed soon.
The very next day, Steel & Wiztone Studio's top poison-tongue, Director Lloyd Gonzalez, posted his take on Must Die to Live on SNS.
This wildly off-base take—even Kang Min himself could only go "Hm...?"—brought Yoo Ji-yu utter misfortune.
Especially since this lame director excessively praised her at the end.
"Because it wasn't acting!!!"
Yoo Ji-yu screamed, but no one cared.
Lloyd Gonzalez was a famed director; the public swallowed his words as gospel from Korea's top directors and ace producer...
'No!'
Yoo Ji-yu trembled, glaring at poison-tongue Lloyd Gonzalez's vile face.
Praise! Don't praise me!
You're poison-tongue Gonzalez, not some confusingly named Rodriguez!
Why now, why me...!
As Yoo Ji-yu agonized, a hand landed on her shoulder.
Kang Min, smiling gently.
"Congrats, Senior Yoo. Looks like sincerity does get through after all."
"......"
"From here on, focus more on dying details. Let's work hard together!"
"......Sure."
Yoo Ji-yu cried.
No escape from this madman came to mind anymore...
And,
The victim chain from Kim Ho-jin to Yoo Ji-yu soon passed to the next.
#
"29 percent? Episode 1 averaged 29 percent?!"
"Yes!"
"Uahaha, cheeky! If there was this plan, PD Han should've told us!"
"Right?!"
MBS VP office buzzed festively for once.
They'd fretted over salvaging this insane mess, but those worries proved pointless with this massive hit.
Last five years, MBS dramas rarely topped 20% outside King and Sovereign, and even then, just lucky one-offs.
But this was different.
Deliberate bait.
Monumental directing.
Actors backing it all—
All screaming Must Die to Live wasn't ending here.
The duo boiled inside as much as they now cheered.
"Han Ye-seul's got a nasty streak, uahaha!"
"Tell me about it, uahaha!"
But as always, joy was fleeting.
Specifically, from when Kang Min declared war in an entertainment mag interview.
Kang Min smiled gently.
All who saw the interview couldn't hide their bewilderment.
Kang Min's star power now—why stick to MBS loyalty? Did they have blackmail like him symbiote-dancing in the street?
Broadcast insiders spat envious gripes.
"Enviable either way!"
"Yeah, really..."
But,
MBS brass thought differently.
"·········Huh?"